asgardmeridiem | CHRISTMAS IN JULY: PART 2

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CHRISTMAS IN JULY: PART 2

Who: Everyone!
What: The mingle log for Part Two of the Christmas in July event.
When: Days 478-479 (July 13-16th)
Where: Anywhere in the city!
Rating: PG-13. Anything higher than that should be taken to a private log, please!

CHRISTMAS IN JULY, PART TWO;
Days 478-479 (July 13-16th)

Day 478 (July 14): Following a network post announcing an impending attack by ice giants and Thiazi's declaration to the city, the fight begins when a small swarm of pixies descends upon the city, no more than eight inches tall and the definition of "glass cannons." They create chaos however they can: shaking snow onto people, carrying off weapons, and attacking directly if approached without an easy exit. Their teeth are curved like fangs and razor-sharp.

While the pixies stir the city up, the frost giants begin to load the golems up into the catapults. Two by two, the massive ice creatures come crashing - literally - into the city. They land hard and inaccurately, as the engineers' defenses on the city walls keep the giants from approaching too quickly, and some golems seem to be damaged already by the same defenses as they land. The pixies seem to lose interest around sunset (though you may find one or two hidden and sleeping in a snowbank if you look hard enough - they'll attack aggressively if woken), but the fights with the golems continue well into the night, until all in the city are dispatched. Where the pixies turn into snow, the golems transform into large hunks of ice after they are killed.
Day 479 (July 15-16): At sunrise, the pixies ascend from their hiding places and scatter, doing their best to break into homes to attack people directly. Today, anyone who finds himself bitten will begin to feel and act strangely.

Ice golems continue to come crashing into the city throughout the morning. All of the original ones slain, Thiazi begins creating more on the spot: while they may be more numerous, they are weaker, and many have odd physical defects. Some are missing arms, and others have extra heads. Following an attack by the strike team, the number itself will begin to thin considerably as one of the catapults is damaged and the other is destroyed completely.

Just before sunset, Thiazi delivers a final message and makes a hasty retreat with her entourage of frost giants. The spell responsible for the odd weather breaks the moment that she passes the threshold a half mile out, and all remaining pixies and golems in the city immediately, mid-action, turn to snow and ice.

By midnight, the city is thawed completely.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[The words pierce through the fog in his brain and he turns in her direction. Perhaps if he was in his right mind his eyes might give the impression of recognition. But instead his stare is hard, bordering on a glare. He hadn't asked for her help.]

[That glare gets a raised eyebrow.] Don't give me that look. It's not like you're sneaking around big guy. If a golem wanted to sneak up on you, all it'd have to do was walk. [She didn't exactly like that look. She'd already had to subdue someone earlier today...]

[A golem...that's right. There's a fight going on, engulfing the city. He's supposed to be a part of it. He had been and then everything got so confusing. He notices for the first time how hot he feels, like he's burning up. Like a fever. But he's not supposed to get sick. His stomach churns and he feels his agitation grow. Why is he so angry?]

Trust me, it takes a lot to sneak up on me. [His words come out through clenched teeth, as if it's an effort just to get the words out. There's no way the golems would take him down so easily and it's irritating that she thinks he's that weak.]

Stomping around like that? [She snorted and shook her head.] Maybe, but you don't look like your head's completely in the game right now. You need to get some rest, maybe? You're not looking that well.

[She stepped out a bit closer, looking at him with a raised eyebrow. She'd seen at least one person who'd been bitten earlier, but she couldn't be sure. It was hard to know for certain what was going on right now, and him looking feral, for lack of a better word, just felt wrong right now.]

[He steps back when she steps closer and stomps down on the urge to lunge at her. He shouldn't be feeling this way. They're on the same side. He takes a couple of more steps back. He needs to get away from her before he does something he'll regret.]

I'm fine. You should worry about yourself.

[Samantha's eyebrow climbed higher and she looked around. No, no fairies, no golems, no giants. Her eyes narrowed and she looked pointedly at Steve, frowning.]

What's that supposed to mean? Are you alright?

[No. No he's not alright. There's something wrong, he can feel it. He wants to out it into words, explain it somehow, but he can't. It's hard to focus, he feels too warm. He lets out a frustrated groan.]

You should leave me alone.

[One hand reached for the chain on her waist, gently relaxing its hold on her body and pulling the kusari-gama free. She took a step back and looked at him carefully.]

I can take care of myself. Do I need to put you down for your own sake, or can you deal with this?

[His eyes follow her hand as she reaches for the chain, his hand gripping his shield tighter in response. His stance shifts slightly, becomes more guarded.]

I don't know. Why...[He shakes his head hard. How can he control this.] Get. Away.

[Her eyes went to the shield for a moment, and an eyebrow raised. It was a sort of ridiculous looking thing, honestly. The colors screamed America in ways that were unmistakable. Her world had a few heroes like that, people who were huge on their connection to the red, white and blue. She was guessing he was about as competent with that shield as Miss July was with her spear. It meant she'd need to be careful if she was going to do this.

Chain dropping, she started to twirl the weighted length slowly, moving in a low circular path around and watching his every move. Every bit as guarded as him, she swallowed. It had been a while. God she was glad she had armor under her clothes, but that thing was blunt-force trauma. It wasn't what the suit she wore was designed for.]

I'm doing this for your good. I don't think you'd forgive me if I let you go and you ended up hurting someone.

[He watches the chain spin, every muscle in his body tensing up, preparing to either lunge at her or jump out of the way of her weapon. Strategies flicker across his mind as he assesses her stance, checks for weakness, surveys their surroundings for anything he could use to his advantage. To disarm her. To take her down.

He swallows hard and tries to push those feelings away. The ones urging him to strike, fight, take out. She's an ally, there's no reason to harm her. She's in his way. She should have gone when he told her to. Her voice breaks him away from his thoughts, but it's so hard to concentrate on her words. But he understands the gist. Slowly, he nods. He doesn't want to hurt anyone...

And from one instant to the next he moves, running straight for her.]

[With the shield up in front of him, she wasn't going to be disarming him of the piece. It was too well wedged in that position. When she saw him charging, her body tensed. She dodged, rolling to the side as he ran and brandishing the sickle side of her weapon to try and deflect the shield enough. While he lashed out, her other hand spun in a swift arc and hurled, trying to use the chain to trip him, the metal orb at its tip arcing slightly.

Well, she'd gone and stuck her neck out. It had been a while, but it wasn't like she hadn't done this sort of thing before. Only way to keep in practice...]

[He manages to dodge the chain by jumping over it and out of the way with surprising speed. But he doesn't keep his distance for long and immediately charges back in. By keeping close he hopes to make it difficult for her to use her weapon properly as it's useful in giving its owner longer reach.

He raises his shield to protect him against the sickle side of her weapon and uses his free hand to try and land on blow on her side.]

[It was time to change tactics. With him keeping in close, he was right. She'd have a tougher time really bringing the chain to bear. As he closed, she hauled it back, forming a quick loop with one hand while she took the blow from his fist.

Thank god he wasn't in Thor. That still hurt, but it wasn't breaking bones yet. When he punched, he'd feel a little resistance, like there was some sort of body-armor underneath. It wasn't designed as much for punches or shields as it was for guns, arrows and blades, but she seemed used to soaking a little pain.

Instead, as he struck, she lashed out with her claws. They were no worse than a cat's, but with him trying to punch her, all she wanted was a little contact. If she was lucky, the rune on her body might activate and paralyze him for a split second, or if she could just get a little skin contact she might be able to drain some of his stamina through the touch. One blow after another she could try to weaken him to the point where he wasn't able to fight more.

Of course, she had to endure the blows first.]

[He felt the armor as soon as his fist made contact and bit back a curse. Even if it's not made to withstand punches, it's still a layer more of protection that she has that Steve is sorely lacking. In only a pair of jeans and a t-shirt he's beginning to feel vulnerable. But putting distance between them would only give her an opening to strike.

So he attempts to strike again, frustrated at the weakness of his punches compared to what he had once been able to do, while still holding his shield up as a barrier between them. When the claws scratch him it comes unexpectedly. Although it's only a small bite of pain, gone in an instant, it shoots through his arm, catching him off guard for a split second. Long enough for there to be a drop in his guard.]

[Ever danced with the devil in the pale moonlight, Steve? Well, even if he hadn't, he was getting the chance to at least be kissed by a devil under the clear blue sky, right out of the blue. When his guard dropped for just a second, the hand that had left a little mark on his arm gripped and she yanked in to press against his shield and shove her lips up against his, tail trying to wind around him.

It wasn't a particularly romantic gesture, and if she could get those lips locked he'd feel power and stamina being dragged out of him... hard. Samantha knew this power well, and how to avoid risking permanent damage even as she tried to drain him down to either sleepy-time or groggy and against the wall. Either would work.

What was her life, seriously? She only ever used her kiss as a weapon once back home, but around here...?]

[It's unexpected, even more so than the claws had been. One moment he has the advantage, is using her to work out all the anger and frustration he's feeling, and the next she's pressing in as close to him as she can. He's surrounded by her and no matter how he struggles he can't shake her loose. Her lips make contact with his and its a crude clash as he tries to turn his head but doesn't quite manage it.

And that's when he begins to feel it. It's as if all his energy that's been surging through him is being pulled away, just out of reach. He tries to pull it back but it slips through his grasp, weakening him. His skin continues to burn hot, so hot he's sure she can feel it as well.

His shield falls from his grasp as his fingers go limp. His knees weaken to the point of buckling. He's so drowsy. Maybe he should lie down.]

[She hated the 'taste' of the energy she'd gotten from helping subdue a few people in this. It felt violated and wrong. As he started to buckle, she pulled back and aimed to help him up against a wall, going for the shield as she did and putting it there beside him.

Settling to her knee, she glanced around to make sure things were still safe and reached up to run her fingers through her hair.]

Sorry... really hope that wasn't your first, stars and stripes. I'm nobody anyone needs to get their first from. [She glanced at the shield curiously and back at him.] You feel more yourself yet?

[He feels himself being lowered down and doesn't have the energy to fight it. As soon as he's against the wall he sags down like a puppet with its string cut. His eyes slide halfway closed as if they'd gotten too heavy to keep all the way open.

His mind feels sluggish and slow and it takes a few moments for him to process that someone is speaking to him. It's an effort to open his eyes and look at her. The girl he had been fighting. The girl who...kissed him. Later on he'll have to think about that and get embarrassed. He's too tired now.

His tongue feels heavy as he tries to respond.]

Tir..ed. What did...you...do?

Kissed you. Drained your energy. It's a power Freya gives.

[She settled down against the wall and nodded at him, reaching into her pouch for a granola bar before handing it over to him. She sighed and relaxed against the wall. For now, nobody had come for them, and she was counting her blessings.]

You ok?

[It takes a couple of moments for Steve to process that as he tries to fight off his exhaustion. So this is her power. It's very effective. He tries to reach up and accept the granola bar but it's an effort even to raise his arm. He gets it up a couple of inches before it falls to his side uselessly.]

Don't feel...so angry...any...more.

[She put her fingers to his forehead, letting a trickle of power back in, just enough to help him stay conscious. Her eyes were watchful as she nodded and offered him the granola again. It would help, but until he was completely lucid, she was going to take her time with it.]

Let me know if you feel anger.

[He begins to feel a little stronger, a little more awake. He shifts a little into a more comfortable position, careful not to knock her hand away. He takes a bite out of the granola and chews it slowly.]

If I do...will you have..to kiss me again? [His expression displays the same sleepy calm, but his brows arch in question. He would just like to be prepared this time.]

[She laughed at that, settling down and relaxing some before she shook her head.] I can do it with a touch. I just needed the kiss to take enough to knock you out. You're too weak to need that much now.

Unless you're asking for one. Theeeeen we might want to have a lil talk, Captain Stars and Stripes.

[He manages a weary smile and a soft chuckle.]

No...I'm not. I mean..it just...took me by surprise. [It brings to mind the last time he'd kissed someone. It had been another surprise kiss that Natasha had sprung on him to keep their cover. When had his life gone from rarely kissing anyone to random women surprise kissing him?]

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