Needle in a Haystack

[Rune]

The monster roared from the darkness, and Rune snarled in return. Of course she didn’t really think it was a bat, but the Atharim official line was that monsters didn’t exist and any evidence to the opposite meant the witnesses were just seeing things. Mik had gone to his hands and knees then, pawing the floor for who the fuck knew while Rune’s flashlight was scanning the walls, but there was just too much darkness. The thing didn’t seem huge enough to be an Oni, but she smelled violence hanging on the air like dead fish floating on gross waters. Mik didnt really seem to buy her story about a bat, which was pretty ludicrous anyway. So she pointed the flashlight under her own chin and eyes wide as moons, her voice deepened in imitation of a famous line. “I’m batman.” Her voice was quite gravelly. She was rather proud of her own mimicry.

She laughed at herself just as another growl echoed out of the shadows. She couldn’t tell which way it came from, but suddenly, just as Mik found his feet, the thing barreled over him. She watched with shock as they both tumbled to the ground. Their lumps were rolling and fighting. So she dropped the flashlight and practically jumped into the ring, aiming to kick the nasty mound that she took for an Oni. It wasn’t quite full grown, she thought as her boot found purchase in its ribs. She couldn’t shoot the thing, not with Mik right there and both their bodies tangled up in bad light, but maybe she could get it to run off to find an easier meal.

So she kept kicking the thing. “Mik! We almost got it. Keep fighting it!”

[Mikhail]

So you know how when it's two against one, people usually imagine that the single person is getting his ass beat? Well, what they don't tell you is that sometimes the team of two does a real good job of beating on each other. Or kicking you in the ribs, rather. With what had to be steel toed boots, no less.

The creature rolled this way and that, so thankfully, it was a glancing blow. Saved him a cracked rib or something. And maybe she got a bit for the creature too. It did seem to shiver and for a moment it weakened its hold slightly. 

Enough anyway. Mik twisted, left off trying to grab at its collar bone (like that ever worked anyway), and snaked his arm around the thing's neck. They rolled and somehow he was on the bottom, arm locked in a choke hold, greasy hair and back of its head banging against his face. He turned his head to keep from getting his nose broken. Not that he'd look bad, he figured. But a broken nose made things like going down really tough. Just imagining a partners' thigh or leg bumping it made him wince in agony.

Thank the Lady for his leather jacket. Those claws were trying to get at his arms but between the water (he hoped) slick and the leather, they never seemed to find purchase.

Rune was yelling at him to hold on and he listened, that was for sure. At least she was on his side. A little off to the side, hopefully. Less kicky help would be appreciated. 

But fuck this thing was strong. He tightened his arm, added his other for increased support and he still knew it was only a matter of time before his hold was pried apart. It bucked on top of him (which, normally, he loved, but not with something like this) and held on for dear life, his fear and anger and rage all competing to see who would win.

Damn that bitch, the Lady of a thousand faces!! She was probably laughing at the fact that he didn't have his lighter. Poor Mik, no way to get his power... Yeah yeah yeah, funny. Hilarious. He had his eyes shut, straining, not seeing anything. That bitch always playing games with him. Always teasing him. And ok, yeah she was the Lady Fortune. But he wasn't gonna give up now. Not yet.

He strained, imagining her laugh, her cruel smile and cold eyes, imagined her then going still to just watch, curious-like, maybe to see the light go out.

No! He just wasn't gonna go out like that, not him, no ma'am. He  strained to see her, forced himself to imagine her face, to look her in the eyes. He fought and forced and his rage grew like a fire, his lucky fire, his wonderful flames that meant that he hadn't been tossed away yet. 

And she smiled at him. She smiled.

He felt fire flow into him, pure and scouring, the burning ice of a frozen lake washing over him. What felt like arms of air wove around his own and he felt the creature pulled tighter.

Renewed, he squeezed harder, legs now wrapping around its own, air flowing and enhancing his strength.

And his eyes opened for real and there she stood, smile beaming at him as he pulled tighter than he thought possible. He felt a crack- at legs and neck.

Suddenly, it went limp. Mik held it for a moment before finally letting up. It seems quiet. The power still flowed through him and the flows of air seemed to pull into him like tree roots or tentacles or something. 

He lay there, its body on him, for just a moment before he pushed off and rolled over to get up. 

And wouldn't you fucking know it, but there right next to him was his lighter. He swiped at it as he got to his knees and then stopped for a moment to catch his breath.

He looked up at Rune, exhausted smile on his face. "Well, that's one way to spend an evening." He glanced back at it to add before returning his gaze to her "Fun. But definitely not the type of rolling around I like best." He grinned.

[Rune]

She was sure that poor Mik was a goner. So she stood back and pulled her knife, ready for the beast to jump off his bones and barrel over her. Only she was going to be ready for it when it did.

There was a sickening crack and squelching sound. Poor Mik must have been squished. She could feel her face screw itself up. It was pretty sad and also a little gross, but she had to stay focused. The thing would pounce any second.

Except it didn’t. The black lumps collapsed. With the flashlight beam angled off and away, she couldn’t quite see what was happening until the oni was pushed off and Mik himself climbed to his feet.

Her eyes were wide as moons. They flashed from the body back to him then up and down his legs and arms. “Did you… did you hug it to death?”

[Mikhail]

The light was in his eyes again as he stood shakily. "Always trying to blind me, woman." It was quiet, sort of. I mean you could hear stuff. But after all that thrashing around and yelling and fighting and what not, the lack of all that was powerful.

The light moved down to the thing in the slop and then back up to him. Fortune's gift- well, that was what it was, after all. And it seemed he had passed her test. Aced it. And didn't even need to cheat, neither. No copying off someone else. No sleeping with whatever ancient aide the teacher had working for them. Passed it honest to God on his own.

The Gift was there now. He didn't need of the lighter, not anymore. It was still his lucky charm, though. He wasn't about to get rid of it. I mean, it had been his pop's. He figured that they way things had gone downhill with him and then ma, well, it had been about the most unlucky thing in the world. Well, the way Mik saw it, that seemed to have used all its bad luck up. 

Had to have. Because when Mik had been in a bind all those years ago, that little lighter had done more that strike a spark. It had introduced him to the Lady all proper-like. It was a meeting that changed his life.

For Mik, it was the beginning of his new life. And her his companion...who just so happened to like to kill him everyo once in a while, to see if he was worthy of her attention.

So far he was doing pretty well, if he said so himself.

So anyway, what was I talking about? Oh yeah, so he's holding the gift and can enjoy in much finer detail the stenches and sounds of down here.

Rune's question was laced with awe and a touch of humor. And so Mik leaned into it. "Yep. Way i figure, he was just lonely. Maybe a bit hungry too. Couldn't decide what he wanted to do. So...I gave him a hug." He shrugged. 

"I guess I don't know my own strength." Then he added- dropping the act because they both knew it was just a joke- "Jesus, that thing was strong. Guess I got lucky with his neck."

The feel of wet at his back and butt and legs and shoes was not great. Nope. And the Gift made it worse. It was getting cold against his skin "Gah, this stuff is nasty. So, I'm not sure if it's drinks or milkshakes after something like this. But if you're game, I gotta at least hit my place to get cleaned up."

He remembered the way her threadbare clothes fit. She wasn't really doing too well. And he'd had fun. He didn't mind offering. "Maybe get some warm food into you, anyway, too"

[Rune]

“Getting cleaned up is a good idea. You don’t smell much better than you look, either.” Rune crossed her arms, but she kept her distance too, and gave a playful snort. She could smell the stink difference on the air now that the Oni was dead, and what left behind was only the aroma of regular sewage, which on one hand was actually preferable.

She had also already fought another monster before Mik showed up, and it was just as mangy. So she didn’t probably fare much better than he did. Plus she’d already used her pants to clean her knife off, and they hadn’t been washed in a while. She was probably getting a little fresh herself.

“I never say no to hot food but only if it isn't another bowl of Russian slop food again. No offense,” she uncrossed her arms, rearranged her gear, and hefted her bag back on her shoulders. “But if I gotta pick between drinks and milkshakes,” she gestured with one palm like the booze was in one hand and gestured with the other palm like the milkshake was in the other, “I’d rather not pick,” and she put her hands together. “Boozy milkshakes?” Like a Mudslide from Applebee’s. Yum.

She did tell a story while they walked. "You know my Uncle Seth used to take me to McDonald's for milkshakes and when he wasn't looking, I'd pour in a little Booz out of his flask and stir it up real quick and just sip on it from the seat beside him. Totally had no idea. Was awesome."

((can just cut to us leaving the undercity or getting to where ever you wanna go.))

[Mikhail]

So he listened as they made their way out. Well, tried. He wasn't super helpful. I mean, sure, he had been conscious as they traipsed down here through winding tunnels and rooms or whatever. But it wasn't like he spent a lot of time learning how to scout. He wasn't really a hunter. The Lady always seemed to help him get to where he needed. 

So between that and that ass of hers distracting him, could you really blame him for not really memorizing their route? No, I didn't think so.

But they got out, she doing to bulk of the backtracking, again, him paying more attention to her assets then to recognizing landmarks. 

Once outside, it was his city again. He floated between all the worlds- the rich, the poor, gang members, reporters, police, you name it. He felt at home in every part.

He snorted at her story. "He didn't notice?" He squinted at her for a moment. She was playful and had a goofy sense of humor. "I guess I can see that. Just chalk your tipsy up to your being your normal self. Makes me wonder
though, what you get like when you've had more than a few." He screwed up his face as if considering. "Hmm....I'm betting you're a singer. Karaoke queen. Boozy milkshakes it is!"

His building was on a pretty standard street. Not run down. But nothing dripping with money. No users...nor snot nosed kids for that matter, which he liked. Professionals mostly. His trade brought in enough. Which made him a professional, he guessed. What, exactly, well....that might be harder to answer. It was all a gift of the Lady anyway. He jutted his chin at the Goomba by the door. Now yeah, he was sporting the normal athletic gear. But this was was about 40 years deep into a serious perogi and vodka habit and it showed. But underneath the fat, Mik knew, was solid muscle. If he got his hands on you, you were in trouble. It was just the getting his hands on you that was the challenge.

He looked from Mik to Rune and back again, slight shake to the head. "Wake up behind a dumpster again, Mik? Or bringing home strays?"Mik laughed it off. "Nah. This here's Ascedancy's long lost sister. He asked me to sneak her. I just gave her the scenic tour." He grunted and went back to his screen, disinterested.

It was on a couple flights to his floor so the elevator ride was short and sweet and then he was palmng his entry. His place had a bit of flair. Mauve walls with white trim rectangles. He had a few pieces of art on the wall, mostly suggestive. As in, pretty abstract. Now you might get the impression that they were erotic. And you'd be correct. A friend of his had painted them using a technique he had rather enjoyed. But it was only implied. Well maybe a bit more than implied. His shibari rope practice frame made it rather obvious, in his opinion.

Faux dark wood floors, a plush gray couch and easy chair on a carpet, flanked by end tables. Which meant coasters, of course. He was a respecter of wood.

It was nice and clean. Nothing lasted forever- or was owed to you. So he wasn't too attached to anything here. As in, he wasn't stupid enough to make this place part of his personal identity.  You brought nothing in with you and you take nothing out. It was all a rental.

And he planned on using up his deposit.

They came in and shut the door. Off came his shoes and socks. Which was just fucking awesome, what with the hem of his pants wet cold at his ankles. They went next so that he was in his boxers. Finally, he pulled his jacket off, then shirt, dropping them with the others as well.

Then he paused and looked at her for a moment. Well, ok. He didn't expect her to strip down and then hang around naked in front of him while her clothes were cleaned. I mean, yeah, he knew some who would. It wasn't a big deal. But some people were prudes.  She was American after all. The ones he'd met were a mixed bag. Which meant he probably should play things on the safe side. He wasn't interested in scaring anyone away. 

"Hold on just a sec." He disappeared into the back and scrounged around in his closet for a shirt, sweatpants and socks.. That would do. He grabbed a towel too, but only threw it over his shoulder.

He came back out with the clothes in one hand held out to her. "Here, you can wear this if you want. Unless you want a cocktail dress or latex body suit. Pretty much, those are the options. Up to you." He grinned as he said it. "Let me show you the bathroom. You can drop your clothes out the door. I'll put everything in the washer." 

[Rune]

His house was really nice. Rune hadn’t seen anything like it since coming to Moscow. Seriously. He had a freaking door man! All the Atharim houses she’d been in were functional and plain. Boring. Not a bit of decoration or paint color to be found. At the time this has been all she’d known and didnt think twice about it. Now, she drank it in and found that she liked that kind of thing. “Niiiice place,” she nodded after they entered, but Mikhail promptly doffed his clothes down to underwear. Rune looked. I mean, she couldn’t not look. It’s not like she’d had opportunities to look before. Not in person anyway. On the Wallet didn’t count.

Then she realized she was looking and immediately looked anywhere else. She was grateful that he went toward the back, though she caught herself looking again as he did. She was suddenly really nervous. Luckily, he came back in sweat clothes, but she grimaced at the robe. Even if she changed in the bathroom, the idea of coming back out in nothing but that made her question whether or not hot food was worth it all. Then he would be the one doing the looking.

But her stomach was rumbling. “Do you, um, er, I mean. Thanks but i’d rather just wear what you’re wearing.” She hoped the robe wasn’t the only offering. Sure, she had a narrower waist than Mikhail, but their hips were close enough to the same, and most sweats had pull strings. And it’s not like Rune cared about looking like a princess. Only thing was she had an inkling of how these kinds of situations worked. She just, well, wouldn’t just robbing some street shop be easier? Then there was the little nagging issue that she actually kind of liked him.

[Mikhail]

Mik only paused a moment before realizing and laughing. "OH. Yeah. Duh." Immediately he went on. "Thought dolls liked you liked to lounge around in robes and such. I've got some grapes and chocolate being delivered for yoi. And some fig leaves and oil I'll be wearing later on so I can fan you while you relax. You know, from all the heat." He winked at her.

He went into the bathroom and turned on the shower and called out. "There are towels here. Shampoo. Soap."[ Then disappeared into the bedroom, still calling out, I'll get you something less revealing to wear, even though it breaks my heart. I have a burkha I think may fit you." Of course he didn't....did he? Now that he thought about it, he might have something like that after all, somewhere in the back or his closet. Fatima, was it? But he didn't look.

He walked out with another pair of sweat pants, socks and a shirt in hand for her and joked. "Here you go. Versacci Polo San Marinara I think it's called. Go ahead and get cleaned up. I'll get you some food. I'll jump in when you're done." He smirked amd winked playfully as he said,  "Unless you need help washing your back," before letting her to her privacies and such.

Now did he expect her to say You know what? Yeah, that'd be cool. Hop in, tunnel guy. Nope. Which was fine by him. The night was young. He could sense the Lady about. He knew her gift was freely available now.

In other words, it was all good and he was content to see what happened. He really was curious to see what boozy milkshakes might turn this girl into.

[Rune]

The exchange made Rune chuckle, but inwardly she was relieved. The idea of sitting around in bathrobes eating grapes off the vine and wearing bunny slippers sounded like a nightmare to her. Well maybe all except the bunny slippers.

She thanked him for the trade and disappeared inside the bathroom. It didn’t take long; maybe five minutes. She hadn’t worn makeup since after Uncle Seth disappeared. For one reason, she just wasn’t in the mood but almost more importantly she didn’t have the money to buy it. Her hair was wet and slicked back from her forehead when she came out except for one annoying strand that kept falling around her eyes.

“Turns out i’m a pro. Didn’t need any help.” She smirked and plopped on the couch, feet crossed at the ankle on the furniture ahead. “Got the 411 on those milkshakes yet?”

[Mikhail]

He had some take out Indian food in the fridge that he threw into the microwave. Then found some rye that he put in the toaster while he got out some heavy whipped butter as well as some bacon fat. In case she wanted to try it. Not many Americans were adventurous with their meals.

To be on the safe side, he also put in an order from a vintage diner around the corner. American crap, of course. He wasn't too familiar so he picked at random. A cheeseburger, corn dogs (he stifled a grin at that) which evidently came with mustard. He hoped it was real mustard and not that bright yellow water he'd seen. Fries, both normal and curly. Jesus, who knew that they needed their fried potatoes in different shapes. 

And of course a couple large shakes. He checked his cabinet and put in an order for kahlua after seeing it missing. Vodka and brandy came out too. He wasn't sure which would work in a shake. I mean at the end of the day, we're talking an alcohol delivery system, that's all. If it gets down your throat, that's what matters. But some people were finicky.

He had started up the washer with their clothes when he heard the door open. His jacket went into a bag. Maybe Bila could get it clean for him. He'd hate to lose it. She came out and he made it a point not to leer. Her hesitancy about the robe was all the indicator he needed. He was all about fun, but he never forced anyone. Plenty of willing already. Plus, he just wasn't about shit like that. 

She cleaned up nice even au natural, though. "Well, doll, I got some shakes coming. And I've got some Indian takeout leftovers heating up. Some rye and butter and lard. But if your willing to wait, I got something else coming with the shakes. You said you liked Russian slop, right? Borscht?"

[Food will arrive. You can bring the story along if you'd like. Or mik will get the food delivery, etc. :-)]