08-06-2013, 10:30 AM
She knew she’d only get one shot, but it was a risk worth taking. She also knew just from the scuffle upstairs … which his shoving totally started by the way … that Hood knew what he was about, more than anyone she'd ever met before. Rune was quick and tough and stubborn, but she was also aware he might end up killing her over this. Hopefully, it would be up to Aria to take him out if evidence of a wefuke showed itself. Hopefully.
A crack of pain slammed her arm and easily deflected her blow aside, but not before the edge of the weapon ripped at his shirt. The priceless stake fell limply from her hand. Rune was focused on watching for the reaction, a sizzle and scream of otherworldly pain, and was unable to fully escape Hood’s lightning fast follow-up. She thankfully managed to dodge a bone crushing blow and took the brunt of it to the breastbone instead.
It knocked the wind clean out of her, and before she knew it, she was checked up against the locker she’d so amorously longed after earlier. The bang of the back of her skull against the metal vibrated her eardrums and she slumped to the floor. There was literally nothing she could do except keep the clarity to not resist him.
She gasped for breath, blinking over and over again, but she didn’t panic.
She heard Aria take her leave, but Rune remained seated on the floor, leaning against the locker. Not only was she too dizzy to get up at the moment Probably shouldn’t have gone for that third beer but she wanted to remain as nonthreatening as possible. She didn’t mind dying in the hunt, but at the hands of someone who took offense at her precautions, well that would just be frekkin’ rotten luck.
She gently rubbed her wrist where he made contact, and slowly went about testing to make sure nothing was broken. Though she’d broken a wrist before, she was pretty sure this one was going to be fine. ”Look, don’t take it personal, but she’s right. At least let me explain before you blow my brains out.”
She nodded at the dropped weapon. ”That’s called a ‘Kalku blessed stake’ … It’s carved from the soapbark tree of central Chile and engraved with commands in Huilliche … commands meant to control demon spirits called wefuke.” The hiss to her tone made it clear how Rune felt about those particular monsters.
She panted a few more cycles to steady the thudding in her chest. Speaking of.... she pulled the rounded collar of her tank off her chest to peer down beneath, just positive she was going to see a depression in her breastbone where he’d hit there too. Instead, it was just bright red, and she let the tank go and rubbed the skin gently there as well.
”You ain’t normal!” She exclaimed, eyes fierce with suspicion. ”I smell nothing on you! Not a whiff of violence or rage. The entire... whatever that was between us upstairs...” she flicked her eyes to the ceiling, ”...whatever that was, you were stone cold as a corpse. You move different. You talk different. There’s nothin’ but glass in your eyes. I had to make sure you weren’t possessed! I’ll be damned if I go out on the hunt with people who ain’t got my back. And I sure as shit ain’t willin' to die for no monster-possessed lost-cause should things get hot out there.”
She paused long enough to grunt and clutch at her chest again. The sharp prickle of before was easing into a long, low throbbing ache. Like the world’s worst heartburn.
She swallowed to grit her teeth and not show the weakness too much more than she already had, but Rune was smart enough to stay down. Hood could look at the stake if he wanted. There were foreign words carved into the handle, and the wood itself was filed to a clean edge. But it clearly wasn’t meant for stabbing, unless you wanted to really, really piss off whoever you stabbed with it. Or unless you got lucky and skewered an eyeball or something. ”Since you’re not smokin’ up like the wicked witch a the west drenched with holy water, you must be clean. So sue me.”
She licked her lips, perhaps the only indication of being nervous the entire time so far. But Rune knew she was in the right. If he killed her now out of pure retribution, she’d die without regrets. But if she did end up worm meal today, she was definitely going to haunt him forever.
”Like I said, I had to make sure.”
It didn’t even occur to her that he may find one particular phrase out of all that explanation somewhat odd... that she admitted smelling nothing on him.
A crack of pain slammed her arm and easily deflected her blow aside, but not before the edge of the weapon ripped at his shirt. The priceless stake fell limply from her hand. Rune was focused on watching for the reaction, a sizzle and scream of otherworldly pain, and was unable to fully escape Hood’s lightning fast follow-up. She thankfully managed to dodge a bone crushing blow and took the brunt of it to the breastbone instead.
It knocked the wind clean out of her, and before she knew it, she was checked up against the locker she’d so amorously longed after earlier. The bang of the back of her skull against the metal vibrated her eardrums and she slumped to the floor. There was literally nothing she could do except keep the clarity to not resist him.
She gasped for breath, blinking over and over again, but she didn’t panic.
She heard Aria take her leave, but Rune remained seated on the floor, leaning against the locker. Not only was she too dizzy to get up at the moment Probably shouldn’t have gone for that third beer but she wanted to remain as nonthreatening as possible. She didn’t mind dying in the hunt, but at the hands of someone who took offense at her precautions, well that would just be frekkin’ rotten luck.
She gently rubbed her wrist where he made contact, and slowly went about testing to make sure nothing was broken. Though she’d broken a wrist before, she was pretty sure this one was going to be fine. ”Look, don’t take it personal, but she’s right. At least let me explain before you blow my brains out.”
She nodded at the dropped weapon. ”That’s called a ‘Kalku blessed stake’ … It’s carved from the soapbark tree of central Chile and engraved with commands in Huilliche … commands meant to control demon spirits called wefuke.” The hiss to her tone made it clear how Rune felt about those particular monsters.
She panted a few more cycles to steady the thudding in her chest. Speaking of.... she pulled the rounded collar of her tank off her chest to peer down beneath, just positive she was going to see a depression in her breastbone where he’d hit there too. Instead, it was just bright red, and she let the tank go and rubbed the skin gently there as well.
”You ain’t normal!” She exclaimed, eyes fierce with suspicion. ”I smell nothing on you! Not a whiff of violence or rage. The entire... whatever that was between us upstairs...” she flicked her eyes to the ceiling, ”...whatever that was, you were stone cold as a corpse. You move different. You talk different. There’s nothin’ but glass in your eyes. I had to make sure you weren’t possessed! I’ll be damned if I go out on the hunt with people who ain’t got my back. And I sure as shit ain’t willin' to die for no monster-possessed lost-cause should things get hot out there.”
She paused long enough to grunt and clutch at her chest again. The sharp prickle of before was easing into a long, low throbbing ache. Like the world’s worst heartburn.
She swallowed to grit her teeth and not show the weakness too much more than she already had, but Rune was smart enough to stay down. Hood could look at the stake if he wanted. There were foreign words carved into the handle, and the wood itself was filed to a clean edge. But it clearly wasn’t meant for stabbing, unless you wanted to really, really piss off whoever you stabbed with it. Or unless you got lucky and skewered an eyeball or something. ”Since you’re not smokin’ up like the wicked witch a the west drenched with holy water, you must be clean. So sue me.”
She licked her lips, perhaps the only indication of being nervous the entire time so far. But Rune knew she was in the right. If he killed her now out of pure retribution, she’d die without regrets. But if she did end up worm meal today, she was definitely going to haunt him forever.
”Like I said, I had to make sure.”
It didn’t even occur to her that he may find one particular phrase out of all that explanation somewhat odd... that she admitted smelling nothing on him.