There was a crunch, much like the sound of something being slammed against concrete.
A slam of metal, and a figure staggered to its feet, and a curse echoed through the dark shadows of the night in which it had landed.
Hav flung a broken piece of metal at the brick wall across from her, taking in the dirty alleyway in which she had fallen, and picked up her wand from where it sat innocuously on the pavement. She could feel herself shivering, but her hair was singed, and her shirt had burn marks all along it.. Somehow, the jeans that she had bought a couple of years ago at a Harrod's sale had torn wide open at the knee, revealing a nasty looking burn. Hav cursed again, then pointed her wand at the wound with shaking fingers.
Oh Merlin, let this work. she prayed silently, something tight lodged in her throat as she cast her spell.
The wound knit itself back together neatly and efficiently, and Hav let out a reedy laugh, her throat sore and dry. "Oh god, it works, oh merlin-" she laughed again, then straightened back up, a sob wrenching its way out of her throat. "It worked, oh Merlin- I- Merlin-"
With shaking fingers, Hav opened her side bag, digging through the assorted mess within until she found a small notebook. Paging it open with shaking fingers, she found a dogtagged page and ran her finger down it, pausing near the bottom, before all the tension seemed to drain from her body.
"Oh, oh my Merlin." A trembling smile overtook her face, and she ran a hand through her burnt and uneven hair, wiping hastily at her dusty and dirty face.
Taking a deep breath, she shoved the notebook back into her bag, straightened up, and looked about herself. She had landed in a small, dark alley, tall buildings on either side of her. It was quite dark in the alleyway, but she could see the bright city night lights around the corner, glowing an electric yellow onto the pavement beneath. It seemed to be late at night, and Hav could feel the cool city air against her cheeks. With a sudden jolt, she reached once more for her wand, strapped into its customary holster, and cast a quiet spell.
"Loco."
A bright light spilled from her wand, spelling out words and words and words to form a misty, glowing, and all-together unsatisfactory location.
New York
Her breath left her for a moment, and she stared at the words, before slashing through them quickly, watching as they seemed to turn to smoke underneath her fingertips before dissolving into the air.
She walked steadily to the end of the alleyway, turning the corner and surveying her surroundings.
She hadn't landed in London, that was for sure. Tall, glinting buildings towered around her, while flashing neon signs cut through the skyline. Heavy street lights, the sound of chatter and trains, the smell of gasoline and cigarette smoke, mixed with the cool night air- it all made the city seem alive. Headlights would occasionally round the corner, and Hav felt suddenly overwhelmed with some sort of great, deep, gratitude, which had her leaning against the side of a building with a quiet sigh.
"Who're you, then?"
Hav spun around, her hand immediately going to her bag, which still hung at her side, a reassuring and heavy weight.
A young girl stood there, half cast in shadow, a wry smirk twisting one side of her face up. She had long, long, dark hair, hair that fell to her feet and seemed to melt into the shadows that cloaked her.
"I'm Hav." Hav said lightly, warily assessing the girl with a quick glance. She had dark, dark eyes, skin lighter than the clouds, and was wearing a very elaborate dress, fastened around her in an odd way.
"I'm Hel." Said the girl, after a moment's pause, stepping forwards towards Hav. Hav's eyes widened as she saw the other side of the girl's face- instead of having the ethereal beauty of one side of her face, this side was a mere skeleton, covered only by the dress. Her hair seemed to somehow have been swept up elegantly around her skull, but it did not hide the fact that this girl was partly bare skeleton. She had two eyes, but one was white, whilst the other one was a dark, dark brown.
"I did not think that such objects could exist- nor that a human such as you could wield them, but I would be a fool to ignore the fact that your power appeared suddenly and called mine."
Eyes scanned hers, then looked upwards. "You have much, much power. The command of Death, once given, is not something easily mastered. Just because you have a title does not mean that you know how to use the responsibility that comes along with it."
"How – how do you know that I'm called that?" Hav said, her eyes mistrustful, jaw tight. "The Master of Death. How did you know?"
There was a moment's pause, in which Hav shifted uncomfortably.
"I have, of course, been made aware of the trillions of alternate universes. They are not something I thought I would come into contact with – but nevertheless, it appears that another universe's incarnation of myself has given you something very powerful." the girl paused. "Too powerful, I would think, for a mortal to hold. We will see how you fare." She stepped forwards, her gown making an echoing rustle sound, like the sound of thousands of crows taking off at once.
"You're Death." Hav realized suddenly, stating the obvious with an apathetic tone.
The girl gave a wide grin, eery and haunted. "Indeed." she whispered. "I am Death. I surpass all realms, and have a grasp everywhere. I take different forms in different universes, but," she waved her hands airily, then suddenly dropped them to her sides.
The grin dropped off of her face, and her dark eyes became sinister and malevolent. "Do not presume to control me at any point. Many have tried, and failed, to know all the aspects of my character in the past. Do not be one of them." She stepped back, her face again becoming cast into the shadows. "I must leave, but I will return tomorrow. Things have changed, and will continue to change." Her eyes sharpened.
"I don't- I don't want this power." said Hav, sighing. "I just - I don't - I won't control you. That much - that much I can promise. I've only ever wanted to be normal, but I suppose that didn't end out the way I was wanting, did it?" she laughed, the sound high and dry.
Hel's eyes softened considerably. "You didn't seek this power out?"
"No." said Hav, her voice breaking. "No, never."
Hel stared at her again, her expression unreadable. Then, "I think, perhaps, I could learn to trust you."
Something seemed to settle in the air between them, a sort of agreement, some sort of pact, something that Hav didn't ever want to break.
When she focused on the girl again, Hel had melted into the shadows, the ghost of her piercing stare still seeming to watch Hav as she turned around and stepped into the dark, cool street.
"What am I doing..." she breathed as she turned another corner, breathing in the city smog and listening to the muffled car radios as they sped past her. "And where's Sir-" she stopped, running a hand through her hair. She lowered it slowly, then drew her wand.
"Lumos."
A brilliant light illuminated its tip, a bright white light in the midst of the yellowish street lamps.
"Nox."
Something about the simple spells reassured her, and hardened her resolve. She could - she would do this.
Hav continued walking for a moment, before abruptly turning on her heel. There was a loud crack, and she disappeared.
"You're the oddest girl I've met all morning."
Hav rolled her eyes, walking past the martial arts reception desk with her bag slung over her shoulder. A night of good rest on one of the higher floors of a hotel had done her good, as had the hot shower and breakfast early that morning. Her body hadn't let her sleep past five - usual, but still irritating - and so here she was, having searched out all of New York for a good martial arts program that would allow her to utilize their training mats easily and with frequency.
She walked into an empty room after taking off her shoes at the door, dropping her bag near the wall and starting to stretch immediately.
Pulling out her gloves from her bag, she slid them on, fastening the velcro with practiced ease, and curling her hands into fists inside of them, heading over to the corner of the room, where a tall, broad, and worn down punching bag hung from the ceiling on a thick chain.
What followed was a routine she had done hundreds of times.
One. One. One. Onetwo. One. One. Onetwo. Onetwo. Five. Five. FourFour three. One. One. One. Onetwo. One. One. Onetwo. Onetwo. Five. Five. FourFour three.
"You're notweak. People will automatically underestimate you - you're tiny, really, you are - and you're a woman. Don't give me that face. No, no - move your feet! CONSTANT MOVEMENT. Streamline - ah- there you go. You - come on, Hav, move your feet, you aren't an elephant-"
"Back to your face, move your hands back to your face- see, if you don't, I can go like-" "Holy crap, woman, that was a very good deflective maneuver! You've definitely got some instinctive fighting tactics ingrained into ya-"
"Add some kicks in there too. I particularly favor the- ow- yes, that kick. You can add any kick, so long as you don't aim too high, especially if your kick is slower. If you kick too slowly, and too high, there's a chance that your assailant will just grab your legs."
Hav smashed a final leg into the bag, letting her shin feel the sting of the plastic, before peeling off her gloves and tossing them towards her bag. Her shoulders shook suddenly, and she buried her face in her wrapped hands.
What am I doing.
Straightening up, she headed to the wall, picked up her bag and her gloves, and spun on her heel. A deafening crack echoed through the room, before she disappeared.
"Yeah, look, the energy readings are completely wonky - look what it's picking up. See." grumbled Tony, shoving the folder over to Obadiah, who rolled his eyes.
"Why are you even keeping track of energy readings in New York, Tony?" asked Obadiah after a moment of looking at the graphs.
"Pet project. I wanted to see- well, let's keep it at pet project."
Stane rolled his eyes again, pushing the file back towards Tony. "Probably just some teenager microwaving their cell phone to see if it'll charge, Tony. Don't think too much about it." He stood up. "Well, I've got to retire for the night- we'll keep on going over Jericho tomorrow, alright?" He patted Tony on the shoulder and moved towards the door, tossing a quick "Bye." over his shoulder as he left the room.
Tony watched his back for a moment, then sighed, slumping back into the chair he was sitting on. "JARVIS, dim the lights."
Hav settled down onto the concrete floor of the deserted parking garage, pulling her chalk closer to her and flipping open her notebook.
"What are you doing?"
Hav spun around, jumped up, and was in a defensive stance with her wand drawn out in less than three seconds. There stood Hela, her long hair tied in an elaborate braid that swooped over head and then fell over her skeletal shoulder. Her dress was elaborate as well, a bright white with grey lilies embroidered into the skirt. Hav sighed, lowering her wand and gesturing for Hela to come closer. The girl looked different in the light of day - Hav could see that her skin, before mistaken as pale, was actually a light blue, and her dark brown eyes seemed to be shot through with reddish hues, like sparkling red rubies.
"I'm - er, I'm trying to locate someone. He's- well, he's the reason I came to this universe, see. His magical Trace- um, sort of a residue that you leave when you use magic- directed me to this universe. Vaguely. I'm pretty sure this is the correct one, anyways." Hav muttered.
"What's his name? Why are you looking for him?" asked Hela, approaching Hav.
"Sirius. Sirius Black. He was -is, hopefully..." she stopped for a moment, then narrowed her eyes and continued. "My godfather. Some...circumstances... threw him into an alternate universe. I never thought I'd be able to leave my universe, but there was nothing left for me there." She shrugged, hiding her face as she knelt down to start scrawling out her rune.
"Ah. That's why..." Hela gestured at the notebook and chalk. "You're making a rune? Why one of Odin's creations?"
"Er. What?" said Hav distractedly, eyes sparkling with laughter as she looked up at Hela. "A hodination?"
"Runes. Odin's creations. Odin gifted the realms the gift of runes. Symbols that he imbues with power. Are you working with him to find your godfather?" Hela's tone was not amused. Instead, it was icy, cold, and angry.
Hav searched Hela's gaze for a long moment, eyes shifting into light concern. "Who's Odin?"
Hela's single eyebrow lifted. "You - what sort of universe did you come from, to not hear of Odin? Odin Allfather. He controls all of the realms, a..." she halted, inhaling sharply- "wise overseer and king."
"You don't sound awfully fond of Odin, that's for sure." remarked Hav, looking at her strangely.
"I'm not. Fond of him." admitted Hela stiffly.
"Er... well, if you want to tell me why, go ahead, else I'll just keep on..." Hav gestured towards the half finished rune.
"I do not particularly wish to explain, no. But I would advise that you do not use that rune to find your godfather - Odin oversees all of the runes that are activated, and if you activate that rune, I can promise you that he will be interested in what you are doing."
Hav looked considerate for a moment. "Why is his interest something I'd be better off avoiding, in your opinion?" she responded.
Hela stared at her, something Hav had quickly grown accustomed to. "Odin..." she offered finally, "Odin enjoys doing what he thinks is right, and very few, if any, have the power to stop him do something that he has in mind. He can be wise- do not think I think him dull - but his decisions are not always the best."
Hav rubbed through the half finished rune. "That's a good enough reason for me, I suppose. I'm not going to risk Sirius." Her eyes flashed, and she looked momentarily as if something pained her greatly. "Though - and I mean you no offence when I say this, Hela - I can and will use the rune, should no other options become available to me. At the end of the day, finding the only person - finding the only person who means anything to me- or even knows me- is more important than what some self-important face in the sky thinks he has the power to do."
Hela's face softened considerably, and she nodded. "I completely understand. However, you will not have to resort to using the rune - I have another way, that I believe will work. We will just have to be -" her eyes sparkled- "very, very cautious. Where we will go to find the spell that you need -" here she seemed to be filled with some sort of bright, hidden joy, "I am not really allowed to go there."
She suddenly looked very serious. "Perhaps when we go to find the last person that matters to your heart, I will find strength to at least look for the one person who matters still to mine."
a/n: you will need to know about the children of loki to not be confused here.
Drop me a review, pm, etc., if it strikes your fancy – would be much appreciated. J