Sesshomaru and the Microwave
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Sitting on his tower of crates in the final moments before dawn, Sesshomaru surmised that the past four days went rather productively. He had continued to vaguely torment Stark, while tactfully avoiding most of the other humans and Storm God. He made sure he had a lock on Loki's, Rin's, and Jaken's whereabouts at all times.
He had spent the nights conversing with Jarvis over the historical and technical documents and manuals he requested while watching over a sleeping Rin, Jaken and Loki. Sesshomaru had not liked the way the dinner at the restaurant went five nights prior. He had a sneaking suspicion Loki was hiding much from him.
Sesshomaru also, with Jarvis' help, he was successful in locating a music device, as to research the musical artists Polly provided him.
He meticulously studied the artists and ranked them in order of preference and quality, with Nirvana at the top, then Michael Jackson, followed closely by Whitney Houston, far last were The Counting Crows.
His ears stung and throbbed, but Sesshomaru always kept his word.
The days went about the same, he took Rin to the Park and the Happy Dragon ice cream shop. Thor's friends and Loki were on tentatively good terms, however Loki would often go off on his own for periods of time and Sesshomaru couldn't fault him for wanting to do so. Loki did, however, accompany him, Rin and Jaken multiple times to the park.
He also learned that Stark had the ability to track Loki's magic signature, and his own youki if he kept it at a certain level or higher. While impressive the human Stark could be such an effective tracker in this realm, Sesshomaru knew he could suppress his youki enough to render his device unusable.
Loki, however could not do the same with his own magic which Loki confessed to Sesshomaru the night after the steakhouse dinner when Sesshomaru interrogated Loki on how Stark managed to locate them.
His inability to completely conceal his magic surprised Sesshomaru because he had mastered that skill when he knew him.
It didn't truly matter, however, because Sesshomaru had a backup tactic in place: his proximity barrier. It interfered with any tracking entity, device or otherwise, in pursuing Loki.
He, admittedly, did not anticipate having to rely on that aspect of his barrier for an extended period of time. He did not wish for any potential enemy, or the Distant Realm's all-seeing sentry, to interfere with his initial interrogation of Loki in case the God did, for an unfathomable reason did betray him.
Yet, now he would have to ensure the barrier remained up at all times to prevent their Commander Fury from discovering Loki.
That entire day, five days' prior, the shapeshifting, the scrying, the dinner, Sesshomaru had not cared for. He had a sneaking suspicion Loki was hiding much from him.
He had ascertained that Loki been wounded more gravely than he appeared when they sparred on the helipad, which is why he went easy on him. Some of his injuries seemed quite sinister indeed, sinister not just in the physical.
Either the justice in the Distant Realm fell hard and swift, or Loki had committed a terrible atrocity he had not yet confessed. Sesshomaru suspected the former; he could not admit to being terribly fond of the King of Distant Realm of Asgard. His gleaming favor of his eldest son always struck him peculiar and shortsighted; it only bred conflict and discontent.
Sesshomaru disliked the Distant Realm of Asgard the few times he went, especially the one time Loki was ambushed when Thor was absent.
"Thor isn't here to protect you, God of Trickery, Mischief and Lies. You've deceived and made fools of us for the last time." Sesshomaru heard a stern, hotly arrogant voice spike from deep in the forest.
This piqued Sesshomaru interest, even though he had been in Asgard with his father on a negotiation mission for the sovereignty of their own lands and realm for five days; he had not seen nor located Loki for his stay thus far. It had disappointed Sesshomaru, Loki was the only reason he anticipated being in Asgard.
Sesshomaru loathed Asgard. He distrusted the gaudy prettiness and their false smiles. He knew they all saw him as Thor originally did, a weak, bloodthirsty, savage simply being humored by their King. Their condescension was thinly veiled and he suspected the only reason they did not send them packing was his father had Sounga, the Sword of Hell.
He had caught many an Aesir regarding Sounga like one would either a trophy to be snatched, or an evil to be destroyed.
Presently, it sounded like Loki got himself into trouble again. Sesshomaru strode towards the forest, to assess the situation.
"Your pathetic woman's arts and strength is a disgrace upon the Aesir! You've gone too far this time changing Sif's hair from blonde to sepia brown!" Sesshomaru continued to walk at a leisurely pace towards the commotion. He knew that the other Aesir in the area could not hear their harsh whispers but being a Dog Demon he could.
Seems that Loki had pranked that Shield Maiden who took a shine to Thor so. Perhaps out of envy, he knew Loki at one time yearned for her favor.
"As I claimed I tried—ahh!" Sesshomaru heard Loki cry out in pain. "I tried to change it back but they wouldn't assist me!" Sesshomaru ears flicked up. Were these Aesir tormenting Loki instead of merely confronting him? Sesshomaru did not usually white knight anyone, however from what he could smell, there were five Aesir and Loki. Not a fight, but an ambush. He crept closer.
"We are sick of your constant lies! Your blatant envy of Thor does nothing but cause trouble and strife for everyone else. It is not Thor's fault he holds your father's appeal, but your own! We are going to do you a favor, we will help you not act out. Maybe if we took away your ability to get yourself into such mischief you can learn to be a better Aesir." A third voice, thick with malice, sounded out. He didn't particularly like the sound of that. It sounded very much like a promise, not just a threat.
Sesshomaru smelled pine, Loki's magic. He increased his pace, he had to be close to them now, he could clearly smell their individual body odors, their oiled leather and armors. Warriors, five of them. He smelled metal, they were armed. Sesshomaru leapt through the trees, he smelled blood and no longer heard Loki.
"Don't worry Loki, this is really for your own good." Sesshomaru came upon them finally. Loki was being held down by four fully grown warriors, their faces crinkled in hilarity and falsely vindicated violence.
All of Loki's clothes had been torn off, ripped, and thrown across the glade in multiple directions.
The fifth has a needle and thread, and had already punctured one hole in Loki's bottom lip, one guard had his jaw slammed shut. Sesshomaru's eyes sliced over to the fifth warrior and with a flick of a striped wrist the needle and thread were melted from the warriors' hand with a noxious green whip.
Inexcusable. He is your Prince. He is my friend. You will all kneel.
"Oh, so your little bitch Demon has come to—" Sesshomaru let loose an invisible flash of killing intent followed by a glimmering red youki wave. All their eyes went wide, including Loki's.
"This Sesshomaru is no woman." And that's all Sesshomaru really remembered because his talons lashed out of his fingers like daggers, his mouth spread open in a wide, wicked, knifed smile. His blood red eyes saw no mercy and his markings promised pain. While he didn't transform into his true form, he couldn't be certain he remained fully in his humanoid form either when his Demon blood took over.
His bloodlust was only satiated when the glade, and himself were soaked in blood. The trees had been strung with sinew, skin, hair, and shredded leather. Sesshomaru tilted his head to the side, he had never cut down warriors of this caliber so quickly, and so thoroughly. He looked down at Loki who stared at him blankly as if he saw a specter.
"You are their Prince, and they should not have addressed me as such." Sesshomaru justified, flicking blood off his claws. This would set back negotiations between his father and the Aesir for a long while yet. Sesshomaru detested the idea of having to tell his father of his work, the warriors had been reduced to flakes of flesh and shards of bone. Sesshomaru frowned.
"I will tell Allfather a great beast, not unlike a Draugr, slew them. We together survived it and it vanished. It isn't a true lie." Loki stood up, magicking on some clothes with a spoken spell. He looked a bit pale and Sesshomaru had no answers for him.
"…very well. After that let us go practice calligraphy." Sesshomaru nodded, planning on letting Loki do most of the talking. It wasn't like anyone would believe he alone cut down five Aesir warriors himself anyway.
Well, perhaps they would. He was nothing but a bloodthirsty savage to them after all.
Sesshomaru, to this day never figured out what exactly happened in that fight. Loki never spoke of it again. It never happened since and he suspected Tenseiga, and his training had much to do with that. He still resented that his father never told him that Loki had crafted Tenseiga's hilt as a gift.
Sesshomaru had no one to ask why he kept such a secret from him, except looking back he may have rejected such a gift, thinking Loki a madman for helping construct such a backwards blade.
He had no intention of disclosing or demonstrating to anyone in this realm of Tenseiga's true nature. Not even Loki knew of its true capabilities of resurrection. In this realm, due to the documents provided by Jarvis and his own observations, humans had certainly produced powerful and lethal weapons in their revolution of industry.
If Thor's friends, commander Fury, or any human Lord learned of his Tenseiga, they would covet him. They would attempt to take Tenseiga for their own gain, and Sesshomaru knew, while powerful, he would eventually lose a war of attrition against an entire realm. The thought humbled Sesshomaru, and caused a raking, scraping feeling in his gut.
Sesshomaru would have never thought he would have to be this cautious of humans. In his own time, they would have no hope in attempting to steal his birthright, his blessed and cursed gift from his friend.
'They would use Rin and Jaken against me. Using Tenseiga would put them in peril and I have learned my lesson that any action involving Tenseiga is not worth risking Rin's life.' Sesshomaru promised himself, restless with fragmented thoughts. Sesshomaru didn't require much in the way of sleep so he stood guard during a most unremarkable evening on the fourth night.
It was most unremarkable, as most of the nights were, save the night of the steakhouse dinner.
The night of the steakhouse, around 1:17 am, Sesshomaru heard someone approach the door of their quarters. Perched high atop his stack of crates, he watched Barton the archer, sans bow, enter the room. He smelled of human spirits. Barton looked around, then up to him, face unreadable.
Sesshomaru didn't smell malicious intent from Barton as he watched a sleeping Loki, propped up against a crate, with Rin curled up in his lap, both wrapped in his pelt. Jaken flopped on his side next to them.
His ears picked up the tired, whispered phrase "I just don't get it." Before he turned to leave.
Strange human, but his plan was working. He and Romanoff departed in the Quinjet for some sort of meeting with the Commander Fury that next morning. He heard the jet fire up and roar off into the dawn sky four mornings ago.
Which brought him to early morning, the fifth day, and this time he decided he would try to investigate the cooking nook of the tower instead of merely bartering or hunting food for Rin. It was also the day that Barton and Romanoff were due back from their time with Fury.
He found that Rogers was already up, properly dressed, eating an assortment of unknown human foods.
"You're protective of them." He heard Rogers speak and Sesshomaru ignored him, he didn't explain himself.
Sesshomaru, however, was at a loss. This new human food perplexed him. He opened a metal door, nothing inside.
"That's the oven." Rogers supplied, forking what may be some flat bread into his mouth.
Sesshomaru tried again.
"That's the icebox...I mean refrigerator. What are you looking for?" Rogers stood up, and Sesshomaru eyed him blankly.
"Look, I can relate to what you're going through sorta. I was frozen for seventy years in ice and when I came out everything was different. The girl I loved didn't really know who I was and was obviously old. Everything as I knew it was gone or different, and everything I did seemed just off and people assumed I was uneducated. I don't look down on you for it." Rogers monologued and Sesshomaru saw it as his attempt to relay he neither pitied nor patronized him.
So, against his better judgment, Sesshomaru indulged him.
"I know…once knew someone who was pinned to a tree by a sacred arrow for fifty years." Sesshomaru opened a cabinet finding plates and bowls, useful for future knowledge.
"We should start a club or a support group." Steve looked at Sesshomaru in an attempt at humor.
"He was pinned there by a priestess with whom he had a romantic relationship. They allowed themselves to be deceived by a manipulative Half-Demon." Sesshomaru finally found something that looked like food...Prego? It was some sort of paste, He most likely required noodles for this to be suitable for Rin's consumption.
"What happened?" Rogers leaned forward, all brawn and strength.
"The priestess perished from her wounds. He was eventually released by the priestess' reincarnation. The original priestess was reanimated by the Half-Demon as a clay incarnation and united they fought and slew the Half-Demon." Sesshomaru left himself out of the story for obvious reasons and found peaches. More suitable, but unable to be combined with this Prego most likely.
"That's um quite a tale. Glad he's OK." Rogers took a spoonful of his gruel.
'Was OK.' Sesshomaru corrected to himself, gathering peaches, Prego and olives. Encased in crystal and metal, he was unable to discern how this Prego smelled. He would investigate these food items and get Jaken to prepare something for Rin.
"Son of Taisho! Steve Rogers! Good morn!" Thor greeted as he strutted into the kitchen, all golden smiles, opening a cabinet and grabbing a new box of pop tarts, ripping it open.
"Morning Thor!" Rogers waved back, eating a piece of tubed meat of some unknown origin.
"Allow me to assist with breaking your fast!" Thor grabbed the Prego from the counter and opened a strange box, threw the crystal container and four shiny packets of Pop Tarts inside and pressed a button. Sesshomaru began to scour the kitchen for more useful items, secretly relieved at the Storm God knew how to prepare the Prego.
"Thor I don't think you can put those types of containers in that microwave oven." Rogers warned. Sesshomaru heard the device whir more loudly and became suspicious.
"Nonsense! Jane has instructed me that pastry of toasters can indeed be placed in the oven of small waves!" Thor proudly retorted, turning his back on the device. Sesshomaru smelled smoke.
"Yes, however, I think she meant you had to remove them fro-" Sesshomaru saw lightning in the device, then fire, then he dodged the booming explosion with a quick dive behind the counter Rogers was eating his meal upon.
His ears, already sensitive, popped and rang. The lights in the kitchen went dark with another cracking pop.
"Thor!" Rogers protested, covered in red sauce along with most of the room and Thor's back.
The device was no longer on fire but appeared inoperable. Sesshomaru barely managed to escape unscathed from the red sauce. He would never again trust Storm God to assist in Rin's meals. He would barter outside for her meal today. Sesshomaru stood straight, taking in the slop that covered the walls. It smelled of tomatoes and fire.
His ears hurt, and he felt his balance off.
"I do correct myself Steve Rogers." Thor, humbled, turned to the defeated device. Sesshomaru could barely hear them.
"...of course you would! Capsicle you're fired as my babysitter." Sesshomaru almost jumped in surprise when Stark appeared beside him in nothing but a tunic bottom. He barely heard him!
The human had good muscle definition, and his hair stuck up at odd angles. Sesshomaru studied the lines of his shoulder blades and the curve of his jaw.
"You." Stark pointed at Sesshomaru. "This is somehow your fault...is this tomato sauce? What were you trying to make? 'Blood of my enemies huevos rancheros?' You must be a SHIELD plant to purposely annoy me." Stark, exasperated, put a hand through his hair. Sesshomaru winced visibly, his ears simply stung and his voice echoed strangely in his skull.
"...you are indecently dressed." Sesshomaru observed and Stark's face flushed. Sesshomaru tried to refrain from moving his ears, he couldn't hear much.
"My tower, my rules. When you become a billionaire, you can wear what you want." Stark retorted, putting his hands on his hips, avoiding stepping in the paste that coated the floor along with the broken glass.
"Twas not the fault of Son of Taisho! I misunderstood the instruction of the oven of small waves as ordained by Jane." Thor took a finger and licked some of the sauce from himself. He shrugged as he knelt down to pick up some of the broken glass.
"Life must be cashing in all my bad karma at once. Clean this up, Jarvis reset the circuit breaker for the kitchen." Stark ordered and turned back and looked to Rogers and Sesshomaru. "You two clean yourselves up, you two look like a bad Vietnam War documentary." Stark motioned to another room, Sesshomaru assumed the room must be where these humans bathed since he had yet to find a suitable hot spring or clean stream or river. A strange fortress this tower.
"This Sesshomaru does not have any Prego on his person. I will bathe at my leisure." Sesshomaru informed, not taking any personal hygiene orders from Stark, despite it being his fortress.
"Oh yeah, what's this?!" Sesshomaru shivered as Stark's warm finger slid down his neck and mimicked what Thor did earlier and licked his finger. Sesshomaru shimmied slightly from the unexpected contact. His touch positively ignited his youki.
Stark's face twisted in revulsion.
"Oh what in Einstein's hell did I just do? Is this blood?! I hate mornings...Jarvis run a hepatitis and vampirism test! Why are your ears even bleeding?!" Stark fumed, stalking about the kitchen in a circle before locking eyes with an amused Sesshomaru. Sesshomaru managed an upward quirk of a lip despite the pain.
His ears had finally burst. It irked Sesshomaru to show such a weakness, but he had assumed it would happen eventually.
"Son of Taisho! I should have known earlier your ears would be sensitive to this realm. I am sorry to have wounded you. I am most reckless." Thor went to Sesshomaru's side, Sesshomaru used his youki to heal his ears temporarily.
'I will need to find a means to use my hearing, without restricting it completely or this will simply be a regular hindrance.' Sesshomaru's ears lowered in thought.
"Your Peter Pan ears are sensitive to sound?" Stark, suddenly interested, went on his tip toes to examine them. Sesshomaru felt slightly self-conscious, Stark's hot breath tickled his neck and ears.
"Aye. Dog Demons possess highly tuned ears and noses. This realm is much louder than to what he is accustomed." Sesshomaru groaned inwardly. Thor was not conducive keeping weaknesses to himself.
"You're a Dog Demon? They have different types of Demons?!" Rogers piped up. Stark regarded him with interest.
"...you think Jaken and I are the same?" Sesshomaru's eyebrows rose.
"No. I guess I didn't think about it. The Demons I learned about all had horns." Rogers pondered and Stark crossed his arms in thought.
"I can help your ears." Stark smiled and Sesshomaru's eyes widened. Did he just offer his assistance to this Sesshomaru willingly? Sesshomaru blinked.
"I do not accept assistance, especially from humans." Sesshomaru responded, but he must have looked interested because Stark insisted.
"Pffft. A little late for that sleeping beauty, I have camera evidence of me carrying you down to your beloved Substorage room 3-b. Give me like, an hour tops and I'll knock your socks off." Stark winked and Sesshomaru decided, again, against his better judgment, to let the human do as he pleased.
"...do as you please. This Sesshomaru will indeed bathe." Sesshomaru turned from the group and went to the room Stark motioned to and eventually found an enormous wash basin. After a few tries he discovered that it was indeed an indoor hot spring.
How clever humans had become.
Sesshomaru stripped himself of his human clothes, hoping Lady Potts would return today as promised with his own clothes from the mysterious dry cleaners, and slipped into the warm water, submerging himself. The still water lapped at his toned, slender frame like a lake would.
Or a pool.
"Sesshomaruuuuuuu." Ripple. His name. His talons shot out reflexively.
Sesshomaru shot up out of the basin, panicked. Water sloshed everywhere and he found himself panting, his eyes wide and pupils' mere pinpricks. He looked down and saw it was just water. Just. Water.
He drained the basin.
It took him a bit longer to figure out how to work the rain attachment. He much preferred that to the tub. He even found potions which had lesser potent and nice scents, and washed himself thoroughly, including his long silver hair.
"Hey Sailor Moon did you drown?!" Sesshomaru heard a voice from the door. Stark? His ears still rang despite his healing them. Sesshomaru put on just his jeans, his shirt still wet from when the water lapped out of the basin he previously filled.
He, soaking wet silver hair and all, opened the door to both Stark and the Berserker. His long silver hair hung heavy, shining, and wet down his back and over his shoulders. He brushed aside his soaking bangs.
"This Sesshomaru is a strong swimmer." Sesshomaru responded, standing tall beside the door jamb. He noticed they were starting at him. These insufferable humans from this realm! Just what was so unusual about him? Were there truly no Demons or beings like him in this realm?
"Ahem...Well look who is indecently dressed now, Stripes." Stark still stared at him and Sesshomaru looked down at his magenta markings arcing down over his hip bones, flanking a trail of silver body hair going up to his navel. He had a matching pair that raced up over his ribs towards his chest. In a flare of blue youki, Sesshomaru's long hair swirled in the air and dried.
"Women across America would kill to dry their hair like that. Also I'd advise to not let Thor make you breakfast." The Berserker grinned at Stark, and Sesshomaru decided Berserker was most level-headed when not in battle.
"Agreed." Sesshomaru deadpanned. Stark struggled with something in his hands, almost dropping it. He did not seem the clumsy type. Odd.
"Here. I am a genius. I call them 'hear ain'ts'...because they're basically reverse engineered hearing aids. You put them on your ears and, uh, you can adjust them and yeah. They'll dampen the sounds you hear." Stark handed him two small devices and rubbed the back of his neck. Sesshomaru assessed them and decided they did not seem to be much of a threat.
He attached them on his ears carefully, waiting for a trap. However, he was most surprised.
Not even Sesshomaru couldn't stop the small, genuine smile that lit his face. Even though it was just the slightest upward curve of his lips, he knew Stark and the Berserker caught it. His ears wiggled in approval regardless. His gold eyes danced, these devices were perfect.
It had been a while since he received such aid without any obvious angle or ulterior motive. These humans in this realm were quite different indeed.
"I take it that they work since that's the only like, positive emotion I've seen from you. Also yeah, Dog Demon, ear wiggling, checks out." Stark all but stammered, pursing his lips together.
"...this Sesshomaru finds himself indebted to you. You may request of me something equivalent for compensation." Sesshomaru's voice sounded a touch soft. Stark's jaw dropped, not seeing that coming. Sesshomaru locked his gold eyes with Stark's dark brown ones, denoting he was quite serious.
The Berserker coughed.
"I lack a pertinent request at the moment." Stark threw Sesshomaru's words back at him. Sesshomaru cracked his knuckles. The Berserker laughed.
"Turnabout is fair play Sesshomaru. Though I must ask why Stark has that particular liberty." Loki appeared in a flash of green. Stark and the Berserker went less on guard than Sesshomaru expected. That pleased him, over the past few days they had gotten used to Loki.
Sesshomaru said nothing and tugged on his red shirt over his head.
"Rin Tin Tin's ear drums over here burst when your brother, Point Break, tried to make breakfast." Stark motioned to the kitchen and Loki just looked confused.
"He blew up the microwave trying to heat up foil and a can of spaghetti sauce." Bruce explained and Loki rubbed his temple.
"...We aren't related by blood." Loki excused.
"Yeah, we know. Anyway, I made these 'hear ain'ts' so Lassie's ears aren't messing with him anymore. Not too much of a market in 'hear ain'ts' but what can I say I'm a philanthropist." Stark shrugged and all the sudden Sesshomaru felt a bit off kilter. So these devices were worthless and he made them anyway for him?
"Oh. Good work Stark." Loki commended, not needing to look to his friend for truth.
Sesshomaru noted Loki was beginning to look more like his old self, vanishing dark circles under his eyes, his skin was no longer milk white. Sesshomaru didn't necessarily envy Loki's more masculine looks, but he did wonder if it was easier. Loki, glamored or not, didn't stand out in this realm as much as he did.
Sesshomaru heard, even with the 'hear ain'ts', Rin from the kitchen and moved past Stark and Loki to locate her. He found her in the spotless kitchen, microwave device fixed, next to a freshly washed Rogers.
"Hey...who fixed the microwave?" The Berserker asked, Stark stood in awe of the cleanliness of the kitchen. Rogers pointed to Loki.
Stark and The Berserker looked to Loki in disbelief.
"If I had known it was Thor who had demolished it I wouldn't have bothered." Loki sighed.
"You two have some Shakespearean sized issues Reindeer Games." Stark said as Lady Potts wearing a professional outfit and a cheerful smile walked in with two shopping bags.
"Oh, hey there! I got Rin some new dresses, and you some new shirts, Happy is getting your dry cleaning at three. I figure Jack can just wear what Tony has forgotten he owns. You just have to uphold your end of the barter." Lady Potts reported and looked all business.
Sesshomaru looked back to Loki, his stare not giving anything away. Loki shifted.
It was over in 1.6 seconds.
He flicking his striped wrist, his toxin whip sprung out and ensnared Loki around the neck with a crack. With an almost feminine body twirl he slung Loki around, back-first through the plate glass window, shattering it. Sesshomaru chased his quarry out with a leap and with a quick kick, fired Loki straight down toward the street below.
Sesshomaru landed back into the room as if nothing had happened.
"Thank you. That was satisfying. Tony I'll bring by some accounts to sign later with the glass guy. I have a board meeting." Lady Potts left with a smile and a wave and Rogers, Stark, and the Berserker looked at Sesshomaru, jaws slack and eyes wide. Sesshomaru tossed his hair.
Loki teleported back into the room.
"What pray tell was that?!" Loki, windswept and with a few cuts, looked wild with outrage.
"A barter." Sesshomaru admitted, a corner of his mouth quirked up. Loki looked in between trying to attack Sesshomaru and joining in the joke.
"You know what, keep bartering. I love poetic justice. I don't know who is scarier you or Pepper." Stark leaned back, hands laced behind his head. Loki continued to give Sesshomaru a scorned look. Sesshomaru, eyes glimmering made eye contact with Stark at his approval.
"I don't think I understand your version of friendship." Rogers gestured to a now composed Loki. Sesshomaru should have shrugged, if he did such things.
"Lord Sesshomaru, when we go get more ice cream can I draw there?! I want to show Polly my new drawings!" Rin asked, dressed in a different sun dress, this one yellow, with her bone and bag of drawing implements. Jaken stood nearby, in his AC/DC hoodie with Tenseiga and Bakusaiga, them both thrumming in their tubes.
"Do as you wish Rin. We shall depart." Sesshomaru retrieved Tenseiga and Bakusaiga from Jaken.
"Hey, hate to break up another wonderful single parent PSA, but when Nat and Clint come back from waxing Fury's shoes you're up. No pressure Sailor Moon. Just if you fail to impress or convince us we will send your favorite God of Calamity up river, or to SHIELD, or to maybe Azkaban." Stark's words were playful, but his tone was cement heavy.
Everyone turned to Sesshomaru, Loki's clear eyes shined with an emotion Sesshomaru identified as trepidation.
Pause.
"You anticipate this Sesshomaru's opinion." Sesshomaru leveled a hard, reaching gaze at Loki, the Berserker, Rogers and finally Stark. "I have decided I will provide it to you. Come Rin, Jaken." Sesshomaru stated simply with a swish of hair he began to put on his jacket, boots and of course aviators. Jaken and Rin followed close behind.
"And people say I have a big ego." Stark muttered. Sesshomaru flipped down his aviators in response.
"...I think I finally understand how you," The Berserker pointed to a satisfied, if cautious, Loki. "And he stayed friends." And with that Loki's face blossomed with a wickedly amused smile.
"We're both burdened with glorious arrogance." Sesshomaru heard Loki state as he left for the elevator with Rin and Jaken, still Jack in tow. As they stepped outside his ears twitched up, appreciative of the device. He could hear perfectly. Stark's ingenuity and intelligence impressed him greatly, especially not knowing of his kind. And he created the device only for him.
Over the past few days Jaken had been successful in asking humans, which resulted in two more communication codes, where they could find certain places in Central Park, along with substitute ice cream shops if Rin tired of the first one. The first one suggested a large vendor, which sold many flavors of ice cream, a mere half a kilometer from his current position, however it had many screaming human children inside.
Absolutely not.
The human, Jason Sisson, who recommended the first shop they went to, remained the one they decided to regularly frequent. Perhaps when he acquired his own communication device he would inquire about this modelling, he was most helpful thus far.
Sesshomaru continued to go back to the ice cream shop to inform Polly on his opinions of the musical artists. He appreciated Polly's affection for Rin as well as her ability to communicate with her. Polly indicated her parents had travelled from where his lands are currently, to this metropolis. They both shared a similar distaste for their current surroundings.
"Lord Sesshomaru, Rin thinks Uncle Loki didn't like the mint chocolate chip! We will have to find him another flavor. And I promised Stark I would get him chocolate since he helped you. Chocolate is his favorite, but it is not Rin's. I think I will try strawberry today!" Rin skipped, swinging her bone, causing certain humans to regard her strangely.
Rin decided they would bring back ice cream for the rest since today Barton and Romanoff would be back from their excursion.
"Rin, Lord Sesshomaru cares not which human enjoys which ice cream flavor!" Jaken, still Jack replied and Sesshomaru quirked an eyebrow at him.
"You dare speak for what I enjoy Jaken?" Sesshomaru's voice, though placid, held slight warning.
"No! Never Lord Sesshomaru, I just merely want to state you need not concern yourself over such things!" Jaken jumped and Sesshomaru smirked as he opened the door to the shop, the bell above the door announcing their entry. Being a cool time in the year, and with similar establishments surrounding them, they found themselves being only one of three parties in the store.
"Welcome to Happy Dragon Ice cream shop, our daily special flavor i-oh it's you again Mr. Mysterious, How's kicks?" Polly spun around, due to her not facing the door upon their arrival.
Polly did not appear as most humans in this realm did, and in fact appeared more like a Demon.
She had many markings and intricate designs across her neck, legs, and arms. She called them tattoos and she was not born with them, but instead had someone mark her with them. Her hair was stained purple, and stood in a crest above her head not unlike some Bird Demons he once knew. She also wore many metal rings on her eye brows, ears and lips, which, to his surprise, were not a mark of a warrior.
She was short, perhaps only coming to his upper arm, and much more slender than many of the plump humans he saw walking about the metropolis. Today she wore dark red lip paint and grey powder on her eyes.
"Hello Polly! Rin is going to practice with Jaken, who is now Jack in the store! I am also going to draw you a picture! I am going to draw you Ah-Un, he is a two headed dragon, and the others today!" Rin scampered up to the counter and jumped up and down. Sesshomaru allowed his gaze to soften.
"Ah, sounds rad Rin, I can't wait to see your Dragon, it sucks he isn't here with you, but to be honest, I don't think New York could handle a Dragon right now, much less one with two heads." Polly responded in the language Rin understood and she nodded.
Rin placed her bag of drawing implements at a nearby table, away from the furthest customers in the store. Rin drew her bone and descended upon Jaken with it, who used Tenseiga's tube to block. His staff of two heads attracted undue attention the last time they were in the shop.
"So Mr. Mysterious, let me guess, your favorite was Michael Jackson, right?" Polly leaned against the counter as Sesshomaru approached it, continuing to talk in the language of his lands.
"This Sesshomaru ranked the following musical artists as such: Nirvana, Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston, and furthest down the Crow band." He reported, showing her the paper he had written. He was practicing writing the script of this realm, it came to him easier than expected.
"Oh wow. Didn't peg you for a grunge fan, but I can respect that. I'll suggest some similar bands, and some that I feel like you'd like as well. You also look like you're in a much better mood, Cookie dough and Mint Chocolate Chip doing alright?" Polly asked, taking another piece of paper from behind her cash box and began to scribble.
"They live. The one who received the Mint Chocolate Chip desires another flavor. Perhaps another green one. He did not eat it, however at the time he had been shot with many arrows." Sesshomaru reported and Polly looked up in slight horror.
"Damn, that's a tough beat; I got some lime sherbet. Tell Mint Chocolate Chip he needs chiller friends, or to stay out of cars. Crossbows are like, the second most used weapon in road rage next to golf clubs. Trust me on that one. One piercer at the tattoo shop I apprentice at got shot at once by some psycho with one when he was driving through Jersey." Polly informed, she was a wealth of information, though he doubted Barton fired haphazardly at vehicles.
"I do not like these vehicles. I have ridden in one, they are abhorrent and smell of human waste." Sesshomaru wrinkled his nose. Polly laughed, her voice a smoky alto.
"Oh, been in a taxi have you? Get your friends Cookie Dough and Mint Chocolate Chip to try Uber, it's a lot better, but I agree, it's why I bike everywhere. Once I become a licensed Tattoo Artist and save up I'll be out of here, go somewhere smaller, maybe Austin." Polly watched Rin land a hit on Jaken, the other customers left the store in a hurry.
"You're so lucky you're in New York where a Japanese girl beating another kid with a bone is something that happens on the reg. Why are you here in New York anyway? You totally seem more of a West Coast kind of guy. Like Malibu or the O.C." Polly asked, looking up to him, fidgeting with one of her many rings.
"The one you refer to as Mint Chocolate Chip brought me here to aid him in a quest. I know not for how long I will reside here, but I pray too it will not be too long. I rather not deal with these humans for too much longer." Sesshomaru admitted carelessly, eyes widening slightly when he realized his mistake in referring to the people of this realm as humans. He stiffened visibly, muscles flexing under his shirt.
"Mr. Mysterious, it's ok. While most people who live here might think you just have some crazy bod mods, I can tell straight up you aren't human. Those markings on your face are way too precise to be from a tattoo gun, and I know your eyes aren't contacts. Your ears too? No way. You're also like, just, like, really pointy and pretty. Listen, whatever you are, I don't care. We had aliens come out of the sky like, three years ago so we get it. We aren't alone, yadda yadda. I won't tell anyone your dirty little secret, not even my girlfriend." Polly admitted, and Sesshomaru relaxed, and, yet again today, against his better judgment, he decided to indulge a human curiosity.
"This Sesshomaru is no alien. This Sesshomaru is a Demon Lord." Sesshomaru cracked his knuckles and taking off his aviators. He showed his talons and locked eyes with hers, testing her.
"Sesshomaru! You have a Japanese name? Killing perfection? Bad ass. And Demon Lord? Hooowee, we totally got the Demon thing wrong, you don't even have horns." Polly smiled wide, straightening up. Sesshomaru's eyes widened slightly, maybe she knew about his kind.
"Have you heard of any other Demons in this region? One may be a Bear Demon named Smokey." He asked and she cackled in laughter, he brought his hand into a fist. She dared mock him?
"Oh wow, sorry, not laughing at you Mr. Mysterious. Smokey the Bear is a made up thing to tell people not to start forest fires. And as for Demons, humans think they're made up. We've never known them to actually exist, outside of religious fanatics or crazy people. You're the first Demon I know of to, well, be real. Sorry. You're welcome to stay here as long as you want, my Mom and Dad aren't working in the shop today so you guys can have the run of it." Polly finished and Sesshomaru refused to let show the shock on his face. So, even a human whose family came from his Lands had encountered no Demons.
'His people, they were not just eradicated in this portion of this time, but apparently across this realm.' Sesshomaru felt his jaw slacken a bit, he nodded in appreciation at Polly's invitation and turned to help Rin with her form and technique.
"Hey, sorry to break it to you like that. I mean who knows, maybe Demons exist somewhere else. Ya know? I gotta break down the freezer and clean it. Watch the store and make sure no one robs it will ya?" Polly gave him a peace sign and disappeared into the walk in freezer. Sesshomaru would guard the ice cream store, if for any reason Polly had become an invaluable source of knowledge outside Storm God's friends.
"Lord Sesshomaru! May Rin draw us with our new human friends?! I'll disguise Mint Chocolate chip, I promise!" Sesshomaru nodded in agreement of her artwork, but not of her assessment of them as 'friends'.
"Oh yeah Rin, draw them, I gotta see what kind of delinquents a Demon Lord rolls with!" He heard Polly call from the freezer and Sesshomaru then debated how valuable she was.
It was then that human Jason Sisson walked into the ice cream shop. Of the Four Lands…
Thank you again for reading :) I appreciate any feedback!
-TL