Here's to Chapter 8, and the introduction of a host of minor characters! They are all actors, haha, so as characteristic and lovely as they come. Hope you enjoy! :)
-CM
"In here!" Sierra said, proudly gesturing to a large building on the corner of 37th Street. It was three stories tall, with many tall windows. She opened the door. A tall man with sticky-uppy blonde hair and bright blue eyes bounded over from a large set of shelves. He reminded Loki rather much of a Labrador, intelligent and faithfully loyal. Sierra smiled brightly, giving the man a large hug. "How are you, Jorn?" she asked, voice swelling with affection. Loki gagged, turning away.
"Have you seen Dante?" she asked. "He's upstairs," said the man Sierra dubbed 'Jorn.' "Why do you ask?"
"I have a new pyrotechnics recommendation for him."
'Jorn' nodded. "I'd better go, she wants me to practice something before rehearsals start."
"I'm dying today, it's so exciting! Is Emery jumping today?"
"I don't know, but if you're dying, probably." He finished unpacking his bag and walked down the hall. Sierra walked back over to Loki, putting up her flame hair with a hairtie she had procured from out of nowhere. "Welcome to the studio, Loki. We're heading upstairs, to Dante."
"Any man with a name like Dante begs mistrust," complained Loki.
"Oh, you can talk," laughed Sierra. They walked up a set of stairs and ended up in a large room. A door was at one end, a mirror completely covered one wall, and a short man sat at a table in the corner, tinkering with something. "Dante," she called. The short man looked up, putting down the screwdriver. "What do you want?" he asked. She smiled. "Brought a friend of mine who wants to learn the trade. Think you can help him blow stuff up?"
Dante grinned evilly. "I'll teach him everything. I'll even pay him!"
Sierra grinned. "You two have fun. I'll come find you so we can get lunch." She smiled, walking out of the studio and up some more stairs. A few moments later, he heard another loud exclamation, and he smiled despite himself. "How'd a cynic and a depressing guy like you meet someone like her? She's a ray of sunshine."
"I didn't really choose to meet her, she just didn't let me go."
Dante laughed. "She does that. She's intoxicating despite her past, so consider yourself lucky."
"Her past?" he asked, quirking an eyebrow.
"I'm not telling. If you want to know, ask her yourself."
A girl was descending into the studio, with long, brown hair and glasses. She looked rather intelligent, if a bit mousy. "Morning, Lac," greeted Dante cordially, grinning. Loki rolled his eyes. "There is so much sexual tension in this building. Is everyone in some sort of mating ritual or something?"
The mousy girl laughed. "I'd never put it past us. We are an odd bunch of fools, aren't we?"
"I wouldn't know," he replied, voice chilly.
She smiled, apparently immune to his sarcasm. "Is everyone here as witty and annoying as Sierra Dyer is?"
"We're artists, what do you expect? Normalcy?" asked the girl. "Lacey Chappel, and it's lovely to meet you. You're not ensemble, are you?"
"You think I sing?" he scoffed.
"Oh, because you're definitely the cheery Broadway type. Have you seen my sonic screwdriver?"
"Have you seen my sanity?" he asked. She laughed. "No, but I will look. See you later!" Lacey retied her blue scarf, disappearing down the stairs. Dante stared after her wistfully. "Girls,' he sighed. "Why must they be so perfect?"
Loki laughed sarcastically. "You must be living in a different world, mortal. From what I've seen, both Sierra and Lacey are just annoying little brats who need lives."
Dante laughed, a surprisingly large laugh for such a small man. "Wait until you meet Sio. She fills out our cast of leading ladies. And Emery, Bjorn and Jack are basically the male equivalent."
"Joy." Loki said, green eyes trained to the floor.
…...
About a half an hour later, Loki was going over the basics of pyrotechnics with Dante when he heard loud music echoing from the floor above. He looked up. "Rehearsals started?" he asked, staring at the ceiling. Dante nodded. "You can go watch if you want. I'm pretty sure your red haired vixen is up there."
"She's not mine," Loki scoffed. "She's annoying and loud." Dante laughed. "If she's not dating you in a year, I'll give you a hundred bucks."
"I'll take that bet," Loki said, heading upstairs.
…...
A man in a red cape strode into the Bifrost. Heimdall sat, staring into nothing. "How is my brother?" asked Thor, folding his arms. "He is well," replied Heimdall. "I only wish I could see into the future."
"Is he still with that red haired girl?" asked Thor. "She seemed like someone who would be good for him."
"She keeps him out of trouble, and he claims to hate her. Yet she gives him the option to leave, and he never takes it. Goodness knows, she's seen him smile. More then once. That's more then you can claim, is it not?"
Thor laughed, smiling. "I know the effect that mortals can have on us."
"She is not a typical mortal. She has something in store for her, something dangerous that will nearly get the both of them killed. Unfortunately, past that, my vision clouds."
Thor sighed. "Well, she seems nice enough. I met her the other night when she came to dinner. She seemed nice, and the others have known her far longer then I have."
"She keeps him in line, and happy, though you may doubt."
"I only wish I could see what you could, so that I may know."
"Go to the opening night of Les Miserables in a month. Then you may see them, if the fates permit."
Thor nodded. "I will leave you to your duties." He walked off, red cape swishing.
…...
On another world, far from the lights of happy worlds, someone else had an eye trained on Sierra Dyer. "Are you so sure of this? After all that he failed in? You would trust a mortal girl to succeed where the Prince of Lies could not?"
"I cannot trust anyone. But I will kill her if she does not listen."
"Something tells me she wouldn't care."
"I can give her magic. I can give her unlimited power, far beyond he has ever seen. She will have it all, if she does what I ask."
"If you give her this power, what's to say she won't turn on you?"
"I like to take risks. It's rather like courting Death, and Death is oh, so, sweet."
"But you will make hers painful."
"Only if she disobeys."
"But if she does?"
"She will scream, and beg, and weaken, and she will die. In the most painful way I know how."
An oily grin, an evil glimmer in an ancient eye, and then... nothing.