second rune; death; video

[deadelfwalking]

 [When the feed starts, the netbook's camera shows you a view of the forest floor.  A deer carcass lies among the grass and twigs, and it's obvious that the poor thing did not have a clean death.  It's in the advanced stages of decomposition, even though the blood around its body is red and fresh.  The camera does not linger on this image for more than a few seconds; it pans upward, to show Koltira's face.

 He's standing over the deer, holding the device in one hand, holding Byfrost with the other.  Agony creases his expression: his jaw is clenched, his eyes narrowed, every muscle in his pale, sallow face is taut with pain.  The guttural growl of his voice occasionally rises in octave as he talks, as though something is beating the shit out of him from the inside.]

Were we brought here to fight for something, or to waste time reliving the past?  Send.  Us.  On.  A mission.

[He stabs the tree next to him with Byfrost, and the sword glows sickly green; the tree bark begins to decay rapidly, as though it's practically melting.  Diseased fumes pour out of the bark, forming a nasty miasma around Koltira's body.]

I need a battle. [he hisses, and blood trickles from the corner of his mouth as he bites down on the inside of his cheek.]  Now.

Comments

video so you can see his obnoxious grin

[flynninomite]

Nice to see your face again, sunshine. Feeling a bit antsy?

[deadelfwalking]

[he saved your fucking life, man. A little gratitude, maybe?! He bites into his lip, glowering.]

That's an understatement.

[flynninomite]

[ Hey, this is just how Flynn flirts. ]

So what'd poor Bambi do? Don't tell me - he insulted your mother.

[deadelfwalking]

[Oh, gurl. He can't exactly be offended by the reference, largely because he doesn't understand it--even when he was in a modern city, he never got a chance to watch many Disney films. Instead he keeps up the glare.]

Deer are numerous in these woods. Occasionally culling the population is not a bad thing. [granted, he didn't mean to cull it quite in that way.]

[flynninomite]

That's funny - I heard "cull", but I'm pretty sure you meant to say "eviscerate".

You honestly couldn't find something more challenging to fight in all the big bad woods?

[ He seems a bit distracted while he talks, clearly fiddling with something else on his screen. ]

[deadelfwalking]

[yeah, well, same thing.]

I was not intending to battle the deer. I have been hunting them--cleanly--for some time now. There are some who sustain themselves on the meat. [a groan of pain. He puts down the netbook, covers his face. God damn it. Through gritted teeth:] Do you have a problem? [because he does. and part of it is YOU.]

[flynninomite]

[ Given that he's on the other side of a netbook screen instead of right in front of Koltira, Flynn has the luxury of being entertained at the other's obvious irritation - that much is clear from the shit-eating grin on his face. ]

No, no problem. Not a single one. Woke up in the middle of an apparently horrifically managed time-war, but hey, who hasn't.

But it occurred to me that I never thanked you for your daring rescue. Given the state of that deer, I suppose I should be counting my blessings.

[deadelfwalking]

[grinding his teeth. You may be thanking him, but you still look and sound like an asshole.] Yes, you should be.

[flynninomite]

[ Asshole is his default state, he can't help it. ]

Yeah, yeah. So what's the deal, then? Make a bargain with the wrong devil? I'm no therapist, but I get the feeling you've got a bit of an anger management problem. Or is that a common thing with zombies?

No, hang on, I know this one - not eating enough brains lately?