Issue # 001 - SUDDENLY! A Wild Thing Appears! [Action]

[revoltndevelopment]

Falling dreams are normal. You lock up with a start in your bed whenever you hit the ground, blink up at the ceiling before rolling over and going back to bed. Or you wake up mid fall, hit the carpet, groan, then climb back in to fall asleep again. Or try to. They're universal. If you can fall or fly or know of the concept- you can have a falling dream.

Ben Grimm has flying dreams, most often. Not the ones where you sail along in the middle of nowhere in nothing but your pajamas- flight dreams of controls and cockpits and the thrill of the test. Pushing a carefully crafted machine to the limit and then some. Twisting mid air and hitting the highest peak before plummeting down with all the weight of gravity wrapping around his gut and giving it a solid yank. That's his kind of falling dream.

Normally when he has them, he wakes up when he hits the ground.

Waking up mid fall is odd.

Waking up literally mid-air?

A revolt'n development.

He can't see or hear past the rush of wind, can't really get a good look at the ground beyond an impression of trees, houses, water way out over to the side. No sign of Reed, Sue, or Johnny. Nowhere soft to land either.

"Aw $%#@%!"

The landing's rough. He's had rougher, but he thinks he skips a few times. Barrels through a few trees. Clips a building, glances off a roof somewhere. Lands in...he has no idea. But the wall shears open like tissue paper and he finally rumbles to a stop, swearing in a low, gravely voice.

"...hate when that happens."


[ooc: Break time if you like, Ben can land anywhere and everywhere- in your home, in front of your place of business, in the fountain. Find him wherever you want! Break time!]

Comments

[revoltndevelopment]

Always figur'd skylights t'be more stylish. More dramatic.

[No idea where he's landed, just glad enough that he has, Ben sits up and scrubs at his face with a rough hand. Everything's still spinning a bit from the fall. Not far enough t'make sense for that t'happen.

Something's off, besides the fact he fell in the first place.]

[complicatedliar]

[Another slow, careful sip of tea.]

I rather liked my house the way it was.

[His instinct is to attack, while the orange thing is disoriented. But he already knows that's a bad idea. Killing it (him?) won't accomplish anything but creating another problem in seven days. And he was likely someone's friend already, knowing Loki's luck.

So the next alternative was to try to make the best of a shocking situation and see about making a new ally. Or at least not making an enemy.]

Tea?

[revoltndevelopment]

Most tend to 'till they see th'bigger picture.

[Okay. Standing. That's a thing, right? That's a thing. He levers himself up, staggers a bit and manages to find his feet. Huge things that they are. Brace himself up and roll his shoulders, shaking out the soreness. Just another fall. From nowhere. When he'd been in bed not long ago.

This better start mak'n some kind of sense really @#$%@ soon.]

More uv a coffee guy m'self.

[complicatedliar]

[Loki snorts.]

Oh, I am well acquainted with the bigger picture.

[His hand twitches when the orange thing stands, but he remains outwardly calm and still otherwise.]

Afraid I cannot help with that. I don't keep any in the house.

[revoltndevelopment]

Just throw up some glass. Forward th'bill f'the damages t'Baxter building.

[Scrapes a hand over his face and head and turns to get a good look at whoever he bothered-

Wait.]

You.

[complicatedliar]

I don't think it quite works that way, here.

[Oh, well, so much for this. There is no outward change as Loki instinctively builds an illusion of himself over his own skin, then makes himself invisible and carefully backs away.

He leaves the illusion to continue talking to the orange person while he silently moves to a more defensible position.

Just in case.]

I'm sorry, have we met?

[revoltndevelopment]

[He doesn't talk- doesn't bother listening. He lunges at the illusion, aiming to tackle it about the waist- and falls right through. Tucks into a roll and whirls, looking for the real thing.]

Quit hid'n you slimy rat!

[complicatedliar]

[Invisible, Loki is the hell out of there the instant the orange guy lunges. He slips into the closet of his bedroom and uses his journal to make a couple of pleas for help, then is on the move again.

He casts another illusion of himself and sends it running outside, in the hopes that will get the damn thing out of his house.]

[revoltndevelopment]

[Out of the house? Hell naw. Though Ben does grab the nearest chair and hurls it at the illusion. Too quick and too offhand for it to be the real thing. It's more a means to vent while tearing into the next room. Loki hides and sneaks and waits till someone's distracted and then stabs. Better not give him time to stab.]

Get out here so I can Clobber ya!

[Sofa meet wall. Sofa wins. And Loki has a brand new hole in his house.]

[complicatedliar]

[Okay, this is getting serious, and Loki is getting angry. But he's called for help, as annoying as that is.

Well, it's another opportunity to look the better man, he supposes. And then cringes as the sofa crashes through the wall.

To be safe, he summons a dagger for his hand, but he keeps himself invisible. Silently he moves through the house, keep an eye on Grimm and keeping away from him.

He uses a bit of magic to make one of the windows on the other side of the room open itself, as if an invisible person might have just tried to climb out of there.]

[revoltndevelopment]

[If there's furniture left intact, and there is, it goes through the walls. Or doors. Or windows. Clearing the field so he can keep an eye on the debris on the ground for invisible footsteps. One last chair goes out the window, leaving shelving and books and a mess of papers.

He doesn't hear anything, can't quite see anything- and then the window opens.

And he decides #$@%! it. Slams his hands together with as much force as he could muster- creating a shockwave and sonic boom that blasts through the area- shattering the remaining glass.]

[complicatedliar]

[Loki has no idea what's coming. The shockwave knocks him over, breaks his invisibility, and partially deafens him.

He hangs on to his dagger.

He does four things in quick succession as soon as he hits the ground: he rolls; regains his feet; throws the dagger at the orange person, carefully aimed to miss but distract; then he dives through the wall, passing through the wood like a ghost.

As soon as he's outside, he's invisible again, and jumps to gain the roof.]

[selfhelp]

[This would probably be a bad time for Billy to teleport in, no? Which is why he does teleport in right then. He has terrible luck that way.

He just barely misses the deafening boom of the attack, thankfully, and the wave that follows occurs as he's still phasing in, which means he misses the brunt of the attack, merely sent staggering backwards, his cape fluttering as if blasted by a sudden gust of wind. What the heck...?

He catches sight of a thrown dagger, the shadow of someone fleeing the place, and then he glances around hastily to spot-

Oh god. Big and orange. Yeah, that. Um.

Should've brought Sue.]

M... Mr. Grimm? Sir?

[Please don't kill me.]

[revoltndevelopment]

There ya are-

[He's pissed but he's grinning through it, jogging after Loki's sprinting form with no mind paid to the dagger. He ain't afraid of stabby things. He don't break easy. The ground reverberates with a dull THOOMTHOOMTHOOMTHOOMTHOOM. The Thing's com'n for ya Loki. Better run faster than that!

Of course the sudden soft voice has him grinding to a halt, looking for Loki and the source of the voice. A kid.

Loki didn't often use kids as distractions.]

Outta the way Kid. Man on a mission, here.

[complicatedliar]

[Loki creeps silently to the hole in the roof, where he can at least hear what's going on.

He hears Billy.

He drops back down into the house, a bit of magic used to keep the debris from giving him away. He moves back into position where he can observe and waits, ready to act.

Though looking at the creature in question, he's going to have to think really hard about how to stop it if it comes to that. Containment is probably his best bet.]

[selfhelp]

[Okay, well. He didn't get immediately punched, so there's a plus. And as much as the idea of facing off the near-legendary Thing terrifies him, letting the fight continue will only make the Luceti situation itself even worse. And he'd rather avoid that if it's at all possible.

So. Damage control... here goes.]

I won't. You need to stop fighting- we have a truce with Loki right now! Attacking him could start up a war that'll get a lot of people hurt. Shouldn't you be more worried about where you are right now?

[revoltndevelopment]

A truce with- Who sign'd up t'have a truce with him?

[That doesn't sit right, or sound right. Loki doesn't do truces unless it's a trick or a plan- but discussing a war does take a little of the fire out of Ben. Has him standing back with his arms crossed and waiting for some kind of explanation.]

It's Loki, kid. This is prolly something he made. He does that. It's his gig.

[selfhelp]

Well- it's not like it's official, or signed, or- it's new. And the Avengers agreed to it. Just hear me out, okay? He's a prisoner of this place just as much as the rest of us.

[He's settled down. That's- that's a good sign, right? No clobberin' time for a while? ...Please?]

Have you checked your back yet? Because you really should.

[revoltndevelopment]

Where the #@%!? is 'this place' then?

[Complete with air quotes, though he does relax just a smidge. He didn't hear running, he hadn't been stabbed, and hey. Kid's talking sense. The Avengers were here- Cap. Tony. Who knows who else. It wouldn't be a bad idea t'listen.]

...my back?

[He scowls and peers over. Stares at the feathers for a long moment then looks back at the kid.]

This ain't right.

[selfhelp]

Yeah, tell me about it.

[Billy reaches back, drawing aside his cloak enough to reveal his own wings, blue as his magic.]

This is Luceti- we're in another world. Maybe even a whole other universe, considering how many it drags people in from. [And then, since it's the only test he knows to use-] Do you, uh. Have any idea who I am?

[revoltndevelopment]

...Again?

[He scrubs a hand over his face, the sound not unlike rocks scraping over pavement. Another world. Without Reed. Fantastic.]

Y'sure this innit an illusion? Absolutely sure?

[He blinks behind his hand and peeks out, blue eyes narrowed.]

Not a blam'n clue Kid.

[selfhelp]

[Well, that answers one question. Billy resists the urge to sigh, scuffing a hand through his hair. Does he just not know, or is he from a different universe...?]

If it's an illusion, it's a good one, and Loki isn't responsible for it. I doubt he'd let the kind of things happen here affect him if he was.

[He considers using the pin Sue had given him, just in case Loki reappears or Ben goes on the attack again, but it might just make things worse to have the both of them here. Not to mention that he probably left it at home, oops.]

I'm Wiccan- with the Young Avengers. It's an honour to meet you.

[revoltndevelopment]

...Tends to not let his own stuff bite him in the butt. Makes him look bad.

[So. Not an illusion. Not something Reed put together either- on purpose or on accident. That counted out most of the things this could be in his experience.]

Well y'know me already. Ben Grimm, the Thing. Call me Ben. [He extends a rocky hand.]

[selfhelp]

[Billy hesitates - briefly - then reaches out to take the proffered hand for a shake. He's not that much bigger than Teddy when he's really Hulked out, it's just that Ben's that much more intimidating. But hey, he's been a hero for years- what could make him more trustworthy?]

Got it- Ben, then. Listen, Sue's here. I can take you to her, and she can explain everything.

[revoltndevelopment]

[Ben's careful with his grip. Firm enough to be solid, not so much as to crush the kid's hand. Seems an alright sort, even if he came to keep him from bash'n in Loki's skull. Had spine enough t'stand up to him and the Young Avengers were always alright by Steve. Good enough for him.]

Suzie? Great. Take me to her- she's probably as confused as I am.