The Multiverse IC

[shadow_claw]

Barking. He awoke to the sound of barking. That, and a tongue. A dog hovered anxiously over the semi conscious Clint, barking every once in a while and licking his face. Groaning, the archer sat up and opened his eyes. Okay. Waking up in an alley is neither strange nor startling for him. Seeing his weapons and equipment in a neat stack, however, was new. Usually his belongings were strewn about haphazardly, sometimes broken and thrown about.

 

Rising to his feet, Clint patted the dog who has awoken him. The one-eyed yellow lab wagged his tail happily, following at the man's heels. The archer stopped down and picked up his hip quiver. It was easier to run with, and although it looked stupid, the back-based quiver was just for show. His bow, which sat neatly folded in its case, was picked up.

 

It didn't take long until Clint was limping out of the alley he had awoken in. Yes, limping. He was always healing from some sort of injury. This time it was an gunshot. One in his chest, one in his leg. Although he had been to the hospital of Clint's apartment (aka he self removed and self-sutured), that only did so much. SHIELD would have his hide with all his medical bills otherwise.

"Alright Lucky." The archer sighed, rubbing his forehead with a hand. "Let's get back home. Hopefully Katie hasn't raised the fridge yet."

[pudding]

Loki

Snapped out of his thoughts at the touch, Loki obediently followed the tugging on his arm, following along behind Mystique as she led him away from the news stand. "It is my name," He replied simply, not sure what else she was looking for out of it. Was she expecting a more normal name? Certainly the gods had unique name not often used by mortals so it wasn't surprising if she was expecting it to be an alias. "The meaning that it holds is that it is mine." He paused for a moment before smiling, flashing his white teeth in an innocent smile. Was she interested after all? It was such a shame he couldn't tell lies at the moment or he could draw out the conversation with a playful, not that quite committed, answer. Well, it wasn't as if it was a secret in the first place. He had freely given out his name and saying he was a god was said as easily as commenting on the weather.

 

"As I said earlier, my name is Loki. Also known as the god of mischief, brother to Thor, etcetera, etcetera. I usually try to make a better impression when meeting new people but I find myself incapable of telling lies at the moment so you'll have to deal with the blunt truth of the matter. I hope you don't mind me sparing the theatrics." He shrugged with one arm, the arm she happened to be holding, the smile never fading from his face.

[Chicogal]

Mystique stopped short amongst the flow of people. She hadn't believed her suspicions earlier. But he was saying all of this casually, making no fanfare nor sounding false either. Other people bumped into her, some making disapproving sounds at how she was blocking the way of foot traffic. He'd even admitted to being unable to lie. She stared at him for probably a good five seconds, her neck beginning to hurt from having to look up so far. He was damn tall if anything. And that white smile certainly made him look dangerously charming, all cheekbones and starkly contrasted black hair. "B-But..." Someone bumped her from behind, and she had to use her grip on him to regain her balance. The blond man swore at her before continuing on his way. It also allowed her a couple of moments to think. To him, she was probably a mere mortal that was slightly more interesting than most.

 

A god. Of mischief. That was what he claimed he was. Mystique's expression became slightly more defiant, unsure of whether he was just having her on... Or not. "God of mischief," she murmured, sticking close so as to not get bumped again. "Okay, god of mischief." Her eyes scanned the crowd, and she smirked slightly at the blond head of the rude man who'd bashed and swore at her. Her head turned up to him, quickly, a mischievous smile twisting her lips. "You've seen what I can do, so it's only fair. Make that guy's trousers fall down."

 

~~~

 

Peter had been swinging along in New York City, doing as he pleased. Saving old women from muggers, young boys being lured into white trucks, that sort of thing. Just your everyday hero. However, things seemed to change quite suddenly. Mid-swing, his environment completely shifted and he found himself falling face-forward into an alleyway. A yell escaped from behind his mask as he went flying into a dumpster. It smelled. And his face had suffered a cut on some broken glass. "Ewwww," he moaned, picking himself up and clambering out. That had been absolutely bizarre. Had time skipped him by or something? Weird. He landed lightly on his feet, wrinkling his nose and glancing out of the alleyway. This was still New York, for sure. But something felt wrong. He held a hand to his cheek, trying to stem the bleeding.

 

There! Another person, a guy, limping out of this place too. Had the same thing happened to him? He'd surely heard Peter's - or in this case, Spiderman's - crash. "Hey!" he called out, breaking into a jog and immediately cursing lightly. "Crap, crap, crap," he muttered under his breath. His head was ringing from the impact, and the warmth between his fingers was never a good sign. How he'd explain this to his Aunt May, he didn't know. "Wait up!" A bow? That uniform? He frowned confusedly. "SHIELD...?"

[pudding]

Loki

Really, it wasn’t that fun without lies. The lack of flair to impress and dazzle left him without his biggest trick and weapon. He had his magic, sure. But magic was little compared to the words he spoke and when he could not speak lies, he was left only with the bitter truth. Lies harmed less than the truth in many cases. His injuries spoke volumes about how much the truth could hurt, not just emotionally but physically. He was a god of lies without any lies to tell. He couldn’t let them stand, no matter how small.

 

How disgustingly ironic.

 

Shooting a look at the man who had bumped into her, Loki frowned slightly then turned his attention back down. “I tell you I am a god and you want me to show off my powers with some cheap attempt at revenge?” He asked, looking surprised. He paused for a few moments, closing his eyes and tilting his head towards the sky before sighing and resigning to the trick. “Alright, I suppose,” He relented, focusing on the magic in the air. Sorcery really was a trick, wasn’t it. Even if he could not tell a lie, he could at least act them out. After all, what was magic apart from taking something false and willing it to become true? If lies were words, magic was the physical manifestation of those words. At least he had not yet been robbed of that. “But don’t think I’ll do this all the time. The limit is one per acquaintance.” Having gathered the magic enough in the nearby area, he closed one eye and curled his fingers inwards with his thumb and pointer finger forming the general shape of a gun. “Bang,” He muttered, pretending to shoot the gun and releasing the gathered magic all at once. Compressed into small, invisible shards, the magic zigzagged through the crowds before zipping past the blond man. The invisible knives sliced easily through the man’s belt before harmlessly dissipating back into the air, leaving behind a broken belt and a bit of nicked skin in a few places that probably wouldn’t bleed all that much. Huh, his aim was getting a bit off. He’d need to practice that trick a bit more.

While the fragments of the belt managed to stay in place for a moment, the moment the man took another step they fell apart, sending his pants sliding down and revealing a set of red boxers. The people around quickly parted around the flustered man as she tried to pull up his pants as quickly as possible and hold them in place while he awkwardly tried to shuffle away as quickly as possible and get to a place to fix his pants from falling down.

[Chicogal]

Mystique shrugged. It was what had come to mind. She didn't know what to expect, really. All the actions that Loki took were smooth, elegant. Ones that he'd performed more than just once before. As he 'shot' the 'gun,' she looked eagerly toward the man who'd bumped into her. Nothing seemed to happen for a moment, before - oh! It had really happened? She whipped her head back to Loki with a grin and a laugh, eyes bright with mirth. "You weren't lying!" she exclaimed, honestly a little excited by it all. Her mood had been lifted considerably by his little prank on her behalf. He was a little bit of a diva, really. It was funny. "Dunno why you haven't been picked up for acting yet." With a bit of a sparkle to her eyes - Xavier never did such fun things with his powers - she grabbed his hand again, still laughing, and started walking once more in the crowd. She seemed to have forgotten her annoyance from earlier, more concerned with staying together. Oh, and she just couldn't stop giggling now... It was terrible. And hilarious. A tear escaped the corner of her eye.

 

"You're a god who can pull down people's pants," she choked out, shaking her head. "A pants-pulling god..."

[shadow_claw]

"Huh?" Clint turned his head at the sound of a muffled voice. That wasn't his ears, was it? As he turned, he plucked one of his hearing aids off his ear. Stupid things. As great as they were, they only did so much. "Sorry. Hearing aids on the fritz." Blue eyes flickered over a familiar costume. Ah, another New York hero it seemed. Spidey caused more trouble than Clint, and that was really saying something.

 

"Hey, mind exposing your mouth? Hearing aids aren't working well, but I can read lips." Unfortunately, this was a question he had to ask often. Hearing aids didn't like humidity, or bad weather and general. And sometimes, they just plain messed up.

 

At this time did Lucky give a short "borf", turn, and sprint away. Something had caught his attention, or, well, someone. The dog weaved through the crowd, stopping at Loki and Mystique and wagging his tail. He was a very friendly dog, even to villains.

[pudding]

Loki

Loki looked a bit miffed that she had suggested he was lying, clearly taking some insult to that suggestion. “I already told you I can’t lie,” He replied, but the slight trace of anger was quickly lost as he followed her steps away from the blond man. He hadn’t really looked at the man all that much, only focused on his retreating hair color. Oh well, it didn’t matter that much. Not since the feat of magic was already done. At least now she was holding onto his right hand. It had really hurt when she had grabbed his other arm before. It still hurt, actually, and being dragged through the crowd didn’t do much to help when people kept brushing past him. Cringing slightly, he moved closer to Mystique, casting wary glances around them and trying to deter people from hitting his arm.

 

“Well, that’s not an official title but I’m sure I can add it to the roster,” He replied, keeping up with her easy as she pulled him in the other direction. Speaking of which, where was she leading him? “Where are you leading me?” He asked, looking over her to try to assess where they were going. Maybe if he figured out the street signs he could figure out where they were and where to go. And avoid the Avengers at the same time. “Maybe we should head towards Times Square? It will be easier to orient ourselves in a familiar location." He stopped short, however, hand slipping from Mystique's grip when something small and yellow suddenly appeared. "Oh!" He declared, kneeling down in one fluid movement and petting the dog's head with his right hand. Now that he wasn't just walking around and instead engaging in a behavior that usually used two hands, it was a bit more obvious how his left arm remained hanging limply at his side, bent at a sightly unusual angle but not to the point where it seemed obvious that it was broken. Simply, his lack of using it seemed the most unusual. "Hello there!" He exclaimed, running his fingers through the dog's fur. "Where did you come from?"

[Chicogal]

Oh. True. She hadn't really been thinking about direction. Mystique stopped for a moment, trying to look around all the moving heads. "You're tall, tell me where-" And then, he was gone. She was worried for a moment, before remembering those silly horns of his. With his height, it shouldn't be hard to relocate Loki. That was just weird. Searching for a god... She elbowed her way past a couple of people, before finding him patting a dog. He'd abandoned her for a dog. Why did she not feel entirely surprised?

 

She crouched down next to him, creating an island in a sea of people. The dog didn't look at all special, but Loki seemed enthralled. The thing only had one eye. "Can you talk to dogs?" she asked, feeling a little in awe of her new companion. She didn't hesitate to think about the improbability. In her world, where gods suddenly existed as of this day, nothing much more could surprise her. She frowned from across at him, noticing his arm's weird stillness. He'd been acting sketchy about that limb for a while now. "Hey, what's up with your arm?"

 

~~~

 

Peter blinked. The dude was what- 30? With hearing aids? Weird. Maybe all of that gun nonsense had damaged his hearing. He obliged, rolling his mask up to his mouth. Although this was a SHIELD agent and it would be safe to reveal his identity, they were still in public in New York City. He didn't need anyone coming for his Aunt May. "I'm Spiderman, if you don't know me. You should," the teen grinned, stepping forward. "It's weird. One moment I was in the air, next flying into a garbage tip. Know if there's anything going on, SHIELD boy?" His tone was teasing and airy, although the agent probably wouldn't be able to hear him.

 

Peter had no idea who this agent was, although he noticed the bow. "Woah- you're like a special agent?" He grinned, bending down to look at the weapon. "That's like, super out of date man. You should upgrade to a gun or something. I don't really like guns, though. Maybe a Tazer?"

[shadow_claw]

Clint's brows knit together as he looped the hearing aid back behind his ear. His eyes, however, remained on the boy's lips. "I dunno man. This isn't the first time I woke up beaten in an alley. Actually, I've crawled out of a dumpster too many times to count." He grinned sheepishly, offerejng the younger hero a shrug.

"And for your information, SHIELD hasn't needed me in a while. I'm put on call. Usually, I'm just..." Another shrug, and he gestured to his full body. Turn jeans, a purple hoodie, and purple converse were his attire. They were all pretty filthy though. "C'mon kid, am I really that unrecognizable? You know, Avenger? World's best Marksman?" Raising an eyebrow in question, he pursed his lips. Clint usually had a knack for being forgotten.

 

---

 

The dog in question wagged his tail happily, his floppy ears perking up at the touch. Soon, Lucky's tongue lolled out of his mouth in excitement, and he nuzzled Loki's extended hand eagerly. Though, this was no stray. A purple collar hung around his neck, along with an arrow-shaped dog tag. Katie had picked it out. When examined, it read:

Lucky

But flipping it over revealed more words.

If Pizza Dog is lost, call

Kate Bishop or Clint Barton (call Kate)

 

Two phone numbers was below the writing. It was no surprise that Kate had also written the tag's inscriptions.

[pudding]

Loki

Loki paused, his hand resting in the dog’s fur for a brief moment as Mystique asked what happened to his arm. Nothing, his mind said immediately, but when he opened his mouth, the truth flowed out. He couldn’t help it, no matter how hard he wanted to say something, anything else. “Before I woke up in that alley, I was in a fight. At some point between throwing me out a window and smashing me into a car, my brother must have injured it. I do not know if it is broken or merely dislocated.” He kept his focus on the dog, choosing to scratch the side of it’s head with a slight frown. “I will address it at a later date.” He sighed slightly, moving his fingers to the dog’s collar and rubbing his thumb over the shiny tag. Pondering only briefly about it’s shape, he turned the arrow-shaped tag over to quickly scan over the information written there.

 

Oh.

 

Oh no.

 

“We need to leave,” Loki said, suddenly standing up and looking around. Clint Barton. Hawkeye. This dog belonged to one of the Avengers! And where one Avenger was involved, the others very quickly followed. Moreover, his last encounter with the archer resulted in an arrow being shot at his face and a brutal punch by the Hulk. He did not need his brother knowing his location now, nor more injuries. He needed a plan first. Any kind of scheme.

And that involved not getting caught.

“We need to leave now,” He said, quickly scooping up the dog under his right arm with ease and taking off through the crowd, glancing back to make sure Mystique was following him. If the dog was just out in the street, it could get run over. He couldn’t just leave it there. But they also had to get out before Clint stumbled across them. His track record with the Avengers was less than positive.

[Chicogal]

Peter snorted, grinning. So he wasn't phased about getting into dodgy situations, it seemed. Typical agent. He put a hand on his slim hips, shifting his weight to one foot. He frowned perplexedly, tilting his head slightly, still holding pressure to his cheek. "Uh, I mighta seen you around," he mused. The guy was acting as if he was some sort of hero, like Spiderman was. "Avengers?" Peter echoed. Maybe this agent had hit his head. Maybe he wasn't an agent at all, except for that SHIELD weapon and a face he thought he'd seen around.

 

"Uh, you think you might have hit your head there, buddy?" Peter teased, although he felt a little concerned for the man. Perhaps he hadn't had such a soft landing. "I know the other heroes in New York. There's Iron Man, and the X-Men pop in sometimes. Sometimes the Fantastic Four too. No Avengers, though. You a branch of special agents or something?"

 

~~~

 

Mystique looked slightly shocked at the events that had lead to Loki's injury. Well then. He hadn't had the best day. Probably a damn sight worse than hers. Thor didn't sound like the nicest of brothers - at least Xavier treated her well, even if he didn't accept her true form. She was jolted from her thoughts by the very inconspicuous Loki snatching the dog and hurrying off. "Hold up!" she called, taking the path he was making. The crowd thankfully began to thin, to more normal levels, and she caught him by the back of his shirt. At least she could hold on that way.

 

"Where are we going?!"

Edited March 23, 2016 by Chicogal

[shadow_claw]

"Don'cha think I would know if I was an Avenger or not?" The archer cast a withering glance at the teen as he spoke. He had his ID card and everything, but honestly, he was pretty sure the kid was just frustrated. It sucked when an absolute nobody like Clint was an Avenger and Spidey wasn't. At least, it sucked for Spider-Man. "Look kiddo, I live in New York. I have a crappy low-rate apartment. Just because I'm not in costume doesn't mean I don't have a job.

 

A not-so distant barking roused Clint from his argument. He glanced around for his dog, startled to see that the animal was nowhere in sight. "Kid," he began, his voice taking on a tense edge. "Did you see my dog leave? Where'd he go? L

[pudding]

Loki

“Anywhere away from here,” Loki replied, the dog tucked safely under his arm. In all honesty, it was probably a better idea to leave the dog behind. Taking it would only likely make the archer mad and more likely to set him on their trail. But he did have a soft spot for animals, admittedly. He didn’t want to leave the dog behind since he had no idea where the archer was and the dog had been uncomfortably close to the street. Anyone could have taken it. So he just changed anyone to specifically him. “This dog belongs to one of the Avengers, which means he is likely nearby. My track record with them means the best idea is to get out of this area as quickly as possible.”

 

As the crowd thinned out and they emerged on a somewhat empty street, Loki frowned. Crowd cover had been a good shield and now they were in the open. Glancing back at Mystique, he frowned and looked at the dog. He couldn’t carry both of them and that meant going up the buildings was impossible. His cloak could not cover the two of them so, likewise, he lacked the ability to turn invisible. Did he want to hide now or keep going and try to get some distance between them? He hadn’t even seen the archer but it was better safe than sorry when concerning the man who’s vision was incredibly sharp. He could already be aiming at them and they’d never know. “This way,” He said, walking forward again and deciding getting away from the immediate area was the best plan. They could head towards Times Square and try to get some more cover amongst the people.

[Chicogal]

Peter Parker

 

Peter shrugged, glancing about himself. There was no sign of the thing. He decided not to comment further on the man's insistence. It could be a low branch of SHIELD, or another secret initiative by Fury. In any case, he'd never heard of 'avengers,' before - and he was one to read the paper. "Dunno. Maybe he got intimidated. Y'know, red and blue handsome man in spandex," he laughed, taking his hand away from his face and inspecting it. It was bloody, but it seemed the wound was not terrible. He'd just have to deal until he got near a hospital. The nurses knew him pretty well by now, and there was a particularly attractive young girl who'd stitched him up before... Although his heart belonged to Mary Jane.

 

Peter glanced behind, into the alleyway before heading toward the entrance of the alleyway. "He probably went out here," he told the man, turning around so that he could read his lips. "But he's not on the road. What's your name, again?"

 

~~~

 

Mystique

 

Mystique hurried along behind Loki, hand twisted into his shirt until it really did thin out. Phew. "Why are you so scared?" she asked, eyes landing on the dog as she fell into step beside him. For every step he took, she had to take one and a half. He really was striding. She could just shift, but then she'd have to go into an alleyway and... It really wasn't worth it.

 

 

~~~

 

Katara

 

Katara was kneeling by a little girl who'd broken her arm while sledding down a snow hill in the Southern Water Tribe. She smiled gently, soothing her as her hands glowed blue. She remembered playing games like that with her brother, before the war had forced her to grow up - far, far too quickly. The child was scared, eyes wide, but her tears stopped flowing as the limb was healed. And Katara smiled at her, pushing back a strand of hair before everything changed.

 

No longer was there a soft rug beneath her knees, replaced by cold concrete. The sun was beating down on her back, and she gasped as she looked up. What the- Where was she? Standing up quickly, she stumbled back as she looked around quickly. Her breathing came in shallow gasps as she turned, turned, tried to comprehend what was before her. Why was she so high up? What were the sounds and smells from below? A soft cry escaped her mouth as she clapped her hands over her mouth. Was this some sort of dream from the spirits? A future that awaited them? Aang had had visions, but she never did. Katara was scared and distressed, and she felt a little faint at the entire thing.

Edited March 23, 2016 by Chicogal

[pudding]

Loki

Loki bit his lip at that question, unsure how to answer or what to say. Why was he scared? Was he scared of his brother and the fact Thor might possibly kill him? Was he worried about his brother having gone back to Asgard during his disappearance and telling them the truth? Was he frightened of the fact the past he tried so hard to get rid of had bubbled to the surface and the fact he couldn't ever seem to escape it?

"I'm scared of a lot of things, most of them tracing back to my brother and my home. I'd rather not confront any of them except on my own terms."

 

Chat Noir

“Well, that was interesting to see,” A voice piped up from behind the newest arrival on the rooftops of New York. Blinking his green eyes, the crouched figure nearby barely moved aside from tilting his head up in a somewhat arrogant, or at least a little confident pose. “If the same thing hadn’t just happened to me, I think I would be a little more surprised to see someone appear right in front of me. I don’t know where you came from but I guess it’s not from New York City.” The boy clearly had some kind of an accent but his English seemed fine, if only slightly shaky. Like many Europeans, his curriculum had required him to learn English so even if it wasn’t his first language, he could speak it fairly fluently. And he was thankful for that, at least, since English seemed to be used fairly widely around the world. Even if he was stuck in America, at least he wasn’t stumbling around lost and unable to talk to anyone.

 

“Just try to calm down,” He said gently, slowly extending a hand towards her. His body was covered in some kind of black, leather-looking material and a black domino mask covered a good deal of his face but allowed his green, cat-like eyes to be seen. His yellow hair was still visible since he wore no hood to speak of, only triangular cat-like ears made of the same black material that seemed to just stick to his head without any kind of headband or clips. In fact, while it could just be the wind from up high on the roof where they stood, they seemed to be twitching. Sliding off of the doorway into the building he had been perched on, he landed gently on the ground and held up both of his hands to show he didn’t have any weapons, just a small, silver rod on his back that was much to small to pose any real threat. Or, so it appeared anyway. “My name is Chat Noir. I’m not going to hurt you or anything. I think I’m in the same boat as you, actually."

[Chicogal]

Mystique

 

Mystique's light eyebrows came together in an expression of concern, wondering just how bad his relationship was with his family. She knew that Loki was the god of mischief, and that he was somewhat of the black sheep of his family - but to the point of running away? Strange. Although sometimes she wished she could disappear from her own life and the stigma attached to who she was. Perhaps being in New York City was a blessing for both of them. It was easy enough to disappear into a crowd - if it wasn't for that dog. With Loki's height, horns, outfit and the dog, he wasn't even a bit inconspicuous. "Can't you put a glamour or something over yourself?" she asked, glancing toward him. The sounds were getting louder, the crowds thicker as they came toward Times Square.

 

~~~

 

Katara

 

Katara jumped as she was spoken to, hair loops swinging slightly as she turned around. Her left foot slid forward slightly, hands raised up defensively in a waterbending pose. Adrenaline was flowing through her veins from both fright and the need to defend herself. She hadn't had to fight for real, for so long - but old habits died hard. However, the boy talking to her seemed to be no threat. She slowly lowered her hands, standing more normally. In fact, he looked positively vulnerable. Her cheeks flushed a dusty pink, unsure of where to look. All men wore robes in her world, not skintight black outfits like this. She decided to focus on his eyes.

 

"Sha Nowah," she echoed. The words twisted weirdly around her tongue. They didn't sound right in her language, but this was after all a whole new world she seemed to be in. "I'm glad to hear that." She dipped her head to him, suddenly aware of her own outfit of choice. It was thick furs and boots, designed to keep her warm in freezing temperatures. This was far from cold, and already she was feeling the layers stick. Her breathing slowed from its rapid pace. She crossed her arms, still frightened and flinching at every loud 'honk' that came up from below. Her world was never so frantic, except in times of battle. Everything was telling her to defend herself, and yet the boy in front of her was acting completely normally.

 

"Where-where are we?" Her voice trembled despite herself.

Edited March 23, 2016 by Chicogal

[shadow_claw]

Clint was now facing away from Peter, glancing about this way and that. His eyes narrowed as he scoured through the crowd. And then he saw the culprit. A young man, glad in green, effortlessly lifted the lab with one arm. Green clothes...black hair. It was only when Clint caught the side of the man's face dd everything fall apart in his thoughts.

 

Screaming. He could hear screaming. It was only later that he would realize that it was his own screams.

 

Something snapped in Clint's thoughts. It felt as if he was floating. Though, anyone around knew this was not the case. In fact, he was sprinting towards Loki at full speed, a look of pure fury on his face.

"NOT MY DOG YOU *!"

It was only afterward did he regain some clarity. He had hit the kid so hard he was pretty sure he had broken a finger or two. Damn, those cheekbones hurt. Confused and scared, Clint staggered away from Loki.

 

"G-get awaky! I-I just...give me my dog..."

[pudding]

Loki

Loki opened his mouth to respond when his voice was suddenly drowned out by screaming. Rapidly approaching screaming. Turning his head, his eyes widened briefly before a fist connected with his cheek and sent the god crashing to the floor. His shoulder hit the ground first since the blow had struck him at an angle, but his back was not that far behind and he slammed into the concrete. The saying was remarkably true, honestly. Loki, despite looking fairly normal, was much more dense and heavy than any mortal. So while it normally took quite the blow to fell a god, when they did fall, they did so violently.

 

The pavement cracked slightly under him as Loki’s grip on the dog immediately slacked and it landed much more gently on the ground next to him. But Loki didn’t move nor rise. His ears rung with different screams as his brother’s accusations boiled to the top of his mind. Well, that was it. He’d be back to Thor trying to kill him in moments. Months was not enough time to bide his brother’s wrath, not when the crime he had committed was so great. Not when he was forced to confess by some scheme someone had set out for him. Cradling his left arm close, Loki looked up at the angered Avenger standing nearby. Ah, well. That ended that hopeful thought of approaching Thor on his own terms. He had been stupid for trying, honestly.

 

“It was near the road,” He replied softly, his jaw aching. He had been hit fairly hard, actually. It may have just been blood from earlier but he could taste iron in his mouth. "You're lucky it didn't get run over."

 

 

Chat Noir

“Close enough,” Chat replied with a shrug, walking a little bit closer but not wanting to get too close in case she decided to panic. Panicking civilians could hit hard. “New York City,” He replied, pointing a gloved hand towards the large, green statue in the distance. “You know, in the United States?” He looked back at her, taking note of her clothes briefly before looking back up at her. “Where are you from? You look like you’re going to get hot pretty quickly in that outfit. I don’t really know the weather here that well but it feels pretty warm right now."

[shadow_claw]

Although momentarily consumed with fury, Clint looked far from angry now. He was guilty. Afraid, even. Bad memories writhed hungrily in the back of his mind. It wasn't long, however, until the one-eyed dog came running back, tail wagging as if nothing had happened. He gingerly patted the dog's head, wincing at the sting in his fingers. Blue eyes flickering anxiously towards Loki, he opened his mouth to speak.

 

"Say, Pal."

Another voice spoke before Clint was able to. A man who hadn't been there before stood behind Loki, leaning forward to inspect the trio. Thin, gaunt, and generally tired-looking, Clint wouldn't have considered him a threat on normal days. But there was just...Something about him that made the archer nervous. That devious glint in the stranger's eyes that made him want to run.

 

The stranger gingerly took Loki's broken arm, clucking his tongue disdainfully. "This doesn't look so good." A sick, bemused grin twisted on his face. "Need a hand, there?" Chuckling at his own joke, the stranger dropped Loki's arm as if it were worthless. "I'll help you, in exchange for information. Say..."

As he paused, a cigar appeared in his mouth, already smoking. Taking a short drag, he glanced about. "Tell me if I'm wrong, but this isn't 1905."

[Coryn02]

Solaire

 

After having made the long trek from his homeland Astora to Lordran, Solaire had finally reached the place known as Firelink Shrine. His intent was simple: to explore the land and search for his own sun, starting from there. As a Warrior of Sunlight, he felt it was necessary to define himself rather than clinging to a god who was scarcely more than a memory.

 

It was common knowledge by now that Lordran was a very dangerous place: most of its denizens were now Hollows, and the gods didn't seem like they wanted to directly interact with anyone nowadays, so you might not always be able to count on their help.

 

And also, if the Darksign was caused by the Strength of Lords fading away, perhaps in finding power of his own, he could avert his fate...

 

But this? This was the exact opposite of Lordran.

 

There were people everywhere, constantly moving, and bright lights of many colors in all directions powered by some form of sorcery. Even the very earth seemed to be made of stone, as if the entire land was a sprawling complex of rock and the people lived within it. The inhabitants of this strange place didn't seem Hollow, either: all different ages of humans were alive and sane.

 

What world is this?

 

As Solaire stood among the crowds, many people pointed and stared at him. He ignored them and chuckled softly to himself.

 

"Well, I suppose one thing hasn't changed."

 

Resolving to find out what strange forces had taken him here, the Warrior of Sunlight set out into the unknown once more, and began to walk among the others. What seemed to be steel beasts stopped in front of him and made loud noises he interpreted to be aggression; they didn't seem to attack, though, and he continued to walk.

 

I can hardly think in this place, it"s so noisy. I should find a Bonfire before anything else, there's usually one in any major undead city.

[Thaelasan]

The Dream Team

 

Lu and Ciel sighed as they left the building with Corrin and Kinu in tow, now almost completely lost. At least Lu knew how to build these buildings now, and had been completely enthralled by the En Tur Net.

"It was MARVELOUS, Ciel!" she repeated, spinning. "Why, I could have found anyone in the world with it! Spoken to anyone! An ingenious devi-"

She was cut off by the sounds of loud honking as one of those metal things from before attempted to slam into her. Enraged, she forced her claws into being (forcing Ciel into the soul realm) and slammed her fist down on the hood of the craft. The crunching of steel and plastic was accompanied by the cracking of glass.

"LEARN how to OPERATE your DEVICE, PEASANT!" Lu fumed as Ciel returned to reality, disappointed. "You almost ran over your QUEEN!"

"MY CAR!" the man shouted in disbelief, trying to open the door. "You *! What the HELL!?"

Lu's eyebrow twitched. It twitched a lot. There was a silent, immediate sound of a thread snapping.

Ciel grabbed her collar as she lunged at the man, hands outstretched, furious.

"CIELLETMEGODIDYOUHEARWHATTHISWRETCHEDBEINGJUSTCALLEDME!???" Lu screamed, kicking the air. "I'LL HAVE HIS HEAD FOR THOSE WORDS! I'LL END HIM! I SWEAR IT!"

"Oh my god my car is TOTALED! IT's YOUR FAULT ANYWAY! You're the one who walked out into the road!"

The man continued swearing at her and using female-oriented profanities until Ciel finally grabbed him and slammed him into the hood of his broken car.

"My name, is Ciel." he stated firmly. His arm was pressing into the man's neck. A crowd was gathering as Lu stood behind Ciel, red with rage.

"I am trying to save you from more than just death. If you persist to call my beloved any further names, I will leave you to her and I will feel no pity." Ciel instructed, pressing further. "Your life will be forfeit. Leave."

"Are you KIDDING ME?-"

"LEAVE." Ciel commanded, stern. "NOW."

The man stood up from where Ciel had held him and ran, darting off into the buildings. Meanwhile, a pair of men in blue suits seemed very concerned with the whole predicament and were heading over.

"Oh. Blue! The color of royalty! Those must be the entourage." Lu stated, pleased.

"For some reason, I sense that is not the case." Ciel said, grabbing her shoulders. "We are leaving. Now."

"Ciel are you giving me order-"

"PLEASE, Lu."

"Oh VERY WELL then."

Corrin followed worriedly as Kinu skipped along, the whole event completely unconcerning to her.

[Chicogal]

Mystique

 

Mystique whipped around as someone came screaming toward them. It was exactly what Loki had been afraid of, she realised, as the crazy guy's fist connected with Loki's face. She wasn't any trained warrior; she hadn't needed to attack anyone in her life (although defence had been warranted before). But her mutation had come with super agility and strength, and her lessons in martial arts suddenly seemed much more useful. She stepped in front of the fallen Loki, hands raised in fists. Right now, her form was not particularly strong. If push came to shove, she could shift into a more powerful body - she'd never done it before, but (newly named) Crazy Guy looked strong. He wouldn't be too hard to mimic.

 

However, she didn't get the chance to do so before yet another person came into their midst. She twisted around, green eyes landing on a slimy looking character. She wasn't in her time, and it was clear that he wasn't either. If she was roughly 50 years ahead, he was 100. The whole concept was bizarre. It was probably a dream, although she couldn't say for sure. "You're also from the past," she commented. She hadn't lowered her fists, still prepared to fight for her not-yet-friend. While Crazy Guy seemed to have been mad about his dog, this man gave off an entirely different energy. He was sly and sneaky. "It's 2016." She didn't trust him, not one bit. She dipped her eyes down, crouched by Loki to offer him a hand. "I think we're good... Right?"

 

It was then that Peter came running around the corner, earning a couple of stares from passerbys. It wasn't every day that men in full-body spandex went running around - but this was New York, and Times Square was the place for such things anyway. On the ground, was a sprawled figure he thought looked like a young Loki, along with the archer who still hadn't bothered to give his name. And then, a slimy looking guy with a cigar. Huh. And... a random girl?

 

"I didn't know that there was a freak parade in town," he laughed. "Why wasn't I invited?"

 

~~~

 

Katara

 

"New York City?" Katara repeated again. At this point, she was just trying to comprehend everything. Echoing Sha's words was like some sort of coping mechanism at this point. She didn't know what the United States were. They were now a united nation, but they weren't named that in particular... "I'm from the Southern Water Tribe," she said, looking at the boy desperately. "At the South Pole." He was right about her clothes, though. Even cool temperatures would be too much, let alone this. She hesitated before undoing her coat, slipping it off and putting it over her arm. More than that would make her feel like she was undressing. It wasn't that she was embarrassed to reveal skin, but more that the action felt too intimate in this strange place with this strange boy.

 

"You said... The same boat." Katara looked back up at Sha, cerulean blue eyes pleading for him to have the answers, to tell her what was going on. "Did you also appear like me? Where are you from?" she asked. At another horn honk, she flinched again. The war had left some scars. It had only been about two years, and so she still felt the need to be on alert and ready. The stimulation of this busy, busy place down below was almost all too much.

[pudding]

Loki

“Can you not?” Loki replied from the floor, using his uninjured arm to slowly work his way to his knees. Now that the illusion had dropped, his minor injuries were more apparent. Even beyond that, however, was the fact that his helmet, crown or whatever it could honestly be called, was missing one of it’s horns. It had been completely blasted off at the base. There were too many injuries for them to all be caused by Clint’s single sucker punch to the cheek and, based on the fact several of them were still bleeding and the remarkable healing factor of the gods, it was clear that the injuries were very fresh. Glancing up at Mystique, Loki gingerly took her hand and used it as a support to climb to his feet, wincing at the aching feeling that ripped through his legs and back as he moved. As soon as he was on his feet he released her helpful hand and instead held his injured arm close, shooting a glance at the new arrival. The old man looked not only like a very disgusting person, but there was more to him than just looking shady. No, he could feel magic around him. Some kind of twisted magic, far different than the kind that naturally occurred on Midgard. It rather reminded him of ancient staffs he had once seen in Odin’s armory. Dangerous relics full of an entirely different kind of magic. And it was like he was absolutely covered in it.

 

“Please refrain from touching me in the future,” He replied with a small grunt, looking very unamused with the entire situation. “I don’t want any of your griminess rubbing off on me.” Turning his direction towards the final arrival in their little party, Loki sighed faintly. Right, another hero. Of course. “There is no parade,” He replied gruffly, taking Mystique by the hand and sliding away. “Even if there was, we were just leaving. Sorry about stealing your dog but you might want to consider putting a leash on it just so it doesn’t get run over.”

 

Chat Noir

“The South Pole?” Chat replied, looking incredibly confused. “I didn’t know anyone lived there.” And the Southern Water Tribe didn’t sound like any country he knew. Was it some kind of band of nomads that lived there? How did they even live in the South pole? Did they have to eat penguins and fish? It really didn’t seem like a place where farming could be readily used as a food source. Plus, it seemed like it would be really cold. That explained all the furs, after all. “We’re a pretty far distance from the South Pole,” He muttered thoughtfully. Trying to take her back home would be difficult, especially since he had no idea where in the South Pole. As she asked about him, he looked up and smiled. “Oh, yeah. I’m from France. It’s all the way across the ocean from here and trust me, I have no idea how I ended up here. The only reason I know where we are now is because of that huge statue over there?” He jerked a thumb towards the Statue of Liberty again before walking over to the edge of the building and peering down at the street. “Anyway, how about we get off this roof? You might feel a little better not being trapped up here.” He held out a hand to her with a warm smile. Maybe he could find wherever that big park was supposed to be. She might feel a little better in a quieter area.

[shadow_claw]

Grimy? Appearing mildly offended by these claims, Maxwell placed a defensive hand on his chest. He though the looked rather dapper! Pinstripes and shined does we're all the rage, last he checked! Well, he did look a little worse for wear. That's what eternity in hell did to him.

"Mm. A bath wouldn't kill, I suppose." He muttered to himself. As the woman spoke, however, he looked up in interest.

"Two thousand sixteen, huh? My...I felt away much longer than that. Thank you, miss." It was noted he took a slightly calmer tone with Mystique than Loki. The youngest of the group radiated mischief, and it made Maxwell feel somewhat threatened. The blonde was of no concern. Even from here he could see that the man was injured. It seemed only the woman was unharmed. Dark eyes flickered to Loki as the young man began to edge away.

"Oh, I'm not so sure about that. I offered help for answers, and I got some answers. We're all friends here, hm? It's only customary to fulfill my end of the deal." A sly grin curled on Maxwell's lips as he spoke. Though, he was actually being genuine. It was only fair to complete his promise. With a snap of his fingers, dark hands sprung from the shadows and assaulted both Clint and Loki. They left as quickly as they appeared, however, and the two were throughly bandaged. Clint's makeshift bandages had been replaced with proper stitches and bandages. Loki's scratches had been bandaged, and his arm had been casted. Seemingly satisfied, Maxwell turned to walk away.

"Anyways. Be seeing you three around."

[Chicogal]

Mystique's expression became more concerned as she took in Loki's state. For some reason, Clint's punch had seemed to do much more than just bruise. Why was one horn hanging off? What were with those other injuries? It jolted her slightly, until she remembered - he was a god. He could hide those injuries. It must have hurt terribly when she'd grabbed him earlier. Guilt trickled down her spine, but it seemed that he was not holding a grudge; her assistance was readily accepted. As he climbed to his feet, she was glad that he too had sensed the bad energy radiating off the new arrival. Not the hero; he just looked like a happy idiot, rocking back and forth on his heels.

 

Mystique glanced back down at Loki's hand, surprised - but strangely pleased. She hadn't ever been very close to other people. She wasn't comfortable in her own skin, and Xavier had always told her that others wouldn't react well to it. Most girls started feeling self-conscious in their teens. She'd been ashamed of her own reflection it since she'd developed her abilities. Xavier was a good brother, and she loved him. He'd protected her from hatefulness that humans had for mutants. But being out here, free... It was slightly exhilarating. She grinned at Loki's words, sliding away with him.

 

And then, the so-called grimy man decided to do something. She let out an involuntary cry as what seemed to be demons assaulted the archer and Loki. Mystique didn't let go of Loki, her hand squeezing his with fear. She hadn't reacted as she'd wished; too taken aback and afraid to do anything. What good would physical strength do anyway? But after a couple of seconds, it seemed she'd had nothing to fear. Loki's arm looked like it had been tended to by nurses. She stared at him incredulously. "What."

 

~~~

 

Katara nodded eagerly. So, he knew what the South Pole was at least. "Yeah, we've been settled there for generations. My mother and my mother's mother and so on, for as long as human history can remember." Her heart gave a throb in her chest. She hoped she wasn't stuck here. There was Gran-Gran, and Sokka and Aang and everyone she loved back in her world. "France," she murmured under her breath. All these new words and new places. It seemed like a whole new world... She turned her gaze to the statue - it was indeed a landmark. Maybe that was like their avatar; avatar Kyoshi had a statue, and someday Aang would too.

 

The waterbender nodded at Sha's suggestion, putting her hand into his with a nervous smile. The sounds from below were still frightening, but she was learning to not jump as much at them. "That would be wonderful," she agreed. She peered down below. It wasn't as far as they'd flown on Appa, but a building wouldn't save them if they fell. "How are we to get down?"

Edited March 24, 2016 by Chicogal