bakerstreet | rain, rain, go away

rain, rain, go away

the rain meme

Ah, rain—the precipitation that the whole world has a love/hate affair with. It waters the garden for free and ruins baseball games. It cools you off in the summer and it causes more ice and sleet to appear in the winter. Sometimes it is lovely and falls at a decent pace for a few hours, other times, it blasts the whole eastern seaboard away.

Poems and songs have been written about it, people have danced in it, others have cursed its entire existence, and still more refuse to go out and drive in it.

Now it’s time to roll some dice and see what the weather will have in store for you today.

directions

1. Comment with your character, series, preferences, etc in the subject.
2. Roll a number between 1-5 with the RGN for an intensity.
3. Roll 1-15 with the RGN for a situation.
4. Reply to other comments and play the scenario out!
5. Don’t catch a cold!

intensity

1. DRIZZLE ☂ It’s not too heavy or too light of a downpour, just enough to wash away stuff in the air, water the ground, and clean up the streets.

2. MONSOON ☂ It’s horrible and awful! Rain is coming down in buckets, no one can get anywhere, the wind is whipping everything about, and now the cable is out.

3. SHOWER ☂ Reminds you of early spring, doesn’t it? A nice shower to make everything all green and smell fresh again. Lovely.

4. FLOOD ☂ While rain is good, it can sometimes be bad. Grab a boat!

5. CATS & DOGS ☂ You’re lucky with this one. It’s not the worst storm in the world, but it’s still pretty heavy. Be careful when driving!

prompts

1. A DARK, STORMY NIGHT ☂ You know all those stories that start off with a stormy night before something goes wrong: a murder, an attack by ninjas, a crime. It is one of the best known clichés in the world, and you’re stuck in the middle of it.

2. HUMIDITY ☂ It’s that time of the year again when the humidity rises and the rain has two options: make it worse or make it go away. Good luck getting the latter.

3. GRAY RAIN OF DEPRESSION ☂ We all know this one. Stuck in the middle of no where, or right after an argument, or something that leads to angst, the rain decides to express someone’s feelings in a physical form, serious or over the top.

4. QUIET MORNING ☂ Nothing to do, nowhere to be… sometimes the rain is a welcomed addition to a quiet day. Gives you an excuse to stay in, curl up in a warm blanket and a book, maybe a loved one or a cup of hot chocolate. With sprinkles.

5. PUDDLES ☂ After it rains, what is the number one thing you have to do? Go put on some rubber boots and splash around of course!

6. SUDDEN STORM ☂ It might have been predicted, but sometimes storms just sweep in and do their thing with little to no warning. Hope you’re not outside.

7. THUNDER & LIGHTNING ☂ Loud, surprising, scary, ominous, comforting, fantastic to watch or listen to… some like thunder and lightning, others not so much. Of course, if this happens before a big confrontation, the universe is telling you something.

8. CAN’T GET WORSE ☂ You did not say that. You did not just say that. How many times does this need to be seen in movies and books before anyone learns?

9. STUCK ☂ No, no, no, no. This cannot be happening. What happened to the ten percent chance of rain? You forgot your umbrella and now you’re stuck in it!

10. RUINED PLANS ☂ You had all these wonderful plans to go outside, have some fun in the sunshine, do some errands, maybe a date… and the weather goes against them.

11. DANCING ☂ Sometimes rain is a cause for celebration, or you just feel like doing something spontaneous. Grab someone to join you and get wet!

12. RAIN BATTLE ☂ The most intense, important battles happen in the rain. Verbal spars, punching someone in the guts; it’s all dramatic and climatic. And no one slips.

13. DATE ☂ Aww, don’t let the weather ruin your date! It can be really romantic, being out in the rain, and it’s always fun to go with the flow.

14. A DAY INSIDE ☂ Sometimes, it’s just better to stay inside and enjoy something simple and easy like board games or catching up on TV shows, or maybe the bills.

15. WILD CARD ☂ Was there something I missed? Did you want to roll again or choose your own adventure? Go for it!

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His shoulders tensed - or one did, anyway. The one that still could. He could almost feel himself trembling with the tension, his right fist tightened for a purpose--

A purpose. The emptiness inside him, waiting for orders, waiting for memory, nearly screamed to be filled with some cause. How could he trust Loki, though? How could he put the weapon he had been formed into, into the hands of a man who had come with the intent of ruling the world?

"I don't know what you're talking about," he said through a clenched jaw, lapsing away from English and into Russian, a language that felt more instinctive, even knowing that he was born in America.

The image cocked it's head before shaking it lightly. Even from his place in the shadows, he could see the wheels in the other's head turning, but in the wrong directions.

Taking a gamble, he let the image drop as he stood from the shadows. The image had been every inch of an Asgardian prince, with armor that gleamed and a stance that spoke of power. Loki himself was dressed more plainly, or as plainly as an Asgardian could, a bit slighter in frame and stance.

"You misunderstand." He said as he spread his hands in supplication, using his magic to understand the Soldier's change in language. "I do not want you to be who they made you to be. I do not want you as a weapon in my arsenal." He was lying of course, but that was besides the point. Lying was what he did, after all. His greatest power. "I come as a friend, if you would let me."

Edited 2014-04-16 08:26 (UTC)

The sudden change heightened his awareness. He should've expected inexplicable tricks, and now, with this demonstration, he would. Yet what he saw now was so much less formidable. His brows lowered as he tried to evaluate just what it was he saw. Less threatening. Less authority. Somehow no less powerful.

And mouthing friendship. He wasn't even sure of the definition beyond the simple meaning of the word. James Buchanan Barnes had been a friend. Whomever he was now, was he a friend? He had walked away from one man who would have called him friend. What about this one?

"Why? If not for a weapon." A pawn in a bigger game. Yes, that was him. He'd shaped the century with careful bullets and surgical strikes. Brought out only when needed, then hidden away. That was a possible kinship, but what was kinship worth to him?

"As I said...I have been where you are. An asset," he spat the word as the vile word it was, "kidnapped from my home as a child and raised as a lesser son by the enemy in some vulgar attempt at peace. I know how it feels, when the veil is ripped away and you find yourself searching for meaning."

He takes another stab at the source for the Soldier's reluctance. "I use the word friend but there is another who would call you such. The Captain Steven Rogers." It took every once of his mental control not to sneer the name. "He wants you to be the person you were. The person you know you can never be again. You can't go back to the time you were ignorant, no matter how much you or he wish you could."

"My brother would wish the same from me." Loki took another step forward, palms up and outward. "But I know it's not possible, for you or for I. When I say friend, I want to help you find yourself, your new self, whoever that may be. As I did."

He had come up against those thoughts before. Not long after looking at the exhibit at the Smithsonian, in fact. After reading the text, hearing the voiceover, seeing the video clips of Captain America and Bucky Barnes. The man with his face had looked happy in film. Stubborn, tired, but happy when he was near Steve, and it had hurt to see it. He couldn't even remember happiness. Seeing his own face smiling felt like a caricature. Like something inherently wrong.

That was what Steve had wanted him to go back to, just like Loki said, and while he seemed to remember some things, like distant reflections, none of it quite seemed to connect. Seeing that friendship had put doubt into him, unlike anything he could remember. How could he go back to that, with how he felt now?

It was why he still thought of the name in its entire. James Buchanan Barnes. The name 'Bucky' seemed too young, too innocent. Even with his limited memory, he knew he was neither of those things. And James Buchanan Barnes was a hero who had died. He was... he was someone who didn't have a name. How did Loki understand that?

He clenched his jaw, bit his tongue, tried to steady his breathing, and finally said, "I'm listening."

Excellent. That had been far simpler then Loki had thought it would be. Clearly the man had been brought lower then he'd assumed, and he ignored any ping of sympathy his heart may have provided.

"I don't know about what you may have heard about New York and my attempt at leading an army against this world." He shrugged lightly, as if it was nothing. "When I was defeated, I had to find a place to hide, someplace my brother and those damned friends of his couldn't find me. I'm a being of magic and shadows and I know of dimensions they could never discover." There was arrogance and pride in his voice now, as he'd learned to fully embrace the power of his gifts and skills since his exile from Asgard.

One of his hands now extended out towards the wary warrior, in offering. "I have a fortress in one of them and I offer it as a sanctuary. Captain Rogers will not be able to find you and drag you back into a life you don't know how to live."

"I know..." He knew... what? He knew what had been in papers and even on the internet, though he had stumbled through finding it. He knew what was reported, and he knew enough to know that wasn't the entire story. "Enough to wonder why I wasn't sent against you."

Except that would've exposed Hydra - but what use would a dead Earth serve in Hydra's plans?

Except, again, came a subtle whisper in his mind. What if he had been activated? What if he had been sent in? How would he know? A bite to his tongue brought his self control back to him.

"Why did you do it?" he asked, wishing for facts. For something, anything, that would give him a place where he could make a decision. His mind was starving for facts. Everything else was so unreal.

Loki laughed, though it was a reasonable train of thought for the man. There had been a mission worthy of his talents that he'd been denied. "I had the same goals as HYDRA, to bring humanity under control by taking away the freedoms that cause chaos and discord. I could do publicly in one fail swoop what they had been working for for decades."

Then his voice dropped, almost mocking. "After I succeeded, destroyed the Avengers for them, even then you wouldn't have been activated. Because that would have made you a hero. And they can't control a hero like they can an asset." Loki knew that first hand. No matter what had happened in Asgard, Odin would never have let Loki have the throne, even if he'd earned it. A Frost Giant was never meant to rule. A Frost Giant, despite being raised as an Asgardian, would never be allowed to truly be one.

Why did he do it. A strange question from the Solider but Loki indulged him. Winning him over would require truth as well as lies. "Because I escaped my oppressors and when I couldn't take the throne that was rightfully mine, I decided to take another. to demonstrate the full potential of what they had created in their ignorance." To finally prove to Odin and Thor that he was a King, more so then either of them.

There was a part of him, as he listened, that he couldn't help but see that wanted to go after Hydra. After the people who had made him into this husk. It was an unexpected sympathy and one that, though it resonated, he distrusted.

But what right did he have to distrust? He had killed people that he didn't even know of. He had, he'd been told, shaped the century. How many deaths did it take to shape a century? And how many men, soldiers, had Bucky Barnes killed as an American soldier?

What was the difference?

He still needed facts, needed truth, needed a foundation to build a sense of self that was sorely missing. He'd been seeking it now for too long, and had yet to find it.

He was sure Loki intended to use him. Perhaps it could go both ways.

The hand was still offered and though he looked at it skeptically, he stepped forward, held his hand near Loki's-- and said quietly, "No guarantees."

Loki had every intention of using him. But he was going to make the Solider want to be his asset, not out of blind loyalty through erasing his mind and any hint of self.

"I"m not looking for guarantees from you. I'm going to help you look for yourself." The outstretched hand made him smile, a confident, pleased smile. That had been fairly painless.

"If you have anything you need, I'd get it now. Once I take your hand, we won't be long for this dimension." The spell to return to the dimension he'd chosen to hide in was simple, hidden in a small charm in his cloak. It wasn't a powerful or far dimension, nor was the portal going to be very big, so it didn't need the energy of something like the Tesseract or the Bifrost. Those were to travel between grand realms...the dimensions in between were often overlooked and forgotten.

Most of what he had was on his person. There was only one thing - one small thing - that he needed to get. He turned, went to where he had been almost sleeping, and picked up a small bundle that had been fastened into its shape with its own leather strapping. His tac suit. Still the most comfortable clothing he owned. With it in his left hand, he came back to stand before Loki and extended his right.

He owed this world nothing. To leave wouldn't hurt him in the least. Not now that he'd chosen. It wasn't trust that motivated him. It was greed. Greed for privacy, greed for time. Greed for stability, and that, this world had proven it couldn't provide.

Of course Loki watched as he moved to grab whatever it was he needed, both from a lack of anything to do and out of curiosity. The bundle looked like clothing, armor perhaps. He thought it was implied that he'd be taking care of the man, which included clothing, but he supposed he couldn't deny it being brought if it had sentimental value.

When the hand was extended again, Loki grinned. "Say goodbye to the world that used you." He took the Soldier's hand in his, the other activating the charm. There was a flash of green light and building around them changed into an alien fortress. "Welcome to your new home."

The suddenness had him on his guard, looking around him with eyes narrowed -- and what he saw was confusing. He had known Loki could use magic, but this was... what? Time travel?

They were surrounded by stone, and the stone didn't look like any he had seen in his lifetime. The Asgardian had said he would take him to a different world. Now it seemed that here, now, he had actually told the truth.

"What is this place?"

The hand was dropped just as the flash of light dissolved and Loki raised his arms dramatically. "Welcome to Trondheim. The seat of outcast kings." There was bitterness dripping from his tone. This was what he was forced to rule vice the realm he deserved. "It's a small dimension hidden between the the Nine Realms. Not even Heimdall can see us here."

They stood on the top of an outer wall and Loki moved to the side so he could point out the village. "The Trond are a simple wolfish people who believe me a god because I rid them of feline invaders." He was a god but that was besides there point. "They take care of the fortress during the day. I will make sure they listen to your commands as well as mine." He looked at the Solider out of the corner of his eye. "Even if that's just to leave you alone."

Then he started walking along the wall to the tower and the rest of the fortress. His hands were behind his back, his back straight, like the king he was. "You have the run of fortress, of course. I would suggest staying out my library, just because that is where I work my magic and I doubt you want to get caught in the middle of that."

Edited 2014-04-18 04:13 (UTC)

Wolfish. He looked out over the village, and then the interior of the fortress from where they stood. This was old, he thought, or at least looked it. Perhaps, given what he saw, it was contemporary. This was far from what he had expected, even if he didn't know just what it was he'd expected. But it had been the truth. Loki had taken him from the world that had made a weapon of him, away from his pursuers. That, at least, he trusted. No one could have followed him here - at least no one who didn't have magic.

His steps quiet, he followed as Loki paced away. He didn't yet know the layout of this building, and Loki was his only guide. He didn't like being reliant on a stranger, but he didn't know anyone else. Not even the man who claimed to know him. He had no option but to rely on a stranger.

For once, only one question was in his mind, and he asked it without shame. "Is there a map?"

It was old, the old palace, and had been a stronghold for the invaders. When Loki had defeated them, it hadn't taken much really even on his own, the Trond had given it to him. It had taken some time, and redecorating, but now at least it was comfortable.

"There is not. But it's not that big, at least not compared to where I grew up, and I'm sure you'll know your way around better then I soon." Loki said with a light laugh as he looked over his shoulder. "I have rooms already waiting for you." It was a wing really, but then the only person who lived there was Loki.

The entered a grand hall, richly decorated in green and gold, with a throne like chair in the center, with long feasting tables on either side. "This is the Grand Hall. It's for celebrations and when I have to attend to matters of state." For when he had to settle disputes and make decrees, the tedious parts of being a king that Thor would never understand.

"I've stood in rooms like this before." That much, he was sure of. It felt... familiar, though this surrounding was older than what his most vague memories wanted him to think. He narrowed his eyes in thought as he looked around, his mind telling him he belonged slightly behind and to the right of that central chair, armed and prepared to protect whomever sat there.

He let the thought pass. There were so few memories he truly wanted to examine, and that was one of them. As yet, letting them go was still easy.

"If you show me your library, I'll stay out of it."

That was exactly where Loki pictured him too. Though not yet. He would get him to want to be there, eventually.

"Have you now..." Loki said with fake interest in his voice. "I guess you aren't a completely blank slate after all." But after decades of brain washing, he wasn't too worried about what the Solider would remember. Hydra's folly would be his gain.

He nodded at the statement and waved him towards a door towards the back of the chamber. "This way." They ascended up, into one of the towers. There, a grand library and workspace had been created, full of magic texts and artifacts from across many dimensions and realms. Force hadn't worked so well for Loki so he was going back to his strengths; magic and misdirection. The talents they had mocked for centuries would be their downfall.

"As you can see, I have many magical relics here. I'd hate for you to get caught in any of my experimentation." He said, covering for his introspection.

He saw things he couldn't put a name to and some he doubted had a name except to those with Loki's bent for magic.

Magic. He had doubted at first, but now, how could he? He was seeing it and that left no room for disbelief. Even at this first introduction, he didn't step inside. He only looked, because Loki was right. There were too many things he didn't want to risk, and with something like magic, there was no way to know what to avoid, except all of it.

"Understood," he said simply, keeping himself in the hallway. So far, he had seen enough to remember this particular route. Loki was also correct that, soon enough, he'd have a mental map of the entire installation. But it would take some exploration.

He had to admit, he'd been curious to see if anything in his library would spark a reaction in the other man. But, Loki supposed him staying out of the room all together was telling enough. At least he seemed to understand exactly why Loki was making this the one place that was off limits, which was a positive he supposed.

He wondered if he should do the same with his own chambers but decided against it. It could prove interesting in the future. See what the Solider assumed.

"Excellent. Come along then I will show you to your quarters so you can get some rest." Shutting and warding the door behind him, Loki started going back down the tower. He moved through the fortress, pausing outside of an ornate door. He ran his hand lightly across the wood as he spoke, "These are my rooms." Then he continued on as if it were nothing.

On the other side of the fortress, almost mirror to where Loki's chambers were, he stopped. The door was plainer but it was still obvious that a suite lay beyond it. "Everything behind this door is your. We'll have to find you some clothes but that can wait." He pushed open the door, then stepped aside once he was in. "Much better then a leaky barn I should think."

That was undeniable. As these rooms were his, he stepped inside and looked around. It seemed like a sitting room. There was a sofa, a smattering of chairs, a table to one side that he assumed was for writing as well as for eating - or at least that was what he intended to use it for. Eating. He had no reason to write.

The door beyond - he assumed that was to a bedroom, and a moment later, after he stepped in, clearing the doorway with a practiced, habitual hand, he looked inside to see just what he expected. A bed that looked too large, an armoire, and a fireplace that was shared with the sitting room. It was more than passable. It was the largest set of quarters he could remember.

The windows would have to be changed somehow. Open as they were, they would be too easy to be fired through, though he doubted that would happen here. It was better to be prepared unnecessarily than injured.

"Larger than expected," he said, leaving unsaid the question about whether these would really be his.

Loki watched carefully as the Solider looked around. It was clear the excess was not something he was used to and it made him fight back a smile.

"You are my guest. No matter what you may think of me, don't let it be said I'm not a gracious host." He realized that this excess may counter whatever the man thought of him for trying to take over Midgard, and that only helped his cause. Throw the man off what he knew and see Loki in a different light. "For as long as you stay with me, these rooms are yours to do with as you see fit."

He did smirk a bit a he added, "There is a barn in the courtyard if you'd prefer to sleep in, though you'd have to share with the horses." and if was clear in his tone that he still meant it about the rooms, even if the Solider didn't sleep in them.

"Understood," he said once more. He did understand. These rooms were his and his alone. More space than he'd had within memory. He did remember sleeping in a chair, maybe a hint of a bunk among other men. But this, he was sure, was the nicest room he had ever slept in.

The bed, though... It looked luxurious. He wondered if he could stomach that much luxury. He wondered if his nightmares would wake anyone if he did manage to sleep.

It would be one of the duller Loki had slept in but he'd been doing without quite a bit in his exile. And it was far better then the cell in Asgard he'd been destined for if he'd been caught in New York.

"It's only the two of us now. I send the servants home for the night, so as not to be disturbed. I'll show you the kitchens tomorrow but for now," He waved to the table and lavish spread of simple foods appear. Cold meats and cheeses, as well as vegetables and fruit whole and uncut. The pitcher that appeared had water, clean and cool. Loki had a feeling any fancier would only serve to upset his guest's stomach. Who knew that Hydra had been feeding him or what he'd been feeding himself while on the run. "I hope this will suffice"

Loki had nightmares as well. It was for the best they were on opposite ends of the fortress. Especially since, now that he knew it was there, he tended to pick at the illusion surrounding him in his sleep and he'd awaken to see blue fading back into flesh tones. No one needed to see that.

Food.

The sudden appearance made him realise how long it had been since he'd eaten well. He'd survived on canned meats and loaves of bread for some time, careful to make sure he ate the occasional vegetable or fruit to avoid scurvy. And now, he was faced with a virtual smorgasbord. It didn't even matter to him that it was cold. It was nutrition. Real nutrition.

He didn't exactly fall on the meal, but he did sit at the table, beginning to eat what was in reach almost indiscriminately - and practically fearing it would be soon taken away. It wasn't quite starvation, but neither was it so far from it.

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