driftfleet | Action - Marsiva(ish)

[It's a rude smack in the face, when that unease and dread starts to set in. After months of being idle, being ineffective, finally Thor was doing something. Not since trying to burn out the augment has he had a viable way forward. It energises him in a way petty sports contests and collecting swords can't.

And now this. It's only due to his aborted attempts to remove his augment that Thor recognises what's starting to happen, though even that takes a while. At first it settles in like doubt - maybe this was a foolhardy attempt, maybe there was something within that would make itself known - only it keeps encroaching further into his mind. That's not his own doubt. That's what the edge of his knife had felt like when he drove it towards the augment.

Thor hangs in space for a few minutes, breathing hard despite the lack of air. It's enough to set his hands to trembling. But Thor is a god, and an Asgardian. He is stubborn as a mule. And eventually this sensation pisses him off enough that a flare of anger is enough to refocus him to the task at hand. An illogical part of his mind decides that slapping back will get the sensation to stop.

His eye burns blinding white and arcs of electricity spawn around him. There's no natural weather out here to draw upon, so his own reserves of lightning will do the work. Defying all physics, Thor throws his hand out towards the Marsiva and a boom echoes through space as a huge bolt of lightning strikes the hull.]

[ Loki merely watches. It's easy enough to manipulate himself through space, using magic but he's struggling. Dark thoughts were slipping through and he's afraid to look behind him, as if the Void still lurks, close enough to touch. He was going to fall and he'll keep falling again and it'll never stop —

Loki throttles the feelings as he comes up closer. ]

Nothing. Not even a dent.

[There's tension lining Thor's face and wound all through his shoulders as he glares daggers at the Marsiva's hull. No scratch at all. He's positive a lightning blast should have done something. It hasn't though, and that gnawing dread is settling in the pit of his stomach again. If it retaliates, can he counter it?

--of course he can.

Thor turns to look at Loki as he drifts closer, having almost forgotten the other man was there. He nods once, sharp, before turning his attention back to the looming ship.]

I'll try multiple strikes.

Fine.

[ Loki doubts multiple strikes will work. He doubts anything will work. And the void was out there. He closes his eyes, focusing on pushing it aside. It's not there. He can do this. He is a God. With that, he bends down, looking for any kind of space to wedge a knife in. His breathing comes out in short, erratic pants, quiet and breathy. ]

[Thor kicks off from the Marsiva, letting the momentum throw him back a safe distance away from where Loki is. It's a bit of a chore to stop himself out here. He doesn't have Loki's telekinetic abilities, so erratic bursts of lightning will have to do. It's graceless but it works. Harder to manage is the urge to just ... keep going away from the Marsiva, fling himself away from it until this omnipresent dread leaves him be.

He grits his teeth and halts himself. Throwing both arms out, he begins hammering the smooth walls of the Marsiva again, a volley of bolts one after another at the same point. Through the storm of lightning he thinks he can see scorches and breaks appear - only for them to vanish just as fast, fixed. A wave of anxiety washes through him... just what are they really dealing with?

Eventually he stops, winded not so much by the use of power but the foreboding crawling over his skin.]

[ Loki jumps as the lightning strikes a little too close for comfort. ]

Thor! Careful!

[Thor curses under his breath for being that careless. He flings a burst of lightning behind himself and comes back over to where Loki is searching the hull, tapping his hand to it to stop his movement.]

Sorry - it moves differently out here.

[He flicks his eyes over Loki's face, frowning in the dim light. His brother doesn't look particularly well.]

Nothing?

No.

[ He rises, rubbing his elbows. Was it cold? Loki shouldn't feel cold. It's not possible. Finally Loki glances at Thor, quiet and heartsore. ]

I don't think this is working.

[The cold doesn't bother Thor much, though he certainly knows it is cold out here. It's the vacuum of space. If he were out here for a long time, it would start to get to him eventually. He doesn't intend on reaching that point though.

Loki's disappointment mirrors Thor's own frustration. This had been their best chance to make some headway. Find out something new.]

I could see some damage - but it keeps fixing itself. We don't have the kind of force needed to hit all of it at once.

[And that irks Thor to no end. He balls his hands into fists, staring up at the blank walls of the ship.]

It's trying to drive us off.

[ Loki exhales. He wants to go, he doesn't want to be out here, he doesn't want to fall — ]

Gives me a moment. I'm going to try and breach the panels.

[ Magic seeps over the top of the Marsiva, seeking out cracks or lines that might help Loki pull it apart. ]

[Thor hangs back, letting Loki get to work. He has to keep flexing his hands to release some of the maddening tension in the back of his head. It's almost enough to make him want to punch the stupid ship, yell at it to knock it off.

The utter silence they've been met with this whole time is only making him feel worse.]

[Castiel comes curling up to Thor as Loki is searching for a way inside, a huge mass of energy and intent, not dissimilar to how Thor manipulates his lightning.

It's difficult to speak to people like this, and it's only thanks to Thor being a god that Castiel can even make himself understood, but he still keeps his Voice to a whisper (a collection of whispers, a hundred of them tripping and falling over each other to be heard, with just one sentence that rings true throughout them).]

Ṫ̇ͬ̍̿h̨̐̈́ͦͫ̐͆o̅ͦ̂ͯ̍̀̌͢r͛̓͐.̡̐̆̓ͩ̃̍̌ ͗͛ ̓̉ͪ͢A͆̓́n̓͂̃̓͋̅̚y͊ ͪ̚l̑ͤuͩͮͧ̆ͮcͤͦͯ́̇̽̂͘k̵̉͛̂ ̧ͤ͑̇̊̍br̡ͣͪ̔̔ͯe͒̌ͭ͑̍́ͥaͬ̅ͪ͠c͢ḣͭͩ͌̽ͬͭi̶n͌͋̋͐̀̽ͭ͢g̒͆͐̓͘ ̧ͭ͐t̴͛ͪͨ̚h͛̈́͢ē͐͌͛̓͒ͪ ͭ̏͋ͥ͏h̵͆u̧͆̈ͪ̑͌̑l̴͛̑͑̎̂ͫl̴̐?̍̃ͩ

[ Loki flinches at the sound, grating over the few nerves he was holding together. The magic wavers before the connection cracks sharply, the light dissipating. He snarls, furious. He wants to lash out at something, make it hurt, anything to push back the awful cloud of fear and sickness in his head, that never goes away, that never budges. ]

Nothing!

[There still manage to be some things in this life that Thor finds weird in the extreme. This is one of them. He fights not to wince at Castiel's voice, as the dread filtering through him desperately seeks some outlet. A cascade of whispering voices isn't about to set his nerves at ease.

He shakes his head, a physical attempt to dislodge the artificial paranoia. Then he turns to look in Castiel's direction.

...even weirder. He grimaces but ploughs through it.]

No. I can cause it damage, but it repairs itself. It's so fast that nothing can be seen as soon as I stop hitting it with lightning.

[Castiel twists around in on himself at the knowledge that they won't be able to break through using pure force. He's about to ask another question when Loki snaps, the magic he'd been spreading out over the ship twanging like a rubber band pulled too taut. Castiel stills; even the ever-present thrumming seems to dim.

The dread is fraying them all thin. And Castiel knows he's unsettling like this.

He curls around Thor briefly before rushing past in beams, past Loki, and over to the ship. He'll leave the brothers to comfort each other and see if there's somewhere he can slip through the molecules inside.]

Weird, [He whispers to himself as Castiel does... that. Did he just get brushed around by the light and energy equivalent of a cat? These are things he'll ponder later, as his attention is more directly focused on Loki right now. Loki, who's starting to panic.

Thor reaches out and grabs Loki by the wrist, pulling his brother around to face him.]

Stop! Stop. It's no use.

[ Loki squirms, trying to break free. He has to get it or leave or — or both. His head is a mess. Behind Thor, he can see it, an inky blackness that seeks to consume everything, turning his world insensate. Colour slips from his face. ]

No, I just need to try harder — [ His voice cracks, an echo of the past ] — I could have done it!

[Thor feels it like a punch in the gut, distress breaking over his face. His own fear spikes, a terrifying vision of Loki breaking out of his grip and hurling himself into space (again, once again) nearly blotting out his vision. He doesn't need air to breathe, yet it suddenly feels stolen from his lungs.

Seizing Loki by the other wrist Thor yanks his brother in and locks him into a hug. It's half motivated by terror - Loki can't pull away like this, and Thor can't lose him.]

We can't! Not - not today. But we will. [If he can just drag Loki away from this place, they can come back and try again. Thor's fingers tighten against Loki's back.] Come back with me.

[ Loki pants. He can feel tendrils of the dark inching closer, eating away the stars but Thor — Thor was still here. He takes in a shuddering breath, letting his body unwind, bit by bit. With a whimper and a nod, he presses his forehead against Thor's shoulder. ]

I could have done it.

You'll have your chance.

[It's a low growl, a promise Thor has no real right to make. He still does. The Marsiva stands as a mockery of them both, intractable and silent. Thor refuses to believe this will be the end of it. He won't let it be.

But Loki's at his limit, and Thor can feel his own coming perilously close. It's too dangerous now to stay out here. He can feel the cold of Loki's helm against his neck, an icy reminder of just how isolated they are out here.]

Next time.

[ Loki nods, pulling away, but staying close to Thor all the same. ]

Has Castiel found what he's looking for?

[Thor lets Loki move apart, keeping only his grip on one wrist. The overwhelming sense of impending disaster won't allow him to let go. A shudder runs through him before he shakes his head, trying to dislodge the feeling.]

I don't know. We'll wait a minute and then go back.

[Through gritted teeth:] This is worse than what the augments do.

[ Loki nods. ]

It feels much like — much like the past did.

[ Which makes it harder to fight off. Loki can't fully tell if it's coming from himself or from an outside source. The strain was plainly visible on his face. ]

It was like this when I tried taking a knife to the augment. It's -- false. It must be.

[ Manufactured. Loki keeps that thought in the forefront of his mind to keep himself from spiraling. He presses his palm to his forehead, his helm's cold metal digging into his bow. ]

Damn them.

Action - Marsiva(ish)

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