(no subject)

[leucemic-god.livejournal.com]

Time: July 25, 2000
Place: Stables
Status: Private (Death and Loki)
Summary: Loki meets Binky’s owner.



The white horse was missing! It shouldn’t have bothered Loki as much as it did. After all the horse didn’t belong to him and his owner had every right to take him out for a ride, or move him to what Loki strongly suspected had to be a safer place.

He’d grown fond of the big white horse, though and Sleipnir was looking lonely. Horses were not made to be alone. They were social creatures and needed company.

He petted the stallion consolingly and considered transforming into a horse to cheer him up, but he wasn’t sure how badly it would affect him now and the waste of energy might be bad this close to his next doctor’s appointment. The infusions always left him feeling so exhausted.

“It’s okay,” he told Sleipnir instead. “I’m sure he’ll be back any moment now.”

Comments

[murder-a-curry.livejournal.com]

You'd think that being Death, he would have made a dramatic entrance but the fact of the matter was that Binky had made similar landings so many times in the past, that horse and rider simply touched down lightly outside the stable without incident. One supposes that the rider who dismounted being a 7 foot tall skeleton clothed in a robe of blackest night was dramatic enough.

Death loosened the girth and and led the white horse into the stables where in short order he removed the riding gear and gave the horse a rubdown. When he was finished, he gave the horse a friendly pat and turned to go. It was then that he noticed the stable's other inhabitant. Not Sleipnir. no, he'd glimpsed the great stallion several times before, either arriving or leaving. It was the deity beside the horse who caught his attention.

[leucemic-god.livejournal.com]

When the stable door opened Loki turned around hopefully ready to greet his tall white friend. Instead of the expected human or god or even not-god there was a human skeleton in the door!

Loki froze. He couldn't remember ever being this afraid before in his life. The ... creature was so terrifying he couldn't even think to run, so he just stood clutching the door to Sleipnir's box with both hands and stared as the skeleton lovingly brushed the poor white horse.

Had he come for the horse or Loki? Neither was a pleasant thought, but Loki did prefer the thought of it being the horse's turn to die. Then again perhaps, if he asked him to take him now, he might make it quick and painless and Odin would never have to find out about his illness ...

He couldn't bring himself to address this personification, though, so he just continued to stare.

[murder-a-curry.livejournal.com]

Death jumped to a conclusion.

HAVE YOU BEEN TAKING CARE OF BINKY?

The voice, like the slamming of a million leaden coffins, was not so much heard, but felt in one's bones. He had not known Norse deities to make a habit of taking up employment as stableands in the English countryside but certainly, he'd witnessed stranger things.

[leucemic-god.livejournal.com]

Loki thought he felt himself go very pale, but then considering his natural skin tone and his current condition it most likely didn't make a visible difference.

"I ... I ... Just the occasional treat and pat, honest," he stuttered. "You know, the way you do when you bring your horse something nice to eat and see his neighbour has to watch. With those sad horse-eyes they make and the long noses. They don't understand the difference between 'my food' and 'your food' you see. It's in their nature to eat when they see food."

[murder-a-curry.livejournal.com]

INDEED.

Not a stablehand then. Death gazed at the deity, then looked to Binky made a snuffling noise and bit the edge of Death's sleeve in a friendly sort of way. He pulled out an apple from his robe and offered it to the white horse, who accepted enthusiastically, and then looked to the impressive stallion in the nearby stall. After a moment or two, while he pondered what would be the appropriate kind of response, he pulled another from his robes and held it out, presumably for Loki to take.

WOULD YOU LIKE ONE FOR SLEIPNIR THEN?

The trickster god's illness did not escape his notice nor was he oblivious to Loki's obvious nervousness. In fact he was so used to such a reaction to his presence that he gave it little thought.

[leucemic-god.livejournal.com]

Loki shuddered under Death's gaze. That look was so intense and cold. Clearly nothing could stand in the way of this ... Was he even a being?

An apple? For Sleipnir? Loki took about one heartbeat to wonder what an apple from Death might do to a horse and decide that he didn't want to know.

"No thanks," he said hastily. "I've got carrots for him. See?" He held up his sack of carrots and demonstratively pulled one out and gave it to Sleipnir.

"So," he tried to sound casual. Just making conversation here. Nothing special about it. "Who're you here for?"

Please not, not ... no, none of us, please!

Maybe he'd come for someone in the manor, he tried to reassure himself. Perhaps even Adam or Crowley. The world could do without those two.

Cue jumping to conclusions.

[murder-a-curry.livejournal.com]

SUIT YOURSELF.

In fact it was nothing more a normal run of the mill everyday apple. Not an apple harvested from Death's Domain and even one of those besides suffering from an unusual gray pallor and a complete lack of taste had no negative side effects save for dullness.

For several moments the only sound was the noise of Binky crunching his way through the apple, as Death considered this question.

Then He grinned.

FOR ALL OF YOU, I SUPPOSE.

[leucemic-god.livejournal.com]

Loki shuddered and slung his arms around Sleipnir's reassuring warm and strong neck.

"All of us," he repeated softly. "But we aren't prepared for Ragnarök. Fenrir isn't even loose, yet."

He had mixed feelings about Ragnarök. On the one hand it meant he'd see his children again, but on the other he'd have to turn on Odin. He'd never liked fighting Odin.

It did offer a way out of dieing of cancer, though.

Perhaps the prophecies would be messed up, if he died before Ragnarök and the Norns were trying to fix it by speeding up events?

[murder-a-curry.livejournal.com]

JUST KIDDING.

Death sensed from Loki's reaction to his words that his attempt at a joke was not going very well. For a 7 foot tall skeleton, he did a decent job of looking sheepish.

I AM HERE TO OBSERVE.

[leucemic-god.livejournal.com]

Despite the good news Loki could not bring himself to relax. The stable that had seemed so safe and comforting felt like a trap with Death standing between him and the door.

"Observe?" Loki asked trying to distract both Death and himself from his fear. "Observe what? There isn't much going on here, you know."

[murder-a-curry.livejournal.com]

Death shrugged.

YOU ARE AFRAID, SHAPE-CHANGER, BUT I AM NOT HERE ON OFFICIAL BUSINESS. I AM HERE TO WRITE A BOOK. PERHAPS YOU WILL ALLOW ME TO INTERVIEW YOU AT SOME LATER DATE.

[leucemic-god.livejournal.com]

"Write a book?" Loki tried to breathe again. It still didn't seem to be working properly. "On what? World destruction?"

What else would Death write about? It couldn't be anything good, could it?

[murder-a-curry.livejournal.com]

Death gave the god a look loaded with disapproval.

CERTAINLY NOT. I WOULD NOT NEED TO DO ANY RESEARCH IF THAT WERE THE CASE, NOW WOULD I?

The pinpoints of blue light in bony sockets that served as Death's eyes flared briefly.

I AM ENDEAVORING TO UNDERSTAND MY CLIENTS BETTER.

[leucemic-god.livejournal.com]

Loki shuddered. Was that supposed to be a joke? This personification would probably have scared him, even if he hadn't been dying.

"Clients? What clients? You just kill people."

[murder-a-curry.livejournal.com]

Death was clearly offended. He glared hard at Loki.

PEOPLE GET THEMSELVES KILLED, GODLING. OR THEY ARE MURDERED. I AM A PUBLIC SERVANT. I SIMPLY USHER THEM INTO THE NEXT REALM. IT WOULD BE A BLOODY STUPID WORLD IF PEOPLE WENT AROUND BEING KILLED WITHOUT DYING.

[leucemic-god.livejournal.com]

"Sounds like a pretty fun world to live in to me," Loki declared. Nope, he definitely didn't like this one.