2019-12-05 - Draconian Will

Summary:

Glydril decides she wants to visit Keiko, Steve gets no say. May gets to visit with people who won't dress her up.

Log Info:

Storyteller: None
Date: Thu Dec 5 05:34:59 2019
Location: 46 Willow Place

Related Logs

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Theme Song

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steve-rogersmelinda-maykeikopiotr-rasputinblack-widow

Steve Rogers has been feeling Glydril, tugging and pulling at him. The great snout of the dragon tattoo, well the spirit contained within that tattoo, lifting from his chest to peer out from him. Wings fanning behind him and pushing him forward. Driving him … to visit a house in Willow Place - regardless of who was with him.

And the end of the street, within sight of the house, the great spirit dragon had broken free and is now flying low down the street.

When Piotr and Keiko arrive home from their expedition, Elena is just arriving with her escort - one of the students from the school that Piotr trusted.

The now partially tattooed woman glances around, forgetting for the moment that they have a cat. "Hello estrella…." She says to the little girl, bending down to hug her. "… did you have a good day at school."

Natasha happened to be shadowing Steve for…reasons. Or maybe she was in the vicinity by sheer happenstance. Regardless, when she saw the most unusual dragon spirit materializing and ironically spiriting Steve away, she immediately rushed to her motorbike to set chase.

Sure a 'bozhe moy' may have been muttered, but she certainly needs to keep a close watch of Rogers. First he's a werewolf, now he's with dragons, if she didn't know better she'd think Baba Yaga herself had cast a curse or 20 on poor Steve Rogers.

Piotr has only offered to take Bella as the last resort. He knows that Bella is Keiko's favorite and if she has to give her up, Piotr will keep her close. As they are greeting Elena, he's more than aware that they have a cat at the moment. And if the torte makes a break for the door, he's ready to intercept it.

Though Elena is going to beat them to the punch as she holds up a doll's dress. "I got a new dress for the kitty! Do you think she'll let me put it on? I'll ask her first!"

Thank god Steve at least remembered to kill the engine to his motorcycle and boot out the kick stand so the vehicle didn't fall over. He's running pell-mell at the top speed of his super-serum boosted ability and ergo, is hot on the tail of the dragon flapping towards the residence.

At least it's later at night and the temperature is cold, meaning less visibility as a whole in the residential area.

Steve's arms work and his legs churn, his boots making a rapid tattoo down the sidewalk now. "That's it — on my mother's soul, you're MARTIALED!" he spits through bared teeth. He catches hold of the dragon's tail right about at the walk leading up to the front door of the residence and digs in his boots. "Get…back…to your place RIGHT NOW!"

There won't be missing the argument to follow. A bit of saurian bellowing is countered by some enraged Gaelic (to spare sensitive American ears, given so few speak it these days), and the sound of the (thankfully) empty garbage can getting knocked over and tumbling hollowly down the sidewalk for a bit. By sheer force of will, Glydril is back upon his skin, and only after taking a moment to stand there, hands on his hips while his chest works like a bellows, does Steve approach the front door to knock at it.

May sits primly on the sofa as the couple welcome their daughter and her friend home. And then she hears the word 'dress'. Oh HELL no. Not again. Moving as quickly as she can, the SHIELD agent-turned-tortoiseshell-cat abandons the sofa and does NOT head for that open door. The kid's that way. Instead, she crosses the sofa, clambers up onto the back of a recliner, then looks at the top of the bookshelf there before leaping up to hide on top of the tallest piece of furniture in the room.

Ugh, it's dusty. But at least it's not dusty AND greasy like the cupboard-tops in the kitchen. She sneezes at the dust she's kicked up, setting the little bell on the collar around her neck to jingling. « Damn, » It almost sounds like the BELL just cursed.

As Steve looks to at least, somehow, have the situation under control for the moment, Natasha doesn't quite yet reveal herself. She's arriving to park not long after Steve, lingering over her bike even as she parks it, if only to spy over just whose door the good Captain is knocking.

Glydril is certain causing a ruckus and Steve manages to contain the spirit back on his skin. Not completely though - her head still peeks out and smoke curls from her nose. Steve is almost dragged to the door by the spirit.

"Estrella, May doesn't like being dressed up or tea parties. I've told you this already. If she claws you, I'll be disappointed in you. Remember the demons in Limbo?" Keiko looks to where May is perched with a dust bunny covering her head "May is worse."

It's delivered so dead pan in Keiko's usual fashion. It's hard to tell if she's joking or not.

"What's that —- " Keiko answers the door and blinks at Captain America. On seeing her, Glydril launches forward and rests her head on the peruvians shoulder, tugging Steve right close to the little spirit caller.

"Captain Rogers, are you having some trouble?"

Poor Nat - all she can see is Steve lurch and seemingly embrace Keiko as she stands there. "Did you bring a friend?"

This for some reason.. brings a very smug smile to Piotr's face.

"Yes. They've so abandoned you, Keiko." he says flatly to his partner.

He has WON an argument for once. Mark this down folks, because it may be the ONLY time he ever wins an argument with Keiko Kurita. "I'll get you some Stolichnaya Elit, Captain Rogers. You will need a stiff drink."

As he heads into the house, he moves to the bookshelf that May is perched on top of. Because the liquor is on the shelf just below her. His brows rise as he notice the tortise cat, and raises a metallic hand to give her a quick scratch. Because he is not getting clawed by her.

There's a time and place for everything, as the case would be, it seems the time for stealth and observations is all but over. "Rogers!" Natasha calls out, as she paces assertively towards him, a very grim look across her visage, "I thought the deal with mystical wolves is over, now you've moved to dragons popping out of tattoos? And what's this about May?" Through gritted teeth she snaps, "if W.A.N.D. is compromising S.H.I.E.L.D. because of their supernatural silliness, I swear, bodies will start to drop. I'll clean up all of this hocus pocus mess…"

"More like she brought me. Pardon me, Agent Kurita, she's having one of those days that requires a lecture later." Leaning as far away from Keiko as he can manage given the tattoo's clinging presence on his skin and animating energy just beneath his skin, he smiles as professionally as can be managed. His hands anchor themselves on the frame of the front door itself rather than further invading Keiko's space.

The sudden and familiar voice of the Widow has his eyes widening. Those inside the house will see the Captain set his jaw and then turn as best he can towards Natasha on the walk leading up to the house.

"I owe my continued sane existence to W.A.N.D. and we both know it. Least I can do is help 'em out. You wanna be of help? Give me a some breathing room. I'm babysitting a scaly toddler."

He looks back to Keiko and with some remorse, adds, "Pardon me again, Agent Kurita, but truth be told, she's been difficult lately."

Shaking her head to get the dust bunny off, Tortie-May sneezes again and mentally resolves to hire a cleaning service for these people when she's back to normal because this is ridiculous. Of course, the distraction of the sneezing and the dust bunnies allows Piotr to reach up and paw at her.

« STOP, » she hisses at the large man, even daring to take a swipe at said hand, though not bothering with claws as they'd be pointless anyway.

And then… Her ears prick forward and she cranes her neck up to look toward the door. Rogers? AND Romanov? The bell on her collar jingles again, this time sounding like a string of words in some Asian language. « Ching-wah TSAO duh liou mahng. »

As Steve tries to peel himself off her, Keiko doesn't even blink. What's personal space? Her hand comes up to pet Glydrils head. "Go back to the Captain girl and he'll let you to visit. You must mind him…."

"Who are you?" Keiko directs the question to Natasha. "Captain Rogers is helping me out while we stop an extradimensional threat …" It's so flat and there's no smiles. None at all.

"Come in, all of you. Piotr has Vodka and it looks like we need it. May … do you want some? I can give you some in a saucer."

"Shoo. We got you a comfortable bed." Piotr grunts. "Stop hunting dust bunnies."

It's said with a smirk. Mainly to shoo May back to the others. Since Elena has been told not to put tortie-May in a dress.

"And last time you got that dusty, I had to give you a bath. Do you really want to go through /that/ again?"

"If the scaly toddler you're refering to is the freakin' dragon? Sure, mythical beasts are not my expertise. I deal with actual, real threats," Natasha mutters as if she didn't just see that dragon for real. Nope. That was all imagination. Illusions. Anything that makes it easy to ignore it. "I can give you space, Rogers, but don't look for my help when you get turned to a toad or whatever it is these abracadabras do…"

Then she hears some bits of Mandarian in the midst of all this nonsense, and she's starting to get the inclination she might very well wish to take the Captain at his words. "You know…I just might be out of my depth here. Why is all the mystical stuff following you, Rogers? I hope you're keeping Bucky clear of all of this at least…"

Leveling crystal blue eyes on Keiko, Natasha doesn't once consider formal introductions, only offerin, "a friend of the Captain," though she does nod at the invitation. "I'll need a bottle for myself, all things considered."

Very patiently, choosing to look beyond Keiko's head and into the house itself as she commiscerates with the living dragon tattoo, Steve scans the interior. He can hear another man present, at least, and what could have been an Asian langauge spoken. It sounded irate.

Oh good, May's in fine form today.

"This is one of my fellow S.H.I.E.L.D. agents and Avenger, Agent Kurita, she won't cause any trouble."

Natasha gets a stern look over his shoulder briefly to accent his point. He adds to her in particular, "Barnes learned long ago to roll with the punches, you know this as well as I do. He's perfectly fine with it." Mostly fine with it. Steve's not banished to the couch, at least. Once Glydril's done greeting Keiko, the Captain then steps into the house itself and out of the front doorway. It's warmer inside anyways and he can feel the tattoo itself relax. It makes some tension leave his shoulders.

« If you dusted, there wouldn't be bunnies, » Tortie-May growls briefly at Piotr, then mrrps as she adds, « And you will NOT do that again. I'd rather stay covered in dust. » But, she does climb back down off of the bookshelf as much as she doesn't want to. At least Keiko reminded her daughter that if May claws her, it was for a reason. And she really doesn't want to claw the little girl, but she will NOT tolerate a dress. Not again.

Once she's back on the floor, she rolls on the rug in front of the sofa to clean the dust off of her fur specifically to spite Piotr.

"Barnes may be…" Natasha mutters coldly to Steve, her tone not overly amicable at the moment. A very rare moment of candid openness with Steve, as she asserts, "but he means a great deal to me as well, Rogers, you hurt him…all bets are off. Ponimayu?" The shift to Russian on that last word just further emphasizes the severity she lands to her promise.

"I know where the vaccuum is." It's an idle threat from Piotr as he gets down the bottle he was looking for, and after a baleful glance at the tortie. "Make sure you say hi to your friends." he rumbles. Because Piotr would rather let Natasha and Steve see May cat than anything bad he could do to her.

With that he's wandering into the kitchen to find several tumblers to set out. That seems to be very much needed tonight.

"She's being difficult?" Keiko asks quietly stepping aside to let them all in. Her slitted brown eyes, just like a reptiles, meet Natasha's. I'm Keiko Kurita, WAND Agent. This is my partner, Piotr Rasputin and our daughter, Elena. The cat is Agent Melinda May."

It's all said with a dead pan look. Nat will get look at the tattooes on Keiko's arms, the left one and shoulder completed covered, the right arm more bare now but with two tattooes left.

Giving them time to settle, Keiko nudges Piotr. "A bottle of Vodka for the lady and drinks all round."

"I can't dust the top of the cabinets …" the peruvian answers May. Of course she can't. She's 5ft tall and tiny. "… and the others, they don't think to do it…."

Natasha gets another look from Keiko, the slitted brown eyes going yellow for a moment. "Ponimayu." It's almost flawless russian, despite the fact that she was talking with a mutt of a latin accent just moments ago. "He is special to me, as well. Which is why I asked him to look after one of my bound spirits." Bound spirits. "Glydril has been bound to me since I was sixteen."

"Be welcome in our house. Please have a seat."

The look Steve levels on Natasha is one she rarely sees aimed at herself — others, yes, but so rarely his fellow Avenger. Equal parts noble and disappointed both, he lifts his chin a touch as he waits for Keiko to finish speaking. Then, very quietly, he replies,

"Wouldn't have taken a knee before Buck and chosen to share his last name, Agent Romanova, if I didn't hold him dearer than my own damn life. Won't need you to intervene if anything does happen to him on my account." He then walks to seat himself in the living room on a couch.

Tortie-May is given a lingering look and then Steve slowly deflates in what appears to be a long-suffering sigh. "Evening, Agent May," he says to the cat. "You seem well enough given the circumstances at hand."

There are many things that Natasha can remain as cold as death upon hearing, the one thing she wasn't at all expecting to hear, does get a bit of a scowl out of her. "Hold it." She notes to Keiko, "Agent of WAND I understand. Why ic Melinda 'The Cavalry' May a cat…?" She peers in the direction of Piotr, "wouldn't be the work of a Rasputin, would it?" Hell, the name carries a lot of weight in the Russian conciousness.

The exchange between Rogers and Romanova seems to have struck a chord, because even the offer of companionship and vodka is forgotten at this instance. "You have had others, Rogers, for me, there was only one…" people who know Natasha to varying degrees may or may not agree with her assessment. Then again, those who truly know her, likely always take her words with a grain of salt.

"This magic show isn't for me, thanks for the invitation, but another time…" Natasha somehow manages to keep a firm tone of voice, not a shred of emotion breaking through, even though her words to Steve seemed to carry unusual weight. "Keiko. Agent of Wand. FIX AGENT MAY." There's nothing short of a direct order behind Natasha's words, actual chain of command aside, as she moves towards her motorbike. "I'm out of here…"

Tortie-May looks up at the others as they finally enter the house proper, the dark red collar around her neck lacking tags but sporting a small bell. She sidles quickly out of the way of their big stompy feet and watches them. « Captain Rogers, » May greets Steve with a small bob of her head, the bell on her collar jingling and the sound somehow sounding like the words when the cat actually just mrred at the super soldier.

It's Natasha's reaction to her presence, though, that has her flattening her ears and hissing, « Don't call me that. » Maybe it's a good thing that Natasha opts to NOT stay. Clawing might have happened.

"It shouldn't be much longer now, Agent Rogers." Keiko bends again to kiss Elena on the head and smooth back her hair. It's a rare moment to see the small peruvian show any tenderness and yet with her daughter she does. "Go with Papa, Estrella, he will bathe you and put you to bed."

With the Vodka and glasses delivered, Keiko finally takes a seat of her own. "She is strong willed, I won't say she caused me the most trouble. Hopefully the Limbo taint isn't so strong with her." Limbo taint? That doesn't sound good, does it?

With Nats instructions ringing in her ears, Keiko lets out a string of spanish that would make most peoples hair curl. "I'm a soldier, not a mage. She will be fixed when she's fixed. Who's to say she doesn't want to stay like that? Call you what?" Keiko turns the cat "The Cavalry?"

« Yes, » May growls lowly, her tail whapping the floor a few times. « Don't call me that. »

Steve tiredly echoes the cat nearly verbatim. "Right, don't call her that." He's leaned an elbow heavily on the couch in order to span his eyes with his hand. Fingertips rub at his temples on both sides before he pulls his palm down his face. He's got nothing to shoot back at Natasha right now — the Captain elects to let her leave. Any discussion to be had revolving around Barnes is a thing for another time, not in the home of his tattoo's usual host.

"'nd please explain this Limbo taint because it's something Barnes needs to know about if it's going to start affecting me more," he adds, glancing over at Keiko with an expression poetic in forbearance.

May watches Natasha take her leave, Piotr usher Elena off to bath and bedtime, and Keiko and Steve settle in. The vodka smells VILE, but she can tell that Steve is just … weary. While he's asking about the dragon tattoo peeking out from under his shirt, she slinks toward the sofa where he's seated, somehow managing to keep the bell from announcing her movements.

When he glances over at Keiko, she hops onto the sofa and moves to sit primly again as she'd been before the chaos descended.

"Why not?" It's a honest question, direct as Keiko is likely to be. She pours vodka for her and Steve and waves the bottle at May, though Piotr had bought in a saucer of milk. He's a better cat parent then she is.

"Limbo, it's a hell realm right?" Keiko begins to explain and stops as she thinks about it. "There is something there that gets into your being and changes you. How? We don't know. It's different for everyone. No one knows how seven years affected me - but all of my spirits took in some of the energy to one degree of another. All we know for me is …" Her eyes flash yellow again. "I'm not entirely human anymore. That likely won't happen to you but …"

Glydril extends her head from Steves chest, to rest her chin on Keiko's knee. Without thinking, she scritches the eye ridges both the woman and the dragon almost at peace.

Accepting the vodka with a nod of thanks, Steve sips at it as if it were water. For all intents and purposes, it is for him — boo, serum, stealing his ability to drink away his woes! He glances over at the lithe appearance of May on the sofa, but knows wisely not to reach out towards her in any manner. Instead, he looks her over as if he were checking for any obvious injuries. Keiko, however, steals back his attention with her explanation.

Another sigh follows. "Haven't felt any different lately, 'nd 'm pretty certain to recognize it. After the whole werewolf fiasco, been keeping a close eye on things — my body, my mind…" Another sip of vodka seems endured to blend into present company rather than enjoyment of it. "'m already aware of how protective I've gotten over certain things. More interested in other things I didn't care about before. Haven't noticed anything obviously negative."

May doesn't look at Keiko when she asks why the name Cavalry was so detested, though one ear flicks in the woman's direction and her tail fwaps against the sofa cushion a couple of times.

She stays like that until Steve's attention is back on Keiko, then oh so subtly shifts over to settle next to Steve's leg just shy of touching him. Close enough to feel the warmth, and she tucks her front legs in close. Because cats are heat seekers, and May is one as well without realizing it.

"Might do nothing, Agent Rogers." Keiko says quietly, pushing Glydril gently back to the man. "Call her back now. Tell her to settle." She instructs the man. If Steve is to look after her, he needs to assert some control.

"It is good to see her, though." It's a way of saying thank you. Those words never pass Keiko's lips.

"Things are moving along though. I have the rest of the tattooes to pass off or store and then … when we find Illyana … we'll do the thing I need to do." She lets out a breath and looks at May, not pushing the question that wasn't answered. "I've told Piotr if I don't make it back from the mission, the spirits are to be released. To do as they as will."

"May. We're trying to get in touch with Bast or one of her hand maidens. Find out about the curse you've been caught with."

Steve does exude a rather noticeable amount of heat, it's true, even with jeans and a motorcycle jacket on. He's not aware of May's resettling of her small and furry presence, not at first with his attention still on Keiko.

His true-blue eyes narrow shortly and then briefly close; the minute frown could bely the off-chance of thinking hard. Whatever he says to the dragon tattoo isn't aloud, but it has a profound effect with the design's need to see its usual host assuaged. Glydril slips back to his skin and the Captain can be seen to relax another notch yet into the couch.

"Glad to have her visit." The quip is frosted in sarcasm — more like the tattoo brought him to visit. "She's happier for it. I'll make a point to do it more often now."

Now is when Steve's face turns back to consider May and her closer settling. His lips turn up in the faintest smile, but he still keeps his hands in his lap, one wrapped about his glass of vodka. Concern overtakes the fleeting smile. "'m sorry to hear it's a curse, May. I can sympathize and empathize both."

And can't he. May had the privilege of shooting the lycanthropic Rogers with ICER ammo not too long ago.

Relaxing a bit as she has learned enough of the family's patterns to know that she won't have to evade Elena again until morning, May looks over Steve's lap toward Keiko and mrrps, « I trust that you're doing everything you can, even if Romanov made it sound like an order. Oh, and do you remember when I ended up off of Triskelion property? » The day that a practicing WAND agent and Besas conspired to have her end up confused and in a bookstore.

« The owners of the bookstore are familiar with magic, and one offered to help. Her name is Sigyn. » She resists the urge to rest her chin on Steve's leg and soak in still more of the man's radiant warmth. She'll go steal the fluffy blanket off of the loveseat again and curl up in it later.

As Glydril dissipates, Keiko nods in approval."Well done, Agent Rogers …" it's praise and that's scant and rare from Keiko. "I trust she will settle more now." Hopefully Steve won't be bedevilled by her like this again.

Seeing May-Cat settle next to the agent, Keiko curls her legs beneath her. "Among other things, Agent May. It's keeping me busy …" her eyes stray to where Piotr and Elena disappeared, the big mans words from earlier today still fresh on her mind.

"Perhaps you could ask this Sigyn to contact the WAND Mages that are working on this. I'm a soldier. Show me what to hit and I'll hit it." Still, she's making a note to get the contact details and pass them on.

"Can I offer you dinner, Agent Rogers? Given Glydril bought you out?" May can steal the blanket off the loveseat, it's not like that seat gets any use.

Wheat-gold brows lift to hear the name of Loki's wife spoken. He glances from May and to Keiko, sipping yet at the vodka for the taste of it. A little shift on the couch endeavors not to disturb the cat settled beside him.

"I hope she'll settle more too, Agent Kurita," replies Steve quietly, his gaze gone temporarily inwards. He emerges quickly enough from checking the state of the tattoo.

"Be happy to take you up on dinner, thank you. I'll let Barnes know I'll be home a bit later than usual. Oh, 'nd I've met Sigyn. Me 'nd Barnes had dinner at their home above the bookstore not too long ago. She's a nice woman. I'd take her up on her offer for assistance. Anybody who can keep up with Loki has some power." Another flick of those expressive brows accompanies his accolades.

« I will do that, Keiko. She did offer, after all, » May mrreps. She'll be back in the Triskelion tomorrow for more testing, so she'll be sure to mention it then. She's trying to remember if she even heard the name of the bookstore when Steve mentions that he knows her.

« Yes, Sigyn and Loki, » she says, and knows that Steve will be able to reach them. That's honestly a huge relief.

So much so that she relaxes enough to lean against Steve's leg a bit. Warmth. Lovely warmth.

"If Barnes wanted to join us, that would be ok." Says the rather serious little WAND agent. "And it's Keiko, please." It was Keiko long before it was anything else. Glydril is settled well enough. Steve will be in for some interesting times, but for now, he can relax.

"That's good to know about Sigyn…" The peruvian uncurls from the couch and pads towards the kitchen. "Let me get some dinner together then and … you can look after May. At least you won't try to dress her up."

Very nonchalantly, Steve slides his gaze down to see where the lightest pressure indicates the lean of the cat. Hah, Barnes, take that: he got first feline indicators of friendship! He does give his hostess a small smile, however, before he fishes out his cellphone from his coat pocket.

"Not gonna try to dress up May, no. Thank you, Keiko, I'll reach out to 'im." Setting the vodka aside on the end table, the Captain's thumbs then fly across the touchscreen. Ping: text sent inviting Bucky to dinner, just in case. He glances over at the tortie-cat.

"Little one tried to dress you up?" he asks with that glimmer of innocent amusement in his eyes.

« Didn't just try, » May grumbles. Never. Again.

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