Logs:Live Tweets From a Valkyrie's Profile

Cast Glitch, Sigrun Ljosdottir, Teagan

Setting Direct Action's Home

Log Direct Action's shared Philadelphia home is still being haunted by Glitch, but his range has expanded. He's been taking up residence in the living room instead of hiding in his own, tangles of wires claiming the space directly in front of the TV as his sitting territory. There's a large bag of mysterious contents sitting just outside in the backyard, in anticipation of Sigrun's arrival to talk literal shop. The Sprite, however is currently occupied with one of his many games, clutching a smooth gray controller in his hands. The voices from the screen ring out, easily overheard by anyone else entering: "You seem as if you're waiting for someone." "Of course! I've been waiting for you, Lenneth! I've been waiting since my sister Freya told me you were coming back!" "Has it been that long...? Are you well?" Sigrun heads inside from the front door, backpack on her shoulder. She sets that down by the door and jogs through the living room, heading for the stairs. "Gonna change quick. If I burn a hole through this shirt, I'll cry." She is upstairs for only a minute before jogging back down again in a grungy tee shirt and a pair of leggings. Good enough for the forge, if that's where they're heading eventually. She still has to put the finishing touches on Laura's suit of armor, too, come to that. But first she grabs herself a bottle of mead from the fridge and plops down on the couch where Glitch has set up shop. "Whatcha playing?" Glitch's eyes catch hold of Sigrun as she enters, and then his head pingpongs back and forth between the screen and her. This is a highly unusual gesture for him, as normal as it may seem. Glitch's head tends to settle solely on his Games or directly on something else, as he doesn't seem to need to look for his hands to continue their rapid inputs. But this game is also the type that seems to be more story than skill, though he does push a button occasionally to advance the dialogue. "Valkyrie Profile," he beeps, glancing back and forth again. "It's the most...familiar thing to me about where you come from," he tries to explain. "I wasn't gonna drop it on you right now though, it just takes forever to get through the intro. Can't skip it." The game briefly continues, and the reason Glitch is acting a bit uncertain becomes clear: "Oh! Lord Odin is waiting for you within." "Of course. We will speak late, Frei." The visuals onscreen are not nearly as obvious as the names intoned, but the richly colored pixels show a scene just outside the entrance of a grand stone castle or cathedral. "I can PAUSE it," Glitch adds, not advancing the dialogue further just yet. "Glitch, we just raided a gate to his realm and secured a token I stole from him. Saying his name draws his Eye." Though they are not saying the name, it's just appearing in ASCII on the screen. But her discomfort is obvious, if only for that reason. Valkyrie Profile is not, in point of fact, her Durance. "You need to be careful with stuff like this. He's going to send Huntsmen after us. How much does he figure into all of this?" Glitch makes a further face. He actually puts the controller down, and slides a pixellated finger over the big circular power button of the original gray Playstation half-buried in his tangle of cords, moments away from snuffing out its drive light without mercy. Without even saving! "Into the game? A lot. Shit. I thought I was just risking making you uncomfortable. That's a lot easier to survive than that other shit." He waits for her word to actually pull the plug, face serious. "You could show me with the sound off, maybe?" Sigrun scoots forward and ruffles Glitch's hair. She's not mad, she's just hyper vigilant about her own Keeper coming for her people. "It's just a superstition. But. So was the guy himself before his goons stole me away. I just don't want to take any chances with any of you. That's all." Glitch lets out a huff of relief as his static-laden hair is ruffled with a slight audible crackle, some strands lingering on her fingertips. "We are a fucking superstition," he beeps out in his distorted voice. "But if you wanna see more...okay. I was curious, how you'd..." He can't find words that seem appropriate. React? Interpret? Judge? He wants to show her, is what is clear. As long as it's safe. "If any weird shit starts happening I'm smashing this disc with a hammer," he says flatly, staring at the console itself as if threatening it. His fingers reach out, slide across the gray plastic surface under which the disc itself spins, and then slip down behind it. Glitch yanks out two colored plugs, one red, one white, and the game proceeds from there in abject silence, its audio data unable to transmit at all. The blue-haired girl, apparently a valkyrie, enters the halls of Valhalla, kneeling before a man seated on a grand throne, and a blonde woman in green floating in the air nearby. Valkyrie: I am here, Lord Odin, at your service. Freya: Stand, Lenneth. You have no need to kneel before us like a dweller in Midgard. The floating woman's tiny sprite teleports onscreen to the valkryie to embrace her in a hug. This isn't talking about armor or working in the forge, but she seems okay with that. She tilts back her mead when Lord Douchebag begins speaking, making a face at the screen. She can't help her particular biases. "Yeah. On your feet, woman, and take his fucking head for a prize while you're-- don't hug her, she needs to kill that guy!" Sigrun has Opinions, okay. "Ugh. Is there going to be kissing in this story?" Fred Savage, eat your heart out. Glitch watches Sigrun's reactions with rapt fascination. It seems to be exactly what he was curious about. "Okay so I don't know a lot about...this stuff," he says, making a gesture at the screen to avoid naming any people or places or even things. "But...the asshole on the throne there...he's an asshole. Like, in the plot. Total dick. Not a sympathetic portrayal. And...her," he says, not sure who it's okay to invoke, but pointing at the blonde identified as Freya, "She's fucking badass. Probably the most powerful character in the game. Takes no shit. So I thought you might be interested." He taps through the dialogue a bit more. "It's a long fuckin game, we can stop after a bit of this, but..." But for now, the digital play continues. Odin : Lenneth Valkyrie. I would not summon you, the greatest of the three goddesses who govern destiny, without good cause. Valkyrie : Yes, my lord. Odin : The head of Mimir has told me that Ragnarok, the end of the world, draws near. Valkyrie : Ragnarok! Odin : There have been signs of unrest among the Vanir of Iate. It seems that we, the Aesir, will not be able to avoid war with them. We require warriors. You shall journey to Midgard, the world below, and search for suitable human souls. Valkyrie : It is my honor, Lord,... To serve you. After this exchange, the Valkyrie is dramatically transformed, girded with armor and wings in a shower of light. The light flows from Freya, who empowers her at Odin's behest. "So wait. Is she a Norn or a Valkyrie? And they don't go to war with the Vanir during Ragnarok! Man, they got the whole thing wrong. Where's Garmr and all them? Jorgumandr? Where's Loki and the poison?" Sigrun's complaining quiets when the valkyrie gets to be all shimmer and bewinged. "Okay, that's better. Why is she going to Midgaard? Doesn't that means she has to go murder some humans to come be Einherjar? Is this the start of a spree killing? Because that's not very cash money of Lenneth, if that's the case." Sigrun asides to Glitch, "When does she kill him? She kills him, right?" Glitch was sort of expecting this to go terribly wrong, so the torrent of questions and corrections catches him by surprise. But he's ready. He sits up to nonchalantly answer as he studies her expression a bit. "It's not ragnarok yet. They show up during Ragnarok. And no, she uses her spiritual resonance to go find souls in anguish near death. Gives them the offer when they're gonna die already. What the fuck is a Norn?" he asks, having his own questions. "And wait, is it okay to say all those other names out loud? The game slows down considerably from this point. Freya takes Lenneth to Midgard and teaches her, and the player, how to search the world map for where to go next. The Valkyrie gets to fly around the world in dramatic third person. When the story shifts its perspective to a band of human warriors fighting gorilla-monsters in a forest, however, Glitch sighs. "This is where it really drags. Arngrim's story takes like two fucking hours, even if you're not reading anything. And you can't just press the button, either, you have to walk his ass from spot to spot between scenes..." "Norns are like the Fates of Greek myth. They're the ones that mete out the fate. It's pretty cool that they mention Mimir's head, though. They always forget Mimir's head." Sigrun bobs her head in understanding, "Okay, cool. So she's actually choosing the slain, then. That's proper. And, yeah, I think it's okay. I mean, maybe there are Gentry on the other side with those names, but I'm not from their brood. So. I don't think it's a problem." She doesn't seem particularly paranoid about it, in any case. "See. That's what I miss. Flying. Wings. Flying horses. That was pretty coo-- why are they fighting gorillas? Where the hell on Midgaard do humans wage war against gorillas? Is this a Jumanji crossover?" Glitch makes some broad gestures. "It's, uh. Fantasy Midgard. It's not Europe, it's like a Lord of the Rings thing. There's mages and shit." Indeed, the bit of plot playing out seems to be just generic fantasy now, the titular Valkyrie no longer anywhere to be seen. Given that all the characters involved seem to be alive, however, this is somewhat expected. The Sprite actually gets to his feet, stretching a bit. "There's a three fates thing going on with the Valkyries...you're Lenneth, but the other two are named Hrist and Silmeria. And yeah, you fly around, find slain or almost...slain warriors," he says, briefly gesturing to the not-yet-slain warrior on screen whose dialogue has stopped advancing, one with a sword longer than he is tall. "Then you run around some ancient ruin or dungeon full of monsters, and in combat you summon your Einherjar. You can take up to 3 Einherjar with you, but after you've levelled them up enough and made them stronger, you have to send them up to Valhalla to be graded." "And seriously, let's talk armor, because I'm not sitting through this motherfucker's whole story and neither are you. I'll show you more of it later if you want, but yeah." "Hrist! That's a real one! There was a Hrist in my Flight." Sigrun is pleased by this, apparently. She seems interested in this whole game now. Probably more interested than she's ever been about any of Glitch's games that she's watched him play. "Can I maybe try playing it when you're not using your Playstation? I'll buy you a new one if I break it somehow. I know the old technology can be a bit fickle." Sigrun scoots back on the couch again, and agrees with the ultimate decision. "Cool. Let's talk armor, then. What are you in the mood for?" Glitch seems pleased in return, nodding. "I'll always help someone play a game if they're interested. Especially you." She's honored him, in his own way, shown respect to his idols and rituals. He turns the system off, leaving it lightless in the pile of cords, and then turns his attention fully to the Valkyrie. "I'm in the mood for...everything and anything," he beeps, gesturing wide. It might not even be a joke. "Like. I've been talking with Johnnie, and they convinced me I need real gear. High end stuff made by you, and then maybe upgraded further in the Hedge. Best in slot shit." "As for what, like...I really want a sword first," he admits, hesitation in his tone. "But I know armor is probably a better idea," he admits, not quite in the tone that children talk about vegetables but almost. "I've seen your equipment, I know you can make everything from cloth to plate. I need the sweet spot. As much protection as I can get without slowing or weighing me down too much." "I can make the exotic precusor items, but if you want the legendaries you'll need to farm the mats yourself, yeah." Sigrun has learned how to speak Glitch. Or at least a dialect of Gamer she believes Glitch is conversant in. She tries. "The best bang for your buck that I can get you on that mid-range score is akin to my brigandine armor that I wear. Lammels sandwiched between leather, riveted together nice and tight with resin. It wears like leather but protects like plate. I don't suffer any sort of impediments to speed or mobility in it whatsoever. And while it won't stop a bullet all that well, it will turn away blades with the best of them." Glitch nods in agreement and understanding. Sigrun's instincts are true. While the Sprite's most native metaphor is a specific and half-forgotten patois of 1980s 3rd generation console, he speaks fluent MMO. "That's what I figured. I'm already making plans for a Hedgespun accessory to go with this, but the base mats on that are all me, and I just need hedge help." He nods in agreement over the Brigandine. "I'll admit, Teagan's armor gave me some fuckin' envy," he beeps, speaking with clear appreciation. "And it's for the Hedge. The lightning's enough to protect me on this side of things, bullets or no." "Teagan's armor is a different design, but built along a similar design philosophy. They needed something to hide Baby in for every day wear. When they're not walking around with perfected armor, for instance. In the Hedge, their contracts improve it beyond anything I could manage out of a duster. But it'll turn a knife, slow down a bullet or two, even. I'm usually not too worried about the problems we can plan for. We're good there. We're smart. It's the unexpected attacks that I worry about. Blades from the dark, bullets from the bell tower, that sort of thing." Sigrun tilts her bottle back for another casual sip then drops her chin onto her palm. "The good news is you're so tiny I'll be able to save bank on the materials." She gives a playful wink at this comment before her grin spreads slow and wide. Glitch gives a tight little smile, just barely unable to mask the fact he's not actually pissed off at the 'tiny' comment. With a rueful face, he sticks out his pixellated tongue. "I'm sure my measurements will be a relief after kitting out a giant war-hyena," he intones. "But yeah. Like I said, I have the lightning for day to day. I've got some defenses. Not enough to get lazy, just enough to not need to wear full armor everywhere. Maybe after I get my main kit I'll upgrade to a Hedgespun jacket for everyday, but first things first." He's quiet a moment, then arches one brow. "So I'm not...TOO picky about looks and shit but..." "But it should look as 8-bit as possible? It should look like Jeff Bridges is about to walk on screen and say, 'Greetings, Programs!' It should look like something Hackerman loaned to Kung Fury to fight Digihitler? It should look like unlocking it took about forty bucks in in game currency? It should look like someone converted a jpeg to a bitmap to a gif to a jpeg to a png to a bitmap to a vector?" Sigrun leans forward again and reaches out a hand to boop Glitch's nose with a fingertip. "Tell me what you want, baby." Glitch's mouth hangs open at the first bit. Jeff Bridges gets him trying to reply, but by the time they're at Kung Fury he's unable to restrain his embarassed laughter. "Oh my god," he beeps, cheeks flushed pink in the pixels. By the end he's covering his face but chuckling, and the boop is suffered too easily. "I'd tell you nobody likes to be a stereotype, Sigrun, but...I did just throw Valkyrie Profile at you." He's grinning. He can't hide the joy of being both understood and in on the joke. "First off...Kung Fury is way too much. Consider that my default stance in every single situation." There is a conspicuous lack of criticism of Tron. "Second, most of that'll come from the Hedge. I'll have to drag it somewhere sympathetic anyway. But the base armor, the piece you're forging... the stuff I see in my head is less Gauntlet and more NARC," he beeps. "Here, look, I brought shit to you so I didn't have to fumble over my words," he says, and goes to drag the bag of gear in from outdoors. It's somewhat predictably full of random pieces of sports padding, motorcycle armor, and a few pieces that look like riot gear. It's heavily mismatched, and some of it is well used and worn, but some of it could possibly be used as materials or a foundation for greater craft. "..." Sigrun has clearly never had anyone drop a hodge podge of salvaged equipment as an aesthetic sample for her design work. Her mouth opens hesitantly in search of the right words but none are forthcoming immediately. "I might be able to work with this stuff, sure. Or at least... incorporate the aesthetic choices to a degree. I'm always a function over form girl when it comes to armor, and some of this stuff is pretty bulky. Not really conducive to quick movements and clearing your numbers. But I can do some design work and see if I can come up with something that works. I had some ideas of my own that I thought you might like. But now at least I know the aesthetic you're looking for." "Max Max meets Say No To Drugs." Glitch SOMEHOW manages to keep a straight face at that, except for the briefest literal flicker of a snort and a tensed neck at the very end. "Good. You don't have to use any of it, I just figured seeing the kind of shit I've already been using would be quicker than listening to me struggle with feelings words for like a fucking hour. Not that you wouldn't find that super amusing," he teases. "But seriously, you get it. You get me." He nods quietly, appreciatively. "You take care of everyone around here," he beeps out. "Me included. And I don't always say I appreciate it, but I do. Like." He huffs. "I'd say I don't feel worthy, but I know you don't have time for insecure shit like that. But I do want to feel like I pull my weight, or just...like I'm doing good by you too. How can I help out?" "We all take care of each other, hon," Sigrun assures Glitch warmly, "you take time to learn about me and to show me games you'll think I like, and you're very sweet and considerate when you're not trying to be too cool for school." Sigrun sets her bottle aside on the end table and reaches out to take both of Glitch's hands with both of her own. "When you want to be, Glitch, you are one of the kindest, most considerate, most gentle of souls that I know. I truly mean that. I'm sorry I've been so wrapped up in my own shit latetly. I know it was a pain in everyone's ass, and I know it was inconvenient and sort of shitty. But it's over, and you helped me find a piece of my soul. You are the reason we found it at all. Any sense of peace and serenity I now get to experience is because of you. You've already helped me more than I have the means to repay you with in this life. You owe me nothing." "Hnnngh." Teagan stayed up too late and got too little sleep, and is repaying Glitch's wandering through their sad little moment with Sturm by stumbling into the kitchen in their boxers (and just their boxers) at the moment. They're barely awake, absently scratching themself with one hand, and stumble toward the coffee maker. Glitch was expecting a bit of mollification. When Sigrun turns the fullness of her nurturing, comforting grace on him, he ends up looking a bit deer in headlights by the end of it. Between being read for secretly being a good person who isn't just an edgy little killer after all, and being told his perceived obligations and doubts are an illusion, that those he loves do not judge him nearly as hard as he does himself? Tears. The little sprite sniffles and reaches up, only taking his hands out of Sigrun's and his gaze away from hers to try and destroy the insidious drops of water before they dare tell the world his weaknesses. "Thank you," he beeps. He opens his mouth to find further words, and then, there's Teagan, parading around half naked. The timing is perfect. The cycle in complete. Glitch just stares. "Hi, Teaboobs," Sigrun greets Teagan and their boobs. "We can all see you." Which is sometimes a thing you have to remind a Darkling of when they first wake up and are walking around the kitchen in their boxers. "Also if you're hungry, I can cook." Sigrun leans forward and places a benedictory kiss on Glitch's temple while his head is turned. "You're welcome. I meant every word." And then she lets the punchline loose, "But, seriously, if you could just pick up your socks and underwear after you shower, that would be nice." She grins at this tease and then plucks up her mead again to amble towards the kitchen, "Laura's armor is almost done. I have to do a lot of detail work, buff out some of the rough edges, and finish the salet. I figure another day or two of work, and it'll be ready for ... trying to make it work for her as a token, I guess. I've never done this before." "Hnnnngh?" The Darkling stops in the middle of the kitchen. Looks down at themself. Looks across the kitchen at Glitch and Sigrun. Looks down at themself. Looks across the kitchen at Glitch and Sigrun, then slowly around the living room, as if concerned there might be other people hiding. They grab one of their boobs at Sigrun, and then disappear. They'll be back in a minute. Probably wanting food, too. But definitely with a shirt on. "Boo," Glitch declares, as Teagan pretends to have modesty or something like it. He lets his smile show, then, to Sigrun, without any too-cool-for-school to get in its way, nor fear that someone passing by might see it. He follows Sigrun to the kitchen, recollected after that little bit of emotional intensity. "That's fate right there," he mutters to Sigrun. "I did the same damn thing to Teagan last night. I think. They told me about it this morning, I don't remember shit." The Sprite adds, to Sigrun: "For you, I'll even make sure the lid's down." Sigrun shakes her head at Teagan's antics with a wry grin, then grabs a skillet from the hanging rack and sets it onto the stove. To the fridge for butter, eggs, and some bacon. Some bread for good measure. The starts the bacon first, though. "Glitch, baby, can you put on some coffee for Teagan?" She looks amused at the news Glitch did much the same thing the other night. "It's hard managing anything like privacy in this house, it's true. I might remodel the basement or something. It's an historic building, I'd hate to ruin that by building an addition, but we sort of have to, I think. Especially if Sturm is moving in." Glitch shrugs a bit at that. When he's tasked with coffee he steps to it right away, filling the carafe with water and measuring out grounds. "I'm plenty private in my room, it's more getting used to not wandering through the living room in our underwear at random hours," he quips. "Me and Player Two apparently both have issues with that. At least after a few bowls." Getting the coffee brewing, he sits back, watching Sigrun cook. "Wait, we have a basement TO remodel?" They reappear sitting on the couch, sprawled and lazy, a few seconds later. "Sturm should move in. And not just because I want her around more often. That fucking house is where she grew up." And we all know how Teagan deals with 'houses people suffered in.' In case it wasn't obvious, they adjust their bracelet absently, the marble laying against their dark skin. "Yeah, Johnnie has a room down there. Or, well, she rarely sleeps down there, because he sleeps with all of us, but she has to have a room for brooding." Says the Darkling. "Yep. It's directly under the rest of the house," Sigrun observes with her dry humor as she flips the bacon and starts cracking the eggs. They sizzle in their mixture of butter and bacon grease. That's how you know it's gonna be a good brekkie, right there. "It's not a proper basement, to tell it true. It's a glorified cellar. But the foundation was good, and I can seal it and put in flooring and build up walls easily enough. A little sheetrock and some screws, some seam tape and joint compound, a little paint? We can make ourselves a couple of rooms down there, including a dedicated space for the washer, dryer, furnace, and water tank. I don't want to make Sturm have to sleep in the basement, but. Sounds like that may be the best thing for her right now. I can submit a permit to add an addition to the house, but those can be hard to get on these old colonials." Glitch sees Teagan appear and wanders over to them as the coffee takes time to brew, sliding onto the couch to match their sprawl. "P2." He nestles into place and then muses over the talk of rooms. "I guess we all can't lurk in the basement. If we need to move around to make anyone comfy, though, let me know. At least like...if it was just a cellar down there you're not ruining too much history. Unless it's a famous cellar." "Har har har," Teagan offers when it comes to 'it's directly under the house.' They yawn expansively and then point at the corner of their mouth when Glitch comes over to flop down next to them. Deposit hello smooches here. And a big big yawn. "She should be near us," they reiterate. "Whatever has to happen, has to happen. She, like, dropped me off the other night and then turned around and came back because she didn't want to be by herself." Another big yawn, and they wrap an arm around Glitch to pull him onto their lap, like that's just how life goes. "Also, uh... don't... maybe... don't sneak up on her." Not like Sigrun was about to. "... I did that on accident yesterday." Beat. "I mean I wasn't trying to sneak up on her." "Teagan, you sneak up on everyone," Sigrun calls them THE FUCK OUT. Because they do. "You sneak up on me all the time. You sneak up on Glitch, and on Vee. And on June. And we've all said you're gonna wind up bleeding one of these days." Or at least Sigrun has. She presumes others share this cautionary sentiment. "I love you. But you do." She pauses in her cooking to drop a slice of toast, then hops back to the skillet to flip the eggs. "Glitch, can you grab a plate for me, please?" Glitch deposits the kiss onto Teagan and follows it with a few more that are directly on the mouth. When the subject of sneaking comes up, he says nothing. Sigrun says it, and he just plays eye ping-pong between her and Teagan, mouth staying shut. Oh hey he has to get a plate! "Yeah," he beeps, sliding off the mirrorskin to sneak into the kitchen and get a plate. Whether or not he agrees with the Valkyrie, he knows better than to jump in there. "Me, I try and make sure people know I'm there. Especially if they could yeet me across the room and through the wall on accident." Okay, maybe he doesn't know better. "Around Sturm I might just make constant beeping noises every time I move." "Okay, but I wasn't trying to sneak up on her," wails the Mirrorskin. There's a difference, apparently, between trying to sneak up on someone and just benignly coming out of Light Shy near them. "I was just ... " "The point is that I think I accidentally tripped over something that causes a Strong Reaction in Sturm, and I'm trying to tell you about it. Okay? Putting aside 'Teagan, someone's going to yeet you out a fucking window someday,' which may or may not be very legitimate because I am super fucking spry, Sturm like grabbed my head and then started like hunching over and shit. Okay? And it's not good for her head if people flinch, so let's not ... accidentally... set off a chain reaction." Huff. They return the kisses dropped on their face, and swats Glitch on the butt as he goes off to get a plate. "Don't sneak up on the Jotunn I used to exchange murders with on the main from behind. I'll see if I can remember that one, Teabutt." Sigrun glances back over her shoulder with a wry grin then back to her cooking. She preps some paper towels to help sop up the grease, then drops the bacon onto it, pressing it to get most of the grease off of it before setting the slices onto the plate. The eggs are set onto it, likewise. When the toast pops, it's buttered and set on the plate in halves. She adds some salt to the eggs, grabs a cup of the coffee Glitch just made, and carries plate, fork, and mug over to Teagan. "Here. Eat. No one likes a skinny Santa." Glitch gives Teagan a Serious Nod. "Okay, seriously, I'll remember it," he reassures. Then he lets out a little squeak and rears up on one tiptoe deftly as his ass is swatted. Sigrun's droll retort gets him almost giggling and he's got a very amused face on when he brings Teagan their food. Placing it down, he lets them tuck in while he gets himself his own cup of coffee. "I agree with not setting off a chain reaction. My own emotional bullshit is hard enough to deal with, let alone multiball shit." They flail their hands in the air. "YOU MIGHT DO IT ON ACCIDENT!" Teagan protests, huffing at Sigrun and falling into silence when they're handed food, only to add on to the end, "Thank you." Taking the coffee, they take a swallow of that first, and set it to the side, reaching for the plate and fork and starting to tuck in voraciously. Hongreh.