video/action ❆ day 215

[wolfofmidgard]

[While the previous morning had been a relatively quiet one, this morning? Well, it doesn't quite start off that way. Meja had stopped by the closet where Balthazar had kept his spider 'friend' that he'd taken off of her hands, to give her her weekly meal. Since the angel's disappearance, she's more or less taken over, although dropping a rat in the room is about the most she does. There's no telling what is in the creature's venom. And if she's eating rats, she's not snacking on people (though the 'keep away - dangerous' makeshift sign on the door helps).

But today starts off with Meja in the closet, face pensive as she turns her device on.]

Safety's a relative concept, around here, but you should all know that there's a giant spider who escaped her 'enclosure' today. [She mimes about the size of two chihuahuas. Getting a steady diet's made her even bigger. Unfortunately.] She's aggressive, but she'll probably hole herself up somewhere for a while. So be careful with cupboards and things like that — her bite might be deadly. Let's not confirm it.

[And if someone has to kill her for self defense, well, them's the breaks for a hissy, giant spider.]

Comments

[wolfofmidgard]

[She shakes her head.]

No. A friend of mine was looking after her, so that she wouldn't harm anyone. But he seems to have departed. We found her in the lab where I've been growing plants.

[knifecollecting]

[This is still horrible.]

Why were you keeping a giant spider? Why didn't you kill it?

[wolfofmidgard]

I deal enough with death outside of this place.

[Meja's need to be compassionate first can sometimes be problematic. She'd once rescued a dragon for the same reason, though the dragon had turned out useful in the end and hadn't hurt anyone.]

Anyway, she hasn't harmed anyone before now. If we need to kill her, so be it, but I don't think she's a native. I think she arrived here in the same manner we did.

[She doesn't match anything else in this place.]

[knifecollecting]

[It would just be great if the machine brought giant animals too. Not.]

I'll let you know if I see any spiders.

[wolfofmidgard]

Tusen takk. If she attacks you, feel free to defend yourself, of course. I don't have any attachments.

[It would be a little bit of a bummer, maybe, but Meja would keep that to herself. Her empathy can be ridiculous.]

Tossing a rat in her direction should distract her, as well.

[knifecollecting]

[Jo doesn't carry rats around, but she nods anyway.]

I'll remember that.

[wolfofmidgard]

[They're usually not that hard to find — luckily or unluckily, depending on one's view of rats. Meja smiles.]

Good. How have you been settling in?

[knifecollecting]

I miss home. [Even if technically she wasn't home. Heaven doesn't count as home. She still misses the Roadhouse, all these years later.]

This place is crazy.

[wolfofmidgard]

I hear that.

[She misses Fenrir and Eloise, not to mention Pascha and even Gisli and Tringe. And here she thought she'd never miss Gisli. But there it is.]

It's not precisely the most... welcoming place to be. Sometimes I wish something would happen, to break the monotony. But then something does and I'm usually regretful about wishing for it.

[knifecollecting]

I'm pretty sure no one blames you when that happens.

[wolfofmidgard]

[Meja smiles.]

I'd hope not. I don't think I look like evil mastermind material.

[knifecollecting]

That would just make you a better mastermind.

[wolfofmidgard]

[A pause, and then she laughs.]

I suppose you're right!

[No one back home would suspect a thing!]

Rest assured, I have no such designs. Being a mastermind sounds exhausting.

[knifecollecting]

I bet it is.

[She can't imagine what it would be like to do all of that work.]

[wolfofmidgard]

Especially in this place. I can't fathom how all of the parts of it keep working.

[knifecollecting]

Machines are complicated like that.

[And prisons are gigantic machines.]

[wolfofmidgard]

Ordinarily, I like to think of myself as somewhat enlightened where machines are concerned. But the more I learn of other worlds, the more I realize that my machines — well, the machines of Dwarves — are absurdly simple, most of the time.

[When they're not infused with magic.]

[knifecollecting]

Dwarves? Are there really dwarves in your world?

[Ash would be so amazed right now.]

[wolfofmidgard]

[Meja nods.]

They live on Svartalfaheimr, their own Realm. It's very rocky and bleak, and each of the three royal families inhabits a different mountain. The insides of the mountain are usually so beautiful it's hard to remember how terrible the outside looks. Each one is a sort of labyrinth, with roads and towns carved through it. There are no finer craftsmen to be found.

[knifecollecting]

[That's very interesting.]

Cool. Have you been there?

[wolfofmidgard]

Several times. Usually as a diplomat, meaning I haven't been able to explore it much. [Sadly.] They're very good to guests, for the most part. Well... King Durinn and King Dvalinn are. King Motsognir isn't exactly the most polite being I've met. In fact, most giants are more polite.

[knifecollecting]

Are giants not polite?

[The stories must be accurate.]

[wolfofmidgard]

Frost Giants are... diplomatic. Most of the time, if they're on Niflheimr. [She's never had any quarrel with them, past Ragnarök. Then again, they hadn't sided with Loki. Before? She'd had her fair share of battles with them.] But Fire and Rock Giants have foul tempers, and they don't like humans very much. Or anything human-shaped. They dislike Asgardians even more.

[knifecollecting]

I'll keep that in mind if I ever meet any.