[Fifth]

[midgardserpent]

[It's been two months and Jormungandr's patience has run out. The drones in his house have gotten on his very last nerve, and combined with all the anger and frustration that he's been building up over the town, his being brought there, the pointlessness of it all... well he's just had enough.

So bright and early this morning, he kills all the drones in his house. He knows it won't last, he's been told that death doesn't last here, but it helps. Relieves tension, as it were.

Anyone walking down Hastings Boulevard this morning will probably see Jormungandr. With blood on his clothes. Yup. He looks completely unperturbed by it.

By around midday he's managed to clean most of it off, but he's still walking around town with... strange red stains on his clothes and hands. Oh dear.

Dare you approach?]

Comments

[brotherseyes.livejournal.com]

[Nina's brows furrow. Talking is clearly difficult for him; she can tell that by the way he hisses. Still, his bloody appearance puts her on edge, especially with the one word she can understand. She speaks only one word of her own.]

Why?

[midgardserpent]

[His brow furrows in frustration. Frustration at his lack of ability to explain, frustration that he should have to explain, frustration at being put in this situation to begin with. He looks up, to the side, everywhere, and finally back at her.

He doesn't know how to say it.]

Free.

[No. He shakes his head. No that's not right. To some extent it's right, because the drones were annoying him to no end and it just never stopped and now that they were gone he didn't have to deal with that. At least for the rest of the day. But that's not the way to explain it.]

...alone. No... no stop.

[And that didn't make any sense. And why should it matter anyway? Why should he have to explain himself to this human he doesn't even know? All his prior calmness has slipped away as he grows more frustrated.]

[brotherseyes.livejournal.com]

[It made sense enough to Nina. Her face melts. Her expression becomes more sympathetic.]

It's okay. You can stop. Taking is hard for you, isn't it?

[She takes a step towards him, looking at his reaction for confirmation before stepping any closer.]

I know it's hard to be around the drones. Believe me. Too look in their eyes and see nothing...

But you can't kill them. We don't know what happens to them. There could be a real person in there.

I know how lonely it gets. Trust me, I know. Would it help if you had someone to spend some time with you? Just bob your head up and down, if it would. You don't have to say anything.

[midgardserpent]

[Well. She kind of got it.

Real person? He didn't care if they were real or not. They were like a migraine that never went away. He didn't care if it was acceptable to kill them or not. The only difference between the annoying people and the annoying drones is that the people got the hint when he didn't want to be bothered and went away. The drones just never stopped.

At least she isn't making him talk.

Would it be better to have someone spend time with him? Maybe. He's not sure. So he shrugs.]

[brotherseyes.livejournal.com]

[Nina thinks about that.]

We could try. I'll make sure and come over sometimes.

[It might not work, but she doesn't have any other ideas. She looks at him thoughtfully.]

Can you write? Nod your head, if you can.

[midgardserpent]

[Why is she talking to him as if he doesn't know what nodding or shaking a head means? He rolls his eyes a little and shakes his head. He's familiar with writing, and he can read a small amount, but he's no good at writing and he doesn't care. At his "job" as an office worker, he generally just scribbles all over a piece of paper and hands it in and it works. Don't ask him how.]

[brotherseyes.livejournal.com]

[Nina has the decency to be embarrassed by the eyeroll, at least. Enough to stop talking to him like a child.]

Right...

If you want, I could teach you. Do you think that would be easier than trying to speak?

[midgardserpent]

[He shrugs. Honestly the whole communication bit is frustrating in general. Learning to write might be as much trouble or more than trying to talk. But if she wants to waste her time and try to teach him he might as well give it a shot.]

[brotherseyes.livejournal.com]

[Nina beams.]

Great! I'll come over on the weekend, then. Maybe you could show me something, too.

[She is going to try, damn it.]

I'm Nina! So you know. Do you mind telling me your name?

[midgardserpent]

[Well she hasn't annoyed him yet. This might not be horrible.]

Jormungandr.

[He knows how to say his name, at least.]

[brotherseyes.livejournal.com]

[Nina looks surprised.]

The--The Midgard Serpent?

[That explains like a lot. Like why talking in a human body is difficult for him.]

[midgardserpent]

[An extraordinarily satisfied look settles on his face when she says that. Too few of the people here actually know who he is or recognize the significance of it. He nods.]

Yess.