Picking back up where he left off (Open and Closed prompts)

[ragnarsson]

who: Ivar and you! +some closed prompts
what: Someone's back from his canon update. Someone might be more angry and crazier than ever.
when: Late February-Early March
where: All over the Quarantine
warnings: Ivar is Ivar. 'Nuff said.

[If you want a closed prompt, feel free to PM me or shoot me up on Light_shade]



I. Back and ready to roll

It's only been a short time since Ivar left Riverview, but for him, it's been two years. He's missed a lot about living in a more modern era: the convenience of modern lights, being able to have hot water whenever he wanted it, his wheelchair, and the food. So he's catching up on two years of deprivation, which means he can be found all over the city, doing various things. He's at a different place for lunch and dinner almost every night. Being without pizza and burgers this long is a pure travesty.

He also gets back into the swing of things with the Perimeter Guard. His skills have only sharpened in his time away, so he can be found training, gleefully bashing in a monster's head, or coming from these various activities sometimes covered in gore.

Anyone that he's missed will find a more emotional Viking than normal. He's missed his friends and family an awful lot in his time away. Though he'll never admit it, he's learned to appreciate what he has just a little bit more. However, it also seems like something else happened while he was away, for Ivar seems to be keeping his guard up and his hard shell around him more than ever, like he's trying to keep himself from getting hurt after it's already happened too much.

II. Catching up with his daughter

Ask Ivar what the number one thing he missed the most and it would be his daughter. He thought about Winter every single night he was gone and it ate away at the Viking terribly. His biggest fear was wondering if the same amount of time was passing in Riverview as it was for him. Was he missing out on two years of Winter's life? He'd been relieved to find only two weeks had passed.

It seemed that Winter had been rather fussy and upset while he was away if her draining life from those that had been taking care of her was any indication. It drove home again to Ivar that he needed to find a way to help her control her powers better. Maybe he'd been spoiling her just a little too much, even if she still just was a baby. But any thoughts of discipline were driven out of his head in favor of spending time with her.

He took her to the park dressed in one of her cutest outfits, letting her play around on the grass as she chased after the butterflies, one of her favorite hobbies. It was clear how much Ivar loved and had missed his little girl just by the way he looked at her.

III. Morphing time

It's been a while since Ivar has been able to properly morph. He hadn't had a whole lot of time to himself back home, and when he did, he usually had more pressing matters on his hand than practicing his shapeshifting skills. Besides, if anyone had caught him, the Vikings would have thought him some sort of unnatural being, a witch or the like, and might have contemplated the idea of burning him alive. So while there's been the occasional foray out as a dog or squirrel, they haven't been frequent.

So now that he's back in the city, he's back to his usual morphs. So there's the occasional dog, cat, squirrel, or more extraterrestrial creature roaming the city. For those that know it's him, he'll gladly approach them, and chat while in animal form. For those that don't know it's him, he's up to his usual tricks of spying on the unknowing populace to find out what he can.

Comments

For Ragnar

[ragnarsson]

After a short stop at his house, Ivar made a beeline to his father's. He'd missed his family more than words could say and his father most of all. The whole time he'd been gone, he'd wondered if his father would approve of the way things were being handled. Well, he definitely wouldn't like the civil war going on with his sons. Or the fact Ivar had killed Sigurd.At least Ivar could take comfort in that he'd probably approve of the raiding done in England. Ivar had at least got that right.

Surprising probably even himself, he didn't say anything when he saw Ragnar. He just went up to him and hugged him for a long minute. Things had been so awful back home and it felt like all his brothers hated him. Not that they didn't have good reason to, but it hurt to have his family all drifting away from him. It was nice to be back with family that he knew still loved him.

After he finally let go, he looked up at Ragnar. "How's Winter?"

[storradr]

Ragnar looked a little worse for wear, both wrists currently bandaged up and what looked like some light burns on his face. But, for some reason, Ragnar was positive Ivar wouldn't be worried at all as long as he didn't see the state of the kitchen.

Winter was, of course, in fine form and practically ready to leap out of the little wagon she was in to get to Ivar when she saw him.

The hug definitely took him by surprise, but Ragnar had always been a tactile person and returned it without hesitation, giving Ivar a firm clap on the back as he butted his forehead against his son's.

"She was good. She has taken to Athelstan, but... I doubt you are surprised to hear that," He clapped him on the shoulder so he could give him a better once over, "How long has it been for you? You look older. Different."

[ragnarsson]

Ivar takes in his father's appearance, but he doesn't ask questions. They're Vikings, getting hurt occasionally is part and parcel with their lives. As long as he's not bleeding out on the floor, everything's all good.

He immediately makes a beeline for Winter after he lets go of his father before he answers him. He's missed his daughter more than anything in the time he's been away. He doesn't know how Ragnar was able to stand it all those months he used to go raiding and leave his sons behind in Kattegat. "Hello there, my sweet girl. Were you good while I was away?" She immediately snuggles into his arms, babbling a little, content now that her father is holding her again. All is right in Winter's small world.

He finally turns to Ragnar. "About two years, I think. I lost track of time after we took York and the English lay a siege upon us." There's something perhaps only Ragnar will see. There's something beneath the surface that Ivar is a carrying, a sadness that wasn't present before he left. He doubts he can talk to his father about it, how he killed his own brother, or engaged two of the others in a civil war. He can't stand for his father's disapproval, or worse yet, his disappointment.

[storradr]

Ragnar trailed after Ivar slowly, smiling softly to himself as he watched his son with his daughter. It reminded him of himself and his children when they'd been younger. Putting a hand lightly on Ivar's shoulder, he reaches out to brush some of Winter's fine white hair out of her face, giving her a doting smile saved for children alone.

"After you took York?" His eyes light up, giving Ivar an excited smirk. But Ivar isn't smirking in return...

"What? It did not go well?" To be fair, Viking strategies weren't all that conducive to withstanding sieges or even occupying foreign cities. The strategy had always been simple - pick easy targets, go in hard and fast, take what you wanted, and get out.

For Athelstan

[ragnarsson]

For Athelstan

The second stop after the main house was to go find Athelstan. Ivar had a feeling he'd be in the art studio he'd created. While he'd ached for his family while he was away, he'd missed Athelstan in a different way than the others. Athelstan had become a confidant to the Viking, someone he could go to when things seemed terrible, or when he'd messed up. Ivar still wasn't sure how badly he'd messed up things with his brothers back home.

So in he went and saw the priest immediately. There was a satisfied smile on his face. "I'm back," he announced. He wasn't sure if the priest would hug him or not, so he stiffened up a little. Things might change with time, but at his core, Ivar was still as prickly and angry as ever.

[pietistic]

The moment that Ivar walks in the door Athelstan stops what he's doing, his face lighting up when the other announces himself.

"Ivar," he smiles and moves to greet him. It's probably clear from his body language that he'd really like to go for a hug but instead he sets his hands on his shoulders briefly and looks him over as if to make sure he is doing well and not somehow been grievously injured while he's been away.

"I'm so happy to see you well."

[ragnarsson]

Ivar has missed the priest quite a bit. He's come to see him as he does Floki: a trusted confidante and a member of his family. Especially now with all the months of Floki being gone from his life, he needs someone he can confide in about all the things he's done, especially like killing Sigurd.

Ivar looks quite happy to see Athelstan again and reaches his own hand up to rest it on the priest's shoulder for a moment. "It was a long way back here, but I'm glad I finally made it."

[pietistic]

and from Ivar it is a lot. He has missed him dearly and things had been stressful and unsettling as of late and having Ivar back made it feel that at least his family is complete and that is something he is very grateful for. There had been worry that perhaps something bad would happen to Ivar but he had also had faith otherwise.

"Do you want to talk about any of it?"

For Shigeru

[ragnarsson]

The problem with being away for two years is that Ivar inevitably began to see things with a distance that others in the Quarantine didn't have. What had happened with Dodger seemed a long time ago, and while Ivar would gleefully skin his sometimes-enemy again if he got the chance, the event itself was long in the past for him. Besides, he'd thought up much worse things to do to Dodger if he ever made it back to the city. There was long nights where he'd had nothing better to do.

What Ivar also failed to consider was how skinning the man alive might affect others. He knew that Shigeru was the one to patch up the mutant after each encounter, but he still didn't know the full depths of what the two meant to each other. If he had, he still wouldn't have hesitated in leaving his mark upon the mutant, but he might have felt even more satisfaction in the deed.

He'd been back a couple of days when he ran into Shigeru. It wasn't like he'd planned it or anything. The two just happened to be in the wrong area at the wrong time. If he'd known what was about to happen, Ivar still wouldn't have changed a single thing he'd done. He tended to be stubborn about this sort of thing.

[mysophobic]

Perhaps Dodger and his relationship has taken a hard hit, true, but Shigeru still had a lot of pent up anger over what had happened. It not only reminded him of his own torture at the hands of someone back home, but the fact that he was the one that had to fix Dodger, and he was barely alive when he found him was enough to still make his anger flare upon seeing Ivar again.

His gate being as bad as it was does not help matters. It's been awhile so his anger isn't as bad as it could be but he still bristles and clenches his fist when he runs into Ivar that day. Just seeing the other man is enough to make his temper flare. His eyes will flicker to that familiar black sclera and purple iris look, proof that he is not all that in control when it comes to his anger. A voice in the back on his mind eggs him on to attack the other man, but he's trying to not give into such urges. But it's hard and he knows letting his anger get the better of him isn't anyway to talk about this. But he just...can't help it.

"Ivar. We need to talk." Of course with his new voice and ability to speak his tone is easily discerned there's a strange mixture within it, as if two people are speaking and not just Shigeru. It's obvious that he's not happy if the smoke escaping from his lips every time he speaks is any indication of how he's not fully in control right now.

[ragnarsson]

Ivar blinks when Shigeru addresses him directly in his own voice. He's become used to the other using his phone's robotic text-to-speech function. "You can talk now?" Huh. What else has he missed while he's been gone?

Ivar's face looks pretty neutral, but behind his eyes, there's the wariness built up from a lifetime of surviving when he shouldn't have. Something is different with Shigeru and it's enough to set the hairs on the back of Ivar's neck going up. Some instinct reminiscent of those he has in his animal forms tells him this is wrong and unnatural. Human beings shouldn't look this way.

While he doesn't have any knives visible on him, he's always got one within easy reach, and he keeps his right hand ready. Just in case.

[mysophobic]

"It's nothing important." He'll just snap back, as if idle chatter is not what he wants to discuss at all and it isn't. Naturally if he were in a better place thought-wise he would gladly speak up about his ring and how excited he was to even have it. But he's not in the mood and his eyes narrowing will be rather indicative of this.

"I don't want to talk about my voice right now. I want to talk about the fact that I found Dodger half dead at his apartment with his arm skinned and Brink dismantled by the riverbank." He'll take a step towards Ivar now, his gate erupting behind him without his full control or will to do it. That black smoke still pours from his with each word spoken. Just remembering it is enough to make that anger boil to the surface again and the runes now marking Shigeru's skin will glow with a faint purple light.

iii ofc

[smokedout]

It's been two weeks of loneliness and self-torture, without even the comfort of picking fights with Ivar. He'd kept sort of hoping he'd run into that great dog again, but the dog seems to be missing as well. A fact that Dodger doesn't really connect; it's a big city, and maybe Hati just found other people to be around, or his parents are keeping better track of him. But Dodger has taken to carrying treats in his back pocket, on the off chance that he sees him again.

Dodger looks haggard when he finally spots him; he has a new undercut and spiffy clothes, and that really should make him look younger, but the bags under his eyes are worse than ever and the bandages on his wrists seem thicker and more worn. He has a split lip that hasn't healed yet, and another bad bruise on his brow that suggests he's gotten in yet another fight. His eyes light up when he spots the husky; though he's too tired to really grin, he gives him a warm smile all the same as he walks over and reaches to pick the dog up. It's a slow movement, so that if the dog rejects it he can just reach up and ruffle the fur around his ears instead.

"Hey, buddy... I missed you, where've you been?"

[ragnarsson]

Ivar's not sure how to react upon seeing Dodger. Their relationship has always been so complicated and two years away has done nothing dim his hatred or resolve any of his feelings towards the man. He notices the way he looks, but Dodger always seems to be in some state of having just gotten out of a fight. The human part of his mind doesn't know what to do, so there's a brief look of husky discontent as he flattens his ears back, looking at Dodger with something approaching disapproval.

But the doggie instincts recognize him as a nice human and just want to be told he's a good boy, so the look soon fades as he's picked up. Really, this is familiar territory for Ivar. Most of his early childhood was spent being carried around until he got both independent and strong enough to want to crawl around under his own power. His tail wags and his head rests by Dodger's ear, which he gives a snuffle to. He can smell all sorts of interesting things coming off Dodger, including the treats in his back pocket, which make him wriggle around and contort himself, trying to find some way to reach them.

[smokedout]

Dodger laughs quietly, rubbing his scarred hand over Ivar's back and scratching his fur affectionately. It's notable that instead of having the skinning fully healed, he actively chose to leave the skin choppy and warped, adhering just a little too well to the contours of his muscle.

"You can smell the treats, huh? Hold on, I'll let you have some."

He carries Ivar for a bit, shifting every so often to keep him from spilling out of his arms. And all the while he decides to talk to him because honestly, the best thing about dogs is that they don't judge you.

"Been a rough few weeks, wonder where you were... see, this asshole I usually hang around disappeared for a while, I haven't seen him back yet but he should come back soon. Unless he got himself killed. But if I haven't managed, that kid's gotta be fucking immortal, right?"

There's a strange sort of affection in his voice; it's not the sick obsession he reserves for Ragnar and Reaper, but instead a sort of gentle nostalgia. Ivar reminds him so much of his brother, it's hard to say he really wants him dead no matter what he told Shigeru about it.

"Fucked up another relationship... big surprise. Iunno why I can't manage to say I'm sorry when I fuck up." He sighs. "Wish I was a dog, you fuckers don't have to worry about asking before you hump someone's leg. No one punishes you for doing dumb shit just 'cause you feel like it... alright, this is a good spot, yeah?"

He sets Ivar down gently on a park bench, and slumps beside him before retrieving the treats from his pocket and offering a handful to him. They're bacon and peanut butter flavored with some oatmeal for texture, and shaped like little stars.

[ragnarsson]

Ivar looks at the scarred arm. Looks like Shigeru hadn't healed him up all the way this time. He's more amazed that he managed to remake the tattoos this time too. He tries to look around to the other side of Dodger's head to see if he regrew the ear yet as well.

He listens as Dodger talks. While the dog part of his mind just wants to be sympathetic, the human part is listening intently. He's surprised to hear himself mentioned with such affection. Guess Dodger likes him better than he thought, even after all he's put him through. Ivar wonders which relationship he fucked up this time. Maybe with Ragnar? Seems like he always clung to people around him before he screwed things up with them. That wouldn't surprise him in the least.

Ivar gnaws on the treats. His human mind would find the combination bizarre, but a dog's tongue finds them delectable. He swallows them down, licks up the crumbs, and being a dog, looks around for more. He wriggles close and lays his head in Dodger's lap, looking up him, whining softly like he understands why the man is so disheartened.

How come he can't be nice like this all the time? People might actually want to be friends with him if he wasn't an asshole who pushed everyone away. Of course, Ivar had a lot of experience with that himself, especially with the way things had gone with his brothers back home. It was hard to change once you were set in your ways.

ii - because I can

[tempredmental]

Never took you for a family guy.

[Keith leaned against a nearby tree, his arms crossed as he watched Ivar and the little girl. He knew her... Winter, Lola had said her name was.]

Welcome back, I guess.

[Keith had been grudgingly patient with Ivar and his eccentricities since the fight... especially after he found out that not only did he run the risk of getting stuck on a patrol with him for the Perimeter Guard, but the guy lived in the same house as Lola. It made things awkward sometimes when Keith went to pick her up for dates.

The Red Lion was with him today, her new riding harness from Cisco firmly in place and small satchel hanging from that, though it seemed to be stuck to her metal plating. She watched the tiny human chasing butterflies with what appeared to be some sincere interest... if robot lions could emote.]

[ragnarsson]

[Ivar is busy watching Winter with immense fondness after being away from her for such a long time. He turns to look at Keith with a guarded look on his face. It's been a long time since he's seen him, but that doesn't mean Ivar either easily forgets or forgives.]

Even someone like me can love their daughter.

[Ivar was well aware of his shortcomings and knew there was something inside him that was profoundly different than most people. He could have killed almost anyone in the blink of an eye without hesitation. But when it came to Winter, he was completely different. He doted on the girl entirely. He was determined to see she had a childhood much easier than the one he'd gone through.

Winter, for her part, gave a cry of delight when she saw the robotic lion. This was something new and entertaining. A new toy or friend, perhaps? She crawled towards her. Ivar, on the other hand, wasn't too keen on the lion, remembering how the big cat had threatened him the only time they'd met.]

Is that thing safe?

[tempredmental]

Red's only dangerous to her enemies or if I'm threatened, so yes... your daughter's fine. Red's safe.

[The Lion slowly and gently lowered her head to Winter's level so the child could touch her if she wanted.]

You were gone for a while. Did you go home or something?

[He'd noticed Ivar's absence in the house. He'd been able to spend time with Lola without feeling like he had to watch his back.]

i; out to lunch

[like_quicksilver]

Gyda's tutor had them take lessons in the library. With all that had been going on at home, she thought it best they keep out the house for when she had to focus. Math was turning to be her best subject, but she was still needing work on spelling.

She was allowed forty-five minutes for lunch and a break, and since food wasn't allowed in the library, she was off to fend for herself. There was no set destination in mind, just something fast and hot.

That was until she saw him headed towards a Pizzaria. "Ivar!"

[ragnarsson]

Ivar turned around when he heard his name being called. "Gyda!" He broke out into one of his rare, genuine smiles. After driving pretty much the rest of his siblings away, it was nice to see the one that still wanted to be around him. He wheeled his chair over to her and threw his arms around her in a bear hug.

"I've missed you so much," he said, and for once, Ivar spoke the honest truth.

[like_quicksilver]

She rushed over, glad to see him again, and returned the extra tight hug. Of course, he said he would be back, but who knew what the fates had in store for them: someone might intend one thing, but the gods would have something else in store for them.

"I've missed you too." She studied him when she pulled away. He'd been gone awhile, she could see that. His hair was different, but more then that, there was something else that was different, only she couldn't put her finger on it. "How long have you been back? What happened over there?"

II

[billyrocks]

The park was one of Jina's most favorite places to be walked, mostly because of all the people who wanted to pet her; she was a social dog. But she especially loved children, which was why she started tugging against her leash eagerly in the direction of the little girl.

"Easy, Jina." warned Billy. The two-year-old Great Dane had been slightly easier to control after her obedience training, and Billy could tell she was anything but an aggressive dog, but he was still concerned that her large size might frighten the baby. Thankfully, Jina ceased her tugging and returned to matching Billy's pace. Only then did Billy notice who was watching the child. After seeing a glimpse of how well Ivar could handle an axe, the words "Ivar" and "children" just didn't mix, but the baby didn't seem to mind and that was good enough for Billy. (To be fair, most people probably wouldn't associate him with children, either.)

"Ivar, hey." he greets with a tip of his hat once he's within earshot, still keeping a firm grip on Jina's leash. Though he hadn't commented, he'd seen the broadcast Ivar made before he left, which is why he refrains from asking. There was also the matter of war, and Billy had seen for himself what war did to people, so he wasn't going to be the one to bring it up either.

[ragnarsson]

Ivar raises a hand in greeting after he glances up to see whose talking to him. He's still keeping one eye on Winter. The grass around her has begun to wither a bit as she's stayed in one place for a couple of minutes. Really, he's got to get her back on track with controlling her powers.

"Woof woof!" Winter says, excitedly pointing in the direction of the dog. Ivar shows some reluctance in letting her approach, but that's more because he doesn't want Winter to use her powers on the animal. Ivar's rather fond of all animals. He shows much more regard for them than he ever does for human beings.

Ivar picks Winter up and sits her down on his knees so she'll look up at him. "Be nice to the dog. Nice," He repeats for emphasis, hoping she doesn't try to drain the dog of life energy. He would prefer his daughter not to go around killing people's pets, even accidentally. Then he wheels over to them so Winter can get a closer look. She holds one hand out, patting the dog perhaps a little rougher than necessary on the head.

[billyrocks]

The withered grass doesn't escape Billy's eye, but he files that away for later. Jina barks twice in reply to the baby's babbling, tail wagging faster and tongue hanging out of her mouth.

"Remember, no licking." Billy warns her. He'd rather Jina not slobber over the baby's nice clothes.

When Winter's close enough, though, Jina merely sniffs at her curiously, committing her scent to memory like she did with everyone else. She doesn't even seem to mind the rough petting. Perhaps because one of her favorite games was to jump against Billy and he would playfully push her down each time, so Jina could take some roughhousing.

This is also Billy's first time seeing Ivar in his wheelchair (he hadn't really gotten a good view during their last video conversation). So that's what the "Boneless" in his name was for. Instead of asking about that, though, Billy softly jerks his head in Winter's direction and says, "Cute kid. Are you watching her for someone?"