Have you had enough? (Closed)

[ragnarsson]

who: Ivar and Dodger, later on Eddie
what: Brawling in the street
when: 5/19
where: A seedy street in the city
warnings: Language, violence, bones breaking, stabbings, and graphic impalement of an eye.



If there was one thing Ivar never did, it was let go of grudges. The last time they had met, Dodger had insulted him in just about every way possible, and then beaten him soundly in a fight. Ivar had killed men for far less than what Dodger had done to him. He'd spent the past month waiting patiently for an opportunity to present itself, working on the techniques he'd learned from others in Riverview in the meantime. Ragnar had always said to beware the fury of a patient man. Dodger was going to learn the truth of what his father had said.

Finally, he was ready as he would ever be. He knew Dodger had powers. He also didn't care. Powers or no, Ivar still had his mind. He had a plan in mind, taking what he had already seen of how Dodger operated, and how he could take the other men down. He waited until Dodger had gone down a side street, alone as he would ever be. The one thing about being in a wheelchair is that Ivar didn't have the advantage of stealth. So he simply pulled out a knife and threw it at Dodger's shoulder to announce his presence. "Guess what? It's later. I'm going to make you bleed."

Comments

[smokedout]

Sneaking up on Dodger is hard; he is vigilant and paranoid, particularly now that he's back in the swing of breaking the law. But with the fireflies and casing the city for Reaper, he'd managed to completely forget about Ivar - right up until that knife slices across his shoulder, close enough that it might have embedded itself if it was slightly to the left.

He turns on his heel, a lazy grin spreading over his face as he sees the kid approaching on his wheelchair. "Finally got that ax outta the floor, huh, speed racer?" It seems the nickname's stuck. And now that he knows the kid's there he's happy to let him back the first move - he's confident he can teleport away from anything that's thrown at him anyway.

[ragnarsson]

Ivar let his fury grow upon seeing the irreverent smirk that had made its way across Dodger's face. He didn't think he was a threat. He'd soon come to realize his fatal mistake. He took out another knife. He'd stocked up this time for just this occasion. "My name is Ivar The Boneless. You'd better remember it because it's the last one you're ever going to hear in this life."

He wheeled himself forward and made a deliberately slow jab at Dodger. He wanted to get the man teleporting. He couldn't believe anyone would have such a power without falling into some sort of pattern. Once he figured it out, Dodger was going to be screwed.

[smokedout]

This time he isn't surprised by the kid being stocked up to the ears - if his whole goal for the day is killing Dodger, it checks out. And honestly, despite knowing what the kid's capable, he still finds it adorable that he thinks he can do what so many people have tried and failed to do.

With an audible POP he disappears into a flash of sparks and reappears behind Ivar, leaving a trail of sparks in the direction of his teleportation. He leans over the kid with a condescending chuckle, "Plenty of people have tried to kill me - what makes you think you're special, Ivar the Spineless?"

[ragnarsson]

He's expecting Dodger to pull just such a move. He'd gotten the measure of the man the last time they fought, his mind reading him the way he read other people. He's arrogant and full of himself, convinced he can get the better of anyone he faces. With those powers, maybe that's usually true. But Ivar plans to play into that.

He turns and swipes at Dodger, hoping for a hit, but expecting he'll dodge this one too. It won't be too long now. His arrogance and need to taunt won't allow him to just passively avoid his blows forever. He'll strike back. And then-- then Ivar is going to make him wish he'd never been born.

[smokedout]

Having to spin the chair around gives him plenty of time to dodge the attack, and he just teleports a foot back to be out of range. Sure, he's confident he could destroy the kid if he started to take this fight seriously, but for now he's still just toying with him. And making his own calculations on the kid - he can already tell that vengeful temper will be a weakness.

"Where's your ax at, kiddo?" He jeers, shoving his hands casually in his pockets, "This time I might shove it through your thick skull."

[ragnarsson]

Ivar pulls out another knife, throwing it once again. Sure, just think he's a dumb kid who never learns from his mistakes. He's going to prove just how wrong that line of thinking is. "I wouldn't waste my best weapon on scum such as you. You're not worth more than a few knives."

If their first fight is any indication, Dodger will eventually try to tip him out of his wheelchair. In fact, Ivar is counting on it. The other man has no way of knowing that Ivar is far more comfortable fighting on the ground than in his chair. It's what he's been doing his entire life. Soon, there will be blood.

[smokedout]

Were he Ivar's age, he'd probably try to catch the knife - he's tried several times in the past, and it's a miracle he has all his fingers because of that. But he's matured since then - at least enough to just dodge out of the way while laughing at the kid.

As predicted, the attack comes - Dodger teleports behind Ivar again, this time grabbing the wheelchair and lifting it up to spill Ivar down onto the ground - a three foot tumble, while Dodger tosses the chair aside to slam into the wall beside them. "You're out of your league, sweetheart. Now how about you give me an apology before I get really pissed off?"

[ragnarsson]

That fall to the ground hurts, Ivar won't lie. He's broken bones in his legs from even short distances like that, the bones too brittle to withstand such a jolt. This time, the pain is worth it, for it puts him exactly where he wants to be.

Ivar lies there for a moment, eyes to the ground so Dodger can't tell what he's about to do. He's gotten too close to the teen, cocky to the point of getting within striking distance. "I'm sorry..." Then the Viking warrior looks up and there's a vicious feral look on his face. "... This is going to hurt a lot." Without warning, he slams the knife into Dodger's leg with as much strength as he can muster. And Ivar, unlike most sixteen year olds, is a lot stronger than he initially looks.

[smokedout]

Alright, he'll admit it - he'd gotten cocky. He realizes this the moment the knife sinks into his leg, and he slams onto the ground hard enough that he's pretty sure he'll end up with bruises on his back.

With a noise not unlike a bark, he aims a kick at Ivar's head with his good leg, trying to shove him off and teleport away so he can try and get his advantage back. If there's one thing he knows, it's that a man without legs with as much bloodlust as Ivar will have a much better time fighting if they're both stuck on the ground. He does not want to be stuck near him while he's getting his bearings.

[ragnarsson]

Ivar seizes the moment, not waiting to give Dodger a single second to get back his already considerable advantage. He grabs a hold of the mutant and holds on tight, preventing him from being able to teleport away. He stabs out randomly, trying to score a few hits even with Dodger struggling beneath him. He's heavier than Ivar, but the teen is in a better position to stab away.

"Ek vili enda þik!" He roars out in Old Norse, the words ringing in the air like a battle cry. I will end you. Ivar fully intends to see Dodger dead by his hands. It's every frustration, every humiliation, every person who has ever laughed at him, called him useless, or seen him as nothing all rolled into one.

[smokedout]

He manages to teleport a few feet, which will give Ivar the sensation of everything around him exploding into sparks, leaving him in an empty void for just a second before reality reasserts itself. And when it does Dodger realizes the kid's still holding onto him, and worse - he's climbing up on him.

One of the stabs makes it to Dodger's side, another to his stomach, all while he struggles to try and get free of his grasp. The knife slices along the bandages on Dodger's wrist, adding a layer of panic as if it fucking matters right now if his wrists are bare. He's spitting profanities as he aims a punch to Ivar's face, a kick to his ribs, anything that will get him off.

[ragnarsson]

Ivar feels the bottom of his stomach drop out when they teleport. Now there's something he doesn't feel every day. Before he can make another stab wound, there's a sickening Crack! as one of the kicks directed his way definitely breaks a rib or two. Ivar's grip loosens for a moment in pain, but he's always been a stubborn sort. He's not giving up now.

He manages to get the hand still holding the knife free from Dodger's evermore desperate measures. The knife gets raised up high and then gets plunged down into Dodger's right eye. It won't kill him and Ivar knows this. But it's sure going to hurt like hell.

[smokedout]

Dodger lets out a shriek as the blade dives into his flesh - the eye was useless, had been sightless for at least a year, but that didn't stop the nerves from exploding in pain as he finally manages to shove the boy off of him.

Something snaps in his head; the same thing that snapped when he got the scars on his face. He's seeing red, and he forces himself to his feet as he grasps the handle of the knife and yanks it from his eye. Blood gushes from the wound, and he forces his eyelids shut to try and stop it as best he can. He'll feel the pain later; once he's made sure this kid learns the meaning of pain.

There had been anger in his expression before, but now there's almost nothing. His face is blank, but focused and intense, as he drags himself on top of Ivar and grabs him by the neck. Holds him still so he can sink the knife into the boy's stomach and chest in quick, almost matter-of-fact motions.

In the hospital - For Eddie

[ragnarsson]

Ivar woke up slowly and painfully, the stab wounds in his chest and throat only newly healed. His ribs had been loosely bound. They would need to heal on their own. He sat up cautiously, making sure not to jar himself too much, and cause more pain. Wherever he was, the lights were too bright and there was an odd, antiseptic smell. Ivar felt like shit, but mainly, he was just mad Dodger had gotten the better of him in the fight.

He squinted at the figure sitting in a nearby chair. He was still a little out of it due to pain meds, so he wasn't sure who was there or where he actually was. "Is this Valhalla?"

[causational]

Eddie couldn't help it - he'd stayed in the hospital, waiting for Ivar to wake up. Of course, it's partly because he wants to be around to maybe get a statement in the aftermath of the fight he stopped. But more than that, it's because he knows the kid and because he hates being in the hospital, himself, especially being there alone. No one deserves to wake up alone and hurt in an unfamiliar place.

So when Ivar stirs, his eyelashes fluttering a little, sitting up with obvious effort, Eddie sits up in the chair.

"Hey, hey, relax. Lie down. You're safe now." he says, his voice a little rough because he's tired. He's been tired for a while now, and he's still got Ivar's blood, and Dodger's blood, all over him.

"This isn't Valhalla. You're still alive, just in the hospital. And you need to rest."

[ragnarsson]

Ivar recognizes Eddie straightaway, blinking blearily as he listens. There's a dim, barely there memory of someone talking to him while he was bleeding out. He supposes that must have been Eddie. He feels awful tired, but not in a way that makes him want to go back to sleep. He's in too much pain for that.

Despite Eddie's words, he doesn't lie back down, instead fixing him with a bright blue stare. "What happened to the other guy?"

He has to know what happened to Dodger. Already in his mind, he's plotting how to get back at the sadistic mutant. Next time, he's going to take more than just his eye out. But none of that shows on his face. For all intents and purposes, Ivar is just an innocent kid that got caught up in something over his head.

[causational]

The way Ivar keeps sitting up is a little unnerving, because Eddie knows he must be in an incredible amount of pain - he remembers being shot, more than once, in the chest, in the arm, bleeding out on the floor, and he knows how much it hurts to wake up in the hospital afterward.

Painkillers or not, it hurts, and he's a little weirded out by how clear-headed Ivar seems to be (he vaguely remembers something barely coherent about ice cream when he'd first woken up).

But it's good. It's definitely good that he's not dead. Not hurt worse.

"He made it, and I didn't get to take him in, so he's at large."

Eddie's expression is a little dark, his mouth pursed, brows furrowed, "I was hoping you could help me by giving me a statement in a bit, when you're feeling better. Do you need water or something?"

[ragnarsson]

Ivar's a tough little son of a bitch as most Vikings tend to be. But there's a strength to him, fortitude that even others among his people don't have. He's had to fight his entire life, making him tough with sheer rage and spite. He hadn't even cried out when Dodger was stabbing him to death, only spitting defiantly in his face.

There's a steely sort of anger in his eyes when Eddie tells him what happened to Dodger. "What a pity." At least he was now sans an eye, so Ivar didn't feel entirely like the fight had been a waste. Next time, he'd be prepared better. He told himself Dodger was going to be the one bleeding out. But not before Ivar showed him all the bits and pieces of himself he was going to chop off.

He runs a tongue over the inside of his mouth. It feels dry as a bone. Now that Eddie's mentioned it, he's parched. "Water would be nice." He's clearly not going to be resting easy anytime soon, not now that he's awake again. He's got plotting and planning to do. Most of all, he's got to convince this cop that the fight wasn't his fault. Avoiding punishment above all else is currently his priority.

[causational]

Eddie had no doubt about how tough Ivar is, honestly. Knowing he's a Viking and also that he hasn't been able to walk since birth, Eddie is definitely smart enough to put two and two together and realize exactly where that preternatural fortitude and certainty and calmness comes from. It's also not hard to understand where that anger comes from when Eddie admits that he hadn't been able to take Dodger in.

"He teleported off." Eddie says, and if it comes out a bit defensive, it's probably because the idea of that anger being directed at him was a little scary. For a moment, he reconsiders his earlier appraisal of how unbalanced the fight between Dodger and Ivar was.

But it doesn't stop him from grabbing some water when Ivar asks for it. Leaning over, he scoops up the pitcher and pours some into a cup with a straw, hands the cup over to Ivar and hovers for a moment, to make sure he can drink it okay.

"Want me to tilt your bed up so you can sit without having to hold yourself up? I remember being shot, and sitting up was the last thing I wanted to do."

[ragnarsson]

Ivar's eyes are filled with blue fire when he hears what happened to Dodger. "Of course. He's a coward. Probably went off to lick his wounds like the dog he is." He's as furious as someone as hurt as he currently is can be. Every injury throbs with pain, reminding him of his failure to kill his enemy.

"I'm fine like this." The words come out forceful but exhausted as he snatches the water away from Eddie's hands.

Ivar gets very tired of fighting against people all the time, afraid to let his guard down around even those who have the best of intentions in mind for him. But he's too used to the other shoe dropping eventually and being hurt again. No one was ever kind to him just because they wanted to be. There was always an ulterior motive to why.

[causational]

Ivar is angry, that much is obvious, but at least this time it's very clearly directed at Dodger and not himself. Something about that anger makes him very glad that he's not the one it's directed at, doesn't envy Dodger for when Ivar catches up with him again.

"Probably, but not before threatening me just for trying to keep him from dying." Eddie says, shrugging, "Trying to keep him alive long enough to be locked up, but still."

After Ivar snatches the water away from him and starts to drink it, Eddie leans back in his chair, watches the boy as he sips at it. It's obvious he's had a hard life, that this isn't easy on him, that he doesn't trust Eddie, but he's so obviously in pain, struggling, that Eddie can't help himself.

Without a word, he picks up the bed remote, pushes the button to bring up the top half of the bed until it's there, just an inch behind Ivar's back, so if he crumples back against it, he'll still be sitting up, not lying on his back, vulnerable.

[ragnarsson]

A Viking's fury was never a pretty thing to be in the way of. Ivar was going to plan carefully, learn from his mistakes, and then strike again. He didn't suffer his enemies to live for very long. Well, at least he'd proven something to Dodger. He was no weakling that would be defeated easily. He was a warrior.

"I wonder if that man has any redeeming qualities whatsoever?" Ivar muses. As far as he can see, Dodger is about 100% pure asshole, made up of snark, arrogance, insults, and a lot of alcohol. Even Ivar can get along with some people. He just chooses not to.

Ivar's just going to pretend he doesn't notice what Eddie's doing fiddling around with that bed remote. After all, he's still got his prickly sort of pride. "I suppose I should thank you for saving my life. Not many people would." Whether that says more about Ivar's cynical view towards people or his own low self-worth is up for debate.

[causational]

"Doubtful."

Eddie says it with a rueful smile, his head tilted a bit as Ivar muses about Dodger. As far as Eddie's concerned, Dodger doesn't seem very redeemable, and he's really looking forward to the day he can slap handcuffs and a power suppressor on him and throw him in jail. Once he's done with the remote, he drops it, and ignores it just as thoroughly as Ivar is, following the teenager's lead with that one. After all, he knows Ivar has his pride and it's very true that a Viking's wrath is terrifying - the last thing Eddie wants is that turned on him because he's too coddling.

When Ivar thanks him for saving his life, he smiles a bit, shrugs. He recognizes the cynicism and the lack of self-worth; Eddie might not have a lot of the former, though he is pragmatic, but he definitely has the latter trait.

"You're welcome, though I think you survived mostly based on sheer willpower, honestly. I don't know if I would've made it in your shoes."

[ragnarsson]

Maybe Ivar will let Eddie take whatever is left of Dodger to jail after he's done getting his hands on him next time. Maybe. He's generous, he can save him a piece.

"Vikings don't die easily." Ivar's family especially. His father had lasted for days through torture before finally succumbing to poisonous serpents. His brother Sigurd would take an axe to the chest and continue moving for about two minutes afterwards when Ivar eventually killed him. Besides, Ivar ran on sheer spite and anger. It made for a stubborn will that was tough to kill.

"This will teach me to go down deserted streets by myself. It gave him the perfect opportunity to come after me." Yes, Ivar was going to be spinning this as a case of Dodger starting things. It wasn't like anyone was going to disbelieve Ivar. Sure, he had a terrible temper and a lot of knives, but he'd also come out a lot worse, and therefore much more sympathetic-looking than the teleporting mutant.

[causational]

Honestly, with the way Eddie's feeling right now, he spends a few seconds thinking he might not mind so much if he showed up a bit late to save Dodger so he could put him away. The thought passes quickly, though, because honestly, Eddie isn't really the type who wishes pain on anyone, with the notable exception of his descendant Eobard.

When Ivar says Vikings don't die easily, Eddie can't help the little smile that curls one corner of his mouth up, and when Ivar carries on, says that he shouldn't go down deserted streets by himself, Eddie's brow raises. Quietly, he waits a moment, considering his angles, and then speaks with just the slightest edge of caution.

"Really? He came after you like that? Sounds like a coward." A pause, and then he carries on, "What is it with you two, anyway?"