Harmonize I N S A N I T Y [Loki]

[Loranae Swann]

The night was always the most enjoyable time for her, even if there lurked dark memories that prowled within the depths of her shattered mind. Half-lidded eyes stared distantly at no direct point of sigh, spread out across the damp grass quite comfortably. Hyrule Field was so dark and empty during the night, except for those few monsters that lurked about. Most tended to stay away from her, and so the Minish was content to simply spend her night like this. Silver blond hair fanned out beneath her, tendrils tangling and weaving into the dark green of the dress. Oh, how Lora almost wished she could simply detach herself from the reality surrounding her. Humming to herself quietly, everything around her became a blurred edge, melting as she became lulled into her own dreamscape. It was a habit she had acquired over the years, becoming more and more out of sync with what was going on around her. Petal pink lips mouthing lyrics only she could hear, and harmonizing with the melody that sounded within her mind.

"Utilize surrendering, when silence falls, to you it sings. Sterilize your mentality, compromise your reality," she sang softly, voicing the wordless lyrics. Her chest rose and fell slowly, keeping herself lulled into a state of semi-consciousness at this point. Being by herself was a balm for her, and she could almost fall asleep like this. Too bad Lora hardly ever did anymore, and she had an inkling it was catching up to her. Vulnerability was not a trait she enjoyed presenting herself with, and so she had chosen to venture far from any towns. Too far from Kakariko, and far enough from Castle Town for any wayward wanderers. So she hoped, but one presence flickered through her hazed mind. At times, it was a wonder how he managed to find her, but he was one that knew her better than most. Her heart seized with a intense anger and loathing, revolted by the very thought of him.

"Restful mind and peaceful eyes. When sound is gone, then you will find it's all the same for the dreamers..." she trailed off. One hand rested by her head, while the other rested upon her stomach, fingers twisted into the black fabric of her summer dress. Amber eyes flickered briefly with awareness, her head turning to the side as footsteps registered through her mind. Keen hearing warned her to a presence, her lips parting as words faded before they were uttered. Always following her like her shadow, drowning her in a sea of emotions that she tried so hard to keep down. At times she wondered why he had become her antithesis in a way, but it was a question only he could answer, but never would.

[Loki Sanguine]

He hated this girl, this... woman. He hated her almost as much as he wanted her.

It had started with a simple rejection. He had wanted to buy her a drink, maybe have a little fun messing with her head, most certainly bring her back to a shabby, run-down inn room. He was eloquent, charming, and full of small smiles and easy laughter.

But she turned him down.

There wasn't anything coy about her rejection. She wasn't teasing or playing hard-to-get. Just one easy little word -- no -- and she left, leaving the reaper in a state not unlike a wreckage after a bomb strike.

So he followed her. He wanted to know this woman's deal. He bothered and pestered and stalked and charmed, but she never changed her mind, not even for a moment. He knew exactly what she was going to say before she even said it. The reaper probably knew her better than even her mother or best friend. He always knew what was coming, but he was always dumbstruck when it hit.

To Loki, manipulation of the mortal mind was simple math. You take step a to get to step b, then follow line c to get to point d. He knew all the signs, what to do and where to apply it in which situation. So, in a way, approaching Loranae was not unlike taking a pop quiz; he knew that he knew the correct responses, but his mind blanked and he found himself winging his answers. She was always one step ahead, and he hated it almost as much as it delighted him. She was his ideal prey, one that he would truly have to work to capture.

And goddesses, would she pay for the run-around she'd given him.

But until that day, he'd be her living shadow. Of course, he couldn't always be at her side, but somehow he just knew where she was located and what she'd be doing. So when he casually strolled up to the singing girl in the darkness, there was no feigned surprise, no charming greetings or teasing smiles. Loki just looked at her, hands in his jacket pockets, and sat.

"Lora," was his 'hello' of choice. He saw no need for the act anymore, really. Ironic as it was, the only person he ever truly had to work to obtain was the only person he had ever dropped his emotional facade in front of for more than a moment.

There was no need for further conversation, so he simply sat there, watching her.

[Loranae Swann]

The poor thing continued to follow her, even after her continued rejection of his advances. Lora had grown used to his presence over the years, and even found amusement in the fact that her rejection continued to surprise him. The sight of him had her both disgusted and wanting, but she certainly knew better than to fall into petty charms and lying promises. He was a liar, a manipulator, and relished leaving his toys a broken mess when he finished. Already Lora had been someone's toy, and so she would certainly not become this monster's. He provided her both amusement and loathing, so she supposed it was a fair trade. Her rejection gave him reason to keep coming back, and her wish to always manipulate him along was granted. Foxes so loved to toy with prey, and he was not an exception to that. Even if she was his prey to hunt, then he was her own to do with as pleased. A twisted game they shared, and she wondered when it would end. Perhaps never, because Lora certainly would not give into Loki at any point in the foreseeable future.

Amber eyes flickered upward, assessing the male with a blank gaze. Her mind was still quite hazed from her own thoughts, but she was never too far from reality. Any vulnerability he could gain on her would lead to her fall, and she could certainly not have that! It almost amused her how there were no more charming smiles, sweet nothings uttered, and no offers of sinful delights. He was a black abyss, and Lora could see past the feigned emotions his eyes had used to hold when coming across her. All she saw was an unending abyss that could never filled, and she almost pitied him. Just almost. She still loathed his very being, continuing to break and bend her to his wishes, and he reminded her of what had ruined her. Stolen away what she could never obtain, and a part of her soul had torn itself that night. He would not leave, and so she would endure his presence until he left, or she left him with another rejection for him to puzzle and simmer over.

"And so he reveals himself. I was beginning to wonder when you would," she replied idly, sparing him a cool gaze before returning to glance at the night sky. His eyes were certainly never leaving her form, and Lora had no more words to spare. He simply sat there in silence as soon as he had greeted her, and so she slipped back into her usual haze of thoughts and silence. Amber eyes closed for the moment, and the hand rest by her head moved to rest by her side instead. Slim fingers tore at the emerald grass, breaking the monotony of the situation for her. Small claws slicing the fragile plants in half, wondering what Loki would attempt to do different this time. Perhaps just sit there and stare until he left, or she would goad him when she felt the desire arise. A smirk twisted upon her lips at the thought, canines glinting dully. Such a delicious game it was.

[Loki Sanguine]

Loki has spent so many years cheating and lying and feigning emotions that his responses were nigh automatic by now. So, when she spoke to him, he couldn't help the smirk that rose on his lips or the sarcastic, bitter words that came tumbling out of his mouth.

"Ah, so you were thinking about me? I feel so honored~"

But as soon as the snide remark was out, his expression fell and his lips sealed again. What was the point? Charm and deception wasn't going to work with her, obviously, and his natural state seemed to frighten most people. Although, admittedly, she didn't run away as soon as he approached, which surely meant he was moving up, if only by a fraction.

It was a long and brutal game they played, but Loki knew he would come out on top.

Since charm and deception wouldn't work with her, he'd just lay out all his cards. He wouldn't resort to a deal just yet, though; striking up a deal smelled awfully like losing to the reaper, and he hated losing.

So there he sat, his elbows on his knees and his chin in his palms, staring at the fox minish, faint desire gleaming in his cold crimson eyes.

"So, Lora~" he finally said, staring, staring at her. "You should know by now that I'm not going to give up. I'm never going to give up. And for all you know, I'll be standing there by your deathbed when you're wrinkled and old, just waiting for you to give in." He didn't know if that was true or not. Sure, he'd always looked like this, even before he was banished to Hyrule; he'd spent the last nineteen years looking the same, never gaining a wrinkle or losing a hair. For all he knew, he'd spend the next fifty years looking like this as well. The only way to know was to exist for the next fifty years. No big deal.

His voice was hard, cold, no feigned emotions tempering his brutality. "It's evident that you know that I like to play with people. Hell, I enjoy playing with the world. And yes, I sometimes leave my toys broken. Internal, external, it hardly matters. A break is a break, and once people realize what's happened, they get the idea that they can never be fixed."

They were odd, the words tumbling out of his mouth. He hadn't planned any of that last bit. It was Loranae, he supposed. A pop quiz, indeed. Still, he could use the ramble to his advantage. He did have an inkling of what had happened to her; he spent every moment he could spare researching her life, after all. But some things weren't documented, and he could only guess at the empty spaces in her paper life.

Loki's eyes never left her. Nothing would distract him, and she had to know that.

"You can't break what's already been broken, Lora."

[Loranae Swann]

Loranae had to wonder about why he continued this game between the two of them, or why she facilitated it. She could simply give in, and he would take what he wished. Perhaps that was why she did not give in, because she knew that even his victory over her would never satiate the abyss within his eyes. The constant desire to try and assuage a burning blackness that would never abate, and she felt sorry for him in a way. There was an emptiness within her that had grown bigger and bigger over the years, and she almost wished for it to swallow her whole. Lora still would not fall to him, because then it would be admitting defeat to herself. His words were bitter, and she glanced back at him with too-knowing eyes. "I wonder, is that bitterness is as fake as your charm?" she asked idly. At least he had learned that silken words whispered from pretty lips would do nothing to sway her. He was as empty as the abyss inside of him. Again, she felt pity for him, but Lora did not show it. She wondered if that would anger him? Perhaps. His blankness soon came back, and she regarded him coolly, knowing that neither of them would be going anywhere for awhile now.

What did unnerve her was the lingering desire in his eyes, and deep within the shadows of her shattered soul a tendril of fear stirred. It was gone in the next instant, and Lora hardly registered the too familiar emotion from long ago. His desire was nothing new, but she could never grow used to it. Her amber eyes did not sway from his crimson ones, knowing that he would continue to stare at her either way. His words held truth, because she knew he would never leave her alone until he got what he wanted from her. Lora was surprised he had not taken what he wanted, but then it would not be much of a game, would it? He wanted her ascent to do as he wished with her. "And I shall never give you what you desire. Even in death I shall go knowing I have withheld what you wish for," she answered, a sweet smile curling upon her pink lips. It did not reach her eyes, and a part of her hoped it would infuriate him. He was so easy to leave floundering at times, even when he knew by now she would not sway into his desires. Even if there were plenty of others for him to prey upon, she knew that she was the one he still had yet to overcome.

Her ears twitched at his cold words, curiosity flickering through her eyes at this new approach. Of course she knew that he liked to toy with others, because life was akin to a chess game to him. Manipulating the pieces into whatever position he wished, and he was the puppeteer to each one. Someone had already done that to her once, and Lora knew that she was broken. It was not something she had ever denied to herself, because she knew what had damaged her so long ago. Lora had moved on in some ways, but his words were probing at scars that she had thought healed long ago. She slowly sat up, a brief vulnerability filling her. Did he know? It would not surprise her, but having Loki know her past was not what she wanted. For a moment, the distant echo of screaming and pleading hazed through her mind, but she quickly staunched it. She loathed him with every fiber of his being in this moment. His words were biting in a way, and she closed her eyes for a moment. What did he want with her?

"And you cannot fill an emptiness that will never abate," she replied. She was broken, and he was empty. There was a difference, though. Lora could fix herself in time, but Loki could never fill the abyss inside of him.