The Raven

Games - Chapter Eight

When Edith had ended her song, she gazed up at the devilish God before her.
"Wha'd'ya think?" She asked, pulling the guitar and it's black, snake skin patterned strap off. She sat the guitar beside her.
"Well...Barton was correct," replied Loki.
Edith snorted. Loki's heart still pounded like a drum within his chest, but he swallowed it down. He would never obey such a betraying feeling. Romance was a talltale told to children by their wishing mothers; Or, at least, that's what he chose to believe. Surely, it was just the effect of the song. She was simply a good performer.
"Alrighty then," The roguish necromancer checked the time once again.
"Since you're gonna be bored without me being here, wanna play a game?" She leaned forward, a devious grin upon her pale face. Even Loki was almost alarmed by her grin.
...Should I say yes...?  thought the towering god.
"Just for the record, even if you say no, we're gonna play," Edith said, cheeky grin on display.
A deck of black cards appeared in her hand as she stood.
Loki looked a bit concerned...for his own safety. Not that he could be endangered by a card game, he was a god, after all...But something about her expression made him feel uneasy. Edith plopped down at the small table, as Loki moved his back to the table.
"I thought you were a fabled necromancer? How are you able to summon objects?"
"Summoning spells, jackass," Edith shuffled and placed the cards on the table. - Six stacks of cards sat in two rows on the table, each stack containing three cards. One row faced Loki, one faced Edith.
"Right...You ever played Fortuna Sive Dolo?" Edith grinned once again. Loki raised a brow.
"...Fortune Or Deceit..? I've never even heard of it..." He replied.
"I'll explain it to you, then. Fortuna Sive Dolo, or in English, Fortune or Deceit, is a game based on...well, what's in the title. You pick a card from a single pile, going down your row every turn. Whatever the card says, you either have to answer, or you receive punishment."
"Define 'punishment'."
Edith laughed, "Confessing a sin, and if you lie, it shocks the hell out of you. So, moral of the game is basically luck; You either get something easy to answer, or you confess a certain sin. Us necro kids used to gather around in groups and play this...It's pretty much just a weird way to get to know someone. Of course, necros prefer a challenge," She explained.
She slid her tongue over her lips to wet them.
"I suppose I'll play, then..." said Loki.
Not like you actually have a choice, but okay. Edith thought.
"Wanna go first?"
Loki sighed at this.
"Fine,"
He pulled a card from the first deck to the left, then watched as white words in script appeared slowly on the card. Of course, this had no 'ooh and aah' effect on him. They had several books like these on Asgard.
He read his result aloud as it appeared,
"'Name someone you love'." Loki grumbled, then answered,
"No one. Love is a lie parents tell their children- Gah!" The card shocked him, to which he dropped it in surprise. One, single, bold word appeared on the card. CONFESS.
Edith sniggered.
"Pick the card back up and confess, jerkface," She told him. He hesitantly did so.
"I thought you said these were simple things..."
"No,I said 'easy things to answer'. Naming someone you love is easy," Loki grumbled at her response, then sighed and picked up the card.
"This is idiotic,"
"Confess or face the consequences, reject."
"Uck, fine...My confession...When Thor and I were young, I broke Mother's favorite vase, and blamed it on Thor. Does that suffice?"
The card then turned blank, confirming that what he said was indeed true. How...boring.
"What-...Does that mean I've passed?"
"Yep. Put it below that pile."
He did so, then gazed up at her.
"That means it's your turn." He announced, smirking.
"You act like I'm stupid. I can tell the truth...Actually, I just don't give a fuck about what I say half the time. I'm the exact opposite of 'think before you speak'." Edith replied.
This was something Loki could certainly admire, though he chose never to show this.
Edith picked up a card without a care in the world, and read out her request, "'What is your worst fear?'" At this, Edith grumbled. "Fuck...That would be falling in love." She replied.
The card went blank, and Loki was yet again surprised. He couldn't understand why she would be scared of falling in love. He wasn't scared of it, he just didn't want to be hurt yet again. Even though he'd assumed it was a sensitive subject for her, he asked,
"Why are you frightened of such a thing...?"
Edith sighed, and remained quiet for a brief moment.
"Well...When I was a kid, my Mother used to tell me how much she loved my Father. She would always tell me the story of how they met when I asked. As much as I believe their love is stronger than anything....I used to catch them fighting, because Mother was worried about him. They didn't know I was watching, of course, but it made me go crazy. Crazy as in I started catching birds, and snapping their necks. Yeah, I was a screwed up kid. My normal standards, anyhow...Anyways, after one night when I caught them arguing again, I realized that she was doing it because she loved him. I mean, he'd come home some days covered in blood. Something in me just...turned. - I turned, or really, released, the monster inside so no one could love me." Edith explained, then shrugging. "It's not a great story, so whatever. Your turn, reindeer games." She teased with a grin.
Loki was rather surprised at her story, but then immediately shot her a venomous glare.
"Do not call me that." He hissed.
"Jeez, no wonder Thor said you're a snake. You act like one." Edith said, leaning back into her seat. Loki rolled his eyes, and picked up a single card from the second pile.
"'Who wrote 'Visit of The Dead'?" He read. Loki raised a brow, and looked to Edith.
"I can't help ya there. You have to answer it, and you can't get help."
The god grumbled at her response. Think, Loki...A work Edith must know, considering her irritatingly swagger. An idea sparked in his head. She gave me a book containing the works of a mortal named Edgar Allan Poe...
"Is it Edgar Allan Poe...?" He slowly said. The card went blank. He grinned proudly. Edith gave him a surprised look.
"Huh. Didn't know you knew of Poe, " She said.
"I don't. You just looked like you knew; Thus I remembered you gave me a book containing his works. I merely assumed,"
She slowly nodded, then sniggered. "Nerd." Edith teased.
"I prefer the term 'devilishly handsome and intelligible', but I suppose 'nerd' works as well," Loki swiftly replied, a crooked smirk on his face. Edith started cracking up laughing. Oh, his comebacks were terrific!
Loki just stared at her, one eyebrow raised in a judgmental manner.
"I'm serious, you know," He finally said, crossing his arms.
She just laughed harder, much to Loki's disappointment. He'd wanted her to apologize. He kept his icy blues on her.
"Are you going to stop at some point?" He interjected. Finally, Edith managed to calm herself.
"-Yeah, yeah. I'm shutting my mouth now." She said. "By the way, they ask you that question specifically because basically every necro knows of Poe. It's almost like a rule for us,"
"It's your turn." announced Loki, his expression remaining blank. Edith shrugged and snagged another card. As the words appeared on it, she read it aloud,
"'Name someone you hate.' Heh." She paused, thinking.
She takes this so...solemnly. Thought Loki, as he examined her facial expression. Such beautiful eyes. He would have slapped himself as he felt his usually ice cold cheeks grow warm. He immediately looked at his row of cards, putting his mind elsewhere.
"Angelique Ellis," Edith finally answered. "Hated, and still do hate that bitch with a passion."
The card went blank, and she sat it down. She looked up at him. "If you're wondering who Angelique is, it's my old college roommate. In case you don't know what college is, it's where you go to-"
"I know what college is. I'm not that uneducated. What did she do?" Loki crossed his long legs.
"Oh, she was just a complete asshole. The whole time we were roommates, she'd make fun of me for being what she called 'weird'." Edith then sniggered, a devious little grin appearing upon her pale face. "That was until one of my little friends cut off her hair." Now, it was Loki's turn to grin.
"Fantastic." He relaxed in his seat. "What happened then?" He asked, interest seeming to sparkle in his eyes. "...Well, her parents came and took her home, said she was ill." replied Edith. "O' course, I dropped out before she came back. It got too stressful to balance school, a shit job, a band, and a secret super identity all at once." She shrugged. "Moving on. It's your turn. We can quit after this if you'd like." Edith stretched out and checked the time. Jeez. Six p.m. already? She shoved her phone back in her pocket, then looked up to catch Loki picking up his last card.
"Thank you. I'm honestly getting bored of this inferior game." He flipped the card, watching the words appear before reading aloud,
"'What is your favorite color?'" He rolled his eyes. "Now, I get a simple question...My favorite colors are green and black." He answered.
The card went blank, and he grinned in triumph. Edith collected the cards, then they vanished from sight. There was a moment of silence, until Loki decided to break it,
"Might I ask you something?"
Edith smirked.
"You just did."
He shot her a bemused look.
"Another thing." He knew this game too well. It was...far less entertaining when on the other end. He'd done it to Thor so many times.
"Okie dokie, Loki."
Again, Loki rolled his eyes.
"What exactly is a necromancer? I, honestly, only know that you can raise the deceased."
Edith gave a huff of annoyance.
"We also see spirits, can summon creatures from the underworld to assist us, yeah mostly undead but we have access to more than that; My Father and I can levitate, and stuff like that." Loki raised a brow as she finished. "You imply that you and your father are the only ones who can levitate?" He quizzed.
"Ah-ah. You said something, implying that you only had one question." She hopped out of her seat as the god grumbled. I suppose I'll uncover this 'secret' at some point... He thought. Edith was across the room now, picking up her guitar.
"I'll see ya, trickster." She said. She lightly flicked the back of his head as she made her way to the door.
"Ow." Hissed the god.
She just grinned, and left.

Edith was outside her family's home on a planet called Xandar. She was only fourteen at this time, but still, she had the beauty of any true goddess. Her parents had finally given her permission to explore...as long as she had a way to contact them. She carried her guitar on her back, and headed out onto the street. It wasn't as if she needed to contact her parents. She could just teleport back to them. At the thought, she teleported to the center of the city. Unfortunately, she landed in a fountain. She yelped, and quickly rushed out of it. Little did she know that a boy, the same age as her, was watching her. His 'friends' were currently all drunk from morning's escapades. So, they'd landed their ship, and stayed the night on the planet. This gave him plenty of time to do as he pleased.
"Fucking hell," She grumbled. Her mother would have been incredibly displeased with her 'foul language'...if she'd heard her, that is. She stepped out of the fountain, shaking the water from her boots. Edith was once again startled, as the boy decided to speak up.
"Didn't know anyone was awake at this time. - You from Earth?...You sound like it,"
"Sorta." This made him smile. "Good enough for me. I am too." He gestured for her to sit beside him on the bench. She was hesitant to do so, her parents' warnings about how she 'shouldn't talk to strangers' ringing in her head.
"I like your guitar." He said.
"Thanks. My Father got it for me a few years back."  Edith replied. He nodded.
"I'm Peter," The boy said, outstretching his hand to her. She took it, and shook his hand. "Edith. Edith Athanasiusdaughter." She watched, her eyes narrowed, as Peter laughed at her name.
"That's a long last name." He said.
"Well, I didn't ask for it. My family goes by different last names on different planets and realms. Athanasiusdaughter's my real last name, though." Edith nervously picked the black nail polish off her nails.
"It's cool...Long, but cool. It's kinda weird that it has 'daughter' in it though." Peter said, staring forth at the lit fountain. Edith sniggered. "That's because my Father's name is Athanasius, and I'm his daughter. It's how it works in some places."
Peter looked baffled, but still nodded.
"So-...What's with the all-black thing?" He asked after a while, gesturing to her dark clothing. Edith instinctively looked down and blushed. She gave an awkward, half-hearted laugh. "Family colors. Black and dark purple."
"What kinda family is based off dark colors?"
"A family of necromancers." Peter again, was baffled. "Necromancers? Aren't those like wizards who raise zombies or something?" He said. Edith snorted.
"Yes, and don't call them zombies. It's a racial slur to them." She replied. He was a bit startled by how casually she put it. His honey colored eyes stared into her green-browns. "That's...honestly kinda funny." He said, then chuckling.

Edith awoke, sweating and panting. Fucking AGAIN?! She thought. She looked at the clock. Midnight. She rolled over and grumbled. Why was it a dream about some kid I met ages ago? He likely doesn't remember me, so why am I remembering him...? Questions stormed her head. Again, Edith grumbled,
"Shut. Up. Brain. I need sleep." After a while of tossing and turning, she got up and silently went in to the kitchen. She quickly took a sleeping pill, and then, she was off to bed.

||~ I DO NOT CONDONE UNPRESCRIBED DRUG USE. ~||
|| Hers are, in fact, prescribed. Don't do drugs, kids. Remember Sid Vicious. ||