Astrid
Astrid landed in Los Angeles, ebony wings whispering closed as she looked at the Hotel Hyperion. She smiled. And went inside, still licking at Priss's blood that still lingered on her fingers. She blinked at the boy who greeted her when she came in. He was pointing a crossbow at her. Silly child. "I would suggest you put that down, but it makes this thing a lot more fun if you fight, little boy."
The corner of Connor's mouth twitched, and he fired the crossbow. Astrid caught it out of the air before it entered her chest and studied it. Connor fired more and she simply jumped upwards before spreading her wings. "What, are *you*?" He hissed finally.
"I'm not sure myself. But I do know I'm the woman who's going to hurt you a lot." She smiled sweetly at him, and then pounced. Connor fought vailantly and even managed to dislodge a few feathers. She broke his arm with a sharp crack. "You know, I don't like having crossbows pointed at me."
"I don't happen to care," he gritted out. Astrid pouted.
"Such a rude boy." She reached out and casually broke his wrist. He grunted, and then swung at her with a stake. She didged suppely, and then grabbed him around ther waist. With a few powerful wingbeats, she reached the high ceiling and let him fall. He hit the ground hard and she was sure she'd heard ribs crack. Astrid drifted to the ground in lazy sprials, and he tried to run for it, cradling his maimed arm. "No running now, sweet child. I'm going to eat you all up. You fairly burn with power, ja?"
Gwen
Gwen and Angel came out of the office to see Connor being attacked. Gwen snorted and Angel looked at her. "Sorry, he's your son and all, but you have to admit, he's an asshole."
Angel continued to stare at her, so she rolled her eyes and fired a bolt of electricity towards Astrid.
Astrid
Astrid somersaulted backwards as the electricity hit, and then her wings opened with a boom. She tilted her head and ran her tongue slowly along her bottom lip, red eyes gleaming. She hovered, wings beating slowly. "Angelus...so long and so near to the past reopening. Why didn't you tell me that the darkness could set me free? It sings so beautifully..." She looked at Gwen. "You have power, girl, but still with the godling's magick I barely felt that. Try again, or the teacher shall rap your knuckles quite severely." She sighed wistfully. "So much power here. I can feel it calling...he is such a diversion, your son." She lifted her hand and black flames crackled along her palm.
"Do I know you?" Angel said slowly as he gestured for Connor to get into the office behind him.
"You know, if I took your soul, do you think you'd taste like sugar?" Astrid asked.
"I have no idea, and am not at all anxious to find out."
"You knew me by Valkyrie," Astrid said abruptly, then banished the fire. She drew her sword instead. "And I beleive you knew Priss..."
"What did you do to her?" Angel asked angrily.
"I reenacted the Crucifixtion of Jesus Christ. Well, the important bits anyway." Astrid smiled. "She tasted sooooo good." Angel snarled.
Gwen
Gwen let a huge surge of electricity come from her body and surround herself. She lifted her arms and sent a bolt flying into Astrid.
"Angel... get... Connor..."
Astrid
Astrid deflected the lightning with her sword, and then laughed wildly as it ran into her. "All you do is make me stronger." Her hair flared outwards and sparks crackled along the silky raven strands. Her eyes glowed bright ember red like fire and she whirled the sword slowly.
"Connor, run, now," Angel ordered his son. Connor ran and Astrid threw her head back and laughed wildly.
"I don't think so, demon with the face of an angel." She threw her hand forward and Connor froze then flew to a wall, pinioned by strands of black flame. They hissed and sparked and Connor struggled. "Come and play." She pointed her sword at Gwen and channeled fire down at her. The thief went flying backwards. "Come on, Angelus, this is no fun."
"The name is Angel," he growled and grabbing a sword off the wall, lunged at her.
Gwen
Gwen grabbed a handful of daggers and threw them at Astrid. She sent some electricity flying at her. She could feel herself bleeding, but she ignored it and went to help Angel and Connor. She stumbled over to Connor and tried to help him down before turning and shooting more electricity at Astrid.
Astrid
Astrid twisted to dodge the daggers, but one sliced a feather off. It fluttered to the floor. Then Angel's sword nicked her scarf. It came off and she backed up and put her hands on her breasts. "Angelus, if you wanted, you could've asked," she giggled, eyes gleaming. The sparks of electricity ran along her skin.
"Whore," Connor spat. Astrid turned midair and pointed a finger at him.
"Actually, still a virgin mr holier then thou."
Gwen
Gwen glared at Connor. "Don't taunt her."
She sent continuous bolts of electricity at Astrid, then lifted her arms and encircled Astrid with electricity.
Astrid
"Taunting is bad," Astrid agreed. "Things like this tend to happen, ja?" Connor yelped as the fire ribbons tightened. She tilted her head and looked consideringly at Gwen. "You're going to gove me such a boost, electric child."
"You're not doing that to anyone." Angel swung his sword around and cracked the flat edge against her skull. Astrid's eyelids fluttered and Connor fell to the floor. Then everything surged outwards as she screamed. Connor, Angel and Gwen were lifted and pinned to walls.
Gwen
Gwen turned to Angel.
"Well, I'm officially stumped."
"Gwen, this really isn't the time to be making jokes."
"Who's joking? How about you, Connor?"
Connor snarled at Gwen and she looked away. "Well, he's not a friendly one."
"Gwen, stop with the joking, it doesn't bode well right now." Angel was struggling to get himself off the wall.
"Angel, I'm stuck to a wall, probably gonna die... what should I do Call for the Ghostbusters?"
Astrid
Astrid's wings flickered white and black rapidly, and golden blonde surged outwards from the roots of her hair. "NOOOOOO!" She screamed wildly, then she dropped to the ground, her wings the only covering. White wings now. Golden blonde hair. Angel, Gwen and Connor dropped to the ground.
"Valkyrie..." Angel made a tentative step towards her, and her head snapped up, eyes flaming red.
"Run. I can't..." Tears flowed down her face. "I can't, can't hold it back...if you value your soul, vampire, run now. Because the raven will devour it." Black struggled upwards along her wings and she wailed in agony. Blood suddenly spewed from between her hands that she held to her stomach. "Guder, hjelper meg. Det brenner slik kaldt..."
Angel vamped out as the scent of her hot blood hit his nostrils. It smelled like power and pain. His demon awoke and struggled against his soul. "What happened? Why is this...happening to you?"
"Jeg er slik trist, Sigurd mitt hjerte. Slik trist," Astrid wept. The blood kept flowing out from between her fingers. "Det skader, å, det skader slik dårlig." The black surged back upwards and Astrid licked her fingers, skin on her stomach whole again. "Yummy." She looked at the people in the lobby. "Who's next?"
Gwen
"Angel, maybe you should've run."
Angel looked at Gwen. "What?"
"Well, maybe I should've run." Gwen shrugged under his look. "What? I'm just being honest."
Gwen shot some electricity at Astrid. "See, nothing? Nothing I do is going to hurt her, so... I'm leaning towards blind panic myself. Hey, can we wrap this up? I wanna go home. Kill her, Angel."
Astrid and Sigurd
Astrid rose to her feet supplely and blew a kiss at Angel. "I don't think I want to die."
"I don't know if you have a choice," Angel said grimly. She laughed hard.
"Excuse me, Angelus, if I find the thought amusing. Priss couldn't stop me, and you think you can?"
"Yes." The sword in his hands glimmered and then Sigurd stepped inside, face tired and looking every second of his few hundred years.
"Hello, looooover. Well, not quite. But not for want of my trying, ja?" Astrid ran her hands down her body, smiling wickedly.
"Odin was right. You have fallen."
"Fallen and got caught by darkness. Did you cry when you saw the demon drive the sword into my gut? Watch me fall to the sea and disappear?" Astrid pressed in on her stomach, laughing. Sigurd nodded at Angel.
"Sigurd, Kriger-Lys. Angel, Warrior of Light, ja? I be a servant of the Aesir. So is she."
"Not any more, mitt hjerte." The corner of Sigurd's eye twitched. "AIIIIIIIIII!!!!" She screamed and the black ran off her wings again. "Sigurd, hjelp meg!" Terrified blue eyes met his. He nodded. "Drep meg, om De men behag, lager hennes stans." She put a hand to her stomach and staggered.
"Jeg dreper De aldri, kjærlighet," Sigurd said softly.
"Men han vil." She nodded at Angel. "Jeg elsker De, kriger av mitt hjerte og lærer av min ungdom," she whispered sadly, tears falling from her blue eyes. Then she turned and dove at Angel, impaling herself on the sword he had out defensively.
"INGEN!" Sigurd roared. Not again. He'd just found her.
"Det skader ikke slik dårlig denne gangen..." Astrid mumured. Sigurd ran and caught her as she crumpled around the sword and rocked her in his arms, keening with grief. Her blood spilled out and she traced the edge of his face shakily. "Jeg ser De i Valhalla..." her breath hitched for a moment.
Gwen
Gwen exhaled. "Whoa, heavy." She looked at Angel. "Um... what happens now?"
She moved towards Astrid and Sigurd.
Angel pulled the sword away and threw it aside.
Astrid and Siguard
"I...I am sorry..." Astrid struggled to find her breath and looked at Connor, Angel and Gwen. "Ah, Priss...I am so sorry. So sorry."
"Shh, mitt Valkyrie." Sigurd stroked her hair tenderly. "Jeg elsker De."
"Jeg elsker De." She panted rapidly. "Forbann demon..."
"Odin, this is so hard..." Sigurd cradled her to his chest.
"It is always hard to have the woman you love die," Angel said.
"You think I don't know that? Any idea of how many times I've watched it? It's just that she is so young..." Sigurd pressed a kiss to her forehead, crooning under his breath.
"You still...throw that in my face, kriger." She struggled to draw a breath, smiling tiredly. "I...finally get my heart's desire...and I die. The Norns are laughing, I know." Tears slipped down Sigurd's cheeks.
"If they are laughing, then I will bring Ragnorak early, mitt hertje."
Gwen
Connor scoffed. "Well she kinda deserves it, doesn't she?"
Angel shot a look at Connor.
Gwen slapped him over the head. "Shut it."
Sigurd and Astrid
Sigurd's eyes froze to the colour of the ice that coated his homeland in winter. "Unnatural child of magick, shut your mouth. She is a better warrior then you could hope to be. She is a better *soul* then you could become. She has fought nobly and well for the side of light since her childhood. And she is the light of my heart, so when she has flickered out, I am going to break your other arm." He stroked her sweat ridden forehead, then swore softly. "I am an idiot. Wait, hjerte." He laid her gently on the floor and then stood, her blood staining his clothes. "Watch her for me."
"I will...but what are you doing?" Angel asked.
"Fetching an Apple." Sigurd raised his fingers to his mouth and whistled.
"You're insane," Connor stated. Sigurd raised an eyebrow.
"You are a child."
"I am not a child!"
"Ja, child." A dimension portal opened at his feet. "Freya? Jeg spør noe av De," he called into it.
A feminine giggle wafted outwards, accompanied by the smell of apple blossoms. "You and everyone else, Sigurd!" A slight woman dressed in white robes walked out and hugged him. "What now? Ach, Astrid my beautiful child..." She turned on Sigurd. "Well? You know what you must do."
"Ja, I know." Sigurd straightened his back and strode into the portal, the wind whipping at his cloak. Freya turned to the people in the room and fluttered to Angel. The portal spun shut behind him.
"Beautiful soul! We have watched you with such interest!"
"You, you have? And who would you be?"
"The Aesir, silly nightwalker." Freya giggled. "Gods of the Northlands." She knelt beside Astrid and put a hand on her forehead. "Be still." Astrid breathed in once, then she froze. "She will be alright until Sigurd can return, if he returns."
Astrid
Freya settled herself next to Astrid, covering herself in a cloak of feathers that looked like they were moving even when they were still. Cats wound their way into the hotel, crying and mewing. She stroked their pointed heads and sent them on their way again. Astrid stayed locked in the stasis Freya had set on her. Angel strapped Connor's arm so it would heal straight and sent Gwen home. He watched Freya with wary interest. He wasn't over sure of her...and she fluttered and fussed around him like he was five years old! The corner of his eye twitched and then he went to bed, leaving the goddess on her vigil.