Choose your poison

[redledgerdays]

01. I DON'T LOVE YOU ANYMORE Unfortunately, you can't keep lying to your partner/friend/family anymore. You just don't feel the same for them anymore.
02. I WOULD KILL YOU The person who means so much to you has done something completely unforgivable and now it's time to make sure they know where they stand. You would kill them if you ever got the chance.
03. I LOVE YOU, BUT... A bittersweet love confession. You know you love this person more than anything, but you're not sure you can give them what they need.
04. I DON'T TRUST YOU No matter how you feel about this person, you really can't trust them anymore.
05. SACRIFICE You're going to sacrifice yourself, for the person you're talking with or for the good of all humanity. You want them to know the reasons and that there's no stopping you.
06. TROUBLE You're in trouble and you might not make it through. You need to let at least one person know how you feel before it's too late though.
07. BETRAYAL You've betrayed this person and you have to tell them the truth, no more running from it
08. CHEATED You've been unfaithful and it's time to tell your lover.
09. BROKEN That's it. You've had it. You are entirely broken and tired of everything.
10. AFRAID Something has you deathly afraid and you need to talk about it.
11. HELP ME You need someone to help you, bad. You can't do it alone anymore, you've tried.
12. I'M SORRY You said something or did something horrible and now it's time to ask for forgiveness.
13. YOU WERE A MISTAKE Sorry, but whoever you're talking to was the biggest mistake of your life or maybe it was just something you did together.
14. LET'S RUN AWAY You want to just get out, leave everything behind and be with this one person for the rest of your life.
15. ASHAMED Either you're ashamed of something they have done or something you did, either way you need to bring it up.
16. CAN'T REMEMBER The person standing in front of you looks so happy to see you, so relieved, but how do you tell them you can't remember a thing about them?
17. YOUR CHOICE Either choose an option from above, mix and match, or make up your own idea.

Comments

[poisonousdream]

"Did you?" He cocks his head and takes another menacing step forward. The Stone is flaring bright, purplish red, somehow hot and cold at the same time. The color of rage.

"You've no idea the price of your insolence."

Loki thrusts the stone out, then, toward the center of Natasha's chest.

[redledgerdays]

She has no idea what that stone will do and puts her arms up as a shield, gritting as fire lances through her arm and chest from the knife wound in her shoulder. It's too much and her right arm falls back at her side, leaving her with only her left to fend off Loki's attack, whatever it is.

[poisonousdream]

It was meant to be an obedience charm, much like the one he inflicted upon Barton and the others not so long ago... except this time with Loki himself in full command, undiluted by the desires of the Tesseract.

As it is, Romanov's arm dissipates much of the effect, if not all, leaving perhaps a curious numb feeling in her forearm but no other damage.

[redledgerdays]

That numb feeling is enough, particularly when her arm lowers almost against its will. Natasha takes a moment to look down, trying to flex her fingers, before looking back at Loki, defiance and fear in her eyes.

"What did you do?"

[poisonousdream]

Loki does not bother striking with the stone again; even the small acts of magic performed thus far have drained both it and him, albeit temporarily. Instead, he watches, curious, as Romanov's arm falls away and leaves her defenseless.

"I confess I'm not sure," he muses. But he has an idea. "Lift your arm above your head."

[redledgerdays]

"No." But even as she says it, her arm does as commanded. Natasha stares, surprised enough she doesn't hide it, and then she's schooling her expression as she tries to lower her arm again. The implications aren't lost on her; she knows exactly what he was trying to do now, and she needs to get out.

Now.

Nat's eyes scan the room for any other out, but all she sees is the window on the other side. If she needs to she'll jump out, but she'd really rather not. She she tries her best to open the door with her useless arm, staring Loki down defiantly the whole time.

[poisonousdream]

Her arm moves of its own accord, and Loki smiles widely. Isn't this delightful! He'd meant to enslave all of her, her senses and wits as well as her body... but perhaps this is even better. The shrew will be helpless to stop herself even as she's carrying out his bidding. But it'll require some more testing.

"Stop yourself from doing that," and he points at the other arm flopping in the direction of the door.

[redledgerdays]

Natasha narrows her eyes, slamming her body against the door to pin the offending arm, but it just pushes back, reaching around to grab her injured arm and holding it tightly against her side, adding pressure to her wound. She chokes back a pained sound, leaning heavily against the door.

"This isn't going to work," she says, more for herself than him.

[poisonousdream]

"No?"

Loki raises his eyebrows.

"I would say it's working perfectly. Now, I'd suggest you rise to your feet. Quickly, before I'm forced to come up with a more creative means of gaining your cooperation."

[redledgerdays]

Defiant to the last, Natasha just stares him down, remaining firmly in place. Stalling tactics are all she has at the moment while she tries to get her arm to listen to her.

"We both know I'll never cooperate with you, Loki. Not willingly."

[poisonousdream]

Loki flashes her an indulgent grin. "Of course you won't. Otherwise, where would the fun be?"

Before this, before his ignominious defeat, it's true he was content with mere servility from his conscripted allies. But now...

Now he wants to make them suffer. To make them see what they've done.

"Grab your injured shoulder," he murmurs, watching her with bright, avid eyes.

[redledgerdays]

She hates him. She hates him more than she can remember hating anyone in recent memory. Her hand digs into her shoulder and she can't help but grimace, breathing heavily through her nose. "Is this all you've got?"

[poisonousdream]

He raises one eyebrow. Is that all he's got? Hardly.

"Use your nails. Do some real damage." The injured arm is fairly useless at this point anyway.

"And keep in mind that if you still refuse to cooperate, I'll next have you cut out your own tongue."

[redledgerdays]

Her arm is useless, but the pain from her nails biting into the flesh still radiates through her body. Natasha chokes on a groan, slamming back against the door to keep from curling up in pain. Her eyes meet Loki's, hard and angry and defiant, before she slowly, so slowly, stands.

The god towers over her, but she doesn't back down.

"Happy?"

[poisonousdream]

"It's a start," Loki admits through a shark's grin. But they still have much work to do.

"Now. It's time we contacted the rest of your little team, don't you think?"

[redledgerdays]

She glares. "They're gone." It's a lie, or at least a half-truth. The rest of her team on the ground should have pulled out by now, regrouped. They'll be waiting for her orders. She just doesn't want to give them. "What's your game, Loki?"

[poisonousdream]

"Gone?" Loki's eyebrows shoot to the ceiling. "How can the self-proclaimed avengers of Earth be gone?" For it isn't Romanov's fellow S.H.I.E.L.D. drones that he's after, oh no. Loki's game is much more satisfying than that.

He wants the ones who stopped him.

"Perhaps we'll just have to call them back."

[redledgerdays]

Natasha grits her teeth. She knows he wants the Avengers, but she isn't about to hand them over. Not voluntarily. "It's not happening."