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Kristoff Vernard, aka Kristoff Von Doom ([info]discardedheir) wrote in [info]marvel_nextgen,
@ 2010-03-18 06:15:00


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Entry tags:awesome andrea, kristoff vernard, team - fantastic four, vincent vernard

Kristoff checked the repairs to the security systems, now that all the actual walls of the Baxter Building were finally intact again. Kristoff had regretted their inability to assist in the most recent manifestations of the crisis, after the attack that took Franklin, they'd had to secure their home and hadn't been able to leave the noncombatants that vulnerable until they could, at which point the conflict itself was already over. Good for the Avengers, the X-Men, SHIELD, and some apparent newcomers. It had been all the FF could manage to look after their own.

He checked on the others.
Cassandra was in bed as per the doctor's instructions. Scotty was with her in their suite talking to her; she'd had difficulty letting him out of her sight after everything that had happened recently.

Franklin was asleep, sedated, in his room. He had a lot from which to recover, having no chance to rest after his previous breakdown before the attack, his kidnapping, brainwashing, and combat participation. He was going to get that rest by force, all the more so because even when freed of the brainwashing, he did not yet have his blocks back in place.

Valeria was much occupied with Franklin's condition and dealing with her parents. None of this had been easy on her, either.

Andrea...Devel. Andrea was in her room. He couldn't possibly fathom what her recent experiences had felt like.

Next he checked the shipments for equipment he was trying to make available in the pinpointed parts of the world most ravaged by flood, drought, or contamination in the past few weeks of crisis.

And between each of these checks, he would go back and check again, and again, and again, on the machine running every possible scan through worldwide detection and positioning systems for any sign of his brother.

Day after day since he'd set it up, it had run constantly, and turned up nothing.
Until now.



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[info]quitethecharmer
2010-03-19 09:06 pm UTC (link)
Vincent starts towards her, but his movement is jerky. Someone particularly familiar with him would read it as 'I love you, but I don't know if I have the right.'

The distance between them is shut quickly enough though, and he wraps his arms around her, holding her tightly. "I was called to defend Asgard..." He murmurs to her, kissing her cheeks and shoulders and losing himself in the smell of her hair again

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[info]awesome_andrea
2010-03-19 09:50 pm UTC (link)
Andrea embraced Vincent tightly, afraid to release him as though he might well disappear again.

"Asgard?" she said, confused. "I had thought Asgard wanted nothing to do with you."

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[info]quitethecharmer
2010-03-19 09:59 pm UTC (link)
"That was what I thought as well." He swallows hard.

"But they called for me... and All-father Odin offered me a chance to restore myself, or be sent home." He pulls back slightly to look at Andrea, on the verge of collapsing.

"Andrea... in the heat of the moment, I... I did something unconscionable. I'm so sorry I wasn't here for you..."

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[info]awesome_andrea
2010-03-19 10:05 pm UTC (link)
Andrea's look was puzzled, then upset as she finished processing just what was going on.

"You... chose Asgard," she said, flatly, attempting to get out of Vincent's grasp.

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[info]discardedheir
2010-03-19 10:18 pm UTC (link)
Kristoff just watches quietly, still so exhausted he's barely held together.

But his eyes are quite clear a he's watching, and listening. Despite his sudden request before Kristoff's hysterics, Vincent will find no stalwart in his brother. But if he tries to wriggle out, to justify, and strays at all from the truth, Kristoff's prepared to pull himself together enough to call him on it.

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[info]quitethecharmer
2010-03-19 11:09 pm UTC (link)
"Yes... I did." Vincent's knees shake as Andrea pulls away, and he looks ill.

"I could have chosen to come back, after three days of Odin's teachings, but I was afraid. Afraid of not being who I was born as. Of not being anyone important again. I trusted in Kristoff and all of you to keep yourselves safe while I thought I was doing the right thing, or at least what I had convinced myself was the right thing." He's shaking now.

"I..." He wants to turn to Kristoff for help, but he knows that if it was coming, it would have already come. "I knew I was wrong as soon as the battle was over and I could think again." Another hard swallow. "I was terrified of coming home. Of having to tell you all this. Of finding out what might have happened, no matter how much faith I had in you..." His lip trembles.

"I didn't want to choose... I didn't want to at all, but I had to either be mortal or be an Asgardian again, and...."

He's got nothing left. He falls to his knees, tearing up, reaching for Andrea's waist. "Andrea, I'm so sorry..."

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[info]awesome_andrea
2010-03-19 11:23 pm UTC (link)
The logical part of Andrea almost understands Vincent's claims here. But she is also programmed for illogic, and for emotive responses. She herself had recently faced a loss of self, unprepared to live life as something she was not. She should be more sympathetic, but right now, she finds she cannot.

"You were selfish," she told her, taking a step back. "You chose a place and people that would just as soon be done with you over your family. You have no ties to Asgard beyond a place of birth; everything that makes you who you are is here. I was worried sick for you and yet you chose not to come back to me, to us, when you could have."

Her voice was colder than it had been in some time, flat and unemotional, as though reading a laundry list. "You abandoned us. We went to Hell for Franklin. We would not have abandoned you."

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[info]quitethecharmer
2010-03-19 11:36 pm UTC (link)
"Yes..." His voice is quiet. He's not hiding behind anything, or reluctant to speak. He just finds all the energy leaving him, feeling sickened by himself to hear and see Andrea like this. Still, he does not turn away from her.

"What I did was horrible.. and if I could take it back, I would.. I felt weak and scared and then for the first time in my life my homeland wanted me, and I chose to stand by them."

He tries to stand himself up. "I know that when the end of days for Asgard comes, it will be my duty to stand by them, for it is where I was born... but for who I have grown to be, there is nowhere I want to be more than at your side."

He wipes his reddened eyes. "Andrea... I know this is the worst thing I have ever done, and I will have to live with that for the rest of my life. Please don't make me have to live without you as well."

He's not about to go on about his verse in the Edda that spoke of him and his future wife, that can wait quite a long while.

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[info]awesome_andrea
2010-03-19 11:42 pm UTC (link)
Andrea kept her expression neutral through a process of overriding her response-program.

"I will not deny that I possess feelings for you, Vincent," she said, "but they are not strong enough right now to overcome this.

"I am sorry for your pain and your regret, but they do not excuse the choices that you made."

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[info]quitethecharmer
2010-03-19 11:56 pm UTC (link)
Vincent finally realizes something. She's not in shock. She's downgrading herself.

"No!" He blurts out, looking scared. "Don't do that! Don't turn yourself off!"

He takes a deep breath, part of his mind screaming at him that this won't help him be forgiven, but some things are more important than saving himself.

"I love you for who you are. If you're angry at me, go ahead and be angry! I don't blame you! I deserve it! But don't turn yourself off! You're more than that! You've worked hard to be more than that!"

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[info]discardedheir
2010-03-20 12:04 am UTC (link)
And Kristoff pulls himself together enough to speak. Firmly, but almost drily. "Self-control and self-possession are not necessarily suppression of emotion, brother. A lady can choose not to snarl or cry while keeping her personality intact, just as an organic person can fight physiology and not raise his voice when he does not feel it appropriate."

Kristoff understands Andrea's 'physiology' pretty well, after all. That and trying to behave with class.

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[info]awesome_andrea
2010-03-20 12:13 am UTC (link)
"I am not turning myself "off," as you put it," Andrea said, echoing Kristoff's statement. "I am exercising self-control by temporarily disallowing certain programs to run. Because if I allow myself an emotional response at the moment, I cannot guarantee your physical safety."

"I am angry," she said, briefly adding emphasis to her statement. "I am angrier than I have ever possibly been and seeing as how I possess a flawless memory, I would know."

She started to turn to leave. "I am uncertain I can forgive this, Vincent."

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[info]quitethecharmer
2010-03-20 12:23 am UTC (link)
Vincent falters. He'd been so sure. He just wanted her to let everything out.

"Andrea..." He moves after her. "Do whatever you want. I deserve it. If you have the power to hurt me, I welcome it right now."

He reaches for her hand. "But as much as what I've already done sickens me... I wouldn't want to go on unless I did everything I could to try to do right by you now."

Vincent steels himself. "Coming back here today, knowing what I'd have to confess, was the most afraid I've ever been... but I had to do it."

He looks at them both. "The person you both have made me... had to."

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[info]discardedheir
2010-03-20 12:40 am UTC (link)
"We have had enough damage and enough injury recently, thank you," Kristoff says quietly at the first suggestion.

Kristoff's well aware that he bears a good share of responsibility for the man Vincent is. At the moment, he's not sure if he should apologize to Andrea.

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[info]awesome_andrea
2010-03-20 12:49 am UTC (link)
"Injuring you will accomplish nothing," she informed Vincent. "Therefore, I shall not."

"You are my teammate, Vincent, and I shall continue to respect that. But... I do not believe our relationship can continue."

She hesitated just before she exited the room. "I am glad you are not dead, however."

And she was gone.

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[info]quitethecharmer
2010-03-20 06:37 am UTC (link)
In that moment, what little color he has falls out of Vincent as he feels the air leave the room with Andrea.

It is all he can do not to void the emotions of every human in a half mile radius along with himself.

Instead, he draws himself up, scarcely even blinking, and turns to his brother.

"Kristoff... I do not believe I am fit to speak to anyone else. Please let the others know I am wel-..."

He has nothing.

"--that I am unhar--

He is disfigured.

"... Please let them know that I have returned."

Broken, he begins to slowly head towards his room.

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[info]discardedheir
2010-03-20 06:40 am UTC (link)
Kristoff drags himself up. "I will be bringing you some food in two hours. That is not optional."

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[info]quitethecharmer
2010-03-20 06:57 am UTC (link)
"Thank you."

Vincent moves slowly across the room, stopping when he comes near Kristoff. Again, he flinches, wanting to hold him, but not sure he has the right.

"...I'm sorry..."

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[info]discardedheir
2010-03-20 07:00 am UTC (link)
Kristoff sets an arm on his shoulder.

"I know you are. And I love you, phral."

And he has to say it.

"More than I love Latveria."

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[info]quitethecharmer
2010-03-20 07:20 am UTC (link)
It's not a grand restoration, but it's exactly what was needed at the moment, averting a much more severe withdrawl.

Vincent latches onto his brother, sobbing into his shirt, murmuring apologies between choked breaths.

It takes him a minute before he can choke out, "I still can't talk to Valeria or anyone else. Not yet."

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[info]discardedheir
2010-03-20 07:50 am UTC (link)
Of course, the very fact that Kristoff can say this is illustrative of how little he can actually understand Vincent's decision. He has never taken full American citizenship since his exile at 15, because he never wants to be from somewhere else, but he would not abandon his family to be restored as a Latverian subject, and so the pain at how this situation has come about is considerable.

Kristoff holds him, but swallows and speaks insistently. "You will face them like a man when the time comes. You have no idea what Valeria has been through."

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[info]quitethecharmer
2010-03-20 07:54 am UTC (link)
"I don't love Asgard more than Earth, more than here... I just thought it was what to do at the moment..." He sniffs, pulling back to produce a handkerchief from the pocket of his robes. He was still in sorcerer's garb.

"My homeland had called for aid..."

He wipes his eyes and blows his nose gently.

"I'm not going to run from them. I'm... just not ready."

He straightens out his brother's shirt from the mess he made of it, looking up at him again. "I want to know everything that happened, even if the afflicted parties want nothing to do with me."

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[info]discardedheir
2010-03-20 09:51 am UTC (link)
"I have a bedridden wife to check on, so I will try to keep this short. We had to drag Franklin out of Hell. We could not close the portal he made ourselves, but it was handled by other forces eventually, as was the massive hostage crisis in the city. Mutant cultists then forced their way past all of buildings defenses and kidnapped Franklin. We were so busy rebuilding enough to secure the place that we were unable to assist in the next massive mutant free-for-all, taking place amidst a worldwide crises of flash floods, sudden droughts, and soil contamination, and included Franklin as a brainwashed participant. He is currently under sedation because his blocks have be unable to be replaced yet, and and reality could start tearing asunder again.

During all of this, Valeria was the only healthy person with actual abilities. Andrea had been dealing with humanity, with having no real defenses, for only ten minutes when she went into Hell with us after Franklin."

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[info]quitethecharmer
2010-03-20 10:00 am UTC (link)
Vincent blinks, sobering considerably at having to process all that.

"I'll have much to research while I try to recover some semblance of stability..."

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[info]discardedheir
2010-03-20 10:04 am UTC (link)
And Kristoff's voice is gentle. "You realize, of course, how long it took you to ask about anything but fatalities, brother?"

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[info]quitethecharmer
2010-03-20 10:43 am UTC (link)
Vincent winces, but nods.

"I'm not myself right now. I'm sorry... I.. I love everyone, very much. You still believe that, right?"

Kristoff's accusation of self-convincing when Vincent had declared his faith in him still stung, but Vincent knew very well that was something he'd set himself up for years in advance, at this point.

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[info]discardedheir
2010-03-20 10:56 am UTC (link)
"Are you not?" Still gently, but almost a knee jerk reaction, and he shakes his head. "Never mind that. And of course I am not accusing you of not caring at all, Vincent."

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[info]quitethecharmer
2010-03-20 11:19 am UTC (link)
Vincent nearly tears up again, until Kristoff amends the question.

"Please tell Valeria, and Cassandra if she is up and about, that I will speak with them as soon as I feel I can carry himself with anything like composure." He takes a deep breath.

"I am going to attempt to sleep now. I highly suggest you do the same. Following that... there is much I believe we should discuss about my absence."

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