14079/A Reunion in Chinatown

A Reunion in Chinatown
Date of Scene:	17 January 2022
Location:	Columbus Park - Chinatown
Synopsis:	Summary needed
Cast of Characters:	Vitali Svyatoslav, Xiang Zhao, Loki

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Vitali Svyatoslav has posed:
Today has been a long day, and today has been a full day. Yet today is not over, and its moments have not all been spent. The fighting from earlier has left the Siberian with bruises, and a fair number of them. Many of them aren't visible, on account of the robes that Heng Zhihao had dressed him in. And even though he has his freedom from her, he's done nothing to change the fact that he's wearing those same robes. He has no other clothes with him, and though he's comfortable in his own skin, he isn't willing to take that immodest step. From where the others had left him, Vitali has moved and come instead to be kneeling at the edge of the water, his rump settled upon his feet and his hands resting lightly in his lap. There is nowhere for him to go from where he is -- the apartment is blocked to him, and he lacks any of his belongings to be able to make a camp. And so he remains here.

His dark eyes close, and he slightly lifts his face to the sky above whilst he inwardly reaches to the bond with his eagle companion. A small smile touches at the corners of his lips, for he can feel the shift in her. And Xiang Zhao will be able to see that shift in her as well. There's a flutter of excitement that comes to her wings, and she clicks her beak and screeches. She shifts and moves, making signs as though she's looking to take flight and yet holding still enough to look to Zhao as though for permission to do so.

Xiang Zhao has posed:
Not only is the apartment blocked to the Siberian, it's also blocked to Xiang Zhao. He hadn't even been back there since Vitali had been possessed. However, for the moment, Zhao remains entirely unaware that there's been a change. He certainly notices the change in Soraya, but doesn't immediately respond to it. With his eyes closed, he doesn't see that change, but he hears the flutter of the eagle's wings.

Zhao hadn't been getting in a lot of sleep /or/ meditation lately. So he'd been using this time to get in some much needed meditation. He pulls himself out upon hearing Soraya fluttering her wings. The sound is an unmistakeable one born of excitement and the Tibetan knows this. He finds himself glad he'd done so as the screech follows.

As he opens his eyes, Zhao's brow furrows. He turns his head to look at where the eagle is perched not far away. He rises gracefully to his feet and moves to open the shed's door. "Zugou de. Qu," he says, gesturing out the now open door. Jin Xian had been kind enough to loan him the space. Not that Zhao is staying there for free. His own honor would not allow such a thing. "Dai wo qu renhe ni xiang qu di difang."

Translation 1: Enough. Go.
Translation 2: Lead me to wherever it is that you wish to go.

Vitali Svyatoslav has posed:
It was a small thing, that touch of Vitali's upon the bond between himself and Soraya. And yet, it was quite a significant thing. He's kept that bond hidden away within himself for the entire time period that he was possessed for. He couldn't let Heng Zhihao find it and thus potentially endanger Soraya's life by doing so. The previous times when he had managed to free himself, all he had done was reinforce the original command he'd given her: to stay with Xiang Zhao. And despite how difficult it was for her to do, Soraya had done so. This was the first time that the shaman and his eagle had been separated. It had been a strange time for both of them.

Soraya ruffles her wings, flutters them a little bit more, her weight shifting from one foot to the other. Her head bobs a little, and she half spreads her wings as she stares at Xiang Zhao. She turns her head one way to eye him, then turns it the other to eye him for a moment longer, and she makes a chirp of sound. Her feathers fluff up as the Tibetan gets to his feet, and she moves to the edge of the perch that's nearest to the door, her weight settling lower in preparation of taking off. And once he's opened the door, she barely waits for him to speak before she pushes off the perch, her wings softly sweeping through the air as she glides out of the door. As soon as she's outside, she gives a full voiced screech that sounds -- jubilant?, and then she circles once as she gains altitude before she starts to head in the relative direction of the park -- as the eagle flies, of course.

A soft breath of a chuckle slips past Vitali's lips, and he winces in the moment after. Ow, dang bruises. Now that he isn't essentially suppressing the bond, they can each feel where the other is, and freely so. He tilts his head a touch to one side, feeling her start to approach. He gives her a gentle reminder that she's to be leading Xiang Zhao, and she gives a soft screech that seems almost apologetic, and she turns sharply to wing her way back towards Zhao. She'll do another turn once she's reached him, and go back the way she's come from. Something has her both impatient and excited.

Xiang Zhao has posed:
A strange time not only for the bonded pair, but also for Xiang Zhao. For, although he knows how to care for birds of prey, this was his first time having done so outside of his clan. Outside of having someone who knows exactly what to do. Soraya might not be quite as healthy as she'd been when Vitali had last been himself, but Zhao hadn't done too bad a job either. He'd even helped her preen any emerging pin feathers that she couldn't reach herself.

The jubilant sounding screen earns a brow raise from Xiang Zhao, that brow arching up as elegantly as he'd risen to his feet. This time of year, the fan remains tucked into the sash at his waist. He follows the eagle outside the shed, and pauses only long enough to close the door behind himself. A talisman is withdrawn from within his robes, and is pressed to the door with a murmur of sound and a moment of concentration. It flares momentarily red before settling to flutter in what little breeze reaches it. The characters written in cinnabar shimmer faintly in the light from the back of the house.

Snow crunches underfoot as Zhao turns to walk toward the park. That seems the most likely destination for the eagle to be going toward. And so that is where he goes. Noting the seeming impatience from how abruptly the eagle's turns in flight are, Zhao speeds up to a jog so as not to keep her any longer than is absolutely necessary.

Loki has posed:
Parks are funny places, really. Communal gatherings of people for various different reasons and none of them - unless they have come together - seem to do these things apart. Which is weird. Humans are weird. Some of them are easy to figure out, others are difficult and often times as soon as you figure the easy ones out you're thwarted by the difficult ones to do anything further! Never the less. It's winter, there's snow, and Loki is in his element walking through the park to just... look. Observe. Experience. Cause for once in his long existence he isn't running from his brother and that band of superheroes, and he's not in chains or behind bars. Freedom is interesting.

Vitali Svyatoslav has posed:
Soraya is still alive, and that's a lot more than she would have been had she stayed with Vitali -- Heng Zhihao would likely have done terrible things to her. She's also uninjured and her feathers are in good condition. Is she as plump as she was before Vitali was possessed? No, she isn't, but a fair part of that is due to her own behaviours -- she was worried and stressed to a certain point, and so she would only eat so much before losing interest in it. Always enough that her health wouldn't be endangered, but no extra even if Xiang Zhao tried to convince her into it. Right now, she's excited and impatient as well as focused, and some parts of that show in her behaviour. She flies out ahead, makes a sharp turn, and then flies back to Xiang Zhao, making soft encouraging sorts of chirps and other sounds. Back and forth, time and again, tirelessly.

While he awaits the arrival of his eagle companion, and of Xiang Zhao, Vitali shifts his position slightly. There's no such thing as a comfortable position right now, not with all of the bruises from fighting. He eases from kneeling there in the snow, moving instead to be seated cross-legged, and he resettles his hands within his lap. His left hand rests lightly in his right, though it could just as easily have been the other way around. A moment passes, and then he opens his dark eyes to look out over the water. Even though there are physical hurts for him, it feels good to be free. To not have to be on guard every moment. He takes in a deep breath, slowly, and then he lets it out. There is a simplicity in breathing, in having control of his own body. Vitali turns his head slightly, his dark gaze tracking away from the water and turning to look over those who are within the park, for the sake of curiosity. There is a particular direction that his gaze turns towards, and that would happen to be the direction that Soraya is approaching from. Soraya and Xiang Zhao. His attention holds in that specific direction as he waits now, at least outwardly seeming to be patient.

Xiang Zhao has posed:
Terrible things almost certainly in an effort to break the Siberian that had been possessed. After the first few times of trying, and failing, to convince Soraya to eat more after that point, he'd given it up as a futile effort and left off when the eagle had stopped for that particular feeding.

It really doesn't take him long to get to the park. Chinatown simply is not that big. As he enters the park, Zhao slows to a walk. He's not even winded. Just goes to show how in shape he keeps himself. He walks through the park, tracking Soraya more through the sounds she makes than visually, now, for the trees.

Xiang Zhao takes note of the people who are here, one of which is Loki, someone he's never seen before. Zhao takes note of Loki in a rather strong way, for him. He actually pauses mid step and blinks as he stares at the man. "Qin'ai de Tiandi, quanshi," he murmurs, half under his breath. He blinks once more, shakes his head, and continues following Soraya. But there might be some sense that he's keeping his own senses upon Loki.

Translation: Dear Emporer in Heaven, the power.

Loki has posed:
Power is one way to put it, and Loki shines with it to those who can sense such things. He's not really of a mind or mood to mask it in the moment, since the aforementioned threats against him are none right now. Not to mention, Trickster God, always on his toes, always ready for the next moment where he might have to actually do something for himself.

There's a glance up into the skies as the eagle cries over head and then he tilts his own. Black locks fall to one side while thin lips curl into a grin. Not the type of bird one sees in the park on a normal basis. Though it doesn't catch his curiosity enough that he goes chasing after it, more, he keeps himself almost parallel or perpendicular. Always in his sight somehow, but never seeming to approach it any more closely. Does he notice eyes on him as well? It's likely. But he's not in an attention drawing mood just yet so he just continues walking.

Vitali Svyatoslav has posed:
There are times when Soraya can be a stubborn sort of creature. Perhaps it's because of being from Siberia -- one must be stubborn in order to survive in such conditions, or so some might say. No matter what convincing Vitali attempts through the bond they share, he's unable to convince her to stop going back and forth as she's doing. He gives up on the effort and lets her proceed as she sees fit to do, for she and Xiang Zhao will reach him soon enough. The shaman shifts slightly, though comfort is elusive for him in the moment. He moves one of his hands in order to use it to help in pushing himself up to his feet, wincing a bit and then turning to be facing in the direction that the pair are approaching from.

When Soraya wings her way through the trees and happens to catch sight of Vitali, she gives another bright screech. She is an unusual raptor, and she doesn't belong in this part of the world. And this time, she doesn't turn back to return to Xiang Zhao. This time, Soraya wings her way directly towards Vitali, for the pull to him is overwhelming after so much time spent away from him. He lifts his left arm, to hold it parallel to the ground as he watches her approach, and she lightly lands on his silk-garbed arm. He can't help but to smile at her, yet he says nothing aloud, even as he lifts his right hand to lightly stroke the backs of his fingers along the feathers of her breast. Soraya ducks her head a little bit and she leans into him, making soft sounds, her wings partially spreading. Though his attention holds to her for a long moment, pleased at being reunited with her, his dark gaze lifts back to the direction that she'd come from. To watch for Xiang Zhao. Without a means of sensing magic or power, he doesn't realize that there's anyone in particular that he perhaps ought be aware of.

Xiang Zhao has posed:
The ease the powerful one has in keeping up at an idle walk is not lost on Xiang Zhao. But, he also refrains from looking that way again. Somehow, he has a feeling that provoking that one would be painful. At best.

Xiang Zhao isn't all that far behind Soraya and arrives at the same location a few moments later. He pauses to look over the Siberian, and then nods once as though to himself. "You are returned to yourself," he says. States. For that very much is not a question.

Loki has posed:
It has become a fair feeling in this world. All sorts of powerful creatures, many of them extra terrestial visitors that would not have made it to Earth save for some other groups that made waves. Even he likely shouldn't be traversing Terra as he is, but never the less, here he be. So it's not surprising that he can feel the power of magic that radiates from at least the one, and then he notices that one has approached another. A curious tilt of his head is given and his steps pause for a moment. Listening, perhaps, or perhaps determining if he should approach, introduce himself. Sometimes striking up a friendship can be an interesting sort of thing. And to have powerful friends...well that just makes the idea a bit sweeter doesn't it? So he shifts, his footing at least, and begins to approach men and their raptor but takes it slow in case - well - he's mistaken the approachableness these men may offer.

Vitali Svyatoslav has posed:
With a soft movement, Vitali lowers his right hand away from Soraya and then lifts his left arm so that the raptor can step from his arm to his right shoulder. The movements could be more graceful, but he's bruised and achy. The eagle makes a soft and pleased seeming sound, turning to face front after she's moved to his shoulder. She ducks her head and nuzzles her beak against the Siberian's cheek, and then she swiftly catches a bit of his hair between her beak in order to nibble along it. He doesn't scold her for it, as sometimes he would, for it's been a long time that they've been apart.

Vitali lifts his dark gaze, seeking to meet Xiang Zhao's, and he gives a small single nod at the statement made. "I am myself and only myself, Zhaoshenka. Heng Zhihao is departed. Another pulled her spirit from within me, today, and she has moved on to the Spirit World," he says softly. His brow furrows a little bit as he considers all of the things that have happened over the past weeks. "I am sorry, Zhaoshenka... that I could not keep her out, that she possessed me," he says in a quieter voice, the words sincere. "I have missed you," he adds, a gentle warmth behind the heartfelt words. Soraya turns her head as the black haired man starts to approach, and she tilts her head to one side as she watches him. There is no warning that she voices aloud, though she does keep hold of that bit of hair of Vitali's that she'd claimed. Waiting, watching.

Xiang Zhao has posed:
Powerful might be a bit of an overstatement where Xiang Zhao is concerned. With the present amount of his power that he can draw on, Loki has more power in his pinki than Zhao has at his disposal. But that reservoir that lies untapped and dormant, on the other hand... Either way, his magical aura shines brightly and could be a tempting target for many a thing. He might be tasty! At least, to those that absorb magic.

"I am glad she is nibbling your hair now and not mine," he says in that soft voice of his. Zhao nods about Heng Zhihao. "May her spirit find peace." The words are soft, almost a murmur, but heart felt none the less. "Do not apologize for that which you cannot control. I have missed you as well." He looks over the Siberian, dark eyes thoughtful. "You are not moving as you should be. Are you well?"

Loki has posed:
Loki likely has more power in his little toe than most people that wander around various places in New York. Not that he would let that be known, right? Right. Maybe. Sort of. Oh lets face it, if he could, he'd climb to the top of the Empire State Building and shout it all across the city. He is a GOD. Most others are beneath him - at least in his mind. He approaches the two any way, still wearing a grin. "Sorry. I saw the raptor and just had to come and meet the owner of such a...powerful glorious creature."

Vitali Svyatoslav has posed:
Though there is magic that the Siberian could wield, he is currently not holding any of it or making use of any of it. The bond he shares with the eagle is such that it doesn't need an expenditure of magic for the communication to happen between the pair of them. Vitali lifts his left hand, and he lightly strokes Soraya's breast, his touch gentle. It's something he does without looking to the raptor, for her being there is quite familiar. The eagle continues to nibble on that lock of hair still caught in her beak, and she makes a soft sound.

A smile turns up the corners of Vitali's lips, and he gives a soft chuckle as he nods once. "I am not minding that she is nibbling my hair now. That might change if she continues it for overly long. It is a habit of hers," he says softly. There are lingering notes of his Russian accent to touch his words, but his English is improved from what it had been prior to his possession. He is quiet for a moment, casting a glance towards the eagle who briefly eyes him in turn. Her nibbling stalls in that brief moment, but she goes right back to it. And he lets her. His dark gaze turns back to Zhao, and he gives a small nod. "There was a sense of peace, of tranquility, when she passed on," he offers. His brow furrows a little bit, and he gives a small shake of his head. "I should have considered this might happen and taken steps to prevent it," he adds, frowning briefly. The question that Xiang Zhao asks after his welfare earns a moment of thought from the Siberian, and then he lifts one of his shoulders in a faint shrug. "Nothing is broken, da? Just bruises. Heng Zhihao picked a fight earlier today, against one who is strong," Vitali says quietly, admitting to what the day had held in the earlier hours.

Soraya tilts her head to one side, the lock of Vitali's hair dangling from her beak. She gives a tug on that lock of hair, and in response to it, Vitali turns his head to look towards the black haired fellow who has come closer. He glances to the eagle, briefly, then returns his attention to the stranger before he tilts his head just a touch to one side. "I do not own her. She is my companion," he says softly, a bit of a smile touching the corners of his lips. He can't claim ownership on her. "She is Soraya," he offers, giving a faint nod towards the eagle. "I am Vitali Svyatoslav, and this is Xiang Zhao," he adds, lifting his right hand to gesture towards Zhao when he's introduced.