[open] When Scrooge McDuck deals with his money hoard better than you...

[disdainfully]

Who: Thorir and you!
What: Goldsick dwarf king on his pile of gold having issues with people trying to talk sense into him, or generally existing on his pile of gold, depending on how he knows them.
When: Christmas Day until mid-January
Where: Las Vegas, inside the mountain
Warnings: Fantasy mental illness



So on the 24th, Thorir went to find Jovan and just ...never returned. Seeing the gold hoard gave him the worst echo of them all: Dragon sickness.

He's been wandering the vast lands of gold since. After a while, he found Thror's crown, and then even later a very regal looking coat. Both look terribly out of place over his jeans and Icelandic woollen sweater. He's neither eating nor drinking, not unless someone makes him, and refuses to leave the hoard.

Maybe you re the first to find him, or you talk him out of this, or bring him food, or...?

Comments

[thebalrogslayer]

In the darkness, the light of a torch flashes, glinting off the gold. Gabriel pauses, but only for a moment, before he continues, his footsteps all but silent until he reaches the edges of the hoard. There even a hobbit struggled to keep his steps silent, and Gabriel has no chance. Not that he's trying to be discreet: the torch hardly lends itself to subtly, and as soon as he reaches the first peak of gold he pauses again. "Thorir? Are you down here?"

Find the gold and you'll find the man - that's what people who've seen Thorir since his disappearance have said, and so Gabriel followed vague directions into the heart of the mountain, bearing a bag, his torch and a worried expression.

[moreweaponsthanyou]

Fil has been down here a few times since Thorir's disappearance into the gold hoard. The first to check that his Uncle was REALLY here, and other times with food so as to make sure his Uncle didn't starve because it didn't look like anything could force him out. If asked, the place gave him the creeps. The echo he got back with it didn't make it any better.

He was back again, this time with more food on a tray. "Uncle? You must be hungry...come and eat something?"

[arrowpoint]

Even Liam is a little worried for the guy. After hearing that Thorir went a little nuts, he figures that it was only right to give him a visit. The Dwarf had been nice enough to let him stay in the mountain, and anyone else who wanted to, for that matter.

That's how he finds himself braving the depths of the place with a flash light. He didn't usually go too far down in the mountain, the thought of it creeped him out something fierce. So it shouldn't be any surprise that by the time he reaches the bottom he's shaking slightly and has to sit down on a step to calm down.

Looking around with the flashlight, he does spot Thorir a little distance away. He calls out to him.

"Hey, dude, how's it going?"

[disdainfully]

"Gabriel." The way Thorir moves across the treasure piles seems natural, no more troubled than a man with good boots walking over a snowy road. He, unlike Gabriel, doesn't carry a light (or at least not one that is lit, a flashlight does dangle from his belt), and it almost seems like he doesn't need it. He extends his arms in a gesture that might be welcome, but only if one ignores the strange expression on his face, the look that isn't without distrust despite the smile on his lips.

"Welcome to the greatest wonder of this mountain."

after everything else

[disdainfully]

Thorir doesn't seem to hear him at first, too preoccupied with digging through a pile of bracelets, but at a certain point of it he takes a break; inventory finished, for now, and he turns to look at his nephew, regarding him with the look of a man who is very confused what the other person wants of him.

"It will take a long time to move all of this to a safer place, Fíl. But it must be done."

[thebalrogslayer]

What Gabriel notices is how comfortable Thorir seems, walking on the gold, and he finds himself wondering if that is just practise. An echo, or some part of this strange mood that has kept him isolated down here.

And he's not one to be swayed by the sight of gold either. It could be put to good use, but he's never cared for personal wealth, and if it was all spent without care it would cause serious problems in the economy. There's too much of it to properly take in anyway. Too much to accept as real. And he has something more important to worry about. "The biggest wonder in this mountain is how you've survived down here without anything to eat or drink. Come back up and have dinner with us."

[disdainfully]

"a little nuts" is a ...slight understatement.

The way he is wandering around the hoard and not even looking up at the noise of Liam approaching is not promising much, and when he finally turns around at being called out to and comes over, there is a glint in his eyes of something that is most definitely not sanity.

"I have been wondering when you would come to marvel at my riches."

[disdainfully]

"The gold is not safe yet." His voice is harsh, his eyes immediately narrowed with distrust at such a request. "I won't leave it behind until I can know that nobody will be able to take it while I am gone."

[thebalrogslayer]

Gabriel fixes his old friend under a gaze that is more than a little disappointed, but also full of pity and worry, concerned and perhaps just a little scared. He sighs deeply, shoulders sagging, but then he steels himself and shifts the bag that he holds. "I thought you might say that. I have soup and tea, and snacks and bottled water in the bag for when I leave. Come and sit with me and eat."

[arrowpoint]

"Uh... yeah, sure."

Well, that's not good. Liam takes a seat on the ledge of the walkway he's standing on. This wasn't a situation he really knew how to deal with, but he did care about the guy, so he would do his best.

"So you... you been down here a while, huh?"

[disdainfully]

"Since I found it." He frowns. "It is not secure yet, and until it is, I can hardly leave it behind where just everyone could find it. There are machines on the mountain, Liam; they drill down, and if they get in here..."

The worry isn't new, but it has a distinctly different quality to it now that it is not about the safety of the numbered residents who might use the mountain as a hiding place, but about the gold that already is hidden inside it.

[disdainfully]

After a moment, he complies and comes over to the other man. And stops. Sure, his attention is mostly on the gold still, but it is hard to miss that he is facing Gabriel's belly now. ....Gabriel. WHAT.

"You grew."

[arrowpoint]

[Liam lets out a breath of air.]

Well... it's a lot of gold, dude. Where else would you put it?

[thebalrogslayer]

...Oh right, Thorir missed that particular revelation. "Ah, yes. Apparently Glorfindel was a touch taller than I am. It's only a few inches." But enough that he had to go trouser shopping, unfortunately. "Two new lights went up." He leads Thorir a few steps onwards, to where the remains of a pillar emerge from the gold and they can sit without being engulfed by it. It's a bit awkward looking down at Thorir like this.

[grannyfucker]

Hours later, it's still Christmas and Jovan is still waiting for help--either from Thorir or from Arthur. He thinks he heard something--a pile of coins falling down on itself like a money avalanche. He follows the sounds, half desperate for help and half scared of what he'll find.

Although sure enough, he finds Thorir, decked out in bling. What the fuck?

"What--what the hell? Have you just been playing dress-up down here this entire time?"

[disdainfully]

There are places. Caves that are hard to find, deeper in the mountain. Chambers with thick doors. I will only have to find them...

You must help me in that.

[Gone is his worry that Liam will get lost and thus something happen to him. There are more urgent matters here than the life and (likely) harm that will come to the not!elf if he ventures deeper into the mountain. Thorir still doesn't consider him enough of an adult to let him go off on his own like that, but at the same time that is a small price to pay for the chance that he will find something useful.]

[disdainfully]

He turns around at the light and stares at Jovan as if he has never seen him before, at least for a long moment. And then his expression darkens.

"...You."

[disdainfully]

"Lights..." He frowns, thinking, his eyes momentarily not on the gold as he looks down at the bag. "Two?"

[arrowpoint]

[Liam uses the flashlight to look down a little further down the room... the large room.]

Maybe, um... deeper in, huh?

[He's uncomfortable enough being down here at this level, he wasn't sure he could handle further in.]

I don't know that might not be a good idea...

[grannyfucker]

Oh. Oh boy. The look on his face is more than a little worrying. Jovan freezes and doesn't breathe for a few moments, waiting for what's next.

"...Me?"

[disdainfully]

"You found a different entrance to this mountain. Show me."

Sloooowly approaching, yay?

[disdainfully]

Yes, deeper.

[If he looks irritated at Liam's reply, that would be because he is. Really, Liam, where else, and it is a splendid idea. He battles himself for a long moment, attempting to not react with more anger than he must to the reply. Something is wrong (it is Thorin, he can tell as much, in the moments when his mind is a bit more free, though he cannot tell what exactly it is - he has no memory of Thorin actually being like this)]

If you won't help me, you should leave. [Because while Thorin always seemed to at least hold a good measure of responsibility, he isn't so sure now anymore.]

[arrowpoint]

[...okay then. Thorir you're definitely sounding off.]

Dude, it's not that I wouldn't help, it's just... [sigh.]... you know how I get down here, I'll have panic attack or something. It's so... dark and the air is all... and there's no light...

[His breathing becomes quicker as he dwells on what he imagined the deeper parts of the mountain.]

[moreweaponsthanyou]

Fil eyed the piles of gold around him nervously and held out the tray of food out a bit more. "Nobody's come down here in ages Uncle....I think it's safe enough for now while you eat. Please?" He was worried and it showed on his face. No one had to tell him that it's not only eating and drinking, Thorir probably hadn't been sleeping as well. (Not to mention other things like personal hygiene).

Besides...what safer place? Where else around here can hold this much gold?

[disdainfully]

And you're useless.

[It's a derisive thing full of contempt and negativity, and he moves to turn away to walk back onto his piles of gold.]