aresmelaina

[aresmelaina]

You find a note attached to your front door. In lowercase letters it reads: you are the darvaza crater

Ares blinks as he plucks the note off the front door, dropping his bag of tools as he does so. "Darvaza?" He mumbles to himself, brows scrunched up in confusion as he reads the note. Doesn't ring a bell. Is that a place in Russia? Shrugging it off, he stuffs the note into his pocket, figuring he can use the paper for something else, before grabs his toolbag and heads inside the house to continue working on making it liveable again.

[aresmelaina]

Why are you so desperate for attention?

I don't think I'm desperate but hey, it makes me feel good.

[aresmelaina]

what role do you play in your group of friends?

I'm the entertainer, I tell the best jokes

[aresmelaina]

What would your perfect morning with Nicki look like?

I go over to her place and we get breakfast together, and then we have a lazy morning in bed

[aresmelaina]

Is there a personality trait that you'd like to adopt from one of your friends?

I wanna be as tall as Ike

[aresmelaina]

If Lucien asked you to leave Redwood with him tomorrow, would you do it?

Oooof, that's hard. I mean, I don't want to leave Redwood but... I don't want to leave Lucien to go out there alone either. So I guess I'd leave with him? I'd ask Nicki to come with me, though. But I don't think she'd want to leave Ike.

[aresmelaina]

If you could have a dog as a pet, which kind would you pick?

I like all dogs but probably a labrador or something, they like running around and I could take it out on raids

[aresmelaina]

What would you do if you discovered you could talk to animals?

I'd make a secret alliance with Gatsby to push Lucien's pens and mugs and stuff off his table to annoy him.

[aresmelaina]

ASK ME ANYTHING

I'll answer honestly. Probably.

[aresmelaina]

Do you still like being a Raider?

Hell yeah! I mean, I kinda started out doing it because I figured it'd be good to show that I changed, but I also like it. I like running around and getting people things, and it's pretty easy because I kind of already did the same thing before.

[aresmelaina]

What's up with you and Lucy? Does Nicki know?

I told her, so yeah! We're pretty open about that stuff. I know about who she sleeps with, too.

[aresmelaina]

is there anyone in town you try to avoid?

No, I don't think so. I mean, I used to avoid Silvy, but she's not here anymore. I also used to avoid Ike in my first few weeks here, but I obviously don't anymore. We hang out now

[aresmelaina]

Anything surprising happen lately? Good or bad !

I found a whole box with bags of M&Ms!!

[aresmelaina]

starter for: @emmxthanson

location: kitchen

"Alright, here you go. One serving of Ares' very special venison stifado." Ares grinned at Emmit as he set the steaming plate down in front of his chosen test-subject. "The name's a work in progress. I'm taking suggestions. C'mon, dig in man, tell me what you think. And be honest, I can take it." Joining up with the kitchen staff had just kind of... happened. Originally, Ares just wanted to recreate some recipes for Nicki. The chivo guisado and milk pudding had been a hit, so why not try making other things? Before he knew it, he'd started helping out the regular kitchen staff and, bam! - here he was, a fully-fledged Redwood cook.

"I tried a different spice combo this time. It's kinda hard when half the stuff doesn't even grow here. Did you know cinnamon isn't from the US? Kinda wild. Fleet helped me figure something out, though, so if it tastes weird, it's like... 50% on him." Ares chattered away as he loaded up a plate for himself. He probably could've taste tested it all on his own, but the more the merrier. And Ares liked spending time with Emmit. "So, how's life?" Ares asked, speaking with his mouth half-full. "The kids at school treating you alright? They can be pretty rowdy. I was helping Lucy with something and they were climbing all over me."

[aresmelaina]

"Okay, it wasn't really Ike who made me wear it. It was a council decision. He was the one who put it on me." Ares responded, still prodding at his teeth, running the ridged indent along his molars. On most days, he almost forgot what it'd been like before Redwood. Not prison, never prison, but his time after. With the scavenger group and then on his own, until he'd shown up at the gate to Redwood. Without Silvy to remind him, it was easy enough. Part of him felt guilty about it, but, in a way, it was settled business, right? Something he couldn't undo, so he could only move past it.

Mike never seemed to regret what he'd done with the Daybreakers either. It'd been what was needed, just necessary, why dwell on it? Yeah, if anybody was gonna understand, it'd be Mike.

"I had some bad business with some of the people here from way back. Council thought it was better to put a shackle on me, to be safe, because I was a raider and all. They took it off pretty quickly though, because Ike was tired of going out with me and I wasn't doing anything bad." Ares almost thoughtful expression shifted into something more easy. "Got out on good behavior, like you." Ares bumped Mike's side with his elbow as a gesture of comraderie, shooting him a big, friendly grin.

"The Ranch kinda looks like a second Redwood now. And Vivy and Cat are doing a pretty well. They're actually pretty good at fighting. The biters gotta watch out for them." Ares chattered, though he broke off when he felt Mike's finger dip against a bruise on his neck. Almost instantly, Ares leaned into the touch, letting out a soft hiss when the pad of Mike's thumb pressed into his bruised flesh, sending out dull sparks of pain. It was enough to make his pulse quicken.

"Yeah. Sometimes." His voice was quieter this time, a little hoarse. His blue eyes met Mike's, big and unyielding. "I was there. Yesterday. The woods." He knew the spot on instinct. Like some kind of subconcious memory unlocking. It was as if he could taste the dirt and leaves in his mouth again. Hadn't been his first time there. Ares swallowed, giving the dull pain some edge as he nuzzled as far as he could against Mike's wrist.

"Do you miss it?" Ares asked, eyes still fixed on Mike's, not wavering. "The Daybreakers?"

"Whut did big man make you wear an ankle monitor for?" In the time he'd gotten to know Ares -- including the many opportunities for sex between them, during which Ares had been enthused and pliant and willing to accept all manner of rough treatment -- there wasn't anything about the man that made Mike think that he'd present some kind of threat to Redwood. "Did you make you some sort of one-eighty in the time you been here, Daisy? Come in all roar until somebody pet you right and put a collar and bell on you?"

Mike watched Ares slick that mangled tongue against his teeth and wondered if that made him feel good, that physical reminder of his being schooled and put in his place by Isaac himself. The raiders all seemed to have a near cultlike devotion to their rangy leader, even the thundercloud-faced girl who had taken herself off to guard the Ranch like an ill-tempered feral cat. Ares treasured his depleted tongue. It was like he'd earned something, sacrificing part of it.

"I been to the Ranch, though only one time when Zack thought I might be good lending some muscle for digging out they wanted done." Mike shrugged. He didn't mind being used for labour; it was good that Redwood found use for him at all. "It's like to be even better'n what I seen that time. Dunno how protected it is with them two sour women tending it." Mike reached over, pressing his thumb against one of the bruises low against the side of Ares' neck, almost hidden by his beard; his thumb fit perfectly, of course. "You go out there much, boy?"

[aresmelaina]

"Jokes on you, I got cooking duty anyway. The hunters brought back some rabbit, and I wanna try making stifado. So yes, I will be bringing you dinner and you will be a test subject." Ares grinned, leaning up against the doorframe as he waited on Lucien.

Watching his brother get up and move felt good, as weird as that sounded. There was so much more ease to it now. And it wasn't just the fact that Lucien didn't really need to use his cane anymore, or that he didn't have to fight against his body every step of the way, though that definitely helped. More like something inside of Lucien had changed. Made him want to work on his body, become better.

Maybe it'd been the Daybreaker attack. The feeling that something needed to change. The talk in the hospital after Lucien got shot was still fresh enough in Ares' mind.

He shook the thought off, which was easy enough as he followed his brother down the stairs. "Oh really? You promise you're gonna full on bridal-carry me one day? I'll hold you to that. Might have to work on your arms a bit more." As soon as they reached the bottom of the stairs, Ares squeezed Lucien's biceps, feeling the lax muscles shift under his fingers, before he stepped outside into the warm, early summer air.

"You know, I had an idea." Ares turned around and walked backwards for a few steps, knowing the way well enough to not fall now. "Since it's not freezing outside anymore, maybe we could try out swimming. Amsale said it might help with my back too. Aqua-therapy or something. Probably a lot cooler than working out in the gym. Though I guess it might not work for you because you'd be able to stand in the middle of the lake."

"Ares, it was just leg day two days ago," he complained on cue, probably exaggerating. "You know what, whatever. Do your worst. And when we get home I will just lie down and force you to get dinner for both of us."

He stood back up with miniscule help from his cane and hang it over his shoulder, pulling his hair into a bun with an elastic between his teeth. "If I want to fall down the stairs, I have proven that I can do it very successfully on my own, thank you very much," he shot back and headed down with a hand on the railing. "But one day I will carry you and you will know your job is done."

[aresmelaina]

What’s the best part of your day?

Right now? Eating breakfast with Luc. Doesn't happen everyday because sometimes I'm out on raids for a couple of days, but it's a bit of a ritual and it's kind of chill. We don't get to hang out too much during the rest of the day if we aren't working out, so it's nice to just vibe in the morning.

@lucienmelaina