gentlemeteors - Tumblr blog

[gentlemeteors]

solarstcrms​:

sebastian  //  @gentlemeteors​​

Jae didn’t regret what happened on Halloween, but he was a little annoyed it didn’t have the effect he’d been hoping for. Sebastian had been slowly taking over his thoughts since he got here and getting all that pent-up frustration should have finally left his mind clear, not left him feeling crazier. But Jae was a grown adult, who had learned valuable lessons about relationships from the very person driving him insane. He didn’t need complications. Which was why Jae was currently outside Sebastian’s door, moments away from successfully picking the lock, when he felt the door click open. “Hey,” he said, standing up straight, face perfectly innocent. He slipped past, letting himself in. “Can we talk?”

Sebastian had been confident that it was only a matter of time before Jae sought him out again, especially after his … indulgence on Halloween, but he had to admit he hadn’t been expecting breaking and entering, and certainly not at this hour. If Jae had decided to break in about 10 minutes earlier, he might have made it all the way inside while Sebastian was still in the shower. What a pity. “Did knocking fall out of fashion while I wasn’t paying attention?” he asked a little reproachfully, inspecting his door for damage before pulling it shut behind them and running a hand through his wet hair. “I’m flattered you were so eager to see me darling, but if you had given me a little warning I would have been much better prepared for guests.” He turned and enjoyed the sight of Jae standing stiffly in the middle of the room before brushing past him to the kitchen, taking the opportunity to sweep a hand across his shoulders as he went and purposely ignoring his question. “Can I offer you something to drink? I’ve got some reds I’m sure you’ll adore.”

[gentlemeteors]

solarstcrms​:

He tried not to get too excited when the pressure on his wrist increased, but the disappointment when it relaxed just as quickly was so much worse. Maybe it was Jae who needed to put a name to what he wanted. “That’s not enough.” Sure, he came back and… what? Was Jae supposed to drop everything for him? When he’d been discarded, Jae made sure nothing like that would ever happen to him again. He locked away everything that had made him weak, pushed down everything that had hurt him, kept a careful emotional boundary with anyone he slept with. He was so much better now. But there was a small part still in there, maybe, desperately hungry to be wanted, aching to climb into that chair with him and reclaim the piece of him Sebastian stole when he left. A part that pushed its way to the surface to knock restlessly against Jae’s chest as he watched Sebastian’s eyes flutter shut. Hand on his, Jae met his gaze again raw with a miserable longing. “You’ll have to come get me first,” he breathed, the thing in his chest beating harder and threatening to break through. It was hard to get anything firm across, hand cradled against his jaw like this, gaze heavy. But Sebastian had to mean it. Jae was already so close to giving in without a second thought. There had to be something more. He angled his head in just the way he knew would slot him perfect against Sebastian if he only closed the last remaining gap between them. He so badly wanted just a taste. “We should wrap this up here.” For a beat, he made no other movement, but shit. He gave Sebastian’s leg a squeeze and tried to untangle himself. “If you have any follow-up questions, I’m not hard to find. You have my email.”

Sebastian looked at him steadily and controlled his first instinct to bristle at the dismissal in Jae’s words. He was out of practice at reading Jae’s face but his body was a different story, and it was clear to him that Jae wasn’t pushing him away, not completely. He wanted to be chased again? That was fine. A good hunter knows when to be patient, and Sebastian was an excellent hunter. “I managed that quite well the first time,” he said quietly, “and I intend to do it again.” Jae started to pull away and Sebastian thought briefly about tightening his grip again and keeping him there, but Jae was already retreating back into professionalism (or as close to it as he could manage) and he knew he had made all the progress he was going to make for now. He adjusted his grip so that his nails dragged ever so slightly across Jae’s skin as he pulled his hand back, but he let him go. There would be other opportunities, and he would take full advantage of all of them as they came. He dropped some bills on the table and stood up, tucking the newspaper he had been reading under his arm. Before he left, he reached out and brushed his fingers through Jae’s hair. “Don’t worry darling,” he said, tucking a strand behind his ear, “I’ll find you.”

[gentlemeteors]

solarstcrms​:

The exact words exchanged meant so little to Jae, when it all came down to it. It wasn’t like they parted on friendly terms. But it wasn’t the details that stuck with him after everything. That all faded with every terrible emotion he’d forced himself to move on from ages ago. There was one single thing that mattered to him now. “You left me. Was I supposed to wait to welcome you back with open arms after all this time?” And it was such a bitch move to come back out of nowhere. Jae was a different person now, all the way over here, working for Nemean Lion, years removed from that part of his life. He didn’t miss Sebastian anymore. Not until just this moment, at least, when he was suddenly close enough to touch again. It was that delirium that had made him reach over without thinking. Now that Sebastian had a hold of him, Jae could see how that had been a mistake. His grip felt like a brand on his skin. “Don’t touch me,” he murmured, hand flexing involuntarily, but made no move to tug himself out of Sebastian’s grasp. The magnetic pull of him had Jae leaning in closely, free hand braced on Sebastian’s thigh for balance. His thumb traced the inseam idly. “I doubt you’ve ever had cause to. Who could ever tell a face like that what to do?” It was said snidely, but that did little to cover for the fact that he was clearly letting Sebastian set the pace for this conversation. Even protected by his power as he was, it seemed Jae was particularly weak to Sebastian’s whims. This was so infuriating. His hand twisted in its hold so he could scrape nails along Sebastian’s jaw. “So?” Maybe he just needed to get this out of his system, and then he could be free. “What is it that you want then?”

You left me. He had. Sebastian had reached a point where he needed to make a choice and he had chosen to prioritize himself the way he always did, the way he always would. He didn’t regret it. He didn’t. But there was something alive in his chest that only stirred and opened its eyes when Jae looked at him, and that thing had suddenly constricted around his lungs like an iron band. The hand that gripped Jae’s wrist tightened for a moment and then relaxed. “I came back,” he said simply. He didn’t look away from Jae’s face as he swayed closer and leaned into him, he was always so much more honest with his body than he was with his mouth. Sebastian was a greedy creature by nature. He wanted everything, all of it. He wanted to shove Jae over this stupid cafe table and fuck him until he cried. He wanted to leave bites and bruises everywhere he could reach, so deep and vivid there would be no way to hide them and Jae would feel them every time he so much as twitched. He wanted to eat Jae alive. He wanted the thing in his chest to go to sleep forever and he wanted it to grow teeth and claws and rip him open from the inside. He wanted Jae to never, never stop looking at him. He wanted to turn around and disappear again before Jae had a chance to turn away from him first. Sebastian closed his eyes against the strength of all of his want and shifted his grip on Jae’s wrist to slide up and cover his hand where it rested on Sebastian’s jaw. “I want this,” he said, opening his eyes again slowly, “I want you.” He smiled a little crookedly. “I missed you, jaybird.”

[gentlemeteors]

ceciliabae​:

“So then you’re one of those real smarty-pants?” she asks with a slight grin. “I always assume everyone in the Tech track is. I mean, I can hardly comprehend all of the stuff you guys do, and to do it with all the advanced equipment the campus has?” Cece lets out an impressed sigh as they walk out, eyeing some of the fancy machinery behind perfect glass walls in the halls of this floor. “The Rec is just northeast from here, super easy to get to from this building,” she explains as they make their way to the entrance doors. “Have you only been working since you got here?”

“Not really,” August says quietly. Theo had been the smart one, not her. She’s just scrambling to learn as much as possible so she can put what little he was able to teach her to some kind of use. “It’s more that I would be completely useless as a Hero, I think.” She remembers how cold it had been, hiding in a patch of shadow, watching him turn, try to run, fall– She blinks and shakes off the memory. Not the time to be wallowing August, you’re supposed to be making a good impression here. She forces a short laugh and says “Guess I’m just not cut out for it,” going for playfully self-deprecating and probably landing somewhere closer to pathetic. Oh well. She follows Cece out the door and makes an effort to pay attention to what she’s saying instead of spacing out again. “Guilty,” she says with a weak smile, “I have a tendency to get caught up in what I’m doing and lose track of time.”

[gentlemeteors]

alreadyovcr​:

For practical(ish) reasons, Lydia understood the reasoning behind strengthening her hand to hand skills. She fought well when it came to using her magic; Lydia knew how to focus on one form of magic at a time and bend its purposes as to not exhaust herself. Without her powers was another story, though, and it was better to be safe than sorry. Or worse, dead. So when she showed up to train without her sister or a friend to spar against, she immediately looked around for a willing partner. “Hey! August, right? We’re both doing Tech. I mean…I think!” She was certain but that seemed a little creepy given they didn’t know each other well. “Are you looking for someone to train with?”

August started a bit when she heard herself being addressed – she had been so wrapped up in her own thoughts that she hadn’t even noticed the other girl approaching. She turned and pushed an awkward smile onto her face. “That’s me,” she said with a little wave. “And you’re … Lydia, right?” August did remember seeing her around the Tech floor, but they hadn’t had much of a chance to speak since her initial introductions. She seemed nice enough, and it was a little reassuring to see a somewhat familiar face. “To be honest, I didn’t really have a plan when I came in,” August admitted sheepishly. “If you’re looking for a partner I could– well, I’m not sure how useful it would be for you since I’m not very experienced, but if you don’t mind showing me the ropes, maybe we could work together?”

[gentlemeteors]

solarstcrms​:

Something dark flashed in Sebastian’s eyes as Jae spoke that sent a little thrill up his spine, which was — not what was supposed to be happening right now. His anger was justified and he deserved a response. Everything else, the way Sebastian watched him, and the way he wanted to watch him right back, could not pull focus. Then, Sebastian spoke up. Jae’s movements stuttered, mouth opening and snapping shut in a beat. He wouldn’t subject himself to whatever humiliating reaction that threatened to pull out of him, instead opting to return the favor and keep silent. Trust was such a heady thing. Why come at all? Why cut him out completely only to willingly crash back into Jae’s life? Because I knew you would be here. He swallowed, licking his lips. “I thought we agreed to never see each other again,” he exhaled roughly, which was perhaps a reductive oversimplification. There was an undercurrent in Jae’s tone, also, too close to hope that he resented for existing, never mind letting slip. His memories of Sebastian were tainted by how it had ended, but it hadn’t all been bad. But the anger. He had to hold onto the anger. “That makes sense,” he said, rueful twist of his lips. Everywhere Sebastian went, people would trip over themselves to please him. It had been amusing, once upon a time, when Jae had front row seats where he stood smugly glued to Sebastian’s side. Now it felt illusory, like a trick of the light that only he could see through. Looking at him now, secure in the strength of his own power, Jae knew in this moment that Sebastian had never needed pull him in with infatuation. Jae had chosen him all on his own. He followed the movement of Sebastian’s smile and felt something inside him crack. “Different,” he repeated, like he could taste the meaning. It shuddered through him. He felt flush, nose scrunched up lightly in frustration. He couldn’t fold this easy. “I should have made it harder,” he hummed. Jae believed him. He had to. Any alternative would drive him insane. He wanted to reach over, take two fistfuls of Sebastian to shake fiercely, and… hold him there, maybe. Dig his nails in and never let go. Remind him of what he’d left behind. He smiled, small and sharp, but it felt hollow. “I liked seeing you work for it. I don’t get seduced often, you know.” He did reach over then, but only to adjust Sebastian’s collar, careful not to touch him. His smile dropped as he moved to pull back. “I’ll be writing all of this up. And I won’t be the only one asking you questions later. Are you sure about all this?”

Sebastian watched Jae’s throat work as he swallowed and tried to remember what it tasted like. “I don’t recall agreeing to any such thing,” he said mildly. The particulars of that night had clouded over in his memory some time ago and he really didn’t remember much of what he had said then, but it didn’t matter now. What mattered was that Jae was here, now, and Sebastian wanted him. He watched Jae fidget as he fought to keep his previous icy composure and wondered idly how hard he would make Sebastian work for it this time. He thought it wouldn’t be very hard. After all, it hadn’t taken much coaxing to get Jae to move on from fighting him and Sebastian knew what desire looked like on Jae’s face. He was still so responsive after all this time, and Sebastian hadn’t even touched him yet. A little compliment made him glow like he’d swallowed embers, poor thing, but Sebastian supposed he had grown unaccustomed to praise in his absence. Something else to address later. He was fighting it, but Sebastian could see him softening, thawing slowly under his careful attention. He tipped his head to the side and let his own smile pull into a smirk. “I know you did,” he said, all warm indulgence, “and I rather liked seducing you.” If he had been a different kind of monster, he might have actually purred with satisfaction when Jae finally reached for him just like Sebastian knew he would. Yes, not so hard at all, he thought contentedly. When Jae moved to pull back, Sebastian’s hand shot out and snatched his wrist in a grip that was firm, but not bruising (not yet). He really thought he had been quite patient so far, but he could only be expected to resist so much, surely. He was only a man after all. Well, mostly. Without breaking eye contact, he slowly drew Jae’s hand back to him and lifted it to his mouth. If he really wanted to, Jae could pull out of his grip, but Sebastian didn’t think he would. He let his lips ghost over the thin skin on the inside of Jae’s wrist and said lowly, “I don’t do anything I don’t want to do.”

[gentlemeteors]

solarstcrms​:

The moment Sebastian’s mood turned, Jae felt a sick sense of triumph join hands with his anger. If he wasn’t already so incensed, he might have even laughed. “Oh, bite me,” he hissed, “I’m a fucking angel, thanks. I still told you, for all the good it did me. I didn’t disappear from your life and wait for you to see it typed out in an e-mail years later.” It felt good to fight with Sebastian. His venom was so much more welcome than the dizzying warmth he’d greeted Jae with, as if they were just two friends catching up. And now that they were both trading jabs, he could blame this ugly feeling in his chest on something that made sense. He leaned closer to speak lowly, brow raised. “It’s crazy that you think I care about professionalism right now. I wasn’t the one who invited you. Whatever deal you have with Nemean Lion, I’d rather you do as you have been for years now and keep me out of it.” His lips twitched in annoyance at what was clearly Sebastian making a production out of just passing a file along. And people thought Jae was dramatic. He snatched the offending file, quickly moving to thumb through the documents. “If you cared so much about fostering a good relationship, you would have requested to work with a different staff member,” he said icily. He paused as he read over the document detailing his powers, something hot crawling up his spine. Could Jae even trust anyone else to deal with this? As much as he hated having to sit here right now, the idea of anyone else talking to Sebastian, looking at him and learning things about him that Jae has yet to learn himself, made him itch. With five years between them, Sebastian wasn’t his to lay claim over anymore. Except. “How much control do you have over all of this?” His gaze slid back over to Sebastian, tense but carefully neutral for now. It was already a tell for Jae to so clearly move away from his earlier ire, but it was all he could do to stop from having a visible reaction. “Did you know?” He broke eye contact to shuffle the papers neatly back into place, just so his hands had something to do besides shake in place. Jae carried his power with him everywhere like a cloak, but he knew how careless he got with it when he walked amongst mortals. Jae would have had no use for it around someone he trusted utterly. Had Sebastian felt the same? “Before I told you about Harmonia — before I told you anything about demigods — did you already know that something was off?”

Bite me, good god, he really had been gone too long if Jae thought he could get away with saying shit like that with no repercussions. Sebastian wanted to shove Jae back into his chair and sink his teeth into the meat of his shoulder until he tasted blood. He clenched his jaw and reminded himself moodily how annoying it would be to deal with all the little demigods whipping themselves into a tizzy over one little mauling and made a note to bring it up later. In private. Instead, he watched Jae’s face while he got his little tirade out of his system and recommitted all the expressions he made to memory. Then, when Jae had stopped spitting at him long enough to begin leafing through his file, Sebastian tried something else. “You thought I would trust anyone else with this?” he asked softly, keeping his face blank but letting just a touch of bitterness color his voice. “I didn’t keep it from you for fun, Jae. Even other anthros only know what they’ve heard and what they can sense for themselves. I don’t talk about it, ever.” He let his eyes flit away for a moment as though he were uncomfortable or steeling himself for something, then he looked back at Jae and said, “I only accepted the invitation in the first place because I knew you would be here.” There. That even had the benefit of being completely true. He didn’t have to fake the reluctant grimace before talking about his abilities either – he truly did not talk about this, ever, but he wasn’t about to run away now after he’d come this far. “I have complete control over everything but the … infatuation.” He paused, considering how to describe it. “It’s like a leaking faucet,” he said finally, “I can adjust the pressure, but I can’t turn it off, not completely.” He studied Jae carefully as he got quieter and cursed that he was out of practice at reading him. Sebastian didn’t like letting anything slip, no matter how small, when he couldn’t be sure of how it would be received or whether it would be used against him. But Jae wasn’t going to let him avoid it and he didn’t really feel like lying about it either. Thinking back to seeing Jae for the first time, wanting him and, incredibly, not being able to have him, Sebastian couldn’t help the small, fond smile that tugged at his lips. “Darling, of course I knew you were different,” he let the shape of the word in his mouth tell Jae what he meant was special and better. “I was out of practice at seducing pretty boys the hard way, and you really made me work for it.” He gave a delicate little shrug. “I just didn’t know why.”

[gentlemeteors]

solarstcrms​:

Jae felt like he was cycling through every possible emotion all at once in a violent whirlwind. Sebastian was here, in his life again, in the last place he thought they might ever meet and Jae was struggling to make sense of it. Sebastian, for his part, seemed incredibly pleased as he smiled up at him, unruffled by the circumstances of this meeting. And for all the worst that Jae has wished on him since they parted, he was struck in this moment on how this was still the most beautiful person Jae has ever met. Fuck him. “Don’t call me that,” he said hoarsely before he could stop himself, lip curling. High-strung as he was, the pet name hit him like a physical blow. Anger — in the face of everything, that was something Jae could perform well. He moved to sharply follow instruction, initially out of habit he’d long thought lost, and then, after a moment’s agitated hesitation, to avoid drawing out this interaction. He wanted to be out of here as quickly as possible. “Should I?” His eyes narrowed and he lifted his chin with an imperious tilt. “I never knew I dated a siren. Maybe there’s just a lot I should know that I simply don’t. What do you think?” Arms crossed, Jae positioned himself as far away as sitting next to Sebastian would allow, and even that felt much too close. “Why did you call me here?”

Sebastian pulled back and raised his hands in mock surrender but his smile didn’t fade. The anger was expected – in fact, it was one of the reactions he had hoped for. Other people were so boring, always fawning and flattering and falling over themselves to please him. Jae was different. After all this time, he was still the most interesting person Sebastian ever met. Jae looked at him in ways no one else had before or since, and he was greedy for it. He wanted to keep pushing the buttons that made Jae hiss and spit and swipe at him. He wanted to reach over and grip the back of Jae’s neck to keep him still and remind him who he was talking to. He wanted to card his fingers through the fine hair at Jae’s nape until he finally relaxed his goddamn shoulders. Now really wasn’t the time or place for that, but as his eyes followed the instinctual way Jae had moved to do as he asked, he soothed himself that it likely wouldn’t take very long to settle things back into their proper places. He lowered his hands as Jae took his seat and was debating whether he could get away with laying a proprietary arm across the back of his chair when Jae threw out his accusation. Sebastian stiffened and his warm smile curled into a sneer. “Since you’re such a paragon of honesty and virtue,” he said acidly, “why don’t you remind me how long it took for you to get around to telling me about your own divine parentage, hmm?” He crossed his own arms and gave Jae a baleful look. “I was invited to join your little community, you know,” he sniffed. “Perhaps in your hurry to paint me as some big bad monster, you’ve forgotten that you have some professional obligations in this matter as well?” He reached into his bag with exaggerated slowness and withdrew a slim file of documents containing information about other anthros he had crossed paths with as well a brief description of his own abilities. “It’s important to start any relationship off on the right foot, after all,” he said as he slid the file across the table.

[gentlemeteors]

solarstcrms​:

sebastian  //  @gentlemeteors

There was a part of him that still didn’t believe any of this was real. Desperately, Jae considered turning around and never having to deal with this at all. When Jae had first skimmed the email, he’d thought nothing of it. A request for a meeting out of office was uncommon, but not unusual enough to draw his attention. It was only when he had pulled on the profile that his stomach had dropped. Jae approached him now, a figure so familiar that his vision nearly blurred. The space they were meeting in was too public to cause a scene, but every cell begged to scream. With all the composure he could muster, Jae fixed the only person he thought he’d never see again with a cool gaze. “Sebastian.” What are you doing? Why are you here? “It’s been a long time.”

Sebastian heard Jae approaching from where he sat at the little café table, but kept his attention patiently trained on the newspaper in his hands. Let him have the opening move, he thought with indulgence, what does it matter? It was only once Jae had taken his position and announced himself that Sebastian allowed himself to fold the paper and turn to regard him fully for the first time in more than five years. A giddy little laugh almost escaped him, and he chided himself that it was rude to make fun, but he really couldn’t help it. Jae was standing at a rigid attention like a little toy soldier, and it was adorable how hard he was trying to look cool and unaffected. Sebastian, on the other hand, saw no need to hold back his own delight, and tilted his head back to meet Jae’s eyes with a warm smile. “Hey jaybird,” he said simply, the way he had said it hundreds of times before, as though the last time he said it had been only yesterday. “Take a seat, no need to be so stiff.” He patted the seat next to him and let his smile grow a little more teasing. “You of all people should know I won’t bite unless you ask very nicely.”

[gentlemeteors]

ceciliabae​:

“A week?” she repeats back, the surprise clear in the way her voice raises an octave. “Well, that makes so much sense as to why I haven’t seen you around, you’re like new new,” Cece chuckles and suddenly it’s all the more important to her that August gets her proper bearings. “This is probably needed then, huh?” she asks as she smiles, and hoists her bag up onto her shoulder again. “Come on, I’ll treat you to something from The Rec— are you more of a coffee or smoothie person? Tea? Ice cream?” Maybe it’s the chance to spend time with someone who doesn’t know all the turmoil of what had happened at NL in the past year, but Cece finds herself way too eager now to show August the campus.

August lets Cece’s bright chatter wash over her while she grabs her own bag and follows her to the door. “Coffee would be nice, actually,” she says, “I was up late last night looking over some of the research materials in the library, so I could use the boost.”  That’s putting it a little lightly - she always felt more alert at night and there was so much to learn, she hadn’t slept more than a handful of hours. It would be nice to take a break and just let someone else take the lead for a while, especially someone who is clearly so happy to do it.

[gentlemeteors]

[ JONGSUK LEE, HE/HIM, CIS MAN ]  —  [ SEBASTIAN (SEBIN) YOON ]  is a  [ SIREN ]  .  they were born in  [ 1992 ]  and have been in nemean lion since  [ 2022 ] .  with the change, they  [ ARE TRAINING IN ]  the  [ AMBASSADOR ]  role which makes sense since they’re usually  [ MANSPLAINING and MANIPULATING ] .  if you’d like to meet them try the  [ MOON ]  building - kels / she/they / cst / 18+

Name: Sebastian (Sebin) Yoon Anthro Type: Siren Birthday: November 9, 1992 (Scorpio) Hometown: Busan, South Korea Sexuality: Pansexual Dorm: Moon Track: Ambassador

Personality: Outwardly extremely charismatic and engaging, everything about him is designed to draw people in. He is at his most comfortable when he is the center of attention, since he knows he can twist any amount of attention to his benefit. Arrogant and used to getting his way, but not physically overbearing - he just assumes everyone is going to do what he wants, and he’s usually right. He desires control and hates surprises and uncertainty.

Background: Sebastian does not like to talk about his childhood. The most you are likely to get out of him is that he was raised by a poor fisherman in Busan and spent most days helping him with his work before he mysteriously disappeared at sea when Sebastian (called Sebin at the time) was 20. Nobody ever found him, how tragic and mysterious, whatever could have happened to him, etc etc. If you want to know more, you’ll have to earn his trust.

As he tells it, the real story of his life began when he hopped on a ship after his father’s disappearance and ended up in a port city in France. There, he took the name Sebastian and started working nightclubs and cabarets as a singer. Growing up in Korea, he didn’t know exactly how his powers worked, but through trial and error he realized that most of the time people tended to do what he asked them to, and when he sang they became dazed and suggestible. He made a decent living picking pockets and letting patrons believe they had bought him drinks or felt obliged to tip him a little extra after a performance. If he spotted someone with particularly large pockets, he might invite that person to spend a lovely evening together and leave them with their memories a little fuzzy and their purse noticeably lighter in the morning. (You know how J-Lo is gaslighting and girlbossing in Hustlers? Yeah.)

It’s at one of these establishments that he first met Jaekyung Eun. Jae was obviously wealthier than everyone else in the room combined, which made him an easy target for Sebastian. However, for perhaps the first time in his life, his powers of suggestion failed him utterly. Oh, the attraction was there of course, but no matter what he said, he couldn’t entice Jae into leaving the club with him. This was infuriating, but also fascinating, and he made it his personal mission to seduce Jae utterly and figure out what it was exactly that made him so resistant to his compulsions.

So began a long, torrid affair that he was surprised to find himself enjoying. His previous flings had never lasted longer than one night and he usually became bored with people once they had exhausted their usefulness to him, but Jae was never boring. Eventually though, just like everyone else, he did exhaust his usefulness. Sebastian used Jae’s connections in the fashion world to land a modeling gig and cut ties once he had established himself.

He spent the next five-ish years jetting around Europe for a variety of modeling jobs. In between gigs, he attached himself to wealthy people, enjoyed fancy parties and fine dining on their arm, and moved on after he had tucked away enough incriminating information to blackmail them with potential scandal.

He’s made many connections with mortals and anthros alike in his travels, and was intrigued by Marina’s offer. He decided to join Nemean Lion less out of any selfless desire to help the community, and more to make sure he had access to the flow of information about this situation. It always pays to be in the know, and it’s only fair to offer his own information in exchange.

Besides, it’ll be fun dropping in on Jae unannounced.

Existing Connections:

Jae’s very sexy and very toxic ex. If you want gory details, he’s more than happy to tell you all about it.

Potential Connections:

Another monster he met in France or Korea who helped him understand what he was and how to use his powers?

Any number of one-night stands, he is literally always dtf

If you want to try and befriend him I wish you luck, he’s accustomed to keeping everyone at arm’s length. He is always down to share gossip over a drink however!

[gentlemeteors]

nightfallens​:

There is a certain beauty about clear starlit skies, glowing particularly bright this evening. On nights like these, she’s reminded of her—their—mother. If she’s amongst the stars, in the backdrop for the picturesque scenery for the souls fortunate to witness such a sight at this hour. Cynthia exhales a content sigh at the thought as August’s anecdote catches up to her. She’s noticed the sparkle in her sister’s eyes used to be her own. “Everyone’s been there once before, what matters is that you’re here now, and it’s just the beginning for you,” she reassures, “Like I came here almost a decade ago and I’m still training. Everybody is going down their own path at their own pace, you can take as much time as you need. There’s no shame in that.”

“I suppose you’re right, “August says quietly. She has heard such reassurances before and they had always felt hollow, but coming from her sister she can almost believe them. She’s almost embarrassed by how desperately she wants to be understood and accepted by these people, to finally be a part of that mythical “everyone.” There had always been a wide, dark chasm that separated her from everyone else in her life, and now that she’s here among others like her, she doesn’t want to be different anymore. She looks at Cynthia and wants to ask her, were you like me? Were other kids afraid of you? Were you afraid of you? But that would give entirely too much away. “What was it like for you, when you first came here?” she asks instead.

[gentlemeteors]

ceciliabae​:

“I thought I was supposed to be here, and clearly I’m wrong, so really I think I’m the one bothering,” Cece laughs with a sheepish grin before a small idea forms in her head. “Although… if you’re not working on anything too important…” she starts, repeating what August said to her as she inches closer to the desk. “Maybe you’d be up for a belated welcome tour? I mean, I’m hoping you at least know a little of your way around here— how long have you been on campus?” she asks, bright eyes looking to her with the warm familiarity Cece usually has in meeting new people.

Up to this point, August had already found Cece to be among the warmest people she had interacted with so far at Nemean Lion, but at the mention of a welcome tour she lights up so much that it’s almost hard to look directly at her. August didn’t know that someone’s eyes could sparkle like that in real life – maybe it’s another demigod thing? She pushes down the urge to retreat and firmly reminds herself that is a good thing. “A tour sounds great,” she says, hoping her smile doesn’t look too awkward, “I got in a little over a week ago. I know my way from the dorms to the workshop, but I haven’t wandered far beyond that.”

[gentlemeteors]

solarstcrms​:

“I figured as much. People here have a propensity for tunnel vision. It’s par for the course. But a break can do wonders removing some of that brain fog.” She took a step back, arm out toward the exit in clear invitation. “So can coffee. Come walk with me to Quick Fix. I could use the company.” Suspicion already? How fun. Lillian did always have a fondness for a critical eye. Was there, however, a way to say ‘I just want to pick you apart so I file all your secrets away for my own amusement’ that wouldn’t set August off? It’s not like Lillian did it out of malice. She smiled, shrugging lightly. “Isn’t it natural to be curious about new people? I’m sure you’ve been garnering interest everywhere you go since you got here. If it bothers you, I can back off.” It would be a pain to lose the direct approach, but that would also be information in itself. Lillian worked best in the shadows, anyway.

August let her eyes flick to follow the movement of Lillian’s arm before returning to study her face. The invitation was innocuous enough, though it had been phrased a little more like a command, but “curiosity” looked different on Lillian than it had on the warm, open faces of the demigods who had been eager to welcome a new comrade into the fold. Lillian’s eyes had a cool watchfulness in them that she recognized – she saw it in the mirror every night, after all. Ah, I know you, she thought, recalling countless evenings spent sliding unseen through crowds of her father’s business associates, watching every movement, every expression, every conversation, and filing away anything that could be used for her father’s benefit. Bizarrely, August relaxed a little. For as long as she could remember, there had been a kind of night-chill that other people could sense on her if she didn’t work hard to perform friendliness. It had made people uneasy, even frightened them, but she doubted Lillian was someone she could scare away even if she wanted to, which was oddly freeing. “I suppose it’s nice to have something new to talk about,” she said, letting her lips pull into a cold little smile and for once not worrying about whether it reached her eyes properly. “No bother at all, coffee and company would be lovely.”

[gentlemeteors]

ceciliabae​:

“I used to be something of a welcoming committee,” she jokes, hoping not to linger too long on the ‘used to be’. August’s calming presence and soft smile do make her think that she ought to get back to that, if meeting people like her is what it will bring her. Cece laughs something awkwardly, turning her gaze instead to the walls of schematics around the room. “Oh, yeah, I mean… Well, we go on patrols. Sometimes. Other people go on patrols,” she amends, holding her back from biting her bottom lip. “That’s totally on me, I should get out of your hair, I mean you’re probably doing some important work,” Cece says— far important than anything she’s got on her plate right now at least.

“Well,” August says carefully, sensing a sore spot and deciding not to press, “I suppose we should just be grateful that you have the time to help us out tomorrow.” August hesitates – she really isn’t good at this sort of thing, but what’s the point of a fresh start if she doesn’t at least make an effort? She takes a steadying breath and gives Cece a tentative smile. “Actually, I’m still too new to be working on anything really important just yet, so I’m not busy with anything right now. Obviously I don’t want to keep you if there’s somewhere else you need to be,” she hurries to add, “but don’t feel like you have to run out on my account.”

[gentlemeteors]

solarstcrms​:

“That’s a shame,” she returned with a shrug. It’s not like she could offer up a solution and she already cared so little about the actual outcome. Besides, no one liked a backseat tinkerer and, again, Lillian was highly unqualified to offer up advice. “Perhaps magical light requires a magical solution? Although I would suggest avoiding going up to any Hecate kids for assistance. They should be your last resort for magic users.” She leaned back out of August’s space, brow raised. “If you’re really that stuck, have you considered taking a break? When was the last time you walked outside?”

August barely resisted making a face at the suggestion. She wasn’t thrilled at the idea of getting  more people involved in her work, but Lillian made a good point, and it wasn’t like she was making progress on her own. “Noted.” She rolled some stiffness out of her shoulders, checked her watch, and winced. “I am overdue for some fresh air, it seems,” she said a bit sheepishly. She had been singularly focused on solving the containment problem, and as she started to pull back, a thought occurred to her – it was a little odd for Lillian to be checking up on her, wasn’t it? They had been polite enough to each other while working, but she didn’t exactly strike August as the nurturing type. She turned to regard Lillian with a slightly raised brow of her own. “Any particular reason for the interest?”

[gentlemeteors]

open starter | training building | @nlupdates​

August glanced around the training floor and tried not to look as overwhelmed as she felt. During orientation, Marina had been firm about all demigods reaching a basic level of combat proficiency regardless of their official track, and August knew she was nowhere near where she needed to be to protect herself or anyone else. Running and hiding isn’t going to cut it anymore, she thought grimly. Now, she just needed to figure out where to start ...