kafkasgods

[kafkasgods]

kafka #8323 perry ze platenpüssen!!!

Text Channel dara-x-rosie Search

Welcome to #dara-x-rosie! This is the start of the #dara-x-rosie channel.

Edit Channel December 27, 2021

rosie wintour BOT — 12/27/2021 the game was too easy.

rosie floated through town, wandering from her team's base camp, through to the other sections, unflinching.

she had no need too. she'd never been a particularly gifted fighter, but she found it had never mattered much. nobody wanted to fight her. nobody dare hurt her, either because they considered her a friend, or because she doused them with enough amokinesis that they suddenly thought of her as a dear friend.

as she approached the grove, she spotted a familiar figure perched in the trees.

"i'd appreciate if you didn't shoot me, dara," rosie called, announcing her presence with a small smile and a tilt of her head. "it's really the least you could do, considering..." she trailed off, allowing her statement to hang in the air between them, her eyes wide and innocent, as though she didn't fully understand the weight of her own words.

it was cruel. rosie recognized the cruelty and the unfairness of such a thing. but she just couldn't bring herself to care. she could pretend to care, but pretending was so exhausting. and there was no one else around to witness her show of caring, besides dara, anyway.

finally, she shrugged, smiling brightly again. "of course, i'd understand if you feel you have to. i won't hold it against you. we all have to do what we think is best."

(( @dara phairot ))

2

dara phairot BOT — 12/27/2021 joining in on the capture the flag game wasn’t something dara normally did or would do, but she wanted to do better, to be braver. she’d been nervous leading up to it, especially given the intimidating team she was one, but she was surprised to find it wasn’t as bad as she thought. they listened to her ideas, and she found a job she could do. it didn’t seem like much to laying on the branch of a sturdy tree by the temples, but when people neared, she easily darted them and they were down for the count.

hearing bristles nearby, dara prepared to shoot at another, but her breath caught when rosie, pale as snow, appeared and even addressed her. despite dara’s relationship with will, she’d always found it hard to deal with rosie herself. especially now, post-will and post-dara’s fault. dread was seeping into the pit of her stomach and it was hard to tell whether it was from rosie’s presence of the two fear god temples they resided between.

dara hesitated for a moment before switching out her poisons. with a quick blow, dara shot the paralytic at her. she didn’t want to deal with rosie, but at the same time, it seemed kinder than knocking her unconscious. @rosie wintour

rosie wintour BOT — 12/27/2021 (tw b-word, vaguely suicidal thoughts)

bitch.

the dart landed in her thigh, too quick for rosie to move out of the way. it didn't hurt really, just stung slightly. she pulled it out, dropping it on the ground, before the effects started to sink in. her limbs felt heavy, and she fell to her knees, into the snow.

she can't seriously be planning to leave me here?

she tipped sideways, no longer able to hold up her own weight. she could move her fingers a bit, and blink her eyes, but she was unable to move her limbs. fury burned in her stomach. dara had humiliated her. again. the woman seemed intent on it.

then, the ground began to move beneath her, and rosie was distracted from her wrath. an earthquake, maybe? but the ground continued to shake violently, before cracking in two, mud and snow falling away into the crack.

she was too close to the edge. the ground was falling away, coming closer and closer to her, and all she could do was flex her slim fingers.

her body was straining against the paralytic, fighting to move, but her mind was... not calm exactly. but not afraid either. it was as though her body had held on to a will for life that her mind no longer grasped as firmly as it once had. still, this would be an incredibly ugly way to die. it wasn't ideal by any means.

(( @dara phairot ))

4

dara phairot BOT — 12/27/2021 tw death mention

the problem, which she thought was dealt with, was clearly not. rosie still was limp on the ground and conscious. it was possible dara did not think this all the way through, and even more, felt bad for letting her lie in the cold snow. she bit her lip, considering climbing down to, at least position rosie in a seated position and keep her warm before running. but as she considered the thought, the tree started to shake from under her and dara’s heartbeat was already picking up.

she thought it was just her. just the tree. but the earth started to open up, leaving an ever-growing red crack. the intense heat was felt from the tree, which still had not stopped shaking and dara could only watch as her things fell one by one into the nearby lava. that was the least of her worries when she realized rosie was in the direct path of the falling earth.

will was dead and it was her fault, but she wasn’t going to let the same thing happen to rosie. dara jumped out of the tree. jc had taught her how to take a fall, but it didn’t stop her from banging against branches and rolling her ankle when she hit the ground. the pain couldn’t be given any attention because just as dara was about to reach rosie, the ground expanded and rosie slipped in. dara dived for her.

what she’d managed to grab onto was hair and the apologies escaped dara like a broken record. “i’m sorry, i’m sorry, i’m sorry!” she struggled to pull her up—dara had never had the best strength—but it was working and she took hold of rosie’s armpits when she could reach them. [10:30 PM] will was behind her, screaming, but dara couldn’t talk to him now. she just kept lifting until she could finally heft rosie out. dara wanted to stop here, but she had to drag rosie’s body slightly further, just in case it grew again. “rosie, rosie, i’m sorry. it’s gonna be okay.”

at least, of all the things that fell in, the antidote that was in her pocket jacket hadn’t. dara administered it into the side of rosie’s neck, bringing back the feeling. “are you okay? i’m sorry. i don’t know what’s going on, but we can…we can get out of here. i’d like to find blaze or rafe, and we can look for anyone you need to too?” @rosie wintour

2 December 28, 2021

rosie wintour BOT — 12/28/2021 "ow," rosie whined the moment the antidote started working, her lips protruding in a pout as she rubbed a hand through her hair, pulling out a chunk of loose and broken strands. "i'm fine. i'll probably end up with a bald spot, but i'm fine," she said, sweeping the rest of her blond hair over her shoulder.

she should be grateful. and she was, sort of, but she couldn't bring herself to actually thank the other demigod. after all, it was dara's fault she'd fallen in the pit in the first place. "stop apologizing," rosie snapped, her voice lacking the usual sugary sweet quality. she pushed herself up on shaky feet, her legs trembling but staying solid.

with her feet beneath her, she took a big breath in, and let it slowly out of her nose. and with that, she was back, mask in place, wide and innocent eyes staring back at dara. "that's a smart idea. let's find rafe," rosie said brightly, her mind turning quickly and cruelly as she nodded, "i'll bet he's good in a crisis. and if it's our last night here then... well it'd be nice to spend at least one more night with him." she glanced over at dara, watching her, waiting for her reaction.

(( @dara phairot ))

2

dara phairot BOT — 12/28/2021 dara’s hand hovered over where rosie was soothing her head, as if she wanted to reach out and help, but knew it wouldn’t be received well. in the end, she placed it back down and fiddled with putting her poison sewing kit back in her pocket. “i’m sorry.” again, dara apologized knowing full well she’d put them in this position. it didn’t matter that the lava was unprecedented.

at the sudden bark, dara’s eyes darted to rosie before they dropped right back down. she didn’t blame rosie for her irritation considering the situation, but it only made dara feel worse. “right,” she acknowledged, stopping the apology that wanted to come out for that too.

as rosie stood upright, dara emulated, keeping her hands out, just in case she needed to catch rosie. when it was obvious, she could stand on her own, dara lowered her arms. there was a sigh of relief when rosie agreed to find rafe with her, but it’d been far too premature. dara blinked, unsure what to make of rosie’s statement. “oh…” dara’s mouth was dry. “are you two seeing each other?” suddenly, his jacket that he’d gifted her for christmas felt ill-fitted at the moment. @rosie wintour

3 December 29, 2021

rosie wintour BOT — 12/29/2021 the trouble with dara, was that she was nice. she'd always been nice. objectively, she seemed like a good person.

and it was just so annoying.

for a time, rosie would have gone so far as to say she even liked dara. despite... everything. but now, she couldn't handle dara's apologies. rosie hated to witness any pity from the other girl - either directed at rosie, or directed at herself. it irritated rosie to no end. and it made her want to tear dara into two.

"well..." she replied, her mouth curled in a coquettish smile, "we've seen each other at least. and i think we'll continue to. i mean, he got me a christmas present, so... that must mean something right? he is such a sweetheart, isn't he?" she simpered. her eyes never left dara's face, as she watched for dara's reaction, a small thrill worming its way up her spine at the smallest hint of the other's discomfort.

(( @dara phairot ))

3

dara phairot BOT — 12/29/2021 the more rosie spoke, the more dara could feel the heat of embarrassment creeping up her neck. it was hard to keep eye contact with the other girl, so she lowered it to rosie’s feet. it was probably her own fault for not realizing rafe considered them to be entirely casual—no, there was no them. it’d been another stupid image dara had projected and fell for. she swallowed, trying to think of something to say to rosie. rosie…who got rafe…and who got will…her eyes rose slowly to look at the ghostly figure, who wouldn’t stop shouting rosie’s name. it was so loud and everything about it hurt.

“shut up. just stop,” she murmured towards will.

acknowledging him made him yell louder, “NO!” and dara winced. when he saw it, he apologized with soft words. “sorry….please…help her…”

with her head down again, dara couldn’t help the tear that slipped past her eye and dropped into the snow. even now, he loved her past death. he wasn’t haunting her to be with her, but to use her for rosie. the complex she had against the other girl was one she tried to deny, but kept coming back up like a stubborn weed.

“will…” dara swallowed. “will thinks you need help, rosie.” @rosie wintour

4

rosie wintour BOT — 12/29/2021 (tw weapon/injury metaphor)

dara's gaze dropped, and rosie was flooded with a sharp, bitter pleasure. she couldn't feel much these days. since she'd made her deal, her emotions were buried under layers of mud and grime, hidden deep within the canyons of her own heart. it was what she'd wanted. it was better to be numb than tortured by grief and pain. but still, she found herself craving these little slivers delight.

there were few things that brought her any satisfaction these days. and revelling in her own, previously unknown capacity for cruelty, seemed to be one of them.

shut up. just stop.

"oh, i'm sorry. are you and rafe...? oh, i had no idea," she cooed, frowning in mock sympathy. go ahead and cry she though to herself, you'll never shed as many tears as i have.

and then, dara said his name. and rosie's chilled blood completely froze. "w-what?" she stammered, momentarily shocked.

it wasn't like when jacinta brought him up - throwing his death in her face for sport. rosie could prepare herself for that. it was more a barb than a dagger, intended to injure but not maim. if it angered rosie, it was more because of cinta's desire for her humiliation, rather than the mention of him specifically.

but this. this was different. rosie felt heat rising to her cheeks. her face fell into a grim line, the fake sympathy washed away, replaced by a cold fury. a fury that almost completely masked the fear, grief, and guilt that threatened to burst out of the seams.

"you have no idea what he would want," she hissed, her voice rising into a shriek, "don't speak to me about him. i don't ever want to hear you say his name again." she stepped closer to dara, until they were almost nose to nose. "just shut up."

with that, rosie's hands flung out and pushed against dara's chest, hard.

(( @dara phairot ))

7

dara phairot BOT — 12/29/2021 the change in rosie’s voice was obvious. dara had caught her off guard with the mention of will, and it made sense considering after apologizing the first time, dara just never brought it up again. it had been the wrong move to do, she knew, when rosie stormed towards her, the hostility in the air making her take steps backwards. she was a fool to think being a mouthpiece to the dead wouldn’t have grave consequences. “rosie, i’m sorry. i didn’t mean it like that,” dara rushed to breath out the words over rosie’s own tirade. her eyes darted over to will, who couldn’t take his worried expression off of rosie. “it’s just that will—”

with a harsh shove, dara fell backwards. instead of the impact of the ground, dara only met hot air. the blood sky grew distant while her hair fluttered her vision. dara was falling. without another second, the thin gold rings that lined her fingers turned into gold claws and she scratched at the earth, with her life depending on snagging something. heartbeat racing as fast as dara was sliding down, dirt and rocks beating against her face, it all only stopped when she did.

dara froze, afraid to move, but when she opened her eyes, she was halfway down the chasm and had met a narrow ledge. the air was hot and smelled of sulfur. she was going to die here. slowly, she raised her chin to look up. the heat disfigured the sky. “rosie!” dara shouted, hoping to be heard over the bubbling lava. “ROSIE! help!” she cried out desperately. it was so hard to breathe down here. dara could only think how helpless she was. if she had her chlorokinesis, she could have gotten herself out. but she couldn’t. she couldn’t do anything.

there was a narrow crack beside her and she moved slowly, trying to fit herself in there, snug. “rosie, please!” she begged, before turning her head into the rock crevice to stave off the heat. @rosie wintour

5 December 30, 2021

rosie wintour BOT — 12/30/2021 she hadn't realized how close they were to the edge. or... had she?

never. no. she hadn't even really intended for dara to fall over. she didn't realize the strength that was contained in her arms. the strength that anger could propel from her. when dara fell into the air, rosie was shocked.

she was. really.

and that's why it took her a moment to move. she stood still, staring blankly, until she heard the breath of her name called over the the roar of the lava.

slowly, carefully, she dropped to her knees, crawling to the edge of the cavern and peaking over it.

dara was there. safe. alive. and that... well that was good.

"i can't reach you," rosie called down to her. it was true. dara was too deep for rosie to grab her hand. it wasn't like when dara had saved rosie. if rosie could grab her, she would. and besides, it was dara's fault that she'd even been near the chasm in the first place. and... well rosie wasn't even sure if she'd pushed dara really. no... no dara had definitely slipped. dara had slipped and rosie had reached out to catch her, but was too late. that's what had happened.

rosie looked around quickly. there were no ropes. and any branch was too slim to drag her up anyway. and besides... dara looked fairly solid where she was. so long as she didn't move, she'd be fine. "i'm going to go get help," rosie called. she paused for a moment, thinking. finally, she reached around to her small backpack and pulled out a mini, plastic bottle of water. "here," she shouted, carefully dropping it down to the other. hopefully, dara would remember her act of kindness. "don't move. i'll find someone to help."

with that, she stood up, and walked in the opposite direction.

(( @dara phairot ))

8

6

dara phairot BOT — 12/30/2021 rosie’s figure couldn’t be made out at all. there was only the disembodied voice, and just like all the disembodied voices that haunted her, this one was scary in the same way. death lingered nearby.

‘i’m going to get help.’

“rosie, no!” dara didn’t want to be left alone, and somehow she had a feeling if rosie left, dara wouldn’t be seeing anyone else. still, rosie either didn’t hear or ignored her pleas and dropped something down. with dara’s tight grip on the cliff, she couldn’t do anything as whatever rosie threw fell past her and into the lava.

and then rosie was gone and will’s voices of sincere apologies only mocked her. @rosie wintour

[kafkasgods]

bentley persico 🍑 BOT — 12/26/2021 4:35 pm

bentley was wandering through the south end of the park, enjoying the occasional sight of demigods sprinting from tree to tree with much more enthusiasm than he possessed for this particular game. he'd been tagged, so had left silas to stroll leisurely back to purple squad's home base.

as the lanterns in the park began to light for the evening, without warning, a tremor shuddered through the ground. bentley felt the fear mounting around him, radiating from the town hall, the hospital, the string of stores nearby. he steadied himself on a town bench, just in time to see a crack open up in the earth. trees toppled into the fissure, and screams filled the air.

"get back—" he shouted at a group of people rushing from the grocery store into the park, but the warning couldn't be heard. their terror was like a slow wave, though, and he quickly embraced it. his hands steadied, and he pulled himself upright, standing tall.

"i said—" the baker sent his power out to stop them — and the others on his own side— from nearing the divide.

"BACK THE FUCK UP!" he roared, and watched, relieved as they fled.

@faaya shah

7

faaya shah BOT — 12/26/2021 with mason having learned their lesson, all that was left for faaya to do was to get the flag and win the game. of course, she wasn’t just looking for the flag. enemy demigods had to be taken out too, it was just more promising a victory when the competition didn’t have anymore players. as she was walking along the edge of the park, stalking her prey, the ground shook from under her. any thoughts that it might have been caused by a nearby demigod were crushed when even red magma was being unveiled through the crust.

faaya’s body started to tingle with pleasure and adrenaline as the people all around her began panicking. moving away from the fissure, faaya was going to book it, until the burst of terror caught her attention and her dark eyes found bentley standing over a bench…just across the slow moving opening. she couldn’t leave bentley, that wasn’t a choice.

with her power at full force thanks to the insurmountable fear in the air, and enyo’s blessing, faaya couldn’t find any reason not to try and reach bentley.

“BENTLEY!” the blood-curdling scream cut over the town alarms and the deafening noise to get their attention. with a usual monotone voice, faaya had to put her enyo yell to work.

once they saw her, faaya clutched the scythe in her hand and backed up to get a running start. feet quickly beat against the ground before pushing off the ground over the hot lava. she was going to make it. there was no doubt. her feet was just about to reach the other side where bentley was until, with another shift, the opening widened and faaya’s foot grazed the edge. as the ground level of the park began to disappear from her eyes, faaya swung her scythe to catch her on the fall. the blade embedded itself into the side of the opening and faaya hung precariously within it.

“BENTLEY!” she screamed again. @bentley persico

6

bentley persico 🍑 BOT — 12/26/2021 as the crowd frantically cleared, bentley's thoughts redirected to finding their family, their loved ones. in that moment, the townspeople—everyone they'd ever served hot scones, or a benign smile—completely ceased to matter.

terror oscillated through the air, and then into bentley, like ink drops in water. spurred on by the sounding of alarms, it spread into every pore, and was absorbed. desperation seeped into the air around him and he used it.

—then, a voice.

it cut through all else. from the opposite bank, faaya's wild eyes fixed on his own. bentley didn't pause. he raced right to the edge of the chasm, maintaining his balance on the ridge, as unbothered by the shifting earth as though he were standing in line at the bank.

is this what it's like, to be a god? to not worry? to touch fear and revel in it, but not feel your own?

all bentley could think, staring across at faaya, gauging the widening gap between them, was—

it can't end like this. the gods, science, reality— they don't get to make the rules, here. not for us.

he categorically denied it. clearly, faaya had similar conviction. her scythe cleaved the air as she launched herself over the divide.

he was sure she would make it. that was just who faaya was.

but then—

disbelieving, he watched as she collided with his side of the broken earth. she called his name again, but he scarcely heard it. bentley lunged, practically threw himself over the side, following after her.

the fingers of his one hand caught at the edge of earth, and dug into it like it was nothing more than cookie dough, but the anchor was firm. his other hand grabbed the scythe by the blade. the metal beneath his fingertips dented as he began to pull her out.

@faaya shah

3

faaya shah BOT — 12/26/2021 though her hands were sweaty from the heat, faaya had a tight, unrelenting grip and she could hold on. the lava was bubbling underneath her, but it wasn’t a promising sight to look at, so she raised her head to see bentley reaching down for her. she’d be fucked every way if bentley hadn’t been on the other side of the chasm. his fingers found her blade, and while she was concerned for the cut that would slice through his palm, she was still impressed at the grip he had. the blade lifted under his hand and faaya tried to find footing against the cliff instead of being deadweight. it was struggle trying to get back up, but bentley was managing to pull her up and the scythe was halfway free.

faaya tried reaching her arm out, the edge of the chasm was just close enough to attempt a grab. but when her fingers clawed the dirt, a hot bubble of lava burst in her direction, making the abrupt stinging heat force her to release her hold. and then faaya was falling back. @bentley persico

7

7 December 27, 2021

bentley persico 🍑 BOT — 12/27/2021 (tw injury mention, blood)

he had her, and was dragging the scythe up by the blade. if she could just hold on, they would both be fine.

but then heat surged up from below. the air seethed, stifling hot against his cheeks. he could feel the blade cutting into his hand, but it barely hurt compared to what he felt as he saw her grip release.

would survival matter, if he’d lose half of himself in the process? there wasn’t any choice, really.

a fraction of a second—not long enough to even realize what he was doing, he let go of the scythe.

and he let go of his anchor, slipping down the jagged stone. all that mattered was not being alone.

moving quicker than he'd known was possible, bentley caught her wrist just before it would've been out of his reach. his fingers locked fast, though they were slicked with blood from the torn slash where he’d been holding the blade.

catching the wall again after a sickening two-foot drop, he clung to the side of the rock face, and didn’t let go of her. the already loosened scythe tumbled past them into the abyss.

“faaya! climb!” he shouted.

@faaya shah

5

1

faaya shah BOT — 12/27/2021 tw death mention

plummeting to her death was not how faaya was going to die. there were a good many options for it sure, but cannon fodder like this just wasn’t it. in the same moment bentley grabbed at the wall, so did she. she didn’t need to be told twice to climb. “bentley, you fucking idiot,” she swore loudly as her nails dug into the earth. as fast as she wanted to move and get out, it was a slow going process. every other step she took had the dirt falling away from feet, making getting good footing hard. if it was anyone else, she would have focused on her own survival, but bentley was in the fucking hole too, so she made sure to be just after him. if he fell, she’d catch him, even if that meant she’d fall with him. either they both got out or neither did, faaya knew that much.

when she saw bentley reach the top, his torso over the opening, faaya helped by using all the strength she could muster in one hand and pushed his butt over. there was no time wasted in bentley grabbing her arm again and dragging her up. the worst was over and even the intense hear was so much less now. faaya laid on the grass beside bentley catching her breath.

as the event settled in her head, faaya started laughing at how fucked up it’d been and she rolled over to hug bentley. “i should probably be nicer to you, shouldn’t i?” @bentley persico

5

bentley persico 🍑 BOT — 12/27/2021 (tw death, injury, drugs & weapon mention)

climbing out was a blur of adrenaline, but every inch bentley gained, faaya followed too. finally he reached the top, she pushed him over, and he instantly turned back to grab her and lift her out.

faaya rolled over onto him and he wrapped her in a hug, his reply muttered into her hair even if he came worryingly close to inhaling it in the process.

“is that a threat? the town’s full of holes and we almost died, and you’re threatening to be nice to me? don’t you dare—” he collapsed back in giggles, releasing her from the circle of his arms to examine his torn up hands. both were covered in dirt, one bearing a long gash from the blade. he groaned. his nails were an absolute horror show. it was gonna be awful to clean up, and for work—if there was still even a bakery to work at.

“i’m sorry you lost your... sword stick thing—i’m…” the world spun back into focus, and he realized he couldn’t feel any of the pain he should be feeling. he snickered, eyes wide and dark. “i’m so high right now, bloody hell...” (edited) [5:20 PM] @faaya shah

faaya shah BOT — 12/27/2021 tw injury, blood

bentley’s chest rumbled with laughter, making the fit of giggles even worse for faaya. the air might have been filled with smoke, heat, and ash, but the palpable fear was like laughing gas to the both of them. she only sobered up slightly when bentley inspected his palm. “that was undoubtedly, like, top ten stupidest things you’ve done.” she didn’t have much in way of medical supplies but she did have a water bottle strapped to her. it was half gone and the water was, unfortunately, warm. it’d have to do.

uncapping it, faaya gripped the back of bentley’s hand to pour the warm water across. as it cleaned off the wound, faaya latently wished she’d had a poseidon kid within reach. it’d have been an easy fix. “what? are you trying to say scythe?” faaya muttered as she scraped off some of bentley’s more stubborn blood with her thumb. “yeah, don’t even worry about it. phobos is annoyed with me anyways. blaze and i got married two days ago,” she glossed over it before deciding a way to cover his hand without having anything available.

faaya tugged at the bottom of his shirt and gave a hard tug, tearing the fabric. it only made sense it was his because nothing she wore was as easy to rip. “i’ll get a new weapon. anyways, i don’t know what the fuck is going on, but it looks like the game’s over.” faaya gave a tight tug, pulling the covering firm on him. “what are you wanting to do? find loved ones, get safe, or what? i personally, have some asses to kick, no doubt.” people were going to be taking advantage of the town in peril, and faaya was going to be taking advantage of her moral high ground. @bentley persico (edited)

3 December 28, 2021

bentley persico 🍑 BOT — 12/28/2021 ( tw injury mention )

“i haven’t done ten stupid things in my entire life, actually,” he corrected faaya archly. “so it’s definitely in the top five.” she started to clean his hands of the dirt and blood that marred them, and he let her with minimal fussing. usually (recent arboreal events not counting, of course) he was the one doing this for someone else. it… felt rather nice.

“yeah, scythe!” he wiggled and winced at the water. “i forgot the word for a moment.” then his jaw dropped. “you got married?” but faaya always preferred big moves to small casual ones, so he didn’t question it, just turned the concept over in his mind, testing to see if he trusted it. he wondered if it was her way of ensuring that blaze wouldn’t lightly leave her side. of course, phobos would hate that. “well… yes, he’ll probably need to watch his back, from your father. but... i’ll help if i can.” he touched her arm, gently. “congratulations, faaya. i'm happy for you." and then a moment later, in the same sincere tone, added, "please let blaze know he owes our family a goat.”

he chuckled as she ripped his shirt. “crop top season’s getting extended!” which of course reminded him of cain, and he nodded. “yah, i can collect the troops and make sure they’re all accounted for." he waved his newly bandaged hand. "go have fun without me.” the pouting was mostly fake, but it was a gift to future bentley not to get too caught up in the euphoria.

@faaya shah

3 December 29, 2021

faaya shah BOT — 12/29/2021 faaya made a face at the disagreement, but didn’t push it further. if she had to guess, bentley probably thought she did a number of stupid things as well. his exclamation, however, made faaya laugh. the admittance wasn’t something faaya thought she might share with anyone considering she didn’t know if it’d count among mortals—would it hold up legally? but having said it out loud and getting bentley’s support in kind made her feel like…well, a girl. it felt strange to feel giddy and excited, but not unwelcome.

“if all i’m worth is a goat to you, then you don’t even deserve that,” she hummed before tossing the empty plastic bottle into the chasm. “maybe phobos is annoyed, but enyo’s on my side, so i can’t be too concerned. if i have at least one god on my side, i have to be doing something right.”

faaya frowned when she realized the shirt was a little too short. she didn’t want bentley getting cold, but hopefully the lava offset it and he’d get a change of clothes when the weather cooled again. “sure, text me when you get information on anyone important.” she stood, ready to leave, but hesitated for a moment.

she’d wanted to tell him while she was in the chasm, with certain death on the table, but hadn’t trusted bentley enough to think he wouldn’t save her if he knew. “bentley.” reaching into the pocket inside her coat, she pulled out the obsidian ring and tossed it to him. her eyes focused on him, gauging a reaction. @bentley persico

5

4 December 30, 2021

bentley persico 🍑 BOT — 12/30/2021 “it’d have to be a goat of the highest quality. the GOAT goat!” he reeled in his enthusiastic additions, feeling the wave of giddiness settle somewhat.

he was proud of her. if blaze made her happy, and marriage could make her laugh so freely, then he’d do what he could to help protect that.

"will do." he gave her a smart salute and a nod as she stood, and was going to check to make sure his phone hadn’t fallen in the scuffle, when faaya tossed something to him. he caught it.

his ring. under the haze of fear that permeated the air, he could feel something else stirring—but not loud enough to shake his casual good humour. rolling the ring thoughtfully between his finger and thumb, it felt strange to have it in his hand again.

“where’d you find it?” he asked mildly. but he met her eyes, with the real question he didn’t voice. when did you find it?

he knew she might’ve had it longer than he cared to know. he’d picked up on her scorn for it, before, for his attempt to mute his powers, no matter the price. faaya thought they were above such petty things as control. she wanted him to be more like her—and admittedly, he probably was, now. since losing it, he’d become more brittle, more volatile, unable to keep his soft edges from sharpening under stress. but he didn’t think that was strength.

( it was sorrow—the other feeling underneath, it tasted like regret. grief, for a loss they never fully addressed, and pretended not to feel. )

@faaya shah

6

faaya shah BOT — 12/30/2021 the question was redundant and from the hesitation in bentley’s voice, faaya knew they knew it too. “i took it, bentley,” faaya stated plainly. there was no way to take it any other way than the cold, hard truth of it. hiding behind apologies, lies, or excuses was not how faaya operated. the truth, whether it was hard to hear or not, gave people the opportunity to respond to situations fully and authentically, something that was important to faaya.

“i know you know why i took it too, so i won’t bother explaining it.” faaya had never held her tongue about how she felt about deimos’ ring to bentley. in fact, she was surprised she hadn’t been confronted about it earlier. “are you upset with me, bentley?” @bentley persico

3

bentley persico 🍑 BOT — 12/30/2021 ( tw imprisonment mention )

'i took it.'

bentley studied her impassively. of course, he’d suspected. not that, specifically. but his lack of surprise probably showed on his face.

when the ring had been lost, he knew that it might be at the grapevine, given he’d just been attending her birthday the night before. magical items didn’t tend to stay lost for long, with the exception of certain helmets. intentionally stealing it—that was just a matter of degrees of betrayal, really.

“you’re right. 'why' doesn’t matter,” he said quietly. her reasons were probably ironclad, mostly correct, and centered on it being for his own good—or hers, which came out to the same place most of the time.

“of course i’m upset.” he shook his head gently. it was just a blessing of circumstance that he couldn’t feel his own distress fully at the moment. “not about the ring…” forgiveness was within reach, so he scraped up a teaspoon of it to offer her. “you didn’t know what would happen.”

he stepped closer, a more appropriate distance for confiding secrets. and ventured something that had become clear to him, after some days alone in the dark, as his sanity drained away. he'd kept it to himself until now. “but after that—i know you could’ve sensed me. if you’d looked.” his head tilted inquisitively. “did you look, faaya?”

@faaya shah

3

faaya shah BOT — 12/30/2021 faaya kept silent on that assertion. maybe he was right that she wouldn’t know what would happen, but she knew nothing good would happen from it. that was how growth worked though, and clearly, it had worked well for him. faaya watched from the sidelines as she saw bentley’s backbone grow thicker, his tolerance lower, and the grasp on what he would and wouldn’t allow be firmer. it had been good for him, in the end, and she didn’t regret it even if it upset him now.

“no, i didn’t look.” faaya answered evenly. “i didn’t have to. i knew where you were. i wouldn’t have let you rot there. i was going to get you when the time was right.”  @bentley persico

bentley persico 🍑 BOT — 12/30/2021 ( tw scars mention, thoughts of murder/suicide, trauma & death mention )

he could see in her eyes, in the cool way she relayed her thoughts, that she really didn’t regret any of it, she did think she'd done it for his good.

he sighed, and let his gaze drift. on the opposite bank of the chasm they’d climbed out of together, deimos regarded the pair of them, dark eyes shining in his scarred face. he gave no notice of the smoke rising from the lava below. his father kicked his heels where they dangled over the edge, as gleeful as a child at a puppet show.

deimos didn’t speak, but nodded to indicate faaya, then nudged his chin towards the lava and bounced his eyebrows. she didn’t have a weapon, and bentley certainly had the strength. now or never, his father’s face said. and wouldn’t everyone, wouldn’t you, be so much safer?

bentley blinked, and a moment later couldn’t tell if deimos really had been looking at faaya, or at him.

ignoring the melodramatic god across the way, he thought about telling faaya the truth.

[8:03 PM] that most nights, he didn’t really sleep. and most days, nightmares stepped out of dreams and danced back and forth for him daily. paranoia coloured everything in shades too vivid to fully open his eyes. that he was too weak to even be alone for longer than the length of a cartoon. that he couldn’t stand silence. that he was relying on cain to hold the line between good and bad because without it being pointed out to him by someone he trusted—someone other than himself—he’d never find it again. that he was still suffering.

that he was crumbling, every day a little more. and they would lose each other, eventually.

that her definition of when the time was right had been far longer than he’d needed. and he was fairly certain at least a part of him had rotted.

but… she’d risked death to stay with him. she’d just told him she’d gotten married, and she had laughed freely with happiness.

so he wouldn’t, not today.

“it’s okay. although, we’re definitely going to have a talk about respecting personal boundaries and choices, later,” he told her with a soft, sad smile, and pushed her arm lightly. “go find your husband,” he said, pulling out his phone. “i’ll let you know when i get word on the others.” he grinned, and pointed the phone at her. “and no more leaping!”

@faaya shah

3

5

faaya shah BOT — 12/30/2021 there was something wrong with bentley. their reaction was of someone who had given up, on her specifically, but more than that easy forgiveness lent credence that faaya had put up a battle they could no longer fight. it edged her into the thought that perhaps she’d overestimated bentley and pushed them too far. faaya’s eyes had been on their face and she saw the way their eyes glazed past her. subtly adjusting her head to follow their gaze, she noted nothing, but their eyes were clearly reacting to something. that was the problem with being fear children—their fathers had a way with playing tricks on the eyes and she wondered if bentley was in the middle of a disillusioned reality.

“bentley,” faaya’s tone was dark and serious. “don’t say things are okay when they’re not because it gives people permission to do it again.” he was trying to spare her feelings and was deflecting how he really felt. there was no doubt she should agree to have this conversation at a better time, but tonight proved unpredictable and the fatalities were higher than normal. if it was the last time faaya was going to see bentley, it wasn’t going to be with his truth hidden behind his baker facade. “what were the consequences of my actions?” @bentley persico December 31, 2021

bentley persico 🍑 BOT — 12/31/2021 his eyebrows raised sharply, as she attempted to warn him of the dangers of leaving himself vulnerable. like he didn’t fully know she was manipulating him into confiding in her. his mouth quirked fondly—it was almost impressive that she managed to be condescending and caring in the same motion. “thank you for your concern,” he said wryly. "are you planning on doing it again?"

"you’re right, of course.” he might tell her in his own time, but that wasn’t for her to demand. the hurt that he’d hidden beneath his smile emerged as his words became more genuine, firmer and less flippant. “but i don’t want to tell you, right now.” his voice was not unkind.

“you need to learn to respect me enough to let me make my own decisions, faaya." the fact that she didn't was clear from the actions that put him in this mess to begin with. "and right now, that includes whether or not to trust someone with what i’m going through.” he let the words sit there, for a moment, watching her face to see if she understood the boundaries he was setting.

then, drawing his phone from his pocket, he began typing out a gest to cain, and sent it off with a robotic whoosh. “for now, i’d like some space, and to enjoy this wonderful terror high, while it lasts.” glancing back up at her, he looked inquisitive but patient. “can you give me that?”

@faaya shah

3

faaya shah BOT — 12/31/2021 it was ironic—that faaya wanted to push bentley and walk all over them, apparently, while simultaneously trying to enforce to them that they shouldn’t. idly, faaya wondered if it was how phobos felt when her own mind separated from his. it made her think of ouroboros. faaya was going to be eaten alive by bentley; it was a peculiar thought to have. if it had to be anyone though, it was right to be him.

in the same way enyo had done to her before, faaya caressed bentley’s cheek before tilting their chin down to face her. “i can give you that.” with a brief kiss to his cheek, faaya pulled back. “for what it’s worth, whatever you decide, i won’t hold it against you. goodbye bentley.” @bentley persico

2

3 January 31, 2022

bentley persico 🍑 BOT — 01/31/2022 there was unusual sweetness in her lips on his cheek. she thinks i’ll reject her, bentley thought, as she left.

forgiveness would only confirm he was still the powerless lost child she’d met at camp—that he needed her, while she marched on firmly by herself.

why’d you jump, faaya? loyalty, love? or just because you could?

he could practically feel his own choices being taken away, one by one, like treats being withheld for punishment. the gods, his family, faaya—all playing with him like he was their little toy soldier.

his gaze drifted again to where his father had been perched, only to find the ledge across the divide now empty. he was truly alone, again.

deimos’s child began to hum a tune, and began to walk—heel-toe-heel-toe—along the edge, wandering away from the burning town. it wasn’t like there was much else to do.

fin.

[kafkasgods]

faaya shah BOT — 11/02/2021 tw drinking, death mention

when faaya's break was over, she finished off the cranberry vodka (ellis and jamie never needed to know about faaya drinking on the clock), and headed back into her office to work on the budget spreadsheets. all was fine for a moment, until the words blurred and faaya couldn’t keep her eyes open. fuck, she’d been drugged. at the very least, her door was locked and she slumped over her desk, deep in sleep as soon as her eyes had shut.

the cell was rotted and damp. moans of the other prisoners echoed throughout. faaya frowned at the noise, but there was nothing she could do about it. instead, she sat, hands folded upon her apron lap, glancing around at her temporary stay. not that there was much to look at. there was no more room than about five steps a person could take with the cot taking up half the cell. only the cage-like window brought a reddish light that illuminated the disfigured concrete bricks which caved her in.

faaya flinched when she heard the sound of keys opening the door to her cell and she turned her head to see the prison guard—a puritan man with sallow, pitted skin and eyes of hate— escorting a familiar person trailing behind him. mason parker. from the university.

“mind thyself for this spawn of satan’s corrupt nature is a wickedness i have not yet seen before.” the guard kept her gaze for all of a beat of a moment, before he cowered beneath it and gave his attention to mason. “if thou displeaseth her, the devil guides her hand in making man, woman, or child vanish. do not bother with her long. the trial will not be but short,” he paused and spat her feet. “and the witch will be as good as dead before the eve is over.”

with that, the guard stepped out, leaving faaya alone with mason. she stared at him, impassively. “are you the doctor, then? meant to check my head?” faaya sneered. “it is pointless, for i am that very witch.” @mason parker

2

3 November 3, 2021

Mason Parker BOT — 11/03/2021 tw death.

Who next?

Mason’s eyebrows furrowed, confusion and exhaustion dripping from every feature. Their limbs were heavy and sore, like they had been swimming for miles through thick paint. Pain and grief and loss and abandonment had soaked into every pore, settling in the marrow of their bones.

Who next? No one, bed, to slip back into their body laid so gently to rest in the strewn leaves. But the ringing voice in the back of their mind left no question, they had been put back together for a reason. Jas — before the name could fully form in their mind. Athena snatched it away. I don’t know, you can choose.  Thoughts or prayers to an invisible mother, they would work, the way she needed them to, but they would not choose which mind to invade next. With the same sickening spin of their stomach, they were falling again.

Down Down Down

Mason’s steps echoed around them, sound filling the stone hallway. Displeasure licking up their spine as the stood next to the man they knew without knowing was the guard here. It was a dream, a fragment of her mind and yet the correction burst past their lips despite the logical fallacies. “God guides the devil too.”

Faaya was not a face he saw often, but Mason knew well enough to walk lightly. For the danger would not end with the spell, not if they pried too deep. There she sat. Damned. And proud all the same.

“The very witch with guided hand of the devil, who’s wickedness makes her holy.” Mason took another step in, breaking eye contact to gaze out the window. “Sent to look inside your head, to invade and intrude your thoughts. But there is no point in that game here.” Their hands clasped behind their back, still gazing on the bleak nothing of beyond the cell.

“Shall you kill me then? O foulest of witches?”

@faaya shah

2 November 4, 2021

faaya shah BOT — 11/04/2021 tw death mention, suicide mention

the admittance did nothing for faaya. no, there was no point in the game. which was why they could be forthright about it. “i don’t kill anyone,” faaya said after a moment. “they kill themselves.” she turned slightly to angle her body towards theirs before gesturing to a small chair in the cell. it had not been there a moment ago, but it was there now. “i have nothing to prevent me from going to the gallows or being tied to the stake. they might as well have brought a priest instead of a doctor. unless, of course, you’re hear for my last rites? frankly though, i’d rather hear your confessions than mine.”  @mason parker

1

Mason Parker BOT — 11/04/2021 tw in order, veins/body metaphor stuffX2, death mention

Mason for a moment was struck with how little Faaya had changed truly, how little they had changed. Neither of them in double digits and set to camp, the only difference in the outcomes of their life something as silly as which god lent the ichor that coursed through their veins. “An important distinction to make, when the weight of your soul is held in thine own hand.” Her accent dropped, and there was only a ripple of disappointment none her actions, all over the loss of a partner to indulge with as Mason answered her back. Where she gestured, they sat, they were after all a guest in her mind “Theres far too much anger  pumping through my mortal coil for priesthood to lay in my path.” Indeed though doctor they played for Faaya their wardrobe had stayed much unchanged, unlaced poet shirt unmoving with the absence of fresh air. “A secret for a dyingsaint? Shall your last meal be a confession of a boring soul?”

@faaya shah November 5, 2021

faaya shah BOT — 11/05/2021 the first time faaya had written it off, but the second time, she was slightly confused and she wore that on her face. holy? a saint? these were not the truths anyone saw in her. where was it coming from? “i suppose,” faaya answered slowly. “though i can’t imagine someone who readily admits to having too much anger to be a priest to be a boring soul. anger is interesting. tell me about that.” @mason parker

1 November 7, 2021

Mason Parker BOT — 11/07/2021 mason watched her face, watched each movement of it, could see when their words hit a wall in her mind. they wondered how many walls existed, how many cells she would put herself in during sleep  to protect herself. the wandering wondering professor. “i am angry at suffering, how cliche must that sound. i am angry because others have anger in them, and i cannot help but pick it up. i am angry that i am here inside your mind, i am angry that my mother put me back together to send me out to a battle the other side cannot fight against.” their tone calm and even as they spoke, no hesitation in their confessions. “i am angry that the gods have children at all.”

@faaya shah

2 November 8, 2021

faaya shah BOT — 11/08/2021 tw anxiety, death “cliche, indeed.” the anger that faaya had found interesting turned out not. she didn’t care much for anger in place of others. it was useless and frankly, no one could truly understand another person’s anger. “you’re right about the children though. we’re just fodder. there is no escaping it.”

at once a sudden dread started to pick up, and faaya whipped her head around before standing to look out the window. she expected to see her father, having felt insulted at the comments, but instead, there was bentley. a panic attack written all over their face as several demigods dealt with the fear and terror—rafe pointlessly trying to resuscitate fallen bodies. rune and hadley  facing losing battle against a draken. jasper, sweating and scratching their body at demons that seemed to plague their mind.

“you should help bentley.” faaya said mildly as she mindlessly fiddled with the black ring on her right hand. “if you want it to stop. i know you do.” she couldn’t do anything about it. not when she was in the cell. @mason parker

2 November 22, 2021

Mason Parker BOT — 11/22/2021 it felt like a very cruel trick to play, but since the moment their consciousness had merged with faaya’s there had been nothing but cruel tricks.

what a lonely place for her to live.

mason followed her to the window, no steps taken, no memory of standing, the simply were looking out as if they had always been. watching the carnage sweep across the field. their stomach, or where their mind remembered their stomach to be, twisted in pain. “i can’t help them.” the image of jasper only sending a wave of nauseating guilt through them. mason was here so who was in their mind? “i can go and suck it up and spit it out in a journal, but i don’t know how to help. do you?”

@faaya shah

faaya shah BOT — 11/22/2021 the sight was hard to look away from, but mason’s question brought her attention. she gave him a long, hard stare, wondering how he could have possibly gone to the conclusion that faaya could end it. she was in a cell, she couldn’t. or at least, that was the impression anyone else would have. it wasn’t the truth, of course.

“i do,” faaya answered after a moment. her left thumb grazed the ring on the same hand. before she continued to answer, she faced the scene again. black ash covered the air. “i took something. it would stop all of it.” her lips pursed and faaya raised her hand to hold out the cell window. ash coated her fingertips. “i don’t know if i want it to.” @mason parker

Mason Parker BOT — 11/22/2021 tw death/destruction, forest fire, rot

mason watched, always watching, always taking in the world around them, chewing it slowly. mason was, incapable, of making snap judgments. and so, they took her words, and moved past them, what she said held little meaning, not because her words held no worth, but because the story is always told in the pauses of silence. they watched their loved ones twist and burn into nothing, agony painted onto their features, no doubt that there was no peace or relief in the growing rubble.

“then why ask me to save them?” their gaze drifting back to the woman, the witch, the very lonely little girl wearing armor, the warden and prisoner, back to faaya. “forest fires bring green to the land, rotting corpses feed thousands of mouths. fear brings truth.” only the panicked form of bentley remained outside the window. a beat. two. three.

“your choices, end it let it continue, accept being called a demon while you have divinity in your chest. they are yours to make. you cannot force me to make them for you, i will not. that is your power.”

@faaya shah November 23, 2021

faaya shah BOT — 11/23/2021 when faaya pulled her hand back, she rubbed her fingers together only to find the black had stained her fingertips. it didn’t even smudge. “i think you forget that demons are of divine emanation. not conventionally thought of,” faaya locked her dark eyes on mason before waving an arm for dramatic effect. from it, the wisps of fear, transparent snakes that were usually invisible to anyone else, slithered from her arm and made their way to mason. all that had been there before was gone and in its stead were mason’s fears. “but divine nonetheless. that is my power.” @mason parker

[kafkasgods]

kafka #8323 perry ze platenpüssen!!!

Text Channel blaze-x-faaya Search

Welcome to #blaze-x-faaya! This is the start of the #blaze-x-faaya channel.

Edit Channel December 27, 2021

blaze chanthotri BOT — 12/27/2021 * tw drowning, doctors, violence * kier had proven not to be a complete lost cause or deep fried, so blaze could set his technically-older brother to rights with some relief. vic was probably fine-- they wouldn't have been a good quest partner back in the day if blaze always tried to worry about them in the first place-- but faaya was radio silent and dara was sending calls straight to voicemail entirely. not ideal at all. blaze couldn’t even fly and fuck around with his phone anymore, thanks to the constant currents of hot air rippling his way and the occasional bubble of lava besides.

he half wanted to chuck his own phone into the molten trail below him out of frustration. that wouldn’t fix anything, but it’d make him feel better. maybe later.

instead he just flew onward, parsing out a particular feeling he’d come to associate with faaya. given the town’s very rapid descent into chaos she was probably inundated with everybody’s fears all at once, but blaze knew when the familiar ones that were his and his alone would pop up if he was close enough to her. it wasn’t a very good radar, but it worked alright, especially now.

water closing over over his head. doctors with grim faces relayed grim news. himself, stuck here in this rapidly self-destructing haven without faaya beside him.

harder to pinpoint an exact location than he preferred, but as he was continually repulsed from the precipice near the cultural center, that was as good a place to start as any. blaze touched down there tentatively, wondering absently if people were still playing capture the flag, somehow. if someone came at him now, he’d probably kick them over into the lava without too many moral objections. . [5:28 PM] blaze recognized her from a distance, years of familiarity making things easy even if some animal instinct wanted to turn tail and run in the opposite direction. he was used to ignoring that. “were you too busy playing parkour to answer your fucking phone, too?” he was remembering kier, with vivid irritation, and his own lengthy call log, but his relief just to be in her presence was palpable. one down, two to go. >> @faaya shah <<

1

faaya shah BOT — 12/27/2021 with bentley now off to save to world, faaya was inspecting their surroundings for the first time. the glowing, lava crack seemed to be still now, not growing any wider. she didn’t know how long she could count on that fact because she wouldn’t put an aftershock behind them. in fact, she was expecting it. as far as she could see, there was another crack on her opposite side and it seemed like her best option might be to head downward. she didn’t want to though, it might as well have been closed off or maybe even it’d break off entirely. faaya had spent many years living at the gray and wouldn’t bet on its foundation.

she gave a hefty sigh. she didn’t even have her fucking scythe. waiting around wasn’t going to help her now, so faaya had decided to run along the crack she’d almost fallen into, hoping for a more narrow jump to make. before she could head off though, a familiar, irritated voice called out.

“blaze!” there was no time between it before faaya launched into a tight hug before pulling back. her hands still rested behind his bruised neck as she spoke, returning his previous annoyance. “i’ll have you know i was too busy climbing out of that pit to play parkour.” she lightly headbutted his chest. “bentley helped me out, but i lost my scythe.”

something glittered from the corner of her eye and faaya tilted her head slightly, looking past blaze. a good corner of the cultural center had been split in the quake and faaya could see shattered cases and museum artifacts tilting off. “i want that,” faaya’s hands lowered, one grabbing blaze’s. “come on.” @blaze chanthotri

blaze chanthotri BOT — 12/27/2021 she was on him fast, and all blaze could do was hug her back. "so you fell in it?” blaze clarified in disbelief. of all the people he pictured falling into the earth as it split, faaya wasn’t one of them. she just seemed faster than that, somehow. but she’d gotten out and presumably bentley had survived the ordeal too, from her easygoing response.

“kinda losin’ your touch here, faaya. i can’t carry you for that long even if i have to, y’know.” he would anyway, but it felt important to voice their resources were scarce as it was. his words fell on deaf ears, regardless, and he was tugged towards the half-ravaged cultural center. blaze had been looking out at what used to be the fire department, taking mental stock of what all he’d seen torn apart. picking through crumbled building materials absently, he followed faaya on her determined path.

“almost all of the weapons here are restored, though, so i suppose you could do worse.” he kicked absently as a paperweight he recognized as dara’s, felt a little sick. “have you only seen bentley, so far? we can go looking for others when we’re done here.” his mental list of people faaya cared about was pretty short, and could probably use updating after a good three year gap. >> @faaya shah <<

faaya shah BOT — 12/27/2021 “no,” faaya answered promptly. “i jumped over. didn’t quite make it because it grew while i was in the air.” if it sounded like a stupid course of action to blaze, faaya far preferred that option than him thinking she was just incompetent and would fall through like an idiot.

he didn’t protest much as she lead him to the fucked up building, which meant he was being agreeable. she weighed her options on jumping into the precarious museum corner that was nearly falling into the lava. her weight might offset it entirely. faaya glanced back at blaze who was momentarily preoccupied by something on the ground. she’d be fine if he was here. no matter what. the wings were also a nice insurance.

“only bentley,” faaya confirmed before she pulled herself up onto the edge of the broken building. stilling, she waited to see if her weight affected the building. so far, nothing. but she had to work quick and careful either way.

the weapon that had caught her eye was a long pole with a curved spear at the end. a little red tassel was attached to the blade. the case it was in was shattered. paired with a giant sword and faaya didn’t quite see the correlation between the two. there was a plaque to it, which let her identify her new weapon as a woldo. [11:13 PM] . goryeon period woldo (restored) & fragment of broadsword blade c. 1000 AD

attributed to hak yu-mi, daughter of zeus, and kim jin-sang, son of poseidon. dated back to the goryeon-khitan war between the chinese liao and korean goryeo dynasties. the two demigods who owned these weapons found themselves as champions for their fathers on opposite sides of the border conflict. though letters exchanged between the two showed they bore no ill will towards each other, they were too well-matched and ended up killing each other at the battle of gwiju, noted for its high casualty rate as the last great conflict of the war. it is possible that their deaths attributed to the end of the conflict as neither zeus or poseidon had a champion to continue battling on their behalf.

“i’m stealing a woldo!” faaya called out to blaze. “want the sword?” she didn’t wait for a confirmation before lifting the heavy blade and throwing it his way. plucking the woldo off its display, faaya found it felt good in her hands. maybe even better than the scythe.

the building started to shake again, and faaya was certain it was the aftershock, until she realized it’d been the fucking sword. it’s heavy weight had balanced the precarious building, but now that blaze had it, she and the rest of the corner were headed for the lava. “blaze!” faaya wasted no time in jumping out to free fall towards the lava, just as the building went in. @blaze chanthotri December 28, 2021

blaze chanthotri BOT — 12/28/2021 "huh,” blaze responded thoughtfully. that did make more sense-- he’d seen the chasm widen even with kier. “town’s being tricky that way, apparently.” he flashed teeth, more an anxious reassurance than an actual smile. her list had gotten shorter then. his own still had too many variables to figure out where anyone ended up with any ease, besides maybe watching the sky for gardo.

half his attention went upwards, annoyed at the way the sun was rapidly setting. atleast gardo’s victoria’s secret angel-white wings would stand out enough for another half hour or so. the other kept track of faaya’s movement through the cultural center. it was an old habit to count her steps, but still he did. ten, then fifteen tentative paces. if she kept going blaze was going to nudge forward, but her attention was caught by a shattered case right in front of her so he stayed put.

his phone buzzed and he texted kaeya back absently. they were fine atleast, another name off his list. not that he had much to worry about there, either. the child of khione was tough and clever and literally asking him to loot for them, so there couldn’t be any real threat if kaeya had time to send him a meme. he poked reluctantly around through the rubble. picking up something shiny to pocket, his attention was pulled by faaya’s announcement.

“what the fuck is a woldo? never mind. sooner we get out of here the bet--”

blaze blinked reflexively, outstretching one arm to catch the giant, ancient sword she’d tossed back as if it was nothing. he caught it, surprised at the way it sat against his palm. very pointedly not a short-range weapons expert, blaze wasn’t really sure what he was doing or why he was actually disappointed in what he got. “not really a sword guy, but this feels kinda off... maybe the weight of it?” . [12:05 AM] he felt the ground slide a moment before faaya called out, springing into action with his more advantageous traction on more solid ground behind her. blaze’s wings spread gladly, the muscles he’d been forgetting to use until very recently stretching to life. it was easier to pretend they weren’t there most days-- but in the midst of the town crumbling down, they were a hot commodity.

he caught faaya’s arm one handed, swinging her across the rest of the lava as far onto the solid land of the opposite side with as much momentum he could manage. she’d stick the landing. blaze dropped the sword beside her as he returned to the ground himself, skin tingling at the sudden exertion combined with her explicit trust. it was familiar, not entirely unwelcome.

“do you always have to jump like that?” he asked, his tone falling into irritation as he retrieved the sword that wasn’t quite right. theoretically he could probably carry it on his back between his jacket and the quiver he’d brought, but that was at the detriment of his wings. blaze’s teeth caught his bottom lip as he thought, gaze lifting to faaya’s as he spoke. “no idea how i’m gonna carry this but i felt bad leaving it. got any ideas?” >> @faaya shah <<

faaya shah BOT — 12/28/2021 just like she expected, blaze caught her by the arm and faaya was on solid ground in no time. the building caused a splash of lava, but they were lucky enough to have been missed by it entirely. it was exhilarating this time. faaya knew she couldn’t let it go to her head, but she was god-like and nothing could touch her. “only when i know you’re there,” faaya replied cheekily before pulling him into a gratuitous kiss. “i missed your wings,” she murmured, reaching to stroke the soft feathers. “and i owe you. so remind me when we’re home again.”

she turned her attention to the blade she’d picked up. he was right, it was too big to lug around, but it was paired with her woldo—she didn’t want to fuck with history that bad. “we could drop it off at the grapevine or the vines. they’re only around the corner. i doubt either are going to get nixed because i’ll personally storm olympus about it.” faaya tugged at his hand with her left hand, intertwining her fingers in his. “we’ll walk until then. afterwards, i’ll ride you and we’ll be on the lookout for anyone you want to and anyone’s ass i want to beat.”

faaya bite her cheek, wondering who she should be concerned about. bentley was fine. but she hadn’t heard from the others, or even checked the group chat, which was probably pinging with notifications by now. “did you hear from anyone either?” she asked, bringing up the topic he’d asked her before. “i want to know about luke, silas, jasper, kaeya, and warren. jamie too, i guess, if you know. i can’t replace the tips he brings in.” [12:45 AM] . turning her head to smile, playfully up at him, faaya rose the weapon she’d taken earlier. “do you like my new woldo? i think it handles nicely.” proving her point, she sliced it beside them with her one right hand, and managed to cleanly cut the firemen’s jackets they passed by. faaya laughed, she was having too much fun with this. “you know, it’s possible bentley was right. i’m feeling pretty euphoric too. is it the fear in the air or is the fact that i can see your bruises fading?” she raised a coy eyebrow before leaning forward, pressing her lips to his neck. @blaze chanthotri (edited) December 29, 2021

blaze chanthotri BOT — 12/29/2021 * tw death mention * his eyes narrowed slightly. blaze had already said wasn’t going to carry faaya-- that was probably her most idealistic, incorrect impression she always had of him-- but she could cling to the hope until he crushed it once again about an hour down the line. to push her away now would probably make her pout or worse, get mean. their reconnection was strong, but tentative. he wasn’t trying to make waves when approaching something indirectly would do.

”kaeya’s fine, i was just texting them,” blaze informed her. “we can drop this off, then check on the rest of your family, though. and mine, though kier’s already accounted for. that leaves dara, gardo, varya, maybe?” his hypnos cousin was tough, kinda outdoorsy. blaze checked his phone again as faaya settled her lips against his neck, tilting his head slightly out of habit to multitask more easily. varya had spoken in the town chat, so she was fine, but still no dara.

it was the euphoric comment that caught in blaze’s mind as he stiffened under her touch. faaya was feeding off him, however unintentionally, since his own emotions were firmly still headed in that direction. it was a good external gauge to keep the panic, worry, and fear in check. either way he leaned out of her embrace, nudging faaya in the direction of her work and home.

“i think you’re just riding the wave,” blaze pointed out. that woldo looked just as deadly as the scythe had been, atleast in her hands. he smiled for a second, because it was rare to see her in such a good mood when the death toll still seemed relatively low. “get walking, stop treating me like i’m a piece of meat or we’re gonna see how evenly matched these two really were.” . [8:13 PM] he still scrolled absently through the messages between everyone, not at all compelled to reply unless someone mentioned him directly. fat chance of that. but something else caught his eye, the question forming with the answer right below it, timestamped. his original, good-natured intention of not making waves was more or less evaporated, though he sounded more detached than he did a moment before, at odds with the irritation and curiosity rising in his mind. “who’s collins and why doesn’t he know you?” >> @faaya shah <<

6

faaya shah BOT — 12/29/2021 tw nsfw mention

faaya considered the few people blaze wanted to look for and figured it wasn’t a bad round up. “yeah, and i have the feeling jasper’s finding mason or something like that so we’ve got a pretty short roster.” her cousin certainly wasn’t going to be pleased at what they found, but they were lucky at all to have anything to find. her eyes narrowed at the lack of response blaze gave her—he couldn’t even humor her for five minutes? he was always such a busy body, it reminded her of when she’d have to try to convince him to stop studying for a little bit. “you didn’t have any complaints about being a piece of meat this morning,” faaya stuck her tongue out before doing as he asked.

the sky loomed red ominously overhead and faaya wanted to remember this forever—the feeling of godliness, bliss, and blaze beside her. of course, being faaya, good things couldn’t last and blaze’s abrupt question pulled faaya back. “collins?” faaya repeated, eyes lowering towards his phone which seemed to have been the thing that brought that period of her life to his attention. her lips pursed as she bit her tongue, thinking of how much she wanted to share. faaya knew it’d be unpleasant for him to hear, but if it was the other way around, faaya would be furious to have been blindsided.

“we dated briefly a few months ago. i broke up with him and i guess he’s taken it as a personal slight,” faaya reported blandly. she didn’t even realize he was back. “nothing to be jealous of, my love.” she tugged at his hand again as if physically moving forward would get them past this faster. “i also had sex with ellis last year.” not what he asked, but faaya knew he’d hate being ignorant to it more. “that’s everyone.” @blaze chanthotri

5

blaze chanthotri BOT — 12/29/2021 blaze figured she knew who jasper was well enough that he didn’t bother to ask, though there was no face to match to the name at all in his head. didn’t matter, since she seemed largely unconcerned. "things seemed less shit this morning.” he pointed out as she teased him. the fact that the town had split did was more than enough to explain why their situation had changed greatly. instead he braced for the inevitable and got it.

for a second, blaze wondered if faaya was going to lie, but that was more of a hope than an expectation. she never pulled her punches, physically or emotionally, so the direct, somewhat dismissive explanation tracked exactly. she even tacked on another disclosure for fairness’s sake. fair enough. he processed quietly, like he always did.

blaze had no reason to be jealous, but the emotion still curled up from the pit of his stomach, around his sternum, settled in his throat. like swallowing an ice cube in reverse, leaving him cold all over. blaze had left her behind, pointedly, so it was expected, he didn’t know either of them, actually, so it wasn’t a personal vendetta. the irritation that had prickled weeks ago on the beach was gone. instead, part of him just felt he was lacking.

it had been the same for as long as blaze could remember. he didn’t recall another time he was interested in somebody else at all. so much of the teenaged window blaze had for that was largely spent feeling a step apart from his peers, preparing to go to and from camp each summer and practicing the various life-skills that simply didn’t apply to the mortals back home. and then there was faaya herself, and then the period afterwards where he’d been too homesick and heartsick to think about anybody else. . [10:26 PM] he had been standing quiet for too long, looking at faaya and seemingly through her. blaze decided, ultimately, that he envied her ability to separate emotional and physical intimacy, to find closeness somewhere else even if it wasn’t the same. not anything that could be helped, since it came down to a defect that was his alone. his hands slipped into the pocket of his hoodie, phone abandoned.

“if you’re sure,” blaze offered finally, starting again towards the vines. the flat way he spoke didn’t match the tension in his jaw. he hoped she wouldn’t reach out and touch him, since he knew he’d recoil as if burned. “it’s whatever. just give me a sec.” >> @faaya shah <<

faaya shah BOT — 12/29/2021 faaya was not expecting to get a positive response, but anything was better than the way blaze withdrew from her. there was an iciness in her empty hand when he pulled his own back. it hurt. it wasn’t supposed to hurt, but the lump in her throat was there all the same. was she spoiled goods now? was it that easy to think less of her? what was she supposed to do? wait for him to come back from the dead and unbreak up with her? maybe he was stuck loving her forever, but it didn’t mean he couldn’t love her less, and by the way his eyes had dulled over as he looked at her, faaya knew that was what was happening.

anger bloomed in her chest because it was easier to shadow the wounded feeling. faaya knew her anger well though, and it wouldn’t serve her here. she acutely remembered the last time she let it loose on blaze and it left her alone at the beach, stewing in a pointless victory.

“take all the time you need,” faaya replied in a hardened tone as she refused to let her voice tremble. their matching steps turned into a mismatched rhythm with faaya’s steps overtaking his. she couldn’t look at his face anymore. “i’ll clearly make due.” @blaze chanthotri December 30, 2021

blaze chanthotri BOT — 12/30/2021 the problem with having been with faaya, in any capacity, for almost a decade, meant they were good at predicting each other's movements, impressions, reactions. his second nature was hers, and blaze was pretty sure the thought was reciprocated. so he wasn't sure what faaya had expected his response to be.

she had a tendency to play both the victim and the victor of any interpersonal conflict, so when she started walking faster than him, he managed to let her take a few steps before his eyes rolled at the back of her head. safer to do it from this distance, anyway.

"why are you mad?" blaze asked, coming alive again even if it was just to play at incredulity. if she wanted mad, he could probably push his internal frustration towards it. there was some relief to turn towards accusation instead. he took a few steps forward to catch up with faaya as he continued. "what, were you trying to replace me or something? you didn't get that far with either, apparently. nobody else came to help you yet, just me."

the cold feeling at the back of his throat intensified, made it hard to breathe for a moment. blaze's phone felt heavy in his pocket and strangely chilled despite the entirely out of season heat that surrounded them. the soft clink of broken glass had blaze pulling it out to inspect the damage, only to see ice frosted over the touchscreen. his phone became a solid block in his hand.

"why?" he asked plainly, so surprised that the thought escaped his internal monologue and made its way into their already contentious conversation. >> @faaya shah <<

faaya shah BOT — 12/30/2021 “are you telling me i don’t get to be mad?” faaya retorted back without missing a beat. she pivoted on her heel, stopping right in front of blaze’s face. holding back on the anger only worked if the other party wasn’t just as upset as she was. “i don’t get to be mad about the fact that when you left i tried to fill the hole in my heart with anything else and that you can come back and you can love me less for trying to make life less miserable?” faaya gritted her teeth, reigning in the hatefulness that always seeped out when she was like this. it was good offense when she needed it, but the last thing she wanted now was to have it affect blaze.

‘nobody else came to help you yet, just me.’ it stung to hear the same words she heard from phobos growing up, thrown back at her by blaze of all people. her head turned away from him as she glared off to the distance, trying to process both their hurts. the grip she had on the waldo tightened.

‘why?’ she gave a short laugh.

“i don’t need anyone’s help,” faaya raised her nose to him. “it’s your choice to do it.” grabbing onto his jacket, she yanked him to meet her at eye level. “just like it’s my choice to let you. there’s no one else i want to stand with me, no one else i want to see every day, there’s no one else i’m ever going to love. that’s not how my heart works. if you think you’re replaceable, you’re a fucking idiot. i can’t let you go and i won’t. and if you stop loving me, i’ll make you love me again. styx or no styx, we’re in this shit, blaze. you ran off once, i’m not letting you do it again.” @blaze chanthotri (edited)

blaze chanthotri BOT — 12/30/2021 blaze had asked, sure, but he still understood faaya’s point when he spoke up. still winced as she drove it home, too. the sharp turn her thought process took puzzled him-- love her less? but something else he noticed, though, was the restraint in her. tamping down on that energy she’d unleashed in full on the beach was a good sign. he felt a hint of pride, maybe, some optimism that things weren’t going to implode as quickly as they started up again. at this point in the game blaze wasn’t sure he could handle that with any dignity.

she turned on him again, like a predator, pulling him forward to stare him down. blaze met her eyes, however confused he was about his phone almost forgotten. almost. there was only one place the ice could have come from, and he didn’t want to find out the hard way that he was correct in this terrible realization. not breaking her stare, blaze listened as he held his hands out, palms up, iced out phone in his right. faaya’s intensity would be off-putting to some, but he just found it reassuring. they were very much in this shit.

blaze suspected they had bigger problems at the moment, anyway. “okay, okay, okay,” blaze did his best to soothe faaya without touching her. “i don’t love you any less, faaya, and i didn’t mean to make you nervous. i don’t even mean to make you nervous now, babe, but i don’t think you should touch me right now.”

time to test the theory. his left hand extended, touching the blade of the woldo. ice spread, radiating out from the contact point blaze’s own skin made with it. the hand was quickly retracted, and he knew that faaya would feel the fear and surprise of this little reveal almost as strongly as he did, thanks to how close she still stood. “that’s not normal. i don’t know why i’m doing it.” >> @faaya shah <<

faaya shah BOT — 12/30/2021 it was almost baffling to see how easily blaze folded, but she was relieved to see them on the same page again. faaya would have felt entirely comforted if kissed her or pulled her in or something, but with his hands splayed out, he was clearly not touching her. when he warned her about it, that was when her brows loosened from their tight-knit crease into upturned confusion. still, she didn’t release his shirt, only loosened her grip slightly to watch as a layer of ice appeared on her woldo where he’d touched.

her heart perked up at the sudden influx of fear on his part. faaya stared at the slick coat of ice in wonder before she slipped her hand up to touch it. the ice cracked and shattered under her touch. well, it was fairly solid and no illusion. “looks like somebody is a legacy,” she pointed out. “hades or khione.” regardless of the warning, faaya let go of blaze’s shirt only to hold his hand again. @blaze chanthotri

blaze chanthotri BOT — 12/30/2021 faaya presented a clear solution, however surprising, and his fear abated to confusion. "how, though?" blaze wondered, almost exasperated. then he thought of his mother, who could provide no answers even if she knew them, and started to fall into a more contemplative silence. or, blaze would have, but the train of thought was interrupted as he tried to wriggle out of her grasp. that cold feeling hadn't abated yet. he didn't exactly want to see what was going to happen in contact with another person at all, let alone faaya.

"stop touching me," he growled, but his heart wasn't in it. he wanted to text kaeya about it, or dara, but couldn't, and was irritated all over again. the same look he'd had before when worrying where to go returned, down to the crease in his brow and his bottom lip between his teeth.

still, he reached out, arm going around the back of faaya's head to pull her against his chest. being close helped dissipate the feeling somewhat. "everything is annoying. i'm worried about our families. i froze my phone. only upside is i don't have to work tomorrow. or maybe even ever again." >> @faaya shah <<

faaya shah BOT — 12/30/2021 blaze knew the answer after he’d asked it, so faaya didn’t elaborate. his mother who was in a perpetual coma clearly had more secrets than she’d let on. when he yelled at her, faaya glared at him. she just wanted to see just how his powers would manifest against the skin to skin contact, and if simply breaking the ice with her own powers would be enough to let her hold his hand without all this unpredictability. but her glare softened when she could see the visible stress he was going through.

and then it hurt because faaya was only good at comforting with touch, which might have been a surprise to some, but it was what she saw most and had eventually picked up on her own. she wanted to reach out and hold blaze, or to kiss his face and soothe the worry away, because touch worked the same way it did with her with him too, but it was exactly what he didn’t want.

after a moment of thought, faaya knew that ‘no’ never stopped her, but before she could reach for him, he reached for her first. with her head on his chest and her arms wrapped around him and no skin contact, maybe this was the exception to whatever icy problem he was having. faaya could settle for it for now. “i know, blaze. everything sucks. but i’m going to be with you the entire time and i’m going to listen to you whenever you want and i’ll solve all your problems because they’re mine too. we’re going to find our family and i’ll go to the store when it’s open and get you a new phone and i know the ice thing isn’t going to get in the way long because you never give up on a challenge.” to make the point more obvious, faaya raised her head from his chest so that her chin rested on it, while she gazed up at him. . (edited) [6:12 PM] “it does suck that you’re going to be home more often now and you can’t even touch me.” faaya stood on her tippy toes and neared his face, stopping only millimeters away. “i really want you to touch me, somsak,” faaya whined softly. it was motivation if she could ever offer one. @blaze chanthotri

2

2 December 31, 2021

blaze chanthotri BOT — 12/31/2021 blaze felt faaya soften against him and relief was the star of the show. he hadn’t wanted to start a fight, not now, and whatever confusing wash of emotions and inheritance could be pushed away to some later time, when things were sorted out somewhat. epineios hadn’t had rivers of lava before, but realistically, things would right themselves even if they had to build their own bridges between the newly divided sections of town.

her words were soothing, right up until they weren’t, and blaze felt a flush creep up his neck and across his cheeks and ears. it didn’t thaw the cold feeling, but left a strange collision in the middle, hot and cold together like ragnarok. blaze’s eyes narrowed, because faaya was cheating. this was more pointed than her attraction earlier, meant to be a distraction and an incentive in equal measure. “tease,” he muttered, kissing her once and hoping the cold didn’t impress as much from that contact as it would from his hands. "gimme like, two days. tops."

he pulled away finally, satisfied, and now blaze was leading them back to the vines. he was trying to remember the listings of each team for capture the flag. an eidetic memory would be a blessing right now, but enough had happened between the solid memory and now that there were gaps. “i know my cousin started out up north, so maybe we could head there first? some of your family was up there, too. the belshaws were west and warren’s not that fast. he would’ve stayed behind.” >> @faaya shah <<

2

faaya shah BOT — 12/31/2021 tw fighting, injury, death mention

blaze kissed her, which surprised her, but didn’t stop the smile from forming as he did. his lips were strangely cool, but she liked the sensation. she wondered how it’d work in a hot and heady situation—couldn’t imagine not liking the relief, but decided to save that experimentation for later. “just don’t disappoint me for the new year’s countdown,” faaya replied, giving him some leeway in his promise.

faaya considered the points he made and nodded, thoughtfully. “frankly, everyone we’re mildly concerned about can handle themselves well enough. i’d say your cousin was the worst one off, but she’s smart enough to stick by stronger people, so i wouldn’t worry too much.”

the grapevine wasn’t far off and faaya could even see the dome top peering over the other buildings of the strip. they could drop off the sword in her office and head towards lachesis like he suggested. as the building fully came into view, faaya could see the strip was being looted— the grapevine was being looted. or at least, attempted to. faaya had been paranoid enough and savvy enough to install something akin to bulletproof glass. only enyo descendants could hope to shatter it.

without hesitating, she pulled blaze’s bow from him and grabbed an arrow from his quiver. in no more than a blink, the arrow shot firmly into the chest of a demigod she recognized as a daughter of eris who’d been banging a brick on the her window pane. the looters turned to see faaya with her violent intent seeping into the air.

“you can’t take us all, shah!” one announced as they put up their arms against her.

faaya handed blaze his bow back and spun the woldo in her hand as she stepped forward. “maybe not, but we can.”

the same one to announce came at her with a vine, but it didn’t deter her as she cut it down quickly and swiftly. her head briefly turned towards blaze to give him the order, “shoot to kill!” @blaze chanthotri

4

2 January 19, 2022

blaze chanthotri BOT — 01/19/2022 * tw violence, injury * blaze nodded reluctantly, because faaya was right. dara wasn’t an idiot, and he knew better than anyone that she was tougher than she looked. whatever worries that tried to nag at him were replaced by the scene that met them at the grapevine. people were shifting their focus, apparently, from panic to selfish intent. blaze found it impressive that they were thinking about partying moreso than anything that would really benefit them like groceries or medical supplies.

he felt his expression crinkle in distaste as faaya snatched his bow, the same as it would if he’d caught her using his toothbrush unprompted. she wasn’t even a bad shot, but going into every conflict with no compromise in mind wasn’t exactly his style. it was faaya’s, though. the way the small crowd turned on her, specifically, only provided a small spike of defensive irritation. his girlfriend tended to have that kind of polarizing effect on people.

“no, i don’t think i’m gonna do that,” blaze responded lightly. his responsibility was to provide a little perspective when it came down to interactions like this, and he was perfectly content to provide it. “looting is like, the lamest war crime. i think we could probably let them off with some pretty painful warnings. they’d never fuck with you again. living memory lasts a little longer than just leaving them as an example.”

as he spoke we watched what parts of the bow would freeze under his hands, and an arrow, too, clinical in his interest as blaze figured how to counterbalance the new weight. aiming a little higher than he normally would, he drew back just a little tighter and released the projectile. the first found purchase in an upper arm, not bad. the demigod he hit howled in pain, abandoning their attempt at pounding a rock against the grapevine’s window. he looked back at faaya, brows raised as if to say see? >> @faaya shah <<

faaya shah BOT — 01/19/2022 tw death mention, violence

faaya gave blaze a quick sidelong glance as he denied her the request she made, but didn’t fight him on it. “sure,” faaya quipped back as three circled her, though were kept at bay by the circumference of the fast-moving woldo as it sliced through air, vines, and stray limbs. “one dead girl also works though.” she caught his eyes and gestured to the one she’d hit with the arrow earlier—not dead, but bleeding. if anyone cared about her, they’d give up now to tend to her.

she’d caught the pointed gesture blaze made about maiming and not killing. the person he’d hit fell backwards, too distracted about their newfound pain to keep up their destruction. blaze was right, like usual, but they both had different styles, with blaze’s having more consideration for what was reasonable by societal standards. the world was lucky she’d ever met blaze at all.

in her brief distraction, a vine caught her ankle and dragged her to her ass. wrists and ankles were tied rigidly. faaya grunted, seeing red, but before she could break the vines, they were interrupted by newcomers.

like torpedoes, judas and brutus jetted onto the scene. brutas playing the numbers game and bouncing between tackling two of the looters and keeping them down with vicious bites and feral scratches. judas, on the other hand, had the ringleader on the ground with his throat in a vice-like grip between judas’ jaws.

the vines around her withered and faaya rose back to her feet. her anger was gone completely, taking in stock of her dogs. pride radiated from her, incredibly impressed with how their first outing turned out. faaya hadn’t been training them for nothing and they were well on their way to being good company for the war.

“blaze, baby, look.” with all their enemies incapacitated, faaya took the time to pull blaze over by the hand. “they're so smart.” @blaze chanthotri

[kafkasgods]

rafe olmos BOT — 05/22/2021 * tw weapons, injury mention * the chaos around rafe seemed to be moving in slow-motion. or maybe that was just shock on his part. dionysus’ dubious genetic contribution gave him an appreciation for a wide variety of wild situations-- but whatever had broken out at the graduation was far beyond him. it made him angry, it made him tired, it made him annoyed as hell with his own decision to forgo contacts as he had one more part of his face to protect.

he skirted a particularly unfriendly-looking couple that seemed intent on tracking someone across the aisle, keeping out of the way of most of the chaos as he tried to count heads. there were enough familiar faces in the crowd that it was hard to really spot anyone he was actually looking for. he fished in his pocket for his keys, his javelin sentinel appearing in his hands as the remainder of his keychain fell back into his hand.

the first one he really recognized was faaya, but she was hard to miss. scythe in hand, unflappable as could be. as he approached, rafe saw why. the demigods who’d come at her were insensate with fear, practically prone on the ground. it probably wasn’t wise, but rafe wasn’t thinking when the javelin spun in his hands, butt meeting faaya’s upper arm with more force than he initially intended.

“don’t be a dick, faaya,” he protested. already rafe was wincing, more out of apology than whatever fear she would radiate out at him. he’d surely gotten her attention. [ @deleted-role ] May 23, 2021

faaya shah BOT — 05/23/2021 the several demigods in a half circle before her had the opportunity to avoid the fear they were under. as it happened, they had refused and so faaya had no choice but to subject them to it. focused on each fear that racked their brains, faaya had missed the end of the spear that jabbed into her arm. flinching back with a flare in her temper, faaya instinctively let out a guttural growl, a deep sound that verberated up her throat—she had discovered it early on the sound was original to her, birthed from her phobos and enyo origin. “rafe. don’t touch me.”

it annoyed her to know he had come to their defense. he didn’t have to be here, but if that was what he wanted then fine. there was no need to bother trying to convert him. faaya knew him well and it’d be pointless. so she proceeded with the second option. “and don’t pretend you know who i am.” without hesitation, she swung her scythe at him, putting strength behind it as she expected him to block it with his javelin. @deleted-role May 24, 2021

rafe olmos BOT — 05/24/2021 * tw weapon mention * faaya’s words seemed to reverberate in his mind. maybe it was just the growling. either way, he didn’t have time to fire back, as faaya’s scythe blade whistled through the air. rafe took a steadying step back to parry it. spinning the javelin upright in a wide circle, the flat of the pole knocking the trajectory of her blade to one side.

“pretend to know who you are?” he echoed incredulously. “faaya i’ve known you since you were six.” his gaze went to her victim still at her feet, sobbing into the dirt. only for a moment though, rafe was sure not to keep his eyes off faaya for too long. just like the old days. “and you’re acting a lot like that right now.” the stakes certainly felt higher, though. this wasn’t camp half-blood, or the mortal world. his nose wrinkled. “aren’t you... i don’t know, better than this?” [ @deleted-role ] May 31, 2021

faaya shah BOT — 05/31/2021 as expected he had blocked it, and though it countered a move she’d been planning on making, faaya continued, with some added force as his commentary had added an extra layer of annoyance. there was always something about rafe that pushed her buttons. that was probably what happened when you knew someone too long. “i am better than this—i can swing harder,” she replied through gritted teeth.

unfortunately, as much as she wanted to let fear seep off of her, it was her less controlled enyo powers that were filling the air. malicious anger licked temptously at anyone in the vicinity and her previously crying victims were filled with a second wind of rage.

before she knew it, faaya was fighting off rafe and two other demigods. it only set to piss her off more and faaya swung to kill. @deleted-role

3 June 3, 2021

rafe olmos BOT — 06/03/2021 * tw violence, gore, weapons * it was all rafe could do to keep up. it was all he wanted to do, really. the anger in him at the whole situation bubbled sharply up to the surface. he wasn’t much of a fighter. beyond learning the basics for defense-- and really, rafe had only found those useful in life-threatening situations-- he was more of a talk it out type of guy. but as the javelin used as a staff met flesh and shattered bone beneath, he could only be thankful that close range meant he wasn’t dealing out lethal force.

it didn’t matter who he hit, until he met faaya’s eyes. there was a fire in them that he recognized. the memories of her, one of the first demigods he’d ever met at camp, weren’t hard to reconcile with the fearsome face she presented now. his anger redirected, refined itself on what had interrupted his thoughts in the first place: faaya’s opponents who’d dug deep to jump back into the fray.

each blow was more calculated now, and any swing faaya sent his way was redirected. the javelin’s blunted head still found purchase in the closer demigod’s shoulder, and as they crumpled to the ground, rafe yanked it free, unmindful of the low scream that followed. the onslaught had finally stopped. he dropped the javelin in the grass, turning to faaya.

he stood, sweat dripping down his brow as he nodded at the demigods sprawled at their feet. “what, are you gonna kill me, faaya? or them?“ rafe’s arms went out, a kindof hopeless shrug. “who am i to stop you, if that's what's gonna make you feel like the biggest, baddest bully?“ [ @deleted-role ]

3 June 4, 2021

faaya shah BOT — 06/04/2021 no matter how faaya attacked, rafe deflected and, as far as she could tell, was doing his best not to hurt her as badly as she was trying to hurt any of them. it wasn’t usual, especially as the others were returning her same maliciousness—one had even managed to wrap a thorned plant around her neck, though she managed to slice it before it constricted too tightly. between her and rafe, however, the others had fallen and rafe, himself, had given up to her as he tossed his weapon down.

that was where her previous observations had come into play—it almost felt wrong to go forward with an attack as it was suddenly hard not to reconcile him as the same guy who bought her weird, dark things just because he thought she liked them or the one who fed her on days she craved a homemade meal. it’d been easy to separate personal life from war up until now. faaya growled out of frustration. if only rafe hadn’t gone soft on her.

refusing to feel weak about it, faaya promptly turned her head to the side, allowing him to gauge only her sharp side profile. “the choice of a god is choosing who lives and who dies.” her voice felt rough and it hurt to speak. “so i pardon you.” @deleted-role

3 June 7, 2021

rafe olmos BOT — 06/07/2021 * tw implied death, injury * rafe’s reaction was automatic. he backpedaled, taking two generous steps back as his eyes rolled upwards, grimacing as if to say wasn’t me! he certainly wasn’t going to get smited for that one. “oh, so you’re a god now, faaya,” he noted, head bobbing a bit and setting a nick from someone’s blade to throbbing in his shoulder. “must’ve missed the memo. last i checked you were just a lowly little demigod like the rest of us.”

he could remember, clearly, the waves of fear that had set his stomach to rolling over a decade ago. it was the only weapon she had against a world that didn’t understand her. even as a teenager he’d thought it was pretty fucked up. he let out a sigh. his body hurt, his family was scattered through the town at this point... and faaya was an unstoppable force when she wanted to be. that wasn’t about to stop him from saying his piece to get through to one of his oldest friends.

“whatever,” rafe continued. how tired the whole situation made him showed in his voice. “one day you might get tired of being a monster, i suppose. and i’ll help you when you do. but i can’t do this. i won’t. i’m too fucking old for this shit.” he turned away, not caring what faaya might throw at him. [ @deleted-role ] June 8, 2021

faaya shah BOT — 06/08/2021 no faaya was not a god, but she was one’s second-in-command and what she did was on his behalf. rafe wouldn’t know as he wasn’t anything to either of the gods he hailed from. that was why he would never understand. and yet, as he walked away from her, having said his piece, faaya didn’t feel any sense of contentment or victory. faaya was angry, unsettled, and no longer feeling charitable. rafe had come to stop her from the suffering she was sowing, but had more than failed in that aspect as she spun on her heels to find the next unfortunate soul. @deleted-role

[kafkasgods]

jasper patenaude BOT — 02/15/2021 there were some of jasper’s ‘dark’ cousins that needed protection, like bentley, but there were others that didn’t. faaya was clearly one of the latter. she had always had a sort of force to her. even their one brief year with her at camp had left a lasting impression on jasper. while it certainly didn’t lay them out like the incident last year, she could usually be trusted to leave the back of their neck prickling.

when she passed them near the carnival rides, jasper braced for the sensation-- it never came. they turned on their heel against the flow of the crowd to head her direction. “faaya,” they called out to her, surprising themselves at the sudden greeting. their brows drew downwards as their eyes swept over her form, searching for some clear deformity. something was not right. “are you well?” | @deleted-role | February 16, 2021

faaya shah BOT — 02/16/2021 as faaya made her way through the crowd on her own, she stopped at the sound of her name. jasper had emerged from nowhere as they tended to do. it’d been awhile since she caught up with them, but apparently time hadn’t changed their kinship. “jasper, hello.” it was a strange thing to be concerned about without even a word shared, but faaya felt a warmth of appreciation as they tried to sense what was off about her. she could probably afford to check in with them more.

“yes. i’m alright. i presume you’re asking about my abilities.” why else would they have worry on their face? “i don’t have my powers at the moment.” faaya had shared it quietly. it wasn’t something she was admitting to most people, after all, that’s when the wolves would come. but she trusted jasper. “phobos and i have an arrangement, so it should be settled soon. thank you for your concern.”

remembering an item in her bag, she reached to grab it and handed it to them. it was a fake, light up rose she’d won at a game. “happy valentines day.” @jasper patenaude iii

2 February 17, 2021

jasper patenaude BOT — 02/17/2021 their brows raised in question, then again in surprise. concern weighed heavily against their ribcage as faaya explained. she got right to the heart to the matter as professionally as ever, certainly, but jasper remembered with a sick dread the absence of such a force could leave. “i wish you luck in that, cousin--”

interrupted, jasper looked down at the plastic rose, back up at her. their lower lip twisted between their teeth, trying to parse out the emotions that clashed so hard with worry. “and happy valentine's day to you, faaya. i have instagram, i know you have a date.” their gaze flitted around for the blonde head. “i think i frighten him, somewhat. you could do worse.” maybe it was the holiday, or the poisonous bouquet standing as a centerpiece in their dining room, but they were happy to see she was enjoying herself still. small victories against small gods, perhaps. | @deleted-role | (edited)

1 February 18, 2021

faaya shah BOT — 02/18/2021 there was something about the support jasper offered her versus bentley or luke or any else she knew. well, it was similar to yael and the feeling reminded faaya of the point theo made once—that sometimes there were people who were easier to let things go with.

the sentimental thought was replaced by a mild embarrassment. faaya didn’t fluster easy, but there was something about jasper teasing her that made her want to put an end to it. “yeah, yeah. his name’s collins.” she considered the compliment of approval, one she wasn’t expecting to get and without thinking faaya asked, “do you want to have dinner with us? i haven’t planned it yet, but i’m having him meet silas, you know, formally. and you too, maybe?” she bit her tongue, hoping the offer wasn’t too off the cuff. @jasper patenaude iii

[kafkasgods]

DARA’S ELEGY

God topples from the sky, hell's fires fade: Exit seraphim and Satan's men: I shut my eyes and all the world drops dead."

tw death mention

[ FADE IN ]

EXT. PHOLOE FOREST - DUSK

WE OPEN on an ashy orange sky. The white spruce trees are too still in dead air. Only one thing moves in the frame. DARA (29), limping, with damp hair, and glowing a soft pink, trudges forward. A teal light flickers from nothing further down the forest. DARA continues towards it. As she nears it, it disappears again, reappearing past the brush and alongside a limestone entrance. Perdix Castle, decrypted, looms overhead.

MYSTERIOUS VOICE (V.O.): …Dara…

The will-o’-the-wisp smolders patiently. DARA enters the castle, slowly, taking in ruins. The castle is grandeur, but in disrepair. A silver tripwire glints, unseen, tugged by DARA’s foot. Immediately, it triggers a mace trap, which swings fast towards DARA. She is pushed to the ground.

MAN: You can’t possibly die this quick, you’re only in the entryway.

He gives her a hand up. THE MAN (25-30) is handsome with a mess of dark hair and a mischievous smile.

DARA: Why are you here? MAN: You know, introductions are more polite. You also didn’t say ‘thank you.’  Shouldn’t you ask me my name? Though, I’d rather have yours. DARA: Thank you. It’s Dara. MAN (holding out his hand): It’s Murphy. Murphy Fiennes, son of Aphrodite.

DARA hesitantly shakes his hand.

MURPHY: You look familiar. You…work at the museum? DARA: Yes. MURPHY: Yeah, that’s right. My girlfriend and I go there all the time. DARA: Do you know why I’m here? MURPHY: Why should I know that? DARA: I…I don’t know. I was following the lights. [5:23 PM] . MURPHY: Well, they didn’t lead you anywhere good. My brother was just here and he was lost for months. No offense, but the people who come here are usually more apt at obstacle course shit. Or when they’re looking for somewhere exciting to makeout. You don’t look like either type, so maybe you should follow the dark back home. DARA: No, I can’t go back home. Not now anyways. MURPHY: Then welcome to Murphy’s Castle. I can give you a tour while I wait for Zoya.

MURPHY leads DARA around the castle.

MURPHY: Watch it, don’t step there. In this hall, you can only step on the stones with the little snakes on them otherwise you get dropped in…dun dun dun…the snake pit. It’s a little less creative than the jack-in-the-box disguised as a music box, but Perdix keeps ya on your toes either way. DARA: Thanks for helping me, Murphy. MURPHY: No problem. No one else listens when I try to help them, so I’m glad I can help. Watching you get through the traps is more fun than watching you die. It’s like helping you cheat at Bowser’s Castle. DARA: So. Is it just you here? I thought there might be others. MURPHY: No, it’s just me here and some ghosts. The castle itself is kinda alive, sorta like Hogwarts if you’re into that, which I’m assuming you’re into by your age, and probably a Ravenclaw. I’m a Slytherin. But like I was saying, just listen to me, the spookies, the castle, and you’ll be fine. DARA: Yeah, I guess I’ll have to. I feel like I’ll be staying awhile. MURPHY: Why’s that? DARA: I was led here. And whatever’s here is better than home. Right now anyways. MURPHY: Does it have something to do with your leg? Oh shit, hey, wait. Should you be walking on that? DARA: I think Persephone is helping me heal, so it doesn’t hurt that badly right now. [5:24 PM] . MURPHY: Hm. Then I should probably just direct you to a place you can stay. There’s a furnished room that’s pretty clean I know about, come on. So why’s home suck? DARA: Something’s going on with the earth splitting apart and lava spilling over town. Everything bad is happening now.

On the stairs, MURPHY turns around, taking several steps back down. His hands grip DARA’s shoulders.

MURPHY: Are you serious? Is Zoya okay? Do you know her? Or maybe Warren, Harlow, Rosie, Carina? Are they okay? DARA: Rosie… MURPHY: Yeah? DARA: She tried to kill me. MURPHY: What? Rosie? Just now? Are you sure? That doesn’t sound like her. DARA (softly): She pushed me into the lava.

MURPHY drops his hands.

MURPHY: Fuck, Dara. DARA: No one’s ever tried to kill me before. She was supposed to be my friend. It’s why I need to go away. I don’t know how I’m supposed to deal with that. I don't think the person I am knows how to stand on two feet. MURPHY: Yeah. I…That’s rough, buddy. Maybe…Just get some rest and I’ll help you figure it out later? DARA: Yeah. MURPHY: If it helps, I’m great at revenge. DARA: I’ll keep that in mind.

They continue walking until MURPHY reaches the door to a bedchamber.

MURPHY: Well, this is your stop. There’s food in the kitchen. I’ll bring you some. Get some rest, Dara. DARA: Thank you again. MURPHY: Sure. Oh, by the way, Adam’s okay too, right? Adam Hudson? I owe him an apology, but I’ve been too nervous to see him.

DARA pauses, staring at MURPHY with an inscrutable expression.

DARA: He’s okay, Murphy. I’ll tell him what you said when I see him next. Is that about your quest? MURPHY: Yeah, I sort of fucked him over and I can’t stop stressing out about that. I’d really appreciate it, Dara. DARA: Of course.

MURPHY smiles, appreciatively before vanishing entirely. DARA’s expression does not change at the new empty spot. She closes the door on the ghost.

end

[kafkasgods]

DARA'S RETURN

(the chanting to be played during the funeral) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e1b-5BXL6tk YouTube Citta Dhammo Abhidhamma Chant - Wat Yotanimit

[6:53 PM] tw death

“Yaa passed away.”

Though her grandpa’s brusque way of speaking had not changed since she last talked to him, Dara could hear the tiredness in his voice. The news was hard to take, especially hearing that—It only reminded Dara he had been alone to deal with it. Blaze had been on his quest for years, he couldn’t help it, but she was in Canada, pretending independence made her an adult. Even borderline thirty, all Dara was was the bad granddaughter who left her grandparents. It hadn’t even been for a career or to get married. There was nothing to show for it.

When she showed up for the funeral, she wasn’t expecting any surprises; things never tended to change in Fallschurch. But there Blaze was, all in black and paler than she’d seen him before. After the initial hug, she pulled back.

“You look like hell,” she admonished before handing him a khao tom from the pile on the table beside them. “It’s pork,” Dara added, knowing he’d prefer it to the sweeter banana one at the moment.

Never needing an excuse to eat, Blaze worked to peel off the banana leaves to get to the sticky rice. “Thanks, Deer. I just got back.”

Dara paused, narrowing her eyes. “From Hell…?”

“Yup,” Blaze popped the ‘p’ on the answer before taking a bite. “Got to personally escort Yai through, so you don’t have to worry about seeing her.”

Apparently, the fear had weighed on her more heavily than she thought because the relief was tangible in the deep sigh she let out. It made Dara feel terrible that one of her first thoughts upon hearing about their grandmother was that, of course, it had to happen just as her freaky ghost powers were rearing its ugly head again. She didn’t have to worry about her grandma, but as she glanced around the temple, Dara could still make out translucent silhouettes crowding the tables, shrines, and monks. Funerals were a beacon to them. As one caught her eye, they started moving towards her, but Dara whipped her glance away, focusing on Blaze again. [6:53 PM] “I’m going to be moving in with Buu. I’ll take care of Naa Hima too.”

There was a minor look of surprise in his eyes, but understanding quickly followed. “Yeah, that’s good. I was worried about him too. But I have to...Get back to town.”

Dara nodded. Blaze was a good grandson to them, but they hadn’t expected him to stay with them forever. “How long are you staying for?”

“Just after the funeral and helping Tha with the arrangements. So probably a week give or take.”

“Okay. Well, I’m glad you’re safe.”

Before they could continue their conversation, a pair of elderly aunts ushered them forward. The monotone abhidhamma chants were beginning and their grandfather had sent their relatives to summon them. Blaze quickly finished off the khao tom in two giant bites before leading them through the mismatched carpets being sat upon by their grandparent’s friends and family, so they could take their floor seats by their grandpa.

The incense and ghostly presences were potent upfront, but Dara rubbed her grandpa’s shoulders comfortingly, doing her best to focus on that. He patted her hand for a moment before gesturing her to the chanting monks. Taking the instruction, Dara clasped her hands together and tilted her head down, chanting the scripture quietly along with them, praying for her grandma.

When it was time for Blaze to leave home to return to Epineios, Dara sent him packing with too much homemade food. It didn’t matter, along with what she had made, the funeral resulted in far too much food they could store at the house. There was some amount of hopelessness Dara felt as she watched him go. It was hard to place where the feeling came from—Grief of her Yai, the responsibility here, the spirits that were haunting her now, or the permanent goodbye to her demigod life. [6:53 PM] Either way, it only took another week for Dara to fall into routine. Her grandfather still had friends and relatives coming by to keep him company, but they were all older and treated her the same way they did a decade ago. It was the same as when she was a child, more or less.

After making tea for her grandpa and his friends, Dara headed to the backyard to clear out the dying plants and weeds. It was freezing out as winter was creeping up, but it was her Yai’s garden. She was in the middle of cutting rotting stocks, huffing as she did so, when a hand touched her shoulder.

It was odd to not be startled by a stranger, but the woman’s presence was familiar and divine.

“Hello Dara. We finally meet.” Persephone gave a gentle smile. It was the very first time Dara had ever met a god (Mr. D didn’t count, everyone met him), let alone her own mother. She soaked in her appearance—the soft updo of dark hair, her full lips, the bright skin, and the natural golden blush accenting her prominent cheekbones. Nothing seemed out of place, not even the silky purple dress in the icy weather.

“We do,” Dara replied dumbly. What was she supposed to say to her godly mother? All these years, Dara had quite frankly given up on meeting her or even considering her a mother. Persephone had only ever been a concept.

“I’m sorry for taking this long to see you. I just didn’t want to hinder your growth. I wanted to see what kind of flower you’d bloom into.”

Dara blinked, replying unexpectedly. “Flowers, like all living things, need water to grow. And I’m not a flower,” she added. Where was the nerve for being so confrontational coming from? “I was your daughter.” [6:53 PM] “You are my daughter,” Persephone corrected, hands folded elegantly in front of her as she kept a cool tone. “I’m sorry if you feel I’ve failed you, but it was everything you did that led you to this point. You had time to grow, Dara, and every opportunity you had for it, you ran instead. You give up on friendships, on relationships, and the worst offense—Giving up the godliness I gave you. All because these things became too much, too real. I didn’t raise a coward.”

The sense of being seen too clearly prickled at her skin and the knots were already forming as she spoke back, taking a few steps back. “You didn’t raise me,” Dara’s eyes were nervously going between her mom’s eyes to her feet. “You didn’t raise anything. I’m nothing. I was never supposed to be a demigod or, or anything. I’m not special. And, and the spirits. I can’t handle any of this.”

A hand gripped her chin, pulling her head up to meet the faded multi-colored eyes of Persephone. The hardened stare inspired no room for arguing. “Your mediumship is one of the greater gifts I give to my children. The spirits are often a reflection of what you make of them. You are so scared of what is unknown to you, you live in the fear. There is nothing beyond your fear than is worse than what it is. You must stop rejecting all things to avoid the bad, because you shut out the good as well.” Her hand dropped. “Do you know why it is a gift, Dara? It is a chance to say goodbye. It is a chance to wisen yourself beyond your years. There are good spirits who want to help you. Like your father.”

Dara gulped. “The last time I saw Pah, he chased me out of here.”

“I remember. You chose not to give him any power, so he couldn’t properly communicate with you. What he wanted to tell you was that misfortune lied ahead for you staying here. There were passing satyrs and he needed you to find them so they could take you to camp. He used a great deal of his life force into getting you to leave.” [6:54 PM] The realization only made Dara’s chest feel heavy. How could she be so wrong and stupid and scared?

“I should have nurtured you better,” Persephone conceded the argument. “I can do that now, but only if you return to Epineios. I need you to accept the spirits, Dara. To accept your godliness. You are not nothing. You are special. You are my daughter. That is your worth.” Dara’s face was wet before she even realized it. Persephone wiped her tears. “As long as you remain neutral in this war, I can protect you.”

“What about Buu?” The hand that had wiped her tears pulled her into a soft hug, before rubbing her head. Dara had never had the comfort of a mother. How was it possible that love like this existed? “You’ve been good to your family. He will be well and do well while you better yourself. You have my word.”

“Thank you,” Dara hiccuped quietly.

“You’re welcome,” Persephone rested her chin on Dara’s head. “Pah is proud of you. He misses you a lot, but he’s still watching over you. He says he won’t let anything scare you. And he wants me to give you something.”

Dara blinked as Persephone pulled back and in her arms was a large blue pot with a well-shaped pine bonsai in it. Even after all these years, Dara instantly recognized it as the very same one her dad had worked to maintain. Persephone placed it in Dara’s arms.

“Do well, daughter.”

end para

[kafkasgods]

kafka #8323 perry ze platenpüssen!!!

Text Channel faaya-ellis Search

Welcome to #faaya-ellis! This is the start of the #faaya-ellis channel.

Edit Channel November 7, 2021

ellis merchant BOT — 11/07/2021 ( nov.1, 10 pm. )

jamie stewart: aren’t u supposed to be with Sam right now?

his silence wasn’t a lie, he told himself. ellis had slept most of the day at sam’s, but when he woke up, the events of halloween were still fresh in his mind. he told her that he was going to take a walk around to clear his head, and not to wait up if she fell asleep, but as he wandered and sent a few texts, he found himself on autopilot, until he stared up at the neon signage of the grapevine. well, jamie wouldn’t be in, he figured, not the night after halloween, but maybe…

he entered the bar and spotted faaya immediately, behind the bar and looking none too happy about it. “didn’t think you’d be open.”

@Faaya Shah

3

3 November 8, 2021

faaya shah BOT — 11/08/2021 tw alcohol monday nights were rarely busy, and more so, the monday nights after a holiday. people were tired. that included jamie, who so conveniently had the night off. with her other bartender calling out, it left faaya annoyed at both of them and behind the bar herself.

when ellis rolled around, faaya raised a brow. he wasn’t a regular, and it was odd to stop in now. it was likely he’d been fucked up in the dream department or by her dad and uncle as she’d been informed. either way, he’d gone through it, which was why he was here now. “as long as you have money, we’re open,” she retorted easily. “drink?” faaya asked, gesturing to the bar. @Ellis Merchant

ellis merchant BOT — 11/08/2021 he sat down across from her, and wove his fingers together on the smooth bar top. it took her words to remind him that he was in a place of business.

quickly he dug out a crumpled ten dollar bill from his pocket, and placed it between them, before he realized he really didn’t want anything. the idea of dulling his senses filled him with dread—likely, one that faaya could pick up on without even needing powers.

“uh… just water, please. i'm here for something else, though. does this buy me a minute of your time?” he was hesitant to label them friends— friendly, maybe. but still, he opted for not bothering her, unless he was given permission to do so, despite any intimacy in their past.

@Faaya Shah

2

2 November 9, 2021

faaya shah BOT — 11/09/2021 the bill was already in her hand before ellis asked for his drink. water. she snorted before slipping the money in the pocket of her black apron. she took her time getting him a glass. with a coaster, ice, lemon on the side, the whole shebang. there was no other reason for the slow place and extravagance besides the fact that ellis was scared. and while it wasn’t too severe, dread certainly picked up faaya’s mood some, and it was growing the longer she kept from speaking. fear, especially when she hadn’t even expended any energy on it, always felt something akin to eating a good piece of chocolate cake—sweet, rich, decadent.

once the drink was finished and faaya took enough of her fil of fear, she placed the glass in front of him, before finally replying. “it buys enough for me to hear you out. the favor might cost more.” faaya leaned forward, elbows resting on the counter as she held her head up by the chin. dark eyes locked in on him. “who do you want me to kill, ellis merchant?” @Ellis Merchant

1

ellis merchant BOT — 11/09/2021 (tw death mention)

ellis did his best to cover his surprise when faaya actually spent time putting together fancy water on his behalf. a lemon slice? oddly, the gesture didn't settle his nerves any. but he spent the time turning over his idea in his head. half-formed after his monster encounters outside, and half after realizing how truly jealous he was that luke could simply wander the streets during that time.

but who would be more fearless than the children of fear? he had his proposal set out on his tongue, when she finished and placed the glass in front of him, but then her eyes locked with his, and it got muddled in his head, and he blurted out: "uh, you could try to killme? well not—no, definitely not kill—not like that, but..." deep breath. "i wanted to see if you'd... be willing to use your powers against me." he met her eyes with determination. "i want to learn how to fight them. train against them. if... you'd be up for that. i know it's a lot to ask."

@Faaya Shah

2

faaya shah BOT — 11/09/2021 ellis’ reply caught faaya off guard for a moment. “you want me to train you?” few people had asked faaya how to get over their fears, but no one had wanted to practice fighting against it. admittedly, it was a smart move on ellis’ part. the other half of faaya being so well-versed in fear, aside from her own innate nature, was the years of exposure therapy from her father.

still. even if ellis was coming to her with sincerity, for reasons not including her, faaya did not like the idea of sharing the things that made her less than effective. it seemed stupid to undermine herself by doing him this favor, but she hesitated on giving him a flat out no. keep your friends close, and your enemies closer, and all that. ellis wasn’t an enemy, but the future could change. faaya could be a mentor. she just didn’t have to be a good one. “a big favor has a big cost.” @Ellis Merchant

1 November 10, 2021

ellis merchant BOT — 11/10/2021 “honestly," he shrugged, "i’d be down if you just threw fear at me until i figured out a way to overcome it on my own, i'm not asking for a lesson plan or shit like that. but yeah, basically…” ellis was absolutely certain that this was what he needed to do. the fear gods had put him in his place within moments, and rendered him useless despite a lifetime of training. he could not let that happen again.

faaya, of course, wanted something in return, which ellis had anticipated. he toyed with the lemon on the edge of his glass. “i won’t join ares. nyx already chewed me out for disloyalty, so changing my allegiance again, she’d probably... set the hounds on me, or take my wings." making him even less capable than he was already. "and i won’t hurt anyone i care about. but aside from that…” he paused, but finished firmly. “name your price, shah.”

@Faaya Shah

faaya shah BOT — 11/10/2021 tw death

hm. he wanted to overcome it on his own. faaya had figured as much, but imagined he might’ve wanted hints as to what was the best course of action. well, if he didn’t even want that, the only worry faaya had was ellis actually finding the answer on his own. faaya listened patiently as ellis worked out what he was and wasn’t willing to do for her. of course, asking him to join ares was momentary thought, but faaya had done more than enough for phobos in terms of recruitment. it was about time she did more in her favor.

“die for me.”

the heavy weight of the words were juxtaposed by the easy way it rolled off faaya’s tongue. “i’m not saying i need you to abide by my every whim or that i even want you to die.” she elaborated. “but i want to be a thought when you make decisions from here on out.” through her peripheral, ellis was nervously fiddling with the lemon she set for him. pulling one of her hands apart from holding her head up, faaya reached forward to hold his chin, to keep his eyes on hers and his attention focused. her thumb brushed his cheek, settling on his bottom lip. “i want your loyalty, ellis. then i can trust you enough to help.” @Ellis Merchant

7

ellis merchant BOT — 11/10/2021 ( tw death mention )

die for me.

his eyes widened, and his fidgeting stilled. at first he didn’t understand her meaning at all. but as she explained, it crystallized. he should hesitate, think through the implications… guard against any loopholes, but… he didn’t see them. not in this moment. if she wanted loyalty, well, the truth was she already had it, to a certain extent. even if they weren’t friends, exactly, he would do what he could to protect her, to help her. that was just the way he felt about everybody.

her touch and the brush of her thumb against his lip brought the night they’d spent together firmly to mind as well. he’d already trusted her once, at least partly, and then... caused problems for her. in a way, he felt he owed her for that, too.

slowly, and without breaking eye contact, he nodded. “i can do that.”

he released a breath. decision made, pact spoken, he leaned out of her touch and grinned, feeling curiously relieved, and somewhat excited. he dropped the lemon slice into the glass, and raised it to her in salute. “so, when can we start?”

@Faaya Shah

3

2 November 11, 2021

faaya shah BOT — 11/11/2021 tw death mention

there was the small possibility ellis would have rejected the offer. a predictably logical person would, but ellis didn’t follow the same structure, which was why faaya had tailored the request that way. his logic ebbed a little closer to pathological altruism out of what felt like insecurity. the axiom was proven right when he agreed and faaya had to refrain from giving too obvious a triumphant smile, settling on an appreciative smile, baring the top half of her too white, too straight teeth.

ellis seemed to think that was that from the way he slowly eased back into a comfortable state, but his word wasn’t good enough just yet. “ellis, it’s not really something you can say just to say. i need insurance. i like to do things right.”

“i, ellis merchant, legacy of nyx and apollo…” faaya started slowly, giving him the opportunity to repeat after her. “swear my loyalty and allegiance to faaya shah, daughter of phobos and legacy to enyo.” …an unnaturally cool breeze floated through the grapevine. “by the river styx, i would see that no harm in whatever form comes to her. to sacrifice my life for her.”

6

ellis merchant BOT — 11/11/2021 ellis leaned back in his seat, listening carefully. it shouldn’t have surprised him, that faaya would want assurances. but it did sting his pride a little. and though he may have been desperate but he wasn’t a complete idiot. he took a sip and tapped his fingers lightly on the bar, turning over the possibilities.

slowly, he said, “i’m willing to swear. but it would have to be conditional. after all, if my word isn’t good enough for you,” he cocked his head, pointedly. “why should i take you at yours?“

he’d read plenty about these deals, and what could happen if they were sloppily made. he continued, openly. “so, if you give up on me—run off or decide i’m not worth your time before i’m suitably trained—the contract breaks, and we owe each other nothing.”

“and,” he added, “it should expire when we both believe it should, for whatever reason. i’m not egotistical to think i can stop everything that comes at you. there could be a time when you might not want me to. making it possible to break the deal with a simple thought would be in both our best interest.”

he met her gaze evenly. if she didn’t take it, then he’d look for alternatives—reluctantly. “acceptable?”

@Faaya Shah November 14, 2021

faaya shah BOT — 11/14/2021 there was hope ellis wouldn’t have bothered with addendums, despite faaya considering the possibility. of course, they were dashed as there was enough back and forth about the deal to give him time to consider a smidge of leeway. faaya remained silent as he negotiated his terms, which frankly, didn’t really seem to take any loss away from her. even with the minute changes, her mind was rapidly firing loopholes at her, that she found his terms agreeable.

the corner of her mouth edged upwards. “i, faaya shah, daughter of phobos and legacy of enyo, swear on the river styx.” at his own oath, faaya gave him the date. “the sunday in two weeks. the fourteenth. i’m off that day. fly to the training arena by 6pm. train for two hours.” her eyes roamed over him, tilting her head slightly to pass the bar counter. “maybe make it a leg day. i’ll meet you at 8pm.” @Ellis Merchant

1 November 15, 2021

ellis merchant BOT — 11/15/2021 time skip

days dragged around him, filled with the chatter and concerns of his friends, the ebb and flow of arguments and reconciliations. but always in the back of his mind, he was thinking of one time drawing steadily nearer and nearer… until it was here.

and when he arrived at the training arena he did his best to distract from the anticipation humming through his limbs, and not to scan the area for the entire two hours. faaya wouldn’t be early, and his eagerness might draw unnecessary suspicion.

is there even anything wrong about this, though? he wondered, snapping a roundhouse against a standing bag. in worn black sweats and little else, he considered this as close to a leg day as he could get, martial arts forms he'd mostly neglected until rune brought it up. what choice do i have, sit around and wait for the next attack? hell no...

6:35... 7:23... 7:49.... (edited) November 17, 2021

faaya shah BOT — 11/17/2021 tw fear stuff, drowning metaphor? faaya’s time was not something she wasted on just anything or anyone. if she had to be anywhere, it meant there was some significance to it. an early appearance was rare, faaya wanted to see what she’d be working with when it came to ellis. there was no doubt he was approaching this training with focus and determination as the vigor he approached his workout had completely warped him from even seeing faaya.

when the clock hit eight, instead of approaching and interrupting him, faaya allowed the wisps of fear to surround ellis. no one could ever see it but her. fear was a thin, transparent black smoke; it was almost sentient in the way it responded to ellis’ form, slithering around much like several snakes. one wrapped itself around his eyes, encouraging it to play subtle tricks. another floated through his ears, dulling the sounds around him. nothing was particularly scaring ellis, but the foreboding sense was slowly rising over him like a tide growing too high. faaya’s favorite part was always the realization. when the water that was nonexistent was now just beneath the eyes—and as the last smoky snake entered ellis and wrapped around his heart to give a constricting squeeze, that was the adrenaline of fear faaya lapped up.

that was faaya’s presence. that’s what it meant when she was here. “i hope you’re not too tired, ellis. facing your fears is a lot of work, you know. it’s best when you’re well rested.” @Ellis Merchant

2

ellis merchant BOT — 11/17/2021 as the appointed time drew nearer, ellis felt his doubts growing. what was he thinking? did think he could handle this, or was he just setting himself up for failure—and blatantly exposing his weaknesses to someone who he didn't know well enough to truly trust? what if she used his fears against him, what if she somehow use them against other people? the train of logic didn't need to make much of a detour into self-doubt. he continued to pummel the bag in front of him. his muscles ached, weakness festering. he wasn't even fighting the bag, but he still felt like he was losing to it.

when faaya made her presence known to him, ellis was so on edge that he flinched at the sound of her voice. it cut through a layer of static that he hadn't even realized was clouding him, and instantly his mind jumped to one word:

threat.

he wheeled about to face her, wings bursting from his bare back, and having just lost faith in his own ability to fight unarmed against a stationary bag, he reached for what was nearest at hand to use as a weapon— which luckily for him and the oath that he had sworn, turned out to be a somewhat grimy towel laying on the bench closest to him.

without thinking, he threw it directly at faaya's face, to provide some distraction, and leapt into the air to get his bearings on his attacker.

he was a good ten feet up before he actually recognized her, and then gradually recalled that she was supposed to be here. sheepishly, he landed and folded his wings away.

"uh. so... hey. sorry." he swallowed sharply, and rubbed the back of his neck, head hanging. "my reflexes, uh, might be a problem i didn’t see coming..."

@Faaya Shah

2 November 19, 2021

faaya shah BOT — 11/19/2021 tw fear, knives, bees

there had been worse things in her life faaya had to dodge when it came to startling someone, so the dirty towel had been easy enough to catch mid-air. the wings, however, were a twist. she’d never seen ellis’ wings before and took a moment to observe the dark feathers. faaya thought the wings between nyx descendants and morpheus descendants might have some differences in the types of wings, but ellis had the wings of a black heron and blaze had them of a golden eagle. it was all very avian.

in the time she’d thought it over, ellis had slowly come to his sense and descended back to where she was. “luckily i did,” faaya assured at his apology, pointedly tossing his towel back. “people’s reactions to fear is never pleasant, but also always predictable. it’s what makes dealing with others easy.” the reaction ellis had, while normal, was not suitable for training. she would have to make a disclaimer.

“i want to state that while we’re training, it’s under the impression you want to deal with fear head on. i can’t tell you whether fight or flight is ideal because the thing about fear is sometimes you need it. it's your survival instinct telling you something is wrong. so what we’re doing, it is with the impression you’ve taken stock of the situation and want to override the instinct. with that in mind, you’re not allowed to startle so easily like that.”

pivoting on her heel, faaya walked over to the targets nearby. she might as well be working out too. as the same time she pulled out her knives, another translucent snake constricted its body around his head. an intimate buzzing rang in his ears before bees started crawling out from his crevices and around him. @Ellis Merchant November 20, 2021

ellis merchant BOT — 11/20/2021 ( tw bees, fear )

faaya handled it cooly and professionally, no irritation showing on her smooth features. he caught the towel when she tossed it back, and felt his shame retreat somewhat.

he nodded in response, unsure if she wanted a verbal agreement. this was what he needed—to be able to fight against instinct. “i’m used to trusting my reflexes more than my mind, in combat. i need to stop from doing that. however long it takes.”

he’d never seen the purpose in being obedient, but this time he didn’t feel frustrated by the order, perhaps because it was given like an instructor to a trainee.

he was ready to try again. but faaya turned away, drawing knives. momentarily he frowned, wondering whether she’d attack, but then... a sound. buzzing. his nerves jumped, alert with another rush of adrenaline, his breath ratcheting up into a tight staccato. this couldn’t be real, bees don’t fly at night—

swallowing, he closed his eyes. it had to be another dose of faaya’s powers. he knew how to discern illusion from reality, if he remembered his father's lessons... before he could, he felt something land on his arm. he stayed perfectly still, barely breathing and forced his eyes open. its small feet pricked the sensitive skin, innocuous and gentle if not for the pain he knew it could inflict. this was far more physical than the illusions he’d known growing up. and his fear skyrocketed.

ellis stood there, shaking out of his skin, trying to remember that he had been stung before, quite recently, and he would probably be fine. then another insect lighted on his torso, and one on his shoulder, and he didn’t know if he could stay still much longer. “faaya—” he croaked out, desperation overriding his better sense. “how do i stop it. what do i do?”

@Faaya Shah

3

faaya shah BOT — 11/20/2021 tw bees, knives, fear

the reaction to fear this time was minutely better, but faaya didn’t give it much credit considering he’d been aware it was happening this time. half focused on ellis and half focused on the knives, faaya allowed the scene to play out without interruption. there were no sounds between them besides the impact of the knives lodging into the wooden targets, but faaya knew what was going on with ellis was much noisier than she was experiencing.

the bees had yet to sting him, but the swarm was far more than a person would like to reasonably deal with. upping the stakes a little more, parts of ellis’ skin rose with bumps as bees crawled inside along his face and body. “i thought you wanted to figure this out on your own, ellis. wasn’t i just here to dose you with fear?” faaya gave him a raised brow as she tossed a knife up, letting it spin in the air for a moment before throwing it. “figure it out.” @Ellis Merchant

3

1

ellis merchant BOT — 11/20/2021 ( tw self-harm, mild injury, fear, insects, knives, asphyxiation )

his mind spun. she wasn't going to help him. in horror, he watched as the bee on his arm burrowed into the skin, and disappeared. without thinking, he grabbed the spot it had disappeared, and dug his fingers in, scratching a long welt on his arm, only to realize he could feel more of them everywhere. he was infested. his joke to aquila about bee stings inside of him was far less funny now.

think... but his mind was spiralling in panic. he wanted to lunge for faaya's knives, and use them to dig the bugs out from under his flesh. there was no other defense he had ever learned for this, except—

a memory. of what not to do. taught to him because he'd asked, then listened intently to the answer, before laughing childishly and saying, really? that's so stupid, why would anyone ever do that... he couldn't remember who had told him it was possible. but he took quick, rapid breaths, slammed a hand over his nose, and breathed out hard. sure, it'd cost him some braincells, but as he felt the world around him blacken, he also felt his fear subside and he couldn't hear the bees any longer.

he'd won.

ellis slumped to the ground, unconscious.

@Faaya Shah

4

1

faaya shah BOT — 11/20/2021 tw fear, knives, death mention

after the knife stuck itself in the center of the wood, faaya returned her full attention to ellis. they were at the point of action now and she was interested in what he would do. almost as soon as the bees had appeared, they were gone. wisps of smoke still trailed over his body, questioning if faaya wanted them to influence the subconscious. she did not answer them. it took faaya a long thirty seconds to process what he’d done. at first, she thought it had been some nyx trick. no. ellis had knocked himself the fuck out.

when the initial shock wore off, faaya found herself utterly disgusted. it was a pathetic display—it was the demigod version of what faaya drove mortals to do. if the stupid oath hadn’t said she couldn’t walk off, faaya would have done so after this. grabbing ellis’ water bottle, she stepped beside him and dumped it over his face. faaya waited for him to rise, and when she did, she let her thoughts be known.

“what the fuck was that, ellis? i thought you wanted to train. do you know what you were training for?” in a quick sweep, before he’d even really had time to orient, faaya’s face was centimeters from him and one of the knives was pressed into his neck. “you were training to die. are you going to knock yourself out next time you get into a fight? enemies, monsters, gods—you’d be the easiest slaughter.” @Ellis Merchant (edited)

2

2

ellis merchant BOT — 11/20/2021 ( tw death mention, knives )

his rest was cut short all too soon, and he gave a groan as a headache materialized behind his temples.

he was barely on his feet before he felt the blade against his throat, and his anger washed up in waves. “i know i’m an easy target, why the fuck do you think i'm doing this?” he didn’t make any move away from the knife, but let the pressure there remind him of all the monsters that had come after him and beaten him down on halloween, over and over.

never again.

“if it weren’t for your stupid fucking oath i would’ve come after you because you were the source of it. but since that’d just fuck me up worse, i took a risk. to get out of the present situation, and deal with whatever was here when i woke up.” he bit off the words, but he wasn’t afraid of her now—just of her power. someone holding a knife to him, that was a walk in the park compared to having his body turned into a fucking beehive.

“so, you gonna use that knife, or do we keep going? ‘cus yeah, i’ll take leaving myself open to attack over breaking my word, if that’s all the choice i’ve got.”

@Faaya Shah

faaya shah BOT — 11/20/2021 tw knives, fear

irritation colored his tone and faaya found the righteousness to be both unwarranted and childish. “you don’t get to hurt me because of the oath. you don’t get to hurt me because you aren’t fighting me. you’re fighting your fear. i’m just the on button. you don’t get to throw a spear at the hive and it goes away, you don’t get to make ted merchant disappear when you fail him.” the knife was removed from his throat, but faaya all but pushed his chest down as she got up.

faaya faced the target it again, and her sheer annoyance stuck the knife in deeper than the rest. “attacking me isn’t an option. taking yourself out isn’t an option. there aren’t very many options for you, so it shouldn’t be so hard.” the wisps overtook him again, slithering up his body. panic and fear wrapped up his entire senses. “how will you deal with it, ellis?” @Ellis Merchant November 21, 2021

ellis merchant BOT — 11/21/2021 ( tw fear, injury mention )

he wanted to snap back at her, but she was right. if he were up against any fear god, or any of there children, there was no telling what he could actually manage against them physically. they weren’t what he should focus on, but that only left himself as the enemy.

rubbing away at the gash on his arm, he knew that wasn’t the solution either. so… yeah, very few options. and his pride told him that begging faaya for a hint was a swift way to lower her already very low opinion of him.

at the mention of his father, his temper flared again, and his jaw tightened. “you don’t know the first thing about my relationship with my dad. leave him out of this.” but then, had anyone ever really left his parents out of the equation? he was aware that he couldn’t control what anyone thought of him, the comparisons people drew, the way he disappeared into their shadows. something in that thought flickered, almost forming into an idea that might actually help him—but before he could chase it into coherent thought, his stomach tightened again, the hairs on his arms standing up. another wave of fear swept over him.

failure. failing all of them. never measuring up. barely a footnote. it was more sickening than the bees, but also more internal. he tried to measure his breathing and sort out his thoughts, but he had nothing left to anchor him. panting, he dropped to the ground, his hands planted in front of him, fingers curling and unclenching, vision blurring as his headache grew worse.

@Faaya Shah

3

faaya shah BOT — 11/21/2021 tw knives

faaya wanted to roll her eyes. of all the things she said, that was the only thing he could snap back at. while faaya might not know the exact details of ellis’ relationship with his father, faaya knew the fear that lied within it, and that was what counted. she didn’t bother with pointing it out, instead, faaya briefly regretted sleeping with ellis. how could she have been with someone so childish? ellis was immature and foolish in the worst way. he’d been decent company before, but this experience was really highlighting his flaws.

she moved forward to dislodge the knives and start again, pointedly ignoring as ellis fell to the ground again. as far as she could tell, he was still conscious, so at least he improved on that aspect. fear wafted off him and part of her frustration was eased as the energy flowed through her muscles. about twenty meters away, another demigod was practicing their arrows. faaya layered her knives for a no-reload, no-spin throw. the moving targets shot up in succession, and the demigod shot off three arrows to hit it. before they could make a high arc to meet it, the arrows were interrupted by the brutal onslaught of faaya’s knives.

“hey!” they called, angrily. when their eyes fell on faaya, however, they blanched and were quick to avert their gaze. “uh, you broke my arrows.”

“here.” the forty dollars was worth the challenging practice.

retrieving them again, faaya leisurely made her way back to ellis to see how he was doing. @Ellis Merchant (edited)

1

ellis merchant BOT — 11/21/2021 ( tw drug mention, death mention, intrusive thoughts )

this fear wasn’t new, wasn’t a problem outside of himself. he’d lived with it for so long, and though the adrenaline burned him up… he wasn’t dead, yet. gradually, he felt his body adjust to the seeming weight of his limbs, the ache in his head. he knew it was faaya—no, her power. just her power.

and he couldn’t fight that. there was nothing to push against, and if he couldn’t push against anything then… tolerating it. living with it. like weight training, and maybe a buzz in his system that would eventually drive him out of his wits. but only time would tell.

he inched one of his knees forward, shifting his body, and pushing himself into a crouch. useless, good-for-nothing, practically mortal. who cares what you do? it won’t amount to anything.

but despite that, he found his feet.

terrified he may be, but he could still do something. and just like when people made their minds up about who he was and what he could do, he didn’t have to prove them right.

he wobbled, and dragged himself over to the standing bag. a few breaths against the pounding at his temples, inhaling the scent of dank sweat-stained plastic, hugging the bag for support. everything was difficult to… think through…

so stop thinking.

he forced his hands into fists. he had to clear his head enough to plan a defense, and he needed something to keep him from collapsing under the weight of it. methodically, he began to plant punches into the bag.

and, under his breath, he started to recite words, rhythmically. “rock steady" shit, you're so stupid. embarrassing. pathetic. he shook his head and started over. "rock steady, baby… that’s what i feel now…” he whispered, punctuating the lines with weak hits. the familiarity of it didn’t drown out anything. but it was a goal. “let’s call this song… exactly what it is…” (edited) [9:25 PM] @Faaya Shah

faaya shah BOT — 11/21/2021 the way faaya found ellis again was not what she expected, but she was coming to realize he’d had an odd thought process and an odd way of doing things. frankly, the method wasn’t one she would have pushed for, but she saw it working in his own way. there were probably flaws with it, but it was only the first night. it was good enough progress. and she didn't really care for the song.

as easily as the wisps of fear had engulfed ellis, faaya dispersed them. “that’s enough for tonight.” faaya had put ellis through hell—she’d already made sure he was tired from a workout before hand, and fear didn’t really need long to have exhaustive properties on the body. “same time next week, merchant?” @Ellis Merchant

1 November 28, 2021

ellis merchant BOT — 11/28/2021 when he felt faaya lift the fear off of his shoulders, he was more excited than defeated. he nodded, and grinned at her. "definitely hit me with the bees next time too, i still have to figure out a way around that, preferably one that keeps me conscious…" as he moved to pick up the towel again, he was startled by the weakness in his muscles – like he had just run a marathon.

it had been some time since ellis had felt the once familiar sting of failure, which he didn't associate with anything negative per se, especially not when he was facing an obstacle that he had never tried to tackle before. a part of him knew that he had gotten too relaxed about his own skills, too set in his ways. that reason alone would’ve been enough to convince him that he had made the right call with this. “same time next week,” he agreed.

end

[kafkasgods]

kafka #8323 perry ze platenpüssen!!!

Text Channel faaya-blaze Search

Welcome to #faaya-blaze! This is the start of the #faaya-blaze channel.

Edit Channel November 19, 2021

faaya shah BOT — 11/19/2021 even with the time to think, faaya hadn’t come to any real conclusion regarding blaze. of course she was still mad and annoyed, and there was no way at all she’d even consider being with him again if that was even an option, but she very much blurred the lines with him about it the other night. if she hadn’t been so mad and completely unravelling, this wouldn’t have happened. she pressed her tongue against her teeth, pursing her lips unhappily as she watched the waves lap against the shores of santorini while she walked parallel to it to meet him. she let the aura of fear permeate the area both to keep people away and as a beacon to blaze who should have been most aware of the signal.

blaze was easy to make out. his side profile was distinctive, and even more so with the casting shadows of the sunset. as usual, he was here earlier than planned. “blaze.” she stated, calling out to him as she met him before planting her feet in the sand, about two steps away. “i wanted to apologize for the other night. i was going through a fit of anger. i’m fine now.” @Blaze Chanthotri

3

blaze chanthotri BOT — 11/19/2021 blaze liked the beach. it reminded him of gardo, for the most part, and it was relaxing to hear the waves when he needed to think. it was fitting, then, that faaya wanted to meet here. maybe it would keep their tempers level. though he had returned to his own schedule with ease, and not given their reunion that much thought, he knew it would eat away at her until they reached this point.

his sudden unease was enough to announce her presence, and blaze fought the urge to turn his head in her direction. beyond the other night, when she’d taken him completely by surprise-- reaching out with a vulnerability faaya did not often possess-- it was fairly easy to figure out her approach to dealing with other people, and him especially.

and sure enough, she stopped short of him and presented her apology as if under duress. blaze’s head turned, taking in faaya’s guarded expression. it was about what he expected, from the pursed lips to the implicit rejection. it would probably sting more if it she hadn’t told him to leave from her bedroom window. “did you bring my hoodie back?” he asked after a beat. >> @Faaya Shah <<

faaya shah BOT — 11/19/2021 the hoodie in question had been the farthest thing from her mind. it was not with her now, rather it was, in fact, strewn over the arm of her couch. with the weather getting colder, it had just been something convenient that was around for her to wear inside. the thought of giving it back hadn’t really occurred as faaya had never been in a situation similar to this. when it came to his things before, his cousin had either picked them up for him or faaya had thrown it all out in one go. what was material never seemed of much importance.

“no.” the pause she’d taken was about as long as his had been. “if you want, you can tell me where i can drop it off, or you can pick it up.” from what she could tell, blaze had taken this whole interaction impersonal, so there was no need on faaya’s end to rectify anything or treat it any differently. “if the hoodie was all you wanted, you should have texted that.” faaya turned her head to look out at the waves, squinting slightly as the salty air whipped flyaways in her face. “it was a waste of time to come here.” @Blaze Chanthotri

blaze chanthotri BOT — 11/19/2021 faaya had come here to set a clear boundary, and still, somehow, she was mad that he hadn’t pushed back. it took resolve not to give the impression that he was laughing at her, for his own well-being. instead blaze took the time to look at her as she was the one to turn away. faaya’s face was as familiar as his own once, but the time apart had changed them both and he was content to relearn hers slowly. her hair was longer now, and he liked it.

“don’t worry about it,” he answered breezily. his hands slid into his pockets, affecting the same carelessness that colored his tone, even if blaze didn’t quite feel it at his core.“i seem to recall you texted me. i came because i thought this was going to be a whole closure thing for you, giving me my hoodie and telling me to fuck off like i’m sure you wanted to.” blaze didn’t have to elaborate on what he meant. it weighed heavily enough between them as is.

hope sprang eternal, though, if he let it, and blaze posed his next question more thoughtfully than the first. “if you’re holding on to it, does that mean i can come pick it up whenever?” >> @Faaya Shah <<

faaya shah BOT — 11/19/2021 tw injury metaphor

resisting giving blaze a glower, faaya merely sideeyed him before focusing her gaze outward again. she did not like when people assumed things of her, especially something that was so petty. perhaps there was a time faaya wanted to rage at blaze, but she only felt the usual annoyance she did with other people, as well as far more prickly in defense of all the weaknesses he knew of her. blaze was an uncomfortable walking wound for faaya.

“there’s no such thing as closure. things just end and you move on. it’s easy. but i only texted you to confirm we were on the same page, and if we’re not, i’m telling you to be.” this time, faaya turned her scrutinizing gaze on him. “you can get it anytime in during the day before the week’s over. if not, it goes into the lost and found.” @Blaze Chanthotri (edited) November 20, 2021

blaze chanthotri BOT — 11/20/2021 * tw drowning, doctors *   this time he couldn't help himself. blaze let out a snort at faaya's words. it was loud enough to not be lost to the sounds of the ocean right in front of them. "oh, right. you sound very well-adjusted, what the hell was i thinking?"

she turned to him and blaze realized it was time to face the inevitable. looking into faaya's eyes always meant giving something. the quote about an abyss looking back came to mind, and he was morbidly curious to see what they'd both find in his head, anyway. their eyes locked. water closed over over his head. doctors with grim faces relayed grim news. himself, still here at this beach without faaya beside him--

he blinked rapidly a few times to dispel the broadcast of his fears, vaguely embarrassed at the newest addition to the lineup. there was no point in hiding it beyond his pride, but that was reason enough for blaze.

he shifted slightly to be facing faaya directly, the last rays of near-winter sun dusting half their faces with warm golden light. what she said struck a nerve, and blaze couldn't help but pry at it.  "what, you kick people out without their own clothes often enough to run a lost and found?"

the vibrant, almost seething sting of jealousy had found its way into the forefront of blaze's mind and lent an acidic bite to his words. there was no excuse he could think of to talk to faaya that way, no reason beyond the unjustified, undignified hurt blooming in his chest.

"maybe you should hold onto it, on second thought." the words tumbled over themselves, and even as he spoke blaze's mind turned the phrases in his head over and over, determined to see how concise as he would make them. blaze could feel a muscle twitching in his jaw and squared his shoulders to dispel some of this newfound energy. . [1:00 AM] "the hoodie is just an excuse to keep using me and you're welcome to continue. i know you'd never ask somebody else to come over and hold you just because you feel bad. way easier to keep me on a leash to comfort you whenever you need it than just admitting silas hurt your feelings, right? let's be pragmatic about this." >> @Faaya Shah <<

2

2

faaya shah BOT — 11/20/2021 tw injury, weapon metaphor

it’d been a lesson faaya was familiar enough—when people were scared, they ran from it or they attacked. the hostility radiating from blaze seemed to come from nowhere, but then faaya saw the fear. the only time she was in people’s fears was when she was there, she’d forgotten what it was like for a fear to be when she wasn’t. faaya would have thought that would have faded in blaze by now. while there was a part of it that felt moved, a larger part said that he deserved it. miss me and suffer.

“i don’t think it’s any of your business, do you?” faaya was quick to retort, already minorly irked at the implication of sleeping around. it was nothing she had to be guilty for, especially not to blaze.

clearly though, the lashing out was coming through, and while faaya knew better not to react emotionally to it, blaze was openly attacking faaya in the way that hurt most. the wound was salting itself and faaya couldn’t help but let enyo’s rage seep into the air between them. fear she had pristine control over, but that rage was its own.

“if you want to be pragmatic about this then let’s talk,” faaya didn’t skip any beats, speaking with a sharp fierceness. closing the distance between them, her back straightened, posturing like two predators in the wild. “it might be pathetic to have asked you to come over instead of confronting my problems, but it’s far more pathetic to throw away any self-respect you have to come back, dick between your legs, whenever your ex whistles. touch starved, love starved—it’s no wonder you’re obsessed with someone who doesn’t give two shits about you and who never will.” the daggers that were faaya’s eyes remained trained on blaze’s eyes, her head tilted upwards to make up the height difference. “i told you that once before. nothing’s changed.” @Blaze Chanthotri (edited)

blaze chanthotri BOT — 11/20/2021 * tw injury, blood, death mention* faaya was right to throw his accusation right back in his face. blaze didn’t push that issue anymore, since she was right and it wasn’t any of his business. he had to chalk it up to the new sensation that crackled like electricity between them as she stepped up, rising to his flippant challenge. it was a brick through a window, a lit molotov cocktail, bruised knuckles crashing against bloody lips kind of feeling.

blaze recognized it now, but he had never faced it down directly before. he didn’t mind, though. he could see the appeal of giving over to that kind of rage. maybe after this he would feel better, feel tired, feel something. blaze had lost his touch for communicating with people who were still alive. ghosts rarely cared enough to know how to hurt your feelings, just their own. faaya, on the other hand, had perfected the art.

“nobody here thinks that’s pathetic but you,” blaze pointed out, lying as he gained more traction to speak meaningfully instead of aggressively. it was an effort, but he was already outed as desperate, so he might as well try to disentangle himself from the irritability, too.

“saying that you have feelings isn’t an insult, faaya. saying that you’re not comfortable letting people in isn’t an insult, either. i didn’t get the luxury of casual human contact lately, sue me for trying to come back to something familiar.” faaya was acting like a porcupine, all bristly to push him off for good, but he didn’t care.

“i think a lot has changed. but i don’t think you have, much. i know you never change your mind about anything, but i’d really like it if you’d try?” blaze smiled, undeterred by her viperlike stare as they stood almost nose to nose. >> @Faaya Shah <<

faaya shah BOT — 11/20/2021 like always, blaze kept his cool. in the face of anger, he refused to meet faaya there. he had always been cool and aloof, and now, faaya could tell he was using it to deescalate the situation. though the tense knots didn’t leave her neck and shoulders, faaya was controlling her breathing enough to reign in the instinct to go for his jugular. as she did so, she let blaze speak uninterrupted.

he was...technically right. but the tone and words of what he’d said before was clearly luring her into another belief. one that reinforced the ideology that what she displayed in front of him was weakness. and then he hinted about where he’d been the last three years and the curiosity burned at her. not enough to ask, however.

“and what should i change my mind about, blaze?” faaya’s voice was close to normal, adopting the trademark monotone. there was an edge to it, indicating they were on precarious ground and faaya was ready to spit the same sort of venom. @Blaze Chanthotri November 21, 2021

blaze chanthotri BOT — 11/21/2021 faaya didn’t attack, but her expression assured him that could change any minute. the fiery, chaotic feeling receded a little, and they were left staring each other down. blaze’s heartbeat was thundering in his chest, still, but the reasons for it were as varied and complicated as if there were two of him to feel everything across the span of years. the result was the same; for who he’d been and what he’d grown to become, being close to her hurt.

he wondered how many times they would end up like this, right on the brink of destruction. he conceded their game of who would flinch first, backing off so they were a few steps apart again. the wind pulled at him immediately, and he wondered if he had been ignoring it or if they’d just brought the world to a halt, however momentarily. “don’t be so opposed to having the upper hand here,” blaze pointed out, finally.

“i haven’t asked you for anything, yet. maybe i’m open to making amends. don’t make any decisions now, because you’re still kinda pissed. but we can start small. did you figure out whatever was going on with silas?” his curiosity was genuine-- faaya must've been shaken to reach out to him at all. >> @Faaya Shah <<

faaya shah BOT — 11/21/2021 it was hard to tell whether victory or disappointment rose in her chest when blaze stepped back. either way, faaya’s gaze lowered onto the footprints in the sand that made it tangibly clear. blaze was three steps back. still, he was trying to meet faaya somewhere, but she couldn’t quite pick up on his endgame—unless it was her.

“i don’t want to talk about silas.” which was true. her personal life had been too removed from blaze to feel like it was natural to talk to him about it. faaya had always kept her circle small and he wasn’t in it anymore.

“blaze,” faaya started, raising her eyes to meet his again. it was a softer acknowledgement, the tension gone now. regardless, faaya’s voice bordered on factual. she crossed her arms in response to the sudden wind. “i don’t have to make any decisions now because you already made it for us. i’m not interested in whatever you have in mind.” she stopped for a long moment, searching his face for something. something that would pull at her and make her hesitate about what she was saying. but all she could see was the face she’d wanted to see when she was walking home alone from the grapevine three years ago, with the same wind chilling her. “i don’t need you for anything.” @Blaze Chanthotri

blaze chanthotri BOT — 11/21/2021 * tw fighting mention* blaze let out a long exhale. running in this same circle didn’t appeal to him. he wasn’t convinced, not when her actions and even her powers, fueled by her temper, directly contradicted her words. he wanted to discount this stubbornness as a newer faaya trait, but sadly this aligned perfectly with his memories, down to the set of her chin. she was dependable, atleast. “can’t say i feel the same way, but you’re going to keep repeating it until we fight for real, and i can only skip work once a week, max.”

he had to leave the same direction she’d come. he started that way, stretching his arms out to relieve the tension there, finally. before passing faaya by, one hand reached out to touch her, his hand sidling naturally into that space along her jaw and neck where his hand just... fit. faaya was cool to the touch even in that typically warm spot, and he figured it was better to end things here to send her back indoors sooner rather than later.

“well, figure it out then, faaya. don’t call me next time. just give me my hoodie back whenever, and we’ll call it even. since i think i deserved the other day was to walk out the front door like a human being, atleast.” blaze grimaced in quasi-apology before pulling his hand away. “we can work towards the bare minimum of civility, right?” >> @Faaya Shah <<

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1

faaya shah BOT — 11/21/2021 tw fear stuff

nothing was tying her to blaze. there was nothing at all, but the distance between them. faaya was content for it all to end. until, before she could expect it, his hand was on her face, bridging the gap and faaya remembered there were many things connecting them—namely, blaze’s fearlessness. there was no one else in the entire world who would reach their hand out to her. faaya was shark infested waters, she was a pit of snake, she was failure. needles. spiders. panic. blaze saw it every time, but still, his hand never wavered.

he made his goodbye, just as she had kept asking for, and dropped his hand. it was colder than she realized. whether he was waiting for a reply or not, faaya remained silent, watching as the sun finally set beneath the dark ocean. it didn’t take long for him to keep on walking. faaya’s stomach turned uncomfortably. it had to go away if she powered through it long enough. “why did you leave?” repressed for years, the question burst out, unexpectedly. blaze wasn’t close, but he would have heard her. the nerves of her own fear settled under her skin, but faaya knew she just had to sit with it to push past it. @Blaze Chanthotri

3 November 22, 2021

blaze chanthotri BOT — 11/22/2021 * tw death * blaze would be lying if he said he wasn’t disappointed when she just stared back at him. it was hard to guess her intentions there, and he was already stepping away. there would be time for him to turn things over and over in his mind later--

her question stopped him short, a few yards from where she stood looking out at the dark water. he looked back over his shoulder, brow furrowed. irritation prickled underneath blaze’s skin-- if he had known that turning away would yield better results, he would’ve probably done it sooner. that wasn’t strictly true, since he had a habit of giving her exactly what she wanted, but he still filed it away for future reference.

the answer at hand required some finessing, and blaze’s reply was almost certainly going to be lackluster in faaya’s eyes. “request from on high,” he told her without moving from where he’d stopped, sarcasm biting through for only a moment, to avoid being smote. “i went to gatekeep the underworld. it was implied i should go by myself, and considering i nearly died of boredom during the world’s worst media internship, i would say they were right.”

blaze’s shoulders lifted. “don’t sweat that too much, i knew it was stupid as hell even back then and still did it.” that simple fact would rest on his shoulders forever, so he wasn't much aggrieved by it anymore. >> @Faaya Shah <<

faaya shah BOT — 11/22/2021 tw domestic violence? maybe?

the fact that he’d gone on a quest didn’t surprise faaya. what else could he have been doing all the time? at the time it had stung to know he was finished being her boyfriend and finished being her quest partner. faaya had to train to unlearn the dependence she had on him making up her weak spots. either way, her question hadn’t really been answered and she hated having to clarify. “i don’t care about your quest. shit happens.” her own father had a knack for whisking her off for this or that at a whim.

melancholy had never suited faaya and it easily swilled into anger, crescendoing to the same tune of the dark waters crashing on the shore. blaze had kept his distance, but faaya didn’t. with every word, she stomped closer. “why did you leave me?” there was still so much rage when she got to him, all faaya could do was shove his chest so he’d fall back into the sand. “i didn’t do anything wrong!” her chest heaved as her face scrunched heatedly, glaring down at him from her stance between his legs. @Blaze Chanthotri

2 November 23, 2021

blaze chanthotri BOT — 11/23/2021 blaze had time to turn as she moved towards him, but not enough to brace for impact, and as a result he ended up looking up at faaya from the sand. she wasn’t throwing her powers out again, so he was content to stay there. this was the reaction he’d expected the other night, but hadn’t gotten.

he shifted from his elbows to hold his weight up with his hands before speaking. “faaya, babe, i don’t really think it was about you,” blaze pointed out mildly. he knew she wouldn’t agree, but faaya hadn’t been left alone. she had her friends and her fear family and real human beings that came and went all around town and blaze had been left with... much less. atleast he was right, and all this tension between them left him tired. “do you really think i wanted to be by myself?” >> @Faaya Shah <<

3

faaya shah BOT — 11/23/2021 faaya would be hard pressed to believe it wasn’t about her no matter how much he tried to spin it to victimize himself. “yes,” faaya spoke harshly. “because you didn’t have to be. i would have been there. maybe not with you in the underworld, but i would have waited for you. you know i would have.” and then faaya dropped to her knees between him. her hands clutched the sand on either sides of his thighs. “you didn’t have to sacrifice me, so why did you?” it made faaya furious to think he had any reason at all that made him justify his actions. faaya couldn’t understand it—she’d never let anything get in the way of what she wanted.

“why are you always trying to fuck with me, somsak?” the enraged expression she had was at its ends, only demonstrated by the quivering of her painted brown bottom lip. it had to be obvious to him because she was just as in his face as he liked to do to her. @Blaze Chanthotri

blaze chanthotri BOT — 11/23/2021 faaya moved fast. blaze knew it as an impersonal, empirical fact, but seeing it in action always raised the hairs on the back of his neck. especially now, when she was so close so suddenly. it hurt his feelings, mostly, that the ache in his chest had been weaponized against him. even the way she said his own name, as intimate as ever, felt calculated.

“why are you saying all of this now?” blaze asked. he was surprised at how detached he sounded to his own ears. maybe it because he’d known this was the probable outcome all along. faaya was fast, and cruel, and never forgot a slight. this was a betrayal to her, no matter how sullen she’d been when he left.

blaze knew with absolute certainty that he would’ve crumbled under this scrutiny years ago, but it didn’t happen. his eyes searched hers, though he didn’t expect to see anything other than hurt reflected back at him. maybe that was all it was, just a reflection. “all i did was chase after you for years. and the one time i pulled away, you just let me go. you just had to ask one fucking question, but you didn’t. so who’s fucking with who, faaya?”

his head turned slightly, breaking off eye contact. blaze’s impersonal tone had given way to match his rocky emotional state almost immediately, and his voice now was rougher. “get off.” >> @Faaya Shah <<

3

faaya shah BOT — 11/23/2021 somehow, the question stopped faaya’s rage in its tracks. why was she bringing it up now? perhaps, faaya had been entirely misled. this entire time, she was under the presumption that blaze was trying to get her back and that she’d had enough of an upper hand to question him now. it was startling clear that wasn’t the case. he didn’t regret anything. all this was was faaya screaming at him. why was she screaming at him?

“was i supposed to beg for you?” her voice was hardly above a whisper. “you were aware of what you were doing and what was going to happen. i made sure you knew what you were doing. you were sure. how the fuck was i suppose to convince you if the four years we were together couldn’t?” frustration was seeping into her voice and she tried to keep it at bay with shuddering breaths.

faaya swallowed before leaning forward, challengingly. “push me.” @Blaze Chanthotri

blaze chanthotri BOT — 11/23/2021 * tw physicality, prospective violence * faaya’s question echoed back in his head. was i supposed to beg you? clearly they remembered things very differently. it was forever burned in his mind, how things had gone. she asked if he was sure he wanted to break up, exactly once, and told him not to come back after. at the time blaze thought she was just sending him away, but now he realized it was another test he’d failed.

the constant power imbalance between the two of them, the give and take that only went in one direction, was staring him in the face. there it was, point blank period. blaze wanted to laugh, but that was an easy gateway to crying or fighting and he wasn’t inspired to do much of either.

but she wasn’t budging, that much was certain. there would be no retreat, just mutually assured destruction if faaya could have her way. blaze moved without looking, trusting the decade of training he’d put into self-defense, starting in camp. he hooked one leg over faaya’s and rolled them both with the traction sand gave him, ending up on top of her, using his weight to pin her wrists so she wouldn’t be able to deck him or reach for her hairpin.

“i just you could’ve tried a little harder,” he informed her finally. it hadn’t taken much exertion to end up in this position, but he was still out of breath. “and i bet you wish you did, or you wouldn’t be so mad about it now. i don’t want to talk anymore, so can i let you go and leave?” his brows arched slightly as he waited for her answer. >> @Faaya Shah << (edited)

faaya shah BOT — 11/23/2021 faaya was waiting for answers. she was waiting for him to give up. she was waiting for him to push. any of those options were what she was anticipating, which was why she hadn’t been prepared for the rough handling of their switched positions. blaze was always very good at being able to handle what she threw down. it was a prideful fact before, but now it only pissed her off.

“i can be mad about a lot of things for nothing,” faaya retorted through gritted teeth. maybe it didn’t make much sense, but frustration and embarrassment rarely did. her fists were clenched tight enough her hands vibrated, but she didn’t push against the restraints that were blaze’s hands. “you’re a coward. all you do is run from everything. is it really the weight of the world that’s so heavy or do you just prefer it to dealing with your own shit?” @Blaze Chanthotri November 24, 2021

blaze chanthotri BOT — 11/24/2021 blaze bit his lip, listening to the insults she hurled at him. definitely not ready for him to ease up, then. “maybe,” he replied breezily, though he wasn’t sure what part of faaya’s accusations he was replying to. all of them felt true, in a sense. “but your shit can be pretty hard to deal with, too, faaya.” look at them now, rolling around in the dirt like kids in the arena at camp.

he leaned back and sucked air through his teeth, considering how to best proceed. he certainly didn’t want to just sit here for someone to happen by or faaya’s powers to snap back to hateful, violent life. “sucks that i’m stupid on top of being a coward, huh?” blaze allowed after a moment, climbing to his feet. with one hand he brushed off loose sand, and the other he still extended to her. he doubted she would take it, or else use it against him.

“i...” he wasn’t sure what he wanted to say there, so the sound of it faded quickly. he tried again. “i’m sorry i hurt you, but i can’t do this every fucking day.” >> @Faaya Shah <<

faaya shah BOT — 11/24/2021 even from the extended hand, blaze was the bigger person. he wasn’t supposed to be. between the two of them, there wasn’t supposed to be a big person. they were supposed to scream at each other and...and she didn’t know, but it wasn’t supposed to be this. how the fuck did she get to a place where she felt out of place and inappropriate in a conversation about her own break up? she was always so composed and cool, but everything about this made her face hot. slapping his hand away, she pulled herself up without his help. the stuttered apology did nothing for her. whoever this person was, he was not the same person she would have have killed for before.

“i don’t need your apologies, blaze. you and i both know you have nothing to be sorry for.” there was no way to tune out the violence faaya leaked into the air, but she knew she wasn’t going to turn this any messier than it was. “and don’t worry. we won’t ever have to do this again. come near me again and i promise i’ll ruin your fucking life. more than i already have.” faaya’s feet planted in the sand. she wasn’t going to leave the spot. she never retreated. @Blaze Chanthotri November 26, 2021

blaze chanthotri BOT — 11/26/2021 she slapped blaze’s hand away so he retreated, returning to his pocket where he stood stoic. his gaze dropped from faaya to the sand between them, trying to gauge how much of her promise had already come to fruition. if there was one thing faaya did well, it was burned bridges, so it was better not to push the issue at this point.

the town wasn’t big enough for the both of the, but blaze could avoid the grapevine and the vines for a while, give her time to cool down. “yeah, alright,” he said finally, almost swallowed up by the waves crashing, and turned back for home. >> @Faaya Shah <<

[kafkasgods]

“what’s your gameplan for this?” murphy as idly as he sat back watching dara.

“i don’t know,” dara answered as she added the last ‘s’ of the red graffiti to the `C-O-N-F-E-S-S` over the brookwood door. it seemed dumb and pointless in practice, but rosie had to be feeling something. for over month, dara, along with murphy and will’s help, had been haunting rosie—from the felted flowers, ominous notes from will, and all the unsettling feeling of the attention from ghosts. “maybe i want to kill her.”

there was a general feeling of alarm from will, but dara knew as soon as she said it, she didn’t mean it. “dara, i’ve only helped whatever scheme this is because i’ve felt something…i know it’s touching some part of rosie and she needs a reality check or something to wake her up, but i won’t help you if you hurt her.”

the defensiveness coming from will used to make dara’s chest hurt, but she’d heard much of it over the course of his being around that it stopped meaning anything to her. not that the words meant any less, but every hope and idea she’d ever had about will had disappeared. he was a ghost, and he wasn’t even her ghost. “i know. i wouldn’t.” if anything, maybe rosie deserved to kill dara after she’d been the reason her husband was gone. “but she can’t do this. she can’t push people into lava and act like nothing happened. she can’t lose you and act like nothing happened. i can’t control how someone grieves, but acting like a psychopath…it’s my fault both of you are like this. i owe it to you, and to her, to do _something._”

there was a look of guilt on will’s face as he looked at dara with a pained expression before dropping his glance. “look, it’s not your fault, dara. i knew what i was doing when i pushed you out of the way and what i was giving up. if i was the kind of guy who could live with not doing something when i could have, i wouldn’t be a guy worthy of rosie. i’d rather have died someone she was proud to call her husband than not. and she’s not like that because of you—she’s like that because of me. ares gave her the opportunity to take away grief…love…i don’t blame her, dara. but she made a mistake. please, we’re helping her—we have to help her. let me talk to her. no more notes.”

the revelation made dara stop to think. rosie was beyond dara’s help. it was god intervention.

“you should probably decide soon,” murphy piped up after his long moment of silence. “you have about a month before we stop seeing will because spring, right?” that was true. in a month, she wouldn’t be able to see either of them. it would make even staying at perdix impossible. dara might’ve remembered how to get around it if the castle itself didn’t shift on its own. “and because i think willow’s coming.”

it was likely dara wouldn’t have moved, even with someone on their way. decisions had never been her strong suit. but will made it for her when he turned rosie’s apartment doorknob and offered her entry. he gave her a pleading look and dara stepped inside.

the three of them made their way to rosie room where dara sat quietly on her bed. “let’s put a sheet over dara ‘cause she’s gonna be a ghost. all of this is about the theatrics, baby.” murphy didn’t wait before yanking the thin floral sheet from the bed and covering dara with it. it wasn’t quite opaque, but not entirely transparent either. it was just enough to catch her form and vague features. 

“you idiot, what if it scares rosie and she throws something at dara?” will argued.

“rosie’s a performer, she’d get it. you’re a non-aph, you wouldn’t get it. it’s an artistic choice.” murphy sniped back. “besides it’ll be easier for rosie to talk to a sheet than have dara as a visual. no offense, dara, your face just ruins the impact of will.”

between their bickering, they almost didn’t sense when rosie entered her apartment. they silenced and murphy disappeared, while will held his hand out to dara. when she took it, it was dara who was gone and will in her place.

“rosie?” the voice that left dara’s mouth from under the sheet was not her own, but will’s. but the charisma wasn’t there. he could talk, but not beyond a lethargic monotone. it was almost impossible to work a body when he hadn’t been in one so long—especially one that wasn’t his own. “rosie, my love. it’s me.”

[kafkasgods]

dara & rafe

dara phairot

BOT — 12/08/2021 the past hour or two had been oversharing central, but dara had to wonder how bad it’d been. sure, it made her feel kind of nauseous, but what didn’t. gardo, who she knew as blaze’s brother and wanted to know better, had seemed pleased enough and reaching out to seamus made her feel a little closer to theo so it was…it wasn’t as bad as blaze had implied it to be.

dara bit her lip as she fought off winter’s own crisp bite.

and rafe. he’d always been a good friend, but opening up a little now had well, resulted in what was appearing to be a new level of closeness. afterall, dara didn’t slip out of her house at three am in the dark winter and call off work for anyone. she hoped the stutter stuck in chest was from the cold and nothing else. being afraid and being brave involved an overlap of emotions, but the difference was the steps she took up rafe’s porch.

dara didn’t knock. she didn’t want to make too much noise when there were other people sleeping. instead, she went to her messages and swiped to call rafe. her fingers were freezing. “rafe?” a transparent cloud escaped her mouth from the soft, shakey word. dara clasped the chest of her hoodie closer, cutting off the loose opening of the neckline. “i’m outside.” @Rafael Olmos

rafe olmos BOT — 12/08/2021 rafe was surprised at how the night had played out. he’d gone to bed early in preparation for wednesday, since shadi and eddie were both off and he would be working the whole day. it didn’t bother him until he woke up sweaty a few hours after he crashed, and defaulted to watching the group chat descend into chaos over cookies with some quiet amusement. now here he was, presumably blowing of his own shift because... dara had suggested it.

rafe found himself worrying about her as he pulled items out of his fridge. before he left most mornings, he usually made breakfast for clem. he liked to leave things for charlie and ajax, too, though he hadn’t quite figured out the baby’s tastes yet. old habits died hard, and he didn't want to let the house down by throwing the usual schedule out of whack. as he stacked ingredients he was lost in thought, relying on muscle memory in the late-night quiet.

he was surprised again when dara reached out to him, personally. even as she was on her way to his place, now, he could only chalk it up to familiarity. for years they’d ran lazy circles around each other socially, first with seda and again with cleon. it was unusual, to say the least, for dara to announce her problems in a public forum or even at all.

the muted buzz of his phone announced dara’s arrival. rafe answered but didn’t speak,  instead padding to the front door to swung it open. he probably should’ve checked to unlock it beforehand, but lately the universe had started realigning itself in his favor again.

“c’mon in,” he invited her breezily, hanging up and stepping back to give dara room to enter. “kitchen’s straight back, you can talk at a normal volume wherever. we’re pretty well-insulated when everybody keeps their doors closed.” [ @Dara Phairot ]

dara phairot BOT — 12/08/2021 it took a moment for dara to actually take the invitation into his house. it’d been one thing leading to it, but another to be here and in the moment. dara searched rafe’s face, lit by the dim porch light, and found nothing but sincerity in it. not waiting for another chill to blow through, she stepped inside, careful not to be too noisy. “thank you,” dara whispered a little breathlessly. it was much warmer in rafe’s home and she could feel herself thawing already. quickly undoing her shoes, she placed it along the wall by the door before uncomfortably leading them with rafe’s direction.

dara patted along with her fuzzy dinosaur socks—she single-handedly was funding the museum gift shop, she was sure. “you got started without me,” were the first words out of her mouth as she entered the kitchen. ingredients covered his counter and she wondered if he had been up to something else before she came because they weren’t all panini-adjacent. it seemed to be early to be doing anything beyond his cheese eating. “i only need one sandwich,” dara added quietly as she politely took a seat at his counter behind the bag of bread. though he’d made assurances they could talk how loud they wanted to, the quiet of the house and night ambiance persuaded her otherwise.

rubbing her hands together, she cupped them around her mouth and blew. her fingers were slow to heat, but she could feel blood warm up her cheeks again. dara took the moment to reply to his latent text she hadn’t seen until she was on her way. “you know, i don’t really have to tell people you’re nice. i’m pretty sure after the oxtail soup, it’s what you’re known for.” @Rafael Olmos December 9, 2021

rafe olmos BOT — 12/09/2021 dara lurked in the doorway for a moment like an uncertain vampire, and rafe finally felt the chill of the night seeping in. he danced from foot to foot until she finally came inside. he swung the door shut behind dara, surprised that she hadn’t taken a single step outside and changed her mind. glad for it, atleast, if she needed the company.

she headed straight back and rafe was grateful, feeling some kind of creeping embarrassment about the house he hadn’t bothered to clean in awhile. between himself and the roommates, it was definitely decent, but dara was uniquely gifted at poking directly at things he would rather avoid, and the less he had to explain from décor to clutter, the better. the relief as she made it to the kitchen was short-lived, since she commented on the mess.

“yeah, well...” rafe began, but trailed off to take in everything he’d pulled out when he’d been lost in thought. it was definitely too much. “i have no excuse, actually. i think i started getting ready for the morning on autopilot.”

he started to clear some counterspace and got sidetracked watching dara try to warm up. the kitchen would work its magic eventually-- it was, without fail, the warmest room in the house, thanks to the oven’s frequent use-- but still he felt guilty for making her come all this way in the cold just because she’d refused to come out horse-hunting with him. . [7:52 PM] as she spoke, he took her hands in his, absently warming them between his own. “is that what i’m known for?“ rafe asked lightly. he’d posed his last response to dara as a joke, since he’d housed or fed a good two-thirds of the town at this point, minimum. it was nice to hear her agree, though. “i haven’t made yours yet, so there’s still plenty of glory to be stolen there, i think.”

satisfied at the improvement in temperature, rafe released dara’s hands and got to returning breakfast items to their rightful spots. the tentative ingredients for the chicken pesto panini remained. “you wanna help? or am i catering to you?” rafe didn’t care either way, and the grin over his shoulder as he reorganized the fridge gave him away. [ @Dara Phairot ]

dara phairot BOT — 12/09/2021 it was an acceptable explanation, but still weird. whenever dara did things on autopilot, she was usually zoned out thinking about something stressful or sad. and, to get through part of a whole morning routine at this hour, definitely was odd. she bit her lip, thinking for a moment, about whether any part of rafe’s invitation was for him too. but maybe, that was a narcissistic line of thinking.

“you must have busy mornings. mine is usually get ready and a k-cup,” dara replied idly as she watched rafe reorganize the space in front of them. that was until he’d stepped towards her and instead of reaching for something next to her, he had reached for her hands.

startled by the abrupt familiarity, dara’s breath caught, stuck in her throat. growing up in her grandparent’s household, touch had not been commonplace and it was, in fact either a sacred thing or an uncomfortable one. being friends with people like vic, theo, and shadi had not gotten dara used to touch, but rather to expecting it from them, and even in their case, it was all arms and shoulders. rafe had his large, warm hands encasing her own and it felt downright intimate.

all at once, dara could see, just exactly what seda had seen in him and what people meant when they talked about rafe in this way. she wondered if this was what it’d be like if they were dating—soft voices, pajamas, late nights in his kitchen, and the quiet comfort of one another. she really let the thought sit, imagining it, until he let go of her hands again. . [9:43 PM] “maybe,” dara answered lightly, keeping her tone even. “but i don’t plan on letting anyone else know either way. we can keep it secret.” when he went for the fridge, dara slid off the stool. “i can help.” personally, she hated working in a kitchen with other people in it, but rafe didn’t seem opposed to the idea, so in being a good guest, she didn’t mind.

she rinsed her hands before getting started—partially regretting it because the water was immediately freezing, but she pressed on with gathering the individual ingredients. “you know, i’m surprised you just agreed to call off work. like me that much, huh?” she teased.  @Rafael Olmos December 10, 2021

rafe olmos BOT — 12/10/2021 * tw drugs * "maybe a little busy,” rafe allowed with a shrug. his gaze was fixed on the fridge now, a welcome change from the startled deer look he’d caught on dara’s face a moment before. it was embarrassing but he couldn’t think of a single other time he’d touched her in his life. it was unusual for him to have never done it, but maybe he overstepped some sort of boundary? as he tried to push that from his mind, rafe’s explanation continued on autopilot.

“i like to make clem’s breakfast so he feels indebted to me. and charlie hasn’t been here long, so i want to do something nice for her, too. plus sometimes i’ll get like, a really good idea for the lunchbox at weird hours, and all your talk about paninis really inspire me so i was just prepping to feed an army, completely ignoring how soggy all those eggs would get.”

the fridge swung shut. dara’d said she would help, and focused on what they needed ingredient-wise. half a lifetime in and out of kitchens automatically gave rafe something to do with his hands, atleast. he skirted around her, laying out appropriate cutlery, measuring bowls and cups. for the most part he avoided touch, but as dara teased him, rafe’s hip bumped hers as his head lifted from the cabinet beneath the island where he kept cutting boards.

“i haven’t done anything reckless in a while. plus shadi and eddie aren’t working at all, so i’d rather play hooky than work a whole day by myself.” his tone almost conveyed disgust, but didn’t quite carry it all the way to be convincing. “besides, i think i get what you’re looking for. sometimes i just want a fucking break.” . [12:45 AM] if the sincerity behind those words startled him, since mostly rafe had been feeling... better since halloween, he didn’t show it. that was relative, anyway, and even with tyche’s simpering blessing returned to him rafe was on a new shit list, with entirely new problems that were far from being resolved. he blinked over at dara for a moment now, head tilting like a curious dog. “you wanna get high?” [ @Dara Phairot ]

dara phairot BOT — 12/10/2021 tw drugs

clem had always made dara laugh. not jc, but the name the older dio brothers liked calling him. she was a little envious of the close knit bond they had. the persephone family wasn’t very close in her opinion, though it might’ve been the own wall she built in separating herself as a demigod. still, dimaria and mason were legacies and she was starting to lean on them a little more. maybe she should get them holiday presents? that line of thought made her think of guy beside her. she should probably get rafe something too.

“you’re awfully considerate of other people.” it really was a lot to do to support everyone in his house by way of food—it also wouldn’t have surprised her if it was in any other way too, now that she was getting to know rafe in ways she hadn’t really. “maybe i should move in because if you’re feeding everyone else, who’s feeding you?”

when he bumped her hip, dara lightly elbowed him in the stomach. he was firmer than she anticipated, but she refused to comment about it. instead, it was the swear that actually got her attention. there was a genuine exhaustion in what he said and dara, again, was reminded that rafe was probably going through something she’d never known too. the seda thing had been one topic she hadn’t thought about, dara wondered what else was going on with him.

“ha!” the sudden exclamation was followed by covering her mouth with her wrist, both to apologize for the sound and to prevent the small laughs from getting out. “sorry, i just wasn’t expecting that. you wanna smoke with me?” the amusement still shone in her crescent eyes. “sure rafe. let’s do it. you can set it up, while i do this.” dara took the items from his hands and bumped her own him against his, ushering him to go. @Rafael Olmos

rafe olmos BOT — 12/10/2021 dara’s compliment, though it was just one of a surprising amount of them he’d never heard from her so far throughout the night, still caught rafe off-guard. it was probably true, but he didn’t know how else to be. her elbow met his stomach, though, and rafe forgot what he was going to say. moreso when she agreed, because it gave him something to do that wasn’t this very new foray into casual physical touch, and he hummed his agreement and set to work.

rafe moved with easy familiarity through his own kitchen, sliding open the shoulder-height drawer where he kept most of his paraphernalia in an airtight container now that there was an actual child in the house. he pulled out what he would need, balancing a precariously-stacked rolling tray, he pulled one of the island stools out by hooking one ankle around the leg and dragging it back, and settled there, grinding weed absently as he backtracked mentally through their conversation.

“i guess, to answer your question, i just figured when people started moving in and stopping by, the better it was for them, the more likely they’d stick around. demigods aren’t always known for having really stellar home lives. as a species we’re somewhat flighty,” he explained.

he’d always been of the ‘mi casa es su casa’ mentality. a lifetime of flitting around at his mother’s whims suited him fine, and he certainly continued to do so on his own well into adulthood. but this house, his house, was different. it was nice to have roots to return to whether they were of rafe’s own stubborn making or not. others had come and gone, sure, but rafe remembered them all, usually with fondness. . [2:05 AM] the idea of dara living here made him nervous, for some reason, so instead of joking about it, rafe pretended to take her suggestion very seriously. “we’ve got two rooms on the second floor, if you do wanna move. you’ll have to share a bathroom with clem, though. i’m using the other one for some stuff.” he refused to elaborate on that front as he started filling the rolling paper. [ @Dara Phairot ]

dara phairot BOT — 12/10/2021 as dara diced the ingredients for them, she multitasked by watching where exactly rafe was getting his stuff. it was very conveniently located nearby and she gave a quick glance around wondering what other hidden mysteries were in his house. she was too polite to nose around, but rafe’s place was be far more interesting than her own. there was more to look at here—art, photos, trinkets. maybe he’d show her around sometime.

when rafe explained himself slightly, dara realized it wasn’t just his home. rafe had made a safe haven of his own here and everything in it was likely remnant of the demigods he took in that had passed through. “it must get lonely to be the one who stays,” dara said after a moment. she knew a lot about what it was like to be as stagnant as pictures on a wall. it was half why she enjoyed working at the museum so much.

dara organized the diced ingredients into small piles before cutting through the ciabatta bread. “you know, if you’d had told me about it a month ago, i might’ve taken up your offer. i didn’t have a place to go back to for a minute, but my cousin had a friend, so.” dara lifted her shoulders. it was hard to actually dwell on rafe’s place as a possibility, so she didn’t. “i don’t like sharing bathrooms anyways. what’s the other one for? is it your distillery?” @Rafael Olmos

rafe olmos BOT — 12/10/2021 rafe caught dara’s surreptitious look around his kitchen. “we only keep stuff in there, and in my room, and almost definitely clem’s, though i wouldn’t know where. we used to keep a rolling tray hidden in, like, every room but we recently adjusted.” he grinned despite himself. it’d been a point of mild entertainment to move stuff around on his brother and roommates every so often to keep things interesting.

his focus was on rolling, and rafe was glad for having something to do with his hands as dara touched on something he tried not to think about. most of the time he was content to send people on their way, but not always. “hey, war’s gotta end sometime. when it does, i’m probably gonna take a nice long sabbatical. besides, i’m pretty sure my brother might actually live here forever. he’s got the sweetest setup of all time,” he joked without lifting his gaze from the work in front of him. rafe could’ve-- the motions were second or possibly even first nature, considering his parentage-- but it was less pressure to seem upbeat about it when he wasn’t making eye contact.

as dara gracefully declined, rafe let out a sigh. “nailed it in one. that tub is unusable. practically a toxic waste zone. i wouldn’t use it.” he’d been using it for concocting ophelia’s special requests as well as his own special brand of moonshine, alternating between the two as necessary. joint finished, and rather expertly rolled if he said so himself, he presented it to dara rather solemnly.

“did you wanna do this before we panini, or after?” rafe asked, though he was probably going to push for beforehand anyway. he’d learned from dara’s frigid arrival that he would have to bundle up soon. “either way, i’m gonna go grab a hoodie for when we go outside. did you wanna add another layer, or are you good?” she probably wasn't good, but it was better to voice the suggestion and give her an opportunity to say yes before he brought her one, anyway. [ @Dara Phairot ] (edited)

dara phairot BOT — 12/10/2021 tw drugs

rafe smoked more weed than dara knew, but she didn’t think much of it beyond that. as a dio kid, he was bound to have great tolerance. “sabbatical, huh?” she repeated thoughtfully to herself.

rafe confirmed her guess and she wrinkled her nose. it sure was resourceful, but the imagery of how rancid the tub would put her off the topic entirely. “we can do both?” dara answered uncertainly, considering it. “i can finish the sandwiches and then we can just eat it outside while we smoke. that way i’ll have my panini and won’t be upset when you hog the weed.” the sandwiches were mostly done aside from assembly and pressing them, so it wouldn’t be long.

“oh, you don’t have to get me anything. thank you though,” she waved off the offer. it only took her to finished saying it however, to regret it. the long sleeve and hoodie combo she was wearing had only kept her warm enough from her car to his door, but sitting outside was undoubtedly going to be worse. still, dara would rather freeze than inconvenience him. @Rafael Olmos (edited)

rafe olmos BOT — 12/10/2021 * tw drugs* he shouldn’t have even asked. rafe’s tongue clicked to express his distaste for the idea before he spoke “dara, don’t take this the wrong way, but that’s a terrible plan,” he informed her lightly. “i’m not gonna freeze my ass off eating a panini outside in the middle of a new york winter night. since i’m clearly the expert here, i’ve decided that we’ll go out first, then come back in and if it’s that traumatic of an experience, we’re staying inside after that.”

rafe stood, stretching like a cat to feel his vertebrae realign neatly. as predicted, she declined his offer, but he just waved her off. “yeah, yeah, i’ll be back in like, two minutes. make sure the press isn’t gonna burn the place down while we’re out?” he phrased it as a suggestion but he was already backing out of the room before he could get dara’s confirmation.

his bedroom wasn’t that far, just down a side hall, so it really didn’t even take two minutes for him to dig a sweatshirt out for himself and one of his jackets for dara, because otherwise she wasn’t going to make it. the extra time was mostly for him to collect their shoes at the front of the house, and rafe returned just at the two minute mark, offering both her shoes and the jacket without much of an argument. coats, check. shoes, check. joint, check. lighter, check. as he braced himself for the wind, rafe opened the back doors and held them for dara to pass through first.

once they were outside, he did his best to ignore the way his breath fogged in front of him, joint dangling from his lips as he dug out the lighter from his pocket. rafe figured it was better for him to light it, taking a quick drag to get it going before passing the joint over to dara, as well as the lighter, just in case. the holographic playboy bunny pattern of it glowed faintly in the moonlight as it waited between his fingers. “dara, can i tell you something?” he asked as he watched her, hands retreating into his pockets from the cold. [3:59 AM] [ @Dara Phairot ]

dara phairot BOT — 12/10/2021 tw drugs

dara made a face as he deftly shot down her plan in favor of his own. it definitely was the best course of action, though, so she wasn’t very put out. things were better when rafe took the lead and she could just follow along. he left her to it, but not before cracking his back. “gross,” she said of the sound, but as soon as he was gone, she twisted herself, holding onto the counter, to get the same result.

after unplugging the press and covering the now assembled sandwiches, rafe returned with more than she expected. her shoes, she took, but she paused at the jacket, taking it uncertainly. she’d said no, after all, but it appeared rafe was perfectly fine with bulldozing through her fraudulent pleasantries. “thank you.” she slipped her boots on first before pulling his jacket over her clothes. it was oversized enough that the sleeves she was already wearing didn’t bunch up as she put it on. she shoved the notion of anything romantic about the gesture out the window. dara couldn’t get caught up on it.

she slipped out the door before him and cold was much harsher now that she was in it and not the toasty kitchen. the jacket was a good call and she fumbled with doing up the buttons. she was midway through before rafe offered her the lighter, so she stopped to take the joint and lighter from him. the edge of her lips quirked up at the playboy bunny on his lighter. “where’d you get this?” she asked before taking her turn. holding for a moment, she then smoothly exhaled and handed it back.

“wish you would, olmos.” hands free again, she finished up the buttons and discretely sidled beside him in hopes his stocky figure would ward off the wind. @Rafael Olmos

rafe olmos BOT — 12/10/2021 * tw drug use, death * dara looked funny in his coat that was clearly too big for her, but she did certainly look warmer than last time. and they hadn’t even had to argue about it, which was a real victory in his book. rafe took the lighter back, slipping it into his pocket now he was confident they’d picked good enough positions to no longer need it. “gas station on the way to the beach,” he informed her. “it was the last one like it though, so you’re shit outta luck if you wanted to match.”

he accepted the joint, hit it twice as he took in the familiar view. the backyard they faced was barren, with the garden dormant and the dusting of snow earlier in the week giving everything a soft white glow. he need a moment to sort out his own thoughts, since the impulse of asking hadn’t followed his direct line of thought. on the last exhale rafe examined dara’s face at his shoulder, where she’d huddled next him, probably to block the cold airflow. smart. “i’m sorry about the loss of your grandmother. it seemed less sincere to tell you over the phone than it would be in person. but that’s got to be hard on you and i think you’re really brave for coming back here right after that, anyway.”

he was still looking at her as he lifted up the joint for dara to take again, equal parts peace offering and apology for even speaking about it in the first place.   rafe hoped she wouldn’t pull away. they were warmer side by side than they were apart. [ @Dara Phairot ]

dara phairot BOT — 12/10/2021 tw death mention, drugs

“sure don’t, but thanks for offering.” it worked for rafe, it would be tacky for her. dara didn’t even need a lighter except maybe to singe loose threads, but she had teeth that worked well enough. when he took his joint back, dara, too, was staring at his clear backyard, but when it was obvious that rafe’s pause was a little too long, dara changed her line of sight up to him. the longer he waited on his thoughts, the more her chest tightened in anticipation.

rafe turned his head, making eye contact with her as he apologized and dara pressed her lips together at the mention of yaa. everyone who apologized for yaa had known her and it’d been normal in context, and frankly, more for buu than dara. the texts from people in epineios were kind, but didn’t really mean much. rafe was the first person to say it to her. “yea,” dara replied with a shuddered laugh as she turned and blinked away the unforeseen tears. “thanks. i didn’t have much of a choice since persephone wanted me here and you can’t really turn down a god.”

taking the joint again, she took her time, taking the same two puffs he did. it was easier to focus on smoking than how she was feeling. in this one instance, she was glad it was freezing because trying to stop crying was about the same experience as trying to regulate against the cold. dara handed him the joint.

“my grandparents raised blaze and me and i used to follow my grandma around everywhere. and they’re really old, rafe.” moisture was stuck to her bottom lashes and she rubbed it off. another first, it was the first time she’d genuinely cried in front of anyone because she was sad since she was a kid. she’d never felt comfortable enough in front of anyone to do it. “when my grandpa passes away, it’s just gonna be me and blaze.” dara sighed and crossed her arms, wishing she could cover her face. “sorry for being such a downer, rafe.” @Rafael Olmos

1 December 11, 2021

rafe olmos BOT — 12/11/2021 * tw hearts, drugs * rafe was expecting some outpouring of emotion. directly addressing something that big was bound to have a response. it was normal, but he was also used to dara always being subdued, preferring to defer and push things away. her tears startled him the same way fucking around and finding out always did-- now he had no choice but to let her cry it out.

his heart ached for dara, the blossom of empathy growing with everything she said adding on to it, making it larger. some of those pressures he understood, even if he didn’t quite understand her loss, not in the same way. his arm went around dara’s shoulders, familiar enough. “don’t worry about it,” rafe reassured her quietly. he hadn’t meant to pry it out of her, but this was the inevitable next step after all the stress-baking, anyway. he hit the joint as he waited for the sniffling to subside, making a note that he wasn’t hogging it if she reached out again.

“as stupid as it sounds,” rafe began slowly, turning over his own words in his mind. optimism had been his strong suit, once, though coming across as too positive here wasn’t exactly how he wanted it to sound. “i don’t think you guys are alone. not totally. you’re here, for starters. people are pretty tight-knit.” or atleast they used to be. he leaned into her slightly, blocking the wind. “... do you wanna go eat?” [ @Dara Phairot ]

dara phairot BOT — 12/11/2021 rafe’s side was warm and comforting, and dara had half a mind to turn in into a hug she wouldn’t let go of. but dara was dara, and that was a silly thing to do. when someone offered something, you didn’t ask for more. so she lightly bumped her head to his shoulder in acknowledgement. wiping her eyes from the last of the tears, the only trace left of the outburst was her very pink nose. just as she was about to disagree with rafe, citing the war as a whole as a pretty obvious example, something towards the further reaches of his yard caught her eye—the translucent form of a guy with dark curly hair and white eyes.

it’d caught her gaze and dara instinctively turned her full attention to rafe. “you’re right. we’re never alone.” her eyes darted back and the figure was gone. she tugged rafe towards the door at his easy out. “i’m freezing, yes.” she agreed, quickly.

inside was safe and dara went to work quickly, plugging the press back in. she was slightly bothered by the fact that she’d already assembled the sandwiches and there wasn’t anything left to do other than to wait. latently, she decided to add avocado to it, so she grabbed one to cut while the press re-warmed. “so i was wondering what kind of sabbatical you’d take. would you leave here?” it’d been a genuine question she wanted to ask, saved from earlier, but her shaky voice didn’t support the idea very much. @Rafael Olmos

rafe olmos BOT — 12/11/2021 * tw blood, death * dara was on the brink of saying something-- presumably snarky, from her expression-- when her gaze focused on something beyond rafe and her demeanor changed. as she pulled him back into the house, he looked out at the dark, quiet backyard. nothing out there he could see, but he still wondered as the door shut behind them.

he shivered once, settling back into the familiar quiet of the house. shoes had to be returned to the usual spot out front, although rafe abandoned his coat that dara had been using on one of the stools. “hmm?” rafe used to think about it, when things had seemed less serious, but lately it’d become more of a grim pipe dream, something for soldiers to discuss while bleeding out and dying instead of real, concrete plans. “yeah, probably. i like getting out of town. there’s always someplace interesting worth going to. maybe it’s more of an ‘anywhere’s better than here’ mentality, lately, but for the most part it’s pretty true. lots to do outside of long island.”

he leaned back with confidence that the counter would catch him, arms crossing as he watched dara work. she seemed right at home in his kitchen, moreso even than before, but he was content to let her work if it kept her hands busy and the sad look off her face. "what about you? if you could get a plane ticket anywhere, which presumably you can, because you’re also a grown up, where would you go?” [ @Dara Phairot ]

dara phairot BOT — 12/11/2021 dara frowned at his answer. it read more like a yes without any real substance about where he would go. she guessed it was on her for not being more specific. “i guess,” she replied evenly as she wiped the avocado off the knife with her finger and scraped it onto the lump of avocado she’d already placed in one sandwich. “i don’t know if there was anywhere i wanted to go. everywhere kind of seems the same. i think for a demigod, i’ve moved around a lot—france, virginia, canada, here. i get the feeling no matter where i go, nothing really changes for me. i might as well stay in place that’s god touched since it’s the closest i’ll get to reaching something special.”

finally finished with the sandwiches, she placed one in the press to warm. “rafe, can i ask…” dara paused, biting her lip as she examined him, hesitantly. either way, she was going to ask him, but they seemed to be in the habit of asking for the other’s permissions. it made sense, she guessed, because they were in new territory all around. “how are you so…positive? i mean, you’re just a steady, optimistic pillar of the community. everyone likes you and you can be lighthearted and fun and…” dara sighed before raising the press and cutting the sandwich diagonally. “where does it all come from? how do you do it?” @Rafael Olmos December 12, 2021

rafe olmos BOT — 12/12/2021 his answer disappointed dara, somehow. he could tell. rafe watched her work and talk. he could appreciate casual confidence in the kitchen, especially because most of the other demigods he tricked into this space tended to take to it about as well oil to water, complaining all the way.

“dara, all those places are kinda boring,” rafe pointed out. “well, maybe not france. but the others? might as well just camp out in my backyard. if you need ideas, i could help. i’ve been everywhere. fiji, japan, cape horn, ireland... our homeland, greece.” he could see her in all of those places, but for some reason he also imagined her farther away, by alot.

his thoughts were pulled from one inquiry to the next, which was somehow even more heavy to rafe than the talk of their ideal future travels. as the press dipped and rose again, his shoulders tightened, subconsciously reinforcing the way his arms had crossed in front of him a moment before.

“back when i was lucky and stupid, it was easy to hope for the best and remind other people to do it, too. it felt like my place, the one role i could play when everybody started telling me the saddest stories i’d ever heard.” it was true, rafe’s first taste of other people’s suffering had come at camp and never really left his mouth when he thought about the other children of gods. his life always seemed untouched by the misery that seemed to pervade everyone else’s. “then i guess i just got used to it. i wouldn’t know how to be any other way, now.

“i only have to fake it sometimes,” he confessed eventually. rafe lifted half the cooked panini off dara’s plate. his tone was even, lighter than it had been before. he knew this part was the fairest he could be with himself where his turn towards negativity lately was concerned. “which isn’t too bad, considering the shitshow we’ve all found ourselves in.” [ @Dara Phairot ]

dara phairot BOT — 12/12/2021 dara blinked in surprise as rafe began listing what amounted to a real worldly experience. “man, where was i when you went everywhere?” dara mourned half-joking. despite her previous answer, once upon a time she’d wanted to travel to every reaches of the world. she even almost volunteered for the peace corps, but bowed out when the weight of the decision settled on her. “but yeah, you’re right. travelling like that sounds fun. i just have no one to go with and i know i should be able to travel alone and experience life like that, but i mean, i have. i just don’t think i like letting myself enjoy things,” dara admitted, though laughing it off.

the second sandwich finished and dara wrapped up on cleaning as she listened to rafe before getting to hers. admittedly, it was easy to forget rafe’s tyche legacy, so when he brought it up, it did make a lot of things click for her. while she wanted to believe he really was lucky in that regard, it made her consider how overwhelming life might have grown to be to rafe, who hadn’t been given a taste of it before. some amount of suffering was important development to people and now she wondered if rafe was just stuck being the positive pillar he was. it sure sounded like that.

everything cleared now, but the paninis on their plate, dara moved beside rafe and placed her plate between them. it felt like she should comfort him, even slightly, as he’d done for her. her experience with comfort, however, only went as far as blaze, so she did the same thing for rafe as she did for her baby cousin. “you know, if i don’t have to fake it in front of you,” dara wrapped her hand around the side of his head, arm resting across his back, as she stroked his hair, gently. “you don’t have to fake it around me.” dara leaned her head on him, all the while still softly brushing his hair. “life is hard as shit, but we’re friends and i’ll take care of you.” @Rafael Olmos December 13, 2021

rafe olmos BOT — 12/13/2021 it was funny how dara’s question had a definite answer -- rafe had known where she was, through their mutual friends, at every one of the places he’d mentioned. but that was embarrassing to admit, so instead he just shrugged and smiled. “well, you could change that anytime you want. if we’re gonna stay friendly, maybe i’ll go with you.” rafe didn’t think he would mind her company all that much.

he didn’t mind her company now, as she worked quietly around him, or as her fingertips brushed across his scalp. it was nice that he didn’t have to ask for comfort. he had no way of articulating that much these days-- maybe rafe could chalk it up to being born in the strange middle ground between two distinctive time periods in demigods’ collective history to really feel comfortable reaching out to either side on his own.

her words jarred him back from his thoughts. rafe’s shoulders had loosened up under the casual contact, and between bites he rolled his eyes. dara wouldn’t see it, but it matched the light judgement in his tone. “hey, we’re not delving into my problems today. i’m just trying to be more forthcoming so you feel comfortable.”

she hadn’t been there long, but already that tight edge of hysteria had abandoned them completely. another point on the scoreboard for the yellow kitchen he loved so much. improvements: thirty-six at last count, negativity: zero. “you’re not bad at these, actually,” rafe offered the compliment with genuine appreciation as he finished the first half of the panini. “if you ever get tired of restoring scrolls or whatever, you can definitely come work for me.” [ @Dara Phairot ]

dara phairot BOT — 12/13/2021 after the moment, dara pulled off from him so that she could eat her sandwich too. rafe had already finished one half and she hadn’t touched hers. she was a slow eater and, while she didn’t want to rush through their time, she also didn’t want to be the only one eating. dara was a bite in as she thought about rafe’s offer. it was easy to imagine them in some far off land, just them. rafe’s face had colored over the vague image dara had of a lover sharing new experiences in beautiful places. dara wondered how off base she was.

she stuck her pinky out at him. “pinky promise,” she declared with seriousness written on her face, though paired with the childish request, made it seem all too lighthearted.

“don’t worry, rafe, i do feel comfortable, so i guess you did a great job.” her gaze dropped to her panini, as if inspecting it, in between bites. “i don’t really feel comfortable with most people. but…this is easy. with you, i mean.” the diamond wedding ring shone mockingly on her right hand.

at the job offer, dara shook her head with a small laugh. “good to know, but i prefer cooking as a hobby. and i’m probably a little selfish because i only want to share what i make with people i love, you know?” @Rafael Olmos

2 December 14, 2021

rafe olmos BOT — 12/14/2021 her ask for a promise was met with half a laugh from rafe, but he lifted his hand anyway. “yeah, you got it.” it wasn’t like they were swearing on the styx, and who knew where they’d end up, but things like this always felt more meaningful anyway.

his gaze caught on her hand as their fingers interlocked, catching the ring there. it was different than the ones he’d seen dara wearing on and off in the past, and he knew exactly why. rafe remembered how it came into being, one subject that dara hadn’t broached at all. a curiosity that solved itself in silence. rafe supposed he could understand the appeal of an old flame for dara, who could just miss cleon privately forever, if she wanted.

releasing her hand, they both ate as dara spoke. it was easier, somehow, to have the barrier of whatever secret flame dara had for her ex between them. he tended to bring that response out in people, of feeling ‘safe’, but it made even more sense, now.

“oh, you’re definitely selfish,” rafe agreed, no hesitation in his voice. “but i see your point, we just have pretty different definitions of love.”

the crust that was left on the panini didn’t particularly interest him, so he set it on the plate dara laid out and began cleaning absently. all of his kitchen habits were killing him, but atleast he wasn’t just stuck standing there thinking about dara thinking about her ex-fiancee. instead he let his mind wander, and a very important note on his to-do list popped into his head. “oh, don’t let me forget, i gotta go close up the lunchbox for the day.” [ @Dara Phairot ]

2

dara phairot BOT — 12/14/2021 promise exchanged and half of her sandwich finished, dara stared at the last triangle wondering if she really was hungry enough to finish it. she was mostly content now and would probably be full in a few minutes, but it had been a good panini. she’d sit on it. “yeah, well, my heart is small and only has a capacity of like…three. you love in abundance, which i’m actually kind of jealous of, but i don’t mind just watching. it feels like a privilege.” the complimentary thoughts weren’t even followed up with a twinge of hesitation.

rafe placed his crust down and she noted it as something he didn’t care for before watching him cross her over to the sink. she guessed if he was done so was she. the saran wrap was on the counter so she wrapped up the panini and placed it in the fridge. “oh, yeah.” the fridge door closed shut and she faced his back. “do you…want to go now?” she was uncertain because it was still probably considered late night than it was early morning, but she didn’t know when he’d meant. frankly, she was expecting him to tell her that, once again, her idea was dumb and he was the expert. it was very much true. either way, dara neared the jacket on the stool she’d worn when they went out for a smoke, just in case they were going out again. @Rafael Olmos (edited)

rafe olmos BOT — 12/14/2021 rafe didn't put much stock in dara's words. no matter what people said, the way they cared for the people around them tended to be more widespread among the general population than they thought. at the very least, in his experience, if they could see and reminisce about others' experience, the general feeling of good-nature could be easily adopted. he had learned a long time ago that if someone wasn't interested, they weren't jealous. as he thought, rafe didn't speak, just nodded absently along with her as he shuffled and organized utensils and-- without much caution-- the panini press.

"yeah, actually, that'd be best," he offered finally. "if you're not too busy." which as a joke in and of itself, since they'd more or less exhausted the definite plans of their night already. rafe didn't mind that much. he worked better on tentative suggestions than he did concrete decisions, anyway.

it was warm enough in the garage that his truck didn't need much preheating to keep them from turning into popsicles on their journey, but rafe still grabbed his keys and ducked into the passenger side to start it anyway.

he worked around dara as she she got ready, flipping off the kitchen lights so only a dim glow from the lighting installed underneath the cabinets remained. it was habitual because he had to justify the expenditure, but also because he liked the look of them.

"leggo," rafe announced quietly, dabbed, then gestured grandly for her to lead the way. "i feel so rebellious, actually. who knew you'd be such a bad influence on me instead of the other way around?" [ @Dara Phairot ]

dara phairot BOT — 12/14/2021 rafe’s easy agreement made her want to sigh—going out in the cold again, especially with a ghost out there, wasn’t something she was really looking forward to, but she couldn’t very well just sit alone in his kitchen. there were plenty of reasons why ranging from rafe feeling rushed to get back, the ghost getting inside, or even jc waking up early and making her do pushups or something. grabbing his coat again, dara trailed like a duckling after rafe to the garage. it took her a moment to button up the coat, but by the time he finished starting the car, she was done and seated.

dara snorted at the dab. they were definitely too old to be doing that, but rafe was a child at heart and she appreciated his easygoingness. when she slipped onto the suede-like gray seats, dara was admittedly impressed about how well-kept rafe’s old truck was. there was even a window crank. dara was learning very rapidly rafe was the kind of guy to cherish his objects and people well. seda was lucky to have his heart.

“it’s just one day,” dara pointed out, smiling, as she looked over at him. she pulled the neck of his jacket around tighter and ducked into it to keep warm. now in his truck, the familiar scent that had lingered on his jacket was simply overwhelming in the car. not in any bad way, but dara recognized it as rafe’s distinct smell—something woodsy, maybe a tobacco musk, vanilla, certainly. dara softly inhaled the jacket that was up to her nose. “you smell nice.”

saying that did make her feel nervous, so she sat up and fiddled with the heaters. she pushed the one in the middle towards rafe before holding her hands up to the one on her right. her hands weren’t freezing, but they did feel nice in the heat. “play me your favorite song,” dara requested a little quickly. @Rafael Olmos December 16, 2021

rafe olmos BOT — 12/16/2021 buckling into the front seat, rafe realized he probably should’ve grabbed his glasses, but it was too late now. nobody would probably be out so late besides them. one of the perks of small town life, he figured as he backed out of the garage.

“well, yeah, but i feel way more irresponsible closing the lunchbox than i ever did calling off at long island,” rafe pointed out. he was new to responsibility, in general, but he’d skipped baby steps and went straight into a dead sprint. things certainly weren’t going to fall apart with one decision on his own part, though, so dara was right. his head was swiveling to-- hopefully-- confirm that no one else was on the road as he caught dara’s compliment.

“thanks!” he responded as the truck met pavement and they started towards the center of town. “i work with food so much that i’m pretty convinced i just smell like an onion all the time. unless that’s what you were complimenting, in which case keep that shit to yourself.”

he’d been about to offer the aux to dara, but as if she was reading his mind, she deferred to him. rafe plugged in his phone, watching the cord feed into the cassette adapter. music seemed to follow the flow of his eyes, filtering through the speakers after a brief pause. “stop worrying about me,” he added as an afterthought, pushing the main heater back her direction. rafe liked the cold, because it was a change.

he did his best to stay on the right side of the streetlit, but thankfully empty road. his left hand scrubbed absently at his chin as his mind still turned things over. what she’d been saying, what he’d offered played back in the absence of conversation. “hey, d’you think your ghosties pop up more when you’re lonely? or am i just imagining that?” rafe’s curiosity brought the words out suddenly, but they’d been more casually quiet so it wasn’t as startling as he expected. [ @Dara Phairot ] December 17, 2021

dara phairot BOT — 12/17/2021 even being so late out, the gray sky was bright enough to cast a hazy, but clear vision of everything. dara didn’t have much time to appreciate it when she’d driven over because driving and general paranoia usually took a good amount of attention. it was nice, now that she could observe it properly. with no other cars or people around, it felt like she and rafe were the only people in a dream.

“that makes sense,” dara agreed. “considering you’re the big boss man now.” the tender comment she offered earlier flew right over his head and dara wasn’t sure whether she appreciated it or was disappointed. maybe she was getting caught up in the intimacy of the night and setting herself up for a memory she could lock away in her heart and keep to herself. “my lips are sealed,” she teased mindlessly about his perceived onion smell.

dara blushed sheepishly when he re-adjusted the heater she’d move. even with his warning, dara had no plans on fixing her thoughtfulness; it was just how she was raised. nonetheless, she appreciated it in him and the warmth he pushed her way. the song that played was surprisingly soft and atmospheric and she wanted to laugh at the sudden thought of blaze’s insistence that dara thought of herself as a sad girl in music video. yeah, she did imagine this whole thing gave off the perfect imagery for it. “i like this song,” dara said instead.

the observation he’d made wasn’t something she considered before, but it didn’t take long for dara to shoot it down. “i don’t think so, i’m always lonely. not to sound sad or anything,” she elaborated, without any of the rush or panicked oversharing. “i think i just live in my head more than most people and i feel like there’s always going to be a disconnect.” almost ironically, another ghostly figure stood in the snow they drove past. “or maybe you’re right and that’s why they’re always following me.” . (edited) [6:40 AM] with her own abrupt thought, dara faced rafe, letting her elbow lay on the armrest console between them. “hey rafe, what kind of girl do you like?” in rafe’s eyes, there was no such thing as bold coming from dara, at least that’s what she was sure of, so she was beginning to straddle that line, trying with enough fortitude to get as far as she’d be able to, undetected. @Rafael Olmos December 18, 2021

rafe olmos BOT — 12/18/2021 dara’s quiet disagreement probably hurt rafe’s feelings more than she could’ve guessed, but he kept that to himself, listening to her reasoning instead. could go either way, honestly. his inheritance was subtle in its many forms as far as he could tell, besides the propensity for inspiring madness that had apparently skipped rafe. that was just fine with him-- he could tend to his vined plants, win at cards, and mind his own business forever.

as rafe was content to mind his own business, he was completely derailed by dara’s almost sudden personality shift. the way he’d been turning things over in his mind, he’d been wondering if there was a reason dara was acting more open. he tended to attract exclusively emotionally unavailable people, and comparing dara’s preference for being alone with her old crush on cleon certainly had her checking the correct boxes.

“tall ones, usually,” rafe answered brightly, wondering how far he could go with this before she called him on it. he drove on as he continued, relaxing back into the bench seat with familiarity. “i like pretty eyes. and when people who don’t like other people? forget about it. i’m the sunshine. being able to cook for yourself is a must. i don’t love cat people, but i can make an exception. do you have a type?” he asked, even though he suspected he knew what answer he’d get back. [ @Dara Phairot ]

dara phairot BOT — 12/18/2021 there was little hesitation in rafe’s answer and dara wondered if it was normal to have such a clear picture for a type. dara frowned in thought, taking in everything rafe was saying one by one and trying to imagine if she knew anyone like that. the only person coming to mind was ria, though dara was sure she didn’t have a cat—it was bird if she remembered right. “i feel like you have a pretty clear picture of someone,” dara reported back, suspiciously.

her own answer took a moment. of course she’d thought about it before, but her mood changed the answers all the time. and so did, well, the current situation. she twisted one of her golden rings in thought. “i think i like someone i can be myself with. and someone who can make me laugh.” dara paused. “it took me a long time to figure that out i think. i’m glad i know it now.” she was glad rafe was driving because it gave her an excellent opportunity to watch his face and admire him. she tried to commit his side profile to memory. @Rafael Olmos December 19, 2021

rafe olmos BOT — 12/19/2021 * tw kissing, pg stuff * he could tell from his peripheral that dara wasn’t pleased with his answer. her tart response had him smirking. why so sensitive? “don’t be jealous, dara. that’s not my type at all,” rafe pointed out. which was, objectively, true. he wasn’t the type to commit to anything outside the realm of casual. her gaze was on his face as dara spoke to him, and he felt it, but didn’t mind that much. he just nodded along.

things were clicking almost audibly now that he’d gotten the point, so rafe was content to sidle the truck up to the curb in front of the lunchbox and throw it in park for a second. it was a stroke of genius on his part to have the keys for the building attached to a clip instead of his truck directly, so he wouldn’t have to leave dara in the cold. she didn’t seem to handle it well.

“alright, well i’m gonna go in there and put up a sign or something,” rafe announced, unclipping the necessary keys in a smooth motion as he unbuckled himself with his free hand. “and i don’t mind playing this fun little flirting game all night if you want, but first i want to check something.”

he leaned over, closing the gap between them with ease, kissing her. it went about as well as he expected, which was to say the familiar butterfly-feeling physical touch ignited in him came to life on queue. he let it go on for a moment, two, then pulled back. “cool. back in five.” rafe flashed her a grin, half-kicked open his door, and jumped out into the snowy night. [ @Dara Phairot ]

1

dara phairot BOT — 12/19/2021 tw kissing, pg stuff the tease elicited dara into scrunching her face up and sticking her tongue out at him. rafe was all too smug. she didn’t bother refuting it since they arrived to pandora’s sooner than she thought it took. the empty streets probably was the reason for that. she’d been set to join rafe at doing whatever he had to close up, but he made it seem like it’d be a quick get in-get out situation.

it took a moment for his words to settle in her head and she stared at him with wide eyes, stumbling over the word. “flirting?” it was all she had time to get out before rafe’s lips were on hers. despite being frozen in surprise, dara instinctively responded in pushing against his mouth. it’d been a long time since she’d kissed anyone, but the pleasant buzz roared to life with even that brief kiss.

her breath caught in her throat when rafe pulled away as she finally had the chance to realize he’d really just kissed her. just as suddenly as he did so, he’d popped out the car and left her alone to her thoughts. it was probably to be cheeky, but it might have been the best option for dara to sit with it. did rafe like her? why did he kiss her? did she like him? she did, she’d figured that out already. wait, she was tall and had a cat. was he talking about her? did he want to date? the mess of dara’s mind was only outweighed by one thing—and that was wanting to kiss rafe again.

so when he returned and shut the car door behind him, dara called his name. “rafe.” then she pulled him back with a hand to his cold cheek into where they’d left off. @Rafael Olmos

[kafkasgods]

did ( AHN HYO-SEOP ) just get to town? oh no, that was just ( JAEBEOM KWON ). didn’t you know the ( TWENTY-SIX ) year old ( TATTOO ARTIST AT SWANSONG SUITES ) is a ( LEGACY & LEGACY / HUNTER ) of ( TYCHE & HEMERA / ARTEMIS )? people say they can be ( HAPPY-GO-LUCKY ) and ( MAGNANIMOUS ), but can also be ( CHILDISH ) and ( NAIVE ). i’ve also heard they’ve sided with ( NO ONE ) when it comes to the war. well, even so, welcome to epineios!

despite being born to a son of tyche and a daughter of hemera, jaebeom kwon didn’t have a life of light and luck. it was a few years after he was born when his dad was guided into the lotus casino by tyche, and not wanting her husband to go it alone, jaebeom’s mom accompanied him. jaebeom was left in the capable, but overworked hands of his paternal grandpa. it was only supposed to be a month, at most, but his parents never came back for him. so. his life went on without them. his grandpa didn’t have that much money with most of his finances going towards his struggling tofu shop. taking on some of that burden, jaebeom would wake up early to help make the tofu, go to school, then come back to help sell it. over time, he’d find handfuls of jobs to do to help give his grandpa some extra cash. 

even though he had to grow up quickly, jaebeom rarely let it deter him. they were poor, but humble. with a good head on his shoulders, and luck usually on his side during his struggles, jaebeom turned into a very optimistic kind of guy, who was happy in any circumstance he was in. but that couldn’t last forever and he found that out when his grandpa got sick and passed away. before he left jaebeom though, he told him about where his parents really were and about their godly heritage. with the new knowledge, jaebeom knew what he had to do was get his parents out of the casino, but it was harder said than done. he’d made it there, met his parents who hadn’t aged a day since going in, and told them he was their baby boy, but even still, they wouldn’t leave with him. he wasn’t enough to drag them out of there, but he hoped one day he would be.

on his way back from the casino, he had a chance run-in with a few hunters of artemis facing off a monster and risked his own life to save one. thankful to him and unwilling to owe a debt to a man, artemis offered jaebeom anything. while she didn’t have the ability to get his parents out, as it was tyche’s wish, jaebeom decided he wanted to be one of her hunters. there was a lot of reasons for it, but an important one was the immortality as he was hoping that with it, he’d be around for the day his parents finally left the casino. she allowed it, but being the newest recruit, especially in war, she didn’t have the time to focus on him or train him well, so she sent him off to epineios. with his newfound immortality and abilities, jaebeom’s striving to be a good hunter and do his best in protecting the town and the people in it.

[kafkasgods]

you come across an impenetrable thicket of gnarled, black trees and choking vines; all bearing thorns sharp enough to draw blood. as if something great and terrible happened on the very spot. it is unforgiving, impenetrable, silent as the grave. this is the story of the witch of these woods.

once upon a time, not so very long ago, but long enough still that her name has been lost to time, a child was born with magic in her veins.

she traveled to this land by sea from a faraway place, brought here by a greedy merchant who coveted beautiful things for himself, and wanted to take her as his wife. the young witch protected herself as best she could and when the ship docked on the shore, the merchant was dead and she was nowhere to be found.

she stole away into the city not far from here, invisible to the eye whenever it suited her to be. there she grew wise and clever and even more beautiful, aligning herself with the both seedy underbelly and highest aristocrats alike through the currency that greases all palms: secrets. war stirred in the city, restless, and the witch presided above all from the shadows. she was powerful, but she was alone.

until one day, the witch met the man who would become her lover, a spy whose loyalties were decided by his own heart, smelling of gunpowder and smiling all the while.

he held no fear of her, perhaps because he was magical in his own right. their hearts were true and they gave over to passion and adoration quickly. for a short time, the lovers were inseparable. the witch knew her path in life was to be walked with her lover at her side, hand in hand. war finally awakened, rearing its ugly head in the city proper and in the hearts of all within. the lovers made their plans to lay down weapons, to return to his home, and forget what dark things their pasts held. a bright future awaited them across mountains and seas, should they be brave enough to take it. but his work was not finished yet.

the witch gifted her lover with as many charms as she could think of: against fire, against prying eyes, against his enemies. but fate had different plans. someone her lover once considered a friend instead struck like a viper, and he was lost to the underworld.

when she found him, finally, having used his last breath to crawl to her, the witch was inconsolable with grief. she began her furious work to revive him. the trees and vines she brought forth with her own will remain to this day, but to no avail.

heart broken, her path lost, the witch took her lover's own to remember him by, and began her quest for revenge. the friend who had betrayed her lover was found, tortured, and turned into a living puppet before her anger was appeased. returning to the forest where her lover fell, she continued searching for another way to bring him back to life. each attempt wounded them both grievously, but she could not stop.

after many years, the gods of the underworld could not help but be moved by her passion and grief. they granted the lovers one day a year to be together, even in death. the witch reveled in this precious time, offering her services to anyone brave enough to venture into her woods.

another god grew envious of her devotion and attempted to woo her. the witch could not be swayed, and in the minor god's fury he finally bade her to join her lover in death, since that was her dearest wish. the lovers were finally reunited, no matter the cost.

her cabin and woods stand empty now. they say the puppet who was once the man responsible for betraying her lover waits in the cabin still. unmourned, unable to die, just waiting for her to cut his strings, forever. no sounds of birdsong liven the woods that surround it, only the hollow whispers of the wind and the lovers themselves, if you are brave enough to listen.

[kafkasgods]

```in this part of the story, i am the one who dies. — pablo neruda```

**tw death mention, negativity**

there was no one coming to save her. that much was clear. it felt like hours, she felt numb, entirely, as her body had crammed into the solid crevice. dara debated if there was even a point in getting out. no one would notice and the world would still turn and she’d just be another grave in half-god’s eternal home. her very real future wouldn’t be any different from the life she lived now—she’d be lost to the fields of asphodel, but at least she’d forget everything. there had to be some peace in that.

dara lifted her face from the side of the cliff and peered down. the lava was no longer bubbling, but simmered like a soup, waiting to be ladled. it made her think of blaze. he would be fine without her, but there was a pain in her chest as she thought of all the accomplishments blaze would have throughout his life she wouldn’t be around for. it trailed off to moto wondering where she was. to ruining oreos for theo, leaving an empty seat in the pew between mason and dimaria, having vic pass by an empty bedroom, to the book club not knowing what to do with the fourth champagne glass. dara did not have much, but the little she had was important to her. it’d be wrong to give up on them—on herself.

she swallowed the lump in her throat and glanced up once again. the sky was darker, but the darkness made the cliff less daunting. slowly, dara reached up and felt around for something solid to hold. her claws met rock and they dug in. she tried her feet next. it was a perilous journey to make, but dara had to do it. when she tried to move her other foot, she winced and nearly fell. it felt like ages since she rolled her ankle jumping off the tree. that couldn’t get in the way, dara just had to power through it. 

the process of climbing up the cliff was slow, arduous, exhausting, and terrifying. but it was repetitive and dara was excellent at mindless busywork. one hand, one foot, one hand, one foot. she refused to look down, knowing if she did she’d surely lose her focus. still, no matter how how concentrated she was, the faint feeling wasn’t something she could help. dara had to stop, claws gripping the rocks tightly in fear that she’d lose all feeling in her body. she couldn’t go on. her body physically couldn’t move anymore.

it felt like defeat. it was the first time dara wanted to cry. she couldn’t do it.

“you’re almost there, my love.” dara’s eyes snapped open, but she saw nothing. persephone was there though. somehow. in her head? maybe she was getting delirious. the fumes couldn’t be good for her.

“i need help,” dara spoke aloud anyways.

the soft voice moved from one ear to the other. “i’ve never been more proud of you, dara. ask and you shall receive.”

dara’s second wind came with a soft pink glow that outlined her body. a familiar warm tingle spread in her veins—it felt like spring. something brushed against her legs and along her back. it was only when it rose to her neck was dara able to see the mulberry petal. it tickled against the back of her neck as if saying hello. she wasn’t going to question the sudden chlorokinesis usage she had at the moment, only put it to good use. willing the petal to grow further, it engulfed her entirely.

when the petal unfurled again, dara was in the far cooler air, beside the atropos watchtower. home was only a few feet away, undisturbed by the events that unfolded. with a slight tug, dara stepped out of the center of the flower. the pain was everywhere, but she would ignore it until she could finally rest. what dara needed was a bath. there was nothing like a good bath to wash away her troubles and sins and make her a new person again. and dara was a new person. she gave too much always, and now, she had nothing left to give.

[kafkasgods]

dara

blaze — a nice jacket, some high quality arrows, shoes, nike socks, aquarium stuff for guapdaddy jasper — a stylish sleek shirt she thinks they’d like, a candle that smells like fresh bread, a french press rafe — a new baseball cap, a nice leather wallet with a tiny picture of them in it, a scarf she knitted herself with ‘rafe’ in small letters on one side (then after getting together she latently added a tiny heart and ‘dp’ on the other warren — discontinued makeup from france he lamented over before, a toy & treats for midge

faaya

blaze — blowjob & being the rigger jasper — a set of crystal wine glasses and decanter & a vintage wine, a cologne they like, white gold chain necklaces rafe — a pair of timbs and a rolex warren — an envelope of 2k, a set of gold bracelets

feng

frances — handmade ceramic plating set + mugs that are actually nice and not janky, a wool cardigan & a tweed cardigan that he liked the feeling of, and a pretty gold hair clip with a butterfly on it warren — sparkly + purply/pink color handmade ceramic plating set + mugs. also a bust of midge for the salon and a big ass bone