lioxmp

[lioxmp]

"If I look for her, she wins." Viggo grunted, emptying his clip and starting to reload. He very much wanted to roll his eyes but that was not his style. Instead, his feline eyes narrowed as he held the gun in his hand again. He wasn't about to explain the intricacies of his and Irelia's relationship. Primarily because he couldn't understand it himself. Ever since the first time they met their had been an inexplicable connection between the two of them. "She's in Budapest, I know exactly where she is." He grunted again and squeezed the trigger. "And I am not lovesick. Girl still owes me thousands of dollars worth of groceries. Do you know how many times she threw away my ingredients? Because they're vegetables?" Bam!Bam!Bam! "Princess?" He threw Lio an incredulous look. "Didn't peg you for the high maintenance type, let alone royalty." Funny that Lio managed to find a girl to tumble in bed. He squinted his feline eyes at him suspiciously. There was something different about Lio's scent after all. Just how long had they been cloistered together? As soon as the thought escaped his thought, Viggo scoffed again. He's turning into a gossip like the rest of Irelia and her posse. Great.

“And what would happen if you lost to her, besides having your pride shattered?”

Lio refused to abandon the topic, finding this the golden time to gain a deeper look into this complex tug-of-war Viggo and Irelia were playing. Usually, he would not give a damn, too tangled up in his fights and his wicked schemes to care about someone’s love life. But Viggo and Irelia were not just someone, for both had learned about the man behind his harmless mask of a gym owner and a weapon shop’s clerk. 

“You’ve never let anyone owe you too much or too long, Vig,” he added, matter-of-factly, punctuating his statement with a last precise shot on the target. “And you love your veggies so much no one can touch it. Except her.” 

Lio’s feline-like smirk reappeared on his face as soon as he was reminded of how Karina had looked that morning, and that conveniently reminded him of what happened the night before. Leisurely, he reloaded his gun, secretly savouring the recollection for a tad longer before getting back to their conversation. 

“Karina seems to like being called ‘princess’. It suits her well.” As if feeling like it was not enough to get on Viggo’s nerves, Lio pressed further, his smirk turned slightly wicked. “Don’t you have some pet names you’ve been dying to try on Iri?”

❛ well, someone's cranky today. ❜

Viggo merely grunted, barely acknowledging Lio's greeting and comment as he took his place next to the Egyptian demigod at the firing range. He was not fond of guns but he trained with them religiously in order to stay in shape. He had finally found somebody on the island (not Irelia) that he could actually tolerate to spend time with. It helped that their backgrounds were similar he supposed.

He placed the muffs on his ears even as he loaded his pistol, still not acknowledging Lio's early comment. After a few shots, he side-eyed his friend. "And you look like you crawled out of some chick's bed." He shot another round of bullets at the target. "And loved it." He added with a smirk. Viggo saw no need to explain he was still pissed Irelia was keeping her ass out of Mount Phoenix, obviously tempting him to track her down.

[lioxmp]

It was not something Karina showed anybody---the ability to shift into her viper form. Primarily because while snake abilities were powerful, Karina's own abilities were far from powerful. In her snake form she was vulnerable, and it was difficult to do much besides move. She raised her reptilian head and slithered over Lio's recovering body to press it atop Eirwen's hovering hand. A silent nod of thanks, before Karina wearily turned to the open vial. The snake-Karina tried her best drink the liquid, only pulling away after her forked tongue was able to lap at Eirwen's concoction a few times. Karina tried to straighten, but it seemed their diamond head felt too heavy, that she lowered it just as quickly and curled right atop Lio's chest, ignoring the still healing wounds in her exhaustion. Her eyes blinked slowly, forked tongue tasting the air before Karina curled up once more. She knew she would return into her human form soon, but it would take time, and rest. Now that Lio was on the mend, she could relax for a bit. Hopefully before she woke up...

Eirwen’s watchful gaze followed snake-Karina as it slithered closer to take the healing potion offered. The concoction was not a special recipe, but it was potent, so a few drops should be enough to exert its best effect. She did not move until snake-Karina retracted its head, just to rest it again on top of Lio’s still-recovering chest. 

While Eirwen could see that the transformation had taken a lot of Karina’s physical strength, but knowing the other demigoddess, her curling up and resting atop a man became such an…intriguing sight. 

A good ten and some minutes passed in soothing silence, enough for Eirwen to cleanse the pestle and mortar with distilled water, put the vials to their places, and put everything neatly back into her satchel. She also got some extra time to cleanse the blood stains on the floor, but the cleansing liquid she bought along was not sufficient. 

Before Eirwen could decide what else to do to kill time while waiting, Lio let out a soft, low groan. 

When she turned around to check, Eirwen also happened to witness the snake-Karina’s transformation back to her human form. She had seen quite a lot, but it was always captivating to observe a shape-shifter in action. So she stood still and watched, not moving nor blinking, until she noticed Lio’s arm moving to rest lightly around Karina’s naked waist, and his eyes were half opened. And Karina was technically completely naked. 

“Oh dear,” Eirwen let out a belated gasp, hurriedly gathering some of Karina’s clothing pieces and throwing them on Karina’s bare skin. 

Her eyes met Lio’s tired, slightly disoriented gaze, the darkness in his eyes gleaming weakly, demanding an instant explanation. 

“Some ancient dark magic. Karina’s venom saved you, but we still need to get both of you to the hospital asap.” She summarised, eyes now landing on the newly awoken Karina. “Feel better now?”

venoms

[lioxmp]

Viggo's side glare was heated even as he reloaded his pistol alongside Lio's. He grunted, not really liking the comment about his sex life. Not that he couldn't get laid if he wanted to. He had no need to. Not when there was so many shit to be done. "And why would I look for Irelia?" His deep voice was laced with annoyance. Did everybody know about his business with the daughter of Morrigan? He missed the days when they didn't know jackshit about each other. Now they were all up in each other's business, and now friends were giving advice. For that darn upstart Arwyn, and now Lio--who up to now Viggo had thought was a smart guy, had also joined in on this train. "She'll turn up sooner or later," He said with a gruff voice, sounding as if he was trying to convince himself. "So...who's the chick?" He asked, deliberately engaging in small talk to change the subject.

As soon as he registered Viggo’s death glare shooting his way, Lio burst into low chuckles. If they did not know each other more than most individuals on this island did, he would never jab this cranky, deadly chef in the face about his barely-existing sex life. But, since Lio knew Viggo would never point the gun at him, he now enjoyed getting on his friend and neighbour’s nerves whenever there was a chance. 

“You’re the only one who’s been keeping track of her, Vig, of course you should go look for her,” Lio stated after the laugh died down, calmly aiming the gun at the target and pulling the trigger. Bullseyes. 

Lio glanced at Viggo at the gruff noise he let out, his facial expression got partly serious. “You sound like a kicked puppy, bro. Lovesick?” 

Lio took a step back to reload the fun, leaving Viggo the space he needed to junk out whatever response he might want to toss at his face.

Somehow he did not expect Viggo to be that curious, but since he asked, and since no one had been trying to keep it on the down low, Lio spoke with a subtle smile, his face slightly brightened in afterglow. “The princess may be upset if she learned that you called her a chick, you know.”

❛ well, someone's cranky today. ❜

Viggo merely grunted, barely acknowledging Lio's greeting and comment as he took his place next to the Egyptian demigod at the firing range. He was not fond of guns but he trained with them religiously in order to stay in shape. He had finally found somebody on the island (not Irelia) that he could actually tolerate to spend time with. It helped that their backgrounds were similar he supposed.

He placed the muffs on his ears even as he loaded his pistol, still not acknowledging Lio's early comment. After a few shots, he side-eyed his friend. "And you look like you crawled out of some chick's bed." He shot another round of bullets at the target. "And loved it." He added with a smirk. Viggo saw no need to explain he was still pissed Irelia was keeping her ass out of Mount Phoenix, obviously tempting him to track her down.

[lioxmp]

[...] "I'm ready now. Once we are healed a bit better, you are mine." She teases playfully. "I go to the gym nearly daily. I am always down to train with you if you are interested. I just need you to keep up." Despite her efforts in tending to his body, the demigoddess's playfulness did not die down one bit. As they spent more time together, she opened up a bit more. While he seemed to be trying really hard to be polite, Yue reasoned that he could manage with her merely being herself. Yue soaked up his compliments, and she nodded her head. She did have a few bruises on her cheeks, but she would handle. "Well, you throw a nice punch. I'd hate to be on the other side of one of those. But from the audience, they sure are exciting to watch." Yue's eyes looked over him. In her gaze of which she was trying ensure his body would healed within the places she had mended, there was obvious care written. "Thank you. I try to make my fights fun, and it helps that most people discredit me due to my size." Lio's discomfort was obvious, and she felt bad. The demigoddess paused for a moment, and in a matter of seconds, she disappeared from his side to close the door before returning to him. "You know, it probably does not help the way I am right now either." She states genuinely. The mask stopped him from seeing the true smile on her lips or her full expression. Yue did not see any reason that the demigod would spill the secret of her visage, and so, a finger moved up to release the veil from her visage, revealing her image to him. Slightly bruised and with some swelling, Yue felt no sense of insecurity. And as if nothing happened, she continued to finish the wounds on his arm and to answer his question. "I grew up in a monastery in China. Once I got to the right age, I learned and mastered tai chi, and then, when traveling on my own, there was a lot of other fighting styles I picked up out of pure interest." She spoke, slathering his last cut with the ointment before finally leaning back against the table behind her. "And you?"

Lio’s solid boldness and fierceness were saved for physical fights and battles. The normal world outside often saw a mild, approachable man who did not mind initiating conversations and offering a hand, yet never without thorough consideration. Yingyue approaching him with an offer to help take care of his wounds was an unforeseen circumstance, and that accidentally triggered his highly defensive instinct.

They had seen each other often enough to no longer be strangers, and as now he was clear that she came with good intentions, Lio reminded himself to let his guard down gradually. It was not an easy task, easily seen in the way his barbed straight back and tense muscles took rather long to relax, but at least he was trying.

“I’m happy to help. You’ll just need to book an appointment at the gym, I do all of the training there,” Lio responded with a soft smile, matter-of-factly. “I specialise in sword fighting, but I can help with martial arts and other bare-handed training if that’s what you’re looking for.”

He noticed the way her eyes scanned for the wounds scattering his arms, and even though he did not say it, his smiling and holding a small talk with her indicated his appreciation for her care. He listened to what she shared about how most people underestimated the power and skills she held, then with a subtle smirk, he remarked. “Right, a little surprise often excites the crowd. I heard that you’ve reminded quite a few fighters to never judge a book by its cover.”

Despite sitting still on the chair, Lio’s eyes and ears again did not miss any of Yingyue’s movements. He turned his head to watch her close the door, not breaking the watchful gaze until the red veil was dropped and her full face was revealed. He had not yet got a clear idea of why she decided to show her face, guessing that it might be another of her ways to help ease the post-fight tension fighters usually experienced. Respectfully shifting his eyes to her hands, Lio still caught a clear view of the bruises on her face, no judgment made in his head.

As she gave another piece of her past, Lio listened intently, the aching pain from the injuries on his face and arms barely existed. Being the son of a goddess of war, Lio was instinctively interested in talking about fighting and all aspects of it. “That makes sense,” he commented after a little ‘oh’, nodding his head slightly in understanding. “Your skills don’t look like they belong to a certain kind of martial arts, but more like a mix among them. It’s hard to predict your next move, and that makes it interesting.”

As Yingyue leaned back, signalling that she had finished, Lio skimmed all the ointment-applied wounds on his arms just to check their condition. Usually, he would not mind them much, for they would be gone before they could cause any trouble, but it felt nice to have someone help him tend them.

“Thank you so much,” he said, a thankful smile blooming on his face. When the question was back to him, Lio gave a concise answer. “I was taught by the Internet, my dad, my opponents, Sekhmet my mother, and Ares the Greek god.”

He then stood up in one swift move, and with soundless footsteps, he walked to the mini-fridge at the corner of the room, opened it, and took out a can of beer and a small bottle of kombucha. Both were his to-go drinks, Lio usually bought two and put them in the fridge before the fight, then picked one depending on his mood. But today, he prioritized his guest’s choice.

“I’ve got beer and kombucha, you can pick one or get both of them if you want,” he explained, showing the drinks to Yingyue before putting them down on the small table next to her.

His eyes once again landed on the wounds on her face, so he asked, still with decent politeness and an urge to reciprocate the favour. “Do you need help with the wounds on your face?”

[lioxmp]

Religiously, Lio came to Zero to Hero every morning for a gym owner’s duties - keeping track of the class schedules and feedback, checking in with the staff, taking detours around the gym to make sure everything was still in their place and under excellent conditions, doing personal training sections, and making sure someone was there in case of accidents or emergencies.

Just finishing a section with a client, Lio walked out of the training room, heading to the gym’s cafeteria at the opposite wing of the building. The shortest way to get there was to cross the big outdoor training ground, which was separated into zones served for different sports. Lio often found his walk enjoyable, as he got to watch people training to be their better selves while still managing to have some fun during the process. Sometimes, he got the sensation of healthy competition and released anger in the air, and that really was the icing on the cake. 

But, at some other times, things could get too intense or …confusing, just like the situation he was staring at right now. 

A guy was dangling from the basketball hoop, with no one else around, and the ball had already lay still at a corner of the court. Under the bright sunlight, Lio squinted his eyes to take a better look at the guy, whose face he actually found somewhat familiar. The other must be a recent regular of the gym, as Lio saw him around the outdoor area almost every time he walked past by. 

“What happened, dude?” He approached the dangling man, finally noticing the way the other’s metal hand stubbornly held the rim of the hoop. Lio blinked in mild amazement, as this was the very first time he had witnessed such a bizarre incident. It was somewhat funny as well, but Lio was nice enough not to let out any laugh before he asked.

“Do you need help with that? I can try to lift you off it, or maybe bring the pole down, if that doesn’t work.”

Slam Dunks

Open Starter

Jamison, despite being rather stuck to his computer and home, did spent quite a bit of energy working his body out. The demigod blamed it on the godly blood that kept him from being able to just sit still, and so, the gym had been one of his top 3 places to frequent, just behind his work and the local convenience store. So, as with every day, he was there to get rid of some of his extra energy so that he could focus on his programming. Plus, as much as he worked with metal, he needed the strength.

With the weather warming up, the demigod decided that he would play some basketball, even if he was alone. The aim of his metallic arm did quite help with his scores, and in some sense, he did feel that it was cheating. So, he changed his objective to slam dunks, a rare achievement of his. Yet, it only took a few chances before he finally slammed the ball into the hoop, and as he grabbed the metal rim on his descent, Jamison did not touch the ground. His metal had got stuck, unable to let go of the rim.

"Um..." Jamison grimaced as he dangled from the hoop. Even worst, he noticed someone in front of him now, staring right in his direction. "What up-- down?"

[lioxmp]

Karina watched Eirwen work, her expression tight as her eyes remained fixated on the dark oozing wound that was Lio's chest. She could only stare at him as he lapsed into unconsciousness, her expression going blank. Her eyes drifted towards the vial on Eirwen's hand, as if not understanding. "My venom--what?" She could only stare at the other woman, finally fully realizing that Eirwen was not just a baker of treats. How did she even come to that conclusion? Her surprise turned into confusion now as her hand grasped the vial. How was she supposed to without---? Karina frowned, even as her eyes drifted towards Lio. While unconscious he looked innocent, even if it seemed to Karina he was writhing in pain. "Fine," She muttered and took a deep breath as if bracing herself. She never shifted in front of others, especially her friends. The shifting had been traumatic enough, but any use of her powers still put her unconscious for hours. Seconds later, the svelte Russian heiress had disappeared and replaced with an Orlov Viper . The snake lifted her diamond head, tongue darting out to taste the air, before propping its head atop the open vial. A few beats later, the vial was filled with venom and its raised its head again, this time towards Eirwen and Lio. It bowed it's head almost tiredly, before slithering over and curling right next to the unconscious form of Lio.

“Yes, your venom, to save his life.” 

Eirwen looked straight at an incredulous Karina, clarifying the reason for her sudden demand of the other’s venom. Her voice and facial expression remained matter-of-fact, and only retracted her arm after Karina took the empty vial from her hand. Explanations could, and especially in this situation, should wait. 

While the Egyptian demigoddess seemed to be in a mental debate with herself, Eirwen methodically went through her satchel again, this time to take out a mini set of wooden pestle and mortar. She also placed down on the floor a sealed package of dried herbs, and another wooden box which was the larger version of the one containing the vials. Carefully sliding the lid open, she took out something that looked like a pomegranate, only in much smaller size, and glowing in a much brighter red.

Skilfully, as if she had done this way so many times before (she did), Eirwen emptied the dried herbs package into the mortar, placed the red-glowy fruit on top, grabbed the pestle, and started crushing and grinding the mixture. An odd smell soon permeated the room, not a stench, but could not be called a scent. If it had to be described, then it smelled like walking into a dense forest on the early days of summer, with a generous amount of moss and over-ripe apples added into it. 

Beside her, Lio remained lying still. His breath was as thin as the morning’s fog, as if he was steadily turning into a broken statue, and that urged Eirwen to speed up her work on the mixture. However, when she looked up again to see how the venom extraction was going on, Eirwen was transfixed. 

Karina was gone, only her clothes left on the floor, and there was an Orlov Viper next to the vial that was now filled with venom. She stared as the snake bowed its head, as if to signal her to take the vial, then made its way to curl up right next to Lio. Eirwen then realized that it was Karina in her full snake form, who transformed just so she could give her the venom. The Greek demigoddess had not been aware of that process, and so seeing how exhausted the snake-Karina was, a sense of guilt crept into her anti-emotional mind. 

But that did not last long, as Eirwen quickly resumed the potion making process. It only took a few more twists of the pestle, then she poured all the venom into the mixture, before continuing gently grinding for all the ingredients to blend well together. 

She turned to look at Lio again, just to be confirmed that he would not be able to drink the concoction. And so, getting back to her satchel for the third time, she took out a clean medical syringe, and filled it up with the mixture. Without hesitation, she sank the syringe’s needle on Lio’s chest, on a still intact area that was close to his heart, and injected the concoction in one go. 

It took one more injection to get the required amount of potion into Lio’s veins. Almost immediately, new wounds stopped appearing on his body. A few more minutes passed, the old cuts were gradually shrinking, while the smaller, less serious ones were already close to healing themselves completely. Lio was still unconscious and pale because of the blood loss, but he began to look less dead, and his chest could be seen moving up and down in gentle, even breathing. 

Eirwen let out a long, relieved sigh. 

“He’ll live,” she informed the snake-Karina with a calm smile, “but he still needs to be hospitalised once he’s up.”  

Then, as if remembering something, Eirwen reached for the vial box, opened another vial with a pinkish liquid inside, then placed it near the snake-Karina. 

“Here, take this if you can, it’ll help you to regain energy faster.”

venoms

[lioxmp]

[...] Her hands gingerly finished the act of cleansing his face to his arms from any grime or sweat that came from his match. A blank canvas to finally tend to some his cuts. Yue imagined even the surface level cuts hurt when they happen. "No need to thank me." She hums, taking a brush with a blob of ointment. She slowly spreads the medicine, fanning it with her other hand as she did so. "You both seemed like you had a lot of fun. Those types of fights are fun to watch. No matter how professional you are, there has to be passion. A clear desire to win, at least shown on your face." She muses warmly. He had her full attention, even if it didn't sound in her voice and nor in her gaze. "You will have to teach me one day, unless you are afraid I will beat you." Yue teased, snickering under her breath. While the smile was faint behind her veil, the mischief was evident in her gaze. Nodding her head at his question, she answered without hesitation. "Thank you. I learned that move at a young age. I spend many nights trying to nail it down." She explains contently. Tending to Lio was her chance to make a friend out of him, and she would not waste it. "The fight was nice. My opponent had a bit of anger problems tonight though. One or two of those hits will bruise rather ugly tomorrow. But, pain is a part of the fun, I suppose." While he had respectfully put distance between, Yue didn't allow him too much security, inching closer and closer as she worked to patch and paint his wounds with the medicine. She'd hate such a pretty face to be ruined by a fight here, even if a few scars added character. Nearly done with his face, her free hand moved to his chin, and she gently moved it around to ensure that she had not missed a single mark. "You are so wound up still." Her hand moved his head one last time so that she finally got to meet his gaze. "Relax. You don't have to be so polite around me. Let's be friends, not colleagues." With a content hum, she finally freed his face, letting her attention then turn to his arms, so she could give it similar assistance.

“Still, I’ve got a need to say thank you, for making the time to help me with this,” Lio insisted, as being grateful and expressing his thankfulness for genuine kindness had become a part of who he was. A slightest of wince fleeted across his face when the ointment first touched a cut, but the cool breezes made by Yingyue’s hand did help to ease the burn. When the first instinctive reaction past, Lio quick to regain control, keeping the muscles of his face still to make it easy for Yingyue to take care of the wounds.

“It’s no longer a legit fight if none of the parties involved have the desire to win, right? Though I admit, I tend to get carried away by that desire sometimes, and that’s when things aren’t as just fun,” he remarked. Lio kept smirk subtle and his words close to mumble, as he was refraining from making big movements on his cheeks and jaws, the two areas of his face that took the most damage. 

He was still looking at the ceiling while she made the suggestion, but Lio believed that his ears registered the mischievous note in her tone and snicker, and when he cast his eyes down to meet hers, that was quickly confirmed. “We can practice together when you are ready,” he affirmed, the light smile on his face and the stability in his voice implied his confidence. Lio would never refuse the chance to sharpen his combating skills, all the better if it was with a new practice partner, as he could always learn new things from them. Yingyue was a competent fighter, her skillset was rather different from his, and so Lio already had a growing anticipation for their practice sessions. 

A better part of his attention remained on Yingyue’s hand movements, as he had always got this urge to guard himself whenever someone or something came close to his face, no matter who or what it was. He knew well that the demigoddess meant well, and she was helping him, so Lio reminded himself to take a deep breath and try to loosen his tense muscles. One way to keep himself from being over-defensive was paying more notice to Yingyue’s story and holding a meaningful conversation with her. 

“That’s dope! Meanwhile I didn’t learn to punch properly until I was fourteen or so,” he chuckled lowly, still being careful not to make big moves with his face until Yingyue finished applying ointment to it. As she mentioned her aggressive opponent tonight, Lio let out an understanding hum. “I saw the way he threw his fists at you, definitely will leave some nasty marks, but I bet he took it much more than you did. You were smart to dodge his critical hits, while most of your attacks landed on his weak points. That was an exciting match, to say the least.”

Lio tried not to move further as she once again shortened the distance between them, taking it as a chance to learn how to relax and let himself be taken care of. He moved his head side to side as guided by her hand, his fingers stopped intertwined tightly to rest on his thighs, but his shoulders were stiff still, and his back kept being so straight it almost guaranteed uncomfortableness. 

So when Yingyue pointed that out Lio let out a silent chuckle. “Sorry, I’m still learning to relax, it’s not at all because of you though,” he explained, trying to relax his body a little bit more as her gaze suggested him to. 

While waiting for her to work on the cuts on his arms, Lio still had this need to engage in the conversation so that his mind and body would not tense up again. He made a question, feeling it easier to look at her face this time. “If you don’t mind me asking, what got you into martial arts and fighting in the first place?”

[lioxmp]

It was funny how once they passed those literally bloody tests to win a place in each other’s legit friend zone, Lio had run into Viggo much more often it began to be a running joke. Not that he had any complaints to make about that, as the phenomenon brought more joy and nice surprise to him than anything else. 

This time, it was a cranky Viggo with his pistol at the firing range. Among the common things they shared, besides their crime-bleak past, Lio liked the fact that Viggo also found the art of wielding bladed weapons more charming than the power of bullets. Finding Viggo with a gun outside the ‘battlefields’ was rather bizarre, but really, Lio could not be surprised by how well the other fired his shots. What truly triggered him into teasing Viggo was the pent-up anger loaded in his whole body language. 

“Bro, you look like you have not got into any chick’s bed for a decade,” Lio retorted, an understanding smirk sat proudly on his face, while he was reloading his pistol for the next shooting section. “And absolutely hate it.” 

He emphasized what he had observed by firing six shots, each hitting the head of the figure on the target. Lio then turned his head to look back at his friend, his voice got slightly more serious. 

“Just go track Iri down, dude. She’s still owing me a fucking sentinel dagger.”

❛ well, someone's cranky today. ❜

Viggo merely grunted, barely acknowledging Lio's greeting and comment as he took his place next to the Egyptian demigod at the firing range. He was not fond of guns but he trained with them religiously in order to stay in shape. He had finally found somebody on the island (not Irelia) that he could actually tolerate to spend time with. It helped that their backgrounds were similar he supposed.

He placed the muffs on his ears even as he loaded his pistol, still not acknowledging Lio's early comment. After a few shots, he side-eyed his friend. "And you look like you crawled out of some chick's bed." He shot another round of bullets at the target. "And loved it." He added with a smirk. Viggo saw no need to explain he was still pissed Irelia was keeping her ass out of Mount Phoenix, obviously tempting him to track her down.

[lioxmp]

A plethora of curses both in English and Russian escaped Karina's lips as she pulled the van into a tunnel, finally away from the main streets. The hand that was pressed against Lio's chest seemed to be cold, as he determined whatever got him it was cursed and was making its way to his blood. But instead of panicking, Karina fishes her phone from the pocket of her dark pants, one of her hands still grasping his chest as if she would keep the wound close. "It's me," She murmured as whoever was one the line had answered. "I need your help." She said the words sharply only to roll her eyes afterwards. "Yes, yes you can gloat about it afterwards, but only if you keep my friend alive. I will text you the address." She hangs up and places her phone back, turning back to Lio. Seeing his vision seemed to go unfocused, she brings a hand to cradle his cheek, squeezing not so gently. "You promised darling." She murmured, and while her voice was still calm there was a steely glint in her eyes, full of determination. "You are not about to make a mess of this van; it's a rental." She resumes driving after that and it was a miracle she managed to bring them back to the safe house, dragging Lio's much heavier body up the elevator and into the abandoned apartment they had used as base. "You're here," And there was a relief in her voice as she met the person's eyes. "Please, we don't have much time."

feature Eirwen @eirwenxmp

The last thing Lio remembered was Karina steering the wheel, and darkness came to gulp both the van and his vision. 

Probably the demigoddess had said something to him, but he could not quite catch it. Consciousness kept tapping on his chest, but whenever he forced his eyes to open, it slipped away. Shatters of images and sounds kept smashed up into a cacophony that confused his mind and rendered his senses numb. 

His body moved on its own, and by the time by the time Karina closed the apartment’s door behind them, Lio had already collapsed into another blackout. 

He could not feel it when Eirwen helped Karina drag his body to the old mattress in the middle of the room. The Greek demigoddess’ urgent first aid kit, a simple old wooden box filled with crystal vials, had already sat on the floor near the mattress, right next to her worn-out leather satchel. 

Karina did not have to explain for Eirwen to get a general grip on the situation at hand. In the cold white light coming from the single neon bulb in the room, she quickly pulled out a pair of small scissors from the satchel and cut Lio’s blood-soaked tee open. 

“Oh my hades…” Eirwen blurted out as she eyed the brutal gashes across Lio’s chest, tar black and as deep as the hatred of the one who put it on him. If it was performed on a human, the chance of survival was absolute zero.    

Eirwen then grabbed the wooden box, took out a vial filled with transparent liquid, and poured all of the content onto the gash. Lio was too deep in unconsciousness to react, but the wound did, stopping spreading almost immediately, and blood started to cease from oozing out. But it was barely enough, for new cuts continued to appear, determined to draw the last drop of blood out of his body. His breath was now as light as a feather, his face pale like the dead. 

“Karina, quick,” Eirwen turned to the other demigoddess, handing the now empty vial to her with a concise request. “Give me your venom, half of this vial will do.” 

venoms

[lioxmp]

[...] A pleased smirk remained on her lips. "I am glad you enjoyed the view. I hope your eyes stayed on me." She teases lightly. Yingyue had no sense of professionalism, nor did she care to hide behind formalities. It was something she hoped he did not mind. Though, she expected he was still dealing with some of the pain and exhaustion that came after a good fight. It was a worthwhile pain. When he agreed, she did not care to hide her excitement. Through, the veil did most of the work for her. However, her eyes gleamed in excitement, pleased to be accepted. She would not have taken no easily, and this saved her any more effort to try to convince the demigod. So, when he finally lessened their distance, she gingerly lifted herself off the counter and softly onto the floor before him. "I'm more than aware of what I am required to do. And, do not think I am truly doing this because you won. Even you had lost tonight, I would have still been in your room." Forward, she had no reason to hide her intentions tonight. "Are you pleased with your performance? You looked like you had fun." Yingyue turned around for a moment to grab the lightly damp cloth that had sat on her medkit. She moved to stand before him. Her hand gently moved below his chin, tilting it upward so that she could dab away the sweat for him brow, cheeks, and neck, hoping the cold could help relax him from the heat of his battle.

“You’ve got style, it’s actually difficult not to watch your fights,” Lio responded with a soft smile, his words were light-hearted, not lacking honesty. 

He had chances to observe Yingyue and learn about her formality-free way of doing things. While it seemed to be a major conflict with his at times over-polite manner, Lio did not find it much of an issue for communication between them. Unlike being rigid with his courtesy as before, Lio had been learning to be more relaxed and flexible, giving others space to be more like themselves around him while not over-compromising to the point of his discomfort. 

There was no way he could miss the gleam of excitement in Yingyue’s eyes, and that made his smile grow slightly wider. The demigoddess could appear to be a mysterious, formidable force in the fighting pit, but times like these reminded Lio that she could be pretty lovely in her own way. 

What she said next brought a mild surprise to his face, as he genuinely did not figure out why and how he had earned such attention from her. “...Thank you,” was what he could respond to her statement. While he was confident in his skillset, Lio self-evaluated that he was not the most outstanding fighter, and he was even not an official fighter of The Pits. Maybe it came from the camaraderie she felt and he was about to; Lio decided not to dwell too deep into it for now. 

Her next question came at the right time to save Lio from his newly found awkwardness. “I had a blast indeed! The other guy’s really got game, I won by a nose, really,” he answered with a joyful smile, the adrenaline and taste of victory still very much alive in his eyes and voice tone. 

His eyes could not help following her movements, from moving herself off the couch to the ground, reaching for the dampened cloth in the kit behind her, to standing in front of him, reaching out to touch his face. At first, his defending instinct and respect for women urged him to lean backwards, putting half an inch more into the distance between them. His head was lifted high, his eyes kept shifting from hers to the ceiling and back, never wandering any further past the rim of the veil across her face. 

The soothing coolness of the cloth on his face did have his tense muscles start to loosen up, even though his back was still straight right up and his bruised fingers remained linked together on his lap. Not wanting the silence to make the atmosphere even more awkward, he asked her a similar question about her fight, not forgetting to insert an honest compliment.  

“Did you enjoy your fight tonight? That move you did that ended the fight, it was really cool.” 

[lioxmp]

&. 𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐚𝐥𝐬 (𝐭𝐨 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬?) 𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬.

(  various  dialogue  prompts  to  send  to  your  worst  enemy  (affectionate).  feel  free  to  change  how  you  seem  fit.  )

❛ oh great, it's you again. ❜

❛ you? kill me? that's funny. ❜

❛ for being someone you hate, i'm sure on your mind a lot. ❜

❛ you're the last person i wanted to see, actually. ❜

❛ do us both a favor. stay away from me. ❜

❛ you really are an asshole, you know that? ❜

❛ i'm the asshole? what does that make you then? ❜

❛ sometimes i think you must hate me. ❜

❛ i thought you said you never wanted to see me again. ❜

❛ if you want me to go, then you have to tell me to leave. ❜

❛ well, someone's cranky today. ❜

❛ well, someone needs to shut the fuck up. ❜

❛ just stay out of my way. ❜

❛ of all the idiots in the world, i'm stuck with you. ❜

❛ what is it you want this time? ❜

❛ sometimes i wonder if you're in love with me. ❜

❛ do you honestly think this is easy for me? ❜

❛ why would i ever want to be friends with you? ❜

❛ can we please just talk? ❜

❛ there is nothing for us to talk about. ❜

❛ you can yell at me later. just let me help you. ❜

❛ touch me, and you're dead. ❜

❛ oh, so now you care? ❜

❛ there is something deeply wrong with you. ❜

❛ i know i'm the last person you probably want to see, but... ❜

❛ you don't think we could be friends, do you? ❜

❛ i'm tired of fighting against you. ❜

❛ don't pretend you give a shit about me. ❜

❛ you're an idiot, but... i trust you. ❜

❛ oh, don't be cute. ❜

❛ wait, did you just say that i'm cute? ❜

❛ we're not good for each other. ❜

❛ if i say yes, will you shut up? ❜

❛ don't you have to be stupid somewhere else? ❜

❛ maybe we should kiss just to break the tension. ❜

❛ i'm sorry i can't turn off my feelings as easily as you. ❜

❛ maybe there's a universe out there where we're friends. ❜

❛ how can you be so smart yet so dumb at the same time? ❜

❛ don't think this changes anything between us. ❜

❛ you look ridiculous in that outfit, by the way. ❜

❛ if you die, i'll kill you. ❜

❛ is that a challenge? ❜

❛ ah, so you're not heartless after all. ❜

❛ i don't think i've ever seen you smile. ❜

❛ you never cared about me, so why now? ❜

❛ why didn't you kill me when you had the chance? ❜

❛ i don't even remember why we started fighting. ❜

❛ i don't have time for distractions right now. ❜

❛ you're not as bad as everyone says you are. ❜

❛ enemies make the best lovers, you know. ❜

[lioxmp]

231231 sannie ᨒ mbc gayo daejejeon fairy

[lioxmp]

IT's You SAN, ATEEZ (2024)

[lioxmp]

Lio left a light tap on his opponent's shoulder while they were leaving the ring side-by-side, a silent thank to the other demigod for the good fight.

While he was not officially one of the fighters of The Pits, Lio had frequented the place enough for most to be convinced that he was a regular. Besides participating in fights, he often sat among the excited crowd, cheering for other fighters, and at the same time studying their styles. He had picked some favourites among those he got the chance to watch, including Yingyue, the masked demigoddess who was sitting in his assigned waiting room, a medic kit resting beside her on the counter. 

“Thank you so much, you did wonderfully tonight as well,” he responded to her congratulations with a feline-like smile, barely registering the fact that he got fresh open cuts scattering along his arms and biceps. While some fighters were experts in free-hand battles, Lio favoured the use of weapons, swords in particular, in his performances. His opponent for tonight was also a skilful sword wielder; Lio was actually happy that he had not won the fight unmarred. 

“Oh?” His eyebrows arched up in mild surprise as Yingyue voiced her intention to help tend his wounds. For a long time, long before he started the habit of fighting at The Pits, Lio had gotten used to taking care of his own injuries. He found it more efficient than relying on someone else’s help, unless the situation went out of his control, which might happen once in a blue moon. Besides, no fighters at The Pits had offered to give him a hand with that, probably because he often got out of the scene before anyone could say anything other than congratulating his victory. 

He did not have a solid reason to reject the demigoddess’ suggestion, nor did he have the heart to dim the thrill in her voice. Probably Yingyue did not know, but he had watched most of her performances since she joined The Pits, including the one tonight, and liked all of them. They had never talked except for occasional greetings and congratulations, as Lio did not want to appear as a botherer to her. 

After a moment of silence, Lio nodded, keeping his composure despite the odd shyness threatening to dominate his face. “Alright,” he pulled a chair nearby closer to where she was sitting and took a seat on it, keeping a decent distance between them out of courtesy and his respect for her. Still with a polite smile, he added. “You know you don’t have to do this, but thank you, I really appreciate your help.”

Cleaning Wounds

@lioxmp

Yingyue had finished her match, and knowing that Lio was performing right after her, the demigoddess had grabbed herself a seat right afterwards. She had won her fight, and she left it rather bruised up. However, seeing no blood, she was fine.

Still dressed up in her fighting attire, Yingyue had only raised a few excited stares as she took her seat, but she was quick to ignore them, focused on the fight that was set to unfold before her. It was exhilarating to do so, staring at the back and forth between the two fighters. She had hedged her bets on Lio, and as her intuition aimed, she had been right.

As they celebrated his win, the demigoddess took off quietly to the locker room, specifically seeking out Lio's room. The demigoddess had no shame, and having grabbed a medic kit on the way in, she found an excuse to be able to talk to one of her favored fighters. So plopping onto one of the nearby counters, the demigoddess waited so patiently for him.

When he arrived, her smile lit up her face, creating the smallest indention through her veil. "Congrats on your win, tonight." She spoke in thrilled tone. "Let me treat your cuts. It is the least I can do for the champion."

[lioxmp]

How could a blade help to heal a wound? Especially when that was the wound the blade had created itself? 

No idea, Lio had no idea. He used to be a rusty dagger, leaving sloppy gashes and clumsy stabs on his path to insanity. Back then, the end looked like a great exit, the underworld a salvation. Now that he was a polished sword, leaving rust and nightmares behind on his way back from the end, he still had no idea how to heal a wound. Especially the one he had left on Invidia. 

But Invidia was trying, and so he was trying. A blade may not be able to heal wounds, but at least, it could try not to make a new one. 

“It’s nothing, I’ll take you there then.”  

There, where? Invidia seemed to forget to tell him his next destination, and Lio definitely forgot to ask. 

He waited for Invidia to pay for his choice of sweets, then he for his. When they came back out, Lio opened the passenger side door, letting Invidia escape from the gripping cold before he did. It was warm in the car, probably slightly warmer than it was necessary, for it turned out that Lio was not well-designed for such a chilling winter. 

“Don’t forget your seat belt, please. The streets may be slippery.” 

That reminder came out like a reflex, like a remaining habit that the week-long trip to Duat did not take from him. The utterance came out so naturally Lio almost did not register its existence, but his eyes still travelled to Invidia’s chest just to be sure that the belt was fastened. 

He then put his own seat belt on, started the engine, and let the car take the first left turn, heading to the coffee shop that he had initially planned to go to. Very quickly, Lio realized that it was the same place where Invidia and he had that conversation. That devastating one. And he had yet to ask Invidia where he wanted to go to. 

Shit.   

“So, uhm, sorry,” he cleared his throat lightly, buying a few seconds to calm down whatever the feeling that was rising inside his stomach. He then resumed talking, the voice that came out surprisingly calm even to himself.  

“I should have asked you first, where do you want me to drop you off?” He turned his head aside to seek Invidia’s eyes for a moment, before having his get back to focus on the street ahead of them. They were just another turn away from the coffee shop, he realized. Lio was not sure if Invidia could guess it, but the hesitation in his words may give out a significant clue.

“I’m gonna get a coffee at… uh, that cafe. I can take you to where you want to go first then get back later, if you want.”

Say Yes to Healing ft. Lio

Does time really heal all wounds?

Continued from here with @lioxmp

♮

    He hadn’t said yes.

      Invidia had simply looked at him for a long time when the car had rolled up beside him on the sidewalk. The snow had been falling around him in little reminders of the changes that the season would bring to land in the slowly growing blanket of white all around the city. Each of them had potential in their design for something different and Invidia liked that about them— they weren’t confined to some greater scheme, not even when they touched down on him and melted down to nothing. They chose their uniqueness and if they couldn’t keep it…

….. they simply disappeared.

     To be marveling at them then find a face that was stuck in a memory was as sharp as seeing red in the snow.

   He hadn’t said yes.

    Invidia had simply lowered his eyes after he was asked if Lio could drive him to where he was going. He was already out. He was already lost. Invidia had simply stepped away from the path and then into the warmth of the car- he had for the moment chosen to just disappear.

     Two things were crystal clear as they stood in the warmth of the bakery; 1.) that they both knew how awkward this was for both of them but were trying and 2.) that they were both liars in the moment. Invidia knew that Lio didn’t need to go to the bakery in the first place. Did he even like gingerbread? The sinner toils this in his mind as they move along with the line, the displays of sweet treats in front of him, the present nearness of Lio behind him. Invidia is also quietly sure that Lio knows he was never ever going to the bakery himself.

    It was winter and snowfall had always been something that Invidia had found beautiful and much like last winter, he had run out into the snow in those same red mittens and red scarf. He had always been running fully into what he thought was beautiful and caught again, the sinner had randomly named someplace he did go often enough for it to seem okay. For it to seem not too far to have been walking alone to.

     For it to seem like he didn’t need anyone to be there while he let himself get lost.

    Dark lashes down toward the floor Invidia moves along, trapped in his thoughts for a moment. Is he the only one that’s thinking this is like the last time they came here a little? The only difference then was that there was less of an ocean of unspoken turmoil between them. Then Lio would rest his head on Invidia’s shoulder as they looked over sweets. Then Invidia would say he’d eat every one of them beyond the case, but would only ever get something small with his coffee. He feels silly right now. He’s stuck in his head about things that probably don’t even matter to the other person involved and all because he hadn’t said yes- but he had also not refused.

    Lio speaks to ask him something and Invidia startles slightly before he breathes out. Calming a little, he looks behind him and slightly up at Lio. He looks the same as he always had but Invidia knows they’re both different. “Hm?”

   It processes and he speaks again, “Oh, it’s…” Fine. I don’t need a ride. I don’t have any plans. I’m meeting a friend. Sorry, I can’t. No, thank you. No.

   He looks forward again. He doesn’t say no- maybe it’s okay.

     “That ..would be really nice, thank you.”

     He’d said yes.

[lioxmp]

"Well, doesn't people mourn for their friends ?" That was a question he didn't know or would understand. He never had any friend, he wasn't even sure that he could consider Keonhee like one. Human relationships were still very confusing for him, his lack of social clues hadn't gone unnoticed since his arrival in Mount Phoenix. "Whatever" he shrugged. Nephie liked to think that, in other circumstances, Lio and him could have find a nice, common ground. Maybe not a friendship but, at least, a polite connection. It was too late for that though. "Don't worry, I won't disappoint you. I usually keep my promises." The son of Anubis' sharp eyes didn't leave Lio as he examined the canopy jar, making sure that he wouldn't break it and destroy the precious treasure it held. The other man was surprisingly careful though his eyes remained free of emotions. Nephi couldn't help but to smell the blood's scent escaping the jar. It brought back many memories to him. He could still hear Ammon's screams and feel the warm sensation of the late man's heart beating in his hand. Soft and warm, like a little bird finally free from its cage. That's for me to know he answered, a grin on his lips. Hearts made his spells powerful, the perfect ingredients for his sorcely. There was  dark magic all over his apartment, protecting his precious collection from curious or greedy hands. It remained invisible to other demigods, a barrier that only him could allow them to break.  "It isn't. Not to me at least." He waited for Lio to give him back the canopy jar, his eyes just slightly narrowind at the change in the air. He became even more alert than he already was, shifting to stand between Lio and his hearts. "Only you and I know about them. So if anything happens, I'll know where to look" Nephi added, a clear warning in his tone.

“Not all types of friends,” Lio stated with a relaxed half-smile, a conclusion he had drawn since the early years of his adolescence. He used to be sensitive, if not sentimental, and perhaps a part of his still was, but he no longer had free tears to shed. After all, Ammon had been an ally more than a friend. The man’s murder brought minor disruption to Lio’s business, and that was probably the biggest reason behind his desire for revenge. 

Fortunately, Nephi had accidentally redeemed himself by taking out one of Lio’s enemies, all free of charge. What they could do now, Lio believed, was to see if one of them ever did something to tip the scales. 

The son of Sekhmet instinctively took a deep breath after handing the canopy jar back to its owner. Years of living and intense practice with the gods on this island visibly paid off, for he was much calmer in the tempting view of blood, his lunatic killing instinct asleep still. 

A small stretch of silence fell upon the room after Nephi’s threat-explanation. In that short-loved quietness, Lio realized that what Nephi got deeply into would be among the last crimes he wanted to see himself commit. An eerie sensation crept upon his spine, like when you were faced with the manifestation of the self you were striving not to become. 

The night fell into Lio’s eyes. He was not threatened, yet the urge to get out of there to prevent a reckless crime scene from being made was aching. 

“Thanks for the impressive hour tour. It’s time for me to get back to my night walk,” he stated, polite smile on the otherwise emotionless face adding an icy touch to his voice tone. “Show me the way out, can you?”

[lioxmp]

[...] "If you die on me," Karina muttered in reply to Lio's pronouncement. She abruptly steered the wheel down the dark streets. "I will not go to the Duat and bargain your soul from Osiris." She had been brushing up on Egyptian mythology given it was part of her heritage. Reaching across the gear shift, Karina pressed her hand unto his wound, hissing at the feel of black tar and blood coat her fingers. "This is what you get for oggling my ass instead of doing your job, zolottse." The barb that was usually there in her voice giving way to the concern she was trying hard not to show. They need to get off the street. "No hospital?" She turned to Lio again, her lips forming a firm line at the sight of him.

Lio chuckled at Karina’s seemingly threat, just to realize that it was probably a terrible idea. If hell was a feeling, then what the laughing motion had just brought to his chest would be it. 

He could not help but wince at the stabbing pain, striving to keep his breaths as shallow as possible to mitigate the risk of provoking the wound. Lio allowed his mind to wander back to Duat, to that one time he ventured into the Egyptian underworld with the tremendous help of a son of Dagda. It was an extremely dangerous situation, he admitted, but time had proved that it was all worth it.

He then glanced at Karina once again, wishing that he could utter a proper compliment to her skills and killer-like composure, even though both of them knew she might not appreciate it. He also wished she knew that if there was a way to turn back time, he would still ask her to be his partner for the hunt.   

Lio’s make-do methods to cope with the painful crisis worked for a while. But, soon, it started to feel like the searing burn was coming from inside his bone and no longer from the bleedy gash. A few moments ago, he had been in doubt, but now it was evident that the wound was not just a mere deep cut. 

Lio groaned loudly through his gritted teeth as Karina’s hand pressed upon the bloody mess in front of his chest. A curse and a good banter should have followed if his breath had not been spent on helping to calm the pain down, which was almost in vain. 

Steadily, the constantly changing view in front of his eyes merged into a colourful dancing blur. By the time Lio mustered enough strength to form an intelligible answer to Karina’s question, his face was deadly pale, and his black T-shirt had soaked in blood and sweat. Even the seat he was sitting on started to feel sticky. The biggest gash on his chest had stopped expanding, but new ones were gradually appearing across his arms and thighs. Whatever the spell the attacker had put on him, it was attempting to guarantee his death.    

“No use, it’s a curse,” Lio breathed heavily through the pain, squeezing his eyes shut. He was not giving up. It only took much more effort to think of a way to save himself, while his body was vehemently fighting against the new wave of agony. With his head resting helplessly against the passenger seat’s back, Lio half joked, half stated.

“Damn, I need magic.” 

venoms