ulysseswoodland-blog

[ulysseswoodland-blog]

nico--daimen‌:

“Aw, now that’s just hurtful. I have worked hard for many years now to perfect my annoying sense of personality.” Nico said with mock offense. “Uh, you okay?” He checked. It would be a bit embarrassing if she choked to death right in front of him.

“Please do. Ask him for the Les Amis drink discount too, he has a special one just for us.” Nico lied easily. Maybe if he spread that around, it would actually happen. Or Jack would just get more stubborn about it.

“Y-Yea.” Athena stutters, inwardly laughing at herself. Realizing just how stupid she must sound to someone who couldn’t see her goofy smirk, she shook her head and clasped both hands around the comfortingly warm mug of coffee.

At the mention of a drink discount, Athena’s eyes narrowed. Sceptical. “Uhhuh. Should I be wearing a face-shield when I ask about that?” She inquired idly, that grin still in place.

[ulysseswoodland-blog]

jltdn‌:

Juliet wasn’t exactly sure when her second home had become Jack’s bar but it seemed to offer up a sense of comfort that she needed whenever Nico was too busy. She tried her best to be sure that she was never there during the same times that Jack was or rather at least keep that time limited. Most of the time she wasn’t drinking, or at least no alcohol, but she tried to at least look busy. Rather that was with an actual drink or some other way she was usually quite gifted at knowing how to appear she had a reason to be there.

She had noticed a new presence in the bar that wasn’t one that she had known and she was accustomed to the few regulars that Jack had. She knew though that he made the hairs on the back of her neck rise in a way that she didn’t like. She heard his comment though as she was walking past him to see the bartender. Juliet didn’t bother holding back on her scoff as she leaned against the bar. “Yeah that’s going to be a no go, darling. You will have to get your own drink, but I don’t recommend the beer.”

A smile was creeping onto James’ face unbidden as the voice scorned his simple request, those famous Connolly blues turning to regard the new, blonde arrival. It was, of course, not the first time he’d been turned down... but though he’d never admit it, that rarely happened. His passive power only influenced people, it certainly didn’t force them to do anything. That said, if this new girl was able to so bluntly deny him, she clearly felt very strongly for her opinion. She obviously hated assholes.

We’re going to get along just fine.

James’ entire intention for the evening shift as he swivelled to face the beauty, hip leaning against the aged wood of the bar as toned arms fold over his chest. His self-proclaimed smolder was paired with a faint smile as he bowed his head, silently apologizing for his rudeness as if embarrassed. Far from it. “I am truly sorry for my rudeness.” And that it didn’t work. His head straightened, “Lass as good looking as you, fetching people’s drinks must be far beneath you.” At least that was honest. The woman was gorgeous. His pulse quickened, smile widening.

[ulysseswoodland-blog]

[Text Message] Athena: Hill St. Bar - 13 on Le’Shert Plaza

[Text Message] Athena: Bring your singin’ voice!

athenamarrow‌:

“I don’t give out my number a lot… not a huge amount of opportunities to.” She mused with a level expression, mind wandering to the most recent experience she’d had with giving out her number: a gentleman at the club who’d turned out to be married. Eww. Athena shuddered at the thought, taking back the phone. She tapped out a quick text to the number - the first thing that came to mind - before pocketing the phone; never one to be rude and text while face to face with someone.

Athena sipped her coffee again, studying the woman for a long few moments before smiling in a friendly fashion. She pushed off the counter absentmindedly, dusting herself off before setting the now empty coffee cup by the sink. “I’ll text you Jormund’s details - you can call him later if you want. If not, I’ll be at the local bar most of the afternoon for a gig.”

With that, Athena yawned widely, a hand covering her mouth before she moved to depart the kitchen. “See you ‘round, cupcake.” She called over her shoulder, a grin on her lips. “Cupcake? Where?” Metaphor, Fen. Metaphor.

Athena seemed ready to head somewhere, Addie could tell. Her energy shifted from it’s usual misty pink to a deeper maroon. She nodded as she confirmed that she would send over her troupe leader’s details. “Yeah…thank you…text me where? I’ll come support!” She was calling across the kitchen now, pulling her mug to her lips once she was done speaking. In all her time at the house, she had made friends but not friends, not really. Athena was beginning to be the closest thing she had to a best friend in Paris. Sure, she had some people from back home but Facebook messenger could only keep you so connected.

Addie flipped her phone out of her pocket when it buzzed and saw a number she didn’t recognize on her home screen. After entering in her passcode, she saw it was Athena, obviously. 

[Text message: To Athena] Where are you performing later?! I need to get out of this house!

[ulysseswoodland-blog]

Alex had an interesting way of speaking in riddles. A symptom, she suspected, of a busy mind crowded by things best left unsaid. She’d met a few telepaths in her time, each one more eccentric than the last. She couldn’t exactly blame them, her own mind was busy enough without the incessant intrusion of other people’s thoughts filtering through like a busy highway. She had no clue how he even maintained a semblance of sanity. “Jagged edges can be better smoothed by softer words and warmer hearts sharing space.” She replies smoothly, that wilting smile appearing briefly on her lips before she ducks her head bashfully as if to avoid his gaze, one that never came. All those years writing song lyrics had finally become useful, it would seem.

When he stood up sharply, those cold blue eyes swivelling around to lock with hers, she felt as if her spine had turned to ice. Lips parting to make way for words that didn’t come, she found herself transfixed by that smothering look. He’d been avoiding her eyes for so long, now that she finally met them she felt as if she were a deer stuck in headlights. “I...” Oh. If he could hear her thoughts, of course he could hear her conversations with Fenrir. Maybe he thought her crazy? Somehow she doubted the insanity explanation would work with him.

“I have an imaginary friend...?” She said softly, the words sounding blatantly untrue even to her own ears.

“’Friend’ is a bit of a exaggeration.” growled Fenrir, though Athena was dimly aware his voice was a touch louder than it had been before. The wolf knew his presence was evident and thus did not hide his voice anymore. Athena felt her body sag like a water-balloon with a hole leaking water. He would go running, now. He would think her mad, think her darkin madder still. She supposed it was a blessing that Fenrir hadn’t materialised in full, still simply darkening her shadow rather than fully taking form. 

Just when I was hoping to make a new friend.

Athena lifted her eyes to meet Alex’s own, waiting for the imminent expression of terror that always followed to revelation of her true nature.

Athena liked to keep track of newcomers to the house… partly out of curiosity and boredom, but also because of the healthy heaping of paranoia that seeped into her from her constant traveling companion. She’d seen the messy brown-haired boy when he’d arrived and hadn’t thought twice about him, until she’d met him earlier that day in the kitchen. Day after day she awoke to some new development, some new flowers here, concrete removed there. After two months, it was a beautiful arrangement that she had - more than once - sat among to read a book or play music.

That day was one such day. Guitar strung over her back, Athena walked with hands in her pockets out to the garden, lost in her own thoughts until that voice cut through her reverie. She withdrew from her step almost too quickly, resulting in a rather ungraceful stumbled-pirouette that would have made any ballerina retch. “Sorry. I didn’t see.” She apologized softly, as she looked down at Alex. “Didn’t think you’d already be here and working away.”

“Alex.” Growled Fenrir in her ear, barely audible even to her, ever one to state the obvious. The wolf could scare her shitless at times, but at least it had good memory. That said, it wasn’t like she could forget the name of the mind-reader… she was already working to avoid thinking about Fenrir as she stood there, studying him. No need to scare him off.

“The garden looks beautiful… You sure I should help? I might goof it up.” Please say no. I have measly stick arms. She thought balefully. Shooting him a rare smile. She offered a wry gesture at her guitar, “Maybe I could uh… just provide you some ambient working music.”

“But your music is terri-” Shush.

It had taken Alex less time than expected to finish his coffee, change into day clothes, and make it out to the garden. He saw no reason to wait once he was there, so he had gone straight to work and had already made decent progress by the time he was joined. He didn’t bother to look back, only set into place the next piece of slate along the rough pathway he had planned out. He picked out another one and tested it in different positions to decide where exactly he wanted it to go. “Apologies are unnecessary.” He said, still not looking over his shoulder at her. He didn’t have to; he knew who it was. Even if he didn’t recognized the darker mist with heavy blue seeping along the ground at her presence, he would know the sound of her voice after their recent conversation. 

“No reason to put off things which are waiting. Work is preferable to idleness; movement of the hands and pushing the muscles fights away jagged edges that make places for demons and darkness.” Really, Alex tended to reach a point with people when they knew what he was that he stopped trying to act normal. She might not understand him, but it was rare that people did catch everything he said anyway. He was used to being not understood, even before people had struggled with it. With a clear mind and articulate thoughts, he still hadn’t been able to express himself in a way that people could understand. 

He set the slate in his hands aside, pushing up and looking at her. This was going to bother him too much if he didn’t address it finally. “Who are you talking to?” He asked, disregarding her questions. He just wanted it to be acknowledged that there was a third party in all of this, otherwise it would continue to itch at him, like a whisper he couldn’t catch behind his ear. 

[ulysseswoodland-blog]

alexander-anders‌:

Alex shifted his eyes away, long fingers wrapping around his mug. He would give anything to have the floor open up and swallow him whole, take him out of this moment. It wasn’t like he wasn’t used to people sizing him up, this was routine for him. She would eventually either get annoyed and decide to leave, or give up on trying to understand him. His fingers tapped now. He wanted to tell her that he wouldn’t go digging; he of all people knew what darkness a mind could hide, and how some secrets were not made to be shared. But if she bought something to the front of his mind, he could not stop himself from hearing. This had made him very good at keeping secrets, as he walked around carrying so many of them. 

Eyes flicked back up to her. She was not speaking, very specifically. It was a test, and he couldn’t decide what answer would be a passing one. He took his time to answer, thinking through words and trying to choose his own instead of the loose ones which floated around his head. “Have to change first. Ten minutes.” There wasn’t much point in acting like he wasn’t a telepath, once it was known. He wasn’t exactly very good at hiding it. 

He still knew that there was something off. She was working so hard to guard something, not think of something. She was colored with sparks of grey with the effort of it, turning her a misty shade of blue. Walls always showed up as grey, which meant there was no mistaking how much she was trying to keep him away from something. 

Athena’s lips quirked into a grin as he replied despite her only thinking the words. She assumed she had beaten him in a game of mental chess, when in reality he was merely giving up a fact he figured she already knew. The realization brought to mind a plethora of worries and questions that Athena made a concerted effort not to think of in that moment - she could debate them to wits end later, when he wasn’t seeming so nervous. The last thing she wanted was for Alex to think her scared or disgusted. In truth, her mind was a bundle of curiosities that she doubted anyone reading her mind would understand regardless. Only a few memories were never meant to see the light of another person’s understanding... but those remained tucked carefully away, never thought of, never remembered.

“He knows. He’s a reader.” Growled Fenrir, ever one to state the obvious from his place within her shadow. That rasping voice sounding mere inches from her own ear, barely a whisper so as to not be audible to the people she was talking to. She had to resist the urge to respond, lest Alex think he was talking to her... but what if he ever heard her respond to Fenrir in the future? He’d likely think her mad, maintaining a conversation with herself. Crap. It was an incredibly difficult exercise to not think about something... the mere effort of trying often brought it front and center to the mind. She thought of David Hasselhoff in a speedo, perforating her conscious mind with that nauseating image. Eww. Bad idea.

“I’m not scared of you.” She says honestly, forcing her focus back to the present as she watches him. She thoroughly disliked seeing people uneasy around her, though admittedly she was glad it likely wasn’t for the reason most people got uneasy around her. Fenrir was good at hiding, but he occasionally slipped up. She had lost many a friend that way.

“I’ll see you in the garden in ten, then.” She says brightly, finishing her cup of coffee as she walked past him, giving him a friendly touch on the shoulder as she did so. In the meantime, she bustled off towards her room to bundle up her day-clothes and guitar, preparing for her journey to the garden and a new friend that waited there... hopefully.

[ulysseswoodland-blog]

nico--daimen‌:

“What the fuck is a boy-look? Nico grumbled, fumbling to catch the canister when it hit his chest. “Why do people throw things that I obviously can’t catch?” He muttered, half to himself as he turned to start making the coffee, routine worn into his mind so that he hardly had to think about what his hands were doing. “You can only have a cup because I’m making a pot anyways.”

Uly’s eyebrow quirked. Apparently, she hadn’t been missing out on much by not talking to the reclusive gentleman... until she noticed his distant look. Crap. He’s blind. Uly exhaled softly, shaking her head before padding over to hop on the counter and sit beside him. “I didn’t realize, Nico. I’m sorry.” She said sincerely, trying to let it show in her voice as she watched him prepare the coffee.

Athena fumbled in the silence for a moment, trying to think of something to fill the grouchy silence instilled by Nico before she simply exhaled. “Thanks for uh... making the coffee.” She said idly, intertwining her fingers in between her knees. “Pain in the ass when people move the coffee, eh?” 

In that moment, she vowed never to move the coffee ever again.

Oops.

[ulysseswoodland-blog]

indxgoes‌:

Good help was never hard to find, but training them took patience.  Indigo didn’t have issue an verbal warning - his eyes flashed a quick expression at the original guide and that was enough.  With the constantly changing work at the hands of GFP, there was no need to waste his breath.  Since the usurpation of power in GFP, Indigo had changed the standard of the company - people would rise to the exception so long as they were attainable.  However, it seemed he needed to spend time to perfect the protocol for tours at their facility.

Indigo never favored the idea of tours in the laboratories.  They were places meant for research, for work.  Though he had a heavy hand, he was not irrational enough to ignore the majority vote.  Though, as it stands, he would need to have a word with their tour department on the standards of the tours given.  Currently, he wasn’t impressed.

Indigo nodded at the woman’s greeting.  Indigo looked over to the tour guide once more before he looked back as her question came out.  As Indigo had never been one to subject himself to unscheduled social interactions (he’d left that up to his younger siblings), he took a moment to decide on how he should answer.  On one hand, he had research he wanted to cross check with his own personal accords but on the other, something about this woman wasn’t simply just the appearance she was portraying.  Suspicions were risen, but Indigo maintained the calm, collected exterior he always did.

“I don’t think there’s much left of your tour,” Indigo started off.  He nodded and said, “But I would be happy to answer any questions that you have.”  There were different roles to play, especially as the Director.  GFP hadn’t always held the lighter role that he helped them acquire.  "So long as you don’t ask about the dungeon in the basement,“ he said so flatly that it almost sounded believable.  Except, it was.

As expected of a corporation that specialized in all things beyond human, there were secrets hidden beneath the surface.  The organization toed a fine line - with the wrong thing said, done or recorded, they could be just as hated as S.H.O.T.  Luckily, most people know them specifically for caring for beings beyond the common man.  It made the materials and people that Indigo needed for his research much more available.

"But I do hope you have questions that I can answer,” Indigo said.  "The last person who asked something I couldn’t answer is now part of that basement.“  His words came out dryly;  his humor was never something most people understood.

Uly found a smile creeping onto her lips at the joke regarding the basement, however she restrained an outright laugh. He was already no doubt pinning her as some overzealous university student looking to earn brownie points, no need to reinforce that opinion by giggling like a school girl at the slightest hint of humor. “Damn... that was the only question I really wanted answered.” She replied with an equally stoic tone. She could match humor until the end of time, sarcastic and deadpan remarks were her forte.

Uly studied the man a long few moments more before it finally clicked, China. That was where she knew him from.

Uly had spent years in China recently for a variety of reasons. It had been her late partner’s favorite country, so she’d been paying homage to that... but it had also been the location for a number of mutant vanishings and she’d felt she owed it to them to look into it. She’d found nothing and that had culminated to be one of her biggest regrets. She often lied to herself, mused that perhaps they’d merely run away. Deep down, she knew that lie for what it was and hated herself for trying to cover it up.

Staring into Indigo’s eyes, those memories came flooding back and Uly felt them come like a physical blow to her chest. Her gaze dropped. “Why did you relocate from China?” She inquired honestly, forcing the conversation and focus away from herself as her arms fold over her chest. “It must have been quite a big move.”

Crap.

Why would an overzealous college student know that this particular director had spent time in China? Stupid, Uly. You’re better than that. One of the biggest challenges to being immortal was remembering what you should and shouldn’t be able to remember at your current age. For example, if she spouted that Napoleon Bonaparte wasn’t actually short when she’d met him people would look at her strangely. Nothing to be done about it now. She forced her gaze back to Indigo’s cool blue iris’, offering a placating smile. Maybe he won’t notice.

I doubt it.

[ulysseswoodland-blog]

indxgoes‌:

Granda Falls Pharmaceuticals had gained a reputation that Indigo hadn’t helped craft, but one that he was now in charge in.  The position of director came to him without much hassle;  it was easily expected that he would have gained the title, almost too easily expected.  Indigo had never been the type to disappoint the expectations that were placed upon him.  If he couldn’t meet those expectations, he would have chosen another woman to be his wife - Angeline was not the type that should ever be disappointed.

Surprisingly, even with the amount of experimentation and research done at GFP, this place was seemingly the most normal to Indigo.  Outside in Ceres Centropolis was a world that currently had no control with too many variables - these recently introduced variables were making it difficult to push forward the current plans that Society had originally laid out.  That and with his wife currently attempting to hide her anger at an indiscretion that almost happened, Indigo needed a breather from the routine.  GFP was the only thing that currently made sense.

The latest project Indigo had taken was the dissection and understanding of those mutations that had rampaged the city.  As he looked through the slides of DNA the team had retrieved, it could easily be determined as human DNA.  With the assistance of the machinery and technology at GFP, he was able to dissect the DNA further, to the strands.  “Hmm,” he muttered as he spotted something embedded into the polynucleotides that shouldn’t have been there.  An outlier masked a nucleotide that had meshed with the human DNA.  “A forced mutant gene,” Indigo muttered as he stepped away from the machine.  He removed his gloves before he reached for his pen and jotted down notes.  “Interesting,” he thought to himself as he prepared himself to exit the laboratory - he took the proper protocol of hand-washing and sanitizing.  The last thing he wanted was to spread whatever had been injected into these mutated beings into his lab.

“Hm,” Indigo looked up at the tour that was going on as he stepped into the hallway.  He stopped, listening in from the outskirts of the tour group.  Initially, Indigo was supposed to head back to his office to cross check his most recent findings - it ran similar to his own personal research and he wanted to cross-check the given information - but this was something that the man couldn’t understand.  Indigo cleared his throat.  He dropped the hand holding the thin manila folder to the side as he stepped forward.

“Excuse me,” Indigo interrupted the tour guide.  He gave them a look that expressed more than any words he could have strung together.  He stepped forward, next to the tour guide and gave a polite smile.  “I do apologize as there are plenty inaccuracies that were shared,” he apologized but then decided to give the hired guide a chance.  “We did replace our older equipment with some newer ones which is why there were inaccuracies, of course.”

As Indigo began to explain the machine, he paused and caught himself before he continued.  The scientist smiled and said, “Excuse me.  You’re probably confused as to who the finely dressed man interrupting your tour is.”  Indigo was never this amicable - he had to emulate a lot of his younger siblings’ usual personalities to get to this public speaking level.  “My name is Indigo Vale and I’m the director of Granda Falls Pharmaceuticals.”

In truth, Uly could not fault the technician for the slight faults in the technology. She’d likely given the presentation to hundreds of the general public and other corporate interests who had minimal knowledge of the actual gruntwork that went on inside the walls of the laboratory. What financial investor cared that the accuracy range of the spectrometer was off by a tenth of a degree? It was more important that the presentation highlight the diversity of the laboratory as well as its capacity for specialized study. Uly had been thoroughly impressed, even before the well-dressed man with wind-swept hair, stubble and cloudy blue eyes came and brought attention to those errors.

Yummy.

Uly couldn’t help herself, she was only human after all... and a human who hadn’t gotten some in nearly two decades. She’d always had a soft spot for chiseled beauty, especially those that weren’t aware of it. Good looks could quickly turn sour if the person in question was aware of those good looks... but she got the feeling that this particular gentleman was aware, however didn’t flaunt his appearance. Her eyes caught the golden band adorning his finger a moment later, causing her heart to break a little, if only over a flight of fantasy. Shame.

His correction of the technician’s blunder made Uly smile slightly. ‘Not just a figurehead director, then. The man knows his stuff.’ She thought idly, hands dropping into her pockets as she studied the man a few moments longer as he introduced himself. Indigo... She’d heard the name before but she couldn’t put her finger on where. For the moment, she ignored it.

“A pleasure to meet you, Mr. Vale.” Uly said politely, clasping her hands in front of her hips in a way she hoped made her look nervous. Being around men of power required a certain appearance of vulnerability, lest they suspect something. “Will you... be taking the remainder of the tour?” She inquired hopefully. In truth, she was already satisfied with the technology on display... but she’d love to learn more about the man behind it all. She, alas, had not heard much about the enigmatic director of GFP.

[ulysseswoodland-blog]

secondsign‌:

Kazunari hummed to himself as he quietly opened a bag of mini-marshmallows.  He walked along the streets of Ceres, entertaining himself with the visions of the people who walked by.  As he chewed on the marshmallows, he could hear it - the voice of his dearest friend asking him for help.  He would do it.  Would you?  He would.  Would you help?  Of course, he would.  Kazunari nodded as if the darkness would be able to see his approving movements.  The marshmallows he ate calmed him down, letting him see clarity as he walked along the sidewalk and into that bookstore.

He slung his head left and right, letting it roll from side to side as he casually read the spines of the book.  Hopping along from aisle to aisle, searching for something that he didn’t know yet.  This was pointless.  You’re not looking properly.  He couldn’t figure out what he was searching for.  There are too many books.  Ask.  Who?  Ask someone.

Kazunari wandered toward the front of the shop, to the counter where someone was near.  He pocketed the bag of marshmallows as he looked at the woman who asked.  He grinned at her and asked, “Do you have anything on Darkness?  Preferably something with pictures.  Probably something not …boring.”

Uly liked to think she knew everyone who visited her bookstore on at least a semi-regular basis. Their faces took up space in her already far too crowded storage of memories, but she never forgot them. Something about keeping memories of people made her feel more.. normal. A human library of experiences and engagements. She did not recognize the boy who wandered into the store eating marshmallows.

“Darkness?” She inquired with a curious raise of the eyebrow. Such a strange question and yet... he looked so sure of it. Something at the back of her mind itched, though she ignored it for the moment. “What kind?” For there were many. On far too many occasions, Uly had assumed the person she was talking to was hoping for incredibly rare texts when in reality they just wanted something... simple.

“I’ve got some old children's books with pictures...” She mused, though she doubted that was what he wanted. As she stood, she mentally scanned her catalogue before shrugging, “There’s a few information texts on the void. They have some pictures.” With a scratch of her head she shrugged again, “A few overly romanticized texts about the early creation gods and goddesses... there’s one devoted to light and dark. Maybe that one?” 

In truth, Uly was usually very good at reading people’s interests. This man, however, she couldn’t quite place.

[ulysseswoodland-blog]

Ulysses made a concerted effort to avoid the towering concrete and glass constructions that had ushered in the death of the marble and stone architecture she loved. Had she been in Greece or Italy, she would have perhaps felt a greater pang of sadness but, as it was, this land had all once been sweeping plains and farmland. Little had been destroyed to build this metropolis... at least in the literal sense.

When you were over two thousand years old, it took a large and thoroughly annoying amount of effort to remain up to date with current levels of technology. Uly had felt as if she’d just been getting her head around Alexander Bell’s phone when they’d rolled out the sleek rectangles of pliable glass littered with neon lights. Of course, Uly had wasted months re-educating herself so as to not appear far older than her appearance to the hip youth of the day... that didn’t mean she enjoyed it. If only technology would slow down a fraction. Even as she thought the words she found she didn’t mean them. Such advances had brought medicine and amazing leaps in bio-engineering. Such things would have saved many people who need not have died, back in her youth.

Granada Falls was going to be her source of education today. She had set aside a day to catch back up on where the pharmaceutical industry was at. She’d only checked in a year ago, but scientists these days loved to speed ahead far faster than she expected.

The woman who had been set aside to guide her gave the distinct impression she was already bored of it. Uly didn’t blame her, really. Taken away from her work to guide around some random young woman because her boss had asked? Uly hated to cash in favors... unfortunately, the closed-off nature of such places tended to require it.

As they stopped outside the spectroscopy lab, Uly dropped her hands into her pockets and peered through the glass. Most of the machines had not changed much since she’d been here - the same IR Spectrometer was there, as were the Gas Chromatographs and UV-VIS Spectrometers. The Mass Spectrometer had certainly slimmed down since she’d last seen it, a state of the art machine compressed down to a mere part of the larger machinery. Satisfied, she forced herself to focus back on the tour-guide who was saying something about the accuracy of the instruments. She’s off by a tenth of a degree. Not that Uly would ever mention such a thing. She wasn’t that petty. It was strange enough for a woman in her low twenties - who shouldn’t even be out of university yet - to be poking through a pharmaceutical lab... let alone, know more about the equipment than its workers.

@indxgoes

[ulysseswoodland-blog]

jackconnolley‌:

“Many would not.” He knew too many people, creatures or otherwise who would prefer to take control over whatever they could. He did not know this woman at the moment, didn’t know what type of person she was or what she might want out of life. Whether she was a scholar, looking to learn, or a fighter, looking to conquer. He would have far more patience with the first. While it didn’t sound like the second was the case, Jack had learned over time that words meant very little as it came to these things. The did not mean the same thing as intention, unfortunately. Now it took actions, to convince him of someone’s character. 

“Yes, and I’m very concerned with how you think of me.” He told her absently. He didn’t know if she would pick up on the sarcastic nature of the response, and he couldn’t bring himself to care. Setting the quill back down, he emptied what was left in the cap of his flask into his mouth, then took another swig from the flask itself. The he capped it, and slid it back into his coat pocket. This whole encounter was a little too full of truth for him to be completely comfortable with it. 

He glanced up at her. His eyebrows knitted together, expression less pleasant than it had been already. “I’ve a bar here in town with plenty of patrons, if that’s what you’re asking. There is a difference between not wanting to engage with people and not engaging with people, and I do fit into the first.” He had more interactions with humans than he would care for, in the long run. Really, more interactions with anyone. Humans were typically the most bearable of the bunch, they did not think quite as much of themselves as other things did. 

Uly, despite her regular and thorough abuse of sarcastic humor, found her hackles rising in annoyance at the god’s snappy retort. To her knowledge, she had done nothing to deserve his ire. She could understand people who simply wanted to be left alone, their business kept personal. Those who extended that into being snappy and rude to every person they came in contact with? Uly found she had very little patience for them, god or not.

Uly felt her patience for Manannan’s persona reach its end, her minor humor fizzling out like a snuffed candle as she listened to his talk of the bar. “If you don’t need anything else, I was just closing up.” A blatant lie, and one she found she didn’t particularly care if he spotted. Once, she had been besotted with Manannan, hell, she’d even spent a few years researching his brothers and sisters in the Tuatha de Danann. Now, faced with how utterly human his personality was, she wanted nothing more than the solitary company of her runes.

He would not talk to her. That was his choice. She would not force his hand.

[ulysseswoodland-blog]

addie-leroux‌:

The honey amber had faded to a dull green: bored. The thought of boredom after Addie had asked for a recommendation wasn’t sitting right with her. The women in front of her was prickly and they hadn’t even had a full conversation yet. Some people were just like that and there wasn’t much you could do about it. And while Addie was most certainly the kind of person to push someone who wasn’t in the mood, the color falling from her told her that wasn’t a smart idea for some reason. While she couldn’t quite place her finger on why she knew it just wasn’t a good idea. Being able to feel that it wasn’t a good idea but not know why would always be frustrating but she would have to deal with it.

The woman pulled three beautiful books from the shelves and Addie knew they were good selections without even opening them. She nodded in appreciation and stepped forward. “I definitely will…are the prices on the books somewhere or is this more of a learn the price when you decide sort of a read?” Regardless, she was going to look through them. 

She reached for the red leather bound tome first but almost immediately realized it was a little too dark for her liking. The dark magic had never shimmered with the allure for her like it did some. But it would certainly be an interesting read. Keeping the text in her home, though, might not be the best idea. Even just having the darkness in print was disconcerting to her. The second one was definitely something she was interested in and barely opened the cover before she took it into her arms like she was purchasing it. The third was unique and certainly something she was interested in. This one, too, she took into her arm, stacking it on top of the druidic elemental book. Glancing up toward the woman again, she nodded. “These two? For now, I think?” 

“I have about an hour before work. Is there a space I could sit inside and read? Or?” While she had been into the shop before, she had never gone through the entirely of it. It was a large shop with tall, windy isles and lost of secret places to sit and read, most likely. She was just after a few minutes of solace before being dragged back to the reality of her job.

Uly thought for a long few moments at the mention of prices before simply shrugging once, “They’re yours. I can tell you’ll take care of them.” Even as she said the words she realized she meant every word. Just from watching the girl unfold the books and handle them with such care, Uly knew not a single scratch would befall those beautiful ornate covers. Besides, money had no value to Uly... she considered herself more of a book-caretaker rather than a saleswoman. Unfortunately, she was forced to make some money to pay the building’s rent, but that left room for the odd hand out when she found an appropriate buyer.

An eyebrow lifting on her forehead was the only indication Uly gave that she was surprised to see the Grimoire left behind, but she merely took the tome and replaced it on the shelf with care. “Darker texts aren’t for everyone, I suppose.” She murmurs to herself, dusting off her hands before standing once more to turn and regard the girl with a level expression. “As for reading spaces...” Uly lead the way upstairs to the third floor.

The moderately sized space was, unlike the rest of the store, not littered with bookshelves. Sure, there were a few ornate wooden stacks at the edges, but the center of the room was dominated by an assortment of couches, chairs and artistically placed tables. Above, the skylight gave the constant impression of tinkling rain, despite the fact that outside it was a bright autumn day. That runework had taken weeks, and yet Uly didn’t regret a single second.

“Feel free to read here, just be careful not to fall asleep in the chairs... I’m guilty of that, shamelessly.” She says with a faint grin at the thought, her hands dropping into her pockets. “I’ve seen you around here before, though, haven’t I? A few years ago?”

[ulysseswoodland-blog]

jackconnolley‌

Jack remained more or less inexpressive when she laughed. She still had so much energy, which somehow served to make him feel even older. He had certainly not been made to be around this long, or he wouldn’t feel so stretched and thin after all this time. He was tired, but he knew it was nothing that sleep could cure. He took the paper and quill when she offered, finding short sort of inn table, and leaning over it. He set the supplies down, digging in his coat to pull out his flask, open and pour a small amount of the salt water inside into the cap. It was clear, but when he dipped the quill in it then set the quill to the paper, it bled out a deep, blue black. He started writing, filling about a page in the same old druidic tongue of the book she had given him. When he finished, he spoke a word which was drowned out in a distant clap of thunder, then folded the paper in half. 

“Make no mistake, I am not giving you ownership, nor the ability to command him. Only to call him.” He felt that needed to be clear. He would give nobody the ability to command anything, he did not trust other people half enough for that. Time and experience had taught him not to trust, especially when he had only just met someone. 

“It is his choice what he does once he gets there. If he deems you worthy, you may be allowed to ride him. If not, the spell is useless. He’s not a creature to be captured.” It was much more than Jack was used to speaking at once, but it was all things which needed to be said. “And the spell is not to be sold. I made sure of that.” 

Uly had always had a soft spot for mythical horses ever since she’d met Phaethon, one of the two immortal steeds of Eos, the Grecian goddess of dawn. She was almost offended when he mentioned her attempting to wrest control of the horse or attempt to command him. Firstly, she knew better than that... secondly, she would never seek mastery over another living creature; she wouldn’t even dream of commanding something as majestic and beautiful as a horse.

“I would be disappointed if you were.” She replied simply, watching him do his writing and subsequently cast the spell. As she did so, she activated the charm on her left pinky, causing her eyes to shimmer an unnatural icey blue. Her vision overlayed with colorful whorls and wisps. This ability - one she’d dubbed ‘magic-sight’ - helped her see spells being cast while also enhancing her own finetuned movement. In it, Jack had come alive in a whirlwind of color as he weaved his magic - no matter how simple. It was something she often saw with gods and it never got any less astonishing to watch. Her own casting paled by comparison.

Listening to him speak she simply nodded along, committing his words to memory as she absently stood back up with her arms folding over her chest. “You don’t engage with humans often, do you?” She inquired her attention on him rather than the page. The longer she spent time around the deity, she more she found him deeper than she had first assumed. He was not merely walled off, he was something... else. And she wanted to know. As much as she could without making the man toss her out a window, that is.

[ulysseswoodland-blog]

aureliaxvale‌:

While Aurelia regained her composure she felt oddly strange. As if the the surge of pain that rushed through her body was slowly relieving itself. This only occurred when the woman before her made her presence clear, but she didn’t want to assume. Therefore, she kept it to herself as she dusted herself off and greeted her with a forced smile. “I’ve been better.” she responds truthfully. 

Tucking a few strands of hair behind her ears, she looked over in the direction of where she came flying and nodded in confirmation. “Yeah, I may have pushed them a little too hard, but now I’m curious, how did you know that was the specific ability in use? Is it that obvious?” 

Uly kept her hands in her pockets and gave the woman a reasonable meter or two of space... often immediately after being injured, the last thing on someone’s mind was having someone in their face parroting of the same ‘are you alright?’ every two seconds. Uly figured the woman would be okay and simply gave her the space to be as much.

The instructor’s forced smile made Uly inwardly wince. Perhaps it had not been right of her to come over, as she had. Hell, she was already regretting using one of her wishes on someone she barely knew. The question that followed only made Uly more on edge. As a rule of thumb, she never gave away information for free, let alone on her own abilities. She was more paranoid than most gave her credit for. The last time she’d taught someone else her tricks, she’d been stabbed in the back.

Lesson learned.

“A hunch. Physical manipulators would’ve done it differently. That, and the slow acceleration implied a gravity switch rather than simply... Lifting it.” She explained. In truth, she’d used a mixture of her charms and her senses, but that answer would have to do.

“You push yourself this hard every day?” She inquired with a faint grin, trying to put the woman at ease.

[ulysseswoodland-blog]

jackconnolley‌:

“You assume that the spell itself isn’t a secret.” Jack pointed out calmly. He had few secrets he was willing to part with for a stranger. There was always the location of the entrance to the Otherworld, or the fountain of youth, both secrets he felt it was his purpose in life to protect and keep to himself. To give those up was to give up what he was meant to be protecting, and no books were worth that. “But if you truly prefer it, I’ve plenty of nonsense truths to tell that have no value behind them. Clearly that would be better than a spell crafted by myself which will allow you to call Enbarr.” 

He doubted she would know who or what that was. The name itself was a secret, if she cared to spend any time researching it. It would tell her the truth of who he was, naming the horse that had been a companion of his for centuries, who could run across the ocean like solid land. There was no match for it when it came to other deity’s, and if that was insufficient for her, he would not be doing business for her. Anyone who could not appreciate what a thing that was, was not anyone he had any intentions of sharing further secrets with. “The choice is up to you, my dear. I am in no desperate need of these books, and I’ve quite the collection of my own.” 

Uly remained where she was, studying him for a long few seconds that ticked by in almost awkward silence before she simply... laughed. She hadn’t had something so blunt said to her in a very long time and the refreshing nature of it softened her mood. “So be it.” She said simply, standing once more before moving to a nearby cupboard by the door to retrieve paper and  quill - she too was a fan of the old fashioned... albeit, for her, that meant plain charcoal or feathered papyrus. She handed both items to the man without a word.

The name of the creature he referred to was telling in and of itself. Uly prided herself on having knowledge of nearly every god in existence... of course, she struggled to remember some of the minor gods, but often they were the most interesting. So characteristic a mount as Enbarr was definitely difficult to forget, especially given she’d spent a good portion of her early life worshiping not only Manannan, but Danu as well. She was beyond such things now, of course, but they still had a soft spot in her heart from her time with Atticus.

She knew he was in no mood to speak of himself - he had gone to such awkward lengths to make that much clear. Uly was merely frustrated that she hadn’t been aware of Manannan’s presence in the area... she usually liked to keep a tab on gods who took up residence nearby. Flidais had obviously not given her the whole story... Something to follow up on later.

“I thought you rather attached to your horse, though?” She inquired. The fact that he was willing to give away that spell piqued her interest. Uly hopped back up onto the counter as she waited, watching him with distinct curiosity.

[ulysseswoodland-blog]

addie-leroux‌:

Addie could feel the woman’s energy shifting from that warm honey auburn to a more electric blue, as if she had something to hide. But she had clearly been reading or doing something behind the desk. That would be enough to get Addie frustrated, even if she was at work. Potential customers would often come in and ask inane questions to her while she was behind the counter. Sure, she was at work and being paid to help customers, but the questions some of them asked, honestly.

“Price range isn’t very large?” She said with a light laugh, “but depending on what it was, I might be able to pull enough together…grimoires are mostly for the history bit for me and not so much the spell casting…any spell books that deal with nature-based magic would be useful, too.” She wasn’t in the market for anything in particular. She had never been fond of non-elemental magic but sometimes you had to cast a locator spell. Spells that helped plants grow or hexes that kept certain animals from crossing into your garden, that sort of thing was much more up her alley. The spells seemed domestic, but honestly? That was what she wanted. She wasn’t the kind of witch who wanted to kill people or take over the world with her; she had made that much clear to Jack the other night when she had gotten wasted at The Crusty Lemon.

Music books, though. Addie’s face lit up. “It’s like you know exactly who I am to the core. Music books are great, too.” Her parents owned a record shop in town. It was mostly crooners and smooth jazz but there was a little bit of everything there. They had asked her a few times to pick up random shifts for them if they really needed it but Addie had made it clear a long time ago that she didn’t want a pity job. She had needed to find work on her own, which is how she had ended up at The River Styx. 

Uly sighed softly. In truth, money was completely and utterly inconsequential to her. The store was more something to occupy her time her thoughts so that she didn’t drift into infinite boredom while working on her charms. This woman was like many of her customers, and thus Uly suspected she would have no trouble finding a text the girl would enjoy. Hell, she doubted she’d even need to dip into her personal collection.

“That should be fine.” Uly said honestly, absently making her way back towards the staircase before ascending past the second floor and up to the third. Above, the skylight cast dull light onto the floor space that was less dominated by bookshelves than the rest of the store. Here there were chairs and lounges for people to sit and read... most of which Uly had fallen asleep on at one time or another.

Making her way over towards the back right corner, Uly deftly plucked three different books from the shelves. The first was a tightly bound red leather tome with frayed leather edges indicating thorough use. A witch’s Grimoire from the early eleventh century, Uly had known the writer. She had focused on creative magic for most of her life, only filling the grimoires final pages with aggressive spells as her life became more troublesome. The second was a more ornate cloth-bound book on druidic lore. Uly had a few copies of that one as it was a personal favorite. The spells it contained were entirely focused on nature, elementals and creation. One might struggle to utilize it without the proper druidic markings, but it was a good read none the less. The third and final book was more of a bundle of pages bound with leather string and carefully wrapped in plastic; sheet music from one of the first group performances by bards in medieval Europe. The pages practically oozed romantic undertones. Such was the time, back then.

“See if any of these tickle your fancy. You might struggle with the druidic spells as elementals tend to get a bit picky around witches, but I’m sure one of the local base-elementals would be willing to chat.” Uly had regular conversations with the wind elemental of New York... he was a temperamental sort, but loved her stories. She made a point to maintain these relationships; you never know when you might need the aid of an elemental.

[ulysseswoodland-blog]

jackconnolley‌:

Jack let it go, at that. He had no interest in a heart to heart about their pasts, and she appeared no more keen to talk about it than him. He thought that perhaps that came with age. Things became regular in life, while people passed by in a blur of faces and secrets and rarely lasted long enough to be worth sharing with. When one did find someone worth sharing with, the past was the last thing one wished to dwell on. 

A part of him wished he had her energy. He had never really known it, though. Even as a child, he had been more solemn than his peers, really too far back to even remember clearly now. He had always been an old soul, time only growing him into his ancient personality. He set the books down again, hands clasped briefly as he tried to decide how exactly he was going to do this, what exactly he would give her. Some secrets were too dangerous to give away. “I’ll need some paper, and a quill, if you have it.” It wasan’t that he was opposed to the modern convention of pens, but when it came to these things, he became a little more sentimental and old-fashioned. Whether or not it affected the magic, he wasn’t sure. “I assume a spell of my own will do? It has been a while, but I’m confident I could pass something of worth along.” 

Uly was glad he didn’t press her further - some memories she didn’t need dug up, let alone by someone she barely knew. Hell, she didn’t even know the man’s name. Some people, when they realized that she was older than was normal, began to ask her all sorts of questions about the past. It got annoying very quickly.

“Spells don’t interest me very much.” She said honestly, studying him with that same relaxed gaze. “I said secrets.” Her smile broadening a fraction. In truth, she had once thought to spend her life collecting spells in one of the greatest tomes of knowledge every written... she’d quickly realized not only was that endeavor pointless, it was also incredibly boring. She had come to that conclusion not long after realizing that there were three hundred and nine different spells to make one’s genitals change in size.

Goddamn Nordic standards.

“If you are uncomfortable paying that price, don’t. Leave the books behind though.” She said honestly. She was not running a charity, after all. She knew to ask such things of a stranger was bordering on unreasonable, but such was the price of knowledge. Money had no value to those who had lived through more than a hundred changes in standard currency.