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"i guess." he .. preferred simplicity. sure, combining his strength with nico's was ... enjoyable & effective because their powers built on each other, but he was the driving force behind them, so... more pressure on performing well, which he couldn't even guarantee, because his inherited abilities were fragile at best. he had to work on that, seriously. "yeah yeah, i know." his aim was ... decent at best, he assumed nico had noticed, but it was whatever - really.

"surprised you didn't petition to upgrade the workshop yet so you don't ever have to leave it again." lev commented with a soft chuckle sounding, although ... it wasn't even just tease, because he really did think nico would prefer to stay in his little workshop forever. "alright, alright, didn't wanna risk workshop withdrawal by keepin' you out too long, but .. if you're sure." lev held the door open for the other & followed him to the arena, which had quickly become his second home besides the poseidon cabin. this was going to be fun.... or something. maybe he'd get a little sparring session in after.

"You know... Possibilities are endless now. Besides... By blood... We were born with ways to cheat physics." He grinned and bumped Lev's arm with his fist. "As for our combined aims... Just like your new needed stance... It has room for improvement and we will have to work on it." His eyes had that gleam of focus they got whenever his mind locked onto anything that presented a challenge.

"Well... I do try not to piss off the tinker fairies when I'm occupying space here... Since here there are more options of tools here than in my workshop..." He commented. and working at the forge at least got him to leave the cabin. Which... He could hole up into for days at the time if distracted by the right project. "Nonsense. Arena. Now." He said gathering his things and motioning at Lev to follow him there.

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"maybe we try it another way." instead of throwing the ice across the field... he could throw himself... in a way. something closer to him, so his aim - which wasn't good with his powers, really - wasn't going to be an issue. he was still not that skilled with it & honestly... most of the time he was just glad he managed to summon water at all. especially with the rather non-existent relationship with his father.

it did work though, the ice ball froze again, although it didn't quite go where he wanted it to. "yeah. wouldn't wanna hurt the hammers' feelings by playin' around in their home." lev chuckled softly. nico was right, though - this wasn't exactly the place to do this. "we ain't gotta do it right now if you don't wanna."

In any moment Nico thought he was dunking on Lev's idea. He just wanted to explain to the son of Poseidon that the risk would maybe be too high and potentially not enough for the pay off. And that was exactly why they were trying again like that. It was always a weird feeling to manipulate the molecules like that but he was confident enough that he managed to release his powers just as the water ball approached and he continued to follow it with his eyes just as it solidified.

He didn't know where Lev had aimed exactly. But he saw that the trajectory had changed just a little bit. "Maybe we could train more and find a way to work around and compensate it... Although it would best if we went to the arena and used the dummies instead of simply throwing ice balls around in the forge." He commented but he was optimistic.

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"hm. i see." it'd been an idea, but if nico didn't think it'd work - lev would make do with what they had available. this would be a powerspike for them both regardless, something to really make an impact with & in lev's eyes - that was win enough. lev had been feeling a little useless lately, but this... would definitely help & he'd lie if he claimed it wasn't fun watching that ice ball fly. he'd assumed it'd drop once frozen, which .. brought him to another idea. could he move normal ice? why had he never tried before?

he watched nico fiddle ... with something, although when he spoke, the little movement he did made sense. watching others use their powers was .. fascinating, especially one like nico's, which was practically invisible most of the time unless someone interacted with it. raising his hand again, palm up, lev summoned a ball of water in his palm again & after eyeing it quite closely for a while to fix its shape into a form he liked, he threw it at nico.

Nico watched the trajectory that the projectile made and there was something to be said about Lev's aim. It was a little off, but then again, Lev didn't seem to trust his divine inheritance and Nico wasn't much of the habit to use his one in a more aggressive manner since it didn't always bore him the results he wanted it to. So that would demand some training on both their ends. Very well.

"That would demand... More focus. You see... I would have to calculate the trajectory of your water ball and find the perfect point to turn it into ice. But then again the change in the water's state could interfere with the air resistance causing a slight change in the trajectory and maybe missing the target completely." He pointed and started slowing the molecules between his hands and held them above his head as if he was holding a ball. "Toss an water ball through this area. It should be enough to freeze it again."

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“easier to deny what the mortal eye can’t see, ain’t it?” a shrug. he was used to the humans ignoring the most trivial things - especially those that slapped them across the face. humans were good at that, exceptionally good as he’d had to learn in the army. the hard way. which was around the same time he decided to only rely on himself from now on even if he aimed to keep his platoon alive wherever they went. he’d never have wanted to be caught with his life in their hands - not when he could look after himself & them instead.

“yeah, that. the later you do it when i attack, the more of a surprise it’s gonna be.” less chance for counter-play, too. they definitely had to experiment with that. well, after that. he had a huge ice ball to toss around. it… floated still, which fascinated him - truly. upon permission, lev glanced around to find somewhere sturdy enough. the ball did do as he wanted it to, he let it fly & sink, let it roam around them until he tossed it as a free space on the wall. the ball burst - as was the be excluded. “interesting.”

"I mean, its not like you guys being in the army isn't fucking profitable to the government so I don't think they'd want you guys making your own weapons..." He mused distractedly, a little accent seeping into his words. "But I don't doubt they'd have some children of Hephaestus or Volcano in their paycheck... I mean... We've been around for all the wars... We've influenced a lot of the ocidental history... They just don't like to acknowledge our true existence to the mortals." He shrugged.

He hummed and watched the ice ball fluctuating above Lev's palm. "That would depend. Are we talking freeze it in its tracks to not attack me or freeze it so it's now a deadly ice projectile?" He asked tilting his head to the side and motioning at Lev to hurl the iceball at something just to see how it feels to control and throw.

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"that sounds like something they'd have told us in the army." little scoff. it'd been a long time since he thought about his time in the army. best damn time of his life. "if they'd had forges." & magical creatures. nobody would believe him if he told them, which was most likely for the best. let the humans live their human lives, troubling them with gods & destruction.. yeah, that wouldn't go over well, surely.

"won't. if you promise the same when i succeed." two could play that game & lev was not too good to play, especially when nico was the other party. the one person in camp he trusted - banter or not. "tell that to your face, puppy." all happy & smile-y. lev almost wanted to punch him for it to stop, but... his self-control was better than that & besides... then he'd give nico proof he was, indeed, getting under his skin.

the cold hit him & his eyes shot from the ball to nico & back. oh. interesting. "strange. surprised i can still lift it." he thought liquid water was his thing & only that. then found out he was very much able to whirl hollie around. "but good. how quickly can you do it? if i was to throw it... could you freeze it mid-flight?"

"Sounds like a deal to me." He nodded at the son of Poseidon and couldn't help but shot him a grin of his own. "Anger is not a good look on us, children of the forge. He have to keep a level head if we are to work improvements for our brothers and sisters in arms." He commented, remembering the words of one of the sons of Volcano back in camp Jupiter. He wondered how they were doing there. If they had defeated Urania already.

"Oh well, don't go getting all prissy on me when I do succeed, alright?" He shook his head and rolled his eyes. "I'm too old to be a puppy, Red." He narrowed his eyes and focused on the water gathered on Lev's palm, blue coming into his eyes as the heat around the water dispersed and the waterball became an ice sphere, the ripples becoming rough edges. "That will do. How does it feel. " Start small. And see how it goes.

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"can't call me grumpy if i don't, so i guess we just gotta accept each other's ways of dealin' with defeat." & there it was... the hint of a grin on his lips. nobody thought they'd ever see the day. "suits you, though. anger ain't lookin' good on ya." he glanced over at him, content to watch him work for a little while. if that's what nico wanted. lev was oddly content following his lead. sometimes.

"pfffh, please. i've dealt with guys a lot more annoying than you. you're gonna have to try harder to get under my skin." lev shot back with a shrug & lips curved at the corners. his words reminded him why lev had come to the forge in the first place & he sighed softly. "i wish. who can scold a damn puppy?" damn near impossible to scold him properly when he was looking at him like that. his request... piqued his interest. "can do." he took a few steps back, raised a hand & just ... focused on it for a moment, watching water pool in his palm & above it until he'd formed a ball, kind of. "how hard?"

"No need to look so glummy either, grumpy. We lost, sure. Got our asses handed over to us. But still we survived and got the chance to get better. Get stronger. Get creative. So... Yeah. I'll look happy." He pointed his hammer over at Lev and then resumed working.

"So long as I'm getting under your skin, Red, I'm having some harmless fun." He teased with ease but then a thought crossed his mind and he looked at Lev with wide eyes and a growing smile behind his beard. "If you're done scolding me for being impusively stupid, I need you to use your powers and throw a water ball at me."

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he could shoot back that it wasn't all the hits, because lev always tried to make it out of fights unscathed, but that didn't always work out & lev knew that if nico had his back - while he had his, their chances were much better. "stop lookin' so happy, geez." they got their asses handed to them, lev.. didn't feel that triumphant tonight. although, he couldn't deny that... being with the other ... did lift his spirits a little. ugh.

"she really did." they would've most likely lost at least a handful of the group if not for the quick escape. "won't be as enjoyable as you might be picturin' it."

"Exactly my point. You took all the hits the other time. We just have to take turns playing target." He shot the male a bright smile and a thumbs up. "That we did. Maybe our training is paying off." Nico has been holding back on using his own powers in battle but he figured that maybe, just maybe, combining it with the others would help them in the battlefield.

"Again, I'm more of a actions speak louder than words guy so... I'll have to take your word for it." He popped his neck and elbows. "Nothing Ambrosia couldn't fix. Godiva had perfect timing. And I don't underestimate you. I just... Am curious to see how you hold up your promises."

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"pfffht, barely got a scratch until the end." he shot back, following the sound through the forge slowly until he found him. nico, always working on something & when it wasn't armor or weapons, it was his own demise. "we did pretty well t'gether." he couldn't deny they made a good team, even without using their powers together, which.. was an option he considered, but ... would rather sit on for a little while longer. he still didn't quite trust himself with them.

"i wasn't kiddin'. i warned ya. what you do with it's up to you." because lev didn't do jokes, or threats. just promises. "what's the damage like?" lev himself was doing okay, although he couldn't help wondering how the next fights would do. they had to train harder. he had to train harder. train of thought back on that little dare, "pfffht, you underestimate me." lev could be bold, would be. when it was necessary.

"I mean you were doing a pretty solid work about that yourself, old man…" He retorted with ease giving Lev a source to follow as he continued working, hand steady as he hammered away at his armor.

"Cam was playing us. Either I took his hits or you did. And since I'm just a big boy as you, old man, I took the hits no problem." He retorted unbothered pausing the hammering to study the chainshirt for a few moments, testing its weight on his hands and then spreading it back over his anvil.

"Don't act like the kids are too innocent. Although… I'd like to see you try and be that bold." There was a glint of mischief in his eyes when he said that and then resumed to work on his armor.

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"could you blame me? didn't exactly look after yourself last fight, did you?" lev chased the voice to find nico working on his armor. huh. curious. was he upgrading it? could lev drop his off, too? because he'd like an upgrade as well, please & thanks. not that it wasn't good, but after heracles' finishing blow…. he felt paranoid that it didn't do as it should. nico had done great work, so he wasn't worried about the armor itself… per se. maybe he was just generally worried. they'd almost lost half their team there & he barely made it out, too. scary shit.

"next time you decide to not dodge ever and sit on those damn potions, i'm gonna feed you one and it won't be safe for kids to watch." did he hope threats worked? yep. did he …think they would? nope. he was full-on expecting to mouth feed a potion into nico next time they fought & at this point in time … he would. he had no qualms getting into nico's personal space anymore.

Nico tried not to let things hold him back. Or at least… Keep him from moving on. Sure, he had taken blows before and he had recovered so… Even if he didn't make it out unscathed, at least he made it out alive and could make sure they wouldn't die on the next combat. And sure… Cam had been a tough nut to crack and break, but at least maybe him and Lev keeping the male busy, gave the kids a fighting chance against the enchantress and the other one.

Well… They needed more firepower. So… Back to the drawing board.

He was reworking on his chainshirt. Trying to better its defenses without it costing his mobility. He knew that there was a way around it. He just hadn't found it yet.

And since it was a well known fact that he could be found in the forge, was it really hard to find him? No. So… it was no surprise when Lev showed up but… His tone… Told Nico more than Lev would probably have liked he figured out. "I am having flashbacks from when you came in and scolded me for getting myself blinded…" Was his greeting.

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eyes zoned in on that finger against his brows, which curled a little more at first in a knee jerk reaction of sorts. not a problem. so, what? what doubts did he have if not about them? well, admittedly - lev following nico not being a problem didn't rule out their relationship being one. relationship. lev never thought he'd find himself in one, but … he'd passed the point of utter denial a little while back & had mentally accepted to call it that, too. relationship. he'd… known nico was different early on, but … until …well, there were a few pointers lev couldn't ignore. first of all the fact he didn't drop him after hooking up. yeah, that was a first hint, but at the time… lev didn't think much of it.

& there was no way he'd talk to nico about it. any of it. because that would mean lev had to come to terms with something that…. he couldn't. he'd been dead set on avoiding the topic - that talk they needed to have forever, because .. it would complicate everything & not just for lev. for them. but definitely for lev. even after the forst, he'd avoided talking to nico about it. both their …hesitation to even think about that mission… had been helpful in avoiding adressing that issue, because nico … oh, nico had no idea what it was lev had screamed his father's way & lev would've preferred nico to never find out. he still didn't know if it had actually been poseidon to help him that night. he didn't …want to ask nico how he escaped death, so .. he didn't. but he knew he was in trouble regardless, because he hadn't been very subtle & truth be told… he was surprised none of the kids spilled lev's little secret to the blacksmith yet.

maybe they did? was that why nico was so strange? pushing clearly didn't get him what he wanted to know, so lev… gave him the time he needed. even when he spoke, lev remained quiet, just … watching him, brown eyes trained on nico's at all times - except for a little glance at his lips in-between, watching them work around words that clearly were difficult to him. lev… felt that on various levels.

…..wait, hold on. was he….? brows back in their familiarly furrowed state as nico went on, lips parted to accumulate for heavier breaths, lev's own brain working overtime & his heart… slowly catching on the very distinctive picture nico was in the process of painting for him. did he….? twilight lands had been another one of those … discussions, because nico promised him the damn world, but they both knew he wouldn't actually get to see any of it if he kept making the same mistakes. twilight lands was one of those. lev would follow him, into death if nico demanded. no questions asked. but… at the same time, nico's lifestyle made his promises … empty, shallow - because they both knew they'd never actually live to any of them. but for the longest time it felt like lev had been the only one to feel that way, which… had been funny in a very sad & twisted way, because lev was the one who swore to never let love be part of his life.

& yet here he was. "we… can be selfish together." here they were. choosing each other, ready to watch the world burn if only to spend one more night in each other's arms. "i…" lev… could be staggering for words for the next ten minutes, could choke on them before even getting them out, but… that wasn't … him. so instead, lev pushed himself up enough to wrap his arms around nico's neck & slammed their lips together in a kiss. long, possibly a little too long. because he was dreading to reply. but when lev pulled away… he had the faintest smile on his lips, "i…" he shouldn't… hide behind sex, shouldn't trust nico to understand lev wordlessly. say it, he deserves to hear it… "love….you, too." face lowered to rest against nico's chest, lev… would just… stay here. forever.

His mind was still spinning. But... It wasn't as... fast. It wasn't as maddening. Although it was still unsettling. Why did he let his mind go to one dark scenario after another? Well... Maybe... Maybe if he let it, it would quiet down enough for him to make sense of himself. To explain to Lev... Or maybe just... Not feel like he would be lying if he said that he was feeling better. A finger... Raised and tentatively touched that spot between Lev's eyebrows. The first and main sign of any shifting in the soldier's mood. And he started moving his finger in a circular motion, almost a massage. "Not a problem." He repeated again. Looking down at the soldier resting so comfortably on his chest.

The son of Poseidon. Lev. His comrade in arms. His Lover... His. Lev... Lev had referred to Nico as his when they faced the witch. And although Nico had been in a... Completely deplorable situation back then... Lev still staked his claim. Nico felt like... They haven't been dancing around the topic... Because... Well... Both have actively been avoiding the topic. And Nico, for once, didn't thin that words were truly necessary until now. It was comfortable. Simple. But still... Again... The forest had put things in perspective to him. And now... A lot of things... Made new sense. And he also knew he wasn't making a lick of sense to Lev. Which... Was funny. In a sense. So obvious to him... And yet..

"You... Well you didn't quite say I'm full of shit but... I wouldn't blame you if you did." He began, the hand that was massaging Lev's eyebrow now lifting the male's chin and holding his gaze. He didn't make use of his italian drawl but... His words were slow. He was biding his time. He was organizing his thoughts. Once they were voiced... He wasn't going back on then. He wasn't quite striving for perfection. But... He did want to make sense and avoid confusion."When I said I wanted this... You, me... Us. Sunset in New Rome... I meant it, you know?" He commented casually, his thumb resting on Lev's lower lip. "But... I can't have it if... If I lose you. I... Can't have it if we don't make it back from the twilight lands." Could Lev feel the way his heart started to speed up, even as he tried to keep himself from panicking or rambling. But yeah... His heart felt like it was going to beat out of his chest at any point.

"A... Very selfish part of me... Is... Choosing you, Lev. Over... Them. If you'll have me." Over Twilight Lands. Over an entire kingdom that asked for our help. His other hand moved up, combing through Lev's dark locks, brushing them out of the way so he could keep his eye contact with the older male. "I..." Don't get tongue tied now. So close... "I love you, Lev." And I would lose my goddamn fucking mind if I lost you simply because I'm being foolish, impulsive, reckless, stupid... You name it.

[waterforlorn]

if it wasn't a problem, then what was the problem? why was he acting like this? what was he thinking about? was it even something lev knew about? what if he had a secret he didn't tell lev? pffhht. nico not telling him anything, what a joke, but then again .. he was quiet today & lev was still trying to figure out why exactly. nico never … refused to tell him what lev wanted… no, needed to hear. this one time lev needed him to share…. he didn't. or rather, only bits & pieces that seemed to not make a lick of sense. at least not in their current situation.

"told ya." it wasn't like lev had been very subtle about his annoyance about nico's carelessness, but at this point… he'd somewhat accepted it - like nico had to accept lev's foul moods or something. they both came with baggage, with quirks… with… stuff they didn't like about each other, surely. but that wasn't reason to give up, so ..what was it? "but that ain't news, so what's the problem? i… ain't stupid. what's botherin' ya?" because lev could handle a lot of things, he could take beatings, he could curse up a storm if nico deserved it, but this silence… was eerie. it worried him more than … he thought it would, which made his requests for nico to shut up a little funnier in hindsight.

still, he just wanted to know what he was thinking. or where this way going. soft kiss to nico's jaw, letting his lips linger, though he retreated again & got comfortable on the blacksmith's chest - assuming.. this would take a while with the amount of information he got per pull.

It was... Embarrassing. To say the least. Nico's been doing this his whole life. Sometimes he wondered what it would have been to just... retire once his roman years of service were done. And never answer to Hephaestus' call. Because... He's been swinging maces left and right. Fought monsters. Went on missions and survived. He was done surviving. He wanted to live a little. But he didn't think he could reach the living part of his plans if he kept doing poorly in the battlefield. He was a grown ass man and he should be able to pick up his own pace and carry his own weight. Be dependable and not a fucking burden.

Maybe because he never... Knew another life, never tried to live away from the influence of the gods. Away from camp... He didn't know what it would feel like to have to deal with another learning curve. But... To feel like he was stuck in the same place? That was... Terrifying. He... He was ashamed to admit out loud but... Something broke inside of him when he found himself so close to Baba Yaga and the point of no return. And... He had yet to piece everything back together. But... Could he even show it? His struggles? He was no son of Zeus. Leadership was not his mantle to carry neither was it his crown to wear. And yet... There he was, advanced in age, surrounded by young heroes and trying to keep a strong facade. Not for their sake. No. For his own. He didn't want to admit that he knew Lev could see through that. How weak he was.

"Not a problem." He responded but his tone implied that he still had things to say. And his jaw worked over them. Weighting his words, trying to make them make sense, his own eyes locked on Lev's, back to their natural shade, his body still tense but back to a more tolerable temperature. "You've been putting up with me from day one..." And he was well aware that he hasn't made the task any easier for Lev.

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lev wasn't oblivious to the blacksmith's struggles. he knew nico had been having a hard time even before the forest. that one… just emphasized his struggles - in a way. although, admittedly, they'd never faced an enemy like those two before, so they'd gone in blind & with kit out of the equation… lev had been the next best healer they'd had & lev.. wasn't a healer. at all. he'd prayed to his father for help after the first time he saw his teammates. & himself, too - struggle. but he only had so much power to shield his team. he actually felt … okay about himself. he knew he went into this with a disadvantage given his age & absence, but … he was making progress, even if slowly.

nico.. had not been the luckiest, unfortunately & lev knew it bothered him & … he was thinking of ways to help him overcome that struggle, because lev himself had been through the same many times in his life. nico had to know it would get better. they could do a few extra sparring sessions, work on his concentration. he'd find a way & get help if need be. but he still didn't understand what he'd seen during their fight that got him to give up. just like that.

lev let his eyes roam the other slowly, lingering on his lips - he missed the never-ending chatter already. when nico pulled him in, he didn't fight. he didn't refuse. he let himself be held. eyes fluttered shut, his own breaths slow & steady, soft sigh shared only between them. he… assumed nico needed time. they had that. he could wait, he refused to be anywhere else but here. the moment nico spoke, his chest vibrating gently with every word, lev glanced up at home, unfazed. "so what?" was… that a problem? lev thought he'd made it quite clear why, unless …nico changed his mind? about them? no, he wouldn't be hugging him, would he? "what's the problem? we're stronger t'gether."

Nico... Didn't partake in sparring. Not often. Sure he watched his fellow demis fighting. He paid attention to them as they gave it their all so he was not a stranger to their abilities when time came for them to band together in the battlefield.

He knew that Charlie was ruthless and Kit could become an issue to any enemies if he set his mind to it. Hell, Lev was a force not to be messed with. And Nico was so fucking proud of the three of them for their own merits. But he... He had been fucking useless in the battlefield. It felt fitting that a volcano wouldn't bother the skies or mother nature in her glory.

His mind kept going back and forth. The memories of the forest revisited but perhaps now seen through a new perspective. Lev's concern when Nico went out to meet with the stranger and then fetch her a book. It all... Made sense anew to him. Tub was full and Lev was leading in into it. And Nico did. But he did not lower his body. Not yet. Instead he remained standing and waited until Lev joined him. His brain was in the middle of a hurricane and yet... His jaw... Was locked. The usually rambler blacksmith... Was silent. And he didn't know if he would make sense if he tried to voice his thoughts so... Instead of trying he just... Pulled Lev against him. Held the son of the seas against his chest. Buried his face in Lev's neck. And just... Breathed.

He didn't move any further than that. He just held onto the other and tried to make sense of that chaos that was going on within his mind. "You always follow. Even when you shouldn't..." He said finally after what it felt like an eternity. Although it could be a short time. Nico wouldn't know.

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"in case you didn't notice, you lost your shirt about like, two hedges over. sweat ain't too hard t'miss. but i guess we can jus' pretend i'm observant." which, well - he'd take the compliment & yes, it was, because lev was a lot of things & yes, he usually watched instead of ...talking, or acting, or doing anything other than attempting to smash things - or people, but observant was usually not the word to describe him as it implied success in... well, the watching & observing. lev knew no success. "that's what i thought, too, but you know'm. animals ain't the most polite of the bunch." lev chuckled quietly, halting for a moment when... oh come on, really? son of pan? there went that plan. "i'm a lil' rusty i guess. point stands, though."

"i don't know if it's polite to call out a man's sweat like that. i guess i should be happy that you're the observant type. lord knows i'm not." what else did the wave rider have in mind now that the group of misfits brought so many new allies? "that's very rude of them." bolivar pretended to be hurt, placing his hands over his heart as he looked at the animal. then he turned to lev, a prideful smirk forming on his face. "your translation could use some help though. coming from a son of pan. before the animals know what you're up to."

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life sucked. not just for lev, for all of them. they had two options, live in a place like this, which was like ... a very nice prison, or live outside & hide until getting chased down by something. they had enough to worry about daily, they didn't need to fuck each other up over a little childish behavior. "pffht." hand on his arm, clapping softly. "everybody's out for our heads, majority of those kids left their parents b'hind an' they're all alone here. cut 'em some slack. life's hard enough as is. you caught it, good on ya. snowball wouldn't 've killed ya anyway. probably. shoulda shot some back, you're a kid, too -- ain't ya?" some might. lev didn't want to be target practice for a boreas child's snowball, oh no. but alas.. he didn't see the problem. "not sleepin' well?" not too uncommon here. "want advice? skip the mess hall coffee. hepha cabin's where the quality shit's at. don't go boastin' tho, nico ain't gonna share with everybody."

there were many responses that came through benedict's mind. was fun at the expense of another okay? was fun all they were focused on? in order not to sound like a bitter seventy year old, he decided to go against his better judgment. "you're right. next time i'll just let them hit me for the hell of it." hopefully he sounded believable, but he wasn't trying that much either. "anything that helps keep me up is my things. that includes coffee." he nodded a bit, appreciating a good cup of coffee whether it had many things in it or was just black with sugar.

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"fair warning, there's merfolk livin' in the lake. harmless, tho. jus' don' litter." which he doubted was something he had to worry about with ove. he seemed like a proper little demigod. maybe a little overwhelmed with what life here meant, although .. lev couldn't blame him for that either. "fear?" huh. interesting. "explains the overload." who here wasn't afraid of something? "you.. jus' feel fear or like... what folks are afraid of?"

the amount of people that were afraid of dolls alone was enough to confuse him. it wasn't ove's job to be their therapist or get involved. hell, he didn't even tell some of them he picked up on some of their greatest fears. that wasn't his business and therefore that wasn't theirs either. "thank you for that. i'll make sure to check out the late when everything is getting a little bit too loud for me." which again, might happened sooner rather than later. "not emotions. fear. they're different. the aphrodite children are much better at sifting through someone else's emotions."