#rafe olmos

[kafkasgods]

halloween event: brandon & rafe

rafe olmos

the party was in full swing, and rafe was feeling it. he was thoroughly intoxicated at the moment, since his witches brew actually did have a high enough alcohol content to match his familial metabolism for about half an hour at a time. his special moonshine was still in its testing stages, but there were enough promising batches that he’d stocked up well in advance for himself and brandon-- not that he was feeling as charitable as he had twenty-four hours ago. 

��the gray was a familiar stomping ground, since he’d cheerfully lived there for a few months back in his twenties. he navigated through the crowds easily, giving his best energies to the people who were just here to let loose. even that grew stifling after a while, so he ducked out into the courtyard, where he came face to face with his brother. because he wasn’t sure what else he should do, like a good little minion he held out his flask for a toast. “to our fallen brutus.”

brandon chung

After his long and arduous search of Rafe and receiving text messages meant for his brother in order to try and locate him, Brandon had finally done so in the courtyard. Although, it wasn’t as hard as he’d thought because Rafe stuck out like a sore yellow thumb. Brandon wanted to laugh at Rafe, but he saw the flask first and was elated. Quick to toast their lab rat of a brother they no longer saw to get to the drink Rafe had concocted, Brandon raised his own bottle and drank. “Rafe, you are an utter delight and you have several messages from people you might want to text back, but most importantly, I’m glad to see the costume looks so good on you! An excellent hundred dollars spent.” He reached to feel the fabric of Rafe’s outfit, speaking thoughtfully. “Not bad for Amazon, I think.”

rafe olmos

rafe had his mask pulled down, resting around his neck as he took a drink. his mistrustful expression was obvious, to him, but maybe to brandon it wasn’t. “if you keep touching me i am going to bite you,” he stated explicitly, punctuating it with a deeper sip of his drink. in an uncharacteristic gesture, he grimaced a little as it made its way down. it was entirely possible his moonshine would fell a lesser demigod. “wouldn’t this have made much more sense to do if it wasn’t just the two of us? i would’ve changed if i’d known.” his waspish tone was fed by the newfound irritation he felt for his brother and the situation in general, and the ground beneath him began to give way to sprouts of gnarled vine roots without rafe paying much attention.

brandon chung

It was only in the middle of Rafe’s threat did Brandon sense any hostility. Quickly, he withdrew his hand and squinted at his brother. “It would have been if not for Brutus,” Brandon snipped back, equal in attitude. He didn’t see the issue. “We’re matching, are we not? I’ve never worn a matching Halloween costume and I think we look spectacular.” A huff from Brandon and another swig of his drink, let Rafe know of his irritation. But Brandon was the bigger man and he proceeded. “Is that moonshine? Have you a flask for me?” Tonight was meant to be their own little experiment.

rafe olmos

"we’re not matching, dude,” rafe pointed out, and if he wasn’t so hot under the collar he would’ve been pleased to note that he slurred a bit. “i’m like, your literal minion. it feels a little demeaning.” he did fish out a second flask as he was bid, still feeling like a moron, and the vines around his feet expanded silently, stretched slowly towards the starry sky. “apologize for tricking me first,” he commanded suddenly, the goods in question halting halfway between them. it was the carrot for his brother, the proverbial ass. “and you can have some.”

brandon chung

In a world where Brandon was a better person, he would have heard the sincerity in Rafe’s voice, but instead, it went awash. In one ear, out the other. “I humbly regret my lack of forethought in informing you of a change in plans even if said the new execution is more appealing to our demographic.” It was recited impatiently and without any consideration. But Brandon took the flask Rafe held out before he had a chance to take it back. The moonshine was strong, and even Brandon had to pull the opening away from his mouth for a moment to get adjusted to the burn of it. “This is delightful.” Glee was practically sounded off into a squeal midway through the compliment and Brandon went in for more.

rafe olmos

that wasn’t convincing at all. rafe weighed it for a moment, two, trying to play devil’s advocate and parse apart brandon’s multisyllabic dismissal. but as his brother drank from the flask greedily, like a little pig, he knew what must be done. rafe’s fist balled up and he threw it into brandon’s face. his other hand raised to snatch at brandon’s stupid top-heavy gru jacket. the vines on the ground had grown tall enough that the momentum brought them both toppling over onto the wet grass. “you’re such a dick!” it all felt blurry, but rafe had the higher ground and consequently the advantage as he punched at brandon again. that part felt good, atleast.

brandon chung

It had been a long time since Brandon had been in a fight. A real proper fight with another demigod or something just as strong and not some dude on the sidewalk. That was why when Rafe punched him squarely in the nose, he didn’t see it coming in the slightest. The flask crashed into his face before flying haphazardly as Brandon fell to the ground from Rafe’s onslaught of attacks. “You’re the dick!” Brandon reeled his own fist back to fight. A swing and a miss. He barely grazed Rafe’s chin. Vines tightened around his ankles and Brandon knew they weren’t his, but it gave him the brought idea to utulize a tool he’d only ever use for being lazy. At once, a large, thick vine protruded from the ground circling itself around Rafe’s throat in hopes of having his brother’s fists stop pummeling him.

rafe olmos

it was a bit of a thrill to see brandon go down so quickly, looking so thoroughly surprised. however, there wasn’t any time for rafe to cherish the moment. the vines he’d brought to life were new to him-- usually rafe could settle things with his fists-- but brandon had the same sway. on his brother’s command a vine snaked around his throat and cut off his air supply. not a bad idea. with brandon far closer to the ground, rafe’s vines made short work of holding his older brother down, twining around his body from the neck down to tether him more fully into the dirt. “just.. say... you’re... sorry...” rafe managed to gurgle out, hands scrabbling at the vine around his neck.

brandon chung

Taking from Brandon’s own ingenious tactic, Rafe’s vine twisted around his throat. Though Rafe had stopped punching him to try and pry Brandon’s vine off his neck, Brandon was stuck trying to do the same. “You’ll!” Choking, he could only gasp out every word. “Have! To Kill! Me!” And from the way his eyes felt like they were bulging and how it seemed like he was swallowing his own tongue with every breath, it appeared it was going to end that way. “I’m sorry!”

rafe olmos

rafe really hadn’t planned on things escalating this far-- even though he was mad, he certainly wasn’t fratricidal-- but the moment before he released his vines’ grip on brandon, he got what he wanted. the vines retreated back into the ground, and rafe took a gulp of fresh air himself, appreciating it more because he was the winner. “i forgive you,” he managed to respond after a moment or two of steadying his breath. he got to his feet, a little unsteady, and held one hand out to brandon to help him up. dusting his knees off, he sighed wearily. “that was horrible, wasn’t it? you should take these, as a gesture of goodwill.” fishing into his costume’s admittedly spacious pockets, he pulled two flasks from their depths and offered them without the same bitterness as before.

brandon chung

Rafe was a worthy opponent. The gravity of his brother’s anger, or the upset he felt, hadn’t really been processed by Brandon until the vine had been wrapped around his throat. He took a few moments to catch his breath, rubbing the soreness away. “I’ve had worse.” And as Rafe offered him the flasks, Brandon couldn’t help but think about every brother he had. He loved each of them dearly, but he hadn’t ever come to blows with them as he had Rafe. Maybe this meant they were different. And maybe it would be better for it. Taking only one of the flasks from Rafe, he gestured Rafe keep the other by toasting them together. Brandon gulped down half of it before he had to stop, choking a little on laughter. There was a tickle against his chin and wiped it away with his arm, barely noticing the smudged alcohol and blood that was left against the sleeve. “Rafe, I hope we get to be brothers for a long time.”

rafe olmos

he accepted the gesture of goodwill offered right back, swigging some of his concoction down, though the adrenaline surging through his body really blocked the reaction he was hoping for. brandon’s words puzzled him, and rafe shot his brother a long look. brandon was a strange one, sure, but the way he talked sometimes made rafe want to pry for more information, some explanation for the cryptic thoughts he actually voiced. but he could very well remain an enigma forever. “i hope so, too, bud. nobody’s ever used the vines against me before. it was mostly for guerilla warfare and impressing girls growing up.” a deep tiredness settled over him, and rafe wanted to sober up some before staggering home. he heaved a deep sigh before continuing. “i think my fun meter’s maxed out, i’m going home. don’t get into any fights or burn your place down.” he pointed sternly in brandon’s direction. “i’m serious.”

[dear-indies]

hey there! hope you guys are having a good weekend. :) i'm looking for actors who have been in space/scifi movies. do you have any suggestions? i've been looking for a masterlist, but i can only find ones for period fcs. thank you.

Here’s a masterlist of over 240+ faceclaims who have starred in Space / Science Fiction media with their roles and ethnicity noted! If you have any suggestions or know any missing information feel free to send us an ask. Please give this post a like or reblog if you found it useful.

Note: If it’s a franchise for example “Stargate” I’ve noted it as such and not the specific movies so a quick look at their IMBD page will tell you which ones they’ve been in! 

Female:

Sandra Bullock(Gravity)

Emily Blunt (Edge of Tomorrow)

Anne Hathaway (Interstellar)

Jessica Chastain (Interstellar)

Noomi Rapace (Prometheus)

Charlize Theron (Prometheus) 

Kate Dickie (Prometheus)

Sigourney Weaver (Avatar and Alien) 

Karolina Wydra (Europa Report)

Anamaria Marinca (Europa Report)

Embeth Davidtz (Europa Report)

Frankie Adams (The Expanse) Samoan heritage. 

Dominique Tipper (The Expanse) Dominican / White. 

Shohreh Aghdashloo (The Expanse) Iranian.

Florence Faivre (The Expanse) Thai / White.

Athena Karkanis (The Expanse) Greek, Egyptian.

Lola Glaudini (The Expanse) 

Antje Traue (Pandorum)

Natascha McElhone (Solaris)

Viola Davis (Solaris) African-American. 

Jodie Foster (Elysium)

Alicia Vikander (Ex Machina)

Summer Glau (Serenity and Firefly)

Jewel Staite(Serenity and Firefly and Stargate: Atlantis) 

Gina Torres (Serenity and Firefly)Cuban (African, likely other)

Emily Mortimer (Spectral)

Zoe Saldana (Star Trek and Guardians of the Galaxy) Puerto Rican, Dominican Republic, evidently small amount of Lebanese and Haitian.

Olivia Thirlby (Dredd) 

Rachel Luttrell (Stargate) half Tanzanian (Shambaa).

Torri Higginson(Stargate)

Amanda Tapping (Stargate and Star Trek)

Sofia Boutella (Star Trek) Algerian.

Winona Ryder (Star Trek)

Sonequa Martin-Green(Star Trek) African-American. 

Michelle Yeoh(Star Trek) Cantonese and Hokkien.

Bianca Comparato (3%) 

Mel Fronckowiak (3%) 

Viviane Porto (3%) Unknown. 

Olga Kurylenko (Oblivion)

Andrea Riseborough(Oblivion)

Zoë Bell(Oblivion)

Olivia Wilde (Tron: Legacy)

Beau Garrett (Tron: Legacy)

Claudia Black (Farscape) 

Rinko Kikuchi (Pacific Rim & Terra Formars) Japanese.

Jaime Murray (SyFy Defiance)

Stephanie Leonidas (SyFy Defiance)

Mia Kirshner(SyFy Defiance)

Julie Benz(SyFy Defiance)

Rebecca Ferguson (Life)

Olga Dihovichnaya (Life) 

Amy Adams (Arrival) 

Chloë Grace Moretz (The 5th Wave)

Maika Monroe (The 5th Wave) 

Maria Bello (The 5th Wave) 

Sanaa Lathan (Approaching the Unknown) African-American. 

Scottie Thompson (Skyline)

Gemma Chan (Humans) Chinese.

Mila Kunis (Jupiter Ascending)

Katee Sackhoff (Battlestar Galactica and Riddick)

Tricia Helfer(Battlestar Galactica)

Grace Park(Battlestar Galactica) Korean. 

Mary McDonnell(Battlestar Galactica)

Jenna Coleman (Doctor Who) 

Karen Gillan(Doctor Who and Guardians of the Galaxy)

Billie Piper(Doctor Who)

Freema Agyeman(Doctor Who) Ghanaian / Iranian.

Pearl Mackie(Doctor Who) West Indian / English.   

EmiTakei (Terra Formars) Japanese.  

Eiko Koike (Terra Formars) Japanese.

Mariko Shinoda (Terra Formars) Japanese.

Lina Ohta (Terra Formars) Japanese.

Rila Fukushima (Terra Formars) Japanese.

Megumi Kagurazaka (The Whispering Star) Japanese.

Yuqi Zhang (Lost in the Pacific) Chinese. 

Mano Erina (The Next Generation Patlabor - Tokyo War) Japanese.

KannaMori (The Next Generation Patlabor - Tokyo War) Japanese.

ReikoTakashima (The Next Generation Patlabor - Tokyo War) Japanese.

Lina Ohta (The Next Generation Patlabor - Tokyo War) Japanese.

Asuka Kirara (Iron Girl: Ultimate Weapon) Japanese. 

Meisa Kuroki (Space Battleship Yamato) Japanese. 

Caity Lotz (The Machine)

Pooneh Hajimohammadi(The Machine) Iranian. 

Bryce Dallas Howard (Jurassic World & Terminator)

Emilia Clarke (Terminator)

Ishihara Satomi (Shin Godzilla) Japanese. 

Han Ye Ri (Illang: The Wolf Brigade) Korean. 

Han Hyo Joo (Illang: The Wolf Brigade) Korean. 

Ha Ji Won (Sector 7) Korean. 

Shiina Eihi (Helldriver) Korean. 

Kinoshita Ayumi (Travelers: Dimension Police) Japanese. 

Nagasawa Nao (Travelers: Dimension Police) Japanese. 

Olivia Wang (Bureau of Transformer) Chinese. 

Wang Zhi (Kung Fu Traveler 2) Chinese.

Nagasawa Masami (Gintama 2: Rules Are Meant To Be Broken) Japanese.

Liu Mei Lin (Hot-Blooded Goddess) Chinese.

Jin Chen (The War for Light) Chinese. 

Karina Hai (Hero’s Dream) Chinese. 

Fonthip Watcharatrakul (Atitha) Thai. 

Yoshii Rei (The Parasite Doctor Suzune: Evolution) Japanese.

Use at your own discretion:

Michelle Rodriguez (Avatar) transphobic (LINK) 

Jennifer Lawrence (Passengers) racism, slurs, albeism, and many more (LINK)

Male:

Matt Damon (Interstellar and The Martian and Elysium)

Sharlto Copley (Elysium and District 9)

Wagner Moura (Elysium)Brazilian (Portuguese, possibly other)

Chiwetel Ejiofor (The Martian and Serenity) Igbo Nigerian.

Jeremy Davies (Solaris) 

Ulrich Tukur (Solaris)

George Clooney (Gravity and Solaris)

Basher Savage (Gravity) Unknown. 

Sam Rockwell (Moon) 

Khary Payton (Astronaut: The Last Push)African-American. 

Sharlto Copley (Europa Report) 

Christian Camargo (Europa Report) Mexican, English, possibly other.

Daniel Wu (Europa Report) Chinese. 

Steven Strait (The Expanse) 

Wes Chatham (The Expanse)

Thomas Jane (The Expanse) 

Chad Coleman (The Expanse) African-American.

Cas Anvar (The Expanse) Iranian.

Jared Harris (The Expanse)

Paulo Costanzo (The Expanse) 

Jay Hernandez (The Expanse) Mexican.

Andrew Rotilio (The Expanse) Unknown. 

Danny John-Jules (Red Dwarf) British Dominican.

Craig Charles (Red Dwarf) Unspecified multiracial.

Chris Barrie (Red Dwarf)

Idris Elba (Prometheus and Pacific Rim) Sierra Leonean / Ghanaian.

Logan Marshall-Green (Prometheus)

Benedict Wong(Prometheus) Chinese. 

Sean Harris (Prometheus)

Rafe Spall(Prometheus)

Chris Pratt (Guardians of the Galaxy) 

Joel David Moore (Avatar)

Sam Worthington (Avatar)

Stephen Lang (Avatar)

Giovanni Ribisi (Avatar)

Dileep Rao (Avatar) Kannada Indian.  

Matt Gerald (Avatar)

Sean Anthony Moran (Avatar) Unknown.

Ben Foster (Pandorum)

Dennis Quaid (Pandorum)

Norman Reedus (Pandorum)

Cam Gigandet (Pandorum) 

Cung Le (Pandorum) Vietnamese. 

David James (District 9)

Brandon Auret (District 9)

Mandla Gaduka(District 9) Unknown.

Domhnall Gleeson (Ex Machina)

Oscar Isaac(Ex Machina)Cuban, Guatemalan, French. 

Tom Cruise (Edge of Tomorrow and Oblivion)

Bill Paxton (Edge of Tomorrow and Aliens) 

Franz Drameh (Edge of Tomorrow) Black British, Gambian.

Nathan Fillion (Serenity and Firefly)

Alan Tudyk (Serenity and Firefly)

Adam Baldwin (Serenity and Firefly)

James Badge Dale (Spectral)

Max Martini (Spectral)

Bruce Greenwood (Spectral)

Clayne Crawford (Spectral)

Cory Hardrict(Spectral) Unknown.

George Takei (Star Trek) Japanese. 

Karl Urban (Star Trek and Dredd and Riddick)

John Cho (Star Trek) Korean.  

Zachary Quinto (Star Trek)

Chris Pine (Star Trek)

Simon Pegg (Star Trek)

Eric Bana(Star Trek)

Chris Hemsworth(Star Trek) 

Christopher Judge (Stargate) African-American, Cherokee ancestry.

James Spader(Stargate)

Kurt Russell(Stargate)

Jason Momoa (Stargate) half Native Hawaiian.

David Hewlett (Stargate)

Joe Flanigan (Stargate)

David Nykl (Stargate)

Richard Dean Anderson (Stargate)

Michael Shanks (Stargate) 

Rodolfo Valente (3%) 

João Miguel (3%) 

Michel Gomes (3%) Unknown. 

Rafael Lozano(3%) 

Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (Oblivion)

Morgan Freeman(Oblivion)African-American, more distant English. 

Jeff Bridges (Tron: Legacy)

Garrett Hedlund (Tron: Legacy)

Michael Sheen (Tron: Legacy)

Lani Tupu (Farscape) of Samoan descent.

Charlie Hunnam (Pacific Rim) 

Charlie Day(Pacific Rim)

Burn Gorman (Pacific Rim)

Max Martini(Pacific Rim)

Robert Kazinsky(Pacific Rim)

Clifton Collins Jr.(Pacific Rim)

Diego Klattenhoff(Pacific Rim)

Grant Bowler (SyFy Defiance)

Tony Curran(SyFy Defiance)

Hiroyuki Sanada (Life) Japanese. 

Ariyon Bakare (Life) Nigerian.  

Ryan Reynolds (Life) 

Jake Gyllenhaal (Life)

Jeremy Renner (Arrival) 

Forest Whitaker (Arrival) African-American.  

Michael Stuhlbarg (Arrival) 

Mark O'Brien (Arrival) 

Mark Strong (Approaching the Unknown)

Tzi Ma (Arrival) Hong Kong Chinese.

Nick Robinson (The 5th Wave) 

Alex Roe (The 5th Wave) 

Liev Schreiber (The 5th Wave) Eric Balfour (Skyline)

Laurence Fishburne (Passengers) African-American.

Channing Tatum (Jupiter Ascending)

Sean Bean (Jupiter Ascending)

Douglas Booth (Jupiter Ascending)

Edward James Olmos(Battlestar Galactica)

Jamie Bamber(Battlestar Galactica)

James Callis(Battlestar Galactica)

Aaron Douglas (Battlestar Galactica)

Matt Smith (Doctor Who) 

David Tennant(Doctor Who)

Peter Capaldi(Doctor Who)

Christopher Eccleston(Doctor Who)

Arthur Darvill(Doctor Who)

Tom Baker (Doctor Who)

Hideaki Ito (Terra Formars) Japanese.

Tomohisa Yamashita (Terra Formars) Japanese.

Takayuki Yamada (Terra Formars) Japanese.

Shun Oguri (Terra Formars) Japanese.

Kein Kosugi (Terra Formars) Japanese.

Kenichi Takito(Terra Formars) Japanese.

Brandon Routh (Lost In The Pacific)

Toshio Kakei (The Next Generation Patlabor - Tokyo War) Japanese. 

Kotaro Yoshida (The Next Generation Patlabor - Tokyo War) Japanese.

ShigeruChiba (The Next Generation Patlabor - Tokyo War) Japanese.

SeijiFukushi (The Next Generation Patlabor - Tokyo War) Japanese.

YoshinoriHorimoto (The Next Generation Patlabor - Tokyo War) Japanese.

Takuya Kimura (Space Battleship Yamato) Japanese. 

Chris Evans (Sunshine) 

Dave Bautista (Guardians of the Galaxy and Riddick) Filipino / White.

Michael Rooker (Guardians of the Galaxy)

Sean Gunn(Guardians of the Galaxy)

Benicio del Toro(Guardians of the Galaxy)

David Duchovny (Evolution) 

Orlando Jones(Evolution) African-American.  

Seann William Scott (Evolution)

Toby Stephens (The Machine) 

Christian Bale (Terminator Salvation)

Sam Worthington(Terminator)

Arnold Schwarzenegger (Terminator)

Jai Courtney (Terminator & Divergent)

Use at your own discretion:

Michael Fassbender (Prometheus) domestic abuse claims (link)

Donald Glover (The Martian) misogynistic, rape jokes, fetishizes Asian women, lyrics linking Virginia Tech massacre, f-slur, r-slur, and many other gross things (link)

Harrison Ford (Star Wars) support(ed) Roman Polanski (link)

Eddie Redmayne (Jupiter Ascending) transphobic (link)

Vin Diesel (Guardians of the Galaxy and Riddick) sexual harassment (link)

Adrien Brody (Predators) has spoken up about supporting Bill Cosby, Woody Allen and participating in a standing ovation for convicted paedophile and convicted child rapist Roman Polanski.(link)

Matthew McConaughey (Interstellar)appeasers to endorse Donald Trump’s presidency, and suggesting that Hollywood needs to “embrace” it. (link)

Non-Binary:

N/A

Credit:

Lovely people who helped out! 

@cxrrxw​

@corruptedones​

@saviorofexistence​

@lionsire​

[kafkasgods]

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

3 June 3, 2021

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

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

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

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

3 June 4, 2021

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

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

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

3 June 7, 2021

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

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

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

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

[kafkasgods]

dara & rafe

dara phairot

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

dara phairot BOT — 12/10/2021 tw drugs

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

dara phairot BOT — 12/10/2021 tw drugs

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

dara phairot BOT — 12/10/2021 tw drugs

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

1 December 11, 2021

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

2 December 14, 2021

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

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

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

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

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

2

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

1

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

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

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

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

[kafkasgods]

faaya shah BOT 12/12/2020 life was quieter for faaya. she had a strict routine now that revolved around work and her dogs. there wasn’t a need to really think of things outside of that. but it was in the middle of setting their food out and keeping them company as they ate (brutus wouldn’t eat otherwise), that faaya realized she herself had forgotten to eat. for how long, she couldn’t even remember. maybe she picked at a minimuffin this morning? or yesterday? either way, she probably needed to get food.

despite her fridge being decently stocked, she couldn’t bring herself to cook anything. and she didn’t want to go to a restaurant, there were too many people. at the same time, while she desperately didn’t want to admit it, she didn’t want to be alone. with a quick text and a faster reply, faaya was off to the cabins.

“so what kind of leftovers are there?” she asked rafe as he opened his door. @Rafael Olmos December 14, 2020

rafe olmos BOT 12/14/2020 rafe wasn’t adjusting as well as he’d hoped. he slept through his six alarms, missed his morning shift. that could be easily remedied by claiming emotional distress. his house’s access to electricity was in and out, which was harder to fix. the power company politely apologizing for the inconvenience throughout, and while it didn’t fix the fact that his shower had turned freezing and pitch black midway through, he appreciated the gesture enough.

it was time to take stock of his own fridge’s questionable contents, and rafe set to cooking. there was extra attention to be paid, now that he couldn’t trust himself to know when something needed a good stir, or was about to burn. faaya’s text barely registered, but he remembered as she knocked on the door.

swinging it open, rafe didn’t wait to hear her out fully as he started back towards the kitchen, candles lighting the way where winter sunlight couldn’t. “hope you like eggs. i’ve just been making omelets.” [ @Faaya Shah ] December 15, 2020

faaya shah BOT 12/15/2020 admittedly, faaya was bewildered by the candles, but it only took a second to figure a power outage was to blame. though, she really did think the town had solved that issue days ago. “i could eat omelets.” still was better than anything else she’d conjure up. rafe’s homemade cooking was a treat she rarely got and there was something about homemade that made it all the better. “if you told me your power was out, i wouldn’t have bothered you.” faaya didn’t ask more about it. asking was just stress added onto his own. “is it warm enough for you?” she asked now considering the lack of a working heater. the coat she came in with stayed on. @Rafael Olmos December 17, 2020

rafe olmos BOT 12/17/2020 rafe’s shoulders lifted at faaya’s comment. “what, was i just supposed to let you starve?” he adopted a reasonable tone for the teasing question. he nudged the freshest of his creations towards her, the southwestern omelet, and set back to work on his next. “it comes and goes, though, so don’t be surprised if the lights turn back on in the middle of your meal.”

it was warm enough for him in the kitchen, between the fireplace and the gas range that he hadn’t really noticed the absence of central heating. “i think i’ll live despite tyche’s best efforts to the contrary.” as if in response to her name, the salt shaker tipped over, and rafe tossed a pinch over his shoulder before setting it to rights.

“besides, if you help me eat, you’re doing me a favor.” for the first time, as he whisked, rafe inspected faaya’s face as she settled into his kitchen. she looked withdrawn, which was definitely saying something for faaya. “why the long face, anyway?” [ @Faaya Shah ]

faaya shah BOT 12/17/2020 that certainly sucked for rafe, but there wasn’t anything she could do for him. giving him a sympathetic nod, faaya accepted his situation easily before pulling the plate closer. even in the dark, she could tell it was a better omelet anyone else might make. she cut into it, listening to rafe as he spoke. there was a bitterness in his tone that usually wasn’t there and faaya wondered if that was the reason she felt at ease in rafe’s company. birds of a feather flock together after all.

faaya blinked up at him, pausing in her meal, for a moment as he asked. given that she always looked unhappy, no one ever really picked up on it. she didn’t imagine rafe would. but he did. it made her want to be strangely honest. “i’ve just recently come to the conclusion i’m not a very good person. it’s not a bad thing, i’m just still getting used to the idea. so it’s that, paired along with the fact that my on-again off-again ex only gets back with me because it’s easy.” the fork clinked against the plate as she neatly sliced a bite. “i’ve gotten too comfortable after a decade. it’s not going to be like that anymore.”

lifting the food into her mouth, she chewed it, covering her mouth with her hand as she spoke. “does your long face have to do with tyche then?” @Rafael Olmos December 22, 2020

rafe olmos BOT 12/22/2020 faaya opened up a little and rafe listened, reserving his judgement until it she’d said everything she was thinking. objectively, he didn’t agree that she was necessarily bad, nobody existed on a black and white kind of binary like that, but arguing that ideology wasn’t really his style. “hey, who wants to be a good person, anyway? i bet it get’s boring as hell having to make all the right decisions.” his tone stayed light, even as her on-again off-again point remained heavy, hovering over his own head in a way he hadn’t considered. “i always knew there was a mid-forties divorcee in you somewhere, faaya. embrace the suck and move on to bigger and better.”

“oh, yeah, i’m no longer the favored grandchild so i can simply go fuck myself,” rafe answered, dumping his mixed eggs into the pan and sprinkling a few mushrooms mason had dropped off the other day into the mix. he had gruyere in the fridge somewhere, and doubled back to fetch it from memory. “that’s what i get for being just like my dad all the time. she’s always been bitter about dionysus like i got to choose my parents or something.” his mother never particularly tried to dissuade the goddess of the notion, but that tracked with her personality, too. [ @Faaya Shah ]

faaya shah BOT 12/22/2020 “my thoughts exactly.” the fork rested between her teeth, pressing down on her bottom lip as she praised rafe. the observation he made was amusing, she had to admit. “i’d never consider it, but i think i’d prefer mid-thirties widow, whose wealthy ex-husband died under mysterious circumstances.” giving it a small snort, she returned back to the meal at hand.

her gaze rose once again as rafe explained a very similar experience faaya was having, but he was fetching the cheese so he didn’t see the open, empathetic expression on her face. she ducked her head again upon his return, eyes on the eggs again. only a few bites in she asked, “do you have any hot sauce? and maybe orange juice.”

it took another second to actually address his situation. “there’s not much i can tell you that’ll do any good. if you hadn’t noticed, i’m not a walking boogeyman anymore.” faaya tried not to sound bitter. “they had us coasting on what they gave us and now we have to fend for ourselves. between you and me, i’m not fond of relying on anyone. gods or not. we’re just gonna have to tell them to go fuck themselves back, huh?”  @Rafael Olmos December 25, 2020

rafe olmos BOT 12/25/2020 faaya was thinking about something, rafe could tell from the way she turned away from him as he returned from the fridge. her request earned a chagrined sigh, and he doubled back to fetch the juice and the hot sauce. rafe listened as she continued, grabbing a glass and pouring her some juice, he only missed the rim of the glass for a moment before filling it and sliding it over to her and pouring another for himself.

“that’s the spirit! fuck ‘em.” as if on cue rafe remembered he had eggs cooking, and abandoned his orange juice toast in favor of trying to flip his omlette. it didn’t work, and he set to work scrambling the eggs all together in the pan. “honestly, i haven’t noticed. you just wore your natural intimidation for so long that i forget to check if there’s someone human underneath all that emotional armor.” rafe’s shoulders lifted. “just trusted your process, i guess. but, if it matters, i think it’ll be good for you. to work on your interpersonal relationships without the spookiness, y'know.” [ @Faaya Shah ]

faaya shah BOT 12/25/2020 faaya watched rafe cook as she sipped the orange juice he’d gotten her. having seen him cook in the past, there was something off about how there much more improvising than usual. it took a second to realize it was his own struggle with his newly found bad fortune. faaya chewed her eggs with a contemplative gaze on rafe. it might have seemed like inconveniences were small, but they added up and at some point, rafe was going to break. that frustration wore on a person. she wanted to say something, but he was right. it was both their journeys.

“so. you think my interpersonal relationships need work?” folding her hands together, chin resting on them, faaya blinked up feigning innocuous teasing at rafe. “i thought we were on pretty good terms. how would you like to improve our relationship, rafael?” @Rafael Olmos

rafe olmos BOT 12/25/2020 rafe’s hands defensively lifted after he neatly plated the eggs and set the pan well off to the side of the burner. muscle memory was something tyche couldn’t take from him, even if he felt just a little off-kilter. “i think we do great, i’m just your sounding board after all,” he pointed out. he leaned back against the counter, finally recovering the glass of juice he’d abandoned earlier. rafe spoke between sips. “but you came in mad about your ex so i figured there’s something to it. i wouldn’t be the responsible older one if i didn’t give good advice atleast once in a while.” [ @Faaya Shah ]

faaya shah BOT 12/25/2020 “i don’t need a sounding board,” faaya sniped back. “i’m always perfectly certain of all my decisions.” that wasn’t even a lie and was one of the things she prided herself on. “there’s really no need for you to be the responsible adult here. i don’t typically do stupid things. i appreciate it, but you don’t need to look after me.” though she said the words fully confident about them, she imagined it did lose some effect as she eyed the meal he’d made her that had been her first in a day or two. it wasn’t like he knew that. “and just so you know, i’m not mad about my ex. i'm probably more along the lines of acceptance. my time is worth more than spending in on people who don’t appreciate it.” faaya lifted her shoulders. “you should know what it’s like to be taken for granted. eventually, you just disassociate.” @Rafael Olmos

rafe olmos BOT 12/25/2020 “if you say so,” rafe offered after a moment. it sounded dubious at best, but he just grinned before pushing on. “i’m just saying if you wanted to talk through your decisions, and you weren’t wanting to feel dissociated, i would listen without offering any more opinions. not all of those consist of good advice.” he certainly wasn’t on a therapist's level, but usually his thought process was sound, atleast. finishing his juice, rafe rinsed his glass in the sink as his lights flickered back on. “good sign,” he pointed out, setting the glass into the drying rack. [ @Faaya Shah ]

faaya shah BOT 12/25/2020 “i’m good, rafe. promise.” faaya was unsure if she should feel a little offended at the fact he didn’t take her entirely serious. it was almost like he was humoring a child. he’d have to adapt eventually.

at the sudden brightness, faaya squinted, letting her eyes adjust slowly. “you know, i’m not the only one with problems.” just about finishing her plate, faaya washed it down with more juice and was content to just sit for a moment, decently fed. “aren’t you dealing with a lot more than your grandmother? brother, girlfriend, work.” faaya listed casually, letting him answer the vague references if he chose to. "i'm just as good a listener." @Rafael Olmos

rafe olmos BOT 12/25/2020 * tw  violence, monster mention*   his own tactics reflected back at him was a real eye opener. “do i always sound that annoying?” rafe asked after a moment, looking faaya up and down and trying to gauge whether he looked that smug when he talked, too. “besides, i have two brothers, so you’ll have to be more specific.” he didn’t really have too much of a bone to pick with either brandon or clem, so he was mostly just trying to protect himself from any more self-disclosure.

“if i wanted to talk about my problems i would probably have to have some first,” he pointed out. “outside of wards failing and being snowed into my job, i think things have been pretty normal lately. speaking of, i heard you stabbed a drakon with a scythe. i heard it was awesome.” [ @Faaya Shah ] December 26, 2020

faaya shah BOT 12/26/2020 answering his question, faaya gave a sympathetic nod. “brandon,” she specified, even if he might have been playing dumb. “i’ve known him a few years and while he’s been a little odd, i didn’t think he was the type to take a flamethrower to my club. i guess i’m just a little concerned.” that wasn’t the right feeling, but rafe had to be and she was just appealing to him, because if she was concerned at all, it was for rafe.

slipping off her seat, she took her empty dishes and piled them into the sink, lifting her sleeves to wash them. she could tell rafe was being difficult and if that was the case, then she wouldn’t pry. like she’d said, she was an adult and so was he. he knew what he could deal with. “hm?” it took a second for the words to catch up to her mind  having been said over the sound of running water.

“oh, yeah. no one’s really asked about that.” it’d been the least talked about thing from her end since all it’d been to her was making up for a fatal mistake. “we were caught in the snow—hadley, rune, lida, and i. after it was distracted, i ran up a tree and sliced it down its face. the others did the rest.” it was the easiest explanation. “keeping tabs on me?” faaya tossed her long hair back over her shoulder to twist her head to raise a brow at rafe. despite the suspicious look, her tone was light and airy. @Rafael Olmos