#vitasmp

[mpxyingyue]

Wrong Text

@vitasmp

Yingyue had not had enough from her work shift. Already tipsy from drinking with her customers, the demigoddess left straight from work to Vision. She did not even change from her work attire, a sleek, velvet black dress that did not necessarily match the vibe of the other dancers. However, her goal hadn't been to mingle with others or to spend time on the dance floor. She had merely wanted to continue her drinking without going home. And, she drunk like no tomorrow.

Passing a certain threshold, the demigoddess felt the alcohol pumping through her veins. With what left of sanity she had, she knew that she needed a bit of assistance getting home, and she had slipped through her phone, clicking on what she thought was Val's number. Whether it was from her blurry vision or impaired coordination, that did not occur, and she selected the phone unaware that it was going to Vitas. 'Need help at Vision. I overdrank. I need help geting hom!!"

Then, she waited patiently. The demigoddess paid off all her drinks, and though she knew she was sloshed, she still finished the last sips of the drink she bought. Yingyue finally started talking to another person until she saw her phone light up with their arrival. Outside, the figure waited, and she stumbled from her spot to grab her jacket. Struggling to pull it on, she was so thrilled to see her friend that she barely pulled it on before she went straight for them.

With just Vitas outside, she immediately assumed that it was Valerie. So drunk, she did not realize the height different, though her heels did help bridge that gap, and even further, she did not realize it was a man till the damage had been done. With a small, happy exclamation, Yingyue lunged forward to wrap the other's neck in a sweet and tight hug. "My hero, Va-" She stopped, immediately noticing the difference in the body in her arms. "Ah!" She looked to his face, but that confusion quickly wiped away to a genuine happiness. "Vitas! What are you doing here!"

[mpxarawn]

Archived Histories |||

@vitasmp

the celt had been unfazed by his first encounter with vitas, that he really didn't pay much attention to what had happened. it was like a normal occurrence for the death god ( which it kind of was. he was the lord of the annwn, the celtic underworld). however, despite the circumstances, vitas left an impression on the god. the gall and audacity was extremely refreshing, since the last person who tried that recently was maxim, so of course, vitas wasn't going to get away without consequences of disrespect, but arawn was going to enjoy it for the time being.

As always, work and lesson preparations sent him to pay a visit to the Phoenix library and archives, for a few pieces of artifacts and papers that will pertain to upcoming lessons. He headed to the library, and then to the archives, greeting all staff that he passed politely. While half of the university campus was the university, the other half was Phoenix Library and Arawn was often there to pick up books for classes and even casual reading. This time, however, he was on a mission for work.

His heels clacked on the floor as he pushed open the door to the archives. A smile spread on his face. "Ah, what a delight to see you again, Vitas. Unfortunately I am not here to see you," he said, as though he was disappointed at that fact, "I do require the original manuscript for good old Wilie boy's As You Like It." he stated. "and also Midsummer Night's Dream." he stated, going into his professor mode.

[mpxesther]

Frozen Notes

@vitasmp

Esther's last few weeks had been a mix of good and bad. Good, she had met and reunited with people who she wanted a permanent fixture in her life. Bad, she had accidentally hurt a few people in both attempts of self-preservation. While partly, she knew she had to work on not being so guilt-ridden for putting herself first, it ached her heart to know that she hurt someone else, especially as someone who was dealing with a hard hand dealt to her by someone who was supposed to love her.

While Esther knew she had people she could contact, she felt the need to distance herself once again, to dive into her music as a chance to distract herself from those negative thoughts. Esther, though, could no longer hide in her apartment or the PAC. She needed to go out, and despite the cold and snow that covered the island, she had set her mind on sacrificing her comfort to find a beautiful and lonely place to play.

Heading to the park, she found a spot located away from the heavier traffic area of the park. Away from the sidewalk, she set up small stool and music stand before her, keeping her jacket on that had been stuffed with a variety of hand warmers to try and keep some level of comfort.

Classically trained in nearly all Chinese instruments and variety of string instruments, she had felt it had been time to pull out her erhu. Though her last performance with her guzheng had ended awkwardly, there had been urges for other instruments by some customers. So, after warming her fingers up from a heat packet, she soon warmed up her instrument before performing her first song. As the notes continued, Esther's body sway with the consumption her notes. It was a mere pause before the next tune gracefully started. The beautiful sounds of her second song struck her heart, stirring some tears upon her cheeks. And, they continued to fall down her cheeks, unable to stop their descent.

Having been lost in her music, she had not heard the demigod approaching behind her until the tune ending, hearing the ruffle of his jacket and the step of his feet. Quickly patting her cheeks, the demigoddess noticed who it was instantly as she finally turned. A small frown pulled on her lips as she did.

"Hello, Vitas."

[juyeonmp]

Run In

a wolf!Juyu starter for fellow pantheon member @vitasmp (Takes place a bit after new years once Juyu and In-Soo return from their new years trip into Seoul)

Juyeon had needed to stretch his legs a bit after him and In-soo had returned from their somewhat emotional trip into Seoul. While he wasn't related to In-Soo's mother, he had known her while she was alive. She'd often come to support the two of them while they'd had their dance group activities back when they were both a little younger. So he'd been somewhat affected by their time visiting her grave as well.

Thus, after they had returned it was nice to just run around and let himself focus on baser things like chasing bunnies and pouncing in snow piles. In-soo had been with him for a bit but at the moment he was alone and rolling in snow. A moment later though, his nose twitched as he caught scent of something before following after it to the edge of the woods.

Curious, he glanced around before he tilted his head at a quiet sound that came from the edge of the trees. He adjusted a bit, weight shifting before he dropped down to a crouch with his belly touching the ground and then moving closer to the edge of the woods in a sort of wiggle worm-step kind of movement until he could peek passed the trees.

[mpxdavina]

A small token of appreciation

Vitas may not know her well, but he was appreciative of her efforts when they met.  Supportive of her mission and her culture, he procured a couple gifts for the Chinese pantheon princess who owned Spilled Tea.  In anticipation that she would be quite busy on the weekend, a package arrived at the tea stall Thursday afternoon.  A very large package.  Addressed to Davina Kim from Vitas Halvorsen.

Upon opening the package, she would discover two things.  One could certainly not be overlooked, and that was a refurbished antique apothecary cabinet perfect for storing tea, herbs, flower, and other ingredients for her wares. 

The second was a smaller box containing starters from his homeland–six separate smaller containers of Icelandic moss, Angelica seeds, birch leaves, arctic thyme, meadowsweet and fireweed.

A simple card read:

Happy New Year

–Vitas

-----

The week leading up to the lunar festival had been hectic for the demigoddess. The stall had been slammed thanks to her mother’s festival in the town, and she had barely caught a breath of air between trying to juggle both indulging in the stalls and maintaining her own. Davina could only look forward to Sunday. She would absolutely not be moving out of her bed that day. 

When one of her staffed called to her attention the sudden package, Davina’s eyes had widened as she came upon the immense box. The surprise did not end at the size of it. The items sent by the rather quiet Norse demigod were mind-blowing. Between both the cabinet and the seeds, Davina had never imagined someone to take the time to hunt down such a lovely gift for her! Especially, not him! All she had done was heal him. Did he feel some sort of obligation? If so, she could not wrap her head around why.  

Immediately, the demigoddess sent off two texts. 

First, she sent Vitas a video message of her praising such an excellent gift with several ‘thanks you’ and ‘you are the best!” filtered throughout. 

Second, she popped a message over to her mother. “Momma... Do you know someone really strong to help move something big and really bulky?”

[mpxesther]

Esther knew that he would not necessarily be a fan of her kiss. Though, she had expected more of an annoyance of touch, a loud argument to ensue. Even the demigoddess of fate could not estimate such a reaction. She had done so to protect herself, but Esther would have never made the reach if she knew the effects it would have on her. For someone to be in such a medical situation, his attention was to something one normally would just do out of spite. She immediately felt guilty and frown pulled to her lips.

She had no idea what may have happened his past to react like this. There was a range of reasonable explanations, and they all made her sick. Esther never wanted to hurt someone like this, but lately, she seemed to be doing too well of a job of making others uncomfortable by her presence and her accidental actions. So, as he stumbled out of the carriage and escaped, she let him. If her small affection caused a reaction, what would her chasing after him make him think? It would not be any help.

Esther pulled out her phone. Calling the emergency line, she placed in a request to come to the park and to Vitas last location. Esther took the time to describe what parts of his medical situation she understood and a warning of what his mental state might be in. Esther could not help him, but she could make sure he was safe from a distance. She had little to fear. Her vision showed her his future. He would survive the night, but she would spend the rest of it regretting her actions and the whole encounter.

Don't be so dark? He considered it being realistic. The truth was a place of both light and darkness, rays and shadows. Don't be so dark? Well someone had to be. There had to be a balance, didn't there? He was certain that for every one of him, there were ten people that were all sunshine and rainbows all the damn time.

Was he struggling? Yes. More than he let on. But what happened next, he hadn't anticipated from her. The warm crash of her lips against his cheek might have been jarring because his skin was so cold, she may as well have kissed a frozen corpse--but the sensation of that kiss had been so unexpected that it took a second to register. Once it had, however, his eyes shot open and he jerked away from her, all the way to the edge of the carriage, pressing himself against the wall and creating as getting as far away from her as he possibly could, snapping his head toward her. The look in his eyes was one of seething hatred and rage, but it only lasted a moment before his eye lids fell again, another wave of lightheadedness and weakness claiming him as he weakly wiped at his cheek over...and over...and over...with his gloved fist as though trying to scrub himself clean of her filth, hating the feeling of that warmth left behind by her lips.

What she didn't know, what she couldn't possibly know, was the absolute true offense she had committed against him in that moment. Because to Vitas, this was not just some innocent peck on the cheek to see his fate. To Vitas, this was an attack. To Vitas, this was a stark reminder of how weak he was and how terrible people were. The flashes of childhood memories flooded his mind, of the night he had barely been able to even keep his eyes open let alone fight back against the assaults a grown man who was supposed to care for him.

And this woman--this fucking woman--HAD had a hidden agenda just as he suspected; it just wasn't what he had initially deduced; oh no, this was much more sinister. This woman may look so sweet and demure and sad, but she was really just a deceitful predator. Everything she had told him about her powers being random and refusing to use them had been a lie; she had used them already; she knew he would be weak in this moment and orchestrated the whole fucking thing. Purposefully booking a carriage ride for herself at that specific time, knowing he'd be drawn to the horse, getting him into the cart where they would be alone and he would have this bradycardic episode, making him an easy victim.

It was a stark and harsh reminder of how weak and vulnerable Vitas was. Especially here, on this island of demigods, where he was even weaker than someone who had claimed she didn't even want to use her powers. An obvious lie now, of course. For a brief moment, he fantasized about smashing her face into a frozen pole, having those lips stuck to the freezing metal, and jerking her head back so those lips would rip right off her evil pretty face. But he knew he didn't have the strength to do that.

But he did have the strength to whistle, drawing a deep breath and forcing air through teeth and skin to create the piercing swirling sound--a sound heard by the horse that responded by suddenly whinnying and coming to an abrupt stop much to the confusion of her driver. Head pounding, he forced himself to move again; it was a miracle he made it down from the carriage, stumbling heavily upon reaching the ground and using the side of the cart for support as he staggered away.

[mountphoenixrp]

The following faceclaims and deities are now free to be roleplayed:

Luo Yunxi (Leo Luo), actor.

Yanluo Wang, Chinese Pantheon.

Bai Mengyan (Bai Lu), actress.

Hutu, Chinese Pantheon.

Chen Zheyuan, actor.

Hou Minghao (Neo Hou), actor.

Zhang Xincheng (Steven Zhang), actor.

Yang Yang, actor.

Erlang Shen, Chinese Pantheon.

Xuan Lu (Lulu), actress.

Cheng Xiao, actress.

Kim Woosung, The Rose.

Please unfollow @mpyanluo, @mphutu, @xianjunmp, @mphaoyu, @vitasmp, @erlangmp, @mpvalerie, @mpxeloise, @mpailill.

[mpxyingyue]

The Headless Snowman

@vitasmp

The snow was not an unfamiliar sight, though she had not expected the island to be covered with it. However, between her work, she had found time to enjoy it, carving out a spot in the park where she had spent over an hour handcrafting the perfect snowman. It sized up to a small woman, with small sticks protruding from it's torso and a small face lazily creating with rocks. She had been proud of her work, but at the sudden thought, Yingyue found this the perfect time to practice, having coincidentally created herself a practice dummy.

So, unwrapping the rope from her waist, Yingyue practiced for a few moments, letting the flow of her body and rope warm her joints and muscles. Training was normal for her, something she did daily. It was one of the few means of discipline her brothers had channeled into her. So, while she had not needed to use her meteor hammer, it had never went without use for too long.

Yingyue, deciding to up the effort, reached in her pocket to one of her silk ribbons that she often traded with the rope, and she used it to blindfold herself. So trusting in her abilities, she knew she would be fine. And, she handled well. The rope spun around her frame, using her legs and arms to gain and lose momentum. As Yingyue moved her body, the meteor hammer followed as directed, and it send flying attacks toward the snowman. However, she had never wanted to destroy her beautiful work. Yingyue's goal was to be close yet never hit. For, she needed that control to be able to truly operate it as she needed.

It took all of her focus, and the silence around her had allowed that for her. However, the sound of an approaching figure caught her attention. With that, her concentration was gone.

The loss of focus stopped her from correctly gauging the distance between her and the snowman, and within seconds, Yingyue heard sound of the meteor crashing into the head of her snowman. A loud gasp fell from her lips, and the demigoddess recalled her weapon into her hands. She reached up, pulling the blindfold off her head. Turning to the man, Yingyue looked at him with widened eyes a slowly forming pout. However, there was nothing malicious behind her stare, just a disappointed woman with a destroyed snowman.

"Do you have a death wish?" She asked, looking over at him. "I could have hurt you."

[mpxyingyue]

Unveiled

@vitasmp

It had been a few days since her last fight. When she could squeeze one in around her shifts at Sakura, Yue never hesitated. She was always ready and down to fight, no matter the opponent. Her only stipulation was for her fights to be weaponless. Even if she trained heavily with her meteor hammer, The Pits acted more like a playground for the demigoddess, and she wanted to feel the contact of her fists and body as she battled. There was no better thrill than that. 

Once in the ring, she finally saw her rival. Average height and packed to the brim with muscle, her opponent appeared daunting compared to her rather short and petite frame. Despite her lack of cultural awareness, she had seen the Hulk series, and she wondered between the two who could win an arm wrestle. But, that was the extent of her care. While she overheard concerned whispers in the audience, Yue fought back an eyeroll. She could tell a meathead when she saw one. And this one, she expected, had a lot of rage, and he could only rely on his strength and power to get him through the fight. Was he a true fighter or just strong enough to throw a good punch? Yue had to find out. 

So, after the two were announced with accompanying applause, the two were left to each other. Yue noticed the flicker of anger in his gaze. She had been right to expect that anger. Fully devoted to using their time to get rid of some of his pent up aggression, the demigoddess worked to avoid that anger. Stepping with each other in a dancer, her rival led their steps, allowing her to playfully and carefully dance around his array of throws. Her hands remained ahead of her, redirecting and opening spots for her to land blows on her towering opponent. Though Yue was not invincible either, a graze of his dry knuckles scratched and clipped her cheek, the scratch of his nail as his hand passed her bicep. Yet, he received her elbows in his torso, a few solid hits to his cheek, and the hurt to his ego as she spoke loud enough to him a variety of jabs and flirts. 

The crowd appeared to enjoy it. Yue did not take long to notice a few weak spots along his body. Injuries that never healed? Areas that lacked use? She could not tell quite what, but they were her path to success. And, she could have ended that there. Three hard hits, and she was sure he would have been on the ground. But was that fun? Absolutely not. She wanted the new fighter to experience the ring a bit longer, to understand the crowd’s thirst of violence. And, she had to allow him a punch in, right? Finally, the male landed one, though she hadn’t expected it to land between her mouth and cheek, effectively busting open her lip. 

Well, that was it. 

Yue finally decided this was over. Her own flicker of anger entered her gaze, and as his fist aimed again, it was an elbow in his hip, a push to his chest, and finally, a kick to his cheek before the male finally tumbled on the ground. Not knocked out, the demigoddess gingerly sat on his chest, watching him agonize in pain before she was finally declared the winner. It would take him a few more minutes to finally recover, and Yue would help him up, congratulating him on a good attempt.

After the two finally separated, Yue momentarily stepped away to the fighter’s room. Blood leaked out from her upper lip, staining her beautiful veil. Paired with a few other spots she needed to quickly tend to prevent any imperfections on her visage, the demigoddess managed to come out patched and dressed in a new veil just a few minutes shy of the next match starting. Despite the adrenaline that still rushed through her veins, Yue did quite want to watch the next match, and no ache could stop her from being there.

Finding a few empty and private seats off to the side, Yue settled herself onto the chair. She was as comfortable as possible, despite the small ache in her side and the burn of the ointment on her lips. As the announcer began to introduce the next pair, she noticed, out of the corner of her eyes, a figure approaching her. Yue was apprehensive, though impressed that a fan would be brave enough to approach her. However, once she finally turned her gaze to them, her eyes lit up with recognition. A warm, swollen grin pressed against her veil. While Yue had many gaps in their last encounter, Yue recognized the additional lengths he went to take care of her. Without a doubt, she was happy to see him. 

“Are you here to compliment me? If not, I am not sure this seat is available.” The demigoddess teased, but she gently patted the seat, moving it so he could join her.

[mpxyingyue]

Happy New Year

A box waited for Jiang Yingyue in the Yao Guai apartments.  A long and flat grey box tied with a gold ribbon.  A red envelope was attached, sealed with gold wax stamped with his raven insignia.  In a show of support and respect for the culture of his second friend, he felt it appropriate to send her a gift package.  Written in the archivist’s elegant calligraphy, the card simply read:

Happy New Year

Break a leg.  Preferably not your own.

–V

Also inside the envelope was a second, smaller red envelope containing half his winnings from that night at the Pits.

Inside the box, however, something soft was nestled within folded gold tissue paper–though atop this paper rested a few bags of her favorite sour candies.  But inside the paper, a beautiful hanfu dress to befit her fighting fashion, of red and champagne with exquisitely detailed peony flowers of scarlet and white hand-embroidered upon the bodice, neck trimmed with pearl beading, a curtain of thin golden chains half-concealing the otherwise bare midriff, and of course a sheer veil of crimson chiffon to complete the ensemble.

-----

Coming home, Yingyue would be surprised by the gift awaiting her from her favorite Norse demigod. Despite his sassiness, Yingyue enjoyed his company more than others. So far, he had treated her with kindness, and even more dangerously, he had spoiled her. The gift too seemed to continue that trend, even if it was a display of respect. Regardless, Yingyue was immensely appreciative, even more when she opened it up to see such  a stunning hanfu and the red envelope of cash. 

While she was rather shocked by the amount of cash in the envelope, even more, she was impressed by his taste in choosing her outfit. She knew it would be an absolute hit at the Pits, and she already planned to wear it at her next performance, one he would be invited to and recommended to bet. She would make him proud. 

Grabbing her phone, she sent him a text. While she had wanted to pop him a flirty text, she decided it was better to show her genuine appreciation for the effort he made. “V. I got your gift. Thank you. I love it.”

[mpxdavina]

Davina did not notice the new magpie return nor anyone other than Vitas. The demigoddess watched him as he examined her tea. Davina was interested to see his take on it. Though, she did wonder how critical he might be of it. She could not tell whether he was trying to determine it's quality or to get a hint on whether she did a good job. Was he some tea expert? Or, was he merely apprehensive when it came to trying something new? The last thing in her mind was of the possibility that he might not like tea. Cause, truly, it was the best thing in the world!

When he did not take the honey, she paused long enough that she deemed acceptable for him to take it out of her palm. So, she closed her palm, not wanting them to fall on the ground or the bench. Her hands were most definitely more sanitary then that. And if he were to change his mind, she did want to at least have them in a decent quality.

Dragging a smile on her lips, she paused to take another sip of her tea. The normally animated woman could not react like she typically would, and that might be the best for the situation. "Yes. That is his honey in my hand." Though, she did not open it. If he wanted some, he'd ask. "We started as business partners, but now, we are much closer. One of my favorite people." She stated with a slow nod.

Settling into the bench, the demigoddess took another sip of her tea. By now, she was a bit desperate for energy. Despite the magical enhancement, the benefits were not as immediate as she clearly wanted it to be. But, she could feel the fatigue slowly dissipate. "By your question, I guess you do too." She cheerfully asks. Davina paused to stretch her neck, sighing out softly as she does so. "His honey makes everything better in my opinion. Just the right amount of sweetness."

His gaze followed her back to the stall and watched as she disappeared within the center compartment. Unfortunately for him, she hid her tiredness well enough for it not to register with Vitas that the fatigue may have been a problem. While he could gather from the sweat on her brow--as evidenced by the offer of his handkerchief--that healing him had been somewhat taxing, it did not occur to him (yet) just how exhausting that might have been. As far as he knew, healing was something she did fairly regularly.

While she worked on preparing the tea, he was left to his own devices. It would be important to note, however, that Vitas never had an issue with waiting; he was never bored and knew how to entertain himself by becoming lost within his own thoughts or observing his surroundings and that was just what he did in this case. First, he memorized the setup of the tea stall and the faces of the staff, the produce that was visible, the magpie that had returned--wait, no, that was a different magpie this time; and how could Vitas tell? Oh, there were subtle differences between the birds, but they were still differences. Was her mother keeping an eye on her?

Was Xiwangmu protective or just nosy?

Perhaps he was slightly out of the norm when it came to customers in this day and age; most would have taken out their phones at this point to check messages or browse social media, but not Vitas; instead, his attention wandered to watching and listening to people pass by, particularly of a couple who appeared to be having a bit of a squabble as one seemed more interested in obtaining the perfect selfie than actually paying attention to their date...which devolved into a passive-aggressive argument between the two about divided attention, obligation, who owed whom what and why. Of course, they were so engrossed with their tiff that they didn't notice any eavesdroppers.

His attention finally shifted to the demigoddess who rejoined him on the bench with the to-go cup which he accepted within gloved hands...though paused upon also being presented with honey in very familiar packets. That spark of recognition could be visible in his right eye as he cradled the drink, just inhaling the scent of it--it smelled nice, he had to give it that, but he also knew that just because something smelled good did not mean that it tasted good, so he waited a bit.

"...you know Mo Xianjun?" he asked, nodding toward the packets of honey in her lap. She HAD referred to it as her 'friend's honey' and at this point, Vitas thought he was learning how to be a friend well enough from someone who was certainly knowledgeable in the art; meeting a variety of strangers who just happened to also call Xianjun 'friend' was further evidence that the beekeeper was a master at it, so there was very little doubt in the archivist's mind now that he was learning from a true master.

[mpxarawn]

how disappointing. his goodness effort all in vain. the god could have been disappointed at the run of events, but he genuinely wasn't. it was truly a delight to meet vitas. the young man was refreshing, but arawn couldn't control people's first impressions. he'd already made the impression as a cold and cruel god, and that's how he was viewed in the other's mind.

the celt appeared completely unfazed by the sudden coldness and the lifeless stare directed at him. the amount of times people looked at him like that, he couldn't even count fully. after all, death was a hard thing for people to accept. that was why he'd always made himself seem kind and approachable and polite. because if people saw the oncoming death as a friend, rather than enemy, they seemed to be more accepting of their circumstances. the gaze aimed at him held no happiness, no emotions, and no life. he had seen that stare many many times so he was unshaken.

"very well," he said, in response.

as vitas rambled on that there was only one chance to make a first impression and their first impression had been made, arawn raised a single eyebrow in amusement. unreliable and untrustworthy because of his sudden change? wow, what gall. what audacity. he had to admire the other for that. "your assessment is fair and correct in some way. Our first impression has been made. You think me unreliable and untrustworthy and I find you audacious and refreshing. How fascinating," he said, crossing his arms. Normally, that sot of way of speaking to a God, much a less a Lord of the Underworld, would have the person in trouble, but Arawn liked the blunt honesty.

Of course, he wasn't going to let it slide so easily and so quickly, but a bit of fun wouldn't hurt.

As Vitas left with a comment, Arawn simply smiled to himself. "Have a good walk home. Stay warm, and if you do come explore again, I'd be delighted to show you around!" he exclaimed, unfazed by the other's negativty. there would be plenty of opportunities for combating negativity in the future.

"You didn't," he immediately and honestly responded when the god apologized for scaring him. Vitas had not been frightened, he had not been startled, he just did not approve of the sudden and unanticipated closer proximity of the deity. Vitas was--always--honest; it did not matter if the truth even painted him in a bad light, he did not care how others perceived him, if they liked him or not, none of that mattered to him. At all. And if this god considered himself a sweetheart and polite, that was not how Vitas saw him, because that was not how Arawn had initially presented himself. Too late to go back, unfortunately. They were both stuck with this impression for the rest of eternity.

Lovely to meet Vitas? Delighted to make his acquaintance? Ugh. These were the disgustingly fake courtesy phrases that people uttered on meeting new people because they wanted to be liked, not really meaning it--because Vitas was well aware he was an unpleasant person--he had been told MANY, many times throughout his life. He was a monster, hew knew this, and even other monsters weren't 'happy' to meet another monster. So this was all bullshit, just utter bullshit. To Vitas, Arawn was just trying to blow smoke up his ass because he wanted something and Vitas was having NONE of this behavior. To Vitas, Arawn had ulterior motives, because why the fuck else would he suddenly change his mind and talk to him like this? Why the hell would a fucking GOD apologize to a mere mortal? Even if Vitas WAS considered royalty among his own pantheon, it did not make sense to him that a god from another pantheon would attempt reparations with someone so far beneath him.

Finally, his gaze rose. While his blind eye remained mostly hidden behind a half veil of dark hair, his right eye was fixed in a stare directly at the Celtic God of the Otherworld. That midnight gaze had no emotion, no fear, no anger, no happiness, no life, an unnerving and infinite stare like that of a living doll that could see within and beyond the figure standing before him.

"No, we shall not," he responded with his flat baritone, his speech cold and somewhat mechanical, devoid of emotion. In his pocket, his fingers grazed the screen of his phone, unlocking it, and silently pressed a few icons without retrieving the device, without even looking, with scarcely even moving at all.

"We only have one chance to make a first impression and our first impression has been made. The mask you wear is still a facet of yourself that was worn by you in the moment. Because of your abrupt change, I find you unreliable and untrustworthy." His words were blunt, but delivered again upon an even and dry tone that sounded more robotic than like a living being. Did he just speak to a GOD so frankly? Yes. Did he care? No. He knew he was right.

"Whatever you are expecting from me with your change in behavior and apology, I will not give it to you. I'm tired. I'm going home," he announced quietly, abandoning the remainder of his exploration to continue another day, opting instead to just pivot on his toe and walk back the way he came.

[mpxmaxim]

Despite being on the island for over a year, Maxim only noticed when he spoke the stranger's name that he made no such effort towards the previous archivist. They weren't friends—far from it—but the familiarity felt comfortable in a way. He knew which buttons to push to get exactly what he wanted, or what to say to get the response he desired. And on the rare occasions that Vitas's predecessor wouldn't give in, Maxim was only too happy to practice his powers on a target like that. Anxiety was a powerful tool if used correctly, especially when backed with a few words of—let's say—persuasion and just a dash of extortion. However, something told him that the stoic man in front of him might not be as susceptible to his usual tactics as his previous victim. Even if he would be, though, he didn't seem like the type of person to let it sway his judgment anyway.

Maxim felt something run down his spine when the stranger’s gaze lifted. It wasn’t a cold sweat, and yet it wasn’t far from it. Whatever it was, it felt less than pleasant. Regardless of that particular feeling or the effort to keep his expression as blank as possible, the son of Phobetor returned the stare. His own eyes, once unflatteringly described to be colored like ‘mud so dark and dirty that sand would be embarrassed to be related to it’, looked almost relaxed despite the tenseness that kept them from looking away. He would struggle to remember whether he dared to blink during that time. 

It took all the muscles in his face to keep himself from making a face at the sound of the explanation. The urge to mock Vitas’s words was strong, but even he knew that it would be utterly misplaced in this scenario. And more importantly, it wouldn’t help his cause in the slightest. Still, for a moment, his nose wrinkled just enough on one side to lift a part of his lip into a grimace of disapproval. He really didn’t want to give up his name. So—he didn’t. Not at that moment, at least. 

Instead, he waited silently, the tapping of the archivist’s fingertips against the keyboard providing the only source of sound. That was until Vitas spoke up again and, with the sheer possibility of receiving a translation of works he wasn’t able to read before, Maxim’s eyes widened briefly. The opportunity to finally study the transcripts, he asked the previous employee multiple times about. 

Finally, his eyebrows furrowed and broke the facade of his once again blank expression at the question. His lips parted and carried the sound of a breath being drawn to speak up, but his voice didn’t reach the air.

A lilt? The frown that he held back earlier now openly painted itself over his features, partly impressed, partly skeptical of that observation. Despite his best efforts to minimize any trace of it, he knew that his native language could be heard through his voice. Even more so—he noticed—ever since his siblings reached the island, and they primarily conversed in Russian.

“I don’t read Greek.” he could hear the lilt clearly now after it had been pointed out. Still, the tattoo artist made sure to show as little irritation about it on his face as possible. While his Korean skills were proficient enough to get him through his day-to-day life, he preferred to read in his native language to ensure he wouldn’t miss crucial details. “I would prefer to read it in Russian, then. Since you’re already offering.” The smile that tugged on his lips was cold, dead and didn’t reach his eyes whatsoever. A taunt in itself.

Below the layer of annoyance about the situation, bloomed a seedling of respect for the man in front of him. More than he ever graced his predecessor with. Despite that, however, Maxim was far from admitting something like that. Even to himself. His voice hugged the letters of his words, the name sounding familiar on his tongue with the Russian pronunciation he attached. “Dimitriy.” he paused just long enough to make it sound like he was letting the name fill the room it warranted before he gave the same attention to the last name. “Zolotov.” Granted, it wasn’t his own name. In fact, the combination of both first and last names was completely unfamiliar to him. A fusion between the first name of three of the boys that lived on his street—a very popular name in their area—and the last name of his favorite teacher growing up. 

“We good now? Do I get access to that infinite wealth of knowledge that has spurned and quelled wars?” his expression shifted to emphasize his question, an eyebrow ticking upwards in a challenge. Maxim paid attention to the archivist’s words earlier and did his best to recite them in a similarly flat tone. 

Despite the fake name and his rather abrasive behavior, he appreciated the knowledge and his personal quiet time too much to be rough with the material that would be handed to him. After all, no matter the outcome of their conversation, this was neither the first nor would it be the last time he’d try to acquire texts pertaining to his heritage. 

His predecessor in the archives did NOT have a good cataloguing system; but now that Vitas had taken over, everything was neatly organized and efficient. Unfortunately, some delicate documents had been damaged prior to his arrival, again, due to his predecessor's haphazard ways and lackadaisical management of how others handled those rare materials. Vitas fully intended to rectify this, so he was a stickler to the protocols. Thus, when this stranger refused to give his name, his fingers continued to type as he briefly looked away from his monitor.

Though his left eye was somewhat hidden behind a half veil of hair, his right eye stared at this stranger, midnight gaze so black it was nearly impossible to tell where iris ended and pupil began. That stare seemed infinite, gave the impression he could see within this person, see his soul, see what was beyond that soul--it was a stare that everyone in his life prior to Mount Phoenix had found unnerving, eerie, as though Death itself tore them open to read every moment of their lives, every indiscretion and sin laid bare, every hidden secret and desire they feared the world ever knowing.

"Your name is required for the purposes of liability should damage to the materials occur during your research." Again, his voice was even and quiet, downright mechanical in its baritone.

But, just like that, the stare was over. His gaze returned to the monitor, his fingers still tapping fluidly at the keys, unhindered, clearly a multitasker. He continued to listen to the man make his request, not at all bothered by the tone; in fact, he appreciated the fact this patron was so direct.

"That is an extensive request. Do you read Greek?" he asked flatly. "If not, then I will translate the documents for you while you investigate materials available in Korean. Or Russian." Yet before this patron could ask, Vitas explained as though anticipating the stranger would ask how he knew about the native tongue. "You have a lilt."

When the stranger spoke his name, again, Vitas appeared unfazed--mostly because he had a very logical way of thinking; his name was on his ID badge, which was clearly visible, and honestly it was more of a convenience to him for others to read it and remember it--and if they mispronounced it, then he would correct them; but this stranger had said it correctly, which was a nice change. Somewhat.

Any chance Vitas could help him? "Suuuuuuuure," he replied slowly, continuing his typing. "Once I have your name," he added. "Here, you have access to the infinite wealth of knowledge pertaining to the gods to learn and implement as you wish, knowledge that has spurned and quelled wars, destroyed realms and created new worlds. All that is asked in return is your name."

[alicemp]

Gossip in the workplace was something to which Vitas was accustomed; prior to coming to this island, his coworkers at Bifrost University often had quite a lot to say about him when they thought he wasn't listening. Being labeled as someone living in a monochrome world seemed rather tame compared to some of the other things he had overheard about himself. But if that was the worst his current colleagues could come up with, then perhaps this place wasn't too insufferable. Having suspected some form of surprise reaction to his sudden presence beside her, he adjusted his gait to accommodate, briefly returning her glance when she looked to him but then immediately turning his midnight gaze to the path ahead. A pause, a wait, protected from the falling snow by the large canopy overhead. When she spoke his name, however, there was a subtle lift of his brow--intrigue, perhaps, at learning that she already knew his name, and though he recognized her, he did not know her name. Yet. With the lowering of her scarf a bit, the smile was somewhat visible in his limited peripheral vision, so he figured if she was smiling then perhaps he had done something right and not completely overstepped boundaries. "...hi," he echoed back to her with his dry monotone, oddly finding no awkwardness in this encounter (though perhaps, in normal society, it could certainly be construed as such); but socializing wasn't necessarily his forte. He was learning, though. Was he also going home? "Yes," he confirmed, using his free hand to gesture briefly to the path ahead before returning it to his pocket. "...and you are...?"

As a museum guide, Alice had been practising being acceptably sociable toward all strangers coming her way. Her strong sense of self-protection remained in vigour, yet it was often visibly softened by friendly smiles and polite gestures. Still, at times when the balance scale was off, her demeanour would be plagued by rigidity and awkwardness. 

Typically, in a situation like Vitas and she was in right then, Alice would become rigid and awkward despite her best effort not to appear so. However, even though the demigod’s voice tone nor his facial expressions showed open friendliness, Alice still sensed that he meant no harm. She had not collected enough clues yet to conclude what his motives could be, and that might explain this growing urge in her to get to know the young man better.

At his response, she let out a cottony chuckle. Why did such a simple answer and question make her react that way? 

“Please forgive my impoliteness, I just find the way you answered my question rather…cute,” Alice immediately explained, not wanting Vitas to think she may mean anything else than appreciating his unique charisma. 

To his question, she replied with a little extra information - an effort to signal him that she would welcome if he wanted to join her on the way home, and maybe, they could at least become colleagues on friendly terms. 

“I’m heading home as well! I’m thinking of stopping by the coffee shop just around the next block, the hot chocolate there is wonderful.”

She looked and pointed vaguely at the road ahead of them before shifting her gaze back on him, her friendly smile never left her face. “Oh, my name’s Alice, I’m living in the Ratatoskr apartments. How about you?”

[mpxyingyue]

Yue nodded her head. She understood what he meant. "Sorry. I cannot play any instruments. Maybe, you can find a musician willing to let you test that theory. When it does, I hope you tell me the results right away. I'd love to know." It was a genuine curiosity, and she knew if she knew more about her powers that he would be the first person to tell.

Smiling, she knew that Vitas was a hard cookie to crack, but she did quite enjoy the challenge. His aggravation or unawareness of her flirtations were humorous to her, almost like a sibling who kept unnecessarily bother their brother. He did not seem genuinely bothered by her actions, and that allowed them to remain.

An excited glance spotted at his own recitation of the book. There were few people she had ran into that had learned those teachings. While she did see value in Lao Zhu's teachings, it was almost more of a punishment for her than a true learning experience. "Sleeping during lessons. Sneaking out of the monastery. Pranking one of my senior brothers. You name it. I probably have done it. And, he always found the perfect line for me to write." She explains. While she still loved her large family, the life of the monastery could never sustain her high energy and curiosity.

Yue provided her complete attention to him. His fluid movement with his gloves was rather fun to watch, though she wondered why he struggled so hard to meet her eyes. Yue craved that type of connection, but she wondered if he was shy. Part of his behavior, she could not get as someone as extroverted as herself. "Thank you!" She exclaims, especially beaming after hearing the vibration in his pocket. He had the opportunity to give her a fake number, but it appeared that he had at least some interest in allowing their friendship to grow. For that, she was excited.

However, it was crushed rather fast as he moved past her to leave. Her attempts to halt him had failed, and he seemed clear that he was not going to linger nor could she figure a way to stop him again. Looking up, the moon still remain rather covered, and whatever moonlight may begin to bleed out, it was not strong enough to give her a glance of his string. Having let him walk several feet away, basically out of hearing distance, she could let out a soft chuckle, shaking her head. Her attempts to see his strings had failed, but she knew there were still opportunities waiting for her.

On an impulsive thought, the demigoddess took one last attempt for his attention. "Vitas!" She finally called out, and she gave him a chance to turn around. If he did, the demigoddess grinned before playfully blowing him a kiss. If not, she could only laugh a second longer. Regardless, the demigoddess finally took those final steps home, pleased and amused at how her evening had ended.

"Successful experimentation requires controlled environments," he replied to her suggestion of attending a live performance at Noona's. "It would be more favorable to bear audience to a private performance in a practice room at the PAC as opposed to a public space full of chatty patrons." He could respect what she was trying to do, however--that she was offering alternatives regarding cultivation of his own abilities--and he could appreciate that, though alas, her suggestion wasn't the most ideal situation for practice.

Unfortunately, Jiang Yingyue's explanations of love and the details surrounding it just seemed more and more confusing as she continued. However, he did not regret asking her; he was interested in learning about this emotion he had never understood. Didn't she just say that just only bit people if she was in love? And now she was saying she may not bite him if she was in love, but that it was more of a sensual thing? Oh, the contradictions. They were like tiny threads of fire on the edges of his brain. But he had read time and time again that love made no sense and yet perfect sense at once. "Are you sure?" he asked of her being interested in more than friendship if she bit him. "What if you are just hungry and trying to keep your mouth occupied until you actually have food to eat?"

Maybe he was taking her too seriously, but that was how his brain worked; he took things literally and if they didn't make sense, he asked questions, and if it still didn't make sense...he asked even more questions. If she was so intent on flirting with him, she'd be met by this so frequently that she may become frustrated or bored or both and eventually learn that either he was impervious to her flirtations or he just didn't get it.

"I suspect you will exert a lot of energy with her attempts, then," he replied flatly. There was a very, very strong chance that he would not reciprocate her flirtations merely because he didn't understand that was what she was doing.

"What monastery rules warrant the written recitation of Lao Tzu's teachings if broken?" he asked, again with just the most subtle trace of curiosity on his otherwise deadpanned tone. It was interesting to learn, however--though not surprising, really--that Jiang Yingyue was somewhat rebellious. A slow nod echoed her verbal recitation of the Tao Te Ching. Without missing a beat, he echoed the lines preceding the ones she had spoken. "Do you have the patience to wait until your mud settles and the water is clear? Can you remain unmoving until the right action arises by itself?" he said, also in Mandarin, before shifting back to Korean just as she did; after all, she had said she wanted to practice Korean more.

He had noticed the Yao Guai apartments nearby and would have been content to leave her there, make their departure as he continued on to his own place, but he was suddenly met by her stopping in front of him--which prompted a very sharp halt of his own to avoid collision. He gave her face a quick glance, noting the grin on her lips before his gaze swiftly shifted downward again, focused more on the ground somewhat behind her.

Exchange numbers? This had been the second time since arriving on the island that someone had made such a request--and, coincidentally, happened to be by the second person to refer to him as their friend. This was what friends did, wasn't it? Share contact information? She referred to him as a walking Google--and that was fair--but he was also curious to learn more from her, confusing as it may be, this was a puzzle he was interested in solving. And so, with the phone presented to him, he lifted his hands from his pocket and caught the tip of his long finger between his teeth to remove the glove on his left hand while his right hand cradled her phone within his grasp. Quickly, he input his name and number and sent himself a text--the message a simple 1 and nothing more, a quiet buzz in his pocket signaling its receipt--before offering the phone back to her. Once she took it, he'd slip his glove back on.

"Until next time, Jiang Yingyue" he murmured with a nod, clearly intending this to be their departure as he stepped to the side to talk around her, intending to continue on his way to his own apartment.

[mpxyingyue]

Yingyue accepted his reasoning. Truly, she did not need to understand his powers, though it did peak her interest. She suspected if they saw each other more that he would then know more. And, Yue would not hesitate to ask more when the time presented itself. "Hmm. Noonas has an in-house musician. You should try dinner there one evening. I could even go with you, if you would like. I am curious too what might happen."

Shifting her gaze to him, she grinned playfully. "That was a joke, Vitas. Though, bites are more sensual in my opinion. If I am willing to bite you, I may not be in love, but I am definitely interested in more than friendship." She explains. Vitas gave her the impression that he truly wanted to fully understand everything she stated. And while she felt she was rather intelligent, he would learn that much of her opinions came from the heart than mind.

Yingyue thought them both were an amusing pair. Vitas was so stoic and matter-of-fact, while she was nearly the exact opposite. Yet, Yue appreciated the person he was even with his oddities. "Don't take me too seriously." She reassures him though. Wanting to make sure there is no misunderstanding. "I can be a bit too playful for my own good sometimes." She cheekily admits. Yue had clearly been warming more up to him as they had walked, and that flirtatious side had shown. Though, she was genuine in her actions.

She had felt content in his acceptance of her opinion of love. He had so many questions, and all she could do was try and come up with an explanation. She believed in her understanding, and she could only see herself ever with someone who mirrored her intentions. Vitas would be a ongoing work for her. While she still did not fully understand his impressions of love, she knew that she wanted to see it live and in action with whomever his soul was fated for.

Crisis had been adverted by her new friend. Though, Yue could not help but wonder whether he would have actually tried to help her if she had stumbled. She could not quite imagine him leaping to her aid, but so far, he had only been considerate to her, so she gave him the benefit of doubt.

Pulled from her thoughts, she snickered softly. "Work on my creativity? I don't need to always be creative to have fun. And, I must save that energy to be able to use when flirting with you." She teases him as they start to cross the intersection toward the residential area. Yue hated that their time was drawing to a close, and she reasoned she needed to ensure soon that she could maintain their ties together.

"Do not underestimate how easily I am entertained. I spent many evenings of my childhood copying lines from Tao Te Ching after breaking the rules of the monastery." She chuckled with a grin. Her eyes flickered between him and the path before them. Switching to Chinese, the demigoddess spoke, reciting a line that she had wrote over a thousand times. "Not seeking, not expecting, she is present, and can welcome all things.” Back to Korean, she stated. "In the uncreative, I do find enjoyment."

It was wild to think how long ago that was. From wearing worn, used clothes from her brothers to walking the streets in her overpriced workout clothes, Yue's life was completely different from back then. The demigoddess was pleased, something very apparent on her visage. She wondered what her master would think of his rebellious Yue being able to remember the teaching after over a decade.

Looking up, she had noticed, as her apartment building had come into view, that the clouds started shifting away from the moon. And she wondered if she would get the chance to spot his strings before they separated. Quickly, as if trying to give the clouds time to move, the demigoddess stopped in front of him once again. A wide beam on her lips. "Vitas, let's trade phone numbers." She quickly moved to pull her phone out of her pocket, unlocking it for him. "I need full access to my walking Google."

Her remark regarding him clearly being intelligent only elicited a single, definitive blink in acknowledgment of this fact. As for his powers being confusing, again his slender shoulders rose and fell slightly with a subtle shrug. "It is what it is. For me, it makes sense and that is what matters. In your case, you see strings in the moonlight and connections between people that I will never see nor understand. Seems balanced to me."

As for his information absorption occurring with music, there was a faint spark of interest as she raised questions that he had also theorized quite a bit since the incident in the museum. "A fair inquiry I have also considered. Not just the musician's efforts in practicing the piece, but the history of the composition itself, the instrument it upon which it is played, the materials used to construct it, the life of the musician themself. How far does it go? Warrants practice."

Truth be told, Vitas hadn't really spoken much about his abilities to anyone. When asked, he tended to just say 'learning is my superpower' and leave it at that, so engaging in this in depth discussion was a new experience as well. What's more, he was interested in learning what he could from this woman who claimed to be somewhat sheltered due to her life in the monastery and yet had more experience and knowledge in other things than Vitas had, and it intrigued him.

So she suspected he was sour to taste and not bitter? Good to know. "You said you have never been in love," he said with a pensive, quiet monotone, "so how do you know you will only bite when you are in love?" Whether or not he was 'safe' from her antics was irrelevant; now, he was naturally curious how she knew this fact about herself--or if this had just been a joke; he legitimately could not tell the difference most of the time.

When it came to choosing between saving the world and saving the one he loved, Vitas knew what he was supposed to do--it was his obligation as Odin's son to choose the world, that the needs of the many outweighed the needs of the few. He also had never been in love--oh, he had read plenty of stories and papers, watched movies and listened to songs all on the subject, but he had never personally experienced love, so he could not rightly say that, if he ever did, he would make the same decision...though he also suspected that, if he ever did find a partner, they would understand the choice to save the world over them and forgive him for it...because that would be the logical choice to make...wouldn't it? But the way Jiang Yingyue described it, the way love was supposed to make one feel, it sounded as though that logic would be thrown out the window and the world would burn, both her and her lover consumed by the same flames. Either have the world with her lover in it, or have no world at all.

By her description--coupled with the many literary and arts references he had consumed throughout his life--love truly was the most powerful force in this universe or any universe for that matter. Interesting. When she said she would do everything in her power to save him, too, even if he didn't make the 'lover cut', he nodded once. "How considerate. We'll all burn together." He didn't particularly believe her when she said that; after all, they barely knew each other. Did she really consider him a friend in so short a time? So bizarre.

There was a slight risk that she may not have detected the patch of ice, that she would have fallen and injured himself had he not voiced a warning, and then their conversation would have been cut short if she had fallen and injured herself...and he was silently enjoying their talk, even if he seemed a bit standoffish and abrasive at times. So perhaps that was the reason why he opted to warn her...maybe...possibly...

Hopefully, he would not regret this decision.

Once exiting the park, the sidewalk transitioned to an intersection at the street separating them from the residential district. Booted steps came to a stop at the curb, pausing to wait for the pedestrian crossing to signal they were clear to continue. "We need to work on your capacity for creativity then," he replied. Surely, she could imagine far more exciting or fun things to do with her time than spend an evening chatting with a disagreeable archivist monster.