e v i l

“This is oddly specific… why rocks. Just rocks and sand? Is there more than rocks and sand?”

“Literally any skill that doesn’t revolve around bad deeds.” He can play the violin, and make your cry. 

“If I had to pick one for what? You must be stupid if you mean to sponsor me. This entire town will fall in ruin before that happens.”

How long had he been awake? Lawson found his mind was too sluggish, too on and exhausted to accurately count the passage of time since he last slept. It felt like ages ago, like when his family was still alive and his heart hadn’t yet become an empty chasm in his chest. 

He ached.

His head, his body, even his God damn soul felt weary. He didn’t know where he’d ended up, all he knew was that the sun was up and he was still fucking miserable. Every breath was just a reminder he was still alive. Christ. 

Movement caught his attention as a man stepped out into the street, looking much too proper, like he didn’t exactly belong in this century. His words rubbed Lawson the wrong way – more likely than not because he hadn’t slept. 

His lips pulled back, canines prominent enough to take notice of. “Not much,” he replied, giving the other a lazy once over, feeling more confrontational than he ought to. 

He watched the other, less of an interest and more of a curiosity toward the situation. It was possible Adrik came a little quick - he wasn’t entirely sure how long he had been standing there. But, the moment teeth came out, there was no hope of him admitting any wrongdoing in the circumstance. His head cocked, tongue moving along the inside of his teeth.

He knew this game, that touch of tang in the air that crept to the very back of his tongue. Adrik was darnkess. Evil.

Chernobog.

A few steps brought him closer to the other, the scuff of shoes against the concrete the only thing he could hear outside of this little bubble he’d fashioned himself. He had half a mind to snatch his jaw but even as his fingers twitched, he refrained.

“Do you often greet others with your teeth bared like some dog?”

It was no surprise to him that business had been rather successful. Hard to deny the wants of the black market in a town such as this, but even he had his doubts. Adrik wasn’t one that was, as the youths say, up to date on all the current technological advances these days. There was a worry, albeit slight, that his rather old school approaches would have hindered what he could offer.

They hadn’t.

Stepping from his office and out onto the sidewalk, palm of his hand patted the front of his jacket for the wooden box of smokes, but paused, that hand still over his chest as he eyed the person in front of him. 

Honestly, the most likely proposition he encountered was one that revolved around sex. It was that simple, and when you were that pretty, well…it was to be expected. However, Adrik was hardly the type to come calling because he wanted to know what another God looked like on his knees. This was only reason for further confusion, confusion that he didn’t even bother trying to hide. Instead, it was worn on features like a badge of honor. 

“You’re going to have to be more specific.”  

The vague nature, he assumed, was on purpose. That was entirely fine, considering the fact that Apollo wasn’t quite as dumb as people tended to assume that he was. Sure, he played into it when he was given that particular hand, but all the time he’d spent in the clouds and here on earth had taught him plenty. Plenty enough to see right through some of this, even through the darkness. 

Fingers tapped on the desk in front of him, as if he was thinking over the words.

“What could there possibly be that I have to offer the people, that would have anything to do with you?” 

There was a thorough enjoyment in confusing others with his behavior. The world had a very clear assumption of him, of who and what he was. It was mostly his fault, not correcting the whispers that had followed him over the years – letting them believe the monster he was. So, no. The reason behind this call hadn’t been for the sake of sex, not at all. But the confusion written all over the other god’s face was enough to bring a little smirk to his features. 

“I really don’t think I need to.” The boy wasn’t dumb. Very few deities he’s had the pleasure of crossing paths with were ever really dumb. A bit naïve maybe. Oblivious, but not dumb.

He watched him, though, paid attention to the way he played into the situation. The way he regarded Adrik. The way fingers tapped against the desk.

The obvious answer to the question was not exactly the one that he’d been looking for. This was evident by the look on his face, expressions were rarely something that he tried to hide. Instead, he embraced the slight bout of annoyance that crossed features. Face was made at Adrik, openly, and perhaps in a slightly childish, yet charming sort of way. 

“Funny, I gathered that much already. The why I was looking for is more the reason for the invitation.”  

He couldn’t think of a single reason for the interaction, for Adrik to need him, ro something from him. Instead, it was quite the opposite. However, that same pull for the darkness to try and take him over? Well, it was something he felt too. It wasn’t the need. or want to be swallowed up, it was the balance that would have, that could have come from the two of them together. Dangerous to even try it, but that didn’t make it any less real - or any less tempting, for that matter.

There was a tick of muscle there at the corner of his mouth, the very subtle touch of a smirk from the other’s reaction to his words. It wasn’t often Adrik took part in word play, but there were always a few exceptions. Even if they seemed to meld right into his normal speech patterns. 

“I have a proposition.”

Pushing from the spot he had remained, Adrik moved for his desk, carefully sliding himself into the chair behind it. There was a handful of reasons as to why this wasn’t a good idea. This was something he could have offered quite a few people in town, but there was something about this particular one. And while he could argue it had to do with the price tag associated with his name, it was something far more selfish than that. 

“Does it make a difference if I’m mournful in my actions or not? Still going to happen either way.”

“If it destroys everyone, what will I have left? Be logical, at least.”

There was a clear struggle on his face, confusion cluttering expression in a way that was not entirely uncommon. Even Gods weren’t gifted with knowledge of everything, including him - the patron of it. It was a strange kind of pull, a nagging tug of interest there as he stood on the other side of the desk. Hands were brought up, letting fingers touch his chin, in an attempt to actually wrap his head around whatever reason he’d been called here in the first place.

Finally, someone who could begin to unravel this mystery entered the door. Atlas had seen him before, heard the swirling rumors of the darkness, but this time he felt it. It was a direct contrast to his own light, only furthering the shock that wavered on features. 

“I’m here, and I hate to be rude, but remind me why that is again?” 

@adrikegorov

There was always a sense of weird familiarity whenever Adrik crossed paths with another god. It felt.. odd, but comfortable all the same. There was a certain understanding that could only be had between their kind. But there was a stark difference between these two. While Adrik was everything dark, the other was an almost blinding light.

For once, he was mildly uncomfortable in the other’s presence. Already he could feel the darkness straining to reach the other, to diminish the light he held within his own veins. 

“People fear what I represent, not me. I do find amusement in the notion that you assume it would be any different beyond these particular walls, though.”

The return of power marked  heavier thoughts, ones not often approached. The awareness had been there, the certain little tug at the back of their mind that clearly marked visions lurking and waiting to be seen. But it had gone ignored, as so many others had over the past years; Alder no longer felt that role was their purpose now that they had found a more soothing one in looking after those in town.  No sign of terrible things to come, no looming red-eyed harbinger of woes and disaster; they preferred the simple existence town allowed them and counted their luck to have it. 

The feeling remained though, knowing that if it were only the start? The visions were only going to come more often now. 

It was an uncharacteristic mood, a bit of uncertainty and troubled acceptance thrown in; that peace would shortly be at an end if the council demanded to know what lay ahead. After all, those in power would not have allowed them to stay if the motives hadn’t been in part because those abilities were something of use in times of questions. 

Reflex when the knock sounded in spite of being lost in the thoughts, a few short steps and Alder gave the door a nudge that caused the old hinges to groan in protest as it opened. Having seen many people over the course of the day n their various state of lost it was still perplexing to find Adrik. The man never ventured there, some stray notion that even doing so might somehow corrupt the place, no matter how Alder disagreed.

The words were met with a chuckle over the odd charm to them and a nod, a step back to invite him in; that home had a subtle magic of its’ own that would not allow dark intent to pass the threshold and compromise that safe haven. But, if even Adrik himself might not have believed it Alder knew the man was simply a vessel for darkness, not one who carried it to that place with intention to harm. The house would accept that much, they knew, even Adrik wouldn’t be turned away at the steps. 

“It’s forgivable this time.” The pause struck while they stepped into the front room with Adrik in tow, humor light. “Feeling back to your old self?” And what a strange pity it was, that, not because Adrik for who he was still didn’t have so much to him but for the loss of those fleeting moments when the man had looked so at ease and pleased.

It was no secret that Adrik never ventured here, but Adrik rarely ventured anywhere. There was a strange solace in knowing people were safe within the confines of his own home. Aside from the never ending string of curses, it was quiet. But, there was a weird lull now that things had come back to normal. A strange sort of hole he couldn’t quite find the source to, the lingering effects of a lack of heaviness, he would assume. But, for whatever reason, he found himself here, in their company, as if a familiar and indifferent face would somehow ease that ache.

Their face, once that door opened, did bring an ease about him. Adrik had a soft spot for Alder, that should have been apparent to anyone, but that soft spot was the very reason he opted to keep his distance from them. To keep what he was just out of reach, no matter how much they seemed to try and argue otherwise.

He was still unsure as to whether or not this would be a good idea, but his need for company overpowered his desire to remain a recluse. At least, for now. Adrik gave a slight bow of his head, the smirk offered only a touch forced, all things considered, but he stepped in after them.

“Next time,” he spoke, already his voice was light, the possibility of the statement unlikely as it were, but he tried to have decent intentions, “perhaps more than coffee. Tell me, how do you take it?” the other’s question brought a slight pause to him, and as hands slipped their way into his pockets, he gave a soft shrug. “Unfortunately, things seem as such. And how are you fairing?”