𝐆𝐎𝐃𝐒 / 𝑴𝑶𝑵𝑺𝑻𝑬𝑹𝑺.

“I know,” she says with one last sigh. She has nothing but time, her immortality stretching before her. But the truth is that she doesn’t know how long it will take for her to accept that this wasn’t her fault, when it feels so much like it was. All her life, she had been told she was meant to fix problems, not cause them. Alas, it didn’t seem like she was getting any closer to fixing the increasing number of problems on her plate. It was beyond frustrating, to say the least. 

“Co-existence is possible… You just can’t take it for granted, I guess,” she says with a shrug. Kairos was fairly peaceful, despite the heavy presence of hunters on the island. The issue there, of course, is that the situation doesn’t tend to parallel everywhere else in the world. That and— Well, they don’t know how the hunters will react to the existence of a new species, and that is the crux of the matter, isn’t it? They don’t know if coexistence will be possible once this information begins spreading. 

“I don’t know about other people, but I won’t,” she says simply. He is already too important to her, and Estela knows the pain of being ignored. There is no way she would inflict that sort of pain onto someone else, especially to someone who has never been anything but kind to her. 

the words are empty , yes . they do little to ease his mind , but that's not estela's fault . he's going to need time to process what happened to him ⸻ and even more of it to have faith that everything is going to be okay . after all , her silent observation is nothing but the truth . the fates put him through so much . how could he possibly think that it's all over now ? hazel eyes study her features and he realizes that he appreciates her words anyway . empty as they are , they still show how much she cares and the fact that she's not giving up on him means a great deal . ❛ then i'm sure everybody's going to be relieved . ❜ and gods , he hopes that's what it comes to . julian wants nothing more than to be a stronger version of himself , one that might be able to protect his friends if another threat arises . . . but just like the asteriae , he doesn't know how long it will take for him to accept that he's not a monster . at least they're not alone , right ?

cosimo is not exactly dying for company right now and his mismatched eyes narrow when the lampad takes a seat at his table . ❛ so you want me to lie to you ? ❜ his tone is impossible to read ⸻ it could be a tease , or anything else . ❛ that is shocking . ❜ almost enough to make him wonder if anything happened . ❛ fine . you can stay . happy ? ❜

“I look forward to your next guess,” she says, delighted by his insistence in continuing his guesses despite the previous errors. It says a great deal about him that he had the patience to meet her until they had gone far enough in the timeline back to Charlemagne. “Oh, I assure you, I have always been part of many a story. Both during Elizabethan times and when you look farther back than that.”

She had lived for a long time, and had always been drawn to the battlefield. Perhaps the stories of Iphigenia and Puck are the ones the world knows the most, but if one looks closely enough, there are plenty more besides those two. 

“I have built up some tolerance to that type of persuasion, but I am more than happy to indulge in it once more,” she reassures him as she moves towards her chair and sits upon it.

robin's reaction makes him laugh , the sound brief and dry . ❛ why do i get the feeling that you are enjoying this too much ? ❜ not that her delight is a new addition to their game ⸻ it simply happens to be rather obvious tonight . ❛ and why does that little detail make me wonder if i am ever going to learn the truth about you ? what will you do when our game comes to an end ? ❜ serious as he may sound , there is a certain playfulness that lingers . her cheekiness is not enough to erase his curiosity , or his determination to figure her out .

She nods at the suggestion. 

“That seems filling, and just what the doctor would order,” she says with a hum of agreement as she begins to mentally plot the course towards the nearest shop, mouth watering at the thought. “The sentiment is returned, as your presence always such a delightful treat.”

no . no , she shouldn't have cast an illusion ⸻ she should have told them the truth all along . julian understands how hard it must be to befriend human beings , to wonder if that line should be crossed , but others crossed it , didn't they ? theodore did not tell him about his magic right away , but eventually . valeriya told him about erinyes . how is it that one of violet's closest friends never spoke up about this ? he swallows once he notices the look in her eyes , so pleading . a look that has gotten to him many times before , but this is different . ❛ please what ? ❜ he questions , unable to mask the frustration in his voice . ❛ please forget what just happened ? please don't tell anyone , including your sister ? please ignore the fact that i lied to you for years ? which one is it ? ❜

the shadows had returned to the underworld and victoria could relax once again, she was unhappy with the news that erebus had stolen some of her vampiric kind, a different type of darkness leeched onto their undead bones and they no longer were children of night, no longer were tied to selene and it did not matter how many years had tethered the vampyrs together, they now belonged to erebus and she could not undo what had been done. the daylight ring sat heavy on her finger, the garnet flashing from the suns rays that broke through the mist that surrounded them.  a hellhound rushed into her leg, she was normally tough as steel and wouldn’t have felt an impact from an ordinary dog, plus there was the feeling of foreboding that came with the puppy and she raised a brow. resisting the urge to scratch the demonic dog around the scruff ❛ it would take a lot more than a pup to knock me down ⸻ no matter how strong this one is. ❜ talking more to the doggo than the darklighter that accommodate it. ❛ although he could certainly take down a mortal. ❜

there's a certain inner conflict ever since kairos banished the shadows to the underworld . the fact that he could not help is still gnawing on him ⸻ what's the point in having all of these new abilities if he remains somewhat useless ? don't get him wrong , julian understands why he had to stay back , but the awareness is not enough to erase his frustration . besides , now that they are gone , he cannot help but wonder if he still belongs . to the island , the mortal plane , all of it . what is the difference between him and the fragments of erebus ? there are rational answers to all of it , answers that his friends are trying to provide , but he finds it difficult to let go . that is why styx has been a welcome distraction , one that makes it slightly easier to leave his bed in the morning . ❛ he is strong , isn't he ? ❜ it brings a fond smile to his lips , no matter how small it is . ❛ and he learns fast , so i hope this won't happen again . ❜ the erebide adds , speaking to the puppy instead of the stranger until his hazel eyes land on her face . ❛ guess it's good he . . . didn't run into a mortal ? ❜

❛ you have more patience than i possess . i believe i would get annoyed after a minute . ❜ maybe even less . amir cannot help but feel overprotective at times . ❛ she said that we are playing hide and seek ? ❜ he echoes in amusement , allowing a quiet laugh to slip past his lips . ❛ you know i can handle myself , even if she ends up discovering it . i must admit that i expected her to bribe someone after the first couple of days . ❜ but it is true ⸻ araminta always keeps herself far too busy for her own good . ❛ that is not the same thing and you know it . ❜ he shakes his head , though a trace of warmth laces his tone . at least until he continues to speak . ❛ doubtful . you are her brother , her family . ❜ something that would always come first , no ? ❛ and you may be overestimating my importance in her life . ❜

❛ an opportunity for what ? ❜ vexation slightly enters her voice, although she remains cool and collected, she's the vampyr lady and she'd never speak needlessly to her kind with ire but the thought is borderline blasphemy, she worships selene and is loyal to the goddess that made her and gifted the children of the night with immorality and power beyond measure, to control the tides of empires and bend the world to their whims. ❛ i trust that the gods abscense is not without reason or purpose, that they will return and i will keep the temple and the altar cup filled with blood in honor. ❜

amir can practically feel her mood shift , but he has never been one to choose silence in order to protect someone's thoughts and feelings . victoria is entitled to her opinion ⸻ surely , he is entitled to his own . ❛ an opportunity for something new . a new order . a new life , free of worship and conditions . ❜ it remains unclear whether the older vampyr agrees with that sentiment , tone perfectly neutral . ❛ optimism can be a lovely trait . what will you do if they are not coming home ? ❜

julian watches him for a moment before he nods his head in response to those words . ❛ i know . ❜ he witnessed that first hand ⸻ though his parents never truly regretted having children , did they ? there is a difference between regret and not giving a damn , choosing sex and drugs over the happiness and safety of your offspring . the darklighter swallows the bitter taste in his mouth and focuses on the image in front of him as styx keeps turning his head to try and lick lucien's hand . ❛ i guess it was a social visit then . ❜ he murmurs before he chuckles under his breath . ❛ thanks for the luck , but i'm okay with that . don't really think forcing anyone to do anything is the right approach . ❜

Rome laughed then, surprised by the unceremonious critique of the platter before him. “Looks like you've got a future as a food critic” He teased, waving his hand in the older man's direction. “I'm sure a man of high brow class such as yourself is used to every meal having a certain decadence to it but,” They trailed off, the shrug attempting to lessen the blow of all but calling him a snob. “I think the simplicity adds a certain elegance to it.” Rome had never brushed shoulders with the upper crust in his years traveling the world, or, not in the sense he'd ever been invited to a fancy dinner. His time was spent kneeling on the floor for simple rice dishes, or stumbling half drunk through streets that no longer exist. 

At the mention of where he was from, Rome's expression softened at the words left unsaid. His birthplace had been in the stars — too far away to ever gaze upon correctly. His rebirth had been a monsoon that swept him onto the isles of the philippines, but his vision of the isles he knew before kairos would be unrecognizable to isles the modern world understood. “Is home hard to return to?” He asked, a sympathetic smile on his lips. “No, no. Kairos and I have only known each other a decade or two.” He shrugged, the exact amount of time leaving him the moment he needed it. “My family passed, and I never returned home.” An odd truth, twisted somewhere between his love for the family that took him in and the knowledge that mimaropa and the stars will never see him again. “Well, that got bleak.” He laughed, then held up his drink. “Here's to talking about anything else.” He cheered the air whether the other joined him or not, and took a long drink of his glass.

❛ i would do a terrible job and return any meal that fails to meet my standards . ❜ the vampyr can be difficult to please , but why would he invest time and money when the other party refuses to make so much as an effort ? ❛ i fear i must correct you . i was not referring to the charcuterie board . miss goodfellow never ceases to amaze . ❜ he doubts that robin would have any interest in serving something less than elegant , which is why he enjoys his time at ambrosia whenever he comes by . dark eyes study the soul next to him before he offers a slight nod of his head . ❛ impossibly so . ❜ amir could return to the land itself , but what good would that do ? it would merely serve as another reminder of the existence that had been lost when the fates chose to weave vampyrism into his story . ❛ a decade or two is a lot of time . i am surprised i have not seen you before . ❜ though amir is aware that the island is big enough for it to make perfect sense . he watches him , features remaining calm as the other makes his toast . ❛ it did get bleak . i am sorry to hear that . about your family . ❜

❛ you would have ? ❜ emilia cannot say if that information surprises or touches her more ⸻ selfish as she is , she doubts she would have been able to go through with such a promise . . . ❛ i will only say this once . you are much stronger than me . ❜ the lamia would've clawed at the gates of the underworld in an hopeless attempt to stop the inevitable . ❛ she is going to wake up . i am going to wreak such havoc if she doesn't . ❜ who cares if it wouldn't even make a difference ? a sigh leaves her lips and she takes another bite of her waffle before something else crosses her mind . ❛ how are you doing ? you are the one who had to see her like that . ❜ and if she's losing her mind , there is a chance marina is doing worse .

Truth was, she would never know what occurred to this man that had him changed, but her intuition was never that far from wrong. Something had occurred in him, and caused a thread to be pulled just out of place, turning him into a pile of thread as opposed to a complete tapestry. Before she could ask him if she had stuttered when he repeated the word ‘taint’, he quickly lied to her, hiding in the comfort of a shadow of truth. “Of course not.” Vera said coldly, the hubris of man once again claiming to be able to overcome that which is not theirs to behold. Her lover had been the same, driven by desire and hubris and the gods be damned audacity to touch what death had already taken. And now look at what had become of her? Who knew what havoc and consequence his journey to the underworld had cost him or those around him, but it was clear he was not ready to reconcile with his mistakes. “No, no. Man can go into a god's domain and come back without so much as a hair out of place. There are no stories that contradict this.” Her tone is not mocking, she is far too scared of what he has done to be, though the words themself could be seen as such. 

“Far from it, boy.” Vera admitted, wondering briefly if her pupils had turned to slits in her frustration, some half shifted monstrosity giving her away. But no, he was far too curious for his own good, stepping past boundaries that were better left untouched, so she was sure her knowledge alone led him to this assumption. “What you intended makes no difference here and now. You cannot go there again.” Her throat tightened, her desire to use the hypnotism on him to make him less an idiot tempting, but his willpower was far too strong. Would it even work on a soul like his? She was not eager to try. Besides, hypnotism was reserved exclusively for feeding, at least for her. “You're right — my mistake. The gods are always forgiving on those who trespass. And surely they will believe that he followed you up with no persuasion.” There's a sigh that followed this, accompanied by a tightened grip on his arm. She removed the hand on her chest in favor of placing it on his shoulder. There is no real strength behind the grip, only hoping the touch will bring him down from whatever clouds he was rested upon. “I'm not trying to fight with you. I am simply giving you a warning you would do best to heed.” For a moment, it's another uncomfortably long stare, but she can't bear to look into his defiant eyes, so she settled for his clenched jaw. “Do you even regret what you have done?” The question, one she would kill to ask her old lover, is now thrusted upon a boy of maybe thirty, who is probably in over his head. Yet, an ounce of remorse, a hint of regret, just a wistful glance in the direction of undoing, and she would know there was still some saving to him. She finally met his gaze again, searching for some symblance of regret. 

he notices the ice that laces her voice now and his gaze narrows in confusion . why does she even care ? it's not like he went on a suicide mission , hoping to get lost in the endless depths of the underworld for all of eternity . ❛ what ? you think this is going to cost me something ? ❜ julian nearly laughs at the thought , but he swallows the bitter sound . the shadows ended his mortal life , twisted it into something new and undefined . what else could possibly happen now ? he takes a deep breath , but it does very little to ease his frustration . ❛ tell me . . . do you have the same conversation with lampads and daemons ? ❜ boy . the word makes his frown deepen and , just for a moment , he cannot help but think of his father . the man who would call him that too , instead of using his name , teaching him that words are weapons when he was still little . a sense of unease washes over him and he barely notices her words , or the way that styx drags the piece of wood closer to them ⸻ until she places both hands on him . ❛ don't touch me . ❜ he takes a step away from her , creating a distance that feels so much safer to his brain before he realizes that it must have sounded harsher than necessary . ❛ please . ❜ the addition is quiet , eyes lowered as he leans down to throw the stick again , giving the lively puppy something to do . ❛ i was not trespassing , i fucking belong there now . ❜ words that he should not speak , but of course he would crack under the pressure . ❛ the gods are gone , aren't they ? who knows when they are going to come back ? who knows if they're going to come back at all ? i . . . ❜ voice trails off when she stares again and her question does not calm the storm inside his mind . ❛ do i regret what ? do i regret pulling a drowning hellhound out of the river styx ? i don't . do i regret letting him come with me ? i don't . what was i supposed to do , huh ? use something to tie him to a tree , so he wouldn't follow me ? i'm not forcing him to stay . ❜ so what is there to regret ? that he survived after the shadows attacked him ? that he is trying to handle his new existence ? what ? what is it that this stranger wants him to regret ?

The way the other observed her should have had her taking a protective step back, but truly, how could wandering the forest in pajamas look normal to anyone? Instead, she self consciously rubbed at her arms as if to self soothe, debating how honest of an answer she should give.  “I was…lost in thought.” She decided, because sleepwalking at her old age was not only embarrassing, but somehow too unbelievable for her to say. Not that being lost in though was the most credible answer, but still, it was an easier lie to swallow. “Lost track of time, is all.” The shrug was as unconvincing as the statement, but she tried to look firm in herself.

While she held some sentimentality to the pants — mostly in the form of reliability and comfort — they were long past their expiration date. The soft pastels looked almost childlike compared to the beginner professor status she held, though she had never intended for the garments to be seen. “You've got…quite the observant eye.” Mercy laughed, hands uncovering the marks she had hoped would go unnoticed. “I suppose your help with my arms would be appreciated. I am not well versed in the flora here.” She paused, then nodded in acknowledgement and took a few careful steps toward the other, avoiding twigs and sharp stones as best she could. “Talia — it's a pleasure. I am Mercy.” 

none of it is convincing , no , but talia accepts the answer anyway . they are perfect strangers ⸻ the other doesn't need more of a reason to keep herself from telling the truth . ❛ that can be very dangerous , especially around the more secluded parts of the island . ❜ she warns her , though her tone stay gentle . ❛ dryads tend to be overly protective of their trees and many were planted around the moors . ❜ most people expect nymphs to be calm and gentle , but gods they could be vicious too . gentle laughter spills from her lips and she shakes her head . ❛ it would be difficult not to notice , but you will be good as new in next to no time . do you mind if i use a spell ? i could make a potion or an ointment , if you prefer . ❜ the latter would take a moment longer ( and require for her to come home with the enchantress ) , but she respects her comfort . ❛ mercy . the pleasure is mine . ❜

❛ i can tell . ❜ and it's not her fault that the fury lacks patience . there are not a whole lot of people who do not frustrate him in one way or another . still , cosimo watches her as she responds and he nods his head . ❛ when did you turn ? ❜ she definitely does not seem very aged ⸻ which makes sense since nothing about her screams hybrid . ❛ yeah , it's a pretty big island with a pretty big pack . ❜ not surprising that she finds herself lost . ❛ if you tell me where you're trying to go , i might be able to show you the way . ❜