living soul for ever

And yes... Nephi was... a lot. Before and after they'd met again here but at the very least the shorter was set on getting better. On them being healthier. It got him bonus points at the very least.

"Yeah..." Keonhee sighed a little, staring down at where the other was playing with his fingers. That's another comfort, knowing Nephi wasn't keen on the either but still taking the responsibility. He could understand it more with that too. "We're stupid, honestly, but at least we're going to try to fix it with this then. I can agree that we need to."

And Keonhee was too good for this world and deserved far more than what the son of Anubis could ever give him. But he was going to try anyway, if the Japanese demigod allowed him to.

Nephi couldn't help but to chuckle. In all honesty, it was a perfect way to summary the situation. "Yeah, I agree, especially me." He moved a little closer, their foreheads now almost touching. "But I really want to try because I think it's worth it. You're worth it" he added in a whisper. Time was what they needed and the Egyptian was glad that Keonhee would have his sister besides him.

At the mention of a sibling, she thought for a moment. "Of course. I assume siblings would have a similar range of powers. It would be nice to know more about what they have experienced. Some of the philosophy with my powers can be a bit... overwhelming." Yue did not mind being a child of Yue Lao, not the powers that came with it. But at times, they were hard to decipher, even more for her to believe were fair.

But he didn't and that was alright.

"Mm... They do. At least my sister does but it's not like we care for each other much" Nephi acquiesced. He was totally fine with Nora not being into his life anymore. Maybe another sibling would be different but he wasn't in a hurry to discover it. "Do you mind sharing who's your godly parent ?" he asked at her remark, his curiosity piqued.

Nephi was right and at certain small points he did agree slightly (their relationship as it was, wasn't a great one with too many uncertainties and not great contexts) but at the same time he couldn't help but want to deny other points (being 'good enough' for someone wasn't a concept he could agree with, no ones perfect and the idea of someone not being good enough for another person was a whole other level of things beyond everything else). But all that aside, he mostly could understand where the shorter was coming from.

"I don't really... like it, everything's all... mixed up. But I know there's a lot of stuff we need to actually deal with in many ways. Like... feelings... and what we are... and stuff like that. It all got really complicated, really fast." He murmured back, half hesitant before just pushing it all out, the whole situation has been extremely muddled for a while now.

Was it what intimacy was supposed to be ? It was nice and he could easily get used to it.

There was being 'good enough' and there was 'being an asshole' and, unfortunately for Keonhee, Nephi belonged to the second category. Even if they now got along, there was such a common past behind them that they needed to address and heal before they could totally be happy together. As happy as possible anyway, after everything that had happened between them, even before Mount Phoenix.

"I don't like it more than you" Nephi answered, playing with the other's fingers. "But we need to. We jumped into this... relationship without thinking and we should have. I really didn't imagine it'd go that far." He nodded as Keonhee talked, looking up at him.

Tilting her head in thought, she ultimately shook it. "No. Blackmail is rather boring. Why get yourself in potential trouble? I definitely want the fun route. Maybe internal thought to know how they really think about someone. Or, to know what their wants and wishes are. That definitely gives you an idea about someone." She reasoned, rather pleased with herself at the thought. At his question though, she raised a brow. The demigoddess merely shrugged. "While I do not know of one, I cannot say they do not exist."

They might not see each other again but, at least, this meeting would remain engraved in his memory. It was fun and easy, no strings attached.

Nephi pondered her words for a few moments, thoughtfully tapping his chin. "I guess you could do that, it does sound fun." It wasn't something he needed though, able to read others' hearts at will, playing with their feelings and fears if needed. "What about you though ?" he asked, grinning. "Do you have any special wish ?" He considered her answer, he liked the logic of it. "Would you be interested to have siblings ?"

New hire.

Gae Nephi.

Anubis charms on his lanyard. Likely Egyptian pantheon--or perhaps one of those Egyptomaniacs who were completely obsessed with the ancient culture; he'd met quite a few of those during his studies and travels; but, given their location, the former was more likely. His own lanyard demonstrated the two pewter ravens as well as the single enamel raven charm on the ring attached to the badge. Now, he could have responded to that question with a snarky comment about wearing random name badges for shits and giggles, but he didn't. New coworker. Historian coworker. Annoyance dissipated to what may have been interpreted as an inkling of respect for that position.

The son of Anubis' gaze moved to the designated badge and it lingered on the two ravens charms. They were beautiful and elegant and a small smile graced Nephi's lips. Probably another demigod proud of his heritage. "Vitas Halvorsen" he repeated after reading the name. "Nice to meet you, Mr. Archivist. And thank you, I'm really glad to meet another of my new colleagues."

Surprisingly, it was true. The young Egyptian felt at his place, probably for the first time since his arrival on the island. 

It was all part of the routine: scanning documents, translating them, uploading them to the digital archives, and returning the original materials to the library circulation desk. That was just what Vitas did this day, which thus far had proven to be a fairly typical day. He liked it that way, when things went how they were supposed to go without any unexpected interruptions--though he did usually make accommodations. Usually.

And, of course, the job came with a private office. Not the biggest one but it was enough for him, where he would be able to build his own universe (without the canopic jars though). So he spent his first day cleaning and arranging the place, reuniting the old documents forgotten there by the former occupant.

The afternoon was well advanced when Nephi finally took the path to the Library, a pile of old books and documents in his arms to return them where they belonged. All the librarians were busy assisting people so he just stood there, right behind another young man, waiting for his turn. It didn't take long until the other noticed him, moving away and Nephi could feel the annoyance at his close presence. But he didn't budge under the eyes (eye ?) throwing daggers at him, his own gaze fixed on the lanyard around the man's neck.

"Fears we hide from?" She tilted her head back and forth before halting. "If so, then, they are long forgotten! I guess a thunderstorm does quite bother me at times. But, that is the extent that I can tell you." Yue had nothing to hide from the other, so she had been completely honest. The fear would just have to surprise her, and when it did, she would deal with it then.

Though, his question stopped her from thinking on it further. "Well, I wonder if those demigods can turn it off or do so intentionally. If I can listen when I want to, then I think it would be fun. But, I get your point too." Returning her hands to her side of the table, she nodded her head. at his question. "Yes. Thank you. It translates to 'reflection of the moon.' Which seems fitting based on my father." She chuckles softly. When they had figured out her heritage, she had been the first to see the connection.

He chuckled at her answer. That girl was truly growing on him, finally someone interesting. He was still on the defensive, as almost always when he was meeting a new person, but she was truly an agreeable person to deal with, someone he could have a stimulating conversation with. He felt no conflict in her heart so he knew she was speaking the truth. "I'm glad for you then !" he exclaimed, grinning. "Thunderstorms can be quite scary sometimes."

Nephi leant on the back of his chair again, tapping on his chin the same way Yingyue had done before. "This is a good argument" he commented. "Also, it depends what you intend to do with what you hear. Blackmailing could be quite a possibility." He got lost in his thoughts for a few moments, considering her answer. "It's quite a lovely name. But tell me... Do you happen to have a half-sister ? I know someone who loves walks in the moonlight."

He turned his head to look at her as she sat near the bed, his eyes then looking down at his hands in his lap. He nodded at her words. "Yeah, it seems so. I don't even remember how I came back to the city, I truly was lucky to meet you." Now that the events were coming back to him, he truly realized how foolish he had been. I will try. 

He did freeze, however, when the other's whisper dropped. He'd nearly panicked, not sure what to say or how to react given the sudden and rather upsetting remark (things aside, he wasn't built to deal with sudden confusing surprises like that) until the other added 'at least for now'. He calmed down a little with that, glancing down at their hands and Nephi's fingers messing with his own.

There's... a lot of things they needed to work out properly and to work through too, it's true. Tsukiko's comments still stuck with him now, weeks later. But... He just... He didn't know why or how, or what even happened to make Nephi suggest this. Maybe the other had gone through some realizations but...

The Egyptian felt the confusion, the panic in the other's heart so he squeezed his hand tightly, wanting to reassure him. It wasn't a goodbye, at least not yet. Things were bad, really bad, but there was still a possibility they could go better. With time and patience, things that Nephi knew he had to learn. He almost died, that had put things into perspective for him.

"Please calm down" he said, pulling the other closer. "But I don't think I'm good enough for you. I hurt you so much already and I don't want anything else to happen to you." He reached up and gave a quick caress to the Japanese demigod's cheek.

“I’m not a delicate, little lady. I don’t think there is much that can scare me at this point.” She said with a smile. In her travels and pursuit of creating love, there were many dangerous and nearly deadly situations that she ran into. Had it not been for her training in the monastery, she may not be here. “Sadly, I cannot read minds though. What a power that would be to have!”

"Are you sure ? We all have fears we hide far away until we think we forgot them" he answered, copying her smile. Of course, he ignored her past or her heritage so he couldn't be totally sure she wasn't lying. But given his own experiences, everyone feared things they didn't want to admit. "I wouldn't want that, to be honest. All those voices in your head, all the time... Wouldn't it be annoying ?" People's emotions were far easier to manage.

"A little doom and gloom makes life exciting. Someone with only rainbows and unicorns in their mind has lived a rather uninteresting life." She reasons to the other, no need to hide her though pattern. Yingyue knew she interesting enough to just be herself. "So, still makes it a worthwhile prize as long as the content within it has some merit."

"I agree" he answered, his lips turning up into a smile. All the people he had met so far on the island were hiding pain and shadows behind their own smiles. Only their eyes showed the truth as he could feel the agony of their souls in his very core. He looked into the young woman's gaze but found only honesty there. He liked that. "I guess so. I think you wouldn't be disappointed if you saw what was going on in my mind." 

Blood. There was so much blood up there. And bright eyes and a scar above a heart.

Nephi considered her words, carefully, taking his time to answer. She was smart and he realized that he had no desire to kill her, no urge to plunge his hand into her chest and squeeze the life out of her. To consume her heart, to steal her desire and passion. "I'm afraid that you arrive too late though. Someone had found mine before you."

for @mpnephi

it was a monday, and as per usual, yanluo spent mondays wearing his beloved robes. today he was not at work though, and still wouldn't be for a while, but he was out and about. on the to-do list for the day was a visit to both his son and xiwangmu at asclepius hospital. he had visited xiwangmu there before and would be popping in for a brief chat after he'd gone to check-up on his son. yanluo had brought with him some healthy energising fruit juices and some still-steaming, homemade egg drop soup in a tupperware container. benji's eating habits were abysmal at best, yanluo had noticed, and he hoped that what he'd bring would help his son get through the day. working as a nurse was a highly demanding job after all!

and so when yanluo entered the hospital, he ignored the looks of interest - most likely because of his attire - and went straight for the reception desk. placing the bundle of wrapping cloth in which he'd wrapped the food delicately atop the counter. yanluo smiled politely, and asked the lady where he could find his son, at which department he worked. unfortunately, yanluo hadn't gotten round to asking benji himself yet.

as yanluo was talking, the stench of a murderer suddenly wafted towards him and the god's smile froze. he remained where he was, however, as the smell was a familiar one. yanluo took a sharp breath, trying to keep himself composed. he hadn't turned around yet because he couldn't and wouldn't. because he knew that if he turned around and gazed upon that sick child without having taken control of both his emotions, rationale and powers, that he would lash out and undoubtedly actually kill the demigod. no interruptions this time.

But surprisingly (well, maybe not), the thing he missed the most was Keonhee. He was so used to the other's presence by his side, his conversations and the warmth of his body that everything seemed empty without him around. He constantly wondering what the Japanese demigod was doing and though he would never admit it, he hoped that he was fine, relieved that his sister was there to take care of him.

As for his own siblings... Nora was a lost cause but Tau, Tau was good. He had been excited about having a younger brother, willing to meet him again, even giving him his phone number in case Nephi needed him. They had texted almost everyday since then, sharing memories of their common birth country, Egypt. Someone was caring for him and he felt good for that. 

But on that cold Monday morning, Nephi found himself at the hospital once more. A scheduled check-up to make sure that his wounds were healing well and some physiotherapy for muscles reinforcement. It was painful, it was long but he knew it was necessary if he wanted to keep all of his physical capacities. 

As he was leaving his therapist and crossing the welcoming hall, Nephi stopped in his tracks, feeling his chest constrict. It was hard to miss Yanluo's silhouette by the desk, his robes contrasting with the other people's modern clothes, his stature imposing a respect that the son of Anubis had denied him. 

a short little check-in from the time he was injured for @mpnephi

After her normal patrol that lead into a subsequent rescue of a demigod in need of strong healing, Chang'e had been checking up on the demigod periodically. Upon receiving word the demigod she had helped was awake and coherent, the goddess opted to visit later that day after said demigod's guest had left. She wanted to visit and chat but she wouldn't have wanted to interrupt their meeting.

She had noticed Keonhee's worry early on and thought the boy deserved his time to ease it.

It was a woman, pretty and elegant with long and silky black hair. And from her came a strong aura, alike but also very different than the god's he had tried to kill in a dark alley of the city above the Bridge. A goddess.

The son of Anubis immediately sat in the bed, bowing his head, a soft wince from the movement painting itself on his face. He now knew better than not showing respect to a deity. "Hi" he whispered, gesturing towards the chair to invite her to sit down. 

Crossing her legs, the demigoddess leaned toward the table, allowing her elbow to perch on the table so that she could rest her cheek upon her hand. Yingyue was interest, curious more than anything. Each table presenting her with a new possibility, whether it was a good outcome or bad.

Nephi wastched as the young woman sat face to him and settled in her seat. Her whole attitude was open, curious even but, of course, it was part of her job. He didn't mind though, that was still better than swimming in loneliness.