blooming beauty

Some people would've felt indisposed, like they couldn't get out of the water. Yet Badru was as comfortable as ever and liked hearing the compliments roll off of the other man's tongue. "Well, thank you. I'd get out so you can see me fully, but I don't know if you need to be that familiar with me right away." Although, he did wink over at the other. "It's going to tire you out if you think that you're going to see it all in one week. At least you know your own limits and how to set up that boundary for yourself. That's a good call." His brows pushed together as he swam back out a little bit, giving Nico plenty of space if he wanted to slip in. "Test it out for yourself. There's no rules that saw you need swimwear to get in the water. How do you think people did it in ancient times?"

Seeing somebody be comfortable with his flattery was always a big relief to Nico; he didn't want to cross any line to make an interaction awkward, but he'd always be happy and eager to compliment someone, to embrace the aspects of beauty and love that were so integral to his divinity. "Well that is a fair point", he chuckled, biting his lip briefly at that wink. Nico was starting to feel like he wouldn't be disappointed at all had the other decided to step out of the water after all, but there really was no need to be that forward just now. "Yeah, I'd rather take my time and really appreciate the beauty of it all", he agreed with a nod. "Well, if you don't mind...?", Nico shrugged, certainly not having an issue with skipping the swimwear. Excitedly, he took off the shirt he was wearing, undressing fast, then once the last piece of clothing was dropped he dove into the water quickly, careful not to slip. "It does feel great! I get why you enjoy relaxing in here", he hummed.

He loved making people think that they were intruding. Clearly, Badru had no stake or ownership over the cove and the whole bay was open to everyone that was on the island. Even if their stay was temporary. Still, the man was always curious with how others would react. "No worries. You're lucky that you're cute, I won't end up pressing any charges." He swam closer to the rocks, but didn't get out of the water just yet. "It is a nice view. Is this your last stop on he tour or are there still places that you haven't seen yet?" One would think he was connected to cats instead of snakes with how curious he was.

It wouldn't have been the first time that being a bit too curious or intrusive would have gotten Nico into a bit of trouble. He never had any ill intentions, but at times would be a bit too sociable and cheerful for some. "Well thank you, that's a relief", he chuckled, smiling happily as he noticed the other calling him cute. Whether it was part of his divine heritage and the connection to beauty and love, or just part of his personality, Nico loved a compliment. "You're very handsome yourself... Well, from what I can see", he joked, the water distorting most of the other's appearance of course. "Oh, I mean, I'm sure I have yet to see plenty of the island. As for right now, this may be the end of my hike, I do love this place", he mused with a wide smile as he looked around. "Though I might have to come back another time with swimwear, I wasn't quite prepared for ending up at the shore. How's the water, by the way? Warm enough, I hope?"

Location: Library Open: To anyone

For Nico, social media had always been first and foremost a means to an end, to be... well, social. He'd used them just like any person his age, but hanging out with people face to face was always his preferred method, and leaving his actual friends behind for this new world had been much more painful than abandoning some sort of internet presence.

status: open location: a tennis field, somewhere.

Nico couldn't help but grin proudly at the words of praise - at least he was taking them as such. Athleticism had never been his strong suit, but what he lacked in strength or physical constitution, he made up for in nimbleness and technique, which probably helped more with tennis than some other sports. "You're great at this!", he commented, just as much a compliment as it was just a genuine observation.

open starter + @conquerstarters location: bay + cove

The need for some relaxation and being one with the island around him was a feeling Nico could understand all too well. The journey had left him with mixed feelings in a way, both boosting his confidence a little and making it quite clear just how dangerous their lives could get. The war out there was very real, and it made Nico appreciate moments and days like this even more. Who knew how much longer they would get to enjoy blooming gardens or the sun on their skin at a beautiful beach? So he decided to wander down to the latter, smiling at the feeling of warm sand under his feet as he listened to the sound of the water. The lack of other noise made him think he was alone for a moment, but soon he noticed the sleeping man with the book on his face - just as the other woke up. "Uh... afternoon, I'd say", Nico chuckled, smiling down at the fellow demigod. "Doing some heavy reading, I see?" With a grin, he sat down right in the sand, the shadow from the other's umbrella making it a comfortable temperature luckily. "I hope you put on sunscreen; somehow I'm not sure if a book is the best protection for getting a sunburn on your face", he joked.

location: bay + cove

The island was big enough that Nico was certain he'd have new places to discover for weeks to come. As much as he felt comfortable in the gardens, he truly wasn't the type to not go out and explore, and so he tried to make it a habit to hike around the place and just see where he'd end up. The cove was truly beautiful, and Nico was so caught up in taking in the view of the place that he didn't even notice at first that he was disturbing someone's solitude. "Oh-! I'm sorry, I didn't mean to sneak up", he spoke with a smile on his face. "I was a bit distracted myself, you know. Just such a beautiful view to take in."

Ivy didn't intend to sneak up and startle him while he was so entranced in his artwork. As somewhat of an artist herself, she wanted to take a peek at what he was working on, but wasn't exactly sure how to start the conversation when he was in the zone. She stood behind him, hands clasped behind her back and head poking out over his shoulder to get a glimpse of the drawing in progress. A hello probably would have startled him as much as her shadow appearing over his shoulder did so she wasn't sure why she didn't just speak up instead of waiting ominously for her presence to be noticed. Holding up her hands to show she came in peace, Ivy apologized. "Sorry, it's my fault. I got curious and wasn't sure how to announce my arrival." Again, Ivy glanced down at the pad of paper, gesturing towards it before asking, "what are you working on?"

Nico was usually quite happy to share his artwork - after all, his aim was to capture beauty, and the point of that was for it to be shared, not enjoyed by one person alone. So in that regard, it was almost a bit counterproductive that painting sometimes could get him so in the zone that apparently he appeared almost unapproachable. That certainly was far from the truth for Nico's usual demeanor, as he considered himself a very sociable person. "Oh, no worries! I know the feeling, some say I tend to get too curious for my own good sometimes", he chuckled, smiling widely as he showed off the sketch of the flower beds around them. "Just capturing a moment. These flowers just are gorgeous when the sun hits them like this", he mused. "I like to paint a view like this when I see it. Never know if it will be as pretty tomorrow."

Masyn   shrugged   his   shoulder   at   the   other   man's   enthusiasm   for   his   craft.   Masyn   wasn't   used   to   people   caring   or   giving   much   regard   to   it,   and   not   that   he   could   blame   them.   Even   his   family   had   always   told   him   that   he   could   be   doing   more   useful   things   with   his   time.   But   it   was   the   one   thing   he   has   always   allowed   for   himself.   The   ultimate   distraction   and   way   for   Masyn   to   just...Relax.   Breathe   it   all   in   and   just   let   his   mind   wonder   what   he   wanted   to   invent   and   possibly   how   to   do   so. 

Nico found it easy to be interested and enthusiastic about most things, especially those that were outside of his own skill set. Creating things was something he enjoyed as well, though his art was of course born from a different creative source, hoping to replicate beauty rather than practicality. Inventing things, as far as he could imagine, likely required a type of intelligence and a way of thinking that just wasn't inherent to him. Yet in the end, it seemed like it fulfilled a similar purpose for Masyn as painting did for him. Just like their divinity manifested in different ways - they had things in common, though never quite the same.

Even people with the same domains could vary entirely through pantheons. His own father was related to animals. So were Artemis and Pan. Yet while Artemis was more hunt and night, Pan more wilderness, Amaru was more of the underground. There was even a half god around here who was specifically connected to bees. Again, something that was much more specific and could probably grow to show some true power in that realm. Silvio couldn't wait to see how everyone's powers grew the more that they proved themselves. He was already hearing whispers of some of them getting more powers while going out on their first quests.

It truly was fascinating, getting to know and experience overlapping domains manifest so differently through the lens of different pantheons. Knowing he was the offspring of a love deity, Nico was well aware that some other half-gods were likely to share similar domains, yet would most definitely have powers much different from his own. Similarly there probably were nature deities that cared about flora like his mother, but embraced other aspects than the beauty of it. No two of them were even close to the same, and that was probably why converging on the island and joining forces was such a good idea.

The interesting part about all of this was finding out what domains the other pantheons had. He realized that there were some war half gods that also had abilities over love or the sun. Even his own father spanned across several different areas: animals, underground saves, and underground rivers. Whereas others only went for a specific breed of animals like bees. Everything was so fascinating to him and he was excited to see them all grow and develop.

The fascination about other pantheons - and also his own - with their deities and domains was one Nico absolutely shared. Finding out about his own heritage and the aspects that his mother had influence over, had helped him along on understanding his own self better in some ways. Love and beauty were things Nico strived for naturally, and the connection to flowers had always been visible, even before he got alerted to his powers. Figuring out how their pantheons manifested in each other's abilities, but also personalities, was just one aspect of why Nico enjoyed getting to know the other demigods on the island better.

Gods   know   that   Masyn   can   definitely   relate   to   practically   being   dead   in   the   world   once   you're   in   your   element.   When   Masyn   is   working   on   a   invention   or   trying   to   figure   out   how   something   works?   He   can   be   practically   dead   to   the   world   mentally   when   he's   working   on   something.   Or   planning   something.   The   single-minded   drive   has   both   helped   and   hurt   him   depending   on   the   situation. 

That single-mindedness might as well one day become the death of him, Nico was well aware - but he couldn't help it anyways. Part of his being was the passion he felt for the things he cared about, those he found beauty in, whether that was appreciating nature itself or the people around him. Those he cared for, he did so very deeply, and he knew fully well that could be a blessing and a curse.

The tendency to apologize a bit more than necessary rather than one too few times was certainly something Nico was aware he needed to work on. A reflex likely born from an inner desire to preserve harmony, avoid conflict even when (perhaps even more so) there was so much tension all around them. "You're right", he gave a soft nod, smiling as he swallowed the urge to apologize for apologizing. Nico didn't know much about the other, just like he wasn't closely familiar yet with most people on the island, but he certainly was hoping not to make terrible first impressions on Aleki. Not just because Nico's natural instinct was to be sociable and make friends, but because he knew that in these tense times, they would need to rely on each other eventually - and the last thing he wanted people to think was that he was a burden or a liability.

it was very hard for people to find beauty in the midst of war. aside from the ones taht drew their power from it. still, silvio tried his best to do so even if he didn't get more powers when people fought. seeing animals flourish, even in these conditions, was something beautiful for him. it reminded of when he had to hide all those years ago and a serpent saved him. dealing with grief was hard, but it was a part of life.

Nico knew from experience that even for those like him, who never failed to find beauty somewhere in all things, the opposite could be just as much of a struggle. Facing the hardship and the ugly parts of life disrupting the harmony was something he'd struggled to accept for a long time. Learning who his mother was had helped make sense of this in some ways, but even as the son of a love goddess, war was a harsh enough reality to make it undeniable the world wasn't all beauty. Even the most precious flowers could have some painful thorns.