Νέμεσις

+

She’s never heard of an oneiroi before, but the description matches up with what little she learnt from Jamie about what they were suppose to be. It doesn’t exactly explain how a spirit is capable of changing a vampire back into a witch, but Maven supposes that’s something that can be chalked up to it’s a fucking spirit, it doesn’t have to abide by regular laws of magic. “You were there,” it’s not a question, but a statement. Someone else that had been stuck in the caves. She doesn’t remember seeing them, but it’s not like Maven knows every single person that had been down there, anyways. “Thanks.” It feels strange to say, the entire situation feels strange, but the fact that they seemingly want to help her shouldn’t be discounted. Does she want their help? It’s a question she wasn’t expecting to have to answer tonight. But Maven has to make a decision soon, doesn’t she? They can’t all just exist in some kind of vacuum, where time stands still as she dances around the topic. “I… do. Want your help. It’s just not easy for me to ask.”

-

“I was.” Nemesis offered, “I didn’t look like this at the time though.” They had been Cole then, the spirit knew what it was to be stripped of their power, tortured and abused. Then made to watch as the great showing of Maven’s death was laid out before them. They smiled at the other’s affirmation, “Unfortunately I’m not enough to help you, I can’t do it on my own. But I have a friend, together the two of us can reverse what was done to you. We can give you your life back.” Nemesis offered, “Why don’t you meet me back here in a few days, we can do it then.”

.

“I liked your other one better,” Phobetos said, canting their head to study the change. Before, Nemesis had boasted the perfect, heart shaped tip and now, they looked more Greek than they cared for. “Ugly for you, beautiful for me.” It was why they preened and adored being Yasemin so much, and fixated upon altering the faces they rotated between until they were, in their own eyes, perfection. “A phoenix that won’t set things on fire?” The spirit tutted under their breath, sipping from their glass as they considered. “Maybe we should have him meet Leyha, she’ll poison anyone in the street. A good influence.” Their tone was full of blind adoration, the manticore was perfect in all ways. “Do you think?” They looked around, seeking a source of flame, a grin broad upon their features when they locked their attention onto a particularly large kettle with hot caramel intended for popcorn. “That’ll do. I love a good game.”

-

“You do seem to like pretty things.” Nemesis pointed out, Phobetos had a whole shop full of neat little trinkets. One of which Nemesis had come into possession of thanks to the spirit that stood before them now. With a quit alteration their nose was back to its native shape, though they couldn’t help but feel a little dejected by the other’s rejection. “Noah wouldn’t like that, in fact, I think he’d be mad at me if I made him watch Leyha torture someone.” The last thing Nemesis wanted was to start a fight with their partner, the phoenix was good - really good. And contrary to the spirit’s own nature it was the thing that they loved most about him. 

     “I’m trying, but nothing I see seems good enough for the occasion.” Noah wanted to look his best, he wanted to impress, and he also wanted to look like he belonged at Nemesis’ side. Hopefully Winter and Rowan could help him find something good enough. “Absolutely crazy. But I get it. I’m also ready to get out of here for a while. It’s been a lot and… I’m in need of a vacation with you. Did we decide yet if we’re renting another boat?”

-

“Well, it’s bad luck for me to see you in your uh- whatever you’re going to be wearing, so this is something I can’t help you with.” Nemesis wouldn’t call themselves superstitious, but they were definitely a little stitious. And the spirit wanted to do this right, the big wedding, all the borrowed and blue things. Everything. “I’ve got the boat covered, I think a vacation is exactly what both of us need.”

*

Worship had to be found in their own way, offering hymns, songs and wine was one of the way that Evie paid her homage. There was a darkness that coiled in her frame, a warning that she could feel in her bones that was about to devour the city whole. She had never had strong connection to Persephone or Hektor but their presence was felt. “I thought it would be fun.” It’s the coy smile that doesn’t give much away, she did dedicate a lot of planning to her dancers performance but without them, it would be nothing. “Want a drink?” A tray of sparkling red wine in a champagne flute arrives near them, a fresh strawberry to garnish the rim. “I found a talented seamstress in town, Rimona. She’s contributed quite nicely to the costume design.” Evie preferred teaming up with locals to produce Ambrosia’s art.

-

There was no point in the spirit eating or drinking, but they had long enjoyed the process of it. It had been some decades since they’d seen performances like this, and when they had it had only been done by women. Cole had taken the form of one in order to assume her place in the cast, it had been fun for a time. “Oh that looks yummy-” Cole smiled as they happily took one of the drinks, they popped the whole strawberry in their mouth, green stem and all. “Tastes yummy too.” They nodded, “I’m Cole by the way, is there room in your cast for one more? I usually perform in drag a few nights a week at the Embassy, but this looks fun too.”

     “I’m trying, but nothing I see seems good enough for the occasion.” Noah wanted to look his best, he wanted to impress, and he also wanted to look like he belonged at Nemesis’ side. Hopefully Winter and Rowan could help him find something good enough. “Absolutely crazy. But I get it. I’m also ready to get out of here for a while. It’s been a lot and… I’m in need of a vacation with you. Did we decide yet if we’re renting another boat?”

-

“I think you’re going to look great no matter what you wear,” Nemesis offered unhelpfully. Nemesis had put a great deal of thought into their little charter so the spirit smiled as their arms wound around the other’s shoulders, “Yes we’re absolutely getting another boat.” They were excited to get out of the city, it felt very long overdue at this point - the Thargelia had passed without incident, maybe this meant that all the drama surrounding the city was finally truly over. The veil was back, maybe everyone could just rest, right? “Just the two of us this time.”

     “I do. It seems fitting for us.” Why exactly, Noah couldn’t even say. Maybe because everything was warm and happy with Nemesis, just like the summer. The truth was, the phoenix wouldn’t have cared about the date as long as it happened, but he liked doing it sooner rather than later, and he liked doing it when the sun was shining down on Corinth. “August sounds amazing,” he agreed, leaning in to press a kiss to their lips. “I still have to find an outfit, but I should be able to find one until August, right?”

-

“I mean, I hope so. Better get shopping.” Nemesis mused as they squeezed Noah’s hip playfully, they also had very little idea on what they were going to wear, but in their mindseye it was very grand. To say the least. “I’m excited for the honeymoon too, it’ll be nice to get away from this city. I know you love it here and everything, and it’s not that I don’t live for all the excitement,  but I think I need a vacation from all the drama. I know, crazy right?”

     Noah’s head rested against Nemesis’ shoulder as his heartbeat started to slow down again, his fingers dancing against the line of the spirit’s jaw. Whatever anger he’d felt for his brother was momentarily forgotten – he was sure Monty would find another way to disappoint him soon enough, but for the moment he tried to focus on the good things his life had given him. “So… when are we doing this? Like, do we want to talk about a date? I was at the flower shop with Winter, and we talked about color schemes, and I think summer would be nice. Or early autumn. But I don’t want people to freeze at our wedding.”

-

They settled with their hands behind their head as Noah’s chin rested against the spirit’s shoulder, it seemed like their fiance was in a better mood now so they’d say their attempts to life Noah up had been an absolute success. “I like the idea of a Summer wedding, don’t you?” They thought about it for a moment, they had flowers picked out, dessert, colours, they really just needed to finalize the guest list and once they had a date Nemesis could work on the venue. “What about August?”

      “Totally true. You’re pouting right now,” Noah whispered playfully, before more laughter that bubbled up from his chest was silenced by Nemesis’ lips. His arms wrapped around their frame as they rolled on top of him, and any bad feelings that had filled his system until moments prior were forgotten in their presence. “I love you,” he mumbled in between kisses. “I can’t wait to spend the rest of my life with you.”

-

“I love you too,” Nemesis returned the words in earnest as they pressed fevered kisses to the other’s lips, his jaw, his neck. Noah’s words reminded them that they still needed to pick a date, but that could wait for another time. They shrugged out of their shirt as they pulled at the hem of Noah’s, eager to feel the warm expanse of the phoenix’s skin beneath. 

     “Yeah, you do, especially whenever I tell you not to murder someone.” It was hard to sound convincing when the phoenix couldn’t stop laughing however. It was simply the effect Nemesis had on him, and one of the biggest reasons why he loved them – they always managed to make him laugh no matter what. It was hard to stay upset for too long around them. “I’m not taking it back,” he added, before leaning in close enough so that their lips almost touched, but not quite. “Make me.”

-

“That’s not true!” Nemesis denied, though they were very possibly pouting right now, their hands mercilessly dug deeper into the other as the spirit rolled on top of the phoenix and pinned him down to the ground. They had a few other ideas on how to lift Noah’s spirits, the other leaned in, and Nemesis claimed his lips with their own. 

     “I know.” But in contrast to Nemesis, Noah had always been good at forgiveness. Perhaps because he was too soft, or too willing to see the good in people. “But he’s still my family. I’m not sure I can stay mad at him forever. And I definitely don’t want to kill him.” Noah wasn’t sure he’d ever be able to kill anyone, not for anything. Maybe for the spirit sat before him now, but that was the only occasion he could think of that would even just make him consider killing someone. “Am I not allowed to pout? You do it all the time.” But even as the phoenix spoke, a smile had already formed on his lips and laughter started to bubble up from his chest before he playfully shoved Nemesis away. “Stop it! You’re ruining my moment of being angry.”

-

“I do not pout.” Nemesis objected before they returned to their work of terrorizing the interior of Noah’s arms, they would turn that frown upside down one way or another and they really only had a few tricks in their arsenal to pull it off. They understood how the other was hurt in a limited sense, and they understood why Noah would feel this way, but they didn’t want him to be hurt or upset. They wanted him to be happy. “Not until you take it back.”

for: @oneiroixnemesis​ location: the festival

“I don’t like the look of him,” Phobetos said pettily, sipping from the top of their drink. The wine wasn’t good, they had taken it from someone who claimed the wonders of local produce and manufacturing, but they had a taste for things that were sour and otherwise undrinkable. It wasn’t the drink that had snagged their attention however as they stood next to Nemesis, wearing a pair of impossibly tiny sunglasses perched on the tip of their nose, but a man who had decided to show up without a shirt, his broad chest painted in gold and glued with laurel leaves. “Too much. His nose is crooked, and I’d like to see it bend the other way.” Their lips curved, most of their cruelty was reserved for shifters, and failing that— men. “Perhaps it’ll snap right off. Want to take bets on how many blows it’ll take?”

-

The wine was absolutely foul, so naturally Nemesis was drinking it by the gallon. Every sip earned a wretched twist of their features, they wished for an endless supply and that was precisely what the local vineyard had aimed to give them. “I find his crooked nose quite endearing,” they altered their appearance just slightly to have a nose that looked the same, “it’s very ugly and I kind of like ugly things.” Monstrous things, really. “I keep asking Noah to set someone on fire for me but he won’t,” they frowned as their nose realigned itself, “you should set that one on fire, I would like to see his skin melt off of his face.”

.

“Leyha likes watching things before bed, I’ll put it on for her.” They had just showed her YouTube videos and it was a roaring success, with the manticore often forgoing sleep for long hours in favour of How It’s Made videos and other interesting things that they had missed the creation and birth of. The embodiment of human knowledge existed on the internet, Phobetos had told her, and it was saving them from having to explain each element of the world as she came across it— besides, even they weren’t sure who Wendy from Wendy’s really was. “I think it might be a death omen, the worst luck of all.” Anyways, it was a gift, and Nemesis could do whatever they wished with it. “Your boyfriend is a phoenix? I think that they should negate each other.” Their head canted, and they considered, “That would make you ordinary, then.” Still, the spirit leaned in, asking a question guised as a chance to show off their own partner. “When can I meet him? I’ll bring Leyha along, you’d like her a lot, she came from Tartarus.”

-

They pocketed the charm, quite pleased with the bauble that their Bibi had gifted them. “Normal? Huh.” Their smile broadened, “I’ve never been normal before, Bib. I don’t know what to say.” They appreciated the gift, though if this really was a death omen that meant whomever they gifted it to would need to be really deserving of the misfortune. There was a wealth of people that they would like to see suffer, more than they could keep in their head at one time, but they would find someone suitable, and it’d be all thanks to their Bibi. “Whenever you want, do you want to come to our wedding? I don’t know when it will be... Or where... Or what I’m going to wear, but you should definitely come. Oh, I’m having a murder boat bachelor party, you should come to that too. Leyha as well, assuming she likes torture. It’s bring your own victim.”

     Noah hadn’t really thought about it like that until Nemesis mentioned it. As someone who now had an extended lifespan but had so far only lived a short amount of it, he didn’t really understand the ways a long life worked. “I don’t know. It’s hard to feel like he cares about me after he just left me with our dad.” Maybe he was holding onto a grudge he shouldn’t have, but Noah would always believe that he wouldn’t have suffered as much if Monty took him away from home, or came back to get him. “No, I don’t want you to uninvite him. I want him to come to my party because he wants to, not because he’s forced to. It’s fine. You can party it up. Maybe at least he’ll end up liking you more than me.”

-

“No one said you have to forgive him,” Nemesis pointed out, “no one understands grudges better than me - it’s practically my namesake after all.” The spirit smirked as he brushed some of Noah’s blonde hair from his forehead. “If you want to hate him, then hate him. You could even kill him if it’ll make you feel better, he’s a kobalos, it’s not like he’d be dead forever.” Nemesis offered, though they wanted their friend at their wedding, they understood if Noah needed to exorcise these feelings somehow. “Now you just sound like you’re pouting.” Nemesis pointed out teasingly before their hands crept under Noah’s arms, they would get a smile out of the phoenix’s face one way or another.

@corinthbaystarters​

Evie enjoyed her worship ​towards the goddess and gods, so it wasn’t hard to get the girls excited about a festival performance. There were certain legalities that meant they couldn’t perform a burlesque routine in public so instead loose white grecian dresses was the theme with laurels placed on each head and golden ivy leaves snaking around their jewelry and arms. Face paint added a glitzy small laurel leaf painted by their temple. They sang in the native tongue, offering hymns for Artemis and Apollo. She drank her wine, tinged with royal blood. “Come to enjoy the show?” She wore a feline’s grin. (x)

-

Cole couldn’t help but be drawn to a good party, and the show was something else as well. A smile crept at the corner’s of their lips as they watched the performance as it began, it was the sort of thing they needed to lift their spirits considering their absolute failure in their medical exams. “Did you do all this?” Cole asked, they had put together shows before, they were drag shows but the work was still fun just the same. Nothing like this though. “Did you make all their costumes too?”

    Maybe if the brothers hadn’t been separated for over ten years, Noah could take this as a good thing more easily. He’d be happy that his brother and his partner were getting along. But right now it felt more as if Monty was choosing other people over him again, and that hurt in ways he couldn’t quite put into words. “You don’t get it,” he whispered, though his movements calmed when Nemesis’ hand rested on top of his own. “His sister is here, his real sister. The first one he ever had. He’s going to choose her over me, like he chose his girlfriend over me, like he chooses you over me with this party. He doesn’t really care about me, and that hurts.”

-

“I don’t think it’s that simple. He’s immortal, sort of. His life is more complicated than that. Besides Noah, it’s just a party, it doesn’t me he doesn’t care about you.” Nemesis rejected, maybe the spirit didn’t get it but they still did not see how this was such a big deal or why Noah was blowing it out of proportion. Still, they loved him. “If you want me to uninvite him, I will. He can go with you instead, it really doesn’t make a difference to me.”

.

“I didn’t see that in the Disney movie,” Phobetos commented loftily, grinning as they leaned their elbows against the glass surface of the counter. Their shop was filled with curiosities, most fabricated for looks— but they had gotten a handful of items from a genasi smuggler, others from a life of travel, promised to be genuine. Dark brows knit as Nemesis all but swallowed the lamp, wondering briefly what the other sprit’s intentions were before they withdrew it and spoke. “They didn’t tell me much when they sold it to me, but they seemed in a hurry to get rid of it.” Phobetos hummed, recalling the words that had been exchanged upon purchase. “It does not cause harm, but it allows harm to befall upon the beholder.” Their smile widened and they laughed, “A piano fell on me when I had it in Turkey. It might make a good present for someone you don’t like.”

-

“I made a spin off once, I’ll loan you a copy.” Nemesis affirmed, the seventies were a really fun time. Bad luck sounded kind of boring “Interesting,” the spirit stated as they examined the lamp a bit closer. They wondered if there was any truth to it or if it was just one of many hoaxy curses that got tossed around. “I wonder if it’ll do anything, it just sounds like bad luck, and thanks to my boyfriend I always have good luck. So will I just have regular luck now?” They assumed Bibi would have the answer to this, or at the very least would have the decency to pretend that they did. 

+

Perhaps there is something to be said, about it taking a certain kind of person to be capable of loving an oneiroi. Someone that’s experienced the horrors of the world, had it touch them personally, so that they are no stranger to the darkness. But even so, Anemos is not one to make the comment, nor even consider the idea for very long before tossing it aside in disinterest. They do not need to know why they are loved, only that they are, and by two beautiful people. Anything else is unnecessary. “No, silly. But you already know Hippolyta, why would you need to meet her?” They laugh jovially, shaking their head as Grace’s tresses fall over their shoulder. “She could meet Noah, though. I think they’d all get along.” Or maybe that’s just the spirit’s optimism, but in their mind, it is simple; an almost childlike belief that everything will work simply because they want it to. “So, have you and Noah picked out a date yet?” 

-

“You just didn’t mention her, so I thought maybe something had happened. Like maybe she’d punched you in the face too.” Nemesis remarked, that seemed very on brand for the sphinx, she was kind of volatile like that. They still didn’t quite understand why Hippolyta had attacked him that night in the cell, they were just standing there minding their own business. Sure they had a knife in their hand and sure they were actively trying to kill her at the time, but did that really justify the violence? Nemesis didn’t think so. Some grudges were meant to last a lifetime. “Noah can get along with anybody, it’s a gift that he and I both share.” Nemesis sighed, “But no, no date yet. We have started picking out cake, flowers, and I think next we’re going to choose our outfits.”