crystalnexus | [Open]

[Open]

◆ Who: Zagreus and You
◆ Where: A city park fountain, near sunset
◆ Summary: Zagreus has never been on the surface for this long, and is having trouble getting used to it.
◆ Warnings: None.

The sensible thing to have done when first arriving and being appointed a greeter was to listen to that greeter's advice and take it easy, settle down in the little place that was to serve as his temporary(?) new home, rest up. But Zagreus never was one to be sensible, let alone rest. He'd never been on the surface for this long - never been allowed on the surface this long. It was as if, in this place, even the Fates couldn't touch him.

And so he'd taken to running across the entire city, full of boundless energy as if Hermes himself had blessed his step. It wasn't for hours that he was finally forced to slow down, the setting sun glittering as it bounced off the crystal structures that stood tall in view no matter where he wandered. Zagreus shielded his eyes from the harsh light he still wasn't used to, as he panted for breath, looking around where he'd ended up.

It was a garden... or, so Zagreus interpreted it. There was greenery abound, with cobblestone paths cutting through the grass and trees and shrubs. A fountain stood at its center! Exactly what he needed. Without even a second thought, Zagreus sprinted to the fountain's edge and leaned over the edge, slurping at the water.

It was a mistake.

He spit the water out as he wiped his mouth. "Eugh! What's in this water?" Zagreus squinted at the fountain as though he'd just taken a big sip from the Styx itself, mouth tinged with a metal taste. Beneath the shimmering water lay coins... countless of them, of all manners of size and shape and material, looking nothing like the drachmae Charon traded with. The water itself didn't look all too pure, either, and while it was far from the worst thing he'd ever put in his mouth, he wasn't pleased.

"Who in their right mind would tarnish a fountain with coin and dirt?"

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"A tradition dating back to antiquated times," came the answer, slightly raspy and somewhat muffled. The speaker stood from the bench they had been sitting at, steepling their fingers as they came to a rest at the lip of the fountain. They smiled, the edges of it crinkling their eyes even if the expression itself was hidden behind their mask.

"It used to be believed that water was a divine gift, you see, and tossing something of value into it was a way to curry favour with the local deity. As time went on, the idea went from 'favour' to 'wish'."

Valdemar looked fondly into the water, down at the wavering glints of copper and silver. When they raised their eyes, something burned intently at the sight of Zagreus. As soon as he had run up, they'd known there was something a little more impressive than the average creature about him - and it wasn't just the burning feet.

"If you're looking for a drink, I'd advise looking for a fountain that has a potable sign on it... unless you do want to catch dysentery, of course."

Zagreus looked up to the person speaking behind him, still scrubbing at the corner of his mouth like that would get the taste out. An offering to the gods, then?

"Where I'm from, fountains are meant to restore one's vitality. I've never heard of them being used as a means of prayer." Then again, it's not as though any mortal would pray to gods of the Underworld anyway. This was likely another surface thing he hadn't heard of before.

Same as the dysentery thing. One would think gods were immune to such things, but Zagreus knew better than to tempt the Fates, and leaned back from the fountain with a frown. He'd once died from sneezing too hard after smelling a flower - the Fates would get a kick out of him catching a mortal disease from a fountain of all things.

"You know where I could find one of these 'potable' fountains then, mate?"

Meant to restore one's vitality? How intrinsically magical, unless he was putting far too much focus on the good hydration did a body. Valdemar's sharp, sanguine gaze swept Zagreus from the glowing laurel leaves in his hair to the dry, hot earth around his feet.

If an Arcana clung to him, it was only the way the average person had a tenuous tie to them. Yet there was something else about him, different from the Arcana themselves, different from creatures like themself and the three who thought they were alike.

That made up their mind. Rather than simply add a 'Yes' and leave him to find it himself...

"Why, no." They tilted their head. It was a sharp movement, like there had been no motion between the starting position and the current one. "But need it be a fountain? There are any number of shops that would sell you a bottle of water, if you're thirsty."

Edited (oops) 2020-11-23 16:54 (UTC)

Oh, well, that was more than a bit creepy. But then again, Zagreus was used to creepy, and knew better than to judge a book by its cover. He had at least two friends that were skeletons (or skeletal), after all. So the prince only smiled innocently and made a show of patting down his chiton, knowing full well he had no money on his person since he'd forfeited it all upon his most recent death.

"Unfortunately, I haven't got any coin left." Zagreus then took another glance at the coins glittering in the basin of the fountain. "I suppose I could take some here for myself, but it wouldn't seem right, given they clearly weren't meant as offerings to me." God or no, he had no worshipers - few Cthonic gods did, and he least of all, given his existence had been a well kept secret until most recently.

So it was just water. That was a little disappointing, and Valdemar's interest rapidly diminished... until it perked up again. Offerings to me, he'd said? Why, were they speaking to a little god, or at least someone with a little god complex? He certainly didn't seem as self-obsessed as the Count.

They smiled again, the wide grin once again hidden by their mask but announced by the crinkle of their eyes. "What an odd thing to say! One might even think you consider yourself godly, and worthy of little sacrifices."

Well, in this case he was just thirsty, not bruised and battered, so a water bottle sounded fine by him, even if it wasn't as good as the healing waters of an Underworld fountain.

Zagreus at least had the good grace to blush at the comment about godliness, and he held up his hands in embarrassment, glancing to the side.

"No!! No, quite the opposite, I wouldn't have - no one would worship me- I'm not, ngh-" Until today he'd never talked to a living mortal, let alone one who wasn't familiar with the gods, and was becoming acutely aware how awkward it might be to let on he wasn't mortal himself. Even more so, he wasn't the god of anything, had zero followers, not a single mortal alive had ever heard of him... It wasn't like he deserved to be called much more than Aphrodite's affectionate term "godling." He didn't think himself any more deserving of reverence than any mortal, after all.

They chuckled. It was a surprisingly soft sound, and their features seemed to soften around the laugh. The wide grin changed to a small smile.

"It's all right. You wouldn't be the first... shall we say, greater than mortal I might have spoken to." He was rather less fluffy than the Devil, and certainly had more meat on his bones than Death did, but who was to say every inhuman was either Arcana, or started as one? He didn't look much like the others had, when they'd started.

Unsteepling their fingers, they made a great show of patting their coat. "I'm afraid I've no coins to offer to you, were both you and I inclined. But colour me curious. I'll find you a fountain, if you'll walk with me. A deal?"

Well, 'greater than mortal' was certainly an interesting way to put it. Why not just say 'immortal' and do away with the pretense? Zagreus sighed, at least pleased he hadn't seemed to frighten the stranger away with his nature. He didn't want people grovelling at his feet just because he had a privileged birth, after all. It wasn't like he could grant any person strength the way the rest of his family did for him.

"Walk with you?" The offer was strange, but if this person simply wanted company, Zagreus didn't mind obliging. He gave a small smile as he tilted his head sweetly. "Sure, I can walk with you. Lead the way and I'll follow, though you needn't go through any trouble on my behalf if all you wanted was a companion to walk with."

Xie Lian paused, shifting his rucksack full of scraps to lie more comfortably across his back, and turned to the offended young man.

"Ah, I believe it's some little ritual that's supposed to bring luck... Like an offering of sorts It does seem a bit of a waste though."

He smiled, just a bit awkwardly. A waste of water and coin, not that he had any business talking about luck. It was simply just a bit tempting to try to fish out the coins, even though he had no real need of them here.

"An offering for good luck... like an offering to the Fates? They aren't exactly keen on listening to even their own flesh and blood, I doubt they'd make an exception just for a bit of coin." Zagreus shook his head, plucking a silver coin from the fountain and flipping it in the air. He caught it in his palm, before idly flipping it again.

"Now, if it were their brother, Charon, he could be swayed with enough bribery. There's little he won't do for the right price."

His thirst was forgotten in the few moments he'd been able to catch his breath, and the prince instead sat on the edge of the fountain, gaze turned curiously on the newcomer. "Forgive me for prying, but I'm curious about what you're carrying in that large sack there. It looks rather heavy."

It almost sounded like this young man was talking about gods... None Xie Lian had heard of, of course, but then they were from different worlds... Come to think of it, this young man's appearance was a bit odd as well. Was he a ghost, perhaps?

"None of those names are familiar to me, so I'll have to take your word for it."

Xie Lian hefts his rucksack again.

"This? Oh, it's not so bad. I'm tougher than I look, you know! I've just been out collecting bits of this and that that people have thrown away. Some of it can still be put to use or fixed and traded, you see."

"Ah, right... I'm still having troubles adjusting to how different everything here is. Where I come from, not a soul alive or dead hasn't heard of the Fates. Maybe fewer of the living would know Charon's name, but..." But they'd hear of him in death eventually, since there wasn't a place in the Underworld Charon didn't eventually travel through.

Zagreus paused in his coin flipping when Xie Lian so casually mentioned that the sack on his back was full of...

"Wait, you're carrying around a load of rubbish? I mean... no offense, it just seems a bit odd. I've heard that saying about one man's trash and all, but I don't think I've ever seen someone take it so literally." And with a tilt of his head, Zagreus furrowed a brow curiously. "... What sorts of junk, anyway? If you don't mind me asking."

"I see. There are a few big names like that back where I come from, too."

Xie Lian had even been once, once upon a time! But that wasn't a story he was about to bring up.

"Scraps, not rubbish!"

What the difference was... Well, he wasn't quite sure, but there was one.

"But, ah, let's see, I have a robe that just needs a bit of patching, some half-burnt candles, a cooking pot that's gone just a bit lopsided, a rug that just needs a good scrub..."

"... Right. Scraps."

That all sounded like a load of rubbish to him - quite literally. Of course, Zagreus had never experienced a day of squalor in his whole life. When people told him he had no idea how good he had it, they really weren't exaggerating. He still didn't know.

"Why bother with scraps when you could simply get new things? A robe without holes, a whole candle instead of a half one, a cooking pot without dents, or a rug without... I don't think I want to know what someone got on a rug bad enough to warrant throwing it away."

"Well, I have a perfectly nice little place to live now, but I was hoping to put together a small shrine for, ah, a particular god. I don't really have the right sort of connections yet to get what I need for that without a bit of trading, so..."

He was not about to admit that he was building a shrine for himself. Especially since this wasn't even the first time he'd done it.

Zagreus's eyes - no, his entire being - lit up, as he shot to his feet grinning wide.

"A shrine for a god? What sort of god?" He'd already once again forgotten he was in another world, and likely wouldn't have even heard of this god Xie Lian was talking about. Nevertheless, he was enthusiastic to know what sort of being this mortal would worship. He'd never met a devout mortal before.

Oh dear. Xie Lian had the sinking feeling there were about to be too many questions.

"You probably won't have heard of him, but... The Crown Prince of Xianle? He's a martial god."

He left out the bit about also being a god of misfortune and scrap collecting.

Zagreus tilted his head to the side, shrugging slightly in that inquisitive manner he did whenever he was intensely interested in something. His grin didn't dim, the fire in his laurels and licking his feet burning hotter.

"A martial god? A god of war, then, like Lord Ares? You're right, I haven't heard of him, but I'm curious to know more. What's he like? What sort of place is this Xianle?"

"Well, not war if he can help it, but he is a very strong fighter. He prefers to protect the people. As for Xianle... I'm afraid it's long gone."

Oh, hm, that certainly was some fire...

"Are you alright, young man? You seem to be, ah, burning just a bit."

"Gone...?"

Ah, but Zagreus was pulled from his thoughts by the comment about burning. He looked down at his bare feet, which sizzled on the concrete of the walkway. It was a lucky thing he wasn't currently standing in the grass - though he'd left behind plenty of blackened footprints already.

"Oh, right, don't worry. I get that from my father. My feet have always burned, for as long as I can remember, and I'm not used to the ground not being so fireproof. It's been a bit of a nuisance, actually." Even the rugs in the House and the bedspread he slept upon were fireproof - to accomodate for Lord Hades's firestepping more than his own, of course. "Sorry, I didn't mean to distract you from your story. Tell me more about this Prince of Xianle. What is he the god of, if not this Xianle that's now gone?"

"I see. As long as it isn't painful, then..."

Was that a common trait where he came from? Xie Lian worried it might be rude to ask.

"Xianle was the Crown Prince's homeland, when he was mortal. It was wiped out around 800 years ago, though. As for what he is the god of..."

Well, that was the question, wasn't it.

"He can offer protection to those who pray to him. Ah, one moment..." Xia Lian rummaged through a sleeve, pulled out a talisman and offered it over.

"Here! This protective talisman can draw on his power to ward off evil."

"Painful?" Zagreus chuckled, shifting his fiery feet as he glanced down at them. "It isn't painful. I can hardly feel anything in my feet." Thus the lack of need to wear any kind of shoes.

Zagreus's expression shifted suddenly, upon hearing the words 'when he was mortal'. He'd never heard of a mortal becoming a god... Half mortals, sure. His mother was half mortal - he was a quarter mortal. But someone who was just... mortal, and nothing more?

Wordlessly, Zagreus reached out to take the talisman in his hand, turning it over between his fingers. It... felt unpleasant to the touch, and he kept switching it between his hands as if he were holding something too hot to handle for too long.

"Ah, mate, is it supposed to make your skin itch?"

"Oh! No, they're not supposed to have that effect."

Xie Lian had been so sure that, at worst, they would just be mostly ineffective. Had they really gone that bad? Unless...

"Ahem, young man, you wouldn't happen to be a ghost, would you?"

Giving up on holding the unpleasant little piece of paper, Zagreus dropped it, letting it flutter to his feet where it began to char a bit from the proximity to the flames. He took a step back, hoping he hadn't offended the man.

Of course, the question shot at him sort of offended him.

"A ghost? You mean a shade??" Was this man asking if he was dead? Not that there was anything wrong with being dead - he had a great many dead friends! - but it was rather presumptuous and also a bit of a touchy topic for the prince. "No! No, I'm not dead! Even if I was, what sort of question is that?? You can see clearly I'm solid and breathing." Having died doesn't count as being dead, right? He can die, he just can't be dead, right?

Xie Lian made and aborted reach for the talisman, stopping with a slight grimace as it caught on fire. Really, he could have just dusted it off to make use of later...

He sighed and straightened up, smoothing the frown off his face

"I'm sorry if I've offended you, but ghosts can be quite solid where in my experience, as long as they're powerful enough. They can even breathe, even though they don't have to."

He quickly pushed down thoughts of one particular such ghost. Now was hardly the time.

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject