[Open]

[hotfooted]

◆ 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?"

Comments

[headtilter]

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."

[hotfooted]

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.

[headtilter]

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."

[hotfooted]

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.

[headtilter]

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?"

[hotfooted]

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."