[It's a rather pretty bauble, it makes her think of Fjord, although the story around it isn't so pleasant. These things typically aren't, when it comes to the whims of gods.
Her arm around his side holds him a little tighter.] What made you change your mind about helping him?
[Asking for a friend so she knows what keeps Fjord in a god's good graces.]
He wanted to reign terror down on everyone for being bound as he was. Destroying cities and taking back coastlines ... I didn't want anyone to get hurt, so I threw in the towel.
[ Picking up the orb, he tosses it up and down. It's cold like it was dipped in sea-water, smelling faintly briny. ]
When Uk'otoa's minions killed me, Caduceus brought me back and helped me to vomit this thing up, once and for all.
I'm impressed that Cadeuceus has that kind of power. He seems like such a gentle person.
[Gentle and unassuming. Nothing wrong with either, but among everyone in the neinhaus it was sometimes difficult to parse the nature-loving, soft spoken firbolg in a setting beyond enjoying tea in a beautiful garden.]
Why do you keep it with you, if it carries such bad memories? Aren't you concerned that this Uk'otoa would still be able to follow you through it?
You should see him carrying around severed heads to have chats with. He's a grave cleric, it's all a bit ... grim. [ Easy to forget. ] He makes tea from the flowers that spring up on the graves of his family cemetary, they all taste like the people.
[ He steps up behind her, arms looping around Aphrodite's waist as he chins her shoulder, orb set down before them. ]
I'll have to kill him one day, and the Cloven Crystals are indestructible. If I drop it somewhere there's a chance one of his other acolytes will find it.
Well, either he dies or I do, and I'm not going down easy.
[ His embrace rubs her arms to keep her warm, lips meeting her temple. ]
He's more of a leviathan than a god, from what I know. A god created him to be his ... baby godling, kind of, and to rule the oceans while the big bad got banished during the Calamity. Think of him as very determined sea-food.
[She knows she certainly has a vested interest in Fjord staying alive. Catching his hands to lift to her lips and press a kiss on his fingers, she tilts her head back to look at him. Giving a wry smile,
You'll never try to slay me, would you? I promise that I won't make you eat anything you haven't asked for.
Slay the Goddess of Love and Beauty? For what? [ He seeks a kiss, slow and soft, an echo of the adoration he has for her. ] Stealing all the bedsheets?
[The goddess of love isn't without her own share of detractors but she didn't have to worry about that with Fjord, of course. She grins into the kiss, fingers reaching up to stroke through his hair before flicking over the tip of a pointed ear.]
And I only steal the bedsheets if you've rolled away from me. It gets cold.
Edited (oops i forgot an icon) 2021-05-02 21:19 (UTC)
[ He takes the ear-flick with a wince but isn't dissuaded from doggedly following the subject home. Fjord crooks a finger under her chin to try and coax Aphrodite to meet his steady gaze, still as practiced at reading people as he was back on Exandrian soil. ]
[He tilts her chin up and her expression shifts more somber, if not a little sheepish. Fjord's too good at seeing through the cracks in the moments that her confidence wanes, even if she knows her smile and laugh is just as charming as any other time.]
It's not that I doubted you. It is just that sometimes things do not turn out the way we want them to be, the goddesses of fate are not known to be kind. And I am not without my own misgivings that mortals have grown to hate me for.
[Sighing, she lets her head rest back on Fjord's shoulder, letting her eyes slide shut.]
Being here with you has made me very happy. It makes me want to keep it like this forever.
[ He would fight them, for sure, if they tried to tell him to go against Aphrodite in any way. Fjord's determination is as steady as his Vestige of Divergence and just as the Star Razor never bends once aimed, nor does he.
He wraps an arm around her, bringing his hand up to brush through her hair and cup the back of her head. ]
No matter where I am, I'll always love you as fiercely as I do now. [ The hand in her hair slips free, guiding one of her palms to his chest where it rests over his heart. She can sense it, he knows. ] See?
[She laughs although the mood calms as he places her hand over his heart. She doesn't need her hand there in order to feel it, but she lingers there all the same, gaze going soft and smile turned peaceful.]
I know, and I you. I love you. [Standing tall on her toes, she presses a kiss to his lips. Lingering but sweet. And then... a hug. And he'll feel the tension bleeding out of her body along with a long sigh, cheek pressed against his chest. Not asking for anything more than simple affection.]
I apologize for letting fears about the future cloud my thoughts. Uncharacteristic of me, I know. [The smile returns to her voice.] If Athena ever heard of this, I'd never live it down.
[Aphrodite hums a happy tune, enjoying the simple closeness. It’s not something she indulges in so often, especially here on the island. Sure, up in Olympus she was constantly lounging on and around her fellow gods, but simple, affectionate snuggling? Not so much. It’s nice.
Musing out loud,] I think she would get along well with Caleb. [Ah,] That is, I do not consider Caleb boring!
There's always one boring god. Erathis the goddess of law and civilisation is Melora's lover, I bet keeping all those buildings neat and tidy is thrilling.
[ He sways with her on the spot, slowly back and forth. ]
We both know Caleb's a wildcard when he wants to be.
We all have our calling. I am fortunate that mine is love and beauty and sex.
[Said with a grin, and a playful hand that dips low to squeeze his butt over top his sleep pants.]
And is that so? I’m afraid I haven’t had a much of a chance to talk to him since our pretend date. [And she’d put that in the category of sweet over unpredictable, although she’d been surprised how readily he’d accepted pretending to be her boyfriend for sweets.] What is the most wild thing that you’ve seen him do?
That… Is not what I was expecting to hear. [Said with a laugh,] When we talked it was largely about pastries and baking. He strikes me as more of the strategist – the brains for your brawn and Molly’s charm.
[And if you think sitting down will protect your butt, sir… Maybe for now, but in the meantime she’ll happily crawl up in his lap, legs curled up on the side so she can cuddle in comfortably within the arms of the chair, head on his shoulder. Too bad for the map that remains unfinished on the desk, the orb laying forgotten on top of it.]
I worry I may intimidate him. We have a little game that I am a mortal – but I’m not sure if he would prefer it that way.
[She’s not the most insightful when it comes to deeper thoughts. Her specialty lies with more surface, emotional responses, so Caleb’s calm demeanor is largely a shroud to her.]
[A squeak comes out when he squeezes her, and she laughs, poking his nose until he relaxes his grip.]
Of course. And charm. You are obviously favored by the gods, to have it all.
[And something convoluted, yes Caleb would get on with Athena perfectly. She certainly doesn’t mind the game, it’s just interesting to figure out what makes the redhead tick.]
Oh? Have you two talked about me privately? [The tell me everything is unspoken, but obvious in her expression. The only thing she loves more than being doted on in person is being doted on when she’s not around.]
Is that how it is? I'm fortunate to have inherited such a close family.
[Oh no, tickling her when she doesn't have any clothes to save her - you are a cruel man Fjord. She laughs and swats his hands, before her expression goes serious,]
I wish I could offer you the same here, but all I have is myself.
[ The raspberry has him veering to one side, ticklish. He spanks her immediately, reactively even, and gathers Aphrodite up like a misbehaving puppy. ]
I'm not answering that, it's fuel on the fire.
[ He deposits her on the bed and proceeds to blow his own raspberries all along her neck and down her side, chasing her ribs. ]
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Her arm around his side holds him a little tighter.] What made you change your mind about helping him?
[Asking for a friend so she knows what keeps Fjord in a god's good graces.]
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[ Picking up the orb, he tosses it up and down. It's cold like it was dipped in sea-water, smelling faintly briny. ]
When Uk'otoa's minions killed me, Caduceus brought me back and helped me to vomit this thing up, once and for all.
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I'm impressed that Cadeuceus has that kind of power. He seems like such a gentle person.
[Gentle and unassuming. Nothing wrong with either, but among everyone in the neinhaus it was sometimes difficult to parse the nature-loving, soft spoken firbolg in a setting beyond enjoying tea in a beautiful garden.]
Why do you keep it with you, if it carries such bad memories? Aren't you concerned that this Uk'otoa would still be able to follow you through it?
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[ He steps up behind her, arms looping around Aphrodite's waist as he chins her shoulder, orb set down before them. ]
I'll have to kill him one day, and the Cloven Crystals are indestructible. If I drop it somewhere there's a chance one of his other acolytes will find it.
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Kill a god? [This Uk'otoa is clearly evil but the concept still sends a shiver that Fjord can probably feel with how he's holding her.]
That's a tall order, my love. One that would give pause to even the most powerful of my kin.
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[ His embrace rubs her arms to keep her warm, lips meeting her temple. ]
He's more of a leviathan than a god, from what I know. A god created him to be his ... baby godling, kind of, and to rule the oceans while the big bad got banished during the Calamity. Think of him as very determined sea-food.
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[She knows she certainly has a vested interest in Fjord staying alive. Catching his hands to lift to her lips and press a kiss on his fingers, she tilts her head back to look at him. Giving a wry smile,
You'll never try to slay me, would you? I promise that I won't make you eat anything you haven't asked for.
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Slay the Goddess of Love and Beauty? For what? [ He seeks a kiss, slow and soft, an echo of the adoration he has for her. ] Stealing all the bedsheets?
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[The goddess of love isn't without her own share of detractors but she didn't have to worry about that with Fjord, of course. She grins into the kiss, fingers reaching up to stroke through his hair before flicking over the tip of a pointed ear.]
And I only steal the bedsheets if you've rolled away from me. It gets cold.
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[ He takes the ear-flick with a wince but isn't dissuaded from doggedly following the subject home. Fjord crooks a finger under her chin to try and coax Aphrodite to meet his steady gaze, still as practiced at reading people as he was back on Exandrian soil. ]
I would never hurt you, Ditey.
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It's not that I doubted you. It is just that sometimes things do not turn out the way we want them to be, the goddesses of fate are not known to be kind. And I am not without my own misgivings that mortals have grown to hate me for.
[Sighing, she lets her head rest back on Fjord's shoulder, letting her eyes slide shut.]
Being here with you has made me very happy. It makes me want to keep it like this forever.
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[ He would fight them, for sure, if they tried to tell him to go against Aphrodite in any way. Fjord's determination is as steady as his Vestige of Divergence and just as the Star Razor never bends once aimed, nor does he.
He wraps an arm around her, bringing his hand up to brush through her hair and cup the back of her head. ]
No matter where I am, I'll always love you as fiercely as I do now. [ The hand in her hair slips free, guiding one of her palms to his chest where it rests over his heart. She can sense it, he knows. ] See?
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[She laughs although the mood calms as he places her hand over his heart. She doesn't need her hand there in order to feel it, but she lingers there all the same, gaze going soft and smile turned peaceful.]
I know, and I you. I love you. [Standing tall on her toes, she presses a kiss to his lips. Lingering but sweet. And then... a hug. And he'll feel the tension bleeding out of her body along with a long sigh, cheek pressed against his chest. Not asking for anything more than simple affection.]
I apologize for letting fears about the future cloud my thoughts. Uncharacteristic of me, I know. [The smile returns to her voice.] If Athena ever heard of this, I'd never live it down.
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Athena's the bookworm, right?
[ He has a vague overview of Aphrodite's pantheon, kissing the crown of her head as they cuddle. Stage-whispering, he smiles. ]
Sounds boring.
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[Aphrodite hums a happy tune, enjoying the simple closeness. It’s not something she indulges in so often, especially here on the island. Sure, up in Olympus she was constantly lounging on and around her fellow gods, but simple, affectionate snuggling? Not so much. It’s nice.
Musing out loud,] I think she would get along well with Caleb. [Ah,] That is, I do not consider Caleb boring!
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[ He sways with her on the spot, slowly back and forth. ]
We both know Caleb's a wildcard when he wants to be.
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[Said with a grin, and a playful hand that dips low to squeeze his butt over top his sleep pants.]
And is that so? I’m afraid I haven’t had a much of a chance to talk to him since our pretend date. [And she’d put that in the category of sweet over unpredictable, although she’d been surprised how readily he’d accepted pretending to be her boyfriend for sweets.] What is the most wild thing that you’ve seen him do?
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You'd still be beautiful even if it wasn't in your job description.
[ Thinking about Caleb though ... ]
He disintegrated a goliath monster underwater, once.
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[And if you think sitting down will protect your butt, sir… Maybe for now, but in the meantime she’ll happily crawl up in his lap, legs curled up on the side so she can cuddle in comfortably within the arms of the chair, head on his shoulder. Too bad for the map that remains unfinished on the desk, the orb laying forgotten on top of it.]
I worry I may intimidate him. We have a little game that I am a mortal – but I’m not sure if he would prefer it that way.
[She’s not the most insightful when it comes to deeper thoughts. Her specialty lies with more surface, emotional responses, so Caleb’s calm demeanor is largely a shroud to her.]
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[ Squeezing her to prove his point! Rock-hard. That's him.
Only in specific situations.]Caleb probably thinks you want to play the game to put him at ease, so he's letting you. Or ... something convoluted like that.
He definitely likes you for you.
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Of course. And charm. You are obviously favored by the gods, to have it all.
[And something convoluted, yes Caleb would get on with Athena perfectly. She certainly doesn’t mind the game, it’s just interesting to figure out what makes the redhead tick.]
Oh? Have you two talked about me privately? [The tell me everything is unspoken, but obvious in her expression. The only thing she loves more than being doted on in person is being doted on when she’s not around.]
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He knows you're special, [ trying to tickle her thighs, ] and he knows how I feel about you, so he'll always care for you too.
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[Oh no, tickling her when she doesn't have any clothes to save her - you are a cruel man Fjord. She laughs and swats his hands, before her expression goes serious,]
I wish I could offer you the same here, but all I have is myself.
[Leaning in she presses her lips to his neck...]
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Fortunately, I am more than enough, don't you think?
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[ The raspberry has him veering to one side, ticklish. He spanks her immediately, reactively even, and gathers Aphrodite up like a misbehaving puppy. ]
I'm not answering that, it's fuel on the fire.
[ He deposits her on the bed and proceeds to blow his own raspberries all along her neck and down her side, chasing her ribs. ]
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