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 Posted: Sun Apr 19, 2009 3:40 pm
Maybe this was a part of grief. Quinn had gotten him out of bed, but he hadn't been able to shake Fish's dismal mood. He spent as little time in the apartment as possible - he didn't feel deserving of human contact. He wasn't human. Not now. He had sacrificed that part of him along with Ciro.
He remembered that when he first saw Writ after his second growth spurt, he thought Writ seemed more god than man. But Fish felt anything but godly. He felt monstrous, like some strange primordial beast.
And this strange, primordial Fish was currently stalking around the dusty roads of Border East, kicking a can across the intersection of Reagan Road and John Wayne Avenue. The whole neighborhood looked vaguely like the set of a spaghetti western gone to seed.
He would not have been surprised if a tumbleweed crossed his path.
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Posted: Sun Apr 19, 2009 3:51 pm
"Take care of them yourself!" Zyanya cried toward her mother, already grabbing up her books and her canvas bag to sling across her shoulder, "I obviously will never be what you want me to be, so why try?" Frustration had finally broken through toward the girl. 'Why don't you do this' or 'how come you don't do that?' and 'you will never get a husband if you act like that!' had finally made her snap.
The door slammed and the sound of a very upset Daniel broke the air, causing Zyanya to wince - but she didn't allow guilt to touch her. Not yet. She was too upset and if she gave into that feeling she would turn back, apologize, and go back to being the dutiful daughter.
Are you sure this is wise, Conetl?
No.
There was no further elaboration. Just a 'no' and a very peeved sound out of the back of her throat as she started down the road, intent on heading to the library again to chill out. For a ten year old, she had cajones. That was for sure.
...And then she saw him. Holy crap, he looked...funny. Even the brightly colored boy and Writ at least somewhat looked normal. This guy had scales. He had to be a part of the game. Had to.
Talk to him.
Zyanya briefly debated rebelling against the 'command' of her goddess, since she was on an entire rebel streak at the moment, but her own curiosity was eating at her. Still, she didn't say hello, just...kind of looked at him, eyebrow raised. Yectli, who was wrapped around Zy's neck, as per usual, gave a nudge at her chin.
Don't sssstare, missstress.
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Posted: Sun Apr 19, 2009 3:57 pm
Hark, a local approached. Fish/Primordial Beast looked up from his can kicking exploits to give the girl a once-over. She had tattoos on her face, but maybe they did that around here. Minority cultures were bizarre. But his sixth sense urged him to look closer. She was a player.
He looked resolvedly back down at the can. He didn't want to have anything to do with the game right now. Especially not with one so young. He didn't want to kill kids.
But wasn't that just what he and Ciro were? asked the morbid voice of his subconscious. Kids?
He gave the can a firm kick and looked up at the girl. She was staring at him.
"'Lo," he said dejectedly.
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Posted: Sun Apr 19, 2009 4:02 pm
Zyanya eyed him for a few more moments after the initial hello and then relented. The guy didn't deserve her wrath, after all. She was upset at her family, not at a perfect stranger. "Hello." she murmured in return. He looked...sad. Or, if not sad, at least displeased or unhappy. At least they could have kinship in that particular area.
But this time she knew better than the mention the game. Chalchiuhtlicue had been very displeased at her when she gave it away last time - he could be the first to mention it, if he did.
"You're unhappy." Straight, blunt, and to the point. "Why?"
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Posted: Sun Apr 19, 2009 4:13 pm
"I lost a friend," said Fish, and scanned the horizon and the skies as if looking. He didn't believe in heaven, no. He knew far too much about the divine to ever fall for that. But he didn't quite believe in Hell, either.
He looked back at the girl.
"You look upset, too," he observed. Maybe she didn't know about the Game. Maybe he could just talk to her like a normal human. Maybe she didn't realize he was really some kind of strange creature from the deep.
"Misery loves company," he added, laughing grimly.
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Posted: Sun Apr 19, 2009 4:17 pm
"I'm sorry." She said honestly, taking a few steps toward him. A finger was raised, gently petting the head of her snake, "I'm upset, yeah, but nothing like that. My family just sucks." A small smile was offered. "We can be generally upset together. Misery does like company." There was no questions as to how he lost his friend. Zy could already guess. If he was part of the game, well...That wasn't exactly hard to put two and two together.
Yes, Zyanya was still dwelling on the entire 'death' thing. But she, in her mind, was smart to do that all things considering.
"Headed anywhere?"
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Posted: Sun Apr 19, 2009 4:27 pm
"Not really," shrugged Fish. He took a few steps in the direction of the can, meaning to keep kicking it. "Just gonna keep wandering up John Wayne until it hits Eastwood. It's all a ghost town out here."
He'd always been curious about the mythical Brokeback Street that existed around here somewhere, but he didn't say that out loud. Not to mention he just wasn't in the mood to give the search any sort of serious consideration today.
"How about you?" he asked. Five sentences or so and no mention of the Game. This seemed promising.
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Posted: Sun Apr 19, 2009 4:35 pm
"I was going to head to the library. It's my calm place." Not to mention she'd been instructed to search out other Gods outside of the Mesoamerican myths. Chalchiuhtlicue had been very helpful with that particular pantheon - but she'd been dutifully informed that they were not the only ones playing The Game and she frankly wasn't as prepared as she would have liked.
Toss the words 'not' and 'prepared' at her and it tended to light a fire up under her a** fairly fast.
"Seems kind of pointless to wander aimlessly alone. Want to go with me?"
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Posted: Sun Apr 19, 2009 4:43 pm
"To tell the truth," said Fish, scratching his head in embarrassment, "I haven't set foot inside a library in two years."
He gave the girl a weak, defeated smile. "Can't be worse than wandering the streets aimlessly," he said. "Lead the way."
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Posted: Sun Apr 19, 2009 4:45 pm
Blink. Blink. Blink. "Two years?!" The poor thing! Her loud exclamation caused Yectli to jump a bit, hissing at her mistress. Loud noises did not bode well for the snake - it raised her urge to bite. And biting, she'd learned, was bad. At least after she'd killed the family cat.
"You poor dear. Come on." Hand went out, taking Fish firmly by his, and gently tugging him in the direction of Middling. "We'll get you some nice books and a comfy chair..."
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Posted: Sun Apr 19, 2009 4:52 pm
Furthermore, he read on what could be described as a seventh or eighth grade level, but he wasn't about to tell her that. And she was touching him! The primordial monster from the deep, touched by human hands! And she didn't even feel inclined to comment on the webbing between them.
But, he reminded himself, she was a Player. This could all be a ruse.
But she was so nice. He didn't want to think of her as calculating or cruel.
"I've been busy," he said quietly, as if to try to excuse his lack of culture.
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Posted: Sun Apr 19, 2009 4:55 pm
No ruse, surprisingly enough. Sure, he was a player as well - but that didn't mean she couldn't be nice to him. Zyanya wasn't going to play the game by being vicious. Not unless something significant happened with that. She just...refused. She didn't want to hurt anyone, let alone kill them. Besides, she couldn't do anything to Fish anyway. Unless talking to snakes gave him an anurism.
"It's okay. I know how it is to be busy." She turned her head to offer a smile to him, hand still firmly clutched around his - though the tugging had stopped. "But reading is so relaxing."
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Posted: Sun Apr 19, 2009 8:15 pm
Fish followed her, happy just to be treated like a human being. He didn't know this area well, now that they weren't on John Wayne anymore, so he let her lead the way. (He was still vaguely curious about where Brokeback street was. He watched the street signs, but didn't see it.)
"I don't have much time for it," he murmured sheepishly as they climbed the steps to the library. Not to mention most books someone his 'age' would be expected to read were above his abilities. Despite the considerable boost in maturity, Poeseidon had done nothing to augment his lacking studies in academia.
"Do you like to read anything in particular?"
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Posted: Sun Apr 19, 2009 9:27 pm
"I'll read anything," she admitted, "Though I'm on a mythology kick right now." Enough information without letting too much go. "But when I was little I was very fond of fairy tales." A smile touched the girl's lips. When she was little. Heh. She was still little - but childhood hadn't lasted all that long when she'd been expected to take care of the littler kids and help with her mother's chores. She'd grown up pretty fast.
Zyanya's hand reached out to pull the door open, "After you?" she asked pleasantly, attempting to have a more cheerful attitude now that she was a good way away from her parents.
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Posted: Tue Apr 21, 2009 3:51 am
Fish stepped inside the library, feeling much like he was stepping into some great temple. The air was cool and dry and quiet here - it felt like a respite from the road, and him a long-wearied traveller.
"Mythology, huh?" he asked. "Any culture in particular?"
He thought he knew a thing or two about mythology, had lived some myths, even.
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