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 Posted: Thu Dec 29, 2016 7:44 pm
The marble columns were overwhelming.
Hell, the whole place was overwhelming.
Standing before the entrance of the Hera dorm, Elias shrugged his shoulders, the weight of his duffel bags wearing on him. He had ventured around the Prytaneum, slowly familiarizing himself with the lay of the land.
He figured he could drag the duffel bags to his room, but he didn't know whether or not the pots and pans would make noise. Making an entrance wasn't his style.
Elias turned and gave the large fountain in the common area a final look before heading into the hall. The walls were covered in silken tapestries of blues and greens with gold peacocks threaded throughout. Tall golden vases filled with peacock feathers were placed around the hall, and Elias was reminded of his meeting with a peacock.
As he wandered through the halls, his footsteps echoed. It was a weekday, so he figured the rest of the students were in class. But it was also getting rather late, so it was possible he missed dinner at the Hearth.
Is students the right word? Chosen. That’s what Chris had called him, Chosen of Hera. The sound of birds echoed, and he looked to the ceiling. The ceilings were intricately painted, with clouds and birds on a blue sky.
It was so marvelous, that he continued walking forward, staring at the ceiling.
All of his marveling and the weight of his duffel bags caused him to lean, and walk towards the wall. And run into one of the many golden vases. The clang of metal against marble caused him to drop his knife kit, which to his luck, flew open.
Knives were scattered across the marble floor, and he rushed to try and pick them up.
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Posted: Sun Jan 01, 2017 5:59 pm
Beth had grown used to the relative silence of the Hera dorm. Though she obliquely knew there were other Hera Chosen, their schedules and interests apparently lined up as such that they never interacted. It was lonely, but sometimes Beth preferred it that way. Though she had often had friends living with her for short periods of time, there was something relaxing about having a large beautiful building to herself, more or less. Her dorm was close to the central courtyard, which had never been a problem before. There weren't enough Hera devotees to overhear as they returned to their rooms, no constant stream of friends going in and out, no drama playing out over the marble floor. So when she heard the sound of a body hitting a hard surface and the clatter and skitter of items following suit, she felt the need to investigate...and also protect herself. She crept out of her room, fully dressed as she had had at least the vague notion of going somewhere, maybe, as long as it wasn't snowing, whip in her right hand, cellphone in her left, thumb hovering over Brian's icon. Beth wasn't quite prepared for what greeted her. A very (very) attractive man saddled down with duffel bags was in the midst of both picking up sharp knives glittering across the tiling and making sure the large golden vase (which wobbled dangerously) wasn't about to follow suit and fall. She blinked a bit, heeled boots taking her to right at the edge of the Danger Zone and watched him scrambling for a moment before saying, "I don't even know why we have those vases." She hesitated, determined that no one with that strong of a jaw could possibly mean her harm, and then tucked her phone into a pocket. She put a light hand delicately against the vase to speed up its rocking to equilibrium, then offered the man a smile. She flitted through several polite greetings and questions before saying, "I haven't seen you around. My name's Beth!"Oh so slowly, she lowered herself to a crouch so she could at least spin the knives so their handles were pointed toward the guy. She wasn't about to trust herself with picking them up. The long chain with the pin bearing Hera's mark ended up pooling a bit in her lap, but she didn't seem to mind.
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Posted: Sun Jan 01, 2017 6:56 pm
A guardian angel dressed in black lace appeared before him, stopping the vase from completely toppling over. He grimaced, feeling like a fool in front of this striking woman. This is what a college freshmen must feel like: over-packed and clumsy (and terrible with talking girls that weren't related to him). Sliding the duffel bags from his shoulders, he lowered them in hopes they wouldn't clang but no such luck was had. The noise sounded so silly, and he couldn't help but imagine what she was thinking they contained. Elias rolled his sweater sleeves up, and let out an audible sigh. "Where else would you keep your peacock feathers?" Elias chuckled, trying to lighten the potentially hostile air. Knives scattered across the floor didn't look so hot. Elias knelt down, fumbling with the busted zipper on his knife case. One day he would fix the zipper, but it was broken when he bought it years ago, so it would probably stay that way. If it's broke, don't fix it. He could feel the cold marble on his knees through the roughed area in his jeans as he began pulling the knives, handle first toward him and slipping them into their designated and worn foam slots. He returned the smile, finally meeting her bright blue eyes. This talking thing was not getting easier. Elias cleared his throat, "Elias Bronislav, or Eli." Tucking the final knife into it's home, he rose, offering her a hand. "Actually, I just arrived. And I swear I am not Dexter." Yekaterin Haha serial killer references already? Smooth, Eli.
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Posted: Mon Jan 02, 2017 10:09 am
Beth stayed crouched for as long as Eli did, to make sure she didn't have to repeat the movement again should he drop any more knives. She briefly wondered what one could possibly need with all of those knives and potentially metal instruments (judging from the sound the bag made when he set them down). Her lips curved up at the joke about peacock feathers. She rose as he did, her hand going to meet his in a delicate grasp. Her father always said that one needed to establish one's reputation as early as possible--while shaking hands, for instance. She wasn't sure what her handshake said about her, but she wanted Eli to be welcomed here. "That sounds exactly like something a serial killer would say." Her smile widened to show she was in on the joke. "Fresh out of the Hearth, I see. It's good to have another Hera Chosen." She blinked. "You are a Hera Chosen, right? I made that mistake before, so I'd just like to...." She trailed off, trying to halt her nervous talking. Like with Lark before him, Beth didn't want to ruin any sort of mystique she might have by running her mouth. "I'd be happy to help you find your dorm, if you need it."
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Posted: Mon Jan 02, 2017 11:52 am
Elias noted that her hand was warm, and her grasp firm but soft. As he let her hand go he returned her smile, glad to see she wasn't completely terrified of him and his equipment. His welcoming thus far had been overwhelming to say the least. He chuckled, that would be something a serial killer would say. "Yes, fresh and unburnt." Elias wondered how long she had been here, eyeing her over carefully. He had no intentions of being disrespectful, but he found he couldn't pull his eyes from her bust, even though it was covered in a delicate lace patterned dress. Refocusing his attention to her face, he replied. "Hera Chosen, I still haven't gotten my head wrapped around hearing that." He didn't know exactly what it meant, being Chosen. In time, he was sure he would learn the in's and out's of the Prytaneum and the culture involved. Everything was so fresh and new, especially meeting people his age, and he felt butterflies in his stomach as she offered to help him find his room. "That would be marvelous, Beth." Elias extended his arm towards the depths of the Hera dormitory. "Lead the way." He tucked the knife case under his arm, grabbed the handles on his duffel bags, and followed Beth down the hall.
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Posted: Mon Jan 02, 2017 6:58 pm
Beth noticed his preoccupation with her chest, but said nothing. She couldn't help the flush from creeping up her throat, though she hoped her high collar hid it from her new dormmate's view. She led him around the loop of the first floor, to help him get a feel for the floor plan of the dorm buildings. Then it was a simple matter to look at the number on the key Alvin had given Eli to see where he had been assigned. "Well, isn't that convenient!" She led him back towards the front entrance. Just inside the hallway stretching out in front of them were two sets of doors. "This one's yours." She indicated the one on their right. She hesitated, then used her other hand to point to the door on their left, saying, "And this one's mine! It'll be nice to have a neighbor."
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Posted: Wed Jan 04, 2017 2:11 pm
They swung around the dorm, finally checking the number on the key Alvin had given him after his arrival. The floor was simple enough, and his room was located at the front of the building. Elias was beginning to feel a sense of relief, even though his entrance didn't go as planned. It could have been avoided had he pulled the key out sooner, but he surmised that he wouldn't have met Beth as soon. "Very convenient." After juggling his bags around he unlocked the door, and pushed it open to reveal a rather barren room. He stepped in and was still in awe of the marble and ceilings. It was furnished with a bed, a desk and a fridge. Which reminded him of the perishable contents in his bag. "Say, do you like chocolate?" Stepping further into the room, he put down his duffel bags on his bed, and he began pulling various size pots and pans from one. Elias lifted the lids from the pots, each one containing various items: his cellphone wrapped in his new shirts, pants, sweaters, and finally in the largest pot was a deep Christmas tin. He took the tin and stepped back to the doorway, slowly opening the lid to reveal an assortment of chocolates. "My babs, grandmother, makes chocolates. I hope you're not allergic to nuts, most of them have some sort of nut in them." Elias smiled, beaming with pride. Each one was beautiful, unique in it's own way: some had careful edible goldleaf, and some had berries. "Some even have a hint of brandy!" Food was his domain, and even talking about it eased his nervousness. Yekaterin yay chocolate! wow i need to check my posts lololol
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Posted: Wed Jan 04, 2017 7:51 pm
As with the vase, Beth helped steady him as he fumbled for the key. No need for the knife box to bust open again, especially not when she was wearing her Louboutins. And was, in general, vulnerable to being stabbed by sharp things. Beth hesitated on the threshold, but followed her new dormmate into his new room. She had forgotten how spartan the dorms had started off. Well, as much as they could be while still being tiled with marble and accented in gold. She was distracted by Eli's question. "Oh, do I!" Realizing just how much that could sound like sarcasm, she continued, teasing, "Careful, chocolate's the quickest way to my heart!" She walked to stand by him, eyes going wide at the assortment of delicate gourmet chocolates. This was work she recognized, in form, if not in actuality. Awed, she mumured, "Gods bless the person who had the inspired idea to mix chocolate and alcohol. Your grandmother certainly has patience and a deft hand." She glanced up at Eli, a shy look coming over her features. She didn't want to seem too eager. "Which one should I try? I'm not allergic or anything." Make it his choice, see what he suggested, try to suss out meaning. It was a dance she knew. Kyjoto I had to dig out the Chocolate fudge and mint kisses I had because of this post. Thanks. heart
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Posted: Sat Jan 07, 2017 8:11 pm
"Well, I'll have to make more chocolates then." Elias was going to fix his leaky mouth one of these days, but he quickly slid the lid under the container and used his free hand to point to a chocolate. "This, here, may look like a simple pumpkin," He pulled one out, and bit into it, his face lighting up as the flavors took him on a journey. The gooey insides drew a string from his lips. "This one here is a spiced rum soaked fig, dipped in chocolate, surrounded in a soft caramel, dipped in chocolate again, and finally re-injected with more spiced rum!"Elias cleaned the trail of gooey goodness with his finger as he popped the rest of the chocolate into his mouth. "It's not the prettiest of the bunch, but I think it's the best. I ate a whole tray one time and was completely sloshed." He let out a chuckle, and waited to see if Beth chose that one, or a different one.
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Posted: Sun Jan 08, 2017 5:38 pm
Beth smiled. "I'd definitely show my appreciation!" After watching him choose the pumpkin, Beth followed suit. The first bite was heavenly. And the piece did not last long after that. Beth made appreciative noises with her mouth as she finished. "That chocolate's no joke! I'll have to step up my exercise game if you keep plying me with this!" She had her eye on other pieces, like the ones with walnut embedded. But she could be patient.
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