Welcome to Gaia! ::

Also towards the back of the crowd stood Caleb McCloud, dressed in a black zip-up hoodie with the hood up and camo cargo shorts with flip flops. It wasn't exactly a fashionable outfit, he was never one to care for that, or recognize it when it slapped him in the face. Even underneath the light sweatshirt, his intimidating physique was apparent with his broad shoulders, bold biceps, and muscular legs. He leaned against a pillar, arms crossed, as he listened to the tour in silence. Every iota of his presence was unwelcoming and disengaged, instead preferring to quietly sink in all the information.

But so far what he gathered was that he was way over-qualified to be here, at least to his mind. Who were these chumps? A scientist? A middle school teacher? What use were they in combat? He scoffed at the thought of a teacher running into combat. He understood it that he was selected for his military experience, but apparently this place was accepting all types - depending on the god, at least.

He rolled his eyes, reminding himself to keep an open mind. He was sure everyone had a purpose - he was made to believe in that, after the miracles or some kind of magic that brought him here with the magical texts and then the uptight blonde recruiter girl popping up in Kabul, just as he was told. He couldn't deny some greater powers were at foot.

And perhaps his purpose was just to be used as a weapon. He frowned at that thought and went back to his superiority complex. Chumps.

"Haven't gotten to do the traveling part much yet. I mean officially. My family always took trips during summer vacation. They promised me a celebration trip this year for graduating well. I was gonna ask to go to Guadalupe Island so I could do a cageless dive with Deep Blue..."

Theo's eyes took on a dreamy look as her smile widened a tiny bit. Then, she shook herself with a soft chuckle.

"It beats beating up idiot frat bros. Which was my other reason for wanting to head south. Oh well."

She gave Chris a friendly wave and snorted in amusement at the idea of an alligator being used as a conduit for godly communications. Then snorted again. Poseidon seemed to have a thing for tall folks. As far as she could tell, she and her recruiter certainly towered over most of the people there.

"Okay, gonna admit, sort of jealous you got the alligator chat," she said.

Mal had been in the back, listening but not quiet, shifting a little bit. But the mail question made him lean his weight forward slightly and then step up, because yes. That was important.

"Seconding the mail question. Snail mail, not email." Some things should still be done the right way. He might be old fashioned, but wedding invitations needed to come by snail mail.

He gave Mathilda a quick quirk of his mouth, not quite a smile. "And thank you for asking, Miss."

"Sharks are awesome, are you kidding me," Theo grinned and crossed her arms over her chest. "And sharks are good for the health of the ocean. Much more useful than frat bros. Those are only good for beating into the asphalt."

For a moment, she forced herself to remember that not everyone was as comfortable as herself with the idea of entering the water without protective barriers in place.

"Cageless diving isn't that much more dangerous than one of those African safaris where you're perched in the back of an open jeep. As long as you don't look or smell like food or flail like an idiot, the shark is quite happy to leave you alone. And frankly, I'd sooner deal with a shark than, say, a baboon. Those things are mean little bastards."

"Oh man, didn't mean to offend," he said, giving Theo a friendly smile. "I've just been cursed by the horrors of Jaws. Sharknado didn't help either, despite both being harshly inaccurate. Then again, even ankle deep water drives me to a tizzy."

This Osmond wasn't afraid to admit, even scratching the back of his neck sheepishly. His hand went back in his pocket as he listened intently.

"Huh, the more you know," he said, impressed. "I've caught a few shows on the idiot box that like to ramp up the ante against sharks and people who go cageless diving. Guitar riffs and so on. Ellie always used to point out it'd be really quiet without all that added background noise, and knowing her, she's right. But yea, I'd rather be stuck with a shark going about their business than one of those suckers. One time, on a field trip with my classroom kids, some lady got too close to the baboon cage and one of the little shits grabbed onto her ponytail and wouldn't let go. Totally her fault for not heeding the signs, but sheesh... They are mean."

DaisyMilk

phoenix kiss

For once Robin Attewood was keeping his overly-blunt mouth shut, choosing instead to listen to the other Chosen chattering around him. He stood toward the back of the crowd gathered in the Assembly Hall and scowled, arms crossed over his black t-shirt clad chest, long blond dreadlocks pulled back into their typical messy ponytail. He still didn't quite understand what was going on, despite Brynn's explanation when she had recruited him, but he was willing to listen despite his closed and skeptical body language.

Listening was the safest thing to do at this point, he felt. The British punk didn't know who to trust yet. This was a weird situation, and it was likely to get weirder. He needed a drink. He needed ALL the drinks.

Rob listened as the chatter around him turned to mail (and, oddly, sharks). Getting in touch with home? He didn't need to do that. He'd told his parents he was off to parts unknown for a gig, didn't know when he'd be back, and they had believed him, offering to take care of his half of the duplex they shared until he returned. Free to do whatever he wanted.

Well, whatever Dionysus wanted, really. He still wasn't too clear on that, except that it likely involved booze. And he was okay with that.

"Rodney Michaels," one man volunteered softly, melting in from the back of the tour group. He was very pale and looked as though someone had purposefully put his ice cream sandwich in a trash can.

He worried his hands.

"I'm an artist. Hephaestus asked me to come. Um, I know this may be a heavier question, than about the campus. What...happens, after we die? Do you know?"

He seemed extremely burdened by the question.

Mathilda glanced at the eyes looking at her. Good. With a blink of her eye, her entire posture shifted.

"Cool! I'll go talk to them then!" She smiled and waved at Mal, falling back behind a few people.

So it seemed the gods didn't often visit often. Bummer. And Ares seemed like a fun person to chat with. The upside was that mail still worked, so she could keep tabs on her dad. And her mother, she supposed.

Looking around, she noticed something. Catching eyes with Whittaker, she quirked an eyebrow and tipped her head. Hmm...

Returning to her surroundings, Mathilda listened. The conversations around her were varied, from sharks, to death?, until one woman yelled above the crowd. Joy.