|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Wed Nov 02, 2016 3:47 pm
Zan’s hesitation did not escape Sylvia’s notice, though short-lived. She wasn’t sure how to interpret it, but she appreciated the arm and warmth offered in the break. She adjusted her stride to match his and huddled in the space provided, arms still crossed and the hand nearest him holding onto some of his coat as another point of contact.
A smile slowly grew over her face when he finally did share. She didn’t know what she had been expecting, but street performer wasn’t it. Still, the way he described it, it was clearly something that he enjoyed, and that was what mattered most. She chuckled at the face he made. His job might not have been the most secure, but she could respect anyone who took such pride in their work.
Sylvia gave an appreciative smile at his whistle, but made a disgruntled sort of noise at the back of her throat as he went on. “Yeah, I’m… well. We’ll just have to see what happens. There are some options, but none that include the steady schedule I had before all of this happened.” She shook her head and took a breath, “I just don’t know where to start.” She gave an uncomfortable sort of chuckle. She would have to sit down and do some serious research and planning soon, but she was giving herself at least a day or two of buffer from the Bayou first.
A huff of breath escaped her as she returned to her curiosity after his own work. After all, her job was pretty straight-forward; his could entail all sorts of things, even just from his own description. “So, what instruments do you play?”[ 279; 2,524 total ]
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Nov 02, 2016 10:13 pm
He gave Sylvia a second slight squeeze as she got situated, just because he could, then rested his arm loosely around her, fingers curled at her elbow.
"Mostly anything with strings. Strings you pluck, that is. A few weird, portable wind instruments, like piccolos and slide whistles and harmonicas, though I'm nowhere near as good with them. A little bit of... 32-key Casio keyboard," he said with a snort. He'd never touched an actual full-sized piano in his life. "I play the banjo the most though. As a joke in public and not as much of a joke in private." He looked at her, weighing his words again. "I brought that too, if you ever want to hear." Spider-man, Deadpool, a banjo, and a suitcase half full of clothes were all he had, though if he kept going back to the real world, he could see himself ending up with a lot more over time. A room full of crap. For someone who barely had any money, Zan couldn't deny he liked to spend it.
"Or we could put on a show of our own. Gymnastics and music. We'd be the talk of the Prytaneum."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Nov 02, 2016 11:58 pm
A tight smile tugged at Sylvia’s lips at the additional squeeze, but she did well to keep her head down for the moment she indulged it. It was so nice to be close to someone.
Any and all of the instruments he played sounded interesting. Sylvia didn’t play any instruments, so she always marveled a little bit at anyone who could play an instrument. She felt awkward even trying most of the time. She could sing! But that was different. And she couldn’t read music, so she had to have the melody played out for her first. A smile grew at his somewhat-invitation, and she looked up with quirked brows, “Really?” She hadn’t really heard much banjo in her life, and she wasn’t sure she would like it, but that made her all the more curious. “I would love that, actually.”
She laughed at his suggestion. “That we would,” she agreed, “if we could pull it off. I would need to work on my gymnastics a bit more before I could even try…” She scrunched her nose a bit at him, “And I’m afraid I’d have a lot of stage fright to get over, too.” She was generally very comfortable and confident with herself – until she was the center of attention. Once all eyes were on her, she became very self-conscious, and usually tried to divert attention as much as possible. She anticipated that someday she might have to be in front of a group, but she hoped it would come with a lot of preparation. She even occasionally wondered about teaching, but that seemed like a whole other situation, not quite the same as performance…
She gave a curious smile, “You’ve probably never had to worry about stage-fright, have you?” She could be wrong, he might have just been very practiced at this point. But she could imagine even a childhood Zan showing off in front of others with hardly a thought about it.[ 325; 2,849 total ]
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Nov 03, 2016 11:09 pm
He nodded as Sylvia agreed, pleased that she was interested in his playing, as unconventional as his instrument of choice might have been. If it proved to be too twangy for a private concert, he could always switch to guitar. There had to be one of those around the Prytaneum somewhere. As far as the stage fright stuff, she was right. He couldn’t recall ever having been nervous near large groups of people, whether he was in, around, or in front of them. And while he was reasonably certain he could imagine what that sort of nervousness felt like, a more introverted sort would tell him he really had no idea.
“I wouldn’t say that I have, no,” he agreed. “I was always... small, so I made sure everyone knew I was the biggest thing in the room.” Even before he had ever been bullied about his size, Zan had resented it, and it took a lot for him to mention it at all, even though she could easily see the reality of the situation for herself. “I have learned to shut up since,” he continued. “Being quiet is useful sometimes too.”
“Don’t worry about our show though,” he said with a grin. “I won’t announce it until we’ve had extensive practice.”
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Nov 04, 2016 4:32 pm
Sylvia smirked at Zan’s reasoning. She had always been small as well, but she assumed it was a very different experience for a woman to grow up short than for a man. She wasn’t even all that short, really. She nodded at his conclusion, then remembered their first encounter and raised her brows, smirking at him. “Was that before or after the black eye you had when I met you?”
She chuckled at his reassurance, though one corner of her mouth pulled back in a slight grimace. “Yeeeah, I’d need it.” It would probably take her months to get back to being decent and adjusting to her adult body doing all of the things her young teenage self had done. She reflected for a moment, remembering mention of not only many instruments, but a few costumes. “How many different ‘performances’ do you do? Are they set routines, or…?” She had never wondered after the inner workings and planning of street performances, but now that she knew a performer she found herself quite curious.[ 173; 3,022 total ]
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Nov 05, 2016 10:28 am
Being chosen by a god was probably meant to be something that stuck with him, but Zan didn't often think of the specifics, not unless he was reminded. He nearly cackled at the memory now, muffling his laughter with his free hand.
"That wasn't even my fault! Some kid came over to me and I thought she was lost so I picked her up—which was probably a mistake, but I didn't think of that then—and her dad got pissed. Punched me right through the mask. I think chances are pretty high that watching her father beat up Spider-Man traumatized her for life, but I was hardly in a position to tell him that then. And that's when Hermes decided to let me know I was coming with him, so I couldn't even fight back because it was all so... weird." Not that he would have gotten very far even if he'd tried. He certainly hadn't taken up proper self defense until he had arrived here.
He rubbed at his nose, dulling a little of his burst of glee as he pondered what she'd asked. "I try to come up with things I want to do in advance, I guess? Like I'll dress up if it's nice out or a holiday weekend. But sometimes you show up somewhere and there's a group of ten guys doing fancy tumbling runs and no one's going to look at me even if I'm shooting fire out of my fingers." Zan chuckled. "Some stuff is better suited to certain places too. Music in the subway is good because of the echo, and costumes are good in Times Square, as long as no one's looking to punch you. I try to bring a couple of options and move around if I have to. People I know let me keep stuff with them during the day, so that makes it easier." Almost anywhere was good for three-card monte too, but even with all of the more personal information he was starting to regret having revealed, he wasn't quite ready to admit to activities that were more obviously toeing the line of legality. "Short answer, I have set things I can do and I set out to do them, but they don't always get done how I'd planned."
"Speaking of Hermes though, how did Aphrodite introduce herself?" He had gathered that Asher's initial experience with their god had involved pot, but since so much of the kid's life did, Zan doubted that was one of the more common ways these first meetings went down.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Nov 05, 2016 5:08 pm
Zan’s laughter was a little contagious. Sylvia’s smirk turned into a grin as she waited for the story behind the cackle. And her grin turned into her own laughter, though she eventually bit it back and kept to a tight smile. “Wow.” She snickered again before giving an impressed nod, “What a time for Hermes to show up.” She probably wouldn’t have stayed to fight back either if a God suddenly started talking to her, though she might have wondered exactly how hard she’d been hit.
She nodded thoughtfully as he listed his planning and preparations, which it seemed were always a bit up in the air. It made sense, though. He couldn’t be the only performer, especially in a place like New York, and you had to have different way to grab attention. She wondered just how far his talents must reach. She vaguely wished she could watch him perform a few times, but she wasn’t going to ask about it – she’d rather be able to watch unnoticed, catch him in his element and unaware of anyone he actually knew watching him.
It was probably inevitable that her story would come up, especially after the story of Zan’s black eye. She chuckled a bit, “Well, Aphrodite’s visit wasn’t quite as exciting as Hermes’s.” Sylvia shifted a bit, settling back into Zan’s arm before she began, “I was lucky enough to be at home, enjoying a long bubble bath and some leftover wine from dinner. At first I just heard her when I took a sip of wine, and I worried that I had grabbed a much stronger wine than I’d thought. She reassured me that I hadn’t, and then suddenly she was in my bubbles talking to me, offering magic and adventure.” Sylvia gave a light shrug and a smile, “I guess I figured ‘why not?’ If it was the wine, then it couldn’t do any harm to say yes, and if it wasn’t the wine… well, who wouldn’t say ‘yes’ to magic?” Well, she might have if she had known what else was involved, but she couldn’t have accounted for that at the time.[ 356; 3,378 total ]
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Nov 06, 2016 1:31 pm
It shouldn't have come as a surprise that such a sensual goddess would choose a bathtub as the first place she'd show her face, but it still made Zan laugh again, though not as raucously as he had at his own misfortune.
"Saucy." He snickered. "I would've... I don't know. There might have been flailing if I'd been in that position. And possible shrieking. It was the magic that got me in the end too though. I didn't need any convincing by the time Olivia showed up, but she seemed so capable on top of it all. Way more put together than I was." Zan hadn't really been paying attention, but he noticed now that they had circled back toward civilization, the Hearth looming in the distance. "She made it all sound heroic, which I guess it is, but there was no mention of transforming into animals or hanging out in a swamp. I probably should have pictured more than dramatic rescues and throwing lightning bolts." They'd spoken of the catches before, but in this particular moment, Zan thought they were well worth it.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Nov 06, 2016 11:47 pm
Zan’s laughter made Sylvia roll her eyes with a bit of embarrassment, though the smile on her face made it clear that she, too, found it amusing. She laughed in turn at what might have happened if he’d been in her position. “Yeah, it was a bit startling… But the bath had already helped relax me a bit, and the wine, so…” She was actually impressed that her reaction had been mostly confusion rather than fear. She could have made such a mess if she reacted with flailing.
Sylvia hummed, “I’m not sure any of us expected giant metal birds or animal transformations.” She certainly hadn’t. Brynn had seemed confident enough in the situation that Sylvia felt comfortable following along, though she was never sure about the heroics. She wasn’t sure what to expect, really, until the tours – which had sort of freaked her out.
She smiled a bit, watching Zan’s profile for a moment. “You liked the idea of being a hero, though?” There was something about the way he’d talked about Olivia, the admiration… Who didn’t want to be a hero, though, really? It was probably a silly question, but there was something kind of sweet about the way he’d talked about it that made her want to ask him anyway.[ 213; 3,591 total ]
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Nov 07, 2016 9:04 pm
Had he wanted to be a hero? At the very least, he had wanted to be more than he was. "I guess so?" he said with a self conscious chuckle. He liked being looked upon with awe, even envy. He liked giving people something to smile about, whether it was as insignificant as a can of soup or as important as another unexpected day of life. He liked being part of something important after so many years of being nothing at all. And if he had to face a bit of danger to get all of that, it only made coming out on the other side in one piece all the more satisfying. Of course, he said none of that. He just looked at her and grinned.
"No, I don't guess. I did. I do. Spider-Zan."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Nov 07, 2016 11:16 pm
“Spider-Zan,” Sylvia repeated with a grin to match his. It was cute, she liked it. Something about the way he said it suited him, the small bit of… hope? Pride? Ambition? Whatever it was, it seemed like a good title to hold onto. She gave a light hum and leaned against him slightly.
When she turned back ahead she realized that they had already reached the Hearth. The cold was seeping through her sweater more than she would have liked – perhaps just the cumulative effect of having been outside for a while – despite Zan’s arm around her holding some warmth against her back and arm. She sighed and reached up her left hand to hold against her cold cheeks, “I think it might be a good idea to get out of the cold…” There was some reluctance in her voice. She wanted to be able to walk further, to continue until there was no hope of her remaining antsy when she got back to her dorm, and to keep the company she was in. But Zan probably had his own plans for the day, and she could find other ways to combat restlessness if she needed to again.
Still, she halted short of actually dismissing herself. She instead looked up at Zan, a demure smile crossing her lips. Lingering for a moment couldn’t hurt, right? It certainly wasn’t cold enough to give her frostbite if she hung back for just a minute or two. “You’re in Hermes, right?” If she remembered correctly, they would be headed in entirely different directions.[ 260; 3,851 total ]
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Nov 08, 2016 10:49 pm
Zan nodded, eyeing the Hearth like the building had plotted to interrupt them. "You're probably right," he said, resigned but just as reluctant. It had felt nice to talk without pretense or the intent to impress—or at least not as much of those things as usual—but more of the same right now wouldn't bring the feeling back into his toes. "We should do this again sometime, maybe when it's warmer." If he got better at his cartwheels, he might even challenge her to some sort of wintry acrobatic race down the sand before then.
"I am indeed in Hermes," Zan confirmed. He glanced in the direction of his eclectic dorm for a moment, then back at Sylvia. "So I guess this is where we part ways. But you're welcome to come by for your concert any time you want."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Nov 09, 2016 8:54 pm
Sylvia smiled and gave a nod, “Definitely.” Of course, if the cold was already starting, it could be a while before it was warm enough to try a day like this without the same result. But it would be worth the wait. Maybe there would be a few warm days before the cold truly set in…
She nodded at his confirmation, and the glance he took towards Hermes was another confirmation that they wouldn’t be walking together. She gave an earnest, almost excited smile, “I’ll keep that in mind.” She wasn’t sure when she would take him up on it, but she would definitely head to Hermes for a banjo concert; hopefully sooner rather than later.
“Well… thank you for the walk, and the conversation – and the borrowed warmth.” She smirked at him as she removed herself from the shelter of his arm, wrapping her own arms around her to retain what warmth she could for the walk home. Her eyes lingered on the features of his face. With a soft smile, she dug the toe of her shoe into the ground beneath her and prepared to turn. “I hope I’ll talk to you again soon.”[ 196; 4,047 total ]
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Nov 13, 2016 5:24 pm
"Thank you back," he replied, reclaiming his arm and rubbing away the emptiness she had left behind with his opposite hand. Zan debated offering to walk her to the Aphrodite dorms, but not only was that kind of intrusive, even for him, but after what she had said, he still had no idea whether or not she was really even going there at the moment. Getting out of the cold didn't necessarily mean going to her room, after all. Better to continue on his way and meet up with her later, after some of the nonsense he had spewed had a chance to be forgotten.
He watched Sylvia watch him, a smile that he hadn't approved creeping in to take over his face. He was so used to only telling people things about himself that he wanted them to know, but from the start, she had been the sort who didn't seem to mind how he was or the things he said. Plus, she laughed at his jokes. He suddenly felt very fortunate to have met her.
"You will," Zan promised, and then, despite his previous thoughts on intrusion, he leaned forward slightly and pressed his lips to her cheek in a fleeting goodbye. "See you soon."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Nov 14, 2016 12:33 am
She didn’t retreat. Sylvia was surprised by the kiss, but she wasn’t against it. A pleased sort of smile crossed her face, and after a moment she finally gave a nod. “Good.” She took a slow step back, and then another on which she finally turned and began her walk back to her dorm. The smile on her face stayed, and a little warmth floated around her chest. She raised a brow at herself. What an interesting excursion this had been after all.[ 83; 4,130 total ]
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
