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 Posted: Tue Nov 01, 2016 5:13 pm
Brian chuckled. Yeah, he definitely had "a look about him." He'd been reminded of that more than once so far. He knew too that some of his fellow Chosen must be less than totally lawful. Were they avoiding him without him knowing? Huh. It might be interesting to start paying attention to that.
"I haven't had hair since I was 18 or so," he admitted. "I look younger with hair, if you can believe it." People liked to say that Baby Face was an agreeable condition, but it was more difficult to demand respect when you looked 12 under your sunglasses.
"A shower, a shave, a nap..." he mused. He really hadn't gotten much sleep in the field and it was bound to catch up to him. Soon the strain of needing to save lives would wear off and he'd crash. At least that was how it usually happened. "Mm?" He went through the opened door: "Thank you. Oh, nah. I joined the military when I was just a kid. My dad was in the army so it was sort of just always in the cards. I'd planned to go to college after, but I ended up joining the force. How about you? What do you do?" The beauty industry, maybe? She had a classical charm to her too. He really wasn't sure.
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Posted: Wed Nov 02, 2016 2:01 am
She was impressed with his dedication to the buzz cut. His follow-up maybe explained why he chose the style, though. She turned and squinted at him slightly, then nodded as she made her judgment, “I can believe it.” She didn’t think that would be a bad look for him either, but he wore his profession well.
Sylvia smiled at the tone in Brian’s voice. She was looking forward to… well, probably all of those things as well, and just as much. Though the term ‘nap’ was light – she was going to sleep for a lot longer than what she considered a nap.
Somehow, military didn’t surprise her. She rarely understood the necessity of service running through families, but it happened often enough that she wasn’t surprised either that he’d followed in his dad’s footsteps. Even going from the military into the police force wasn’t unheard of, though she wondered at the shift in his plan. “What made you decide on the force instead of—well, whatever you would have majored in?”
There was only a little bit of hesitation and a slight nose scrunch when the question turned to her. “Mm, I’m a marriage and couples counselor.” She had only told one other person so far what her “real life” job was, and she doubted Brian would be the last to ask. She was still a little unsure about divulging such information, though she wasn’t sure why; perhaps it was just the way the question pulled the two worlds together somehow. But Brian was easy to talk to, and whatever awkwardness she felt was short-lived. “It wasn’t exactly a plan or something that I always knew I wanted to do, but,” she shrugged, “it works for me.” She smiled. She did very much enjoy her job. She could actually point to a few different things in her life that had led her to her career, but it wasn’t the same as Brian’s situation.[ 323; 2,214 total ]
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Posted: Wed Nov 02, 2016 5:24 pm
"I just had different priorities coming out than going in, I guess," Brian said with a shrug. His elbows just sort of rose from his sides for a moment and then flopped back down due to the hands still shoved in his pockets. The military had been his only real option toward college; his family didn't make all that much and with three kids college funds were scarce. He'd always liked the idea of the army, and so he went. "I'd seen so much, I just wanted to help. Four years in college wasn't going to help anybody but me, but soldiers heading into the force are treated pretty well. I just went from country-serving to county-serving. I don't really think I had a major in mind."
He laughed slightly when Sylvia crumpled her face. What, did she hate her job? Was she embarrassed? He couldn't imagine why.
"Why the face?" he asked, still smiling, "That's an important job. I bet you've changed more lives than you think. Did you have a plan before counseling came along?"
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Posted: Wed Nov 02, 2016 10:26 pm
Sylvia nodded. She couldn’t believe she hadn’t thought of something like that – of course the military would change things. And ‘just wanting to help’ seemed in line with everything Sylvia could tell of Brian so far. If he didn’t have something more pressing he felt he wanted (or needed) to do, then why wouldn’t he continue on a path he felt comfortable with?
Sylvia chuckled at his question, “Oh, no, I know it is. I really love my job, and I really like knowing that I’ve helped people.” She sort of shrugged one shoulder up, a shy reaction to her semi-gloat. She did love helping people. She wished she could help more of them – unfortunately, not all problems could be resolved. Humans had limitations. “I just feel a little weird telling people here what I do. I don’t exactly know why. It sort of feels like some weird breach of privacy or something, even though it’s a perfectly normal question.” She shrugged, “I’ll get used to it. I think I just think of them as two separate lives somehow… Once I start going home more and shifting between here and there, hopefully it won’t be so weird.”
She shrugged again at the follow-up, “Not really? I didn’t know what I wanted to do for a long time, but eventually it just made sense. I guess I knew I wanted to help people, in some way. I’ve always been interested in the way that different people interact and communicate and where things get misconstrued or misunderstood…” Her eyes sort of got a faraway look for a moment, but she blinked back with a smile. There was probably one particular situation that had influenced her eventual path more than anything else, but that was a story for another time.[ 297; 2,511 total ]
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Posted: Thu Nov 03, 2016 6:12 pm
"Oh. Sorry about that, then." Apparently the look had been meant for him, not for self-depreciation. He hadn't considered that people might want to keep their two lives separate. He certainly hadn't been able to himself. His family couldn't know the whole of it, sure, but that was different than avoiding business at home while at the Prytaneum. He'd all but moved out of his old apartment.
"Yeah, I think that's what happens if you do it right." Then there was a talking dog in the back of a car and everything went a little insane, but that was hardly the norm for society. He'd known he'd wanted to help people, though. He'd just become less apt for introducing talk therapy over time. Chatting with a caller was one thing, but he was pretty sure he wasn't going to solve anyone social problems. He came during the worst times and then he left. That was the cycle.
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Posted: Thu Nov 03, 2016 7:42 pm
Oh dear. She hadn’t meant to make him feel bad about asking. She halted in her progress to the third floor, turning back to Brian with what she hoped was a reassuring smile, “Oh, no, please don’t worry about it. It’s a very normal curiosity and question to have – especially after talking about your job.” She chewed at her lip, an odd little smile still playing on her features, “Sorry, I didn’t mean to say that your inquiry was inappropriate or anything. It’s just my own adjustment.”
She would wait to be sure that she’d cleared that up before she turned around again. She really didn’t want him feeling as if he’d crossed some sort of line. She took a breath and stopped chewing her lip, giving Brian a genuine smile with a small shake of her head, “Anyway, you’ve been really easy to talk to. You’re not one of the people I’m worried about telling.” She didn’t really know why, but it was true.
She chuckled at his comment, “Yeah, I think so too. You sort of fall into what you’re supposed to do anyway.” She did think she was one of the lucky ones, even if it had taken her a while to figure things out. She still knew a lot of people who weren’t sure what they were doing, or where they wanted to go. She, at least, felt stable in where she’d ended up. As she continued the thought, she realized that ideology would have to include the Prytaneum. A sort of concerned look came over her face as she realized she still wasn’t sure about that part.[ 272; 2,783 words ]
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Posted: Thu Nov 03, 2016 8:31 pm
Ah, damnit. In trying to make his awkwardness better, Brian had gone on to make an entirely new situation in which Sylvia felt bad. He just smiled, his brows slightly furrowed, as she apologized to his apology.
"It's okay, really. Everyone's different, they've got their things. You don't have to explain yourself to me." Really, she didn't, though the fact that she was willing to try said something of the quality of her personality. "Come on." He nodded up the stairwell.
As they continued their trek, he pulled his pockets from his pants and listened.
"Really. Well, that's nice to hear," he said with a bit of a chuckle. Beth seemed to think the same thing, but he was glad he was easy to share with. He figured he was a pretty trustworthy person. "You're pretty easy to talk to yourself." She probably had no idea how blatantly awkward he could get.
"It takes some people a long time. I was just relatively lucky. I'm glad you found your Thing, though." Like he'd said, everyone had their thing.
Once more he had totally forgotten that he was shirtless. "Do you have a roomate yet?"
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Posted: Thu Nov 03, 2016 10:20 pm
Sylvia gave a thankful smile, feeling a little silly when he reacted so well. She nodded and turned back to continue up the stairs at his urging.
She chuckled a bit as well, glad to hear her semi-compliment returned. “Well, I hope so. It’s sort of my job to be.” She grinned back at him, “I guess it’s sort of your job to be as well.” At least it was if he was looking for confessions. She wasn’t really sure if that was part of his job description – that might have been more for detectives – but she couldn’t imagine it hurt.
The hall was empty when they finally got to her floor, which she appreciated. She shook her head at Brian’s question, “Not yet, no. I’m sure it’s only a matter of time,” she sighed a bit. She was used to being on her own, and she wasn’t entirely looking forward to having a roommate. Luckily they didn’t have to share an actual room. Still, she could only hope that she found someone she got along with eventually rather than having to get stuck with someone when there eventually wasn’t enough space for the luxury of being the only one in a room combo. She turned a curious eye to Brian as she unlocked her door, “Have you got a roommate yet?”[ 222; 3,005 total ]
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Posted: Fri Nov 04, 2016 11:03 am
"Nah. My job is to be intimidating and convincing. We're hardly after easy conversation," Brian said. In fact, he was pretty sure that the lack of meaningful social interaction with anyone other than his work buddies had worn on his social skills. Why was it that he had more female friends than male friends here anyway?
The empty hall was not so odd to Brian. There weren't many Zeus Chosen, as he had quickly found out. He saw the same faces here and there but he doubted every room was full.
"I do, yeah. I've had one from the get-go. I don't really know them well, but whatever works. We only have to share the bathroom." He seemed the one to find showers more relaxing than efficient, too. "You're lucky. I mean, it's not bad, but it can be a little rough from going to your own apartment to a one-room dorm with a shared bathroom."
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Posted: Fri Nov 04, 2016 4:59 pm
“Aah, I see.” Sylvia watched Brian for a moment. She had yet to see much of his bad side. Battle was different – she’d seen him focused, and maybe a bit frustrated or protective, but that was different. She’d never really seen him in any sort of intimidating light… But she had heard his commanding voice, without even a smidge of anger behind it, and she could only imagine how intimidating he might get. Convincing she could see, but intimidating… he was probably very good at being intimidating, but it wasn’t something she wanted to think about on Brian if she could help it. “I hope I don’t get on your bad side anytime.” They hardly knew each other, and she already knew she wouldn’t want to disappoint him…
“Oh! Who is it?” She was curious, despite the fact that she probably wouldn’t have any idea who belonged to whatever name he said. She chuckled at his follow-up, “Yeah, I’m sure it is. Even without a roommate it’s been a weird adjustment.” By now her door was open, and she gestured around a bit as she spoke, “I’m so used to having more space – my room, a living room, I even had a small office. And I never was a good cook – like, at all – but I miss having my own kitchen.”
A big, audible sigh this time. “I still have my condo for now, and I’ll probably try to keep it so I still have my own space, and don’t have to move all of my stuff to this place.” She took a deep breath and looked around her room again, “I don’t really know how to balance all of this stuff yet.” She hadn’t even been home yet since arriving at the Prytaneum, but she wanted to eventually be able to split her time between both of her lives. She just wasn’t sure how it would work. She probably wouldn’t know until she actually started going back and forth, though.[ 331; 3,336 total ]
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Posted: Fri Nov 04, 2016 5:29 pm
"It's pretty hard to get on my bad side." He hoped that was reassuring. He'd only needed to interact with Asher a couple of time to decide he didn't like the kid, but that didn't mean that he was going to shout at him or kick him in the head. Brian's patience was trained into him, and even the most infuriating criminal couldn't be smacked around. It was a good law. That didn't mean it was easy to follow all the time.
"He isn't around often. I think he probably does the commuter thing," Brian said. "I have my own apartment back home, but I'm not there so much any more. I guess a part of me misses all of the space, but it felt pretty empty at times. The dorm rooms are small, but at least you don't have to go far to find a friend." Well. He only had a few of those here, but that was better than none.
As per the balancing, he decided not to tell her that he had been unable to make up the missed time. People with appointments could reschedule for a mission, right? He hadn't had the luxury of unexpected vacation time.
"It can be hard. You'll get it, thought. We just don't inherit a rule book when gods appear in our bathtubs. It'll just take time."
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Posted: Fri Nov 04, 2016 6:33 pm
She gave an appreciative nod. He seemed level-headed, so she certainly hoped it would be hard to really piss him off. It was reassuring to know that she probably wouldn’t see him in such a state for a while, if ever. That, of course, depended on their level of friendship, too. She would like to be friends with him, but that had to go both ways.
“Oh, I see.” She could understand why he wasn’t at home much. He had mentioned his job, but had also mentioned how much time he didn’t have off. She couldn’t help but wonder if he’d be in trouble after this week. “I think for me it’s privacy more than space. I like having my place, not having to worry about working around anyone else.” She shrugged. For now, at least, it worked for her, though she was vaguely aware she’d eventually have someone to ‘work around’ on a daily basis if she ever found a partner. She did fine with roommates, and she’d had to adjust in college as well, but she never thought she’d have to go back to that after getting her own condo. A smile grew at his other point, “That’s true. It is nice to know that we’re all close.” She hadn’t really made the friends to lead to such a realization, but now that he mentioned it, she did appreciate being close to the other people who would understand what was happening.
Sylvia outright laughed at his reference to her visit from Aphrodite. “Don’t I wish that we did, though!” There were so many questions she still had, and probably would continue to have. All they could do was their best, though. She nodded, then seemed to remember the whole point of their journey.
“Right, so, this is my dorm, annnd you need this back.” She tugged at the shirt a bit and looked around her room. She wasn’t really fond of throwing something on in its place when her immediate plan was to jump into the shower. She bit her lip and met Brian’s gaze, “Do you like going to the pool?”[ 354; 3,690 total ]
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Posted: Sat Nov 05, 2016 11:10 am
"I'd prefer some sort of middle-ground between youth and my apartment," Brian admitted. "There was three of us growing up, and not all that much space for privacy. Then the military, which is even less privacy, and I thought that a big empty apartment would be wanted I wanted, but nah. I sort of like it here." Granted, if he hadn't made the friends he had, this place would probably be a total s**t show. He'd gotten lucky in that respect.
He chuckled at Sylvia's response. "Any kind of book would have been nice, or even just a 'you have been chosen because.'" When they reached her dorm, he simply stood there. He hadn't been invited in or anything and he'd only barely met Sylvia.
"I can wait out here while you-- the pool?" Well that was a little bit of a non sequitur. "To be honest, I haven't gone yet." What did it have to do with anything? He was almost afraid to ask.
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Posted: Sat Nov 05, 2016 6:26 pm
Sylvia nodded, “Yeah, I can understand that.” She had been an only child, so she didn’t have to deal with the squabbles for space and time and belongings for most of her life. But her best friend had lived with her for a few months during middle school, and that had been a shift, even without the sibling dynamic. She smiled, “I can see how any size apartment would seem too big after siblings and the military…”
“Yes, I agree. It would be nice to have some clue of what else I should be doing, maybe – outside of missions, I mean.” Sylvia waved her hand a bit. She certainly hadn’t been recruited just to be part of Aphrodite’s army or something. They were, in theory, supposed to be bettering themselves somehow and working for the Gods in other ways – at least, that was what she’d gathered. But without any idea of why she’d been recruited, she wasn’t really sure what she should be working on. And she couldn’t go about her normal life and do this, as they’d said, so she wasn’t sure where that all left her. It was a bit frustrating if she let herself think about it too much.
Sylvia chuckled at Brian’s response. “Well, right, me either, but I was mostly wondering because if you do like the pool and you eventually go, and I am eventually there as well, then you will, in theory, see me in a swimsuit.” This was a stretch, she realized, but it was all for a point. “And seeing me in a bikini is nearly the same as seeing me in my skivvies, so basically I was making sure that what I want to do hopefully won’t be a huge issue with you.” He had already blushed in front of her once, and she wouldn’t be surprised if he blushed again, but she hoped that her explanation might make him feel a bit better about it. “Basically, I’m just trying to tell you not to worry about this.”
And with that, she crossed her arms to grab the bottom of the shirt and pulled it over her head, leaving her in just her bra and underwear. She worked to turn the shirt right-side-out before handing it back to Brian. “I honestly just want to jump into the shower, so going through the trouble of finding a replacement seems a little ridiculous right now.” She offered a smile that she hoped would put him at ease.[ 415; 4,105 total ]
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Posted: Sat Nov 05, 2016 6:49 pm
Alright, apparently he was going to get an explanation. Brian listened with an innocent, open sort of expression that maybe should have made Sylvia feel bad for what she was about to do. Sure, women in their bathing suits. He had seen them in less than that during this last mission, and a fair share of naked men and animal asses. Was she inviting him to go to the pool? That was his firm believe until the little disclaimer about him not worrying about... what?
Then it just up and happened. Brian's ears flushed red with an all-new speed when Sylvia's shirt came off, regardless of the fact that she hadn't been wearing pants in the first place. He made a choked sort of sound and his brows rose a moment before his eyes snapped shut and he turned his head as if Sylvia's dignity could be defied by even generally facing her direction.
"Oh, wow. Alright." He laughed awkwardly and reached out for his shirt, popped his eyes open a moment, and took it. Alright, she clearly had no problem with this. She almost looked proud. "Warn a man, will you?"
He took his shirt from her hands and started to walk out, giving a polite little nod.
"Have a nice shower." Another little laugh.
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