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 Posted: Sun Jul 15, 2012 10:56 pm
Tristan sighed as he walked through the gardens. He had been able to actually avoid the women for now. He was going to kill Kinjin when he returned from his trip with Keeva. His brother should never had let it be known that he had put a condition on Tristan to have a child before Valor took him entirely. It made this much harder than it needed to be. Maybe Kinjin was trying to help but he had not. Instead it made it harder for Tristan to actually see what they were like. The mir’eshu women all had glitter in their eyes based on his connection to a noble family. And to the god Valor.
He sighed, shaking his head. “Some days, I just can’t win…” he muttered as he walked toward an alcove. Maybe some tea would be nice in a place where none of them were. It would be a couple days before they would leave for Aejiss and his father’s temper had subsided some. Tristan had no idea where his brothers were and right now, he just did not want any of them.
And you think you should always win? Valor asked. It does not work like that, Tristan. And even when you do win, it is not always as you think.
“No kidding, Phalanx. I do know that much but still it would be nice to win once in a while, right?” Tristan replied aloud without realizing he had. To some he might have seemed out of his head, but to others they might have suspected he was a host. It was hard to tell most days who was a host and who was not until they began changing. Tristan had not yet.
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Posted: Mon Jul 16, 2012 2:14 am
 Once upon a time, he would have thought that a person talking to themselves was insane. Well, okay, maybe he wouldn't have--but if he'd encountered someone calling themselves by a strange name like Phalanx, he would have immediately assumed their parents were perhaps of one of the weird Muted covens that populated Heimgard's countryside, the ones that named children things like Aurora or Rosandelion. Now, when he had learned of this whole deity reincarnation deal, he thought of a different option. Still, he wasn't sure how exactly to approach another host. Hi, do you happen to contain a god inside you? Hey, me too! That's great, let's talk about how we're doomed to die, that's a good idea. Even Althai thought that was ridiculous. Instead, Aska just held up a hand. "Tea," he asked, a slightly crooked grin on his face. "I've got a thermos, if you're interested."
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Posted: Mon Jul 16, 2012 6:09 am
Tristan blinked in surprise stopping dead in his tracks. Had he been speaking aloud again? He winced. Most likely and that meant most people would think he was crazy. "Um... sure. I really was not talking to myself. I mean.." He ran a hand thru his hair. Then he laughed. "I suppose it would look rather like that wouldn't it?"
"I was really looking for a place to get away from everything for a few minutes. Too many things to try to stay ahead of." Namely all the women his brother had set on him. Thankfully Enjiron and Taj had been running interference for him. "I am host to Phalanx, the god of Valor. And don't get confused if you happen to see another guy looking like me, different tattoo and hairstyle, it's my twin brother Enjiron." He sat down beside the man. "I'm Tristan Vryce."
I believe he may be host, Tristan. I wonder which one. Phalanx stated, listening in the background.
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Posted: Mon Jul 16, 2012 2:04 pm
"Wasn't questioning you," said Aska cheerfully, popping out the second cup from his thermos lid and pouring the long-haired stranger some of the black tea. "Even if you were, I've done that before." Besides, Tristan looked like the kind of guy not even a carpenter in his shop would want to mess with. It seemed like it'd be a terrible idea to try and get this guy riled up. He arched his eyebrows at the very straightforward introduction. Aska really didn't think being right upfront about being a host to a god was a good idea; really, who would believe him? Probably this one, thought Aska, sipping his own tea. "Mine's Althai, God of Healing," he said, self-consciously pushing the collar of his sweater up over the blue-violet gem.
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Posted: Mon Jul 16, 2012 2:28 pm
"Healing." he repeated, nodding. "It is nice to meet both of you." Tristan took the cup from him. "I just needed some space to think. We are getting ready to go somewhere and my family is driving me nuts. Plus my idiot older brother put a condition on me before Valor takes over completely and then leaked the information out and so I have women chasing me all over the place. So tired of them sneaking into my room, I decided to hide outside and keep moving. It seemed the thing to do anyhow."
Surprising how much information you give out when you just meet someone. Tell Healing I said it is good to meet. Valor commented in amusement. Tristan must really be stressed over those women chasing him. One would think he was setting up this fellow to help him distract them if they did appear.
He suddenly scratched his head and laughed. "I'm sorry. You probably did not want to know all that. And Phalanx says it is good to meet you both."
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Posted: Mon Jul 16, 2012 8:09 pm
Aska could understand about conditions--he wasn't so sure why women chasing one everywhere would be a bad thing, unless one were already promised. He smiled a little at the thought of Whisteria, but that was a little too personal for casual conversation. "I wouldn't know," he said, "I'm only a carpenter." And a painter. But both were not exactly superb fighting occupations and both implied a certain level of artistic spirit that he was pretty sure he did possess at least in small measure. "It's good to meet Phalanx too," said Aska. "Althai looks forward to getting to know him, and all, once…" Aska made a displeased face, looked off to the side and sighed. "Well, you know. What's the condition he's got on you? If you want to talk about it, anyway."
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Posted: Mon Jul 16, 2012 10:06 pm
Tristan nodded. "Maybe it will help to get it out to someone who isn't close to the situation. Just to get it off my chest. We just arrived here from a world called Eshurian. The demons had slowly taken over our world and we ran thru a portal and ended up here. I ran into Tajnevaki, the god of Mystery, as I was finding my way here. He has a mortal son from his host and he was kidnapped by some cultist group as was his niece. I helped him get them back and he found the stone that is Valor and gave it to me. I.. well, I told my family when they finally showed up. At first it was just my twin and my oldest brother. They were not happy about what I planned to do."
He sighed, taking a sip of the tea. "Anyhow, Kinjin says he realizes I thought about this a lot but he has some conditions before he accepts it. One condition was to..." he looked sideways as some women walked by. None were from his people, thankfully. "Anyhow, his condition is that I have a child with one of the women from the people who are left of our race. Then the jerk let it slip out and now every woman in our clans is sneaking into my room, chasing me down the hallways, climbing into bed with me when I'm asleep, and literally just jumping at me. I'm staying with Mystery and he has taken to sealing his room up tight just so I can get a break."
"And Valor finds this amusing," he muttered at the end.
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Posted: Sun Aug 12, 2012 11:47 am
Eshurian... The word rang no bells. He'd never been close with world-walkers, to his own detriment. Eshurian, Darnassus, even this world of Gaia had been an enigma to him until very recently, and it seemed strange to think that there might possibly be even more worlds than he'd ever imagined in this universe. Worlds with things he'd thought of as only myths, with dragons, cats as big as he was, and demons... It was disturbing, and also a little sad, to realize that these were things he'd probably never see, and that he'd lived his whole life, almost all of it he'd ever get, so totally unaware of what went on beyond his proverbial doorstep. Still, he'd been content; it'd been a good life. "Is it important to you that your family approves," asked Aska, ignoring Althai's bemused chortling; there were bigger problems at hand. Breeding programs were not foreign to Heimgard or Lampadas at large. Psions wanted to breed only other Psions. Muted children were lucky to live through their first five years in a Psionic household. It was one thing that Aska had always found... extremely questionable, actually. What was the point of children if they were born in a family that lacked love? "Speaking from experience, the worst part of this is knowing I won't see my child born. Is that something you can live with, to see your family happy?"
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Posted: Sat Aug 25, 2012 9:09 pm
Tristan frowned slightly. "But in a way I will see them and still be here with them. I mean.. I am becoming part of Valor as he is becoming part of me. Neither of us will be the same as we once were. It is what both of us want. And as for my children knowing me, they will. I have begun a journal telling them what I want to say and who I am." Then he added softly, "In this time, Valor is needed. And he needed me to help him. Who am I to refuse to make it better for my family?"
Tristan laughed. "And it is not like it will happen overnight. I have time yet to hold my child and to talk to him. A child know his father's or mother's voice, no? He will know of me."
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Posted: Sat Aug 25, 2012 9:39 pm
"Then why do you delay," asked Aska, confusion in his words. "It seems that rather than running women off, you ought to be getting to know them. Is there a particular woman you wait for, that you don't want to get to know the ones who would like to carry your son or daughter?"
His impression of the host process was that it didn't take long enough to know any new-conceived children--the idea that he might have time was intoxicating, but he approached it cautiously, even in his own head. "How long do you think it takes?"
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Posted: Sat Aug 25, 2012 9:51 pm
"Because I want a woman who is going to love the child. Not use them for their own gain. My family is nobility and the women... well, the girls that I have seen and met so far are spoiled brats. They want the name but in the end how can I trust them to take care of the child? And how much of a problem will she cause for Valor? I have to consider them also." Tristan frowned slightly. "I have thought this thru. I am not asking that much to have a woman who will care for the child above all else. And I will find her," he shrugged then laughed. "I just have to deal with the others in the meantime."
"Ask yourself what is important to you. Do you want to know what it feels like to be a father? Think of all the things your parents did for you. Do you not want your child to know something of them? And of you? It is easy to simply give up and give in when the cards are stacked against you. I will not go down without it being on my terms. It may be painful and I can deal with that. I will not deal with a woman who has no love for a child of mine. Call me picky, but I think that is especially important if I am not going to be here. I want those moments. I want Valor to have them so that he loves and protects all that I have."
Tristan grinned, flushing slightly. "Sorry to get so long winded but it is how I feel. My brother was not wrong in what he asked. And I am not wrong in taking my time to choose. There is a future here and I plan to grab as much of it as I can. Shouldn't you?"
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Posted: Sat Aug 25, 2012 10:45 pm
Perhaps his attitude towards Althai was uncharitable, he thought. He had never considered whether Whist would make things difficult for the God of Healing, although Althai had interjected a few times with easy ways to ensure it Wasn't A Problem--easy, but underhanded, which had surprised Aska entirely. He didn't think about it for a moment, of course, but the fact remained... Althai was Healing, but he was also self-interest, focused on the healing not for the good of the one being healed but because he liked the power he had to make them healthy again. If a god could be attention-seeking, Althai was one of them. "You might be looking a long time, then," he said, looking at his own teacup. Whisteria would love their child. He knew it.
"Things stopped being on your terms the moment you became part of Valor," he said, finally. "You don't know when you'll die. Perhaps Valor will split itself with you, but I don't believe that's something Althai has in mind for me." A rueful smile split the bland contemplation for just a moment, and he said, "When Althai takes over, that will be the end of Aska Kepanan, and he intends that to be as soon as he has gathered enough power to do so."
Althai was quiet, and Aska knew he had spoken the truth.
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Posted: Sun Aug 26, 2012 7:49 am
Tristan frowned softly. When Taj had spoken to him about Valor he had the impression that there were gods who kept nothing of their hosts. "That seems a waste, Aska. I.. Mystery gave me the gem that contained Valor. And between he and others, I understand all that has happened with Gehenna and Creation. I wonder why Harmodius brought the gods back as essence as He did. He is life itself and He could do as He liked I would think, bring any being back as He wanted. But instead of doing that, He brought gods back giving them a host instead. Have you thought about why He may have done that?" Perhaps this was as much for Althai as Aska.
Taj had made him wonder and it was part of the reason he had agreed. "The gods faded once. They utterly failed in what they were doing. When one fails, it could be attributed to a flaw in that god, but what is it when they all fail? A flaw in what they were. At least that is how I see it. I don't presume to tell anyone what to do, but Creation brought them back this way for a reason. There is something they are lacking that only hosts can give. By removing you entirely, the very trait that Healing needs to succeed this time may be lost." He did not know how else to put it. This was the way he felt.
"But even if that is the way it is meant to be, do not refuse what you can have now. It may be the very thing that you and Althai both need. Leave something for your child to know you. It is the least you can do when you are not here," Tristan added. He sipped from his cup of tea. He did not mention the trouble Taj had just gone thru with Bettina. Most were not like she had been, but that was another reason he was still looking for someone who would be no trouble to he or Valor.
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Posted: Sun Sep 02, 2012 5:51 pm
"As a joke," suggested Aska, not in poor humor but as a true suggestion. He knew little of gods--his homeworld held that the Psions were gods among men--but he knew much of the politics of the powerful and the weak. Despite the fact that he was currently the autonomous, bodied one, it wasn't Althai who was in any danger from him.
He stiffened, a bit offended at the insinuation that he was not trying to leave something for his child once he was gone, but he bit the recrimination back. "It appears we're destined to disagree on this topic," he said through teeth that, though they were not grinding, were not exactly parting to enunciate his words properly. The only things he wasn't doing were…
For the first time in a while, he thought of Embla, and he rubbed at his forehead with the back of his hand. "My child will have everything I can leave it," he said. "Everything."
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Posted: Wed Sep 12, 2012 5:15 am
Tristan had noted the slight stiffening. "I am not saying that you are not thinking of your child. I apologize if you thought I implied that. I am trying to understand you point of view, Aska. It never really occurred to me that a god such as Healing would not keep whatever their host was. I mean I could understand someone like Malice or Strife or Evil doing so. And I know our situations are different. It cannot be easy when you were not really prepared for it. I had a few weeks to decide what I wanted to do. I don't know if that was lucky or not. I don't even know if Valor is male or female. That... could be a problem."
Maybe he should thank Kinjin for placing this condition on him. Maybe.. but not right now.
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