A brow shot up at the pretty girl comment, but even she had to feel the slight twitch of a smile at the corners of her lips. Even if it didn't get the chance to form. Because it was then she was called dark and dead. If you only knew buddy. She thought to herself as she frowned. Either this was going to prove to be a very insightful mortal, or she had just run into another blasted god.
As long as it wasn't goody two shoes Davie who she didn't even know how to talk to, or Aleks who right at the moment she wanted to slap and then promptly hug him cause even if she didn't want to admit it outright she missed her husband.
"One and three are the same." She pointed out before slamming the second shot down, and attempting not to cough. Leave it to her, to point out the obvious and leave out the whole dead stuff. She shrugged and glanced to see if the bartender was anywhere near. She wanted to get plastered and forget herself. At least for right now.
"Anyway, dark and dead aura's doesn't mean someone is in a bad mood. It might just be who they are. Even if there is a bad mood to accompany it."
"Maybe they're the same, because that's the most important part of what I was trying to say," Steven answered smugly as he leaned back a little in his chair to take a swig of his own brew of choice. "But you're right. I know plenty of dead people who are never in bad moods. Take Hades, for eample. A little rough around the edges -- when you're stealing his guests, anyway -- but a really nice gu. And a really great host, you know? The kind that makes you feel all warm and special..."
Steven was given to such tangents -- most took it in stride. It came with his character, a bit of an eccentricity. Steven didn't care whether he was believed or not.
With his tell-tale smile, he extended a friendly hand to her. "I'm Steven Shincoe."
She rolled her eyes at the talk of her being pretty again and she motioned for the guy behind the bar to bring more shots, this time putting her own cash down on the bar before the guy could. Though when he started going on a rant about knowing Hades, she was trying her best not to gawk at him. Either this guy was off his rocker or he was telling the truth.
Which what better place to tell the truth to random strangers? Regular people would just think him a drunk. "No ... I wouldn't know." She commented carefully. What if the guy was telling the truth? Just great, the last thing she needed was another god dude, and they seemed to come in two forms the kind that wanted to rip off your head or the kind that made you feel like you couldn't do anything right.
not wanting to be rude though, she took his hand. "Anatasia." She answered simply, then tilted her head. "Wait, the old rocker dude?" The fact that she had heard of him was probably a surprise in itself.
"Well, I wouldn't say old," he answered, more taken aback by the fact she had called him old than pleased she knew who he was. Steven often took it for granted that everybody knew who he was -- even when, in reality, most people didn't. "I mean, I'm not as young as you, but that hardly makes me old."
He might have pouted a little if he hadn't had his drink to drown his sorrows in.
"I just look old, because this is a hard life, you know? All the parties and the stress of having money, man, it wears on you." Not to mention the drugs coursing through his system at any given time... "It's character, man. Character. Every one of these lines has got a story. Like the Styx. So many stories crossing that river every day..."
She hadn't meant to offend him. Sometimes she could be more blunt then she planned to be. She frowned a little and then shook her head. "That came out wrong. I didn't mean you're like ancient or anything. Just older than I am, you know?" Well, at least she was trying to smooth things over. most of the time she wouldn't care. But he had bought the first round of drinks, so she should at least play nice.
With a slight groan she downed another shot, this time though the reaction to it wasn't so harsh. Either she was getting used to it, or it was starting to take its effect on her. Either way, it was a good sign to her. "You really have a thing for the Underworld, huh?" She spoke, though softer then before. He either did, or he somehow in his weird way he knew who she was?
That would just be wonderful, Cause she had no flippin idea on who this guy was, or if he even was a god. At least she wasn't drunk enough (yet) to start asking this odd man for advice or starting to flirt with him. Oh gods, Miguel was so going to yell at her tomorrow.
Both of Steven's eyebrows shot up, and he looked suddenly downright jovial. "Apology accepted!" he practically boomed, lifting his glass up to clank loudly against hers before downing its contents. "Another round!" he invited to the barkeep as he set his glass down on the counter-top.
"One of my favorite places to visit," Steven reemphasised brightly. "And I know lots of people down there -- if I could, I'd talk a little walk down there right now and see if Hades would let me bring Jim Morrison back. Now there's a man who was taken before his time."
By this time, the bartender had returned with refills, accepting Steven's money as skittishly as he had the first time around.
"Man, Jim Morrison was just a great guy, you know? Really, the best this world has to offer -- laid-back, cool as a cucumber. And, man, did the women love him." And although he was still smiling, he also looked mournful. "Real tragedy."
So, she still wasn't sure on if he was crazy or not, but even she now couldn't help the smile that started to form on her lips. Drunk crazy people could be amusing, and if he happened to be telling the truth then maybe he was neither in her assumption of the gods she had happened across thus far.
"You really do think that all exists, don't you?" She asked, might as well try to get to some sort of truth. Though she did almost think that it was best if she didn't mention that she had no idea on who this Jim morrison dude was that he was rambling on about.
She picked up a shot and actually sipped at this one instead.
Steven grinned. "Of course it exists." He spoke with the simple confidence of someone who truly believed what he said. "Those were good days...but, you know, I got to attend Woodstock. Mortal." Steven gave a cheerful chortle. "Experiencing what people used to celebrate on my name... It was..." He blew out a contented sigh. "...Mind-blowing."
For a moment, he said nothing, just contemplating Woodstock and what it meant to him. "Like my moment of clarity. And I just knew who I was... Ever had a moment like that?" His eyes moved to her inquisitively, their depths still and honest.
Oh, now this could be interesting. Did this guy think she didn't know who she was? She smiled at him, it was hard not to with that huge grin plastered on his face. But hey, she could play dumb. At least for a little while. Til she was too drunk to care and just blurted out everything.
"So you're telling me, Woodstock was because of you?" She asked, filling her voice with confusion. Which wasn't all false. She didn't know who this guy really was. "And if Hades and all that are real, how do you know him anyway?"
"No, no, no," the old rockstar replied with a shake of his head and a broad gesture with his free hand. "Woodstock was because there were some very inspired people who weren't afraid to express themselves. And who weren't afraid to experiment with mind-altering substances." He couldn't help but chortle a little at that. Oh, the good days. "What I meant was that there was a time something like Woodstock would have been in my name -- totally not the same thing."
Really, it wasn't... To Steven, Woodstock had been great progress. And laws against drugs were the opposite. Humans were funny like that, though.
"Oh, all that is real, sister. Hades is my uncle!" That made him pause, then snort a little in laughter. "Uncle Hades. I should call him that. He'd love it. Oh! And I made a few trips down there once or twice... Had to sneak in the back way the last time." His grin was full of both mischief and triumph.
Sia probably wouldn't be encouraging Steven if she knew how many people had received this same speech -- mostly mortals. He was a hard man to discourage.
Confusion crossed her face. Maybe Tez had been right, a Goddess of the Underworld really ought to stick with the dead rather then deal with this living. But really all she was gathering was that this dude was really happy, old ... ish, and a hippie? Well, that told her nothing.
Hades was his Uncle? Sure, Sia had heard of Hades ... well, most of the Underworld Gods had probably heard of each other at some point or another. But with the separation of the pantheons, and with each having their own little piece of it (it was a big place after all)it wasn't like the majority of them actually socialized.
"So, if Hades is your Uncle ... who does that make you?" She asked bluntly, finally finishing off the shot and eying the other on the bar. She smiled at him, her cheeks already a little flushed because of the drinks, but at least her speech hadn't begun to get all slurred.
"Dionysus!" Again, he boomed the word, as though he had just won a guessing game. He had never been shy about it, after all -- and why should he be? He was Steven Shincoe! There was no reason to be shy!
Especially since his proclamation only brought him success.
His eyebrows rose, and he couldn't help but add, "I thought it was pretty obvious with all the hints." Still grinning, though, he added, "But, I bet if you had to guess, you would have nailed it."
No harm, no foul. He was rather pleased she seemed interested, and that made up for everything.
She nearly twitched when he boomed out the name. Nervously glancing around to make sure he wasn't drawing too much attention. While he seemed perfectly fine wit hthe world knowing who he was. She wasn't. Not yet at least.
But then she shook her head. "I doubt it. I didn't get .. " She trailed off, even though she would have ended it with 'out much'. So much for not bringing up on who she was. Normally Sia was proud of who she was, and what she was. But at the moment she didn't feel very proud.
Picking up the last shot in front of her she swallowed it back, and then closed her eyes for a moment. Then she looked at him, trying to yet again distract the conversation off of herself (though with him it didn't seem hard), "What song is this?"
"Good grades are overrated," Steven answered with a shake of his head. "Man, I didn't learn anything in school I use today. Except to have someone else do my accounting."
And that was more from experience, come to think about it...
When she asked about the song, his eyes lifted upwards, as though he could read the name of the song on the ceiling. Naturally, there was nothing there -- but he did reach an answer, nonetheless. "I have no idea," he answered honestly. His grin became a little roguish, and he held out a hand to her. "Wanna dance?"
It didn't matter to him that there was a massive difference in age -- he liked to dance with pretty girls, regardless of their age. And he sure as hell didn't care what people thought when they saw him with such a young girl.
Wait, what did school have anything to do with this? Her mind wasn't keeping up now that it was swimming in how many shots that she had taken? "My grades were rather good actually." She felt like she had to say that, she didn't want him to think she was an idiot or something. It was bad enough that she probably was with all things considering.
She stared at his hand, probably for a good full minute. " I .. I don't really dance." She stammered out, her speech starting to slur just a bit. But she did however take his hand, even if her face had the expression like someone was about to get hurt.
"...Oh," Steven answered, with a shrug and a smile. "I stand corrected." But he didn't explain his bizarre leap in logic either.
"I'll teach you how," the older man answered as he led her from the bar. The dance area wasn't crowded -- there were only a handful of couples, many of them younger. It was still too early for most of the hard drinkers to be on the floor, which made it an excellent stage for first-timers...or so Steven's reasoning went.
"The first thing to remember is that dancing is for you, Anastasia. It doesn't matter what everyone else thinks, alright? We're not in a ballroom, we're in a bar." Finding a place on the abandoned floor was easy. "Just let your body react to the music, like every part of you is connected to the beat."
It shocked him how many people were afraid of music. Music was not something to be afraid of -- it was something to be celebrated. The music crawled inside his body in so disorderly a fashion, it almost looked like he was having a seizure on the dancefloor for a moment -- then, his limbs coordinated, swaying and stepping with the beat...and it actually began to look good.
"Come on!" he beckoned, smiling to her and swinging her arm a little as he moved to the dance beat.
As long as it wasn't goody two shoes Davie who she didn't even know how to talk to, or Aleks who right at the moment she wanted to slap and then promptly hug him cause even if she didn't want to admit it outright she missed her husband.
"One and three are the same." She pointed out before slamming the second shot down, and attempting not to cough. Leave it to her, to point out the obvious and leave out the whole dead stuff. She shrugged and glanced to see if the bartender was anywhere near. She wanted to get plastered and forget herself. At least for right now.
"Anyway, dark and dead aura's doesn't mean someone is in a bad mood. It might just be who they are. Even if there is a bad mood to accompany it."
Reply
Steven was given to such tangents -- most took it in stride. It came with his character, a bit of an eccentricity. Steven didn't care whether he was believed or not.
With his tell-tale smile, he extended a friendly hand to her. "I'm Steven Shincoe."
Reply
Which what better place to tell the truth to random strangers? Regular people would just think him a drunk. "No ... I wouldn't know." She commented carefully. What if the guy was telling the truth? Just great, the last thing she needed was another god dude, and they seemed to come in two forms the kind that wanted to rip off your head or the kind that made you feel like you couldn't do anything right.
not wanting to be rude though, she took his hand. "Anatasia." She answered simply, then tilted her head. "Wait, the old rocker dude?" The fact that she had heard of him was probably a surprise in itself.
Reply
He might have pouted a little if he hadn't had his drink to drown his sorrows in.
"I just look old, because this is a hard life, you know? All the parties and the stress of having money, man, it wears on you." Not to mention the drugs coursing through his system at any given time... "It's character, man. Character. Every one of these lines has got a story. Like the Styx. So many stories crossing that river every day..."
Reply
With a slight groan she downed another shot, this time though the reaction to it wasn't so harsh. Either she was getting used to it, or it was starting to take its effect on her. Either way, it was a good sign to her. "You really have a thing for the Underworld, huh?" She spoke, though softer then before. He either did, or he somehow in his weird way he knew who she was?
That would just be wonderful, Cause she had no flippin idea on who this guy was, or if he even was a god. At least she wasn't drunk enough (yet) to start asking this odd man for advice or starting to flirt with him. Oh gods, Miguel was so going to yell at her tomorrow.
Reply
"One of my favorite places to visit," Steven reemphasised brightly. "And I know lots of people down there -- if I could, I'd talk a little walk down there right now and see if Hades would let me bring Jim Morrison back. Now there's a man who was taken before his time."
By this time, the bartender had returned with refills, accepting Steven's money as skittishly as he had the first time around.
"Man, Jim Morrison was just a great guy, you know? Really, the best this world has to offer -- laid-back, cool as a cucumber. And, man, did the women love him." And although he was still smiling, he also looked mournful. "Real tragedy."
Reply
"You really do think that all exists, don't you?" She asked, might as well try to get to some sort of truth. Though she did almost think that it was best if she didn't mention that she had no idea on who this Jim morrison dude was that he was rambling on about.
She picked up a shot and actually sipped at this one instead.
Reply
For a moment, he said nothing, just contemplating Woodstock and what it meant to him. "Like my moment of clarity. And I just knew who I was... Ever had a moment like that?" His eyes moved to her inquisitively, their depths still and honest.
Reply
"So you're telling me, Woodstock was because of you?" She asked, filling her voice with confusion. Which wasn't all false. She didn't know who this guy really was. "And if Hades and all that are real, how do you know him anyway?"
Reply
Really, it wasn't... To Steven, Woodstock had been great progress. And laws against drugs were the opposite. Humans were funny like that, though.
"Oh, all that is real, sister. Hades is my uncle!" That made him pause, then snort a little in laughter. "Uncle Hades. I should call him that. He'd love it. Oh! And I made a few trips down there once or twice... Had to sneak in the back way the last time." His grin was full of both mischief and triumph.
Sia probably wouldn't be encouraging Steven if she knew how many people had received this same speech -- mostly mortals. He was a hard man to discourage.
Reply
Hades was his Uncle? Sure, Sia had heard of Hades ... well, most of the Underworld Gods had probably heard of each other at some point or another. But with the separation of the pantheons, and with each having their own little piece of it (it was a big place after all)it wasn't like the majority of them actually socialized.
"So, if Hades is your Uncle ... who does that make you?" She asked bluntly, finally finishing off the shot and eying the other on the bar. She smiled at him, her cheeks already a little flushed because of the drinks, but at least her speech hadn't begun to get all slurred.
Reply
Especially since his proclamation only brought him success.
His eyebrows rose, and he couldn't help but add, "I thought it was pretty obvious with all the hints." Still grinning, though, he added, "But, I bet if you had to guess, you would have nailed it."
No harm, no foul. He was rather pleased she seemed interested, and that made up for everything.
Reply
But then she shook her head. "I doubt it. I didn't get .. " She trailed off, even though she would have ended it with 'out much'. So much for not bringing up on who she was. Normally Sia was proud of who she was, and what she was. But at the moment she didn't feel very proud.
Picking up the last shot in front of her she swallowed it back, and then closed her eyes for a moment. Then she looked at him, trying to yet again distract the conversation off of herself (though with him it didn't seem hard), "What song is this?"
Reply
And that was more from experience, come to think about it...
When she asked about the song, his eyes lifted upwards, as though he could read the name of the song on the ceiling. Naturally, there was nothing there -- but he did reach an answer, nonetheless. "I have no idea," he answered honestly. His grin became a little roguish, and he held out a hand to her. "Wanna dance?"
It didn't matter to him that there was a massive difference in age -- he liked to dance with pretty girls, regardless of their age. And he sure as hell didn't care what people thought when they saw him with such a young girl.
"I promise I'll show you a good time out there."
Reply
She stared at his hand, probably for a good full minute. " I .. I don't really dance." She stammered out, her speech starting to slur just a bit. But she did however take his hand, even if her face had the expression like someone was about to get hurt.
Reply
"I'll teach you how," the older man answered as he led her from the bar. The dance area wasn't crowded -- there were only a handful of couples, many of them younger. It was still too early for most of the hard drinkers to be on the floor, which made it an excellent stage for first-timers...or so Steven's reasoning went.
"The first thing to remember is that dancing is for you, Anastasia. It doesn't matter what everyone else thinks, alright? We're not in a ballroom, we're in a bar." Finding a place on the abandoned floor was easy. "Just let your body react to the music, like every part of you is connected to the beat."
It shocked him how many people were afraid of music. Music was not something to be afraid of -- it was something to be celebrated. The music crawled inside his body in so disorderly a fashion, it almost looked like he was having a seizure on the dancefloor for a moment -- then, his limbs coordinated, swaying and stepping with the beat...and it actually began to look good.
"Come on!" he beckoned, smiling to her and swinging her arm a little as he moved to the dance beat.
Reply
Leave a comment