Hercules

28  - he/him - Citius, Altius, Fortius

[kouros-herc]

It takes more than sinew, comes down to what’s in you.

Hercules Kouros 

Full Name: Hercules Georgios Kouros

Nicknames: Herc, Kouros, ‘erco (Family only)

Birthday: 26th July 1995

Nationality: British

Ethnicity: White

Height: 6′2″

Build: Muscular and toned

Hair Colour/Style: Ginger. Short on the sides, slightly longer on top

Eye Colour: Brown

Facial Hair: Clean Shaven

Accent: Working Class London (with strange Greek twangs)

Daily Jewellery: Wears a high-end Smartwatch

Magick Status: Gifted (Closeted)

Career: Owner and Manager of Olympus Gym, Personal Trainer, Fitness Instructor. 

Social Media Handles: kouros-herc (Insta) / HercAtOlympus (Twitter) / OlympusGym (Official Handles)

Lives: Southern Isles Neighbourhood (Sycamore Drive)

What Would You Find If You Googled Them: Social Media profiles. Gym Website.

What Would Locals Know About Them: Moved to Swynlake around 2011. Graduated from the school in 2013. Worked at Olympus Gym since 2012 (working his way up from maintenance staff to qualified trainer). Graduated Pride U with a degree in biology. Commonly found at social events and was a key part of the South Swynlake Homeowners In It Together initiative. Has now stepped down. Remains an active part of the Southern Isles community.

Character Sheet / Bio / Face / Inspiration 

[boointhenight]

How Far We've Come || Hercary

[boointhenight]

The whole day felt a little bit dream like in some ways. Even after she'd successfully passed her defense and her advisor had congratulated her, she hadn't been ready to believe it.

But it was here. She was in the fancy robes, she was sitting next to Dipper waiting to be called, and the Chancellor was giving a whole speech about how proud she was of the graduates. Graduates that Boo was sitting with. That Mary was sitting with. Because in a matter of moments, she would be crossing the stage to become Dr. Mary Gibbs.

As soon as her name was called and she began to cross, she could hear wild cheering from a familiar voice and had to fight back the stupidest grin. Cross the stage. Pause for the picture. Take her stand in diploma because the real one would be sent later. Sit down again.

At the end of the ceremony, there was a final round of applause and then they were let free to go to their families.

Almost instantly, a small rocket shot itself from the side into the center of the quad and straight into her arms. "CONGRATULATIONS YOU DID IT!!!" Maddie shouted at the top of her voice, surprising a laugh out of Boo as she hugged her young cousin.

@kouros-herc

[kouros-herc]

Herc grinned lazily as he saw the figure cutting out from the rest of the crowd, the fancy-pants hat setting her apart from the sea of what was mostly undergraduates. He didn't get there first, considering Mary's cousin leapt with all the speed of a greyhound straight for her.

Instead, he hung back, still clapping a little as the sea of students swirled and everyone started to make their way towards their families. He let Mary have a moment longer with hers.

"Alright, Doctor Gibbs," Herc said as he made his way over, shining with pride.

"Q and Mer will be here soon," he warned her, as he opened his arms for a congratulatory hug. "But they made sure that I filmed it, as well as the livestream so they've got a copy with me cheering in it," he chuckled.

"Well done," he said, not really knowing how else to put it into words. Mary had finally done it, after all that work and all the hours of checking and rechecking and re-rechecking her thesis. It almost seemed too small a moment to simply walk across a stage, but it had still made his heart swell.

@boointhenight

[kouros-herc]

Pass It On - Koverc

[whereforeart-thou-kovu]

"I mean--she did, ask me. Sort of. It was more...accusing than anything but...she kept thinking that I was two-timing her or something. Just because I was out with my coworkers. I dunno. I really liked her, but it was a lot, super fast. She bought this dog for us, which I didn't ask for. And she was always texting and call--"

Kovu abruptly cut himself off. He hadn't, exactly, meant to say all of that.

But no one else had been sympathetic about what had happened. His mother had reamed him for it. Nuka was bitter he'd been dragged into it, understandably. Vitani had made fun of him.

The only other person who'd actually checked in on him was June. But he couldn't talk to her for a million other reasons.

"Sorry. It's--fine, it's whatever," Kovu tried to recover, swinging his arms back and forth before catching his elbow with the other arm and pulling it across his chest in a stretch. He shrugged.

@kouros-herc

[kouros-herc]

Christ. Hercules couldn't help his eyes widening a little bit. "That sounds ... that's a lot," Hercules said slowly, his brown eyes softening. It sounded controlling, it sounded deeply unpleasant. She'd bought them a dog?! "You really weren't together that long, either, right?"

It would have been one thing, perhaps if it had all built slowly but this .... this just sounded horrible.

"For what it's worth, if you ever do need to talk to someone, you can always talk to me."

He couldn't help himself, the big heart crying out to not let someone hurt.

"But I get it if you don't want to spoil a nice evening, and all that too."

@whereforeart-thou-kovu

[copper-russell]

How soon is too soon? || Hepper

[copper-russell]

Copper had also wondered. When the idea of popping the question had first come to him, every he thought about the fact that the proposal would be before their first anniversary he had wanted to put the brakes on. Too soon! his mind had said. That isn’t how things are done!

And maybe that was true. Maybe it was far more traditional to date for a year, then move in together, then start talking about the future more concretely, and then, finally propose after another year, if not longer, even. Maybe that was what everyone expected. Maybe it’s what they should do.

But Holi had solidified everything in Copper’s mind, removing any lingering anxieties or doubts. Isabela had slotted to easily into his family, soaking up stories and traditions and rituals whilst managing to get along with everybody. Copper had realised it didn’t matter if he waited ten months or ten years to propose — Isabela belonged right there. A part of his family, and a family of their own. So really, why wait?

“I will.” Copper nodded. Hercules might come to regret that closer to the time, when Copper was sure that stage fright and nerves would begin setting in. “Thanks, Herc. I really do appreciate it. You’ll be invited to the wedding, of course. Provided she says yes.”

@kouros-herc

[kouros-herc]

"Oh, if I wasn't invited to the wedding I'd have been mortally wounded," Hercules said with an easy exaggeration of feeling, before he cracked into a grin. Given that he was friends with Isabela and with Copper, he'd have been a little disappointed! Although of course if they wanted to have a small wedding, or if they wanted to have it far away or something- he began making the excuses anyway, too chuffed for his friend to even consider being annoyed.

"Besides, I really don't think she's saying no," Hercules said, before giving Copper a friendly clap on the shoulder.

Maybe Isabela would want a long engagement, maybe she would set them goals to tick off before they actually got married but ... something, some little glowing feeling of certainty, told him that she wouldn't say no.

Probably the way she laughed with Copper, the way she seemed less self-conscious, more real.

"I mean, unless you were to ask her in some horrible, super tacky way or something," Herc chuckled. "But I'm going to assume that you'll do better than that."

@copper-russell

[crickey-itsjake]

So You Want to Fall In Love with a Mermaid || Herc & Jake

[crickey-itsjake]

The Australian nodded along, listening to the group. Maximus was cool, he always liked the people on the force. Copper was obviously someone he hung out around nowadays with Isa and Alana being mates so it's not like that wouldn't be in his benefit to get to know the guy. Perry was a wild card but could be interesting.

Jake winced with a sharp inhale dramatically, "Yeah... don't want to face off on Q, I'm sure she's got something to charge at me for." He did not need to complicate their sibling dynamic thank you.

Plus, despite him having made amends (sort of, unofficially with time) with Phillip Knightley for a moment of insanity many years ago, he wouldn't be mad at the chance of beating him or mistakenly kicking a ball in his direction on the opposition.

"I mean, I think that'd be great." He genuinely looked a bit excited about the prospect. "Thanks, Herc. Just let me know when."

@kouros-herc

[kouros-herc]

Herc grinned a little at the way Jake responded; the very appropriate level of fear and respect for his best mate. He'd seen all too well how scary Q's defence could be and that was without any sort of score to settle with the individual. "Alright, I'll send you some details later," Herc said with a small flush of pride.

He felt as if he was doing well at this, if he could report this to Arista by the end of the night it would seem as though he was getting along great with her family.

It was nice to have someone else though who got it. Who understood the weird challenges and dynamics of dating a Triton, especially now that Herc was in the know.

"So are you more or a music guy, or a film guy?" Herc asked, taking that as a good moment to change the subject and try and see what else he could find out about what his new potential friend.

@crickey-itsjake

[pall0r-mortis]

Cause and Effect || Hid

[pall0r-mortis]

"Does it seem like my charming personality leads to a lot of friendships?" Deadpan, yes, and he didn't seem too bothered about it on the surface; distance was an unfortunate necessity in his life for a multitude of reasons. Hercules kept rattling off ideas and Sid humored him because the man was clearly not going to stop. "Yeah, I have a roommate but I'm never in the dorms so I doubt he'd be that concerned."

To be fair Nate wasn't a bad guy, they just didn't know each other well and existed in the same space when needed because of classes.

"I live on the same street as you," Sid informed Hercules, because he found it funny the man appeared to have no idea. He knew everyone who lived in the neighborhood by sight, although not always by name, but that was because he got paranoid not being aware of his surroundings.

"My boyfriend is definitely busy in the studio right now so that's out too." That arrangement did not include rescue missions, but he knew if he did mention it to Jesse he would have shown up anyway; the bigger problem was he would have been anxious and just as insistent about the hospital idea so Sid shook his head, "he doesn't know about this sort of thing; he gets stressed out."

None of that was bound to make things easier, but it would leave him with questions he couldn't fully explain to Jesse and he didn't feel so great about that lately.

Hercules continued and Sid assumed it was the same advice he offered as a blanket fix to problems that came up in the gym but it wasn't like he could expect him to have a medical degree behind him, and even if he had it might not have even been helpful in his case.

"I do most of those things; rest is debatable." But who did that in their twenties anyway? He almost shrugged the entire conversation but the thought nagged at him that he was missing something if it wasn't resolving much.

"I'm not sure what isn't working."

@kouros-herc

[kouros-herc]

Well Hercules would have liked to think that this sunny disposition of Sid's was perhaps limited to Hercules who was irritating and pushed and prodded and all that, but perhaps Sid really was just that prickly. It made Herc feel sad.

"Well something isn't working, is it?" Herc sighed eventually. He rubbed his forehead, trying to ease away the worried frown that was becoming a stubborn fixture when it came to dealing with Sid. "So just, take some time to try and see. But all that matters right now is that you walk out of here in one piece and you feel better," he added again.

Herc slid down against the wall opposite, still keeping his eyes fixed on Sid.

"Is the cooling helping?" He asked, nodding with his head at the packs, and idly wishing that he had one himself to distract from the responsibility of it all.

@pall0r-mortis

[uffdah-riley]

Core Curriculum || Herley

[uffdah-riley]

Riley nodded, trying really hard to let everything sink in the way it should. It appeared they'd thrown Herc off with their comments, hearing the hesitation in his voice. "I guess I just mean, some people expect you to only focus on the physical stuff and not the emotional parts but you do both." They shrugged, not wanting to make it into a huge ordeal.

"In some of my classes at Pride U, I feel like they focused a bit too much on the science of the how rather than some of that bedside manner-type stuff. It felt so... clinical. I wanted to be a personal trainer, that's what I was focusing on, but I think that part just took me out of it."

Riley rubbed their arm nervously, glancing down at the schedule on their desk. They'd been working at writing down all of their things in the planner but it sometimes still made their head spin. They'd never been great at this stuff but it only felt less achievable since their breakdown.

"I just like your outlook on it, Herc."

@kouros-herc

[kouros-herc]

"Oh, sometimes the hardest bit is dealing with the people who only want the physical stuff," Hercules chuckled. "Some clients really, really, don't want you to get to know them, but it is just part of the job."

Nobody could have that training partnership and not come to know somebody, at least in some limited capacity.

Riley didn't often admit that they wanted to be a trainer, that this awkward job at the reception was - Herc hoped - a stepping stone in the right direction and not a destination in itself. "And to be honest, the inter-personal stuff comes with time. I still make plenty of mistakes," he confessed with a shrug. "You don't always read things right and that's ok. But I didn't really learn any of that through university or anything, I learned all of that in the gym."

He hadn't even studied to do that, he'd studied biology straight up, he'd just been lucky that Daniel had seen something in him.

"Getting the chance to practice is important, you know?" He added, playing a little with his pen as he wondered...

@uffdah-riley

[bachanaliaa]

work it out || herculo

[bachanaliaa]

@kouros-herc

It wasn't that it felt odd because it was explosive – the kind of frenetic energy that filled someone and left them in a rush. No, Angelo knew that feeling, when he shifted into his goatskin: when the itching became unbearable and he simply had to go.

No. It wasn't that. It was different. The kind of different that hit like adrenaline, but fell flat. The kind thag hit a high, but only barely.

Angelo couldn't describe it. He didn't think he would be able to find the middle ground.

So, he nods and grins a bit and says, "Yeah. 'S weird, alright," because it was. He just didn't know what kind.

When Hercules corrects him, says it's a good start, Angelo's grin grows by a fraction. It was nice, in a way, to hear it. So, when he's offered the chance to throw again, he nods.

"Should I leave that where it is or –?"

[kouros-herc]

"Nah, I'll go and grab it," Hercules answered, before half-jogging, half-striding his way over to the shot where it had nestled into the short grass and picking it up in one hand. There was no sense letting it get damaged if by some chance Angelo managed to land another in the same spot.

"Did that weight feel good?" He asked on his way back. "There are different ones, so you can practice for different skills in training. We can go lighter, if you'd like? Or heavier if you felt like that wasn't enough of a challenge."

Technically he ought to leave Angelo with what he had for now to adjust, but Herc really wasn't worrying about some sort of long-term training programme, not right now. This was just about trying to let the man have a go at something he'd been shut out of before.

@bachanaliaa

[kouros-herc]

Pass It On - Koverc

[whereforeart-thou-kovu]

Hook, line, and sinker, Kovu thought sardonically.

He knew it was a good thing, that Hercules seemed to have bought his own victimhood so easily. Hercules had a lot of sway in town, a prominent business owner, overall...nice guy.

He was the exact kind of person that Kovu needed in his corner, combating any gossip about how it had been Kovu's fault. That he was a liar and a cheater...

"I just hope she's okay and getting the help she needs," Kovu said, trying to effuse as much kindness as he could into his voice. "I should've seen the signs before that...but I've not really had many relationships before so...I dunno. Guess it just got out of hand." He shook his head, not above using his age as a shield of ignorance.

(Though, really, he did feel like his age had had something to do with it. Because he hadn't known what to do with Lottie...but he didn't want to admit that to himself. Kovu liked having control.)

@kouros-herc

[kouros-herc]

"Hey, hey-" Hercules said, soothingly. "You can't blame yourself, ok? You can't go 'round living in some kind of box because you're worried about how someone will take it. Now, obviously Lottie has a lot of stuff to work through, but if she was worried, she should have asked you about it," he said, trying to make sure Kovu didn't blame himself too much.

Now he just felt sorry for the young man, trying his best.

"Besides, we all make mistakes in relationships, right? They aren't easy."

@whereforeart-thou-kovu

[crickey-itsjake]

So You Want to Fall In Love with a Mermaid || Herc & Jake

[crickey-itsjake]

Jake wasn't really much of a blokey bloke in a sports sense. He did his runs and his climbs and got a gym session in. He wasn't built to be bulky like that, he needed to be agile to dodge and chase after the gryphons and whatever other creatures were around.

The Australian's eyebrows rose as he took another sip of his beer, "Oh yeah? I mean, I'd be keen to check it out, I reckon. I've heard about some of the leagues over the years but I never really knew anyone in 'em."

He needed to probably get himself out there again. He'd settled in with Chief as a mate and unfortunately, his pursuit of other friendships had kind of dwindled down.

@kouros-herc

[kouros-herc]

"Ah they're a pretty good bunch," Hercules said jovially. He had spent so much of his sporting career alone, it felt good sometimes to have that community around you.

And part of him couldn't help but think that, well, especially for some of the guys, it was a nice chance for them to hang out with other men.

"We've got Maximus, Copper, even ol' Perry comes along and gives it a go. And the Phil and Winston play in the other team, so it doesn't just have to be my team," he pointed out with a wry smile. "So it's always fun - although I have to warn you that if you joined the opposition, Q would probably take it as a deadly insult and start gunning for your ankles."

Herc chuckled.

"But no pressure, it's just if you ever fancied getting back into that sort of thing."

@crickey-itsjake

[kouros-herc]

Pass It On - Koverc

[whereforeart-thou-kovu]

A break up.

That was--what it was, but it felt like so much more than that. Kovu still tossed and turned at night, wondering what the hell had happened. Where the switch had flipped. What he had done to cause it. And he thought about June too. Worried about her, just as much as he had about Lottie.

She'd been attacked because of him.

And now she was being surveilled by one of the most dangerous criminal networks in the UK. Because of him. He also knew that she had a penchant for pissing people off that meant she wasn't going to just leave well enough alone about it all.

That was why he liked football. He could come out here and knock some shit around and burn off his frustration.

Couldn't say any of that, though. They were in PR crisis management mode. And it was difficult, because Kovu knew how a man sounded...complaining about being the victim. Calling a woman crazy. He knew that it wasn't a good look. But...it was also the truth, wasn't it? (He wasn't sure.)

"Yeah." Kovu sighed and it was real. "Lottie--thought that I was cheating, but really, I wasn't. June and I are just friends but I guess she set cameras up and tried to...get evidence. I dunno. It was very messy. I feel bad, though, she's a sweet girl."

All of that was not exactly a lie, but it wasn't necessarily the truth either. A line that Kovu had always had a talent of walking.

@kouros-herc

[kouros-herc]

Hercules couldn't help but wince at Kovu explained the situation. So that was the drama, right? Lottie had thought Kovu was doing her dirty? Exploded about it all and now- he felt a twinge of sympathy; for Lottie who had felt so heart-broken, for June who was having her reputation questioned ... and for Kovu, who didn't deserve any of this.

"I'm so sorry man," Herc sighed. "That's not ok that she put you in that position, I mean, cameras?" He shook his head, still amazed that anyone could think to do something like that.

He also felt a surge of gratitude for that fact that Arista had never once felt threatened by his friends.

"That must've been horrible," he added, knowing it was limp. "How are you feeling about it all... I mean, just, gotta be a bit of a weight?"

@whereforeart-thou-kovu

[kouros-herc]

The Song of the Siren - Hercista

[arista-the-musical]

-

Arista could look up at him like this for hours it would seem. The glow of the lights and the fire lighting him, making his hair more orangey, his jaw and cheek bones more defined, and his eyes sparkle down at her as he hovered over her.

It was only a moment tonight though. His mouth set to work kissing at her jaw and neck, causing goosebumps to appear across her skin. A breathy giggle caught in her throat a bit as he mischievously moved lower. She knew the outcome, of course, if she knew anything about her boyfriend.

Her hand slipped into his hair, unruly from the sea water already. She hummed in appreciation, "You always make me feel so good." She murmured, her hand sliding from his hair and along his cheek and jaw. She looked down her body at him, eyes a little more clouded with lust, but all the same as warm as the fire next to them.

@kouros-herc

[kouros-herc]

"I do my best," Hercules grinned up at her, the firelight catching in his brown eyes for a moment. Every failed situationship and every hook-up was worth it if it meant it had given him the skills to make her smile. He kissed her chest again, down the middle of her sternum as he smirked against her skin. She knew him too well.

He shifted back, lowering himself further until he could kiss the line of her hip down from her side. Resting himself on the floor, Hercules guided himself between her legs, and rested his hands on the sides of her thighs.

For a moment he couldn't help but look up at Ris adoringly, the feel of her hand tangling in his still damp hair, a sure sign of things to come as he kissed her stomach lightly. "You're beautiful, you know that?" He asked her softly, before he kissed her again.

He hoped she knew. He certainly told her enough.

After that, Hercules lowered his head, kissing between her thighs and sucking slowly at the skin, that felt warm to the touch now, before he gave her what she really wanted.

@arista-the-musical

[moon-yeongjun]

Friendly Advice || Jerc

[kouros-herc]

Jun said that with the sort of confidence that made Hercules completely and utterly believe him. It was not hard to, really, considering that Jun had opened up a new part of his business that was selling food. He could hardly do that if he didn't have some sort of vision.

"Well, yeah, maybe that's for the best," Herc grinned ruefully. "I can bring the nutritional advice, and you can make sure that it'll taste delicious."

That was sensible, right? That felt exciting? Something he hadn't expected at all before he walked into the conversation.

@moon-yeongjun

[moon-yeongjun]

Jun also hadn't expected this sort of thing from this conversation, but he also wasn't surprised. This was the kind of thing one should expect, being part of the Small Business Owners Coalition! It was a fruitful place to brainstorm and support one another-- the true purpose of his organization.

Jun beamed. "Precisely. Well! Let me look on my calendar. We can set up a date to talk through this idea more and start putting together some recipes."

@kouros-herc

[copper-russell]

How soon is too soon? || Hepper

[copper-russell]

That was the big question, wasn't it? It was one thing to have the ring, it was another thing entirely to present it to Isabela. He had heard about the first time she had been proposed to, so he knew Gusteau's was out of the running -- not that it was ever in the running, really.

Proposing quietly over dinner didn't really seem like the most Isabela thing in the world. Copper knew that whilst she would probably deny it, she liked a bit of drama, especially if it was good drama. Like, y'know, a proposal. He thought she might want something a little bit more... well, not flashy, but certainly not subtle.

And for Copper's part, he couldn't care less. The only thing he really wanted for his proposal, other than for Isabela to say yes, was for her to be happy. For it to be how she had imagined it, because he was sure she had, even if she had never told him about it.

"Yeah." He said with a breath, taking the ring back. He held the box tightly, just as he had before, as if it might scurry away if he gave it any wiggle room. "But I haven't come to any conclusions yet." Copper managed to smile at that, adding, "It'll be our one year anniversary on the 21st of June, and prom's coming up-- I don't know. I'll figure it out. I don't really have a choice."

@kouros-herc

[kouros-herc]

There was some tiny little part of Hercules that heard Copper talking about how it was only their first anniversary, and wanted to question it. Wasn't that too soon? Wasn't that kind of crazy? And yet ... hadn't he just said that given Copper had clearly loved Isabela for so much longer than that, was it truly so insane?

"I mean, I reckon that you'll knock it out of the park, ok?" Hercules reassured him.

"It's like... it's like anything with relationships, you know? It'll be perfect because it'll be yours."

Maybe Copper's proposal wouldn't look like Clayton's had done, but Copper's would be based in something so much more true, so much more loving that truly saw Isabela and made her feel seen. "I mean, I guess if you're feeling like that, then there's nothing else for it, right?" Herc chuckled, giving Copp a friendly nudge in the shoulder.

"You'll let us know if you need anything, right?" He wasn't about to send his friend off to deal with this huge thing alone!

@copper-russell

[kouros-herc]

Pass It On - Koverc

[whereforeart-thou-kovu]

How was his winter?

Well, everyone in town probably knew how it had ended.

Which was embarrassing. And not the plan. Kovu was a private sort of person. His whole life, his image and his movements had been carefully calculated and controlled. He rarely, if ever, misstepped. He played it safe. He didn't take risks.

And now, the first time he was really set free, he'd fucked it up, like a newborn colt who didn't have his legs.

His first instinct was to glance over the obvious prying. Hercules clearly wanted more gossip. Or genuinely cared. (Kovu wasn't so sure about that, most people he knew were not so earnest. But...Swynlake was proving frustratingly different.)

What Kovu knew he needed was--sympathy.

So, he sighed a little. Shrugged. Looked over Hercules' shoulder to the middle distance for a moment before looking back at the other man.

"It was--good, y'know, until it wasn't. I'm sure you...heard...about my girlfriend. It really sucks, she was so lovely and then...all the sudden." His brows furrowed and there was a slip of true emotion. After all--

It was so sudden. And it did really suck. And she was so lovely.

@kouros-herc

[kouros-herc]

"Well, I heard you'd had a break-up," Hercules confessed, although that was putting it relatively mildly. But... wasn't it right to give Kovu a chance to explain as much or as little as he wanted, in his own terms?

"I'm sorry. Break-ups are always pretty shit. And uh, I'm guessing from that that it was kind of, messy?" He asked, eyebrows scrunching up a little as he looked at the other man quizzically.

@whereforeart-thou-kovu

[pall0r-mortis]

Cause and Effect || Hid

[pall0r-mortis]

"Great question; unfortunately the answer is nobody." Sid muttered, the dull throb continued inside his skull but at a more tolerable level, the numbness in his fingertips had dulled to only a faint tingle and he could breathe, or at least without feeling like his chest was tightening more than releasing.

Which meant that instinctual abrasiveness kept clawing to the front, wanting to keep everyone at a distance.

"My father wouldn't exactly bother even if he wasn't busy being comatose right now," the bitterness felt still cathartic, even if it was useless beyond taking another shot at how much he loathed that man.

He could do that all he wanted from a distance; a very far one where he wouldn't have to deal with the repercussions of Paul finding out. And sometimes it was deeply satisfying, since the man was the source of the problem in the first place.

Sid coughed, lifting the damp towel back to his face until the stinging in his throat passed; he was exhausted and too drained for that adverse reaction to keep much hold at that point.

He was still so uncomfortably too warm though.

"Not much controlling it; I do magic, it flares up," he shrugged, feeling his shoulder pop with the gesture, "the answer is not...don't do magic, before you suggest that; I haven't in days and it just happens worse, apparently."

Although right then he just wanted to sleep the rest of the day, even though he couldn't.

"I go home, sleep a while and go to work," Sid set the towel aside, as though this was simply the way things worked, the normality.

@kouros-herc

[kouros-herc]

"Not any friends?" Hercules pointed out gently. "A room mate or something?" Sid was at University right, did he live in the dorms? Hercules couldn't remember, but he knew that there was a chance that there was someone that would mean he could see Sid leaving in someone else's care rather than doggedly wandering off and just stubbornly assuming it would be ok.

He ... wasn't sure why Sid would have been using magic in the gym, at all, and was ready to say so when the young man cut across him.

"Can you-" He started, before biting himself off with a small sigh. He didn't know enough about this sort of magic, not enough at all. All he knew was the way that his muscles ached and twitched if he never did any exercise, and made him that bit more likely to crush things between his finegrs.

"Well... ok. It sounds like something you're working on," Herc sighed. "I wish I could help, but... that kind of magic is just way outta my wheelhouse. But I think you had better make sure you take it extra easy for a few days, ok? Eat plenty, rest plenty, and drink lots of water."

That might not fix the root cause, but it might give him long enough to work on it at least.

@pall0r-mortis

[menodoramoon]

lunch is on me || mene

[menodoramoon]

Menodora looked up at Hercules, her expression some melding of sympathetic and helpless. She doesn't know how she could possibly make this better for him. Just earlier, she'd cheerfully barged into his establishment to invite him for lunch.

Her intention was to find out what he wanted as a gift, to say thank you. Maybe to say goodbye.

This is not how Menodora wanted this interaction to go.

Hercules retracted his hands, staving off tears. Guilt resonates between Menodora's ribs.

"It's 'see you later,'" Menodora assures, with no idea whether or not it was a lie. "You're not rid of me, yet, Hercules."

She reaches into her bag and passes him a light blue, embroided handkerchief.

"Only if you'd like," she says, softly. "But, Hercules..."

She starts, though realizes she doesn't know what she means to say. Menodora wishes she could sip on her drink right now, but it was empty. She taps her fingers together in a rhythm. A self-soothing tendency she wishes she'd outgrow.

"I'll send you so many postcards of my adventures, it's like I'd never left. You'll be inundated with verbose musings about something as mundane as the weather." She smiles then, brighter than it had been. Yes, that is the better future. "You'll have so many words from me, it'll be like I never left."

@kouros-herc

[kouros-herc]

"I hope so," Hercules agreed. He could promise her that - he couldn't promise what would meet her when she went back to Mjaunie, but he could promise her that he hoped she would life a long and happy life from here. Should he tell her?

Herc's fingers itched and and twitched a little, as he tried to play it off as though he had only been reaching towards his cup to take a sip of the smoothie.

Should he tell her that he could fight her way out of there, probably? Shouldn't he at least offer her a way out of this thing that it seemed to painfully as though she had resigned herself to?

"Well, if you make sure you leave some forwarding addresses, then I can always write back. Let you know what's happening in Swynlake so that you're all caught up for when you come back for visits."

That was the version of the future he wanted to see. The one where another friend drifted away, maybe, but with the hope of returning one day.

@menodoramoon