The compliment, though faint and muffled from where Maxim stood, managed to evoke a small, prideful smile on his lips. It hadn't occurred to him that his art could be showcased as decoration until his best friend more or less forced him to. Notably, it might’ve never occurred to him because his apartment would mark the first time he’d gotten to know the luxury of having his own personal space.
As water dripped down his still-soaked hair, the mark it left was imperceptible against the backdrop of his slightly oversized, black shirt. His attire maintained a monochrome theme, with a red and white print adorning the back of his shirt and a tiny embroidery of a brand logo near the pocket of his sweatpants. It was a simple yet comfortable ensemble, perfectly suited to the spontaneity of the day.
The sound of a breath filled the space that was reserved for words when he opened his mouth to speak but got momentarily distracted by the tiny owl’s greeting. His eyes followed Athena’s feathered companion up until it got comfortable on her shoulder, the gentle smile of a friend of animals reflecting on his lips.
Finally, —it took him a second to regain focus—he blinked and looked back at the goddess with an indifferent shake of his head. “I’m good. I take my coffee black.”
Maxim's method of drying his hair with a towel was reckless, lacking structure or caution, resulting in random strands wildly pointing away from his head. He didn't bother adjusting the chaotic style, hanging the cloth around his neck before settling on the chair closest to him, never facing away from her.
“My mind?” the question blurted out before he ever had the chance to adjust his tone, giving away just how unexpected Athena’s statement was to him.
“Do you mean that I get to enter someone else’s dream again?” The smug grin that rose with his words matched the reputation he has earned but failed to block out the knot that tightened his stomach at the idea of guiding another nightmare.
Despite his genuine fascination with people’s oneiric encounters, his mind betrayed him with images of past consequences, sending a sharp pain to his right shoulder.
Taking a sip of his coffee, Maxim grabbed a small piece of baklava, studying it as if trying to recall whether he had tasted the delicacy before.
“My favorite place, huh?” he repeated her words as if to confirm it to himself. One spot came to mind immediately, but he hesitated to voice it, uncertain whether he wanted to give away his tiny oasis of privacy so carelessly. Maxim looked away from the dessert in his hand to look at her, his calm expression standing in direct contrast with his racing thoughts. It almost felt as if just glancing at the goddess reminded him of who he was talking to.
She was his mentor; one of the very few people on the island he trusted to not use his secrets against him.
He bit off a tiny piece of the pastry, leaving his question to linger in the air for a few more seconds while he savored the sweet taste. When he was finally done, however, he nodded tentatively before he spoke again. “There’s an old, abandoned…uh…” Maxim paused briefly, trying to translate the word out of his native language and into the one they were speaking. “…tower. I think it used to be a watchtower. It’s close to the mountains.”
To be more precise, he had found the grim-looking structure right at the cusp between the mountains and the forest they were warned not to enter alone. A dingy little structure close to the island’s borders.
Somewhere in the presumed danger of it, he found peace.
No matter how many times he’s visited his special spot, he had never encountered anyone going there or coming back from it. A perfect hideout for whenever he wanted to be by himself.
“What kind of ‘mind training’ are we talking about, though?” he raised his eyebrows, emphasizing his question before popping another piece of baklava into his mouth.
blakekathryn
theartofmadeline
turnnoffyourmind
izzy806
2087
germansingergirl
