a new leaf

Nikhil Vara ; 30 ; Icaria's Galen Insurance branch Principal

[nikhilvara]

maristela​:

Mari nodded, completely unfazed by the idea of Nikhil stamping the stamps just because of the way they felt. “That makes sense! Would you be open to someone else using them, sometimes? Um, that someone being me - it might be fun to stamp or emboss stuff for my art sometimes, if that’d be alright with you?” she asked. “It’s completely fine if you’re not comfortable with that though! I’m totally cool with them being display only for me; I know they’re really important to you.” She didn’t want him to think that he needed to avoid putting them out in the main room to keep her from using them.

Nikhil hesitated. His stamps were a treasure, but they were functional. And he really did like to help other people if he trusted that it would be okay... “As long as I’m in the same room and you ask me first, it should be okay for you to use them. Do please be careful. I am curious what you would do with them, however. They have highly specific designs.” There was no artistic purpose that Nikhil could think of for an embossed stamp for a company that no longer existed. “Only you, though. I trust that you would take care of them.”

[nikhilvara]

elsakingsley​:

❛ Maybe. But I’ll gain a bit more confidence if I at the least win this competition.❜ She says sheepishly, focusing on the guy right in front of him, crossing her arms across her own chest. ❛ So, you’re one of these lucky guys, who works in your dream job? ❜ She smirks, taking a small sip from her tea. ❛ Is there any object that perhaps, caught your eyes? Like you don’t want to sell it? ❜ She asked him curiously.

“If you ever need a study partner for any reason, do please let me know. I’m happy to help,” Nikhil said genuinely. It helped that this was about maths, which he actually was good at and liked. “I wouldn’t say it’s a dream job, but it’s a job that’s comfortable. I think that’s the best that you can hope for. Being employed in your passion, I’ve heard, can make you lose passion for it.” Nikhil, constantly having writers’ block, was sure that it was a good thing that he was not a writer by trade. “There’s always beautiful items up for sale. Because they’re auctions, they’re fleeting in our opportunity to see them available.”

[nikhilvara]

maristela​:

Mari wasn’t the best at understanding other people and their emotions, but it was clear from the smile on Nikhil’s face that she’d been right to encourage this interest of his. The office supplies he brought out were admittedly much cooler-looking than she’d anticipated, which was a plus - but she couldn’t help but think that they would look really cool as components in a sculpture. It seemed like a bad idea to mention that to Nikhil, though. “Oh, that’s fun!” she said of the embosser, taking a closer look at the device. “If the company doesn’t exist anymore, then does that mean you can use it for other things? Oh, or the stamps! Would you use them if there was a situation where you could, like for art or something, or are they just for the viewing experience these days?” She wanted to ask about maybe using them herself, but based on how important the things seemed to him she figured she’d better start with asking if he was alright with them being used at all.

“I never use the embosser, but I suppose it’s technically functional. As for the date stamps... they’re unusable to me for anything practical. The series of dates that they cover was around two or three decades ago. After that, I imagine most people would just throw them out, but I think I still like to look at them. Occasionally stamp with them because they have a nice feel. But no real purpose, no.” Nikhil was rambling on about absolutely nothing like he was Chloe or something. If he did not feel so comfortable in this moment, he would have been a lot more nervous. But he felt like Mari would not judge him in a way that would hurt for all of this. For goodness’ sake, Mari was an eccentric artist that ate enough salt to make him panic just thinking about it. What did he have to lose if he smiled once in a while here?

[nikhilvara]

maristela​:

“Yeah, it takes forever to get everything set up to get packed into one of those trucks,” Mari complained, shuddering at the thought of it. She’d gotten pretty good at packing light, but it still wasn’t a task for the faint of heart. “Trust me, it’s better this way. Especially since no one’s running up against the end of a lease.” There had been more than one occasion where she and her dad had stayed in their old place right up until the very last minute to get everything packed and cleaned up in time, and it wasn’t an experience she cared to repeat. “Definitely! Go for it,” she encouraged, eager to see the items Nikhil had for the main living area. If he cared enough about it to go from bringing the décor up for the first time to offering to show it to her in the span of one conversation, she was pretty sure that meant it was really important to him, and she figured it was best to encourage that kind of enthusiasm.

Very, very excited about the prospect of getting to show off some of his favorite things, Nikhil rushed into the bedroom to collect some of his favorites. There were some that had practical use- for supplies storage mostly- and others just made him so happy to look at. Those would be what he showed off. With one of the easiest smiles that he had made in recent memory, Nikhil returned to the living room with a few items in tow. “This is an embosser. I imagine you have seen some modern ones, but this one stamps a company that has since gone under’s logo. And this... this is actually a stapler, but I do not have any staples that fit into it. And these- these are stamps. The dates are quite far in the past, though, so they can only provide good decoration and satisfying stamping experience.” He held up each item on the tray as he spoke about it, much more animated than he had ever been in conversation with Mari.

[nikhilvara]

elsakingsley​:

Elsa shook her head. ❛ No, I never had the courage to do that. ❜ At home her aunties were very supportive and wanted to her give a try in doing it. But living alone, she is learning how to trust a bit more on herself. ❛ Thank you! ❜ She smiled sheepishly. ❛ Ahhh, no. I don’t know much about antiques objects or whatever if it’s your question, but I find it fascinating. ❜ The German took a small sip from her tea. ❛  If it is the way they show in the movies, so I get the hint of it. ❜

“Well, you’re doing it now. Exciting. Will you be able to do something like this more times than just now?” With a smile that Nikhil hoped seemed supportive, he felt a pang of feelings. It was empathy in this case, as he also had trouble finding courage to do te things he liked. “Oh, that’s okay. I don’t know all that much about antiques myself. There are so many different kinds of objects being sold. Trying to have much breadth of knowledge is impossible, but a nice sort of dream.” It had actually occurred to Nikhil to go into antiques before, but he worried about hating something that gave him so much joy. Insurance and math were at least inescapable. 

[nikhilvara]

maristela​:

“That sounds good!” Mari was glad that Nikhil seemed excited. She’d found that he wasn’t really someone who got excited about things generally, so it was nice to see him happy about something - especially when it meant that she wasn’t just going to have to blindly guess at what kinds of décor he might like. As happy as Mari would be under other circumstances to decorate a place all on her own, it was important to her that her roommate felt like he belonged in the space too, which would be a lot easier if he had a say in what it looked like. “Yeah, moving’s a pain,” Mari agreed, pulling a face at the thought. “I’ve moved a whole bunch of times, and I don’t think it ever really gets easier. But, at least this is a short range move! I think that probably makes the process take longer, but it’s a lot less stressful than needing to get everything packed up and moved all at once, y’know?”

Nikhil was sympathetic to Mari needing to move so many times in her life, but he did not entirely understand it. Also he did not want to ask too many questions about why she had been moving. All of the reasons that he could think of sounded deep and personal, which made for an uncomfortable potential segue of conversation. “Possibly. I suppose if Chloe had put everything in one big truck and drove away with it all, we wouldn’t be in this state of half-home, but it does seem like a lot of work to get to that point... I’m going to go get the decor I wanted you to look at now, if that is acceptable to you.” He was secretly overflowing with enthusiasm about the prospect of talking about his favorite things.

[nikhilvara]

maristela​:

“Sure!” Mari agreed brightly - not because she personally was excited about office supplies, but because she knew Nikhil well enough by now to know that if he was offering something like this, then it was something that was important to him. And besides, it wasn’t like seeing the supplies now was unhelpful - quite the contrary in fact. “Once I’ve seen some of them, we can decide which ones would go well in the main room! Some of them might even go well with pieces I have in storage,” she mused. “I’m sure Chloe would appreciate the extra hand!” she added, maybe a little too much added cheer to cover for the fact that despite how little sense it made for all three of them to live together, she was going to miss living with Chloe.

As Nikhil had generally not felt supported in his decisions for the greater part of his life, he felt heartened here. It was difficult for him to say whether his father appreciated any of what he cared about, but he had been worried after ambivalence at best. He would rather someone openly admit that they did not like the same things that he did without making it feel personal. But he wasn’t used to that at all. Having friends(?) was such a strange experience. “Oh, that would be interesting. I’m not sure how well they would pair together- particularly because I am not very familiar with your body of work yet, but some of the metals would perhaps coordinate well. I can bring some of those out of the bedroom very soon.” Nikhil’s tone was hopeful. He was sure Mari would not be as excited about his things as he was, but she was such an optimistic person that he had some hope that what he liked would not be shot down horribly. “Yes. I have not moved a lot of times in my life, but I don’t think I like this process. It seems stressful and neverending.”

[nikhilvara]

maristela​:

Mari nodded, pleased that Nikhil seemed to understand where she was coming from with the futon situation. This was part of why she thought he was a good roommate - he wasn’t quick to dismiss her suggestions, and actually seemed to like a lot of them. The fact that he liked the ocean was a plus, too. “Oh! Um, we can make space for your office supplies, for sure,” Mari agreed. She wasn’t really sure if office supplies counted as decoration, but she wasn’t against having them out in the open, either. Maybe if they were arranged in a fun way it’d be more fun? Yeah, that seemed right. “Sounds great! We can make a trip to the storage unit soon - there’s a few things there that’re in progress for a client, but most of it’s up for grabs! Once we’ve got some pieces and seashells and your office supplies out, we can figure out if there’s anything else we should be getting?”

“I can show you some of them today, if you like,” Nikhil said, playing it cool so that he wouldn’t seem too excited about the idea. Except he totally sounded more excited than he usually did because this was a step above weary near-monotone. He wasn’t the kind of guy who thought thrift shops and vintage stores were a pastime. He was more interested in scouring auction websites (eBay was perfect) for beautiful vintage desk pieces. He didn’t buy most of them, but kept some of his favorite pieces in the bedroom. Mari didn’t visit him in there very often, which he liked. “Wonderful. I think that sounds like an excellent plan. We can go by sometime in the next few days. Perhaps I’ll help Chloe get more of her things out of here faster so that can happen.”

[nikhilvara]

myhearthealing​:

“All right, suit yourself,” she shrugged. “When people start to avoid me because they can’t understand me, think about how I could have let you in on the ground floor,” Fae raised her eyebrows. His sister sounded interesting, at the very least. “I’m fairly certain owning a wallaby is illegal, so maybe she’s just doing you a favor by not letting you consort with her.” It was a theory anyway, and a bad one. “I guess godly siblings can’t all be winners,” she said in a more serious tone. “And also gods themselves, for that matter. Maybe it’s just our human emotions,” she agreed with Nikhil. “It all get’s in the way of having a good time. Doing godly things.”

“Unsure if I’m winning or losing with that logic, but good luck with your speech endeavors.” Nikhil shrugged, and wondered if he should have familiarized himself with the laws of Greece and exotic pets. There were a lot of laws to learn and deal with, and he had only expected to need to know much about insurance regulation. This would take some work to rectify- possibly a lot of work. “Perhaps she’s just very young and doesn’t want to know her boring older brother. Which is fair.” He was aware of his reputation of being a drip, which he found relatively convenient. “Ah, I’ve always wondered how our parents feel emotions. But I also don’t want to know... Enough to have this many children, I suppose.”

[nikhilvara]

maristela​:

“Okay, thanks!” Mari was excited about the closet, but an actual bed? Somehow, the thought hadn’t actually occurred to Mari. “Um, maybe? I don’t know though, the futon’s pretty comfy. Maybe if Chloe decides she wants to take it with her?” She wasn’t sure how much Noelle had a guest bed or anything like that at her place, so she didn’t know if there would even be a potential use for the futon over there. There hadn’t been any mention of needing to get a replacement for the futon though, so they were probably in the clear. “We might just need some new decor? Like, it might look a little bare here once Chloe’s taken all her candles with her. I have some seashells and art and stuff I can put there instead, but is there anything you’d want to put out?”

“That makes sense. I don’t know where we would put the futon if you did get a bed. That would be wasteful” Nikhil said, thinking about how if he was in manufacturing, then he would be more averse to waste. Perhaps Mari’s outlook on life was not so dissimilar to those principles. This was an interesting thought that he would have to save for later for a future discussion if he ran out of topics but for some reason craved conversation. “Ah, I have a few odds and ends that might be nice to fill some space. I don’t know how nice you think supplies intended for the office would fit with your aesthetic, but a nautically decorated area does sound nice. We can look through the art you have together if you would at least like my opinion on what might look best where before we put it up. I could suggest some more decoration ideas that I like if I know that we would need to fill the space.”

[nikhilvara]

elsakingsley​:

     Elsa choose a table for them to sit, and she put her bag on the empty chair besides her. ❛ I’m participating in a Math competition. So, I’m solving some equations, for practice. Therefore, I’m excited. ❜ She said with a small smile. ❛ What do you like to do? ❜

“A mathematics competition! That’s excellent. Have you done one of these before? Best of luck,” Nikhil enthused, way more excited about the topic than he probably would have been for anything else. There was something so satisfying about maths. “Oh, I am very into my work. Insurance. I’m also interested in auctions. For fun- not purchasing. Seeing what gets purchased for how much. Do you know much of art and antiques?”

[nikhilvara]

maristela​:

-

“That’s great! I totally agree,” Mari enthused. Maybe she was a little motivated by the fact that him seeing his business through meant him sticking around longer, but she still would have thought it was a good call even without that extra incentive. “Oh, you’re right! I hasn’t thought about the closet,” she admitted. She’d miss it being a craft closet, but the idea of having a closet to put some of her things in did seem nice. “If you’re sure, that sounds great! Let’s see… what else should we be figuring out?” She hummed, tapping her chin. “Oh! So I know we’ve got furniture pretty much covered since Noelle’ll be getting rid of stuff to make room for what Chloe’s bringing, but is there anything not covered by that that you think we need? Preferably not something new, that seems wasteful - but from the thrift shop or something?”

“The closet can be yours. I’m sure.” Conceding to this felt like an important gesture. Nikhil found it much easier to negotiate with Mari than other people. She didn’t seem to want for much. “My needs are fairly straightforward. Bed, nightstand, dining table, and four chairs. As long as I have those things, then I will be in good shape. And I believe we may be able to acquire all of those easily. We shall see what Noelle and Chloe will be parting with, however. What is on your list? Do you want an actual bed? Or perhaps a mattress? Those could be purchased anew... or used.” Mari seemed rather averse to purchasing new products. She was a difficult customer from a sales perspective. Luckily, Nikhil was not involved in the sales of goods, so he could work around her purchasing eccentricities easily.

[nikhilvara]

absentialucis​:

Taking a seat next to the man, Benji allowed himself to relax as he sat his cane to lean next to him. The sea was always so calming to the Poseidon son, feeling like home when he felt lost to the world. That was what he felt like constantly these days: lost. He didn’t want to interrupt the man’s thoughts as he watched the ocean, perfectly content to sit in silence as they watched the water. It wasn’t until he spoke up that Benji turned to regard him. “I feel as though it’s been a long year,” he spoke quietly, thinking back to everything that had been happening to him. He didn’t even know what was going on with the island. Everyone seemed angry at one point at the Nyx children and then backing them the next. Honestly, he didn’t have a horse in this race. The only person that had been kidnapped that meant anything to Benji was his older brother who he barely knew. “What seems to have you seeking out guidance from the ocean?” His curiosity getting the better of him.

Nikhil could not say that his year had been any longer overall. For him, it had been a long six months. Everything else had been blurry but normal. He frowned slightly more than usual to express his sympathies about the year. “That’s no good.” What was he supposed to do? Ask questions that sounded like he shouldn’t go poking into them? Everybody had their own problems that he really need to stay the hell out of. “Nothing new brings me here. I’ve never lived this close to the sea before. Take a long walk, and it’s right there. There’s something about the ocean that makes the world feel a little brighter when I see it. I don’t know why- my mum isn’t an ocean goddess or anything- but it always helps. Is it the year that brings you out here or just one bad incident?” He cared, sure, but asking too many questions made him so uncomfortable. Either people overshared (uncomfortable for everyone) or they didn’t like questions. That was Nikhil’s experience.

[nikhilvara]

myhearthealing​:

“This works for me. You know, I thought it was about time we evolved the English language on our terms for once. Next, we can start reverting back to how they talked in the Canterbury Tales and freak everyone out.” This sounded like a plan to Fae. “What? Who wouldn’t want to meet you? Give me a name, I’ll go talk some sense,” she narrowed her eyebrows. She couldn’t exactly understand living on a demigod island and not wanting to meet her siblings. What other purpose was the island for? Definitely not for a safe haven… “That’s true though. What you said about the gods. I don’t exactly understand the not wanting to have a proper relationship with your child. Then again,” maybe that’s just a millennia of so many kids they lose track.”

“No thank you. I get the idea that people can barely understand what I am saying when I speak standard English. Throwing in an occasionally spicy word is about all I can take. If you want to go full Middle English, I’ll support you from afar.” Nikhil shook his head. “I think her name is Rue. I know she has a pet wallaby.” At least, that was what Mari had said. He did his best to believe Mari because she did not seem to be very good at lying about these kinds of things. “I don’t pretend to understand their motivations. I can’t relate, but it doesn’t seem to be on a human level, how they do things.” He didn’t get it at all, but then he thought that children were a poor fiscal decision. To his understanding, the gods did not have to worry about saving up enough money for their children’s educations.

[nikhilvara]

maristela​:

Mari nodded and took a bite of the pastry, trying to ignore the sinking feeling in her stomach. Just knowing what was coming didn’t make it any easier to hear that Nikhil would be leaving her too – she was so sure that was the way the conversation was going to go that it took her a second to process that he was actually asking if she’d be alright with him staying longer. “Wait - you’re not leaving?” she asked, confused. Considering that he’d come to the island in search of his cousin, she’d figured he’d be heading on back to England at some point, and Chloe moving out had seemed like a likely time for it. “I mean, um - not that I want you to leave, because I don’t! I like living here with you. You should stay if you want to,” she added, much more cheerful now that she knew he wasn’t planning on leaving immediately.

“Hmm? No, I think I’m going to stay here a while longer. I did start up a new business, and I owe it to myself to see it through,” Nikhil said carefully. This was not a particularly exciting series of statements, but it was immensely more candid than what Nikhil usually felt comfortable sharing. Whatever differences the two of them had, he trusted Mari, and it was not stressful to share this much with her. He had no idea why Mari wanted him to stay, but it was nice to have a roommate that seemed content with his existence. It went both ways. “Then we have made the first big decision. We shall continue to live here. I imagine that there will be more closet space very soon, and I did want to recommend that apart from shared cleaning and utility items, most of it could be for your use.” This was a diplomatic gesture, as Nikhil intended to keep the bedroom to himself. Also he did not need more closet space than what was in the bedroom. With Chloe moving out, perhaps Mari could enjoy having less of her possessions in storage.

[nikhilvara]

elsakingsley​:

        Elsa was amused at seeing his reaction in regards to what she just said about exams. ❛ Talking is fine. ❜ She knew she had to socialize a bit more, she sips her tea. ❛ If you want to join me at the table feel free. ❜ Not that she has anything else to do at the right moment, and he seems a nice person.

“Sure.” Nikhil was not expecting a particularly erratic conversation, which was just his style. He might not quite understand most other people, but he couldn’t be alone all of the time. He picked up his own drink when it was ready, and followed whatever Elsa did. “What kind of exams are these, then? I promise I’m interested.”

[absentialucis]

( benjamin+nikhil )

( closed starter @nikhilvara​ )

As much as Benjamin wanted to avoid the ocean, it was impossible. For one, he moved to an island where the water surrounded him on all sides. Plus, being Poseidon’s son it was a place he was naturally drawn to. Lately, Benji spent most of his time inside his home, playing the piano as he learned song after song. Teaching himself piano had been a rewarding experience, classical music playing an essential part of keeping him sane over the years. Even before the accident he had an affinity for the music, often calming him as he trained. Those days were behind him now and Benji was just strictly using classical music as a way to pass the time and heal his broken mind over everything. The other best way to calm himself was to be near the water, even if he couldn’t walk into it. As he slowly approached the beach, he noticed a man sitting on a bench near the pavement, facing towards the ocean. “Uh, hey. Mind if I sit?” He greeted the man, gesturing to the seat next to him. He wouldn’t bother him other than that, just needing to avoiding taking his cane on the sand as much as possible. it wasn’t the easiest thing to do just yet.

[nikhilvara]

Nikhil had essentially been meditating by the seaside. He didn’t call it that, but there was something extraordinarily peaceful about looking out to the water and seeing nothing that could really hurt him. Okay, yes, sometimes he was shaken out of his happy place by unusual intrusive thoughts- Sea monsters might be lurking beneath the depths. The mermaids seemed to be on the right side of harmless, but Nikhil had not been there to see what came through when the mythical creatures had landed on the isle.  Or maybe something worse had been there all along. But no, happy place... water... good. He had been trying to get back into a good frame of mind when he heard someone’s voice. Having not noticed someone approaching, Nikhil masked his shock. “oh. Hullo. No, I don’t mind at all.” Not wanting to be too much of a waste of space, he scooted over on the bench so that there would doubtlessly be enough space for two. The last thing he wanted would be to take up someone else’s space. It was only after moving that Nikhil noticed the cane. Well, that was probably not a weapon, was all that came to mind. “Long day? That’s why I’m here.” Every day felt a little too long.