The response back that Mei got prompted an amused expression upon her features. Maybe her choice of words was rather abrasive but it is what it is and there was no changing that. By this time around she would’ve cut the conversation short and move on but Mei was rather curious about the male in her presence. “Only work out?” She questioned, eyes scanning his physic briefly. There wasn’t much she could tell but somehow, she had a feeling that working out wasn’t the only thing he did. But she digresses inwardly, attention solely on the conversation at hand.
The brunette moved out of the way from the door so people could walk in and out of the restaurant without any fuss. Raising a hand that had been previously inside her coat pocket, Mei realized the hour, rush hour, which meant talking to her sister would be unlikely for the time being. “I was trying to catch my sister before things got more hectic in the restaurant but guess I’ll have to wait for a while.” She was hungry, maybe she’ll order something to eat. “If you are not too busy, and if you haven’t eaten, would you care for some lunch as an apology?”
.
her question causes visible hesitation, lips forming an ‘ o ’ shape as he tried to come up with something different on the spot. “ bit of boxing here & there. ” shoulders rise & fall in a shrug, but at least it wasn’t a lie. dev isn’t used to talking about himself, which explained why he was flustered. still, he’s quite pleased with his answer & calms down after just a second, a single brow lifting at her curiosity. “ you must be some, like... personal trainer or something, yeah ? ” must have explained the interest, at the very least.
his eyes wander towards the strangers weaving in & out of the restaurant, noticing that it was filling up pretty fast at that point. “ food sounds good. ” he agrees quite easily, head tilting as he considers their current options. “ maybe not here, i guess. it looks busy. there’s a place down the street, though, i think. they have pretty good sandwiches. ”
willow was making a run for the shop. she had a large bouquet of flowers that was being hand delivered to a client. she was holding the massive arrangement of roses in hand and practically hidden behind them. it was beautiful but not very practical. “oh it’s okay.” willow said, popping out from behind the flowers to find her friend. “i didn’t think you were working today, dev. but, uhm, floor five.” she requested. “i’m delivering these for the shop today. last stop and then i get to go home.” she said happily. “how are you doing?”
“ woah. somebody’s excited for v - day. ” he knew the holiday was coming up, if that’s even what it was considered at this point. eyebrows furrow, but it doesn’t last long. head drops, but he still reaches forward to press the button to her floor. “ oh, well... i’m not. ” it probably sounded odd for him to fall under such an admission, especially since he was physically there, in the hotel. he was just trying to hang out, of course. “ i’m okay, though. i’m tired, i think, but y’know... the usual. how’re you ? ”
when lucie was pissed off, or in a bad mood, her energy overtook the entire room and yujin felt personally responsible to deal with it. it was like defusing a bomb: one wrong move and her whole apartment would go up in flames. lucie had quite a way of going on a rampage when things didn’t go her way, and on top of that, she was yujin’s friend ─ or something like that. that meant they were in it together. “that’s ridiculous,” she agreed with an eyeroll. “she’s probably inexperienced as fuck, and then they’ll call you anyway to teach her the ropes. mark my words.” she looked around for her phone, sent a quick text to a co-worker to pick up her shift, phrasing it so that the girl wouldn’t be able to refuse, and threw it on the couch. “i don’t anymore. what’s on your mind, a little adventure?” her grin was mirrorred in yujin, who was definitely up for some mischief. “count me in, darling.”
she didn’t mean to radiate negativity. it’s just something that seemed to happen whenever things didn’t go according to plan. lucie was used to things going her way, so when a spanner is thrown into the works, it didn’t really make her happy. she was fiery, in that sense. “ if they think i’m teaching her anything, they’re wrong. ” if anything, she’d teach her the wrong things. that was a bit selfish & dramatic, but that was the way lucie worked & functioned. it didn’t help that yujin only supported her through everything, but that was all the girl could ask for from a friend. it was appreciated, the way the other was so quick to cancel plans just for the sake of cooling lucie down. “ a little adventure is exactly what was on my mind. ” they were similar in that sense. “ good. i’m sure there must be something going on in new york tonight. ” lucie nods just once, lifting a brow at yujin. “ you trust me, yeah ? ”
𝒍𝒐𝒄𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏: at a coffee shop probably.
𝒐𝒑𝒆𝒏 𝒕𝒐: @thesculpted ( henry )
“ look, four years in the same house that was meant for a full family gets a little exhausting to take care of sometimes. i need some change in my life. ” she’s speaking as she’s taking a seat, placing the coffee mug onto the table before letting her shoulders rise & fall quite slowly. “ well, that & i’m pretty sure there’s been a broken step to our basement hanging around for more than four years. never got it fixed before. ” it snapped when she was bringing laundry downstairs among the first few months of living there, but kat & her family had been far too distracted & lazy to do much about it. “ which is why i came to you for help. ”
𝒍𝒐𝒄𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏: asphodel grand hotel & spa.
𝒐𝒑𝒆𝒏 𝒕𝒐: @hubriscisms ( helena )
“ no lucky winners this time, huh ? ” arms are resting upon the railing as devon remains hunched over & standing on the steps behind the female. being both a guest & bellhop at the hotel gave him some insight to the choi family. he didn’t know all their secrets, by any means, but he was observant enough to recognize patterns. a brow lifts at helena, then it’s drifting towards the far - off gathering that seemed to be happening in one of the ballrooms. “ what a shame. the guy in that red tie looked promising, too. ” fun is poked without malicious intentions, an entertained smile gracing devon’s lips before he’s standing up straight again. “ you wanna take a break from all that ? ”
Mei is tilting her head curiously, brow raising in tandem. The boy being out of breath about simply colliding and rushing out apologies took her by surprise but she relaxed, her usual stern demeanor giving way to a bit more of softness. There was a thing about New Yorkers being rude upon moments like this but he was more polite than the usual suspect and that alone gather him a bit more respect from her. Not that he would have any inkling to her train of thought anyway. She is now amused by it all. “No need to apologize, I wasn’t paying attention.” She is stuffing her hands into the pockets of her coat as soon as he took his phone back.
“That’s good to hear.” Mei reply in kindly, a thin smile upon her features. “I’m fine. Been knocked far worse.” And she doesn’t mean anything by it. Just a casual comment. Truth be told, as a mixed martial arts master, she had certainly been at the end of pretty bad accidents, but her she is right as a willow tree. “You have a surprisingly colliding power for such a skinny kid.” This time she laughs, “And I mean that as a compliment.”
.
it wasn’t that he was tired, but surprise will, often times, leave him breathless. when he’s too involved in his own head, shock has the tendency to sneak up on him. her words were affirming, leaving dev to nod once in return. he has to stop himself from apologizing again because it was a bad habit of his, even when a situation wasn’t entirely his fault.
“ oh, that’s... comforting. ” an awkward huff falls at his own response, eyes narrowing to keep himself from letting the confusion overtake the rest of his thoughts. devon’s only tuning back into reality when she mentions his current physique, a comment that makes his gaze fall ––– as if he’d forgotten what his own body looked like. “ oh, i mean... i work out, i guess. ” he wasn’t big on muscles so much as he was on keeping a more lean figure. it came with the fighting, he guessed, but it’s not like spot training worked anyway. “ think the wind was in my favor, too. ” that part was a joke, only a hint of a smile present as the male shrugged. “ you seemed like you were in a hurry. ” it’s an observation meant to strike up a conversation, mostly because he had some time to kill.
her makeup had been a pain to remove that night, wipes scattered across the surface of the sink as she finally finished off the removal of her mascara. she tosses the dirty wipes into the trash can, but clumsiness surfaces & she’s accidentally knocking over the mirror settled on the edge of the counter. it falls to the ground with a deafening crash, but lucie doesn’t flinch & silently thanks herself for not living with anyone else. surely, it would have scared them. “ fuck me. ” she leans down to pick up the now - cracked mirror, middle of it showcasing as the center point with several cracks jutting out from it. her eyes find her reflection, now skewed & showing six, seven, eight... nine of herself, of her own face in it from the damage inflicted. the sight of herself nine times over in the cracked mirror makes her zone out, makes her mind travel far from her current state.
she’s suddenly underwater, swimming peacefully beneath the surface with currents dragging across a rugged, scaly back. there’s a breath of fresh air that she feels, but it’s a result of pointed fins breaching the surface. everything felt calm & steady as she moved through the water, but her body felt massive. her brain, although mainly centered, felt like it was being pulled in several different directions at once. head turns, but then she sees another dragon - like one beside her, attached to the same neck. then she looks to the opposite side & sees two more, both attached the same as the first. there’s several of them, nine to be exact, all moving in different directions, but all swimming effortlessly attached to the same body, to her body. it’s eerily still within the waters & she feels at ease with where she was : home, at the bottom of a lake. she felt safe & guarded, untouchable.
when she snaps back into reality, it’s only because the water in the tub was now overflowing & reaching the soles of her feet. she gasps herself back into the moment, gaze drifting down towards the puddle on the ground before towards the glass now shattered on the floor. “ shit. ” lucie murmurs, standing up straight & glancing around the room for some kind of solution to the problem at hand. frustrated with her lack of a broom, the femme grows annoyed & decides to just step over the shards before finally getting to the bathtub & shutting the water off. it’s not until she’s submerged in the tub with her head pressed back against the porcelain edge of it that lucie takes a moment to process the vivid flash of a monster unheard of in her lifetime, unsure of whether or not she was hallucinating or just recreating a false reality in her own mind.
“ can you believe that ? ” declaration of her current irritation was left vague & open, scoff falling from her lips as lucie returns to the room with anger boiling within her veins. “ my overtime is getting cut because of the new girl. ” it wasn’t a big deal, but sue her for enjoying her job. she wasn’t getting less hours on her regular schedule, but the extra money would have been nice. annoyance manifests in the form of a scowl as she takes a seat on the couch, eyes taking a glance at the tv screen before at the girl beside her. “ this is the worst night of my life. ” then, an idea ! dramatics soon become distant & far - off as she jumps up again with a whiplash - inducing grin now on her features. “ you don’t work tonight, right ? please say you don’t. ”
it starts with a normal day at the gym. devon is training, as he usually did before big fights, knuckles wrapped & an empty makeshift gym that was located in an abandoned building. he’s alone, how he likes to be in order to clear his mind. it’s only been an hour, but he’s taken it upon himself to quit his warm - up & move on to a more impactful workout ––– one that requires him to grow familiar with a bench press. he’s supposed to have a spotter, but he doesn’t feel as though he’d be doing anything too out of his comfort zone. it’s too bad he’d end up being wrong.
fingers curl around the bar as his back hits the seat, eyes on the metal for a brief moment before he’s inhaling gradually. preparation like that would be useless compared to the nightmare he was about to unleash. palms push upwards to remove the bar from the handle to begin his first set, but the weight seems heavier than normal. it causes brows to furrow, but then something weird happens : a violent flash of what felt light lightning hit, temporarily stunning the male & sending his mind reeling back into a world he wasn’t completely sure was fake.
his shoulders & palms were no longer carrying the weight of gym equipment. no, the item being held up was cold & rugged, jagged & sharp - edged as it dug into his flesh. the weight of the boulder he seemed to be holding up becomes the only thing on devon’s mind. feet dig into the grassy, yet completely rough, surface beneath him & he knew he was outside. it felt like he was trying to move up the side of a mountain of sorts. the boulder on his shoulders was no boulder at all. in fact, it was much greater than that. it was the sky & heavens, a burden placed upon him for mistakes made against the olympians. his body, although firm in place, had been shaking beneath the hold, begging for an ounce of relief that would never come. his punishment had been to carry the weight of the world, so to speak, up without dropping it. every time he thought he would drop, he only grew stronger. every time it felt like he needed to give up, he stayed put.
this reality that he was witnessing came to an abrupt end when the bar falls from his grip, bouncing off of devon’s chest & hitting the ground with a loud clang. the male sits up, hands on his knees as his breathing becomes staggered from the sudden ending to a... daydream ? devon didn’t do that much. his brows remain furrowed, brain trying to process the scene he’d set himself up in just a few moments prior to then. his chest aches, one hand lifting to press against it lightly before he’s rolling his shoulders back. just shake it off. such flashbacks & dreams had never happened before, but devon was done training for the night, afraid that lifting up another weight would potentially trigger another... episode. “ i need some fuckin’ sleep. holy. ” devon is talking to himself now, trying to shake how real the weight & pressure from the memory had felt.
* i’m simply in love w this group & had to bring another chara... i’m so sorry but this is lucie who’s the reincarnation of hydra & she’s... whew. i hope u enjoy her & give this post a like if ur interested in plotting ! trigger warnings: alcohol & drug use.
* ✶ 「 abigail cowen, 24, cis female & she / her 」 welcome to the mortal realm, LUCILLE “LUCIE” FAVREAUX — though, the fates whisper that they could only be HYDRA reincarnated. it seems in this life they’re instead known for being a BARTENDER AT TARTARUS. what a downgrade. nevertheless, mortality can be confusing, so it’s understandable they can be CHARMING and INVITING, but also VENGEFUL and DISHONEST ; maybe that’s why they remind people of WICKED GAMES by THE WEEKND ? but not all history is washed away by time — just as the poets say, they still remind others of GLASS SHATTERING ONTO HARDWOOD FLOORS, MESSY SHEETS ON A SUNDAY MORNING, and STAYING AWAKE DURING LATE HOURS OF THE NIGHT. hopefully this life treats them a little better. [ hazy, 23, est, she/her ]
( 𝙿𝚁𝙴𝚅. ) 𝐇𝐘𝐃𝐑𝐀, 𝒔𝒆𝒓𝒑𝒆𝒏𝒕 - 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆 𝒎𝒐𝒏𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒓.
hydra was a serpent - like monster that was known for having multiple heads. stories of a regeneration feature surfaced, where it was said that cutting off one head would make two more grow back in its place. the hydra was a furious creature, able to spit venom & inflict damage that was irreparable. in many retellings, the hydra was said to live near the entrance of the underworld & towards the bottom of a lake.
lucie was never any saint. as a child, she was very hot - headed & disobedient, even if her parents never did anything wrong. her parents sought out help from babysitters, teachers, therapists, & counselors, but none of it was of any use to try & curb lucie’s attitude as a young child. she was ruthless, picking on everyone else & getting in trouble left & right at school. the other kids feared her for how brave & confrontational she’d become, giving her a chance to excel easier than most. she didn’t have many friends, but people sure acted like they were being nice in case she ever decided to snap.
high school was even more of a nightmare. the streets of new york city were no place for teenagers, but lucie & her group of nine friends seemed to go out every night. they drank at a fairly young age, dabbled in drugs here & there, got themselves into trouble with the cops. they were a powerful clique in school, each one more bitter than the next. lucie, of course, was their fearless & reigning leader of the pack, directing & bossing around her friends at all moments of the day.
when it ended, lucie had no desire to go to college. instead, she got caught up in an underground world of chaos. she eventually went on to become a bartender at tartarus, enjoying the night life & vast crowd of people that showered her with the attention she’d always loved & welcomed. her attitude, although not unlike how it was when she was younger, was a bit more tame. she still finds pleasure in watching others suffer, but she’s become more able to portray the angel act as a form of manipulation.
she lives in an apartment alone, somewhere deep in the alleys of the city & somewhere she considered off the grid because she didn’t like company unless it was invited. although she lives alone, she doesn’t spend many nights alone. she’s an alluring creature who lacks the ability to stay still when she’s got nothing going on. while alluring & utterly charming, lucie was always selfish & uncaring when it came to others. she treats people like they’re disposable, finding a need to fulfill her own satisfaction & entertainment before dropping someone within a new york second.
despite her incessant need to bring other people down & find herself some entertainment, lucie does have feelings. she’s got a hard exterior to crack & it’s difficult for her to be in touch with what she’s really feeling. the sad reality of it all is that she’s a lonely person who doesn’t know if she’ll ever truly be happy. she’s independent & strong, but she’s never been given a chance to open up to anyone because she drives them all away. her bite is far worse than her bark, but she’s not all talk. there are very few people who actually know what she’s like or wants to be like.
𝒍𝒐𝒄𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏: asphodel grand hotel & spa.
𝒐𝒑𝒆𝒏 𝒕𝒐: anyone.
“ mornin’, toddy ! ” the greeting is given to a cat perched outside of the hotel’s entrance, a hand extending out to pet the animal briefly before his attention is shifting towards the line at the front desk. “ mornin’, everybody. ” his natural state was one that was social, innate ability to interact with just about anyone coming in handy as he passes the group with ease. devon’s got his own room, one that he’s got a discounted price on because he works there & he’s off - duty until later anyway. a couple hours of sleep could do him good since he just returned for a night filled with fighting & making bank. still, he’s wearing a smile on his face as the bag on his shoulders nearly slips off when he attempts to stop the elevator before it leaves. “ sorry, hey. ” the male murmurs, brows furrowing only slightly as he glances towards the other. “ what floor ? ” devon asks as he presses the top floor’s button, head lifting to glance at the person beside him. there’s not a room up there, but it has direct access to the roof.
it had been another busy day at the bakery, something that seemed to be normal these days. addilyn was happy her shift was over, but she did feel bad that her dad and victoria were going to be by themselves, even if it did slow down before she left; but, the girl was hungry. she didn’t even notice that she still had flour on her cheek from her baking this morning, all she could think about was what she wanted for dinner. sure, she could have just gotten something from the bakery, but in all honesty, there was only so many times you could eat baked goods before you want something else. she was walking along the sidewalk, scrolling through all the places to eat near her, not paying attention to the world around her.
to say that devon was lacking a real meal was a bit of an understatement. he got kicks where all he wanted to do was snack & pick at things that weren’t great for him. having a sweet tooth was a curse most times, but it’s not like he was in the worst shape, right ? the bakery seemed like a good idea. his order was the same every time: two blueberry muffins & some lemon squares for the journey back to the hotel. he was actually on his way to the shop when he noticed only a slight taint in the female’s complexion as he passed her by. she worked at the bakery ––– that much he knew. “ hey ! ” devon called out just a few steps beyond her, turning to catch up with addilyn before he’s gesturing towards his own face to signal the presence of the flour on hers. “ you got a little... ” food becomes a fleeting thought as his brain switches gears to his newfound distraction. “ you got some flour on your face or somethin’. i actually don’t know what it is. ”
Omar looked down at the drink carrier in his hands, almost 100% certain that he’d only ordered two coffees for his afternoon out… So why was he holding four? At a second glance, it became obvious that the carton of drinks he’d picked up clearly did not have his name on them, and were instead order by some chick named “Olivia”. “Ah, shit,” Omar looked behind him - the coffee shop was like 3 blocks away by now, it wasn’t like he was gonna turn around and put them back, “Well, I guess one of these is for you?” He turned to his friend with a smirk, “I can’t promise it’s not poisoned.”
.
arms swing almost instinctively at his sides out of pure boredom. he had a few hours to kill before his shift & it wasn’t like the city didn’t have anything to offer. he was itching to get some kind of entertainment for a bit ––– enter: omar & his drinks that aren’t really his drinks. brows furrow, but devon just lets out a short laugh in return for the offer. “ poison or not, it’s coffee. ” the male reached out to take the cup, bringing it to his face to take a whiff before lowering it quickly. disgust traces usually neutral features, lips smacking together as he shakes his head just once. “ that smells... jesus. ” he exchanges the drink for another one in the carrier, lifting the new one up to see if his senses were a little less disturbed. “ hazelnut’s way better than whatever that was. ” then he’s daring to take a sip, shock lifting his brows as devon flashes a smile. “ maybe we should go for coffee roulette more often. this stuff’s good. ”
Winter days were her favorite. The coldness of the streets in New York city had always served as a reset point for the day. Mei had been running around the city attending to some chores for the Dojo’s upcoming event. Belt exams had always been one of her favorite events throughout the year and this time around there were many candidates close to jumping onto the next stepping stone.
Event planning wasn’t one of her strong suits, so she always enlist her sister’s help. Although, this time around she is sure what she needs to do, the fact was that she used any excused to see her baby sister. It was the exact reason why Mei was heading towards her restaurant. She had been calling Rosalie all morning but no response, but she had the feeling that the restaurant was the place to find her. As she stepped inside, Mei collided with someone. She was distracted and her usual reflexes had abandoned her as body knocked about. “Excuse me.” Her low voice came apologetic even though her face didn’t reflect it. Noticing that they dropped their phone, Mei is quick to pick it up and extended in their direction. “I am sorry, are you alright?”
.
mix a bellhop with clumsiness & you might as well consider the young man jobless at that point. he isn’t usually very distracted or up in the clouds, but it’d been a while since devon had ventured out to the streets for a breath of fresh air. overtime at asphodel had taken a grave impact on his well - being, but it was also nice to be busy all the time. it gave him more of a chance to impress his bosses. shoulder collides with the hers & a string of apologies falls from his lips, some inaudible & some just rushed. “ sorry. ” the final apology is louder this time, feet no longer carrying him forward as he tried to make amends with the stranger he’d so carelessly bumped into.
“ yeah, i’m ––– ” stuttered words become interrupted by failure to catch his breath properly & devon is reaching out to take the phone he hadn’t even noticed he’d dropped. “ i’m okay. are you ? ” a brow lifts, but the phone is soon tossed into the backpack he always seemed to be wearing. call it a comfort item of some sort.
