have the words to say

" there is a risk and a truth to yourselves and the world around you. " -- seamus heaney

[writefcrjoy]

hcartsandminds‌:

Optimism was something Mal had always struggled with. His father, paranoid and distrusting, was never a positive man. Everything that happened, good or bad, was some sort of conspiracy. That’s what he’d told his children, panicked about the smallest of things. He’d prepared for the worst above all else, and he’d taught Mal to do the same. It certainly came in handy, there was no denying that — it helped him stay alive in this new world, and he was naturally all for anything that kept him from being eaten — but it never did much for his anxiety. When things went good, Mal spent every moment waiting for them to go bad again. It was a feeling that seemed worse now that the world really had gone to hell, something that seemed impossible to escape. He was glad he’d found Gabe and Reese, but he couldn’t shake the fear of losing them permanently from his mind. It was sure to happen eventually, his father’s voice reminded him. This world wasn’t built to last, and neither were any of the people in it.

“I’ll hold you to that,” he promised with a laugh. It wasn’t so far fetched, not really; anything could be used as a weapon if you were desperate enough, and brain-eating undead creatures tended to make a man very desperate. The idea of finding a bar that hadn’t been drained dry was far less likely than Mal taking out a zombie with a screwdriver! “They’ll probably stay out of cities for a few more years, at least. Instinct and all that.” He sounded more certain than he felt. He didn’t know much about wildlife, not really; his father’s conspiracies rarely involved bears! “If we found it young enough, maybe. I think you can train anything if you raise it from a young enough age!” Circuses trained bears all the time, and he was pretty sure their group was full of people way smarter than circus people! “Really? I’ve heard I’m a little batty.” It was a common accusation, something to be expected considering his various conspiracy theories that he was never shy about sharing. The joke was on the people who’d spent years making fun of him now, of course. It was a shame they were probably all too undead to appreciate it. “Always looking on the bright side,” he smiled, shaking his head. “It doesn’t have to be compared to anything. Experiences don’t cancel each other out, right?” One bad thing happening didn’t make another bad thing sting less, after all. “How you are is important to me, too,” he returned with a small smile. Reese had always been important to him, and he figured she always would be. People didn’t stop mattering to you just because they stopped dating your friends. “I don’t know that talking about it will do much. The world’s… the way it is now. There’s no way around that, is there? How about you? If you want to talk, you know I’ll always listen.”

Reese had always been a friendly, outgoing and typically optimistic kind of person. She liked to think that her approach was part of the reason why Mal ended up trusting her in the end, because he didn’t seem to trust anyone. Conspiracy theories were one thing, Reese had heard plenty of them bandied around in her home when her uncles and brothers got into the same place and started drinking, but Mal had never seemed to her as if he was off his rocker. It was almost like a premonition, an expectation that the worst case scenario was on the horizon and all they were doing was biding time. It was something Reese consciously tried to ignore in her own mind, though she had never pushed Mal’s fears and concerns aside. When the apocalypse broke out, he was one of the first people she thought about. She had remained confident that he was safe because he had been planning for this for years, but seeing him again was still an insane relief, something that she was grateful for every single day.

It wasn’t as if she hadn’t missed Mal before that, because she had. Pretty much exclusively over the past year or so Reese had been missing Gabe and Mal, had wanted to reach out to them, but something had prevented her from doing so. If this was the universe’s way of pushing her to confront her fears, she could think of far less destructive ways to do it. “Do you think this will continue for that long?” Reese asked. Mal had more insight into it than she did, after all, despite her standing in the National Guard. “Surely we will get someone over to contain it before it reaches that stage.” Atlanta couldn’t be gone forever, surely. “Batty isn’t always a bad thing,” Reese replied with a fond smile, “and besides, batty predicted all this going down. I don’t know if I would’ve made it out without remembering some of the things you and Gabe told me.” She had always been a survivor, but that was to do with camping and eating the right berries, not fighting zombies. “Yeah, I guess that’s true,” Reese said, clearly not convinced, though she knew the logic was sound. “The world’s the way it is, but it’s easier to accept it by talking it out, right?” Perhaps that was hypocritical. Reese took a breath, deciding to steel herself. “Okay,” she said. “Everything’s pretty shit. A few years ago, I know I could’ve handled it, you know? But now … things are different.”

[writefcrjoy]

hcartsandminds‌:

Aside from Emerson, Sofia had always gotten along fairly well with the members of her family. She and her mother had always been a team, and she’d warmed up to her stepfather eventually. Even her younger brother had been fairly easy to like the moment she realized he was no competition to her. A youth minister didn’t compare to a cop at all, and everyone knew it! The apocalypse, she sometimes thought, would have been easier if any other member of her family had escaped with her. There would be less drama, less arguing, and she and Margot could let their relationship be totally public without fear of Emerson realizing what was going on. (Sometimes, Sofia doubted he’d realize they were together even if they were all about the PDA. He was sort of clueless, in her opinion!) Unfortunately, though, that wasn’t the case. The rest of her family was MIA, and in an odd way she didn’t quite like to admit, Emerson was all she had left of them. She wasn’t an optimist. She knew her parents were likely dead, knew she’d probably never see her younger brother again. As far as she knew, her step-brother was the only family she had left. She might not always get along with him, but she had no intention of losing him along with everyone else.

Not that she’d ever tell him that, of course. As far as Emerson was concerned, Sofia was fine letting him think she’d sell him to the devil for a penny and a wet wipe. It kept him on his toes and, more importantly, it kept her from expressing any sort of vulnerability. It was a win/win, really! “It’s the same distance,” she repeated with a nod. “Do it! Go out there and measure it. I know how much you love being proven wrong, so it’ll be fun for both of us!” Sofia was good at pretending she was right even when the evidence pointed to the contrary, and that hadn’t changed with the apocalypse. “They would have been cold! Who the fuck even wants to eat cold fast food tacos? I’d rather eat sand. You have the mindset of a fucking —” Sofia grit her teeth, looking down in annoyance. How dare those zombies insult her awesome insults? Pulling out her gun, she fired a few shots in quick succession. “One, two, three! Catch up, dickwad!” She pulled out her machete, wielding it in one hand and her pistol in the other as she moved forward. Emerson had picked the wrong fight this time! They probably didn’t teach killshots in med school the way they did at the police academy! 

Despite how close Emerson was with his father, the two men had never been similar in basically any regard. They both had the same intelligence, the same drive, but they applied it in vastly different ways. Abiola was the kind of man who saw the world differently from other people. Every time Emerson came home at night he found his father down in the basement, working on one creation or another, his clothes covered in paint and his eyes wild with inspiration and excitement. Emerson never shared that creative drive, but he found his passion in the labs, even if it wasn’t exactly what they wanted from a doctor (medical school wanted him to apply what was already known to patients, whereas Emerson was more and more passionate about discovering medicines himself). Thinking about where he was now was something that always made Emerson feel as if he’d been stabbed in the gut. His stepmother was out there - hopefully with his father, he thought, knowing they would be better off together rather than apart - and his brother was safe. Sofia was the one here and now, and Emerson would make sure she made it through this shitshow, regardless of how irritating she was while he was trying to save her ass, or vice versa.

“You are kidding yourself and me right now,” Emerson said. Sure, the distance back to the cabin didn’t exactly matter considering they were trapped here now, but that was beside the point. He wanted to avoid this shit going down in the future! “I love proving that your head’s up your ass. Is that why your hair’s so terrible, by the way?” Bitchy, sure, but that was one of the few traits Emerson did share with Abiola. That man was the shakiest artist this side of New York! “Someone who has been eating cold baked beans for the past two weeks!” Emerson argued. “Oh, congrats. You shot a hole through something that’s already fucking dead. At least I get up close and personal,” Emerson retorted. “Two, three, four, five!” The good old helicopter baseball bat trick was really working to his advantage now! “What’s our plan, by the way?” Emerson called over. “Do we even have a plan?”

[writefcrjoy]

hcartsandminds‌:

Faith was a rich man’s game. That was what Ash had always adhered to, what he’d been certain of for as long as he could remember. Those with food in their bellies and a roof over their head could have all the belief they wanted in a cause or a power bigger than them, but those left out on the streets like Ash had little time for it. It was difficult to find something you believed in when you were busy trying to survive from one moment to the next, after all. That was why he’d paid little attention to the rebellion before his arrest, why he’d never even considered whether or not his life would be better with Ivy in charge than it was with Revella. He didn’t have time to hone a belief in rulers, didn’t have the luxury of learning the difference between a benevolent queen and a malicious one. That changed when he was arrested, of course, and it shifted again when he met Ivy. Faith was still a rich man’s game, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t play it. Ivy and her rebellion were worth believing in, and Ash knew he wasn’t the only one who saw that. Harry was here, after all, as were countless peasants. Faith could be worth something if you made it worth something, and Ivy had done that.

“She has a way about her,” Ash agreed with a shrug. Before meeting Ivy, he couldn’t have imagined risking his own life for anyone else. He’d always been a selfish man, always been driven entirely by self preservation, but Ivy had changed that. She’d done it without even trying, done it without meaning to at all. “That doesn’t mean they don’t remember how to fight. That isn’t the sort of thing a man can forget how to do, no matter who’s in charge.” People who’d fought for their lives and won knew that they had to be ready to do it again at any given moment; the fight to stay alive only ended when your life did. “Do you want it? The throne?” He had to admit, he was curious. He would have no interest in leading himself, but Harry had been raised for it. Maybe it was different if you grew up knowing you were meant to have the throne. “She threatened a lot of things. She likes her threats, Revella. I’d wager she passed them out to anyone who’d listen.” Being good at his job was a benefit now that he was using his skills for himself, but when he’d been trapped under Revella’s thumb, it had felt the opposite. Raising a brow as Harry retrieved a pair of pouches, Ash smiled faintly. “I’ll drink to that,” he agreed with a shrug, taking the pouch as it was offered to him and holding it up. “To making a difference.” 

War came back around regardless of who was sitting on the throne. Loretta always argued against that, said that a monarch could control exactly what their armies did and could influence the relationships with their surrounding neighbours, but Harry had read enough history in his time to know that the books on the shelves were always repeating themselves. His father had yearned for violence, seemed to lust after the blood of his people and their enemies alike. Harry liked to think he was nothing like his father, that he was the complete opposite, but his entire education had been tailored by the man on his deathbed. He had been prepared since he was a child to become the kind of king that would raise Cidel once more, whether through his mother’s methods or his father’s. War was not something he wanted, and he had been lucky to avoid it to this point. Sometimes, his mother could be wrong. Sometimes, violence was the answer, the only way to get a tyrant off the throne, the only way to secure freedom. It wasn’t something Harry thrived in, which at least reassured him he was nothing like Dorian, but it was something he would participate in, not only for the sake of Ivy, but for himself, his people, and the people of Rielle.

“She has more than a few ways about her,” Harry replied with a slight smile. Ivy hadn’t just encouraged him to see the beauty of his own country, but inspired him each day. Clearly, Ash shared that feeling. “The men who fought for my father are old and grey now,” Harry said slowly. “I have no doubt there are some who would raise to the occasion, but most would see their sons go to battle instead. It’s different when you watch the next generation make the same choices.” For the better or the worse, seeing history repeated was never something people responded to well. “It’s my birthright,” Harry said. Whether he wanted it or not was irrelevant. Still, to build trust, he replied, “I want to travel the world. I have had the chance to do so in the past, but there is so much I haven’t seen. A king finds himself bound by responsibilities.” It sounded ungrateful, so Harry was sure his tone was sheepish, knowing he was far more privileged than most. “I assume you speak from personal experience?” Harry asked gently. Harry held the pouch up, taking a long drink after Ash toasted. Once he was done, he couldn’t help but let out a cough. “In the name of God,” he said, looking down at the drink, laughing breathlessly. “What the hell do they make this stuff out of?”

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hcartsandminds‌:

Under normal circumstances, Aiden knew he wouldn’t have felt as though he belonged with the group of travelers he’d stumbled upon in Greece. They were all incredibly different than he was, all celebrities and soldiers and law enforcement, and he’d always thought of himself as little more than average. He was decent at building things, sure, but he wasn’t anything like the rest of them. He should have felt like an outsider and while a feeling of separation sometimes lingered, it was never as all-consuming as it was when he was usually among other people. In Hollywood, he’d felt little but inadequacy, the feeling so crushing it left little room for anything else. In Greece, among his new friends, it was a quieter thing, something that seemed to exist in the background.

He felt as though he knew the other Greek travelers, even in spite of the fairly short amount of time he’d been acquainted with them. This feeling of knowing them all made it somewhat difficult to maintain a straight face as the nurse referred to Alex as a ‘nice boy,’ but he managed. Biting his lip, he nodded seriously. “He is,” he agreed. When the nurse left, Aiden broke into a smile, letting out a huffed laugh.

“Hey, as long as nobody got hurt, I don’t think it’s a huge issue.” Aiden had never been a violent person, much preferring peace to anything else, but he recognized that Alex didn’t feel the same. Fighting to Alex seemed to resemble what building was to Aiden. He knew how he’d feel if anyone ever told him he should stop creating things, so he wasn’t about to tell Alex to stop throwing punches. “It’s what I’m here for,” Aiden replied, mimicking Alex’s deadpan. “Yep, all scarred up.” How did Alex manage to pull off scars? They always looked odd on Aiden, but on him, they looked as if they belonged. “I don’t think she’d tell me to chop my head off. If anything, she’d tell me to chop your head off. Eva likes me.” At least, he was pretty sure she did. She’d always been nice to him either way. “Is there a way that, uh… doesn’t involve me getting punched? What if I just pretended to fall over?” He could totally pull off the ‘clumsy’ thing! The nurse would buy it, but helping him up might not take long enough for Alex to slip out. “Please don’t make me make conversation. I think I’d rather be punched.” He’d never been good at small talk, and he was even worse at it when under pressure. “That’s the best idea either of us has had yet. It might, you know, make her ask more questions later on, though.” Alex slipping out while she was distracted would make it seem as though he was simply looking to avoid a lecture, but barricading the door and sneaking out through a locked alternative exit sang a more desperate tune.

Being told to go on leave felt like the end of the world as far as Alex was concerned. He was maybe the only soldier in the force who actively looked forward to deployment, who hated every moment that he spent stateside, who felt more at home among the burning sands of the desert than he did in McDonald’s with a good old American cheeseburger sitting in front of him. Every break in between tours was just a period of biding his time before the next one, training up even though physical enhancement wasn’t something that he particularly had to worry about, and making sure that his regiment were ready to fall into line. Knowing that there was no countdown to the next time he was leaving felt like hell, basically, but gradually that was beginning to change.

Of course, just because he was happier in Greece than he ever had been - not a particularly difficult thing to accomplish considering happiness had avoided him for decades - that didn’t mean the ache for a fight disappeared. In fact, it only seemed to intensify the second he stepped off the plane. Alex could only stop to feel bad for the fact that he had dragged someone else into it, because Aiden didn’t really seem the kind of guy to like throwing punches as much as he did.

“I think you’ve just missed the entire point of a fight,” Alex said, a grin coming onto his face even though there was a little twinge of pain when he did so. His biology really didn’t make sense, but he was damned if he was going to a doctor to figure it out. How would he explain it? He couldn’t! “Great. Another one for Mom to lose her shit over at Thanksgiving,” Alex said, his tone leaving absolutely no question as to what he thought of his mother. “She’d be more likely to chop it off herself and save you the bother,” Alex said. “She likes you.” He said it at the same time as Aiden did, which at least showed they were on the same page for something. “Yeah, you could pull that off,” Alex said, hoping that didn’t come across as an insult. “Then we just avoid her for the rest of the time we stay here.” It only took a moment for Alex to realise how insane that sounded, and he sighed. “Okay, so we distract her. Or you distract her. See, you’re smart.”

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hcartsandminds‌:

Everyone spent their whole life searching for something, and Lux was no different. It was part of the human experience to feel constantly incomplete, part of life to feel as though there was something missing. The closest he’d ever felt to finding it was in music, but even then it seemed far away. In Greece, it felt infinitely closer. He still wasn’t sure what he was searching for, but he knew it was within reach now. Something told him the rest of the travelers felt something similar. Thalia’s eyes looked a little less lost here, though Lux suspected that had as much to do with Alex as it did with Greece. Luna seemed less restless here than she had for most of their lives, too, willing to sit still a moment longer than he’d ever seen her do. Whatever connected them all, whatever made them fit together, Lux had no doubt that the answers were here. They just had to find them.

Being with each other seemed to help. Lux felt a similar sort of calm around the other travelers as he always had around his sister, though it wasn’t as strong with them as it was with her. With Alex, there was something else lurking underneath as well. He’d heard others say that Alex’s presence made them feel angry somehow, and Lux understood it. There was something about the man that stirred the anger inside of him, but Lux had always been good at keeping his emotions in check. He’d always figured it was just part of being a songwriter, but his experiences in Greece made him wonder if there was more to it than that. “Like a glass window,” he agreed with a grin. “My dick’s always, like, three seconds from coming out of my pants, buddy. If you wanna see it, all you have to do is ask!” Maybe he should work on helping Alex with his romancing abilities. Thalia deserved the best! “You got it, buddy.” He offered Alex a nod before walking over to the bar, leaning against it and smiling at the girl closest to him. “Hi,” he greeted. Immediately, the girls began to giggle lightly. Star power took a lot of the challenge out of flirting!

Alex had never felt particularly comfortable on a night out. Bars for him were a place for one thing and one thing only - starting a fight, and making sure that he finished one. The other soldiers in his regiment found themselves in a bar in every city they visited, always ones to be able to sniff out the nearest beer, and he had went with them albeit reluctantly. The times when he felt at home, the only place that he was content outside of Greece, was around the campfire with the others in his squad, toasting as the night fell and the buzz of a fight was on the horizon. War had changed since the stories of great legends on the battlefield, the myths that people in Greece counted as part of their history, but in that moment Alex could feel the similarities far more than ever before. Fighting was a part of him, something that he needed to survive, and he was doing it now too, except now he was fighting to understand what was happening to him and the others instead of a physical confrontation.

It was a shift in perspective, made even more intense by the fact that Alex knew his people were out in Iraq right now fighting a war that he should have been a part of, but it was one that he knew was necessary at this point in his life, if only so that he could get closer to the people around him. There was familiarity there, there was affection, just as there was anger and complications. “I don’t think I have ever seen as many zipper-happy people in one group before,” Alex commented lowly just as they began to walk towards a couple of girls. Alex managed a small smile, raising his hand in greeting as Lux spoke. “Hi?” Alex whispered to Lux, raising an eyebrow. The girls, though, seemed to be falling at his feet already. Jesus Christ. One of them turned to Lux, asking if he really was who she thought he was, and the other looked at Alex, seemingly disappointed her friend got to Lux first. “You’re very tall,” she said. Alex nodded. “Thanks,” he replied. They lapsed into silence, and he hated Lux even more.

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spitfirehecrts‌:

Power had always coursed through Isaiah’s veins, but now that he was standing on Mount Olympus, listening to the thunder he had created crackle overhead, he felt a million times more powerful. He felt downright godly, and with his fellow gods and heroes searching for their chambers, Isaiah was positive he could see an amazing future for them all. Truthfully, he was still unsure why the Gods had been reincarnated, but as their journey moved forward, Isaiah sensed that it was only a matter of time until the answer was made clear.

Until then, Isaiah intended to reap the benefits of Mount Olympus, and clearly, Amara would be at his side as he did so. Isaiah couldn’t imagine it any other way, and not solely because Amara was Hera, Queen of the Gods, but because she was his closest friend and had been for years. “Only six months? I expected at least a year,” Isaiah replied with a bright grin. As he spoke, he wrapped an arm around Amara, fond and completely, utterly at peace. This was where they belonged and where they would finally be able to harness their full powers. “Yes?” Isaiah asked, smiling faintly as Amara walked towards their thrones. They were beautiful, carved in marble stone, painted elaborately and adorned with jewels. They fit Zeus and Hera perfectly. “I was waiting for you,” he replied, moving closer to Amara instinctually. He touched Zeus’s throne — his throne — curiously and smiled once more. “Do you want to go first or should we count to three?”

Amara had always known there was something different about her, knew that she had more of an influence on other people than was entirely normal. A lot of those powers were beginning to become more concrete, buzzing just under her skin as she stood in Olympus, and she was eager to discover what else she was capable of. She had always been comforted by the rain and thunder streaking across the sky, had always stood in the middle of it even when her father pulled her back and told her harshly about the dangers, and now that she had seen Isaiah perform such overt feats of power, she knew why that was.

Finding Olympus herself was a glorious prospect, but finding it with the other gods in tow was something that Amara couldn’t even put into words. It felt like coming home in so many ways, her feelings towards the others only becoming stronger, and her heart pounding harder in her chest as she looked around. “Don’t get greedy,” Amara teased, lightly hitting against Isaiah’s chest as they walked. “You’ve never looked like this before,” she commented, briefly touching his cheek as she looked at him. Of course, her focus was slightly diverted by the fact that a literal throne was waiting for her. “I think we should count to three,” Amara said, a small smirk coming onto her face. “One, two-” She made to sit before reaching three, knowing that Isaiah would recognise her move before long. Not only had they known each other since high school, but apparently, they had been close for centuries before that.

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hcartsandminds‌:

It was easier, Aiden thought, to accept powers that were undeniable. His abilities when it came to fire had always been obvious, the hum that went through his bones when a flame was nearby clear and easy to recognize. No one else could control the size, shape, or location of a flame the way he could, no one else could touch fire directly and not get burned. Accepting that that ability was there was fairly simple. Other things, though, were harder. Plenty of people were good with technology, and he’d met countless mechanics who understood the inner workings of engines instinctively. Throughout his time in college, he’d spoken to many other engineering students who could easily work through problems without any trouble, just as he could. The idea that his powers extended to his work seemed difficult to wrap his mind around, and perhaps a bit too arrogant for his tastes. To claim that he had a superpower that amplified his skills as a mechanic was to claim that his skills were so intense that it was worthy of being called ‘super,’ and Aiden had never had the confidence for that. He wondered if other people in the traveling group had similar reservations. Some of them, he knew, had undeniable abilities like his with flames, but others were more subtle. He wasn’t even entirely sure what Amara’s abilities were, had no idea what it was she could do.

The confidence in her voice surprised him a little, and he shrugged a shoulder as he returned her smile. It was somewhat rare for people to challenge his less than stellar view of himself, and he never quite knew how to respond. “I’m not sure I can add much to most of the conversations people have here,” he said uncertainly. It was true; among celebrities, millionaires, and decorated war vets, a mechanic couldn’t provide the most interesting anecdotes. “I bet you’re good at it. Social work, I mean.” She seemed like she would be, the way she was able to listen to people and hear all the things they weren’t saying. Everyone in their group seemed to have certain talents like that, things that fed easily into their chosen career paths. “Yeah, it’s got a pull, doesn’t it?” It wasn’t something he could explain, but it wasn’t something he had to explain with the other travelers. They all understood it because they’d all felt it, too. “Oh, not really. Not originally, I mean. I lived there for a little while for work, but I never fit in very well.” He’d only ever gone out when it was with Thalia, intent on fooling tabloids into thinking they were madly in love. The rest of his time was spent at home or at work, doing his best to avoid any paparazzi or members of Thalia’s rather intense fanbase. “I guess so, yeah.” He shrugged at the question. “I’m not really sure. I never really thought much about the weird stuff in my life until I came here and realized there’s weird stuff in other people’s lives, too. I guess I’m sort of hoping someone else figures it out first and clues me in. Probably not the best plan.” 

Amara had never doubted that there was something unique about her, something special that went far beyond the ordinary, but initially she had been reluctant to admit that she had powers of some description. Surely the whole point of having powers was to be powerful, and she had been utterly incapable of keeping her parents together, and when she bonded their souls, making it so they couldn’t bare to bear apart from each other for an extended period of time, they seemed to resent it far more than anything. Amara could tie people together, she could influence them to take that next step, she could build families and keep them together, but she couldn’t force love. She couldn’t influence how people felt in their hearts, and at times, their true intentions remained unknown to her, even if she was pretty good at reading what people weren’t saying. If she was powerful, surely she could do more than be hurt and then take revenge - surely she would be able to prevent anyone harming her in the first place.

Now, though, Amara realised that those challenges, those sorrows, were all part and parcel of the journey that took her to this point. Without that anger, rage and learning, she never would have gone to Greece, never would have found herself among this group, trying to understand the well of emotions that came over her whenever she talked to any one of them. “Maybe just by being a part of them you would add to it,” Amara suggested. “Trust me, you’re not the only one to feel like a fish out of water. Eva lifted a table clean off the ground last night with her mind. I can get dogs to come to me without calling them. No real comparison there.” Amara had no doubt that she hadn’t discovered half of her abilities, but her pride had no place in this conversation, nor did the true extents of her powers. “I like to think I am,” she said with a small smile. “It’s easier to deal with other people’s lives than my own, sometimes.” Her failed marriages and estranged family were testament to that. “Where were you from before that, then?” Aiden was someone she cared about, even though this was the first real conversation they had. It was a difficult dynamic to pin down. “Sometimes it just takes a push to bring some kind of insight,” Amara said. She paused for a moment and then looked over at Aiden as they walked. “Is there anywhere you would like to go in Greece? Anything you feel would be interesting to see?”

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hcartsandminds‌:

Until it had been brought up by some of the other travelers, Lux had never considered whether or not his musical ability was less natural talent, more ‘weird superpower.’ His prophetic dreams were undeniable — after they came true so many times, it became sort of stupid to pretend they were anything less than what they were — but the music? He’d always figured that was just him. He was beginning to rethink that now and, in the process, beginning to wonder how the hell he’d missed it to begin with. He’d always been a pretty smart guy, so the fact that he’d assumed the ability to play any instrument he touched, regardless of whether or not he’d seen it before that moment, was a normal thing was a little embarrassing. He wondered if things might have been different if he’d seen it for what it was sooner, wondered what his life might have been like if he’d put the pieces of this whole thing together years ago. Wondering, of course, wouldn’t change the fact that that hadn’t been the case, but it was impossible not to think about it.

“Nashville,” he provided with a nod. “Tennessee. City of Music. Pretty fitting, I guess.” He used to wonder how much the city had shaped him into the musician he was, but he was beginning to realize the place he’d lived had nothing to do with it. Lux would have always been drawn to music. The location was just convenient, in the end. “Just my mom. Since Luna’s here with me, our mom’s the only person we really left behind.” Lux’s circle had never exactly been large, but his family was incredibly important to him. They’d shaped him, made him who he was. He wasn’t sure he’d be nearly as interested in staying in Greece if Luna hadn’t come along with him. “Thanks,” he replied with a smile. It was nice to know he wasn’t the only one who figured he belonged in Greece. “You do, too. But I guess you always have, huh? Did you always feel as strongly about Greece?” They’d all discussed the draw that brought them here, but Eva had grown up here. Maybe it was different for her. “It’s kind of hard to demonstrate,” he admitted. “If we find a musical instrument, I’ll be able to play it. It won’t matter what it is, it won’t even matter if it’s in tune. I’ll just… know how. I always do. And sometimes I see the future!” That part was a lot more impressive to most people, he figured. “That’s exactly what it’s like,” he agreed with a nod. “I feel like I remember walking the streets, somehow.”

Eva had always had a pretty wild imagination. Her creativity could rarely be contained, she was passionate in her pursuit of designing something new, even if such a thing couldn’t exist in real life, even if it didn’t completely capture emotions that were relatable to anyone else other than her. She was on the outside her whole life, people rarely coincided with her world view, and it was something that she and her family had accepted. That being said, it worked against her as her grandparents in particular doubted that there was anything out of the ordinary about Eva. When she first brought up her powers, they had smiled in the vague way that suggested they didn’t believe a word she was saying, and she wasn’t in control enough to prove them wrong. As the years progressed they realised she wasn’t making it up, but they wanted nothing to do with it - it went against everything they believed in, wasn’t something they had experience in dealing with, and not something that they felt comfortable with in the slightest.

Eva had never blamed them, always had the insight to recognise they were simply incapable of comprehending what was going on, but now she had people who didn’t shy away from what they could do and were also actively investigating the source and purpose. “What was it like? I’ve never been anywhere near Nashville,” Eva said. For all of her travels, she had pretty much exclusively stayed close to home, travelling only as far away as mainland Europe. “What’s your mom like?” It was always interesting for Eva to hear about other people’s families, knowing that her own was far from normal. “I always felt like I wanted to come back here,” Eva said. “I suppose I’ve never known any differently. You’re all coming in now and feeling how it changes you. I was young when I arrived, you know? The time I spent in Berlin, though, that was difficult.” She had felt weakened there, and now it made sense. “That sounds amazing,” Eva said, eyes widening slightly. “You see the future as well as memories? How does that manifest?”

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hcartsandminds‌:

The variety of powers the Greek travelers had was interesting. From people like Isaiah, who controlled the sky itself, to those like Jade whose abilities were more focused on the ground, it was clear that no two people in their little group were alike. It made seeing their powers demonstrated all the more interesting, made it more fun to see each person’s abilities put on display. In spite of how cool they all were, though, Hudson maintained that his were the best. There was nothing cooler than commanding the sea, nothing more obviously badass. The waves themselves did as he said! Not even Isaiah’s sky shit could beat that. There were a million uses for his ability, he’d learned over the years, a million different ways to hone his skills. Surfing was just one of many, but it was among his favorites.

He wasn’t sure why Eva’s presence made him immediately feel as though he had to prove something, didn’t know why he constantly felt the overwhelming desire to demonstrate for a fact that his powers were cooler than hers. It wasn’t something he felt with anyone else but with Eva, it was impossible to ignore. “Fights are kinda fun,” Hudson replied with a shrug. “It’s how the guy entertains himself, I guess! I think it’s kinda funny.” Alex’s presence kind of pissed Hudson off — again, for reasons he couldn’t understand — but he felt the need to defend the guy if only to argue with Eva. He laughed at her claim, raising a brow. “Really? You think so?” God, he was gonna wipe the floor with her! Maybe literally! She was bound to fall on her face in the ocean at least once. That would be hilarious! “We can go as high as you want, Eva. I’m not scared. Are you?”

The powers that the travellers had on themselves, each other and the people outside of their group were vast, covering all aspects of the human - or not so human, as it turned out - experience. Eva had watched as they walked through the streets, had seen how people’s emotions shifted towards them, how they regarded them with something like fear or reverence depending on how the day had progressed. There was an undeniable passive influence from all of them (Hudson’s on her, evidently, was to make her want to whack the surfboard over his head rather than lose in the competition) but the more active abilities were something that Eva had always prioritised working on. As far as she was concerned, that was tangible, that was something that could be experimented with, tested out. She could control what she did, could push herself, and now that she was surrounded by other people she found that was even easier to do than it had been in the past.

Eva’s telekinesis might not help her out with the waves battering around her, but worst case she was convinced she could lift her surfboard up! They never said anything about cheating, though Eva was sure that it was a back up plan. “Only if you know you’re going to win, and that it’s worth fighting over in the first place,” Eva retorted. What was it with the men in this group and their insane levels of testosterone? She could start a bar fight as well as the rest of them, but at least she showed a bit of restraint! (Mostly.) “You would,” Eva said finally, resisting the urge to roll her eyes. “I think you’re underestimating my ability to surprise people,” she replied with a small smirk. “Alright, then, we’ll bet where it hurts.” Hudson didn’t seem like a money guy, which left pride. “Whoever loses has to act as the other one’s personal assistant for a week, and tell everyone at breakfast that they lost. This isn’t an insular gig, Alvarez.”

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hcartsandminds‌:

People had never been Aiden’s strong suit. He much preferred drills and tool sets to conversations and social outings, would rather have his latest project spread out on the table in front of him than worry about where to go on a night out. He’d never quite belonged in crowds, never managed to fit in entirely, and he’d been mostly okay with that. Life had gotten lonely sometimes, but it was nothing he couldn’t handle. The Greek travelers had turned all that on its head. Aiden found himself actually wanting to spend time with them, realized that he enjoyed going out with them or the casual conversations they struck up over meals. It was a little exciting, if he was being honest. He’d never really had friends before, and he’d certainly never had as many as he felt he had now. Maybe it was all temporary — surely they’d have to leave Greece eventually — but he intended on enjoying it while it lasted.

“That’s amazing,” he replied seriously, thinking of all the times he’d witnessed his mentors’ ‘eureka moments’ in the shop. He hadn’t had many himself — Aiden typically just knew what he was doing without much thought one way or the other — but it was amazing to see other people experience them. His eyes widened as Eva made the salt and pepper shakers move, obviously impressed with the display. “That’s… also amazing,” he laughed, nodding in agreement as she spoke. “The physical ones are a lot easier to understand, aren’t they?” His affinity with fire was unmistakable, but recognizing his ability to create anything with ease as something in the same vein as his fire or Eva’s ability to move things with her mind had been more difficult. He smiled at her compliment, shrugging a shoulder and making the flame bigger absentmindedly. “I was a teenager, I think? I was in the shop using a blowtorch and it just… transferred over to my hand. It was kind of scary at first.” Suddenly having your hand catch fire was terrifying, and in the split second before he realized there was no pain involved with the burning, Aiden wasn’t ashamed to admit he’d panicked a little. “I can do that. It’s a pretty easy trick, actually. I can show you, if you want.” Aiden had always struggled to teach the knowledge that came naturally to him, but something told him Eva was a fast learner. “Yes, absolutely. I love working on the classics.”

There were some who were still in the denial phase of the whole thing, who were constantly arguing that they couldn’t possibly be a reincarnation, that there was nothing happening here besides coincidences, that they could explain everything in a way that was yet to be determined. There were others who had never even considered the fact that they might be a god, didn’t correlate it to their abilities, a group that Aiden seemed to fall into - unless he was an even better liar than some of the lawyers Eva had met in the past, in which case she was even more impressed. And then there were people like Eva, who knew what she was, had never doubted it, and had spent the past few years researching absolutely everything that she could about the goddess Athena. There were benefits to that, of course, showing her what mistakes she had made in the past, what her relationships had been, though there were drawbacks as well. Knowing what she had done before, feeling that resonate within her, meant she was liable to make the same choices again.

It was important to rely on the others to ensure that didn’t happen. Aiden seemed like he had his head screwed on right, at the very least, and he didn’t make a wave of anger come over her like Alex or Hudson did. “I’ve made more than a few friends that way,” she admitted with a smile. The relationships had never been deep nor meaningful, but she had always been popular. “They’re easier to test, at least. Mind over matter was a little more difficult for my grandparents to understand.” Eva hummed as Aiden explained, shifting her focus between the flame and Aiden as he spoke. “I can imagine,” she said. “Did you tell anyone else about what you can do?” It was a potentially dangerous move, but could provide more support. “I would love that,” she said immediately. “Did you start working on cars as a teenager, too? Is that what brought you to Hollywood?” Eva knew the basics of everyone’s backstory, but not the entirety, not by a long shot. She preferred other people to fill in the gaps instead.

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hcartsandminds‌:

All religion came from the same place, regardless of what it taught. It stemmed from humanity’s need to believe in something bigger than themselves, came from the idea that there was something more out there, that there was a little bit of magic in the world. The Greek’s mythology was no different, but the stories it told were often far more fun than the ones Aria had grown up hearing in church. Some of them were terrible, to be sure — the gods murdered innocent people to serve their own petty vendettas, they hurt one another for no real reason, they used humanity as a pawn to get back at each other — but some were more inspiring. Heroes prevailed, people were rewarded by the gods for their bravery, love conquered all… It was hard not to feel a connection to things like that, Aria was sure of it. Everyone wanted to believe in a higher power, and the idea that those higher powers struggled with the same things you did made it even easier to embrace. It was nice, the idea that gods had the same concerns that kept you up at night.

“I’m glad to hear that. I was willing to go up to ‘very very nice’ if I needed to.” She returned his grin with one of her own, shrugging a shoulder lightly. “I’m sure it was beautiful. I’m only sad that I didn’t get to hear it.” She liked music, and she was sure whatever ode Ezra had written was… interesting, to say the least. If nothing else, the man knew how to have a good time, and Aria could respect that! “I trust you not to poison me,” she told him, taking a sip of the wine. It was the best she’d ever tasted, and though she guessed she shouldn’t be surprised by that, it was hard not to be. “This is incredible, Ezra.” She finished off the glass fairly quickly, unable to resist. “They were all big fans,” she confirmed with a laugh. Looking back to him, she furrowed her brow curiously and nodded her head. “I’ve never really used my powers alongside anyone else’s before. It might be good to experiment, right?” She and Jade had taken turns growing things, but they’d never tried it at the same time. “We can start with plants. If that works out, I can think of some other things we might have fun with.” She offered him a suggestive smile, not one to pass up any opportunity. “That does sound like a headache,” she laughed lightly, shaking her head. “No work to have fun here, then?”

Contrary to what seemed like a popularly held belief, Ezra was not a complete idiot. In fact, he was actually pretty damn smart, if he was saying so himself. He just never had the inclination to study like the other kids did, didn’t see the point in wasting time writing exam papers when he could be thinking about the party he was going to throw that night, or the one he had been to last night. There were more important things in the world, as far as he was concerned, than structure and order and earning money. Maybe that was a side effect of being raised by a rich parent, but Ezra imagined he would feel the same regardless. Life was for living, not passing through the days doing the same thing over and over again, and then coming home to a boring relationship filled with nothing but complaints about how shit your day was. That was hell, and it was something that Ezra was always desperate to escape, something that Greece provided him respite from.

He knew something weird was going on, but that didn’t mean it was a bad thing, nor did it mean that he had to be the one to crack it. There were far smarter than him around, after all, and Ezra was more focused on having a good time. “You have potential,” Ezra allowed, a grin coming onto his face. “You need to come to the next party, Aria. The whole group should come! Thalia would be up for it, and the scary one.” Alex would follow Thalia wherever she went, Lux and Asher were always up for a party, and Isaiah seemed like he would have a fun time as long as there was someone around to make out with. Maybe Ezra wouldn’t invite Amara. “That’s the sweetest thing anyone has ever said to me,” Ezra joked, clutching his chest. “Thank you, I try my best. Actually, I didn’t even try at all. Isn’t that cool?” Should he have admitted it? Who cares! He was demonstrating his skill. “Experiments are real important. Einstein said that,” Ezra said seriously. “Okay, plants first.” He glanced around, taking in their surroundings. “There’s a smaller isolated patch over there. We could try with it first.” Ezra let out a ‘nah,’ shaking his head as he did. “Everyone’s so relaxed here,” he said. “Back home, people are too much like people. I like it better when people don’t let their heads get in the way, you know? What about you? Are you enjoying it here?”

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hcartsandminds‌:

So, apparently, Lux was a god. Honestly, he should have seen it coming! He’d had tabloids refer to him as godlike before, been called everything from a musical god to a physical one, and while it had always been one of his favorite compliments to receive, he’d never imagined it was literally the truth. It was exciting to say the least, even more so when they all got to Olympus. If Lux had felt at home in Greece, he felt something beyond that on the mountain. Everything about it felt familiar, from the structures to the trees, and when he made it into Apollo’s area, any doubts he might have had evaporated. He put his hand on one of the stones, running his fingers along it thoughtfully. The room was cozy, full of instruments he was familiar with any ones he’d never seen. There were bows of all sizes, too, and arrows sitting alongside them. Lux had never shot a bow before, but he knew if he picked one up now, he’d have perfect aim. It was a weird thing to just know, but he did.

Wandering through the halls, Lux hummed at the flashes of memories that seemed associated with every corner, not noticing Ezra until he spoke. Turning towards his friend with a grin, he shrugged. “Yeah, I guess I’m a god now, so I had to look the part.” He’d put on one of his best outfits, wanting to be well dressed for Olympus. He wasn’t sure why he’d done it, but it certainly felt right now! “You’re looking good, too. What do you have there?” Taking one of the bottles, he raised a brow at the label. “Holy shit, dude! This stuff’s gotta be, like, next level. Dionysus sounds fucking amazing. Apollo’s got his dick out in a ton, too! Lots of statues of him naked, it’s fucking sweet.” Nothing made Lux feel more at home than being utterly surrounded by stone penises! “Apollo has, like, a ton of harp-looking things. Dude must have loved his harps.” On some level, he knew he was Apollo, but saying it aloud still felt weird.

Most of the people in the group had arrived in Greece on a journey to find out who they were and why they had the strange and unusual abilities that they did. Ezra had never been a part of that line of thinking. He was in Greece because his father didn’t want him to be in America, because even his aunt had given up on trying to put him on the straight and narrow. If Greece hadn’t been as enjoyable as it was, if he hadn’t settled into the best scene he had ever experienced, Ezra doubted he would've stayed. Places bored him, people rarely caught his attention for more than a night, and there was nothing tying him to this place that was tangible in any way. The others felt as if they were home here, but Ezra wasn’t so sure. Yeah, Greece was the best place he had ever been, but anyone would say that if they got the chance to live in a mansion in paradise with no bills to pay, and nothing to do every day besides getting drunk.

So yeah, maybe Ezra was just tagging along on other people’s quest for self discovery, but he was having a great time while doing it (that, and it was impossible not to notice that of the twelve of them, there was none other than him who fit Dionysus’s persona quite as closely). “I’m not exactly sure how it works, but I’m pretty sure you’ve been a god since the start, babe,” Ezra said, nudging his shoulder against Lux’s with a grin. “How does it feel up here for you? Tell me you can bench press one of those columns or something.” Their powers seemed to be stronger up here. Ezra could only hope it extended to his as well, because they all deserved to have an amazing time. “How long do you reckon these bottles have been up here? Does time move on up here?” Ezra didn’t really give a fuck, but if it meant more expensive wine, he was all for it, though he didn’t see any cobwebs around the place. “Yeah, I saw them on the way round. Amazing abs, by the way,” Ezra complimented, never one to pass up an opportunity. “Have you tried playing one? I bet it would be totally hot.” Lux singing about helicopter dicks firmly fell into that category, so a godly harp could only add to it! 

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hcartsandminds‌:

The trek to Olympus wasn’t one Aiden had fully understood. His companions all seemed excited, buzzing with something he didn’t quite understand, and while he hadn’t shared in their odd anticipation, he’d figured there was no harm in going along. As they got closer to the mountain, he’d felt something odd building up inside of him. He couldn’t quite explain it. Part of him wanted to speed up the trek, wanted to get to the top of the mountain as soon as he possibly could. Another part wanted to run the other way and put as much distance between himself and Olympus as possible. Neither instinct was one he understood, and when he’d searched his companions’ faces for similar expressions of conflict, he came up empty. Swallowing, he’d kept the feeling to himself, ignoring the odd dread that build up within him as he climbed. It was only as they’d neared the top that the strange memories had begun popping up in his head, things that made absolutely no sense.

He’d quickly excused himself from the rest of his companions, walking instinctively until he found a forge and settling down inside one of the nearby rooms. It was a temple to Hephaestus, he realized, remembering the way Thalia had studied him when they’d visited the god’s temple down in Greece before. Glancing up as someone spoke, he felt an odd twisting in his gut as he recognized Amara. He’d always felt a strange combination of emotions around her, but he found they’d intensified here on Olympus. “Hey,” he greeted, forcing a smile. “Yeah, I guess I’m kind of predictable, huh? It just kind of… called to me.” God, he sounded crazy, didn’t he? They were going to throw him in a loony bin when they got back to the city. At Amara’s question, Aiden hesitated, studying her carefully. “I… think I am, yeah. I’m not sure why though. Am I the only one who has no idea what’s going on here?”  

Since discovering that she had powers comparable to the goddess Hera, and knowing that Isaiah was capable of the feats of Zeus, Amara had been tireless in her search for answers. She had read through the myths more times than she could count, knew them backwards and forwards, and could recognise instinctively the parts of the story that was exaggerated or the parts that were omitted. Amara always felt close to her former persona, but when she met the other gods, it only became more and more intense. Hera had a lot of relationships with the gods, they were often passionate and complicated, and being around all of them made Amara simply relive that. She cared for them, she resented them, she wished to bolster them and outshine them all at once. It was a complicated series of emotions, something that she was continually trying to unpack, and she hoped that Olympus would help with that more than anything else.

With Aiden, Amara didn’t even need to think before following him when he left the room. It was, as so many other things were, a part of her. Yes, they had their issues (Amara admitted that she cringed at the thought of that particular situation being brought up in this life again) but they had defended each other staunchly, and there had been love there. If she could help him now, she would. “Predictable isn’t always a bad thing,” she replied softly, gesturing to the space beside him. “Do you mind if I sit?” This was, after all, his temple, even if he hadn’t quite reached that stage of acceptance yet. “You know you don’t need to choose your words around me, right?” Amara asked, looking at him closely in the light of the fire. “The situation is strange for everyone, not just you. I’m not going to judge how you feel.” Amara chewed lightly on her lip, unsure whether to laugh at that or feel sorry. “I’m pretty sure Ezra and Asher are just here for parties and booze,” she admitted with a smile. “Are you sure you have no idea, Aiden? None at all?”

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hcartsandminds‌:

There was no sense in fearing ghosts. That was what Val’s father used to say, all gruff and certain. The dead were no threat to the living and even if they could be, why would they want to? The living didn’t have anything they could possibly hope to steal by causing them harm. The explanations had always been full of logic, laid out plainly in a way Val always responded to with ease. Having detectives as parents meant logical arguments made far more sense than emotional ones, something her father understood without trying. It was the same approach Val was taking now, the same thing that drove her throughout her life. If you found your answers in logic instead of emotion, you’d rarely be proven wrong. If anyone else in the mansion seemed to understand that, it was Dinah. She seemed to share Val’s logical way of thinking, something that came as a relief considering how many of their fellow prisoners were incredibly emotional. One man had claimed their situation was divine punishment, for fuck’s sake! There was no explanation more annoying than that!

Investigating with Dinah just made sense. She wouldn’t have to worry about the other woman losing her shit, wouldn’t need to feel concern regarding her companion’s decision making process. Dinah’s help actually stood a chance at being helpful in a way that that of many of the other ‘residents’ of the mansion would not not. “I’m glad for that! Some of the people here probably wouldn’t agree.” Val had a tendency to rub people the wrong way with her logical approaches to things. “Give it a week and they’ll be saying it’s the actual devil.” A week may have been too generous. Some of the people here were likely only hours away from that particular declaration! “I think that’s a good idea, yeah. It’ll be smart to know where we’re going. Knowing what the trail looks like in the light should stop us from making any assumptions about shadows we see in the dark, too.”

Dinah had always been obsessive. She liked to fight back against that description, liked to say that she was merely dedicated, but she knew deep down that it was more than that. When she got something in her head, she needed to fight for the answers until the end. It got inside her like a virus, chipping away at her day by day. Often she lost sleep, she definitely lost weight, and her writing suffered until the moment she had that breakthrough. Dinah was lucky in the fact that her boss understood her process, grateful for the fact that her talent made her worth keeping on even if she was somewhat flaky in other regards. Her personal life was in shambles, her family barely spoke to her, her original passion for dance was a distant memory, but she still had something else to focus on. There was always something in the world that someone was trying to cover up, and as far as she was concerned, there was every chance that if this place was haunted, or seemingly so, it was because someone in the building, dead or alive, wanted to keep people out. It spoke to every one of Dinah’s instincts to fight back against it, and she was glad that Val felt the same way.

It seemed like it would be something commonplace in police officers, to have the courage to fight back against what everyone else was saying, but Dinah knew enough through her travels and her own experiences to know that was rarely the case. If she had found a good one, she was going to keep hold of it. “People never agree with me in the beginning,” Dinah said, more than aware of the reviews that had been written about her techniques. “By the end of the article, though, they usually come around to my way of thinking. Evidence has a tendency to do that, don’t you think?” It would be a lot more difficult to get evidence of this, ghosts were hardly absolute, but Dinah was convinced this was not a supernatural occurrence. “Do you want to set out now?” Dinah asked. “What should we bring with us? Hansel and Gretel didn’t turn out so great, but I have more faith in us,” she joked.

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hcartsandminds‌:

All throughout high school, Velma’s friendship with Fred had been viewed as odd by those around them. She understood it, of course. Fred wasn’t the sort of person that people expected to see hanging out with Velma, but that had never bothered either of them. Friendship didn’t care about social status, wasn’t limited by who wore clothes that looked like yours. It was based in common interests, and Velma and Fred had no shortage of those. They both had an intense need to help people, both had a fascination with detective work. Velma liked to think they’d be just as close if they hadn’t met at her fifth birthday party. Some people were just meant to be friends, and she was positive that she and Fred Jones were among them.

“Color me surprised,” she deadpanned, though she wore a fond smile as she said it. Fred had a habit of getting himself into trouble, but luckily for him, Velma was pretty good at getting him out of it. It was part of what their friendship was based on! “You didn’t listen to me,” she repeated, raising a brow. “Why wouldn’t you listen to me, Fred? You know what happens when you don’t listen to me.” Shaking her head, she followed him to the window, trying and failing to bite back a laugh at what she saw there. “We —- We’re in the city,” she said, biting her lip to keep the fit of giggles at bay. “How did you get a cow stuck in your net in the city?” 

Fred was pretty sure that with all the will in the world, there was no way he was getting through high school without Velma by his side, literally forcing his head into books, dragging him to the library after football practice, quizzing him before he went in for exams. He knew that there was a part of him that was intelligent, but he found it hard to apply to areas outside of his very specific, niche interests. Velma, in his opinion, had always seemed like someone who knew something about everything. She was one of the best people in the world as far as Fred was concerned, someone that he called at two o’clock in the morning the night before school asking what the fuck ‘x’ meant in an equation (it was that bad), and now, she was part of Mystery Incorporated, which was pretty much Fred's dream job. Engineering was fun, he could mess around with machines all day as long as he had food provided, but mysteries were where his real passion lay, and Velma was absolutely amazing at figuring out the big picture.

“Hey, I’m not that bad!” Fred argued, though there was a grin on his face while he did so. “I haven’t trapped a person in a net for, like, three weeks.” No more awkward calls from the police station, which was always a good thing, though Fred knew it was only a matter of time. “What happened at prom would have happened whether I listened to you or not.” Probably. Maybe. Probably not. “I’m guessing he - she - came from a truck or something? I don’t know, Velma! If I knew where she came from that would be great, because the second I went towards her she tried to bite my hand off!” Clearly this was a domesticated cow, which was absolutely super. Someone was really gonna want to kill Fred this time around! “Any great plans, Dinkley?”

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spitfirehecrts‌:

The Scooby Gang gang had totally changed Daphne’s life for the better. Before she became a member of Mystery Inc., Daphne wasn’t doing anything worthwhile. She was just learning new hobbies, confused about who or what she wanted to be. Sure, every teenager had those moments, but for Daphne, she always felt like she wasn’t doing anything good for anyone! She wanted to help people, she wanted to be challenged, and with Fred, Velma, Shaggy and Scooby, Daphne had finally found that. She also found people who genuinely cared about her for who she was. What more could anyone ask for? It was everything Daphne had ever hoped for all rolled into one! If that wasn’t luck, Daphne wasn’t sure what was.

A laugh escaped Daphne when Fred mentioned that both she and Merida were princesses. “Is that a compliment?” She asked, a little hopeful. Fred complimenting her first thing in the morning was just like a dream come true, but Daphne wanted to make sure he wasn’t just calling her spoiled. Some people were a little envious of the Blake fortune, but Fred had always been grateful for it. Hopefully that hadn’t changed! “That is a pretty cool move, huh?” Daphne’s martial arts skill had always been something she was proud of, especially since it meant that she was no longer a damsel in distress. “Did she show up?” Daphne asked curiously. She grinned as Fred pulled her in for another hug and she relaxed in his arms, content. Thank god the others weren’t awake to see them! “How does your neck not get all tight?” Daphne asked, moving to rub Fred’s shoulders. There wasn’t any tension — men were so weird! “Mhm,” she said, not bothering to argue anymore about Mary’s eating habits. When Fred agreed that he wanted waffles, Daphne grinned and tossed him the keys to the Mystery Machine. “Just let me change real quick and we’ll go to Joey’s!” Daphne agreed. “I’ll meet you in the van.”

Ten minutes later, once Daphne looked presentable, she hopped into the passenger seat and grinned at Fred. “This is cool, right? Just the two of us?”

Fred and Daphne, unlike Fred and Velma, had always ran in similar circles. Daphne was vibrant, she lit up every room that she was in, and Fred had always been convinced that was the reason why he went directly towards her when he walked into the party after a big game. In many ways, they had been destined to become friends, just as the rest of Mystery Incorporated had been. Fred and Daphne had both been well known in their high school, there were more than enough people who wanted to befriend them and be seen to spend time with them, but there was something different. Fred had never imagined that it was a shared interest in mystery solving, after all it was quite a niche hobby and now a career, but he was always grateful that had been the case, and that Daphne wasn’t just one of many that he spent time with in high school only to never see again outside of it.

“Of course it’s a compliment,” Fred said with a grin, feeling as if that, at least, was a little smoother. “I would never give you anything else.” His grin only continued to grow as they discussed Daphne’s prowess in martial arts. What could he say? Anyone with eyes and a brain would find Daphne impressive, and her talents came in handy more times than he could count when Fred managed to land the team in just a little bit of hot water. “You should teach me it sometime,” Fred said, “or a variant.” Fred liked planning, but if teaching him some basics would let him spend more time with Daphne, why not? “I don’t think so,” Fred said, shoulders falling, though they rose again in response to Daphne’s hands on his shoulders. “Like I said, it’s comfortable,” he said with a laugh. “We should try it sometime. Sleeping on the table, I mean.” Why would she go for that? Thankfully, they moved on, and Fred caught the keys with a smile. “Can’t wait,” he informed her, watching as she left the kitchen before making his own way to the Mystery Machine.

“This is cool,” Fred confirmed, resting his arm against the back of Daphne’s seat as he started up the van. It spluttered a few times, protested the ignition turning on, but that was part of its charm! “You don’t mind it just being us?” Fred looked over at her briefly before starting to drive towards Joey’s. “I don’t mind it at all. I just wonder if you mind.” Stop talking. “So. I caught a cow in a net the other day.”

[writefcrjoy]

hcartsandminds‌:

Truthfully, it wasn’t passion or interest that drew Sofia to the police force. A lot of cops believed wholeheartedly in what they did, dedicated themselves entirely to keeping the world safe, and while Sofia had always imagined those individuals growing up, they hadn’t been what convinced her to join up with the police. No, Sofia’s decision to go to the police academy had been based entirely in a desire to one-up her brother. If Emerson was going to be a doctor, saving lives through the wonders of medicine, then Sofia would be a cop, saving lives in her own way. It helped push her ahead of him, helped put her back on his level. The fact that she’d ended up loving it had just been lucky. She’d been good at it, too. One of the only new recruits who could keep up with the seasoned officers, Sofia felt as though she’d found her calling on the force. She’d been a little bitter after Romeo vanished, but it hadn’t changed the way she felt. She still knew she was good at what she did, still knew she was in the right place.

“Well, those guys weren’t me,” she replied with a grin. Sofia wasn’t stupid; she knew she’d been good at what she did, knew she’d been skilled in just about every area that made a good cop. Luckily for her, those areas she showed so much skill in also made a good zombie fighter. Her talents were pretty versatile! “You probably deserve a smack in the face, so you’re lucky I’m nice.” She laughed, shaking her head. “You wouldn’t tell me if I asked, and I don’t do tears. Take what you can get, Romeo.” Was she frustrated he’d vanished without a word? Sure. But Sofia wasn’t one to give anyone any sort of power over her, even if it was as simple as the power of knowing what upset her. “I won’t say I haven’t thought about it,” she replied. Truthfully, she might have already shot Emerson a little if not for Margot’s presence. Nothing serious, of course, just a flesh wound type thing, but even that would probably upset her girlfriend, so she refrained. “Yeah, he loves his team ups.” He’d even teamed up with her once, though their alliance had been brief. It ended pretty much the second they realized their parents weren’t going to get a divorce. “I came with Margot. We only stayed in town about three days before coming out here, so we’ve been holed up here pretty much the whole time. How about you?”

Romeo assumed he should probably be more perturbed by the fact that Atlanta was literally burning around him and the undead were trying to rip his head off any time he left the cabin, but he found himself adjusting to it extremely well. Perhaps it was because his life thus far had led to it. Africo, after all, was one of the most dangerous small towns near Messina. The Mafioso roamed the streets, they took almost all of his family from him, and the neighbours that you relied on to survive were the very same people that stole the food from your mouth the second an opportunity presented itself. He was a survivor to his very bones, it was in his blood, and if he didn’t have loyalties to some of the others in the cabin he was convinced that he might even be prospering in these conditions. He had no one other than Mila and her family to miss, had no people of his own to fight for, or to wonder what happened to them. He had Gabe’s orders and the wherewithal to carry them out, and that was enough to convince him he was doing his duty.

He imagined that things were a little different with Sofia. While they had known each other only a short time, he knew she had a family. Even if her relationship with Emerson was tense, they cared for each other, and they were both stuck in this hellhole together. That had to be weighing on her mind. If Romeo was a better person, he would’ve dug further into that. “They didn’t have me as a mentor either,” Romeo pointed out, unable to help himself. “Just a smack in the face? You’re generous. I could turn that bruise into a dashing tale of my exploits fighting zombies off near McDonald’s.” Lying came naturally, basically anyone that knew him knew that. “Fair enough,” he replied, glad that someone else was on the same page. “What’s holding you back? Family loyalty?” A vague concept if there ever was one for Romeo. “Mila’s a good one to hedge your bets on. Have you seen her around much?” Was he fishing for information? Absolutely. It was justified in the situation! “Was it just the two of you for that time, or did you find someone else? I ran into another group a few miles away. None of them made it past the park. Guess I got here by happy accident.”