(2018-02-16) Let's Party Like We're Responsible
Let's Party Like We're Responsible
Summary: It's Friday night on a three day weekend, and Ashton, Besa, Loukanos, and Theo chose to not act like normal teenagers.
Date: IC Date (2018-02-16)
Related: None
NPCs: None
Scene Runner: NA
Players:
ariel..ashton..besa..loukanos..theodore..

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Billiard Room Winbarry Estate


The Billiard Room has no pool tables. Although someone has made some efforts and there's a few board games and a deck of cards with some books on a shelf along the wall. A half-finished puzzle with basset house puppies takes up one of the tables.

A few small sofas and wingback chairs make conversational areas, throw rugs decorating those little areas. An entertainment center with a TV, blue ray player and a gaming console system has been set up. A pair of French doors lead to the back patio.
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Afternoon classes have just finished for the day. Students have dispersed all around the estate, and seeing that it is Friday, many of them are waiting for the ferry to take them to the shore. The prospect of seeing what the little town has to offered momentarily crossed Ashton's mind, but he opted to wait until the morning to do so. Instead the dark haired boy is sitting in one of the wing back chairs. Well, sitting isn't quite correct. One leg is hooked over the arm of the chair, as he languidly slouches in the chair. An acoustic guitar is in his hands, as he is softly playing a song he heard last night. Apparently not only can he play the guitar and the violin but he sings as well. His voice is as smooth as silk and as sweet as honey. If one is familiar with such, he is singing 'Dust in the Wind' by Kansas.

Yay for the weekend. Loukanos isn't one of the kids leaving for the town. If he ever left the estate, it's more likely he will be going 'up', not out. Instead, he finds himself wanting to relax in the Billards Room. Out of the school uniform, the male blonde wears a white tee that reads "I DON'T BELIEVE IN MAGIC" across the chest. He is greeted by an angelic voice that puts a lazy smile on his face. Once he sees it's Ashton, his smile broadens, but he doesn't interrupt.

Enough people are gone and transitioning to weekend attitudes that when Ariel, now a compact pretty girl with long blonde hair, she's already ditched the uniform for a pair of shorts and a long knit sweater. When she comes in it's through the door to the patio. Her phone is at her ear and she's in the middle of a conversation. "…please just ask Mom and Dad if they'll send my iPad. I know." Whatever the other person says causes her face to twist with angst. "Yes, Moshe, I know. Just- just ask, okay? God! Yeah, well maybe I'll just fucking come back there and eat you all!" She punctuates this by taking the phone away and hitting the disconnect button pointlessly violently, since there's really no slamming the phone down these days. She shoves the phone into her side, where it disappears and finally notices other people are in the room and that she's totally interrupting a guitar performance. Looking suitably abashed she says, "Aaah. I could have handled that better. Sorry. Sorry. Sorry sorry please continue sorry."

Ashton doesn't seem to be fazed one bit by Ariel's phone call. "Problems?" He looks up with a rather peaceful smile, "No worries… You are interrupting anything… I was just trying to work out the chords on a song I heard last night…" Yeah, that was him working on a song that he heard once. He pauses and realizes that it is yet another student that he has not yet met. "Hey, so um.. hi, I'm Ashton…" It is about that time that he sees Loukanos is also in the room. His smile widens. "Hey Louk."

Loukanos glances back at the blonde girl with a curious look, "Troubles at home? I hope everything is alright." He asks, a touch of worry in his melodic voice. "For something that you just heard the other day, it sounded really nice, Ashton." He softly smiles at the other boy. Back to the new girl, "I'm Loukanos. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"No. Well, no. I left my iPad when I left home and was hoping someone would send it to me, but my brother was being a little shit." Ariel shoves her hands into the pockets of the long sweater. It has pockets now. It might not have before, but it definitely does now. Looking between the two of them she extricates a hand and offers a wave. "Hi, I'm Ariel. I really am sorry. It was very good. From what I could hear. Between yellings."

Ashton smiles, "Thanks… but I dropped a couple notes… " The dark haired boy cocks his head, "Um.. so are you new too? Or did you just leave it at home after a visit? And seriously, don't apologize. This is a public room. You have just as much right to scream and shout as I do to play or sing." His azure-green eyes look down at the neck of the guitar has he fingers some chords without actually playing the notes. From the look in his eyes, he can practically hear the notes as he does.

"What's the issue with sending it over?" Loukanos asks, having no clue how the US postal system works. "If you're up for it, I could probably 'summon' it here," He smirks slightly and waggles his fingers, Harmless sparks fly off his fingertips, "Might give your brother a heart attack, though."

"I'm new. I kind of left home suddenly and didn't have much of a chance to pack. Got my phone and not a whole lot else." Ariel turns and looks over the entertainment center, pursing her lips. "I didn't realize there were two TV rooms. Maybe I can get away from the kid that's always using the TV downstairs and finally watch Altered Carbon up here." She then turns a skeptical eye on the rest of the room. "I'm assuming they have Netflix, but that might be a bad assumption." Loukanos' somewhat cryptic offer gets raises eyebrows. "Summon it? Shit, that sounds good to me. The issue is that I was brought here by armed escorts and told not to contact my family anymore, so… yeah, definitely. There's pretty much no chance Moshe's going to send the damn thing. And it's a good iPad!"

Ashton shrugs slightly, "I honestly wouldn't know… I just used my laptop to watch anything, which I really haven't had much time for that… " He raises an eyebrow at her description of her arrival. "Well, that sounds like it majorly sucks… " He decides not to ask any questions though, not really any of his business to ask. "Today marks my first full week here… Seems like there are quite a few of us that just got here actually."

"Armed escorts…?" Loukanos gives a wary look. "That's rough. I'm not able to contact my family, either." But he wasn't ordered not to, his fam just lives somewhere where messages aren't easily sent or received. "Save my mother. She's up here," He taps his temple. "Basically, I could summon the tablet via magic. Just gimme a location." He grins at Ashton, "Congratulations. You're settling well, I hope? New students enroll all the time. In many cases, powered students cannot stay at home. Like in the case of armed escorts removing you from your home."

Ariel nods to Ashton. "Yeah. You, me, Ronan, Janessa, a kid whose name I cannot remember. Jesus. Kona? Kogal? Anyway, yeah, there are a lot of us. This house is getting cramped. People keep assuring me that the old school was better, but is too full of dinosaurs to go back to just yet." Ariel looks back to Loukanos. "No, no, I like this idea. Magically lifting my iPad for me. Okay. How specific do you need? It's in a brownstone on Beacon Hill in Boston. I could do a 'find my phone' to get more exact, I guess. There's no chance of this going wrong and you accidentally teleporting half of my brother here or something, is there?"

A note twangs off of the guitar. Ashton frowns as his tone tenses up, as he says, "Koga." He squirms slightly, obvious a little uncomfortable. He then blinks, "Dinosaurs? What?" He then pauses and starts laughing, "Oh right… You got me…. you had me going there for a minute." He chews on his lower lip a bit as he listens to Loukanos and Ariel discussing the details of his summoning her ipad.

"That's specific enough. Leave the rest to a bit of clairvoyance," Loukanos says, "Boston is in Massachusetts, right?" He closes his eyes, and his lips move slightly. No words come out, but whatever he's mouthing is clearly not English. A beat. Then his eyes open, and he smirks. "I think I see it. Or feel it." He blinks at Ashton, "No, the old school was attacked by raptors from another dimension. It was destroyed entirely," His smile returns as Ariel's tablet pops into existence in his hands with a golden flash. "Ta-da!"

Ariel eyes Ashton when he looks all uncomfortable. "Uh. Sorry. I only met Koga the one time. And that was with my friend Janessa. We're not in any of the same classes, so I never really ended up talking to him again." When her iPad actually pops into being in Loukanos' hand Ariel laughs and gives a cheer, then reaches over to grab it. "That was pretty impressive, guy. You have my thanks and I officially owe you a favor."

"Pretty impressive?" Ashton cocks his head, "That is frellin' amazing." He straights up in the chair. He then looks over at Ariel, as his voice takes on a softer tone, "Nothing to apologize for… I met him yesterday. He threatened to kill me. I think he would have if Theo hadn't stopped him." He shrugs slightly, "So yeah… he's not exactly high on my want to run into on a dark night list."

"It's really no problem," Loukanos chuckles. "What's the point of having powers if you do not help people?" He shrugs. "It wasn't all me. My magic is based on many factors and most of the time the source doesn't come directly from me," He furrows his brows and looks at Ashton, "Why would he want to kill you?" He says, a little harder than usual for his normally soft voice.

"Oh. Okay. That's … weird. When I met him he seemed okay. Definitely not, uh, violent or anything. Well. If it ever comes to it, let me know. I'm on Ares. We like punching up people who need it." She assumes. So far being on Ares has involved snark from fellow Ares members. Ariel just shrugs at Loukanos. "You made the magic happen though, and I appreciate it. You're a regular Twilight Sparkle. Swing by my table at lunch some day and you can have my dessert."

Ashton shrugs slightly, "He saw me cast a spell.." He looks over at Loukanos, "One that demanded payment… but nothing like the other night, so don't worry about that… Anyway, he flipped out and said that he wanted to skewer me with the sword that he was carrying around with him.. I swear he looked like a cat about to pounce a mouse, and I was the freakin' mouse." He grins over at Ariel, with a slight lopsided grin, "Ashton of the Order of Ares… but I don't like to punch anyone really… I just have no patience for pointless rules that make no sense with a bit of a problem with authority… so they told me that I belonged in Ares."

"That's not okay," Loukanos decides, frowning. "Even if he didn't plan to follow through with it, he can't just threaten you. I don't know why the use of your powers would bother him so much." He shakes his head. That bugs him. A lot. Naturally, the My Little Pony reference goes way above the godling's head. "Little chance of me joining anyone at lunch, but I'll keep that in mind."

Ariel laughs when it turns out Ashton's on her team. "Garrett was right. I didn't get philosophical enough with it. I just told them that I liked hitting things and being around pretty people and I ended up on Ares. Along with Grayson and Sky. I mean, they're pretty, but have you seen Sky's brother?" Ariel makes a show of fanning herself. "And hardly anyone wants to hit anything! Anyway, I've got all kinds of issues, so if some teenybopper freshman pulls a sword on you, let me know. We'll see if he wants to eat it."

Ashton looks at Louk, "Do _not_ tell me that you don't eat. It kind of makes dinner by candlelight a bit pointless." He cocks his head, waiting for the godling's response. He glances at Ariel, with a bit of a shrug, "Haven't met anyone named Grayson or Sky, much less Sky's brother." He grins slightly, "But I will keep it in mind and make sure to ask Koga if he's hungry the next time he threatens me."

"I don't need to, no," Loukanos shrugs his slender shoulders. "I try to every once in a while." He smiles at Ashton. "When I do, it's usually for a special occasion. And you're a special occasion." He winks and grins over at Ariel, "Ashton meets at least one of your requirements. I am a Guardian of Prometheus…which I guess basically means I take punches. For the benefit of mankind."

"I don't usually eat either. I can, but I can only really process so much of it, and then I'm just carrying the rest around. It's uncomfortable. Which is too bad, because I remember loving to eat that good trayf like cheeseburgers and pizza." Ariel looks back to Ashton. "They're also Ares. Gray also plays the guitar. He controls water. Goes by Petrichor. Look it up so you know the definition, that'll impress him. Sky is a Masters, which didn't mean much to me until I came here, but they're apparently a storied old super-family that everyone knows. They're both kind of mean at first, but then as you get to know them… nope, don't have a good end to that sentence yet. As I was saying it I hoped something would come to me."

Ashton looks at Loukanos, "One of her requirements?" He smirks at Ariel's descriptions. "Masters… " Where has he heard that name before, "Oh, like Rain.. She did say something about having a brother named Sky the other day…" He looks over at Louk, "And damn skippy I'm special." He waggles his eyebrows at him. "Well you should at least come hang out with people at lunch, even if you don't eat. It's like part of the whole high school experience… Not necessarily the highlight of the day, but part of it, nonetheless."

"Pretty and hitting people?" Loukanos grins. "Take your pick." He nods, "Schuyler and Rain. The Masters twin. They are both pretty aloof, but Besa seems to like them. And I trust his judgment. I didn't know they had an older sibling." It counts for something. "I'll go if I have nothing better to do. I guess the new incentive is relieving Ariel of her dessert."

Ariel nods to Loukanos. "See that you do. They're piling up." She opens her iPad and plays with it a bit, then practically bounces with joy. "Okay, boys. It's a long weekend, so I'm going to go to my room and watch all of Altered Carbon. If no one sees me by Tuesday send a search party." That said she offers the pair a wave, adds, "you guys are adorable together, by the way," and then heads out.

Ashton blushes slightly at Ariel's parting words, as he then glances over at Loukanos. He then looks down at the guitar and starts playing it. Unlike before, is isn't a rock or pop song, but a piece of classical music, specifically Paganini's Caprice number 24, afterall he did promise to play for Loukanos, and it beats not really having words on his tongue at the moment.

Loukanos blushes, but the corner of his lips tug into a ghost of a smile. Once Ashton starts to play, the young godling flops onto a loveseat and lazily stretches until he's comfortable. Then he just listens, letting the music fill the silence. It's nice, especially from an expert musician such as Ashton. His eyes shut slowly, allowing the sounds to spread around him.

Ashton glances up at Loukanos. A gentle smile eases across his lips. He quite frankly is enjoying seeing the look of peace and serenity on Louk, so he continues playing. Without really thinking about it, he closes his eyes and Ashton's fingers start playing a traditional Greek folksong.

Loukanos's lips spread further into a smile of tranquility. It's completely unclear if it stems from the song change or just the music lulling him deeper into a blissful calm. "Who taught you how to play?" He asks, peeking over at the darker haired boy with one sapphire eye.

Ashton is lounging in one of the wingback chairs playing a guitar. Currently he is playing some traditional Greek music on it. He looks over to Loukanos who is on one of the nearby loveseats. He looks over and shrugs, "Me. I pretty much taught myself… I kind have always just had a gift with music… I haven't found an instrument that I can't figure out how to play… "Yeah, that's completely normal.

Like a lion sleeping in the sun, Loukanos is sprawled over the loveseat, one leg hanging off the edge. "Incredible," He mutters. "Mother taught me to play the lyre and harp when I was very young." So his skill does not seem from an supernatural source. Just skill and loads of time to practice. "I take it you've never tried the lyre."

Theo's spiders herald his arrival, as they always do. And it always five — four of the 'lesser' spiders, with Happylegs leading the pack. The 'leader of the pack' seems back to normal, more or less, his face-spots black like the others, and in its typical 'resting happy-face'. It pauses when it notes who's there, and waves at the pair. And shortly, there's Theo. He's not in uniform, either — yay for casual Fridays, right? "Hello there, gentlemen," he greets as he enters, with a smile. "Happy heard music, so we thought we'd come and investigate."

Ashton is lounging in one of the high wingback chairs, playing a guitar. He shakes his head slightly, "The lyre no, but I have played a concert harp though.. that was fun." He sees the "brainspiders" just a second before Theo. He grins, "Hey, Theo. Hi Happy." He pauses in his playing as he sits up a bit, "Oh.. guess what… so far the three are still here… I made a little spot for them to nest in up in my room." He forgets that he didn't mention what the spell was that nearly got him sliced up, just that it had happened.

Loukanos does not notice the arrival of Theodore's spider. His eyes fell close again, but he catches the other blonde's voice. "Hello Theodore," He opens his eyes and smiles pleasantly at the newcomer, "How's your evening?" He looks at Ashton, "That really is lovely. You're very talented, I'm surprised you never had a formal teacher." Not too surprised, though. There are weirder things than a magical prodigy.

Besa heard music. His good mood disappeared on Valentines day, but he's at least now trying to be a little social. If only to get Rain to think he was ok. Inside the billiard room him comes, tan sweater over dark jeans. Nothing fancy, but it compliments his complexion. Seeing the group as he enters, there's a moments hesitation in his step, but he's here! "Hello….Am I intruding?" A nervous smile accompanies the query.

Theo smiles to Ashton's words. "Oh, that's good to hear," he notes. On the ceiling, Happylegs waves its legs… well, happily! "Let me know how long they last." And a nod to Loukanos. "Hello. I'm doing well." He also notes to those words of Ashton's talent, "Most definitely." Besa arrives… and Theo tenses a bit. Happylegs goes a bit still, his black face-spots turning a bit blue. But! Theo squares his shoulders, and offers to Besa politely, "Hello there. Not intruding on anything of mine, no. Though I only just arrived myself." He gives a small smile. Theo is DAMNED AND DETERMINED not to upset anybody!

Ashton chuckles slightly, "Oh, I had a teacher for the violin and the piano… I just learned everything that could teach me quicker than they could teach me." He grins, "Oh, I will definitely let you know. " He actually almost sounds like a proud papa, "I saw them hunting together… it was kind of neat… " He pauses, "Is there a pet shop in town? Maybe I need to get them some crickets." He looks over at Besa "Good evening. No you're not interrupting." His eyes move to Happy, then over to Theo. He frowns slightly, but doesn't say anything.

Loukanos seems to sense the tension in Theodore upon Besa walking in but says nothing, either. Instead, he beams over at Besa, "Hey Besa. I never got the chance to thank you for your Valentine's Day gift. Thank you! It was very sweet of you." Hopefully, that answers the question of whether or not he's intruding. He glances between Theo and Ashton. "What's this about hunting?"

Besa steps in and finds a corner to lean into. He looks smaller than usually. Maybe he's just tired? His arms fold across his chest like he's cold. That small smile of offered to Theo, and a small nod. Besa's not looking to get yelled at again, so he doesn't say anything to the boy. Ashton gets a nod of thanks, but then he follows the teens gaze to Happy and then Theo. Maybe he is interrupting? But the Louk calls to him, "You are very welcome. It is the least I can do for what you have done for me." That seems to lessen the ancient teens tension some.

Theo blinks. "Actually that is a good question… do they eat?" Referring to Ashton's new 'pets'. "Mine don't require food, since they're connected to me…" Loukanos's question gets a chuckle. "I believe Ashton is referring something he brought into existence with his abilities." He looks to Ashton to confirm. Besa gets… well, silence. But Theo's not going to be rude to him. If Besa would rather not speak to him, that's his prerogative.

Ashton looks over to Louk. He gives a slight sheepish look. "Well, yesterday… That Koga guy referred Theo's spiders to something akin to manifestations. So I wondered if I could I don't know create something similar. I didn't really think I could, but I created three spiders of my own.. well, they aren't like Theo's. There actually solid and are red… That was what had Koga going all Kurosawa on me…" He looks back over to Theo, "Yeah, they eat.. They caught a spider - a normal spider - and a moth."

"Oh, do you know how long they'll last?? Loukanos tilts his head. Magic has a tendency to run on a time limit based on the power of the magician. Then again, from what Lou has seen, Ashton is incredibly powerful. He bristles slightly at the mention of Koga, "If blood magic spooks him that much, he'll freak when he meets Besa."

Besa's head tilts listening to the spider conversation. He'll give HappyLegs another glance, but then chews on his lower lip in thought. Red spiders? He blinks and asks Ashton, "Kurowhat?" He then looks at Louk, "Who is Koga?" So many new students. Absently he'll run his hand through his hair, which falls back into it's perfectness. Must be part of the curse!

"Oh, that could help with pest control around here," Theo notes. "Just don't let them eat any of mine. I'm not sure how I'd handle it." Though he looks a bit uncomfortable when Koga's sudden flipping-out is mentioned. "He was just… startled, that's all…" Still not telling anyone what Koga told him! Theo raises his hand to the back of his head when Loukanos mentions Besa's blood magic. "Er… well… I'm not really sure that's what it was, but that's… that's just what I guessed…" Things are starting to unravel! But Besa provides an avenue of distraction, so he offers quietly, "He's a new student that's arrived. He's a swordsman, from the looks of it. Rather talented, from what I saw."

Ashton looks at Besa, "Kurosawa.. Akira Kurosawa… just one of the greatest movie directors to have ever been born." He arches his brows in a bit of confusion. To the best of his knowledge, Besa is a healer. What does that have anything to do with blood magic. He does nod to Theo, "Theo did point out that culturally blood magic is sometimes perceived differently than what others might." Yeah, he's defending Koga, purely for Theodore's benefit. He hops up from his chair and drapes his arm across Theo's shoulders. "But, seriously Dude… You are like one of my heroes… I just knew that I was done for last night, if it wasn't for you." He does sneak in a reassuring squeeze to Theo's shoulder. "Oh, I very seriously doubt that any of them would ever hurt any of yours… " He looks to Louk. "I don't know how long they will last.. I honestly didn't expect them to last the night, but I did feel a deep pull when I bled for them.. like deeper than the blood itself… Kind of like how the other night was way more than I was planning… " He ponders, "Actually, I was wondering if I kept routinely feeding them my blood if they might continue to stay with me."

Besa just ohs, realizing he's got no idea who they're talking about. Modern society is so confusing! "I will try to not scare the new student then." apparently he does have something to do with blood magic? But then his head tilts and he's studying Ashton again. Huh. He'd like to see these red spiders.

Theo nods, both to the mention of Akira Kurosawa, and to the mention of the cultural implications of blood magic. Of the latter, he explains, "Blood magic may have been known of in… I think it's Celtic mythology, possibly Norse. But Koga is Japanese. To my knowledge — though I admit history's not my strong suit — the Japanese didn't really have any kind of 'blood is power' sort of myth that wasn't of something bad." Though he actually blushes a bit when Ashton drapes an arm over him. "I'm sure he wouldn't have killed you on school grounds," he replies. "Not in front of someone else. That would have been murder." And there ARE people in the world who can take the kids from Coral Springs down. Even if it's OTHER kids from Coral Springs! The mention of Ashton's spiders not eating Theo's spiders gets a nod. "Most likely not… I'm certain they don't taste anything like a regular spider." And he does assure Besa, "Ah, I think he'll be all right with you." And a reassuring smile.

Ashton looks doubtful of Theo's belief in Koga's restraint. He smiles and nods to Theo. "Yeah, I don't think that your spiders have what they were looking for… I'm not sure how filling psychic energy is." He does grin at Theo's blush. That does so amuse him. He goes to return to his chair and stops, "Though seriously, Theo… I can't tell you how much I appreciate you stepping to my defense… and for being a friend, which I do consider you to be… " Instead of returning to the chair he was occupying before, an impish grin stretches across his lips and his eyes light up with mischief as he plops down on the loveseat that is occupide by Loukanos, or more accurately, he plops down on top of Loukanos.

Loukanos frowns, "Just because something is foreign to him doesn't mean he should want to kill it," He shakes his head. "If we killed things we did not understand, Besa and I would have razed the school by now," His blue eyes do narrow slightly when Theodore seems to stumble over his words, but he says nothing. It could just be how Theo is. "Just don't heal anyone around him, Besa, and you should be fine." The irritation that comes from this new kid's threat fades away entirely when Ashton is upon him. He grins back, "Maybe he just gets flustered around pretty boys."

Besa looks down at his left arm, fingers flexing slightly before nodding. Not that he breaks out the knife that often anymore. Dark eyes lift as he watches the antics between Louk and Ashton with a soft smile. He can't help a small chuckle at Louk words, because that's very true. Kuro-whtchamacalhim. "Things are very different now." He can not make any promises about not healing someone, but he'll try to keep an eye on Koga if that is the case. "Should I go speak to him?" Perhaps the new kid just needs to talk to someone.

Theo smiles at Ashton's words. "That's not so bad, being a friend," he notes, with a smile. And yes, a bit of a blush. "I'm sure things will even out, not to worry. Give him time to settle." Though again, Theo looks incredibly uncomfortable as Loukanos mentions Koga again. "It… it's…" He pauses. He doesn't want everyone to think badly of Koga without even knowing him though. So, he settles for PART of the truth. "OK, I'll admit it. There was something he told me. I just didn't want to violate his confidence — I'd do that for any of you too. But apparently he… hunts… certain things, and could tell that Ashton's power was close to the things he hunts, so he was a little upset by that. Besa's mention of speaking to him gets a tilt of his head. "Maybe. It could do to explain things to him. Maybe he'll tell you more about it."

Ashton laughs a bit as he tries to get comfy on the lumpy loveseat. He stretches his arms out across the back of the cushions. He shrugs slightly, "I'm sure that things will be better given time… I just plan to give him plenty of space until he cools down… " He pauses, "and if he doesn't, then I'll try not to piss him off." He coks his head at Theo's remarks. "You cannot tell me that "witch hunting" is still a real thing… I mean come on… this isn't the Spanish Inquisition." He then smirks, "Because no one expects the Spanish Inquisition!"

Loukanos shifts a a bit, making things more comfortable for the both of them. He snorts at what Ashton says, "Whatever set him off, I don't think it was general magic. I sensed mysticism all over him," He eyes Theodore but decides against pushing the matter. If he really feels secrecy is the best course of action, there's probably a good reason behind it. "He suggested that I wasn't good divinity because I overwhelmed his senses." Shrug. "So you're not alone."

Besa's brow furrows, "He…hunts? What does he hunt?" Dark eyes go towards Ashton, and then back to Theo, "He does realizer that there are many magic users here, yes?" Besa doesn't need anyone else out gunning for him! The hunter's a magic user himself? Irony! The Egyptian's nose wrinkles in annoyance, "I will try speaking to him." A deep breath, "You are good, Loukanos. I know." Maybe it's just because Louk heals him, but Besa believes that.

Theo looks a little uncomfortable at Ashton's question regarding 'witch hunting'. "It's a little more complicated than that… but I don't want to violate anybody's confidence." The look he gives indicates that he means Ashton's too. "I can tell you more about it later, in private, if you'd like." And he snickers at the 'Spanish Inquisition' comment. "All right Monty," he teases. Loukanos's words get a nod. "See, that's what I mean. I think he's just having to get used to everything. Maybe he's just on edge because everything's new." Besa's question gets a wince. "Like I said, I don't want to violate his confidence," Theo replies. "If you talk to him, he may tell you more. I don't want to out it, since he seemed to indicate he didn't want it known."

Ashton slowly drags his canine over the edge of his lower lip. He is quiet for a moment, then looks at Theo. "I'm not asking you to break your word, Theo. I wouldn't want you to. I don't really get what it's about, but if you say he has his reason, that's good enough for me… for now." His eyes are a bit of a storm of conflicting thoughts though, as he thinks to himself that if Theo thinks that Koga has his reasons to have a problem with him… He nods, "Yeah, all of this thrown at you at once is pretty damn difficult to wrap your brain around." He glances down at Loukanos and grins slightly, though it is more in an attempt to calm the situation, "We all aren't perfect gods… so the rest of us mere mortals can and do make mistakes… the important thing is that we learn from them."

"That is the beauty of humanity…" Loukanos says but sounds strangely unconvinced by his own sentiment. He doesn't deny being perfect because he's pretty sure he is as close as it gets. "That sounds likely, Theo. Some people handle exposure to new situations differently, I suppose," He shakes his head. "Ashton's right. If it's that serious, you don't have to say anything. In fact, you probably shouldn't." He pushes back a stray golden lock.

Besa frowns, confused about the secrecy. And Spanish Inquisition. And who's Monty? He looks between the three boys, but he's not seeing any answers. Unconsciously he reaches up and rubs his chest near his heart briefly. "I will speak with him, even if just to give him a person to speak with that understands." Being out of his element, that is. Besa doesn't understand why he'd be that way. He smiles softly, offering, "I have seen much humanity Loukanos. It is beautiful."

Theo's shoulders deflate a bit as he sighs. "I'm sorry, Ashton. But I figure, if the shoe was on the other foot, that you'd want me to keep your secrets." Ironically the shoe may actually be on BOTH feet, Theo realizes. Perhaps Ashton doesn't even realize his powers are demonic. Unless Koga was mistaken… that's always a possibility. It bears investigating. But that will come later. He nods to Loukanos's words. "Also, old habits are hard to break." As for not saying anything about the secret thing, Theo nods. "I thought so too. I don't want to do anything that might come back to bite anybody later. Besides, if any of you guys wants to talk to him, I'm sure he'd tell you more about it." And he nods to Besa. "That might just work. Good luck with it." He smiles, the words and smile genuine.

Ashton looks up at Theo, offering him a reassuring smile. "Theo. It's cool. I understand." There is no sarcasm, no accusation in neither his voice or expression. "So don't apologize for being someone that you can trust to keep their word." He smiles to Theo, "So don't sweat it. You are one of the few reasons why being shipped off isn't as bad as I first thought." He moves a bit, then finally just moves Loukanos's legs so that they cross over his lap, settling in a bit more comfy, with one of the other reasons why he doesn't mind being here. He then pauses and looks down at the godling, "You don't mind, do you? I can get up… "

"I think I'll pass on talking to him. Like I said, my presence seems to unsettle him," Loukanos lets his legs be moved, giving a lopsided grin. "You're fine. Anyway, you have yet to do anything that warrants being hunted," The beach inferno was pretty freaking crazy, but it also seems to be the something least on Louk's mind. "I don't need to talk to Koga or anyone else in order to come to that conclusion." He puts his hands behind his head and smirks, "In his defense, coming face-to-face with immortality can be strange. Some don't know how to handle it. I think it's adorable." Is he kidding? It's hard to tell, but his tone suggests teasing.

Besa nods, perfect hair bouncing with the motion to Theo. He'll see what he can offer to the other student. Looking between the three, he pushes off the wall. He gives a silent shutter at the idea of being hunted, as he is currently. He takes a deep breath telling Louk, "I generally don't tell people. It does tend to upset people."

Theo smiles in response to Ashton's words. "Thank you," he says quietly. And yes, he's blushing. It's a more subdued blush, but it's definitely there. Loukanos's words of people not being able to handle immortality gets a nod. "I'm just glad I don't have any way to see or sense that kind of thing. The boys are pretty limited in that." He points up to the ceiling, where Happylegs and the other four spiders are still hanging out. A pause. "I need to come up with something to call them collectively. Calling them 'the boys' or 'my boys' sounds like either I have kids at my age or I'm talking about my manbits." Besa's words provide an appropriate distraction here. "I refuse to promise not to freak out if you die on my watch, though. Even if you CAN come back." He offers a smirk here.

Ashton sighs contently. "Okay, I think that we have our quota of drama for the night." His mood has already mellowed. He grins, "I really think that we need to do something fun, be it Call of Duty, cards, dominoes… Hell, we get some nerf guns and just forget about shit for a while… " He glances at Loukanos, with thought in his eyes, but he chews on his lower lip, and looks to the others with a shrug, "Or just be normal teenagers and get drunk."

"Here here," Loukanos assents. Since he only understood half the activities Ash suggested, he settles with, "I'm down to get thoroughly inebriated." It'll take a lot. He's no lightweight due to his physiology. "The brood? I guess that kinda still sounds like you have a bunch of kids, huh?" He shrugs and offers to Besa, "No use of withholding what and who you are from others. It's up to them to decide how they feel about it."

A shoulder raises slightly, "I do not know for certain that I will come back the next time I die. The other aspects of the curse have not lifted, but we do not know until it is tested." And Besa's not really wanting to test it just yet. "I call them the swarm." But that's just what Besa calls them. He can't do most of what Ashton suggests, but he perks up, "Can you get beer?" Wait, let him clarify, "Real beer, like mead?" He rubs his chest again, "I am still finding out who I am, Loukanos." He could say more, but instead he smiles and gives another shoulder shrug. "I am finding I am not as good at this world as I have been in the past."

Theo grins to Ashton's words about drama. "I know, right?" he agrees. Though the mention of getting drunk? He actually laughs. "I'm not sure that's a good idea. I still don't know what these guys can do, and I don't want to find out while I have lowered inhibitions. Besides that, we'd probably get in some trouble." Loukanos's suggestion gets a snicker. "Worse, that sounds like I laid all their eggs myself," he teases. Then he brings his hands close to his mouth, curling his hands into loose fists, and rubs the fists together in front of his mouth, the way spiders do with the small appendages in front of their fangs. And he makes 'snizzling' sounds by trilling his tongue in the back of his mouth while breathing a breath of air over it, but using no voice. It's a creepy sound, but he chuckles afterwards and lets his hands go back down to his sides. Though he does agree with Loukanos, "Indeed not. hiding oneself only results in disappointment when the facade eventually falls and someone sees behind the mask. He winces a bit at Besa's words. "Let's not test that then, hm?" Calling them 'the swarm', that gets a grin. "That sounds like xenomorphs — wait, wha…?" And right on cue, Happy drops down from the ceiling. Onto Theo's face! "GAH!" He backs up, with the spider clinging to his face and waving its abdomen around menacingly. Though it's only small enough to cover Theo's nose, so… not much of a threat. He carefully peels the spider off his nose, and peers at it. There's a spun expression in its face-spots. Theo blinks suddenly. "…Spin Doctors," he says. "Actually, Happy? That's… kind of fitting."

Ashton cocks his head at Besa's remarks about dying and coming back. Everyone has the right to have thir own secrets. He chuckles, "Mead? I don't think… but…." He glances at Loukanos, "If you do the thing you do earlier when you got Ariel's ipad… " He grins, "I can describe where my grandfather's liquor cabinet is, much less his wine cellar." Of course, perhaps Ashton getting drunk might not be the best of ideas, considering the glass he made down on the beach from his own blaze. "I just want to actually get drunk once. " He laughs with a full belly laugh at Happy's antics.

Bright blue eyes dart over at Theo when mentions 'hiding one's self'. That isn't exactly what Loukanos was getting at, but Ashton said no drama! So he says nothing. "Alcohol is very generic. I could summon it from just about anywhere. A location's unneeded." He nods at Theo's caution. "Just imagine if we're caught on school grounds with booze…that sounds like a life sentence in detention." He lifts a brow at Happylegs and Theo, glad the naming issue got sorted.

Besa blinks, eyes then going wide as HappyLegs attacks Theo's nose. He has no idea who or what Spin Doctors are, so that is just kinda weird. Besa's not secretive, he just knows sharing makes people uncomfortable. "I have tried modern beer. It is not good. Wine is though. Or aged spirits." Listen to little Besa, talking booze. He doesn't understand what the iPad has to do with getting drunk though. "It can be nice when you feel comfortable with who you are with." But it sounds like they're deciding not too. he tries to cover his disappointment. One day! Ah well.

Theo looks a bit embarrassed at The spider's antics, and puts the little critter on his own head. Rolling his eyes up, he instructs Happylegs verbally, "Stay up there and behave, you little brat." Loukanos has a point, regarding the booze. "That too," Theo agrees. "I'm trying to avoid detention. Tousan has a killer 'I am disappoint' stare." Besa's words of being comfortable with the people one intends to drink with get a smirk. "It also helps if you aren't a lightweight, I'm sure."

Ashton sighs and throws up his hands melodramatically and somewhat purposefully overacted. Finally throwing one hand to his forehead. "Fine! Be reasonable!" Then the dark-haired boy cants his head to the side. "But this is a long weekend, and you know… if we go to the mainland, then you can do your trick. We can party, and we won't be on school grounds with booze." He smiles impishly, "So what are we going to do in the meantime?" He pauses, "Um, so Louk can you like… use your trick in reverse but with people? I mean can you like teleport?"

"I like the idea…" Getting wasted here just sounds like a recipe for disaster, though. Loukanos grins. "Sure, if you can keep up." Then he nods. "'Course I can. Depends on the location, but as long as you're not trying to leave this dimension, I could probably take us there without trouble." Magic can be a fickle thing, though. He stretches slightly over Ashton's lap, "Where are you looking to go?"

Besa focuses on HappyLegs, offering the spider a small smile. He'll look back to Theo, a pause before he shrugs, "I think the goal is to feel the effect, not how much to takes to feel it." The dark skinned teen feels a different sense of responsibility tugging at him. He can't go. Instead of saying anything and being a downer, he stays quiet, looking up at HappyLegs again. He chews on his lower lip at mention of leaving this dimension. Maybe this isn't the best party for him to be at. "I should go check on Cocoa." An excuse? Or does the dog need checked on?

Theo starts to laugh as Ashton seems disappointed with the 'reasonable' choice. "Oh, but I have to maintain my cool," he explains. "I can't do that if I'm drunk." Though then Loukanos is talking about actually bringing people somewhere to get wasted! "Oh dear. This is going to be a recipe for disaster as-is, isn't it?" Though he's chuckling. He doesn't mind being the 'responsible' one. Even if it's actually because he's a little bit terrified of getting drunk. Besa's words get a nod. "That's true, I suppose. But there is the 'drinking contest'." He tilts his head a little as Besa seems to be bowing out too. But he smiles anyway, and Happylegs waves to Besa. "Take care," Theo offers quietly.

Ashton grins at Theo, in regards to it being a recipe for disaster. "But isn't that what makes it all the more exciting?" He smiles at Loukanos getting more comfortable. His right hand moves to rest lightly on the godling's leg. He nods to Besa. "Oh, okay.." He cocks is head, "Cocoa is your dog, right?" It's actually more of a statement than a question. "Give Cujo a pet or two for me." He says to Theo, "And I was actually am mostly joking about getting drunk… but maybe a light buzz…" He looks over at Louk, "Actually I was thinking about um… going somewhere for a nice dinner… maybe one with candles."

"See you, Besa. Let her know I said hi," Loukanos says, like talking to dogs is normal. "Have a nice evening. By the way, how's your heart?" Louk isn't sure if his spell has waned yet, but Besa seems a little tense. It could be unrelated, but it doesn't hurt to check in. To Ashton, he grins, "That sounds like a date, Ashton. Hmmm…" His hand goes under his chin as he considers.

Besa corrects Ashton with a warmer smile that he's had all night, "yes, Cocoa. She is a very good dog." He's clearly proud and emotionally attached to the canine. A finger wave to the group, "I will let her know, Loukanos." apparently he too thinks that's normal. At the question about his heart he stops at the door, he'll turn back forcing a smile, "We know it is not permanent. I appreciate any alleviation you have given me." Which isn't really an answer, but that's all the ancient teen says before , "Goodnight everyone. Be well." and then he's out the door and gone.

Theo's brows raise. "That's true," he notes, of the 'exciting' nature of the possibly disastrous consequences. Though when Ashton says something about dinner and candles, Theo smirks. Aha. "Shall I leave the two of you alone?" he offers, with a teasing note to his voice. He offers a wave to the departing Besa, though there's a troubled look on his face, just for a moment, before he looks back to Ashton and Loukanos.

Date. Well, Ashton guesses it is, and not just a mutually agreed appointment. He looks to Loukanos, "Yeah, I guess it kind of does, doesn't it?" His azure-green eyes flicker over to Theo. "Nah… I was thinking tomorrow night or maybe Sunday… Right now, we're just chillin'. Please sit down and try to do the same." His smile fades a little bit, as he purses his lips slightly. "Are you okay, Theo? Don't tell me that everything is fine.. I noticed Happy's color change earlier."

"I'll think of the location of it. We can talk more about it later," 'Cause Loukanos doesn't want Theo to feel excluded. He smiles and shakes his head, "Feel free to stay." Ash's mention of the psychic spider has Loukanos looking up at glance at Happylegs. His head tilts slightly. "Yeah, I noticed some tension as well…"

Theo does blush a little when Ashton points out that he hasn't really sat down. So he sits down. In the chair Ashton vacated to use Loukanos as a pillow! Though the mention of Happylegs's color change by both of them gets an uncomfortable look, and he turns his gaze elsewhere for a moment. Wow that is a really fascinating pattern on the floor, isn't it?! Though then he sighs. "Besa and I have… some uncleared air between us. I believe he thought I was trying to get between him and his boyfriend. Things were insinuated, and… I got a little upset. I generally don't yell when I get upset, but I was… less than polite." He huffs out a breath and flops back against the chair. Happylegs slides onto the back of the chair from the momentum. But it's true, his face-spots are blue again, and the expression is 'down'. "I mean… I'm fifteen. What makes him think I know what I want at this age? I don't even know if I'm interested exclusively in guys, much less what KIND of guys."

Frowning slightly, the dark-haired youth looks over at Theo. "I'm sorry… I.. I wish there was something I could do to help… " Ashton shakes his head, "Hell, at our age, we don't know what we want.. about well anything. I mean I have known that I was attracted to other boys and not interested in girls since I first started noticing my reactions to you know.. but unfortunately, other than having a little bit of fun with a couple of friends.. and then that was well not very much.. " he pauses, "But I … wait what was my point… oh yeah… I really couldn't even think about actually be out because Grandfather is like ultra conservative, and I don't really know what he would do… so this relationship stuff is all way out of my beyond me…"" He frowns, "Anyway.. sorry.. I really don't know why I just said all of that.. but I just wanted you to know that I care about you and don't really like seeing you upset…"

Loukanos frowns, brows drawing together slightly, "Why don't you just tell him that? Clear the 'uncleared' air, so to speak. Confront him and explain things," He offers advice before turning and looking at Ashton. For all the negligence he endured under the guardianship of his mother, she never once had a problem with his sexuality. That's just not how the gods operate. "Of all the things that differ from home, that cultural taboo has got to be one of the craziest. I'm sorry to hear about your grandfather. It's a good thing he isn't around. That'd make this extra complicated."

Theo listens to Ashton, but tilts his head back to rest on the back of the chair. He doesn't interrupt. "I'm sorry to hear that," he finally says. "It's a horrible feeling not to be able to open with your family." There's a look there on his face, like he might know what he's talking about there. "I'm not really 'upset', per se. It's more that…" A whole rant writes itself in his head. He goes over it. And decides it's… not really fair. So he just shakes his head, trailing off into a sigh. "Never mind." He closes his eyes. "Besa and Whitley just have some… unresolved issues between them. None of which are any of my business." He shakes head to Loukanos's mention of 'clearing the air', opening his eyes and turning his head to look at the godling. "Well… I might have misspoken," he admits. "Rather, it's clear what's going on and it's not something I wish to involve myself in, because it's none of my business. Whatever issues they have between each other, they'll need to work them out on their own." He turns his head back to look up at the ceiling, and shuts his eyes again. "A bicycle only has two wheels for a reason. You can definitely make it into a tricycle. But you've need to completely restructure the frame. If you added a third wheel without completely restructuring the bicycle, it would ruin its function. Relationships are like that — they're made with exactly as many wheels as they need, and adding more always ruins them."

Ashton shakes his head, "This isn't about me and my problems… Like I said I don't really know what I said that… I don't really talk about stuff like that will anyone." He looks at the two other boys. "It's strange… I barely know either of you, and I kind of feel like you're better friends than any that I have ever had." He frowns slightly, "You are upset.. if for no other reason than you are put in a situation that stresses you.. I knew something was bothering you." He reaches up and rubs the back of his neck, "Which isn't really any of my business… except like I said… I really like you, and I wouldn't want to see something bothering either of you.." The bangs of his hair is down in his face. He tries blowing a few of the strands from his eyes, before finger combing it out of the way. "And like I said last night… If you ever need to talk about something, all you have to do is let me know…" The other hand, which is still resting on Loukanos's leg, grips said leg a little. "That goes for both of you."

"I can't say I really understand exactly what's going on, but I'm sorry that it upsets you," Relationship woes are not Loukanos's purview, but he remains sympathetic. "Thank you, Ashton, that means more than you know." He says quietly when the dark-haired teen offers to listen to their teenage angst. "I suppose this is the part where I extend the offer back to the both of you, but I think that goes without saying." He glances at the hand on his leg and nibbles on his lip slightly. He looks away, "Theo, if Besa's your friend, things will work itself out."

"Oh it so is," Theo notes, looking at Ashton with a smile, when the latter says it's not about his problems. "I'm a Guardian of Prometheus, I'm supposed to put others' problems before my own." He smirks, but there's not as much fire behind it. More seriously, he notes, "I appreciate the offer. At the moment though, I'm just…" He pauses, closing his eyes again. "…Annoyed by a number of things, that's all." Nope, he's not talking about it! Loukanos's words of Besa get a nod. "Mhm. That's pretty much what I'm thinking, yeah." His tone is informal here. "If I go poking around he'll just get upset at me again. Some people don't like the idea that someone else knows their business, particularly where their relationships are concerned. And like I said, it really has nothing to do with me. If he wants my help, I assume he'll ask."

With a slight shrug and a half-smile, half-smirk, Ashton replies to Theo, "Well, if we are going by our teams ideal… then I'm not really good about thinking things through without just charging head first." He looks over to Loukanos, then to Theo, "Just know that I'm here for whatever if either of you need me." He laughs, "Okay, we were suppose to be having fun not getting all serious and sappy." It's kind of like he really isn't use to talking about personal stuff, his or others.

Theo smiles, and opens his eyes to look in Ashton's direction. "I do appreciate the offer, really," he notes. "But it isn't something that can be fixed by talking about it. And I don't like to bother others with a problem that can't be fixed." As for their houses? "Maybe it's something they hope you'll learn?" And at the words of having fun, Happylegs skitters down the chair and hops over to the loveseat Ashton and Loukanos are on. "I apologize. I do seem to be rather bad at that whole 'having fun' thing, of late," he offers. The formality is back in his his tone. But even as he speaks, the spider is tilting its abdomen upwards so it can be seen more clearly, as the black spots change to weird expressions. It's basically just pulling funny faces at the other two boys.

Ashton nods slightly, "Well, this one can't be fixed just by talking… But anytime you want to talk or vent about something or hell if you just want to sit around and just watch tv or a movie, you got me." He offers a bit of a smile, then he chuckles at Happy. He shakes his head at Theo. "Don't apologize. I enjoy your company." He reaches over to very lightly pet Happy.

"I'm generally not one to vent, but I will keep it in mind," Theo notes. "And it goes for both of you as well. I realize I'm rather unusual in that regard. Well, in several regards, but that one's relevant." He smirks. Happylegs accepts the pets… well, happily, and there's something like… like a purring sound. It's mental, though. Ever had your BRAIN purred at? Like that. It's weird. Theo chuckles. "There aren't many who do that," he notes. "And if I did it, I might as well be petting myself."

Ashton chuckles softly, "I don't think anyone here can throw stones at people for being unusable." He can't pass up the opportunity as he continues the feather-soft petting of Happy, "Well, at least it would be one way to pet yourself in public and not be branded as s pervert." His eyelids are growing heavier by the moment. "Thanks Theo… I'm really glad that I met you… well you and Happy too." He starts to say something but it comes out as a bit of a mumble has his body goes a little limp and his breathing grows a little more steady as Ashton seems to have fallen asleep underneath Louk.

Theo snickers at the mention of 'petting himself' in public. "Yes, but it's not nearly as fun," he replies. He notes the mumble and looks over to check. And then gives a small, fond smile when he notices Ashton's fallen asleep. He chuckles, then stands up. Locating a throw or some other sort of blanket-like object, he places it over Ashton — and possibly over Loukanos, too, if he's fallen asleep as well. Happylegs even reaches up to pat Ashton. «Sleep good things, Friend Ashton.» Though if he's asleep he might not hear it. And as Theo makes to go back to his own room — because it's pretty late — he pauses. "I'm glad I met you, too," Theo says quietly. And then he heads back to his room.

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