9220/A Quiet Afternoon

A Quiet Afternoon
Date of Scene:	16 September 2019
Location:	Apple Park - Salem Center
Synopsis:	Shannon runs into Percy again, and winds up with an unexpected boon!
Cast of Characters:	Nightingale, Poseidon

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Nightingale has posed:
     It was the simple pleasures in life that mattered, and simple was just what Shannon needed after the events of the last few days. So it was that she managed to talk a friend into giving her a ride down to Salem Center, where she knew there was a pretty darn good pizza place. And, as much as she enjoyed baking, it would be pizza she wouldn't have to cook! Once she's agreed to meet back with her friend at a designated time, she goes her own way, retreating with her snack to the park. She plops down under a maple tree that is beginning to show hints of its autumnal glory, and enjoys her snack--basic, simple pepperoni pizza--while deep in thought.

     So much had happened to her since her arrival in the area, more than most would ever dare to dream of in a lifetime. Some good, some not so good, but it certainly had never been a dull moment. Even here, in this very park... sometimes, when she thought about it, it still seemed impossible, and the sensible, rational part of her wondered if it had been just her imagination, or if one of the gods of old had really been there. Still, she did offer a quick 'Hello' in the mornings when she woke up, not quite sure if the greeting is heard or not. This morning had been no different, though still, she wondered just how real it had all been.

Poseidon has posed:
Poseidon has to deal with a lots of things, true, but now aday the world sort of manages itself. Humans rule themselves, oceans are managed in large part by themselves as well, with interventions from the atlanteans, and even some humans, and that leaves him with just a watching duty and just the occasional intervention, plus the very scarce answering of prayers. Now, though, with a new follower, he has to deal with something new, or at least, something old that happens anew!
Shapeshifted again as the twentysomething years old Percy, with his sea green eyes and a pair of jeans below a white shirt, Poseidon teleports in an unwatched area of the park in which Shannon is sitting and, calmly, walks in her direction to appear after a couple of minutes not more than some metres away from her, greeting the woman with a "hello to you as well, Shannon!" she greeted him earlier in the morning, after all.

Nightingale has posed:
     Well, if that didn't answer the question of just how real the whole thing had been, Shannon wasn't quite sure what would! She's caught with the slice of pizza in her mouth, strings of cheese drooping between her and the savory treat. Not exactly the most dignified of greetings, but at least she was having a little fun! She giggles a little, cleaning herself up a bit, and waves. "And here I was starting to think I'd imagined the whole thing! How are you?"

Poseidon has posed:
Poseidon grins slightly, as if amused not by the pizza thing, but about the imaginary god thing. "isn't it a common thing of all humans? I mean, half of the times they say they've seen god it's after they had enough to smoke or drink, so yeah, totally imaginary stuff... But I'm real, unless there's some special kind of mushrooms on that pizza" he moves next to Shannon, taking a crosslegged seat at her side "I've been well enough, thanks. What about you?" he says, and then, blinking a couple of times, he adds "oh, and thanks for the hellos in the mornings, I appreciate them." more than the please do this, please do that, please save this, plase sink that, please send a storm there, please shake a bit this lands, that he received in the past.

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon shrugs, and smiles. "No mushrooms on this at all. And I guess it's just natural to question something like meeting a god. It's not exactly a common thing these days, you know." She did get a small pizza, and there was plenty left, so she nudged the box over. "There's plenty left if you want some." A small laugh escapes her, accompanied by a rueful smile as she listens. "Yeah, kind of figured you dealt with enough of all that, but when was the last time someone simply said 'hello'? That's got to get pretty annoying, not to mention lonely."

Poseidon has posed:
Poseidon nods in agreement, smiling back "right, right! Well true enough at least, receiving a simple hello once in a wile is a good thing." he admits, stretching a bit and glancing at the pizza, without taking any though "well, I can easily imagine it is hard to believe such a thing, at least you didn't ask me for proof or anything! That would've be fun though." he grins, leaning his back on a nearby tree "well how have you been, anyways?"

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon lets out a short laugh, and shakes her head. "Too many times in some of the old stories, when one asks for proof from a god, they often wind up with a lot more than they bargained for. Sometimes with deadly consequences. Thanks, I'm not quite ready to go to the great beyond just yet. Besides," she added. "Isn't having a friend a miracle in of itself?" She shrugs as the pizza is ignored. Fine, that was more for her. No problem there! "It's been... eventful. Some things I don't dare talk about in the open, out here. But I haven't been alone in dealing with them. What about you, though? How have you been?"

Poseidon has posed:
Poseidon hmms thoughtfully "true enough, well, now aday though, it would be understandable if someone asked for an actual proof. I mean back then in the past, where people weren't exactly always going around with armours and wielding tridents, it was a bad idea to ask for proof. Now that pretty much everyone wears some fancy costume and goes around shooting and fighting and throwing lightning bolts, well." he shrugs. As for the question he just shrugs again "I've been allright, the usual stuff to deal with to be honest, not much to be said. There's some unrest in the, gods assembly, but not something I'd talk about here, in the open, to quote your words."

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon nods, and smiles a little bit. "Understandable. I know there's not much I could do to help there... just send some good thoughts your way." To the shooting lightning and costumes bit, she just shakes her head and laughs. "None of that for me. I just happen to have wings, and something of a healing touch." The exact nature of which, she leaves unspoken for the moment. "Doesn't make me a god, though. Just a mortal with a little something extra. It's not a far cry to think the true could well be said of others. So hopefully, it's not taken badly that faith takes a bit of time?"

Poseidon has posed:
Poseidon listens, and grins "that's what I mean. Mortals with a bit of something extra are a common sight now aday, enough that what you use to call gods are, well, not gods anymore, in a sense." he claims, shifting his position a bit to be more comfortable "well anyways, the wings are a cute thing!" he adds, sweeping the surrounding area with his eyes, then returning to look at Shannon

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon blinks in surprise. "So common that we're still in the minority amongst most humans. So common that there's a whole lot of hate because of it." She shrugs lightly, ruffling her wings slightly. When Percy calls them 'cute', she cracks a bit of a smile, extending her wings a bit more in his direction. "Not just for show, either. In fact, flying can be something of a real joy."

Poseidon has posed:
Poseidon hmms, then sighs "true enough, but still, more common than back in my days. I mean, back there, magic was a more common thing than it is today, but still..." he shrugs again, and then smiles at the wings "I know, right? I fly myself sometimes, even if it's not really my area of competence. I just do that to go from point a to point b when I can't teleport, I prefer swimming, for obvious reasons."

Nightingale has posed:
     "Well, obviously." Shannon giggles slightly, drawing her wings in close behind her, but still in a relaxed pose. "I've always loved swimming, just these days I have to remember that I probably won't be flying for a little while after." She rolls her eyes and laughs, shaking her head. "Makes me envy water birds sometimes, how their feathers don't get waterlogged. I don't let it stop me from enjoying the water, though."

Poseidon has posed:
Poseidon looks again very thoughtful, studying Shannon quietly for some seconds "that is something I could grant you, it falls within my domain, having your feathers waterproof..." he slowly says, still considering "that could be done, perhaps..." he mumbles

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon raises her eyebrows, and shakes her head. "Why should I, though? You've had so much of the 'could you do this, please protect that' over the centuries, that I'd feel pretty rotten about it. It'd seem so... selfish." She cracks a bit of a smile, though, and nibbles her lower lip. "Don't think it isn't tempting, though." Stupid, stupid Shannon.

Poseidon has posed:
Poseidon hmms, tilts his head, then grins "yes, but you didn't exactly ask for that. Consider it as a me paying back for all the hellos in the morning and whatnot." he mentions, then those with magical senses will probably notice some glowing tattoos appearing on his skin, and Shannon, probably, will feel her wings quite tingly for a couple of seconds. Then, Poseidon in Percy's shape nods with a satisfied smile "there... Can you unfurl them for a moment please?"

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon looks very confused for a moment, the tingling a strange thing, to say the least. It would almost feel like a limb that had fallen asleep, except she wasn't leaning too heavily on her wings. She'd learned the hard way when they first came in, just a couple years prior. "But there's no need to pay back for that, it's just trying to be a friend!" However, when a god asks you to do something, you don't argue. You just do it. So, she unfurls her wings to their full span--which is no small thing!

Poseidon has posed:
Poseidon looks at the wings for a couple of seconds, quietly, then raises his hands, palms forward, and from each hand a small globe of water shoots forward, gently splashing on Shannon's wings. Which, apparently, are now impermeable so that the water just trickles down the feathers, dripping on the floowr, but leaving the feathers perfectly dry and clean.

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon opens her eyes wide as she glances at her feathers, still dry and leaving her perfectly able to fly despite the impromptu deluge. Though, just to be a tiny bit mischievous, she does flutter her wings enough to shake a few droplets of said water right back at Percy, giggling a little at the bit of play. "Thank you," she murmurs, at once elated and somehow hushed and somewhat reverent. "You've no idea just how much this could mean."

Poseidon has posed:
Poseidon grins and raises his right index finger, the droplets of water stopping midflight, and then moving to form at first a small globe, then a small bird made from water that even beats his tiny wings and takes flight, just to splash against the first branch. "make good use of it, Shannon" he comments, with a smile on his lips "you deserved it and then more, so don't feel even for a second like you didn't deserve it or anything, hm?"

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon giggles softly, one hand upraised to lightly touch the bird as it flies away, taking almost child-like delight in the display. Small joys were sometimes the best ones! "Oh, I plan to. Heaven forbid someone's hurt in a storm, at least I can get to them a bit more easily now."

Poseidon has posed:
Poseidon smiles when Shannon tries to touch the waterbird, and then nods seriously at her words "just remember that they're protected from water, wind will still be a pain to deal with, and even if water doesn't stick to them, it'll still be difficult to flap them when buckets of water are falling on them. But as long as you're aware, well, I hope you enjoy this little boon!"

Nightingale has posed:
     "Well, of course. Water resistance. And high winds could still be a problem. But at least difficulty getting to someone who needs help won't be because of a little bit of rain." Shannon laughs, grinning a bit sheepishly. "Plus it'll be a bit easier to enjoy a bit of a swim. When I was small, my mother would tease me about being a 'water baby'. Most kids dreaded bath time. She had a hard time getting me -out- of the water!"

Poseidon has posed:
Poseidon chuckles when hearing about the troubles of getting her out of the water "well that's maybe part of why we get along!" he exclaims, she likes water, so the god of the seas should be a good friend! "anyways yes, that can be helpful not only for enjoying a swim, I am glad you see that indeed."

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon giggles a little bit, extending one wing to tickle Percy with the tips of her feathers. It was good to hear a friend laugh, though hopefully the bit of teasing and play would not upset or annoy him! "Now I'll have to find a suitable gift for you, though this will be hard to match!"

Poseidon has posed:
Poseidon shakes his head a bit, still chuckling even because of the tickling, not at all upset or annoyed "no you don't need to, or at least, if you do, please don't sacrifice living stuff if you can avoid it. That's, no longer required." he says. Considering a couple of seconds, he adds "plus you already gift me, in a literal sense, with something, power... We are as powerful as the people believing in us, Shannon."

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon looks completely horrified at the idea of a living sacrifice, shuddering visibly as if ice had touched her. "You can't be serious about that? That's just... wrong. Who does that these days, anyways?" Her look of disgust is absolute--there would be no living sacrifices from her!

Poseidon has posed:
Poseidon frowns "people do that, even if now aday they do that to gain favor with some unsavoury entities, mostly. Back in the days, sacrificing a lamb or a few birds was something people used to do even to call some gods like me, though. Not something some of us approved, but neither something some of us were too concerned about..."

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon shudders, and nods. "Yeah. I mean, it's one thing if you need to kill something for sustenance. Just... be properly thankful for the sacrifice of life. But a living sacrifice for an offering... ugh! No way!" She smiles a bit, and tilts her head, seeming to think for a moment. "Speaking of sacrifices and all that... well... guessing that we're of a mind, keeping things simple? I mean, there isn't a whole lot left about how people used to honor you back in the day and all that, just old stories--and who knows how much of that has been distorted over the years."

Poseidon has posed:
Poseidon smirks "there's not even a temple, a small temple around these places in my name... What a pity..." he says, then tilts his head "well what's that you want to know?" he asks "a sacrifice was useful back in the days when there were tousands of people trying to draw my attention, now aday being few enough you don't really need to do it."

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon sighs a little. "Unfortunately, building something like that isn't exactly a luxury I have. The most I could do is maybe put up a small shrine in my room at home." She smiles some, tilting her head. "And what would I want to know? Well... anything, really. Even though it'd seem most rites are man-made rather than a divine thing. Do the old ways even matter much anymore, or are we meant to come up with something new?"

Poseidon has posed:
Poseidon hmms, then nods tightly "oh that'd be nice." the shrine, of course. "I don't know there isn't a written set of rules or anything. The truth is, anyone worships gods in their own way, you arn't, ment, to do stuff in a particular way so, yes, the old ways matter, but the new ones probably do as well."

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon nods, giving this some thought. "So it's more about the intent, than the actual rites?" She smiles some at this, and tilts her head. "Guess I've got some more reading to do, then. It's just nice to make you smile. I enjoy doing that for those I care about."

Poseidon has posed:
Poseidon nods "exactly, the actual thing counts if you're attempting something truly magical..." he explains, then chuckles, smiles, and grins "arn't you sweet! Yeah, this is definitely something new even for me..."

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon raises one eyebrow, looking mildy confused. "What's something new for you?" Had she said something wrong? Or, perhaps, had she done something right? There was just no way to tell. Though it's gone cold by this time, she still chomps down on another slice of pizza, enjoying the treat just as much as she listens.

Poseidon has posed:
Poseidon stares at the woman for a couple of seconds, then explains "it is rare for someone like me to hear about caring about et cetera from people like you, that's all." he nods as if to reaffirm his point again "so that's the new thing..."

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon shakes her head and grins. "Well... why shouldn't I care? Okay, I'm just a mortal, and you're a god. But why should that matter? You've still got a heart that can break, you still feel. And, as the saying goes, you still put your pants on one leg at a time. So why shouldn't I care, and try to show it?"

Poseidon has posed:
Poseidon raises an eyebrow at the last part, then looks down at his jeans, and shakes his head "no that's not true I summon them on me." he admits "but anyways I understand your reasoning and yes, I even thank you for it." he adds, smiling and shifting to stand up "although I am afraid I must return to home, I think there's something I should fix down in the south pacific, before someone blows up and then curses my name..."

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon laughs, and shakes her head, thrown into fits of giggles by just how literally he took the last part. "No, no, no, that saying just basically means that in the end, we're more alike than different, using something so mundane as getting dressed in the morning as a metaphor." She smiles and gets up, closing the pizza box to take back home with her. "Got one more shop I need to get to, then, before I head home, find a couple things for that shrine." She smiles, hesitating for a moment. "It's not too forward to offer a hug, is it?"

Poseidon has posed:
Poseidon still looks puzzled, shaking his head "but it isn't, I mean if I don't dress like you in the morning we can't use that to point out our similarities!" he says, then smiles and steps forward "it is perfectly acceptable" he admits, preparing himself for a hug

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon laughs to herself. She'd have to find some other metaphor, then, it would seem. With that, she hugs Percy briefly, much cheered by the gesture. "Thank you... you have no idea what a blessing it is to have good friends."

Poseidon has posed:
Poseidon grins and hugs her back, patting her back twice before letting her go "oh I know that's a good thing to have god friends" he says, then winks, and steps back "that said, I must really say my farewells. Be safe, Shannon" and, that said, he just blinks out of existance, to appear safely in the center of his palace, trident in hand "now now what's happening down here!"

Nightingale has posed:
"Safe" was a relative term these days, but Shannon just smiles, heading back into town to meet up with her friend for the ride home. "I'll try... it's not always possible, but I'll try." Alas, nothing so magical as simply disappearing for her. No, she just walks away, on her way back home.