Owner	Pose
Lady Shiva	It was simply the most amazing night of her life.     The next morning seems typical in that Shiva woke first. She often did for she was the first to close her eyes and sleep at night, in the circle of his arms. Never had she thought such would come to pass but it had. Then last night when they had battled, she had learned there were secrets still out there. Ones he knew the answers to. Her quest was not over. It was just beginning.     The smell of bacon has filled the old dojo. Shiva stands over at the little kitchen area with the hot plate, fixing breakfast for them. She knows she's hungry. She's sure he will be. They used a lot of energy in their bout and after. She toasts a piece of bread in the pan then goes about getting some eggs from the small refrigerator he had put in this place for them.     She wears a t-shirt that obviously is not hers. It is huge. The hemline falls more like a dress just above her knees. One shoulder keeps slipping down on the right side, revealing her upper arm and slanting across her chest without showing anything improper. Her hair is loose, falling around her shoulders in an ebon cloud.
Ares	The first hint of his presence will come to her from those well honed senses of hers. He rises, and she'll feel that small displacement of air pressure as he walks through that old dojo that serves as a place for them to meet. Then he'll walk along that hard wood floor barefoot, his steps light and evenly spaced. But he doesn't have to go far to lay eyes on her as he leans on the small door jam that separates the main room from this side area. It has a few of the amenities of home, but only sparingly so. That small mini-fridge next to the stove and sink in the side of the wall, it is perhaps a kitchen in the loosest sense of the word. The decor is nonexistent, save perhaps a small shrine near the door that leads out to the stairwell.     Arms folded over his chest, the tall man looks across the way towards her. "It takes a near death experience for you to make breakfast." He pushes off the wall, his own garb rather informal considering it is but a pair of loose grey jersey boxers. "Now I'm curious what it'd take for you to make dinner."     But as he speaks he's reaching over her shoulder to try and liberate a strip of bacon out of the pan.
Lady Shiva	"Making you breakfast?" she repeats, not looking his direction as she breaks an egg into a pan one-handed. She takes up the spatula just as he is reaching for a piece of bacon. The spatula meets the back of his hand with a a solid swat. "This is mine." Which with the entire pack of bacon being cooked is obviously a lie. "All of it. Near death experiences always make me hungry. So does actual death." A story for another time. This time she was just at the brink. She has crossed over once but was brought back, removing any memories of the experience from the other side. It was frustrating, to say the least. With practiced ease, she adds several more eggs to the pan, tossing the shells into the wastebasket nearby.     Once the eggs are starting to sizzle, she glances over her shoulder in his direction. "Did you sleep well?" Her eyes flash for a moment with amusement, something that is rarely seen.
Ares	"Well, making 'a' breakfast. Perhaps." But when she swats him he withdraws his hand with a wince and rubbing at his hand as if so terribly pained, shooting her a wounded look that seems almost comical coming from such a large man. But he steps to the side and around the edge of the 'kitchen' as it may be. He streeeetches as he moves, his back giving faint crackles as he works out the kinks, then he turns back to face her.     "I slept well, though you snore." He nods sagely as he then gestures to the food in the pan, "Is there anything you need? I could run down to the corner store, it's early but..." He glances towards the windows that are shaded for now, though one can see that faint orange-reddish glow of the rising sun. "I believe they would be open. Coffee?" It's strange, he has known her for years, but has no idea if she actually drinks coffee. Perhaps she doesn't. Perhaps she drinks the tears of her enemies.
Lady Shiva	"No coffee. I do not like most stimulants," Shiva answers as she flips the eggs in the pan. She flicks on the small oven, setting it low. "Tea is my choice should I choose to imbibe. Otherwise, water is more than sufficient." She flips some eggs to a waiting plate then adds more to the pan. She turns to face him more fully, the humor having disappeared as quickly as it appeared. "And I do Not snore." Her tone brooks no argument. Not that he is one to be cowed by it. A lesser man certainly. John Aaron? Not a chance.     "If you wish to have some coffee, you should hurry. And perhaps put on pants." Then she pauses, glancing down her the t-shirt covering her. "Do they require shirts for entry?"
Ares	"I'll be fine without," John walks towards the window, pulling it open a sliver, then he turns back towards her and says levelly. "I should let you know, Sandra. That matters for me have become more difficult. There may be times when I will be unreachable, or forced to take part in battles that are not solely of my own choosing." He shifts his weight to the other leg as he crosses his arms over his chest.     "I cannot say whether it shall affect you, but it is possible and so you deserve to know the truth." He watches her for her reaction, but then lifts a hand to rub at the back of his neck. "Though now that I have said that, I realize I should have perhaps waited until you had finished cooking."
Lady Shiva	This is an unusual. She has known John Aaron to be a man of peace, despite their unusual relationship. He enjoys combat, spending many hours in that pastime with her. Yet, in his life, it is not the way he has chosen from the little she knows. In truth, they both know very little outside of their time here in the dojo. Unreachable isn't that strange. Often she is. The idea that someone will be in conflict with him does pique her curiosity.     She puts the eggs onto a plate, turning off the burner. A second plate is laid over the first, upside down, as a lid. They are placed in the oven. The plate of bacon gets the same treatment although she snitches a piece off the plate before closing the oven.     She walks over and holds it out as an offering. "You have enemies and you believe they may seek me out? Please, continue."
Ares	The tall man accepts the bit of bacon and he crunches it with a bite, meeting her eyes levelly. He chews for a tie, swallows, then refolds his arms as he looks at her. "That could be possible, though... I will likely have warning." He steps back from her and it's clear that he is uneasy as he walks away, footsteps quiet as he pushes a rough hand over the stubble of his hair.     Turning back he cocks an eyebrow and meets her gaze, "We've kept our distance, tried not to let our worlds overlap. But matters have changed for me recently. My family is a family that is... unpleasant at best, murderous at worst." He rests his hands on his hips and watches her, brow still furrowed as he tries to explain to her. "They have reentered my life, and I am going to have to protect Alexander more strenuously if they choose to further interfere."     He uncurls a hand towards her, "It is possible you could suffer repercussions as well."
Lady Shiva	He doesn't usually seem agitated but that is just the sense she is getting from him. The little motions that are out of character for the man she knows. As he moves away, Shiva takes up his spot by the window. She leans against the wall, keeping her arms down so they are not crossing her body.     Family. It is not something she has thought about for some time. She has none. Although, that isn't precise true. She may have someone, she simply isn't sure. Most likely they are long dead. Knowing how protective of Alexander he already is, John's words hold extra weight.     "They would seek out anyone you associate with?" she asks carefully.
Ares	"Possibly," His brow remains focused in concentration. It is never easy broaching this topic with someone, even with others with a similar background. He lifts his gaze to hers and gets a small smile for a moment, imagining her possible reactions. But he takes up a place to lean against the wall, some small distance from her. "I've never told you about my past. And you never needed to know for we both felt we could possibly handle whatever could come before us. This, however, may change things."     He lifts a hand slightly as if to stave off any protests or merely to dismiss his words as unimportant. "My family is an old family, and the people in it are very gifted. You know that I am long-lived, and such is true. But the degree you may not be aware of. I have seen several thousand years. And what has passed for me has... become the stuff of legends."
Lady Shiva	It is a moment that could go either way with Shiva. She could be insulted that he thinks she is unable to deal with any situation. Or she could be concerned that he is feeling she cannot deal with something. It's impossible to tell which of the reactions there is because she reaches into that spot deep inside. Her meditation ritual begins running through her brain, allowing her to focus without letting emotion come into the equation. Emotion is, at times, the enemy. Better to remain in her peaceful state until he gets this out.     Thousands of years. That explains his life energy. If he has been learning for longer than she will ever live, then he has had time to reach enlightenment. However, if it has taken him that long, is it even something she can achieve before mortality takes its toll.     This time, she remains silent, dark eyes watching him closely.
Ares	Still gauging her, still watching, he continues. "They are powerful beings, able to warp reality with their minds. Each of them holding gifts to their own domain. None of them are as skilled as you, but their gifts would feasibly endanger you." Perhaps that will help mollify her ego a touch, but probably not.     "Recently one of them made an attempt on my life, and in turn planned to take Alexander's life. He was..." The moment holds for him, then he looks towards her. "He was my eldest son, who was known to most as Phobos. He had taken on my mantle since I had turned my back on my family." There is a pause, then he adds quietly, "When he learned I still lived, he moved to strike me down. We battled, and I was..."     The tall man lifts a hand to his neck and looks out the window, though he sees naught out there beyond the haze of the glass. "I killed him. In so doing the mantle falls to me again. And so... matters become more... complex."
Lady Shiva	Still she watches although her brow furrows. She was not aware he had more than one son. Only Alexander. The name Phobos is not familiar to her. It sounds unusual, strange. She cannot even place where the name may have come from geographically. Most other women on the planet would be empathizing, saying how sorry they were for his loss. How difficult it must have been for him. Shiva's mind goes a different direction. "I am certain you did what was necessary. It was a good death." For her, those are words of honor.     The situation is still hazy so she seeks answers by voicing another question. "What mantle must you take up?"
Ares	"That of War. It was bequeathed to me by my father when I was young. He is known as Zeus, the storm-bringer. My mother was known as Hera..." He looks at her steadily, his arms tightening over his chest as he pushes away from the wall as if facing her fully. "I was known as Ares, or Mars. And at one time Orion." John lifts a hand towards her, "So you can understand why I can tell you for true, that my life has been... and shall be, very complicated."     At that, however, he smiles a touch as if he had told her that he liked to sneak a piece of chocolate cake at night and had been caught. But for something of such magnitude, and such import... one must kind of know how to laugh.
Lady Shiva	Her eyes widen. Her breath catches in her throat. Her body literally goes tense. All things that are unheard of for Shiva.     It explains much. The agelessness, the level of energy that swirls around him, his knowledge of combat and things that don't exist. Moves that were lost to history for someone like her. For someone like him, they were within his lifetime.     He's a god. A being of such power she cannot begin to imagine. Yet he lives an unassuming life as a construction worker, caring for his son, asking for nothing. That is why he was being treated as he was when they met so long ago.     She forces her lungs to work. Breathe in, breathe out. The mantra going through her head continues as she tries to remain calm. Her heartbeat is thundering. She tries to focus, to slow the beats, only to find it impossible.     Suddenly the room seems very small.     "The other--" She pauses, trying to wrap her mind around it even as she says it. "Gods may be coming after you. Or those you--"     She pauses again, unable to give voice to the thought. That they might go after those he cares for but it is quite an assumption to think a god could care for her. To think that this was anything more than a moment's amusement for him in an otherwise almost eternal life.
Ares	"Yes, for those I hold close to me." John looks to her and extends a hand, "Those I care about." But he tells her levelly, in that tone of rumbling voice that she has heard so often before, "However, there is a method to their madness. If they come at me again, there will be a message and I will be made aware of the vendetta when it is offered." The tall Olympian smiles a bit, "Til then we are... well as safe as we ever have been."     That is all that really needs to be said, and he lifts his chin as he looks to her. That body language she can read so easily speaks to her of nothing more than the desire to make her at ease, and to confide in her that. Too many times something strange has entered his life and sent others off running who couldn't handle it. For that ever has been the way.
Lady Shiva	She remains there, tense. Suddenly she pushes to her feet, taking a few steps. Not toward him. Toward the doorway. Then she stops, hands clenching into fists at her sides as she looks straight ahead at that door. As though all the mysteries of life are on the other side if she just looks hard enough.     When she speaks, her voice is very carefully controlled, no emotion slipping out. "Why do we spar? You have no need for it. You have knowledge within you I can only dare to wonder at." She turns her head, looking at him squarely. "You could have defeated me instantly if you chose, without use of powers would be my guess. You pulled your punches, in essence."     And therein is the problem. She could deal with going toe-to-toe and losing, even dying as proven the night before. But to be handled with kid gloves instead of being on equal footing. Yet, she had thought they were equal. Folly on her part. She was never close to his level and he fooled her completely.
Ares	"Sandra," Ares turns to her and says levelly, "You are brilliant, and talented. You are gifted and have crafted yourself into such a weapon. I would have enjoyed seeing you against the world so many years ago. Your training, your talent... we are evenly matched and if I had to defeat you..." He shakes his head, "It would not be through training alone. You are a master among masters, and that is why I felt drawn to you."     He refolds his arms, "The only way I could defeat you is for me to tap into the essence of my power. I have lived thousands of years and your ability in the martial arts... is equal to mine."
Lady Shiva	She watches him closely, reading the honesty in his body language as well as his tone. She allows herself another moment to wonder if a god can hide such things, fool the senses. Certainly he could with his powers.     It is not how she will allow herself to live. She will not be filled with doubts about him. Their times together have always been honest. He has never lied to her. The honesty they have shared has been refreshing in a world of deceit. Last night, after their near deaths, the purity of their time together was truth.     It cannot be anything else.     She turns, moving to him, stopping a few feet away. She's not running away, unlike others in his past. Her expression relaxes, returns to the more serene visage. "You honor me. Thank you." She gives a deep bow. When he returns it, she will close that space between them and place her hand on his bicep.     "Though I am merely mortal, I offer my help to you and your son should there be difficulties from your family."
Ares	"Sandra," His voice carries such heartfelt displeasure as he then steps forwards and rests his hands upon her shoulders, his brown eyes meet hers and he tries to convey with a small smile the sentiment he feels. "For the last two hundred years I have been living as a mortal. I turned away from them because in many ways they disgust me. They are powerful, yes. But they are the basest broken individuals, I find more depth of character and dedication to cause in so many more mortals... that never consider yourself 'merely' /anything/."     He shakes his head and smiles slightly, "There is no grievous offense in being mortal. But thank you for wishing to help my son. I will let you know if matters progress further. Who knows?" He gives her shoulders a squeeze, "It may be some time before they do anything at all."