[indent][u][b]January 10th, 8:45 P.M.
Caernarvon Central Station, Old Bludhaven [/b][/u][/indent]

[color=#5566db]“Your military is very strange to me, mortal,”[/color] said Aelia, watching Sergeant Carter scream at the smiling Gomer Pyle. [color=#5566db]“Why does the sergeant not simply incinerate the worthless private for his dangerous levels of inefficiency and incompetence?”[/color]

From his half-laying, half-sitting sprawl on the other side of the couch, Mal raised a brow at the blonde crazy person who lived in his house.

[color=orangered]”One, murdering your subordinate for being an idiot went outta style some point after the Middle Ages,”[/color] He explained. Dryly. [color=orangered]”Two, we [i]mortals[/i] ain’t that great at farting hellfire on command.”[/color]

The boy cast his eyes back to the idiot box, sipping from his cola.

[color=orangered]”And three, watching Pyle burn to death’d be less fun than watching him screw up all the time, no?”[/color] 

Aelia stared at the television screen for a long moment, as if seriously considering his question. [color=#5566db]“Perhaps so. But then, the Consortium doesn’t employ living soldiers. Not as infantry of the line, at least. A revenant that behaved in such a way would be viewed as defective.”[/color]

Drawing a long puff from her pipe, she casually blew the smoke off to the side.

It took a solid three seconds or so for what Aelia just said to fully click into boy’s brain. But as it did, he found himself casting another sidelong glance the titan’s way.

[color=orangered]”...Revenant?”[/color] He asked simply, after a half-minute more. [color=orangered]”You people [i]raise the dead[/i] to fight for you?”[/color]


Aelia dipped her head in affirmation. [color=#5566db]“Of course. Why throw lives away in combat when you can utilize the soulless forms of those who have already passed? I find it rather horrifying that in the past century or so, you mortals have sent [i]millions[/i] of still living humans to their deaths in your wars.”[/color]

[color=orangered]”I mean, [i]fair.”[/i][/color] Mal conceded with a little shake of his head as his eyes turned back towards the continued misadventures of Private Pyle. [color=orangered]”...But ya gotta bear in mind that drones and stuff like that only really came around about ten… twenty years ago. Hell, we didn’t even have [i]toothpaste[/i] yet when we were fighting the world wars.”[/color]

Another sip of his drink followed that.

[color=orangered]”...But that doesn’t make [i]using war-zombies or casual incineration[/i] any less [i][b]creepy,[/b][/i] Aels.”[/color] 

Aelia quirked a brow when her referred to her by that nickname, though she didn’t bother to look at him. [color=#5566db]“What’s [i]‘creepy’[/i] is the way your militaries must destroy the individuality of their soldiers before they can be properly utilized. Such brutal treatment can cause lasting psychological damage--though perhaps mortal psychology lacks such an advanced understanding of the ramifications their actions may have!”[/color]

Mal’s eyes turned to her again at that. Flickering orange again as he put down his drink, though he said nothing.

She finally turns slightly, smiling at him. [color=#5566db]“But don’t feel disheartened, Malcolm. Your society has at least come a long way from accusing everyone of desiring intercourse with their mothers.”[/color]

Malcolm stared at Aelia a long while after that.

[color=orangered][i]”Individuals[/i] have a habit of only thinking for themselves. Military training breaks down and [i]rebuilds[/i] your individuality to break that mindset. To make you put the mission, the lives of your comrades and all that you swear to protect before yourself.”[/color] He finally said, turning his eyes back to the show. [color=orangered]”It [i]has[/i] to be harsh. Sending someone to war otherwise would be cruel in itself.”[/color]

A pause followed that, as the boy clicked his tongue in thought.

[color=orangered]”Or… [i]shit,[/i] I dunno. That’s how my dad explained it to me, anyhow.”[/color]   

Aelia blew another puff of smoke into the air, which quickly reshaped itself into an exclamation point as she turned to fully face him. [color=#5566db]“Your father was a soldier? I suppose that would explain your distaste for a head of well-groomed hair. Tell me, what sort of man was he, then? Did you live in Bludhaven even when you were under his care?”[/color]

A low hum rumbled in Mal’s throat as he bobbed his head slightly from side to side thinking if he should answer or not… before finally bracing his noggin on his palm and adopting a thoughtful look.

[color=orangered]”Well… for starters, he wasn’t my actual dad, just the guy who found me in a dumpster as a newborn.”[/color] The boy explained, still keeping his eyes on the TV. [color=orangered]”We lived in a little shantytown in an alley— me, him, a few other families. It was… [i]nicer[/i] than you’d think.”[/color]
 For the first time in… well, longer than Aelia had known him. The boy’s eyes glassed over with a bit of nostalgia and a tiny little smile crept onto his face.

He hadn’t spoken aloud about his old man in years. No less to [i]another person.[/i]

[color=orangered]”He was… kind of a paradox. Gentle and tougher than iron all at the same time. Smarter than you’d guess, but humble enough to hide it.”[/color] Mal explained, with a little snort. [color=orangered]”Taught me to read— in three languages, no less, taught me to fight, how to play music and... well, how to be a decent person.”[/color]

The young hero’s brow furrowed for a moment. And he bit his lip a little.

[color=orangered]”He was… well, [i]my Dad.[/i] That’s about all I can really say about him.”[/color]

A low, sharp exhale escaped him at that.

[color=orangered]”And I miss him.”[/color]

Aelia had listened quietly while he reminisced about his father, having never really heard him speak of his past before. While she didn’t know if she could agree with the notion that living within a “shantytown” could be a pleasant experience, the important takeaway was that he seemed to almost be [i]happy[/i] during his recollections.

Smiling softly in the end, she placed a hand on his arm. [color=#5566db]“Thank you for telling me about him, Malcolm. His memory is clearly dear to you, so I am honored that you would share it with me.”[/color]

It was, after all, universal among all cultures that sharing important memories with another person was a sign of trust.

[color=orangered]”Yeah, well, he was a good man.”[/color] Mal said, smiling, though a little bit sadly. [color=orangered]”Letting him be forgotten would be a damned shame.”[/color]

Quite literally wiping that look off his face and replacing it with a more characteristic cheeky grin, the lad turned his eyes back towards his impromptu roommate’s own.

[color=orangered]”So what are [i]your[/i] folks like? Do they dance and sing and get confused by [i]mortal things,[/i] too?”[/color]

Aelia shook her head slowly, easing back into the couch. Where to even start with her family? It was quite a mouthful. [color=#5566db]“No, though my father does love to engage in swordplay with his shadow when he becomes excited. My mother...is nothing like either of us. Though, neither are my real parents--something I suppose we have in common.”[/color]

[color=#5566db]“The Lumena family was once the ruling House of what you would know as the Kingdom of Lemuria, some fourteen thousand years ago,”[/color] she explained, taking another puff from her pipe and blowing it into the air, where it formed into their family’s crest--a crescent moon over a four-pointed star.

She laid her head back on the couch, watching the crest slowly disperse back into smoke before speaking again. [color=#5566db]“Like every other civilization from humanity’s Golden Age, it was destroyed at the hands of Prometheus, the Firebringer and scourge of man. Following this, our family pooled their resources with the other survivors to create the first Megatropolis, and fled this world.”[/color]

[color=#5566db]“We have helped to govern the Consortium since that day,”[/color] she finished, appraising his reaction.

For a moment, Mal just kind of… [i]stared[/i] at her in silence. That was a bit of a mouthful after all.

That was… a bit to take in.

[color=orangered]”Sooo… you’re not just a [i]literal deity…[/i] you’re a [i]Space Princess[/i] to boot?”[/color] Was about all he can say, raising a brow. [color=orangered]”That’s… a whole lotta hats to wear at once.”[/color]

Cocking his head to the side slightly, he sat up.

[color=orangered]”...And what was that about a [i]’Scourge of Man’?”[/i][/color]

Aelia chuckled at his question, waving her hand dismissively. [color=#5566db]“Oh, he’s thankfully gone from the realm of the living now, you needn’t concern yourself with him. Suffice it to say, during his reign of terror, he claimed far more human lives than even the Demon King currently ravaging this world--and he was [i]supposedly[/i] a being of Order.”[/color]

[color=orangered]”Well, that’s… [i]good,[/i] I guess.”[/color] Mal responded with a slightly skeptical look. [color=orangered]”...But is that the [i]same[/i] Prometheus who stole the fire of knowledge from the gods and passed it onto mankind? [i]That guy[/i] is the [i]’Scourge of Man’?”[/i][/color]

Aelia nods simply. [color=#5566db]“The very same. He is called [i]the Great Betrayer[/i] for that reason by our people. Upon escaping his confinement at the hands of Zeus, he was set upon the other great kingdoms through the machinations of King Triton, ruler of Atlantis.”[/color]

[color=orangered]”Huh…”[/color] Mal toned flatly, before pursing his lip and nodding his head along in agreement. [color=orangered]”Well, okay, that one checks out. Us [i]mortals[/i] don’t exactly have a good history with [i]Atlantean Kings,[/i] either.”[/color]

Scratching his head a little at the sudden wild turns and… [i]interesting[/i] takes on history this conversation had thrown at him, the boy cast his eye off to the side in thought.

[color=orangered]”...You are [i]very[/i] good at making me question reality, you know that?”[/color]

Brushing a strand of hair behind her ear, Aelia threw her head back and reached a hand to the sky above them. [color=#5566db]“Oh Malcolm, I am good at [i]everything[/i] I set out to accomplish, including making your adorable little head spin!”[/color]

[color=orangered]”...And perving on me in the shower.”[/color]

[color=#5566db]“No,”[/color] she said, shaking her head slowly and placing her hand over her heart dramatically. [color=#5566db]“I’m [i]exceptional[/i] at perving on you in the shower! Ooohohoho!”[/color]

A week ago, Mal would’ve been just a little disturbed by that. Now, though? He just kinda snorted and laid back down again to cast his eyes back toward the TV, grinning a little the whole while.

[color=orangered]”Well, by all means, Aelia. Whatever floats your boat.”[/color] He joked, giving the deity a friendly little half-hearted kick. [color=orangered]”But if ya wanted to see my [i]mortal ass[/i] in the nude, you could’ve just [i]asked.”[/i][/color]

Upon being kicked by Malcolm, Aelia was suddenly lifted from the couch and sent flying through the air, crashing through the nearby wall to leave a perfectly Aelia-shaped hole. For a moment, the only sound that could be heard was the chatter from the television and the slowly clearly debris.

[color=#5566db]“...My, what a terrible brute you are, to strike a young maiden,”[/color] she joked from her hole. [color=#5566db]“Why, I don’t think I shall ever recover from this.”[/color]

Mal just stared after her and the perfectly carved silhouette of the woman in his wall for a moment… before that same cheeky grin made it’s way back onto his face. Looking quite like the cat that swallowed the canary.

[color=orangered]”A fate worse than death, surely.”[/color] Mal said with a chuckle, turning his eyes back to the television. [color=orangered]”Imagine! Being trapped down here in this dreary place with as cruel a savage as I! [i]The horror of it all!”[/i][/color]

He might’ve been laying it on a little thick, but after [i]that[/i] reaction? He couldn’t help himself.

After this week, he’d [i]earned[/i] this, goddammit.

[color=#5566db]“Well,”[/color] said Aelia, slowly climbing from her hole--which was easier said than done since it was shaped exactly like her in that moment of entry--before commanding it to rebuild itself with a snap of her fingers, [color=#5566db]“I must confess, you wear honesty well, Malcolm. Unfortunately, I may be spending more time away from this place in the coming weeks. You see, I’ve recently been assigned a new task within the city of ‘New Orleans’.”[/color]

Reclaiming her seat on the couch beside him, she neatly folded her hands in her lap. Somehow, not a speck of dirt or dust was on her. [color=#5566db]“Dreadful business, really. I’m not looking forward to it. Still, I shall continue to visit when I’m able until it is over.”[/color]

At her tone, Mal sat up. Looking just a bit more serious, though still smiling slightly all the same.

[color=orangered]”New Orleans, huh? I can only imagine what you’ll be stepping into down there.”[/color] He said eventually, that grin of his taking a slight dip downward. [color=orangered][i]”Should[/i] I ask, or would ya rather not talk about it?”[/color] 

Aelia stared down at the floor for a long moment, looking strangely sombre for someone so unrelentingly cheerful and in-control of themselves. [color=#5566db]“It’s an undercover assignment. Observation only at the moment. Should it become [i]more[/i] than that, however...well, I’m hoping to find a way to avoid that.”[/color]

For a moment, Mal was silent. Reading the young(ish) deity’s features and body language, as one of his abilities was apt to do. Eyes clearly flickering to their characteristic glowing orange in the dim light of the rec room. Before his face broke into a little half-smile again.

[color=orangered]”Well if you need help, or just someone to talk to, you know where and how to find me. So don’t be a stranger.”[/color] 

He said raising his hand for a moment, and then paused. Face now adopting a forcefully deadpanned expression. 

[color=orangered]”...If I put a reassuring hand on your shoulder, you’re not gonna go through another wall are you?”[/color]

Aelia stared back at him for a moment, before slowly smiling. [color=#5566db]“No, Malcolm, I promise.”[/color]

[color=orangered]”Good.”[/color] Mal stated flatly with a little nod and the triumphant return of that little smirk of his… before putting his hand on perhaps the opposite shoulder than she was expecting and pulled her in a little closer. [color=orangered]”Means I haven’t gotten completely rusty in the whole ‘deception’ department.”[/color]

Though his tone took on a more sombre note as he gave her shoulder a little squeeze and pulled his arm back into his own lap. Adopting a more thoughtful expression.

[color=orangered]”I’m… Look, I’m not going to [i]pretend[/i] to pontificate at someone with nearly [i]two centuries[/i] of living over me, but… well, sometimes all you can do is prepare for the worst, hope for the best, and hold onto that hope with everything you’ve got.”[/color] He finally said, speaking somewhat more slowly than usual as he clearly tried to articulate what was in his head. [color=orangered]”Because hope is the only absolute that you can control. And without it, you’ve already lost.”[/color]

There was a beat of silence after that, as the boy just sat there, scratching the back of his head.

[color=orangered]”...Or something like that, I’m just a kid with a flakvest and a chip on his shoulder who lives in a subway station— inspirational speeches ain’t exactly my bag.”[/color]

Truthfully, Aelia had been planning to launch herself through the floor when he touched her. But after he wrapped his arm around her shoulders and actually tried to [i]comfort[/i] her...well, it felt as if it would have been wrong to ruin the moment. He had been surprisingly [i]kind[/i] and sincere in the things he had said.

It was almost like she had somehow made a friend.

That was a strange idea for her, who had always been either loathed, or at least respectfully feared by her own people. Still, Malcolm was a strange mortal--or whatever he might be. Hopefully, they would have time to watch television together again before she had to leave permanently.

[color=#5566db]“Regardless of how lowly your status may be, I do appreciate your kindness, Malcolm...thank you,”[/color] she said, smiling warmly to him. [color=#5566db]“I will keep your advice in mind, and perhaps return with a [i]souvenir[/i] from New Orleans for you.”[/color]

Assuming, of course, she ever wanted to remember it.