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Fiala: making a scene
Fiala opened her eyes as she heard Goehearth's outburst. She looked toward him without moving her head, and smirked. "What's wrong, brother? A spot of bad luck?" Without lowering her arm, she snapped her fingers, locking him further into his form. It wasn't her fault to begin with, but she was more than happy to take the blame. And by her doing, it definitely wasn't a permanent lock... it would just be much harder to shift back when the time came. She threw her legs over the side of the chair and leaned back as far as she could, lowering her arm to drape it across her forehead. "Oh, whatever will you do?"
Hearing a knock at the window, Fiala shifted out of her dramatic pose just enough to glance toward the source. She returned the figure's wave, and laughed as she watched her sister struggle to enter the building. It reminded Fiala of Peter Pan, when Tinker Bell gets stuck in the keyhole and struggles to free herself, but in a less... fanservey way. "Iratze - I'd recognize that head of hair anywhere." She tilted her head slightly. The window pane would open easily on the next try - although if too much force was used, it would swing in such a way to knock the messenger aside. Returning to the Transatlantic accent, Fiala called, "Come join us, doll. Have some giggle water and hear Desious's tale."
Luclie: where do I start
Luke breathed a sigh of relief when the woman agreed to lunch. He hopped on behind her, hugging her loosely so as to not fall off. As he did so, a dance of colours passed through her vision without obscuring it, varying in intensity and movement as the sounds around them changed. The roar of the engine produced explosions of indigo as it sputtered, and a wave of goldenrod flowed past as he spoke: "Thanks again. It's just up the road." The sensation lasted as long as he touched her - as soon as he let go and hopped off the bike, the colours disappeared completely. Without a word, he followed her into the restaurant and to the booth of her choice.
He noticed her blatant you-can't-sit-here gesture, but decided not to say anything. He slid into the opposite booth and took up a menu as well. When the waitress came to ask about drinks, he let his companion order first. "Coffee, please," he said when it was his turn. "Just bring us the pot, if you can." His stamina was a lot more drained than he thought. Sixteen near-straight hours on the road will do that to you.
He glanced over the menu, unsure exactly what he wanted but not wanting to waste too much time. Cheeseburger, good enough. He set aside the menu as she addressed him.
Her question surprised him. "Are - are we close to San Francisco?" He could have sworn they were much further north... but Luke wasn't exactly a geography expert. He tried to form a map in his mind... no, he definitely passed the last sign for San Francisco hours ago. Where the hell were they, then, that she would suggest that?
He cleared his throat. "No - no, I'm headed north. I don't really care about the bike right now." His heart broke as the words left his mouth - aside from his family, he loved that bike more than anything - but it was the truth. Fixing the bike would mean a costly detour, and his wife would surely find out. She would worry, and probably come looking for him, and he just couldn't let that happen right now.
He paused. Up until this moment he hadn't actually thought about what he would say to her. "I don't have time to care about the bike right now. I just need to go north." Fuck, how could he explain it? Following a distant bell across multiple states sounded crazy even to him. He tapped on the table, trying to think of what to say. "I'm looking for something," was what he settled on.
God, Luke, how badly can you fuck this up?
@Pirouette
Fiala: just the cat's pajamas
Fiala smiled warmly as she shook Kayla's hand. She felt somehow more at ease - likely the demigod's power, she thought. It was relaxing, and sort of nice to feel so calm while surrounded by the angriest of her family. Then Kayla made her comment, and Fiala laughed freely. "You're probably right. Not the worst thing I've ever lost." She glanced at her stolen watch and laughed again. "Yeah, he's definitely my ex by now."
Turning her attention back to the group, she finally lit her cigarette, just in time to hear Stjerne announce that they were leaving. She looked up and saw the aura form and slowly surround them. Puff, puff. Fiala was grateful when they landed outside of their destination, not putting her in the position of having to pollute the air inside the building. She hung toward the back of the group as they entered, smoking to her heart's content but not finishing the cigarette, and scraping it out on the bottom of her boot before entering.
Fiala raised an eyebrow as they entered the penthouse. It was huge, and she couldn't help but wonder how much a place like this cost. She paused as she looked around, and smirked when she saw the bar. She followed Sjerne, and pulled up the nearest seat as he grabbed himself a drink.
Crossing her ankles and lifting an arm, she threw her head back and closed her eyes. "I'll have a gin rickey, my good sir," she announced in a Transatlantic accent, "and don't skimp on the hootch. I'm out on parole, ya see, and I'm lookin' to get zozzled tonight." She laughed at herself. The twenties were a fun time.
Although she clearly wasn't taking herself seriously, her ears were pricked up toward the rest of the group. This meeting was still important, and as much as she wanted to screw around, she knew she needed to pay attention.
Luclie: a chance encounter
Luke looked up as a motorcycle pulled off a little bit ahead of him. The woman flipped her visor up and called to him, saying she would give him a ride to the exit. He hesitated a moment, unsure of whether he should trust her - but she looked genuine. He glanced over his shoulder, briefly considering going into the forest to find his helmet, but that would take time that he didn't have. It was gone forever now. He ran to the bike and hopped on.
"Thanks," he muttered. "Do you have an extra - nevermind. Just don't kill me, I got a kid at home." He didn't mean to sound harsh or ungrateful, but his tone reflected the anger he still felt after the crash.
As they cruised along, Luke looked around, trying to place where they were. The exit spit them out onto a nearly deserted road, with few businesses lining either side and no clue as to their geographic location. He sighed. The chances of a bus coming out here were slim... but as far as he could see, it was the only option he had.
Then the woman pulled into a gas station. She made a comment about him being dumb for crashing - no fucking way, I had no idea that crashing was a bad idea. Luke clenched his fists. "Pretty dumb of the trucking company to hire someone who can't fucking drive. I got run off the road, it wasn't my fault." Maybe it was pride, or maybe that anger was bubbling up again, but he couldn't stop from defending himself. He took a deep breath as she mentioned a phone. "Good idea. I'll go check." The words came through gritted teeth.
He ran into the gas station and slapped his hands on the counter to get the cashier's attention. "Bus schedule - do you have one?" He was demanding and rushed, and he did nothing to try and soften his words.
The teenager behind the counter shook his head, unsure of what to make of the man. The kid opened his mouth to say something, but Luke didn't wait to hear it. He glanced out the window to the woman who had picked him up. The last thing he wanted was for her to leave without him. He stormed out of the gas station as the kid called after him that the nearest bus terminal was almost an hour away.
Luke slowed a little as he approached the woman, trying to appear more friendly. "So, listen. Let me thank you for your help." He pointed in the direction they came from and forced a smile. "We passed a greasy spoon a little bit that way, let me buy you lunch."
It wasn't ideal: he knew he needed to find the source of the bell fast, but this place was the middle of nowhere. Even if he wanted to call someone to find him, Phoenix was just too far away - it would take a full day, at least, for someone to drive out. And he couldn't wait that long. With luck, he could sweet talk this woman into helping him at least get to the nearest Greyhound... or find someone else at the diner who would.
Besides, he realized, he'd eaten nothing since starting his journey the day before. He was running on caffeine and fumes... and the caffeine was starting to wear off. A few cups of coffee and a hot meal would help him recharge enough to keep going.
@Pirouette
Luclie
"GOD FUCKING--"
Luke ripped off his helmet and threw it down. It bounced off the pavement and rolled toward the smoking wreck that was now his beloved bike. Gripping his hair and pulling it between his fingers, he paced on the side of the road, trying to process what just happened. A semi who CLEARLY had no idea how to drive - an erratic swerve to avoid a face full of truck, and a hail-Mary leap to avoid a body full of redwood. Really, there was no reason why he should still be alive right now, but in the moment that thought didn't process. All he could think was that he was now essentially stranded here, still far from his destination but too far away from home to know where he was.
The echo of the bell rang in his mind as he paced. That beautiful sound, a dance of colours like he'd never experienced, hues he couldn't even put words to. He needed to find it. He needed to know what it meant. Luke pulled out his phone and stared at it for a moment as he considered calling his wife to beg her to come find him - no, that wouldn't be fair. No reason to drag her into things that he didn't understand - she'd bring the baby, of course. She never went anywhere without the baby. No, it's much better to keep them out of things for now.
But that didn't fix his current situation. He gripped his phone as he continued to pace, racking his head to think of someone he could call for help - but all of them were back home in Arizona. No one knew where he was, and of what few people he knew would come find him, he couldn't think of a single soul he wanted to drag into whatever he was getting himself into.
What about the police? He could call 911 - but they would ask questions. They would call his wife. Fuck, someone else probably called 911 after seeing what happened. Luke let out a wordless shout as he realized the best course of action was probably to get as far away from the wreck as possible.
What if he flagged down a motorist? Hey, I need to get to the nearest bus station - but then they would ask questions, wouldn't they? People don't just pick up hitchhikers, especially not those standing next to a smoking motorcycle accident. Another wordless shout.
Luke put away his phone and looked around. There was a sign advertising the nearest exit... half a mile away. Fuck, at least it's in the direction he was headed. Taking a deep breath to ground himself, he started walking down the shoulder of the road toward his new destination, kicking the helmet further into the forest as he passed.
@Pirouette
It's when a stimulus for one sense also stimulates other senses, for example hearing colours. There's a couple different forms of synesthesia, and I'm going to flesh out exactly what he experiences more as time goes on.
Fiala: for better or worse
After landing, Fiala hung slightly back, keeping behind her sister, watching and listening, but not interested in immediately jumping into the politics of the current situation. This wasn't unusual for her: even before descending to Earth, Fiala had kept to the back of every meeting, simply listening to what others had to say, and often rudely feigning exhaustion when she found the conversation to be too boring. Millennia in exile didn't change her distaste for meetings - in fact, walking among modern humans only made her hate them even more (you really need EVERYONE present to discuss changes that only affect a small few? really??) - but she knew this meeting was different. So while she had little to say (avoiding meetings altogether kind of makes it hard to voice opinion during them), for perhaps the first time in her life she intended to give her siblings full attention.
Then Goehearth stepped forward and picked her up. He shook her as he boomed his usual greeting. Just like old times. Fiala held her breath as he pulled her in for a hug. "Of course, brother. The pleasure is exclusively mine." She tempered the sarcasm in her tone, if only to avoid starting a conflict. He was right - now wasn't the time. Reflexively, she pulled the pack of cigarettes from her back pocket and flipped one into her mouth. She held off on lighting it, instead looking around at those who had gathered. All familiar faces... except two, a man who seemed to be Stjerne's friend, and a young woman who clearly had no idea what was going on. Interesting.
Fiala stepped forward from her metaphorical corner and stood next to the woman, who identified herself as Kayla. She nudged Kayla with her elbow, and subtly offered her a cigarette. "Helps calm the nerves," she said softly... but as soon as the words left her mouth, Kayla seemed to relax. Fiala exhaled. Well, it would be rude to rescind the offer now...
Then Vetra misted in. Fiala tucked the pack back into her pocket and leaned against the nearest wall, her cigarette still unlit, allowing her sister to go on her tirade. She chuckled at the threats, especially as she went off about incest. "I mean, I don't have a hateful bone in my body... but eh, when you're right, you're right."
She turned back to Kayla and offered a hand to shake. Might as well own it. "Fiala, by the way. I robbed my boyfriend before coming here."
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