canon is Daughters of the Moon :'D

[pathtoatonement]

Didn't anyone ever tell you to walk before you run? You might trip and hurt yourself, if you're not careful.

You're not ready for this. But don't worry. I won't be the one to stop you.

[a beat, and then an eyeroll] Stay out of there. [His romantic life choices :'|] You don't need to understand the choices I made. Consider yourself lucky to even know I made them.

Comments

[lushluthor]

[ a fabulous lady, martini in hand appears. she takes a long sip from her glass, staring at him over the rim of it ]

I was expecting someone taller.

[ an eyebrow ]

At least you have nice hair.

[greatone]

Girl problems already, huh?

[pathtoatonement]

[An easy smirk] I wouldn't call them problems.

[fatedchaos]

[She's trying really, really hard to not roll her eyes.] Not that you can really stop them.

[A beat.] They're always doing that.

[pathtoatonement]

[He can tell. The corner of his mouth quirks up slightly] Goddess.

[Just gonna get all up in your space right now] Is that so? [Ignoring that part about not being able to stop them]

[fatedchaos]

[The flattest of looks.] Vanessa.

[She makes a face at him, but doesn't move or push him away.] Yeah, it's so. They're more meddlesome than gods.

[pathtoatonement]

What's wrong with goddess? It's what you are.

[His smirk only widens at that expression, because douchebag] I wouldn't have thought your romantic life needed the help.

[fatedchaos]

But not who I am. [Look, she is going through that whole self-discovery phase, and she won't let you define her. So there.]

I - [shut up.] It doesn't! I have a really nice romantic life.

[pathtoatonement]

[Raising his eyes a little. this is an interesting development] Running from the truth again, Vanessa? [It's not an accusation; he's legit curious about what she means by that.]

[Uh] Your romantic life is a mess. [:'3]

[fatedchaos]

[Ha! She smirks because yeeeeaaaah.] No. I'm... I'm finally accepting it. [She tucks a strand of hair behind her ear nervously.]

Pay attention to your own love life!

[pathtoatonement]

[Smirking looks good on her. His gaze flicks over her, appreciative.] What caused this change?

[He is. Technically.] Why? Yours is so much more colourful.

[fatedchaos]

[Omg, Stanton, stahp.] Being alone and having to take care of myself. [She tries to be nonchalant about that, but she mostly just sounds bitter and sad.]

It's not. It's perfectly normal.

[pathtoatonement]

[What is this stop you speak of] Alone? A pretty girl like you never had any problems making friends. [His gaze holds hers, not drawing her in, but feeding off that sadness and bitterness]

Nothing about you is normal, Vanessa.

[fatedchaos]

[It's that thing normal people do.] There's a difference between being surrounded by people and actually letting them know who you are. [She's always been popular, sure. But she's also been pretty alone without her girls, and they've all gone away.]

Why not? Why can't it be normal? Where I'm at, lots of people have powers! There are kids there who are children of gods, too. Why can't I be normal?

[pathtoatonement]

You know how to solve that problem. [If you were evil you wouldn't care :'|]

It's not your powers that make you special. There's infinitely more to you than just the ability to disappear. Part of you, at least, knows that.

[fatedchaos]

Stop thinking that everyone has to like me? [No. She's been there, done that, told the Moirae to fuck off.]

Isn't it, though? Being a goddess makes me special. It makes me different. [She pauses, sighs, and glances at him with a scrutinizing look. After a moment, she leans into him, wrapping her arms around his waist.] I've missed you.

[pathtoatonement]

[A chuckle] That, too.

Your powers aren't only what makes you a goddess. And being a goddess is not the only special thing about you. [There's a startled pause when she hugs him, but he barely hesitates in holding her close, because - well. Why not?] You must really be lonely.

[fatedchaos]

I'm trying. I'm trying really hard. [Don't whine, don't whine.]

Isn't it? I don't know what being a goddess means anymore, Stanton. I've been abandoned and lost and everything's so confusing, but I'm trying. [Ugh, she hates this. Feeling like she's going to cry.] I'd say you have no idea, but you do.

[pathtoatonement]

[It would be easy, he thinks. She's in such a vulnerable position, a few well-placed thoughts, a few leading comments could easily tip her over the edge.

But Stanton can't hurt her. And while there's a part of him that wonders if he could twist that anyway, consider it helping her become stronger, there's another part of him that doesn't want to.

His life was a lot simpler before these girls entered it.

One hand lifts, gently tucking a lock of hair behind her ear] I don't want to pretend like I know your goddess schtick better than you [liar], but I think that 'trying' sounds a lot like you still have some kind of hope. [Another smirk, but this one is less 'hi I'm creeping on you' and more 'way to hit the nail on the head'.] I do.

[fatedchaos]

[She lifts her head to stare up at him and sighing softly. Even if they weren't that close, she's always thought of him as a friend. And she's pretty much desperate for anyone who knows her, even if it's Stanton.] Of course I do. I wouldn't give up hope. Even if... If it's hard, I just can't. I won't let them win. [The Fates, in particular.]

I have friends, but it's not the same. Only one person knows about me being a goddess.

[pathtoatonement]

[His head turns slightly, looking past her] The way I understand it, you won't be on your own for much longer.

[Bitter, Stanton? Never.]

[fatedchaos]

[Still staring at him.] I hope so. [She doesn't even want to say Catty's name, in case something goes wrong.] If you could come, too, I'd want you both there. I'd want all of you there. But wouldn't you be happier with Serena?

[pathtoatonement]

[No fuck that.] Serena, you might have noticed, isn't here.

[fatedchaos]

[:|] I mean, back... In Nefandus. Not here.

[pathtoatonement]

I am not in Nefandus. [There is a problem here, Vanessa. Can you guess what it is]

[fatedchaos]

[8c she's trying to be helpful, you hopeless loser.] I know that!

[pathtoatonement]

[Looking back down at her, amused] Wanting things isn't going to do me much good, is it?

[fatedchaos]

It could. You could want her to show up. You could want to be forgotten. [Huff.]

[pathtoatonement]

I... [He does want her to show up. He can't stop that. He just doesn't expect it to do any good.

Finally, he settles on smirking] There's a reason I am what I am, and not a goddess. Other than the obvious.

[fatedchaos]

[You're so irritating, Stanton. And Vanessa also realizes that she's still... holding onto him, so she guesses she'll let go and take a step back now, rubbing a hand over her face.] I'll just, you know, have to have enough hope for the both of us.

[pathtoatonement]

[Something in his expression reflects...surprise? Discomfort? Loss? when she pulls away, but it's only for a second. Barely noticeable at all.]

You're surprisingly good at that.

[fatedchaos]

[Vanessa stares at him for a moment before shrugging.] It comes with the job title.

[pathtoatonement]

When it comes to Followers? You'd be surprised at the amount of Daughters who didn't think so.

[fatedchaos]

Well, I'm not them. And I know you, Stanton. You're worth having hope for.

[pathtoatonement]

[How do you respond to something like that after centuries of evil?]

Your optimism is going to get you hurt again, Vanessa.

[fatedchaos]

[A pause, and a dry laugh. It has, over and over, but that's okay.] That's not going to get me to give up, no matter what happens.

[pathtoatonement]

I don't know whether to congratulate you, or pity you.

[fatedchaos]

Both, if you want. [nodnod.]

[pathtoatonement]

[A laugh. Check that sexy voice] Congratulations, Vanessa, I'm sorry.

[fatedchaos]

[:| It's not that sexy. Hector was better.] Thank you, and I'm not.

[stagethreeclinger]

There's something a lot more fun about just jumping right in and having that sink or swim kinda panic.

[pathtoatonement]

Fun, dangerous. But it's not my job to make sure she knows what she's getting herself into. [There's something about the way he speaks that makes it seem like he's more eager for the sinking part than the swimming]

[stagethreeclinger]

[ u a lil cray, bro ] Not much in the way of exciting if there's not some edge of risk. [ says the dude who jumped off a skyscraper without a parachute ]

[pathtoatonement]

How much are you willing to risk before it becomes too much? [It's said more out of idle curiosity than anything else. Plz ignore the way his eyes kind of glow a little. Clearly just a trick of the light]

[stagethreeclinger]

[ dude u are creepy. also his girlfriends' eyes glow like 24/7 so nbd ] Well I rode a humvee into a herd of tanks so I dunno, man, a lot? It's more a thing of sucking at looking before I leap.

[ tbh this is like the story of his life. jumping through protals in vague hopes he'll find a person to drag back through another portal that will maybe happen after he gets tortured a lot ]

[pathtoatonement]

[Waving a dismissive hand] Physical danger is nothing. People do all kinds of things to their body for a thrill. I'm talking about something a little less...tangible.

[stagethreeclinger]

Examples being?

[pathtoatonement]

Their minds. Their power. Souls. Some people throw them away without knowing or caring what they're worth. Others know exactly what they're worth and sacrifice them accordingly. [He gives a small shrug] Others still never have to face that kind of choice. Which is it for you?

[stagethreeclinger]

Can't say I've ever gotten that option and I'm pretty sure I'd want to hang onto mine, tbh. [ That 'tbh' is totally spoken as tee bee aych. ]