Streets of Athens Harbor

Archer made his way to Adela's charger. He stood there for a long moment. The feeling of dread of having to tell her washed over him... The thought of having to tell Adela he and Jade were an item, and then seeing her reaction. A large enough part of him. Wanted to just stay with her. But that part also wanted to have both Jade and Adela.

It wasn't too long before Adela approached wearing dark jeans and a nice green blouse, "Hey stranger." She smiled, "Jace said last night we should stop in and say hi before we head out. Want to?" She asked

"It would be nice to see him sober." Archer said with a smile. It was not easy to cover the feelings he was having. His hole body not wanting to admit he would louse his chance with Adela for the rest of his life. He didn't want to tell her they slept togather. That would be a good way to louse her forever. Why couldn't he have both?

Adela hugged Archer as she got close enough and then pulled her phone from her back pocket, "I'll see if he's up yet. He shouldn't be too hung over, he was mostly sober and drinking Gatorade when I left last night." She hit the call button as she spoke and grabbed Archer's hand, pulling him toward the dojo.

"97...98...99...100." Jace counted aloud his final sit ups as hit phone rang on the near by bench. Groaning he climbed to his feet and crossed to it, snatching it up off the bench to swiped the screen the unlock it. "Hello?" He answered without looking as he opened the cap on his Gatorade bottle and took a long, hard drink from it, gasping after he swallowed. He picked up a near by towel and started drying his bare chest off from the sweat of his workout as he breathed heavily into the phone.

"How do you know he is even awa-" he heard Jace respond to the call and was honestly a bit shocked at how all there he sounded. Archer stood corrected. He thought only soldiers would drink themselves that far gone and be able to shoot straight upright the next day... straight upright being a matter of opinion... Archer had more than a few days where he led PT still drunk from the night before. He should have known Jace being a master of his art would have no problem working off the alcohol.

"Am I interrupting something?" She asked into the phone as she winked at Archer, "I thought you wanted Archer and me to come by."

"Oh, hey Adela! No no, you're fine. I was just working out, gotta get the toxins out of my body from last night and no better when the a rigorous workout." He headed towards the front of the dojo. "I'll unlock the door for y-" His arm was midway to the lock when he noticed they were already standing outside. Smiling softly, two dimples appeared on either cheek as he flicked the lock and turned off the security system. Draping the towel over his shoulder he held the door open for them before ending the call. "Mornin'!"

Adela smiled as she pulled Archer inside, "I'd hug you if I wasn't on my way to breakfast with my folks." She said, "How did you sleep?"

Once they were both inside Jace let the door close behind them and smiled. He threatened to hug her, though he was just teasing. He led the way back across to the training room and got a fresh towel to dry off a bit more. "Alright all things considered. How about yourself?" He set down his phone and Gatorade so he could towel dry his hair some more. "Breakfast with the folks, nice. Good luck with that, Archer." Jace made sure his face was covered so that they wouldn't be able to see the look on his face. Clearing his throat, he rubbed the towel over his face and chest before tossing it aside.

IF Jace only knew Where Archers mind was. "Morning." He reponded as they entered the building, and then made his way with Adela where she led him. he was a bit Numb. He had spent last night in Jade's bed, and it made this hard. When was he suppose to tell her he and Jade did it the night after they had? How was he supposed to tell her that he wanted Jade more now that Dorian was out of the way? more importanly. how would he lie to Adela about his feeling for her. He wanted them both... He had slept with them both... "Would you like to go with us Jace?" This was Archers out! If Jace was there it at least bought him time... time he needed to figure out who he was going to handle this want for both the girls, and his need to stay in both there lives... thought how he would handle wanting to be with both of them... that was another story. "I'm sure they would love to see you too! an after a hard workout you need some food!"

Adela laughed softly, "I'm doing pretty well, but it's not like he's meeting a girlfriend's parents, he already knows my folks." She looked at Archer, a touch of confusion on her face, " I could call and see if they mind. They have said they miss seeing you guys."

"Uh..." Jace glanced back and forth between the two for a minute unsure of who's side to take in the matter. He didn't mind spending time with the two of them and it didn't appear to be a date but... Inhaling deeply he shrugged his shoulders. "Well if neither of you mind and they're okay with it... Maddy isn't home to feed..." He still wasn't okay with her staying out all night with Risk but she was a big girl and he couldn't control her. "I'll need to shower really fast. But I don't take long."

"Great!" Archer said with a huge grin. he then looked at Adela noting her confusion and realized he may have acted a bit rashly. at least in perception... or like he had come a bit unhinged... "What?"he mouthed to her as Jace went to the shower.

"Alright, I'll give them a call while you go shower." Adela said with a smile. She looked at Archer and shook her head as though to say 'nthing.'

Jace nodded his head as he crossed the dojo to the stairs that led up to his apartment. He quickly showered, changed into some dark blue jeans and a nice designed t-shirt and a pair of black motorcycle boots. His hair was still damp as he came back down fifteen minutes later. "I didn't dress to fancy in case the folks said no." He gave Adela a small wink as he finished putting his wallet in his back pocket.

Archer didn't really know what to do... he knew he didn't want to bring it up until after they were well clear of her parents... he wanted to talk to Adela about it just he and her. Maybe they could work this out... maybe Adela would have a simple solution... as Jace came down he nodded to him and motion to follow towards the door.

As Jace came down the stairs, Adela was coming back in from outside, slipping her phone into the back pocket of her jeans. She smiled at Jace, "You should know you don't have to dress up for my parents." She said, "But dad actually just canceled, mom isn't feeling well. But they want you guys and Jade over sometime next week maybe."

"We can that." Archer said with a smile feeling a bit relieved he didn't have to go face to face with her parents. "So what should we do today?" He asked the two of them.

Jace looked down at himself and frowned. "This isn't dressing, it's a t-shirt and jeans, Adela." He glanced over at Archer and shrugged his shoulders. "Whatever it is, I'm staying sober..." He started to turn off the lights as he led the way out of the dojo and turned the security system back on. He then realized he wasn't originally supposed to come along and frowned. "I uh... don't actually have to come either... You guys could go do your own thing I guess."

"Oh, come on," Adela grabbed his elbow, "We invited you along, why wouldn't we want you to come?" She looked at Archer as though looking for confirmation.

"Let go paint the town you two!" Archer said with a grin as he headed through the door, and looked about the street. What to do today... Archers stomach growled, and he looked a bit bashful before a smile, "maybe breakfast first?"

---

On the outskirts of the town a figure stood, foot tapping impatiently on the curb as she twisted a lock of her hair with one hand and held her other one out into the road, trying to hitch a ride. Every so often a small pop sounded from another burst bubble from her chewing gum and she gave a small hmph noise as her patience wore even thinner. Finally a car came into sight and she grinned. She waved her hand enthusiastically but they didn't stop, simply rolling past with no indication they had even noticed her. Her brows knitted together in annoyance as another bubble began to form through her lips. Larger and larger until suddenly POP!, the exact same time the back tire of the passing car burst, bringing the driver to an unfortunate halt. The figure smirked triumphantly then looked back in the other direction as a truck appeared this time and luckily it stopped.

"Where you heading?" The driver asked as she hopped in beside him.

"Athens Harbour sweetie.." She answered with a smile which broadened even further as the driver mysteriously ignored the wave of help from the stranded driver. Whoops.. She thought mischievously before she turned her attention to the road ahead. It wasn't long before they were pulling up onto the streets of Athen's Harbour and she thanked the driver with a smile and a wave. She turned and glanced round, a determined expression on her face. Ok Atë, we've got work to do! Let's get looking..We have to find them! We have to.. Her thoughts suddenly halted as her eyes widened and a distracted grin spread across her face as she spotted something. "Ice cream!" She exclaimed before hurrying across the street and through the doors of BotO Sophie's Dinner.

---

Risk drove his car at almost a meandering pace down the city street towards where he had picked up Madison the night before. He didn't stop until they had reached within a block of their destination. With the car securely fastened in "park," he turned to Lena over the back of his seat and said, "Give me a moment, I'll be right back and then we'll be on our way." He smiled at her gently and then got out of the car, racing around it to open Madison's door for her and help her out onto the sidewalk. "There we are," he said with another signature smile. "I figured we could walk from here, if that's alright?"

"Sure I'm OK with that." Madison replied with a smile. "Is that because you want to spend some more time with me or are you trying to waste more time off work?" She asked playfully as she clasped her hands behind her back and started walking.

"A little of both, if I'm perfectly honest," Risk joked as he followed her. He tucked his hands into his pockets, once again oozing that suave and aloof air as he strolled alongside her. His eyes subtly admired her as she moved, taking in the rolling side-to-side motion of her hips under her dress as she moved from one leg to another. She was definitely attractive, and he felt his cheeks warming at thoughts of what she looked like beneath her clothes. "I hope you had fun last night. I certainly did."

"It was a wonderful night Risk, honestly. And I can't wait for the next one." Madison smile up at him. "And hopefully many more after that." She added playfully as she hooked her arm round his. "I don't suppose you know any good realtors round here? I love my big brother but I don't think I should live permanently with him, he needs his space as much as I need mine. And I thought with the savings I have I could look at renting my own apartment or something."

Risk beamed down at her. "Actually, I know quite a few excellent realtors. There is one in particular that I think would work well with you, and I will give you his contact information later when I find it at my office." he said, resting a hand on her lower back. They located her car and he stopped to look at her, admiring her in her dress and shoes from last night and her messy hair and smudged makeup from this morning. "Thank you for honoring me with your company, Madison. I will count the days until our boat trip on Friday." he smiled and leaned in, kissing the corner of her mouth politely. He lingered there, though, offering her the chance to deepen it if she wanted.

---

The summer air was always a pleasant change after the sterile, stagnant air of the hospital. The worst part about the extended stay years ago had been that the windows didn't open. You would think they would appreciate the healing ability of fresh air! Haidee giggled a little as she walked leisurely along the sidewalk, playfully making sure she stepped over each crack. The sun was shining and the air was warm and she was in good health. A clean bill of health was always a relief, which she was pretty sure the relief was also good for her heart. And thinking of her heart... She pulled her phone from her shorts pocket to re-read the texts Luke had sent, pausing before doing so when she noticed her lingering text from earlier. Can I come over this afternoon? The cursor still hovered at the end, blinking expectantly. She bit her lip slightly, thinking what was the logical course, then smiled and deleted it, texting instead: Are you available for breakfast? She tapped send and slipped the phone back into her pocket before clasping her hands behind her back to resume her make-shift game of avoiding the cracks as she idly headed toward the beach.

And again she had to be impressed that, despite this apparently being day one with a phone for Luke, he was awfully quick about using it. He must be excited. She paused in her walk to read the text before looking around to orient herself. She smiled, tapped back 'be right there', then, after checking both ways, crossed the street and headed toward boto Sophie's Dinner.

---

Madison kissed Risk back softly, noticing how he lingered so after a moment she pulled him closer to her, pressing their lips more firmly together, deepening the kiss. "You better get going or you're going to miss the whole day of work." She whispered playfully when she finally pulled back from him with a smile. "Give me a call later with Fridays details and that realtors contact info." She leaned up and pecked another kiss on his cheek. "Thanks for a great night.." She looked up at him with another smile then turned to head up into Jaces apartment but stopped when she saw him exiting it with Adela and Archer. "Busted.." She breathed with a sigh then glanced back at Risk and waved farewell before she hurried towards the trio, trying to fix her hair as best she could. "Morning!" She said brightly. "Where are you off too?" She questioned trying to keep the topic off where she had been.

Jace stared for a moment without speaking as he watched his sister share a kiss with a man who turned his blood cold. "Maddy..." He swallowed past the lump in his throat as his hands clenched into tight fists. This guy was a real piece of work. First his wife... ex-wife and now his sister. Jace cleared his throat and looked over his shoulder at Archer. "Sure buddy, let's paint the town. Call Jade, she can join us." She didn't get out and have fun enough as it was, it was about time they dragged her out.

Adela looked between Jace and Maddy, something was bothering him, something more than his sister being out all night with a man, "Hey sweetie," She greeted Maddy, "We haven't decided yet."

Risk, who had promptly noticed Jace, Adela, and Archer, was quick to humor Maddy's farewell. He wasn't about to stick around and waste time with her brother nearby--not with that angry look on his face. He turned and quickly headed back down the sidewalk towards his parked car where Lena was waiting, and climbed in with her, coughing a little. "Sorry about that wait." he said and offered her a smile. "Let's go get those errands done."

"Morning." Archer told the two new comments he had a look on his face... deep in thought he wondered... What to do today..? Archers stomach growled, and he looked a bit bashful before a smile, "maybe breakfast first?"

Madison sighed at Jaces behavior but said nothing about it as she looked at Adela and chuckled lightly when she heard Archers stomach rumble."I think Sophie's will be your first stop." She said before looking at Jace. "I'm just going to head inside and take a shower. You can stay out as long as you want I'll be OK."

Jace sighed heavily and shook his head. Stepping forward he pressed a kiss to he forehead and whispered. "I love you, kid." Pressing his forehead against hers for a moment before shaking his head. "But if he hurts you the way he hurt me, I'll kill him." He turned to Adela, "Just a figure of speech officer." He gave his sister a hug before stepping away and clearing his throat. "I'll see you later, get cleaned up you kind of stink." He teased her, the way a big brother should.

Adela frowned, wondering what Jace meant. She knew Risk was a lawyer who had his fingers in a lot of things, but she knew almost nothing about him. She knew there were a few people around town who didn't like him, maybe he was dirty. She would have to look into him.

Archer nodded to Madison and then watched the exchange. He noted Adela's frown and chose to make it turn upside down. "Adela?" He asked to get her attention. "If you don't stop frowning your face will get stuck like that forever." He smiled like a giant child. "Mom told me that. It has to be true."

"I do not!" Madison scolded as she swatted Jace's arm with her hand but she couldn't keep the smile from her face. "You don't have to worry about me Jace. I can take care of myself remember. Trust me if he hurts me, I can handle him." She smiled again then stepped back towards the door. "Go on you three, get some breakfast and enjoy the day. I'll see you later." She gave them a wave then turned and disappeared into Jace's apartment, leaving them alone.

Adela looked at Archer and stuck out her tongue, though it did get her to smile. She looked over at Jace and looped her arms through both of the men's, "So, Sophie's?"

Archer was getting ready to respond when a second rumble of his stomach answered for him. He smiled brightly and. Nodded. Then Archer gave Adela a hip bump as a response to her tongue sticking out of her mouth.

Jace smiled fondly after his sister before Adela got his attention once again. "Sophie's sounds good." He smiled as she looped her arm through his and glanced around. "Is anyone going to call Jade? Or do I need to?"

"Aww, you mean I can't have you guys all to myself?" Adela bumpped her hip into Jace and then Archer in retaliation, "Go for it." She said a little more seriously

After felt a cold shot of adrenaline hit him. He had not even talked to Adela about what happened last night. If Jade showed up and kissed Archer it could be bad for there friendship. He needed a way out of it... he needed the way yesterday but couldn't arise suspicion in doing so. He thought a moment. Fake sick before Jade arrived..? That might have been his only hope.

Jace smiled down at Adela and shook his head. "How about I call her after breakfast then? Give you time with us, plus I'm sure she's got something going on anyway." Picking his phone out of his pocket he shot her a text letting her know there intentions. "How are things going with her and Dorian? Anyone known? I haven't really heard her say anything since the other night..."

"Oh I was just playing around, but that works." Then Adela's smile faded, "I'm not sure it's going so well. It sounds like he's a bit... Stifling, and you know how independent she is."

Just as he finished sending him own text, another message came through on Jace's phone from Madison. Hey, just thought you should know Risk has invited us out on his yacht tomorrow evening and I said yes. I thought it would be fun. We've also decided to just be friends, so you can relax now :) See you later, I'll make dinner.

Sounds good, I'll invite Jade and the others, if that's alright!"I think I may skip breakfast and go check on her... see how she's doing. She wasn't answering so she's probably at work." He unhooked himself from Adela and kissed her temple. "Oh hey, there's a yacht party tomorrow night, wanna come? Risk is throwing it I guess..." He smiled and shrugged his shoulders. "He apparently isn't dating my sister now so I need to see what that's all about. Adela, I'll text you a little later. You can come with when I go to get my bike."

"Oh?" Archer then heard the words 'yacht party', and grimaced. "yacht? As in the small cruse ships? Like out on the open water?" Archer didn't like boats when you lost sight of land. He didn't get why people would buy a personal one to go out on open water. Even the idea of being on a big boat was somewhat scary for him. The decided to offer some unwarranted advice over Jace's sister for him. "Ain't possible they just decided they weren't the best pick for one and other Jace? I know your just lookin out fur your sis, but she's not a kid. She needs her space on stuff brother. Let her come to you with a problem. Don't rush in to fix somethin that ain't broke."

Adela looked between the two men. Was Archer scared of boats? She supposed everyone had a fear, but that one seemed a bit silly for someone who could swim. She looked at Jace and shrugged, Archer wasn't wrong, but she wasn't going to tell him what to do.

"Well... it's a really big boat I'm assuming but yes... that's what I mean." Jace cocked his head to the side, pausing in his retreat to leave. Jade could wait he supposed, it wasn't like he needed to meet her right now. Plus, maybe he should listen to Archer. He hadn't had a male friend in a while. Just Jade and a few acquaintances, but that wasn't Adela's fault that he'd been admiring her from afar. "I guess you are right." Jace looked over at Adela and frowned for a moment and shook his head. "I guess I'm just used to fixing everything for everyone that... it's hard not too..."

"Good. Let's grab some food!" Archer then looked to Adela. "Still hungry right?" He was glad Jace didn't tell him to stuff it. After all he hadn't been around for a while. It would not have surprised him if Jace had told him to mind himself.

Jace nodded his head as he turned to follow them inside. Holding the door open for Adela he smiled softly. He hoped Jade was okay, she hadn't responded to his text or anything. "After lunch how about we head over to Jade's and check up on her. See what's up."

"Very." Adela smiled at Archer then looked over at Jace, "Sure, that sounds nice." She agreed as they went into boto Sophie's Dinner

---

Lena nodded in agreement as she looked over at Risk, clicking in her seat belt again as she did. "So.. It was a good date then?" She asked slowly.

As Risk buckled himself into the driver's seat, he gave a nod and a small smile at Lena. "Yes, it was a good date. Madison is a lovely girl." he said. He sighed a little and gripped the steering wheel for a moment, not quite going anywhere yet. "Her brother highly dislikes me though... I fear that might cause some tension between her and I." he mumbled. He seemed to think about this for a moment before pulling away from the curb and heading down the street towards the supermarket.

"What happened that he dislikes you so much?" Lena asked curiously as she watched Risk. "Surely nothing could be so bad that he'd want to come between you and his sister." She continued though couldn't help but hope that was exactly what would happen. She scolded herself silently for this thought. If Risk was happy that was all that mattered.

"Oh boy, where do I start?" Risk asked with a small, awkward laugh as he drove. He gulped, the apple in his throat bobbing a moment, then he said, "Well, long story short, I suppose: I was friends with his wife--well, ex-wife. When they were going through their divorce, I was there for her and... well... some nasty rumors spread and I think he thinks she was unfaithful to him with me." he mumbled. He glanced at her though, his blue eyes stern and honest. "That's not true though, I assure you. I do not condone disloyalty or unfaithfulness of any kind. I have never been unfaithful to any woman I've been with, and I certainly would not abet another to do so."

"I believe you, don't worry." Lena gave him a reassuring smile as she placed a hand on his arm. "Why don't you try to sit down with him and talk? Maybe if you explained to him that its not true he might back off a little.."

"I have tried, but Jace will not give me the time of day. He even rejected my peace offering to find the building for his martial arts studio at a highly discounted price. He went with another company." Risk said with a small huff. He held onto the steering wheel with both hands and looked at her slightly. "It's alright. I know one cannot possibly hope to make everyone happy all the time, but I fear Jace's vendetta with me will prevent Madison from ever being happy in a relationship with me." he frowned. "

"So what will you do? You going to call it off with her before it gets serious?" Lena asked then blinked as she realized what she had said. "I mean unless you think you should talk to her..or something else to make it work."

Risk sighed again, long and heavy, a frown creasing his brows as he thought about that. After a few moments, he pulled them up in front of the supermarket and parked the car in a space close to the doors. As he unbuckled his seat belt, he said, "I suppose I will have to talk to her about it. Perhaps on Friday when I take her out on the yacht." he said with a sigh. "Not exactly my idea of a great date if I'm going to ruin it by telling her we cannot continue to date." He looked at Lena again slightly and asked, "What do you think I should do? What would you do?"

Lena's heart had sunk slightly when Risk mentioned taking Madison out on the yacht. That's a second date? She thought with a small frown before her eyes suddenly snapped back to look at him when she heard his question. "Oh..um..I..I don't know." She stuttered in surprise as she wrung her hands on her lap. After a moment her shoulders slumped slightly and she took a steadying breath. "You should talk to her. If she means something to you then you should see what happens.." She finished softly as she looked out the side window, not wanting to hold his gaze anymore.

Risk watched Lena still, even after she had turned away. He knew that motion, that request to no longer be involved, or at least to no longer ask her to be involved. He unbuckled himself from his seat and nodded. "You're right. I should talk to her," he conceded gently. "I'll meet you inside. I want to call her right now."

"Sure..I'll wait inside." Lena replied softly then opened the door and slipped out of the car without another word before she headed into the supermarket, leaving Risk alone.

Risk watched her go, and as soon as he saw her head into the supermarket, he pulled out his phone and dialed for Madison. It rang a few times and went to voicemail first, and he hung up and tried her again. Perhaps she was in the shower. He always had the habit of calling someone at least three times before he left a voicemail--it was always plausible that the person couldn't hear their phone, or was away from it briefly, so he wanted to give her a chance to answer.

The phone rang for several seconds and when it seemed it was going to go to voicemail again, Madison suddenly picked up. "I wasn't expecting to hear from you again so soon." She said playfully. "Is everything OK?"

It wasn't until she picked up that Risk realized he had been hoping it would go to Voicemail. Risk was never one to break hearts... he had always allowed the women to break his. So even this short relationship pained him to end. "Hello, Madison," he began and cleared his throat, "I'm alright, but... I wanted to talk to you about us and... this Friday and... and Jace." he winced.

There was silence for a few moments before Madison finally replied. "Has he said something to you?" She asked in an annoyed tone.

"No, no, he hasn't," Risk assured her, though he knew that was part of the problem, "but I'm sure you're aware he is not a fan of mine. Madison... I adore you, and I had a great time with you, but I respect family far too much to cause tension between you and your brother just because of me and our past. I hope you'll forgive me, but... I don't think we should continue to see each other. The look on Jace's face today... he would never accept it, no matter how much groveling I did."

More silence. "You're serious?" Madison asked quietly after a few moments. "So all that about having fun last night and counting down the days til Friday isn't enough?" She gulped and sniffed heavily. "Well I.. I guess if it's what you feel I can't make you stay. It was a fun night..but it was only one date." Another loud sniff. "I'm going to tell Jace I broke it off with you OK.. Otherwise he'll kill you. Those were his words..So..I guess.. I guess I'll see you around?"

Risk felt a pang in his chest, hearing her sniffle like that. He felt a burning in his eyes and a tightening in his throat and had to cough to cover it up. "Of course you will," he said, trying to smile as he said it, "In fact, I would love to still have you on my boat on Friday. We can still go out and have fun... maybe invite Jace and a few others along?" he suggested.

"Yeah.. That sounds like fun." Madison replied softly. "And I'll have to visit you in the office.. I'm still going to need business help." She added before taking a breath. "Risk..thank you. Most guys wouldn't care about a girls brother or how they might come between them. But you know Jace is important to me so I appreciate that you respect that enough that you don't want to cause us trouble. I'm sure Jace would feel the same. I want us to be friends. I think you're a pretty great guy.. "

Risk's sickened and pained feelings abated a bit and he smiled. "Thank you for saying so, Madison... it means a lot. For what it's worth, I think you're a fantastic young lady, and any man would be more than lucky to have you in their lives. I still look forward to seeing you on Friday, or in my office whenever you need help. I'll send you the information for my realtor, alright?"

"Sounds good to me." Madison answered softly. "Well I should go.. Let you get back to work. I'll see you around Risk.." And before he could say goodbye the line had went dead.

Risk frowned at that short farewell. He ended the phone call as well and tucked his phone away into his pocket as he exited his car and locked it. He headed into the marketplace and when he saw Lena, he tried to straighten up a little and look... well... a little less upset. He smiled at her but it was weak and didn't quite reach his eyes. "Well... She took it better than I had anticipated." he shrugged. "Madison and I are no longer dating."

"What just like that?" Lena blinked in surprise before she rested a hand on his arm and gave him a gentle smile. "Are you OK? I can do the errands if you need some time alone.."

Risk shook his head and rested a hand on hers. "I'm alright, thank you. I would benefit from seeing these errands through." He motioned to the line of shopping carts. "Let's get started."

"If you're sure." Lena replied then moved to grab a cart. "We could always you know..blow off work altogether today.." She continued playfully. "Go home, watch some TV, eat junk food. Or go do something fun!" She smiled as she pushed her glasses up her nose and watched Risk.

Risk laughed at her good-naturedly and shook his head. "As much as I would love to, dear Lena, today is Thursday and I have the day off tomorrow because of an appointment for fun already. I'm going fishing with some colleagues and-" He stopped and blinked. "Gods, listen to me! I'm going fishing with colleagues in the morning and then hosting a yacht party in the evening!" He laughed. "I think I'll call Cash and see if maybe he and his friend would join me on the yacht instead."

"You sound like you have a busy day tomorrow, lots of friends to see. But a yacht party sounds fun. I'm sure you'll have a great time." Lena smiled over her shoulder before she busied herself browsing the supermarket shelves. "Maybe I'll go see a movie tomorrow night.." Don't want to spend another night alone.

Risk gave a chuckle laced around the words, "my dear Lena." He grabbed the box she had picked up in browsing and shook it at her playfully. "If you think I'm leaving you home alone while I host a yacht party, you are sorely mistaken. As your employer, I implore you to attend as a fellow representative of my business." He winked at her with a smile. "If you want to go, that is."

Lena blinked at Risk from behind her glasses before suddenly smiling brightly. "Really? I'd love to go! As a representative of course." She nodded firmly before taking the box back from him. "Who all will be attending?" She asked curiously.

"Well, my good friend Cash, a friend he's bringing along, Madison and Jace and anyone else they invite... I'll send out some more invites today at work. I guess that means this shopping trip should be spent buying some choice alcohol and food." Risk mused.

"You invited Madison and her brother?" Lena replied looking surprised. Maybe he's hoping to win the brother over..maybe he wants to get back with her. She thoughtly reluctantly. "Not that there's anything wrong with that." She added quickly. "So alcohol and food.."

Risk nodded in agreement, then paused, rubbing his chin as he inspected the box in Lena's hand. "Actually..." he said, snatching it again and throwing it into the cart, "I'll just hire a caterer for my yacht party. Let's stay focused on the real reason we're here." He grabbed the cart and started to move down the aisle, pulling out a list from his pocket. He grabbed boxes of crackers, cans of soup, protein bars, and various other items from the shelves. He also stopped off to buy a couple bulk packs of toilet paper, several bulk crates of bottled water, toothbrushes and toothpaste, and cotton blankets. He also grabbed about thirty value packs of socks, each in women's and men's sizes. "There we are. I think that should do it." he nodded, wheeling them towards the check out aisles.

Lena blinked in surprise at all of the things Risk added to the cart. "Um..is the yacht party a sleepover?" She asked jokingly as she took in the blankets, toothbrushes and and toothpaste.

Risk gave another light laugh and some girl in the store somewhere swooned. "No, not at all--not that I don't have the space for one anyway." He shrugged. "Once a month I make a contribution to the homeless shelter in town. These are things they tend to need most. I also put an anonymous donation of cash in for the local farming community to donate fresh fruits and vegetables."

"That's so generous Risk." Lena replied with an admiring smile. "You really are the nicest guy, do you know that." She watched him for a second before suddenly stopping. "You deserve something for your kindness, but what? Hmm..I could cook dinner? Or maybe there's a book or something you'd like.. Come on let me treat you!"

Risk laughed again. "There's no need for that, Dear Lena. Though, it seems I've forgotten some feminine essentials... Could you run back to the hygiene aisle and grab a dozen boxes or so of tampons and pads? The brand doesn't matter." he said with a smile.

Lena nodded in understanding then turned and hurried back towards the hygiene aisle and after some quick searching grabbed a few boxes of each before running back to the cart and dumping them in. "I still want to do something for you.. even if its just to say thank you for being so nice to me. I don't know how many other people would so willingly offer a job and a place to stay to someone they had only just met."

There wasn't a response from Risk until after the cashier had finished ringing him up and gave him the bill with a pretty smile. Risk smiled back and swiped his platinum credit card, signed a messy signature, and then turned back to Lena as he waited for the baggers to finish bagging and putting the purchased items back into the cart to be wheeled out to his car. "I suppose I could allow the lady to spoil me just this once, since you are insisting." he winked. "How about we make dinner together tonight? We can break out the good bottle of wine... and maybe I'll give you tomorrow off after all." he smiled.

"Sounds like a good idea boss." Lena grinned as she waited for him to finish before walking beside him as he wheeled the cart back to the car. "We'll have to make the dinner extra special tonight then.. and why have one bottle when you can have two?" she joked with a smile.

"Two bottles of wine? My, aren't you adventurous?" Risk asked playfully with a smile. He wheeled the cart to his car and loaded the bags of items into the trunk. He then took great caution to maneuver the cart to the pen of its own and returned to his vehicle, keys in hand. "Let's get these things delivered and my good donation check in the mail, and worry about work before we even think about two bottles of wine." he said with a chuckle, sliding into the drivers seat.

"If we must.." Lena replied with a dramatic sigh before laughing slightly as she slid into the passenger seat. "Are we expecting any clients today?" She asked curiously.

Risk shook his head as he buckled himself in. "No, not that I'm aware of. Though I did still promise Madison some contact information for a colleague of mine." he said. "But let's get these things dropped off first." He drove them away from the market and to the homeless shelter, where he unloaded the purchased items and delivered them inside with Lena's help to the staff. He lingered long enough to shake hands, chat, and hug grateful patrons, smiling all the while. After a while, he politely excused himself and Lena and drove her back to their work building. He let her inside and up the stairs first, and once upstairs he asked, "Will you please locate the contact information for Nathan Kerr? He's a realtor that I work closely with for clients who need relocation services." he explained. "I'm sure his information is somewhere in my mess of an address book. While you're doing that, I'll write up this food check and prep it for the mailbox."

"Got it." Lena nodded as she discarded her coat and bag then headed to find Nathan's information. "So is this the contact info Madison Needs?"

"It's what I promised her, yes. Despite our inability to date, she is still my client." Risk said from his desk in his office. He was leaning forward, scribbling something into his ledger, the receipt from their market trip and checkbook in front of him.

"So she's moving then? I wonder how her brother will feel.." Lena replied as she continued searching until she found the right details and carried them to Risk. "Here they are.."

---

"It's just over here," Teos was saying as the small group of three walked down the sidewalk to the dojo. He still had Ate on his arm and was ignoring any glances they were getting. Despite Ate's word that men didn't want to date her, she certainly grabbed attention. He paused outside the door to look at Dorian. "We'll be just over there-" He pointed across the street, "on the bench. Just.. be your usual charming self, ok? Just... try to get her to come to lunch, ok? Come on Ate." Without waiting for a response he checked for traffic before heading across the road with the goddess on his arm and took up a seat on the bench he indicated, inviting Ate to sit next to him so they could observe.

"Wait I already told you I don't even know her-" Dorian tried but they were already gone. He clenched his fist in frustration. These people were nuts and he was going to look like a pervert. Wonderful, but who cared really. This was just the whip cream on his day, he couldn't wait to get to the cherry on top. He took a steadying breath, turned to the entrance to the dojo, and pressed the doorbell before he could rethink it, forcing himself not to immediately bolt.

"Just a second.." A voice called from inside the apartment and after a few moments the door opened and Madison peered out curiously as she finished tying back her hair. She was dressed now in a pair of jeans and a simple green woollen sweater. "Hey. How can I help?" She asked politely as Atë sat next to Teos, watching the interaction closely.

Dorian almost flinched when she opened the door, but barely stopped it. Oh, she was kind of cute. "H-H-" He stopped and made a light cough to clear the stutter, giving her a smile that was both apologetic and embarrassed. "Hey, Hi. Um, you're Madison Carter, right? Jace's sister? I work with his friend, Jade, at the marina." That does not at all explain why you're here. "I just.. wanted to come by.. say hello... Oh! My name's Dorian by the way." He quickly held out his hand. "Dorian Kasen. I heard you were back in town, figured you might be a little bored, I wondered.. if maybe.. you want to go get some ice cream with me? It's a pretty nice day out-" He glanced up at the sunny sky, then back at her. Wow, her eyes were brown. No, not quite. Hazel? Yes, hazel. That was so different from Jade's bright green ones. "Would you mind hanging out for a while? It'll be my treat." He smiled at her, as open and sweet as always, youthful blue eyes framed by long dark eyelashes just adding to the youthful effect. She's going to claim stranger-danger and slam the door in my face. This is so stupid...

Madison had smiled slightly at Dorian and his somewhat awkward behaviour. At the mention of ice cream she took a breath to thank him but say no. He seemed nice but she wasn't much in the mood to go out. But then he made eye contact and she suddenly stopped, her mind seemingly blank now to any refusals she was going to give. "Sure." She said still smiling though it was much more bashful now. She turned to grab her bag but paused as she blinked in confusion and came back to her senses. After a moment she shrugged it off as nothing. I guess I'm going for ice cream. She thought as she picked up her bag and headed back to the door. "Lets go." She said in a pleasant tone as she locked the front door then turned back to Dorian. "We've met before Dorian, only briefly though so maybe you don't remember me but it was at the diner when I just got here. You were with Jade.." She explained lightly.

Dorian took a step back to let her outside, 'stunned' not even beginning to cover what he was feeling as he turned his head to look at Ate and Teos across the road, his eyes wide and his mouth forming 'what am I supposed to do now???', but then Madison was talking to him again and she immediately had his attention and his cheery smile again. It was beginning to alarm him how easily that easy-going smile could be affixed to his face. "Oh.. Oh right!" He had met her before, the young woman from the day before yesterday. Well, 'met' was a pretty liberal term here. "I remember. Jade was really excited you were back in town. How long was it you were away?" he tried to be conversational while making a slight bow and motion of his hand to indicate the invitation to walk, then walked side by side down the street toward the ice cream shop. Luckily, in a small town, most of the businesses kept to the same area.

"Well would you look at that..." Teos was telling Ate from across the road, smiling like a proud father, but as Dorian turned away to make more conversation, he frowned. "But I wonder.. how did he use it?" He looked at the goddess beside him. "What part do you think did it?" Noticing the couple was going a bit further down the road, he leisurely stood and offered his hand to Ate, but something about it this time indicated he wanted to hold her hand, not just help her up. "He didn't touch her.. was it something he said perhaps?"

"I couldn't see them properly from this angle so I don't know what happened.." Atë replied a little in frustration as she took Teos's hand and allowed him to keep hold of it. "We need to get a little closer."

"Oh..just a few years." Madison replied as she walked down the street next to Dorian, her tone a little awkward as she looked ahead. "So uh.. You work with Jade. That must be fun.."

"It is," Dorian agreed, his smile a little more nostalgic and his tone shifting to match. "Jade... She's a wonderful woman, she's strong willed with a head to match. She's crazy adventurous, and really fun to be around-" He gave a small, incredibly short laugh that was just lightly tinged with bitterness. "Usually. Ah, here we are." He stopped outside the shop and grabbed the door to allow her to go first, once again catching her eye to give her a friendly smile. "Ladies first."

"Don't worry, things seem to be going well," Teos assured her as he checked the road again then crossed with her in front of the shop. He separated himself from her just so he could also get the door similar to how Dorian did so they could follow them inside. "We'll sit at the next table over, where you can see him clearly. You're going to figure it out before I do I'm sure."

Madison suddenly blushed as she looked at Dorian and a small girlish giggle burst from her lips. She stepped past him into the ice cream shop then stopped, her eyes wide at her behaviour. What was that?! She thought with an embarrassed groan. Pull yourself together Madison. She shook her head then moved to a vacant table and sat down. "I'll just take strawberry ice cream please.." She said to Dorian, hoping that some how he hadn't caught her giggle.

"Got it.. Now get me some ice cream." Atë replied as she moved to the table that Teos had mentioned. "Chocolate and lots of it please.." She propped her elbow on the table then rested her chin in her hand, watching Dorian and Madison carefully.

"It will be my pleasure, my goddess," Teos said with mock reverence, stealing the chance to kiss her hair while she was paying attention to Dorian and Madison. Trusting she would pick up on whatever might happen, he headed to the counter to get her ice cream.

"You got it," Dorian replied to Madison after holding her seat out for her. He didn't know why, maybe he was trying to put her at ease and not think he was some creeper, but he met her eyes again and offered another smile. Please don't think I'm weird... He turned to head to the counter and nearly jumped out of his skin to see Ate at the next table. He shook his head at her before heading to the counter after Teos. He ordered a small strawberry for Madison and pecan for himself before muttering quietly to Teos. "She met me the other night, I completely forgot. She knows I'm with Jade so of course she trusts me. That's the only reason she came."

"It's not," Teos replied back, the words allowing no room for discussion. He thanked the man behind the counter as he handed over the small vanilla ice cream and the extra large brownie chocolate chip ice cream with hot fudge and chocolate sprinkles before Looking toward Dorian. "And you're not with Jade," he added before walking away back toward his table, smiling at Ate as he showed her the ice cream and set it in front of her before taking his own seat.

"Somethings going on.." Ate mumbled as Teos arrived back at the table. Her eyes moved to the ice cream and they lit up excitedly before she grabbed it and pulled it to her. "I mean.. When he's there.. She's all sparkly eyed and blushing cheeks.." She started through a large mouthful of ice cream. "But.. As soon as he's gone.. She seems a little confused. I just don't know what the connection is. How is he doing it?" She sighed and looked over at Madison who was sitting watching Dorian, her brows knitted together in confusion.

Dorian scowled at Teos' back as he retreated to their table. Thank you for the reminder, he thought bitterly. When he was handed his own order however he smiled politely at the young man behind the counter, completely missing the flush he caused, and headed back to his table, offering Madison the little container of strawberry ice cream. "So...." he began, settling into his own seat. What the hell was he even supposed to talk about? "Are you back in town to visit, or were you moving back?" That was a safe question, wasn't it. When he looked up at her again however, he noticed the red rings, pale but present, to her eyes. "Hey..." He forgot about the experiment, legitimately concerned for her. "Is everything ok? Are you alright?"

"Maybe it's proximity?" Teos suggested quietly, seemingly unbothered by Ate's aggressive enthusiasm for he rice cream. He mostly poked at his own rather than eating it. "But that would mean it doesn't work on gods or decendants, only normal people, and that won't help us at all..."

"What? Me?" Madison asked as she looked up at Dorian and suddenly blushed again. "I had a date last night with Risk and it went really well. I thought we'd really hit it off. But then he broke it off with me this morning because of Jace. Apparently he hates him. I told Risk I was OK but I'm not really.." She answered without a thought before looking down at her ice cream and blinking. "S-sorry.. I didn't mean to say all that."

"Yeah he's going to weak against them." Ate mumbled as she watched the pair again.

Dorian smiled sympathetically. "It's alright, sometimes it's good to say things out loud when we've tried to keep them inside. Holding that in is exhausting," he assured the young woman in front of him. they were kindred spirits right now and she didn't even know it. "Risk's a nice guy, but he can be a bit.... indecisive? He might very well wake up tomorrow and miss you so much he decides it's worth fighting for. Is it just Risk Jace hates? Or is he just protective of his little sister?" He paused just as he put a small spoonful of ice cream in his mouth, swallowing quickly. "I'm sorry, that was nosey of me. You don't have to answer that."

"Gods... Eros would be beyond disappointed to find his lineage had watered down to this..." Teos whispered as he listened to Dorian and Madison. "And Aphrodite for that matter. It's her blood too, by extension. He' has no fight in him. Ate... We might have I figure out how to light a fire under him... otherwise Eros is going to kill him and remain on Olympus... with the rest of the decendants."

Madison poked lightly at her ice cream as she bit her lip before looking up, ready to tell Dorian it was ok before passing on the subject. But as she locked eyes with him again, her mind went blank again. "Jace is very protective. I don't believe any man I bring home will ever be good enough and I'm worried he's going to scare them away." She said softly. "I know he wants to keep me safe but I'm not a little girl anymore. I mean he'd probably even have a problem with a guy like you..a sweet, polite, good looking... with the most incredible eyes.." Her words trailed off as she watched him almost hypnotically.

"Well what can we do to light that fire?" Ate sighed as she looked at Teos for a moment before quickly looking back at Madison and Dorian when she heard the other woman's words. "His eyes!" She hisses as she grabbed hold of Teos's arm. "That's it! Every time he looks at her!"

Teos' eyebrows raised slightly. How had he not noticed that before? Well, he supposed 'looking' at things wasn't exactly his strong suit so he didn't consider it in others. He'd remember that for the future. "You know," he told Ate conversationally. "It doesn't surprise me at all that Eros would basically give birth to a male gorgon." He dropped the little plastic spoon into his cup of liquid cream, as it had now completely melted, and pushed it away. "Let's let them finish. There's no harm in letting them get to know each other right? We'll explain to him afterward."

Oooookay, Dorian was getting distinctly uncomfortable now. This girl barely knew him- Ah, but hadn't that happened in the past? Oh no, no, they couldn't be right. The only real difference was he had been pursuing those other women, interested in them, so he had been so happy when they returned his attention. But now Madison was doing it and, despite the fact that she was definitely not a child and rather pretty, he was most definitely not trying to gain her attention in that way. "Risk is all those things too," he told her, offering an encouraging smile. He set aside his ice cream for a moment to lean his elbows on the table, arms crossed. "Jace must really care about you, I get that from you and from Jade. I'm sure more than protectiveness, he just wants you to be happy. Make sure you fight when Mr. Right-For-You comes along, ok? Don't let Jace scare him off- Although, if he has that kind of power, they probably weren't the right man anyway. The right guy will fight for you too." He pointed his tiny ice cream spoon at her for emphasis before turning his attention back to his own (semi) frozen treat.

As soon as he looked away Madison blinked again then actually rubbed her eyes. "Thanks..i know Jace is just doing what he's doing because he loves me." She replied though her tone was a little awkward now. Why was she spilling all of this to a man she barely knew? "So is Jade the one for you? She's really great you know. She really deserves to be happy." She smiled lightly then pushed her ice cream away, hardly having touched any of it. "Sorry I'm uh..I don't really like ice cream." She said in an embarrassed tone. "Not really sure why I said yes to it.."

Ate gave a small shrug as she finished off her large ice cream then let out a long stretch with a contented sigh. "Ah..I feel so much better now! So full of energy! I want to have some fun now.." She looked at Teos and smiled sweetly as she fluttered her eyelashes. "Lets have some fun."

"And what, pray tell, is your idea of fun?" Teos asked, raising an eyebrow at the rowdy goddess. "I suspect our ideas of 'fun' are very different, and yours will no doubt involve mayhem."

"Ah, I'm sorry," Dorian apologized, frowning as he reached out to move the ice cream away from her. "Don't worry about it, I expected you not to come at all." It was time for his own admission. He looked around then dropped both of them into a nearby trash can before facing Madison again. His elbows rested on the edge of the table and he pointedly stared at his hands where his fingers laced together. "I agree with you," he said after a moments thought. "I absolutely do. Jade deserves to be happy, and I want her to always be. And yes, she is a great woman, wonderful really, and I love her very much." He looked at Madison again, his smile sad and he shook his head a little. "But it's not a matter of if she's the one for me. I obviously wasn't the one for her, so we ended things this morning."

"Oh come on, what's fun without a little mayhem." Atë grinned with a playful tilt of her head before she reached across the table with both hands and took hold of Teos's arms. "The ball is now rolling with this whole descendant thing which means my timers counting down. I want to have fun while I can!" She continued with a pout.

Madison blinked at Dorian but this time it was different. She noticed the sadness in his eyes and suddenly her own eyes were filling with tears. "I'm sorry." She said quickly as she tried to wipe them away but they kept flowing. "I don't know why.." She gulped. "I'm sure she does love you. Please don't give up on her.." She sniffed then grabbed for a napkin to wipe her eyes as several customers glanced at her then to Dorian, wondering why this woman was suddenly weeping in the middle of the shop.

"Oh- no- Madison- don't cry, it's fine. Oh no-" Dorian pulled some more napkins from the little dispenser and handed them to her, glancing nervously at the other customers. He smiled in an attempt to assure them everything was fine and surprisingly, or perhaps unsurprisingly, they shrugged it off and returned to their amiable conversations. He rounded on Ate and Teos at the next table, "Now why is she crying? A little help here!" he whispered urgently before turning back to Mandy. "Lets go, come on," he urged gently, encouraging her to stand. "I'll walk you back to the dojo..."

"What do you mean your timer's counting down?" Teos asked, gently pulling his arms to free them before he took both her hands and laced their fingers together. He was waiting for an answer when Madison started crying and he turned with about as much interest as anyone else. At Dorian's rushed request for assistance he looked back toward Ate with a frown. "All the appeals of a God- makes a girl cry." This man was very concerning as a fellow future god. "Come, he'll need our help after, now that we know what's happening." He would just shave to ask her again later and stood from the table. He guided to to stand with one hand while the other let go and he used his newly freed hand to toss away their garbage before leading the way outside, leaving Dorian to hopefully deal with the mess he made, albeit accidentally.

Madison stood slowly and allowed Dorian to lead her from the ice cream shop, still dabbing at her eyes as she went. "I'm so sorry, I don't know what came over me.." She mumbled in an embarrassed and tone.

"I have a theory.." Atë whispered to Teos after she had followed him out and now stood watching Dorian and Madison. "Wait here!" And before he could stop her she had pulled herself free from his grip and hurried to the pair, her expression changing to one full of concern. "Are you OK? You seemed very upset in there.."

"Oh y-yes.. I'm fine." Madison replied as she looked at Ate in surprise and smiled awkwardly.

"Did he upset you? Say something rude did he?" Atë jabbed a hand towards Dorian but Madison quickly shook her head.

"Oh no no.. He was just telling me something quite sad.. "

"Oh dear..I bet those big eyes of his were showing the sadness right? He seems a sensitive one.." Atë replied as she kept her expression serious.

Madison nodded a little before glancing at Dorian as Atë took a step back.

"Well I'll be off then.. Good day!" The goddess turned and marched back to Teos, a triumphant smirk on her face. "I was totally right. He was feeling sad.. She looked into his eyes and boom! She's sad too.. He has much more power there than first thought."

"That was a little strange." Madison chuckled as she looked up at Dorian then turned in the direction of the dojo. "Are you going on Risks yacht party?"

"Hm?" Dorian had watched Ate go, a little confused by what he thought was going to be help but turned out to just be nosy. The question registered and he shook his head, facing down the street as they walked back to the dojo. "I hadn't heard about one so I would suppose not." He chuckled and stuck his hands in his pockets, instantly realizing from the rough texture there was salt and sand in the fabric now. Ah, yeah, he forgot about that. Asking back felt creepy so he didn't. "I'm sorry for.. whatever happened in there. Don't feel bad, alright? Jade's wonderful, she's going to find some lucky guy and she's going to be happy, I'm sure of that."

"I could talk to her if you like?" Madison replied as she clasped her hands lightly behind her back and focused her gaze on the path ahead. "Find out what she really wants..then if she says that she truly wants to move on.. Then you can to." 

"He might be powerful but unless he can force that kind of effect without feeling it himself too it does us very little good," Teos pointed out to Ate as he walked with her, several paces behind Dorian and Madison, not really watching them, just heading in the same direction at a leisurely pace. "Sympathy is all well and good but I'd rather our enemies feel crushing depression while he stays confident."

"I'd prefer if you didn't," Dorian answered honestly. "Jade doesn't know what she wants right now, I'm hoping she figures it out but I think she needs to figure that out on her own. Whatever it turns out to be, I'm not going to be it." It didn't matter how he did or didn't feel about Jade. He didn't trust her, not with this, not anymore. He stopped at the dojo and made a motion to the door, smiling down at her again with soft blue eyes, the whole expression showing his appreciation. "Thanks for coming with me. I know I'm basically a stranger to you but I'm glad you trusted me. If there's a next time though, if you don't like something, you can tell me."

"OK." Madison chuckled lightly. "I don't normally act like that.. I don't know what's up with me. So I promise if there's a next time I'll be more normal." She reassured him jokingly before she stopped outside the dojo. "I'm going to go and do some dance practice. It was nice meeting you."

"He just has to learn how to control it that's all. Give him time and he'll have the emotions thing down perfectly." Atë replied with a small smile before she paused in walking when she noticed Madison and Dorian had stopped walking also. "What next?" She asked with a sigh as she looped her arm through his once more and rested her head upon his shoulder.

"It was nice meeting you too, Madison... again." Dorian chuckled and stuck out his hand for her to shake, a very business like farewell so he didn't keep making her feel uncomfortable. "Good luck with your practice, and have a lovely day." And with a last little smile he left the girl alone, walking a back to the goddess and... he still didn't know what Teos was, that had stopped some distance away, letting out a breath through pursed lips, eyes wide, his relief to leave obvious. "What. Just. Happened."

"We just figured out what you do," Teos replied to Dorian with his usual friendly smile. He had bent his arm slightly when Atë looped her through his, the resulting pose rather gentlemanly. "Now that we know what it is, perhaps you can help him better?" he asked, directing the question to the goddess on his arm. "At least enough that he understands. Then we can do whatever you would like. While you help Dorian here, I'm going to go check on Jade though. She's with two other descendants. I'd like to introduce myself."

"I'll miss you." Atë teased before she pecked a kiss on Teos's cheek. "Don't have too much fun without me." She then released his arm and moved to Dorian,looping her arm through his before he could protest. "Alright let's go to your place so we can talk a little better." She said with a smile.

"Your attempts to make me jealous are only slightly effective," Teos commented blandly, indicating her arm around Dorian's, something in his tone saying he actually thought she was doing no such thing. "I leave the rest to you. I'll see you later Dorian." He gave them a little wave above his shoulder as he turned and set off back to boto jade's house.

"Wait- Don't-" Dorian half groaned as Teos was clearly leaving him alone with what he was just starting to believe might be a real goddess of chaos. He looked down at her and gave a half nervous smile. "I guess.. if Tilly's home I wanted to check on her anyway," he tried to rationalize and led the way to boto Kasen/Gelson Duplex.

---

Risk traded Lena the contact information for his signed, sealed, and properly addressed check. "I never said she was moving out from her brothers house. She just wants a place for her dance studio. But Nathan Kerr is a fantastic realtor, he'll help her find a great place for her studio, I have no doubt. Would you mind putting a stamp on that envelope and putting it in the mailbox? Please." he smiled gently at her, even as he pulled out his phone and started to dial Nathan's number.

"Sure." Lena replied with a smile then turned and headed from his office, not wanting to disturb him while he was trying to make a phone call. She moved to her desk and searched for a stamp and after she had securely fixed it in place she headed for the mailbox.

Risk watched her go, a pleasant smile on his face. He then reached for his wireless desk phone and dialed for Nathan Kerr.

"Nathan Kerr speaking."

"Good afternoon, Nathan, it's Risk. Do you have a moment to talk? I have a potential new client for you I want to discuss." Risk's voice, as always, flowed smoothly through the phone, confident and cheerful. Nathan would be able to almost feel Risk leaning back in his office chair and propping his feet up on his desk.

"Yes, uh, yes, of course," Nathan leaned against a counter, still mentally reeling from all the sudden topic changes. "Buying, selling, renting...?"

Risk's smile was audible in the phone. "Renting, for a business. She wants to open a dance studio." he said, remembering his conversation with Madison. "Her name is Madison. She's Jace's younger sister, you remember Jace, don't you?"

"Mr. Carter, right? One of the first clients I didn't get through you..." Nathan hummed thoughtfully, "I didn't realize he had any siblings in town. A dance studio, though?" Like brother, like sister, he supposed... "Does she want it close to her brother's location? Or hasn't she said, yet?"

"She hasn't quite specified a desired location. But there will be plenty of opportunity for you to discuss that with her at my yacht party on Friday. You're invited, Nathan, and don't say no." Risk said playfully into the phone.

"Did you really think I was going to?" Nathan replied with a slight grin, still leaning against the counter and oblivious to the fact that he was now the only person on Jade's property.

"No," Risk said with an aloof shrug on his side. "But I thought it wouldn't hurt to nip the rejection in the bud." He laughed lightly through the phone. "The yacht party is this Friday afternoon, around two. You know which dock is mine, right?" he asked.

"Unless you've up and swapped it for another," Nathan chastised playfully before adjusting his glasses and peering out to see if anyone was on the porch--he had not heard the others in a while... "Madison Carter, right? Are you planning to introduce me to her, or does she bear a striking resemblance to her brother? Knowing you, she won't be the only woman on the yacht."

Risk laughed again, light and honest. "Indeed not," he agreed, "You'll also get to meet my new assistant, my dear Lena. She is wonderful, a regular ball of sunshine. I'm also looking to invite plenty of other people, so please feel free to invite a few of your own friends as well." he said generously. "There will be plenty of food and drink for everyone."

"I already have a few people in mind," Nathan admitted as he came to the conclusion that yes, he has been ditched. Oh, well. Best to cover up the quesadillas, then. Where did Jade keep the plastic wrap...?

"Excellent! I have a few more calls to make, then. It'll be a ball of fun."Risk smiled into the phone. "I'll see you tomorrow afternoon then, Nathan. Have a good evening." He hung up the phone with Nathan and then began to dial for his friend Cash, whom he remembered had invited him to go fishing tomorrow as well. Why not kill two birds with one stone, he figured? They could fish off the back deck of his yacht. He dialed Cash's number by memory and put the receiver to his ear.

Seeing as it was Cash's cell rather than his office number, there was no secretary greeting the phone to direct the call. Once Cash answered, though, it was apparent that he was not, at the moment, having a meeting of any type: "Helloooo~ Who is this?"

Risk laughed that easy laugh and stood from his chair to roam his office. "Cash," he greeted, one hand in his pocket, "this is Risk De Lorme. We had lunch the other day." he reminded him playfully. "We have plans to go fishing tomorrow morning."

"No, you and Kay have plans to go fishing tomorrow morning. I have plans on sitting on that boat and prying as much gossip as possible out of you both. Although I might end up with some gear of my own to keep up appearances."

Risk laughed again. Cash was always so honestly amusing. "Be that as it may, I was hoping we could change the time And place of that fishing trip from tomorrow morning to tomorrow afternoon, and from a dingy fishing boat to my yacht. I'm having a bit of an event and I would like you and Dorian there."

"Well, we accept, of course, but I am a little disappointed." The rustling of papers could be heard from Cash's side of the call.

At those words, Risk's smile fell a bit and his brows creased. "Disappointed?" he echoed in concern. "Why disappointed?" He moved to his window and peered out and down. It had started raining heavily at some point and he was glad he had remembered to put the windows up on his car. Off down the street, he could see some commotion with police cars and an ambulance zooming away. He frowned.

"Well, we've suddenly gone from three friends catching up to me having to share the best-looking men in Athens Harbor with the semi-public," Cash pointed out playfully. "Would you be opposed to doing both, actually? Or do you have a 'one-boat-a-day' limit?"

Risk's frown lightened, though he was still slightly distracted by the goings on outside. "I suppose I could do both, but there's so much preparation to do for the party..." He didn't want to leave Lena saddled with it all while he wasted time fishing. "I suppose if I do most of the prep tonight it would be less to do tomorrow."

"Wonderful! I'll call Kay and let him know we've got him booked all day. Did you invite Nathan?"

"Of course I did," Risk chuckled, turning and moving back to his desk. He saw Lena through his open doorway, busily working away like a wonderful assistant. He felt bad that he would have to amend their evening together. He had been so looking forward to sharing a couple bottles of wine with her. "And of course you're welcome to invite some friends, Cash. Whatever happened to that lovely roommate you had? Um... Emily! Is she still living with you? She's welcome to come as well."

"You must have talked to him before I did, to sound so cheerful," Cash groaned. "No, she's moved out. Nathan flipped out. Maybe he'll invite her."

"She moved out? Hm. Shame. I rather liked her. She was quirky." Risk said, but he shrugged and moved on. "Well, I guess we'll see if Nathan invites her along. Well, I'll let you get back to work, Cash, I have some things to tend to now that I know my day will be full of activities tomorrow. I will see you in the morning, at your place?"

"My place," Cash confirmed. "Good luck with the party planning."

"Thank you," Risk smiled. He said his goodbye and hung up the phone, moving out of his office and into the main room of the office itself, watching Lena work. "So I have some bad news..." He said, moving to her desk and sliding himself to sit on it gently, careful not to mess up her work. "We won't be spending the night in tonight... I have plans to go fishing with a couple of acquaintances tomorrow morning, so all the prep work for tomorrow afternoon will have to be done tonight."

Lena had looked up at Risk with a bright smile when she heard his approach but at his words, it weakened slightly and her shoulders slumped a little. "Sure whatever you need. You need to get your priorities in the right order, right? Tonight was nothing.. Just dinner.." She replied before looking back at her computer. "You got some messages.." She said softly as she lifted a small pile of paper and passed them across the table before she began to type quickly, trying to look busy.

Risk received the pad of notes but set them aside and reached for her hands, stopping her typing. "Lena," he insisted gently, "I am not cancelling. I said we're not staying in tonight, not that tonight wasn't going to happen. If we leave now, we'll get enough done in time to have carryout and wine on the boat." He raised his brows and smiled. "We could even take her for a drive. What do you think?"

Lena slowly looked back up at Risk when he took hold of her hands to stop her typing then listened silently as he explained the new plans. She smiled lightly when he finished then gave a small nod . "Sounds even better than the original plans.." She confessed then gave a small chuckle. "So we need to go now then?"

"I think it would be wise to leave now, if we want to have enough time to get things done and relax a bit afterwards." Risk said with a nod as he finally released her hands to her keyboard again. "I just need to call the caterers for tomorrow and make sure my cleaning service meets us there." He stood off of her desk and smiled down at her. "Log out and clean up and we'll be ready to go in about five minutes."

Not one for talking, Tilly Gelson never entertained the idea of calling ahead. No, she just showed up during office hours and knocked on the door.

Lena had just been buttoning up the last button on her coat when the knock came at the door. She looked up in surprise, knowing they didn't have any appointments scheduled in. "Just a second.." She called then headed for the door and opened it with a polite smile at Tilly. "Please come in. How can I help you?"

If it surprised Tilly to see the "tourist" from yesterday answering the door to Risk's office, she certainly did not show it. Instead she stepped through the door with only one verbal response: "The awning."

Lena blinked at Tilly, having no idea what she meant." Um.. Risk? I think you have a client.." She called over her shoulder in the direction of his office before she looked back at Tilly. "Have we met? You seem familiar?" She asked with a smile.

At that moment, Risk emerged from his office, tucking his phone into his pocket and holding an umbrella. He blinked at Tilly and said, "Ah, Miss Gelson... How kind of you to stop by." He forced a smooth smile and motioned her into his office. "I'm sorry, Lena, give me a few moments, we'll leave soon," he promised. "How can I help you, Miss Gelson? I wasn't expecting you until Monday."

Tilly nodded to confirm that, yes, they had met, but did not clarify further before turning to Risk and walking into his office. When he addressed her again, she motioned as though to pull something out of her jacket pocket, but paused. After a moment she let her arm hang at her side again and instead said: "The exhibition...what style does my employer have in mind?" The craftswoman already had a few ideas sketched out before it occurred to her that a more modern design might fit better, depending on what was being displayed.

Risk paused and looked at Tilly in return, frowning a little in confusion. "He hasn't said explicitly... But the locations he has looked at already are more contemporary." he shrugged. "Did you... Have something else in mind?"

"He hasn't made up his mind, yet?" Tilly asked in her usual monotonous drawl, which would sound downright condescending to anyone who did not already know that was her default tone.

"It would seem that way," Risk said, a small laugh underlying his words. He watched her a moment and tilted his head with another charming smile. "It seems to me you don't think your employer knows the best interest of the project in this case."

'He hasn't made up his mind...' Tilly repeated herself mentally, feeling that was answer enough. However, she disliked wasteful words, and there was nothing more wasteful than redundancy. It would be necessary that her design be approved, anyways: "He writes the check."

"Yes," Risk conceded with a nod and put a hand in his pocket, "but the city writes his. It's the mayor that is commissioning this pier, miss Gelson. And the mayor will take your ideas if he likes them more than he likes your employer's indecision." He smiled at her and then held out his hand. "You have something I can show him?"

Tilly eyed Risk with a calculative look before finally reaching into her pocket and taking out a neatly folded paper, placing it in the consultant's hand. The awning roof drawn on that paper was wavy with yard-long curves and the metal frame bearing engravings below every crest. There were two sketches of possible support beams, the first coming in pairs bearing half-foot-wide panels--but this design was crossed out due to heavy wind resistance. The second sketch was sturdier and simpler, thicker at the bottom, slendering as they went upwards, and bearing shallow grooves like Greco-Roman columns. It was the brackets attaching the beams to the roof that were truly eye-catching, consisting of angles and swirls creating a sort of art deco whirlpool.

Risk looked over the drawing after unfolding the paper with the utmost care. His brows raised as he inspected the elements of the columns, arches, and brackets, and said in a smooth, but awed tone, "This is... this is really good, Miss Gelson... I mean, I know absolutely minimal information about architecture, but this is fantastic. Simply beautiful." He smiled at her and refolded the paper carefully. "I will show this to the mayor as soon as possible." He then paused and tilted his head. "In fact... why don't you show him? Join us on Monday morning for the meeting. I insist you show him this and go over the details with him."

Tilly stiffened at the suggestion. Her? Meeting the mayor? She might not care much for the opinions of others, but she was not completely oblivious to how abrasive she came across, either. However...she did prefer to confirm an employer's satisfaction in person rather than through a third party. It minimized misunderstandings and allowed her to make corrections on the fly. "...Very well."

"Excellent!" Risk beamed and offered her the paper back gently. "I'll send you the details of where we're meeting him. And... if you would like, I would also like to invite you to attend my yacht party tomorrow afternoon. There will be good food, alcohol, and acquaintances that could be great potential clients." he smiled, tucking both hands into his pockets now.

Tilly took the papers and folded them as she nodded to his sending her information over the meeting with the mayor. Her answer to his social invitation, on the other hand: "I won't go."

At that, Risk's brows furrowed a bit. "Oh. Well, if you change your mind, we're leaving dock at around three, and we'll be moored at dock thirty-two. You're more than welcome to join us." He gave her another easy smile and then motioned for the door. "If you'll excuse me, Miss Gelson, my assistant and I have work to do to prepare for the party tomorrow."

With the paper safely tucked into her pocket, Tilly gave Risk an unimpressed glance at his continued invitation before turning and walking out the door.

Risk saw Tilly out with as patient and charming a smile as any, and then turned his attention back on Lena with a small sigh. "Alright, I think we can finally get out of here." he said and offered her the umbrella. "Let's go."

Lena looked up from where she had been leaning against her desk, then suddenly straightened up as Risk passed by with Tilly, giving the other woman a pleasant smile. When Risk spoke to her, she nodded and took the umbrella from him as she headed for the door. "Is it safe to go on the boat in this weather?" She asked a little nervously as they stepped out into the heavy rain and wind.

"Its a sturdy ship, it takes more than this to jostle it. As long as it stays moored we'll be okay. We'll only take her for a drive if and when the weather clears up." Risk promised, his hand on the small of her back as he followed her to the door. He slid into his coat and helped her into hers, then followed her outside towards his car.

Lena slid into the passenger seat once they reached the car and quickly closed the door after her to stop the rain getting in. "So what exactly do we need to do in preparation?" She asked Risk once he had joined her and she looked over at him curiously.

Risk quickly slid into the driver's seat of the car and started it up, giving a breath and swiping some rain from his forehead. "We just need to make sure it's clean enough and everything is set up just right. Of course, the deck won't be getting cleaned or waxed with this rain... but we can make sure the dining hall and cabins are cleaned up, check the generators for gas so the electricity and plumbing will run, things of that sort." he explained. He pulled away from the curb and started towards boto the marina.

---

The guy came out of nowhere and due to the slick conditions of the road from the rain the young kid wasn't about to stop in time. Tires squealing, breaks locked up and eyes wide in horror, Cayson plowed into Jace, unable to do anything else. "Fuck!" He saw Jace hit the hood of the car, heard a cry of pain as he was forced up the windshield and over to roof of the car to land on the street behind him. Once he was able to stop he put the car in park and jumped out, racing to Jace's side. "Hey man! Wake up..." he shook Jace's shoulder gently but got no response. Panic began to set in. "Wake the fuck up man!" Glancing around he shouted for help. He didn't have a cellphone on him because his mom took it away so that he had no contact with his race buddies. Jumping to his feet he ran to the diner where he thought Jace had come out of and burst into boto Sophie's dinner dripping wet.

Cayson knelt beside Jace, rocking back and forth. "What do I do!? Please be okay man... you gotta be okay... I didn't mean it..."

Madison had been locking up the dojo after spending some time practicing her dancing when she heard the distant shouts for help. She frowned lightly in concern before turning and heading in the direction of the voice. She had taken a first aid course so thought she should check to see if she could help. As she approached the scene she saw the two figures on the road and she hurried over. "It's OK..im sure an ambulance is on its way." She called to Cayson in a soft reassuring voice as she stepped up behind him then suddenly stopped when she saw her brother. "Jace!" She yelped then quickly knelt beside him. "Kid what happened?" She asked quickly as she checked for a pulse and any sign of breath before she stooped even lower to speak loudly into Jaces ears. "Jace can you hear me?"

Adela had her phone to her ear as she knealt down to check for a pulse, "Beth, Officer Bjornesn, I need a unit and an ambulance outside Sophie's. I have a pedestrian, hit by a vehicle, white male, twenty-six, the driver is Cayson Sterm." She sounded professional, like she was on duty, but her eyes betrayed that she was barely holding back tears.

"He came out of nowhere. Didn't even look up before stepping out onto the road. I didn't have time to stop!" His body shook as the rain poured down on top of them. "Maybe if the pavement hadn't been wet..." Cayson buried his hands into his hair as if he were going to pull it out. "Fuck!" He cried out of anger and desperation. He had never hurt anyone in his life and the one time he did he was going the speed limit. How fucking ironic... the fates must hate me...

"Hey..hey it's ok.." Madison sniffed as she looked at Cayson whilst gripping Jace's hand. "My brothers a tough guy, he'll pull through this. He's probably just got a few scratches.." She said with a weak smile before looking back down at Jace. "Come on..wake up Jace.." She whispered in a small pleading voice.

Off in the distance sirens could be heard nearing the scene of the accident. It didn't take long for paramedics to climb from the ambulance and access the scene, jumping into actions. They got his vitals and checked to make sure he still had a pulse. "Let's get him to the hospital." They quickly loaded him onto the stretcher and asked Madison if she wanted to ride along.

Cayson stood out of the way as the paramedics bustled around. He noticed Jace's tattered clothing and cringed deeply, shaking his head. He didn't even look at his mom's car to see what damage there was because he didn't care. "What should I be doing?" He said as he stood beside Adela.

Archer looked over Jace. He had enough medical training to know this was not a pretty situation. He put a hand on Adela's shoulder and pulled her back. "We can go to the hospital now. Be there when he wakes up." In truth Archer didn't know if Jace was going to wake up any time soon. Archer than realized Cayson was talking to Adela.

Adela watched them take Jace, "I told dispatch to send someone to take a report." She said, puting her hand on the one Archer placed on her shoulder and squeezing it, "We all need to give them our statements." She drew in a deep breath and turned her eyes to fix Cayson's, "Tell me now, kid, were you speeding again?" Her voice was even and level and she stared into his eyes, willing him to tell her what happened.

"I'll keep you updated." Madison shot over her shoulder to Adela as she hurried into ambulance, taking up a seat next to Jace so she could take his hand once more.

"No!" Cayson said defensively with a shake of his head. "I was barely going the speed limit. Like I said when he walked onto the street the roads are so slick I didn't have time to stop properly." who the fuck just walks into the street without looking?! He crossed his arms over his chest never looking away from Adela. "I swear... I tried stopping... fucking rain..."

Once everyone was loaded up into the abluance and the doors shut they took off towards boto Athens hospital

Archer shook his head at the young man. The sad truth was even if he lies right now the doctors would have a ball park of the speed he was going basses on the damage, but even if he wasn't speeding It would still be a thirty mile an hour impact. That would be enough to kill a normal man. As long as Jace didn't die then charges were not likely to be pressed. "Adela. Lay off the boy. Speed limits thirty. Considering Jace went over the car and not under means he is in better shape than if he went under the car..." it looked like Jace had head trauma from impact on the hood, a broken leg from the bumper, and with out a doubt it was going to be broken ribs and
Posible pieced lung. Griling the young man was not going to help right now.

Adela nodded, she believed the kid and Archer was right. The officer showed up then and took statements from the three. Adela watched him drive off and looked up at Archer, "Let's go to the hospital now, my car is just across the street. ...Someone should call Jade." She said softly.

Cayson glanced around for a moment before looking up at Adela. His car would drive, he wasn't worried about that. He was worried about Jace, a man he didn't even know. "Can I come with? I know you don't think much of me... but I want to make sure he's okay."

"I don't have a problem with you kid." Archer explained with a shake of his head. Then he looked at the Adela waiting for her approval. "It's your car."

Adela shook her head, "I don't know if they'll let us see him, but Maddison can tell us how he's doing." She pulled her keys out of her pocket, "Get your car out of the road, are you coming with us or following?"

Cayson stared at Adela for a moment before blowing a puff of air out of his lungs. "Nah... thanks I'll take moms car. It's okay to drive and the cop got all the pictures he needed... So... I'll meet you there." He gave his head a small shake before turning and jogging the few feet to his mothers car and climbing inside. He started the car easy enough before driving off to boto athens hospital

Archer ran around to the passenger side of Adela's car and opened the door jumping in as the two got up to the car. "I'm ready when you are." He told Adela as he was getting in.

Adela got into the car and took off for boto athens hospital the moment their seatbelts were in place.

---

The walk to Haidee's was peaceful enough and Teos enjoyed the sunshine that had finally come out. They passed Sophie's and a few other businesses on the street, going another block or so before they stopped outside a small flower shop. He passed the glass front door and went to the red door on the front face of the small building, pressing the little white button for the doorbell.

Soft thumps on the other side of the door indicated someone approaching and after just a moment the door opened, revealing Haidee at the foot of a narrow staircase. She smiled pleasantly when she noticed Teos. "Hey Teos, good to see you again," she greeted, her voice soft as always. Something about her expression was restrained, as if she was stopping herself from doing something and was upset about it but was doing very well to hide it. She noticed Ate and offered her a smile too. "You brought a friend. Welcome. Please, come upstairs. I'll get us some lemonade." She motioned for them to follow and headed back up the stairs, leaving Teos to let Ate come first so he could close the door behind all of them and head up the stairs last.

"The name's Ate." She introduced herself as she followed after Haidee up the stairs. "And lemonade would be lovely." She added in a strangely polite and controlled voice before she glanced back at Teos and gave him a knowing smile. She could be nice if she really tried. 

Haidee's relieved sigh could be heard even from where she was in the lead. "Oh good. I grew the lemons myself, so I really hope you like it. It is a bit tarter than what people consider traditional lemonade-" She giggled softly. "But that's a little silly isn't it? Making it fresh would be the traditional way." As they came to the second floor landing, there was railing to their right at the top to separate the second floor from the staircase so no one accidentally fell down them. The floor had cream carpet, a little old but clean, with a mix of furniture in the main room. Everything was worn in but it was clean and well lit from well placed windows. A Juliet balcony on the wall ahead of them had a strawberry plant hanging from the top of the doorway in full growth. On the opposite wall was a wide window that showed the road below where they entered. Two doors led off the main room: Haidee's to the left, her room mate's to the right. It was every bit the apartment of college students. A small kitchenette was tucked into the corner of the room to the right of the wide window. Haidee had obviously been in the middle of mixing something for baking when they rang, judging by the bowl and spoon with mix in it and the muffin pan waiting on the small stove. She went over to that area automatically to get glasses of drinks for all of them.

Teos motioned for Ate to join him as they took a seat together on the couch. "Haidee, Ate is actually more than my friend... She's family, to you too. I thought you'd like to meet her..."

"Oh..." Haidee paused in pouring to consider it, but then gave them both a smile. "How.. exactly.. I mean... are we.. cousins or...?" She finished pouring and brought their glasses over, setting them on the simple coffee table in front of the couch.

"Yes distant cousins." Ate replied after she had taken her seat next to Teos. "I'm a fully fledged goddess, Haidee. A direct daughter of Zeus and niece to the delightful Hades." She said with a small playful smile. She picked up the glass of lemonade and took a small sip. It was nowhere near sweet enough for her tastes but she managed to maintain her smile as she quickly set it down again. "I'm the goddess of mischief, mayhem and misfortune. I'm bad luck basically." She finished with a smile.

"Oh... That's interesting," Haidee said mildly as she returned to the kitchen and mixed whatever was in the bowl again. It was also very concerning. Why would she need a goddess of bad luck, right now? Things had almost started looking up. Her hand paused and she looked at them quickly. "You're not here to tell me something happened to Luke, are you?"

"No, no, Haidee, Luke's fine," Teos assured her just as fast, shaking his head. "He's with Jade. He lost things but he and his animals are all fine after the fire, I promise."

"Oh." She calmed, smiling with relief. A couple more stirs and she filled the pan's cavities before placing it into the oven to bake. "I touched him today," she admitted, a blush tinging her cheeks but her tone concerned. "He seemed fine, but I was worried that I had.. that he wasn't..."

"He was walking round the house like an hour ago in a towel so I think he was fine." Ate replied before she smirked playfully at the sign of Haidee's blush. "He looked pretty good Haidee..he's got that real strong physique from working on the farm all day. You shouldn't be afraid to touch him. He's much stronger than you think. I mean he's like you!" She continued then glanced over at Teos. "You did tell her right?"

Teos was giving Ate a look that was borderline chastising, but finally gave in and looked at Haidee again. "That's something I wanted to talk to you about. Haidee, Luke's a descendant too. Of Demeter, specifically, goddess of the harvest."

Haidee, who could very well be dying from the fact that all of her blood had rushed to her face and ears.. and neck... the more Ate spoke, peeked from behind the one hand not holding her glass that she was trying to use to hide her very blushing face. She switched the hand to trying to fan herself and calm down again. "I know he's strong," she admitted once she had managed to carefully avoid the mental image Ate was supplying. Just don't think about it. "He works with cows and horses, and he harvests by himself. He works really hard. But.. I don't think that helps in my case... or our relation... does it?" She turned her eyes on Teos, the slightest spark of hope in them.

"I'm not sure," Teos admitted with a frown. "We just spoke with someone today, he had more effect on non-descendants than of actual descendants unless he was really trying. There's... a chance that, without the direct attempt to use what you can do, maybe he would be ok? But Haidee, I don't know how we could know before hand. I'm sorry." It was hard to see Haidee so afraid, but it was twice as hard to see her lock away the hope that had just started and retreat again, but see her smile remain.

"That's ok. I understand. Luke's just nice. I'm glad I can at least spend time with him."

"Oh come on! Where's the hope! If you want him then we will make it work!" Ate exclaimed with a shake of her head. She stood up and strode over to Haidee, placing her hands on her hips as she stopped in front of her. "A moment of selfishness girl! This is about you. What you want. Do you want to make him yours?" She asked firmly.

Haidee stared up at her for a moment while she was talking, but was quick to shake her head. "No. No I don't. I want him to go be safe, and happy. I'm really glad we can be friends though. Luke's really nice," she smiled, an honest smile, and it just made Teos all the more concerned.

"Ate... don't push it," Teos pleaded gently. "Haidee, you have both of us now, and Luke, you can talk to him too, if you want. He's.. he's going to understand what's going on soon enough, if you talk to him-"

"No! No..." Her voice had been a little too sharp so she tried again, softer. "I'll let him know he's not alone but.. Please, please don't tell him."

Ate frowned slightly then shook her head with a sigh. "Fine you just want to be friends with him, honestly? Well that's too bad, he seemed pretty taken with you." She said as she watched Haidee. "If that's really how you feel..if friendship is all you want then tell him. Don't make him believe there's a chance for more." She finished then made a motion towards Haidee's cell phone before she turned and moved back to Teos, dropping down to sit beside him. "Don't say anything.." She grumbled. "I'm trying my best. But I can't keep quiet about everything."

Haidee looked at her own phone, frowning slightly. Just be friends with Luke? That wasn't what she wanted, she already knew that. She had wanted it to stay that way but then he had pushed and she had to be honest. What she wanted was to be able to enjoy this like a normal person but she would never even be able to hug him without fearing the worst. She closed her eyes, quickly wiping away a singular tear that made it past her pale lashes and rolled down her cheek. She sniffed, opening her eyes again as she took a quick sip of her lemonade and tried to regain some composure.

"Ate," Teos clipped at her. "Stop it. You are not helping. If you're just going to be impatient, leave. Now. There's a bar a block away."

"I'm not being impatient." Ate replied defiantly. "I just feel that if she wants to be with him then we can try and work it out." She looked over towards Haidee and sighed when she noticed her swipe away the tear. "Why must I always look like the bad guy.." She mumbled then stood up again and crossed the room to the other woman. "You deserve your happiness too Haidee.." She said firmly then suddenly held her arms open. "You can't harm me. I'm much stronger than you."

The panic was instantaneous. Haidee was quickly out of her chair, putting a little distance between the two of them, shaking her head. "I'm sorry," she apologized as quick as she realized what she had done. "I just can't take that chance. If you're wrong, there's no fixing it. I'm sorry. I can't, not with you. Not with... anyone."

"Haidee.. We talked about this. I really don't think it's contact with your skin that's causing it. You said yourself that you touched Luke today and he's fine. You're not going to hurt Ate-"

"But what if you're wrong?"

"Haidee..."

"I can shake hands. That's it. I'm comfortable with that far." She stuck out her hand to Ate. "Please. I appreciate your support, and yes, if I am honest I like Luke, a lot, he's wonderful, but I. can't. touch. him. Not that way. I won't risk hurting him, especially irreparably."

Ate sighed then slowly reached out and took Haidee's hand after getting over the shock of her scurrying away the way she had. "And what do you intend to do when then boy tries to kiss you?" She asked softly. "It is inevitable that he will try if he likes you as much as I believe he does.."

"That's exactly what I've been trying to work with her on," Teos explained from where he was still on the couch. He was mostly certain Ate wasn't going to die. Mostly. "If you have any insights that would be really helpful."

"Yes," Haidee agreed when she had shaken Ate's hand, somewhat hesitantly, and retrieved her hand. "Please, if you can help, I would really appreciate it." She didn't know if she would ever get to kiss Luke, if they'd get that close, but if it did happen, she wanted to be sure he would be ok. She at least wanted the option.

"It's simple my two clueless little friends..Luke is the answer." Ate replied with a small smile as she looked between Teos and Haidee. "The boy when he has gained enough training and knowledge will be able to brew just about anything with the wonderful things that grow around him, he's connected to the earth remember? So who's to say he couldn't create something that could stop you hurting him and let you both kiss and touch as much as you want."

Haidee looked from Ate to Teos, once again hopeful. "Could.. that really work?"

"I don't know," Teos admitted again. "We'll have to wait until he's able to use his abilities properly before we can look into it. I was kind of hoping Haidee might be like Dorian." He looked at Ate, which drew Haidee's attention back to her as well. "He can do it, but only if he's trying to. If Haidee's trying not to..." he hinted, hoping she got the point.

"Dorian?" Haidee spoke up curiously. "Jade's boyfriend, Dorian? I met him the other day, briefly."

"Yeah he's no longer her boyfriend, for reasons I will not disclose." Ate replied before she gave Haidee a hopeful smile. "We'll figure this out. With enough training to help you learn how to turn off your abilities and maybe the odd medicine from Luke to have as a back up..you two will be getting steamy in no time!" She grinned wickedly. "Just keep this image in your mind Haidee, use it as motivation. Luke actually has the body of a greek god. He is the prize at the end of all your hard work! You just have to let us help you!"

Haidee looked absolutely mortified. "I'm just going to check on the oven," she said quietly and hurried to the little kitchenette, taking out what she was baking which turned out to be blueberry muffins. Imagining what Luke looked like without clothes was not going to help her stay calm when she saw him in person.

"Ate..." Teos chastised, but he we obviously trying not to smile. He held out an arm to beckon her back to the couch. "You're seriously embarrassing her," he whispered. "They've barely held hands, let them go at their own pace. Besides-" he glanced up toward Haidee and tried again to hide a smile. "It's pretty amusing to watch."

"Thank you," Haidee said honestly as she rejoined them in her own chair, seeming to have regained some composure. "For all your help. I really do appreciate it. I..." She averted her eyes, her cheeks and ears tinging pink again. "Would like to be.. relaxed, around him," she said, choosing her words carefully.

"And you will be. If I can help Dorian then I can help you too." Atë replied confidently from where she sat next to Teos again. "You two are going to eventually make the cutest couple." finished with a grin.

Haidee's smile was shy, but she managed to look Ate in the eye again. "Thank you," she said again. "And thank you for visiting. It's always good to see you Teos, and Ate, please feel free to stop by any time as well."

"Of course, Haidee," Teos replied and stood, holding out his hand to her. Haidee took it and he gave it a comforting squeeze before letting go. "I see you're getting ready for tomorrow," he pointed to the muffins she had pulled out and Haidee flushed slightly. "So we'll leave you to it... Haidee, you should call Luke I think, not when you feel you have to, but just because. He loves hearing from you and until we can sort this out, it's a great way for you two to talk, without you feeling nervous, ok?"

Haidee smiled at the idea and nodded. "Yeah, yeah I will. Thank you. Be careful on your way home, ok?"

"Yeah he's like a little excited puppy." Ate joked with a grin when they spoke of how Luke loved to hear from Haidee. She looked at Teos as she stood and smiled sweetly. "I want a puppy you know.." She said with a nod then moved towards the stairs. "Don't worry about us dear Haidee. We'll be perfectly safe out there. It's the other people you need to worry about." She winked at the other woman then headed for the front door.

Haidee watched her start down the stairs before whispering to Teos, "I like her."

Teos smiled, both comforting and glad. "Me too." He and Haidee shared a last little wave and she followed them to the top of the stairs to make sure they made it down the narrow staircase fine and closed the door before she went to tend to the rest of the items she planned for the next day, but her mind was still on her phone.

"So," Teos said after he had closed the door behind them and they started back for Jade's house. "Is this puppy you want a real puppy, or metaphorical?" he asked with a grin.

"A real puppy Teos." Atë pouted as she wrapped her arm around his and walked. "Uncle Hades had the cutest puppy! I want something like his!" She added with a Mischievous grin.

"I promise if you ever have an entire kingdom of souls to protect from intruders, I will get you one just like it," Teos doted and kissed her hair.

"Can I have a normal puppy then? I would take such good care of it Teos! And it would solve the issue of me needing company if you ever wanted your bed back. I wouldn't be alone with a puppy." Ate replied as she watched him with a smile.

Teos was quiet for a moment. She honestly thought he was going going to want her to go away. She really didn't believe he would stay with her. "I'll think about it," he said finally and continued to walk with her back to boto Jade's house.

---

Jade tugged her hair back into a braid, throwing it over her shoulder with a huff. Her bangs brushed against the tops of her eyelashes as she stuffed her hands into her pockets. It had been such a long tiring day. She hadn't heard a word from Dorian, hadn't really expected to, her mind was one rocky roller coaster after another, Jace was in the hospital and now this with Archer. Why had life been so easy just last week? She felt like she was in need of a swim but she knew what that would do to her, make her feel less human. Being on land, that made her feel human. When she was in the water, she wasn't human anymore she was Poesidon's Daughter, Goddess of the Sea. She couldn't help but laugh at that, how insane and incredible it sounded.

"Jade! Hey Jade!" A voice called from behind her and moments later Madison, jogged up behind her, a large bag slung over her shoulder. She smiled at Jade as she came to a stop, giving a small wave as she did. "I was just getting ready to head over to yours. It's still ok that I stay with you, isn't it?" She asked politely.

"Of course it is, we're family." Jade slipped her hand out of her pocket and wrapped her arm around the slightly younger girl with a smile. "I can't promise I'm going to be stellar company but I will do my best." She Gave Madison a gentle squeeze before stuffing her hand back into her pocket. "It's been a rough day... things coming at me from all sides... I just wish I could rewind back to last week, ya know? I've been trying to think of ways to show Dorian that I want to try and make it work because I think that's the right path for me... I was thinking of surprising him with flowers but... that just doesn't seem... like enough or maybe its stupid... I don't know." Jade paused and shook her head on a sigh.

"Sometimes the simple gestures can be the most effective. It doesn't need to be a grand gesture to show you're sorry. Material things aren't enough." Madison replied softly as she readjusted the bag on her shoulder and looked at Jade. "You just need to talk to him, you know? If you truly and honestly show him how much you're sorry and how much you regret your actions then that's all you can really do. Then it will be up to Dorian as to what he does with it. Whether he accepts it or dismisses it..at least you tried." She finished with a sympathetic smile.

Jade smiled at Madison and nodded her head gently as she looped their arms together. "I guess I should have dated more... maybe not worked so hard or studied as much. Though if I hadn't I wouldn't be running my own Marina right now. I probably would have never met Dorian in the first place... But then again... I wouldn't be so foolish and I'd know what I'm doing. I hate being inexperienced. I should kill Jace and Archer for that..." She walked along beside Madison, content. She was glad the young girl was back in town, they had always been close even though she was younger than the rest of them.

Madison gave a light chuckle. "Jace always feels the need to be protective of someone. So I guess you took my place when I wasn't around." She said with a small nod. "But don't worry we'll get you sorted out. And in the meantime, we can be inexperienced daters together. But we'll both find true love eventually, just you wait." She smiled as they walked. "Risk and I didn't work out..he said it was because he didn't want to come between Jace and I but guess what? When I went to his house, like an hour ago to confront him about something Jace told me..he was cosying up with his assistant." She shook her head with a sigh. "I totally misjudged him.."

"Ugh, that's awful! Maybe the rumors about Jace's wife were true... I hate to think that about anyone but... Gods..." Jade shook her head, a shiver running down her spine as a cold breeze ran through town. "Well, I guess it's best that you got away before things got ugly." They turned onto the road that led to Jade's house and she smiled. "Let's get home and have some hot cocoa and popcorn."

"Sounds like a great plan." Madison smiled as she squeezed Jade's arm. "Lets just go home and relax, and forget about troublesome men." She joked before she looked up, allowing the other woman to lead her towards her home.

"Maybe put a little alcohol in our cocoa..." Jade giggled, feeling a little bit more like herself. She laid her head on Madison's shoulder as they walked, her braid swinging freely back and forth between them as they turned towards Boto Jade's House.



BotO Athens Harbor
Blood of the Olympians