Ares/Kane and Eris/Brenna: Reunion Who: Ares/Kane and Eris/Brenna Where: The Aeropagus or "Hill of Ares" When: Tuesday morning What: Meeting as mortals Rating: PG-13 for some cursing Status: Complete
Athens was beautiful, and one of his favorite places even if it didn't feel like a 'home' no where really did, and it was a nice place to vacation in anyway. He had hiked to the Aeropagus, and was standing at the top, trying to ignore the tourists. Kane wasn't the type to do the 'tourism' thing, but today he felt drawn here. For a man who made it a habit of leaving his past completely behind him, he felt a very strong connection to this place. He did look a little out of place among the men in their board shorts with brightly colored shirts and women in big brimmed hats having just come from a meeting and dressed in black slacks with a dark blue button up and black dress jacket. He stuck his hands into his slacks and gazed out over the city, it really was beautiful.
The relative peace of the place, reverent as the crowd looked out over the city, was interrupted as a sharp curse split the air like a knife.
"Fuck!"
Brenna clutched her hand to her chest, nursing the injury with a scowl. Damn slippery slope. And she'd even worn trainers specifically for the climb, refusing to take the metal stairs that were built only a few meters away. The dark haired woman had seen the cliff from the Acropolis above on both her visits but hadn't had time to explore the spot of ancient trials. Today, however, with nothing else to do, she'd made the trek and then the climb, only to end up with a bloody palm.
Green eyes, sharp as emeralds, glared at those who turned to stare at her in shock or anger. Fuck them, Brenna thought and purposely licked the wound in a feline-like manner before withdrawing a tissue from her pocket to serve as a makeshift bandage.
The disruption of peace had distracted his thought process slightly and he glanced over to the woman clutching her hand close. He chuckled to himself a moment, as his eyes passed along the tourists giving her frightened and angered looks. After a moment he took a few steps over to the woman who wasn't too far away from where he'd been standing. "Need an extra hand?" He asked, assuming that if she was like half the other people on his rock she spoke English as well.
"I'm fine," she grumbled, accent think with wounded pride as she tried to tie off the tissue. With a grunt, she gave up and instead made a tight fist to hold the bandage in place then lifted her gaze to look on the owner of the voice.
Instantly, her stomach dropped and a jolt of electricity shot through her veins, radiating from her core out to the very tips of her fingers, toes, and every strand of hair. He was... not perfection - such a word couldn't touch what Brenna felt when her eyes met the intense stare of the stranger. He was breath-taking and life-giving. He was completion. Every fairytale she'd scoffed at as a child made sense in that moment. True love and at first sight, no less. Every inch of her body screamed to be touched by him, to touch him in return.
Brenna swallowed hard and lifting the injured hand, brushed back from her face several rebellious locks that danced on the light breeze. "I'm fine. Thank you," she repeated much softer when her throat relaxed enough to allow her voice to return.
He nodded slightly, to each their own. It was strange, she seemed familiar to him. "You know they've created an easier path over there." Kane gestured to the modern pathway. "Less hazardous." He added with a bit of humor.
She returned nod, bobbing her head up and down dumbly for a moment before snapping herself out of the trance. "Less hazardous but less challenging, as well," Brenna replied. She adjusted the bag she was carrying to sit a little further back on her hip; her own dark clothing marking her as out of place as him in the jumble of tourists scattered on the white rock. "Also less authentic. If one wants the full experience, why use the modern stairs?"
"I'm no historian, but I would guess that the original pathway was probably a bit more formed and less of a death trap when it was new." He surmised with a bit of a smile. "But to each his own I'd gather." She was a little feisty, he liked that. "So, I take it you like a challenge?"
"Always," the Irish woman declared as she lifted her chin. "And stubborn enough to always finish them.
They were gathered together, deciding the verdict. This man in the center accused of murdering a rapist. She glared at the accuser then turned her hard gaze back to the deliberaters; hoping to catch the eye of one and offer her own vote of not guilty.
Brenna blinked hard. Damn visions. She pumped her hand, opening and closing her fist in frustration. When would they end? And what did this man have to do with it?
"Everything alright?" He asked, having already had similar visions while admiring the city earlier. Kane had also had the very vivid images of the cause for trial that had sent pleasant chills through him. He could still smell the olfactory memory impulses of blood tingling his senses. His eyes gazed over her, taking in her features, she felt quite special to him.
"Shiny," Brenna replied. Both hands slid into the pockets of her dark jeans, resisting the impulse to touch him. To run her fingers over his arms, his chest, his jaw. Just being near him had her heart fluttering wildly and the need to impress him welling in her chest. "Come for the view then?" she asked, motioning with her elbow to the vista though never taking her eyes off of him. "Very lovely. All of the Plaka, the ancient Agora... Scenic considering they used to hold murder trials here." Knowing she sounded more tour guide than human, the woman gave a little shrug of her shoulders. "I'll leave you be if you want to get back to your gazing."
"Sounds like you came here for the same reason I did." He responded with a bit of a smile. "You know, the view is quite expansive, there's no rule about gazing -with- someone." Kane held out a hand to her. "My name is Kane. And you know, not just -any- murder trials were held here… some of the great ones." He'd always had an interest in some of the 'darker' aspects of tourist sights- one reason he'd come to this place.
"Orestes." The name came unbidden to her tongue, causing the dark-haired woman to frown. "I mean, Orestes was tried here. I'm Brenna," she amended with a slight chuckle then extended her own hand.
Laossoos; he who rallies fighting men. Purpose and reason. Flesh of flesh. Blood of blood. Two of one. Brother. Lover. Master.
Brenna's eyes fluttered shut for a moment, her breath caught in her chest when palm touched palm for the first time. The power of his touch, the connection it forged between them left her with no words, no thoughts save those of him. Of Him. Not the one St. Paul preached of on that very mount centuries before but someone... darker. The someone she'd been yearning for, who filled her dreams...
And apparently, now stood before her.
With a gentle force he pulled her arm to force her a step or two closer. "Brenna, what a lovely name." He told her. "You know they say the very first murder trial ever was held here, a man charged with murdering his daughters rapist." All of Kane's life he'd been missing something, a piece of him. Not like a distant love, not like a soul mate, but an actual chunk of him. He didn't need any visions to tell him that he had finally found it.
The draw to him was more than the physical tug. Two more steps were added, bringing the pair well within the other's personal space but still the Irish woman did not release his hand. Could not release it. The energy that surge between the collection made her tremble while filling her with the greatest joy she'd ever experienced. "That is what they say." And what her visions told her: a man who shared the face of this one. Brenna's eyes burned bright as she refused to look anywhere but him. No vista could conjure the emotions that came with finding what she'd desired her entire life.
He was quite aware of the way she was looking at her and he laughed a little inside. "So, Brenna…" Kane said after a long moment. "What brings you to Athens? Business or pleasure?"
The way he said her name sent shivers down her spine. "Came for business, stayed for pleasure." And for the first time, she was glad she had. Every minute spent fighting, spent going insane was suddenly worth it. Brenna, still clutching his hand, lifted the other wounded one to reverently brush along his jawline with feather-light touches. The heat of battle brought out the best in him. Power radiated through the dust kicked up by soldiers and chariot alike. Unable to resist, she swiped her fingers over his cheek, down his neck, collecting the blood - his and the Fallen's - that stained the golden flesh only to lick it from her ghostly fingers.
Gasping, she drew her hand quickly away from his face as if burnt. "Sorry," Brenna apologized and tucked another strand of dark hair behind her ear. "I'm sorry. It's just... I don't know what's happening to me. Um why, why are you in Athens?"
"Bit of business, bit of pleasure." He replied. "And no need to apologize." He pulled some of her dark hair over her shoulder, letting the strands fall slowly from his fingers. "You're acting on impulse it seems… nothing wrong with that."
Once more the Irish woman trembled, basking in the slight but intimate touch. "You feel it, too, then?" she asked, searching his handsome face. Brenna knew she sounded crazy, but there was too much between them for him not to. "Feel... whatever this is?"
He did. But that didn't mean he needed to tell her just yet. "Feel what?" Kane asked, tilting his head.
Belly dropped again and her face went pale with disbelief. No... no! Releasing his hand, Brenna took a few stumbling steps back, trying to ignore the physical pain that came from the loss of his touch. "N-Nothing," she stammered and shook her head, not sure what to do other than flee. "I... I have to go."
"Where?" He asked, taking a few steps toward her. "Why? I though you felt something. Going away so soon?" Kane reached out for her hand again. She stood before him glowing with the light of battle anticipation, the reigns of two blazing stallions in her hands as she drove them into the violence and to victory. "Pity."
She looked from his hand to his face and back, her distress obvious as she seemed to debate with herself. Stay or run. "Doesn't matter if I feel anything or not, does it now?" It did matter - it mattered to her. Her whole life feeling as if something vital was missing; of looking for that completion only to stumble across it on some ancient rock in a foreign country. Then have it crumble in her hands. "And if you don't know what I'm talking about, then there is no pity in me leaving."
"Pity if I wanted to keep your company a bit longer." He told her. "Pity to have such a beautiful woman walk away within moments of meeting her." Kane took another step closer, placing his hand on her arm. "And shame on your for backing away so quickly from your feelings." Kane had always thought things through, but in the end it was about acting on what you felt was right.
"Do you want to keep my company longer?" Brenna asked, not fond of whatever game he was playing at. Feelings and emotions weren't something she usually discussed. Acted on, yes. Ran away from, occasionally. But didn't discuss; especially not with perfect strangers, no matter how familiar they seemed. His touch, though, weakened her resolve, warmed her skin and made her stomach tighten. The Irish woman swallowed hard again then lifted her chin in a show of strength. "If you have something to say, you'd best be saying it."
"I didn't think talking was a prerequisite for keeping ones company." He said, as his hand slid down her arm to his hand so he could guide her to the view facing the Argoa. "Isn't this why you came up here?" Kane asked. "This isn't a view seen often in ones life."
Her fingers held fast to his, squeezing once tightly but didn't let go as he took her closer to the edge. And not just of the cliff. The wind caught the ends of her hair and sent it dancing over her shoulders and standing next to him, in that place, she felt... triumphant. As if they'd just overcome some horrible wrong together. Brenna looked down over what was left of the ancient city and couldn't help but frown. "It's grand but I don't know... incomplete? Does that make sense? Ruined temples and all the greenery sitting in the middle of a busy city like this; it doesn't seem natural. Beautiful, aye, but not right." Too much was missing, replaced with too modern.
"Very few cities have managed to blend the modern with the ancient well, but I have also seen a few who have re-built the past to blend it in, and it isn't always better." Because it wasn't always right. Of course he had no idea how he knew that. Kane rubbed his neck a little. "But it would have been nice to see the city in it's golden era." Which, if he tried really hard, he kinda could.
"Aye, it would have been," Brenna agreed as she continued to stare. All around them couples lounged, holding hands just like she and Kane, but she wondered if they felt the same power, same energy coursing through their palms. "It is a grand spot to view from, but conversation doesn't exactly flow now, does it?" It was too quite. Perhaps because of it's connection to St. Paul. Perhaps to honor those men - killers, she reminded herself - who lost their lives there. Either way, disturbing the spirits of the place with loud voices seemed daft.
"No, it doesn't." They were pretty much the only people talking. "But think of all the conversations that did flow." He could hear the echoing arguments in the air as if they were right behind them. "All the debates of guilt or innocence, all the judgments rendered. How many historic words must have been spoken, only to have been forgotten over time?"
"Not all of the words spoken here have been forgotten," the dark-haired woman pointed out, referring to the plaque that at the base of the rock that commemorated St. Paul's speech. "Whether they are all that important or not depends on the one reading it, I suppose." Her thumb stroked over the back of his palm, small little circles with a hint of scraped nail. "Most people just use this for a snogging spot now."
Kane's eyes followed her finger and he wrinkled his nose in distaste. He'd never been much of a religious person- then again in his line of work sometimes it was better to not be. His parents had been, and most of his siblings. Kane, when he was still little Harvey, had been to church many times and always felt out of place, like he wasn't welcomed. "Those weren't the words I was referring to, but your point is taken."
She turned to face him, her lips curled in a feline-like smirk that gave her an impish look. "I know you weren't." They were eye to eye and once again, closer than appropriate for two strangers and Brenna basked in the strength that radiated from him. "I do wish there was more of the Ancient Agora still standing. The Theseion is impressive but seeing all the temples together, and not just some renderings on a map, would have been shiny."
"Yea." He said, thought it was funny because Kane swore if he looked hard enough he -could- see the temple standing. "'Shiny'." Kane ran his tongue over his teeth quickly as he looked down at her. He saw her, holding a child, a brave... strong child- reflection of his father- in her arms. That one was new.
Brenna's lips pursed with mock indignation. "You're teasing me," she accused and bumped her shoulder into his. "I was agreeing with you and you started teasing. Hardly makes a girl feel like you want her company." She was still smiling, her scolding all in jest. His teasing was familiar... familial, almost and the Irish woman found she didn't mind it in the least.
Kane laughed slightly. "I've just never heard that turn of phrase before." He told her. "I wasn't teasing- ok, maybe a little." He felt so comfortable talking to her, like they were old friends. Close old friends. Kane looked down at his watch. Sight seeing was about to come to an end, after all he did have work to do. Part of him didn't want to leave though. There was something about this place, and this person and the whole thing that felt more like home than he'd ever felt. Maybe there was a reason he kept coming back to Athens.
Her grin smiled before clouding over once again when she spied him glancing at the watch. Stomach twisting, the dark-haired woman gripped his hand tighter, silently begging him not to leave yet. They'd only just found each other. Swallowing down the fear that came with the thought of losing him, Brenna took a step closer to his side. "So, where does your business have you staying in Athens? With that suit, somewhere more grand than the hotel I downsized to, I hope, for your sake."
Kane nodded. "It's not pure luxury, but it suits my needs." After all it was best to keep a lower profile and a low priced option tended to do just that. He told her of the area he was staying in. "There is a little ice cream place on the corner, very cute and everything's homemade. Perhaps we could meet there another day." After his job was done.
No. No. No! He was leaving. Brenna's tongue floundered as she searched for something - anything! - to keep him there, by her side. "How about tonight? A late dessert. Surely whatever it is you do can't occupy every hour of your days." The thought of being away from him for hours, let alone days tugged at her heart and she clung to his hand with both now, forgetting her injury as her attention focused solely on him. "Please," she added in a much softer, nearly pleading tone.
"Truly I would love to." He said. "However I do fear that tonight I will be working." From what his client had said the target liked to frequent bars and night clubs, that meant he had a bit of stuff to look into. "And I'm afraid I can't postpone it." It was also paying pretty nicely. "However, I'll be done pretty quickly, two… three nights at the most." Kane told her. "Then I'll officially be on vacation."
Heart on her face, the brunette released her hold on him only to drive into her bag, retrieving a pen and a little pad of paper. She scribbled down her name (along with the place where they met, just so he could put a face to the name later), her mobile number, email address and hotel before ripping the paper free. Brenna folded it in half and holding it between to fingers, lifted it for him to see. "I'll be hearing from you, then? After your work? You did mention ice cream but I'm sure I could sweeten the deal with a few dessert ideas of my own." The terror had faded and left behind a woman sure of her own powers. Smirking now, she tucked the paper into the breast pocket of his jacket then trailed her fingers down the line created by the buttons of his shirt.
Kane brought his hand up to meet hers and leaned in cheek to cheek. "I'll be looking forward to it." He said softly, kissing her cheek for a long moment. "It was a pleasure meeting you Brenna." Kane stood back to face her again. His thumb ran over the surface of her hand before shoving his own into his pocket. "I'll call you."
She'd never been an affectionate person, even with her parents whose hugs and cuddles she would spurn. It simply wasn't in her nature to indulge in the warm fuzzies others relished. However, with Kane, Brenna had no problem with nuzzling his cheek as he moved in close. Her mouth longed for contact with his own and had she been less distracted by the intensity of his eyes or the smell of his skin, she would have turned her head when he kissed her cheek.
"I'll be waiting," Brenna promised, tucking her fingers daringly around one of the belt loops of his pants and took her own step forward. Chest to chest, eye to eye, the Irish woman ran her tongue along her lips, practically purring with the contact. "And the pleasure of next time will be much sweeter."
"Until then." Kane told her, looking her in the eye.
Her expression shifted, became slightly harder as she let her hand drop and took a step back. Arms crossed over her chest while a tiny voice in the back of her mind screamed and ranted about being tossed aside again. Brenna wasn't sure how the jealousy and anger that rose made sense, seeing she'd just met Kane, but it did. "Until then," she repeated, steeling her voice against the darker emotions so as not to come off too crazy.
Kane stepped around her, brushing his hand along her hair as he past. He didn’t say anything more as he left, walking slowly to the modern stairs and heading out. He had a target to stalk, and feared that his mind might be preoccupied by the mysterious woman. His hand drifted up to his pocket with her information in it, this had truly been a rewarding day.