WHO: Medusa, Bernie, & Veronica WHEN: Thursday afternoon WHERE: A park WHAT: Being totally suave with small children is Medusa's 'thing' WARNINGS: possible mentions of rape
Medusa wasn't a creature truly cold-blooded like the snakes she loved, but she still needed the warmth of the sun. In public places, people always kept their distance from Medusa. It wasn't anything she did, it was just that without even meaning it she tended to leave people feeling ill at ease. She was a monster in human skin and mankind seemed to feel that but never understand it. It was a lonely life, but it was the only one Medusa could remember.
She sat on a bench in the park now, eyes closed as she basked in the sunlight, her thick curls moving a little more than just what the breeze could accomplish. But all too suddenly she felt Poseidon and her eyes flicked open, scanning quickly for the sea god. Already her body was reacting with panic, ready to fight or to flee, but she couldn't see that dark man anywhere.
But there was a boy and Medusa's gaze kept coming back to him, unsure of why. She stood, slowly walking in the child's direction and then, standing above him, she said, "you feel like the sea god. Why?"
Bernie liked the weather. Cold, yes, but still decent to go out and spend time with his mother. And for a boy who knew his mother did a lot to make sure he had nice things he appreciated the time he could have.
He'd asked for a warm drink though and after a request to stay he'd watched his mother go off to a stand to get the cocoa he could smell. He'd fished out a game he could play while he waited until there was a voice. Nervously, the boy inched back into the bench, remembering his mother's warnings. The question made him frown, not connecting the pieces yet. "I don't know," he said. "I don't get it. I'm not supposed to talk to people I don't know."
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[info]of_soundandfury 2012-03-01 12:15 pm UTC (link) DeleteFreezeScreenTrack This Select "I know you though," Medusa said honestly and then she averted her gaze, knowing that eye contact only made people more uncomfortable with her. "Not a stranger."
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[info]vreppyi 2012-03-01 12:24 pm UTC (link) DeleteFreezeScreenTrack This Select The boy continued frowning and glanced to his mother. close enough that if this turned bad he was safe. He glanced up to the woman and set the game aside. "Sea god? You mean, Poseidon?" He was only nine, and subtlety was still a bit out of his reach. He bit his lip for a moment and gave a hesitant smile. "He's my dad."
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[info]of_soundandfury 2012-03-01 12:37 pm UTC (link) DeleteFreezeScreenTrack This Select Medusa looked back to the child, alarmed at that confession. She didn't know what to say now, to this little human boy who felt like that evil Olympian thing. In her agitation, her hair moved a little more, curling against and across her cheeks, sentient and aware and wishing that it was serpents once more.
"He's a bad man," Medusa finally said, because children were difficult and they didn't understand things, and Medusa didn't understand them. Only that they were small and young and had to be protected. There was such innocence about this little creature that even though she knew whose son he was, Medusa wanted to hiss and bite at anything that would come near him. Internally the monster warred with the protector.
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[info]vreppyi 2012-03-01 12:47 pm UTC (link) DeleteFreezeScreenTrack This Select The boy frowned and glanced to the edges of his coat, "yeah. Sometimes. But he's okay sometimes too." He looked up as his mother neared. Vernocia frowned at this woman and out of instinct set herself before her son, giving him the cocoa. She was unnerved by this woman, but Veronica often stood up to Poseidon.
Fear made her do odd things. Fear for her son even odder.
She set her hand on her son's shoulder and raised her eyes to this womans, denying the urge to look away. She only stopped when her son tugged at her sleeve and told her the other lady knew Poseidon. She frowned and looked back to the woman, already feeling sorry for her. She didn't wish Poseidon on her worst enemy. "Love, go play." Smiling she leaned down and had her son go a bit of a distance away before glaring to this woman. "The father's sins are not the son's."
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[info]of_soundandfury 2012-03-01 12:51 pm UTC (link) DeleteFreezeScreenTrack This Select Medusa watched the woman carefully, running a hand over her face to push her hair back, and then looked after the boy with a frown. "Still young," she said. "But not a god."
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[info]vreppyi 2012-03-01 01:04 pm UTC (link) DeleteFreezeScreenTrack This Select "Half, actually." She frowned still but relaxed a bit more. The woman wasn't clawing after her son, which was a good thing. "And he's nine. So yeah. Young. Some truths can wait."
She paused, "so who are you? I'm pretty sure you belong to the immortals club."
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[info]of_soundandfury 2012-03-01 01:23 pm UTC (link) DeleteFreezeScreenTrack This Select Nine. Medusa couldn't really put ages together like that. She could only put them into categories: babies, children, teenagers. More than that was a mystery. Medusa couldn't even remember being a child herself and she didn't know whether that was because she never had been or simply because it was so long ago.
"They call me Medusa," she said, her eyes raising no higher now than the other woman's collarbone. She had no desire to frighten her.
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[info]vreppyi 2012-03-01 01:31 pm UTC (link) DeleteFreezeScreenTrack This Select She paused, then froze. "Well. Shit." She glanced to her son and wished she could offer sympathy. She wasn't sure if it was welcomed. Instead she let out a long sigh. "Well they call me Veronica and he should be in some pit for all that." The anger and venom was clear. Bernie came from a willing thing. It was why she'd chosen to keep him.
"He doesn't know," she glanced back to her son, smiling at his carefree play. "Not yet. Like I said, some truths can wait until he's older. Until he can understand more. It'll only do him bad now." She shrugged.
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[info]of_soundandfury 2012-03-01 01:37 pm UTC (link) DeleteFreezeScreenTrack This Select "Badness in his blood," Medusa said sadly as she watched him, because she was sure a mother wouldn't want her child turning into an evil godling.
"Poseidon is in this city," she said, turning to lock her bright eyes on Veronica suddenly, her tone clearly a warning. She flicked her gaze away again as quickly as it had come. She didn't want Veronica to feel that sweeping cold, that feeling of flesh turning against itself, hardening an cracking. No longer could she turn people to stone - even when she wanted to - but still her gaze was never comfortable for mortals.
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[info]vreppyi 2012-03-01 01:42 pm UTC (link) DeleteFreezeScreenTrack This Select She'd taken a step back at the gaze because it was unnerving but she held fast and didn't run. And she wasn't stone. That helped to. "No." She raised her head with all the pride she had. "He's got my blood too and other things to help him. He's got other people to look up to. His brother, a direct son, isn't bad. Triton is a decent sort. I'm sure if a direct son can turn out alright mine will be fine." She would make it true if she could.
Then she sighed, "And I know. He visits." She shrugged but then smiled, "but he isn't all that powerful anymore and I got protection from people stronger then him." She watched her child, "we manage."
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[info]of_soundandfury 2012-03-01 11:32 pm UTC (link) DeleteFreezeScreenTrack This Select "Never met the son," Medusa admitted. "I avoid gods. All of them bad news."
Medusa moved to look at Veronica again, but paused her eyes before they reached those of the mortal. That he would let Poseidon near her child... shouldn't a mother protect her child? Was that not how motherhood worked? Medusa only understood it as a foreign thing and motherhood in snakes was not the same. The only children she could ever attempt to claim as her own had been born from the blood of her death. "Strong enough to kill a boy," Medusa muttered, flexing her fists.
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[info]vreppyi 2012-03-01 11:48 pm UTC (link) DeleteFreezeScreenTrack This Select "Not all of them," some were alright but it didn't mean she trusted them. The Saints were different. They were good and wouldn't hurt her.
She watched the other woman and frowned. "I know that. I said he visits, not that I trust him. But I promised my son and so far he hasn't hurt Bernie yet." She couldn't explain why. Maybe it was part ownership on Poseidon's behalf. He had yet to kill Raiden and that girl was as different from Poseidon as day was from night. "I don't expect you to understand or agree. But I'll kill him if he tries anything with my son."
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[info]of_soundandfury 2012-03-05 02:51 pm UTC (link) DeleteFreezeScreenTrack This Select Medusa curled her lip a little. "Poseidon defiles. Athena punishes. Zeus and Hades and Hermes forge weapons to kill. Aphrodite spells and Ares beats. All gods hurt." To say that Medusa held bitterness towards the Olympians was an understatement.
Medusa shook her head and watched Bernie - strange name for a little godling? "He will hurt him," Medusa said sadly, wrapping her own arms slowly around herself. "Nothing good in the sea king. Danger to any child." She looked towards Veronica's collarbone again. "Danger to you."