Njord: sea, wind, seamanship, sailing & fishing (njord) wrote in deities_dot_com,
"Can't say that we have," Njord replied in a smooth drawl, completely hiding the fact that he really wanted to grit his teeth. It wasn't that another divinity was invading his territory, he really couldn't care less about that. Lovely as the ladies were, there were plenty of other fish in the sea (a phrase he was particularly fond of.) Women weren't interchangeable, by any means, but Njord had only just met these ladies, and he wasn't generally territorial in any case, so if the other god wanted to "steal" them away, good for him. Njord could move on and find other companionship that would be less likely to land him in a fight.
Nor was he possessive of the space he was currently occupying. Yes, he considered Hawai'i to be his home these days, but he knew damn well he was only borrowing the spot from the locals who'd been gracious enough not to boot him off his island the second he stepped foot on it. Even if they'd been at Nóatún, Njord wouldn't have felt particularly threatened if the god had wanted to stay for a bit. He was happy to share, whether it was space, land, women, lunch, Njord didn't particularly care. He was a pretty generous guy, and he'd rather get along than battle, if possible. It was an attitude that he knew set him apart from others in his pantheon, but Njord felt that conflict should be avoided if possible. And if it wasn't, well, he was enough of a warrior that he wasn't terribly worried about that either.
No, what was setting him on edge was the fact that while the other god didn't seem to recognize him, or only did so vaguely, Njord knew exactly who the Greek was. When he was still only Vanir, Njord had been a pretty important guy. It was only when he became Aesir by dint of the hostage exchange that he took a back seat, or at least gave the appearance of doing so. But he was enough of a leader that he made it his business to know the movers and shakers of other pantheons, even if he didn't meet them personally. And it wasn't like Zeus didn't have a reputation that preceded him by a good four marathon lengths.
So for him to stand there and question whether or not they'd met said to Njord that he was trying to feel him out and see just how much of a rival he was going to be. The answer to that, normally, would be "none." Any other god, Njord would have just walked away. And if Zeus had used any other approach, he'd have walked away then too. But the "don't we know each other" thing smacked more of "don't you know who I am?" And Njord did, but he wasn't overly fond of bullies.
Which was why he didn't back down an inch as he said, "Maybe I just have one of those faces." He threw a smile at Cyra. "I like to think I'm memorable." Kiki giggled at that, and he continued, "We were just going to lunch. The ladies and I need to replenish our strength."
The unspoken implication was plain: we have plans, you may move along now. But the smile on Njord's face remained friendly, laid-back, and non-threatening. He was very, very good at exuding those qualities. It was how he'd managed to survive the transition with little interference from the Aesir; it was how he'd wrangled a living space in a place known for some rather temperamental divinities; and it was how he was going to quietly keep Zeus from pushing him around just because he thought Greek shit didn't stink and his in particular must smell like roses. Njord wasn't budging.