Tweak

InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "I have iconitis. Woe."

Username: 
Password:    
Remember Me
  • Create Account
  • IJ Login
  • OpenID Login
Search by : 
  • View
    • Create Account
    • IJ Login
    • OpenID Login
  • Journal
    • Post
    • Edit Entries
    • Customize Journal
    • Comment Settings
    • Recent Comments
    • Manage Tags
  • Account
    • Manage Account
    • Viewing Options
    • Manage Profile
    • Manage Notifications
    • Manage Pictures
    • Manage Schools
    • Account Status
  • Friends
    • Edit Friends
    • Edit Custom Groups
    • Friends Filter
    • Nudge Friends
    • Invite
    • Create RSS Feed
  • Asylums
    • Post
    • Asylum Invitations
    • Manage Asylums
    • Create Asylum
  • Site
    • Support
    • Upgrade Account
    • FAQs
    • Search By Location
    • Search By Interest
    • Search Randomly

Asterion }} The Minotaur ([info]asterius) wrote in [info]nevermore_logs,
@ 2023-07-08 22:00:00

Previous Entry  Add to memories!  Tell a Friend!  Next Entry
Entry tags:asterion, elijah voorhies, erato

WHO: Asterion, Erato, Elijah Voorhies, Will Scarlet?
WHEN: Saturday afternoon
WHERE: Sacred Heart church (Erato's apartment beforehand)
WHAT: Meeting, talking
WARNINGS: Talk of imprisonment



Asterion had been asked to come and meet the group of men who had been rescued from the fighting ring. He had been putting it off for awhile, but he was running out of excuses and so now was as good as it was going to get. He had arranged to meet with one of the guys early so they could talk about how it was going to go.

He was nervous. Not that he had the words for it, but his stomach felt funny, and he very much wasn't looking forward to it. "I feel like I've run a race," he informed Erato, who had volunteered to come with him. "Is that normal?"


(Read comments) - (Post a new comment)


[info]passionburning
2023-07-08 11:38 am UTC (link)
When Erato came into the church, she looked around, charmed once again by the prettiness of it. How did it manage to keep a small-community vibe in the middle of a big city? She loved it.

When she was spoken to, she smiled automatically, and it took her a moment to recognise who was speaking. "Oh! Hello! Are you the one we are here to meet?" she said, giving him a small wave. She'd known the name of the person they were meeting, but it hadn't really registered with her that he would be the same person who had been with Will those few weeks ago. She gestured towards Asterion. "I'm just here to accompany my dear friend, and even out the numbers. Are you well?"

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)


[info]asterius
2023-07-08 11:41 am UTC (link)
"Uhhhh- I'm fine, I- Uhm, Asterion?"

Asterion, completely oblivious to anything going on here, nodded and extended his free hand. "Call me Ryan in the group though."

"Oh, right- Yes, of course," Elijah was still feeling on the back foot here, but he shook Asterion's hand (HUGE) and glanced over at Erato. "So you- You know Asterion then. And you know- you know me. Mmm." Was this awkward? He felt hot.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)


[info]passionburning
2023-07-08 12:14 pm UTC (link)
She gave Elijah a warm smile. "I know a lot of people," she replied smoothly with a small shrug, not feeling an ounce of awkwardness. Asterion would likely miss it, but Elijah looked like he'd get the point without this becoming an issue. Sadly, it wouldn't be the first time jealousy had reared its ugly head over her. It was sometimes difficult being so desirable. "Isn't it nice to make friends? Asterion here has been such a boon for me in my hour of need, I just couldn't say no to helping him out today. Or really any day he needs me."

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)


[info]asterius
2023-07-08 12:21 pm UTC (link)
Elijah wasn't worried about making friends, he was worried about Asterion the Minotaur pounding him into oblivion if he found out Elijah had been with Erato. How did he keep ending up in situations like this?!

"I- I'm sorry, I'm just a little taken aback," Elijah admitted.

"How do you know Erato?" Asterion asked, and Eli cast Erato a panicky look.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)


[info]passionburning
2023-07-08 12:40 pm UTC (link)
"That night I went out with Libs, or, one of them," Erato replied casually. "He was with Will Scarlet at Diogenes. I didn't realise he was one and the same as our meeting for today." Asterion knew she went out with other people, he just didn't normally meet them in person. She wasn't about to spell out that she'd stayed the night with Elijah in so obvious a way though. If Asterion wanted to press the issue, she'd speak to him privately later on. It wouldn't do to start a meeting, which already caused anxiety for Asterion, in a negative way. Let him take whatever inferences he wanted to take, but he would be able to see that she wasn't concerned, so he'd follow her lead. She hoped.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)


[info]drifting_embers
2023-07-08 12:48 pm UTC (link)
"Oh!" Asterion clearly got it now, and he turned to smile at Elijah. He understood completely now what must have happened, and why Elijah looked like he was terrified. "That is also where I met her. I was a brute to begin with. Misunderstanding. She was nice to give me a second chance."

Elijah looked a little more at ease, and he sort of waved them through to the Cedar room. It seemed like Asterion wasn't going to pound him. "It was the first time I had been out since- Well now you know what I was avoiding talking about," Elijah said to Erato. "I was in that place for four years."

"Four?" Asterion said, and he shook his head. "Awful."

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)


[info]passionburning
2023-07-08 01:17 pm UTC (link)
"Oh my word," Erato gasped. "Oh you poor man!" She felt her chest tighten with sympathy, feeling like every new bit of information only made that place worse and worse. She'd felt like the burden Elijah had carried was heavy, but now she knew the true extent of it.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)


[info]drifting_embers
2023-07-09 10:37 am UTC (link)
Elijah offered her a smile, though he was quick to say, "I'm doing really well these days. And hey...can I call you Asterion?" When the big man nodded, Elijah continued, "Will told me you speaking up about what you'd been through started the entire rescue mission to begin with. And they couldn't have done it without your information. Without you I'd still be there. Thank you, man. I know it's not easy to talk about this shit, so thank you."

"Oh-" Asterion was still not used to being thanked by anyone except Erato, and even her he had taken a lot of time getting used to. He sort of ducked his head, but he looked pleased. "Well you're welcome. Everyone else did the hard stuff."

"I don't think that's true," Elijah said softly. "Being vulnerable and talking about traumatic shit is hard too. Especially when you've been in a situation where people take advantage of vulnerability."

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)


[info]passionburning
2023-07-09 11:13 am UTC (link)
Erato looked up at Asterion with a smile as if to say, see, I told you nobody would hate you. She was very proud of the progress he'd made. "It certainly is," she agreed. "Vulnerability is difficult, but it is necessary, or all of this will eat at your soul for the rest of your days. You survived it, darling, and you're helping again now. It's a good thing."

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)


[info]drifting_embers
2023-07-09 11:25 am UTC (link)
Asterion liked seeing Erato take pride in the fact that she had known better. He was just relieved when she did anything like her old self, though it happened a lot these days. He was so proud of her, though he didn't have pretty words like she did to tell her so. And he didn't exactly want to bring up that shit now. No, let them focus on his shit.

"You're right," he acknowledged. "Four years is awful. Did you stay?"

"They were lying to all of us about how long it had been," Elijah sighed. "A few of the guys tonight had been there five. And the thing is- Look, I don't know how it worked when you were there, but when I was there I- I got the guards to fix fights. Got fighters to throw fights. We had a rule, no one went too long without a meal, so one day you'd throw a fight, another someone would throw one for you. My first week there a guy was too weak and starved to fight and I just- I said no more. And I was worried without me it'd go back to that. So I was going to stay anyway."

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)


[info]passionburning
2023-07-09 11:48 am UTC (link)
Erato remembered Asterion saying he'd never lost a fight. Clearly things had been different then. Nobody had had the initiative to organise behind the scenes. "That was very brave of you," she said. "If you'd been caught it could've gone badly. It's admirable that you went out of your way to help people like that." This time Elijah was the recipient of her warm smile. "That's terrible they deceived you like that."

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)


[info]drifting_embers
2023-07-09 11:52 am UTC (link)
"No one did anything like that," Asterion said, though he wished he had thought of it. "Brave," he agreed. "And hungry. You look like you could have won a lot. Losing for other people is sacrifice. I never lost."

Elijah raised his eyebrows at Asterion. "You- Holy shit," he breathed. "I think I'm glad we were there at different times, brother."

Asterion actually laughed at that, and he nodded. "Probably same."

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)


[info]passionburning
2023-07-09 01:28 pm UTC (link)
Asterion didn't look like he would ever lose a fight, let alone convincingly throw one. It was just as well he wasn't there with Elijah. Erato chuckled softly too.

"Is there anything else we need to know before the meeting?" she asked, curious about what was coming up. She wondered how all these men were faring, and if they were as adjusted as Elijah seemed to be. She felt certain that Elijah was an excellent mentor now as he'd been a good leader before.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)


[info]drifting_embers
2023-07-09 01:43 pm UTC (link)
"It runs pretty easily these days. We go around the circle saying how our week has been. Name one good thing and one bad thing so we're sharing and being vulnerable but still celebrating the wins. Then we open it up if anyone needs to share anything. Most of the guys were there around two years. One of them only three months. How long for you?" he asked Asterion.

"Full two years," he said with a nod. "Don't think they lied to me. Maybe they were too scared. I'm big."

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)


[info]passionburning
2023-07-10 12:50 pm UTC (link)
That he surely was. Erato laughed a little, amused at Asterion's blunt honesty, because actually it was just adorable.

Just then there was a jaunty whistled tune approaching from outside and a moment later the church door was bumped open and Will Scarlet strode through, bringing his tune to a close. "Oi-oi lads! Oh, and lady, excuse me!" He came up and held his hand out to Erato, and when she took it he bowed over it with a flourish, making her laugh again. Then he gave Asterion a broad smile and held his hand out for a shake. "Nice to see you again, mate. You're here for the meeting, right? Sorry I'm late, did I miss anything?" He turned to smile at Elijah too, although he'd already seen him that morning so it was less of a greeting for him.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)


[info]drifting_embers
2023-07-10 12:54 pm UTC (link)
"We're just getting to know one another," Elijah grinned, pleased his best friend was here now. "Mostly we've been talking about what it was like in there. Did you have any friends at all, Asterion? Or I guess...whatever can be called friends in that place."

Asterion shook his head. "Kept to myself. Never had friends ever. Til now."

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)


[info]rouge_rogue
2023-07-11 11:50 am UTC (link)
"It's a blessing to have you," Will said cheerfully. "Not many in that place willing to let down their barriers, so it's not a shock. They don't want you to make friends, you might pull your punches." He looked at Elijah, with a little tilt of his head to say, you proved them right!

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)


[info]drifting_embers
2023-07-11 11:55 am UTC (link)
Elijah snickered at Will's expression, "well you're not wrong," he said with a grin.

Asterion was still feeling surprised by what Will had said. It was a blessing to have him? Really? He turned a little red, and sat there, feeling strange and happy. At least until Elijah asked him, "was it the same set up then? Fighting for your meals, small things in between to get you by? Fights just about every other day or so it seemed."

Asterion nodded. "No way to tell time. Except by your stomach."

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)


[info]rouge_rogue
2023-07-11 12:58 pm UTC (link)
Erato stroked Asterion's arm gently to reassure him. It was all quite devastating to listen to, so to live it must have been even worse.

"It was a hellish place," Will agreed, because despite having spent the shortest amount of time there out of the three of them, he very much agreed with what they were saying. "And I can't help but think you could eat two meals quite easily on an average day, so being there... well, it's shit, to put it bluntly."

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)


[info]drifting_embers
2023-07-16 10:58 am UTC (link)
Asterion leaned down and kissed Erato's hair. He was so grateful to have her there, honestly.

Elijah clapped Will on the shoulder and he smiled. "Absolutely hellish," he agreed.

"I could eat five meals easily," Asterion acknowledged Will's words. "It was very hard. And I tried to share once. Got mobbed. Never shared again."

Elijah winced at the very idea. "Yeah. I only shared with one person, but he shared with me, so it was only fair," he smiled at Will. "Did you reconnect with people after you got back out, Asterion?"

Asterion shrugged. "Never had anyone."

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)


[info]rouge_rogue
2023-07-16 11:27 am UTC (link)
"You do now," Erato said softly. She was so pleased for him that life had changed. He'd been isolated for so long, and that was painful on the soul.

Will nodded along. "You can't help the way they force you to be. You're being oppressed into complying, nobody would hold you responsible. Just be glad to be out of that shithole."

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)


[info]drifting_embers
2023-07-16 11:35 am UTC (link)
"Will's right, you tried to be kind and that place is just fucked. You seem like a great guy, Asterion," Elijah smiled. Kind enough not to kill him for sleeping with Erato, definitely! "So Erato's right, you have people now, brother. Glad to know you."

Asterion ducked his head, but he was smiling, pleased. "Same."

(Reply to this) (Parent)

(Read comments) -

Home | Site Map | Manage Account | TOS | Privacy | Support | FAQs