(OPEN) paradise?

[nashville aspen greer]

Nashville was basically sick of the repetitive studies they had them doing. Not to mention his teachers seemed to think he was stupid just because he couldn't really hear them. But from what he gathered, the entire impatient human race was the same way. If everyone wasn't normal and able to respond in a split second, it bothered them.

He took a sip from his coffee and tightened the scarf around his neck. It seemed to be growing colder and colder as the minutes passed. Before long, everyone was going to be an ice cube. His blue eyes scanned the page before him, trying his hardest to not get bored. He loved his studies, sure. But when you've studied them again and again and again, it wasn't nearly as interesting as it should have been.

[antonia maria deluca]

How infuriatingly dull studies were. School was boring. Simply put. And Toni was not really able to pretend like she cared. Luckily, looking like she cared wasn't really a concern of hers. This whole college student thing was really just an excuse to fit into the town without drawing too much attention to herself. Besides, what better place than a college? All those hormones and lack of inhibitions. Its like they were built to cater to her. It never took more than a little nudge, if that, to get them to throw themselves into a night of drunken debauchery.

Rather than use the time to work on a paper for a class that she was likely never to attend, Toni was wandering the stacks aimlessly, her finger trailing along the spines of the books, waiting for something or someone, to catch her fancy. Anything that would help break the doldrums of her afternoon. She was not one who could sit idle for long. The library, while an unlikely seeming choice, was always fun. She got more of a thrill luring away the studious go getters, they were more challenging, more interesting. Eventually her dark eyes settled on the broad back of someone reading a text book. The energy rolling off him was unmistakable, and with a grin, she sauntered over, dropping into the seat across from him without invitation. “Looking a little chilly there big guy, maybe you need something a little stronger than that coffee to warm you up”

[nashville aspen greer]

Nashville felt like he was actually nodding off. In a chair. In public. Which was about as un-Nashville as you could possibly get. Except maybe that one time he was so sick he fell asleep in the coffee shop and had to be carried home by what was his best friend at the time. Not only was it embarrassing, it was uncomfortable. Probably as uncomfortable as being hunched over this book now. All the words were swimming together and he groaned, putting his hands over his eyes. 'This is why people commit suicide. Pointless studies..' He moaned mentally, dropping his hands to the table. He was the picture of miserable.

So when a girl sat down across from him, he was honestly shocked. There wasn't much to be seen here. Just a man trying to ace his next exam. Mostly this was just busy work to keep his mind off his impending doom. Let's be honest. He didn't have much longer. But he'd rather not have much longer and be busy than to die bored. He couldn't hear a word she said, which was somewhat surprising considering he was told libraries were the quietest places on earth. At least he could read her lips. Which was some what of a relief when it came to talking to normal humans. He nodded slowly, not sure what it mattered if he was cold or not. "I would have gone home, but it's no warmer there.." He told her quietly, probably even quieter than he intended since he could barely hear himself.

[antonia maria deluca]

Toni grinned a little, tilting her head to the side, watching the look on his face as she sat down, clearly not expecting anyone to join him at the table. Well, he should consider himself lucky. What better way to tear yourself from the utter pointlessness of education than in the company of someone with her talents. Confidence was never really a problem for her, and she just always assumed that any and everyone, regardless of who they may be, would fall over backwards at the chance. After all, there was nothing that guaranteed having a good time more than her. She watched as his eyes seem to focus on her lips as she spoke and her grin grew wider, making the assumption that the close scrutiny of her lips meant something completely different.

His quiet reply was unexpected, even considering the location, he certainly didn't have the bearing of someone she would guess to be so soft spoken. The words however, made her laugh, a light bubbling chuckle that echoed in the quiet library, either he was playing dense, or he'd missed her point entirely, maybe it wasn't quite suggestive enough, she had gotten quite used to the ever eager kids- who at the mere hint of flirting, or the offer of some excitement jumped when she snapped. She leaned forward, resting her arms on the table, and smirked conspiratorially. “Not quite what I meant hunny. But that's OK, you'll catch on eventually.” Her eyes raked over him slowly, making no attempt to hide her appraisal “Anyways, I'm Toni, and yes, I'm here to save you from whatever it is your doing. Because sure as hell, if you're in here, it can't be very fun”

[nashville aspen greer]

Her confidence was something that was so foreign to him, it may as well not even exist. Not only did he avoid social interaction, but he was the least confident person he knew. Not that he knew many people to begin with. She was pretty, sure. But he wasn't even that into people, let alone girls. They'd always seemed to cruel and manipulative to him, like they had one thing on their minds and would destroy everything in their paths to get to it. Especially his mother and step-mother. He didn't know two crueler women. One tried to kill him for grins and giggles, and the other wouldn't piss on his grave.

Names. Dear gods he was bad at names. If you didn't see it written down or hear them yourself, it probably wasn't the name you thought it was going to be. "You're going to have to write that down for me.." He mumbled, bringing his cup to his lips. "I'm not exactly looking for a heroine, thanks.." He was so awkward it was almost painful. For him and whoever was in a fifty mile radius of him. 'Do you ever get a hint?' His eldest step sister seemed to ask him twenty times a week. And of course, the answer was no. Her words seemed innocent without a tone behind them. "I seriously can't hear you. You're going to have to sit over here." He used his pen to tap the seat beside him. The last thing he wanted was to wrongly guess what she was saying and end up in hot water. She seemed like the type who knew how to carry herself.

[antonia maria deluca]

In all the time she'd been around, she'd gotten used to the energy that Gods let off. Even through the centuries, there were somethings you never really forgot. And there was a heady quality to the air surrounding this man. It was rare these days, to catch glimpses of it. More likely than anything, he was some long diluted offspring of a dalliance someone once had eons ago, but no matter how many branches down the family tree you climbed, there was always that little spark of something there. Humans were great for somethings, they were the fast food, the quick munchies that got you through the day. There were others, the occasional creature she ran into from time to time that let off their own fantastic energy- the vampires, the shapeshifters, they were a rare treat. But someone who had Olympus running in their blood, no matter how far removed, well, those were the cream of the crop, a taste of an age long left behind. But usually they were just as prone to the whims she inspired as much as anyone else, they were still human after all. Toni had to admit, this was not going quite the way she expected. Not looking for a heroine? That was the last thing she would expect to hear in response to her advances. Her lips pursed, ever so slightly, and just for a moment, a flash of annoyance showing through. It was gone in an instant though, the grin back in place.

She was about to respond to the comment when he pointed out that he couldn't hear her. Her head tilted to the side again. Maybe that explained the lack of reaction, true, she'd never needed anyone to hear her before they got caught up in her, but hell, there was a first time for everything. She got to her feet, following his tapping pen, and sitting in the vacant spot next to him. She reached over and plucked the pen from his fingers and scrawled her name on the back of his hand. “There. Better?” she said with a nod, talking a louder than before and ignoring the looks shot towards her from a few of the other quietly studying students in the library. “Well, just because you're no looking for a heroine, doesn't mean that I'm not going to fill the role anyways. Besides, I'm bored as hell, and- well, that's it really. I'm bored” she said with a grin and a shrug.

[nashville aspen greer]

Perhaps it was because of who -or what- she was that she was able to tune into the godly frequencies he gave out. He didn't mean to. And it wasn't long ago that he finally started to realize him and water were a little to close. And him with horses. He'd never felt as right as he did when he was near an open body of water. He'd felt like he was on top of the world, like nothing and no one could take him down. And then he was knocked off his high horse when he realized he was the same dying twenty-something he was before. 'Poseidon' seemed a little far fetched. But it seemed right. And he wasn't quite ready to accept he wasn't just plain ol' Nashville.

He turned his hand over, realizing just how far her real name was from the assumed one he'd thought she said. Good thing she'd came and sat closer. That would have been embarrassing. His blue eyes glanced over at her for a moment, a chill running down his spine. She seemed so old and familiar, like some aunt you only saw on Christmas but still remembered. But he couldn't quite place it. There was just something dated about her, and it wasn't from any time recently. "I'm Nash." He offered quietly, comforted by the fact he could somewhat hear her voice. It was low and he had to focus on it, but that was nothing new. He wouldn't have this problem if he and his father could afford a hearing aid. Or a megaphone for everyone around him. "That the only reason you take it upon yourself to talk to a studying school boy?" He asked curiously. There had to be a reason she was talking to him. And being a bright eyed guy who could have auditioned for the role of Thor probably wasn't it.

[antonia maria deluca]

Toni sat there, by all appearances, just looking like any other girl, her bright smile and casual demeanor lending to that story easily. The only place it slipped was her eyes, those dark pools looked like they'd seen far more than her apparent age would imply. Though she didn't do much to betray her carefully crafted image, those eyes studied him curiously. When those bright blue eyes met hers a moment later, a shiver, and not one that was the least bit unpleasant, trickled through her body. Maybe it had been along time since she'd run into someone descended from the gods, but this feeling seemed so much stronger than she'd last felt it. It was enough to drive the poor Maenad insane. Which, anyone who'd ever come across one, knew was a bad flipping idea. For the energy to be so strong, he had to have come from one of the big guys. Not her big guy of course, she likely would have ripped his pretty little heart out without a second thought had she felt Dionysus in him, but one of the others had to be his great-great-great-great-great-great grandfather or mother.

“Nash, huh? Well, it's definitely a pleasure to meet you” she said, and though he couldn't hear her, it didn't stop her voice from ending in a seductive little purr. Just because he didn't seem to be reacting as he should, didn't mean a damn thing. All humans succumbed to her eventually, and he would really make an excellent tribute, and the force of will, or whatever it was that was keeping him from falling into a state of mindlessness, would only make it that much sweeter. Just because he wasn't around anymore, didn't mean the god wouldn't appreciate that kind of offering. “Is that the only reason? No, not really. I'm bored, yeah. But you are also absolutely delicious. I'd be a little crazy not to want to come over here and interrupt your studying”

[nashville aspen greer]

'Delicious'. What a word to describe a person with. It wouldn't have been the first he'd picked for another. Maybe it was his lack of interest in other people that just wasn't attracting him to her. That and he found absolutely nothing attractive about a woman. Their minds were a trap, and therefore he found everything else about them just.. not his cup of tea. "Others may find you crazy for doing just that.." He retorted, pulling his book closer. What she was doing was frowned upon by most of the student body. Nashville was one of those things you avoided. He couldn't hear you anyways, so why bother with him? And the few people that did talk to him got frustrated and walked away. So he'd found that wearing headphones prevented people from talking to him in the first place. If they couldn't get annoyed, they couldn't run away, right?

"There's like, half the football team over there." He mumbled, pointing to the boys in the corner. It bothered him how the only thing they seemed to study was the backs of the girls walking past them. And somehow they always managed to ace their tests. Maybe he was just naturally defensive, trying to push her away before she could leave herself. There was nothing about him that he thought was good enough to keep someone around. And his life was far easier alone. Nashville grabbed his highlighter, carefully drawing it across a few lines in his book. He started to copy them down into his notebook in his small, neat scrawl. He guessed if he just worked on his homework, the girl would finally tire of talking to a half-deaf person and find something better to do, like watch paint dry.

[antonia maria deluca]

Toni grinned, people found her crazy most of the time anyways, she was a creature that thrived on it. But crazy for singling out an attractive man to approach? That was a new one, even for her. “I don't know about that. I think talking to you is one of the more rational things I've done today.” she said jokingly, her voice tinged with a small laugh. Her lips pursed again slightly as he pulled his book closer, hunkering over it. This wasn't something she was accustomed too, having to fight for someone's attention. It usually didn't matter, gay, straight, young old, male or female, humans couldn't usually help reacting to her someway. And yet, she was getting the distinct impression he actually just wanted her to go away. She could understand that her influence would react differently with ever person, and yes, she'd come across people who were more able to ignore her better than others. But they always gave her something to work with, some little nugget she could use to push herself in. Other than that trickling of godly energy, Nash was giving her nothing.

Her eyes flicked over to the table of boisterous guys in the corner at his comment, who were spending more time eying up the passing girls than anything remotely resembling studying. They were average, and definatley nothing more than your run of the mill men. As if drawn by her eyes, a couple of the them looked up from what they were doing, and in that instant, she knew her point was proven, she could have them in a raving mess in seconds, tearing at each others clothes, frantically making out, dancing like whirling dervishes, generally acting like complete lunatics in a matter of seconds. They were exactly the kind of people she would gravitate towards on the day to day, ones easily influenced and ready to give in and loose their inhibitions at the drop of a hat. But why would she settle for average when Nash was clearly something more? She dismissed them and brought her eyes back to him. “Yup, that's definitely the football guys... and yet, I'd much rather be right here.” Her eyebrows furrowed as she watched him start highlighting the page he was reading and taking precise notes. A clear dismissal if she'd ever seen one. She sat in silence for a second, watching him, a little stunned as her eyes turned calculating. “What the hell are you?” she murmured more to herself than to him

[nashville aspen greer]

He may be a god, only in a human body, but Nashville was far from the Poseidon everyone else knew. The stories told of the son of Rhea, the man who formed horses from sea foam and commanded the waters. He was to be feared like his brothers, to be appreciated and bowed down to. But even Poseidon himself could only take so much abuse. He wasn't used to being vulnerable, having someone deliberately try to take his life simply because 'they hadn't wanted a son'. Nash may not know who he was, but somewhere deep down inside of him, he understood that this wasn't how he was supposed to be being treated. But instead of standing out and trying to make his point to a bunch of mindless humans, he'd simply inverted. No one could try to hurt him anymore, could they?

Had he heard what she said, he probably would have given her a sarcastic 'just a mostly deaf twenty-two year old'. He leaned back in his chair, pulling his book bag up into his lap. He fished around in it until he found another highlighter, simply tossing it onto the table with his other one. He let his bag fall to the floor, moving it and his guitar in it's case closer to the leg of the table. The last thing he needed was his guitar being broke. It wasn't even guitar he was fond of. It was the drums. But they'd needed someone to play guitar for a play they were doing, and he had second period off. Nashville pulled his book and coffee closer to him, realizing again just how tired he was. He finally sighed and closed his books, stuffing them into his bag. "I'll walk you to your car." He offered the girl quietly, tossing his bag and guitar over his shoulder. He didn't see a point in walking her. He had to walk home anyways. A few more feet was nothing.