"Alright, it is rare to see the children of a monotheist god. So far the only monotheist gods I've even heard of are your parent and Zoroaster, and so far as I know he hasn't had any children." He said as he placed the basket onto the table along with three cups for them.

"Though to answer your question, the fruits are assorted. The demigods who tend to the plants are nice enough to keep them both in constant bloom and production. Which works out for the children who control pollinating animals and insects. Today it is mostly tree based fruits. So bananas, oranges, citrus, pomegranates, and the like." He said still smiling as he set everything down for them. Making one last trip to grab a pot of tea before sitting down at the table with the others.

"Would any of you care for a cup?" He offered.

Deep in the woods, Ephraim's blade cut through monster after monster without remorse. Breathing heavily as they drew back, he glared defiantly, taking their moment of cowardice as a quick respite. Then the next monster came at him and he stabbed with a wild war cry. Sliding his sword out of the now-dead monster, he whirled to block the next attack, then decapitated the attacker. Momentarily freeing one hand from his weapon, he wiped a trickle of blood off his forehead with his sleeve before it could reach his eye. Good of a warrior as he was, he wasn't perfect, and some monsters had gotten in a few lucky blows. A grim smile lit his face. This was his element.

"Oy vey." Victoria sighed as the teenage punk walked away. Somehow dealing with the little twerp had a way of draining away her violent urges and just give her a headache like someone had a permanent, deafeningly loud Nickelback concert playing in her forebrain. She went to her duffel and started digging around. Ammo, extra knives, a pocket revolver, field rations, water.

Ah. The most useful item in her arsenal. Excedrin, the headache medicine. She poured out a half-dozen and swallowed them dry.

Rayon's head spun as he felt himself falling. Despite his now enhanced endurance and strength the sensation of falling was never something he could get used to. He knew ihe would be fine, but still he closed his eyes to avoid seeing the ground below him as he approached it rapidly. He waited until he got to the ground to open his eyes, waited for the loud thud of his body hitting the ground.

It never came.

Rather than the ground, the first thing he felt were arms wrapping around him protectively, catching him mid-fall. He heard the thud of something hitting the ground, but it wasn't him, he didn't feel anything. Rayon slowly opened his eyes, daring to peek down. He was about a foot away from the ground. Somehow, someone had caught him.

Looking up at his helper, Rayon was almost taken aback by how good looking he was; he was so good looking that it was almost [i]unfati[i]. It kind of gave the feeling like there was no justice in this world if someone could be so handsome!

In any case, he still had to say thank you. He also decided to arbitrarily name this person Mr. Pretty Boy!

"Uh, no, I'm fine! Thanks for the help Mr. Pretty Boy!" Okay, that just slipped out, he hand't meant to say that out-loud! "Ah! Sorry, that just slipped out, I didn't mean to say that out-loud!" But that's pretty much admitting that he'd thought about it. "Er, uh, but I wasn't actually thinking about that at all!"

Shut up! "Shut up brain!"

Before he could further argue and embarrass himslef, Rayon's bit his tongue by accident.

Throughout all of this, he was completely absentminded to the conflict around him, and he didn't even think about how he got sent into the air in the first place.

"Normally I am, but like with God I have a righteous wrath when provoked and now I'm trying to refrain from resorting to violence when in these situation" Michael replied to Adrian as he bit into an apple and loved its taste.

"I have to say that this apple is amazing, every one God's creations has purpose. I don't believe in the idea that somethings are more worthless than others, what you might need now may not be what you will need later" he said to them getting a little philosophical. He then heard Johnny offer them tea and accepted the demigod's offer.

"I like a good tea, do either of you like coffee?" he asked the both of them as he took a sip of the tea.

Adrian nodded in thanks as he received his own cup of tea. It was milder than he anticipated, but it was appreciated nonetheless. He looked on and listened as Michael explained his particular ordeal. "Righteous fury, huh? Like a Templar? I guess explains the weird digs. The rules must be a bit more flexible for him." As he took another long sip, Michael did his some of his own rambling, a spiel that gave a bit of insight on the kind of regard he held his heavenly father in. "He's devoted, at least." It made him take a brief thought about his own father. But he was quick to wave the thought away. The least he thought about Agni, the better.

"I like a good tea, do either of you like coffee?" Michael brought Adrian back to the present with a fairly trivial question. "Yeah, I'm down for either, really. Just depends on the time of day, for me..." As his reply trailed off, he helped himself to an orange, peeling it down slowly, as if in some form of introspection. "So uh...just wondering, but how fast does your uh, ghostly form travel? Like, from one place to another. Is it immediate, like teleportation? Or does it actually have to like, travel to its destination?" Adrian asked.

"Well then I shall be sure to thank the children of Yer Ana for you then. Her children do wonderful work with them." Johnny replied looking pleased at his guests enjoyment as he took a small tangerine and began to peel it.

"I find personally I prefer my coffee with plenty of sugar to offset the bitterness of it. Other than that I like it well enough." He replied, eating a bit of the tangerine before putting it down to drink a sip of tea.

"Perhaps, but some things have grown obsolete with time. Their significance more historical than practical. It doesn't make them less important, but it more means their limitations have been surpassed by something else and the old must find a new niche or bow to the flow of time."

The light fluttered serenely through trees to light the interior of his cabin in a brilliant light, unfortunately casting itself upon his eyes, much to Simon's disgust. Can't a fella just sleep in forever? He mused groggily, staring out from the slits of his eyes at the view from his balcony. Quite the sight, and one Simon had been looking to snag since he first entered this camp, patiently waiting for the previous occupant to vacate before swooping in for the spoils.

Shifting up his beds headboard, Simon stretched out into a sitting position, groaning in satisfaction as he waited for the fog of sleep to wear off. "Another day in paradise." He muttered to himself with a small grin, swiftly untangling himself from his sheets to walk over to his mini kitchen, immediately putting on the kettle to brew himself a coffee.

With most of his morning rituals out of the way, Simon was eventually able to sit himself down with his drink, staring out over his balcony at the days activities. Some tended gardens while others played, and some extra lucky bastards were still asleep. Oh, how Simon envied them. From the corner of his eye he noticed Ephraim drilling the newbies again, silently frowning over his coffee as he strained to remember if his presence had been required, puffing up his cheeks with a sigh as he believed it wasn't healthy to dwell on such things as responsibility.

Moments later had him giving his cup a quick rinse in the sink, until Simon felt that all too familiar feeling, hunger. That Johnny bloke usually knows how to rustle together some decent grub, I think I might pay him a visit. He processed internally, instinctively making his way to the grove as he thought on other things. "Morning lads." He said in greeting as made his way over, grunting as he folded uncomfortably in on his self to take a seat at the table.

"I'll be sure to serve you both sometime in the future, I brought some African coffee that's from Ethiopia and it's pretty good" he replied to them. Michael listened to Adrian ask about his Holy Ghost and how fast it traveled.

"Well it can fly faster than a human can run, I'm not sure how fast it can really fly" he answered. Then a newcomer came into the grove and being polite Michael greeted him.

"Good morning Simon, we're having fruits and tea, would you like some?" He asked Simon offering him an apple.

Ephraim cried out in pain as a monster got a lucky blow, its claws creating three deep gashes from left shoulder to right hip. Turning, he stabbed it through the chest and then cut its head off, but the wound was affecting him, and he was slower than normal. He almost didn't notice the monster coming up behind him, and just barely got his sword up in time to block. The beast attempted to use its superior weight to crush the demigod, but it never got the chance.

Roots burst out of the ground, seeking out every single one of the monsters and wrapping around them, pulling them underground to their deaths. "We have to stop meeting like this." Another root wrapped around Ephraim gently, carrying him over to a young man wrapped in a purple cloak. Tsking in disapproval, the newcomer examined the slashes. "Hm. Not good." With one hand, he brought healing herbs to him and applied them deftly. "You are turning me into quite the capable wilderness healer. I suppose I should thank you for that."

"Enough with the joking." Ephraim gritted out, trying to block out the pain as he spoke. "I get enough of it with the others. I don't need it with you, too, Ephidel." There was an undercurrent of amusement in his voice, however, and Ephidel chuckled.

"I'm sure you do. Now hold still." After he finished applying the herbs, Ephidel ripped up the remains of Ephraim's shirt to use as bandages. That done, he stepped back and examined his work critically. "That will do for now." Turning, he made the root carrying Ephraim follow him back towards the Refuge. "You know, you really aren't giving a good example to the younger ones."

"I needed to fight." Ephraim kept his answers short, trying not to cause himself any more pain. "No one to challenge. All were busy. Monsters need killing, anyway."

"Yes, yes, spare me the spiel, I've heard it before." Ephidel glanced back at his almost-friend and smiled slightly, to show that he didn't really mean it. "Now hush, we're almost there, and I don't want to be seen."

Rhodri only chuckled, gently placing the younger child down onto the ground. It wasn't the first time someone had found themselves entranced by his appearance. His mother had been divinely beautiful after all, so it seemed like he had taken after her in that department. Though it was the first time such a young kid had done so.

"Don't bite down too hard, mate," he cautioned, tapping Rayon on the head. "You'll start bleeding, and you're way too young to be kicking the bucket."

He wasn't too sure on how old exactly the kid was though. Seven? Twelve? Somewhere in between? But no matter the age, he wasn't letting a child get hurt on his watch.

"Ah, there it is." Ephidel's lips curved upwards slightly in a pleased smirk. "The Refuge, and your favorite part of it, the healer's cabin." Ignoring Ephraim's muttering, he sent a root to tap on the door ahead of him. As the healer opened the door, Ephidel was just reaching it, with Ephraim in tow. "Ah, Jake. So glad you're here. Ephraim managed to get himself hurt again, rather badly." He had the roots carry the demigod into the cabin, lay him down on a bed, and then retreat, sinking back into the ground.

"Of course he did." Jake shook his head and turned to Ephraim, undoing Ephidel's work to get a good look at the wounds. "Eesh. Even with godly healing, this will scar, Ephraim."

"I know." Ephraim answered simply. The news was nothing new to him. Among all the demigods at the refuge, he was probably the one with the most scars, and had grown used to it. Sitting there on the bed, shirtless, he looked resigned. "Just give me the medicine."

Ephidel leaned against the wall, watching. After Jake was finished with Ephraim, he would make his usual requests, which would most likely be granted. Right now, however, he just wanted to make sure that the person who was the closest he had to a friend would be alright.

"Heyy Sy, morning!" Adrian greeted alongside Michael, showing a grin as he joined the three at the table. "Ey, didja hear? Vicki got into some shit with Riley on the target range. She shot 'im in the foot!" He recapped to the finnish god's child, with no lack of enthusiasm. "Granted, in her defense, the dude dropped lil' Rayon from like, a hundred feet out of the air and called it "training". Talk about your normal Monday morning, eh?" He added, discarding his orange peels before helping himself to more fruit. Adrian usually wasn't the one to gossip, but with these sort of shenanigans occurring almost daily, sometimes he couldn't help but chat somebody up about it.

Simon gave a quick wink and a nod of thanks as he took the offered apple, pocketing it for no particular reason as he turned to listen to Adrian, his hands working their way through the various assortments of fruit. Plucking up the most desirable ones his eye could find to them pop in his mouth or amass before him. "So what did old frost tips do after that?" He said through a mouthful of grapes, chuckling all the while. "Knowing him he probably claimed it had no effect, being a mortal weapon and all. You should hear the grief he gives me about using this." He added, patting the blade on his hip as his other hand snatched up a particularly juicy pear. Definitely nicking that for a lunch time snack.

Although a potent magic user and enthusiast, not even Simon could get on the same level of appreciation for it as Riley, which showed in the passion he held for his sword work and lack of practice with his abilities, this mainly stemmed from his hate of the horrific aroma that seemed to emit from him upon its use.

"Yeah! He tried to play it off, y'know, how he always does. Put the foot in a cast made of ice, and hobbled off." Adrian replied with a chuckle. "And Vicki's just like "what a bitch!", right? Classic Vicki, no filter, doesn't give a fuck." He sighed and shook his head. "He really wants us to take him seriously, but it's so hard, y'know? Like, he does his whispery grim voice, and tries to be imposing, but with the dyed hair and the noodle-y arms, sometimes he just makes me wonder if he's ever being serious or not." Adrian added, reaching for an apple of his own.

"We should also remember that she did shoot him in the foot and that's unacceptable violence in my eyes. Terribly wounding one of us is not how we learn to work together. He did have a point, some of us aren't much interested in mundane weapons, I'm not really. I rely on my Holy Ghost and have only average skills with a blade" he said to them with a calm voice.

"I think that all should be trained for their specific needs and it will heighten our chances of protecting one another." Michael was for each demigod working improve what made them unique. They weren't just an army of soldiers, they were people with extraordinary powers that could perform miracles.

"We must fight less and focus on keeping together or not even God could save us from death" he spoke with charisma.

Holding in a gasp of pain, Rayon gave a thumbs up to signal that he was fine.

"Don't worry! I've gone through worse than this!" With childishly tough swagger, Rayon curled his arms to show some muscle. It would have been hilarious, considering the fact that Rayon had about as much muscle as a kitten, but the scars on his arm were no laughing matter.

Flayed across randomly, some jagged, some smooth, were scars of varying lengths. They were old wounds, most of them had healed long enough so as to fade, but up close as Rhodri was, there was no missing them, especially the scars that were uncovered by Rayon to show off his arm - those were fairly new and completely visible.

"Still, thanks for the save! How were ya able to catch me though? Are you able to fly as well?" asked Rayon, oblivious to the horror his scars could present.

"While I agree shooting him in the foot was a bit much the wound could hardly be called grievous. Were this a normal place certainly it would be, but here we have specialists in healing magic who could certainly heal that wound without issue. Frankly a shot in the foot while not in active combat here is comparable to a scrape among non-demigods.

Frankly I'm also not a fan of having magic lorded over people as if it makes us all worthless. My argument against bow training is that it isn't useless, it just takes longer for most demigods to become proficient with a bow than it does a gun and the bow's main draw now is that it is a truly silent ranged weapon. Certainly useful still, but in a much more limited capacity. My summation is that both parties were in the wrong, and if the blame does shift more to one side than the other it likely isn't by much." Johnny chimed in before taking a drink of tea.

"It would be wonderful if disparate demigods could come together without fighting. But no society, not even that of heaven was without strife. The trick is to use that strife to find novel ways forward that our opponents would never expect. Their peace within themselves will make them begin to think in similar ways. Our infighting, properly utilized, can make us an unpredictable and innovative enemy that they will be unable to defeat using the traditional methods of war."

The scars nearly sent Rhodri recoiling, but he held in his shock, not wishing to make the kid think that he was disturbing the Briton with his presence. Adopting a dazzling smile, and pushing the thought of the scars out of his mind (though also vowing to, if those scars were brought about by somebody, to beat the stuffing out of that person for dating to harm such a cute is), he crouched down so that they were face to face.

"Nah mate, I jumped," he said, gesturing at his legs. "Mum gave me super strength. It's pretty wizard."

The wonders of divine powers were real great.

"So, what's your name? I'm Rhodri. Rhodri Ceredigion."

Rayon grinned. "Super strength? Cool! I've got that too. but I've never tried jumping with it. I'll try it out later . . . right after I've had a nap. I don't think I can use bring anything out right now," he said, flexing his hand casually. As he suspected, it was shaking from exhaustion; it wasn't a feeling he was new to, so he was used to moving despite it. "Who's your mom though? I don't know any goddesses that give super strength . . ." he paused, before, raising his palms up as a form of apology. "Oh but you don't have to answer that if you don't want to! It's probably a really secret thing right?"

"Anyway, I'm Rayon Ducat! It's nice ta meethca Rhodri!" I hope we can be friends!" Rayon stretched out his right hand for a shake, revealing just as many scars as on his left, with an added feature; closer inspection of this arm brought to light patches of skin that were a different color from the rest - they were lighter, pinkish, like . . . burn marks. If one had sufficient knowledge of medical science, then they'd probably recognize the scars as third degree burns, albeit faded with time as they healed.