Mictlan93

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Heh, was kinda surprised to see the OOC chat go quiet. Didn't think it could happen!

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Gabriel Aeckard

Location: Downtown, Cruisin’ thru tha Alley
Interacting With: Anomala, the Dwarf Ash Dryad

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The minutes following Gabe and Mala’s awkward little encounter was spent in a long, equally awkward silence. I mean, Gabe usually kept quiet during a walk, but he was rendered even quieter after that particular display. As the two took pause at a crosswalk, Mala took a chance to speak first, as she was wont to do.

“...That went well, yeah?” Her delivery was pretty cheeky, as usual. Gabriel could only groan at her playful words. He stared ahead, waiting for the signals to change. “You're off wingman duty.” He finally spoke up. “Indefinitely, if possible.” The wood nymph’s expression dropped in an exaggerated fashion. “Whaaaaaaat?!” She loudly replied, following behind the young man as he proceeded across the street. “What'd I do??” She tried defending her actions. Gabe wasn't planning on giving her the pleasure of hearing him answer. She knew what she did. Even so, she sped up to be beside him.

“Was it really that bad, though? I mean, I've been saying that you should be making more friends.” She had a point, at the very least. While he was just fine with being a lone wolf, having only one friend to talk to every so often didn't make him any less...paranoid. Either way, Gabriel couldn't say he was content with some of Mala’s more…eccentric friend-making methods. ”Yeah, but ya don't hafta be such a…mom about it.” His flat tone went even flatter as he mentioned it. She couldn't help but chortle at that. “Consider it payback for picking through my hair earlier…dad.” She ribbed. Gabriel “smirked” back, as she always had a way of getting one out of him.

“Couldn't you introduce me to another nymph instead?” He asked, the two rounding a corner. “Well I would, if they weren't so few and far between.” Mala quickly replied. “You said it yourself Gabe, this place isn't like New York. Besides, what's wrong with the demikids? They're cool...right?” She rationalized. Gabriel scoffed.

“Maybe, if most of them weren't so...full of themselves.” He replied. It was a personal opinion based off of first impressions and assumptions. “Well, can ya blame ‘em?” Mala shrugged. “I mean, when you're young, rich, attractive, and housing the power of a…” She paused, her and Gabe exchanging brief looks. “Careless, neglectful, good-for-nothing-” “God, then it might just make you a self-centered asshole!” The two scoffed in unison. “It happens.”

Proceeding down the avenue, the nursery was clearly on the horizon. At the end of the block, as a matter of fact, and on the other side of the street. After a pause, the meddling wood nymph piped back up. “You sure you're not just talking about Ashley? I would figure casual narcissism and attention seeking was just a standard byproduct of being a Lovechild.” She rationalized. ”Nope. You lived here long enough. It’s all of them.” Gabe sounded pretty sure of himself. The wood nymph begged to differ. “Yeah, that’s what i’m saying! I mean, some of 'em are spoiled brats, but not all of them! Ya just gotta look in the right places, and be a bit more open to interaction!” She encouraged.

”There ya go, being a mom again…” Gabe sighed, in jest. “Hey, i’m just sayin’.” Mala shrugged. Soon, the two stood directly across the street from the open air nursery. “So, you gonna follow me in this time?” Mala asked. On a typical day, Gabe would just walk her to work, and go on about his business. But today he figured he’d do something different. That, and he wanted the job. ”Yeah. You can introduce me to your manager.” He “smirked” again. With a cheesy grin and a grab of the boy’s hand, Mala rushed towards her occupation with the Harvestchild in tow.

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Delilah or Ashley.

@karamonnom

Ah geez, I can already imagine the interaction between Gabriel and Delilah. Wouldn't be the smoothest interaction, I can tell you that! Meeting Gabe with Ashley would definitely be interesting, as I'm sure she could easily force him out of his shell.

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@Altered Tundra Anyway for Gabriel to get involved in that "kidnapped demigods" subplot? I'm ready for him to get involved with something or somebody or something. I can do but so much exposition before I run out of stuff to talk about!

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Gabriel Aeckard

Location: Up in a Tree
Interacting With: Anomala, the Dwarf Ash Dryad

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“So, you ever thought about moving back to New York?” Was the next question that was presented to the demigod, one Gabriel was hesitant to answer. Initially, he would've quickly answered with a simple ”of course” as he originally saw this new home as nothing but another temporary change in his status quo. But then he actually thought about the question. He remembered why he was here. “Well yeah. But...I just wanna be safe.” He admitted. “Like, I would wait for a call from Willow, telling me that I can come home.” It was a futilely optimistic thought, something both he and the nymph knew.

“Do you even have a cellphone?” Mala was quick to change the subject, before Gabe could dwell on the thought any longer. She didn't want to be responsible for putting him in any deeper of a hole that he seemed to (perpetually) be in now. “No. What's a cellphone?” Gabe asked, feigning innocence. Mala’s expression flattened.

“You're joking.” She sputtered. Gabe smirked. “Duh.” He really didn't have a cellphone, though. “Just how detached were you from typical human life, anyway? Like computers and the Internet and stuff.” Mala asked. “I lived in Central Park, not the Amazon rainforests.” Gabe replied, matter-of-factly. “I know all about the trends and the social medias and stuff.” He added, sounding way older than he actually was. “Mmhm.” Mala didn't sound convinced. Gabe didn't really care.

“Well I mean, y’come here playin’ up the whole “Forest Prince” angle, and I was thinking you couldn't tell the difference between a computer monitor and a television set.” The particular name caught Gabriel’s attention. “They called me that in New York too...the forest prince.” He admitted. “Being the sole male raised by a family of females, that doesn't surprise me.” Mala interjected with a scoff. “And they also called me...Harvestchild.” He wasn't too fond of that particular name. All it did was remind him of his mother. “Huh. I don't blame ‘em. Sounds like something I'd call you, too.” She goaded with a chuckle.

“Don't get any ideas.” Gabe shot back, flatly. He had finished his breakfast in the span of that conversation, balling up the foil that once housed his burrito, and placing it in the inner pocket of his jacket. ”I'm going.” Gabe rose to his feet. ”You workin’ today, right?” He brought up, still planning on surveying the scene. Mala stood up after him, handing him the sapling. “Yeah, was going in right after this. I mean, I'll be a half hour early at this rate, but eh, I guess I can be early every once and awhile.” She smiled, giving him a playful nudge before dropping from the branch.

A 30-something-foot drop would be considered disastrous for a human, but the inhuman durability of a wood nymph made the plunge trivial. “It always easier going down than coming up!” She called out. ”Heh.” There was a dirty joke somewhere in there, but Gabe was willing to let it slide for now. Instead, he conjured up another vine after placing Marcy in his backpack. He quickly followed after the nymph, rappelling down the trunk.

Upon touching down, the two began back into town, and back under the protective guise of the barrier.

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And that's a personal first post of the year. A (late) happy new year to one and all!

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Gabriel Aeckard

Location: In the Forest
Interacting With: Anomala, the Dwarf Ash Dryad

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Exiting the barrier was something Mala felt more than Gabriel. It barely garnered a reaction out of the demigod, but to the wood nymph it was something similar to walking through a cold breeze (on an already cool day, no less). She couldn't help but shudder as the two crossed the magical threshold.

“Ugh, I'll probably never get used to that…” She muttered with another shiver. Immediately upon exiting, Gabe could look on as her features began reverting to their natural states. The brown of her skin flushed to a shade of green that would be considered sickly to the uninformed. Her hair changed from the its sun-touched auburn to a slick, darkened verdant. Her round, human-like ears stretched out, pointing into a more mythical, elvish display.

“Ahh, much better.” She sighed and stretched. Gabe couldn't help but smirk at her comment. “Hm. I agree.” He nodded, the two traversing further the thicker treelines. “I think my element’s more out here than at the nursery.” He slowly admitted. Mala shrugged a bit. “Oh yeah, you are the awkward, loner type aren't ya? I almost forgot.” She joked, the sarcasm dripping from her words. “Still, I'd imagine you'd like it more in these forests than the ones in New York, yeah?” As she talked, Gabriel approached the thick trunk of an impressive Fir. “Well yeah. Haven't been attacked since I've been here.” He hadn't seen hair nor feather of any of the sort of monsters he'd encounter daily in New York. It was a little out of the ordinary for him, but he wasn't complaining.

“Hey there, Elder.” Gabe muttered a greeting, placing a careful hand to its bark. With a simple gesture against the wood, there were some branches up in the canopy that seemed to melt and morph at his command. A strong vine formed from the branches, and quickly began slithering down to the surface. “I wonder where your nymph is…” He pondered, as the vine slinked down, the excess coiling at his feet. “You say that to every tree.” Mala piped up. He thought his suspicions were within reason, though.

“Can you blame me?” He quietly compared the situation to the one in Central Park. There was a whole colony he lived amongst there. It was argued to be one living dryad for every available tree in that tiny park. Granted, some started dying as he grew with age, and the attacks against him intensified. In comparison to that, he's only really met Mala in this state. As Gabe thought, he and the wood nymph took hold of the vine.

“Hang on.” Gabe warned calmly. “I know, I know.” Mala quickly shot back, getting a grip around his waist for extra security. “Going up-” With two quick tugs, the vine quickly retracted into the treetops, sturdy enough to bring the two with it. When it slowed, Gabe and Mala were able to sit upon one of the tree’s thicker branches. The dryad had to rest against the thick foundation of the Fir, taking a chance to catch her breath. “Geez. It beats climbing, that's for sure. But still...” Mala groaned, seating herself on the supportive branch. “Heh. Yeah, it took me a few tries to adjust to it. Now it's like second nature to me.” Gabe replied, feet dangling as he sat beside her.

Once he achieved his ideal amount of comfort, he procured the burrito stashed away in one of his inner jacket pockets, still warm. Wrapped in glinting silver foil, and prepared just the way he liked, Gabe gave a silent thanks before beginning to dig in. “Hey,” Mala nudged him, interrupting the late breakfast. “Lemme see ‘er.” She asked. Gabe had to put his food aside for the moment, to reach into his backpack. Carefully, he reached for his potted sapling, and handed the young plant to the wood nymph. To which Mala began to coddle like an aunt seeing her newborn niece for the first time.

“She's gonna get too big for your bag, soon.” Mala mentioned, playing with the plants leaves. Gabe shrugged, going back to his breakfast. “Must've been a lot of trust on Willow’s behalf, for her to give you this sapling.” She began to smirk. “Are you ready to take the full responsibility of raising a child?” She talked of the wood nymph that would surely be born from the sapling’s roots. “Probably wouldn't of took the sapling if I wasn't.” Gabe simply replied, mouth full of food. “That wouldn't be anytime soon, either way.” Even then, he never stopped to think of the future dryad as a daughter. But rather, as a younger sister who would no doubt outlive him for years to come.

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Gabriel Aeckard

Location: Making their way downtown, walking fast, faces past and they're forestbound
Interacting With: A Dryad struggling to catch up

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One of the first things Gabriel learned to adjust when he arrived in Utah, was his walking speed. He was already long legged, so his natural gait was pretty big. Add to that the mindset of a asocial New Yorker with no time to spare, and you get a guy that casually speed walked all over the place.

But, he was quick to realize how much slower things moved in this town, as well as how small the place seemed to him. It definitely didn't feel as big as the city. He felt he had most of the important places and landmarks mapped out within the first few days of being there. He learned to slow down as he started hanging out with Mala, after noticing how much trouble she would have matching his pace with her short legs. It conjured up a brief memory, of how she used to complain as she scampered to keep up with him. The fragment of thought made him chuckle on the inside.

Even then, he had a tendency to fall back into old habits when he was on campus, mostly due to never wanting to be there long. Doubly so on a off day. “H-hey-!” Mala had to interject as Gabe quietly started speeding off. He couldn't help it. He had to walk all the way across campus to get to the center that sold food. And it was a typical school day, so the grounds were definitely filled with other students and individuals in-between classes and whatnot. So the partial anxiety of being out in public made Gabe eager to get in, get what he needed, and get out. He'd be sure to apologize to his traveling companion after he got some food in his system.

“Don't wait up.” He mumbled, quickly entering the building. Ordering meals took about as long as flashing your student I.D. and picking from the menu. “To go, please.” Gabriel mumbled, not very keen on hanging around. He considered himself lucky he didn't have to stand on any lines. “Thanks.” He quickly grabbed his breakfast burrito and bounced on out of there. Outside, he was greeted by one irritated wood nymph, sporting all the classic telltale signs of a unhappy individual. The crossed arms, the peeved grimace, the tapping foot, Mala pulled out all the stops.

“S-sorry ‘bout that.” Gabe apologized sheepishly, like a puppy who had just been scolded. She slapped the denim of his jacket. “Seriously Gabe, it's really annoying. You know I'm short.” She added, giving him one last disapproving look before the two began making their way off campus.

“Now, what I was gonna say (before I was so rudely interrupted), was that you should put in a application at the nursery.” She suggested like a mother unsatisfied with her unemployed son. It was a quaint little garden center located on a southeast edge of the town, the place he met Mala. “One of the other girls working there took off, said she was moving back to Tulsa. So, now we're short a person.” She added. Gabriel couldn't help but smirk at the coincidence. “I was just thinking about makin’ money a few minutes ago...” He replied, liking the idea.

Mala smiled, liking that he liked the idea. “It'd be good for you, Gabe. It'll keep you busy and out of trouble on days like this, you'll make some coin, and you could tend to all the plants you could want! I can even have you doing stocking work, so you don't have to deal too much with customers. Trust me, you'll be in your element there. I'll be sure to put in a good word for you.” She added with a wink. Mala really dressed it up for him, made the work sound really good. Sounded like there were virtually no downsides to the proposal.

“Yeah, okay.” He complied to her wishes, even if it wasn't too apparent on his face. “Cool! But uh...we’re going the wrong way though.” She piped up quizzically, realizing they were going out of town rather than in. “I know. I wanna eat first.” He replied, blatantly passing his apartment building. The more they walked, they closer they got to the barrier’s edge, and into the thick forests that laid beyond.

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@MiddleEarthRoze I was thinking more about the length of the post, but yeah, Sam's intimidating too.

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@MiddleEarthRoze @GoddessSophia uh, wow. T-that last post. That's...intimidating.