Heroes and gods (Open)

[thewinedude]

Who: Mr. D (grumpy wine god) and anyone who wants to pester him
When: daytime, current day.
Where: the Plaza but possibly anywhere else in the city, too.
Style: action brackets or prose. Whichever.
Status: Ongoing and open

The longer he was here, and he obviously hadn't been here long, the more Dionysus was convinced that this was his own little pocket of Tartarus. He couldn't remember off-hand how he could possibly have pissed off the Big Three enough to deserve this. Not recently anyway. And never all of them in conjunction. Even drunken gods have a sense of self-preservation.

And yet here he was. Alone. Separated from his wife, his wine, his son(s)... even his overbearing father. He was still somehow in charge of looking after ungrateful half-bloods, and this time there was no Pac-Man to distract him. Even a normal deck of cards eluded him. If this wasn't the eternal torment of the most grievous of sinner, Mr D didn't know what was. Give him a rock to push up a hill any day.

So the displaced wine god did whatever a normal person did in times of great strife... he sought religion. Or whatever passed for religion in this place. He'd heard talk of Lamufao, and it was really only proper for Dionysus to present himself.

(...He hoped Lamufao wouldn't think he was being inconsiderate for visiting while dressed in dark purple sweatpants, purple running shoes, and a leopard-print shirt. And for getting a little lost along the way.)


((ooc: Feel free to approach him in any stage of his "going to see Lamufao" excursion. Open to all!))

Comments

[not_heavens_adam]

Johnny rarely went to the coral god with the exception of the monthly need to do so or get sick and the occasions when a friend went missing. He knew people went to it and prayed for their friends to come back and, for some of them, it worked.

It had yet to work for Johnny.

For several weeks after Crowley, Jacob, and Otoha had all left at the same time, Johnny had gone to the coral and actually prayed to it to bring at least one of them back and he'd might as well have been praying to nothing for all the good it did him. He'd eventually given up and decided that maybe it ran by the same rules God did and a vampire's prayers and desires were hardly worth consideration. Yet here he was again, sitting on the fountain's edge feeling thoroughly put out.

This wasn't his first or second day here and there still hadn't been any answer. He'd hoped Lamufao would listen this time because he wasn't praying for his own reasons, but for Sola's. Zelda had been very important to both the hylian and the entire bubble, so surely it would make an exception and listen this time.

The phrase 'no dice' seemed to fit here.

He was about to give up and go do something more productive with himself when a man with...interesting fashion choices seem to be approaching the coral from the other side. Not that Johnny knew everyone's name, but he did know a fair number of their faces and this wasn't one he recognized; maybe he was new. Either way, he was far more interesting than being frustrated with a hunk of magical rock, so he decided to wait and watch what the man was going to do.

[thewinedude]

Now that Mr. D was faced with the coral deity (and it was quite impressive in its own way, he thought) came the tricky part. Dionysus had been a young god once (he still was, honestly) and had come to realize that approaching another deity of unknown rank and power in the proper fashion was of the utmost importance. He stopped and took a moment to observe what others did so as not to offend Lamufao in any manner. He didn't worry at all about upsetting humans and heroes, but he'd had quite enough of angering gods for about a century or so. Best to take caution.

It was then that Mr. D noticed someone watching him. He didn't find that particularly unusual. When he wasn't under restriction, Dionysus was known for being beautiful to the point that he was kidnapped once, and attracting stares was not uncommon. Nowadays, he stuck out because it often looked like he dressed in the dark and didn't bother to pull a comb through his curly hair to make himself presentable... which was more or less correct.

It didn't seem right to just walk up to a god and touch it inappropriately, although he seemed to be feeling a bit tired (unusual for a god) and was told that's what the coral was good at fixing. Instead, Mr. D nodded in recognition of the man who was watching him and raised an inquisitive eyebrow.

[not_heavens_adam]

The vampire blinked when he realized he was being watched right back and suddenly felt a little bad. Usually, he prided himself on being tactful when he wanted to be, but his mind had been fifty thousand other places recently, so he'd...well, forgotten to use that tact. It wasn't polite to stare at people, after all.

He gave a half wave and turned a bit more so he was actually facing the guy. "Ah...sorry, didn't mean to stare. I just haven't seen you before. That and I was curious as to what your business with the coral was." He was nosy and curious and didn't have much else demanding his time at the moment. "If you're here to pray to it for whatever reason, I wouldn't bother. It rarely seems to listen." And also possibly feeling a bit cynical towards the local 'god.'

[thewinedude]

Dionysus openly looked this person from head to toe and back again before turning to look toward the coral. He addressed the second point, seeming to ignore both the apology and the question about his business here.

"When a god doesn't listen, sometimes they are just busy. It's an awful lot of work... being a god. Holding up the sky, making plants grow, inspiring artists, parting the sea, stuff like that. Taking care of people who only want to talk when they're asking for things and never offering anything in return." The edge of Mr. D's mouth curled for a moment in an unfriendly expression. "A lot of work." His expression went blank. "It's rare that they're really not listening. Can't expect them to fix every mortal's problem."

[not_heavens_adam]

Johnny was silent a moment, considering. "No, I suppose we can't." He glanced from the coral to the man and rested his chin in his hand. "You talk about it less like an observation and more like personal experience. How interesting." He hadn't met a god here, but he'd met a demon and serpent of Eden, and he'd met an angel and he'd met the reincarnation of Adam, so who was he to doubt or even be surprised if someone showed up who was a god of some sort?

"I'm curious though, mystery man, for the request of someone important returning to you, what could possibly be a good offering?"

[zipperlips]

Pestering is an inevitable fact of life, living in Vatheon. Pestering by Kurloz, though, is perhaps more rare. He doesn't go up to strangers without cause. Mr. D managed to catch his attention with the purple clothing and the leopard print, but that in itself wasn't enough reason to approach- just an idle note of someone who had (in his opinion) a pretty good taste in clothes.

What kept his attention about Mr. D is that they appeared to be going in the same direction. Ahead of him, the wine god was making the right turns to head toward the Plaza. Which is why, when the man finally made a wrong turn, rather than assuming he was going somewhere else, Kurloz approached and reached out to tap him on the shoulder.

[thewinedude]

Mr. D had been too busy in his own thoughts and being a grump to give any significant attention to the person near him until he was tapped on the shoulder. The tap surprised him because the god wasn't used to being casually touched by anyone. He was used to being too respected (if not occasionally feared) for such an action. Then again, no one here knew who he was, and his divinity wasn't exactly something he was going around advertizing these days. Without his powers and his wine, he was a pretty sorry wine god. Not that anyone else was allowed to say that.

When he turned to look at who tapped him, Mr. D did not appear startled in any way by this boy's appearance. Dionysus spent much of his time around non-human, non-demigod creatures, so encountering something new was curious but no need for alarm. The sewn lips were an interesting touch.

"Yes? What is it?"

[zipperlips]

"Coral" is a very difficult concept to communicate, using just miming. At the same time, Kurloz doesn't like to break out the writing materials for a stranger, not if he can help it. So he doesn't bother trying to convey that along with "you're going the wrong way to get there."

Instead, he points to Mr. D, then makes a little walking figure with his hands, and has it wander around for a few moments, before tilting his head in indication of a question. Asking where this man is going is probably more likely to get results.

[thewinedude]

Mr. D, being a theatre god in addition to the better known abilities on his resume, was well versed in the skill of pantomime. If this person truly never talked, Dionysus might be curious to have a longer conversation just to see what he came up with. The good ones were always a riot. For now, the simple question seemed clear, if not a little bizarre to ask a stranger out of the blue. This person's appearance and lack of speech put Mr. D in a slightly less grumpy mood. For now, at least.

"Eventually, I'd hoped to see this coral everyone is so excited about. Weird underwater cities aren't easy to navigate," he admitted. As an afterthought, he offered a bit of sign language as he spoke, "Can you hear?" and then just said, "or is it just a miming act?" Perhaps a bit tactless, but Mr. D felt that so was being tapped and asked for his destination by a stranger.

Sorry, action because I'm a lazy sacka.

[goodnightsweetprince]

[ The first thing that caught Gumball's eye was Mr. D's glorious outfit. The second thing that caught his eye was, well. That's it. Gumball only needed one reason to approach and that happened to be it!

He walked up to Mr. D with a wave and a smile, greeting the stranger. Gumball still considered himself new to this place so it wasn't TOO weird for him to be going around attempting to make friends. Plus, he's used to being royal and social and throwing pointless parties. ]

Greetings, well-dressed stranger!

Action is good too ♥

[thewinedude]

[Mr. D tilts his head at the greeting, trying to determine if it was meant to be sarcastic. Of course he knew he looked good, but criticism from Chiron (and occasionally his wife) indicated that not everyone felt that way.

Turning, he sees the guy who belonged to that greeting and determines in an instant that there is no sarcasm. This one has quite the flair for fashion as well. He still doesn't smile and his voice sounds bored by this whole experience]

Chairete.

[goodnightsweetprince]

[ Everyone else is clearly foolish if they don't think so. Gumball holds his hand up in a continued wave because he isn't quite sure how to react to the lack of greeting he just got.

Act natural.

More waving. ]

I apologize as I will not be able to give you a proper greeting in Greek, or Greeking if you will. My Greek is extremely rusty and I fear I will only look silly. How about...oh!

Sprechen Sie auch Deutsch?

[thewinedude]

[It was a greeting that Mr. D gave, a natural reaction to respond in one's native language, but it wasn't surprising to see this newcomer's look of confusion/uncertainty. (not like anyone other than demigods spoke proper ancient Greek anymore.)

The waving is a little strange.]

Yes, but if you speak naturally, this conversation will proceed a lot smoother, wouldn't you say?

[he raises a skeptical eyebrow]

[dontsaymyname]

Barry was wandering the streets of the Plaza in search of something. His heart wasn't really in it. The honesty curse had been lifted, but Barry couldn't help but think of what had happened the last time he had tried to find some prey.

Much to his surprise he stumbles across a specimen he hadn't expected to find in this world.

"My, aren't you an interesting one." The demon smiled sweetly and walked over to the wine god, completely fearless.

[thewinedude]

Fearlessness was usually a sign of ignorance or stupidity... neither of which Mr. D was in the mood for. In addition, there was something about this guy that signaled "inhuman" to the god's senses. He couldn't put his finger on it because he rarely functioned outside of his pantheon, but he knew humans when he met them. Usually. Not that not being human was bad, but it came with a certain amount of arrogance that the god himself also possessed. Being addressed so casually really put the chip on Mr. D's shoulder.

He regarded the interloper with an expression somehow both put-out and bored. "In what way? I don't find you interesting at all." Which wasn't true, but the god would walk away if he needed to.

lol referenced your plurk if that's okay XD

[dontsaymyname]

Barry could say the same about Mr. D. He recognized he was someone powerful, at least as strong as his father, but what exactly he was was something not known to him. Perhaps it was just because they were from different worlds.

"That's not very nice is it?" Barry smiled sweetly. He looked rather angelic the way he was smiling.

"I only meant that I've come across very few here that are as attractive as yourself."

True it was mostly Mr. D's power that Barry found enticing. The man's fashion sense left something to be desired unique though it was.

perfectly okay!

[thewinedude]

"About as nice as too casual a greeting from a complete stranger." Mr. D snorted derisively. Sweet smiles and insincere flattery usually meant that the person was up to something, and he was in no mood for games. "Attractiveness notwithstanding."

Mr. D was instantly wary, cautious but not fearful. He knew his brother's trickster ways and his sister's persuasive tongue. The more innocent and sweet this person looked, the more the cynical, grumpy god didn't want anything to do with it.

"You must hold very poor company."

[ex_knowledge575]

Annabeth has been wanting to take a closer look at the coral for a week or two now. After her discussion with Stein, she's curious to see just how it operates, given that the locals here worshiped it as a god.

Not that she's skeptical. She's lived around all sorts and forms of gods her entire life. If anything she's curious about its form and function, especially given the way it heals people.

So she's not overly surprised to feel better after touching it. Sure, she'd been told that it had that effect, but it was almost as good as drinking nectar! She's have to plan a regular trip into hers and Percy's diaries.

What she is surprised about is the familiarly-dressed god she runs straight into as soon as she turns around to leave. Oh gods, not again.

"Oh. Mr D. Nice to see you."

[thewinedude]

"Yes, I'm sure it is," Mr. D responded absently. Just as nice as it was for him to have to keep babysitting young, disrespectful heroes. Well, at least Annabeth wasn't as bad as her boyfriend.

Dionysus wasn't sure if it was good to see the demigods participating in the local religion out of respect for the custom... or if it was somehow sacrilegious and worth pretending to get offended over. The wine god himself was here to pay respects, so he'd let it slide for now and decide later if it was worth bringing up again.

"Since you are here, you may as well tell me what you and friends have discovered about this place since your arrival. No personal things; just the facts."

[ex_knowledge575]

Annabeth raises an eyebrow to his first comment, but says nothing. In truth it's really not nice to see him, but there are worse gods than Mr D to have around. And she really didn't need to be avoiding cow pats several times a day like she would be if Hera was here.

Or Juno. Whichever goddess currently had control over their shared existence.

"That could take quite a while. Shall we go somewhere and sit down?"

[thewinedude]

She shouldn't say things that neither of them believe. Save 'nice to meet you' of the satyr ever showed up. What would be nice was for Dionysus to not be in the place and forced to interact with these kids. He only subjected himself now because otherwise Father Zeus would like extend his sentence again, and what good would that do any of them?

For the record, Dionysus would also be less than pleased with Hera (or Juno) also residing in this place. That was one good thing about being cut off from the rest of the Olympians.

"Let's sit. However long you think it will take to tell me, give it to me in half that."

[fundemetal]

Most days Leo visited the coral. Sometimes it was just to touch it on his way to doing whatever he was up to that day. Others he'd stick around for a little bit after over where they'd repaired the devices on the coral. The area was blocked off now, but he liked to make sure that nothing had disturbed the area or the devices.

He was over in that area when he spotted Mr D approaching. Great. Hopefully the god wouldn't notice him and he could escape at some point while he was distracted. But the chances of that happening were slim.

[thewinedude]

Mr. D had unfortunately keen perception when it came to spotting the half-bloods in his charge, even when they were trying to sneak away from him. Leo would have to try harder than that if he wanted to slip away undetected. To the god's eyes, he looked guilty, like he was up to something again. Mr. D wouldn't let that slide.

"Larry-- Leroy-- whatever your name is. Front and center."

[fundemetal]

Leo let out a sigh and walked over to Mr D.

"Yes, sir. It's Leo, not Leroy or Larry." He said that as respectfully as he could. He was not keen to spend more time in the dolphin suit.

[thewinedude]

Now that he had the son of Hephaestus' attention, Mr. D didn't know what to do with him. Without the satyrs around to keep him company, was he really relying on this curly-haired hero for company? Not a chance. The bubble would probably be better off if the heroes and the god had less contact rather than more. Not that that was likely to happen, based on Mr. D's run of luck.

When Leo corrected him on the name, Mr. D narrowed his eyes slightly. "Doing your duty and honouring the local god?"