Looking for trouble (or at least a diversion).

[seafoamrisen.livejournal.com]

Aphrodite was aware that something had happened to Sylar, but lacking her daughter-in-law's particular affinity with the mortal soul, she couldn't really say what it was, or even guess at it.

Well, she hadn't seen him in a while, so this was as good an excuse to go looking for him as any.

Wearing one of her more low-key (relatively speaking) humanoid forms, Aphrodite made her serene way through the park.

((This is, in fact, an open RP. Feel free to bug the goddess.))

Comments

[average-adam.livejournal.com]

((Hot damn, I wish I could play Haniel here. Pitting him against 'Dite would be epic! Oh, well. You get Adam instead...))

Adam was lying with his head hanging off a bench in Fantasyland just enjoying the sunshine and the peace when a beautiful woman walked past upside down.

"Hullo," he called out.

[seafoamrisen.livejournal.com]

Aphrodite's first thought was What a beautiful young man!

Staggering and out of breath on the first thought's heels was ...or whatever he is.

Still, she smiled prettily at him and waved gracefully in greeting. "Hello there."

[average-adam.livejournal.com]

If she thought so, she was evidently the first, though he was as beautiful as nature could contrive to make him. Well, along with the other interested parties who'd had a hand in it, of course...

Smiling back - he was a straight, single guy in his early 20s, who wouldn't? - Adam said, "Takin' a walk? Or did I interrupt you goin' somewhere?"

[seafoamrisen.livejournal.com]

"Not at all, my dear. Just out and about, seeing the sights and the people." Not at all true, of course. But she wasn't feeling a particular urgency to her main mission, and a little diversion couldn't hurt. "I hope I didn't intrude on your thoughts?"

[average-adam.livejournal.com]

"Jus' gettin' a dif'rent perspective," he grinned, sitting up. A bit woozy, Adam took a moment before standing. "It's amazin' what you can see when you look at things a new way."

[seafoamrisen.livejournal.com]

She tilted her head at him, just a bit whimsically. "Like what?"

[average-adam.livejournal.com]

"Like a woman c'n still be beautiful even when her mouth's over her eyes," he replied gallantly.

[seafoamrisen.livejournal.com]

Pretty and smart. Aphrodite beamed.

"One learns the most interesting things around here," she said. "And meets such intriguing people. What's your name and where are you from, then?"

[average-adam.livejournal.com]

"Adam Young from Lower Tadfield. That's in England." He ran a hand through his short hair. "Dun't need to ask who you are. There's only one goddess of love an' beauty, even if you got lots of names."

[seafoamrisen.livejournal.com]

Technically speaking, there were quite a few, but as far as Aphrodite was concerned, there was only one who mattered.

"I thought you might be from England," she said. "I wondered ... well, never mind, I'm sure it's your business, isn't it?" She smiled. "And how do you find things here, Adam Young from Lower Tadfield?"

[average-adam.livejournal.com]

Adam tended to think in terms of the bigger picture. There had always been a goddess of love and beauty in the mind of mankind and it didn't matter what name she took. They were all aspects of the same archetypal being (who, to Adam's knowledge, was male and tended to call everyone 'kid', but that was an irony to be enjoyed later).

"Bit lonely sometimes," he admitted, "an' a little too sunny sometimes." Adam shrugged. "Otherwise, it's a lot like home. People are people everywhere. How 'bout you, Lady?"

[seafoamrisen.livejournal.com]

"Lonely? That's a shame; one needn't be, you know." Not exactly subtle, but subtlety had never been one of Aphrodite's strong suits. "But, as you say, people are people, aren't they? Even here, so many of them get up to such interesting things."

[average-adam.livejournal.com]

"I know," he chuckled. But bringing his friends here wouldn't be fair to Them and frankly, as much as he amused himself thinking of female company, the idea of losing that much control was too frightening to contemplate for long. Adam wasn't necessarily worried for himself, but he remembered the excesses of puberty all too well and the radial damage he'd had to deal with whenever he'd woken up after a particularly pleasant dream.

"What sorts of interestin' things have you seen?"

[seafoamrisen.livejournal.com]

"Oh, that would be telling, wouldn't it?" she said, all coyness. "Anyway, you can imagine, can't you? People get lonely or bored or just a little bit mad, and they go off in search of an intrigue or a diversion ... And then there are the people with no interest in that sort of thing," a tiny sniff, as if she couldn't believe such a thing were possible, "but who are very interesting all the same. Everyone wants something, after all..." A pretty shrug.

[average-adam.livejournal.com]

"That's true," Adam agreed. "Everyone wants somethin'." Whether they could have it or not was something else entirely, but fortunately it wasn't his job to decide.

"I could go for an ice cream, myself," he added lightly. "Would you like one?"

[seafoamrisen.livejournal.com]

"There's nothing I'd like more at this moment," she replied. Not strictly true, but she welcomed the diversion and was sufficiently intrigued by Adam that it was true enough.

[average-adam.livejournal.com]

Adam beamed and it was like being briefly immersed in what yellow might feel like if it were a physical sensation of warmth and perfect contentment.

Making his way to a nearby ice cream cart and peering inside he asked, "Would you like a Drumstick, a Mickey head, or a lemon ice?"

[seafoamrisen.livejournal.com]

Aphrodite was reminded, suddenly, of what it was like to be around certain of the Olympians on their better days—young Dionysus, for instance, or Apollo perhaps.

"Lemon ice, darling. Thank you ever so."

[average-adam.livejournal.com]

Retrieving a lemon ice and a spoon for Aphrodite, Adam handed them to the goddess before choosing a Mickey head on a stick for himself. Conscientiously putting the wrapper in a rubbish bin, he bit happily on the chocolaty ear. Yup. Perfect.

[seafoamrisen.livejournal.com]

Aphrodite accepted the lemon ice with a smile and a tilt of her head. She magicked away the wrappings (it never occurred to her to do otherwise) and took a dainty bite.

[average-adam.livejournal.com]

"Nothin' like ice cream on a warm day," said Adam cheerfully. "'Cept maybe swimmin' but I've already gone today. How do you like to cool off?" he asked politely.

[seafoamrisen.livejournal.com]

"Oh, the weather doesn't trouble me unless I let it," she replied with a careless shrug. "I'm quite comfortable in the little pavilion I built for myself—just a little bit of home, as it were."

[average-adam.livejournal.com]

"Oh, good. Everyone should be comf'table," he decided, then gave a wicked grin. "Unless they shouldn't."

[seafoamrisen.livejournal.com]

Aphrodite grinned and winked at him. "Oooh, I like the way you think, Adam."

[average-adam.livejournal.com]

Adam just laughed. "C'n I walk you someplace, then?" he offered.

[seafoamrisen.livejournal.com]

Aphrodite considered. On the one hand: willing company of a very pretty young man. On the other, she was on something of a mission, and if she ran into the object of her search while in Adam's company, she wasn't entirely sure how she'd finesse it.

So, a little dodge that had the benefit of being at least slightly true: "Actually, darling, I just realised there is someone I need to talk to. Maybe once I'm done with that, I'll come see you?"

[average-adam.livejournal.com]

"I'm not goin' anywhere," he smiled, catching a drop of the melting vanilla ice cream on his tongue. "Have fun an' I'll see you later."

[seafoamrisen.livejournal.com]

"Indeed you will, dear," she said, and gave him a brilliant smile that had all kinds of mischief and promise in it. Then with a little sway of the hips, she turned and made her leisurely way down the street.

[average-adam.livejournal.com]

Adam watched her go with a thoughtful expression on his face then settled down to finish his ice cream. First things first.