[ open ] you think you're brave, you think you're right

[necrokinetic]

Characters: Nico di Angelo (necrokinetic) & you!
Date: Mid-January.
Location: Outskirts of Keelai. Maybe some wandering inside the city as well.
Situation: Nico doesn't exactly do settling in and staying in one place so well.
Warnings/Rating: None, atm!

[ ooc: thread starters inside!! ]

Comments

( closed to annabeth )

[necrokinetic]

[ the moment he'd found out that his powers had returned — at least, some of them — nico had done the first thing that'd entered his mind and tried to shadow travel off of the turtle. the attempt had been far from successful and had left him feeling a little worse for wear; it remind him of his first few trips, in fact, and the exhaustion struck nico as odd as it'd been too long since he'd felt it seeping in when he travelled alone. but the one good thing that'd come out of it, was that it'd jumpstarted a series of experiments wherein he'd attempted to gauge the distance he could still travel.

it helped in getting him out of the suite that still felt too foreign and static for his needs; this place could hardly be the one to keep him at a standstill. besides, moving around and ending up in different parts of the city gave him a feeling of some kind of purpose. he didn't feel quite so trapped attempting to see if he could push at the boundaries.

of course, it might've been handy to actually tell another person of what he might've been attempting to do, but aside from the past few weeks (or at least that what it still felt like to him), on the argo ii, he hadn't really tried to rely on anyone else. there hadn't been the need to keep anyone in the loop because of the lack of... well, anyone.

so, when he finds himself wandering the uncultivated parts outside the earth sector, he thinks little of it. he certainly isn't expecting any kind of company. ]

[sophos]

[Someone's been a little shit. A more or less missing little shit, but honestly, Nico disappearing off the face of the turtle (or anywhere) soon after his arrival is standard behavior. It doesn't mean Annabeth or Percy aren't going to be concerned though, whether the son of Hades likes it or not.]

[She's out flying with Blackjack, stretching the Pegasus's wings, when she spots a familiar skinny, scrawny demigod skulking through the outskirts of Keeliai. A scrawny demigod they've been wondering about the last few days without word from him, so Annabeth immediately nudges Blackjack downward, and he soars gracefully to the ground.]

[Gracefully and barely a few feet from Nico. Annabeth jumps off the pegasus right after (a lot less gracefully than the horse's landing), and the look in her eyes is daring him to shadow travel away right now.] So you are still here.

[Blackjack sort of stomps around behind her, nudging at her back; she doesn't speak horse to figure out what he wants though, so she just reaches to pat his head for now.]

[necrokinetic]

[ the little shit in question, by the way, is currently inwardly cursing and wondering why he didn't seem to have an internal radar system to warn him about intrusive demigods suddenly dropping out of the sky. at least it wasn't percy, but nico can't seem to decide if seeing annabeth is any better in the grand scheme of things. if anything, being around the blonde seems to make him feel more uncomfortable - or at least, feel a greater deal of awkwardness.

he squirms under her stare and returns it with a half-frown. the way she's looking at him makes him feel as if he's being reprimanded for something, or as if he's ten years old again, but nico pushes that thought immediately out of his head. he can't think of anything that he would've owed annabeth that deserves the sudden visit. ]

It's not like I've gone very far.

[ his attempts to try to leave will go unmentioned. he wonders if there's anything annabeth needs of him because he can't think of any other reason she would've flown to find him. ]

[sophos]

[There's a part of her going good, he's squirming, even if her reasons for the why of it are completely off. But at least he doesn't immediately try to bail yet.]

[Annabeth crosses her arms and keeps staring pointedly at him for a moment, before she lets out a sigh.] No, but I imagine that's only because it's impossible for you to do so. [One guess who figured out Nico tried to shadow travel off the turtle right off the bat but knew it wouldn't work.] Have you been out here the whole time?

( closed to percy )

[necrokinetic]

[ it's definitely not an accident that nico has been doing his best to avoid running into percy. after an initial sort of meet-up to ensure that the presence of the other demigods here wasn't some sort of elaborate ruse, the younger demigod had pulled a disappearing act. literally. ( at least it'd helped him learn that his powers weren't permanently defunct ).

since then, he'd remained on the fringes of contact. he was never in his suite long enough to use the console and wasn't sure he'd want to, given everything. the idea of being around percy still made him feel uncomfortable, especially after croatia, although he was sure that the other teen was none the wiser. he'd be lying if he said that he hadn't dwelled on the idea of dropping by the suite number percy had given him but — but the thought that he may not be alone, that he'd have to see a certain blond daughter of athena as well, was enough to keep him away.

he figured, the more distance between them, the better. not cutting his ties with percy when he should have was what got him into this in the first place. the children of hades held onto grudges for a long time, but they could hang onto other things for just as stupidly long as well. avoidance was clearly the best course of action, right?

it was inexplicable really, then, why he finds himself wandering through the metal sector. he keeps his head ducked down and his hands are comfortably resting in the familiar space of his jacket pockets, as if he's trying to keep himself drawn inwards as much as he possibly can. every so often, he'll stop to stare at one thing or another, only moving on when his quiet lurking gets too unnerving for the kedan hanging around the area. he really should get out of the area, seeing as it's going against all of his avoidance tactics, but he figures that he can take one last look at a piece of machinery that's caught his eye before he leaves. he hasn't run into percy at all, so really, what could the odds of it happening be now? ]

[kelpful]

[It's not the first time that Percy has gone looking for Nico, but it is the first time he's actually had any luck. Of course, it's when he steps out of their suite for another reason entirely that he finally gets a glimpse of him (Annabeth's been out a while, and even though Percy knows she can handle herself, he's starting to get that worried itch under his skin anyway).

He thinks, for a second, about calling out to the younger boy. But he's not convinced that Nico won't run away just to be annoying or something, so he keeps his words to himself and sort of strolls casually towards him. As casually as a guy with two metal seagulls flapping circles around his head can stroll, at least]

I'm seriously considering just putting a bell on you, dude.

[necrokinetic]

[ if percy's ever wanted to see nico do an impression of a startled animal, today's his lucky day. the teen stiffens upon hearing his familiar voice and peers over his shoulder to send him an entirely ridiculous wide-eyed glance. no matter how much he wills it, his joints seemed to have turned into rusted metal and every movement he wants to make (essentially to run away), seems awkward and stilted and taking far too long.

so he's got no choice but to turn around and face percy, all the while cursing whatever misfortune decided to strike him today. the surprised look doesn't seem to be going anywhere as he spots the two metal birds circling the older boy. that definitely was new and hopefully just a side-effect of being percy rather than any kind of permanent effect of being on the turtle. he doesn't think he could handle anything of that sort.

he steels himself, still guarded for the most part, before actually talking back to percy. ]

I'm not a cat.

[kelpful]

[Percy is always the greatest at reading people, but even he can tell that Nico, for whatever reason, doesn't seem to want him to be there. At all.

There's no hiding the irritation that sparks on his face, and he scowls a little at the younger guy] Yeah? You sure wander around like one. Where've you been, Annabeth and I have spent days looking.

( open! any sector tbh )

[necrokinetic]

[ when his time isn't spent practicing avoidance and disappearance tactics 101, nico's doing his best to familiarize himself with the environment of the keelai. he's never been the type to sit idly and walking through the different districts gives him the perfect opportunity to see if there's any independent action to be seized.

as he walks through the different sectors, he finds himself becoming an unintentional observer. it isn't only the architecture and the kedan that catch his eyes, but some of the others brought in by the emperor as well. as he walks with his aviator jacket pulled tight around him, he'll find himself stopping to stare at the ongoings of others around him.

unfortunately, with his still gaunt face and dark, sunken in eyes and a look like he hasn't slept in days, he probably doesn't look like the kind of person one wants to catch staring at them. add in the fact that he's wandering about with a curious black blade strapped to the chain of his pants and he becomes one strange looking teenager.

and the only thing worse than catching him staring, could be the way he unapologetically bumps into you in an attempt to walk on by through the streets, right? ]

lmk if okay?

[demon_brat]

[ Robin's out on a rooftop when Nico steps out of the shadows, and - it has been a while since anybody has managed to startle him. A newcomer at that (well, one who has been here before)? Hmm. ]

I hope you're not using those gifts to steal from people.

[ There's just enough of a warning in Robin's voice - from his perch on the rooftop - to let it be known that it's not a joke to him. ]

yes it's good!

[necrokinetic]

[ hearing a (what he assumes initially) disembodied voice coming the moment he steps out of the shadows is certainly unusual. nico's normally one to take some kind of care when he shadow travels, enough to at least make sure that he wouldn't be scaring any of the general population when he steps out of nowhere. it must be the strangeness of this new city messing with him because he hasn't been so careless since the early days. either that, or he should immediately be on guard—

which is a feeling that only lasts until he looks up and realizes that said voice is nothing but another kid. one hanging out on top of a roof like a bird, sure, but a kid nonetheless and one who couldn't be too far from nico's own age. he knows he should contest that half-accusation, but he's a lot more annoyed by the thought of some stranger trying to tell him what he should or shouldn't do. ]

Why do you care what I do with them?

... and then I took forever. SORRY!

[demon_brat]

[ Twelve, actually. And it shows that he's still a bit shorter than Nico, when Robin makes a casual flip down from his perch, lands in a graceful crouch, and then straightens up to look up at the teen, not at all perturbed by the height difference. ]

Protecting people's part of the job description.

[ He tilts his head to one side, looking Nico up and down through the lenses, then shrugs. ]

You're one of Annabeth's people. I doubt she'd have let you get away with that for long, anyway.

[iguanasolution]

[Frank hadn't thought much of Nico's little disappearing act, mostly because he knows that's the way he is and it's nothing personal. And to be honest while the demigods stay together they are also usually highly independent- unless you count Percy and Annabeth towards each other, but they are kind of their own world anyway. Nico kind of did his own thing as an ambassador back at camp as well.

And even though he wasn't scared of the guy per se (children of Pluto never scared him) if he was honest with himself Nico really wouldn't be his first choice when it comes to someone to hang out with since he barely even knows the guy.

But that doesn't mean he won't be glad to spot him when he's out from his work at the clinic, somehow managing to find the nearest shadow.]

I was beginning to think you had vanished. [He says that as a joke, but he was actually slightly worried about that possibility.]

[necrokinetic]

[ lets be honest here, it certainly isn't as if nico hasn't been trying for the past few days. the only reason he's taken to the inner streets of the city is because he's given up on trying to get too far off the turtle for the time being. finding frank hadn't been entirely intentional at first, particularly because he'd been trying to keep his distance from the other demigods here — nothing new there. but he'd never minded the other teen, especially since hazel seemed to trust him a great deal. the mythomagic thing was just a positive bonus.

which is probably why he doesn't bolt at being spotted and instead actually steps out of the shadows towards frank. there's a drawn out glance at the building the other demigod had stepped out of and frank himself, all the while nico kind of half-ignores the comment. ]

What is this place?

[ he's asking fairly politely, mostly because of his own curiosity and desire to know the place he's trapped in. ]

[iguanasolution]

[If he is bothered (or even simply notices) him ignoring the little quip he doesn't show it.]

This is the Soranik Natu clinic, I work here as some kind of nurse- I fill in the blanks wherever I'm needed since we're pretty busy and Mrs Reyes is just a nurse playing the part of a doctor. [He shrugs] I've been working here for half a year or so, so I do my best to help.

[tomemyoutliers]

( Shockwave rarely ventures out of the Metal sector - everything the scientifically minded desired could be found there, and there's no need for a giant robot pretending to be a human to explore the wide variety of food choices or anything else organics required to live from one day or the next. Rarely, because there are some days that Shockwave takes to the streets in a whirl of brightly colored fabric to examine the fashions of the kedan - wandering in and out of the sectors at will.

Today is one of those days - not on turtle duty and an off day at Wayne Enterprises, motivated by the desire to get out and limited by the definitions of 'out'. Which meant spending more than enough time staring at the windows of tailors and textiles in Fire.

The holoform is perfectly made, utterly indistinguishable from any other human - tall, with blonde hair that's in ringlets today. Stare at it too long and perhaps there's something off about the hair, although anyone would be hard pressed to say what. But it's a combination of that and what Shockwave is wearing that makes Shockwave stick out - a deep purple, military cut jacket and black pants, heeled boots in the same purple as the coat, and a black strip of fabric tied around the upper right arm.

Shockwave catches a glimpse of Nico out the corner of an eye and thinks nothing of it, but then when he doesn't move or blink and keeps on staring, decides it's time for an intervention - turning to face him full on. )

Is there something I can help you with?

( Shockwave's tone is light and curious rather than annoyed - he hasn't done anything to deserve that yet, at least. )

[necrokinetic]

[ the reason the seemingly normal, albeit tall, woman had caught his eye had been the very clothes she'd been wearing. the vivid purple colour of her jacket reminds him of camp jupiter, which reminds him of hazel, which only leads him to hope that she's alright wherever she might be, and before he realizes, he's a little more lost in his thoughts than intended.

when shockwave finally addresses him, nico snaps out of it and gives a brief, confused look. he shakes his head and his eyes dart back to her clothing. it is a rather strange outfit combination, but he's far from some kind of fashion expert. instead, what he's looking at this time is the band on her arm, which seems out of place when compared to everything else. ]

Does that mean something? [ he nods towards her arm. ]

[mythically]

<sub>( diana's spent enough time exploring the city that she moves through it comfortably by this point. she still stands out, taller than most kedan and a good number of the non-natives, as well. but she's gracious and unimposing as she can be, speaking to the kedan in a calm voice and hoping to gain their trust and some insight into their lives.

she almost doesn't feel it when he bumps into her, engrosses as she is in her conversation with a local fruitseller. but she does notice, and immediately turns to offer him a hand. )</sub>

Are you alright?

[necrokinetic]

[ the fact that he's tripped to the ground only means that diana seems to be looming over him from an even greater distance. luckily, he hadn't exactly hit the ground hard and he opts to shrug off the offered hand. there's something regal about the way she carries herself that tells nico that she probably means him no harm — yet, he can't help but feel suspicious. he brushes off his clothes with a frown and only answers once he's already up. ]

I'm fine.

[fotia]

[Oh, Leo's noticed the staring. It still unnerves him even when he knows that Nico is just that sort of guy going around staring and being scary at people because he's one with the shadows, or whatever. When Nico does collide against him though, he releases a maybe-exaggerated cry of protest, because wow, rude, Nico.

But he knows the guy isn't going to say sorry or anything because honestly? He's kind of an ass. Is he really Hazel's brother? For real? It's so weird setting them side by side, one pasty boy with a permanent grumpy-slash-brooding face on and the other a sweet and gentle girl until you hand her a horse and a blade. Leo really wishes Hazel was the Child of Hades that was here with them. Pluto. Whatever.

Maybe it's time for a tactic of approach alternate from "What the Hades/your father Nico, what is your problem?" So Leo grins and rubs the back of his head, trying to look as embarrassed as possible. (He fails at it considerably.)]

Nawww, stop apologizing, dude; it's totally fine, no harm done.

[necrokinetic]

[ catching a glimpse of leo and bumping into him weren't supposed to be simultaneous events in nico's mind, but when he'd caught the wrong end of a shadow and ended up not too far from where he'd just left, he finds himself stumbling past the other boy. despite the time they'd spent together on the airship, it wasn't as if everyone had automatically bonded with one another — or rather, nico certainly hadn't. he still stares at leo warily, knowing full well that he's attempting to use his humour to ease the situation, but feeling at sort of a loss on how to react to it.

he figures since he is getting some kind of attempt at civility and because, staring or not, he wasn't raised completely without manners, he can at least sort of respond. ]

Sorry. [ cherish this moment, leo. ] This place is still unfamiliar to me.

[wreckingbert]

[Ironically, it's the gaunt face and the sword at his hip that attracts Bertolt to this odd stranger, rather than the other way around. He approaches quietly, watching the young man from a distance for a bit, before approaching.]

Excuse me... what kind of metal is your blade?

[He's never seen one like it.]

[necrokinetic]

[ nico jerks slightly, not expecting to hear anyone addressing him after he'd turned his attention away from the colossally tall teen he'd been watching. seeing that very same teenager approaching him puts him on edge, if only because he can't be sure whether it'll be for a good reason or a bad one.

when the interest turns out to be only in his sword, he relaxes somewhat. it isn't the first time his blade has drawn a curious look from others, even amongst other demigods, who were used to seeing one another carry weapons from a young age. he resists the urge to take a hold of it and simply shrugs instead, figuring it can't hurt to answer. ]

It's Stygian Iron.

[ not like anyone would really know what that meant here unless they were familiar with the underworld. ]

Water Sector

[bindsthedead]

You? [Sabriel is currently unarmed- she has no plans to venture past Keeliai's outer walls today.

She catches Nico out of the corner of her eye, and turns to face him.]

Are you all right?

[necrokinetic]

[ nico only just stops himself from falling into one of the sector's many canals. they give the whole place an eerily similar vibe to venice, minus the infestation of katoblepones, which nico would be happy to never see again. he turns around once he's caught his footing, surprised at seeing the girl he'd talked to on the console.

he nods nonetheless, quickly shuffling away from the water, and inadvertently walking closer to her. ]

You're the Abhorsen, right? [ belated realization that he'd never bothered to get her name oops ]