Shake the dust

[umbraportation]

WHO: Nico di Angelo and you
WHERE: Various
WHEN: September
WHAT: Quests, open prompts, Nico tries to raise some ghosts from the dead
WARNINGS: Probably none

i. Honey Bee Good

[ Quests. Quests are something Nico is extremely used to doing even if he's never actually been around when a prophecy was told at Camp Half-Blood. Most of those are cryptic and deciphering it can be extremely dangerous on top of headache-inducing. The ones he's found on the forum are pretty straight-forward.

Nico might have been around for a little over a week but hasn't yet dared to use the computer found at "his" house. Demigods and technology don't tend to get along so he hasn't risked using it except to check out other people's posts.

One quest in particular sounded pretty easy but of course Nico is absolutely expecting something to go wrong. Maybe the bees are huge or are just extremely aggressive. Whatever the case may be, he's taking along his stygian sword just in case he has to cut them down.

While he may not have purposely partnered up with anyone, there might already be someone hanging around trying to do the same quest. Perhaps someone who doesn't quite fit the red color requirement. If that's the case then they're in luck because Nico can make it successful.

So here he is, standing far away from the hive staring in at the bees who are buzzing about. ]

They're the size of a large dog. [ Because of course they are. ] I'll fight them and you get the honey?

[ Nico pulls his sword from his belt with his right hand as the left holds out a jar. ]

ii. All Bonds Are New Bonds (When You Just Got Here)

[ For the most part, Nico tends to spend his days wandering around town just checking it out. Exploring each district until he has it memorized and could walk around them in the dark. He's heard that the forest is dangerous and while that's pretty normal, avoids going out there alone as much as possible. The teen shares a house in the Ruga District with someone but Nico hasn't really gone out of his way to meet the guy yet. Probably because he doesn't leave the house until mid-day after waking up and doesn't return until late night. Just having someone else around is a nice feeling considering the Hades Cabin at Camp only ever has his half-sister Hazel living there on rare occasions.

But really, he just walks around town. Wandering up side streets or going into buildings that look like they don't appear to be lived in or are communal spaces. So he can be seen checking out Town Hall or going through books at the Library or even lingering by the cemetary-less Church.

One place he only looks at from a distance is the Garden so Nico's abilities don't accidentally kill all of the plants inside.

No matter where he can be found, if someone decides to approach they'll find this pale-skinned, black-clothed wearing teen looking over at them with dark brown eyes. An eyebrow raised curiously. ]

Can I help you?

iii. In the Dark of the Night

[ One might think that with the way the color is drained from a great portion of the town that people would stay indoors come nighttime. Unfortunately, Nico is not one of those people. Usually his nighttime strolls are pretty aimless but not tonight - tonight he's moving about with purpose.

In fact he's got an old, beat-up shovel resting over one of his shoulders and what looks to be a sack hanging from the end as he strides through the streets. Should someone join him, they'll find that Nico doesn't slow down. He only glances over his shoulder and keeps going. ]

What?

iv. Wildcard

[ OOC: For anything that doesn't fit anywhere above. Go crazy! ]

Comments

i

[promissum]

[The beehive is awfully convenient here, isn't it? The size of a large dog just makes him think of the Mothman class demons.

It doesn't matter to him which one of them does the fighting but he looks up at the beehive. He'll take the jar and frown at it.]

How do you collect honey from a hive?

iii

[hydrokinetics]

[How very much like Nico to show up out of nowhere without warning. Percy had been out checking on Mrs. O'Leary and walking through the town when he spotted someone familiar. He doesn't announce himself, stepping between shadows to keep an eye on the younger boy until he was ready to be noticed.

He has a lot of questions, but he falls into step with him and keeps his hands in his pockets, staring at the path ahead and idly wondering what other surprises he'll get in the next few days.]

I'm pretty sure I should be asking you the same thing. [Hi Nico.]

[umbraportation]

[ Truthfully, it reminds him of the anthill that exists in the woods beyond Camp. The bugs there are huge too.

Though at the question Val puts to him, Nico frowns too. ]

I'm not really sure. Scrape it into the jar?

[promissum]

[Distantly he wonders if these bees can transform into guns, but that's neither here nor there.]

Very well. Are you going to lure the bees out first?

[umbraportation]

[ Whenever someone like Percy arrives somewhere, it tends to involve a whole lot of chaos (and potentially danger) but Nico is absolutely the sort who managed to sneak in without being noticed. Apparently that also extends to arriving to a different world. Some part of Nico isn't surprised to learn that Percy is here too but he's sure that the older teen hadn't been in the well with the last group. Meaning the other demigod has been here a while.

Percy just invites himself to walk alongside him and that's fine. It doesn't deter him from what Nico's set out to do tonight. They probably have a lot to talk about. ]

I'm going ghost hunting. [ More like ghost raising... ] You coming?

[ Hey Percy. ]

[umbraportation]

[ Now that would be a new trick but he nods in response. ]

I'll draw them out and while I've got them occupied, you get in and get the honey. If things get hairy, leave and I'll meet you back in town.

[promissum]

[Mothmen turn into guns. He misses them.]

I'm ready whenever you are.

[There are ways his side of things could go poorly, but Nico's going to be the one with bees chasing after him. That seems more dangerous than simply scraping out honey.]

[umbraportation]

[ They've got enough problems without throwing in extra monsters from home. ]

Let's do this.

[ With that he strolls forward into the relatively docile swarm of bees to get near the hive. It's only when Nico disturbs the hive with his sword that the bees become agitated and Nico draws every single one towards him - including a bunch that were in the hive. He moves back several paces, never turning his back to the creatures and has his sword held up to parry or block any attack the bees may throw at him.

Nico doesn't allow himself much distraction, doesn't let his gaze drift away from the creatures but he can handle being one against many for a while. It's clear that he has practice using his weapon and is quite skilled with it but now isn't really the time to stand around watching. ]

Go now!

[promissum]

[Just as soon as Nico has the bees out of the hive, Val is up the tree and next to the hive. There's no real way he can get his sword to get all the way into the hive without breaking it-- so he moves the jar to the hive and starts trying to scrape it out with a finger.

It's not as effective as it could be, but then again he's not a beekeeper by trade. Still, the jar is slowly collecting honey, bit by little bit.]

[umbraportation]

[ While Val is scurrying up the tree to get the honey, Nico keeps the attention of the bees on him - darting around so none of their stingers manage to snag him because that would hurt like hell. He doesn't seem interested in full-out attacking the creatures or striking them down but he will if it comes down to it.

At one point, Val may look over and see that Nico does slash one of the bees. Then it seems as if the black blade absorbs the overly large insect entirely. ]

[promissum]

[ It's pretty mindless to collect the honey when the bees aren't stinging him. So dividing his attention between his task and Nico's isn't particularly awful. It's interesting, seeing somebody try to avoid getting hit instead of taking the much easier route of just killing them.

That's an interesting sword. He can't place it at all, but considering all the different worlds that are out there, he shouldn't be surprised. Where does it go?]

[umbraportation]

[ Truthfully Nico has no problem slashing down monsters - or even giant mutated bees but he doesn't see much of a point to it. If they eliminate all of the bees then there won't be any to make honey in the future once color has returned to the item. So instead he's dodging where he can and stunning them where he can't. Any idiot can strike down an enemy but it takes a lot more focus and skill to not kill.

If Val asks that later, Nico would likely tell him the truth. ]

[promissum]

[Val has maybe... three fourths of a cup of honey so far. Just a few more scrapes and he'll jump out of the tree, cape fluttering almost like bat wings behind him.]

Let's go.

[They've accomplished this little quest. Time to go back and... do whatever people do with colorless honey.]

[umbraportation]

[ Nico is so focused fighting the bees that he only barely notices Val leaping out of the tree - and only because he has to make sure that the demon vampire isn't being attacked. The words register only a moment after they're spoken and he nods. ]

We'll shadow-travel back to town.

[ So long as Nico and the bees aren't touching, they should come out the other end alone. The teen makes his way over to Val and holds out his left arm as his right is still busy keeping the bees at bay. ]

Grab hold.

[promissum]

[He doesn't have a doubting bone in his body, but he also has no idea what shadow travel is. Still, he obeys the order, placing a hand on the teenager's arm.]

Ready when you are.

[umbraportation]

[ Even with all of the trees being in shades of gray, there's still plenty of shadows they create that Nico can utilize so the minute he feels Val's fingers curl around his arm - he calls on his power. Welcome to the Experience.

It's pretty damn cold and pitch-black to the point where they won't even be able to see each other. Undefinable sounds are all around them and it feels as if they're moving at an extreme speed despite barely moving.

Then it ends and they reemerge in the shadow of a building at the edge of town. Light returns instantly though it may be harder to shake the chill from their bones. Nico stumbles upon exiting but manages to stay upright on his feet. ]

We should be far enough from the bees now. [ He sheathes his sword and pulls the collar of his jacket closer to help him ward away the cold. ]

[promissum]

[Val might be a creature of the darkness, but that doesn't mean he's ever traveled this way before. The cold doesn't bother him, but the fact he can't pick out what the sounds are is strange. Does he want to do this again?

Probably not.

He puts a hand on Nico's shoulder in an attempt to steady him. It's only fair, isn't it? Nico got them out, now Valvatorez gets to support him as much as he needs.]

I don't think they followed us back.

[He holds out the full jar of honey.]

[umbraportation]

[ Personally, Nico has done it more times than he can count and it never gets any better. He actually has a slight aversion to the dark now after taking Reyna, Hedge and a giant statue halfway around the world.

This is also the first time he's tried this sort of distance in Chroma since his arrival. Something tells him that leaving the forest is a lot safer than going in.

Normally Nico would pull away from the touch but is aware he kind of needs it at the moment. Then the honey is in front of him and the demigod takes it. ]

So now what do we do with it? It isn't edible without color and the guy posting the quests never said it had to be delivered.

[ How exactly does the quest poster know when someone's completed a quest? ]

[promissum]

[He'll keep his hand there until he feels certain that Nico doesn't need the support. Distantly he's reminded of the three kids he had under his care, but Nico's not quite any of them.]

I suppose you get to keep it. This is my first time doing the bee quest.

The color might return soon enough.

[The quest poster might by omnipotent or something, he can never really rule that out.]

[umbraportation]

[ He's good, he's good. Nico will just go crash in his bed for several hours right after this. Even after months of recovery, shadow-traveling still drains him so much. ]

I've done quests back home but none quite like this. They're so straight-forward.

Hm... suppose it's a good thing that honey doesn't go bad quickly.

[ The thought of the quest poster being omnipotent or at least knowing when one is completed just makes him think that they might be something like a god. ]

[promissum]

[If Val knew it drained him that much, he probably would've pushed for another option. Unfortunately it hasn't been shared.]

What are they normally? Cryptic?

[He's always made his own quests, and those were more along the lines of "Overthrow the corrupterment."]

Keep this jar. I can't get much out of it.

[Since it's just... not something with blood. It might function as a healing item in a pinch, but Nico seems to need that more than him right now.]

[umbraportation]

[ Nico is alright doing a single jump for short distances but he definitely won't be doing more than that here unless he wants to risk fading into a shadow. ]

Pretty much. It's more like poetry than actual prophecy - using sonnets and limericks to give the vaguest directions every. The most straight-forward prophecy I've ever heard was one spoken by the god of war. It was basically a set of instructions saying "go here, do this and get it done before this day or die".

[ He blames Apollo for such cryptic prophecies even if the god is getting a taste of his own medicine now. ]

Sure, alright. [ Pause. ] So you can't eat anything but blood?

[ Fish blood to be precise but still blood regardless. ]

[promissum]

I prefer things that are straightforward. [Less of a chance of confusion when what's wanted is stated out right. "I'm forming the Hades party."] This god of war has the right idea.

[He looks at the jar of honey and shakes his head.] I can eat it, it just won't give me the right nutritional values the way sardines would. In other words, this honey wouldn't do much to keep me alive.

[umbraportation]

Unfortunately most of the quests are done the other way. Half the time we don't even know what it means until it's already happening. [ He supposes it gives the illusion of choices if they have to figure it out. Though truthfully all of them basically "do this or die".

Nico nods once at that. ] It'd be pretty boring to be stuck eating one thing for the rest of your life. Especially if you live longer than a mortal.

[promissum]

[There's a little "tsk" noise that comes out of him.] If they're going to bother giving quests, they should at least be reasonable about it.

It's not so much about the taste of things, so much as how useful they are nutrition-wise. Sardines contain everything I need. I learned that 400 years ago and I've stayed with it ever since.

[He wouldn't have to bother looking things up if he just went back to human blood, but his pride as a demon won't let him break his contract. Especially not for something as silly as simplicity.]