the misadventures of a grumpy idiot

[moonlitknight]

Who: Zero + Any Poor Unfortunate Souls
What: Hunt for a sacred fruit goes wrong
When: End of the month
Where: A coastal forest
Which: Log
Warnings: N/A (will edit as needed)


i. take 1! coastal forests

[ A few weeks have passed since he arrived, and in that time, his efforts have largely focused on keeping an eye on Ichiru and securing a supply of drugs potions for his little blood problem. Ichiru is a nuisance sometimes, so he cools off by taking errands from his supplier in exchange for a little vial of ruby-red liquid. The deal wouldn't be so bad if he didn't go through his vials so quickly! So, here he is, on the hunt for his next fix.

Today, he's looking for a particular fruit tree that's supposed to bind two people together or some other nonesense. It grows near the beach so that's where he's headed clad in a pair of sandals, long shorts,  a shirt, and a thin summer hoodie with short sleeves to keep the sun away. Near the peak of summer, the beach is filled with way too many people. Zero heads straight for the forest right off the beach, away from the crowds and starts looking.

A few hours later...

He's tired, cranky, and a little dehydrated and no closer to finding that damn tree! He finally finished his water bottle an hour ago and decided to call it quits then and there. A little closer to the beach, he's still treking through foliage, pushing away the thin branches that keep nicking him which isn't as annoying as the bugs that don't leave him alone! Looking a little worse for wear, he steadily heads back to the beach. If you happen to run into him, please do not annoy. He's grouchy and a little irritable. -_- ]


ii. zero 0:1 beach umbrella 

[ So... his first attempt at finding the destiny tree failed spectacurarly, and no one is more annoyed by this than Zero. You think that would be the low point of his day, but you'd be wrong. He can always go lower. His little four hour trek through the coastal forest did a number on him and now he's stuck under a beach umbrella recovering from heat exhaustion. 

A little less cranky than before, he doesn't have the energy to bite off anyone's head right now, so feel free to poke the wild beast, he won't bite; much. ]


iii. take 2! night hikes

[ His beach adventure ends in failure, but the day isn't over yet, and the night is still young. Having recovered from heat exhaustion a litlte too quickly, must be those hunter genes, Zero is back that night better prepared for a night hike. This time, he brings a hiking backpack with him, and exchanges the sandals for something sturdier. Apparently, he's not the only one who thinks it's a great night to stay out because there's quite a number of fire pits scatterd across the beach with idiots dancing around the flames while drinking.

Zero ignores them and heads into the woods. If he runs into anyone, he'll ask them if they've seen a paopu tree that looks like a palm tree with star shaped fruit, and even hands them a drawing he got from the potion maker. Any information is appreciated. ]

Comments

[moonlitknight]

[ ooc; If only he was CRAU and he let him know about his titular title of Hades, but alas, he's straight from canon! ]

[ He files away the claim to Hades, but doesn't move an inch, even with that sword pointed at his throat. It's not the first time he's been in this position by someone with a bigger chip on his shoulder. Fortunately for Nico, he also caught some of his mutterings. Alongside all the information he gathered in those few seconds, he paints a much different picture than 'vampire'.

He lets go. Drops his hand and turns back to the crashing waves ahead, ignoring that sword. He's tired and hot. And a weird kid coming out of a black hole is pretty much rock bottom on his list of things he needs to deal with right now. ]

[refantasma]

[Excuse you, the chip on Nico's shoulder is considerably smaller than it used to be.

As soon as he's let go, he puts his sword back in the chain wrapped around his waist.

He stares at the weird man for a moment, then sniffs and looks at the sea, then at the sky.]

Ugh. Does it have to be so sunny?

[The sun doesn't drain him or his powers, but it is annoying.]

[moonlitknight]

[ The sound of the sword scraping along the edge of that chain is amplified by his supernatural hearing making him grimace. The waves soon crash back into focus bringing with them a calm the black hole stole from under him.

Zero leans forward, elbows on his knees, and rests his temple on his arms, no longer on high alert. Heat exhaustion is still a familiar memory, and while he was never in danger, it still took a toll on him. Less moody, he's too tired to question black holes and Greek gods from legend. ]

It's the beach.

[ He'd grumble about it if he wasn't half spent roaming the coastal forest all morning. Next time, he's asking for a map. Right now, he just needs to cool down. ]

[refantasma]

[Nico frowns and then sits down in the sand.]

Beach doesn't automatically mean sunny. I live off the New York Sound. We get storms, especially when Zeus or Poseidon is mad.

[moonlitknight]

[ Zeus and Poseidon. Right. You've got some colorful stories there. Too bad, he's too tired to call bullshit on it. ]

Zeus and Poseidon aren't here.

[ Which means bright sunny days in summer. Also, don't think he didn't recognize that city. It recontextualizes who he's talking to. Someone from his world or similar enough. ]

[refantasma]

Natural phenomenon still happens even when Zeus isn't being... temperamental.

[From the tone of Nico's voice, he doesn't think too much of the king of the gods.]

But here, if Jason and Percy decide to fight for funsies, they can cause a hurricane. It's really annoying when they do.

[moonlitknight]

[ He just stares, looking more than a little skeptical, but he's too tired to poke at everything wrong with that sentence. You are so lucky his wit is as dull as a butter knife. He would say something but he's to damn tired right now.

At the mention of Jason and Percy - yes he knows ancient literature enough to suss out those names - Zero sighs and looks down at the sand looking more miserable than ever. Why does he have to deal with Greek Gods right now? ]

I'd prefer a hurricane.

[refantasma]

[Different Jason and Perseus, but close enough.

He looked over at Zero and raised an eyebrow.]

You want me to go ask them to spar?

[moonlitknight]

[ Just this look. ]

... Who even spars?

[refantasma]

Umm... Lots of people? Like people who do martial arts and swordplay spar. And people in the military who use swords or other melee weapons.

[Nico gestures to his sword.]

I can't rely on just swinging this to stop monsters from wanting to eat me.

[moonlitknight]

[ He looks to the sword, feeling a little less exhausted after a breather. Yagari put him through his paces when he was younger with a similar sword, less ornate. He taught him how to handle most weapons alongside Kaito and his younger brother, who couldn't always attend because of his health. Yagari never called it sparring, though. Like most things that were hunter-related, it was just another thing expected of him because of his family name. ]

That looks heavy.

[refantasma]

It was when I first got it.

[He draws it and looks at it. It's a falcata, slightly curved, and made of pitch black stygian iron, and glows faintly purple.]

I was eleven when I got it. And kinda small for my age, but now it's an extension on me when I use it.

[moonlitknight]

[ The hunter turns his head down in his direction, reading between the lines, even before he gives his age. It's not the pitch-black iron that grabs his attention, he doesn't even look at it, but the given number. Eleven. Around the same age, he and Ichiru started their training. ]

What does it protect you from?

[refantasma]

Monsters that want to eat me.

[He puts the sword across his lap.]

Cyclopes like human meat, and so do giants and empousa, um... hydras, Stymphalian Birds are pretty nasty. What else have I faced?

[moonlitknight]

His words hit too close to him, except he managed to fail that particular test.

You're still alive.

[ Whether it's for the kid or himself, he's not sure. He doesn't dwell on it too much, ignoring how his tattoo starts to pulse, and picks up one of the water bottles Ichiru left for him, taking a drink. It does little to quench his thirst. Ignoring that too, he hands the kid one of his water bottles, before reaching into his pocket and grabbing a small case, and slips open the top, downing a few pills in one gulp before he has a chance to think about what he's doing. ]

Keep practicing.

[refantasma]

I'm aiming for twenty-one before I die.

[This is said way too casually]

I'll try to live longer, but I wanna be able to drink legally before I die.

[moonlitknight]

[ The thirst settles, and his mind clears, picking up on exactly what he means by that. You really are a moron, kid. ]

You should aim higher.

[refantasma]

I don't have a long life expectancy. No demigod does.

[He shrugs.]

It's not worth feeling bad about. I know where I'm going when I die.

[moonlitknight]

No one's guaranteed a long life.

[ He thinks of the flowers he laid on his brother's grave before his arrival, seventeen at the time. Of his parent's graves next to it, and the plot marked off for him. A family grave. ]

While you're still alive, you struggle to keep it.

[ A lesson his master taught him not so long ago. One the kid already seemed to know. He doesn't know about demigods or the true faces of the monsters that lie in wait for him, but the feeling he felt back then begins to stir in a heart long dormant. ]

I'll help you with that if you want.

[refantasma]

I'm gonna. I just have realistic expectations.

But I'll take the help.

[moonlitknight]

[ Vampire hunters don't live long lives. A hard lesson he learned over his formative years.

He nods once. Understanding that line. Slowly, his eyes stray to the ocean, listening to the ocean waves crash on the sandy beach. ]

Kiryuu Zero.

You can find me under that name.

[refantasma]

Is Kiryuu your given name or your surname?

[Kiryuu sounds Asian, Japanese, he thinks, and he knows they do family name first.

And Zero doesn't sound like it would be used as a family name, but people do name their kids weird things]

Which do you like being referred to?

[Gokudera went by his surname.]

[moonlitknight]

Surname.

[ A very prominent one in certain circles. ]

Either's fine.

[ He's not particularly stuck on formalities. ]

[refantasma]

Cool. Nico works for me. Or di Angelo.