Wings and Moon (Hermes)

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Had Artemis been the same person she was the last time she'd been here, she would have been bouncing along to this particular office with a smile on her face, intent on welcoming her dear little (or was that big?) brother and warning him that Apollo probably didn't want to see him.
Instead, she hadn't even realised just who it was that was waiting behind the door she was knocking on with an air of resignation. The previous teacher had failed her for her lack of attendance - a grievous oversight, in her mind, because she was a goddess, why did she have to attend classes to pass them?
Apparently, in order to make sure she got the grade and passed the year, she was supposed to go and ask the new teacher for make-up work.

It wasn't like she particularly cared, but she was here to experience mortal life and all, so there were some rules she had to follow, besides it gave her something to do, and you never knew when you would stumble across a good hunting partner, or attendant, even if they were a teacher.

Pushing open the door before she'd even got a reply, she stepped in with an annoyed expression.

"I'm supposed to.... Hermes?" She stopped, surprised to see her sibling.

[Hermes]

Hermes was on the ceiling. It was complicated really, he was only feeling particularly childish once he'd been given an office. An office. What a funny little thing. Apparently teachers were expected to sit in these little rooms and draw on students papers with colorful pens, he guessed to make them feel better about their awful work or something. Apparently the long term sub these students had had before he'd arrived had them writing these long essays about stupid crap that had nothing to do with communication in Hermes eyes. Something about "I" messages and "hand gestures" and other pointless things. If you wanted to communicate with someone, he figured moving your lips was a big part of that, not writing things down. Lips, tongue, mouth....we're talking about speaking of course, what else could he possibly be thinking?

Anyway.

With a fist full of various colored pens and a stack of paper he was supposed to sit down at this desk and mark them. Well that seemed boring, so he decided to sit on the ceiling and do the same task, at least now everything looked funnier...including his dear sister who had just walked through his door looking rather put down only to have her face overcome with shock upon noticing her lovely brother. A grin dangerously combining excitement, amusement, and mischievousness, spread wide across his face.

Eyes shining he turned his head to see her better Arty! he boomed happily, calling her that given that it would certainly annoy her. Thats what little brothers do after all. Even though, he could see, that she had formed herself quite younger than him at this point in time. He laughed, realizing this, and let himself to turn gracefully in the air to that he was upright at least. Oh this was great...oh good heavens...was she Are you one of my students?! he asked incredulously, positively glowing with amusement.

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Hermes was being particularly hyperactive, Artemis hated it when he was being particularly hyperactive (when she wasn't doing it herself, of course). Actually she hated him a lot of the time, not because she had anything specific against him, but out of solidarity for her twin.

And speaking of her twin, he was the only one allowed to call her Arty at the moment. She would correct him, but of course he knew what her name was, so instead she just glared daggers at him, a look that managed to encompass the whole range of her irritation, from the stupid nickname to his hyper behaviour, to the fact that he had dared to put himself in a position of authority over her (whether he meant to or not).

"Looks like." She spat, folding her arms like a sulky child.

[Hermes]

Hermes was nearly crying for laughter. She was just so pissed and oh, her face! She was one of her students?! He gently forbid a tear from falling down his cheek by casting it away with a finger. He had to take a moment to compose himself enough to speak, allowing himself to float back down to the ground. He cleared his throat, caught sight of her face, cracked up again, cleared his throat a second time and straightened his tie. He couldn't keep from smiling at least, however, as he picked up a confident stride toward her. Oh lord. He had authority over her in the eyes off all these little mortals around. Power over his older sister. Every little siblings dream.

He mocked sympathy, tipping his head slightly and shaking it back and forth. Don't worry Arty he said with an excess amount of sugar. I'm sure we'll have loads of fun he said, he smile widening. Anyway he added I will at least he said, a chuckle pushing through his speech and threatening to take over his composure once again. He let out a long sigh and pat her on the head like the good little student she was. What can I do for you little girl? he asked, taunting her and taking steps past her so he could circle back around while continuing. I'm sure I could teach you a few things he boasted shamelessly, checking his nails.

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And then the little brat had the cheek to get all mocking about it. No wonder Apollo hated him so much.
"Little...girl...?" She repeated dangerously, taking a step towards him, and her hands fell to her side, twitching like she was about to summon her bow, or punch him, or both. "I wouldn't be interested in anything you had to teach me."

The problem was that, while according to the rules of everybody around them, Hermes was the elder and was the one in charge, finding out that her little brother was the teacher had immediately caused Artemis to lose all inclination to actually follow those rules. If Hermes wouldn't pass her in this class, she'd make him.

"I was here to make sure I passed this class. You can take care of that." It wasn't a question.

[Hermes]

Her first comment made him laugh, her face showing all the irritation he had hoped for from his little comment about her social status compared to him. He turned his back to her for a moment only to freeze as her second set of words reached his ears. The air around them suddenly far more tense with her icy tone lingering in the air. His eyes flashed up to meet hers, his expression hardly changed though you could feel his distaste for her blatant order. She may be his older sister in reality, but Hermes never liked to follow orders and her certainly did not like to be spoken to in such a way. He weighed his options in this moment. In the mortal world he had the power to fail her or send her to detention or other things she would certainly find torturous if she was truly bent on keeping up this obvious facade she had going on here. In the world of the gods, however, they were supposed to be equals, ruling over their respective subjects. Supposed to be. Gods fight all the time, its almost a constant struggle to keep them from tearing apart the world on a daily basis and Hermes was generally one of the more level headed. Still, like most, he has a fiery temper if you try hard enough to find it, and if anyone could find it, it was one of his fellow gods.

After a long pause he shifted, took a breath, put on a charming smile, and turned to face her. I could... he said briskly, though with a definite edge. He was thinking about being civil, but he hated the idea of stooping to anyone, even Arty. He thought about it for another second then gave her a playful grin before beginning to rattle off instructions If you promise to work hard and always be on time and do your homework and you can't be rude... he was already carefully taking steps backwards, anticipating her rage. And you have to call me sir! he added quickly with a huge grin, hold his cane in a seemingly causally way across the front of his legs, though it was more protective than anything. Artemis new of his snakes that curled themselves around his cane and were bond to his will. Too much ruckus and he just might have to let them lose.

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As soon as he said the words that sounded even remotely like acquiescence, Artemis was ready to turn on her heel and march out of there, not spending a minute more in his irritating company than she had to.
Then he kept talking.

"Do you really think that's going to happen, little brother?" She hissed dangerously, eyes narrowing as she took in the way he held the cane. Oh so tempting to attack him anyway, she was the goddess of the wild after all, it was possible she'd have a little sway over the snakes - at least enough to confuse them. She'd never tried it before.
Maybe she'd set her new pet wolf on him...

[Hermes]

I don't know he shrugged as if this conversation was as easy as talking about the weather. It depends on how willing you are to hold up this....whatever this act your doing right now is he said, having his hands at her to communicate his utter lack of concern for her ways. This was a game there were playing now and, though she was not keen on hiding her want to murder him right now, Hermes decided to keep things more subtle on his part. He stepped to the side slightly. A move that may have been overlooked by any mortal, but a god could surely see his clear intent to move from her direct line of strike. He twirled the cane in his hands, carefully calculating his moves both verbally and physically as all good con men should.

He watched her, daring her to threaten him further. For someone who maintains his head more than most, he was sure asking for a fight. Maybe it was simply because she was his big sister and he still wasn't finished messing with her just yet, or maybe he was still a little sore about her ordering him around, but he was not about to let her win. Hermes never loses, never. He doesn't plan on making this little quarrel with his sister be the first. He likes games, and if this was the sort of game she wanted to play, fine. Let it begin.

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"Act?" She repeated acidly "No act necessary, brother, surely you are well aware the irritating effect you have on... oh...everybody..."

Well, maybe not everybody, but he definitely always had it on Apollo, and on her when she wasn't in the mood for his silly games and witticisms. Artemis enjoyed her wild phases, but they gave her no patience for subtlety or tricks.

"I'm sure we can resolve this in a way that doesn't make me want to kill you."
Not that she could, but she could certainly do some damage if she tried - or, at least, she automatically assumed she could. What was the point of being a god if you didn't automatically assume your own awesomeness.

[Hermes]

Well now she was being just as blatantly irritating as he was. She knew what he meant, he was sure. The act she was putting on for all the little mortals running around. This little....student thing she was playing. IF there was one thing he knew, he knew when people were trying to deceive others. It was similar to the way he was playing teacher, but he wasn't exactly hiding the fact that he was an all powerful god. He may like to force people into guess rather than coming right out and telling them his identity, but he'd rather they understand his awesome sooner or later. Whats the fun in being awesome if no one knows it? He was admittedly surprised that she could resist not revealing herself as such a...well she was pretty cool compared to him.

He grinned genuinely after a moment of thought about her first comment, however, before sticking out his chest and proudly stating I guarantee that you can find a few woman here or there that would gladly disagree with that statement he winked as he greatly understated his rate of seduction. Hell, maybe a few men too he added with a wicked grin, knowing that she knew Apollo would resent him for such acts. He was feeling more relaxed, though she hadn't let down her attack any really. It was just that his anger had diminished greatly with the opportunity to boast. Now it was only her again bringing any hostility to the conversation. It was for the best really, if they'd started a full blown fight Hermes was pretty positive the school would have some damages to address.

She spoke again and even clever Hermes had a hard time coming up with a solution like the one she asked. It seemed like she either hated him or liked him depending on the day...or even the time of day. She could be a bit bipolar by his standards, but then...what god really wasn't? WEll him, but even he could have his ups and downs if pushed hard enough. These poor little humans, little did they know they've got a whole slew of nutters running their world. Artemis was no exception, at least by Hermes eyes, and there was no way they were both getting out of this pleased. As long as that was the case, he was planning on working things for his favor.

Feeling relaxed as he was he took a step back and sat on his desk, fidgeting with his cane, stroking the snakes that turned green only briefly at his touch. Tell you what said Hermes in a mock diplomatic tone. If you can prove to me in one of my classes that you know how to... he paused for a moment before allowing a edge of suggestiveness creep into his tone communicate...with other students then I will will pass you and you never have to come to class again So there, that wasn't so bad, she might even go for it and not want to kill him for the time being. He surprised himself sometimes he was so good. This should be fun, being that she's supposed to be chaste and all.

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Artemis just continued to glare at him, rolling her eyes at his little comment about the women (and men) in the school - it was so bloody typical, even Apollo did it, waved it all in her face, going on about sleeping with this guy or that guy. Stupid chastity.

Eventually, her darling (ha) little brother got to the point and made an offer. It went against almost everything she stood for to make a deal with the little brat, but she wanted this matter resolved as easily as possible.
Normally, a god would balk at the very notion that sometimes they had to do unpleasant things to get what they wanted, but when it came to other gods, even they had to accept the facts.

"So I have to come to a class and talk to someone?" She raised an eyebrow. That seemed all too easy, and she wondered if he had something else up his sleeve, or if he really thought she was that antisocial.

[Hermes]

It was almost funny how alike Hermes could be with a snake, or perhaps it wasn't funny at all, oh well. He touched his cane again, this time the green snakes fully came to life, doubling in size and happily hissing, glad to be free for a moment. The one called Martha slide her way down to below his feet while the other, George, began curling his way up Hermes arm. He watched them with a certain fondness, a few kind words being exchanged telepathically. He suddenly looked down a Martha and winkled his nose, surely she'd just updated him on some business item. Or worse, she'd just updated him on Aphrodite. To say the least he was distracted from his sister until she spoke up about his offer.

He shook his head slightly and gave Martha a nudge with his foot as in "shut the hell up please," before composing himself and remembering his plans at present. Feeling instantly better upon recollection he smiled at her dangerously. He spun his cane, now free of the oriental snakes, around in his fingers and inspected it while commenting nonchalantly Oh I had a little bit more than talking in mind he said with an edge. He turned his head to meet her gaze, a glow in his eyes that always meant trouble, hoping she was catching his drift here. It was always had to tell with Artemis, sexual things seemed to go over her head sometime, must come with the lack of practice.

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She got it then, just what he was implying. Of course, he'd already done it once this conversation, why not throw in another little jibe at her chastity.
It wasn't even her fault, she never chose... well, ok, she did, but she was so young at the time it could hardly be considered fair that she had to still live by the decision of someone who barely even know what sex was and was way too young to be having any anyway. She was practically ancient now, and where her brothers and sisters had left a string of ex-lovers and demi-gods behind them, she was still chaste and pure and it was boring.

"You know that's impossible." she snapped, glaring at him. Whatever it was Zeus had done to keep her purity in tact, it was definitely working - and not for lack of trying, either.