maybe I've been here before [hermes]

[Alyss Heart]

Ever since Della had noted that the library was up and running again, mainly due her hers and this woman name Judy's intervention, Alyss had thought it'd be nice to see the place again, particularly if she planned to teach...particularly since she had a certain idea about how to conduct her lessons, had gotten it while she and Della were reading to Tori the other night. So now? She was in the section that'd give her some of Dickens' works. Her fingers hovered over some of the titles, there were so many to choose from, all she loved. She credited Dickens with a lot of her views towards her duty as queen...and well...wouldn't that be a valuable lesson point in a school that would most likely teach many future kings and queens? Perhaps she didn't need to pick a specific text just yet...

She turned from the shelf, and took a few steps out to where the desks were...it was tempting to move them around, she had a feeling that with this method she'd be testing out, it'd be best to have tables in a circle...but no, no, it'd probably be wise to leave these tables as is and save that for the classroom. She then took a deep breath, as if she hadn't done this sort of thing a number of times by now. Whether she meant the Imagination or the discussion of Dickens' impact was hard even for her to say. Still, with a confidence one never would have guessed from her nineteen year old self, she lifted her hand, and began to practice.

"The fact that the treatment of the poor was such a common theme in most of Dickens' work was no accident." What happened with her words was something she once heard Della describe as "making holograms with her mind" which she supposed was accurate. She had known the streets of 19th Century London quite well, and if she was to teach literature, why not bring the locations to life? "The birth of industrialization was coupled with whole new hardships for the lower class, that many turned a blind eye to in the name of progress." This would be somewhat trickier....but on the streets she managed to conjure the images of some homeless families and children, a dirty factory elsewhere, a workhouse...while, unlike her aunt, she rarely used this ability, it seemed to be going well, if a bit too close to home. 

A satisfied smile on her face, she continued muttering; "One could say that Dickens aimed to expose these hardships right where those in power lived. It's hardly an accident that new laws aiming to protect the poor were on the rise in the wake of some of his best works being read..."

The lesson itself was a little vague, she was making this up off the top of her head, after all...but yes, these images she could create could be invaluable in getting any of her points across, and perhaps actually make students interested in learning around here. She could scarcely remember how many classes actually had most of its students there regularly, and she would like to help fix that. It seemed silly but...she knew the impact a good book could make, how it could mold you into something better. She wanted to show that to others, to contribute something that wasn't just diplomacy and having to explain to Arch why he should care what the women in his country think, and to the Diamonds why non nobles were people too. Hell, perhaps she ought to try to show them some Dull World literature, they might learn something...

As she pondered, she created images of some specific characters, just to see if her Imagination was clear enough for that...and hey, if there were movie versions of the books she taught, she might not be opposed to recreating some scenes that should have been in the adaptations...she beamed at the thought. There was such potential here.

[Hermes]

Hermes rarely needed a library. He enjoyed knowledge and books and all that, but usually he just conjured texts should he need one. Most of the time it was just for show anyway. Hermes fancied himself an honest to Zeus know it all. He wasn't the god of every corner of the earth, but he knew a lot about a lot of things. If he didn't know it, it probably wasn't important. So what exactly was he doing in a library now? The short answer was he was on the hunt for a squirrely looking man that answered to the pet name 'Little Apple.' Given everything his brother had told him, the library seemed like a more than ideal place to start. In the mean time he could plot just exactly he might say or do to win him over. It should take all that much if he truly liked his idiot of a brother.

Hermes was lounging in a chair in a far corner, lamenting that someone might grow suspicious if he tried to hover. Hovering was so much more comfortable than a chair. However, soon enough a distraction arose to halt his scheming and whining. A devastatingly familiar voice drifted from beyond the bookcases. Hermes started and nearly dropped the book he'd been flipping through for no other reason than to seem less obvious. The glasses that he always wore but never needed nearly fell off his face and he crossed his eyes to give them an irritated look. He righted them with his mind then stood up.

He instinctively wanted to move. He wanted to see her face, but he also didn't want her to see him. Had it been a hundred years for her? She didn't sound all that old. Time, of course, worked differently where she was from. Perhaps no time had passed at all. He shouldn't make himself known, it would just complicate things. Oh, but he longed to play the game with her. He longed to hear her clever words and watch her lovely blonde hair as it moved against gentle drafts. What a minute. Hermes looked down at himself. He wasn't in a form she would recognize! How could he have forgotten that he'd done all this? This was perfect. A mischievous grin grew on his face. He could have his cake and eat it too. She would never know who it was. He could start over, not make the same mistakes twice. How wonderful it was to be a god.

Hermes fixed his face into one of interest and cautiously turned the corner into the opening with desks and, there, Alyss, beautiful Alyss, was making magic and looking lovely. His eyes watched her images swirl and change with intense and honest amazement. He didn't move or speak until she appeared to pause in her speech.

"Pardon me," he said gently, moving closer to one of the desks. "But that is a wonderful trick." He smiled, but not his normal charming grin. This was more of an honest, grounded smile. A kind smile. He was kind a gentle and studious now. That was his character Mercutio.

[Alyss Heart]

For someone who spent more of her life than average looking over her shoulder, fearing someone coming from behind to attack her, Alyss often didn't realize when someone was quite literally coming up behind her. Even though she was pausing in actual lesson planning, she was too distracted by toying with this aspect of her abilities she hadn't really used before. Redd had...she distinctly remembered believing she was back in London, back with the Liddells, that once again she had been dreaming of her imaginary world. She didn't want to manipulate people quite like that, only give them a peek into places many of them would have never been. To offer a more immersive learning experience that could possibly help them care more...that's all she ever really wanted. Was for people to care, to see things the way she saw them.

She didn't have much time to think of that, however, as she heard an unfamiliar voice come from behind her, and she spun on her heel. For once, the unexpected didn't startle her, somehow, and she was grateful for that. She was rather tired of being scared of anything that surprised her, and this newcomer couldn't possibly have looked more innocent. A bespectacled young man with a sweet smile offering her a compliment. Obviously she knew that things weren't always as they appeared (just ask any kitten she came across after the age of six), yet she somehow felt rather at ease, and offered the boy a smile.

"Well thank you. I'm just experimenting, seeing if it could work for lessons when the school gets back up," she said, letting some of the images fade so she could focus a bit more on the conversation at hand. "I guess that's a sign that it's working." She tilted her head. "I suppose you're a new student? Perhaps you'll end up in one of my classes, then. I'm Alyss...erm, Ms. Heart, I suppose." Oh...oh so that was a new title she would have to get used to. Or was it to be Professor, even though, as she pointed out to Milo, she wasn't exactly professionally trained in teaching? Hopefully that lackadaisical tradition wouldn't come back to haunt them again...

[Hermes]

A teacher? Well of course, she was always very clever. Hermes didn’t often notice when mortal’s aged that much, but Alyss he knew had gotten a bit older. It suited her, as many things did. Not to mention, her lovely imagination could keep even him interested. He wasn’t the best student in reality, after all, he felt that he had nothing else left important to learn. Still, she could keep him enthralled and not just because of her lovely eyes.

Ah, was he staring? Hermes blinked. What was he doing? It wasn’t as though he was in love with her. She was just a rather extraordinary mortal is all. She happened to catch his eye, but nothing more. Focus.

”Well, Ms. Heart I do hope so.” He said, trying hard to keep his normal charm out of it. It wasn’t easy not to flirt with her. He had a feeling should he try she’d pick up on his tactics pretty quickly.

”They call me Mercutio” He said, adjusting his glasses.

[Alyss Heart]

For a moment, the boy seemed quiet, pensive even, and was staring...well, right at her, as he was so deep in thought. Was that just her imagination, the one that couldn't conjure images and objects at her very will? Gods, she hoped so, because she hadn't a clue how to feel if it wasn't, other than the strange twist in her stomach it gave her.

Fortunately he spoke again, alleviating that (surely imagined) discomfort (was that the right...of course it was the right word, Alyss, what on earth?), and she maintained that warm smile she hoped to offer to any of her students. She didn't just want to offer thrilling imagery, after all. Much like she tried to be as a queen, she hoped that some of her students might look to her as more than just a woman who was giving grades and a hard time. She'd like to be a mentor, if she could, and offer some wisdom outside of the curriculum.

"It's lovely to meet you Mercutio. It's been nice, seeing some new faces around here, after being away so long...I was probably around your age when I was last here, actually, so should you need any help around here, don't hesitate to ask, whether you end up as my student or not."

[Hermes]

”My age” Hermes nearly snorted, lost for a moment in thought and nearly forgetting his new mortal age. He was many many years older than her, after all. Luckily, he recovered quickly and cleared his throat. ”Is that so?” he said, sliding into the seat at the desk in front of her. ”You don’t appear much older than I am, is all that I mean” he said sweetly. It took everything within him not to wink. Gosh she looked good. He hadn’t seen her in so long. He hadn’t realized how long it had been until this moment. He felt...warm. He felt like he wanted to feel her skin again. He’d missed more than her voice, after all.

”Hopefully I’ll be your student, I’ve never had a teacher that could conjure up such beautiful visions before.” he said a bit eagerly. He sat forward in his seat, keeping his eyes fixed on her face despite wanted to give her a once over. He wanted to let his imagination wander. He wondered in passing what she thought of his new form? He could never get the mortal age thing just right, was he too young for her? Did it matter? Would she kiss him without knowing who he truly was? Wouldn’t that be a whole lot of delicious intrigue and veiled intentions.

”What exactly do you teach?” he said, looking a little dreamy, though he wasn’t just dreaming about his future education.

[Alyss Heart]

Alyss tilted her head, wondering what was so funny about her saying that, until he commented that she hardly seemed much older than him. Well, she supposed that was true. The seven years that had passed for her hadn’t aged her quite as much as being a queen probably could have. Still, she arched an eyebrow. “Perhaps not…but I was about twenty when I was last here, I’m twenty seven now…” She trailed off, thinking of just how strange it was that it was that long…sure, Tori was living proof of that, but it still felt bizarre to say it out loud. “I can’t imagine you’re much older than I was.” It did feel strange, being able to actually say ‘when I was your age’ to anyone. She hadn’t even said it very much to her daughter, simply because…there weren’t a lot of stories she would want to share of her seven year old self to her seven year old daughter. All the stories were far too sad.

She lowered herself into a seat not far from Mercutio, because she hardly wanted to stand above him in this casual setting. Smoothing out her skirt, she answered, “That’s quite sweet of you to say…although you might find that sort of thing isn’t too unusual here. I imagine I won’t be the only teacher to put my abilities to good use during lectures. I’ll be teaching Literature, and I thought that’d be an easy way to bring the stories to life in a new way.”

Despite how they were speaking of most ordinary things, she noticed the way he was leaning forward, the way he was looking at her…she was fairly certain she wasn’t imagining this now. Her stomach twisted again, and…she was realizing it wasn’t terribly unpleasant, somehow, even though of course she had no business entertaining a thing the look on his face might have been implying. That was an outlandish idea, especially if he was potentially her future student. He was far too young for her anyway, what was wrong with her?

As though to remind herself of that very fact, she said, “I appreciate you’re already taking an interest, though. Hopefully others will agree.”

[Hermes]

Twenty seven? Hermes marveled at the idea. Seven years had passed for her when it had been nearly a hundred for him. Seven years was nothing in comparison. Had she thought of him at all during that time? Was seven years quite long in a mortal’s life? There were certain lines on her face that may have not been there before, yet Hermes found it hard to be sure. Even as a god, his memory wasn’t as perfect as he’d like it to be. He had a lot of things to store up there. Even by a god’s standard, Hermes mind was packed. That was saying something given his mind could hold at least a thousand times more information than any mortal’s could hope to. They had to pick a choose what to do with their limit space. Had Alyss chosen to give up some precious memories to make room for thoughts of her divine lover? Wasn’t that a lovely thought.

Hermes furrowed his brow and shook his head, agreeing with the fact that she couldn’t have been much older than he was, despite the fact that he was so much older than she would ever be. He tried not to look too dreamy as she explained what she would be teaching and how. ”That is terribly intelligent off you” He said, resting his cheek on his hand. He blinked a few times and straightened up, he was looking too wistful. She was just so smart. Hermes loved smart.

”I’m sure they will!” he said, trying not to give her too much time to think about his previous actions. ”What else can you do with your magic?” He asked, curiously, hoping to see more of her brilliance.

[Alyss Heart]

In spite of herself, Alyss smiled sheepishly at Mercutio’s compliments. Was he always so charming with new teachers? She sort of hoped so, it might make this all a bit less awkward, and she’d be far less likely to have to let the poor thing down…though with the way he kept looking at her, she wondered if it really mattered if this was how he usually behaved, it was still a sticky situation…but for now she’d ignore it. She could still be reading too much into things. “Again, you’re very kind.”

It was funny, Alyss was certain she had hardly ever been asked that question until she returned here…first Milo and then Mercutio…and…well, surprising Milo by essentially placing him in The Nautilus had been so thrilling…

The kind of playful smile that almost no one used to see (not even the one who probably saw more of her than anyone else) appeared on her face and she murmured, “Oh, where to even start…I could create just almost anything. Make this library look like somewhere else, as you saw…” She studied the boy, perhaps a bit too closely, but what would put on enough of a show for him? She couldn’t just not indulge such a complimentary potential student, if only in this way, and of course no other. Besides, it could serve as a good distraction for him if he kept looking at her like that.

“Conjure objects in midair…” Eventually she settled for something rather simple, a row of flowers native to Wonderland, though she made sure to keep their music to a low hum. They were still in a library after all…although…perhaps not quite exciting enough...

She hardly needed to snap her fingers to get those flowers to transform into butterflies that lifted off towards the nearest open window…she just rather liked the affect it probably had.

She turned her gaze back to Mercutio and shrugged. “I mean I hardly like to show off, but you did seem rather interested.”

[Victoria Heart]

Fun as it was to finally meet the lady that her mother had been talking about for as long as she could remember, it was even more fun to mess with her, which was exactly why Tori ended up shooting her godmum a wicked grin mid conversation and daring her to, "Catch me!" For Della this usually wouldn't have been a problem, but she hadn't played tag with a demigod before, and while she wasn't exactly superhuman (yet, anyway), she was faster than your average kid, and the fact was there was a reason her father was the inspiration for The Flash.

Giggling madly, she weaved through the school grounds, and pondering places to hide to give Della a real challenge, she eventually stumbled upon a building where, upon peeking through the windows, she caught sight of a familiar figure, and suddenly she very much wanted her mummy in on the game...and hey, the window was slightly open, and where was the fun in finding a door anyway? With a pull, she managed to open it, and she climbed her way in.

Incredibly proud of herself, she proceeded to barrel between the shelves, and into her mother. "Mum!" she cried. "I sneaked in through the window! I'm hiding from Aunty Della!"

Mum had gasped and pulled back...and as expected, she started to laugh. "Oh are you now? I hope you're being nice to her."

Tori almost felt offended...but then she caught sight of one of the butterflies that appeared here, oh did Mummy create them? She reached out and managed to catch one. "Well sure, I'm just playing!"

It was around that time she caught a glimpse of her mother's companion...and she tilted her head...something was different about this man from other people she had seen since they got here...well no, that wasn't quite true. He sort of reminded her of when they met Uncle Apollo, except...it was like he was hiding...

Tori could sense her mother kneeling down by her. "Tori, this is Mum's new friend Mercutio. He might wind up being one of my students."

Still studying him, she offered him a charming little smile. "Hello sir. You seem familiar..."

[Hermes]

Hermes eyes sparkled as she conjured things before his eyes. He had never know she possessed such great power, perhaps she had been learning since she'd been gone. What else had changed, he wondered vaguely. He also dwelt on the various other things they could use this power for. Think of the roleplaying. No wait, don't think of the role playing. This was not the time or place to get too excited. She thought that he was a student and he wasn't ready to give that up. She was surely extremely disappointed in him about the whole 'leaving the war early' thing. Of course, what did Hermes care? He didn't care, shut up. He just rather avoid the hassle of it all. Not to mention it really hindered his ability to sleep with her again.

"Please, show off." Hermes encouraged. He could sit here and watch her all day. Of course, the fates had other plans because not a moment later a small human interrupted them. Hermes didn't particularly love children. They were very unpredictable and usually complicated thing when you were trying to flirt with their owners...er...parents. This on had dark hair, blue eyes, and was calling Alyss mum. Also Aunty Della? he was going to have to loop back to that after he figured out how and when Alyss had gotten a child. Hermes looked at her crookedly, unsure of how to proceed and remain in character. Did Mercutio like children. Probably, he was supposed to be sweet and all that.

Hermes said nothing as he carefully watched them interact, gathering as much data as he possibly could. She was a clever child and a bit of a trouble maker. Alyss introduced her to him and Hermes felt a shock of recognition when her eyes landed on her. Holy Zues this is my child.His eyes flicked to Alyss and then away again just as fast. Well, this often happened. He forgot how often sleeping with people create these little creatures. He rarely had to meet them in person or anything, yet he felt something strange about it with Alyss. Something akin to guilt. Perhaps it was her likeness to Luke's mother that made him uncomfortable. He had very strong feelings for her and that child had turned out quite terrible. Could this one as well?

"A good sort of familiar I hope" Hermes decided, putting on a gentle smile. How clever was this girl? He had a feeling he was likely to find out. He didn't feel that urge to run, like he normally did when he faced an offspring he didn't want to deal with. Perhaps it was because he was still hidden. Apollo couldn't even figure out who he was, could she?

[Victoria Heart]

Tori could see "Mercutio's" shock when their eyes met, could see how his eyes flickered between herself and Mum...now that was interesting. Between that and the fact he seemed like Uncle Apollo but hidden, she had to wonder...Mum had been looking for her father, she knew that. Tori felt like she was doing just fine without her father, though she was a little curious; it was all pretty heavy stuff for a seven year old, even one as smart as her. And right now she was very curious.

"I was just showing him some Imagination..." Alyss squeezed her daughter by the shoulders, grinning. "Want to show him what you can do?"

Tori was ALWAYS eager to show off...and...and ooh! She had an idea of how to ask him questions without letting Mum know...because if she was right, he wouldn't answer honestly if Mum could hear him, otherwise why would he be calling himself something different? Well...she was wondering that anyway. Maybe he wasn't who she thought, because why would he be hiding from Mum? Didn't he miss her? Well...only one way to find out. She'd usually go more elaborate, maybe some gwormmies appearing to make her laugh, but right now, she just conjured up what LOOKED like a stack of playing cards from her mother's vantage point...

Alyss' eyes widened. "Tori, those are just regular playing cards, right?"

Tori giggled. "It's like a magic trick with real magic, Mum! I'm fine, I wouldn't make them sharp!" She even shuffled them to show they were safe...annnnd picked the one she was looking for to show "Mercutio", away from her mum's line of sight, because that one had, written around the top of it, Are you Hermes? I won't tell if you are. Blink twice if I'm right.

Alyss sighed of relief, and allowed herself to just watch the two interact. She was always so pleased to see her daughter charm most adults she encountered...or mercilessly tease them. As a queen and mother she of course couldn't condone it, but as a woman with a playful nature herself, it was hard to argue Tori was often hilarious...she would just have to see what sort of interaction this became.

[Hermes]

So, the little thing had inherited her mother's abilities, but what of Hermes had she inherited. Obviously she was a handsome child, what with Alyss and Hermes has her parents, so there was that. She was some kind of troublemaker, that was probably from him. He took pride in the troublemakers he sent out into this world. It made life on this boring planet much more interesting. The mortals should be thanking him more often. Still, his children could often be a bit difficult to deal with. It was like facing himself in a way and not in the lovely narcissistic sort of way. It was usually better to just avoid them all together. Getting involved had never really turned out well for anyone in the past.

Hermes watched Alyss as she spoke, nervous about what her daughter was creating. Did she normally make sharp cards? Just how much of a problem child was this one? Hermes almost felt a little guilty. No child of his was easy to raise. His eyes fell back on Tori as she shuffled the cards, patiently waiting to see what she would do next. She flipped up the card with the question and Hermes nearly laughed. Wow, she was clever. A smile appeared on his face that betrayed his character, a wry mischievous grin. His eyes twinkled with delight and interest, but he did not blink. Was it a wild guess since she'd been looking for her father? Perhaps she could see he was concealed for some reason. He could see through people's lies, could she? If he told her it wasn't him he could very well be simply confirming that he was.

Hermes glanced at the card and willed the words to melt and change before their eyes. Now they read Who is Hermes? He then adjusted his eyes back on her, hopefully leaving her with more questions. He didn't lie, but he didn't confirm anything either. Yet he had the ability to change the words which meant he had power. He'd given her a set of hints, but no exact answers. This was a game. Hermes liked games. He couldn't help but ply even if it meant Alyss discovering who he truly was.

[Alyss Heart]

Tori caught that smirk on his face when he saw her message, and her little heart rose in excitement. Why would he smirk if he wasn’t impressed that she had found him? She beamed at him…that was, until he did respond, and not in the way she asked. This wasn’t at all the response that Tori was expecting from him. She had almost missed the new message, but it was almost like the letters had moved out of the corner of her eye. It took all of her self-control to not gasp…but that didn’t stop her from frowning in confusion. He was asking who Hermes was when she was pretty sure he had just confirmed he knew exactly who that was with that smirk on his face. He didn’t seem at all confused, was…was he just trying to trick her?

Before Tori could really think about it, however, she realized her mother was peering over at the cards, so Tori Imagined the message away.

Alyss found the quiet exchange between Tori and Mercutio strange. She imagined it’d be how it’d feel to be in the room with two mind readers, and it was unsettling enough that she tried to figure out what she was doing with the card, but by the time she went to look, it seemed like an ordinary Joker card. Eyes narrowing, she noted, “I don’t think I’ve seen a trick quite like that, Tori.”

Most children when they’re about to be caught in a lie would stammer or look very suspicious, but Tori simply flashed her mother a confident grin. “I’m still working out the kinks, Mum.”

Alyss arched an eyebrow…then glanced toward Mercutio as if he might offer answers.

Tori’s eyes darted toward Mercutio or Hermes or whoever he was…now she just had to see whether they at least had a partnership.

[Hermes]

Hermes had found himself at a crossroads, which wasn't all that common since they fell under his domain. If he chose to tell Alyss that it had simply been a card trick, he didn't risk the safety of his cover and may gain some footing with little Victoria. Not that being her friend was really important, why would he even weigh that in his decision? Hermes blinked away the thought. She was just another child, nothing special. Yet, if he chose the other road and told Alyss what the card said he'd not only betray Victoria, but risk further questions. The problem was, bringing up his true identity sounded delicious. He may draw information from her that he couldn't otherwise as himself. What would she tell a practical stranger about him? Would she have kind things to say or all bad? The curiosity began to eat at him. It was worth the risk.

"She was asking for my name" He said at first, careful not to look at Victoria's big eyes. "She was asking if it was Hermes" He said, with a polite air of confusion. "Which I thought was a rather funny name, is it greek?" he inquired, ever so studious and sweet. Sometimes edging right next to the truth was the cleverest way to keep a secret.