Felix gave Arwood a look, then turned to Jarrod. "Has this guy got a screw loose or something?"
"Manners, Felix. He's from another plane of reality so his rules of magic are different than ours." Jarrod replied.
"Another plane of.. I'm not going to bother. Anyways," Felix turned back to Arwood. "In our universe, gods are basically chosen at random. Nobody's aren't sure if you're born destined to be a god or if anybody could be chosen, but the one unifying factor is that the gods are embodiments of whatever they are the god of. For example, I became a god of luck while fixing a card game, or in other words, I was manipulating the chances of the players winning. As a result, I stopped aging and can now manipulate anything relating to luck with relative ease, compared to others. My powers grow the longer I live. I am very killable however, so I'm not some deity. Just an old guy."
Arwood frowned in confusion, Felix and Jarrod’s gods must be very different from his own. "I do not mean to sound ignorant," Arwood began, "I would just like to understand the differences between my home and yours." He took a deep breath and asked his first set of questions. "So, you just bestow luck upon individuals, nothing more? You do not gain skills like healing or enhance strength and agility? There must be some positive attributes to being a god other than living a long life and receiving sacrifices from society or am I mistaken?”
"YOUR GODS GET SACRIFICES" Felix shouted. "Jarrod, where's my sacrifices?!"
"I already let you live in my house, what more do you want." Jarrod replied.
"UhhhHh. No, I don't get sacrifices. The benefits are that I don't get drunk unless I drink a huge amount of liquor, I don't get sick and I'm just better at a certain area of magic than any human can ever be. I'm able to use magic to adjust the chances of something happening. I can basically multiply the chance of something happening. For example:" Felix stared bug eyed at Hemlock for a solid minute, and looked like he might begin to sweat despite not appearing to do anything exhausting.
Mashka caught sight of the piano player and began to giggle. Hysterically.
Arwood’s smile vanished, he didn’t like the look Felix was giving him and his eyes roam to look about the room searching for anything out of place.
“What are you doing? If you are multiplying my chances of things happening, please stop.” He spoke kindly but his blue eyes lost their fun and stared at Feliz in a hard gaze. “Most of my unexpected “chances” never end well and I am in a place I do not know and you are starting to make me very uncomfortable.”
Arwood’s smile vanished, he didn’t like the look Felix was giving him and his eyes roam to look about the room searching for anything out of place.
“What are you doing? If you are multiplying my chances of things happening, please stop.” He spoke kindly but his blue eyes lost their fun and stared at Feliz in a hard gaze. “Most of my unexpected “chances” never end well and I am in a place I do not know and you are starting to make me very uncomfortable.”
Felix stopped, chuckling. "I was trying to increase the chances of you turning into a fish, but since the chance is a statistical zero, I was basically doing nothing. I'd have to multiply the chance of that happening by something like billions, and the best I can do is about 10s, 20s or so right now. The point I'm trying to make is that I can't "luck something into existence". It has to be possible first. Something like the chance of it raining, or the chance of a bullet missing you."
“So if I were to throw a knife aimed at that picture, you could use luck and make it hit…let us say the door.” He glanced down at his empty leather pouch, “but you cannot conjure up things like rocks or lavender. It must be useful to have a bullet or in my case an arrow or a sword thrust miss you.” He suddenly turned to look at Jarrod, “can I take him to my home? You have no idea what luck can do for our cause.”
"Ask him his opinion on crime." Jarrod replied.
“Crime?” Arwood glanced from Jarrod to Felix, “pardon me, but I do not think I understand.”
"Laws are ridiculous and anarchy should be the only legal form of government!" Felix began.
"Actually, this was a shitty idea." Jarrod started, but Felix just talked over him.
"Laws are made by weak people! Yes, I don't mind being nice to people, but the fact that dueling is illegal is downright atrocious! How the hell do people settle their difference anymore? And another thing, why is the prison sentence for grand theft so high? It was only 2 cars, it's not that big of a deal. I even returned them when I was done! Also, the fact that casinos are illegal? This country has gone so far downhill it's actually ridiculous."
"My point is," Jarrod interjected, "Felix may be useful, but he's also a handful. Everything he just said is bullshit. He loves committing crimes against the more fortunate people of the world for the thrill of it. By the end of the first day, you'd have complaints about how someone's most expensive jewelry was stolen and glued to a stolen chicken who was placed inside of another persons home with a stolen cat chasing after it. So I mean by all means, take him. Just don't complain to me when he causes you more trouble than good."
“Ah,” was all Arwood managed to say as he digested all the strange words thrown at him. “Most of those laws I have never heard of before, also” he turned to Jarrod, “I already have someone very similar to Felix and do not really want another one, and Berthold would probably kill me if I brought another companion identical to Kale.”
(I love Felix so much. 😂)
(He's here to be a friend and does it well)
Austin jumped back and accidently let out a pained growl. A very real sounding growl. "Ow." He muttered.
"Sorry." He sighed, looking at the ground. "I just… sorry. Sorry."
You're an idiot. He thought. Of course she doesn't want to let you see it, how often do you let people see your stupid cuts? Idiot.
Austin sighed again. "Sorry. …To answer your question I… do make this pretty often. …Pretty much every other night when I don't get sleep. It's a ritual at this point."
He stirred the concoction once more, before pouring it into two mugs. He grabbed one and started sipping. "Enjoy." He muttered.
Willow dipped her head. "No its just… an old injury," she sighed. "It doesn't need washed." she reached for the mug, and sat on the floor because she didn't like chairs much. Actually Willow doesn't like anything much. "Thanks." she said quietly, wincing at how much tension she had created just because she couldn't be still.
"Oh. Alright." Austin took another sip. "So… what do you think? Of the drink?"
Mashka twirled out of Vozreal's grip and spun across the dance floor to Felix. "Play some music! I've never danced to music before this, and it's delightful."
Willow took a cautious sip, and her eyes lit up. "I remember this. We called it some thing else, and it was a little less sweet, but it's the same!"
Mashka twirled out of Vozreal's grip and spun across the dance floor to Felix. "Play some music! I've never danced to music before this, and it's delightful."
Felix sighed. He was itching to fight someone or something, but playing the piano would do for now.
Jarrod caught the glint in Felix's eye and grabbed his ear.
"Youch! What are you doing?!" Felix shouted, batting at Jarrod's arm.
"I know that look. We aren't fighting anybody or anything that isn't already hostile, because I know you'll just over do it. No. Fighting. Got it?" Jarrod hissed into Felix's ear.
"Alright, alright!" Jarrod let go of his ear and walked away again. "Sheesh. Killjoy."
Felix began to play again, this time a low angry tune. Jarrod gave him a look, and Felix just gave him a look back.
~~
Willow took a cautious sip, and her eyes lit up. "I remember this. We called it some thing else, and it was a little less sweet, but it's the same!"
"What do you call it? Cocoa or something like that?" Austin asked. He winced before taking another sip.
Mashka frowned slightly - the music was all maroon and sour and lumpy, nothing good to dance to.
"Play something else," she said, leaning over the piano and experimentally prodding at the keys, her hair falling over Felix's face. "You can't dance to this one."
(Mind you she was raised alone in a mansion so she has no idea of what you'd call "appropriate" social conduct)
Felix sputtered and batted Mashka's hair out of his face. "Okay okay, I will, just get your hair out of my face. It's getting in my mouth and stuff, eugh."
Felix began playing a much more up beat song, one that's rhythm swung.
"Reminds me of the 1920s!" Vozreal stated, dancing.
Arwood inwardly winced at Jarrod’s choice of discipline. He opened his mouth to object but hastily closed it deciding not to intervene. If he had been in Jarrods position, he wouldn’t want a stranger telling him how to govern his troops.
Instead, he crossed his arms over his stomach, wrapping his cloak about him and stretching out his long legs watching the individuals dancing strangely about the room.
Mashka skipped out to the middle of the dance floor and started dancing.
"You dance very nicely," Mashka commented.
"Thanks… Millenia of practice!"
