Slum Dogs

“Apple? Aaaapple?...” A timid sounding voice echoed repeatedly through the slum alleyways as the titan continued to hopelessly meander through the labyrinth like streets. Both arms loaded with brown grocery bags, he’d continue to call out for his familia member while attempting to discern his location. Between the deer in the headlights stare and the repeated inspection of street signs, it was clear that the man was utterly lost.

It was then that a sense of alarm and dread pricked at the deity’s neck, causing a small shiver to run down his spine. Head immediately turning to the right, he’d spot a dark skinned elf with similar silvery hair. “Hmm?” His baby blue eyes squinted as he inspected the man more closely. From the looks of it, Briareus wasn’t the only one that had lost his way.

Though the titan found this newfound stranger to be a bit daunting, he’d eventually muster up some courage and wander over in order to speak to the elf. After all, it’s supposedly easier to talk to individuals when there’s some common ground, right? That’s what the book said at least. “U-umm… E-excuse me!!!” His voice piped across the distance between them as he attempted to grab the elf’s attention. Shuffling over wearily, he’d pause at a safe distance before continuing to speak. “…Are you lost?”

 

Though the titan had already suspected the answer to his own question, the man’s eyes couldn’t help but brighten slightly upon confirmation that the two were both comrades in being lost. His joy quickly subsided however after the youth had asked him for directions. Shaking his head meekly in response, he’d shuffle his feet a bit while looking down ashamedly. “S-sorry… you looked lost too… so I thought we could find our way out together.”

It was then that yet another pricking sensation scratched at the deity’s neck. This time it was a sense of anxiety, or perhaps even fear? His head angling back up with a tilt to curiously meet the lad’s gaze, he’d offer some reassuring thoughts in order to placate the man’s own concerns. “It’s ok… we’ll get out of here… eventually… I think?” Briareus paused for a moment at his own words. Now that he had heard them come out of his mouth, he was starting to feel less confident.


"Y-You're... Um…"

The head of silver hair bobbed once with comprehension after hearing the elf speak. Confused at the incomplete train of thought, he’d nod a bit more anxiously the second time while preemptively finishing the man’s sentence. After all, these kinds of things were less painful when self-admitted early. Or so the book had suggested... “Awkward? Yeah... I'm sorry… I’m still learning.”

 

A surprised look glimmered within those twinned blue orbs as the youth began unwittingly sympathizing with the titan. Oh hey… he’s kind of like me! Wait… that’s probably not a good thing. Poor thing… A lonely stare was given towards the dark elf’s back as he watched the figure begin to pace ahead. It was then that a deeper sensation had begun to gnaw at the deity’s consciousness. A bitter reminder of the eons that Briareus had endured in isolation quickly surfaced and tugged at him emotionally.

Paralyzed with hesitation, the god’s feet would simply follow along, trailing behind the youth softly as he dwelled on these feelings. His attention was quickly drawn back to external matters however as the newly introduced Soren offered a name. Somewhat confused from being drawn out of his current train of thought, the silver haired deity simply blathered the first thing that came to mind. “Do you need a hug?”

An awkward pause was given as Briareus quickly realized his folly. Face flushing a bright red, his eyes quickly averted to the ground while fidgeting a bit in position. “S-sorry… I shouldn't have asked that. I’m Briareus by the way...” His voice sounded meekly in somewhat of a mutter, as if unwilling to speak any louder. Given the body language present, it was clear that the titan had found himself in a rather uncomfortable position. “Should we ask for directions? I tried… but forgot them... twice.” A slight bit of self-disappointment resonated in the deity’s voice as he spoke.

 

He hates me now, doesn’t he? He totally does… I knew that was a bad idea. But… I think it’s too late to run away… A miserably pathetic internal dialog droned on within the titan’s head as he cringed visibly at the unreadable expression on the dark elf’s face. From his perspective, it was a look of disdain and disappointment. Or perhaps it was a look of disgust or apathy? It was hard for the man to tell, making things all the more complicated and uncomfortable for him.

From the sounds of things however, it appeared as though he hadn’t been completely written off as hopeless by the adventurer. His eyes slowly widening to a degree, he’d tilt his head curiously while speaking with a bit of hope. “R-really?!? You’d do that for me!?!” His gaze was filled with both a mix of joy, relief and disbelief. Had the titan seriously given up on himself so quickly? It was a bit depressing…

Upon being asked his name however, his excitement quickly died down. “Oh… yeah? I guess?...” His gaze quickly diverted back towards the ground as he’d break eye contact. It was always an awkward question, one Briareus didn’t quite enjoy answering. Technically the youth was a titan, an immortal figure associated to the known gods and their lore. It wasn’t as though he or his brothers were worshipped to any real extent… but here in Orario, that fact seemed to make little difference so long as power and immortality applied. That tiny detail however always seemed to bother the silver haired titan quite a bit. It almost felt as if he was fudging the facts.

-----​

After receiving directions from a nice enough looking man, the pair continued along their way through the maze like structure of the slums. With Soren at the lead, Briareus continued to quietly follow along. Despite this silence however, a plethora of thoughts continued to flood through the titan’s mind. It’s too quiet… it’s way too quiet… I’ve got to say something, right? Quiet makes things more awkward… that’s what the book said… I think? Is he an adventurer? Would that be prying too much into his life? I wonder why his hair is white…? I heard it’s caused by stress. Oh god, am I stressed? Wait – no! I choose this appearance. Wait! Focus! What do I talk about?... He’d eventually find his mind outpacing itself and causing a bit of confusion. As a result, he’d eventually blurt out the next immediate thought without any real consideration. “What are you making for dinner?” His footsteps stuttered momentarily as he realized how ridiculous that sounded on his own end. Oh god, now he thinks I’m a creep.

 

That unreadable expression surfaced once more as the dark elf’s steps ground to a halt. And with it? An uncontrollable urge to go die quickly welled within the titan as his eyes began to water slightly. Ideally, he’d be allowed to crawl into a hole first and then die. That way, Briareus would cause the least amount of trouble for his familia members with regards to the funeral procession.

Fortunately for the titan however, his mind was quickly drawn from even darker thoughts when the adventurer resumed the conversation as if nothing was amiss. Wait… He’s still talking to me??? What a nice kid… From the sounds of it, Soren had quite a caring father. The lack of reference to his mother however peaked a bit of curiosity within the deity’s mind. Maybe he doesn’t like her? Or maybe she just doesn’t cook? " Weird…” The last bit had escaped his internal monologue as his eyes widened a bit with terror. That had always been a poor habit of his. Coughing slightly to draw attention away from his blunder, he’d slowly come up with a poor excuse for his outburst. “U-uhmm, I mean… it’s weird to worry to the point of being sick? Wouldn’t that just make you worry then?” His voice started somewhat unsure of the statement, growing a bit more self-reassured after explaining it out loud.

Not picking up on the undertones implied in the elf’s words, he’d reply rather directly to the question. “I think some of my familia would be worried…” A girl of vibrant red hair immediately came to mind as he said this. Chances were high that little Apple had already informed the local authorities of a missing deity. At least that’s what happened the last handful of times Briareus had gotten lost. “But… maybe not all of them? None to the point of being sick at least…” His immediate thoughts flashed to one particularly laid back individual who probably wouldn’t even notice his absence were he to go missing for a week or two. Alas, Korra moved at only one pace – if she moved at all.

Initially wanting to return a question in order to continue the flow of conversation, the deity paused momentarily upon not sensing a divine marking (falna) left by another god. Was this child without a familia? “What about your -- Wait… do you not have a familia, Sora?” Adventurer or not, it was hard to argue against the benefits that came from forming a pact. It was rare these days for mortals to go without one. So much so that Briareus hadn’t even realized the fact that he had gotten the youth’s name wrong.

 

“What's it like, running a familia?”

It was as if a massive boulder had come crushing down on the deity in the form of depression. No sooner had the youth spoken those words would he magically find Briareus’ groceries settled on the ground. Beside the two bags, the titan could be seen kneeling atop the pavement with both hands pressed against it for support. A strong sense of defeat radiated from the deity.

“Ugggh… I don’t know. Apple handles everything for me…” A dark aura continued to emanate from the crest fallen titan as he’d remain in that devastated pose. “S-she... she says I always make a mess… so she does all the paperwork…” His words echoed a hint of sadness as he spoke them. Surely it was difficult for any deity to admit what he just had.

One negative thought led to the next, resulting in a perpetual cascade of awfulness. “It’s ok… I hope. Korra said people would’ve left if it was bad…” A sniffle sounded from his nose as he looked up at the dark elf with a fading sense of hope. His eyes were watery and on the brink of tearing. “Do you think I’m a bad god?...It’s ok… you can be honest. Nobody needs a god that’s only good at getting lost…”

 

Now normally, the titan would quickly take evasive actions in order to preserve his sacred personal space bubble. In this case however, the youth found himself too distraught by all the other depressing, distracting thoughts which overwhelmed his state of awareness. It wouldn’t matter too much anyway. By the time the silver haired god had realized that his comfort zone had been thoroughly violated, he’d also come to an understanding that such a sensation wasn’t… discomforting. Soren’s presence was rather reassuring since the two were birds of a flock. It felt natural.

Though the cascade of negative feelings continued to roll downhill with ever gaining momentum, it’d slowly change pace with each soothing rub of his back. In due time, the deity would find himself consoled. Looking up while sniffling, he’d eye the dark elf for a long and silent moment before sniffling once more. “Really? You mean it? Y-you’d do that for me?”

An awkwardly placed hug was made as he’d cling about the elf’s neck tightly while sniffling a bit more. “I might be a defective god (-sniffle-) b-but I’ll try my best!” It was then that a thought had struck upon the titan. His grip loosening, he’d pause for a moment before asking. “Wait. What about your mother and father? Will they be ok with this?...”

Note: You're mine now! Muwahahaha?

 

A brief glimpse of curiosity flickered in the titan’s eyes upon hearing the dark elf mention his absence of a mother. Though the deity might lack social skills, he was definitely sensitive of the fact that some subjects were best left untouched. Though the book had been wrong on occasion, this particular sense of direction offered by the author hadn’t failed him yet.

Quickly standing upright in order to gather his belongings, he’d sniffle one final time before nodding resolutely. “R-right… I bet Apple’s already told the guards to go find me. She’ll be mad if I don’t come back soon.” Taking a few steps forward (as if to lead the way), the silver haired man froze in place before awkwardly turning back to the dark elf. “Uhh… which way do we go again?” A look of embarrassment flushed across his face as he scratched the back of his hand with a free hand.

Note: Feel free to progress the thread/end it as you see fit. I'm assuming he gives Soren the address of the familia house and they meet up for the falna marking etc at a later date?

 

“Uhhh…” The titan looked around quizzically before the lightbulb upstairs was turned on. Eyes widening as if an epiphany had come over the silver haired youth, he’d nod with renewed vigor in response to the dark elf’s question. “I think so!... That dog looks familiar… Wait? Those move…” His eyes dulled once again before brightening a second time with even more enthusiasm. “Oooh! That shop looks familiar. I think we’re near Zazue’s house.”

Finally recognizing a more… stationary landmark, the titan pointed happily while urging Soren to look as well. “See? That’s the fountain where Freya was about to go splat! … Don’t tell her I said that though.” From the looks of it, the god was more than acquainted with his immediate surroundings than he had ever been in the last couple of hours.

Taking a few steps forward, he’d pause and turn back around after suddenly remembering Soren’s question. “I think I’m ok… Did you want to come with? You should come and meet your new familia members! They’re really nice.” Regardless of the outcome, the titan would respect the boy’s decision and return back home.

 

“Yeah!” Briareus responded with a nod and lead the way back to the familia.

Given about another twenty minutes or so of walking, the pair would eventually arrive to the scene of a red headed girl standing outside the gates with a couple of city guards. Her attention quickly snapped towards the pair as she spotted that recognizable head of silvery hair. “BRI!!! Did you get lost again?” Tiny figure running over to the two lads, she’d pause for a moment to catch her breath before waving apologetically at the guards who shrugged and went on their way.

“Uhh…” The titan wriggled uncomfortably as he found himself in the adventurer’s embrace. “Apple… you can let go now… it’s embarrassing.” He’d continue to struggle a bit before finally giving in and offering a warm embrace of his own. Despite being gone for only a couple of hours, it had felt like an eternity for the immortal. He'd then turn towards the dark elf. “Sora, this is Apple. She helps me run the familia…” A gentle nod was given as he’d urge the new comer to introduce himself.