1403/God Rock

God Rock
Date of Scene:	27 April 2020
Location:	Club Highline
Synopsis:	Alexander catches up with the rockstar Kaminari
Cast of Characters:	Alexander Aaron, Kaminari

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Alexander Aaron has posed:
    The Highline wasn't a good investment people said. Salem Center had no draw they said. But some people didn't listen, and perhaps thankfully so since if they did then Upstate New York's premiere nightclub wouldn't have flourished as it did and become a popular waypoint for talent on their way into the city. It became a decent place to see and be seen during the night, a place of transition for some, for people to make a name, and at times... for the talented to slum it up out of the direct New York spotlight.
    But for someone like Alexander Aaron... the main thing it had going for him was its proximity to where he went to school. And its tolerance for the handstamp crowd.
    Which would explain why he was there at the late hour, that deep time in a club when things start winding down, when the music slows, when the focus is less on the dance floor and more on the lounges or outside with the clouds of smoke or the conversation pits taken with people talking or necking or more.
    Was a great place for music at least. And people watching, which was what he was doing in that slim moment.

Kaminari has posed:
    It's late, that's when all the party people come out to play after all. Tonight was a special night for The Highline. Kaminari, Goddess of Thunder and Noise, is known for her rock music, what she is less known for but still quite sought after by those who do is her talents as a DJ. She doesn't take bookings but when the whim strikes her has been known to offer to take the turn tables on the spur of the moment. Those rare clubs and their patrons are truly lucky indeed to be treated to one of those shows and tonight The Highline joined that short list of clubs much to the excitement of patrons and owners alike.
    Kaminari pulls off her headphones as she finishes her set letting the last song fade out, an impromptu mix of one of her own rock anthems with electro beats. She takes a moment to wipe sweat from her forehead with the back of her hand before waving to a bartender that there should be a drink in her hand /right now/. While that oversight is corrected she withdraws a traditional kiseru pipe from her small stylish black leather purse and lights it up before taking a long drag of the smoke. When the tumbler of expensive rum arrives in her hand the server receives a smile and a tip.

Alexander Aaron has posed:
    As the night had gone on they might have felt a subtle roil, distant, curious. Rarely a thing, perhaps known to her but not known to the youth. For he had only three years of life under his belt with the feelings that come with an ascension such as he had experienced. It wasn't much really, a curiousity? A glimpse of something out of the corner of his eye? A feeling in the back of his mind as if he had forgotten something back home.
    Which made little sense.
    But it became clear as the night went by. Became clear as he had espied the Japanese woman on the raised dais in her place of prominence, a smile twisting the tow-headed youth's smile as he drank from his entirely too expensive ginger ale. He recognized her.
    And here she was being worshiped in an entirely different way.
    But then as the evening reached that point, her set over. She'll hear a voice, one she probably doesn't recognize. Older. Deeper. But there's a lilt to it that might be familiar and it carries with it laughter.
    "Hey. Hey! Know any Grateful Dead, man?"

Kaminari has posed:
    Kaminari was never going to venture out into the dance floor, there's not enough cocaine in all of New York to persuade her to subject herself to the inevitable pawing and fawning and clustering that would ensue. Instead rum in one hand and kiseru in the other, smoke drifting from the end, she is walking towards the stairs that will take her to a private booth on the second floor. That is of course when she hears the voice from behind her and feels the proximity of the presence that has definitely not escaped her attention this evening.
    "Grateful Dead?" she asks without turning and somehow despite the din of the club she is easily heard by her intended recipient. A stream of smoke is exhaled from her mouth as turns to Alexander after a moment, "In my experience the dead are rarely grateful."

Alexander Aaron has posed:
    And there he is, the youth she might recall, the Child General, the Turned Blood. But older, taller, wearing black jeans and sneakers... and a t-shirt that casually proclaims him the property of the Empire State University Athletics Club. But she might well remember the hair and the eyes the most, what with those tow-headed blond locks, and those curious hazel eyes.
    And now maybe that smile for he offers it to her along with the premise.
    "They're this band. Pretty great. You should listen to them."
    A nod is given as he tilts his head the other way, and his smile slips a little more hesitant. "S'good to see you."
    Another pause, "I think."

Kaminari has posed:
    Yep, it's a good thing she got that rum and a large portion of it disappears into Kaminari's mouth and down her throat when she realizes who is in front of her. Nothing against the kid, the war against and sealing of Mikaboshi just aren't particularly good memories. Once she has had that drink she regards him again, dark eyes standing out against her white hair looking him up and down, "Yes, I have heard of them." she seems amused by his earnest explanation. Sarcasm like you might get from your cool drunken aunt. "You look like you are doing well, avoiding any dark whispers and strange mind altering drinks I hope." It's a needling, but a small one, dark humor just being par for the course with her.

Alexander Aaron has posed:
    "Only on the weekends," Is his casual rejoinder, but at least he has a touch of humor to it even as he lifts his chin a little, regarding one of the few beings who had insight into the years he lost, the time he was not on earth at all.
    "So." He tilts his head to the side, "Would it be better if I leave you to your..." The young Olympian gestures with one hand absently, indicating where her path was leading her, or perhaps meaning the drink she was consuming. Until finally he settles on the concise word of, "Stuff?"
    His hands slip into his pockets as he cocks his head the other way, almost like a curious labrador. "Or you wanna sit down somewhere and pick my brain as we each jockey for position to see who is cooler?"

Kaminari has posed:
    "You're adorable." she tells him, leaning into the cool aunt vibe, the one your parents don't really want you talking to because she'll probably slip you alcohol when they're not looking. "Come if you'd like. There is a booth waiting on the upper floor." Kaminari turns and starts walking again without looking to see whether Alexander is following or not. Near the bottom of the stairs going up however she leans over to one of the club staff and points over her shoulder, "Get him whatever he'd like to drink." with an emphasis on whatever. That done she leads the way away from the common throngs and up to the foretold VIP private booth. Her empty glass is handed off to a server before she sits down though a fresh glass of rum along with the bottle and an ashtray for her kiseru are already waiting on the table.

Alexander Aaron has posed:
    And with that the young man falls into step with her, advancing past the deejay set up, past the dais, and what's more once they get to the way up, past the bouncer on duty there. The offer of a drink given in the wake of Kaminari's passage is waved off at least for now, though the smile given in return is a warm genuine thing.
    Then it's up the steps to that private booth which has him stepping along after and once there he sliiiides into the seat opposite, settling in with his hands upon the tabletop and his gaze slipping one way... then the other, getting a feel for the place.
    "So you're famous now. How is that?" He asks with a legitimate curiousity, his head tilting the other way with that same inquisitive gaze.

Kaminari has posed:
    "Well my sister is pissed that I have more recognition than she does but at least the sun hasn't gone to hide in a cave again like that time our brother pissed her off. You could say I was always famous though, Kublai Khan certainly knew who I was as his ships sank." Kaminari grins wickedly as she talks about sinking the Mongol fleets in the late 1200's. "Being a rock star isn't that much different that being a god, people want something to believe in and with how far humanity has advanced they'd rather believe in music than abstract principles." she takes a drink from the fresh rum in front of her looking Alexander over again, "You've grown into quite the handsome young man, Son of Ares, I bet the girls at your school just can't keep their hands off of you." her head tilts slightly to one side as she considers something, "Kusanagi's power still clings to you as well I see."

Alexander Aaron has posed:
    A hand lifts to push that mass of blond hair out of his eyes as he listens to her, gaze following the movement of her lips at times and then falling upon small tell-tale aspects of her that might give him some insight. Just noting the drink, the kiseru, her manner, the smooth flow of her words, her pallor. It all goes into the picture of Kaminari that he is forming in his mind's eye though the current evidence seems to forming a positive one, clear in the youth's positive smile.
    "That's kind of you to say, Kaminari." Not quite agreeing nor disagreeing, but then his eyebrows lift a little as she mentions that last, nodding in agreement.
    "It does, and it's served me well. And I have treated it with honor."
    But then he continues the dance, offering the right counterstep as he gestures to her, "And you, Lady of Storms, you maintain your beauty and it's lovely to see you manifest in a way that's still dear to peoples' hearts." Those words a touch more formal, but then his tone eases on the next, "But I've always enjoyed that aspect of us, the role we fill, connecting with people."

Kaminari has posed:
    "How could a goddess of Noise resist rock and roll. I really have to hand it to humanity they came up with something good there." her chin finds its way into the palm of the hand holding the kiseru delicately between her fingers, elbow on the table propping it up. "So have you come to favor bujitsu over the arts of your homeland? Or has the sword simply chosen for you?"

Alexander Aaron has posed:
    She can almost feel the tension ease off of him, just as he settles into that seat. Pale blue eyes that fade to a jade green hold her own as he watches, considering her. His lip twists up a little as he says quietly, "I still train, often. My father tells me to not play favorites." There's a pause as his gaze remains on her and he then lets his smile grow.
    "But yes, it's my favorite." A beat, then he adds, "Though I still train in other martial arts." He perks up a little as he adds, "I met Lady Shiva. That was interesting."
    His eyes ease to the side and then back to her as he murmurs, "I'd like that drink now. If I may. Whatever you're having."
    And then as if he said nothing else he then asks her, "Do you still train?"

Kaminari has posed:
    Kaminari brings the kiseru to her lips without her chin leaving her palm as she seems to have found a comfortable position for herself, "Interesting." she does seem somewhat intrigued by his answer. Who knows multicultural myths may be the way of the future. "Your father would say that," while she doesn't actually sigh her thoughts on Ares' fixation with war can be heard in her voice. "Shiva? Well you're still alive so she must have been in a good mood." she slides the bottle of expensive rum across the table when Alexander requests a drink and then makes a gesture in the air and points at him and a glass is set before him by a server, "Help yourself."

Alexander Aaron has posed:
    The bottle is claimed and he tilts it on its side, letting the rum gurgle faintly into his glass until it's half full and then he sets the bottle back down precisely in the spot from whence it came. Those bright hazel eyes shift back towards her as he lifts the glass in salute and takes a sip. The glass clinks faintly as he sets it back down.
    "Well, it was a good match, and I think I surprised her. But yes then she killed me." As he says that his smile shifts a little wry, knowing the story that is wrapped up in those words but not elaborating as he then adds, "Stopped my heart with a strike, let it fail, then brought me back with another. It was exciting."
    That said he looks past her for a moment, then refocuses on her. And for a moment he might be swept away with nostalgia, the old memory of the crazed times they shared. The small kindness given. Those few moments she had given him are returned there in his eyes as he murmurs, "Are you doing alright, Kami?" The youth has no poker face, at least not now and not with her in this moment. His question for her sincere.

Kaminari has posed:
    Once Alexander is done pouring, she reaches for the bottle again and refills her own tumbler with the expensive rum, "Killed and brought back, that does sound like Shiva or least what I have heard of her. Though she must like you if she brought you back. I guess you made a good impression." she exhales a long stream of smoke and her expression becomes slightly more guarded when he asks after her own wellbeing, "I am as I have always been. I was never very good at playing court in Ama, this lifestyle suits me much better." It's a non-answer in many ways. It would be hard to walk away from the events Mikaboshi unleashed unaffected, but at the same time she has always had a reputation as a fickle deity as prone to deadly typhoons as life giving rains and the drinking is nothing new.

Alexander Aaron has posed:
    Alexander's hands rest flat upon the bartop as he slouches in his seat, just a few inches as he watches her with that open regard, one eyebrow raised and his expression tinged with curiousity. A deep breath is taken and he holds it for a moment, as if pondering some other words or something else to offer her. But perhaps knowing her well enough not to press and says simply, "Alright."
    Then his smile grows a little, edged with a hint of the apologetic but still half-smirking as he offers, "I had to ask."
    His eyes lift up and around, as if taking in the entirety of their surroundings. "But this has to be rather great. Rock star. Running around, enjoying altered states, music, adoration. Surprised more of our kind didn't pick up on it. Though I think you'd like meeting a cousin of mine."
    He then takes another sip of the rum and worries at his inner cheek a moment thoughtfully, "I'm going to ESU soon. Trying to do the whole... normal thing. Been trying to..." His head tilts one way, then the other, "The whole living without fear thing can make things weird."

Kaminari has posed:
    Kaminari's chin lifts from her hand so she can bring the kiseru above the ashtray and tap out the charred and spent contents of its metal bowl. "Many gods on the whole seem slow to change and have a hard time keeping up with the modern world. They fail to grasp the wonder of humans capturing lightning and using it to power all manner of devices that should otherwise be magic. I think if they got off their mountains a bit more often they might find many new ways to gain followers. It's not enough to just be the sun anymore when there's sunglasses and sunblock. Modern ships are much harder to sink. Man doesn't fear or adore what the gods represented long ago anymore. All I did was change with the times. Though when you've been doing the same thing for two thousand years change can be hard, I get that." she sits up and reaches for her glass of rum, "Which cousin are you thinking of?" her expression turning curious, before adding, "No doubt, you will be the star of their Kendo team." when he mentions going to ESU.

Alexander Aaron has posed:
    Listening to her point of view about the flow and change of the god, he nods along at points, though his own point of view is limited comparatively. He smiles a little and murmurs, "I wonder if I'll get mired in things down the line, when I'm olllld and ancient." His lips twist a little at her, since she is perhaps both those things. In a way at least.
    "Sofia, I've forgotten her mother... Aphrodite I think? But she sings in the city. You two would get along."
    But then the idea of joining the Kendo team gets him to smile a little and he shakes his head, "Nah. I don't compete. I try to keep a low profile." But then he smiles a little as he lifts his head, "Though... if you dig on the youtubes, there's a video of me out there during a cheerleading tryout. If you want a laugh or two."

Kaminari has posed:
    Kaminari swallows some more of her rum, age is a funny thing when you grow to adulthood and then basically live forever. "That could be fun, I spend much of my time in Manhattan these days. This club was actually a bit of a hike, but someone mentioned it and it sounded fun and I haven't indulged in spinning electronic music in awhile, so I figured why not. You should have seen the owner's face." She stops for a moment when Alexander talks about Kendo, "You don't compete? Are you sure you're related to your father? Possibly the most competative god I've ever met?" a pause, "Cheerleading, really? You just continue to surprise don't you young Alexander."

Alexander Aaron has posed:
    "Well," There's a flicker of amusement in those eyes as he looks away and he replies with an answer that might seem more believable when he tells her simply, "If I entered it wouldn't be a competition would it?" Arrogance, of course. But she likely can read the small hint there, that perhaps he doesn't take himself entirely seriously. But perhaps she didn't see that at all.
    "I didn't join the team though," For cheerleading, "It was..." He looks back to her, smiling a little sheepishly, "A little more that some people were giving people a hard time about trying out for it. And I figured, what the hey?"
    But then he goes on to try and relate the high points and low points of the last year. "Mmm, I tried dating someone seriously, that didn't work out well. I played at being a vigilante for a few weeks but... didn't really jibe with me."
    He offers a small shrug, "But other than that, you might be caught up for the most part."
    A beat, "Mostly."

Kaminari has posed:
    Kaminari leans back in her seat, for the amount of rum she has been drinking it doesn't really show. She can thank a divine metabolism for that. But it's still enough that she seems quite relaxed. "How very noble of you." it's not a sentiment that she necessarily shares, but she doesn't look down upon it either. "Are they really the best that they claim to be if you let them go unchallenged? Some might say you are robbing them of the chance at true glory and to prove what humanity is capable." and some might say that Kaminari loves playing Devil's Advocate to mess with people. "Be careful with falling for humans though, their lives are short and before you know it they're gone. They're also... fragile." She shrugs her shoulders lightly holding up her glass of rum, "Alcohol on the other hand will never leave you." She replies in true drunken aunt form.

Alexander Aaron has posed:
    "Ehn she was..." She can see him start to explain, and to defend her perhaps, but then he just lifts a hand to wave it off and murmurs, "Whatever."
    And that settles that issue for now. Instead he smiles wryly at her and murmurs, "I don't do it out of any sense of altruism. More that I prefer my life now as it is without gaining too much prominence. I enjoy how I live for the most part."
    Then his eyes lower to her glass and then back up to her eyes when he replies with that casual and calm tone, "Maybe some day down the line I'll try fame. But for now... maybe after college." His lip twists up, amused.

Kaminari has posed:
    The glass is drained of the last of its contents and set down again. Placing both of her elbows on the table Kaminari interlaces her fingers and rests her chin upon them, "That's true. You should finish growing first before you attract too much attention to yourself. Nothing but distractions after that, I can't walk down the street without some level of disguise." she says like it's a giant pain in the ass though it's clear she also enjoys the double edged sword of fame and worship. "Anyway," she says sitting up straight again and taking a moment to stretch her arms, "This old lady should probably get some rest." It's a comical thing to say really, no matter her real age, she doesn't look anything beyond her late 20's maybe early 30's. She gives him a wink, "Enjoy the rest of the bottle, it's on me."