16009/Not Very Greek Of You

Not Very Greek Of You
Date of Scene:	04 October 2023
Location:	Central Park Tower Penthouse, New York City
Synopsis:	Alexander shares some of his history with Betsy.
Cast of Characters:	Alexander Aaron, Betsy Braddock

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Alexander Aaron has posed:
    High above the Manhattan skyline, with the tableau of the grand city just outside the tall windows, there is so little ambient sound. When normally sound does not seem to carry so well down on street level, high in the clouds... even the clatter of wood upon wood is powerfully prominent.
    Thankfully it is not commonly heard in this particular penthouse atop one of the tallest buildings, in the city. Likely if it was then there might well be complaints from certain someones at times resident. But for now, it carried loud in that gymnasium above the world.
    For swordplay was the name of the game today. Bokken wielded by the two sweat-slick and animated young heroes as they move across the mats in an almost perfect rhythm. Those wooden blades lash out, strike, bounce against each other as strong parries are made. There is the crunch and shift of the mats under bare feet, and the rush of motion as one fighter is almost balletic in her movements, while the other is more grounded in his.
    There comes a moment when they push against each other, guards locked, blades strong against each other. Eyes alive with fire are seen and sharp growls of exertion are heard as they strain. Then there's a grunt of effort as the blond youth _pushes_ her back and takes the moment to reset his guard, blade held high and beside his head, point aimed at her.
    But then he smiles a little and says, "Timeout. I got sweat in my eyes." He crinkles his nose and then rubs at them with a forearm.

Betsy Braddock has posed:
"You're not serious," came the protest in that unusual accented voice of Betsy Braddock. It was mostly a proper posh British accent but there was a hint of something underneath it that was difficult to pinpoint. Perhaps more Japanese in some aspects at times. She didn't even notice it. Most people who had known her since her change in form didn't anymore either. It's the only way Alexander had ever heard her speak. "An opponent is going to take that opportunity to stab you in the heart if you tried that silliness."

Yet she lowered her mock sword down to her side as she waited for him to get his vision clear once again. They'd been at this a while thus she was glowing with the sheen of seat. She was dressed in a two piece leotard in a simple black today. The top had a rounded neckline and was a halter style, ending above her midriff. The matching bottom was more a bikini style, with high cut legs. This showed off the strength of her form, from arms and thighs to the taut abs, moreso than the costume she usually wore.

"I must say you are surprising me though. You said you learned from your father, correct?" she asked curiously as she twisted her wrist to spin the wooden blade playfully while she waited for him to show he was ready once more. Who she did know was an Olympian and precisely which one but there was still something she was picking up on.

Alexander Aaron has posed:
    "Oh I know, I woulda grin and bore it if this was for reals, but you're you and I'm me, and you think I'm cute so..." He grins as he's still wiping at his eyes, then lowers his sword and uses the sleeve of his white t-shirt. He straightens up after a moment, still scrunching up one eye as he murmurs, "It's all sting-y."
    To many he would be rather insufferable, and likely even to Elizabeth. But that damn smile that lights up those eerie eyes. He flips the blade around as he walks toward her, holding it in a reverse grip and extending an arm to slip around her waist. Just so he can touch a kiss to the corner of her mouth, her cheek, her neck, brief small ones in passing as if to give some small measure of homage as he squeezes her in a small hug then starts to step past, heading toward the lovely pitcher of ice water that sits on one of the purloined studio end tables.
    So much of the penthouse was achingly decorated and everything had been chosen for its look. But when Alexander got there he would at times make modifications of where furniture was to be... by just grabbing it and dragging it where he needed it to be. Likely someone well versed in Feng Shui might be annoyed.
    "I learned mostly from my father, yes. But he also put some effort into having me train with notable instructors and students across the world. It was..." Alexander shakes his head and smiles as he sets the bokken down on the table. "To a kid it just seemed like meeting my dad's friends and then they'd try to kill me. And it would be a fun game."

Betsy Braddock has posed:
"Don't think this means I'll go easy on you," she murmured as he was lavishing those kisses before he headed for the iced water. Deciding that he was a very wise man despite his age, Betsy followed and set her 'blade' next to his. Thus allowing her free hands to pour her own water into the waiting glass and taking a sip.

As he explained the having friends try to kill him, she had to stifle a momentary inhale that almost turned into a choking hazard but she managed to avoid it narrowly and instead just looked at him incredulously.

"He would have people try to kill you? As a Child?" Somehow she managed to convey that last word in a way it seemed capitalized because that was just how insane this moment was coming across to her. Then she had to put it into perspective. God of War. He likely didn't think anything was wrong with this. "Remind me to tell your father a thing or two about parenting." As all good non-parents should do, tell people who had children how to raise them. Or at least they seemed to always have an opinion. "Or perhaps not. Hopefully you have already expressed them yourself." A little nod of her head but then she went back to what sparked this line of conversation.

"I just thought being Greek, despite being God of War, that he would lean more toward those styles of fighting. There is a lot of Eastern in your swordwork. Japanese to be specific. It matches the majority of what I know from my alterations."

Alexander Aaron has posed:
    "Mmm, yeah. Sometimes not for real, but sometimes for real." Alexander doesn't elaborate too much on that point, the whole people trying to kill him. "I don't think he felt I was in any real danger since even then I healed quickly, but..."
    The blond Olympian gestures to the side slightly with one hand, then shrugs a little. "I mean to me it seemed normal since that's what I knew. It wasn't until later that I realized it was... not normal." He takes a sip of water then, and holds it to his brow, eyes closing a little. A small set of droplets trickle down the curve of his brow, along those supple contours of his neck even as he inhales a little, then exhales softly.
    When she spoke on the Eastern influence he gives a nod. "Yah that I think mainly comes from... well for a time I was... abducted. Kidnapped by another pantheon. The Shinto Gods, basically." Though there was one among them that held primacy, yet he does not name him.

Betsy Braddock has posed:
And she waited for him to continue. Only to realize that he didn't seem to be doing so as he savored the coolness of the water. Sure, he had explained but in truth that answer just opened up a whole bundle of new questions.

"You were kidnapped by the Shinto Gods. And they taught you how to use a sword? I mean, typically you don't get training in weapons when you are kidnapped," she pointed out in what she thought to be an unnecessary manner yet it needed to be voiced as she tried to work through this.

She pursed her lips a moment, trying to convince herself not to push. After all, she understood privacy and the need for it at times. More than perhaps most people, between the telepathy and the gestalt merge with a Japanese assassin in her lifetime. Yet, she couldn't stop herself this time.

"I don't mean to pry, my dear, but I really must this time. How long were you in the custody of these gods to be able to learn so much about Japanese swordsmanship?"

Alexander Aaron has posed:
    A small smile as he leans against the wooden table that's set against the wall, its elaborately designed legs seemingly naturally hewn from various tree branches, yet the surface of it gleams like ivory. He says, "Alright, it's just... a story. That takes a bit of telling. And you have to realize that for me, it was a blur."
    He takes another sip of water and sets it down. "But I was... ten roughly. When my father was rediscovered by Zeus and the others. They desperately wanted him back because they were in the middle of a war with the Shinto Pantheon." He lifts his chin a little. "My father, naturally, refused. He was trying to build his life here, and of course when a war comes around they need him, but they were pretty horrible to him in peace time."
    Alex gestures to the side, "He refuses, Zeus comes up with a plot to kidnap me. As he put it in motion, the Shinto gods discovered this, and Amatsu-Mikaboshi chose to beat them to the punch and do it himself."
    He takes a deep breath, "This is where it becomes foggy because they did what they could to... manipulate me, brainwash me, and time flows differently in the realms of gods. No idea how long I was there really. But they trained me as one of their own, a weapon to be used against my father when the time came."

Betsy Braddock has posed:
She listened quietly, standing with a hip slightly out to the side as most of her weight was on one foot. Taking in the information since this was new, something he had not shared with her previously. Betsy tended to let people reveal what they wanted in their own time thus why she made sure to give the well-deserved attention when Alexander chose to share.

Only, what she was hearing was not something that sounded good in the least. His own family wanting to kidnap him in order to force his father to help them in their war. What the hell was wrong with these people?! And that might have shown on her face in that instant as he explained that Amatsu-Mikaboshi had chosen the same path. An enemy was still horrible yet somehow not as horrible as family doing it. His own grandfather!

"Since time flows differently there, did you age? Because the knowledge you have was not from a single year of training. Far more than that, to anyone that can recognize it for what it is."

Then a little tilt of her head as she added. "Were they successful?"

Alexander Aaron has posed:
    "I did some," Alexander says and then she asks if they were successful and he smiles. A small nod was given, "And yah, sort of." He gestures with one hand to the side, "For me it felt like... another life, being raised in a different place. With different people. I don't to this day know how long I was gone, or how much of it was just... a spell cast on me."
    He takes another drink of water, then sets the glass down with a faint clink of the ice cubes within. He chews the inside of his cheek thoughtfully. "And then I knew that my friends were fighting a war, and this horrible man was killing them. So I went and fought him. Turned out it was my father... so we battled. I killed him. Or so I thought. Amatsu-Mikaboshi appeared to gloat over his corpse. And I found myself... angered, bereaved. I ended up striking him down and..."
    Alex shakes his head a little, clearly not including... everything of the experience. More just giving her what insight he can without delving too far into those memories. "With that the spell ended, and we found ourselves back on Earth. Though it's still a foggy thing to recall."

Betsy Braddock has posed:
If she were his therapist, she'd be honing in on all the things he was skipping over. Yet, Betsy was not. She was his girlfriend. And he had just shared something that obviously had affected him in the deepest ways possible.

"That's..." She could just try to sugar coat, play it down. It would be very British of her to do so. And thus she continued. "Horrible." Perhaps in this case, that was as played down as she could go. "I had no idea. You had to..." She didn't repeat it. Kill his own father. Who he had been brainwashed against. It was far too much to really understand even when hearing it. Too many emotions, too much to unpack there. "Upon the return, I take it your father was returned to life as well." A statement more than a question. "That also explains why you have Grasscutter. It confused me as I thought perhaps it was just the fascination that Westerners have for Japanese weapons that might have led you to the possession of it. But I take it as a far deeper reason now."

She reached over a hand to rest it on his forearm. "Thank you. For sharing this with me."

Alexander Aaron has posed:
    "Yes, it's why Grasscutter has a crimson blade now," He slips his hand into hers, fingers interlacing, giving a gentle squeeze. "It's tasted the blood of two gods, though my father managed to survive."
    Alexander then looks up into her eyes and smiles, "Hey. I'm not saying this to be all... emotional. More if we're to be together, you should... know things about me. I guess." He gives a small shrug and looks a little uncomfortable as he glances to the side, then rolls a small shoulder as he turns back to give her that same smile. Those California Boy Next Door good looks couched so comfortably under that shock of blond hair twinned with that crooked smile. It was almost criminal how disarming it could be.
    "Though I should admit, it has shaped me. I love Greek fighting styles, I mean you've seen the Hoplite costume." His lips twist up as he squeezes her hand, "But I do have a soft spot for Japan's martial training." He leans in to touch another small kiss to her cheek, "And others who share that enthusiasm.'

Betsy Braddock has posed:
"You didn't come across as emotional. In fact, you were quite careful to give the details without dipping into that." Not exactly a condemnation of him doing so but recognizing it outloud so he knows Betsy gets it. She understands and, as is her way, she isn't going to push. They each share bits about themselves when they are comfortable and that has worked thus far for their relationship. Why mess it up?

At the kiss to her cheek, she had to smile a little. "I liked martial arts but I wasn't nearly to the levels I am now before the kidnappy and body alteration," she admitted with her own half shrug. "But now, obviously I favor Eastern styles far more. I don't believe thaat is fully because of the other's influence. I think I just enjoy it more. The discipline combined with the beauty." She nudged him slightly with the elbow on his side.

"Though I am going to be completely honest. It likely would be for the best I never meet your grandfather. I fear we might ...have words." Or she might try to stab him in the throat. Either or.

Alexander Aaron has posed:
    Alexander smiles and gives a nod, looking to the side, then he looks back to her. "I'm just lousy at relating emotions." He then lifts his eyebrows as she relates her thoughts about his grandfather. Alexander exhales a small chuff of breath that might be a laugh if he gave it a little more energy.
    "You'd be surprised at how charming he can be. Even though you see him, and you talk to him, and he'll admit the crazy things he gets up to... and yet..." Alex shakes his head, "It's almost like..." His pale eyes distance as he looks away. Then back.
    "As if Santa Claus confessed that he poured sugar in your gas tank and then ran off with your dog. It's hard to really describe." He squeezes her hand again then says, "I think I'm gonna get a shower. Did you want to continue training or care to join me?"

Betsy Braddock has posed:
"I think a shower sounds lovely," Betsy decides as she finishes another sip of her iced water before setting the glass back down on the coaster. Because of course she used a coaster. Though if he had not, she didn't fix where his glass was left resting because she was awesome like that.

And she turned to lead the way out of the ballroom turned gym toward their shared suite and the bathroom that would be off it with the extra large shower.

"Speaking of that Hoplite outfit," she said with a hint of a purr to it. "I really should see you /fight/ it in sometime. We never seem to make it that far." A flash of violet eyes in his direction with an impish smile on her lips.

Alexander Aaron has posed:
    "Well, with that trip to Olympus on the horizon..." Alexander says as he starts to walk with her, slipping an arm around her waist as they stroll toward the double doors that lead out of their gymnasium/ballroom. "Perhaps before I leave we can see what we can see."
    As he says that he shoulders open the door, holds it for her. And then closes it behind them...