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Blessed by Chaos (Razgriz x Degusaurusrex)

"Shit, we start getting bodies like this popping up, we're gonna be heading into World War three. Gonna have leaders from other countries either tryin' to kill us, or tryin' to find who did this and bring them in as a soldier. We sure as shit don't need more of these fuckers. I mean I ain't squeamish, but I don't want to keep seeing this, either. This is like some fucking up Viking tradition, that's what this is." Lighting up another cigarette and shaking his head, the man barely paid attention to the voices around him as he patted his pockets and then started off. "Fuck 'em all."

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How much time had passed? Eris had been exhausted when she'd gotten home, sleeping for hours on end before being rudely awoken. Forced to shower and eat, she'd immediately gone back to bed just to periodically wake to chatter. The triplets in her doorway, Thanatos and his dull talk of peace. Even her mother, clicking along in her usual heels, had taken pity on her. As much as the goddess was disturbed by Eris' fascination with the human, she was still her daughter.

"Fuck off, woman." Groaning at the weight on the bed, Eris pawed listlessly before patting at the other goddess. "What the fuck do you want? I'm trying to sleep." Hell, what time of day was it, anyway? "I've already dealt with our brother in here. Next time I know, we'll have fuckin' fates in here screaming up a storm. As if I could care. And fuck me if Nemesis shows up, I'll boot her ass over the river to Charon myself." Rolling onto her back with an exhausted yawn, she rubbed at her eyes before stretching out.

"Now what are you going on about? Stopped what? Eating? The fuck are you on about you crazy bitch?" Sitting up slowly, she ran a hand through disheveled hair and gave the Ker a look of pure exasperation. "What am I thanking you for? I know it's not for tearing out a heart, because you would have done that without my help."
 
Ker just sat at the edge of her sister's bed, giggling as she was pawed at; her sister really was too cute at times. Her and the other Keres both agreed that Eris' fascination with the human was bound to start making the bodies fall more, but were not too happy with how 'clean' the majority of them were. Though her other sisters were none too happy when she returned with her arms covered in blood, lips smeared a wonderful red from the crimson life-fluid.

"A comment like that sister, is exactly what will have Nemmy showing up and trying to punish you." Ker giggled, giving a slight pout as she then asked what exactly she should be thanking her for. "You don't know? Your wonderful little human was in quite a pinch; and after the trouble you gave him, I decided to give him a hand. You should be so thankful the recent wars helped bolster you, dear sister~"

Leaning down to speak in more of a whisper, her brilliant eyes locking into Eris' own, she then said, "For all you knew, that journey could have killed him; the Aether isn't something meant for a mortal, after all." Pausing for a second to inspect her nails, she then gave the chaos goddess a coy grin, "So, I did a little mess of my own! I caused a murder to happen, just before they could find your little boyfriend's car! Aren't I the sweetest?"
 
"Fuck our sister. You know mother has threatened to do the same thing to her. She's got nothing better to do now that most mortals don't believe in us. She causes trouble just to cause it. I thought you and your twins were bad.. Fuckin' hell, I hate being around her most of the time. The chaos I get from it is rarely worth her whining." Yawning loudly, she froze at her sister's next words.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Her jaw tensed at the mention of the Aether, as if she hadn't known that. To be talked to like she was a child was insulting. "And if it killed him, I would have found another. Mortals always die, what's the point in hanging onto one indefinitely? Just let me have my fun before he turns old and gray. Fuck, woman." She rolled her eyes, shoving at the other until the Ker hit the floor with a thud and a fit of giggles.

"Don't act like you did it to help him, you psycho. You would have murdered just to murder."
 
"Oh really now? She causes trouble?" Ker giggled; Eris was far more of a troublemaker than Nemmy ever could hope to be. Just as Thanatos only gave mortals a peaceful passing, Nemesis only enacted chaotic deeds against those that, in her own words, 'needed to be given what was due to them'. And sometimes, she even surpassed the Keres in how bloody that retribution could.

Now that she thought about it, their family was a real piece of work. And she wouldn't have it any other way!

Giggling as she was pushed off the bed, "Oh of course I would have, dear sister; but I also didn't want your little boyfriend to get stopped, not when he's on a roll. I wanna see him really fuck up someone's day!" She then stood up and gave a happy little bounce, "Now, since you're clearly still out of it, I'll let you rest up but don't take too long! Your mortal might need your help again!" She then bounded out of the room; outside the door little tidbits of Greek could be heard, the words translating to basically if Eris was going to help them watch that one human kill some more, to which she would reply that 'Eris still needs to sleep it off; that human must be railing her good' before voices faded away. Leaving the chaos goddess alone once more.
 
"I can hear you malakas out there!" Shouting out the words loudly, Eris pulled herself up and towards the door. Her head spun for a second before her body caught up with the movements, hand sliding across the wall as she drug herself from the room. The sound of chatter was irritating to her sensitive hearing, and she followed after it. "You all can rot in the underworld." A chorus of giggles sounded as she went into the triplets bedroom, each sprawled out on their respective beds.

"I can hear you, and you know it." They burst into another fit of giggles, the youngest grinning at her. Red eyes gleamed with mischief as she hung over the side of the bed, dark hair sweeping the floor as she stuck out her tongue.

"Well, he's basically your boyfriend. You must be fucking him, if he's worth getting this exhausted over. I haven't seen you this form out in centuries, save for any time of war." Eris rolled her eyes, walking over to shove the goddess clear off the bed. She hit the ground with a thud, a series of curses leaving her mouth as she simply sprawled over the floor. Eris took over her bed with a sigh, shifting onto her side to yawn again.

"You're all fucking nuts. But I love you."
 
**June 8, 2004. Time: 10:17am. Baxter County Fairgrounds, Arkansas.**

Shawn had been minding his own business; he'd been minding his own business. Over two dozen dead less than 72 hours, he needed to pause. There was no shortage of criminals to slaughter; as such, he wasn't in a hurry to get to Illinois. So he heard about a gun show going on in Arkansas, and decided to check it out; Arkansas was a place he'd visited in the past to get ammo and firearms. And with the bag of money he had in his car, he had a few thousand to blow on guns.

And with the number of people already here, he looked like there was quite a crowd; and honestly, seeing parents with their kids here? It was one thing that gave him something to look forward to: Areas in the US that could have days like this, even if not a gun fair, just a day in the park, or shooting hoops with friends without the threat of psychos coming to do a drive-by over some slight about drugs or money. Without predators roaming the streets looking to harm innocent hard working Americans.

Taking a deep sigh as he pulled into a back spot, he took out an empty duffel bag from the back seat and looked over the cash he had: About a thousand in different bills, even a few hundred dollar ones. The sun was hot here, but still bearable; much better than the Middle Eastern sun, that shit was like an oven.

Making his way across the parking lot, he heard and saw the commotion: Family and clearly gun-loving people browsing what looked like one-hundred plus tables, some stands serving barbeque, burgers and other classic American foods as a means to generate income. Yeah...It was scenes like this that validated in his head what he was doing was worth it.

Shawn approached one table, seeing a neat assortment of pistols, rifles, and shotguns. And one that caught his eye was a Mossberg 500; it was beautiful. The man attending the stand - middle-aged, looking around 40, with a dark stubble on his jaw and a red vest underlaid by a white shirt and jean shorts with a plain bill hat on his head - came over and said, "Hey there...Looking to buy?" Shawn just smiled, "Always; got my eye on this Mossberg you have. Looks like you put a Choate stock on it; guessing it still kicks good, eh?" The man just smiled, "Yeah she does; only with the three inch shells though. Damn near broke my jaw, and even had to remove the pistol grip just to make it easier to handle."

Shawn then motioned, "May I?" After an okay nod, Shawn picked up the gun and inspected it, making sure it was unloaded. "Looks like a Pachmayr grip, not a bad choice. Might ask if you have a spare steel safety though; these plastic ones are garbage." The man nodded, "Yeah, but I don't think I have any on me. Check with Stu on the back side, near the burger stand; he sells all those parts you need, and can even install 'em for a fee." Shawn just chuckled, "Thanks friend." Giving a slide a pump, Shawn then commented, "Slides good. Nice and clean. How much?"

The man then said, "Since you seem a good sport, I'll give it to ya for two hundred with a few boxes'a double-ought. How's that?" Shawn just said "Deal...You got a case?" "Sure do, so long as you pay cash!" the man replied, but then was a bit surprised when Shawn pulled out two hundred dollars and slapped it on the table. "What? Cash is the way to go; I don't do plastic if I can help it." he would say, the man just laughing as Shawn loaded the gun into the case and threw the ammo boxes into his duffel bag. This was going to be a good day.
 
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"Give me the damn coffee." Staring impatiently at the mug outstretched toward her, she reached for it only to have it snatched back. "Give me the fucking coffee!" Snarling at the white haired man holding it just inches out of her reach, she rolled onto her back in the bed. "Dammit, Hypnos, please give me the coffee!" The bed dipped slightly as her brother sat beside her, holding out the steaming mug like a peace offering. He had a sleepy expression on his face, which while not unusual, was almost comforting. Whereas Thanatos had no qualms about voicing his disapproval over things, the twin sitting on her bed was more subtle.

"You know, you could have just asked me to help you sleep."

"You'd have put me under for a full week." Taking the coffee gratefully, Eris ignored the heat and took a long sip of it. It burned its way down, the bitter taste waking her nearly instantly. "Oh, this is straight. You couldn't even put some cream or sugar in?"

"Not a full week, sister. And if you want your cream or sugar, you'll have to get out of bed and get it yourself." She narrowed her eyes at him, silent for a long moment before she threw the covers back. "That's what I thought." Giving him the middle finger as she stretched, Eris situated the small pajama shorts she was wearing. Shawn's shirt had all but been destroyed and was gone, and so she'd returned to wearing her tank tops with whatever bottom she'd selected.

"Do I want to know what time it is?"

"Enough that you should be up." She nearly dropped the mug at the sound of her mother's voice, looking at the goddess before her brow creased. The other woman wasn't in her usual attire of a dress and heels, but rather in plain clothes and a pair of worn boots. That was never a good sign. As if sensing her wariness, Nyx rolled her eyes and straightened out in the doorway.

"I have to go check in on one of your sisters. I know better than to wear nice clothes, after what happened the last few times. Now make yourself useful and do some cleaning, okay? You make as much of a mess as we do, if not more, sometimes." She was gone before Eris could make a retort, and the room stayed silent for several seconds before she heard her brother begin to snicker.

"Shut it, Hypnos! Before I put you back to sleep myself." The laughing only increased in volume as she left the room, bare feet padding down the halls as she went to the kitchen. The smell of coffee was still strong in the air, the pot nearly empty as she dug around for the creamer. It was one of her guilty pleasures, although she couldn't exactly say she felt guilty. It didn't damage her health whatsoever, and she wanted her coffee to taste good. So with a stir of the spoon and a content sigh, she slid into a seat at the table and yawned.

"Fuckin' hell.."
 
Shawn continued on his merry through the fairgrounds; unlike a certain goddess his day seemed to be going fairly well. He would visit and chat with several vendors, using his cash to make several purchases: Mostly ammo, and a lot of it. But so far the one shotgun; he had plenty of pistols. Plus, it was fun just interacting with t

But then he came across as a real beauty: A SCAR-17 base rifle, no attachments or anything, but those could be bought secondary and attached himself. "Whooo...Where the heck you find this bad boy?" Shawn asked, the salesperson - this time a young woman with red hair dressed in a red tank top and blue jeans - smiled and said, "Oh you know how military surplus works. Besides, this is Alabama stranger." She then eyed his ammo bag, seeing it stuffed, "And you seem like someone who could give this little number a good home. You shoot a lot, I take it."

"Ex-military. Shooting is about the only thing nowadays that takes the edge off." Shawn replied, the girl laughing "Well, glad we found ya here." Shawn then examined the price tag; $2800. "Damn...Sure you can't go any lower on this?" The girl laughed again, "Sorry, hun, but we gotta make a living; this show's one of the biggest attractions in Baxter County. Makes a lot of money for the schools and such, you know?"
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As Eris would come into the room, she would see her triplet sisters gossiping to each other like they were human teenagers. All three of them sitting at the table, talking in near unison; though as they might see their beloved sister, all three would then say in eerily perfect harmony, "GOOD MORNING ERIS!" It was something they knew got on their sister's and even Thanatos' nerves. Evidenced as when he spoke, "Be nice, you three; don't start that this early."

"But Thanny!" the three then said again, each giving him a creepy smile, Thanatos sighing and running a hand through his hair, muttering "Why do I even bother?" Unlike Eris, he had decided on an herbal tea; his mother and sisters downed that stuff as if it were water. And Hypnos practically feeding it to them wasn't helping matters; of course, the man always justified that it was 'early to rise means early to bed'.

He loved this family, truly he did...But there were times where he wished he was born as someone violent-loving like them, so that he wouldn't be so exasperated by their outlandish behavior. And apparently this mortal that Eris obsessed over had given one of the Keres his victims to her as a plaything; and here he thought living sacrifices was a dead and gone practice. Like they needed any more encouragement.

Going over to Eris himself, he then said to her, "Eris...We really need to talk." And if she looked in his eyes, she would see he was dead serious. "Mother is getting worried about you; bringing a human through the Aether? Are you mad? That could have had you on Hades' doorstep yourself, what possessed you to do such a thing?" He was certainly upset, but hopefully she would also see this was from a place of caring; she was his family after all, and just didn't want her doing anything reckless that would potentially take her away from them.
 
"Y'all can fuck off." Holding up a middle finger in everyone's direction, she sipped at her coffee with a hand to her head. "Seriously, you all have been up my ass about everything lately, and I'm sick of it. I'm well past being a grown woman. We all are, but apparently you three can't act like it. Fuckin' breaking rib cages and threatening to eat hearts." She turned her head towards her brother, looking tiredly at him. And there it was, the stern talking he loved to do to her.

"First of all, mother is annoyed, not worried. Second of all, I didn't technically pull him through the Aether. I pulled him through the shadows underneath the Aether. He'd probably be dead otherwise. And third of all," She held up three fingers. "Hades doesn't want me there, he'd boot me straight back to Charon to get me out, if he didn't toss me through the Aether himself. No one but you all care about what I'm doing." Rolling her eyes, she sipped at her coffee again.

"Let me have my fun. The rest of you do. I mean come on, I bet if I pull up an image right now, he's doing something that's going to feed me, unlike the lot of you malakas." Setting down her coffee and concentrating, she was able to conjure something up far more easily now that she was rested. "I fucking told you. Guns. He'll feed both me, and the Ker." They looked excitedly at her, chattering amongst themselves. "So see, you are the only one truly worried. Now go. Away. And leave. Me. Alone." Dropping her hand back on the table with a thud, she let the images disappear in a small puff of mist that quickly disappeared.
 
"Her annoyance comes from concern, Eris; you of all people should know the boundary between the shadows and the Aether is paper-thin. You've had the most practice using the Aether to get about, so Mother isn't worried you not being able to do it yourself. But humans aren't like, Eris; strong as this one you're hounding might be, even he is very fortunate to have survived going through the shadows." he would say, trying to convey that Nyx was in fact concerned for her daughter's safety.

But he could see he wasn't getting through to her; and with a shake of his head, he would simply say, "Just please...Be careful, Eris." He himself had half a mind to talk with this human, even if the man hadn't exactly consented to Eris' advances. He could see the attraction she had to him, it was plain as day, even if she didn't want to fully admit it. So with that in mind, he would leave to take care of some business of his own; he was a god of death after all, and business rarely slowed for him.

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Shawn just sighed, "Well, that's a shame. I can't afford this." The girl smiled, "How much you have left?" Shawn then rifled through his bag and pulled out a neat stack and a half, "About fifteen hundred. The girl let out a tsk, "Ouch, sorry hun...But what I can do is offer you this other rifle." She then led him over to another table, showing a cherry-clean M4 with a 2x sight and bipod laid next to it. And the price? 500. "Doesn't hit as hard, obviously, but five-five-six ammo is cheaper and still puts rounds down range." Shawn then said, "Hmmm, not a bad selection; the scope and bipod included?" The girl just said, "Yep!"

It was a good bargain; and it wasn't like the people he was running into were wearing heavy body armor. "Alright, you got yourself a deal. How much is ammo?" he then asked, the young lady replying "One- for a thousand." Shawn just laughed, "Great, I'll take three." "You got it stranger."

And a few hours later, after spending the rest on cleaning kits and spare magazines for his weapons, Shawn then got back to his car and placed the bag into the back; he lifted up the spare tire compartment and started placing the boxes into custom made holders in the frame. The rifle and shotgun cases were cabled and secured to the sides in a hidden panel; though from time to time he'd noticed his mind wandering to Eris.

She was gone; in these short few days she'd injected herself into his life, he was now finding himself wanting her near, even if she did do some shit that utterly pissed him off. Shaking his head, he then finished packing everything again and after closing the trunk door, got in and pulled away. Getting back on the road to Chicago, Illinois. He still had another stash of cash; maybe he could afford a slightly nicer motel room once he got there.
 
"Why does it matter to you, if he dies? You're a god of death same as our sisters. You just have your prissy viewpoint that it should be peaceful." Watching him walk away with a look of disgust on her face, Eris finished the rest of her coffee in one go. "And you three." She turned her ire on the triplets as she got up, rinsing out the cup and placing it in the sink. "I don't want any interference." Focusing especially on the youngest, she scowled at her. "Especially from you. I get no benefit from your little antics." Leaving the room in a huff, she returned to her own and shut the door quietly behind herself.

There was no point in spying on her little human at the moment, not when it was clearly a place she couldn't simply appear in. She could, technically, but it wouldn't end very well. The moment she frightened someone with the little act, she'd have an absurd amount of weapons pointed at her. With that in mind she crawled back into bed, bundling herself in the covers before dozing off for the next several hours.

"You can't sleep all day. Even watching you run away to Earth is better than this." Her eyes shot open, head turning to stare at the oldest of the Ker in the doorway. "I don't particularly approve of it, but our youngest sister seems to like him. Perhaps because he gave her someone to play with. She didn't shut up about the sound of his rib cage breaking for hours." Pulling herself slowly from the bed, Eris watched the red eyes that surveyed her. "Go on now, go play and have fun. I'll deal with Thanatos." She was out of the room before Eris could say something, tossing clothes away as she went into the bathroom. If she was going to see her human, there was no point going there looking like a mess.

Twenty minutes and a change of clothes later, she smoothed out the pair of jeans short and tank top she was wearing. Debating on a bra before deciding it was pointless, she tugged on a black T-shirt and a light jacket. A pair of socks and sneakers later, she looked like a normal human. With a snicker to herself at the thought, she dug around in the closet before tossing extra clothes in a small bag. A flash of green and she'd dumped several rolls of cash in with it, hefting it over her shoulder before leaving the closet.

"Now, what are you up to?" She had no idea what time it was, nor did she care. All that mattered was leaving her house and the annoyances of it behind. A moment of concentration and a shroud of black later, she cringed at the sight of him driving. "Ooh, I hope I don't cause an accident." Not while she was in the car, at least. "Surprise, sweetheart." With a giggle as she slipped into the mist, she landed with a grunt in the front seat of the car. With an undignified yelp at the less than comfortable position she'd ended up in, she pulled herself properly into the seat and kicked her legs up.

"Miss me?"
 
In a cruel twist of fate, the mere thought of Eris seemed to bring her right back. The past few hours had been uneventful, having just stopped to get something to eat. Because he had been so productive, he went to a gastropub called Rapp's Barren Brewing Company. Had delicious barbeque and some good beer; he only had a small one as he still had to drive. But the home-cooked meal was a welcome treat, leagues better than the MREs he usually prepared in his room, or the fast food he usually got.

But with a fairly hearty meal, some beer and a chat with the locals in his gut and on his mind, he then got right back on the road. He didn't took too long to get to the main thoroughfare; it would be less than 10 hours of driving, and with it being just shy of one in the afternoon, he'd be there by around 11PM, maybe shy of midnight. Thankfully, 55 was a fairly empty road, and he had some time to cool down and think about how to go about this.

There were a ton of gangs in Chicago; many places of it were so bad even the police wouldn't dare enter. Fine by him; those were the areas he'd clean out without much risk of cross-fire. Last he checked, there was around 100,000 active members, 30 total established gangs, and many many solo acts or other assorted criminals.

Yeah...This was going to be major. He would have to hunker down for a while. Better now than never.

A few hours later, he found himself with no one around save for a few cars, driving along Interstate 55 when the aforementioned goddess materialized; he let out a yell of surprise and nearly slammed into the center divide, scraping the wall of his car on the barrier before managing to get back in the lane. Clutching his heart, feeling it race as he stared at her for a second before looking back at the road, he finally decided to pull over and flip on his hazard lights.

"Jesus fucking Christ, for someone who wants me to keep killing for them you nearly get me killed a lot!" he snapped, taking a second to catch his breath. And when she asked if he missed, he actually hesitated; it hadn't been long, but...In a way he did miss her. If only because she provided him with company, a something he hadn't expected to have while on this long and lonesome self-imposed crusade. "Yeah, sure, I missed you nearly getting me caught by law enforcement." he would reply; switching back off the hazard lights, he then made sure it was clear before getting back on.

"Figured you'd be gone for good; hadn't seen ya in nearly two weeks." he would then say to her.
 
"Don't crash, sweet thing." Grinning as the car jerked violently, Eris listened to the sound of metal scraping with delight. "I didn't come here just for you to die." Dumping her bag on the floor carelessly as she braced a hand on the window, she gave him a smug smile and pulled her legs off the dash. "Jesus doesn't exist, hon. You'd have better luck saying Zeus dammit. Besides, I'd love to piss off the big guy." Looking up and holding up a middle finger, she grinned wide. "Fuck you, Zeus! Go ahead, strike me down, you'll never see sunlight again." She snickered.

"Having the goddess of night as a mother has some benefits." That, and siblings of death didn't hurt things, either. "Oh, you definitely missed me." Cooing softly as she tucked her legs up, Eris reached over to cup his chin. "Missed you too, sweet cheeks. Well, what you do." Even though she had missed him a bit, there was no way she was admitting it. She was already getting enough shit from her family because it was supposedly obvious. Regardless of whether or not it was, she was a grown woman. Long since grown.

"You could have called for me, maybe I would have heard you." Maybe, maybe not. She'd peeked periodically, but far less than she had in the beginning. "You miss my company, or the fact that I never wear a bra?"
 
Shawn smacked her hand away as she cupped his chin; man this bitch was nuttier than a fruit cake. But...Then again, she was a chaos goddess. And showed that she could fuck up his life if she so deemed it to be.

"Sorry, I rather enjoyed not having the cops called on me while on assignment, or having to puke my guts out after the fact." he then said, giving a pointed jab at the fact that the last time she decided on some 'fun', that's in fact exactly what happened. Even so, and though he would never say it outright...There was a part of him that did miss her. She had a carefree way about her, and...It was a change he found himself wanting as of late. Not enough to stop, of course.

Though as she mentioned not wearing bra, she would find his eyes going to her chest almost on reflex; yes indeed, he was curious to see, but really she was probably stark naked under her clothes. "Surprised with a chest that big it doesn't hurt to have them rubbing on your shirt like that. Must be nice being a god" he then said her, now back to driving down the highway.

"But, since you are back, what exactly do you need? Hope you don't expect to just start shooting random people on the road or cause an accident just for giggles. There's a long road ahead." he then said to her, still somewhat wary of her motives.
 
"Hey, it's not like I felt that great after, either!" Instantly going on the defense after being smacked away, Eris crossed her arms over her chest and pouted. "It's not every day I pull someone else through the shadows, let alone a mortal!" She'd gotten reamed out plenty for that already, she didn't need to hear it from him, too. "You're welcome, by the way." Even if she had been the reason it needed done. That, and she'd snapped someone's neck for him, which she certainly hadn't needed to do.

"Oh?" Her lips curved into a smirk as she uncrossed her arms, tugging the jacket to the side and cupping her breasts. "Would you rather they rub on you, instead? I'm sure it would feel much, much nicer than the shirt." Purring the words, her smirk fell away and her expression became more serious. "I suppose that depends how much this city has gone to shit. No, I'm not going to ask you to start shooting random people. That's the Ker's domain, not mine. I am chaos, not pointless death." It was almost an insult that he thought that of her, and she continued to pout as her arms went back over her chest.

"Just drive. I hope you're not planning on staying in a shitty little motel this time. I won't allow it. I'm not sleeping on some nasty, bug infested bed."
 
Shawn let out a 'Tch' as she snapped back at him, "Yeah, and I thanked you for both already. All I'm saying is that I'd rather not do that again if I can help it." And it was true; last time he felt that disoriented was when his convoy went belly-up after it struck a land-mine. Thankfully the car was built well enough that he didn't die, but concussive shock was still a hell of a force. Especially since it flipped his vehicle on its side.

Though as she cupped her breasts, the fabric tightening around those ample mounds, Shawn actually did look for a second but then looked away, giving a small grimace. "Nice try, but I already saw what you have packing. You showed me in our first encounter, remember? Nice ones, sure, but not interested." A bald-faced lie, of course, since she'd seen his reactions both in person and from afar.

And when she said she wasn't sleeping on some nasty bed? He just let out a sigh, "Well, you're free to get your own place. I stay in those shitholes because no one asks questions, it's easier to blend in. Besides, much as I steal from criminals, I don't have enough to afford your tastes."
 
"Didn't you get a hard on the first time you saw me naked? Or just when I saw you having some fun with yourself?" Tone nearly syrupy sweet as she quickly quipped back at him, she leaned down to unzip her bag. "I didn't slip through the Aether to stay somewhere away from you, stupid. I even packed clothes so you don't bitch about me stealing yours." As tempting as it was to repeat the event. "Oh, no, we're not getting some shitty place. Cash keeps mouths shut." Pulling out a roll of cash, she smacked him lightly against the cheek with it.

"We're picking a nice place, with a bar. I do miss the liquor you humans make. It's not Dionysus' wine, but it's still pretty good." And plenty enough to affect her, which was the main point. "Besides, what do you know about my tastes? You've never seen my home. And my clothes aren't that fancy. Hell, half the time they end up on the floor of wherever I visit you at." She gave him a cheeky grin, remembering the feel of him pressed against her in the bed as a source of warmth. Regardless of the fact that it had been to take away the chill, it had been immensely enjoyable. How many centuries had it been since she'd simply curled up with someone and slept?
 
Shawn grimaced as she brought that up; damn it, he was hoping their little trip through that crazy dark shit would have scrambled her memory. "I didn't bitch about you taking my shirt, I commented on it. Hell, I even said you could keep it." Granted that was more just to get her away from him...But now she even had her own clothes. Which at least meant she wouldn't be stealing any of his...Even if she did look damn good in his oversize shirt.

His teeth grit as he felt his arousal peak again, picturing her in that garment as she had teased him with it the first day. Fucking hell, why did all the crazy ones have to be attractive.

"Well shit, I figured gods and stuff lived in palaces lined with gold. Least that's how my old Baptist pastor used to describe. 'A kingdom of infinite bounty to those who serve our God', he said." he would then say, asking "Besides, you can't expect me to believe you live in some slum, especially with that kind of cash you're carrying. Where the heck you'd get that money anyway? Didya rob a bank?"
 
"Fine, then I'm sleeping in one of your shirts again." More than pleased with his reaction, Eris dropped the cash back in her bag and zipped it up again. "It's comfortable and it smells good." She stared at him for a long moment, straight faced, before she finally burst out laughing. "Palaces lined with gold? Oh please, this isn't ancient Greece." She gave an undignified snort as she regained her composure. "My house actually isn't unlike some of the nicer ones here. I drink coffee just like you mortals. In fact, most of my family rather likes it. I think my sisters live off it almost as much as they do violent death and blood." It wasn't exactly an exaggeration, either.

"No, I did not rob a bank." She gave him an exasperated look. "You think I can't take money off of dead bodies, or distracted ones?" She kept the expression for only a moment before she giggled again. "I actually sell a lot of things. You would not believe what people will pay for relics from Greece. Seriously, it's insane!"
 
"Not like I can stop you..." he would grumble; this was going to be a long ass car ride. Easily another 4 or 5 hours. Though when she then went on to explain that her home was relatively plain, his next words would prove he didn't believe her at all. "Yeah, sure, maybe in your eyes it's plain and only just 'like the nicer homes' here. But I guarantee you if anyone saw where you lived, including me, we'd be saying something different." This had always been a problem of mortals; they thought the gods were venerable and absolutely immortal. And really, Shawn didn't know much about history or lore that wasn't related to the United States.

But her next statement just had him rolling his eyes, "Yeah, I'm sure whatever priceless antique you have, your folks are thrilled to just have you sell off in the blink of an eye." Even so, despite this being a sarcastic remark, this did remind him of a story from his childhood. "Now, you do what you want, but Imma share this with you just because it reminds me of it. Knew a kid in middle school once, stole his father's coin collection. Coins worth a lot, some even thousands of dollars, wanted to save them to give him to his son as his inheritance. And you know what the kid did with them? Bought cigarettes, beer and fucking chips. I knew this kid's dad; he worked 4am to sometimes 7 or 8 at night just to make ends meet. And guess what the father did? He cried, didn't even lay a hand on him."

Shawn just laughed, "Now me on the other hand, I had too much respect for the dad to let that kind of shit slide, so I called this kid out and had him fight me after school. Little shit, thougth because 'his life sucked' that it made him a hardass. Broke four of his ribs, busted an eye socket and made him have his jaw wired shut for a year. The dad didn't press charges for whatever reason, and I spent some time in juvenile hall for it. Got out, and first thing I did was have to apologize to the dad...Wasn't the hard part, the hard part was trying to track down those coins. Never got all of them back unfortunately, but recovered enough."

At this Shawn just looked at the road, "And then a year later the old man died of a stroke, his ungrateful shit son didn't even show for the service. But he still wanted his coins, said they were his. Found me about three weeks later asking for them...And I told him I'd buried the coins with his father's body." Shawn then let out a laugh, "And I knew this kid wasn't going to let the sanctity of burial stand, so I followed him after he went with a few of his buddies to dig up his father's corpse...And then I called the police on them. Little shit was caught red-handed, and had to serve 10 years...And as far as I knew, he sat in there every last minute of his sentence. Even when I was overseas, I kept tabs on him." Eris would see that Shawn was smiling now, clearly having enjoyed the retelling of this story from his youth. "One of the few times the justice system actually worked, and it was beautiful; the scene he threw that day when he was sentenced...Was a thing of beauty."
 
"You mean my mother?" She raised an eyebrow. "She couldn't give a shit if I sell things off. She seems to like more modern items more, anyway." Eris fell silent as he began his story, listening with mild interest. She vaguely remembered how human currency became worth more over time, and she sucked in a deep breath at the times mentioned. That was.. Sixteen hours of work? She'd never technically had to work in her entire existence, so the thought was almost impossible to comprehend.

Why am I not surprised this one got into a fight?

The thought of him fighting as a child would have made her giggle, if not for the serious nature of the conversation. So instead, she listened, taking in the details as her interest gradually grew. Humans were such strange creatures, and while deities weren't exactly known for being loving most of the time, this sounded absurd. She shivered in delight at the mention of several broken ribs, a smile finally breaking through her uncaring demeanor.

"He dug up his father's body? People still do that?" It had been extremely common in the past, grave robbers looting for valuable jewels and items. "You seem extremely happy with that, although I can't say I blame you. I've never had children of my own," She paused momentarily, shaking her head. "So I can't understand the notion of caring for them, but that still seems like a shit thing to do."
 
He supposed he should have figured as much; given that she had a sister, it made sense she had parents. But given how chaotic all of them were? He shouldn't be surprised that she was given this much free reign, though it could also be that the possessions were hers. Either way, it wasn't like he could stop her if he wanted. Even when she might giggle, he just kept his eyes on the road.

"All the time, sometimes for no other reason to literally defile a corpse for fun. Sick fucks even dig them up to have sex with them, fucking pervs." he would explain; several people he'd punished were for that very crime alone. They didn't have to be gangbangers; they could be greedy businessmen, crooked cops, spies or traitors to their country and community. Anyone that harmed someone else or profited off the suffering of others. " 'Course I was; my own dad wasn't around much, but he still raised me well enough to not dare do anything like that."

Pausing, he then said, "And in case you're wondering, no, my family didn't get murdered by criminals. This isn't some cliché revenge plot. My mom...She died giving birth to me, and my dad died of a heart attack." And while he didn't seem upset with revealing this, Eris would see there was something on his mind. Especially with this talk of the dead and how there was still defiling of their bodies going on.

"Hey...Since you're a goddess and all. Is there an afterlife? Or do humans just...you know, switch off? Like, bam, that's it? Darkness and never wake up again?" he then asked her; he was honestly curious, even if he half-expected her to give a bullshit answer.
 
"Mm, I can't say that I'm too surprised about most of that." Perhaps she hadn't expected it, but she certainly wasn't surprised. "To be honestly honest," Eris shrugged. "It's going to make me sound heartless, but I don't really care how your family died. There's nothing that can bring them back, so why does it matter?" She paused, staring through the windshield with a solemn expression. "But for what it's worth, I'm sorry. It's not easy to lose those you care about." The serious expression left her face as she nodded, letting out a chuckle of delight as she quickly changed subjects. There was definitely something going on in that head of his, but she made no move to poke at him for it. All in due time.

"Yes, there's an afterlife. Come on, do you think Charon just carts souls over and dumps them in a pile like a deactivated robot?" She cast him an amused grin, wiggling around in the seat to get more comfortable. "Hades would be too bored if there weren't souls in his domain. Even if he does get fed up with Persephone sweet talking them sometimes. I swear, nothing like seeing this sweet little goddess leading around a giant, fucking three-headed dog, while humming sweetly. Now, are we going to spend the entire ride talking about this stuff? Don't get me wrong, this is literally my life, but it's a bit of an odd topic, for you. Afraid of what will happen when you die?"
 
"You? Have a heart? Now there's a twist." Shawn teased back; he didn't expect her to care at all, in fact, he was actually surprised that she prefaced her response with an apology. Though how sincere it was could be a point of debate. "Even still...Appreciate it. But ya, I've moved past it; plus knowing them, they wouldn't be too happy with my choices. Believers of the justice system, with all its flaws and occasional benefits." he then clarified; even so, he felt it right in his heart to do this. To catch what the justice system couldn't, and from time to time, destroy any elements that would undermine its integrity.

Though as she answered his question about the afterlife, he just raised a brow. "How the hell should I know? I had a few near-death experiences in the Middle East sure, but it's not like I could see anything that was going on in the other side." he would say; though he seemed to look at her like he was crazy. He did remember one of his squadmates talking about some dog in hell...Or something like that, he wasn't sure what.

"Me? I know I'm going to hell, I've long made peace with that fact. A mortal can't be curious if the talk of 'fire and brimstone' is either true or a bunch of crap to scare the sheep into following the shepherd?" he would say; granted, he knew nothing of Greek mythos, all he had was the Bible and its talk of how all who sinned before the Lord were doomed to eternal damnation. "In fact, if there is a Devil, I'm going for his ass when I finally bite it."

Continuing to drive, he then checked a map; it was getting later in the day, and he also noticed his fuel tank was getting low. "Damn it...Hey, there's a gas station coming up, I'm gonna pull in." It was in Missouri, some random truck stop in the middle of bumblefuck nowhere. Pulling in, he parked the Jeep near one of the pumps. "Not sure what they have here, might be some coffee if you're interested. You can either come with or stay, your choice." he would say to her, getting out and going inside to pay. Making sure to tuck a pistol in the holster inside his pants before doing so, just in case shit went sideways.
 
Despite having not responded with any physical reaction, his remark had stung of little. She'd always has a heart, just only for particular things. If he wanted to think she was heartless though, she could keep up that mask just fine. After all, who would think someone that ruled over chaos could have one? Pushing the thought away, she rolled her shoulders back in a casual shrug.

"You can claim you're going to 'Hell' all you want, but you'll just end up in the Underworld. Which domain you go to, I can't say for sure. But if Achilles and Perseus didn't go to the one of torture, I'd say there's a good chance you won't. You at least have a decent enough motive for what you do. Even if you didn't, you might fight under the Ker or another, and earn your place in a pleasant part of Hades' realm." She snorted in laughter.

"Good luck biting Hades' ass, Cerberus will use you as a toothpick in a moment." It wouldn't be the first time she'd seen such an action on her visits, nor would it be the last. She barely acknowledged him as they drove until they made a stop, nodding her head slowly. "Don't yell at me if people stare because I don't have a bra. Otherwise I might think you're jealous." Getting out of the car and bumping shoulders playfully with him, she bounded inside and straight to where the coffee was. "Oh, glorious caffeine, you are nearly as delicious as ambrosia.."
 
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