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Alder finds Atlis on the beach, holding her knees close to her chest. He sighs, hesitating to sit by her side. Is he really the best person to do this? Maybe he should go get Lucas, he always knew what to say…no. This whole mess is his fault, he should be the one to fix it. Alder moves toward his friend, not saying anything at first when he comes to stand beside her. Atlis glances up at him before turning her eyes back to the ocean. She makes no move to leave, so neither does he. Alder sits down on the sand, taking in the surroundings. The soft breeze blowing around them, the soft crash of waves, and the faint smell of seaweed in the air. It is beautiful. Perfect place to have a difficult conversation.
"So, uh, how are you feeling?" Alder asks whilst fidgeting with his hands. He only gets a glare from the other heir, causing him to shrink a little. "Right, yeah, sorry. Of course you're feeling bad." Silence stretches on between them as Alder racks his brain for what to say. Gods, how did Lucas always know how to navigate these situations?
"You really hurt me," Atlis says so quietly Alder almost misses it and thank the gods he doesn't.
"I figured…I'm sorry, Atlis."
"What for?"
"What?"
"What are you sorry for?" She snaps, unfolding her body to properly scold him. He leans backward, hands help up in surrender.
"U-uh…hurting you?" Alder says, and it clearly isn't the right thing because Atlis buries her face in her hands and lets out a frustrated growl. "Is that not—"
"No that's not it! You always do this, Alder! You never actually try and acknowledge the problem, you just apologize and move on without actually learning from your mistakes." She shoots up from the sand, posture tense and voice raised. Alder flinches—he's never seen her this angry before. "I don't want to talk to you right now." She pulls out a gray feather, and Alder swallows thickly. Solve it now. He lunges for her wrist, though is as gentle as possible upon contact. She glances down at him, annoyed. Rightfully so, but still, he can't help it if it stings. "What?"
"Can you tell me what I did wrong this time? I'm not…" He takes a breath in, then out, "I'm not the most well versed in social etiquette and the like. Haven't really had friends till you and Lucas." Alder explains, looking up at her with what he hopes to be sincere eyes but they could just as equally be puppy-dog. Either way, he hopes it works. If she uses that feather to teleport, only the Olympians will know where she ends up. Atlis stares at him for a moment, then takes several deep breaths.
"The reason I'm upset is that you continously talk over me, stampeding any attempt I make at conversation to redirect it toward yourself. That a good enough summary for you?"
Alder nods, "Aye, it is." He rises to his feet, and looks her directly in the eyes, "I'm going to apologize properly this time…if that's alright with you?"
"Go on."
"Okay, right. Atlis, I'm sorry for steamrolling you and not letting you have the floor in our conversations. I promise to be a better friend from here on out." Alder maintains the eye contact, doing his best to keep everything about himself steady. Sure, insecure thoughts are already pouring in, but he could spiral later. Atlis sighs—not a good sign, frankly—and tucks the feather back into her pocket.
"I want action, too," She demands, "Not just pretty words. Understood?"
"Understood."
"Good," Atlis takes a moment to think, before saying, "Now, what was that thing you were trying to tell me about?"
Oh, he'd basically forgotten about it in the wake of upsetting her, and a fresh wave of warmth crashes onto his face. Alder lets out a sheepish chuckle, "Ah, well, you see…I may or may not be in love with Lucas?"
Atlis is unfazed. Seriously. No eyebrow raise or shocked blinking, nothing! If this is news to him, how in the world did she seem to know already?!
"Is that supposed to be new information?"
"…yeah?"
"Wow, you really are dense."
Alder splutters, "Wha—hey!"
"Athena and I caught on to that fact like week two of you being an heir, keep up, Alder," Atlis smirks as she crosses his arms, and he can't help but smile. She's feeling better, at least, she only gets this snarky when she's in a semi-good mood. But the mention of Athena does bring something else to mind.
"Oh, how're the language studies going? I heard you and Athena were working on that now."
"Don't get me started on linguistics!" Atlis groans, moving her arms to drag her hands down her face, "Not only do I have to learn Ancient Greek and Latin, Athena's making me learn how language develops and forms and everything that goes into the field of linguistics!" Alder makes a noise of sympathy as she continues to rave about how linguistics is the most evil field of study in the world. Athena really makes her work hard, huh, he thinks. Thank the gods I'm Demeter's heir and not Athena's.
"I think that you've earned a much needed break from studying. You want to head to the Grapevine? My treat."
Atlis smiles softly, the bristles from a long-held-in rant softening, "Sure, that sounds fun," She walks toward him and says, "But don't think the loud music is a reason to ignore me."
"Yes ma'am," Alder laughs, but he gives her a sincere thumbs-up. With a content smile, she once again produces the feather from her pocket. He smirks at her and nods. In a flash of light, the two are no longer on a beach, but right in front of a bustling tavern: the Grapevine. "Got something in mind you'd like to try?"
"You know my order,"
"Hey, new day, new things, am I right?"
"Technically, yes, but I'm still getting my usual."
"Figured. One day though…one day…" They continue to chatter as they waltz into the tavern, and Alder takes a moment to reflect on their earlier conversation. He would be a better friend--no moving on without any change this time. He swears it. At least this conflict happened now, when at peace, instead of in the middle of fighting a chimera.