Chapter Text
*
Cupid, or Eros as the Greeks' know him by, is childish and painfully unserious by nature. He's known nothing but destruction his whole life, been taught it his whole upbringing, and he has never faced real punishment for his actions. His mother always shielded him from needing to take any accountability.
A woman who could not love anybody but him, and a man who couldn't love anybody but himself. Even something this cruel, something caused by his own hands, could not make him feel even an ounce of guilt.
Love was such a powerful force when weaponized, especially when used correctly, and yet nobody quite realizes how powerful of a weapon it is. He has never experienced genuine, natural love for himself, but he knew he didn't need to. He still knew how to use it wisely and effectively.
He can make a person hate someone so deeply, so intrinsically, and then he can turn right around and make the same person they hate love them so intensely and genuinely. He felt drunk on his own power, at times.
He didn't treat any of it as a mere game, but he did not treat it as seriously as he should have either.
It brought him endless joy in the past seeing his old enemies go on an ever-lasting goose chase for love he knew they could not get, but he did not truly understand the severity of his actions. How was he supposed to understand? Was he supposed to already know?
He can think of so many memories that were just like that, and that same joy returns for just a short yet lovely moment, as fleeting as it is.
But he himself finds himself stuck running on a wild goose chase, to experience that same feeling he used to feel when sending his enemies on an endless marathon for love.
It didn't have that same spark it once had, and it feels impossibly mundane. It's lost all reason. He has no reason to spell peoples' doom when he doesn't even know any of them, when he doesn't even have any reason to hate them.
Hate was his main motivator, may it be taught or more personal, it was what sparked his destructiveness. His motivator is currently five feet under.
It didn't feel as engaging as it once was, and he fears it may never have that same thrill again. He felt like destruction was his purpose, the only thing he knew how to do, and who was he if he was bad at his only purpose?
A purpose. He yearns to have connections again, but he can't tell if it's so he can have more people to torture, or if it's because he misses having people to talk to. His Mother, Venus, had once filled that role without him needing to speak to mere mortals- but she has long been gone.
Cupid cannot figure out why his memory about his Mother and why she isn't here with him anymore is so blurry.
He had once lived in another world, far away from the Inpherno itself. Other gods' like his Mother and father recided there, ones that he could not care enough about to remember their names.
Many of them were destructive themselves, similarly to Cupid, or simply didn't care enough about what went on in the worlds they were meant to rule over. He saw some of them as a guiding light, just like how he saw his mother. Their hate, he learned, who they liked, or favored more than others, he learned.
But now? Now he has no guiding light, nobody to learn from. Nobody to get influenced by. He hopes he finds some sort of powerful figure again so he has somebody to pave the way for him, atleast. He's not used to being without a guide, and he feels lost.
But, most of all, he feels like a pathetic child. He hates that feeling, more than all.
Cupid often ponders about his mother, but as said before, it's blurry. So much so he can barely make out past memories with her. Why is that?
..He tells himself not to think about it too much.
Now, coming back to the present, he sat perched upon a steep hill with his wings neatly folded up against his back.
His posture was tense, as he tended to get incredibly focused when observing a target, causing him to tune out everything else.
Said target, a lone Biograft, stood a distance below him.
It stood in the middle of an empty sidewalk, with a large, run down hotel providing it cover and shade.
It was not a frequently patrolled spot by any means, considering a dark, creepy alleyway connected right to the sidewalk. Why that is, he doesn't know. No wonder why nobody comes around here, though, he muses to himself.
He began to aim at the Biograft, whomst he assumed was not meant to be here considering Biografts are from Blackrock and made in Blackrock. Not that he cared about it trespassing, it's just hilarious seeing a robot become obsessed over a random person.
The string of his gold adorned bow tenses as it's pulled backward, with a gold tipped arrow being pulled back along with it. He squinted to better line up the shot.
The shot should've been easy to land, as the Biograft remained un-moving, seemingly oblivious to what was happening. But before Cupid could take the shot-- he found himself getting startled by a distant voice.
"Hey man! You, um, doing okay?" A worried sounding voice called out from a good distance away, and the unexpected voice interrupted his focus, causing Cupid to jolt in surprise and almost lose his grip on the taut string.
He hadn't been addressed directly by somebody in a long time, even if his name wasn't called. His wings flared out as he nearly lost his balance on the edge of the hill from jolting like he'd been scared half to death.
Despite his efforts to salvage the shot, the damage was already done, and the arrow was sent flying as soon as his iron-clad grip loosened; causing it to completely miss the target.
The Biograft fled when it noticed the arrow clack to the ground after crashing into the sidewalk. It followed suit, disappearing soon after and appearing right back in Cupid's hand.
Cupid cursed under his breath, storing the arrow back into the quiver on his back. He quickly remembered there was somebody right behind him, and he turned his head.
Despite his attempts to maintain a neutral expression, he could tell his shock was still evident on his face.
Normally, he'd stay invisible all the time as to not draw attention from mortals, but it seemed he was so focused on getting the perfect shot that he forgot to keep that invisibility up. He'd admittedly gotten a bit rusty, having been too caught up in his own thoughts as of recent.
The person shoots a confused glance at the Biografts fleeing silhouette, before their concerned gaze flitted back up to Cupid.
It was only now that they realized how odd it was to randomly check up on a stranger, like they were doing a wellness check or something.
"Ah, sorry!" the person rushed to apologize when they saw his shocked expression, "I did not mean to scare you, I-I just noticed you looked kinda tense and.. doown? and I wanted to make sure you were fine."
They were embarrassed about asking a random person if they were okay just because they got worried, but they still wanted confirmation before they went on their way.
To their defense though, wouldn't anyone be concerned if they saw a stranger hunched over on a tall hill with a strange posture? From their perspective, it looks very concerning.
He de-summoned his bow, before standing up. "I am fine," he was about to say something else when he turned around to face them, but he was taken aback by this person's.. peculiar appearance.
Their skin color was green, and they seemed to be some kind of insect. They had antennae similar to a caterpillars, and a set of mandibles on their lower jaw. They had a creme colored oval marking on their stomach, and a similarly colored marking on their face. Additionally, they had a tail akin to a Caterpillar's.
They also had an over-sized headband that nearly covered their eyes, with a daisy adorning the right end of it. Their arms had two spikes on the sides and three segmented parts with dark green lining each arm, aswell as two identical segments also on their legs. They had a set of what looked like claws on both feet. Lastly, they had vines across their lower half that acted as a belt, and a white, slightly transparent silk dress of some sort that stopped a bit above the knees.
Of all the inphernals he'd seen in his time here, he'd never seen one as unique as this one.
It was pretty clear they were a caterpillar, or at the minimum an insect like inphernal- but he could not pinpoint what kind of caterpillar they were. It was on the tip of his tongue.
They coughed awkwardly to interrupt the silence, and he suddenly realized he had spaced out instead of saying something else like he had planned to. "Oh, er.." he, a bit pathetically, sputtered out.
"My apologies, I was merely.. taken aback by your appearance. I have not yet seen someone with such a peculiar appearance before." He quickly apologized, glancing to the side in embarrassment.
They laughed, quickly understanding their sudden zoning out.. "Oh, it's no worries!" they reassured them. "I get that quite alot, actually. So I'd say I'm pretty used to it by now." They shrugged.
They took a second to get a look at him as he did to them, and they seemed intrigued at their appearance as he was to theirs.
They had never seen an inphernal with wings before, so it was quite the surprise to say the least. They didn't even know inphernals could have wings! I mean, could they?
They couldn't help but add a bit of a snide remark, "and you said I looked peculiar? Pssh!"
A thought came to their mind; they'd never seen this person before, so why not atleast catch their name? Never know if you'll see them around. They also love to meet new people, after all.
"Hey, I don't think I've ever seen you around Crossroads before," they mused, "do you mind if I catch your name? I can also give you mine."
Cupid hummed in response, contemplating the offer. He hadn't made any connections with any of the mortals here thus far, but he supposed socializing with somebody could help get his mind off of his thoughts.
It's possible he could also get some useful information from this person, considering he did not know much about the surrounding areas or even this one.
He comes to a consensus, deciding making an acquaintce wouldn't hurt.
But then he realizes, he can't just say his name is Cupid, can he? He's only known as a mythology in this world, and he does not want to find out what this person's reaction will be if he says he's Cupid himself.
Sword. Rocket. He recalls when he noticed nearly everybody he heard of around here or, for example, Blackrock, had a gear related name. He quickly makes up a name based off of that, despite not having a set gear himself.
"You may call me Bow. And what might you go by?" He queried, tilting his head to try and show his intrigue.
"Bow?" they parroted, a small lilt of intrigue and confusion to their voice, "that's an interesting name." They quickly moved on from that, not wanting to sound rude.
"But, anyway, you can call me Bugshot. My gear is a slingshot variant, buut the bug part is what most people notice about me at a first glance. So I go by Bugshot!" He chirped, swaying idly as he spoke.
"There's already somebody named Slingshot here anyway, so I can't just be Slingshot." He pointed out thoughtfully. "Alot of people say I look similar to him, though. I definitely see it.."
He nods. His thoughts kept coming back to Bugshots appearance. "Hm. I don't believe I've seen any other Inphernals like you before, Bugshot. Are you half-insect, or something of the likes?" Bow asked.
"Um.." he hummed a bit nervously, placing his hand to his chin, "I don't actually know? Atleast, I'm not a hundred precent sure. What I do know is that I am an Emperor caterpillar, though!"
An emperor caterpillar. That's the species of caterpillar he was trying to think of earlier.
Bow gave him a small smile of acknowledgement as he let his thoughts wander yet again. He hoped he wouldn't let this become a reoccurring issue.
He realizes he had forgotten how much he enjoyed small talk, or just conversing with another person. As much as he dislikes admitting it, It's nice.
..He doesn't understand why he's suddenly being nice to this random person, when he's known as and is destructive. What's special about him? Why isn't he feeling the same hatred that he had been stuck with for so long, that same urge to cause destruction to everybody he knew?
Why isn't he trying to uphold that destructive title anymore?
After being away from his parents and all of the other gods, he found he didn't have that same natural hate for mortals as his parents did, he usually, at minimum, remained neutral with most mortals unless they did something to provoke him. It's not like their presence felt like a personal offense to him.
But Cupid had not come to terms with that just yet.
Right now, all he knows is much of that hatred has subsided since being away from the other deities and gods. It's such an odd feeling, considering he has known destruction and hatred his entire life.
He is unsure on whether he should welcome the feeling or push it down. He never liked feeling lost.
He supposes he could try to learn a few things from Bugshot. He wasn't very knowledgeable when it came to the regions or history of the Inpherno, so it wouldn't hurt to query a bit.
"Say, I am still relatively new to Crossroads. I came from, ehm.." Bow paused for a second, before deciding on a convincing enough lie, "Blackrock. Would you mind showing me around the main part of Crossroads? I have yet to see it since I've mostly stuck around less populated parts."
Bugshot seemed to light up at the idea, as he could get the opportunity to introduce some of his friends to this person- and he gets to host his own personal tour. He seems to be getting along with Bow quite fast.
"Ooh, I'd love to give you a tour of the place!" He's quick to agree, nodding. He also adds humorously, "It's much better than Blackrock, I promise you that."
Bugshot thinks it's a bit odd that Bow doesn't know of the other three main regions, but Blackrock can be pretty shut off from the rest of the world at times. He doesn't blame him.
Bow easily agrees. "Definitely.." He's only seen Blackrock for himself once, but he would rather not return. The snow was incredibly difficult to trudge through without boots made for thick snow, and coldness still seeped into his bones despite his layers of insulating feathers.
Additionally, Biografts would constantly ask for identification, making his visit even more unpleasant. It was not something he wanted to experience again, even if he'd only been there for a minimal amount of time.
Bugshot goes to grab Bow by the hand so they could begin making their way to the main part of Crossroads- but hesitates for a moment. Bugshot sheepishly looks to his expression for confirmation this was okay, since they didn't really know Bow by any means yet.
Based off of his neutral expression, Bow does not seem to be uncomfortable with him dragging him along by the hand. Bugshot wonders why his expression is often so blank.
He grabs his hand without hesitation after that, dragging him along as he begins to walk. Bow follows along without complaint, allowing Bugshot to lead the way.
*
They'd arrived at a tram station not too long after. Bow was unfamiliar with such a place, but maybe he should've given this place a visit sooner. Quick transportation can be very useful.
"Okay, since we are pretty far out from the main part of Crossroads, we'll need to go ahead and take the tram." Bugshot explained. "The tickets are on me, by the way. No need to worry about paying." He shot him a small smile, one so genuine it almost confused Bow.
How could one be remain so kind, so joyful? He is sure he has never seen such a genuine smile before, but it's not that surprising considering the beings he was around before.
They walk up to a ticket machine of some sort, a bit similar to the ones you'd see next to arcade machines. Each tram pass costs 5 bux, so Bugshot puts in ten to get both of them passes.
It spits out two passes and Bugshot takes them. Each pass has a metal square on the bottom of the card, since the door uses a metal scanner to detect If you bought a pass or not.
When he thinks about it for more than two seconds, he realizes how much of a flawed system it is. What if somebody brings something metal that's small and isn't a tram pass? They could just get in for free.
And where are they getting all of this metal from for the tram passes?
It's whatever, people don't even try to exploit it that often. Plus, their tram has already arrived. He steps inside first, leading Bow inside with him shortly after.
Bow almost winces as soon as he steps foot into the tram with Bugshot. Lord, it is loud. It's crowded, and voices keep overlapping over eachother with how many Inphernals are there.
It is overwhelming, and he is a bit thankful he hadn't tried to take a tram alone. It's grounding having another person alongside you in a place like this.
Bugshot leads him over to two empty seats, and sits down. Bow follows suit soon after. He is sure Bugshot can see his disdain just by his expression.
He can't help but ask, "is it always so crowded and noisy?" It's a dumb question, he thinks, but then again, he has never been on one of these things before.
Bugshot laughs a bit sadly. "Unfortunately, yeah. With how useful transportation like this is, they're usually packed."
He shoots a sympathetic look at him. "..Sorry though. I know it can be difficult when it's your first time being on one of these things." He meekly apologizes, placing his hand on Bows shoulder in an attempt of comfort.
Bow merely smiles at him in response to his comfort, before turning his head back to his surroundings.
He was about to look around and see if there's anything interesting or chaotic going on, because he'd expect that from a crowded place like this, but he doesn't get the chance because the tram is already slowing to a stop.
"Huh? Have we already arrived?" He questions, cocking his head to the side as he sat up in his seat.
"Yeah! We may have been kinda far out, but these things are fast. It's why they're so busy all the time."
"No wonder they are so crowded, then. We must've only been in here for a few minutes.." Bow mused, feeling a mix between awe and confusion.
Bugshot agrees. They begin to make their way out of the tram, boarding off along with some other people. Some others seemed to be aiming for a different stop.
They stood next to a bus (tram?) stop. A guy was fishing to their left. 'What an odd spot to fish at', he thought.
As soon as Bow turned his head, he could already feel how different this place was from the rest of Crossroads. He could hear muffled chatter all the way from here, surprisingly.
A few passerbys gave him a few weird glances, some of their gazes lingering on his wings. Some whispered or muttered about it to eachother, though Bow did not pay them any attention.
Most impressive of all, a ginormous tower loomed over the entire city in the distance. Since he had done a bit of studying of his own before on this place in some abandoned library he had once discovered, he knew in advance that it was called the "Crossroads Tower."
Buildings lined around the tower, ranging from cafes to hotels, or many other types of establishments. He's pretty sure there's even a Mcphonalds in there. He's seen one of those in the less active parts of Crossroads.
Bugshot seems to notice his astonishment, and he can't help but giggle a bit. "Taking in the sights?"
"It is.. a stark contrast to what I had been seeing. The places I'd been to before felt dead, if I am going to be honest, and were not nearly as lively as this." Bow replied simply, having too much on his mind to give an in-depth explanation. "It is a very welcome change, though."
Bugshot simply hummed and smiled at his response, looking to the sights himself. He'd never seen someone so amazed by Crossroads before, but considering he was from Blackrock.. it's probably much better than that. Atleast here there isn't a dictatorship government here.
Bugshot remembers that he wanted to introduce Bow to his friends and show him the café they run. It'd been an in the moment thought when he was talking to him earlier, but now it seems like a plausible idea.
Even if he isn't sure if Bow considers them friends yet, it's his job as the tour guide to show Bow one of the most popular cafes in Crossroads.
He turned to look at Bow. "Hey, you should totally check out my friends café! It's one of the most popular attractions here, and you could meet my friends." Bugshot suggested cheerily, clearly hopeful. Bow likely couldn't crush his spirits and say no even if he wanted to.
Bow seemed surprised that he was already wanting to introduce him to some of his friends, considering they had just met. He himself didn't mind, but he remained a bit confused. Did he want to be friends? Were they friends? He did not know yet.
Brushing off his distracting thoughts, Bow agreed, "I would not mind. Who are these friends of yours?"
Bugshot seemed to perk up at the question. "Ah, all three of them are offical Phighters! I'd tell you their names, but It's probably easier if you just learn their names when we get there."
Bow nods, even if he barely knows what a "Phighter" is. Bugshot grabs their hand, and began to lead the way again. Bow did not protest by any means, but he did not choose to remain silent this time around.
He decided to start up more conversation while they made their way to this cafe.
"Could you tell me more about some of the main regions? I may know Blackrock, since I came from there to here, but I have unfortunately not been up to date on the other regions."
Bow hated admitting his own shortcomings, but he was smart enough to know he wasn't gonna learn if he didn't do anyway despite his disdain.
"I know there are four, but I am only in the know how of one besides Crossroads." Bow queried, trying to get more information out of Bugshot.
"Oh, good question! Well, there other three are Thieves' den, Playground, and Lost Temple. Unfortunately, the first two can be known for letting criminals run rampant.." It was unfortunate how dangerous Thieves den' can be, he thought to himself. It was one of his favorite places to visit, and where he'd been spawned. He was not approving of the Darkage clan.
"And Lost Temple has a ton of cult stuff going on, I don't really know what's up with that."
Bow looked at him attentively, as if silently telling him to go on. Bugshot took the initiative and continued on, "Playground is Windforce's domain, and Thieves' den is ruled by the Darkage Clan instead of a SFOTH. Lost Temple is.. I think ruled by the Church of the true eye? Not sure."
Bugshot felt he was obligated to warn Bow of the dangers of both of these places. "I wouldn't really recommend visiting unless you're sure you can hold your own there, considering Playground has a ton'a gangs and Thieves' den, as the name suggests, is basically a hideout for criminals. I've gotten my ass beat at Playground before.."
It was definitely not a pleasant experience, but the guy got his ass beat in return by others so he didn't entirely mind.
Bow chuckles. "I am sure I could 'hold my own' there." He was unnaturally strong due to being a deity and his Olympian bloodline, but it wasn't like he was going to casually bring up the fact he was an all powerful being.
"Anywho, how come Thieves den' doesn't have a government? I thought it was standard for a big region to have a government, no matter how corrupt it may be."
Bugshot wonders why the SFOTH don't step in and set up an actual government in Thieves' den. "Well- like- they technically have a government? but it's this probably illegal clan that runs the place. So I wouldn't say it's up to standards, considering Thieves Den' itself is a hideout for criminals."
Bow seems a bit taken aback at that, raising a brow. "And none of the higher ups here or in Blackrock do anything about the matter?" he was quick to ask, clearly baffled. "That doesn't seem up to code."
"I mean, Playground isn't any better. There's a tooon of gangs, and only the less populated outer parts are safe-ish." He rarely pays Playground a visit, but it always sends shivers down his spine seeing the things that go on there when he does.
"Windforce was supposed to rule over both Playground and the place above the other floating islands, Splintered Skies, but she doesn't care enough to monitor anything except for Splintered Skies."
The deity scoffs. "My, what a leader she seems to be," he wanted to add "what a sad excuse for a deity", but he decided to bite his tongue instead.
"Have those regions always been so dysfunctional, or dangerous? Surely they had been in better care in the past.." Bow knows it's just wishful thinking, but he asks away anyway.
"Ehhh, I'm not too big on history. But I'm pretty sure all of the regions besides Crossroads have been on the more violent, or unmonitored side." Bugshot sighs. He wished he had something happier to say about the regions.
But, alas, the two of them arrive at Slingshots cafe. Bugshot had been so focused on the conversation they didn't even realize they got here.
A white sign above the entrance read "Thieves' rest", with a drawing of a cat in a cappuccino cup behind the text. The exterior was a mix between turquoises and greens as the main color, with brown being the accent color.
A bell rang as the two headed inside, and they were immediately greeted by Slingshot at the front counter. Vinestaff and Shuriken were not at the Register with Slingshot, but were likely in the back.
He seemed a bit tired, and was too focused on sorting some money into the cash register to look up at them. "Welcome to Thieves rest', what can I get you today-" he looked up from the register as he spoke, finally noticing it was Bugshot who had came to visit.
His eyes lit up with recognition. He smiled and waved at them as he walked up to the counter. "Hey Bugshot! Hope you've been doing good lately, man."
It wasn't long before he also noticed who he had in tow, being Bow. He seemed to be observing the menu, silently perusing for his favorite.
"Oh, Bugshot, is this your friend?" Slingshot queries. Bugshot was about to say yes, but he hasn't actually gotten confirmation on if he and Bow were friends or not.
He looks over at Bow, and he does not seem to be rushing to deny them being friends. Based off of that, Bugshot figures it's fine to say they are. "Oh, yeah! I'm showing him around Crossroads, he somewhat recently came here from Blackrock."
"Blackrock?" he echoed. "Eesh, really? I've heard Blackrock's even worse than Thieves' den, which is alot, considering Thieves' den has more issues than I can count."
"Euh.. You could say that again," Bow groaned. "It was so cold there, I cannot understand why anyone would be willing to live there long-term." He feels like he's about to shiver just from recalling how bitter it was.
"I don't get it either, dude. I mean, besides how cold it is, Blackrock's government has always been a glorified dictatorship. Why would anybody willingly live there?" Bow nods. "How Blackrock is still standing to this day is beyond me."
Bow realizes he had forgotten to give Bugshot's friend his name. "By the by, you may call me Bow. Apologies for not saying earlier." He did not know what to add onto his sentence, so he simply reached out his hand for a handshake.
Slingshot accepts the handshake, firmly shaking his hand. "Great to meet you, Bow."
"Anyway," Slingshot changes the topic, "did you guys want anything? On the house this time around, as a bit of a welcome gift for your friend."
His cafe had been booming with business ever since he was able to move his cafe to the top layer of Crossroads, so he could afford to spare a drink or two.
"I appreciate your generosity. I would like to get something, then." Bugshot echoed Bows statement, "Yeah, I'd also like to get something. Thank you, Slingshot!"
Slingshot smiles at them. "No problem." He pulls out a small notepad, "do you guys know what you want?"
Bow pries his eyes away from the menu, already deadset on what he wanted. "I'd like a cappuccino. It has been my favorite drink for a good amount of time now." Slingshot looked down at his notepad, quickly scribbling that down.
Bugshot was observing the menu, being a bit indecisive about what he wants. He's deciding between getting normal tea, or herbal tea.
He lands on herbal tea, one of his favorite drinks. He'd recommended adding it to the menu awhile ago to Slingshot, when his cafe was still on the second layer of Crossroads. It'd become a usual for him.
He added it onto the menu when he was finally able to move his cafe to the first layer a few weeks ago. It served as a token of his gratitude to Bugshot for supporting him along the way, and Bugshot was ecstatic about it.
Bugshot tells him what he wants, and Slingshot writes that down, just as he'd done for Bow's order.
He wrips off the small piece of paper with their orders written on it and peeks into the back, calling for his sister.
"Yo, Vinestaff! Bugshot and his friend Bow ordered something," he hands the paper to Vinestaff, who had walked up to him upon hearing his call, "here's their orders."
Vinestaff seemed a bit surprised as she took the paper into her hands, as the day had been quite slow for the cafe. It was a Wednesday, after all. "I was not expecting us to get anymore orders today. Been a slow day." She says, mostly to herself. She hummed as she looked over the paper.
One cappuccino and one cup of herbal tea.
The two orders were simple, much to Vinestaff's relief. Her, Shuriken, and Slingshot had two very busy days on Monday and Tuesday with the café.
It'd left all three of them in different stages of burnout, with Shuriken being the least effected.
"Boy, am I thankful for that.." Slingshot responds, sighing. He didn't think his café would get this popular, considering the only regular customers he had prior were old friends from Thieves' den or Thieves' den members in general.
But, he guesses he shouldn't be that surprised. Phighters were like mini-celebrities, and there were three of them working the café.
Most or half of his sales came from that when his cafe was still on the second layer, but even more-so now that it was on the top layer. Not to mention, the cafés drinks and pastries were a massive hit in the city.
"Should only be a few minutes til' the drinks are ready. I'll go wake Shuriken up." She tucks the piece of paper into the pocket of her dress, and gets ready to leave to go make the drinks with Shuri- but Slingshot stops her just before she could.
"Hey, Vine. Since it's been a slow day, you can also come out and meet Bugshot's friend, Bow, if you'd like." Slingshot gently offers, trying not to sound or be too pushy. She playfully rolls her eyes at the nickname.
Vinestaff doesn't answer, atleast not immediately. She is uncertain, but her curiosity still beckons her to meet this person.
Plus, Bugshot was one of the few people she was close to, even if not nearly as close as she is with her brothers.
She knows she'd feel far too guilty not meeting his friend, but her paradoxial thinking keeps her uncertainty alive and thriving.
Slingshot notices her hesitancy, and tries to give her some words of comfort to encourage her. "Bow seems nice," Slingshot reassured her, patting her on the back. "I'm sure he don't bite," he added a bit humorously.
Vinestaff's comes to a consensus with the help of her brother's comforting words. "You are probably right, Slingshot. Just a tad bit nervous about meeting new people, as always. You know how I was when I first met Bugshot.."
Slingshot chuckles recalling the memory. "I remember that, it's nice looking back on it now. You totally got this, though!"
Vinestaff smiles at him, grateful for his comfort. She turns back towards the kitchen, wanting to start on the drinks. "I will go meet Bow when me and Shuri come out to serve the drinks. I also have to do the tremendous task of waking him up from his mid-day nap."
"Eesh, good luck with that. Shuriken always acts like you killed his family when you wake him up." Vinestaff scoffed humorously. "As if I wasn't already aware of that, I am always the one who has to wake him."
After that, they both say their goodbyes for now and Vinestaff goes to wake Shuriken.
After some protests from the inphernal, Shuriken gets up to help Vinestaff with the drinks. He comments on how Vinestaff didn't have to wake her for just two drinks, but Vinestaff reminds him the café was closing soon eitherway, and he'd have to wake up eventually.
He does not have a retort for that.
After a few minutes, just as Vinestaff had predicted; the drinks were finished. They were normally faster with making drinks, especially more simple ones, but they didn't rush it since they were tired and it was near closing time. It wasn't likely they were going to get more customers before they closed.
Vinestaff went out alone to serve the drinks, as Shuriken had denied her offer to also go out and say hi to Bugshot's friend, claiming he was "too sleepy to socialize." Slingshot decided to tag along with her in place of him.
Just as Slingshot had told her, Bow was very nice and polite. He seemed rather.. neutral, nearly all of the time, but he seemed like a nice person to be around.
She feels a bit silly for feeling so anxious before meeting him, as he is pretty easy to talk to. Vinestaff loves being able to meet new people when she is able and can get herself to.
She was surprised to learn he lived in Blackrock before coming here- she'd only met a few other people from Blackrock, and all of them seemed to have alot of repressed frustration and anger because of the environment they grew up in.
Because of that, she was surprised to see how composed he seemed, but it was very welcome. When asked questions about how it was living in Blackrock, she could easily tell how much he hated living there.
Slingshot agreed with him on most of his complaints about Blackrock, talking about his own gripes with Blackrock. He'd never visited, but he definitely wasn't uninformed about the region.
Him being from Blackrock wasn't the only thing she was thinking about, upon seeing Bow she immediately noticed his wings that were a bit over half his height.
The only inphernal or inphernal like being she'd heard of or seen that had wings were the SFOTH. She felt like asking about it, but she decided to not do so despite her curiosity.
Vinestaff didn't know if it was like people asking about her wooden arm for him, so she doesn't want to pry. People probably ask him about it enough, anyway.
Bugshot merely seemed happy to be seeing his friends getting along so well, resting his chin on his hands as he listened attentively to the conversation.
Alas, after some time, it is closing time for the café, and they all have to depart. They all bid their farewells, with most saying they hope to see eachother again. Vinestaff heads over to the back to force Shuriken to wake back up, as he'd fallen asleep yet again.
It's obvious he's not happy about it, but he obliges and gets up. They head back out to meet up with Slingshot, waving Bugshot and Bow goodbye as they head off to their apartment complex.
Bow and Bugshot are left alone after this. Bugshot turns to Bow, wanting to say something before he takes his own leave. "..I know the way we met was kinda.. random. Or odd. But I still hope to see you around, Bow, you really are great to be around."
Bow is a little taken aback at the compliment, but he doesn't let it be shown. "The feeling is mutual, Bugshot. I hope we cross paths again soon." Bugshot smiles, and Bow finds himself smiling aswell.
A contrast to how overwhelmingly neutral he felt towards all the mortals he'd met prior, he felt genuinely happy, and he is already anticipating their next meet. He find Bugshot's kindness to be endlessly charming.
He is confused at the unfamiliar thought, but he quickly moves on, as not to keep the inphernal much longer. "Untill next time, Bugshot. Farewell." The insect-like inphernal smiled just a little wider. "Untill next time, Bow."
They finally part ways, waving to eachother as they went, and Bow is left feeling a bit more like himself. He does not know why, not yet, but his heart feels fuller.
He's left caught up with his thoughts again, but this time, he does not treat them as nothing but inconvenient reminders of his past.
Bow wonders if he too, is left feeling this odd way.
Unbeknownst to the Deity, the inphernal found himself feeling the same "odd" way.