Avatar

κοινὴ

@tapantarhei-blog1 / tapantarhei-blog1.tumblr.com

Ind. Herakles Karpousi [Hellenic Republic] from APH. Est. 06/17
Avatar
“Warm?” she looked up at him. Comfortable in a warm way… “Oh!” she smiled sheepishly. “Well. I like being held. And the warmth from cuddling my dogs. Getting a kiss, taking a hot bath. Drinking coffee. And wearing a big jacket from a friend.”

“Yes.” he nodded, shaking one index finger in agreement. That’s the kind of warmth he meant, and he was glad she understood. “Are you often warm, then?” he asked, curious. Their kind was often solitary due to the circumstances of their existence and their ties to their land, and he imagined she didn’t have company often due to the harsh climate she lived in.

Avatar
“Oh, Herakles,” Lilli sighed as she followed his gaze to the sky, “Saturday nights are no nights to ponder about the darker things in life.” Lilli certainly wouldn’t want to waste a night as crisp and beautiful as this lost in the throes of past sufferings. 
“This is the perfect evening for companionship,” she explained, cutting off any questions he might have asked her in elaboration, “Friendly or otherwise.” Frankly, she found it odd that he would choose to share such an evening with her. While she appreciated their budding relationship, she knew she was not the most intellectually stimulating of companions. He could have chosen anyone else and have a better conversation partner. Or he could be with his lover. He must have one. There was no fathomable reason to her why a man like him would be without a worthy bed companion.

The Grecian turned to Lilli with an inscrutable look and nodded with a hum, agreeing with his lovely companion. Sometimes he found himself deep into the reflection of immortal despair and suffering, and as heart-breakingly beautiful as that could be on such a nostalgic night, it wasn’t the appropriate time. That sort of contemplation was best made in solitude.

“Something is on your mind.” he commented once she’d fallen silent, noting how she did not elaborate on her statement. “Am I not being a good companion?” he enjoyed spending time with her, listening to her talk about the things she enjoyed and contemplating the world through her eyes. It was refreshing. She also did not mind his long contemplative silences and naps, or when he started rambling about deeper thoughts.

Avatar
Image
“I guess you got a point, um…” He paused and scanned the room, his eyes falling upon a smiling girl talking to someone else. “I guess that gal over there looks nice? But I’m talking to you ain’t I? That’s sorta fun maybe. What about you? What’re you gonna do to make shit better, huh?” Romano paused and looked around once more, but this time he came up with an idea that was somewhat amusing to him and might actually work.  What if you start dancing? OR request ‘em to change the music?”
Image

“I won’t mind it if you want to go socialise with someone else. But I like your idea more. Why don’t you join me?” he suddenly perked up at the suggestion, and it wasn’t merely the effect of the cheap wine on his nerves. Romano had just stoked the fires of one of his greatest passions: dancing. It was enough to get the marmoreal nation excited. What kind of party wouldn’t liven up and become more interesting with some dancing? 

“I’ll see if they have a tarantella in their repertoire.” his smile had some mischievous hints, and there was a glint in his green eyes.

Avatar
     “The weather is still somewhat favourable for this time of year. If you visited around the holidays or in January, you would wish you had a second heavy coat on top of that one.” It was always amusing watching visitors battle climates they’d never experienced before. Many underestimated just what winter had in store and failed to bring the right equipment. Just how would he react if they were further into the season?
Image
     “Of course. I appreciate the spring and summer months every year as they provide a temporary respite. Though I will admit I hate excessive heat. But I cannot escape the cold no matter how many layers I wear. There is nothing that can be done about that. And a light breeze such as this I would not even notice had it not been able to move my hair around.”

Herakles hummed quietly as Ivan spoke, imagining the unsparing climate that would require many layers of heavy clothing, and how even that would probably not be enough for him to be comfortable. While he may have not been as susceptible to it as a regular human, the Grecian figured he would suffer considerably despite his harsh endurance training under Sparta. His thoughts then trailed away, as they often did,  imagining the frost-encased heart of Russia, the ice cold blood coursing through his veins, just as molten stone and fire coursed through his own, slumbering within. The wintry cold was an impenetrable curse for most, and Ivan’s greatest defence in the same breath. A sublimely ruthless gift of nature. One he occasionally needed respite from.

Image

“Ah. Are you saying that you feel cold, regardless of the weather?” for surely, he thought, unless that was the case he could escape it by voyaging further south? Perhaps it was a different kind of warmth he was deprived of: a more elusive one.

Avatar
“Oh I’m comfortable all the time. Or.. most of the time. It depends on what you consider comfortable, weather or other types of comfortable.” Was she starting to ramble? Perhaps. “It’s practical. I don’t need to dress much, but I still like wearing winter clothes. It’s cute. But I need to cool down almost all the time when I’m in hotter places. It doesn’t bother me that much anymore, I know how to handle it now.”

“Warm. In a comfortable way, not a practical one.” he wasn’t very good at expressing such a feeling with words, despite being well-spoken. His brow knitted in a small frown as he tried to conjure the right way to express his thoughts, releasing a breath in a tiny hum. How could he adequately speak of the warmth that blooms in one’s chest, that mingles serenity with nostalgia, the kind of coziness one experiences under a blanket on a rainy day, or before a fireplace during a snow storm, or in someone’s arms on a stormy night?

Avatar
“Ah, okay. Now that you’re up, why were you sleeping here in the first place?” He returned the same look, still curious about this area. That didn’t look very comfortable. Then again, it’s Herakles, so nothing new.

Herakles heaved a deep sigh. “ I didn’t mean to. I just came over me.” and he simply found the nearest flat surface, as he often had to do.  It was a wooden bench - one of those design-over-comfort deals, modern interior decorators seemed to be obsessed with. 

Avatar
Image

“I don’t mind it. After this boiling summer, this is quite refreshing.” it was true, for the most. He quite liked it when it started to get chillier, and the heat became more temperate. If it weren’t for the fact that he had to get back to work, he would have liked Autumn a whole lot more. “I want you to be warm.”

Avatar

“It must be nice, not to get cold.” he mused, almost to himself. But enduring the cold was one thing - enjoying it, another. He’d learnt to deal with it many centuries before, when Sparta had trained him harshly in the most unforgiving conditions. The cold only made him appreciate the comfort of warmth more. “Are you not comfortable often?”

Avatar
Image

“I don’t.” he confirmed, rolling his shoulders in a shrug. “But this doesn’t bother me.” Like most, he did prefer a mild climate. He most likely would start to feel a bit bothered by some of Russia’s harsher environments, way up North. The thought of it did hold some fascination, however, as it would compel him to seek warmth in creative ways. He knew Ivan was used to the harsh, unforgiving sub-zero temperatures that were his birth lottery. But he’d always wondered if he enjoyed them. “Don’t you enjoy being warm?”

Avatar

“I am. In the grand scheme of things, this is no suffering at all.” he reassured her, affirming that with a nod, then went quiet once more. He found her tendency to get cold endearingly amusing, considering her natural surroundings in Liechtenstein. But inviting her to Greece when the blistering heat had finally passed was the compromise. He liked the crisp autumn air, with only the beginnings of frost. The sun had long disappeared into a horizon of blooming purples, leaving only the crescent of the moon to cast a wan light over the sea. It was beautiful, and Herakles easily forgot the chill of the rising winds.

You are using an unsupported browser and things might not work as intended. Please make sure you're using the latest version of Chrome, Firefox, Safari, or Edge.