Children of the Gods: Arc 2 [Game/Closed]

[DarkRawen]

"It's going alright. It was one of those useless skills I gained way back, before I met any of you guys. Then everything went pear shape for me and I fell back on it, it calms me as cliché as it sounds and I have to admit it is nice seeing people enjoying something you make."

Andrew smiled. "Yeah, I suppose it is." He wasn't much of a maker of things, but there was something in that. People enjoying what you did, or at least drawing benefit from it wasn't exactly a bad thing.

Even so, it's surprising to talk to him like this, though.

He'd only seen Jon angry or annoyed, or at least most of the time. The other was surprisingly calm, and not at all concerned about what had happened.

Not the type to hold grudges, then.

Andrew was, but even so, he found no reason to do that now. He'd already almost sold out the other, something that he should perhaps mention at one point, if Prometheus didn't. The titan motioned for them to follow, and as Jon did, Andrew figured he might as well. What met the group through the door could only be described as surprising. A lot of different kinds of people, stalls selling objects, some less common than others. He had to admit that the silver arrow drew his attention, though so did the books.


"For anyone else, now is the time to ask questions or get weapons. The prices these people want will vary greatly - don't agree to anything you can't fulfil."

That goes without saying.

Andrew knew how to make a deal, after all, and he had a certain set of things that he wasn't very willing to part with.

"You heard the man; don't promise your left nut or your first male born child unless you can. We'll finish our talk later buddy."

First-born son and body parts are definitely items I don't want to part with.

Andrew nodded as a response, then went over to the silver arrow. It was peculiar, not because it was there, but because it was sold as one of a kind. Either it was a special object of some kind, or simply sold like that to make it appear as if that was the case. He went over to the long table, and addressed whoever was the seller.

"Excuse me," he started off, no need to be rude, after all. "What exactly is special about this arrow, and what is your price?"

 

[IFS]

"Hymir, you're going to want to find someone dealing in information - generally their desks will be bare. If you find something you want just call out - the owner will find you. Rias, as you're also searching, I suggest you go with him. For anyone else, now is the time to ask questions or get weapons. The prices these people want will vary greatly - don't agree to anything you can't fulfill."

Nicole nodded and set off into the strange marketplace, she already had a weapon with her sword but certainly there had to be other things worth picking up. Jon's warning did concern her though, I don't have much to pay with... Certainly not going to enter into some sort of deal with the devil, guess I'll just have to see what I can manage to afford.

A number of pedestals bearing pieces of green armor caught her attention and she walked over to them, examining them for a moment before looking around for whoever was selling them.

"Excuse me," she said "What exactly are these? And what do they cost?"

She wasn't certain she would actually buy anything of course, but armor certainly wouldn't be a bad thing to have.

 

[CrazyGirl17]

"No need for a fight, Toshiro. My name is Kyoko, and I work for Orochi - all I carry is this folder. I was simply sent to ensure you were aware that Orochi wishes you well, and that if you are ever in Japan, you are welcome to his hospitality. He hopes that any familial bad-blood does not pass down. For if you visit Osaka. Good day!

Shiro listened to her words with a bit of skepticism. From what he knew, Orochi was the nine-headed dragon his father had slain a long time ago. If he was still around... well, wouldn't he still hold a grudge? Still, he took the folder, figuring he could ask Prometheus about it later.

The woman - Kyoko - then disappeared into the crowd, but not before Shiro gave her one last look.

When he lost sight of her, Shiro tucked the folder away into his bag and went looking for the others.

 

[hiei82]

Hymir made his way through the market with the cat-woman beside him. He stopped to look at a few items of interest but largely ignored the shop fronts. The set of stones intrigued him briefly as he thought they might be rune stones but, upon seeing one of them was made of jade determined the likelyhood of that was small. If they really were rune stones, he'd need to stop by after finding an information broker. After all, rune stones usually meant Odin was involved and finding Odin would be a great boon.

Eventually, the pair spotted an empty storefront and walked over. As they approached, Hymir steeled his mind and readied himself for the great task of haggling. Getting information involved quite a bit of hiding information and in his experience it usually revolved around giving up money and information in return. He had a few ideas on what he could offer; things that would help him more than hurt him but would have their own value.

Of course, he figured it would require quite a bit of money to get any truly juicy information; something they sorely lacked. We all didn't get to be the children of Lakshmi with effectively infinite material resources at our disposal after all. When Hymir finally reached the table, he stood there until someone arrived. When someone finally did, Hymir quickly assessed the person to try and figure out how they could make a deal that was favorable and honorable.

 

[Green Shoes]

Responding to Jon's question, a rugged-looking man with a short, grey beard detached himself from a conversation and swung round to face him from the opposite side of the table. Staring keenly with pale green eyes, he sized Jon up, before folding his arms against his crisp, white shirt.

"Mmm, good choice those, not many people left that would use those. You always want to throw your weight from the legs, not the arms."

The man threw two quick punches at the air, before smiling.

"I could part with them for a Fae corpse, if you're up for some hunting. Can't keep up with them at my age. Unless you have something else I might be interested in?"

He raised an eyebrow, doubtful that Jon had anything to offer other than his services.

-----

Andrew was met by a woman with gleaming red hair that fell in curls to her shoulder. Her skin was near translucent-pale, and her eyes thin and darting. Striding over in tank-top and jeans, she lifted the top of the display case, and plucked the arrow from it's stand. Holding it neatly in the palms of her hand, she spoke in a thick, Scottish accent.

"This is one of the last remaining arrows made for Leto's twins during the Trojan War. It's for killing half-Gods, so don't go wielding it around in here. It's also a fine shot, if I say so myself - very well balanced."

A small ring of buyers had formed as she had been speaking, and she quickly returned it to the glass case, keeping a close eye on those around her.

"I'm only trading for Scathach's head or a weapon that will cut the *****. If you're not interested then piss off!"

-----

Prail's question was met by silence, until she spotted a short, dark woman waving her over to the table with the rolled hide. Her black hair was frizzy and uncombed, and running up both of her arms were numerous tattoos, too faded to be discerned. As Prail approached, the woman grabbed her hand and settled it on the hide. Prail could feel it shifting and trembling, ever so slightly.

"If you're looking for armour, this is as good as it gets. Don't listen to anyone else - you tan it, you wear it. Makes a monster out of you - very powerful, very old."

As she tapered out into silence, a large man with a long, black, bushy beard tapped Prail politely on the shoulder. He was wearing a brown, tweed jacket and tartan pants, as well as a broad, silly smile.

"My dear girl, if you need protection, then test a piece of the Green Armour! I've yet to meet anyone, or anything, that can scratch it! Leave this woman and her...unsavoury tastes!"

Turning and expecting Prail to follow, he quickly greeted Nicole, removing the pair of gauntlets from the pedestal and offering them to Nicole for inspection.

"These, good friend, are pieces of Green Armour. Worn by Bercilak himself, if you believe the stories. If you don't, then you'd be happy to know that it's near-unbreakable. And, as the last pieces of the set, they're on sale! Four quarts of Titan blood, or something of equal value."

-------

Hymir stood sternly as a rather striking woman came up to the table, seemingly emerging from nowhere. She was dressed in a cleanly cut white dress, and her ringlets of brown hair were held back by a blue headband. Coming to the table, she smiled sweetly and offered her hand.

"Good morning North-Man. Looking for someone in particular?"

 

[DarkRawen]

"This is one of the last remaining arrows made for Leto's twins during the Trojan War. It's for killing half-Gods, so don't go wielding it around in here. It's also a fine shot, if I say so myself - very well balanced."

Interesting. It sounds like it suits me perfectly then.

Andrew hadn't counted on running into an item related to the Leto twins, and especially not one that could be as useful as this. Of course, the price would likely be rather harsh, and, for as highly as he thought of his ability to talk, he doubted he could afford it. Even so, he kept listening.

There were only a few demigods on the list. It is almost guaranteed that we'll run into one that is hostile eventually.

If not this Rias turned on them and attacked them first. He had certainly read about the Trojan War, and he knew what roles the twins had played.

"I'm only trading for Scathach's head or a weapon that will cut the *****. If you're not interested then piss off!"

That is not something I can offer. And I doubt that I could say that I have a right to it because of who I am.

Andrew didn't want to reveal who he was, if it wasn't obvious to the others by his appearance, then it would if they knew who Zeus wanted dead. Besides, he doubted that mattered, it was a long time since then. And, if he remembered correctly, the silver arrows were Artemis'.

Regardless, I can try to offer something.

He leaned forward a bit, the people there had no business listening in on what he had to say, as he had been the one to approach the seller. It was surprising how quickly he had learned to talk to angry, demanding goddesses -and other powerful not entirely human women- , though he wondered what exactly he did to keep getting himself into that exact situation. With his eyes set on hers, and an expression somewhere between playful, polite and serious, Andrew spoke.

"Sadly, I cannot provide you with either, especially as I don't know this Scathach. However, I can make you a venom that should be able to harm her through her skin, or a poison that can be hidden in any kind of food or drink without giving off a flavor or texture. You choose the effects, it can be as painful as you like."

This seems like a warrior type of person, though, the kind that values honor. Perhaps poison seems too cowardly.

He didn't stop smiling, just changed his tone, slightly.

"Of course, if the ways of poison isn't to your liking, I can provide you with medicine as well, or offer my services as a healer, I am willing to heal anyone you'd want me to heal. Be it now or later, as long as I have the ability, I will keep them from dying." Standing back up, he didn't break eye-contact one moment.

Hopefully, I'm not telling her too much.

He wasn't entirely comfortable with letting a stranger know the most of his abilities. Even so, there was nothing that revealed his hesitation, about him, flawless confidence and trustworthiness was what Andrew knew how to fake the best.

"If none of those sound good then I apologize for having wasted your time. However, that is what I have to offer."

 

[Lunar Templar]

"Good morning North-Man. Looking for someone in particular?"

"A couple people actually. One he wants, One I want." Rias said making her presence known. "Depends on the price asked though" Rias added. She had no intention of letting some one rope her into something that might compromise a past alliance or this potential current one, even if she didn't like or really trust them.

"So then, what are you asking for as payment for the locations of Loki, and Autolykus" Rias asked 'Well, less the location of Loki and more confirming the rumor ...' she thought as she waited for the shop keepers reply.

 

[IFS]

"These, good friend, are pieces of Green Armour. Worn by Bercilak himself, if you believe the stories. If you don't, then you'd be happy to know that it's near-unbreakable. And, as the last pieces of the set, they're on sale! Four quarts of Titan blood, or something of equal value."

That does sound useful, though I'm not sure Prometheus would be willing to help pay for them. Then again Andrew can always heal him, so it can't hurt to ask...

"I might be able to pay that price," she said "though I am curious, what would qualify as equal value?"

If she could find something less painful to acquire that would certainly make things easier, she didn't exactly like the idea of hurting Prometheus, even briefly, just to pay for armor. But then again it would certainly be useful to have, though she didn't know anything about Bercilak. Will have to look him up, maybe I can get wifi in here...

 

[hiei82]

Hymir was going to speak when Rias took the initiative. He bit his lip when she mentioned who they were looking for; that was potentially valuable information in and of itself. Instead of using it to his advantage, Hymir just had to play it as though such information were a non-issue. Something mundane. As such, he kept a straight face and merely confirmed what Rias had said. "As the lady said; we have rather cunning prey for which we need information to track down."

He paused for a moment before adding. "The real question however is what do you want in return?" he said, more as a statement than a question.

 

[Green Shoes]

The red-head rolled her tongue in her mouth as Andrew spoke, deep in concentration. At the mention of poison, her eyes lit up and she moved as if to challenge Andrew - though was cut short by his anticipation. Having listened, she exhaled sharply, looking back to the arrow. She ran an errant hand over the back of her neck, tracing a barely visible scar. Stepping forward, she spoke in a whisper, eyes watching for anyone eavesdropping.

"If you can make a poison that can paralyze a half-God, you can have the arrow. But I need proof before I buy. Understand?"

Looking around at the other denizens, she changed topic and raised her voice.

"And that's why dropping the elbow gives you a harder strike - putting all your weight behind whatever weapon you're holding. Or your fist."

Maintaining eye contact, she watched Andrew, hands nervously patting down her shirt.

-------------------

Withdrawing her offered hand, the woman pulled a bar-stool from under the table and took her seat, folding her legs and re-tying her headband, speaking as she did so. Her voice was airy and light, seemingly without a care in the world.

"Everyone's looking for Loki - Where's Loki, Where did he go, I must destroy him, - on and on it goes. I deal in information - and protection for myself - the price for Loki is high. As for Autolykos, it wouldn't be fair for me to charge a great deal for his whereabouts..."

She tapped her lips and hummed, before producing a notebook. Flipping through the pages, she spoke.

"I'd be happy to give you Loki if you can tell the big men at Bifrost to let me cross in and out of Asgard. Safe place, for now. Unless you happen to know where Odin is - that man is excellent at hiding, I'll give him that. As for the Greek, tell me who you travel with. All information is good information."

She looked at both Hymir and Rias, before beginning to sketch in her book.

----------------------------------

The burly man was pleased that Nicole was willing to pay. Looking her up and down, he spoke as he fitted the pieces of armour back on their stands.

"Equal value? Well, I'm a trader by nature, traveling here and there, most often alone. My fighting days are behind me, so I suppose if you had anything like a bronze man, or better yet, a Golem, I'd be happy to trade! Anything that can keep me safe and keep me company."

Giving her a big smile, he quickly searched the room, wondering from where she would procure the blood.

--------------------------------

The dark woman gave a somewhat terrifying smile as Prail returned, patting the hide with one hand. Grasping Prail's wrist once more, she felt her pulse, leaving one hand on the trembling hide.

"The hide protects - that was it's purpose, and so it shall always be. This small part of the Beast will bond to you, with time. With a hunter like you - very powerful."

Releasing her grip, she folded her arms and nodded down to the strange roll of material.

"There are only two weapons that can cut this - one of them is lost, and the other belongs to a man locked deep in a cave. The price is easy - someone you travel with knows where two half-gods were burnt after battle. I just need the location."

 

[DarkRawen]

"If you can make a poison that can paralyze a half-God, you can have the arrow. But I need proof before I buy. Understand?"

Andrew's smile got a little wider, and he nodded.

Very well.

However, there was the question of how he'd prove it. Doing it on himself was out of the question -he couldn't prove that he wasn't just acting and he certainly didn't want to experience the poison himself- but who?

I'll have to figure that out.

"And that's why dropping the elbow gives you a harder strike - putting all your weight behind whatever weapon you're holding. Or your fist."

"I see, that makes sense," Andrew replied, and got the water bottle from before. It was half-filled, but he figured it was easier to make it more potent like that.

Let's see...

Taking a sip, he left the lid off, and turned it in his hand, tilting it so that he could touch the water with his finger.

Paralyzing a demigod. That should be pretty easy.

Since he didn't know what she would use it for, he ensured that it would paralyze both through ingestion and the bloodstreams, be strong enough to paralyze just about anyone for at least 10 minutes, and still look like normal, clean water. It would be very potent, act quickly and spread even quicker.

That should be enough. I should remember not to drink of the water if this deal ends up going wrong.

As he did this, he spoke, making it look more fluid and harder to detect; "I'm not too fond of fighting in close-range, though, I prefer having the advantage of distance." He put the lid back on, and showed her it, voice lowered again.

"There. How do you want me to prove its worth? It wouldn't be much use if I did it on myself, and I assume you don't want to be lucky one."

 

[CrazyGirl17]

It took a bit, but Shiro managed get himself together to catch up with the others, stepping through the door and into what looked like some kind of bazaar.

There were tables loaded with all sorts of goods and pedestals bearing a variety of weapons. Letting his gaze wander, Shiro's eyes fell on a table stacked high with books, and a bowl of something he'd never seen before. Despite himself, Shiro went for a closer look.

 

[IFS]

"Equal value? Well, I'm a trader by nature, traveling here and there, most often alone. My fighting days are behind me, so I suppose if you had anything like a bronze man, or better yet, a Golem, I'd be happy to trade! Anything that can keep me safe and keep me company."

Nicole nodded, she didn't have anything like that to sell so as far as she could tell asking Prometheus for some blood was her best bet. I doubt he'll be happy about it, but hopefully he'll agree. I should get Andrew to come with too, so he can heal Prometheus when we take the blood. A quick glance told her that Andrew was busy shopping, so she decided to approach Prometheus first.

"If you'll excuse me," she said to the merchant "I need to talk with a friend about procuring your payment."

With that she went over to Prometheus, she glanced about to make sure no one was listening in, if his blood was valuable then it would probably be good not to let a bunch of merchants know that he was a titan.

"Hey I've found some armor that looks useful," she said "but there is a problem with paying for it."

She hesitated for a moment, it was impossible to know how he would react to the request and it was certainly an odd one to have to make.

She leaned in to whisper "the merchant wants a fair amount of titan blood for it," she said "I was wondering if you might... you know... be willing to provide? I'm sure Andrew could regenerate it if that helps."

She sighed "I'm sorry, I hate to ask for something like that," she said "but the only alternative is trading him a golem which I don't have."

 

[hiei82]

"I'd be happy to give you Loki if you can tell the big men at Bifrost to let me cross in and out of Asgard. Safe place, for now. Unless you happen to know where Odin is - that man is excellent at hiding, I'll give him that. As for the Greek, tell me who you travel with. All information is good information."

It was a tall price indeed. Hymir didn't intrinsically have any difficulty with the request, but their were two foils that needed to be addressed. The first was the matter of trust. Was their any proof the person standing before him wasn't an ally of Loki's or even Loki himself in disguise. Perhaps she was an agent of Zeus out to claim Asgard. There were many possible problems. Then, there was the matter of the intelligence she gave; could IT be trusted?

The second problem was more personal. He'd have to ask his father, which meant speaking to him for the first time since he'd taken the sword, amulet, and horn. Who knew how he'd react. Still, this was a lesser concern than potentially exposing Asgard to a threat when it was more vulnerable than ever before.

To that end, Hymir questioned the woman. "That might be possible, but what assurances to we have that your information is accurate? That we can trust your word?"

 

[Green Shoes]

The redhead grinned as Andrew took the lead in the hypothetical conversation, watching the bottle as she replied.

"Perhaps one day you'll learn to blend the two. Then Nemain herself would cower."

Stepping forward to inspect the liquid, she snatched the bottle and held it up to the light, humming as she did so. Flicking her gaze from Andrew to the bottle, she shrugged, speaking low.

"I won't know how hard it hits until I test it. Twins and all."

Taking a small sip, she quickly shoved the bottle back into Andrew's hands, before quickly adopting a cross-legged pose at the foot of the table. The veins in her arms and neck began to protrude, and beads of sweat formed on her brow. Leaving Andrew to his own devices, she waited, paralyzed, for the poison to wear off.

------------------------------------------------------

Shiro studied the bowl of sugared jelly, as a middle-aged man strode to the table. Deep yellow skin and a furrowed brow indicated he was perhaps from China or Mongolia - though his voice lacked any distinct accent. His long hair was held in a low, folded ponytail. Wearing grey shirt and track pants, he looked unassuming, unimportant, and under-dressed.

"Help yourself young one. They're quite good. Are you looking for anything in particular?"

The old man whisked up a turkish delight and placed it neatly in his mouth, giving Shiro a polite smile.

--------------------------------------------------------

Prometheus nodded hesitantly as Nicole spoke. The Titan had figured kindred blood was still a viable currency, though he had held onto a glimmer of hope that they would ask for something else. Still, Nicole had proved an able companion, and he felt he owed her far more than some blood.

"It's alright, as you said, Andrew can patch me up fairly fast. What are you buying?"

He pulled a crumpled, plastic shopping bag from within his pocket. Looking around, he called out to Shiro.

"Shiro! Can you lend us a hand."

Without a blade upon his person, Prometheus hoped that the quiet swordsman would demonstrate a degree of accuracy. Losing a hand would be a rather large set-back.

-----------------------------------------

The woman folded her arms and stared at Prail with an unbreaking gaze. The barrage of questions had begun to irritate her, and she made no effort to conceal it.

"I will use them for my own business. I haven't asked them because they're not bartering with me. I don't know where the cave is. You want your moneys worth? This is it. You don't want to buy? Move al-"

Prail had left before the woman finished her sentence. Having been addressed, the large man grinned. Happy to have won over the somewhat unsettling wild-woman, he began to ramble.

"Suit you? By God girl, these look as if they were made for you! I'd happily trade them away for Titan blood; or traveling protection. Although, that weapon you carry looks rather impressive. Where did you get that? Northern make? No, maybe Germanic? Stop me if I get it!"

--------------------------------------------------

The woman snapped her notebook and smiled. Not only did she have a deep appreciation for honesty, but she found trade-savy was rather rare among the Northerners.

"An excellent question. Allow me."

She placed her hand quickly upon Hymir's forehead, and the dull drone of the marketplace faded. It was replaced by incoherent murmurs, that began to build in volume, becoming more intelligible, until at last, a somewhat familiar voice could be heard.

"No, no, you have it all wrong. Fenrir ate him. So there's no kick-starting the cycle. All I want to do is survive - and that means eliminating Zeus so that we can all band together. Lock Fenrir back up, badabing, badaboom. Status Quo - sans two Gods. Capiche?"

The voice, recognizable to all who roamed Asgard as belonging to Loki, faded, to be replaced by a harsher, Mediterranean accent.

"Would you be careful?! Patron of healing, by the dog! I have half a mind to quit paying you and visit someone else!"

The woman had allowed him to listen to Autolykos, not aware that he had yet to meet the man. Folding her arms, she smiled, satisfied with her demonstration.

"See? I'm a trustworthy gal."

 

[DarkRawen]

"Perhaps one day you'll learn to blend the two. Then Nemain herself would cower."

Nemain, I think that's Jon's mother. I wonder if she knows what happened to the morrigan, I know that two of them were killed over a year ago, but I don't think we ever found out which of them survived.

That didn't matter much now, but still, an interesting thought. Mentioning it might be dangerous, though, so he just kept playing along.

"Perhaps I will," Andrew replied, keeping the conversation up was good for appearance. Besides, it enabled the two of them to keep those who might listen in confused. He kept his smile up, a confident look lit up in his eyes. "For now I want to master the things I already can do. You can never be too good at something."

Andrew wasn't exactly a perfectionist, he had no desire or need to do everything perfectly. However, he did aim to be the best he could at anything he cared about. To him, surgery and archery wasn't about getting prizes or being praised, it was about pure skill. It was the reason the first weeks with a new instrument had been frustrating, first the guitar, and then the cello not that long ago. He wanted to get good instantly, so that he would have to worry about making mistakes all the time. In one way, it was the same with his powers, the more he mastered them the more appealing they were to use.

It's no use doing anything if you're not going to do it decently, or the very least learn from it. Everything gets better when you use the proper tools, though.

In the end, that was why he wanted an arrow like this. The bow was a good one, to be sure, but the arrows wouldn't compare to the arrow he was about to get, assuming that it wasn't some sort of scam, of course.

"I won't know how hard it hits until I test it. Twins and all."

Twins, huh. I suppose that's a benefit in this case, then.

He nodded, and took the bottle when she handed it to him, placing the lid back on.

"I understand. I'll wait," Andrew said, respectfully, and decided to do just that. "Say something when it stops working."

He wanted to take a look on the other places as well, but in the end, leaving her alone in the middle of a deal was impolite, and it wasn't like they were in a hurry. He didn't look directly at her, but he kept an eye out for any movement. While he wondered if he should help her out, he figured that such a thing would impact how potent she thought it was.

 

[IFS]

"It's alright, as you said, Andrew can patch me up fairly fast. What are you buying?"

"Pieces of armor," she replied "the merchant said they belonged to Bercilak and that it was unbreakable."

She still felt uncomfortable about this, but at least Prometheus was willing to help, even calling over Shiro so he could make the cut. We'll need something to catch the blood and I'll need to get Andrew to oversee the whole process. Pity we don't have a red cross blood drive on hand, they'd have all the equipment we'd want.

"I'll get Andrew," she said, then added "We should probably get something better to contain and measure the blood too."

With that said she went to find Andrew, quickly locating him by another merchant who was sitting rather still. Right she's selling an arrow I think, would make sense that Andrew would want that.

"Andrew, we're going to need your help soon," she said "you can heal blood loss right?"

God that's a morbid question to have to ask. If he can't then we'll probably need to call the whole thing off.

 

[Lunar Templar]

Rias was about to ask if this woman and her information could be trusted, but the Norsemen beat her to it, and the woman and put her hand on his forehead and did something, probably something to back her claims. Rias simply waited till she was finished. It didn't take to long, thankfully. "So what say you Norsemen? Has she provided suitable proof she has what she claims?" Rias asked after the woman finished, "Is there some other payment you'd accept for the Greek? What you ask is easy enough to provide, but as you say, information is valuable, even a name."

 

[DarkRawen]

"Andrew, we're going to need your help soon. You can heal blood loss right?"

Andrew examined Nicole, not sure if she was for real or not, especially with how casually she seemed to say it. Still, he greeted her with a smile and friendliness, not letting her see the fact that he was slightly annoyed by the timing.

Not to mention, she said my name. I wonder if there's any other sons of gods with healing abilities named Andrew, though I doubt so.

"I suppose I could," he replied, and looked at the woman he was making a deal with, then back at Nicole. He would of course help, she was his friend and had helped him several times herself. "One way or another."

If normal healing doesn't work, there's always the ambrosia. As long as they're not dead, it shouldn't matter how much blood they have lost. Of course, that's going to leave me in a weakened condition.

Apart from the time with the young demigoddess, Andrew had used it once, mostly as a way to see its effect on him and to learn more about it.

And then I barely stayed awake.

Still, the more familiar he became with it, the less draining it was for him.

"Who is going to need to get healed?" He wasn't exactly eager to leave the one he was making a deal with in the middle of said deal, but he figured that it might not take that long. "Can it wait? How long will it take? I'm sort of occupied right now, but if it doesn't take too long, I suppose it won't hurt."

 

[IFS]

"Can it wait? How long will it take? I'm sort of occupied right now, but if it doesn't take too long, I suppose it won't hurt."

"Yeah it can wait I guess," she said, "they won't start without you, at least they'd better not. I'll explain more when we're someplace a bit quieter."

If Prom's blood is valuable it probably wouldn't be a good idea to let people know we're about to start bleeding him. Prom had said they'd be safe here, but that didn't mean that it was necessarily a good idea to let down their guard. Oh damn I probably shouldn't have asked Andrew outright if he could heal, oh well there are a lot of Andrew's in the world, it should hopefully be fine.

"Er, what are you waiting for by the way?" she asked, glancing at the woman who was still sitting very still "is she selling you something? She's taking her time about it."