Nice house... || Athena, Herc, + Nico

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Athena smiled a but, wondering if she should go through with what she was planning to do. She was trying to calm down her nerves, since she didn't know how things would end up. What if her presence wasn't welcome? What if he was out? What if she got the address wrong?

She looked at the piece of paper in her hands. It has been a while since she last saw Heracles. Well, that while being a few long years. She couldn't help but wonder how her older brother changed in that amount of time. Probably not much. She was probably the one who changed the most out of the two.

The Greek woman put the paper back into her pocket. 'Man I hope he recognizes me, since it would be weird if he thought I was a stranger... And I think it would be best if I didn't bring up my job...' she thought, her smile growing nervous. Yeah, it would be weird for someone to tell their older sibling they worked at a casino...as a showgirl. She hasn't even told her parents, since she figured they would be disappointed in her. Who wouldn't?

She glanced around at the other houses. The neighborhood was nice, she had to admit. It had a very cozy, warm, welcoming feeling to it, even if the weather at the current moment wasn't. It was a bit chilly, and it looked like it might rain. She didn't mind, though, she had grown to kind of like light rains. There were more than enough to get used to.

'I wonder how he's been doing for the past few years... From what I can tell, he's been rather well. He has a nice house, probably a good job, maybe even a girlfriend... No doubt he has a few cats running around...'[/i]

She brought her hand up, figuring it was now or never. Turning back wasn't an option, she had been waiting for this moment for a while, barely bringing up the courage to do it earlier that morning. She hesitantly knocked on the door, wondering what she would even say.

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[atrb=style, height: 700px; width: 455px; background-image: url(http://i46.tinypic.com/2eoxt2r.jpg); background-repeat:no-repeat; border:inset 5px #153E7E;] Wow, how many of his siblings had he even seen recently? They’d all gone their separate ways a while ago and pretty much the only family he’d seen recently were his parents on his last trip back to Greece. Of all the people in the world he hardly would have suspected he’d meet back up with his baby sister. By the time he found himself waking up from his regular sleep, Nicoleta was sauntering in sleepily. She wordlessly greeted him before collapsing onto his bed, sprawling out as if she owned it. Her ability to fall asleep was worth envying. Even Heracles with his incredible talent for sleeping on just about any object couldn’t hold a candle to Nicoleta’s fabulous daytime slumbering. Lazily Heracles scratched at his messy head of brown, curly hair. His normal hairstyle actually wasn’t all that different from how it looked in the morning. The locks of brown got pretty damn wild with very little effort. Thus, he would leave it as it was as he got up to consume his morning dose of caffeine. The second his foot met the tile of the kitchen he was assault by a trio of mewling cats, each pawing at his toes desperately for their morning meal. This ritual was not new to Heracles, who expertly stepped over them without fail. “Let me wake up first, guys…”

[/b] he half-heartedly berated, but as any cat-owner knows the schedules of felines never, ever conform to the lives of their human pets. Their will is law, and their demands must be met that second. Boots, the smallest of the three, hopped her way up onto the counter and then subsequently jumped up to his shoulder, after which she obnoxiously pressed her head into his cheek with a loud purr.

And with all rituals, he gave in very quickly, abandoning his morning coffee to fill their bowls.

He returned to his coffee, but was interrupted again by a quick, hesitant knocking at his door. Though Nicoleta was asleep, he doubted a yell across the house would be able to stir her awake. “Just a minute!” he called, leaving his coffee behind again to make himself presentable with normal pants and a shirt. When he did open the door however, he was met with a face he dare not imagine he’d ever see specifically on this doorstep.

The hair and eyes were unmistakable, even if it had been years. “Athena?”[/b] Heracles asked very incredulously. “Well, huh. This is a bit of a surprise.”[/b]

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I'll find something incredible and greater than myself.

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Athena waited nervously on the doorstep. She began wondering if it was even a good idea to just come uninvited and unannounced. Especially so early in the morning. She would have called first, but she didn't exactly know his number. It was a miracle that she even managed to find where he lived. She just hoped that he would be excited to see her as well... Maybe she should just come back another time...

Before she could even turn to leave, the door opened. Her smile widened at the sight of her older brother. Seems like he just woke up...she didn't wake him up, did she? Oh, she hoped she didn't. She should probably apologize later if that was the case...

"U-Uh, hello Heracles... I'm sorry for showing up a-all of a sudden... But, um, surprise?..." she said before she let out a nervous laugh. Man she hoped this whole situation didn't get awkward.

"Um...may I come in?..." she asked softly, her nervousness making its return. "If you don't mind, that is...I could always go..." she added. She didn't really think about whether he was busy or not. Perhaps she should have...

She put her hands behind her back, that smile still on her face. Words couldn't describe how happy she felt, finally being able to see her brother again. Better yet, he also lived in London. It was nice knowing she had family here with her, even if it was just one person. It was enough for her, she was perfectly content with it.

"I have to say, I like your place so far. It appears nice... The neighborhood seems so as well..." she commented, looking around. She returned her gaze to Heracles, wondering if he was glad to see her. What if he didn't want her here? Oh, that would be terrible. She didn't know what she would do...

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[atrb=style, height: 700px; width: 455px; background-image: url(http://i46.tinypic.com/2eoxt2r.jpg); background-repeat:no-repeat; border:inset 5px #153E7E;] Heracles stared down at his sister, eyes still lazily lidded from the lack of coffee and the early morning. He was a little confused, it being far too early for him to attempt comprehending why his baby sister was here all of a sudden, but he still managed to put together a working sentence inviting her inside. “No no, you stop that Athena.” Heracles admonished her timidness and nervousness. He was her brother, how could she assume he would just turn her away? Heracles nudged her inside with a hand on her shoulder, out of the morning chill and into the warm of his home. As soon as Athena stepped into the house she was assaulted and inspected by Heracles’ ferocious felines, who had abandoned their meal to see who was at the door. “Agh—get away from her and go eat that breakfast you pestered me for.”

[/b] Heracles attempted to wave the cats off, but only Dionysus actually listened. Boots, meanwhile, was too busy attempting to climb up Athena’s clothes to pay Heracles any mind.

Heracles rolled his eyes and shut the door behind them. “Pardon the mess. If you want coffee I just made a pot.”[/b]

Ugh, if he knew his sister would be coming to visit he might have tried to ‘tidy up’ a bit more. He knew where everything was in the deceptively organized train-wreck of a home he lived in, but it wasn’t very nice to have company around in. Nicoleta was a little bit of an exception, even though she did try to help by adding he own touch every now than then. She wasn’t awake in his house long enough to really pay it any mind.
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I'll find something incredible and greater than myself.

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Athena smiled as she stepped into the house, glad to be in its warmth. "As much as I would like to, I'll have to decline... Thanks for the offer, thought." she said. Why did she have to try to cut down on the caffeine-filled drink?

"If you had any tea, I would like some of that if you wouldn't mind..." she added, glancing down at the cat that was trying to climb up her clothes. "Aw, come here you..." she whispered, picking up Boots and holding the feline in her arms.

"Again, sorry for showing up unannounced like this... So, how have things been for you? Get a nice job? Maybe even a girlfriend?" she asked with a small laugh, petting the cat on the head. It was so cute...now that she thought about it, she never really had time to get a pet of any sort since she first moved to London. Perhaps she could stop by an adoption center or something on the way home...

She quickly snapped back to reality. "And I don't mind the mess. It could be worse, right?" she added, glancing around. Her own place was a bit more neater and organized than her brothers, but it was practically in the same state. She never had enough time to go through what she needed and what she could give away. Now that she thought about it, there was a lot she hasn't been able to do...

Perhaps if Heracles wasn't busy then they could go spend time around the city together, catching up on how the past few years have been.

She continued showering affection onto Boots. Perhaps she would change the direction of it to her brother if she bothered to put the feline down... Though, as if that would actually happen. Heracles would have more luck trying to pry the cat out of her arms than wait for her to set it down.

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[atrb=style, height: 700px; width: 455px; background-image: url(http://i46.tinypic.com/2eoxt2r.jpg); background-repeat:no-repeat; border:inset 5px #153E7E;] Tea, okay. He could do that. He slipped away quickly to see what tea he had around the house. He did have that right? It was kind of hard to live in London and not at least stock some for guests that preferred it. He flipped through this cabinets and eventually found… woah. He no idea how old this was, but tea never went bad, did it? He brewed it up anyway. “Don’t worry about showing up, Athena.”

[/b] Heracles waved off her apology nonchalantly. “I was awake anyway!” If he didn’t wake up when Nicoleta walked in, she could have pushed him off the bed herself in order to claim the pillows. “You could say I have a nice job. I’m a university professor teaching archaeology and art history. Remember how obsessed I was as a kid?”[/b]

He peeked back into the living area and waved her into the kitchen where her (possibly bad) tea that sat waiting for her. At her question to whether or not he had a girlfriend his thoughts briefly thought to Nicoleta. If told her he didn’t and then Athena ended up finding Nico, well… that would be awkward. “No girlfriend. Not yet, anyway.”[/b]

If there was one in the future, anyway. “If the mess was any worse I wouldn’t be able to find anything. This is at least somewhat organized.”[/b] He chuckled lightly.

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I'll find something incredible and greater than myself.

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Athena laughed softly. "Yeah, you were a huge nut for it. It's good that you do what you enjoy, though," she said, walking into the kitchen. She couldn't exactly say the same about her own job. It was nice, yes, but sometimes she wishes she could go and get a different one... Though, that seemed like more trouble than it was worth. Besides, where would she even start? She was better off keeping her job than finding to find a new one. Well, at the moment, anyway.

She reluctantly set Boots down and picked up her cup of tea. Hopefully the cat wouldn't try to climb its way up her clothes again. The last thing she needed was cat scratches on her pants... Though, if the cat were to end up begging, she would probably give in. She couldn't ignore it's cute face if it was trying to convince her to continue showering it with love.

"Single as well? Hard to believe, since you are rather good looking. Married to your job?" she asked jokingly. She took a sip of her tea. It could use a bit of sugar...but other than that it tasted fine.

"...Are you busy at all today?" She was a bit curious, since she wanted to spend some time around the city with him. Of course, if he didn't want to that was fine. She wouldn't force him or guilt him into spending time with her...

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[atrb=style, height: 700px; width: 455px; background-image: url(http://i46.tinypic.com/2eoxt2r.jpg); background-repeat:no-repeat; border:inset 5px #153E7E;] “I’d think calling me a nut is a bit of an understatement.”

[/b] Heracles distinctly remembered their parents telling him to calm down on more than one occasion. One might even say they dreaded going to most museums with him, because his obsession usually lead to him rattling on about silly, useless facts related to certain artifacts or works of art he found interesting. In such environments where silence was encouraged, one might be left to wonder if such interest and passion for the objects was endearing or annoying. Heracles always figured that people would love the art as much as he did. This was rarely actually true. “I’m glad I made it, though! I can’t imagine me doing anything else. Doesn’t exactly reel in the big money, but it’s what I enjoy.”[/b]

Indeed, Boots was extremely disappointed when Athena set her down onto the floor, and mewled her discontent loudly. She pawed impatiently at her leg, annoyed that she was paying more attention to the tea than to her! Heracles was also getting a little bit annoyed. She bugged him for food earlier and was now ignoring it, possibly allowing it to be devoured by Biscuit and Dio. Heracles nudged her away with his foot, using complete gentleness in doing so. He barely touched the cat, but she got the message and unhappily carried herself back into the closet where her breakfast sat.

“Sorry about that.”[/b] Heracles apologized. “She likes strangers.”[/b]

She probably also liked that Heracles and Athena probably smelled similar to one another, them being siblings. It was like having two masters at once!

“That’s actually probably a good way to put it. I just don’t have the time to commit to anyone.”[/b] His last real relationship was in… oh, Uni was it? Nice girl, brunette. Eventually fell apart when he stopped calling due to the sheer business of what he was doing. She wasn’t too happy about that, whoops! “I could probably find someone easily,”[/b] he continued, stifling a yawn. He still wasn’t quite all awake yet. “it isn’t exactly a challenge finding someone to sleep with when I want one.”[/b]

His coffee was considerably cooler by now, and he took a long drink of the delicious liquid gratefully. Sweet caffeine.

Hmmm, now there was a good question. Was he busy? Yes, he was always busy, particularly organizing his classes and curriculum or grading papers and assignments. But for Athena, he could probably blow it off for a bit. In fact, that’s what he was gonna do!

“Not really, no. Wanna do something, then?”[/b]
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I'll find something incredible and greater than myself.

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"Hm? Oh, no, it's fine. I don't mind at all. Besides, she is adorable," Athena laughed, watching Boots walk off. Better to have a cat like her than hate her. Then again, she hasn't even really met a cat that disliked her, now that she thought about it... She seemed to attract them like catnip.

She took another sip of her tea, nearly finishing it. "It would be nice to go and do something... I haven't really had all that much time to go around often," she said. She was glad that Heracles seemed to want to go out and spend some time with her.

"Besides, it would be nice to hang out with my older brother. I mean, it has been a long while since we last saw each other..." she went on, looking into her mug. There were a lot of places she hasn't been to, though it wasn't like she could go to all of them in one day. Probably the places Heracles enjoyed most would be fine enough... Just as long as it didn't get too close to the casino.

If it did, there would probably be a high chance of someone recognizing her. That wouldn't be good, not at all. Especially since she kept the topic of her job out of the conversation for this long already...

Besides, it wasn't as if she was lying. Well, not yet anyway. Heracles didn't bring up the subject at all, and she merely never said anything about it. Yeah, she was hiding it, but she didn't lie right to his face. Even if he did bring the subject up, she could always change the topic. Nothing wrong with that, right?

"We don't have to go now or anything, I wouldn't want to rush you or anything..." she added, returning her gaze to her brother. He did look a bit tired, so she would at least let him wake up more first before they went out.

[Nicoleta]

Voices. Voices? Ugh. Meh. Nicoleta shifted, her facial features expressing discomfort in the noisy disturbance. Once she rolled herself up to what others may identify as a 'blanket burrito', she let out a content sigh. No noises. Back to sleep. Suddenly, she felt thirsty. The dryness in her throat began to grow as her consciousness peeked open wider. The woman inwardly growled at this instinctive impulse, wishing to stay in bed instead. Yet the desire to drink was becoming too overbearing to bask in effortless slumber. She peeked one weak eye. The red numerals on the alarm clock weren't discernible at first due to her groggy state but she could already tell it was too early to be up. Nicoleta let out an unwilling moan as she rolled over to the other side. Nope not even going to try. 'Too fucking... early... augh... fucking--' Now she needed to use the bathroom. Dammit. Mornings... were the worst. The woman huddled inward, trapping herself in the blanket cocoon in hopes of finding more comfortable darkness. Yet the bodily need was unwavering with its intensity. Muffled grumbles and groans ensued as the cocoon was unwrapped, revealing the disheveled appearance of a Romanian woman in a tank top and revealing shorts. Auburn hair tousled and everywhere, face glum with lethargy, and eyes barely open, Nicoleta sat up on the bed only to slump back down on the bed. Her body bounced from the cushion of the bed, laying there like a dead corpse. "Fuck." She sniffed as she flopped to the side, laying supine as she reached for the blanket to drape over her shoulders. It was kind of cold. Thereafter, Nicoleta stood up and ghosted out the door without even opening her eyes. She knew Heracles' house just well enough to maneuver around without trouble. 'The kitchen... the... kitchen... water.' Dragging the blanket along, Nicoleta clumsily walked into where she thought was the kitchen. She heard noises so she automatically assumed it was just Heracles. "Mornin..." The woman greeted with a guttural mumble, her eyes still clamped shut as she grabbed a random cup from the rack. Leaning against the fridge with her head resting against the surface, she pushed the cup against the tab for the water to pour out. As she stood there, she... fell asleep. The cup slightly overflowed with water.

made by FLOU of OTE.

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[atrb=style, height: 700px; width: 455px; background-image: url(http://i46.tinypic.com/2eoxt2r.jpg); background-repeat:no-repeat; border:inset 5px #153E7E;] “She’s a brat.”

[/b] Heracles laughed. “All three of them are.”[/b] He sent a playful glare back at the cats, all of whom kept their distance this time. Biscuit mewed at him in protest. “Don’t talk back to me.”[/b] Heracles threatened, and the cat disappeared into the food room.

“I’m glad you’re here, actually!”[/b] Heracles continued. “It’d be nice to have family up here I could see without having to fly across the world.”[/b] Though granted he didn’t exactly do that against his free will. When one goes home for work generally one makes time to go see the people one has missed, correct? “Anyway, we’ll have to go out and do something, then. I’m off today, so I don’t think it’ll be a problem.”[/b]

Huh, yeah, it had been a long time since he last saw Athena. A few years, maybe? The last time he did see her was a couple of trips back, but one vacation she wasn’t there. Could she have been in London and he didn’t even know it or something? “Of course, I’ll see if I can’t show you around. I’m no expert on the city but I know a bit.”[/b]

Well, it didn’t matter. She was here now and that would allow for a lot of catching up.

"We don't have to go now or anything, I wouldn't want to rush you or anything..." she asked, her voice timid. How like her, always second-guessing herself like that.

“Not at all,”[/b] Heracles assured, “ I’ll finish my coffee and start getting read—“[/b]

Oh no.

Nicoleta, Queen of the Night, was awake, and walking into the kitchen without even noticing the company. She greeted him, Heracles returned a puzzled “Good morning…”[/b] back as he glanced sheepishly at Athena. Nicoleta didn’t respond, but instead went right for his cups to get water.

And then she fell asleep getting the water. Shit.

“Hold on a moment.”[/b] Heracles excused himself to go shake at Nicoleta’s shoulder. “Nico, hey. Uh, wake up.”[/b]

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I'll find something incredible and greater than myself.

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[Nicoleta]

What was more appealing here? Her colorfully wild dreams that was artistically satanic or the awkward reality of making a really bad impression in front of someone new? "Nico, hey. Uh, wake up." If her disdain towards that command could manifest as fists, she would punch the shit out of whoever said that. Well... at least that was so according to her morning logic. Everyone was an enemy. She let out a groan as she felt the splashes of cold water on her hand. Unhappy that she was being teared away from her most treasured sleep, Nicoleta opened a wary eye. Her vision was hazed by sleep and so she barely recognized the man before her. When her eyesight readjusted itself, she saw the clear image of Heracles and what looked like a kitchen. Ah. She was in the kitchen. Oh good. Nicoleta praised herself with all the limited cognitive abilities she had at the moment that she was able to make it to the kitchen half-awake. Her eyelids still heavy with sleep deprivation, she muttered some incoherent words at first before saying, "What... I am... water. Shit just," She closed her eyes as she furrowed her brows, expressing her deepest disgruntlement. "Just let me do it." Ah. Her mind picked up that she was still being held by his hands. Nicoleta was as confused, a state of mind common during the early day. She opened her eyes once more and then slowly turned her head to see... A female Heracles? Nicoleta squinted with disbelief, still not quite registering what was going on. She concluded that she was still dreaming. Great, another weird ass dream. "You grew boobs."

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[atrb=style, height: 700px; width: 455px; background-image: url(http://i46.tinypic.com/2eoxt2r.jpg); background-repeat:no-repeat; border:inset 5px #153E7E;] Heracles wasn’t really all that worried about Nicoleta’s reaction. He knew by now what he could do to her and what he couldn’t. Nicoleta being asleep (or half-asleep, as here was the case) were the best opportunities to get in some light-hearted teasing. So desperate to cling to sleep was she that she very rarely would allow herself to wake up and retaliate, instead simply returning back to sleep as if nothing would happen. But if she found out it was him? Oooohoho. He found some of her cutest, most hilarious moments where when her cognitive processes were only barely functioning. Luckily, her night was his day, and he got to see every moment of it. "What... I am... water. Shit just,"

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Heracles couldn’t help but laugh, brows raised somewhat confusedly as he tried to decode what she was trying to say. “Haha, what?”[/b]

Nicoleta’s facial response was nothing short of amusing, as her squinting eyes narrowed even more, her mouth – devoid of lipstick, if one could believe this were possible – turned downward in a frown. "Just let me do it.”[/b][/i]

“Do what?”[/b] Heracles asked, not taking his hands off her shoulders, lest she topple over from fatigue. “Get your own water?”[/b]

She didn’t respond, opting instead of examine the surroundings which should have been familiar to her, until her eyes landed on Athena. Heracles had a feeling he’d have to explain himself after this scene. He said he didn’t have a girlfriend, but letting Nicoleta crash at his home was doubtless very suspicious.

"You grew boobs."[/b][/i]

Shit. That was awkward.

“No, nooo. Nicoleta.”[/b] Heracles lightly placed one of his hands on the top of her head, and slowly turned her back to face him. “Right here, that’s Athena. My sister.”[/b]


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I'll find something incredible and greater than myself.

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Seeing a woman walk into the kitchen was weird enough, but seeing said woman fall asleep while standing up was quite a sight. Usually, if anyone tried that they would just topple over to meet the ground. But actually staying upright? See new things happen everyday, apparently.

"Oh? So you had a woman in the house and you didn't tell me?" she said, wondering who the woman was. She didn't know her brother had a housemate...unless she was his lover. Than a whole lot more would make sense. Well, for the most part, at least. Assuming something would be better on her than to just stay confused.

“Nico, hey. Uh, wake up.”

Oh, so her name was Nico? Well, it could just be a nickname, though what it's short for, the Greek woman had no clue on. All she could tell is that it was probably a pretty name if it wasn't as common is 'Nicole', or whatever various spelling of that name. Sometimes she can't help but wonder why parents spell the simplest names so strangely. She ran into a "Jashewah" and "Quatherine" a few weeks ago. They had a child named "La-a", pronounced "Ladasha". People these days and naming their children...really...

Then the woman rested her gaze on her-after looking around the kitchen-and simply said, "You grew boobs." The Greek blinked slightly in surprise, wondering if the poor woman thought she was Herc. Sure, they probably looked alike, being siblings a lot, but this was the first time being mistaken for him with a chest. Today was beginning to be a strange day indeed.

Athena laughed slightly, trying to get over how awkward this moment was. "Oh, so much for you not having a girlfriend. Even if she isn't, you two look nice together," she smiled, disregarding the other woman's statement about her having a chest. Hopefully they can just skip past the strange feeling of it all and just continue the conversation as if this never even happened.

[Nicoleta]

She heard his voice and was able to identify that it was Heracles, yet she could not muster the words to reply. The switch in her brain was somewhere stuck in between, her instincts telling her to sleep while mind told her to stay awake. But questions? Why questions? More questions... and one from a foreign source. They couldn't possibly be expecting any coherent answers--unless they was teasing her. Fortunately enough, Nicoleta's state of mind called for forgiveness of all outside actions; it was not like she had the energy to do anything about it anyway. “No, nooo. Nicoleta.” He directed her gaze towards him. “Right here, that’s Athena. My sister.” The woman blinked after recognizing his face, those deep green eyes capturing her attention. The sight of his familiar features brought the internal snap like a wake up call. With this bit of cognitive clarity, Nicoleta started to make a little sense of the situation as she thumbed with the fabric of the blanket. "You have... a sister?" She blurted in surprise, almost accusingly. Nicoleta took another look at the other woman. Despite being a tiny bit more alert, the Heracles' sister still pretty much looked like a boobed version of him. "Oh... well... ok." Damn. It was way too early to for introductions and good first impressions. Her lips formed another miserable frown as she pulled the blanket over her head as a makeshift hood to hide a little more in the shadows. She could very convincingly take a part in a Snow White movie as the witch-crone-villainess, whatever along those lines. Now Heracles' sister was probably going to forever think of her as some cranky witch. A part of her felt kind of embarrassed while another part didn't really give a shit. Unsurprisingly, the intensity of the latter was stronger in this case. "Oh, so much for you not having a girlfriend. Even if she isn't, you two look nice together," she said with a pleasant smile. Nicoleta let out short, unrestrained second of laughter as she looked at Heracles. " She said girlfriend... Wait..." The epiphany made the knowing smile fade from her lips. "Me?" A pause. "This is awkward. I think."

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