Missing the Mark [Cupid x Target]

[xiumi]

This is an RP thread for me and @Bunneh.


We can change the thread title when we decide on a title for the RP

 

[xiumi]

A sigh escapes from Eros's lips as he looks across the small café from his table to the counter where the barista moved about, doing her job in a clockwork efficiency. It was understandable that she would want to finish her work early, he guessed; she is about to head out to meet her soon-to-be fiancé, not that she knew that. But still, he could sense the excitement oozing out of her every pore, eager to know the surprise her boyfriend had prepared for her. If he does his job right--and he always does--this woman will be engaged by the end of tonight.


So why the sigh? He asked himself after sighing for the second time. He knew the answer right away.


He just can't see love in the couple's distant future. Love was a rare thing he saw in couples these days. Yes, thousands of couples claim to be in love, get engaged and get married everyday, but after the romance fades, it seems like "love" does as well. This couple was not any different. They'll be engaged, yes; if they're lucky, they might even get married for a year or two, but will they still love each other by then? The answer was uncertain even for a god like him since humans are such unpredictable and fickle creatures.


He regards her with uninterested eyes and sighed once again. Everybody deserved a shot at love, he supposed, no matter how mundane the individual might be.

 

[Bunneh]

Arieana was the best she had been at work in a while. She was fast, efficient, and multiple customers commented on her "glow." She was finishing wiping down her last table when her boyfriend entered the shop. He grinned and Arieana returned his smile while her heart beat faster in her chest. He leaned against the wall in the front corner of the store while she finished up her job. Quickly she finished, and headed back to the love of her life. Her hands were around her back as she untied her apron as she walked.


"Hey, Sweetie," she said to him. He stepped forward and kissed her in greeting.


"Are you ready?" he asked, meaning the surprise that he had planned. Arieana nodded eagerly. She held her apron in hand as both walked out of the coffee shop. After placing her apron in her own vehicle, she followed her boyfriend, Eric, to his own car. It only took a few minutes for the two of them to arrive at a beach where they could enjoy the evening air. After Eric assisted her out of the car, Arieana removed her shoes and socks. She left them in the car, and let her toes soak in the warm sand. Eric took her hand, leading her closer to the water's edge so that her feet wouldn't burn from being on the hot sand for too long.


"Do you remember the last time we were here?" He asked.


"I remember you hitting me with a beach ball the last time we were here,"she said with a lop-sided grin. Eric returned her smile.


"Well, I thought this would be the best place to... um," He trailed off and cleared his throat. "Well, that is--" He paused again.

 

[xiumi]

Eros calmly sipped the remainder of the café au lait he had ordered earlier, not in a rush at all to follow the couple who had left the coffee shop quarter of an hour ago. Even though he is a god, he is not necessarily omniscient, but he did have a fairly good idea where they were headed. He looks at his watch. It is about time to go after them, he supposed. He leaves a couple of bills on the table, enough to cover his check and the waitress' tip, before walking out of the coffee shop and to the beach where he saw the couple of interest walking by the shore. Teleportation, convenient as always.





He noticed a few of the other people in the beach look at him with dumbfounded expressions mixed with admiration. The admiration, they couldn't really help; gods tend to have a certain aura around them in addition to unnaturally graceful movements and elegant visage, he was no exception. On the other hand, anybody would be dumbfounded if they just saw a person appear out of nowhere. He looks straight back at them and smiles sweetly as though there was nothing odd. He washes away their confusion through mild hypnosis; people with weak minds were easy to manipulate. They jolt back into awareness, continues on with their own businesses, but not without sparing a one--or two--last (adoring) glance at him.


He allows himself a moment to revel in their admiration; after all, gods strived for eons through human worship. He then sits at the steps that connected the main road to the sandy shore, quietly observing the couple's interactions together. They were joking around with each other. So they're comfortable with each other, he assessed, just like many other couples I've seen before. He immediately sensed the change in the atmosphere even from yards away as the fiancé attempts to propose to her; he trails off and pauses several times, unable to get the words out properly.


He sighs, well, that would be his cue. He holds out his left hand and a weapon resembling an automatic handgun appears from thin air; he closes his right hand and opens it, materializing two distinct bullets. He loads both of them in the same gun. Without moving from his spot, he aims the first bullet--the tracker--at the guy's head.


"Have a nice life," he says, half sarcastic, half joking, before taking the shot without hesitation. The bullet hits home without harming the guy. Now, to complete his job, he just needs to shoot the homing bullet to the girl. He shifts the direction of the gun towards her, taking aim. But as he shoots, he heard someone yell, "Freeze!" just as he felt someone tackle him from behind, ruining his aim at the last second right before he presses the trigger.


He lands on the sand and supports himself with his forearms. Irritated, he turns to the man who had tackled him. "What the--?!" It was a police officer, where had he even come from?! Humans were unpredictable. He was non-omniscient. It wouldn't take a god to know how this had gone wrong in a split second.


As the police officer regains his balance, he takes Eros's hands and places handcuffs around them. "I don't know what kind of idiot you are, trying to kill somebody in plain sight. But you--" he pulls on him up, "--are coming with me to the station after I assess the damage you did."


Damage. Shoot, he cursed. He looks around the beach towards the possible areas the bullet could have landed on. If the bullet had landed on an inorganic matter, he'd be able to retrieve it without any problems... but if it had landed on a person... just as he thought it, he saw the stray bullet disappear into the back of an unknown woman a few feet away from his couple of interest.


"Crap."


"Crap would be an understatement in the predicament you're in," the police officer replied before he called for backup on his radio. He laughs hopelessly to himself at the unintended irony in the officer's answer. That would be right.

 

[Bunneh]

Arieana thought that her boyfriend was finally getting up the courage to propose. She watched him stumble over himself and seemed to search his pockets for something. It was in that moment that something peculiar happened. Eric seemed to stop what he was doing, as if he had forgotten completely his intentions.


"Eric?" Arieana asked, concerned. He looked up at her in a way that made her take a step back. He had a look of confusion, and bewilderment. Like that of someone who once knew what they were doing, but then lost track. And then, he did the strangest thing. There was another woman nearby, and Eric suddenly turned towards her. He grabbed the other womans hand, and professed his unprofound love for her.


"Um, Eric? If this is some kind of joke, I don't find it funny,"she said as she reached a hand out to grasp Eric's arm. He turned on her and his eyes narrowed as he gave a cold look.


"Arieana, just give up already. I'm not interested," he said rather plainly. "It was a fun ride, but I'm breaking up with you." And with that Eric left with the woman that Arieana was sure he had never met before. She stood there, her mouth an almost permanent open feature. She could have sworn that he was going to propose, that he was going to tie the knot. The whole situation was upsetting, and she wasn't even sure that it happened. Surely, just surely, he was joking around. This was some late April fools prank. Their relationship was going too well for this to be reality.


After a minute, Arieana closed her mouth, but her gaze did not leave where Eric had walked off too. Maybe he just needed some time to cool his head or something? Maybe he had cold feet. Yes, that must be it. He had cold feet and needed to think. He'd be back to see her tomorrow, she was sure. But, that did not stop her from feeling like something had been ripped away from her.

 

[xiumi]

Eros looks around the drab interrogation room as hit sits, waiting for the officer to come and interrogate him. Not a moment too soon, the door opens and the same man who "caught" him came in, dropping a folder in front of him. He looks at it briefly and looks back up at the officer.


"Rhys Lovecraft," the officer said, "What kind of a name is that?"


He smiled, "My kind of name. The name Rhys is Welsh in origin meaning passi--"


"I am not interested in the origins of your name, Mister Rhys Lovecraft," he said the name suspiciously. Narrowing his eyes, he leans in and says, "There's no record of you in our database. No criminal record, no driver's license, no birth certificate, nor Social Security. We both know that 'Rhys Lovecraft' is a fake name. So tell me, who are you really?"


"It doesn't matter who I am, I wasn't doing anything to deem my presence here. And besides, my name really is Rhys Lovecraft...down here anyway," Rhys replies nonchalantly. "You don't have anything to hold me."


"Then why are you still here?"


That's a good question. He could walk out of here anytime he wanted. He considered his options: he could teleport out but that would mean that this stubborn policeman would probably keep searching for him until he finds him again which meant that his pictures would be all over the media; or he could hypnotize him and alter his memory which might take slightly more than usual because of the officer's stubborn nature. Though doing either had difficulties, he would still be able to do it successfully. Then he'd erase every trace of him here and leave. But he figured humoring the policeman a bit would be more fun. Inside, he knew that he was really just trying to prolong correcting the consequences of the accident. Between fixing his mistake and playing with the officer, he preferred the latter.


"Maybe I wanna be here," he replied.


"Look, Mr. Lovecraft--" "Please, call me Rhys." "--make it easier on yourself--" This is the easier route. "--and give me a confession. Who are you? Are you a hitman? Who were you trying to kill?"


"I'm telling you, I wasn't trying to kill anyone." Though, I guess helping someone get into a life-term relationship might be pretty close to killing them, he laughs silently at his own inside joke. It was completely cynical, yes, but he couldn't help but find humor in it.


"That's enough," he expected the words to have come from the policeman but instead it came from the open door. By it stood a man with silver platinum blonde hair with dark eyes, dressed in all white. He recognized him immediately as the one of his mother's messenger, Aris. If Aris is here, then Aphrodite has probably...


The policeman stood up, "You're not supposed to be in here! This is my interrogation room."


Aris stepped aside, holding the door open and a tall, graceful woman saunters in. At first glance, one can tell that there was something ethereal about her beauty. Her long, wavy, blond hair falling close to the floor in an elegant fashion; her mysterious sky blue eyes were trained on Rhys as she said nothing. His eyes widen at surprise and he stands up immediately, bowing his head at her.


"Mother..." he breathed out.


The policeman, not seeming to understand the situation only continued to assert his authority, "Like I said, you're not supp--"


The goddess's eyes moved from Rhys to the mere human, "Officer," she speaks to him sweetly, "I appreciate all the work you've done but this is nothing but a huge mistake. Now, forget everything. Xecháste." As she said the final word, the policeman looks around for a moment, scratching his head as though he was trying to remember what he had just been doing. When he failed to do so, he walked out of the interrogation room, not paying attention to the rest of them.


When the officer was gone, she bore her eyes back to Rhys. She said nothing at first, the silence of the room stretching. Rhys looks back at her, bracing himself for whatever she would do next.


"I know what you're thinking, Eros. You didn't expect for me to come down here myself, did you? Did you think I wouldn't know?" Though she spoke softly, the threat in her voice was palpable.


"I had no intentions of deceiving you--"


"I expected you to correct the situation right away. Instead, you're here, wasting everybody's time."


"I apologize...for my incompetence..."


"You will fix this," enunciating each word. She turns her back and exits through the door, not waiting for Rhys's reply. "Aris, keep an eye on him," she commands her messenger before vanishing in thin air.


Aris and him exchanged looks briefly. It was Aris that spoke first. "You really did it this time," he tells him.


Not appreciating the criticizing tone in Aris's voice, he narrows his eyes at him, "Be careful, Aris, I might not be as strong as an Olympian, but I can still smite you."


At the threat, Aris only shrugs. "What are you planning on doing now?" he asks as Rhys steps out the door, and begins striding towards the exit. Aris follows him.


"Well, Aris...You heard Aphrodite; I have to fix this. Although, I would have done so anyway without her say-so. Besides, that woman today--I should go give her a visit; she got dumped when she expected her boyfriend to propose to her. Don't you think she'd need a shoulder to cry on? And whose shoulder could be better than the God of Love himself?"


Aris scoffed, "Perhaps the shoulder of someone who didn't get her dumped to begin with."


Rhys stops and looks at him. He was a god and as such he shouldn't tolerate insolence directed at him, but at the same time, he actually enjoyed it when people spoke to him honestly, without the fear of being smote with every word they say. "I will seriously kill you someday," uncertain whether he meant the words or not.

 

[Bunneh]

Arieana had to call a taxi in order to get back to her apartment. The great thing about the taxi drivers in her city was their disinterest in their customers. They picked them up, and didn't ask questions. She retrieved her car from her work parking lot. Only thirty minutes later, Arieana was at her apartment, and had twenty less dollars in her pocket. She still felt that she was not in reality. Whatever just happened was obviously an illusion, and Eric would be at her door just any time to laugh off this terrible joke of his.


She wiped the sand off her feet on the rug just inside the entrance of her apartment. She bent down to dust some of the dried sand off her bare feet. The light flecks dropped onto the rough fabric, and she heaved a sigh. What if Eric wasn't joking? she thought before shaking her head. That didn't make sense. They had known each other for a very long time, and while they had their disagreements, there weren't any signs that Eric wanted to separate.


Arieana tapped each foot against the carpet before stepping onto the hardwood floor of her entrance hallway. At the end of the hallway in front of her was a tall counter, and behind that was her kitchen. To her left was an opening to a small room with a washing machine and dryer. To her right was one door which lead to a small utilities closet.


She walked down her hall and turned left. A couch separated the kitchen and "living room." A TV stared back at her from above the couch along with two windows placed on either side of it. To her left was a door, and she opened it to enter her bedroom. She took a step close to one of her chest of drawers, and pulled out her lazy-day slacks. She quickly changed into the loose-fitting clothing, and dumped her dirty clothes in a clothes basket in one of the corners of her room.


With a sigh, Arieana checked her phone. She had texted Eric on her ride in the taxi. A locked screen with no notifications stared back at her. She opened her phone and sent another text. Sighing again, she re-locked the screen and shook her head.


He was really taking this joke way too far, she thought. With that, she decided to distract herself. She exited her bed room, and went to the door that was on the right of the kitchen. Inside was her unofficial office-slash-studio area. She walked over to her easel, and slid her phone into the iHome that sat on a stool next to it. She turned on some of the music she listened to when she concentrated, and sat down to continue her WIP painting.

 

[xiumi]

With the ability to teleport, getting to the woman’s apartment shouldn’t have taken too long; instead, Rhys took care in taking each step on the path to her apartment, making sure to take his time. Aris, who trotted behind him, flashed an irked look in his direction.


"I can feel your stare from behind, Aris."


"You know, you'll have to deal with her sooner or later right? Why don't you just man up, stop wasting everyone's time and deal with it?"


"You say I'll have to deal with her sooner or later, well I choose later."


"This is ridiculous," with that Aris grabbed Rhys's shoulders and a moment later they were standing in the doorway of Arieana Sprinen."


Rhys turned to Aris in irritation and started to speak but was immediately cut off, "You--"


"What? Didn't think you were the only one with teleportation powers, did you?" Dismissing Rhys' presence, Aris pushed the doorbell. And immediately they heard movement from inside. "Well, looks like she's home. I can't wait to see how she'll react when you tell her that you, the God of Love, ruined her love life. Isn’t that just ironic?” With those words, he morphed back to his animal form, perching a safe distance away from the door.


Rhys stood anxiously in front of her door, not quite sure how exactly he was feeling. Was he afraid because he can’t possibly predict how the woman was going to react? Did he feel shamed because he made a mistake for the first time in eons? Did he feel sad because he ruined an important moment for this woman? Perhaps he was feeling all of these things, he admitted, but above all, he felt anticipation; because for the first time in eons, things are finally different.


Well, perhaps it is also wrong to have fun at the expense of a human being but the other gods have done worse for their own entertainment. Surely, he was allowed to have a little fun of his own for this short moment in his immortal life.