OTA

[pecked_by_birds]

The past month- Months?- Had been strange. One night he'd found himself compelled to go out, as though something was calling to him. A silent siren song that had coaxed him into his car  and out into the country.

Where had he gone? What had he done?

Those were the questions he had to ask himself when he woke up in the middle of Hyde park in a rumpled suit and a brand new body. ...Possibly brand new. Certainly new to him in that moment, since he couldn't recall much of anything from the past few weeks. His head was pounding, and he was in agony. 

A large bird sat upon him. A hawk, he thought absently- Or maybe not. He couldn't seem to focus on it. Not when his gaze was so strongly drawn to all the blood. ...His blood.

"No," he said softly, trying to chase it away with a weak wave of his hand. "I'm free, you can't- He can't," he insisted, right before the world went dark. ...Not that it mattered. It would heal, he would heal. He always did. How else could the punishment continue?

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[pecked_by_birds]

The titan nodded, sighing a bit as he looked out the window at the puck's club, trying to recall why he'd left the other creature's side, and failing.

[harrowgate]

When the cab came to a stop, Felix paused long enough to pay the driver, then slid out and pulled the door open for Prometheus. "Come, darling. The lions await."

[pecked_by_birds]

The titan looked unsure, feeling a pang of fear at the thought of seeing Robin. Not because he feared the puck, but because he feared facing any pain he might have caused him.

"Yes," he said quietly, getting out of the car and adjusting the borrowed coat. "I suppose they do."

[harrowgate]

Felix was willing to take it slow. He closed the car door behind Prometheus, and then escorted him toward the club, at whatever pace the titan wanted to take.

After all, Felix wanted to see what might happen, see if Robin would actually be affected by something, if the puck had real feelings beyond sarcasm and lust. Besides... he couldn't leave without his coat.

[pecked_by_birds]

Prometheus slowed as they neared the club, then wet his lips with a nervous flick of his tongue.

"...Perhaps we should go in through the back."

[harrowgate]

Felix didn't look entirely convinced about that, but he was a very different sort of person. And he hadn't expected Prometheus to be... afraid. "If you're sure, though there is something to be said for making a splash entrance."

[pecked_by_birds]

"Mmm, when it comes to Robin, he much prefers to be the one making the entrance. I've never known him to like being upstaged..." Prometheus countered.

[harrowgate]

Felix couldn't argue that directly, obviously, so he inquired instead, "You've known Robin for how many centuries? I know the puck has a temper, but surely you're not... afraid of him?"

[pecked_by_birds]

"I'm not afraid of him, no. ...I fear seeing any sign of hurt or upset on his face," the titan confessed. "We have known one another so long, and I am often vanishing. ...Too often."

[harrowgate]

Felix spread his hands briefly, but they were at the point of decision now, with the front door of the club only steps away. "I'm certainly not qualified to give relationship advice to men who have lived since the dawn of history. But if you want Robin, you should tell him. And if you don't... you should tell him that, too."

[pecked_by_birds]

"The puck isn't mine to have. He is free, as am I. This isn't a lovers' quandary, it's- Slightly more complex than that," Prometheus said softly. "I love the puck, and he is wise enough to not love me in return. We share something though- History, I suppose. When I vanish, I believe it's just a reminder of how fleeting things are, even when it comes to the world's seemingly more permanent fixtures."

[harrowgate]

Privately, Felix thought the real reason was a bit less philosophical, but he didn't know the puck and the titan's relationship. He only knew Robin just slightly, but he didn't know him to be quite that deeply introspective.

"You've known him longer," Felix said, which was just as good as saying nothing at all. Then, he sighed. "Listen, if you show me where the back door is, I can get us in. Locks are something of a specialty of mind. I can't guarantee Robin will be delighted to have us breaking in to his bar."

[pecked_by_birds]

"No, he'll be cross, I imagine," the titan chuckled. "Still, let's do it," he decided, gesturing for him to follow.

[harrowgate]

Felix did follow, glancing behind them to see if anyone noted the two of them strolling casually down an alley behind the building, but no one seemed to. He rubbed his hands together as they went; it was still cold and he'd been without his coat for awhile now.

At the back door, Felix lifted one hand, palm out, to over over the door's handle and lock mechanism. He paused, and frowned. In the shadows, a number of little pale green lights flicked into existence, shaped vaguely like chrysanthemum flowers, giving Felix's pale skin a somewhat sickly cast. "He has a security system, I think. I can disable it, of course... would you mind getting in to the left pocket of my coat, there, and handing me the bag you'll find there? It has my rings."

There was, indeed, a small draw-string bag in the pocket just where Felix said, which clinked dully with the sound of metal and stone.

[pecked_by_birds]

Prometheus wasn't shy about being in the wizard's space, slipping his hand into the pocket and gingerly removing the bag.

"These are like focuses, I imagine. Yes?" he asked, holding the pouch out in offering. "If you need a moment, I can very briefly pause time around us. Though I must stress the briefly part. My power isn't what it once was."

[harrowgate]

"You can stop time?" Felix repeated incredulously, slipping on the rings without even looking at them, knowing by touch which one fit which finger. They were silver, set with moonstones, that glinted dully in the green light. It seemed inconsequential to explain their usage when offered such an incomprehensible magical feat.

"I really ought to tell you no, that it's contrary to the laws of nature, but if you really can..." Felix couldn't resist. If it were real and possible, he had to know. His curiosity was insatiable.

[pecked_by_birds]

"Pause time," the titan corrected, as if that were different somehow. "And nature's much more flexible than people assume."

The titan didn't use his powers often, it had a habit of drawing unwanted attention- However, Zeus clearly already had one eye on him. The old wanker would simply fume a bit harder later. One hand in the air, the titan didn't use magic so much as he used a deeper knowledge of the partials and elements all around them, shifting things in a way that caused everything to stop. Everything outside their personal bubble, anyway.

"Thirty six seconds. That's the best I can do, I'm afraid. Longer than that and I start to loose my grip and things slide about. ...I don't think London fancies an earthquake or a heatwave."

[harrowgate]

The effect was fascinating, and Felix wanted much more than thirty-six seconds to investigate it. Did he keep breathing? Did his heart keep beating? Would he be thirty-six seconds older when the bubble ended? There were too many questions to even begin asking them, and Felix had a task to accomplish, anyway.

The wizard's hands moved in complex patterns around the door and part of the wall, where his magic sensed the concentration of electricity that hinted at the security system sensors. Coaxing the energy to stop flowing through the system without triggering the alarm took a bit of a delicate touch. After that, disabling the lock on the door was simple.

"Whenever you like," Felix said, just before the time ran out. He kept one hand raised, holding the electricity in stasis, against its will and its natural course.

[pecked_by_birds]

The universe was eager to return to its usual business, and there was only a flutter of a breeze to indicate anything had happened as the titan released 'time' from his hold.

"Lovely. How very clever," he added, nodding at the wizard's hand before heading inside.

[harrowgate]

"Thank you," Felix drawled, holding the magic until they both had stepped through the door. He closed it behind them, and then slowly lowered his hand, allowing the power to flow once more as if it had never been interrupted. Even confident as he was, Felix paused once he'd ended the spell just to make sure that no alarm seemed to sound. After a few seconds, he nodded.

"Well. Where to?"

[pecked_by_birds]

"I believe the offices are this way," the titan said, speaking softly and gesturing for the wizard to follow. Honestly, he didn't know his way around the club that well, but he had a good sense of direction and a talent for finding things.

[harrowgate]

Felix knew exactly where Robin's office was. The puck did so enjoy dragging him back there. They were approaching from the other direction, but Felix paused in front of the correct door without question. "Yes, I'm... familiar."

[pecked_by_birds]

The titan quirked a brow, gaze flickering over him. He didn't look surprised, or interested.

"Let's get in and out then, shall we?" he said, heading into the office, careful not to disturb anything.

[harrowgate]

Felix followed, with a slightly impish smile as he considered a vulgar comment in response. He was not quite so ill-mannered as to speak it aloud, though. "This is fun," he said instead as he closed the office door behind them. "I don't believe I've ever perpetrated a breaking-and-entering before. Delightful. I'll put it on my list of sins."

[pecked_by_birds]

"It's not quite stealing from the gods, but I suppose it's amusing enough," the titan replied, scanning the room with that focused gaze that just teetered on the line of unsettling.

Silent, he approached what appeared to be a closet, gaze lingering on something he knew to be the puck's before pulling it open. Inside he could see his coat, and he lifted it carefully off the hanger it had been left on, checking the pocket and finding his keys and a dead cellphone inside.

"Lovely," he said, hooking it over the door as he carefully removed the coat Felix had loaned him and held it out in offering. "I was worried he might have gotten cross and tossed it," he admitted.