Apr 16 21:33:22 <Knave>	You might not notice Austin, out on the courtyard. He's lying on his back in the grass, after all, and his hoodie's green to boot. But he's whistling tunelessly, and one hand and one foot move in time with the whistle, just so the motion might catch your eye.
Apr 16 21:39:09 <Antichthon>	Meanwhile Athene was impossible to not notice, unless one had a blind spot for a metric ton of snake. She arrived in the courtyard to do her usual weekend studying, and looked about as stressed as one would expect considerng she was a girl trying to cram information into a brain perpetually at world war three against itself. Just an average weekend for Athene, though, trying with all her might to keep her GPA around 2.0.
Apr 16 21:45:08 <Knave>	Austin sits up, having sensed the presence of a snake-girl in what he liked to think of as his field, in the way of cats who believe they own whatever they happen to be sat on. Getting up and stretching briefly, he walks up to her, hands in pockets and legs kept straight for no apparent reason other than physical comedy. Stepping up to her side with a grin, he gives a casual two-fingered salute in greeting, "Hey."
Apr 16 21:46:43 <Antichthon>	Athene was busy setting out all her schoolwork in her snakey cove. She looked up at Austin, gave him a smile. "Hi."
Apr 16 21:48:30 <Knave>	Austin didn't like to think of himself as 'dragging fellow students down with him', but he did have a deep, philosophical opposition to the concept of hard work. "Nice day, isn't it? For November, anyway." He extends a hand, "I'm Austin, by the way."
Apr 16 21:50:34 <Antichthon>	"It's too cold. Pretty soon I wont be able to come out here." Cold blooded and all. Athene's smile widened and she took the hand. "Athene, nice to meet you."
Apr 16 21:54:13 <Knave>	"I don't mind the cold all that much." Austin muses absently. He smiles madly with a little shiver, "It's bracing out here."
Apr 16 21:55:12 <Antichthon>	"Yeah, it's really going to slow my brain down. But I don't like studying inside if I don't have to."
Apr 16 21:57:16 <Knave>	"Slow your brain down?" Austin says, feet shuffling idly in the grass, like he's a slight push away from Fred Astairing all over the place.
Apr 16 21:59:10 <Antichthon>	"Yeah, when I get cold my body slows down. My brain does, too." She was cracking open a textbook, unwilling to let this conversation interfere with her critical study time. "I'm big enough that it takes me a while to cool down, though."
Apr 16 22:02:05 <Knave>	"Huh. Crazy." He starts casually sliding one his feet off to the side, the other one in place, until he's in this ridiculous stretched-out pose, then he flops down onto the grass again, lying on his side and facing Athene, "What are you working on?"
Apr 16 22:04:24 <Antichthon>	"Math, at the moment. I'm being moved up to remedial and, um." Athene looked up from her textbook. "I'm actually pretty scared."
Apr 16 22:07:10 <Knave>	"Hey," Austin says with a comforting smile, shifting up into a cross-legged sit, "That's nothing to be afraid of. I mean, it's just numbers, right? And letters sometimes, I guess..." He trails off.
Apr 16 22:11:40 <Antichthon>	Athene gave him a look. "Haven't gotten to the letters yet." Eyes back on the book. "I'll probably have to take it next year, though. And I still don't understand it at all."
Apr 16 22:14:15 <Knave>	Austin's lips wrinkled at the corner. He had never personally understood the desire to succeed in life, but he appreciated that actively discouraging it was frowned upon. This combined with his own lack of mathematical talent left him wanting in the advice department. "Have you considered getting a tutor?"
Apr 16 22:15:52 <Antichthon>	"I had a tutor for awhile, but, um. Don't have one now. Looking for one, though. Mostly I just need to study more than most people. I'll be okay."
Apr 16 22:17:25 <Knave>	"That's the spirit." Austin says enthusiastically, flashing her a wide grin and lacing his hands behind his head.
Apr 16 22:20:36 <Antichthon>	Athene was admittedly sneaking glances at Austin. He was hot, after all. She didn't, however, know what else to say. "So, uh. How's life?"
Apr 16 22:24:12 <Knave>	"It's pretty good, actually." Austin says, lying back again, "Things are kind of going well since my triumphant return." He smiles up at her, "What about you?"
Apr 16 22:25:50 <Antichthon>	Austin was clearly an extrovert. Athene was not. She was, however, always looking to make new friends, so she'd keep this conversation going. "Busy. Everything keeps piling on without any breaks. Barely keeping my head above water. But, um. like I said, I'll be okay."
Apr 16 22:32:57 <Knave>	"I just try to ignore schoolwork." Austin says slowly, realizing as he says it that that's not technically meant to be an option. Then he shrugs and he's back at full speed, "Gets in the way of important stuff."
Apr 16 22:33:27 <Antichthon>	"Yet I bet you don't have an 'F' in any of your classes."
Apr 16 22:36:37 <Knave>	"I... don't actually know." Austin is careful to avoid news that could potentially harsh his mellow. And it's not like he's been back long enough to be graded, anyway.
Apr 16 22:39:49 <Antichthon>	That earned him a long stare from Athene. "Well, um. If you don't pass all your classes, what's the worst could happen to you?"
Apr 16 22:44:11 <Knave>	Austin pauses to think about this, starting up at the sky, "I dunno. I think the worst thing that could happen to me would happen whether I got good grades or not."
Apr 16 22:46:58 <Antichthon>	"If I get bad grades I'll be locked underground in a cell. When I'm not being cut open, awake, on an operating table."
Apr 16 22:48:07 <Knave>	Austin sits up, eyes wide, "...What the fuck?"
Apr 16 22:49:43 <Antichthon>	Athene's attention didn't stray from her textbook. "Yeah. So, um. Excuse me if I think schoolwork counts as 'important stuff.'"
Apr 16 22:51:14 <Knave>	"No, seriously, what the fuck?" Austin's furrowed brow and hard eyes convey no surprise, just fed-up anger, "They can't just- Are these people even real?" He puts his hands on his head and crashes back to the floor.
Apr 16 22:54:43 <Antichthon>	As usual, Athene was a bit too cavalier when talking about this particular thing. She did glance up to give Austin a little smile, but then it was back to the homework. "It's not punishment. That's just what my life was like before, ever since I was five. If I can't make it here, I'll go back to that. Until I get older. Then I'd probably be used as a weapon, like my sister."
Apr 16 22:56:13 <Knave>	Austin clearly isn't keeping pace, mentally. "Well... it's not like they're gonna expel you for flunking math."
Apr 16 23:01:03 <Antichthon>	Athene looked up again, and this time kept her gaze on Austin. "No one expected me to last this long. I'm not going to give anyone any reason to send me back to having no one but cockroaches as friends."
Apr 16 23:07:13 <Knave>	"I can respect that." Austin says, nodding, "You take pride in your hard work. I can dig it."
Apr 16 23:08:20 <Antichthon>	"That and I need to study until my eyes bleed just to get a C." Another little smile. "I'm not very good at school."
Apr 16 23:11:53 <Knave>	He smiles back, "Me neither, man. That's why I don't try." He beams wider.
Apr 16 23:13:56 <Antichthon>	That made Athene giggle. "Wish I had your life. ...I really need a vacation." Life really was wearing down on her.
Apr 16 23:17:37 <Knave>	Austin laughs, "Well, that's me, Austin Silver, the Human Vacation." His shoulders rolled in a way that he probably didn't realize was weirdly flirtatious.
Apr 16 23:20:05 <Antichthon>	She laughed along. When she didn't think Austin was looking, Athene did look the boy up and down, checking him out. "Well, I envy you for both of those things. Being human would be a lot less stressful."
Apr 16 23:24:27 <Knave>	His body's not anything to write home about, the lanky mess that it is, and his clothes aren't picked out to do anything other than conform to decency laws. "Yeah, but way less kickass."
Apr 16 23:28:17 <Antichthon>	"Yeah, I guess." Athene's smile widened. "I guess I am kinda cool."
Apr 16 23:30:39 <Knave>	"Absotively posalutely." Austin winks, "Ice cold."
Apr 16 23:33:06 <Antichthon>	Athene giggled. "I'm getting there. Is Fall usually this cold? This is the first one I've seen."
Apr 16 23:33:58 <Knave>	"Not where I'm from." Austin says casually, then seems to notice the second part, "That sucks. How are you enjoying it?"
Apr 16 23:38:02 <Antichthon>	"I hate the cold, but I love the colors. I've gotten so many awesome pictures. I keep thinking things can't get more beautiful, and then they do."
Apr 16 23:43:19 <Knave>	"Yeah, I can empathize." Austin smiles widely up at her.
Apr 16 23:46:38 <Antichthon>	It wasn't until then that it hit Athene. She'd been talking with a boy she hadn't known but an hour ago, and it didn't feel awkward. She blinked her eyes rapidly in surprise. "Wow. You're really smooth, you know that?"
Apr 16 23:48:42 <Knave>	He grins widely, rubbing the back of his neck, all sudden humility, "Gee, thanks. I guess folks don't call me Slick for nothing." He seems to realize something then, "Actually come to think of it, nobody really calls me that any more."
Apr 16 23:51:44 <Antichthon>	"Would-" sideglance. "Would you like me to call you that?"
Apr 16 23:53:43 <Knave>	He chuckles, "Yeah, you can if you want to." His knees slide up and he slouches forward, leaning on them, "Austin works too. Or Mercury. Or Hot Stuff." He smirks.
Apr 16 23:57:54 <Antichthon>	Athene giggled and blushed a little, momentarily once again the awkward wallflower she used to be. "I don't think any of those names have anything to do with one another."
Apr 16 23:59:46 <Knave>	"I'm a multi-faceted creature, Athene." He gives a lazy grin and runs a hand through his mess of a blond mop, "I have many aspects, reflected in my multitude of names and titles."
Apr 17 00:03:04 <Antichthon>	"Well, I'm just Athene. Or Athy, as Leah calls me. Or your worst, most terrifying nightmare, if you make me mad." She put on a faux-glare.
Apr 17 00:05:38 <Knave>	"Athene. Goddess of Wisdom." Austin thinks out loud, leaning back on his elbows.
Apr 17 00:06:14 <Antichthon>	Athene rolled her eyes. "Yeah, Mom was going through a Greek phase when she named me."
Apr 17 00:08:20 <Knave>	"I think it fits." He smiles gently, "Not that I know all that much about Greek myth. Or you, yet."
Apr 17 00:14:06 <Antichthon>	"My Mom taught me a lot about Greek Mythology. She had a pretty big part in it, after all."
Apr 17 00:15:00 <Knave>	Austin takes this in for a second. Then leans forward slightly, "Would I have heard of her?"
Apr 17 00:20:28 <Antichthon>	"Maybe." Another sideglance. "Echidna?"
Apr 17 00:21:44 <Knave>	"Sorry. Nope." He shrugs good-naturedly, "Like I said, not the greatest at school. Want to fill me in, or not something you like to talk about?"
Apr 17 00:25:06 <Antichthon>	"No, it's alright. What about, um, Scylla? or Cerberus? Medusa?"
Apr 17 00:25:52 <Knave>	"I've heard of the last two." Austin nods slowly, "You know, by way of Castlevania and stuff."
Apr 17 00:30:09 <Antichthon>	"Cerberus was my brother. Medusa my niece. They all come from Echidna."
Apr 17 00:33:01 <Knave>	"Oh." The start of a syllable forms before Austin gently shakes his head and shuts up. It's not polite to ask a lady her age. Anyway, with gods and whatnot, who's to say your aunt can't be born centuries later? "That's cool."
Apr 17 00:36:30 <Antichthon>	"Eh. Medusa was a jerk. Cerebus didn't have a brain like a human, and wasn't much smarter than a dog, but Mom says he had a heart of gold. And yeah, he only had one brain, despite having three heads. Most people don't know that."
Apr 17 00:38:56 <Knave>	"Huh." Austin slouches forward over his knees again, "So like... are gods...real?" He twists his head to one side like a confused dog.
Apr 17 00:45:30 <Antichthon>	Athene gave a blank stare and shrugged. "I'unno. Mom worships them, though. Not the Greek ones though, the Egyptian ones."
Apr 17 00:46:25 <Knave>	"Well." Austin deadpans with a sardonic grin, "/Naturally./"
Apr 17 00:53:30 <Antichthon>	Athene rolled her eyes and stuck out her tongue at him. Her three-foot-long, extremely prehensile tongue. "Like people never moved in ancient times," she said.
Apr 17 00:56:28 <Knave>	Austin's eyes go to the tongue. She probably sees, he's not known for his subtlety. "Well, uh," He says, clearly still thinking about that tongue, "I don't know." He finishes lamely.
Apr 17 01:02:30 <Antichthon>	Mistaking his response for discomfort, Athene blushed a touch in embarassment and returned her attention to her schoolwork. "Sorry."
Apr 17 01:04:08 <Knave>	Apparently snapping out of something, he says, "For what?" with genuine concern, "You didn't do anything wrong, did you?"
Apr 17 01:05:55 <Antichthon>	Athene smiled. "Eh, I sometimes forget the tongue freaks people out."
Apr 17 01:08:05 <Knave>	"It's, uh..." He tugs at his collar, "It's not- I mean, I'm not freaked out. It's- uh," He rubs the back of his neck, "I think it's cool."
Apr 17 01:15:24 <Antichthon>	"Really?" There was an uncharacteristically mischievous flash in Athene's expression. "Want to see something even cooler?"
Apr 17 01:16:02 <Knave>	"Yes." Austin said with wide eyes through the various vital organs that had leapt into his throat, "Yes I do."
Apr 17 01:23:02 <Antichthon>	Athene put down her textbook. Her human half rose into the air. Ten feet. Fifteen feet. Twenty. She bent over Austin, and her lower jaw split in two, before opening wide. Wide enough to swallow a bowling ball. Wider, now. Wide enough to swallow Austin himself. Three feet of slender, snakey tongue danced while a large hole beneath her tongue pulsated. The look in her eyes had gone from warm to undeniably monstrous. It was, as a whole, terrifying as hell.
Apr 17 01:25:55 <Knave>	Austin sits with eyes wide, watching this take place. Against all obvious instincts, he appears to be trying to bundle up, make himself smaller. He remains in uncharacteristic silence for some time before squeaking, "Wow."
Apr 17 01:32:40 <Antichthon>	Athene couldn't keep it up. She was drawing closer to Austin, but just before the boy's head would begin to disappear into her mouth, she devolved into a fit of ghoulish giggles. With a sickening, bone-crunching snap, she put her jaw back into place and settled back down into her usual position, still giggling, but much more cutely now. "Sorry. I couldn't resist."
Apr 17 01:34:07 <Knave>	"It's uh..." His face begins to flush in a sudden wave, "It's fine." He smiles nervously, "Don't worry about it."
Apr 17 01:37:19 <Antichthon>	Athene's giggles were dying down. "Wow, that was so unlike me," she said, wiping away her laughter tears. "Won't do it again." She checked the time. "Wow. Um, I actually really do need to focus on studying now, though."
Apr 17 01:38:52 <Knave>	"Sorry to distract you." Austin gets up shakily, into a little slouch, "I'll leave you in peace now." He smiles a goofball smile up at the girl, "See you around, though?"
Apr 17 01:42:49 <Antichthon>	Athene, ever the heart of the situation, lost her humor and grew concerned at Austin's shakiness. "Hey, wait. You going to be alright?"
Apr 17 01:43:43 <Knave>	"Yeah, yeah," He says, blush rising, "I'm just gonna... lie down, for a while. In my room."
Apr 17 01:48:23 <Antichthon>	Ah, crud, she overdid it. This is why she never played pranks with her monstrousness. It was way too easy to make someone legitimately shit their pants. "Um. Okay. My number is [SNAKEPHONE]! If that...helps." How the hell would that help?
Apr 17 01:50:46 <Knave>	"I will," He says, hurriedly tapping the number into his phone, "Definitely call you." He smiles, then repeats, "Definitely." in a slightly dreamy voice.
Apr 17 01:56:37 <Antichthon>	"Okay. I'll, um. Talk to you later. I promise I didn't mean anything by it." Athene smiled and waved, and only once he was gone did she return to her schoolwork, feeling a little guilty.
Apr 17 01:58:16 <Knave>	"Absolutely don't worry about it." He gave the same salute in goodbye, then Austin quick-stepped to his dorm. To do Austin things. Don't worry about it.
Apr 17 02:03:20 <Antichthon>	-Scene Break-