ー lecture hall 101

@✧ artemis as much as helios fantasized about the intense battle between them that manifested itself in an archery match, he wondered if that day would come any time soon. he wanted to clearly visualize the tension, the shallow breathes before letting their arrow guide itself to the target while beads of sweat rolled down their skin from the sheer anticipation awaiting the final score; it all seemed promising and quite entertaining. he was a bit hopeful that his efforts, or low efforts, of tormenting his competition wouldn't come in vain. the stacks between them were so awfully high, thanks to themselves, that he couldn't help festering it into one of his biggest accomplishments to date. as there was some truth behind his words, he wanted to fully engage and satisfy his desires... somehow. he smiled victoriously as he watched her pay for his meal, eyes growing in hunger. despite his judgmental approach when it came to the dining hall, he couldn't deny that some of its meals were delectable, the sushi being one of his few favorites. once he received his order, he pointed at an empty table then placed himself into one of the seats without much of a second thought. "here should be good! I'm starving. let's eat already."

@✧ helios pride. she could feel it within his hooded eyes, slipping in the gaps within his smooch locks, downing his spine and to the tip of his finger. isn't that a bit too boastful to even start with, but artemis never fails to notice its absence in their every conversation, the confidence of mastery peeks through their sparkling eyes when it comes to archery, they share the common language, and none of them are willing to show any signs of inferiority until they have held each other's breath at peak the moment they have their arrows on the bowstring. a blink, an exhale of breath, it all comes to the very moment and as if their hearts have been tied onto the arrow, they head for the one and only destination right in front of their eyes. as they made their way to the canteen, it surprises her how she has seemed to always pay her visit to the sushi stall as if she is the exclusive VIP. well, their stuff tastes good, and it is probably the only thing she doesn't feel disgusted by eating it cold. she watches the god as he makes his order, almost rolling her eyes at how the arrogant god retrieved into a small pup for his tricks. "at least say please if you want me to pay." she sticks her tongue out at him before paying for the two, and grabs her serving of sushi.

@✧ artemis with his tongue peeking out of his mouth and a wave of his hand, he dismissed artemis' retort. as if he would miss. he had full confidence that his limited training and strategy was going to bring him the gold. the gold that is artemis' defeated facial expression served with righteous ( queue obnoxious ) laughs from his end. just thinking of firing his final arrow while the goddess gawks at the perfect stacks on the target bought a grin on his face. even though he didn't respond, he exudes that snarkiness that seemed like he dropped the most clever one liner ever. "as we do." he replied, their conversation about the topic of art history dwindling in the silence. unfortunately, he wasn't one with too much interest when it came to art, his lack of je ne sais quoi with the matter couldn't be helped. he hoped that the goddess had a few words of wisdom but she too didn't quite grasp the meaning behind the study; so he didn't push for it. canteen sushi, why does that not seem surprising? the loud clashing of chairs, the incoherent conversations, and scents of artificial products; it all just screamed high school to him. he pressed his finger softly on his cheek as he took a glimpse at the menu. "a set of yellowtail toro for me and this water bottle, thanks." he swiftly grabbed the bottle out of the stand and set it in front of the cashier. he motioned his hand toward his pocket but paused as he stared at her. "oh, you're paying, right?" his eyes softened almost as if a pup took control of the god's body.

@✧ helios she merely let out a snort, shaking her head at the god before answering. "of course no excuses for me too. just don't cry too loud when you miss an arrow." she makes a smug face at his cackles, really can't help wanting to roll her eyes at him all the time but holds it back. there is something between the two that seems to fuel their competitiveness and daily bickering, having it stand out from any other similar conversations or experiences with other deities - just like how she would always still sit back and enjoy the little "fights" between her and helios, despite how they always sound like they are challenging each other to a fight. but nevertheless, she still finds it being part of the little moments that add colors to her rather dull college life. she shrugs at him again, a solid minute without words enough to show how speechless they are to the subject mentioned. "apparently, we are too caught up with bickering with each other," artemis makes her way down the stairs, followed by the god, and heads to the canteen. the canteen is crowded as usual, but it is not at its peak hours when some classes have started with the bell ringing a minute ago. she heads to the sushi place before making her order and turning to him and waits for his turn.

@✧ artemis helios lifted a finger, simply miming zipping up his lips and throwing the key to the side. "zippo excuses from me, not sure about you. but like i said, i wouldn't judge." he burst out a few of his signature cackles into the mix, emphasizing his provocation as if it were second nature. throughout the days of getting to know artemis, he found the two to share more similarities than differences. their competitive nature is the source of entertainment for him nowadays even if the real competition scheduled never seizes to exist. the riling up people's feathers was the sport in itself. schedules and assignments pile up, he of all people would understand. that's why he cherishes these brief moments when he can. the back-and-forth, the sly remarks, and tests of pride genuinely make it hard for him to resist. he shrugged yet again, confirming her utter perplexion when it came to art. unfortunately, none of them knew the significance so he had to settle with his own theories using the lack of information he was able to gather. though his posture brightened at the biased topic in hand, law, and food. "you're right! then what are we waiting for?" a smile lifted on his face, making his features less exhausted in comparison, as he let the goddess lead the way. thank god, he didn't realize how hungry he really was.

@✧ helios she crosses her arms in front her chest, eyes staring straight into his eyes despite his rather distracting gestures between them, pursing her lips with a small smirk curling by her lip corners. "good to know that, hope I don't hear any more excuses when we are at the archery field later." she a brow, even more excited to face whatever opponent she is facing. she barely remembers the last competition that occurred, so she could barely remember how his skills were, but he could have improved a lot ever since then, she would never know. she could only keep up with some of her weekly practice and nothing more because of her modules and hectic schedules, with more tutorials given by her lecturers recently taking up her time. "trust me, I can't even decipher what I am really talking about right now." she shrugs, soon listening to him as he explains his interest in criminal justice, which is something she has found it cool to learn about but never really wanting to go deep into it. her true passion lies in arts so that is like a whole other league for her. "well then you should get some really nice sushi to lift your spirit. food can never go wrong in that." she then grabs his wrist, heading to the canteen as they talk.

@✧ artemis a hand lifts, flapping in front of the archer with a slow but fluid pace. "my only fear is you going easy on me and you said you won't so there's really nothing else for me to fear. nervousness, don't know them." he grinned as he gave a short but telling shrug. although he lacked the experience when it came to the actual sport, archery, he made up for it through his intuition. whenever problems present themselves, he made sure to find a way to keep on top of it. no matter how complicated it could be, solutions are out there waiting to be discovered, and he believed that sentiment wholeheartedly. no preparations, just with his pure skill and talent. "still not sure if i understand it; but then again i'm not the artist here, you are." he pointed nonchalantly. "criminal justice has always been an interest of mine. the unraveling of someone's complex thoughts is a good skill to have in my opinion. but my main focus is justice in general. putting horrible people in their place just thrills me." he rambled passionately that the sparkles of his eyes could've twinkled, pulsating with hope. he blinked at the statement as he caught his breath. "oh, i'm actually a little tired, that's all. i didn't get much sleep earlier and was planning to after class. but i could use something to eat so i'm not really picky at the moment."

@✧ helios she hisses at the slap on her shoulder and makes a face at him. "gosh-" but soon turning into a smug when he speaks and rolls her eyes at his words almost. "I won't go easy on you, that I can guarantee. and nervous? that you really think too much. perhaps you are the one having your adrenaline all pumped up when your opponent is me." she snorts, in the exact reflection of his own boastful manner but that's really how ambitious they are to archery itself. although such could always be a catalyst of their competition that leads to another, she is always enjoying the games and the competitiveness the two of them ignite for something they share in common. they could be the most different people ever, but something will connect them together. "I know right? i think they really believe learning the history of it can help us draw or something, or at least inspire us." she lets out a heavy sigh and turning to helios instead. "what about you? what's your major that leads you to studying law? criminology?" she hums in curiosity, soon diverting her attention to the lunch topic. "are you not that picky with food in general? feels like you are not as excited."

@✧ artemis her response brought a brilliant smile to appear on his face and a hard friendly slap on her shoulder. "that's what i like to hear! it would be such a bore if you went easy on me. i guess we'll just have to see how confident you really are before the match. just so you know, i won't judge if you get nervous. i know i'm tough competition." he smirked, his boastfulness clear as day that, if you examine closer, you can practically see the edge of his shoulders raise in pride. it may be his own thoughts hyping him up for their next match but that was part of the process. prior to competing, it was a fun endeavor he loved to indulge in like an appetizer before the main course. that kind of excitement always found a way to better his mood even if circumstances drained him. "i could hardly imagine art history to be as exciting as law. art is vague, i wonder why you need to learn the history as an art major..." he hummed, perplexed by his limited understanding when it came to art. he was more the athletic type, art and creativity were something he found trivial. unlike food that is. "sushi for lunch? i bet we can find a restaurant around here. i'm fine with whatever as long as it filling, honestly."

@✧ aphrodite it almost felt like the air is moving when someone else came inside the room, and artemis barely spared a glance when she was still indulged in the sadness of not being able to grasp an accurate image of her muse in her dreams, that one guy (man, she can't even assume the gender without a doubt) who can save her from all this misery. but she really had nothing else to do, when shapes and pictures couldn't piece up into the image she wants, she only throws a lazy glance to the student who came in, who surprisingly didn't look at her despite knowing the class has another individual.

but she sits up, making a few sounds as the chair makes a few awful creaky sounds, and the person still didn't turn around. well, at least she did the courtesy to notify him her existence. she picks up her pen and watches his back, somehow a bit familiar - but she couldn't pinpoint how and why. her hand rests on the notebook with her pencil inclined from her fingers to the paper, a few lines down and slowly the shape of a head appears, then the neck, the shoulders, it could be her illusion but the more her lines start to take shape, it overlaps more and more with the image in her dreams, and she thinks (not romantically but) this man could be the one in her dreams.

there is already the outline of a man on the paper, and she thinks she needs a better angle because she remembers that man by his side profile, not his back figure. well if it isn't too rude...maybe she could ask him to be her model? with that thought, she slowly moves to the student, landing a small pat on his shoulder. "uhm, excuse me?"

@✧ helios a snort came out from her upon his words, knowing another competition is inevitable between the two who have their ambitions in archery. "you don't have to go easy on me, if my skills are lacking i will admit my defeat with no doubt. but then I am confident with my archery skills, so I won't go easy on you too." her tone is laced with a bit of playfulness as she bickers with the other, somehow there's always this atmosphere around them when they see each other, always in the verge of challenging each other to another round of archery and again and again. but it is not that she doesn't like this, in fact she finds it rather entertaining to have someone whom she knows would never turn down a challenge. it's always fun to compete with others. "I know right? honestly-" she leaned in to whisper by his ear, "I don't think this subject would help me draw better in a sense." and makes an almost distorted face at the sound of law. "law...that sounds harsh already." she shook her head, the thought of memorising all those laws and details already made her dizzy. her gaze returns to the male as she hums in thought at his question. "mhm i am craving for some sushi lately, how about you?"

@✧ artemis there aren't many aphrodite knows in his major that doesn't excel in art as he does. he's not awful at it. looking at it enough times in a day, he knows a few techniques. unlike some, he doesn't wish to excel in art. he doesn't like to make it; rather, he likes to look at it. inspect it. admire the art.

but, he does feel a little bit weird knowing next to nothing about art's actual techniques.

it was around this time last year when aphrodite started to visit the art room. usually, no one else was there. Other people just liked to be distracting, constantly talking to him or, even worse, flirting with him. people he hardly even knew. he would flirt back because he didn't know what else to do, but sometimes he just wanted to sit and practice. today wasn't really one of those days since he saw someone else was in there. a new friend? Someone else who wanted him? he wasn't sure, but he didn't intend to do much today, anyways.

he didn't look at the person as he entered, taking a seat in front of the canvas. if he didn't give attention to the other, maybe they wouldn't bother him. he was a little embarrassed by his art skills, though. he made sure to turn away from the other, just a little. his art looked like a child's, after all.

clearing his throat, aphrodite did his best not to look over his shoulder.

@✧ artemis helios' face contorted in disbelief. "mhm. seems like you're chickening out right now. if you want my advice, art, let your skills speak for themselves. but don't too bad or i really might go easy on you next time." he stuck out his tongue for a split second just to laugh afterward. she can be rather serious if she wanted to so he appreciated her playful side. the fact he can bring it out of her made him feel pleased, though, he'll never admit it to her face. "huh? who knew art history was this extensive. you should've seen my constitutional law textbook, think it's about the same size or bigger even." he sighed, the thought of his textbook brought imaginary pains to his back. good thing he was able to find a digital version at home. he walked beside her then leaned on the wall by the door, watching her set her papers aside. "great! let me grace you more with my company. what did you want to eat, again?"

@✧ helios artemis rolled her eyes at him with his statement, shoulders giving off a small shrug before adding a small snort. "I am never one to chicken out, sir. i am just afraid that someone might say he was going easy on me if he loses again," with a polite smile, she teases the other god while raising a small hum. it seems like the god has always had a joker vibe on him that seems to be a huge contrast to her rather calming one, which she sometimes finds it interesting, could it be why they seem to be getting along and not at the same time? "obviously it's not - these are my learning materials, now if you please, I need to put these on my table before I could go lunch with you." she gives him a small gesture to wait for her before she heads off and places the stack of papers on her seat, and walks back to him. "all done. now we can head for lunch."

@✧ artemis helios folded his arms as an eyebrow of his raised in interest, the smirk from his face still very well plastered in place. "puh-lease, art! i was going easy on you that time. i'm ready for a REAL match. that is... if you're not too scared and chicken out." he cackled loudly. he doesn't know what it is but joking around has always been his most preferred way to regain energy even if it might unnerve a person or two. although, he so desperately wished for that to transfer to the apparent exhaustion on his face; alas, he'll just have to deal with it for now. he blinked curiously. "lunch sounds good! by the way, what's with all the papers? are you making something out of paper mache or what?" he laid a gentle finger on top of the papers, adding a bit of pressure, to get a peek. whatever it was looked awfully boring, he would've put it to good use a long time ago.

@✧ helios artemis was staying on the left side of the hallway as she holds a stack of papers, reading the highlighted lines that she had drawn the previous nights as she sorted out the key examinable points, not paying attention to anyone passing by from her right side as she murmurs what's written in the lines, trying to understand and interpret it with her own knowledge. ugh, why is she even doing art history, she really doesn't appreciate memorising stacks of paper about how history has developed until now, but the complaints only stopped until she heard her name being called, looking up from the papers until she saw a familiar face heading from the other end of the hallway. ah, here we go again, she sighs quietly before tilting her head, clutching the papers to her chest with a squint in disbelief. "seriously, are you still in your dreams or did your defeat last time didn't remind you well enough? i could say yes to lunch though." she snorted.

@✧ artemis after what seemed like an eternity, helios finally waltzed outside of class with a hand covering his mouth in preparation for his yawn; he was completely drained, to say the least. unfortunately, he registered for classes really late this semester. well, until he's in the mood to feel responsible, he's going to shift the blame on his friends for inviting him to parties and packed his schedule while the idea of his class schedule completely slipped his mind. he groaned, pressing the bridge of his nose softly until he recollected himself a second later. he hastened his grip on his shoulder bag as he made way further downwards on the hallway when a familiar face popped up, stopping him in his tracks. "art, hey!" he waved lazily. "seriously, when are we going to have a proper match? i can't wait to see your face when i beat you in archery." he chuckled obnoxiously.

@✧ aphrodite Artemis doesn't consider herself as a person who dreams a lot. Being a light sleeper with most of her slumbers occur along the breaking point of night and day, she either wakes up dreamless or before she could even have one. But it is not that she dislikes sleep or having dreams, quite the opposite, she envies people who have them. Dreams are always a vague and vast topic to land on, when she could spend hours listening to others describing their own dreams either it be romantic ones, horror, or merely odd.

Not having a dream shouldn't be a major problem, well, not when her lecturer asked them to draw whatever is in their latest dream for this new assignment. For the first time in forever, the goddess finds herself in a place where she couldn't play smart, and struggling to land her pencil on the canvas when she couldn't even think of a dream. How do you even draw a dream when you don't have one? This leads to her frequent naps recently, in hopes to have any dream - anything - just so she could have something to draw about.

And perhaps the god of dreams heard her desperate wishes (or whoever is in charge of this sector?), she had an image in her head when she was taking a nap in the classroom, a person walking up the stairs in the clouds, turning back to look at her. It felt so real, she opened her eyes in a second and grabbed her pen and notebook, but only managed to sketch the background but the person. Then in the subsequent days, the sketch remains the same, only with the blurring image of the unknown man - until today, where it is another day where she sits in the classroom after class, staring blankly at the sketch while thinking of a way.