What does it mean to be one's own self? [Open]

    The dark fog around Knell's eyes raised in a way not unlike human eyebrows when surprised or perplexed. For the unlife of him he could just not understand why these soon-to-be-dead gods had sought out this useless maggot. "These supposed gods sought you out? Why?" he asked Feos, a hint of seriousness interfering with his attempt to sound casual and friendly. Not that the god was worried about it, there mortals were in no position to question his godliness. 

    Remembering that Mason had introduced himself, Knell was quick to return the favor. "You may call me Knell," he said as he offered a handshake. The hand he was using was his metallic one of course, it was filled to the brim with negative emotional energies and a good way to check if someone around here was sensitive to said energy. 

    "Knell?" Mason thought, watching the interacting between the two people he just met. "If he is a God, it's not one I've heard of." Thoughts of a similar fashion popped into his head as he watched. These beings were speaking of things beyond his knowledge. He could follow along, and understood the basic concepts, but the specifics were not so clear. Mason never grew up on much mythology, other than the ones he learned in school. His parents dealt more with the here and now, and only understood God in a similar sense to himself. Beings that had powers while the humans of the past worshipped them; them whose power was far beyond their own or understanding of the time. "What really defined a God anyway?" Another thought in his head.

    The hand offered to Mason was bizarre. Not because it had been metallic, but simply because it gave off an energy that did not sit well with him. Not wanting to be rude however, Mason extended his own hand, and grasped it. Instantly upon contact, Mason feel a sensation quite different than that of Foes. Negative emotions seemed to seep into his hand and force itself up his arm. Instinctively Mason reacted, breathing in deeply to help focus his own energies. He pushed back, his spirit strong and bright, forcing the energy back down his arm. The handshake was brief, but felt longer. "What kind of God are you?" Mason asked, his question fuelled by the experience that just happened. He gave his arm a little shake as his body quickly worked to rebalance his energies. 

For a moment, Feos was unsure of how to go about this. He didn't want to give out too much to this god, since it felt that he was in a stage of "exploring" and getting to know his surroundings and those around him, and also, Feos had no knowledge of this god, even after hearing the name, and also of his power and capabilities. Playing it safe would be the best bet, for the time being at least.

"I guess they were also bored." he simply said, shaking his shoulders in an aloof manner and crossing his arms at his chest. Hopefully, this Knell god would have a short attention span and would be distracted by Mason's friendship-return-attempt. 

Feos then took a tiny step back, technically still standing next to Mason and not behind him, but it was more of a subtle move to take Knell's attention away from him. At the same time, Mason was talking, and truth be told, the guy's question about what kind of god Knell was, it also interested Feos. 

The phoenix's eyes followed that handshake, and he was surprised to see the metallic arm. Odd, to see a god that had something like that on them. He had never encountered something similar before, and no matter how much his mind raced, he couldn't find a meaning behind it for the time being. 

'So it as I expected, the worm is energy-sensitive," the god mused to himself. Around here, his appearance didn't seem to raise as much suspicion, many a student had an odd form, but these two had looked at him with much suspicion;as the god had guessed at least one of them could feel the negative energies that he possessed. But all of that was unimportant in the face of just how stupid this Mason's question. "What kind of god am I? Why, the only one that matters."

Knell took note of Feos's silly attempt to make himself go unnoticed, which hopefully meant the pointless thing was nervous. For just a second, the glowing orbs that acted as his eyes shifted to focus on Feos, and the corners of his massive grin stretched ever so slightly upward, before fixing his gaze back on Mason. " Something the matter?" A question that would seem like it was meant solely for the Mason-idiot, but was more-so directed at the both of them.

    Mason starred at the God, a quizzical look on his face. For a while, there was a long pause. It was quiet, and stiff, and awkward. This kind of silence was the completely opposite of the silence that Mason and Feos shared only moments before. Mason looked between two men, but it was Knell who broke the silence, which was a response to his question.
    If Mason had been drinking, he would have spit it out. "The only God who matters? You think you'd be important enough to be mentioned somewhere in history then." The comment was much more snarky then it needed to be. It was an effect of the infectious negative energy that Knell had just previously injected into him. It was not something of a lasting effect, but balancing your energies is not an automatic thing and the intrusion of negative energies happened only seconds before. In a minute or so, Mason would return to his natural balance, but the comment had already been said.

    Ever after it was uttered, Mason knew it would have some sort of effect on the God, though where it was big enough to offend him or not was unclear. Mason cleared his throat, aware of the tone he added to the conversation. "Have you ever had a friend before this Knell? Or is this your first attempt?" he asked with an awkward smile on his face.

Mason's sharp reply took Feos by surprise, making him raise his eyebrows a bit and turn to regard the guy next to him. Of course, they had hardly known each other for half an hour, but somehow, it felt a bit out of character. Still, Feos was a bit curious to see how this self-important god, one that seemed like he had developed the habit of considering himself as the center of his universe -something that Feos thought might have been true at some point, perhaps-, would react to that kind of comment.

Feos then felt the attempted change in Mason's tone, and could tell that perhaps the guy had somewhat regretted it. Was he someone who occasionally spoke before thinking too much, or had there been another source for the previous sharpness? At any case, he simply shook his head lightly and turned his gaze back at Knell, guessing that Mason's previous remark had distracted and perhaps shocked the deity enough to divert the focus from himself. He wasn't too inclined to reveal his nature as a phoenix, feeling that this god didn't already know. 

    Knell could not believe his luck, energy-sensitive and the mental fortitude of an infant, this Mason-fool could prove an easy source of energy should he ever be desperate. Thinking back to the matter at hand, he had to decide if he should even respond to the tiny thing's attempt at insulting a god, something that always proved completely adorable no matter who the worthless would-be-offender was.  The god decided to humor him. "Short-lived one, do you honestly think your mortal history books would be able to tell what goes on in the vast cosmos? Honestly, it amazes me how you earth creatures think yourselves to be the center-point of everything."

    The friendship question had caught him off guard, he must admit, but of course he had not made any pointless friendships. Nevertheless, this 'friendship' seemed to be valued highly among these lesser being, and he had used it as a reason for his presence, so he decided more lying would not be unjustified. Not that a god such as him needed justification for their actions. "While I can not say all of my attempts have been successful, I do possess a few of these friends, yes," he fibbed. "In fact, I remember the first one I found quite well. Upon my emergence into this realm, I was almost immediately confronted by a fellow who helped me to understand the norms of this world, and even pointed me in the direction of this school." That was all completely false, of course. While he had encountered a empty minded meat-bag shortly after his dimensional jump, he had ended up tormenting the thing until it went running in the path of one of those metal blocks the mortals use for transportation. Twas messy. 

    Mason laughed at the God's response, but it was not a laugh of malicious intent, but rather of amusement now that he felt back to normal. "Well I'm glad you had someone at least, but to be honest, he didn't do the best job. For future reference, us 'earth creatures' are typically a fan of sudden ominous figures appearing behind them." Despite the awkward comment that had Mason was sure went unnoticed, Mason tried to recover. "Sorry about earlier mate. Something... came over me. It's not typical of me, so I'm sorry if I offended you."

    There was another pause in speak, and Mason defaulted to Lupo, who had calmed down since the sudden appearance, who now sat beside him. He was panting slightly from the warm temperature outside, but managed to keep most of his focus on Knell. "So!" he brought up to spark the conversation again. "Where does everyone come from?" Another pause.

    "I was born in London, England... uh, obviously, I guess..." he scratches the back of his head. "Uhhh. I used to go to another school, but came here. Uh... I'm 18..." he stumbles off chuckling. "What else...?" He looks to Lupo as if he would have the answer. "I'm into sports, fashion, and fighting. I know those aren't usually paired together, but -OH! And drawing too. I've been drawing since I was a kid, though you'd think I'd be better than I am if that was the case... I'm sorry guys. I was never the best at first impressions," he speaks quickly, the awkwardness he felt compelling him to the word vomit. Mason looked up from Lupo and then between the two men.

At first Feos was mildly surprised that this god, who seemed to regard himself with total superiority, had not been provoked or angered by Mason's sharp comment, but after thinking about it a bit more, it did make some sense. And it was most fortunate as well. At the same time, seeing that the unfamiliar deity was not one that was whimsically violent or hot headed, it made him feel a tiny bit more at ease. As long as he wasn't dangerous, he could be as odd as he wished.

Feos didn't think to doubt the deity's words about his "friend that pointed him towards the school", finding it quite reasonable and possible, but he did agree with Mason that there was much more to learn if Knell wanted to truly blend in. He blinked when he heard Mason's introduction and question, and thought to also go ahead, partly to set another example for Knell, and partly just because he felt like sharing. Also, he found that he shared quite a few interests with Mason, which was rather intriguing.

Now that he was not under the tree's shade, the sun made him feel warmer, so he started pulling up his sleeves as he spoke, revealing his lean but defined forearms. " I've been here for 19 years." he started, the wording he used being a bit odd in some ears, but it was a way to both be honest and not give too many details. "I like drawing as well and playing the flute, I carved it myself, and I've been practicing martial arts since I was very young." he said, looking into Mason's eyes when he said that, his own eyes having an intrigued glow.

"As for why I'm here, I can make this fire." he offered a bit more, snapping the fingers of his left hand in a relaxed manner, producing a brief white flame like a lighter, before it went out again.

    Knell looked back an forth between the two as they gave their little tidbits of information about themselves with feigned interest. He could not recall asking them to explain the details of their insignificant lives, so the fact that they were greatly displeased him. Still, it might make him appear more trustworthy if he went forth with a bit of mindless sharing as well. "As for me, I am honestly not sure how long I have graced this sad rock with my presence, I have no proper way of telling what you little things would consider time. I am amused by watching the lifeforms of this world, and I find mortal tomes to be fascinating. I hope that that information satisfies your weak minds," he stated, his disembodied voice sounding as close to sincere as he could manage while being so terribly bored

    Now that that was over with, the Limbo God hoped to find out more about the worm that wannabe gods were apparently taking interest in, so he directed his gaze towards Feos. "Fire, huh? That's pretty neat! How do you manage something like that?" he asked with fake sincerity. 

Feos listened carefully and with honest curiosity as Knell spoke about himself. He thought that perhaps it made sense for a being like Knell not being able to accurately tell the passage of time, especially if he had been somehow isolated from the world in one way or another, like his behaviour suggested.

Yet, at the same time, Feos couldn't suppress a small chuckle and an amused smile. Somehow, he found Knell to be intriguing, the way he spoke, it felt...almost childish and immature, it didn't carry the threat of an overlord who could unleash havoc upon those they deemed lesser subjects. In a way, Knell felt rather immature in some aspects, possibly because he had hardly socialized before, that's what Feos felt.

When addressed with curiosity, Feos stopped for a moment to consider how he should answer, and then spoke, smiling a bit. "I draw it out from my core. Deep into my soul, there's much more of it, burning constantly." he explained in a warm tone and he twirled his finger around, leaving a trail of thin white flame behind, hovering in place and finally forming something like a coiled chinese dragon before dissipating.

"What about you, how did you get here from where you were standing before?" Feos returned the question, to show some interest and make Knell feel like he was getting the interest he might think was rightfully his.

    The answer to his question did not make Knell a happy camper, it gave him little information to work with, but at least he was sure this thing was not human. Human souls, as far as he knew, did not hold fiery infernos inside of them. "Fire in your soul? I've never heard of such a thing, is it inherited?" Hopefully the answer to that question would be of more use.

    Of course it wanted to know about his power, and while he could go on for great lengths of time explaining the details of his greatness, he decided to cut it short to make sure the annoying fire-wielder would be able to actually comprehend the meaning with its tiny mind. "That? Simply me reassuring your petty laws of physics of which one of us is in charge here," he stated, and the mere idea that this plane's reality could defy him caused him to break out into another fit of laughter, this one sounding almost sinister. 

Feos crossed his forearms at his chest and nodded at the question. "It's inherited yes, but that's not enough, it needs to be awakened too and harnessed." he replied, his tone a tad more serious. The question reminded him of his Father. There had been many who he could call "father", since he had been reborn many times and raised by different people, but he could still remember his Father, the phoenix who sired him. Glowing with majestic splendor, golden, red, white and gold, it felt as everything around him bowed to his presence, and that his power reached out everywhere his magical glow reached. 

He sighed slightly, shaking his head. It had been centuries, many, many of them since he had contact with his father. Feos wondered if he would have changed at all, or if he would have even be reborn. Somehow, that idea didn't sit well with Feos, his majestic father having to go through a life of growing and self-discovery again, and if someone told him that his father was so powerful that he wouldn't need to be reborn for three thousand years more, Feos could have easily believed it.

His melancholic thoughts were interrupted abruptly by Knell's "explanation" about his own power. For a second or two, Feos' eyes were wide in disbelief and astonishment. Could someone really have answered like that?

"...pffft...!" Feos couldn't hold back anymore and he chuckled, finding himself truly amused by how Knell declared his superiority with a childish way that somehow made Feos like him. "Is that so? Well, good for you, those laws of physics do need to be reminded sometimes!" Feos agreed in a humorous tone, quite entertained. Feos couldn't resist, and it was as if he was talking to a powerful, mysterious, immortal and enigmatic kid, encouraging him and his declarations of superiority.

    Knell nodded in response to Feos's question. "Indeed they do!" he said cheerfully. Words could not describe how much he enjoyed it when mortals dared to laugh at him. "But I must be honest with you mortal, that was an extremely simplified description, the actual process is much more complex and would it take up a very large portion of what you perceive as time to explain it." That was only half of it, there was also the fact that this fire-worm was much too stupid to understand the magnitude of his abilities.

What was more interesting than this little things arrogance was how it fell into deep thought after confirming that his flame powers were inherited. Did this thing have parent issues? Were they dead. Oh, he hoped they were dead. "You looked a bit glum after talking about your powers, friend. Is something wrong," he tried his hardest to sound like he actually cared about Feos's feelings, but even he couldn't stop a slight tone of amusement from accompanying the question. Hopefully the idiot would fail to notice.

    Mason took a step back as listen to the two men talk. He stood beside Lupo, rubbing his head, listening to the little history the two revealed about themselves. He had planned to engage in the conversation, but to him, they seemed like they were analyzing each other, not fully trusting each other. "Guess we missed out chance, eh mate?" Mason whispered to his dog as he focused on the pair. He was so intent on them, that he didn't realize the small but colourful pixie floating towards the group. "You speak of the laws of physics like--" he was cut off by the sound of Lupo barking. Immediately he turned to see the pixie grabbing his staff.

    "Whoa, where do you think you're going with that?" he asked irritated, as he knew all too well the mischievous nature of the small forest creature. He punch his hand out, sending a air blast towards the pixie, but it quickly dodged it, zig zagging in the air and it sped off towards the forest. It was fast and strong for its size, easily able to carry Mason's staff while still be agile. Without asking the other two, and without knowing how safe the forest was, Mason started after the pixie. Lupo sprung into action, keeping speed with Mason as they an into the forest.

    Once the pair was in the forest, it was hard to keep track of the creature. If it wasn't for the long and floating staff that Mason knew all too well, then he might have lost the pixie. It flew in the air, uninhibited, unlike Mason and Lupo who were battling through the heavy vegetation.

    With an irritated growl, Mason jumping into the air, bouncing between tree truck with a weight much lighter than someone of his size. As he got closer and closer to the pixie, he launch himself, diving in the air with the help of his air abilities and grabbing onto his staff, landing hard on the ground and sliding to a stop. "Bug off you bloody thing!" he said, sending another air blast knocking the pixie off his staff.

    Shortly after, Lupo caught up to Mason, panting heavily. "Good boy," he said, scratching his head. Mason paused for a moment. "Uh... whoops..." he said, unsure of the direction he came from, the trail left by Lupo seemingly covered up. He stood there, unaware of what lurks in the forests that he only hear rumours about. He wiped the sweat of his brow as it furrowed. "Maybe this wasn't one of my better ideas," he said to his faithful beast.