Cat Faunus? No, Cat Burgular (Private: Pericles and Auric)

[Pericles Herodotus Ozymandias]

Pericles was currently located in the Gym portion of the combat room at Beacon, having been there for the past thirty minutes.

Pericles huffed and puffed with exertion as the bar rose and fell from his chest. Internally he counted, '7...8...9...10!' before repacking the bar and sitting up from the bench, '10 sets of 10, worse than usual.'

Pericles was currently wearing a blue chiton that was doused in sweat while his curly mane occasionally covered his face as he exhaled in inhaled with heavy breaths.

[Auric Kwaku]

Auric wasn't much of a gym rat, but he did realize something. His stamina was severely lacking. He made a promise to himself to start incorporating more cardio into his routine. Training would be fine, but he knew that without improving his stamina, he wouldn't be able to keep up with the intense workouts. Auric decided to head to the gym, finding really no one there except for a few dedicated individuals, one particularly in a gown of some sort, sitting up on a bench.


"Morning or afternoon, I don't really care, man, what's up?" He greeted in a casual tone, with a smile.

[Pericles Herodotus Ozymandias]

Pericles looked up from where he was currently catching his breath to see Auric, "I suppose by this point that it would be considered evening, but as you've said, you don't care."

"I'm merely trying to work back some of the loss from a few weeks off. Yourself? What brings you here?" Pericles inquires as he wipes the sweat out of his eyes for the third time since the conversation started.

As he awaits Auric's answer, Pericles begins to do warm down stretches to the best of his ability with the fatigue in his body as his Aura occasionally flares across his skin.

[Auric Kwaku]

"Well, you know, all of us need a little cardio now and then to keep our stamina staminaing and shit," Auric said as he adjusted his shirt and stretched his arms.

"I've been trying to get into it lately, but it's been tough to find the time with work and kicking ass and getting my ass kicked and everything." He sighed, flaying back some of his dreadlocks.
"Also, not a gym biologist or anything, but I feel like that robe you're wearing is not exactly conducive to a good workout. Maybe try some breathable workout clothes instead?" Auric suggested with a grin. "But hey, no judgment here from me. You do you."

[Pericles Herodotus Ozymandias]

Pericles did his best to not comment on Auric's odd grammatical choices and answered his question, "More breathable, you say?"

Pericles looked down at the chiton on his body, half of his chest was bare with the other half loosely covered by the fabric going from his right hip to his left shoulder and down across his back to the same hip again. Meanwhile the cloth only began on his legs roughly half a foot from his knees and sat in a skirt like manner around his waist, with twine gently cinching it around his hips.

Pericles looked back to Auric, "Unless you are suggesting that I follow the workout dress code of my ancestors, then I don't believe I can find cloth more breathable than that which I am currently donned in."

[Auric Kwaku]

Auric raised his hands in surrender, "I'm still working for that fashion degree." He chuckled as he added, "But hey, at least I'm getting there."

He walked over to one of those gym counters and placed down his stuff, also swiping away a protein bar that was sitting there beside another bag. Taking a bite, he quickly spat it out in disgust as the taste of the protein bar filled his mouth in a wave of pure disgust.

"Motherfucker, this tastes like someone nutted on a cardboard soaked in sweat and let it marinate in the sun for a week." he exclaimed, glancing back at the bag he had grabbed it from, seeing the expired expiration date staring back at him. Choking, he tossed the bar in the nearest trash can, quickly going for a bottle of water to wash away the foul taste and made a mental note to always check the dates on anything he grabbed before snacking in the future.

[Pericles Herodotus Ozymandias]

Pericles looked over in intrigue at Auric's initial response, "You are studying for a fashion degree? I suppose its beneficial to know that I am not the only one working towards academic pursuits separate to the career of being Hunters."

Pericles' intrigue however quickly turned to disgust as he watched Auric steal and consume a clearly very old protein bar, "It tastes like what? I suppose that most protein bars contain mixed nuts as an ingredient but your colloquial use of the noun as a past tense verb is quite perplexing. Further, that bag has been there for quite some time now, I do believe that it belonged to a student who graduated last year."

[Auric Kwaku]

"I..You know what, Yeah, screw it, I'm doing fashion." Auric joked, laughing to himself like a maniac, "My aunt does own a boutique after all, might as well put it to good use. Who knows, maybe I'll even start my own clothing line one day." He smiled for a bit before walking to the treadmills, struggling to turn on the machine before getting it to work.

"Oh, and by the way, two-wait, no, three things. A, I suspect that your ass is aceing Engilsh like crazy. B, nobody, and I mean NOBODY, likes a grammar police, especially me. Three, well shit, guess that cardboard been in the sun for a year…and actually 4, I know what a protein bar is."

[Pericles Herodotus Ozymandias]

Pericles tilted his head in befuddlement at Auric's words, "My apologies but I am having trouble following your words and reasoning. Perhaps it might be better to start with introductions. I am Pericles Herodotus Ozymandias, son of Dryo of the Alcmaeonidae imperial line of Mistral, son of Ramses Ozymandias of the Ozymandias lineage of courtiers to the royal families of Vacuo, and a studier of lost echoes and buried tales. Might I know you name?"

As Pericles spoke, he would stand up and clasp his right fist against his chest while inclining his head slightly.

[Auric Kwaku]

"Well, then hello there, Pericles Herodotus Ozymandias, son of Dryo of the Alcmaeonidae imperial line of Mistral, son of Ramses Ozymandias of the Ozymandias lineage of courtiers to the royal families of Vacuo, and a studier of lost echoes and buried tales," Auric said, making sure to mispronounce most of the names on purpose.
"Since when there was a competition for 'How long can you introduce yourself in the most grandiose manner possible while simultaneously boring everyone to tears'? Because you are just blowing everyone away with that introduction. " Auric laughed, shaking his head in amusement, as he ran on the treadmill. " I think you might have set a new record for the longest introduction in history, not even my brother would've been able to top that with his lengthy speeches on his character's name from that one video game, I don't remember which one. Anyway, my name's Auric. Don't have any r grandiose introductions to share."

[Pericles Herodotus Ozymandias]

Pericles grunted in annoyance as he returned to his exercises, "Right..."

"How ever so pleasant of you to say." Pericles dryly remarked as the bar rose and fell from his chest.

"Additionally," Pericles began, "As for being the longest introduction in history, I assure you that it is not. When my family was still in power, our titles were much more extensive in their descriptions."

"Regardless," Pericles said as he re-racked the bar, "I must inquire, even if just for the sake of sating my curiosity, why you take issue with me?"

[Auric Kwaku]

Auric snorted sharply, then chuckled, evolving the sound into a full-blown laugh.

"Oh my.. Oh no, please, you're not that special. to me" He managed to mumble out between laughs. "If that's your version of me taking any issue with you, then this truly must be the most entertaining take of me I heard in a good while. But hey, keep up that energy. It's giving me a good laugh." Auric wiped a tear from his eye, as his laughter gradually subsided as he wiped tears from his eyes, trying to regain his composure.

He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down before continuing. "But in all seriousness, I am like this to everyone." Auric's smile faded slightly as he sighed, catching the last of his breath. "Anyways, you the type of guy who beats the shit out of people to gain back your self-esteem, honour, or something? Like them knights of old or something?" Auric's tone was light, but there was a hint of curiosity in his question.

[Pericles Herodotus Ozymandias]

Pericles walked over to his bag and took a swig from his canteen before turning back and answering Auric's question, "No, I am not. If my family was, then our line never would've lasted to the present day. There is honor, sure, but there is moderation, there is tact, there is wisdom, and there is guile."

Pericles grabs a towel and wipes the sweat from his eyes before laying flat on a bench and stretching his arms behind his back, "Going after every little person that insults or derides or family is not only a colossal waste of time, but also a fantastic way of developing unnecessary enemies and for frightening the populace up into rebellion. That being said, if someone of station were to use their voice in order to question my family's efforts and practices, then perhaps they would've suffered some tragic accident."

Pericles gave a proud and sardonic smile, "Simply put, acting against every slight and every damage to one's honor was for the lesser nobles, the middle-management if you will. When you're the imperial family, such things are beneath you, such things aren't necessary. Nobles would leap at the chance to defend our honor on the chance that we might shine favor upon them for it."

[Auric Kwaku]

Auric opened his mouth to say something, but as Pericles interrupted him, his words died in his throat, leaving him unusally silent, with his thoughts being drawn elsewhere as he stepped off the treadmill.

'Wow, I mean, how much can he talk, like seriously?' Auric thought to himself, 'I mean, I know I talk a lot, but this guy takes it to a whole new level, escpecially with that dictionary language of his.. It's not like he's going to stop anytime in that royalty delusion soon. At least this gives me some time to get some eariler shit together…wait..Oh yeah, that reminds me, I need to follow up on that project from earlier. And that thingy-ma-bob crap from, uhh , what's his name again? Ah, never mind, I'll figure it out later…also, probably going to have to search up whatever royalty delusion he's talking about is real or not..or something.'

Auric finally realised there was a slience in the gym, quickly realising that Pericles stopped talking.

"Uh, yeah, definitely, I can see that." He quickly replied, masking the fact that he did not hear a single word that man had just said with all of his acting skills and a poker face.

[Pericles Herodotus Ozymandias]

Pericles was naive of much, but not to this degree, "You can merely say if you don't believe me, there is no shame in that. Though, I would recommend focusing any studying you may do on your lessons in Mistralian history, as my family is not exactly obscure. My great grandfather, especially so, being the emperor of Mistral during the Great War, and all that came with that."

"As for my father's family, those who specialize in the study of Vacuo would know of them, but otherwise they'd be a footnote in most history books. The role of advisors to the crown wasn't exactly one of ostentatious presentation." Pericles hummed with a bit of humor.

Pericles laid back on the bench with two dumbbells held above his head as he started doing skull-crunches to work his triceps, "You ever been to Mistral?"

[Auric Kwaku]

Auric was puzzled on how that man knew about his act, but hid that confusion well behind a facade of nonchalance.

'Really need to work on my acting skills,' he thought to himself as he casually shrugged his shoulders and replied, "Yeah, definately, after I finish up some other things."

And to answer Pericles question, "My sister went there one time with her girlfriend that one time to study law together, and she said it was an… alright experience. I would go there to pursue something, but I'm broke as hell, I'm a pure dumbass, and my life experience kind of ruins it for me." He joked, only lying about him being a pure dumbass.

[Pericles Herodotus Ozymandias]

"You do not have to sugar-coat it. I am well aware that my home kingdom has... slowed in progress when it comes to the other nations. Whether it be socially, technologically, or industrially, the kingdom is not what the others have become and in some cases less than what it was, but at least it has retained its penchant for culture and the arts." Pericles said with a tinge of moroseness coloring his tone.

"As such, despite whatever misgivings or claims you have about your intellect, I assure you that unless you seek it out, the Kingdom will not be a struggle to grasp. Additionally, while Mistral has lost sight of the future, our perception of the past is without match, and you may even find a parcel of wisdom within one of our many antiquity sites or museums." Pericles suggested gently, "It took a while for me to develop the most recent exhibit, but I believe that the final result was worth it."

[Auric Kwaku]

"Wow…so sad over someone calling Mistral 'alright'. Sounds kind of... well, sad, honestly, no joke. Yeah, it can be tough when someone doesn't appreciate something you hold in high regard. But I always tell myself, that if someone says something or someone is alright, it doesn't diminish its value, importance, or whatever. It means that it's improving. It's not at its best, but it's on its way there. And that in itself is something worth celebrating." Auric commented, a thoughtful expression on his face.

"I mean, look at me, I'm an 'alright' person. Sure, I have done some 'things' in my past that I'm not that proud of, but I'm constantly working on bettering myself and being a better version of the guy I was yesterday. And that's what matters, right? Progress, growth, improvement, that sort of thing." Auric continued, going on one of the spin bikes in the corner of the gym as he spoke.

[Pericles Herodotus Ozymandias]

"Your sentiment is both wise and appreciated, sadly I must admit that Mistral is not currently on the path of improvement." Pericles confessed with a frown, "Mistral has long since not only stagnated but declined in many aspects. Regardless, now is not the time for discussing Mistral's future prospects."

"I would not even begin to question your merits as an individual and would only comment that your appear quite perceptive of your self which is in itself a challenge for many." Pericles states noncommittally.

[Auric Kwaku]

"Good, because I am not a political person...right? That was politics? Because I'm not sure, I missed a good amount of school when I was younger and never really paid attention in history class, or something." Auric replied, accompanied by a sigh, then a chuckle.

"Well, if you doing what I did, know what I know, and experience what I experienced, you do have a lot to think about."

Auric's focus wavered as the distant sounds of combat reached his ears, causing him to instinctively turn his head towards the source of the commotion.

"Wonder who's winning there.." He muttered to himself. Sparring sounds like a good thing right now, but he needs to finish his workout before he can even think of picking up his tonfas and heading into the ring. Auric shook his head slightly, trying to clear his mind from the distractions around him.

[Pericles Herodotus Ozymandias]

Pericles hummed at Auric's response, "And what, pray-tell, would those experiences be? If you'll indulge my curiosity."

Turning at Auric's words to the spar going on, Pericles let out a slow breath, "As of the moment, I am unfamiliar with either of the participants, but I'd guess the warrior wielding the Tommy-guns appears to be leading the fight."

[Auric Kwaku]

"If I tell you, there's a good chance that for the first time in my life, I'll feel what my parents have to go through: locked in prison, always worrying about when I have to be in the showers, whether the soap will be stolen, or worse... So anyway, I was in a gang once and loved that time. Stealing, shoplifting , and causing trouble wherever we went. It was exhilarating, but deep down, as time passed, I knew it wasn't the best thing for me. I met this guy, and next thing I know, I'm out of the gang and trying to turn my life around. He showed me a different path, one that didn't involve crime or violence. I realised that there's more to life than just living on the edge and constantly looking over my shoulder." Auric told Perciles, as he leaned against one of the machines.

"Tommy guns, huh? I was always fascinated by those things. But it can't complement my style, I think. But yeah, wish I had those."

[Pericles Herodotus Ozymandias]

Pericles is quiet as Auric talks about his troubled past. He can't help himself but let out a slow breath as he untenses when Auric finishes his tale, "Well... I suppose I am certainly impressed with your efforts of turning life around. It appears that the most common factor to be heard of when it comes to that lifestyle is the difficulty in putting it behind you, so well done, I suppose."

Changing the topic, Pericles latches onto the Tommy-guns, "Yes, I believe my cousin Thaddeus is quite proficient in them, though I rarely see in him combat."

[Auric Kwaku]

"Eh, well, you know, you see an opportunity, you take the opportunity." Auric casually commented, now lounging around on one of the strength machines. "Sometimes you just have to go for it and see where it takes you," he added with a shrug.

"So what about you? What made you want to come here, instead of relaxing on a throne of pillows in some luxurious palace?" Auric asked, genuinely curious. "Because that sounds like a perfect life for me. You do nothing; you're waited on hand and foot, and you never have to lift a finger, like ever," he chuckled at the thought of such a lavish lifestyle.

[Pericles Herodotus Ozymandias]

Pericles hummed in acknowledgement of Auric's words, "Certainly a daring ideology towards life, but one that seems to have served you well so far."

Taking a breath, Pericles continued, "As for myself, desire I guess would be the main cause. Our palace is technically a historical site now, and while we have certain permissions compared to others, living there is not one of them. Additionally, while I am no stranger to wealth, I have thankfully not found a way to endlessly bask in it without becoming restless and fettered. History occupied my mind first, hence following in the footsteps of my parents in becoming an anthropologist, which I had planned to do unyieldingly, until challenges arose. Apparently, there are many that still take issue with my family's actions during the Great War or who see me as a prudent tool for wealth and power. Thankfully, most stuck to kidnapping rather than murder, but well, when you start to recognize your captors by name, it acts as a wake-up call to work on your self-defense and self-discipline. Ergo, I imitated my ancestors in exploring the path of the warrior, which leads me here."

[Auric Kwaku]

"Ohhh, so a part archaeologist/part huntsman type of thing you're pursuing…" Auric exclaimed for a bit before laughing for a bit, "That sounds like some superhero origin story in the making! Who knows, maybe you'll discover some ancient artefacts that give you special powers along the way, though you might have to make a deal with some mystical beings first, which may or may not cause irreparable damage to something, I don't know what, but something."

Before Auric could say anything more, the megaphone by the gym crackled to life, interrupting their conversation, caling for Auric to report to the main office immediately. Auric grinned, heading over to the office . As he walked away, he called back to Periceles, "Just make sure you save some of those special powers for me when you become a superhero, okay? I want eye lasers, super speed, or something."

[Pericles Herodotus Ozymandias]

"Such a peculiar coincidence, my cousin suggested the same of my current path. Perhaps, however, my nature is becoming of such thoughts. As they say, once is happenstance, twice is coincidence, but three times is a pattern. I can't help but find myself curious as to who may be the third." Pericles mused with idle fascination.

"Fair thee well. Wherever you may go, if fate allows, then perhaps our paths will cross again, posthaste." Pericles offers.