Lonnie
Assigned by Poseidon, Nemesis and Triton reunite to discuss matters of business. However, the heart makes a brief appearance for the pair.

Up to date for responses. Posting below for continuation.
Joel
──────────────────── ❝ *Vengeance is mine . . . * ❞ ────────────────────
SETTING﹕Weathered Bench over looking the waters. 
PINGS﹕ 
NOTES﹕ Get babysat, boy.
──────────────────── ❝ *And I will repay.*❞ ────────────────────

As Triton stood, defiance etched into every line of his being, Nemesis watched, her expression a study in composure. The sea god's words hung heavy in the air between them. The depth of his anguish was not lost on her; it resonated within the hollows of her own heart, where the echoes of their past lingered like the remnants of a storm.

The bench, worn by time and the caress of the sea, bore witness to the shifting sands of their relationship. Where once sat two beings entwined by passion and understanding, now sat two deities divided by duty and destiny. Nemesis, in her divine wisdom, recognized the futility of rekindling what had been extinguished by the very nature of their existence. Yet, the undercurrents of their shared history, the memories of a love that had once defied the heavens, whispered to her, tempting her to breach the chasm that yawned wide and deep between them.

His taunts, aimed at her perceived aloofness and unwavering devotion to her divine duties, were designed to provoke. They hinted at the depth of their once-intimate connection, buried under the weight of celestial obligations. For Nemesis, their shared history was not a well of regrets but a crucible that had shaped her. The slight arch of her brow and the almost imperceptible tightening of her lips were the only betrayals of her inner turmoil.

** "The sea rages, Tri, but it also calms. The wisdom lies in knowing when to unleash the storm and when to let the waters still."**

The ice that crept over Triton's feet, a subtle manifestation of her divine will, was more than a mere display of power. It was a symbol of the fundamental differences that now defined their existence. Where Triton saw it as a challenge, Nemesis viewed it as a reminder—a poignant representation of the balance she was sworn to uphold, especially when it came to matters of the heart.

—————————————————————-

**"To uphold balance is neither a curse nor a burden but a sacred duty."**

She explained, her voice tinged with the weight of her role. The personal cost of her mandate was something the goddess grappled with in private. Her journey through justice led her on a path she never could have envisioned for herself. Forced to leave home never to return, allyship came in the form of the Sea God.

As Triton rose, his posture signaling a readiness to confront whatever judgment Nemesis deemed necessary, the atmosphere bristled with the promise of divine reckoning. In this moment of truth, as paths diverged and destinies were sealed, Nemesis stood not just as the arbiter of balance but as a being torn between duty and the remnants of a love that refused to be wholly extinguished.

**"You are right, it would be a waste of both of our times for me to threaten you again."**

Getting in that final jab, she continued.

**"There has been casual speculation regarding someone intending to turn on the Stormbringer. I am here to work with you on figuring out why and who you think that might be. Since you are the biggest *Sea man* I know."**

With a genuine attempt to coax the man, Nemesis tilted her head, gauging his every reaction. The challenge she presented was twofold: a test of his loyalty not just to his father, but to the broader stability of the realms they both sought to protect. Her gaze, sharpening at every enunciation, sought any flicker of insight, any shadow of doubt that might dance across his features.

||
William
In this age when gods walked the earth and seas, upon the shimmering Aegean's crest, Triton stood beside Nemesis, the sunlight casting its orange glow, outlining his profile. His eyes, like stormy skies over vast expanse, gazed upon his father's bazaar, where mortals dared the ocean gods' mood, unknowing of the divine quarrel. Nemesis' stark beauty, a tempest in disguise, sent by the sea king's decree, honored herself over their love, once deep as trenches of the sea, now lost like ships that sank in ancient lore. Triton's heart upon the ocean's floor. His mind became a whirlpool, dark and scheming as Nemesis, goddess of retribution's might (with scales that balance wrong and right,) stood firm, seemingly coldly indifferent to her lover's plight. In Triton's heart, a storm did brew. A tsunami's wrath, to drown the pain and wash away the memories, once true, of love that turned to disdain. Yet in his soul, a fierce battle raged, between the tempest's fury and the sage, for in her eyes he saw not just a cage, but a chance for their story, a new page.

"I wrote something when we broke up," He said, turning to look down at her. "Would you mind?"

"**I** Love oh how I love to hear
**L**Oves tender accent greet mine ear
**O**N peerless fancies I arise
**V**Eiled in a thousand mystic sighs

**E**Ven as my thoughts at midnight roam
**A** Hallowed glory seems to come
**P**Laced and grand to make my breast
**L**Ucent with gems from pleasures chest
**U**Nfolding in each gentle glance
**M**Utual splendor to entrance

**P**Rimal and sweet I see in all
**A** Transport boundless to enthrall
**N**Or can I shun so fair a sight
**D**Azzled with beauty infinite 

**R**Ich with perfection do I view
**O**Verlaid with smiles a charming hue
**S**Uch as a seraph might posses
**Y**Ea with its thrilling loveliness

**C**Harming and sweet love feeds my heart
**U**P in the sky or on life's chart
**N**O greater joy I see than this
**T**O suit my soul with pleasures kiss

**Y**Es, yes no greater boon deserve
**O**N mutual love than love to have
**U**Naltered thought life's sad carrier
**B**Ound with a purity sincere
**E**Ven to truth and linked to peace
**T**Ill this love vital spark shall case"

Without waiting for her to process or comment on it, he walked to the edge of the water. It had turned dark and choppy, with storm clouds on the horizon. The usual glimmer in his eyes had grown cold; he imagined the countless people in the bazaar swept away in his cruel wrath, along with Nemesis, drowned by his broken heart. It was coldly comforting, but as was always the case with Triton, he hesitated. 

"Your arrogance is unbecoming," He stated flatly before pivoting to the mission. "Well then, we must get on this issue of the potential turn coat right away. We can't risk you losing your position as my father's favorite lapdog. I am at your service. Come on." Despite his better judgement, he reached out and offered his hand to her, as he had done so many times before. "Do you have any leads? Any current suspects?
Joel
──────────────────── ❝ *Vengeance is mine . . . * ❞ ────────────────────
SETTING﹕Weathered Bench over looking the waters. 
PINGS﹕ 
NOTES﹕ Sexy threats and messy alliances. 😈 
──────────────────── ❝ *And I will repay.*❞ ────────────────────

As the final syllable of Triton's recitation faded into the gathering storm clouds, Nemesis stood, her figure a silhouette against the tempestuous backdrop of the Aegean. The song, an acrostic maze of bittersweetness, unfolded before her with the delicacy of a lotus, its petals parting not to reveal enlightenment but a venomous barb. The realization of the message spelled out, an affront to both her dignity and the very essence of her divinity, ignited a fire within her that no ocean could quell. 

Her gaze, once a well of infinite calm, now mirrored the disquiet that roiled in the skies above. The goddess felt the tides within her shift, giving way to a barrage of her own making. Nemesis, whose very name is synonymous with equilibrium, found herself on the precipice of unleashing a fury that could rend the heavens asunder.

While the inferno of her wrath threatened to consume her, a whisper of wisdom wound its way through the maelstrom of her emotions. It spoke of the weighty mantle she bore, of the countless souls whose fates hung in the balance on her scales. It reminded her that her power, though vast, was not for personal vendetta but for the restoration of order. 

Drawing a calming breath, she quelled the inner chaos. The ice that had crept at her feet, once a symbol of her restraint, now reflected the depth of her unwavering resolve. Turning to face Triton, she confronted his provocation with a mixture of reproof and a poignant sense of their shared history.

—————————————————————-

**"Quite the wordplay, Tri. I see you have improved."**

She began, her tone deceptively casual yet teetering on the edge of the tempest within.

**"But remember, even the strongest tides bow to the moon's will. Every crest has its fall."**

Approaching him, Nemesis let a rare moment of their past intimacy bleed through the veneer of her divine duty. Her hand reached out, deftly pulling at Triton's earlobe in a gesture that blurred the lines between a warning and a caress. Calculatedly, her voice dipped into a seductive timbre.

**"So let's not forget the abyss I can summon for those foolish enough to *Cross me.*"** 

Nemesis murmured, her dark threat veiled as an intimate promise before she recollected herself. Then, as swiftly as a shadow crossed the moon, she pulled away and reverted to her divine stance. Almost as if the words of intimidation never passed her lips.

As Triton reached out, suggesting they unite against a common foe, Nemesis eyed his hand in a measured stare before shaking it – a temporary truce was formed.

**"I am working off some rumblings, but the man didn't go into deep detail. I would assume you would have a more... *Colorful* Perspective being his son. What's the word down in the deep blue? Is there truth to the whispers, or is it all just sea foam?"**
William
Triton's presence was not of the earth, but of the sea, where the secrets of the depths were as known to him as the scars of his own heart. The Aegean, now turbulent under the storm clouds, mirrored his soul, reflecting a darkness both ancient and new. Beside him, Nemesis, with her stark beauty, had a commanding presence that still intimidated him, despite their intertwined pasts. "In the depths," Triton began, "There's more than just shadows. It's where the heart and the ocean mirror each other, where life itself began." His words hung in the air. "The whispers you've heard carry an elusive truth. Yet, nothing remains hidden forever in the abyss. Even the faintest ripple eventually reaches the shore." He paused, looking towards the horizon where lightning danced across the dark waves. "There are indeed currents of dissent, challenging the rule of my father, threatening the fate of us all."

Turning to Nemesis, his gaze held a storm of its own. "We need to find the one whose ambition has led them to seek chaos. Who stands to gain from turmoil? Who holds a grudge deep enough to betray us? That's where we start." Offering his hand as a sign of their uneasy alliance, Triton recognized the importance of their joint effort, even if she was the one put in charge. "Your scales maintain the balance of the cosmos. Let's ensure they favor order over the approaching chaos." Their uneasy truce, born of Poseidon's will and the remnants of a bond that both connected and divided them, was as unpredictable and deep as the roiling sea itself. Still, at this moment, their combined strength was formidable. It always had been.

As Triton offered his hand, a flicker of something unguarded crossed his face, a mixture of amusement and a deeper, more poignant emotion. "And as for the poem," He added, his voice carrying a lighter note amidst the gravity of their conversation, "It was crafted in a moment of both inspiration and despair." His gaze met Nemesis's, holding a spark that was part amusement, part lust, and tinged with the unmistakable hue of loss. "I'd like to think it captured the essence of our... Let's call it, 'unique' dynamic." The briefest smile played at the corners of his mouth, a rare show of vulnerability. "It was a tribute to the enigma that is you, Nemesis. Crafted to provoke, to reminisce, and perhaps to incite a reaction that I, in my anger, could not resist." There was a pause, a moment where the rocky history between them seemed as palpable as the stormy air that enveloped them. "In reciting those lines, I was reminded of the depth of what was lost." His hand, still extended, symbolized not just an offer of peace, but an acknowledgment of their intertwined fates. Should she choose to take it, they would walk hand in hand down the bazaar to continue their conversation. Should they not, Triton would go alone, as he had done before her.
Joel
──────────────────── ❝ *Vengeance is mine . . . * ❞ ────────────────────
SETTING﹕Weathered Bench overlooking the waters. 
PINGS﹕ 
NOTES﹕ Thank you for patiently waiting, I hope I delivered.
──────────────────── ❝ *And I will repay.*❞ ────────────────────

The Sea God's words faded into the charged atmosphere, and the storm seemed to pause, almost as if the heavens themselves leaned in to catch the undercurrent of his confession. Against the brooding sky, the goddess's form, sculpted like a silhouette, remained outwardly unmoved. Her expression was enigmatic, her eyes reflecting not just the storm above but a tempest of a far more dangerous kind—the swirling chaos of a goddess provoked.

 *"The essence of our dynamic?"* 

Nemesis's voice cut through the howling wind, sharp and clear. Her tone, edged with a frost that could chill the bones of any lesser deity, carried a weight that even the roaring sea could not drown out. 

**"A tribute, crafted in a moment of inspiration and despair? Oh, Triton, ever the poet, ever the *Melodramatic.*"**

She stepped closer, her movements deliberate, the air around her crackling with divine energy. The sea responded, waves crashing more fervently as if to mirror her rising ire.

**"Let us not dress this up as anything more than what it is—a desperate cry from a son who knows he is outclassed, outmaneuvered, and-"**

Pausing, her gaze pierced. 

 **"*Outmatched.*"**

—————————————————————-

Internally, however, Nemesis could not completely dismiss the vulnerability Triton displayed. It was a rare glimpse of sincerity that resonated within her, stirring a faint echo of their shared past—a time when their fates were more closely entwined, when love and war were but two sides of the same coin. Yet, this flicker of empathy did not squash her stance but sharpened her resolve, reinforcing the necessity of maintaining her formidable façade.

Triton's extended hand hung between them, an offer yet unanswered. Nemesis looked at it, then back at his eyes, her stare unyielding. 

**"You speak of ripples and currents, but remember—it was I who calmed those waters. It was *I* Who set the scales that could balance the very heavens, and it is *I* Who will decide when the scales tip."**

She stepped forward, closing the gap between them. Her hand shot out, not to accept his but to grasp his wrist, her grip as commanding as the gale that whipped around them.

**"You are right to remember that every crest has its fall, and you, dearest Tri, are *No exception.*"**


The words were spoken not just with authority but with an undeniable dominance that reminded him of their past battles—battles where she had always emerged the victor, whether in the throes of divine wrath or the tangled sheets of their once-shared bed.

—————————————————————-

Almost as if to emphasize her point, Nemesis released him, stepping back. Her figure once again was a stark contrast against the darkening sky. 

**"Go then, compose your songs, weave your words of depths and darkness..."**

She explained, her voice tinged with dry amusement.

**"But never forget, it is not your lyrical prowess that will protect you when the abyss you so fondly speak of comes calling. It is I, Nemesis—the enforcer of justice and keeper of balance—who you will need."**

The revenge goddess continued, slightly softening her tone but still firm in the power that defined her.

**"Per your offer, we will act together. Not only because your plan has merit, but because it amuses me to see you play a strategist. Lead the way, Tri, but tread carefully—remember who follows and who dictates the flow of *Our* Currents."**

With that, Nemesis allowed a small, mysterious smile to play upon her lips. It was not the warmth of shared secrets but the smirk of a queen watching a pawn maneuver itself into checkmate. As they moved to walk down the bazaar, it was clear who led and who followed, who was the master of fate and who was merely dancing in its shadows.