hephaestus blooms from the ground before the hotel at the strike of dawn, like a flame blossoming at a match strike. his tall shadow sticks into the earth like crooked matchstick teeth, his red hair cut close severely to his scalp.
he checks into the second last floor, yellow and white scented with vanilla doorknobs and daffodil sheets. the daisy room sits enchantingly right above the ground level, with sweetened oak walls painted alabaster and translucent curtains drawn across the single window. wildflower paintings adorn the blank white ceiling in bronzing gilded frames, tinted sepia at the edges and carefully accented with thick acrylic.
he meets terra for the first time outside for breakfast, in the garden with a koi pond filled with golden whales ( 金鱼 ) cackling in the shallows of the water and a million bushes of wild berries to pick and coat in thick cream from a sugar jar.
and what is your name? terra calls from her morning dew-soaked blanket to him as she stirs a cup of loose tea leaves.
he tells her, and she laughs.
hephaestus, like the god?
of course, he smiles endearingly. i know all the secrets the greatest blacksmith in the world uses to wrought his weapons; i am what prometheus desired to share with the outsiders. if only he'd succeeded.
what do you mean? terra laughs again, a little strangely. he did succeed; the non-fae have you at their every disposal.
hephaestus' agile features turn black, like the burnt out end of a wilting match.
they really believe they can control me?
terra pauses, her polite smile curdling sour. she rests a palm slowly on the open earth, drawing coolness from the mossy veins pumping green blood under the thin skin of the ground.
i don't know. she feels a strange shiver from bodies that aren't hers, a raising of leaves like photosynthetic fear. the trees were shaking.
it was nice meeting you, terra. hephaestus dips his head in her direction.
the meeting ends abruptly.
REFERENCES
"金鱼" jīn yū — translates literally to gold fish / also a homophone to "鲸鱼" jīng yū ( whale ) which is why there's like gold whale which is sort of a pun i guess
