The sun was bright, albeit setting, the wind was crisp, and the sounds were of busy people going to and fro. Cort didn't usually come to this part of town, but he'd had a difficult day at school today. He wanted something relaxing; he needed a walk.

So of course, he took the bus. Across town, to Elm street. On the rare occassions he came this way, Cort usually had interesting experiences. He wanted one of those. He stepped off the bus, which roared off en route to it's next scheduled stop. The fumes lingered for a moment before disappearing into the wind.

With a sigh, Cort shoved his hands into the pockets of his jacket. It was zipped up, obscuring the shirt beneath, the high collar coming up to his nose so as to ward off the cold. His pants were a pair of once dark blue jean, now faded and torn around the cuffs. His trusty pocketwatch chain was there, the mood ring threaded onto it so he could give his hands a rest. Looking both ways down the sidewalk, he started off.

After nearly fifteen minutes of walking around in the cold, he began to wonder if this was the brightest of ideas. The only people who were out were the business people, boring and stuffy. He saw no teens hanging out in the dark alleys smoking, no children playing in the streets. Perhaps he was just too used to his end of town. Maybe these kids all stayed inside after school and did their homework just like mommy and daddy said, had dinner, and went to sleep.

Cort was honestly contemplating getting on the next bus and just going back to the apartment. Well, maybe just the general area.

Grace was bored. That would soon guarantee the interesting experience that Cort was longing for. She’d been tracking down the butterfly people; it has been a long, cold, almost miserable day. It was like, for some reason, the butterflies seemed to choose people very spread out all over the city, and since she had for some reason, forgot she was able to teleport, followed them all on foot.

So now, the third butterfly, she had sent out like what, twenty? Her hands felt like they, were not... feeling, okay, maybe that was bad analogy. Tugging at a strand of hair she pulled it out of her face and behind her ear.

”Yes, tracking the butterfly…” closing her eyes, she waited briefly before opening them and following the person. Apparently the butterflies had been a bit on a caffeine high or something, because she DEFFINAINTLY knew some of the people they landed on weren’t even in the club.

Her booted feet flew almost silently on the pavement, her mother’s old trenchcoat was really the only thing keeping her warm at the moment; she had two knee-high mismatched striped stockings, a pleated black skirt and a fishnet shirt, yes, all of that was SO very warm, well, the stockings were, kinda. She was growing bored of the stalkingness, she should probably have just gone up to him and turned him, but she wasn’t in the mood for finishing things quickly tonight.

Cort, unaware of the stalking going on, continued along his pseudo-merry way. None of the shops were catching his eye so far, though a few of the clubs looked promising. Too bad he couldn't get in. Maybe he'd go play in traffic, or something. Yes, that sounded like a good idea.

He turned left, pausing only briefly to look both ways, then crossed the street. No cars were close enough, so he was able to pass unscathed. Maybe he would find some shop to occupy his time on this side.

He walked too much and he was boring. He was very boring, and it was annoying her right now, she was bored, so damn bored, that was never good. She was still following him diligently, MAYBE getting distracted ONCE to give a couple a slight push into a relation ship. No, this one happened to be more then just lust. She shook her head, growling slightly as he crossed the street.

”That biotch.” Her eyes twitched, teleporty, walking was boring and tiring. Everything was boring nowadays. She was there, standing on the other side of the street, and Cort was crossing, then she wasn’t, she was a few feet ahead of him.

She should probably get him now, before he decided to walk even more. This guy was wearing her out with his need to exercise. She moved quickly so that she was standing infront of him as he got to the other side of the rode. A slight wave.

”Hello!” Her violet eyes were focused mainly on his right shoulder, where a small butterfly flicked it’s wings, he was probably not able to see it, so, she may have appeared either shy or insane. Or maybe a healthy mixture of both.

As she wasn't focused on his face, he turned to see if there was someone behind him she was talking to. Since there wasn't, he assumed she was talking to him.

"Hi! Who're you?" he asked, stopping where he was, just off the curb in between two parked cars. For a moment he thought her homeless because of her strange outfit, but then he thought she wasn't wearing enough layers to be homeless. Maybe just odd in the head.

” Grace. Hold still, you have something on your shoulder…” she looked to be rather deep in concentration, reaching out, she got the butterfly to crawl onto her hand. Maybe he hadn’t noticed it earlier, but it was rather obvious now. It actually didn’t look real, it was flamboyant in it’s coloring, the type of insect that was either poisonous or something that was eaten very, very quickly. It flapped it when wings slowly, seeming to throw off glitter, btu it was probably some trick of light.

She looked up at him now, her violet eyes watching him curiously. She lifted her hand into the air, the butterfly walked slowly on her hand.

”Silly butterfly, you were supposed to find people closer, not ones that were half-way across town!”

A confused look crossed his face, and he glanced at his recently vacated shoulder. The only thing he could think of was that it was far too cold for a butterfly.

"Is that yours? Where'd you get a butterfly that can survive in this cold?" He asked, rubbing his shoulder against his cheek absently. He wondered if this was another ant thing.

Except Grace didn't sound very godlike.

”Oh, butterflies can’t survive in the cold? That’s sad, maybe I should fix that. Oh, where did I get it? I made it, it was fun, I’m thinking about releasing them into the wild and gicing them a name, but I haven’t yet, because I haven’t thought of a cool name for them yet.” Yes, most likely completely insane. The butterfly slowly fluttered up from her hand and began to lazily fly around; yes it definitely looked to be leaving glitter in its wake.

”Yeah, I guess you could say it’s mine, but like I said, it still needs a name, maybe I’ll name it Azzy, and see if he gets angry at me….”

Tilting her head to the side, she eyed him for a bit, the corner of a lip twitched up into a smirk. Extending her hand she ran her fingers through his hair. Okay, maybe he wasn’t boring any more.

”It would be a pity if you were gay…” it was mumbled so quietly it was most likely inaudible.

Cort took a step back, dangerously close to the traffic. He pulled a hand from his pocket to smooth his hair back down. He hadn't heard her last comment, and it probably was best that he hadn't.

He stared at the butterfly, still trying to make out what she said when something clicked. "Wait, Azzy? As in, Az?"

Maybe it was an ant thing.

She sighed, looking up at him a bit annoyed.

”If you do that whenever a girl touches you, then no wonder your still a virgin.” She seemed to have maybe grown a few inches in the last couple of seconds, nah, couldn’t be, maybe she was just taller then what originally thought.

”Yeah, Az, you know him?”

Cort ignored the virginity comment forthe moment, opting instead to answer her question.

"Yeah, I know him. I had hoped I didn't, but yeah, I guess I do." Now he wasn't making sense, but that didn't matter. She was a god - well, goddess - she should be able to figure it out. If not, she wasn't much of a deity, was she?

”Yeah, most people don’t like meeting him, but everyone’s gotta at some point.” She nodded thoughtfully. Still thinking.

”Yeah, I think I may not play with you, I’ll get someone else,” she eyed the butterfly and with a quick gesture of her hand, it was off flying to find someone else.

”That’s a rather sad one, it really does make the worst choices, I hope it learns better soon…” she shook her head sadly, another smirked played across her lips.

”You may wanna back away from the road, unless you know, you WANT to meet Az again…”

Cort took a quick step forward, very close to Grace once more. He would have liked to step up onto the curb, but she was in the way for the moment.

"It's having to meet him at some point that I don't like," he replied, shoving his hands in his pockets again. "I don't want to. Besides, he doesn't seem like a very good companion for The End."

He was unsure if she didn't want to play with him or the butterfly anymore, and so didn't reply to that one. The butterfly did catch his attention for a few seconds as it flew off, however.

"Maybe that one is just a bad judge of character, whatever it's supposed to do."

She lilted her head still regarding him thoughtfully. Her hand was itching to run through his hair again, it was unique, and quite funny looking really, but she resisted doing it, he would probably back up again and run into a car, well that would mean she would get to see Az, but, maybe she could just go to a club, he was usually at those…

”He’s actually quite fun really! That night on the country side was SPECTACULAR!” She loved her new goat; that was currently at her house, probably chewing on furniture...

"I'm sure he is, if you're another superbeing. The thing is, I am not another superbeing and the chance of being smote - smited - smoted -- smite in the past tense -- is much higher for me." Cort was still in some shock. You would be too had your life view be so forcibly change so quickly.

"And I'm sure your country romp was wonderful." He couldn't keep all the sarcasm from his voice.

”We can smite people? That’s sooo cool! Az doesn't smote people, well I don't think he does, he just kinda.. collects 'em I believe” she was grinning broadly now, she liked this guy, too bad he was so jittery, maybe she should fix it or something. Maybe he was broken, that would be funny, a broken person, but he’s not broken, just, jittery. She gave him her killer ‘I know you want to sleep with me smile,’ and laid her hands on his shoulders, taking a step back and pulling him onto the curb.

”It was quite a wonderful romp…. I got a goat…” She didn’t move her hands from his shoulders, actually, she tightened her grip a bit, they were stronger then they looked.

'Collects?' Cort wondered. He had a fleeting image of a large bookcase filled with glass jars encasing people. Then the smile hit him and he wondered what she was up to.

"A goat? How nice." The hand on his shoulder was a bit uncomfortable. Almost like she was making sure he didn't run. Good thing, too, because that was exactly what he wanted to do.

"What kind of goddess are you?"

She briefly let go of his shoulders, but soon laced her hands together so that they were circling about him.

”Yeah, I named it ‘Katze’ “ she’s still grinning, pulling him a bit closer to her.

”Me, I am Grace, daughter of Amor and Kenna, deity of love and lust.” She had ALWAYS wanted to giver herself a long title like that. A devilish glint briefly flashed in her eyes before she continued “So, if you ever want to loose that virginity of yours, you may wanna be a bit nicer.”

He'd had a sneaking suspicion. Just his luck, he'd run into the love-sick one.

Now that Cort was so close to her face, he noticed how pleasing to the eye she was. Then he shook himself mentally. "I am not a virgin," he retorted, going just a little red in the face.

”Yes you are, stop trying to deny it.” She was still grinning, inwardly having a laughing fit. “How cute! Your blushing! Want to go get something to eat?” She was getting cold out here, well, maybe she wasn’t, she just wanted some food. Food was yummy and spectacular.

Her grin made him even angrier, but he didn't say anything. At the mention of food, however, he noticed how hungry he was. Having been forced to skip breakfast and serve a detention at lunch, he was inclined to agree; food was yummy and spectacular.

"Well... yeah, I guess. Where?" He was still on guard, but hunger always wins out.

”Oh I dunno,” she waved vaguely with her hand. “Any where really, I never come here very often, I haven’t lived here very long… Do you know of any places?” She kept her arms around him, pulling him closer, still grinning. She loved teasing this boy.

”I’ll pay if you can find some place…”

Cort had never been one for close contact, and so the arm was especially annoying. Then his stomach grumbled, and he let it slide. This time.

"Umm... how about there?" he asked, pointing to a small mexican fast food joint. Juan's, shouted the obnoxious-looking sign. He didn't often come this way, and so had no experience with the food around here.

"Juan's? Umm.. sure..." she shook her head, she wasn't much one for fastfood. Okay, she was, but she was more into fries and chicken then Mexican. Well, she did say that he could choose.

She moved her right hand slowly down his left arm until she found his hand and laced her fingers with his. She gave it a slight tug.

"C'mon, Cort, let's go get some food then,"

She really was a bit overbearing.

Cort had met her, what, ten minutes ago? Already she was holding his hand. Were it not for in intense fear of these odd Powers That Be, he would have pulled away.

He responded to the tug by obliging and moving, wondering for an instant how she knew his name. He didn't remember giving it.

'Must be a goddess thing.'

She let up on her tugging as the approached the door of the resteraunt. Pushing the door open she held it and let go of his hand, slightly ushering him in.

"Have you eaten here before? Do ya have any recomendations?"

Cort shook his head. "Nope, never eaten here. Not even sure if they have anything I like," he said, looking over the large menu behind the counter. This could be a minute or two.

"D'you wanna order first? I'm gonna be a minute."

Saluting, she nodded.

"Aye AYE! SIR CORT!"

Jumping over a few of the barricades that were meant to keep customers in an orderly line, obviously, it was a bit lost on her. Or she didn't care. Probably the latter.

Quickly approaching the counter, she leaned foreword staring at the person near the cash register.

”I’d like an order of curly fries,” it didn’t matter that they didn’t actually SERVE curly fries. There was no reason to think they DIDN’T, unless you believed in a silly thing called logic. And since Grace believed in no such thing, there was no reason to believe curly fries were not a perfectly good menu item. So, since there was nothing saying they weren’t there, Grace just made it so they were.

She liked curly fries.

Cort was startled by the sudden shout, and then again by her movement. He put a hand to his forehead and shook his head with a sigh, embarrassed to be with someone like this.

He wounds his way through the barricades like a good consmuer and stopped behind Grace. He checked the menu, loking to see if the had curly fries. They did, which was odd. Mexican restaurants didn't usually have curly fries.

"Umm, I think I'll just have a beef taco," he said, making it clear to the clerk they were ordering together.

Grace was singing something in her head by the time Cort had come up beind her. A song that reminded her of Di, ‘Drugs are Good’ by NOFX. NOFX was a wondrous band. She leaned a little into Cort and stared up at him through her violet eyes, a pesky pair of curls falling infront of them.

”Tacoooooo,” Grace needed no logic, it was who she was and mak-d her that way. She leaned forward now, feeling like dancing, but resisting and just moving forward and back on her heels and toes.

Clearing his throat, Cort took a step back. "Yes, taco." Turning to look at the clerk again, he asked if they could hurry, más rápido, por favor?

Being the deity she was, Cort was afraid to just leave her. Instead, "Are you always like this?"

She nodded, she could tell he was uncomfortable with her. That somewhat made her do what she was doing more. She smiled, the killer smile she had inherited from her father.

"Always, what about you? Are you always this uncomfortable?" A question for a question.

Cort sputtered, shaking his head. "Yes. I mean, no." He blinked a few times, trying not to pay attention to her. Especially the smile. It flustered him.

He was uncomfortable, and he didn't like it. Turning toward the counter, he tried to wait for his food.

She pouted and rolled her eyes. He was difficult, most other people wouldn’t have been nearly as distant. He needed a girlfriend, some one to make him, les.. uptight? She’d get him one soon enough, but first, she’d eat. Their order was ready.

She paid the cash register man, some money she had pulled out of a previously empty pocket. She grabbed her curly fries and began to eat them, waiting for Cort to pick up his taco. Taco. That was a silly word.

Cort instead picked up the tray the food had come on and took it to a table, sitting in one of the two chairs on either side of it. Then he started to eat.

It was a pretty good taco. Not the best he'd had, but still pretty good.

She bounded over happily, taking a seat in the empty chair. Well not sitting IN the chair, as much as sticking her feet where she was supposed to sit and sitting on to of the headrest-y thingy ma jig.

Curly fries were yummy. She continued to eat, watching him intently, wondering how uncomfortable she was making him now.

Quite uncomfortable, as it turned out. If she was talking it wouldn't be so bad, but she wasn't, so it was.

"So, um..." he trailed off, unable to think of something to say. Cort didn't like being stared at.

Trying again, he asked, "How long have you been a goddess?"

He was amusing. And silly. Silly and amusing, and rather handsome. Too bad he was so flinchy. Wait, was flinchy even a word? Nah, probably not, flinch, he flinched a lot.

”Hm,” she paused, thinking, “Since my father disappeared.” She didn’t quite remember dates anymore, everything seemed to bleed together, leaving her with a mess of memories, with no time or boundary.

”How long have you been… um…” she couldn’t think of anything to ask him.

Cort decided to fill in the open ended quesion with his own answer.

"I've been alive since I was born," he said. "Maybe a bit before, depending on your stance on certain issues." It surprised him that he was talking to her this way, but sometimes his mouth could be a problem.

"Sorry," he muttered, returning his eyes to his taco.

"Yes, true, it all depends on a person's opinions and beliefs."

She nodded happy he was finally seeming to open up a bit more.

”Don’t say you are sorry, you did nothing wrong, there is nothing to be sorry about…” she looked at him, a bit confused by his apology.