TW: Parent death / Cancer / Brain tumor / Memory loss / Violence

Soaked in Honey
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• Sun soaked the ground one morning, its radiant glow inviting bleary fresh eyes to gaze upon it for the first time. A gentle kindness this was for the turbulent life to come to this newborn. The bastard child of Lachesis Sanga and Aurelius, brother to many he would likely never know aside from the younger calf pressed to his damp side.
• It didn't take long for it to be apparent he was magically blessed; appendages for flight, his coat a deep unnatural blue and the golden hoof that seemed to glisten in light of the sun. Upon later thought, Athanasios deemed it likely he had a birth defect that if not for his magic blood he wouldn't of had that back hoof at all. His other sibling, more unfortunate than he, had not only been born without magic but marred by much more severe defects. 
• Lachesis adored them both regardless of these oddities, loved them with equal fervor any good mother would. She was eager for their arrival though dreaded it all the same. Life hadn't been kind to her, and in her pursuit of children she had failed to see how this strife would follow her even after reaching her goal.
• His mother's family, while not of noble blood, were well off and traditional set of folks. Suffocating their daughter with conformity they failed to teach her caution. When she had thought that even without Aurelius, she would of at least had support from her family... she was instead ostracized, having to raise the children on her own without their help. 
• She did the best she could all things considered. Worked for every coin she had to feed two youngsters and still tried to get her youngest the medical care they needed... try as she might she couldn't bear having the death of her littlest be her fault, something she couldn't afford to prevent. He didn't get to know his sibling for long enough to keep him in his memory, at some point - he'd forget he even had a sibling.
• With his sibling in the care of an orphanage, his mother used this opportunity to give Athanasios every extra bit of care she could now afford. He ate a little better, had more time with her than before, his deep blue feathers glowed with restored health. Her honeyed words were like a silken blanket over him as he slept, knowing nothing in the world mattered so long as she loved him all the same as she had.
• Love him she did, but time was not on her side. Despite things getting easier for them, more stable, something was... wrong. Very wrong. It started with a few ticks here and there, his mother normally so dedicated to her schedule was having odd hiccups in here memory, there was a wildness in her eyes that was growing. Athanasios was too young to understand what was happening to his mother, a horrible flu perhaps? Over working herself was a possibility? She regarded him with love one moment and then minutes later she'd be in hysterics.
• It wasn't long before she couldn't hold down her job anymore, eventually relying on Athanasios to care for her. Something he didn't mind even if he could barely do that at his age. She was scary sometimes now, but she still loved him didn't she?
• She started to confuse his striking appearance to his father, switching from choked sobs and begging to ranting that left Athanas baffled and afraid. These were her scarier moments.
• Be it a stroke of luck or an omen of misfortune the absent father did show his face again. It wasn't surprising why his mother confused them so much, he was a near spitting image of his father, to the ridged horns and black sclera eyes, to the golden cracks in his skin looking akin to pottery repaired by kintsugi.
• With the same sweet tasting words his mother would give to him, Aurelius used as well. Soothing the shaken boy with praises of hard work and consoling his fading past love with what Athanasios thought at the time as genuine remorse.

^{Bitter Ambrosia
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• In the grand scheme of things, time with his mother was a short lived one. Only making up almost 6 years of his life. Perhaps the charm of beautiful memories is how fleeting they are. Aurelius, surprisingly, used the money he had to take Lachesis somewhere more comfortable in her final days. He dared not be near her though, to the young calf's confusion. Aurelius explained with a tight lipped smile that he doesn't think she'd want to see him.
• Athanasios cried for hours on end, gentle streams of gold glittering against his cheeks in a steady flow. He did not wail.
• There was an attempt on Aurelius' behalf to bring Athanasios to his family, but they were firm in their standing. Hissing and lashing their tongues for him even trying. At this point he'd normally set the child up for adoption, pawn him off to a willing friend even... Golden eyes mirrored his own. 
• He did something he'd never done before. He took it upon himself to continue raising Athanasios. A choice that to this day leaves Athanasios with a bitter taste in his mouth. He was however not blessed with sight into future, and the bright eyed boy tailed his father with unthinking devotion.
• Aurelius cared for him differently than his mother. honey words and praise was common place for him yes, but he was even more absent that she was. Gone for days and leaving him to work about taking care of himself for the most part. " Building character" He'd call it. " I'm a busy man, I simply can't always be here - but look you tidied up so well!" 
• Athanasios found it fascinating that him being so busy was making him so much money. He lived better than mother, and had so many friends that seemed to adore him. It was as if fate blessed him with everything he could want or need. He was confident and loved. If Athanasios looked so much like him, perhaps he could also be as successful as he was.
• Seeing that Athanasios was taking great interest in his work Aurelius took this opportunity eagerly, more than happy to show his child what kind of life he could have if he played his cards right. What kind of life they could both have even... ah, now there's a thought.
• Soon, Athanasios would learn that his father's work wasn't so glamorous as it presented itself. He was what is known as a con-man. He made all kinds of deals, talking honey and sugar into waiting bowls. Feeding mortals nectar and calling it ambrosia. Athanas couldn't really understand this concept yet, still barely old enough to make a cohesive essay for his homework. To him, it seemed like honest work. They knew what they were getting into after all didn't they? They agreed to his terms.

^{Glass Half Empty
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• Athanasios was 15 when he started to ask questions, as most teenagers do. Going to school in Namarast only further turned the cogs in his brain.
• It was pretty obvious that his magic had something to do will healing the physical body, what the full scope of that was is the difficult part. It was passed around by the Order that perhaps his ability only worked on himself.
• When he wasn't busy helping his father in his schemes at work, he was starting his own at school. Convincing others with his gold tongue to lend him money or testing how far his lies could go before his peers would raise an eye. It all fascinated him really, how easy it is to hit their blind spot if you say just the right thing.
• The other students were fascinated by him, many thought him as mysterious and attractive. They'd try their best to be close with him, hoping to bask in his spotlight. There were still the few that found his piercing gaze quite unnerving though, and quietly kept their distance. When Athanasios was younger this was all he wanted... but their praises started to feel empty.

• The more he watched his father, the more he started to pick up on cues. The emptiness in their eyes as they spoke hollow praises, hoping he'd be the one to fill up their glass in return. The more he stared at empty rooms and messy sheets the longer he contemplated for hidden truths.
• By 17 it was obvious that his father had lost interest in him - if he ever had any. Well- to be more specific - lost interest in his personhood. His special interest in medicine, something he loved, was practically ignored until Aurelius figured he could get Athanas to con people into paying more than they needed to.
• All this time he was living in a fake world. A world where the students liked the real him. A world where his father loved him. Was anything he did his whole life... right? Those sort of questions ate like insects in his brain, frustrated and lost he did the only thing that made sense. Shut down.
• He continued to live his life as he had, it was easy after all. Second nature at this point. Why deny his nature?
• If it was simply fate or divine intervention Athanas wasn't sure. It felt like chance, talking to the guard outside the school. The more they talked the more suspicious they both became. They had some semblance to each other, a story that left room for questions. By the first couple days it had finally dawned on them. They were siblings.
• As he hit his twenties, the Order changed tactics on studying his magic. Before, they used to take blood samples from him, but found that the magic left in it wasn't enough to heal even a papercut. This time, they tried freshly drawn blood and had him try applying it himself. Upon contact it was clear this was the way it worked all along - a peculiar ability but a useful one all the same.
• The Order was incredibly pleased with this result, not to mention his newfound sibling who was all the more eager to offer him a job as a military medic. he didn't realize how easy it would be to leave his father behind, how his father gave practically no resistance. He couldn't figure out if his lack of care made him relieved or bitter.

^{Salt and Iron
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• Lapses in judgment are a given. Clever as he could be and cautious by nature that couldn't protect him from basic mistakes... Like falling into old habits and trying to convince a navy solider that he had a medical bill and would need to send more coin to him if he wanted to get that paid... " Hmm. No." Athanas was still taken aback, most people at least hesitated when calling his bluff. Little did he know this was the infamous Balean that everyone was murmuring about. The one that was in a shipping accident and down a captain.
• Instead of reporting him right then and there he did something peculiar. He told him he'd forget about the mishap if Athanas did him a favor. Alright, he thought. He probably wouldn't get fired - but the paperwork was just too egregious to not accept the terms. After not hearing back for a while he wondered if Balean had forgotten.
• He had just hit 30 when he was interrupted from his work that there's been a specific request for him to join the Navy. It would appear that Balean had gotten a promotion. 
• He'd been in navy ships before, knew how they worked, but he'd never expect to spend the rest of his life on one. For one, the sea salt was forcing him to care of his coat a lot more than he would've preferred. For two, he stuck out like his gold hoof in a ship full of soldiers. And for three he had to fucking deal with Balean.
• Athanasios had already seen how Balean liked to run his ship, he wasn't stupid for thinking him crazy. What he had yet grasped until this stormy day, under rolling currents of salt water, and bleeding gold into deep blue ocean, just how far that insanity went. Athanas was at the wrong place at the wrong time. Yelling blended into the sound of pelting rain and thunder crackling with the wood. One uneasy rock of the boat and he was sent straight into cross fire, his front leg cut clean off as he went overboard.
• It took a week or two for the arm to fully reform functional again. Why he didn't leave after all of this is anyone's guess. Most believe he stayed for the money. They'd never know it wasn't the full reason as to why.
• It did change how he interacted with the crew though, more importantly Balean. While before he may of rolled his eyes and been complacent at his actions, it wasn't long before he showed more of himself. If he thought a course of action was unnecessary or insane he'd say it right to his face. He'd call him out for getting injured and left the unnecessary flattery behind. Regardless he still tended to those avoidable wounds and would go along with a plan if he agreed it would at least work by the end.

• How his captain managed to crash as many ships as he did in the last 7 or 8 years he's known him is any guess. But with the Iron Whale being gifted to him, Athanasios knew what to expect when he saw his damn grin. "... This is doing way too much for your ego."