emet_sulk | [avalon] IC Inbox

Hythlodaeus listens with interest as he sips his tea while it's still hot, feeling a brief pang of regret that he would not be able to see the peoples Hades describes. He's always been full of innate curiousity, but satisfying it at the price of their people's lives... no, it does not bear thinking about. It's so much easier to think of the new world as a different one. Not theirs.

Thankfully, there is plenty of distraction from Hythlodaeus's solemn thoughts in the way his friend avoids looking at him, the way his face grows redder. It's very amusing, and Hythlodaeus rests his elbows on the table and steeples his fingers, resting his chin on them and watching Hades with that ever-present smug smile, somehow even more infuriating than normal.

"Ah... Supreme ruler Hades, hmmm? You did seem to me to be more used to obedience now. But is it truly an eye? I thought it to be some manner of crystal ingrained in the flesh."

He snorts. He makes the mistake of glancing over but quickly averts his eyes again.

"'Tis not truly an eye. 'Tis more like...a sensory organ. It gives me greater spatial awareness."

Which may be how he seems to know that Hythlodaeus is waiting for him to slip up and react.

"And before you ask: yes, it is a vulnerable spot. So do not even think of trying to do anything to it."

Hythlodaeus briefly raises his eyebrows at the sudden warning, before reverting to his usual expression of mischievous good cheer.

"I was not going to ask, Hades. And I find myself wondering why that would have been a frequent enough question for you to answer preemptively..."

"I know you, 'Daeus. I would not put it past you to try and flick my forehead at some point thinking 'twould be a bit of fun," he says sourly.

Slumping back into his seat, he folds his hand in his lap and sighs. "I came to admire the Garlean people," he mutters. "Such an industrious lot. Although they lacked any sort of talent for shaping aether, their resilience was unmatched."

Hythlodaeus raises a hand, closing his eyes. If Hades was expecting him to be serious about anything, well...

"I solemnly swear not to flick aught."

His smile grows softer as his friends speaks of the people he came to lead, however. He can understand the admiration.

"...Much like yourself, then. That is not to say you lack for talent or ability," he adds with a chuckle, "but you have always been diligent, a hard worker. Why, 'tis almost enough to make me feel ashamed of my own attitude at times."

Now he's just expecting Hythlodaeus to slap him instead, contrary man that he is. Hades frowns at him but clearly decides arguing isn't worth the effort.

"'Almost,' you say," he says with a roll of his eyes. "Well, I don't expect aught else from you. Especially not when you continue to sit there without putting on any clothes."

Got you. Hythlodaeus grins, spreading his arms and shrugging.

"I do thank you for the warning you gave me back then, but we are not in public, are we? There is no one to yearn for my bare form here, apart from yourself." He stands up leisurely after delivering that jab. "But if it is my tardiness that you worry about, I must needs agree. I am positively starving! Give me a moment to get dressed."

The glare Hythlodaeus gets this time borders on murderous. He yearns for it, yes, but he doubts his friend realises just how much. And would he still desire me even after knowing...?

So he looks away, almost dismissively. "Hurry up then. I have had naught but that single coffee you made me."

For better or for worse, Hythlodaeus is not actually aware of the extent of thoughts going through his friend's mind, and takes the glare and dismissiveness as the usual sign that he hit close to the mark. He picks out a change of clothes from the wardrobe, sitting down on the bed to pull on his socks first. It's certainly a deliberate ploy to annoy Hades.

"It was good, was it not? You called it passable, which is praise when it's coming from you."

He disappears into the bathroom again to put on the rest of his clothes and brush his hair, and emerges some minutes later, looking quite content about having warm clothes again. Bliss.

"Shall we go? 'Tis not far, just down the road. They do wonderful pastries."

More grumbling beneath his breath. Hades refuses to comment until Hythlodaeus emerges from the bathroom once more, which is when he stands and finally - finally! - looks at Hythlodaeus properly.

"Yes, let's." He starts for the door, apparently having found his equilibrium in the short time his friend had been dressing. He will follow their lead as they head to the cafe.

The fact that Hades would only let himself look at Hythlodaeus properly after he was clothed speaks volumes, and Hythlodaeus counts that as a victory, if not quite enough to make up for the lake trick. But there's plenty of time left in the day.

The cafe is, indeed, not far, and easy to miss--because it doesn't quite look like one. Instead it looks like an antique shop, and the atmosphere inside is rather fitting, furniture of dark wood, a little stairs leading up to a loft space overlooking the ground floor, some bookshelves and glass cabinets along the walls. Here and there are objets d'art, some clearly magical: from a clock seemingly carved out of some manner of jet-black crystal to a collection of small floating spheres, tiny aurora of different colours dancing within them, to a scene of several wooden humanoid statuettes seated around a table as though in discussion that... have an unsettlingly 'alive' feeling to them. They look as though they could move at any moment, and maybe they are, at a snail pace. Every time you look at them again you get the feeling they've shifted.

Hythlodaeus acknowledges the barista cheerfully, a tired but content-looking redheaded man, and it's maybe no surprise to Hades to see his friend chat with the barista as though they've known each other for years. Hythlodaeus did always make friends easily, after all.

After the brief conversation they're led to sit down at a corner table, next to a half-curtained window. This spot's point of interest seem to be the small collection of books on the windowsill along with an assortment of seemingly random items: a square glass box filled with sand, some manner of hair decoration woven of flowers, a quill, several silver spoons, an antique pincushion. It's anyone's guess what they're for.

Hythlodaeus sits down and pulls one of the menus they were handed towards him, but before opening it he gives Hades a curious look.

"What do you think? A rather interesting place, isn't it?"

It's an intriguing establishment to be sure. He casts his gaze around as they're shown to the loft, lingering on the unsettling dolls. If only he could perceive aether. He has a feeling that they would show him something very interesting indeed...

The magic of this land offers some intriguing possibilities. Ordinarily, he would be moved to study it and perhaps even master its techniques. But his curiosity is outweighed by that pressing desire to simply take his ease. He owes the world nothing any longer. His responsibility ended when the Warrior of Light landed that decisive blow.

Even so, he cannot help but feel a faint glimmer of interest.

"'Tis not the sort of place I would expect you to fancy," he says after a few moments. He watches the wait staff go with a lingering look before focusing back on Hythlodaeus. "You really have been quite busy, haven't you?"

Hythlodaeus raises his eyebrows.

"Oh? Whyever not? You know I am curious, and there are many rather interesting things here. Interesting people, as well." He grins. "I do prefer to spend most of my time not confined to our room, unlike yourself. Besides... I dread to think what madness being around me all the time would drive you to!"

He shakes his head tiredly. "No, please continue your forays. I don't have the energy to indulge your every whim."

Taking the other menu, he peruses the food on offer. Much of it is familiar, but much more isn't. In the end, he decides to settle on an omelette - that should provide an adequate idea of local tastes. That and a coffee.

He looks to his friend. "Are you decided?"

"And how grateful I am for the times you do indulge me! Truly, I know not how you manage to sleep so much."

He laughs, flipping through the menu quickly. He's already familiar with a lot of the options, so choosing is more a matter of figuring out what he feels like most today.

"Certainly. I've been here before, after all."

Hythlodaeus beckons to the waiter and cheerfully relays their order, although Hades gets a polite question along the lines of "would you like anything else". For himself, Hythlodaeus orders a pomegranate salad, braised salmon and rose hip tea with dessert. He does have more appetite than a puny mage who did not have to be thrown into a lake today.

After the waiter hurries away, Hythlodaeus gives Hades an impish look.

"Oh, they do rather good chocolates, too. Would you like some, Hades?"

He flushes lightly, suddenly becoming very enamoured with the decor.

"...If you wish to order some then I have no objection," he mutters.

Well, now that they're here, the question of what to do on a date arises. He is not one to obey so-called conventions of course. If Hythlodaeus intends to court him then he would rather his friend does so with their own charm and not what they perceive he will respond to.

Some guilt lingers, as ever, at the back of his thoughts.

Hythlodaeus stares, and feels just a little bit guilty at receiving such a response when his comment was only a joking reference to what ended up bringing them together in the first place. On the other hand, he absolutely cannot ignore just how adorable the reaction is when put in the context of the usual responses his friend has for him - mainly varying shades of annoyance and exasperation.

Hythlodaeus props his chin on his hand, playing with the menu. For whatever reason, he feels very content, almost as though they are back home.

"Well, I am partial to rum or liqueur-based ones, but they have all manners of curious fillings and additives. There is a moss one, I believe, if you would fancy that. Or black rose, although I doubt I could tell you what the difference from regular rose would be."

"Moss," he repeats, incredulous. No, that seems a bit too experimental for his tastes. His preferences have always lain with the familiar, he only grudgingly sampling new things because either Hythlodaeus or their other mutual friend pushed them on to him.

"...The black rose one may be worth trying for the novelty of it," he allows, after a pause. That plan, too, had ended in failure, he thinks morosely. He wonders if this promise to restore their worlds would enable its spread. Or would it simply allow him to triumph over the Warrior of Light?

Their face crosses his thoughts, not for the first time. Their kindness, their determination, their smile - would that he could see them again.

He goes quiet, staring over the loft railing at the diners below.

"I can try the moss one, then!"

Hades's change in demeanour does not escape Hythlodaeus, but he would be hard-pressed to name the reason for it. He follows his friend's gaze, then looks back to him. Well, it does usually fall to him to pull Hades out of whatever gloom he might settle in...

"If I were to tell you what nickname I've thought of for you, would you push me over the railing this time?"

The absurdity of the comment garners a snort from him. Wouldn't that be a sight, he thinks with a faint smirk, imagining his friend crashing through the table below to the shocked yells of the patrons. But it would only be funny if his friend weren't seriously hurt by it.

The thought of violence against Hythlodaeus does not particularly warm him.

"Oh, go on then. Get it over with. I doubt I shall find another railing quite so inviting in the near future."

He laughs in response, only too happy to have his friend play along.

"Shall I compile a list of places that you could push me off? I am still exploring the city, after all. There may be much better railings!"

Hythlodaeus's grin fades to his trademark smile as he leans back in his seat a little, crossing his arms and closing his eyes.

"As I have said before, 'tis nearly impossible to shorten your name to something--or if it is, I have not been able to think of it. So... I decided to approach it from another angle. Choosing aught based on your title seemed a little thoughtless to me, and I did not wish to constantly remind you of the reason you had to accept the position. What else, therefore, I could base a name for you on? Which aspect of you?"

He opens his eyes, directing his friend a mischievous yet almost proud look.

"A name for someone as gifted in the Sight as myself. For someone ever loyal to his duty - not simply out of obligation, but out of his caring heart. For a beloved of the Underworld."

Hythlodaeus tilts his head, his smile a little softer now.

"Agesandros, I would call you. Our ferryman, he who leads us through this life and beyond."

How is it that Hythlodaeus manages to both annoy and make his heart skip in turn? The man always finds some way to upset his equilibrium. Any time he feels he has settled, along comes his friend to disturb that peace. In this case, his eyes widen a fraction and he quickly takes to staring at the table.

'Agesandros'... He swallows uneasily, throat feeling tight. No, he's undeserving of the platitude. Lead them through life and the beyond? Sent them there perhaps. And he would send yet more of them to their deaths in order to see their people return.

The world seems to tilt and he has to shake himself. "'Tis a good name," he finds himself saying numbly. "I suppose I won't throw you over this time."

Hythlodaeus reaches out across the table to brush his fingers against his friend's. Even if he weren't paying so much attention, it's obvious that Hades is shaken, one way or another--and Hythlodaeus can only hope that it is not for a bad reason.

"Worry not, Agesandros. I shall yet give you plenty of reasons to throw me over! So do cheer up."

He taps Hades's hand with his finger, then makes a brief noise of surprise, as though something just occurred to him.

"Oh, I've just remembered. There is something I've been wanting to ask you."

No. When you hear of all that I've done, 'twill be me you wish to throw over the railing.

He turns his hand over as though inviting Hythlodaeus to grasp it. There is a note of confusion in his eyes as he stares at his friend.

"Ask me what?"

Edited 2020-12-14 20:37 (UTC)

The gesture is small, but it makes Hythlodaeus feel warm inside all the same. He smiles, taking Hades's hand.

"If you had won in our little game... What would you have asked of me? You made it sound rather intriguing."

Edited 2020-12-14 21:11 (UTC)

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went with more original greek spelling yee haw

;u;

EMET STOP BEING SAD CHALLENGE, GOD

NO, HE'S SAD ALL DAY EVERYDAY

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