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[Rhea'li simply smiles before flagging down one of the waitstaff and ordering a plate of meat for them to grill. No, Hades does not get to choose.]

Fascinating, no? That cultures of all kinds, even those of different stars, would invent the same things. Yet all with their own little variations.

[It doesn't take long for the meats to arrive. There are a good variety of lean cuts and fatty cuts, as well as less common ones like liver and animal ears. Rhea'li picks up his chopsticks -- he spent enough time in the Far East to learn to use them properly before his arrival here -- and places some of the meat onto the grill, the scent of cooking meat and fat immediately wafting up.]

Don't hold back. This one's on me.

[ He narrows his eyes briefly at Rhea'li, expecting more commentary. When it isn't forthcoming, he drops his gaze back to the grill. Rhea'li has ordered quite a generous spread. Well-travelled though he is, the more unusual parts like ears are not something he is used to seeing cooked.

Eventually, he picks up a set of tongs and starts putting some of his own choices on the grill. As they wait for the meat to cook, his thoughts wander again. He can trace the origin of so many things back to those invented by his people. Not just the beasts which survived the calamity but traces of culture, food, art and music. Many of the stories told echo ones crafted by notable creatives of his time. To him, all these things are familiar. To someone like Rhea'li, or Azem, they're novel.

He sighs quietly, feeling the weight of an entire world pressing down on his shoulders again. It ruins some of his appetite - not enough, however, to stop his stomach from growling as he removes a fully cooked slice of meat and drops it on to his plate to cool. ]

[Unlike Hades, Rhea'li is less patient. While he does puts some slices of meat on his plate to cool, he blows on the slice he holds in his chopsticks to cool it faster before eating it. A moment of blissful chewing, before he swallows.]

We are on a completely different star and yet much of this reminds me of my time in the Far East.

[His gaze drops to the grilled meat on his plate. He recalls so many bridges being spanned through the sharing of food and drink. The essentials of biological life...]

I wonder, sometimes...

[His stare drifts towards the other customers, many distinctly not human, expression thoughtful.]

...how one would find common ground with those who do not even share such basic needs. The omicrons who conquered the dragonstar, the ea who eschewed physicality in the end...

...The Omicron would not be interested in common ground. The Ea, on the other hand, would likely enjoy the company of your scholars.

[ He chews slowly. Even Hades is unable to deny some small pleasure from their meal. ]

All questions we could have explored, [ he mutters ] if Fandaniel hadn't taken it upon himself to doom us.

[Rhea'li adds a few more pieces to the grill -- chunkier ones that will take longer to cook -- and watches the sizzling meat carefully.]

I wonder about that...

[He still thinks about the echoes of the peoples at Ultima Thule... and the shades created by Hades in the Tempest. That recreated Amaurot was likely to fade in time but would the dynamis keep those in Ultima Thule in existence? One would think that such soulless creations are not worth any time or effort, but... Alpha had gained one in the end, had he not?]

Omega still exists [Incredibly, after the thrashing he gave it.] albeit in tiny toy form.

[He illustrates Omega's new size with his hands.]

I suppose that makes it the last of the Omicrons.

[ Ah, yes, that thing. Even the Allagans had not been able to completely decipher how Omega functioned. All they could do was point it at a target and let its programming take over.

Hades chews slowly. Swallows. He slowly sets more cuts of meat to sizzle on the grill. ]

The Omicron are machina. Unless they were obliterated during the Meteia's journey to seek and spread despair throughout the universe, I wager you could re-awaken any lost units with careful work.

[ A small, humourless huff here. ]

Although they may very well immediately resume attempting to conquer other stars, so mayhap that is not such a good idea.

[Likewise, Rhea'li also chews slowly.]

Mayhaps Omega could steer them in new directions, after all it has learned here. If it was able to return.

[Omega had wanted to go home... and it would know where that is if it had the strength to traverse the stars again, would it not?]

For now, it appears to be content to travel all over Eorzea. If one such as it can change from its experiences, the others could also.

[He continues to place more meat on the grill before leaning an elbow on the table.]

Of course, being trapped in a tiny toy body does make conquering stars rather difficult. It was quite upset at being made to climb hundreds of stairs, if you can imagine that.

[ He favours Rhea'li with a single raised eyebrow. ]

I can imagine that. Just as I can imagine someone pulling me over the waterfalls of Lethe despite being explicitly warned not to.

[ His short stint in the aetherial sea has recovered more than merely the important memories, evidently. ]

[Rhea'li's ears twitch. Ah. He remembers that? One would think, with so many thousands of years of memories, that that moment would be easily forgotten...

Rhea'li gestures with his chopsticks in Hades' direction with exaggerated defensiveness. ]

I simply took the shortest path available. You chose to follow.

[But the corners of his lips are curled up, like he is trying to restrain a smile.]

[ Perhaps in erasing all of their memories, Fandaniel really had only seared those days more deeply into their souls.

Hades sniffs disdainfully in response. However, when he next drops his gaze to their meal he seems a little less tense, the frown upon his brow a little less heavy. ]

I would have liked to have been able to research it more. Allag could have advanced to such great heights using its technology.

[Rhea'li lets out a quiet snort.]

If it would allow you to do such a thing.

[Rhea'li pokes at one of the pieces of meat, flipping the ones he deemed cooked enough over.]

You know Omega tried kill me, no?

[Probably not, seeing as Hades hadn't met him back then. Unless...?]

[ He pauses, halfway to taking more food for himself, and gives Rhea'li an unimpressed look. ]

I did not. But I am starting to believe nothing can - not any man or living creature, not pestilence, not even Death itself.

[ He resumes eating. After a bit of silence, he adds: ]

If it had managed such a miraculous feat, perhaps the Rejoining of the First would have succeeded.

[Rhea'li doesn't say anything for a long time, eating in silence. After all, there was a time where he had been slain by Black Rose and the Rejoining of the First successful. And there is another version of the star where he seemingly doesn't exist at all (at least, in this role.)

Eventually, he simply opts for-]

I had help.

[Meat continues to sizzle on the grill as Rhea'li plucks some of the more cooked pieces onto his plate.]

Why did you invite me to Amaurot?

[Hades could have simply left him to turn into beast and so return the First back to its path of destruction. And yet he had invited Rhea'li there, an invitation that would lead to his own downfall. Rhea'li had been aware of his own mortality since he was thrown into increasingly dangerous battle, but never did it feel it so keenly until he was sick with the Light. And then again, at the edge of the universe.]

[ He swallows his food past a painful lump in his throat. He has had time to wonder that himself, to berate and to regret. Though everything has since been settled and the star is in no immediate danger of being destroyed, Hades sometimes finds his thoughts drifting into 'what-if' scenarios.

What if he had ignored the Warrior of Light and the Scions and reaped the inevitable consequences of their Lightwarden slaughter?

What if he had simply quietly killed the Warrior of Light the moment he saw them leaving Eulmore, or even fleeing to Il Mheg?

What if, what if, what if...

In the end, he cannot change the past. Unlike a certain Exarch, there is no do-over for him. There is nothing left but to accept his choices and their consequences. ]

...Every creature deserves a measure of dignity in their final moments, [ he mutters. ] No matter how monstrous they appear to be.

[ Somehow, it doesn't seem like he's talking about Rhea'li. ]

[Rhea'li remains silent for a long moment, mulling over those words as meat sizzles alongside them. He had wondered about the kindness Hades had shown him in the end that lead to his own undoing... whether it had been a roundabout way of trying to die.]

No one deserves to be alone and in pain.

[He lets out a quiet breath.]

Even your grandson...I stayed at the edge of the universe for him until I could not any more.

[Though it nearly cost him his life to do so.]

And so...

[Unthinkingly he holds out his free hand to Hades, feelings of 'you don't deserve to be alone' flowing through their bond, oblivious to the yakiniku grill beneath.]

'Great'-grandson, [ he corrects absently. He looks up to see the hand, but rather than take it, his eyes immediately fall to the end of Rhea'li's sleeve. ]

[ He immediately slaps the hand away. He doesn't even think about how that might look to any neighbours idly eavesdropping on their conversation. ]

Roll up your sleeves before you reach over a fire, you fool!

Edited 2023-04-06 08:58 (UTC)

[Great? What? His grasp of the Garlean royal family tree is tenuous at best, but had Hades really been that old when he was playing the role of Solus!?

His ears fly up in surprise when Hades slaps his hand away; he didn't think the other man would have such a strong negative reaction to his feeling.]

What?

[That's when the scent of smoke clings more closely than ever. Though his sleeve isn't burning it's certainly a little singed. And smelling a little of meat. Embarrassed, he blurts out--]

I would endure the flames to share your pain.

[ The sudden declaration takes him aback. Hades sits there, eyes wide, lips parted slightly in shock. A second later, he gives himself a shake and scowls. ]

Do you always blurt out such embarrassing lines? Sometimes you can be unusually eloquent, and other times...

[ Other times, he can see the rough upbringing. ]

[What? It's not embarrassing if it's true. Rhea'li bats at his sleeve a little more until he's satisfied it won't alight before he plucks meat from the grill before it can burn.]

I thought you enjoyed the dramatic. I heard from a certain playwright that you gave him an airship.

[ :) ]

[ He rolls his eyes and resumes eating as well. At least he seems mostly back to his usual self now? ]

You met Jerome, did you? Is he still chasing after Ivalice?

[Rhea'li leans an elbow onto the table.]

Aye I did. And no, he is not.

[Smile :)]

...Because we found it.

...You did, did you?

[ It's hard to tell his expression as he chooses this moment to chew on a slice of meat. However, one could almost think there's a faint smile upon his lips. ]

I remember his bold criticisms of my decisions as emperor through his theatre. He disapproved in private yet in public proclaimed how grateful he was for my patronage. I did gift that airship to him so that he might bring his craft beyond Garlemald's meagre boundaries, but I also hoped he might use it to find the land of his ancestors.

[Idly, Rhea'li wonders what it is like playing a part that one so utterly despised. He himself has proven himself rather incapable of putting on a mask, but he's quite aware that he's in the unique position of being almost beyond consequences. Others, however...]

Take heart, then. The discovery filled his well of inspiration, and so his theatre has risen to new heights.

[It's a little heartening to know that perhaps Y'shtola's musing that Hades eventually came to see them as people, whether subconscious or not, may not be so far off the mark. Rhea'li can't help but smile a little at that.]

And now he can go wherever he pleases.

[Maybe one day he would return to the icy climes of Garlemald. There are none who could reasonably punish him any more.]

Shall I call for additional meat? Or have you had your fill?

Hmm...

[ Rhea'li had ordered quite a lot initially but Hades thinks he could stand to remain a little while longer and partake of both food and company. ]

Order some more. Mayhap a drink as well. I am beginning to develop a thirst.

[ Of course, that's all said in his usual, lazy drawl, as if he couldn't care less about the meal itself. He has much to think about though and he idly wishes that he could have been around to see how certain lives play out. ]

[With the choice of drink placed in Rhea'li's hands, he considers what Hades would like despite knowing nothing of him (at least in these sorts of matters.) He does strike Rhea'li as a wine man, but there isn't any available on this drinks menu. A beer? That was his preferred drink, before a few too many drugged drink incidents put him off completely. A lemon sour mayhaps?

Rhea'li flags down the nearest server and puts in an order for more meat and for Hades, a lemon sour -- shochu with soda water and generous amount of lemon. For himself, he orders an oolong tea.]

I'm afraid I know little of your tastes, so I hope dinner has been satisfactory. [An impish smile.] Mayhap you can pick the destination next time.

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