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[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.

[ No reaction to Rhea'li's choice of beverage for him besides a quirk of the eyebrow. Acceptable. Hythlodaeus and Azem would probably have added a quip about him being a sourpuss too. ]

Hmm, mayhap I shall. I am not much of a traveller, though I would enjoy spending time with you, I think.

[Rhea'li lets out a huff of a laugh, tail twitching.]

Careful. With such sweet words, I might think you're flirting with me.

[ He snorts, just shy of a laugh. ]

I have it on good authrority that I'm an oblivious old fool in that regard. Besides...

[ He nudges at his food with his chopsticks, suddenly focused on the plate. ]

If I were trying to flirt, you would know.

[Rhea'li leans an elbow on the table, resting his chin on his hand, tail wagging in mischief. Oh? Now he wonders what Hades flirting would look like.]

Oblivious? How surprising. You didn't strike me as the type.

[To be unaware of others' affections, that is.]

[ He heaves a deep sigh. ]

So neither Hythlodaeus nor Azem have regaled you with stories of our youth then. To cut a long reminiscence short: I did not immediately realise that Hythlodaeus held any romantic inclinations towards me.

[Rhea'li cannot help but grin in delight at this new information, tail wagging with increased speed as a new plate of meat is given to them and their drinks served.]

Shall I make a guess as to how it went?

[Hades doesn't get a chance to stop him, as Rhea'li barrels on.]

Would it be that Hythlodaeus made increasingly overblown advances that you dismissed them out of hand as simply being him acting up to annoy you?

[ He splutters indignantly. Oh, stars above, he should have kept his damn mouth shut. ]

You-- That is--!

[ --exactly what happened. ]

[Rhea'li laughs into his drink as he places more meat on the grill.]

Truly?

[Maybe he should ask Hythlodaeus for the juicy details.]

How did you finally figure it out?

[ He scowls, eyeing the sizzling meat as though it has personally offended him. ]

In my defence, the fool was always acting out. I may have forgotten much, but I still recall that night...

[ He presses his lips together and falls silent. For a little while, it seems as though he won't speak again. That night happened so very, very long ago for him and the memory has since become bittersweet in the face of all that has transpired since. ]

...Hythlodaeus had always made a game of teasing me and provoking me, ever since we were young. So of course, I never took him seriously, even after we matured and the provocations became more flirtatious in nature. I thought he was toying with me - he always acted the same towards his other friends after all. Especially towards Azem. By the stars, I genuinely believed they and Hythlodaeus preferred one another and that my own love was not reciprocated.

But then one night, he had drunk a little too much wine and I was walking him home. In his usual fashion, he made a salacious joke about inviting me inside. As he tried to step back, however, his heel caught upon something and I naturally moved forward to catch him - resulting in our faces being less than an ilm apart.

He tried to dismiss his words as a jest. But I-- I had had enough of his japes by then. I asked him, "Was everything you said up until now a joke?" He tried to deny it, said that he hadn't wanted to make me uncomfortable. And then I... I kissed him.

[ Hades is very pointedly staring at the table as he recounts this story and the tips of his ears have gone red. ]

That shy fool had been trying to woo me for decades! Yet I didn't notice.

Edited 2023-04-27 15:00 (UTC)

[Rhea'li listens silently, his tail slowly swishing behind him as he prods the meat on the grill. In all honesty, he's surprised that Hades deigned to share the tale with him. Oh, certainly he had regaled Rhea'li with some of the mostly forgotten history of his people as Emet-Selch. But something so personal...]

My! 'Tis almost a tale from a romance novel.

[He plucks some of the cooked meat onto his plate, dipping a slice into sauce before chewing. Speaking with his mouth half-full...]

Never would I have imagined Hythlodaeus to be the shy one, nor you the oblivious one.

Yes, well...

[ He stirs his food around in its bowl, letting the sauce soak into what remains of his rice. ]

I suppose he was afraid that his confession would alienate me. I was...not terribly mindful with my words back then. We have known each other since we were children so I imagine he preferred pining over the thought that I might distance myself from him.

[Rhea'li can't help but tease, a small smile on his face.]

The full Echo and still the matters of the heart are elusive?

[He lets out a huff of a laugh.]

But I suppose things worked out on at least that front.

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