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[ 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.

[ His lips twitch. Zodiark help him but he loves that fool man so dearly. ]

Yes, I suppose they did. But not for long enough.

[ He is struck with a sudden, impulsive urge to see Hythlodaeus. To say and do all the things he had spent the past millennia wishing he could say and do, before they have to truly pass on... ]

At least I will still have him even if Azem leaves again.

[Rhea'li says nothing, only a slightly wistful smile on his lips as he plucks meat from the grill. Matters of the heart are rather a foreign experience for him and he has no inclination to pursue anything of the sort. The one time it might have mattered, it ended up being too late.]

In this land beyond the stars... I am glad you can still be together.

Mm...

[ They would have been together in the sea of stars regardless. A peaceful, uneventful afterlife as their souls slowly unravelled with all the rest. Hades had been looking forward to it but this new lease on life isn't so bad either.

For a while, there is no sound from him save the sound of eating. Then, quietly: ]

...Thank you.

[Rhea'li tilts his head, ears turning as his face scrunches in mild confusion.]

For...?

[The meal??]

For staying. For speaking with me.

[ It's spoken grumpily and somewhat reluctantly. ]

Being left alone is something I am used to but I appreciate your company.

[Rhea'li lets out a quiet breath of a laugh, gaze falling away as he turns some of the meat on the grill.]

Man was not meant to be alone.

[For what do they crave but companionship? Even those who spend long periods of time away from others are eventually drawn back to people, whether conscious or not. His tongs are held loosely in his hand as he stares into the middle distance.]

This star... one of its great marvels is knowing we are all connected in a tangible manner.

[His gaze flickers back to Hades briefly, before returning to the sizzling meat.]

You and I are connected, bond or no. I would not turn you away in your time of need.

[ He sighs quietly and seems to wilt a little. Indeed, they are all connected. Whether by the aetherial sea, the cycle of rebirth, or simply their bonds to one another, these connections persist between men of any age and any origin. Resurrecting the sundered members of the Convocation had been his poor attempt at restoring some semblance of it. Yet even with their memories awoken, they had never really been the same.

Perhaps their venture had been doomed from the very beginning.

Hades only eats a little more before he sets his chopsticks down. He's pleasantly full. There is yet a hollow left by Azem's abrupt departure but at least the night does not feel so dark any longer. ]

[When Hades sets aside his chopsticks, it does not take long for Rhea'li to follow suit. Hades does look better than he did when Rhea'li had summoned both the man and Azem. Less like soul crushing despair and more weight of the world.

Still... he has no idea if all the ancients are living together or if Hades would be left alone.

He finishes his drink. He waits for Hades to finish his.

He pays the bill.

It's only when they're outside and back in the cold that Rhea'li asks-]

Would you like me to stay the night?

Edited 2023-06-06 00:28 (UTC)

[ He doesn't answer immediately. Stay the night? Would that even help or would it simply reinforce the loss come morning? He should be waking up with Azem and Hythlodaeus. He should be grumbling and they would be laughing at him.

Rhea'li isn't like that.

In the end, he shrugs and starts to turn to head back to their lodgings. ]

Do what you like. You've never let a lack of permission stop you from following your heart before.

[Rhea'li falls into step beside Hades; at the very least, Rhea'li would escort him back to his lodgings. He says lightly-]

You are still allowed an opinion.

[Even if it might be one he ignores. A pause, before he asks.]

Does Hythlodaeus stay with you?

[If the other man will be at his lodgings, then he thinks his new old friend would do a far better job at keeping Hades company.]

[ He shrugs. ]

Sometimes he does. Sometimes he does not. Hythlodaeus will do whatever he pleases, whenever he pleases - as he always does.

[ Although he can't deny that his friend's company would be very welcome right about now. Not that Hades would ever dare ask for it himself. ]

If you want to stay then stay. I can create another bedroll for you.

[Ah, such convenience. He would be perfectly content to figure out sleeping arrangements, but it's certainly easier to have a solution conjured up for him.]

...Then I will stay.

[As he would for a friend who is hurting. His lips curl up into a wry smile.]

I'm certain your hospitality this time will be vastly improved.

[Compared to the invitation to the Tempest, to Amaurot, when he was dying from the Light. The comment holds no heat, only mild amusement.]

[ He sniffs but doesn't offer comment. His hospitality then had been intended to give the Warrior of Light the dignity of transforming away from prying eyes. It should have been a mercy. ]

Don't expect me to bring out the good tableware for I have none.

[ --ignoring the fact that he could simply make it. ]

[Rhea'li can't help but laugh lightly, an easy sound that carries in the quiet.]

Oh? Am I not even worth a little--

[And he snaps his fingers, in imitation of all those times that Hades made magic.]

[ He snorts quietly. ]

I will make your bedroll exceedingly comfortable and you will be satisfied with it. Understood?

[ There is a twinge in his chest as he says it, but it's easier to ignore now. ]

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