Elpis was... beautiful. Even with the underlying troubles with how things were run, and the way everyone assumed that he was a familiar. If not for the troubles looming large, Mikka could've happily spent days utterly absorbed in the green growth of the place. It almost made him think of home. Especially when he found a small alcove that seemed all but ripped from memory.
The others might notice him missing, and should they come looking for him, they'd find the Miqo'te here, nestled into a small corner near a fall of moonblossoms climbing up a trellis with a pen and paper in hand, though he seemed to have stopped writing, instead staring uncertainly at the page, ears at half-mast, tailtip flicking fretfully. Honestly a bomb could go off near him without his notice at this point.
Hythlodaeus noticed Meteion staring off in one direction, head tilted and an expression of concern on her delicate face, but not intense enough to be worry. He casted his eyes in that direction, and, ah, there he was, Azem's... no, Mikh'tan was not a familiar, for all the cover story they were using. Nor a shadow. The aether was Azem's, only thinner, so he assumed it was some form of Azem, and yet not quite. Certainly not one that knew him and Emet-Selch the way he should, and, yet...
Hythlodaeus's steps were soft and regular as he made his way there, finding Mikh'tan deep in thought. So Hythlodaeus set down the cup of tea next to him gently.
"Come, have something warm and nice."
Hythlodaeus couldn't see emotions, but he could see there was much that Mikh'tan was holding at bay that troubled him. So, he thought, it was time to help a little.
It wasn't common for Azem to slip into moods like this. But when he did, it was entirely like him to hide it from others. Behind his usual bravado, perhaps a bit more reckless than usual until either Hythlodaeus or Emet-Selch bullied him into dealing with whatever was troubling him. It seemed no different in Mikh'tan, though he seemed more to hide such things behind a shy, sweet demeanor more than anything.
He didn't notice Hythlodaeus approaching, or the muf being set near him until he spoke up, and the man could likely see the way the Miqo'te started visibly, pulling a small smile from the aether as quick as a blink, for all the other had certainly seen the pensive, troubled look from before.
"Oh! Hythlodaeus, I didn't... you all aren't waiting on me are you?" He set his pen and paper aside, gingerly taking up the offered tea.
"Heh, heh, you don't need to worry. We'd have come find you in force if we were waiting." Hythlodaeus settled comfortably nearby, a small smile on his lips.
"No, I was just wondering if a little company wouldn't do you good."
He was used to the people he loved not actually coming up and saying what they needed. So he had become, even if he thought so himself, rather adept at discerning what that might be.
"Oh true. I suppose Emet wouldn't have the patience to wait on me overlong, would he?" Mikka mused, taking a slow sip of tea. "He'd be grumbling and grousing as he came looking to drag me off by my ear."
He'd never one to share emotions. Not those beyond positive things, things that might worry or burden others. He'd learned early on that those things didn't... matter. And once they did, he couldn't. Not if he wanted to keep everyone's spirits up.
It meant he was a bit startled by Hythlodaeus' offer, a bit off-guard by being on this side of the equation for once.
"Oh, I was just..." He sighed softly, shaking his head. "I suppose it doesn't really matter at this point."
"Ah, you need not worry too much. It would take something of great urgency for him to do that, you know. For all his grumbling, he's understanding and kind." Hythlodaeus shook his head slightly.
"Why would what steals your thoughts not matter, hmm? I know some of the observers here might not think of that with a 'familiar,' but I have the feeling that what troubles you is never a trifling matter."
Azem's heart was ever as large as the sky. All he met fit in it, and if it was troubled, then comfort truly might be the best idea. Though the reaction made Hythlodaeus's heart tighten slightly. This shy hiding away, what must he have been through, to be aching so?
"In his gruff way." Mikh'tan agreed with a thin little smile, though it faded quick enough when his thoughts drifted to the unfinished letter.
"How could it not be trifling? A thing that only affects me in the face of-" He cut off, the fingers of his free hand drifting over the page, smearing a couple just-drying letters. "It's not a thing with a solution to be found here."
Hythlodaeus gave a small smile. Emet-Selch had his own ways and only knowing him would help understand. But that was not what was troubling Mikh'tan.
"Finding a solution may be the best way to deal with things, but, sometimes, solutions are not readily available. Sharing your time with others, I know, will help a little. You don't even have to tell me what it is. Only let me be close."
He meant it, too.
"For where you are, is not sitting close with someone comforting? Does not touch relieve concern, at least for a little while?"
Emet-Selch was not the kind of person who would readily accept affection in public, so Hythlodaeus had taught himself to not make things harder for him, even back when he was Hades only. But Azem had ever been different.
He wanted that. It was plain to see in the twitch of ears that he wanted so badly to be able to sink into the comfort of touch, of simple affection. But if he did... he feared what would happen should he allow himself that give. That the dam may break and he would be consumed by everything that he had to deal with. Hythlodaeus might not be privy to his thoughts, but it was likely clear enough in his posture.
"I... shouldn't impose on you. Not any more than I already am..." He didn't sound convinced even as he said it, whatever the case. It was clear enough that Hythlodaeus was absolutely correct in his assumption.
Oh no. The ears were absolutely charming. Hythlodaeus blinked for a moment, then smiled and shifted closer, opening an arm to invite the not-very-different-from-Azem-not-quite-Azem close.
"Mikh'tan, how can you be imposing when I'm offering? It's all right to want, and to have, things for yourself, too, you realize."
He truly wanted to help. There was so much that Mikh'tan was not saying, probably couldn't say, and the heartache, from this close, the missing of someone, or some people, they were plain to see.
"Let it be all right, just for a little while. Even if you've only known me a very short while."
Not that he gave voice to the thought. Not with Hythlodaeus so kindly offering what he did dearly want and need in that moment. A soft huff slipping from him as he gently set the tea aside so it wouldn't be spilled before he was shifting on their little perch into the offer of that embrace. Just wanting to nestle right in if he was so allowed like it seemed he would be.
It absolutely was all right, and Hythlodaeus smiles approvingly as he wraps his arm around the slender shoulders, palm closing comfortingly over the upper arm, then rubbing a little.
"It's different with Emet-Selch - he was ever a less sociable kind of person, and becoming part of the Convocation meant he put a little more stock on formality. But with Azem, it has always been different, especially in private. There are always things he can't quite put into words, or has reasons not to tell, but this, I can give."
Mikh'tan felt... better at the feel of the arm around him. Just leaning in against Hythlodaeus' side, taking comfort in the solid presence.
"Yeah I... got that impression. They both seem... well, I can see why you're friends with them." Both from the time he'd spent around Emet, both here and back home, as well as the stories he'd heard of Azem, the fond way even Emet seemed to speak of him with, no matter the annoyance he complained with.
As it was, he still didn't feel he was... surely they had been mistaken on assuming him to be part of Azem.
Hythlodaeus was quiet for a moment, eyes half-closed and attention properly on the person he was holding, and then he hummed.
"I get the feeling that you have some... questions about me thinking you are who I say you are."
He considered that for a moment. "Well, I don't know how, I only know it is true. Your soul's aether is the exact same color, but also who you are reminds me," reminded them, Hythlodaeus was sure, but he knew better than to prod Emet-Selch at this time, "without the shadow of a doubt, of our friend. He believes... no, he knows that the star has so many places that need help, and he can help. And if he has to carry some things by himself, then so be it."
It was deceptively easy to just sink into the warmth of Hythlodaeus' embrace. Mikh'tan couldn't recall the last time he'd been simply held like this. It had been... too long, and he was loathe to do anything to disrupt the moment.
"I don't... know how I can be them. Or like them, I suppose. Just the way everyone talks about Azem, I'm..." He huffed softly, tail curling around his side as if in uncertain self-soothing. "Surely I can't measure up to someone like that."
Hythlodaeus considered that for a moment, then tightened his arm slightly.
"So you take the way we see your soul as Azem's as having to live up to him." A slight head-shake. "It's not like that. Not in the least because we know Azem... hmm. Will you tell me what you think of him, this far? What you think 'someone like that' is like..."
Because one couldn't help improve the impression - and by improve, he meant bring it closer to the truth - unless he knew where he was starting from.
Not that Mikh'tan would give voice to that. It was just the way of things- as a child he was in the shadow of the brother whose absence he'd been adopted to fill the void of. As an adult he was still found wanting. And as he was slowly learning that maybe it was alright that he didn't measure up to Alwin that it was alright to be himself-
Well now there was a whole new shadow looming ever larger and darker. And from what he understood it was cast by some... version of himself.
"He... well he's clearly not one to shy away from an adventure. Playful and maybe a bit reckless from Emet's huffing, but... he seems kind. Like he wants to help others, like he could make friends easily." The Miqo'te's gaze dropped to his hands. "Surely he's quite a bit more confident than I am."
"Mm, playful yes, confident not nearly as much as he should be. And what brought you here, if I may ask?"
It was complicated. Azem was one of the most powerful of them, in ways that even Emet-Selch could not match, but his power lay in different places than what one might expect.
"I don't mean the specifics, the parts that you can't talk about. But how you went on your journey."
"You'll think me foolish-" Ready to brush aside the idea, but brought up short because... who would Hythlodaeus tell? If all went as it should then no one outside this moment would hear what he said.
"I'd... hoped to earn my parent's love. It sounds positively trite said like that, but..." He trailed off a moment, considering the issue, what to explain, what to leave off. "They'd had and lost a son before. I suppose I was an attempt to fill that void. When I was... shy and nervous rather than brave and adventurous they... well they didn't hate me. I think that would be preferable in some ways. But they were simply indifferent to my existence. I hoped that by setting out perhaps they'd see something in me that was worth their affection."
He smiled, a small apologetic thing. "Fool's errand I know now. I should just go back home to my gardens. But I can... even if it's not some grand thing, if I can help just one person. If I can make one person's life better, even the smallest bit, surely it's worth it to continue on."
Hythlodaeus had to swallow away the tightening of his throat. It was a different story, but also achingly familiar.
He let out a soft breath.
"But you found love on the way, too, did you not? Not the love you were seeking, but love all the same?"
At least Hythlodaeus hoped so.
Another breath.
"Mischief is how Azem deals with the sadness, with missing the people he misses, with the memory of the ones he couldn't save. The adventure... It really is looking for the one person nobody else can save."
And, with as much time as the three of them had had together, he knew that Emet-Selch's frustration with him was really another form of attention, of affection. Important for them both.
"I... I did, yes." And lost it, the downward twitch of ears seemed to say, for all he wasn't about to say as much aloud.
"Admittedly I'm... not sure how to deal with those same things. I keep going, because I can, and if I can, I should if I'm to make any sort of difference..." Mikka sighed softly, relaxing ever so slightly against Hythlodaeus' side. Whatever troubles he had, he was indeed taking comfort from the other's presence, that much was clear. "And it's not like I dislike the traveling. Far from it, I simply wish maybe the circumstances could be better."
"Mm." Softly. "There are many things that each of us has to figure out for ourselves. And I do not know how old you are, but we have had some time to find our own answers."
Hythlodaeus hesitated, but one hand reached up towards the oh-so-expressive ears. Thes he paused.
"Oh I think... twenty-two summers?" It was the best guess anyways. Off by maybe one but close enough that he wasn't too concerned. And Hythlodaeus did have a point... things did take time, why wouldn't learning to cope be one of those things?
The request for permission made him pause. He shouldn't... but it was so much easier to allow when he was already nestled in against the man's side, so he just offered a small nod in response.
Hythlodaeus brushed his fingers over the soft fur of one ear, then, guided by instinct and a pinch of his sight, he moved the fingertips to the base and scratched lightly.
"Then you have time, so long as you hold on to your time. You can figure out who is there to keep, and how to deal with those who have slipped away, one way or another."
Live, my friend. Live, and learn, and seek out the slivers of happiness that life can allow.
It might be a bit amusing, the way the little Miqo'te just seemed to utterly melt for the feeling of fingers against his ears. A soft sigh slipping from him, a faint little nod offered in return for Hythlodaeus' advice as Mikh'tan shifted ever so slightly as if he could burrow in all the closer.
Oh... Hythlodaeus's arm did tighten, and the tentative touch on those ears becaume a little more certain, though still soft.
"Oh, my friend. How long have you been so terribly lonely?"
He was not as attune to emotions as Meteion, but between what he could see, and the reactions, as well as his familiarity with Azem - it was not difficult to draw his conclusions.
It wasn't a difficult conclusion to make, not with how readily Mikh'tan tilted his head inot that touch, just utterly soft for the attention, the comfort of the arm around him and that sweetly kind tone.
And part of him wanted to deny. To assure Hythlodaeus that surely it wasn't that bad. But... it was true. And he didn't have it in him to lie about it, not when asked so directly, a watery little chuckle slipping from him.
"As... long as I can remember." He admitted finally, voice soft and small.
"Oh... oh, my friend." Softly, and Hythlodaeus's arm tightened a little around the smaller figure, protectively.
"It truly should not be like that. While the people who you grew up with did not do this, there are many others who would, if they could but see how needed it is. Whether in friendship, or something else...
"But, never mind that. You are here now, and you can have it as often as you wish, so long as we don't end up offending the sensibilities of others."
Probably public displays would not be met with great enthusiasm. But even with official business, they would not always be in public.
Mikka couldn't help but burrow ever so slightly more securely into Hythlodaeus's embrace at that shift. A faint purr starting up again, a quiet thing but then he was generally a soft-spoken sort it seemed.
He couldn't help a faint huff of a sightly less upset-sounding chuckle at the offer. "I think... the problem is that 'as often as I wish' is near-enough to 'always' if I'm being honest."
Lonely, and starved for affection as he was, it was likely little surprise, no matter how apologetic he sounded over it.
"I see." Softly, and there was no complaint or objections, since he knew that was not what his new friend needed, quite the opposite, in fact.
"Mm... That will become complicated when you have finished your work here and have to return. Perhaps you will be able to find others who would be willing to give this? I surely cannot be the only one feeling this is good, all around."
Because it did feel good to him, and he was rather certain that, romantic or not, there would be many people who loved, and who would love, Mikh'tan.
[ He doesn't readily answer that message which implies a couple of things. One, he's tired of conversing and has either fallen into work or a nap. Or two, Hades has up and decided that the best use of his time is really to follow through with the suggestion. There's definitely an acknowledgement that Hythlodaeus wants nothing but the best for him and that much, amongst other things, is no different for Hades. Sometimes he really does want to shake the other and remind him that talent does not solely rely upon one's ability to manipulate aether.
What a pair they really make: one always seeing the best in another rather than themselves. So if Hythlodaeus is so determined to make Hades into something, then he will simply drag the other with him.
Although right now it is more like Hades is dragging himself to Hythlodaeus' doorstep. It's wholly unnecessary and they both know that if Hades really wants to be undisturbed, then nothing and no one would be able to. The fact that he chooses to come here says a great deal more than any of his snippy and sassy words ever will.
And he doesn't bother to knock or anything because Hythlodaeus should just know he's there. ]
[ And Hythlodaeus does know. Between knowing Hades and being far too used to check his environs with his aethersight, by the time Hades comes in, he smiles as he rises to greet him. ]
Well come, my friend. Tea, or will you rather have that nap now and something refreshing later?
[ Both are fine by Hythlodaeus. Yes, he can see Hades is indeed tired. Which... really does not contradict the drunken comment that started the conversation. Tender spirit indeed, though in ways different from many. ]
[ The moment that he steps inside there's a bit of visible relaxation. Or, rather, his shoulders aren't as tense. Whether Hades realizes that he does this or not is anyone's guess. Well not anyone's, really. Hythlodaeus certainly sees it any time it is the two of them ( and sometimes three of them ) and the weight of expectations cease.
And he's tired because one phrase has just thrown him off. Too busy thinking, really. Or thinking becomes overthinking. So really what Hades needs is - ]
Tea first, I would think.
[ To help with the napping, of course. Though now he's just going to make himself comfortable as if he owns the place. Such is his comfortability and familiarity with the place. ]
[ Making himself at home is very good, and the tea is actually just about ready, though it'll take a few minutes to cool down properly - unless Hades helps it along, of course - and gets set on a tray and brought to Hades promptly. ]
How much time do you have? And should I wake you up when it is coming to a close, or is it more flexible?
[ There are moments where Hades can admit that he appreciates Hythlodaeus' foresight. To himself though. Or just knowing him and anticipating what he might want. Or does want. Even that seems to be something that Hyth knows before Hades himself does. Like today, for instance. He hadn't thought he would actually need a different location to rest, but now that he's here?
It's too perfect. ]
Were I to tell you a time, then you would ensure that I go back to work.
[ Which means 1) yes there is something he still needs to do today and 2) it' not terribly important or he'd have already done it. ]
[ Hythlodaeus has a job, and is actually really good at it as it requires analysis and memory more than uses of aether manipulation, and it requires coordinating people and fixing bureaucratic problems rather than more life-threatening ones. But he has long ago figured out what his purpose on this star is, and paying attention to what Hades actually needs is rather important to that. So while he might sometimes not quite manage it, he never stops trying.
The response makes him chuckle, and sit at the end of the couch next to which there is a small table with a pile of books and reports. The invitation to be used as a pillow doesn't get voiced, but even if Hades chooses to lie down the other way around, that's still fine. He's near, and he's not going to be moving much once his friend has drifted off. ]
I see. Then don't blame me if you don't wake up until it's dark outside.
[ The crinkled eyes smooth out slightly, and he tilts his head. ]
Do you want to talk about it all first, or would you rather not hear what I have to say just yet?
[ What he has to repeat, more like, but close enough. ]
[ And Hades' purpose is apparently to be pushed into using his abilities by Hythlodaeus. Likely until the time comes that they are both satisfied. It's not that Hades is necessarily lazy, but just needs that prodding. It's taking the initiative that seems to be his largest issue ( and a strong desire to avoid annoyances ). And that is where his good friend is just that - good for him. ]
You say that as if I would not simply decide to continue sleeping upon noticing that.
[ Which he absolutely would; that is, deciding that it isn't worth getting up so he'd just continue to rest. Hythlodaeus will be seeing that unspoken offer taken, though. Just as soon as tea has been had. It's comfortable. It's familiar. ]
Might as well come out with it while I'm still awake to hear it.
[ Hythlodaeus will do his part of the prodding gladly, as will Azem, as always. Irritating both in similar ways, with Hythlodaeus's prodding more along the lines of making Hades frustrated in not seeing the reason for what he's supposed to do, and Azem's simply being dangerous, sometimes recklessly so.
He hums, settling comfortably, and rests a hand on Hades's shoulder - later, when he's drifted off, he'll probably be carding fingers gently through his hair, but not while it can get prickly and break the mood. ]
I would hear your thoughts, first. You are not often unsettled so.
[ And while he is resting, that is a perfectly acceptable gesture. It is true, though, that one word or phrase said wrong can lead to Hades getting "prickly." It's entirely possible and yet the hand on his shoulder has quite the opposite effect. Or perhaps it is the concern that laces Hythlodaeus' voice. For while Hades does so guard himself, there are moments where it drops. When appropriate.
Right now it is appropriate. Thus there's a huff, as if he feels ridiculous. Because he does. ]
As I said, when I heard someone I don't even know echoing words that you or Azem would use, it is unsettling. Despite what the both of you may think I know I do not have an entirely pleasant personality to be around. You both have a higher opinion of me than you should as you are horribly biased. You more so than our wayward friend.
[ More like Hythlodaeus and Azem can see right through him and his words. Now that he's been in his station as Emet-Selch, more people are beginning to see it too and he's not sure how he feels about that. ]
Then, of course, I realized that I am putting too much thought into someone's inebriated rambling. It didn't have any meaning.
There are a few options which are in-between 'it means something' and 'they probably did not even mean you.' Someone with aethersight, though weaker, might have actually seen something. Or, despite your view of how people perceive you, they have had reason to work with you and some way and admire you. But, on the whole, I believe you are correct. You need not overthink things at all times.
[ His fingers tighten slightly. And if it's something more intrusive, which Hythlodaeus doubts, but is not utterly impossible, they spend enough time together and Hythlodaeus's sight is used regularly enough that he will know before anything might happen. He'll be there for Hades, as Hades has been there for him so many times.
You say that as if those thoughts hadn't occurred to me as well. As I said before, I even entertained the notion of you or Azem putting this person up to it. Likely it is coming from a place of tiredness too, the overthinking.
[ Since when he works, Hades can have a rather single-minded focus on the task at hand to the point of forgetting the passage of time itself. Meticulous or dedicated... You can decide. And tiredness does things to people, even ones as ageless as they. ]
Though you are correct all the same.
[ Thus does Hades settle in. First with the tea and then using Hythlodaeus as a pillow, or an anchor. Aether and surroundings being so familiar, it is not so hard to fall into a state of relaxation and actually find rest. ]
[ Instead of trying to explain more - Hades is, indeed, quite brilliant, and Hythlodaeus has never doubted that, for all the prodding and getting him to do what he needs to do - he just smiles softly, and reaches for a book with his free hand.
And, yes, as soon as Hades's breathing evens out, Hythlodaeus's fingers make they way to the pale strands and start carding through them gently.
He can absolutely spend hours like this, and get through a decent chunk of work. Sure, his leg might end up being very much asleep so the second portion of tea may be a little delayed once Hades is awake, but it doesn't matter. This is, in its own way, blissful. ]
[ Because Hythlodaeus would say those things. He and Azem both would and Hades would huff and fluster. Probably say something dismissive because somehow this man does not necessarily take well to praise. Or maybe it's just the praise of those that he cares about. The ones that really know him and whose opinions actually matter.
He does sleep for a while. It is a restful one, which is what he needs. Yet, in time, he will wake without prompting. Waking, but not stirring. Rather he just continues to lay there as the other starts up and starts fussing about Hades' hair in some undiscernible pattern.
This is fine. He's just quiet, listening to Hythlodaeus work for an unknown amount of time. ]
[ Hythlodaeus being Hythlodaeus, he does know when Hades awakens, but as he doesn't stir, the fingers keep playing through the hair. ]
Mm... work things, for the most part. Sometimes concepts come in that I need to read up on the history of to be able to make decisions. There is always more knowledge to seek out.
[ He might not be taking notes, but that's because his memory rarely needs external aids, soaking things in without hesitation. ]
[ Hythlodaeus hums, and finally puts away the book, though he doesn't still his fingers. ]
This one is actually about, well, architectural elements. I need to understand how the ones that the application is for are different from what already exists, and how to make sure they will not put anyone in danger when they are realized. [ A smile, warm. ] Rather boring, I'm afraid.
[ Ah. Hythlodaeus is putting up his work but not necessarily the "affection," as it were. Hades doesn't really... Care. Not too much? It's relaxing and he's not really too concerned about stopping what's going on. ]
It isn't that boring. I tend to enjoy such work, as you well know. While not the most thrilling, I would think that it just as important.
[ Hythlodaeus smiles - this is why he gave context for it, rather than dismissing it. ]
It is important, and I like doing it, too. [ He closes his eyes and leans his head back against the couch. ] Let's see.
[ Voice calm and word succinct, he lays out the questions he wants to worry out. ]
Don't get me wrong, I don't doubt that those who have submitted the concepts have thought these through, I just think it would be... neglecting my duty to fail to find out for myself.
[ It's when Hythlodaeus leans back and closes his eyes that Hades opens his. While it's not really the most flattering angle, he's more paying attention to the other's soul and aether. Just laying down in somewhat silent observation. ]
You say this but do recall how many concepts seeking to "improve" upon sharks that you've had to turn down. When a concept is popularized, you will not have a shortage of additions to sift through.
[ Of this they are both aware. Just a reminder that not all of them have been "thought through." ]
I have only ever heard you refer to yourself as useless, Hythlodaeus. Yet you have never neglected your duty and I shudder to think of the day when you ever actually would.
[ The mention of the sharks does make Hythlodaeus snort slightly and straighten up his head, and the smile stays on, brightening up his aether without hesitation. ]
For once, I did not mean it that way - only to explain that I'm not actually doubting those who have poured their heart into the concept. The sharks... are altogether different. Living creatures are different concepts from something like this - and they undergo much more observation before being made into reality out there. And wasting resources on something that so little differs from what already is out there...
This is about structural integrity, and functionality. And aesthetics, though unless it's completely horrible, I am not like to reject a concept for that - many people see beauty differently than I do, and who am I to deny them?
[ Ah. So this time it is not a matter of people just latching onto something and getting a touch carried away. These ones actually seem to know what they are doing and how they should contribute. ]
I'd argue that messing around with anything in a biome could cause just as catastrophic of a result as a faulty foundation or construction of a building.
[ Since ecosystems are just as fragile, really. However he lifts his hand as if to cede the point, but he just wants to be a little difficult for the sake of it. ]
When it comes to architecture, you may not have to. As long as they are structurally sound and serve the purpose, there can be variants on design. There are plenty of places on our star that may have similar themes, but not all structures look or are designed the same.
That makes the day a lot easier on the whole. Also, happy Friday.
[ Hythlodaeus smiles, and nods because Hades is right, as usual. ]
And that is why I work closely with those in Elpis, who would have more immediate view upon creatures who may or may not become part of the life on this star - and there, I must admit, by this point I have much more knowledge. Hence - doing homework now.
The part that worries me is how to determine if the inner part of the structure element proposed is sound enough. While in some places, it would be safe it is moderately so, in other applications, such as elevators, it might prove extremely dangerous. But I think what is proposed might be good enough. With what I now know, I will take another look on the concept in the morrow, to verify again.
Again, allow me to rei-iterate... What part of you is even remotely useless?
[ Because it sounds like to Hades that Hythlodaeus is putting so much thought and effort into this. Not that he would do anything less, of course. His friend is truly a soft yet bright individual. He downplays himself far too much, in Hades' opinion. ]
If it is going to wait until the morrow, I might suggest tucking in early tonight.
[ Hythlodaeus ducks his head slightly, not denying right now that he isn't useless, as he doesn't quite this moment feel so, but also not quite managing to agree. He's found a place to work where his shortcomings are not hindering others, and yes, he can be useful. But still, compared to Hades, compared to Azem - there is so much that he can't do anything about.
But then he chuckles slightly, raising his chin once again. ]
Early, perhaps, but it is still light outside. I rather suspect that if I try to sleep soon, I will wake far too early for anything much to get done. So your suggestion is duly noted and likely will be taken into consideration.
you'll probably see this when you wake up but hap sat /o/
[ He would really rather Hythlodaeus not compare anyone at all. Funny how it is Hades that actually believes this - that they all fit into one another's lives just perfectly. He would truly feel lost without them both. ]
I figure you would want to wake early so that you could get a jumpstart on it. Or is it that you require a certain amount of sleep prior?
and then weekend was... mostly ffxiv and few words
[ Oh, it is not as though Hythlodaeus objects to naps, for all he is prone to occasionally interrupt those of others. It is that he, on the whole, doesn't have time for them, always busy with something or other. People, usually. ]
Far be it from me to lecture you... [ A beat, and his lips curve up. ] When I find something that I believe myself suited to know better, you end up doing what I think it best. Lectures are for Azem.
[ That's what one gets when they need to deal with individuals like Hades and Azem. ]
So what you are implying here is that I cater to your whims to the point where you feel as though a lecture is not necessary.
[ Not that he really wants to get up, but Hades does. If anything it's so his dearest friend's leg doesn't fall asleep and tea can be retrieved once more. ]
Though Azem is worthy of lectures. Not that they pay such things any mind.
oh no... our snow falls a lot and melts a lot but partially snowed in sounds a Problem
[ Hythlodaeus blinks slightly at Hades sitting up, but instead of questioning it - he wouldn't have have minded if his leg had fallen asleep - he shifts, to turn and lean their foreheads together. ]
You do indulge me, that is true. But I do flatter myself that I am rarely entirely selfish, and my whims are often as not good for you, not only for me.
[ Ah, it would appear that part of their little game has come to a close - the one where they kind of go back and forth with Hades' particular brand of pretending he's really as standoffish as he presents himself. The moment that foreheads touch, shoulders sag. There's a sigh and usually bite in his tone fades. ]
I'm aware, though it wouldn't hurt to be a touch more selfish. Just slightly more from time to time. As much as I hate to admit, you often know my mind better or before I do. I know for a fact that I'd likely be lost without at least you to pull me around. Guide me into places and situations I'd never take the initiative with and all that nonsense.
[ Hythlodaeus's fingers rub gently the tensing-again shoulders, though he's not alarmed by that. Instead, he hums. ]
Well, then I only can do it without being prompted. But also, Hades... You have earned every sweet word I tell you, and more, all those that overflow my heart and mind every time I think of you.
[ Hyth better enjoy it. Because outside this home, Hades wouldn't dare allow any of this. Which means he huffs and leans into the touch ever so slightly. ]
That is inevitable, even if you do not wish it. We've very different personalities.
[ It's just that Hythlodaeus thinks that "bettering the Star" means that he needs to support Hades. Oh no, he's not unaware that his his closest friend's aim. He might not understand it, but knows that it is there. ]
[ And the slight worry about arguments and making each other ache in ways nobody else can - it dissipates in an instant by the joy and happiness those words bring, both his smile and his aether bright without reservation. ]
I am glad. Do let me know when you are in want of something to eat, or if you something to do something specific.
[ He'll likely come up with something soon enough, but right now this right here is enough. ]
Well, then patience you might need to have, though patience usually is reserved for waiting for things you wish for - that I get up is hardly what I think you're looking forward to, exactly.
[ Hythlodaeus uses his free hand to cover his mouth for a soft chuckle, then just leans down and presses a soft, dry kiss on Hades's brow before sitting up again. ]
Nothing to sacrifice, here. Just rest a little more, and then we'll figure out what comes after. Nothing urgent for either of us is... a welcome change, after all.
[ And for all that he does like to egg Hades into doing things that he can do though he technically doesn't have to, he doesn't go looking for such, only uses any that come his way uninvited. ]
[The moment he steps our of the array, Xie Lian thinks he should have known not to use the dice for transport without Hua Cheng around.
His cursed shackles are gone, so one would think that all the bad luck in his life has evaporated. One would, apparently, be wrong.
This is not any place he's been to before and he doesn't recognize any of it. It's quite vibrant and there are people around but they don't really seem to be paying much attention to him until suddenly, someone is in his way and he almost bumps into them.
The person is wearing a long brown robe and a mask, and even with that, Xie Lian can tell they don't look happy.]
'Whose prototype is this? Why is it unregistered? Who let something this powerful outside of their containment area?'
[Xie Lian looks around in confusion but there's no two way around it. That person seems to be talking about... him.]
[ The soft, confident voice comes addressing the masked man, but belongs to someone whose face is uncovered, bearing an easy smile. ]
This one is not causing any trouble, now, is it? Let me help a little, if I may?
Ah... if you would be so kind...?
Of course, of course. [ The purple hair inclines in return for the shallow bow, and the amethyst eyes fix on the newcomer, crinkling a little with a smile. ]
Good morrow, I am Hythlodaeus. If you would follow me, I believe we can find a place to talk without alarming people who are merely doing their work...?
[Here comes salvation, and Xie Lian doesn't question it, quickly trotting towards the purple-haired stranger - and belatedly realizing he's quite tall.]
... Excuse me but... where is this? I don't recognize anything and it's definitely not where I was trying to go.
And why did that person call me a prototype?
... to give his husband an impossible heart attack by going missing?
[ Hythlodaus smiles, and walks a little distance until they can take the viw better - and more privately. ]
Welcome, my new friend, at the testing ground of creation at Heaven's edge. [ So... the array worked inasmuch as the goal was Heaven, right? A Heaven? ]
It is where new life form concepts are observed to see if they are fit to exist on their own and just about everything needs to have someone responsible for it. That is why the guide back there was upset, for the most part.
[ Hythlodaeus's smile is like the sun. ]
Whether or not the guess about you was correct... or not.
He's not missing, just not where he was supposed to go!
[The man - Hythlodaeus - is quite calm and collected, and Xie Lian himself is not one to easily panic. He smiles back and takes in the information, and shakes his head.]
No, I'm not a prototype. I was using a transportation array to go somewhere and I assume something went wrong and it brought me here instead.
... And I've never heard of anything like that in Heaven, and if there was, I would know, so I must have gone really far away from where I meant to go.
[Suddenly, his eyes widen a bit.]
Oh, give me just a second.
[He shakes one of his sleeves, and suddenly a silver butterfly fleets out, and perches on his fingers and he lifts it up to his face.]
Go tell Hua Cheng I'm fine and I'll be home as soon as I can, alright?
[The silver butterfly flaps its wings, and then it suddenly flies off into the sky, leaving behind only the sound of ringing tinkerbells.]
[Achelois wouldn't be able to tell when coming back to Amaurot had stopped feeling like coming home.
In the past years, she spent most of her time on the road accompanying her master, and she suspects that hasn't helped in that regard but... she does mourn the feeling she used to get when seeing the spires of the city come into view after a long trip. Now, whenever she does see that view, all she can think about is when she will next leave.
And then, for this particular trip there was the project her master talked to her about, the very thing that makes her walk through the streets at a too brisk pace for most of the other people around as she ponders.
It did not come as a surprise. One would have to be extremely inobservant for it to be a surprise, and as much as she is not vain, Achelois knows Venat chose her as her pupil for a reason. A member of the Convocation, and such a renowned one, would not err in choosing the soul they wish to instruct, she thinks. She might still be young compared to others, but no so young that she is unaware of her own abilities and values, all things her master has taken care to hone over their years together. She is confident in what she can do. Still, something of this magnitude... Her master left her some time to think about it, and so, she is thinking.
The city itself might not feel like home anymore, but there are some parts of it that do, and her steps take her naturally to the Bureau of the Architect. And upon being informed that Hythlodaeus is not in right, she juts shrugs and smiles.]
It's alright, I'll just wait for him inside.
[She ignored the fluster and sputter of the employees as she pushes past them to go through the door that lead to her friend's private office. The door still responds to her aether, so at least, it seems like he's not against her dropping by even unannounced.
She glances towards his desk, walks along the bookshelves and trails a finger along the spines of the books, mildly curious about whether he has gotten anything new recently, and then just goes to plop herself in a comfortable chair, hugging her knees while she keeps turning things in her head.
At least, this place is quiet, not like the city outside.]
[ It doesn't take unbearably long for him to return, but he does have duties to attend to, so there is some time. But he knows she is there as soon as he returns to the building, and his face brightens, step lengthening on the way to his office. ]
Achelois! You are returned!
[ ... and he registers the way she has braced herself and blinks, his joy abating somewhat, banked by concerned. ]
[Aaah, that's better. Allow her to melt into the embrace, take a moment to breathe in and fill herself with his warmth, his touch and his scent. She definitely missed this.]
I might be staying a little longer this time. Mistress Venat has given me leave to not attend her for a little while.
[She almost never calls her 'Azem'. She never got into the habit, and Venat never insisted on it either, and so the personal name stuck.
She takes a step back to look up at him and... well, there's no two way about it, she might as well say it.]
On our trip this time she told me... she wants to retire from the Convocation to go do something else... and she wants to nominate me to take her place.
[She closes her eyes under the kiss, and lets out another sigh.]
... It's not like I wasn't expecting it. At some point. But not so soon. If she asked, it's because she thinks I am ready, but am I, really?
[And she hardly expected to be the first among them three friends to be asked such a thing.]
Besides, it's not like she is planning to reurn to the star when she retires. Her work is not done. She just does not think she can accomplish it while being on the Convocation.
[It is supposed to be a great honor and a momentous occasion to return to the star, of course, but... She shakes her head. Her years of journeying alongside her master have taught her many things, and one of those things is to ask uncomfortable questions that a lot of people here are not ready to hear.]
She is giving me time to think it over. But I cannot help thinking that every moment I delay my answer, I am keeping her from this work she deems so important that she would abandon her Convocation seat for it.
[No one has ever done that that she can remember. Never has a member of the convocation simply left their duty to go do something else.]
[ Hythlodaeus expected it. Hades is no less gifted or kind or hard-working than Achelois, but his temper and attitude make people recognize that slower. He is certain his time will come, too.
But that's neither here nor there. ]
Her example notwithstanding, to take up a Seat on the Convocation is still to commit to a path of unshakeable responsibility. Foreseeing it or not, this is not a step to take lightly, so her giving you time to consider is not simply a gesture.
[ ... he may have read more than her on that note. ]
While what she is choosing to do is rare, it is not entirely unique. Hence white robes being worn by those who have retired from office, not only Elidibus.
Mm... let me finish here a little, and we can go out for some food, the two or the three of us as you'd like. No life-changing decisions when you are travel-weary and likely hungry, hmm?
[ He pauses for a moment. ]
She is much older than any of us. Her perspective on time is different. Whatever she will be doing after, she will be needed for it, I am certain, but it is not urgent enough for her to step away from all else without caution.
When was the last time we have seen anyone in a white robe apart from Elidibus? Even Mistress Venat says she knows some will find it actively scandalous. Not that she cares, mind you, she'll do it all the same.
[But Hythlodaeus is not wrong. Mistress Venat has been around much longer than they have, and she sees things much farther than Achelois can even imagine.]
I will not say no to food. I could not really bring anything edible back this time.
[And she sounds a bit put upon about that. Truly nothing as funny as feeding Hades some of the stuff she brings back and making him admit he likes it.
Still she looks around, with that weird feeling under her skin again. Here, in this place that belongs to him, she feels welcome and home. But outside the walls, the city is starting to feel strange an alien.
She starts musing out loud almost without noticing.]
I wonder if this was the same for her, when she became Azem. If she also started to feel strange whenever she came back.
Well, some think that serving on the Convocation is the ultimate service to the Star. Forgetting that it really is not. It is a very important and hefty way to serve the Star, but - it is one way of infinitely many. And while few indeed are qualified enough to be a part of the Convocation, there are ways to help and make better that are suited for even fewer. So whoever thinks it scandalous is only showing off their own ambition. Not actually being correct. They would be speaking ill of themselves, and not of Azem.
[ He had a white-robed teacher, at one time. And there are some who do come to Amaurot, at least for a time.
But the question really was rhetorical, wasn't it?
Hythlodaeus catches the flicker in her aether, and tilts his head. While he truly does love cooking for her, right now he doesn't want the interruption that preparing the food would necessitate. ]
Mm. Or we can pick up something on the way and eat at my place. There is always the chance that Hades will come over, but he will probably have enough to say until a time you decide to tell him, and then he will be duly impressed.
[ ... and it occurs to him belatedly that perhaps he isn't acting all that impressed, but... truly, he's just concerned for Achelois. And wants to help.
He will finish quickly, setting his work in order - well, order for him - for tomorrow, and then step in to tuck his hand under her arm. ]
Only she can answer that. Meeeeanwhile, I can do my best to make that a good kind of strange. Ready?
You can say that because you have both feet firmly planted on the ground, unlike some, Hythlodaeus.
[He's not wrong, of course, and he is one of the few who would tell this very thing to people to their faces and probabyl not catch too much flak for it, because he is so nice that most people tend to forgive brutal honesty from him.]
I have not really dared ask her what she means to do next. To be honest, I cannot say that she knows herself for sure, but she means to find out. That has always been her way, after all.
[She nods distractedly at the offer to eat at his place instead of going out. It will be just as well. Hythlodaeus's house is one of the few places that still feel like home.]
Do you really think he'll be impressed? Or will he be cross at me for not jumping to the occasion immediately? Or else, if I had answered promptly, he would have berated me for making the decision too quickly, would he not? Really, whatever move I make, he'll find fault with it somehow, and he can only congratulate me after explaining to me all the ways I've gone wrong about this.
[This is how he is, after all, and it can be exhausting at times, and she is less and less inclined to let it slide when he starts doing it. But that's for his own good as well. People forgive Hades a lot because of his impressive gifts, but he truly hasn't made many friends in any of his appointment, with his absurd intolerance of mediocrity in any form.
But once Hylodaeus links arms with her, she leans against him as they walk, looking this way and that at the city and its buildings.]
It's been happening more and more, lately. I was born here, but I find myself... not wanting to come back. This place feels... small, and always looking inwards, and if you were not here, I don't think I would want to come back at all.
[She's been using her residence mostly as a storage unit for what she brings back and a library, but she spends most night at his place when she is in town these days.]
I wonder if this is why she asked me now. She cannot have missed it.
[ When going outside, Hythlodaeus does mask up again, and nudges her gently to do so as well if she is too distracted for it. But he also keeps holding on to her - and unless she voices a preference, he'll just pick the food and the route to it, not making her have to worry about it. Out there, he knows she has to think about so many aspects of what she does or doesn't do. So she can have a bit of a break, now.
He also smiles softly. ]
I know he will be impressed. And, because he won't be shocked into the news, I believe he won't put his foot in his mouth. He cares for you, scathing words and missteps notwithstanding.
[ The sweetest smiles he has seen on Hades's face are always for her, and Hythlodaeus is glad to see it.
The rest, however, makes Hythlodaeus eyes squeeze tight behind his mask, while his smile wavers a little. ]
I am sorry to hear that. But while you will be dearly, dearly missed while you are away, if you are happier away from Amaurot, then that is one of the things to do which will keep you from feeling cooped up.
[ And she is ever, ever welcome to him, to his place, for however long she is willing to stay.
... he is also ordering double dessert for both all of them. Just in case. ]
[She tends to forget to mask most times these days, since she doesn't usually do it much when she travels, and she grimaces but complies when he nudges her. For he rest, she is happy enough to follow his lead.]
I know he cares, but it wouldn't kill him to show a little bit of grace to the people who love him. It's like he is allegic to giving any kind of praise. he puts the bar so high for himself he forgets others cannot be expected to always be at his level.
[And Hythloadaeus in particulat deserves a lot more grace than their friend is giving him.
She may have noticed his reaction to her words, even without seeing his face, and she squeezes his arm.]
I would miss you terribly if I could not see you at all, so you can be assured I will always visit. I've just... lost this feeling of 'home' when I see this city now. Except when I come to see you. If I could just take me with you everywhere... But you have your own duties and I can't expect to be able to pull you from them on my whim. Still, one day, I would want to take you out there. The word is so vast, and there is so much to see, so many people to meet and learn from!
[And now her voice is more animated as she recalls this previous trip, and others before.]
I promise I won't make you look at all the sharks.
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The others might notice him missing, and should they come looking for him, they'd find the Miqo'te here, nestled into a small corner near a fall of moonblossoms climbing up a trellis with a pen and paper in hand, though he seemed to have stopped writing, instead staring uncertainly at the page, ears at half-mast, tailtip flicking fretfully. Honestly a bomb could go off near him without his notice at this point.
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Hythlodaeus's steps were soft and regular as he made his way there, finding Mikh'tan deep in thought. So Hythlodaeus set down the cup of tea next to him gently.
"Come, have something warm and nice."
Hythlodaeus couldn't see emotions, but he could see there was much that Mikh'tan was holding at bay that troubled him. So, he thought, it was time to help a little.
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He didn't notice Hythlodaeus approaching, or the muf being set near him until he spoke up, and the man could likely see the way the Miqo'te started visibly, pulling a small smile from the aether as quick as a blink, for all the other had certainly seen the pensive, troubled look from before.
"Oh! Hythlodaeus, I didn't... you all aren't waiting on me are you?" He set his pen and paper aside, gingerly taking up the offered tea.
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"No, I was just wondering if a little company wouldn't do you good."
He was used to the people he loved not actually coming up and saying what they needed. So he had become, even if he thought so himself, rather adept at discerning what that might be.
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He'd never one to share emotions. Not those beyond positive things, things that might worry or burden others. He'd learned early on that those things didn't... matter. And once they did, he couldn't. Not if he wanted to keep everyone's spirits up.
It meant he was a bit startled by Hythlodaeus' offer, a bit off-guard by being on this side of the equation for once.
"Oh, I was just..." He sighed softly, shaking his head. "I suppose it doesn't really matter at this point."
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"Why would what steals your thoughts not matter, hmm? I know some of the observers here might not think of that with a 'familiar,' but I have the feeling that what troubles you is never a trifling matter."
Azem's heart was ever as large as the sky. All he met fit in it, and if it was troubled, then comfort truly might be the best idea. Though the reaction made Hythlodaeus's heart tighten slightly. This shy hiding away, what must he have been through, to be aching so?
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"How could it not be trifling? A thing that only affects me in the face of-" He cut off, the fingers of his free hand drifting over the page, smearing a couple just-drying letters. "It's not a thing with a solution to be found here."
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"Finding a solution may be the best way to deal with things, but, sometimes, solutions are not readily available. Sharing your time with others, I know, will help a little. You don't even have to tell me what it is. Only let me be close."
He meant it, too.
"For where you are, is not sitting close with someone comforting? Does not touch relieve concern, at least for a little while?"
Emet-Selch was not the kind of person who would readily accept affection in public, so Hythlodaeus had taught himself to not make things harder for him, even back when he was Hades only. But Azem had ever been different.
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"I... shouldn't impose on you. Not any more than I already am..." He didn't sound convinced even as he said it, whatever the case. It was clear enough that Hythlodaeus was absolutely correct in his assumption.
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"Mikh'tan, how can you be imposing when I'm offering? It's all right to want, and to have, things for yourself, too, you realize."
He truly wanted to help. There was so much that Mikh'tan was not saying, probably couldn't say, and the heartache, from this close, the missing of someone, or some people, they were plain to see.
"Let it be all right, just for a little while. Even if you've only known me a very short while."
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Not that he gave voice to the thought. Not with Hythlodaeus so kindly offering what he did dearly want and need in that moment. A soft huff slipping from him as he gently set the tea aside so it wouldn't be spilled before he was shifting on their little perch into the offer of that embrace. Just wanting to nestle right in if he was so allowed like it seemed he would be.
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"It's different with Emet-Selch - he was ever a less sociable kind of person, and becoming part of the Convocation meant he put a little more stock on formality. But with Azem, it has always been different, especially in private. There are always things he can't quite put into words, or has reasons not to tell, but this, I can give."
To Azem. To Mikh'tan.
Yes, this is perfectly fine.
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"Yeah I... got that impression. They both seem... well, I can see why you're friends with them." Both from the time he'd spent around Emet, both here and back home, as well as the stories he'd heard of Azem, the fond way even Emet seemed to speak of him with, no matter the annoyance he complained with.
As it was, he still didn't feel he was... surely they had been mistaken on assuming him to be part of Azem.
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"I get the feeling that you have some... questions about me thinking you are who I say you are."
He considered that for a moment. "Well, I don't know how, I only know it is true. Your soul's aether is the exact same color, but also who you are reminds me," reminded them, Hythlodaeus was sure, but he knew better than to prod Emet-Selch at this time, "without the shadow of a doubt, of our friend. He believes... no, he knows that the star has so many places that need help, and he can help. And if he has to carry some things by himself, then so be it."
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"I don't... know how I can be them. Or like them, I suppose. Just the way everyone talks about Azem, I'm..." He huffed softly, tail curling around his side as if in uncertain self-soothing. "Surely I can't measure up to someone like that."
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Hythlodaeus considered that for a moment, then tightened his arm slightly.
"So you take the way we see your soul as Azem's as having to live up to him." A slight head-shake. "It's not like that. Not in the least because we know Azem... hmm. Will you tell me what you think of him, this far? What you think 'someone like that' is like..."
Because one couldn't help improve the impression - and by improve, he meant bring it closer to the truth - unless he knew where he was starting from.
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Not that Mikh'tan would give voice to that. It was just the way of things- as a child he was in the shadow of the brother whose absence he'd been adopted to fill the void of. As an adult he was still found wanting. And as he was slowly learning that maybe it was alright that he didn't measure up to Alwin that it was alright to be himself-
Well now there was a whole new shadow looming ever larger and darker. And from what he understood it was cast by some... version of himself.
"He... well he's clearly not one to shy away from an adventure. Playful and maybe a bit reckless from Emet's huffing, but... he seems kind. Like he wants to help others, like he could make friends easily." The Miqo'te's gaze dropped to his hands. "Surely he's quite a bit more confident than I am."
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It was complicated. Azem was one of the most powerful of them, in ways that even Emet-Selch could not match, but his power lay in different places than what one might expect.
"I don't mean the specifics, the parts that you can't talk about. But how you went on your journey."
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"I'd... hoped to earn my parent's love. It sounds positively trite said like that, but..." He trailed off a moment, considering the issue, what to explain, what to leave off. "They'd had and lost a son before. I suppose I was an attempt to fill that void. When I was... shy and nervous rather than brave and adventurous they... well they didn't hate me. I think that would be preferable in some ways. But they were simply indifferent to my existence. I hoped that by setting out perhaps they'd see something in me that was worth their affection."
He smiled, a small apologetic thing. "Fool's errand I know now. I should just go back home to my gardens. But I can... even if it's not some grand thing, if I can help just one person. If I can make one person's life better, even the smallest bit, surely it's worth it to continue on."
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Hythlodaeus had to swallow away the tightening of his throat. It was a different story, but also achingly familiar.
He let out a soft breath.
"But you found love on the way, too, did you not? Not the love you were seeking, but love all the same?"
At least Hythlodaeus hoped so.
Another breath.
"Mischief is how Azem deals with the sadness, with missing the people he misses, with the memory of the ones he couldn't save. The adventure... It really is looking for the one person nobody else can save."
And, with as much time as the three of them had had together, he knew that Emet-Selch's frustration with him was really another form of attention, of affection. Important for them both.
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"Admittedly I'm... not sure how to deal with those same things. I keep going, because I can, and if I can, I should if I'm to make any sort of difference..." Mikka sighed softly, relaxing ever so slightly against Hythlodaeus' side. Whatever troubles he had, he was indeed taking comfort from the other's presence, that much was clear. "And it's not like I dislike the traveling. Far from it, I simply wish maybe the circumstances could be better."
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Hythlodaeus hesitated, but one hand reached up towards the oh-so-expressive ears. Thes he paused.
"May I?"
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The request for permission made him pause. He shouldn't... but it was so much easier to allow when he was already nestled in against the man's side, so he just offered a small nod in response.
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Hythlodaeus brushed his fingers over the soft fur of one ear, then, guided by instinct and a pinch of his sight, he moved the fingertips to the base and scratched lightly.
"Then you have time, so long as you hold on to your time. You can figure out who is there to keep, and how to deal with those who have slipped away, one way or another."
Live, my friend. Live, and learn, and seek out the slivers of happiness that life can allow.
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"Oh, my friend. How long have you been so terribly lonely?"
He was not as attune to emotions as Meteion, but between what he could see, and the reactions, as well as his familiarity with Azem - it was not difficult to draw his conclusions.
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And part of him wanted to deny. To assure Hythlodaeus that surely it wasn't that bad. But... it was true. And he didn't have it in him to lie about it, not when asked so directly, a watery little chuckle slipping from him.
"As... long as I can remember." He admitted finally, voice soft and small.
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"It truly should not be like that. While the people who you grew up with did not do this, there are many others who would, if they could but see how needed it is. Whether in friendship, or something else...
"But, never mind that. You are here now, and you can have it as often as you wish, so long as we don't end up offending the sensibilities of others."
Probably public displays would not be met with great enthusiasm. But even with official business, they would not always be in public.
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He couldn't help a faint huff of a sightly less upset-sounding chuckle at the offer. "I think... the problem is that 'as often as I wish' is near-enough to 'always' if I'm being honest."
Lonely, and starved for affection as he was, it was likely little surprise, no matter how apologetic he sounded over it.
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"Mm... That will become complicated when you have finished your work here and have to return. Perhaps you will be able to find others who would be willing to give this? I surely cannot be the only one feeling this is good, all around."
Because it did feel good to him, and he was rather certain that, romantic or not, there would be many people who loved, and who would love, Mikh'tan.
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[ He doesn't readily answer that message which implies a couple of things. One, he's tired of conversing and has either fallen into work or a nap. Or two, Hades has up and decided that the best use of his time is really to follow through with the suggestion. There's definitely an acknowledgement that Hythlodaeus wants nothing but the best for him and that much, amongst other things, is no different for Hades. Sometimes he really does want to shake the other and remind him that talent does not solely rely upon one's ability to manipulate aether.
What a pair they really make: one always seeing the best in another rather than themselves. So if Hythlodaeus is so determined to make Hades into something, then he will simply drag the other with him.
Although right now it is more like Hades is dragging himself to Hythlodaeus' doorstep. It's wholly unnecessary and they both know that if Hades really wants to be undisturbed, then nothing and no one would be able to. The fact that he chooses to come here says a great deal more than any of his snippy and sassy words ever will.
And he doesn't bother to knock or anything because Hythlodaeus should just know he's there. ]
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Well come, my friend. Tea, or will you rather have that nap now and something refreshing later?
[ Both are fine by Hythlodaeus. Yes, he can see Hades is indeed tired. Which... really does not contradict the drunken comment that started the conversation. Tender spirit indeed, though in ways different from many. ]
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And he's tired because one phrase has just thrown him off. Too busy thinking, really. Or thinking becomes overthinking. So really what Hades needs is - ]
Tea first, I would think.
[ To help with the napping, of course. Though now he's just going to make himself comfortable as if he owns the place. Such is his comfortability and familiarity with the place. ]
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[ Making himself at home is very good, and the tea is actually just about ready, though it'll take a few minutes to cool down properly - unless Hades helps it along, of course - and gets set on a tray and brought to Hades promptly. ]
How much time do you have? And should I wake you up when it is coming to a close, or is it more flexible?
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It's too perfect. ]
Were I to tell you a time, then you would ensure that I go back to work.
[ Which means 1) yes there is something he still needs to do today and 2) it' not terribly important or he'd have already done it. ]
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The response makes him chuckle, and sit at the end of the couch next to which there is a small table with a pile of books and reports. The invitation to be used as a pillow doesn't get voiced, but even if Hades chooses to lie down the other way around, that's still fine. He's near, and he's not going to be moving much once his friend has drifted off. ]
I see. Then don't blame me if you don't wake up until it's dark outside.
[ The crinkled eyes smooth out slightly, and he tilts his head. ]
Do you want to talk about it all first, or would you rather not hear what I have to say just yet?
[ What he has to repeat, more like, but close enough. ]
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You say that as if I would not simply decide to continue sleeping upon noticing that.
[ Which he absolutely would; that is, deciding that it isn't worth getting up so he'd just continue to rest. Hythlodaeus will be seeing that unspoken offer taken, though. Just as soon as tea has been had. It's comfortable. It's familiar. ]
Might as well come out with it while I'm still awake to hear it.
they are so cute
He hums, settling comfortably, and rests a hand on Hades's shoulder - later, when he's drifted off, he'll probably be carding fingers gently through his hair, but not while it can get prickly and break the mood. ]
I would hear your thoughts, first. You are not often unsettled so.
They are!
Right now it is appropriate. Thus there's a huff, as if he feels ridiculous. Because he does. ]
As I said, when I heard someone I don't even know echoing words that you or Azem would use, it is unsettling. Despite what the both of you may think I know I do not have an entirely pleasant personality to be around. You both have a higher opinion of me than you should as you are horribly biased. You more so than our wayward friend.
[ More like Hythlodaeus and Azem can see right through him and his words. Now that he's been in his station as Emet-Selch, more people are beginning to see it too and he's not sure how he feels about that. ]
Then, of course, I realized that I am putting too much thought into someone's inebriated rambling. It didn't have any meaning.
/wibbles they all deserve soft and cute anyway
There are a few options which are in-between 'it means something' and 'they probably did not even mean you.' Someone with aethersight, though weaker, might have actually seen something. Or, despite your view of how people perceive you, they have had reason to work with you and some way and admire you. But, on the whole, I believe you are correct. You need not overthink things at all times.
[ His fingers tighten slightly. And if it's something more intrusive, which Hythlodaeus doubts, but is not utterly impossible, they spend enough time together and Hythlodaeus's sight is used regularly enough that he will know before anything might happen. He'll be there for Hades, as Hades has been there for him so many times.
A smile, and a hum. ]
Rest. You won't be disturbed.
Agreed! Also work got busy all of the sudden
[ Since when he works, Hades can have a rather single-minded focus on the task at hand to the point of forgetting the passage of time itself. Meticulous or dedicated... You can decide. And tiredness does things to people, even ones as ageless as they. ]
Though you are correct all the same.
[ Thus does Hades settle in. First with the tea and then using Hythlodaeus as a pillow, or an anchor. Aether and surroundings being so familiar, it is not so hard to fall into a state of relaxation and actually find rest. ]
Work absolutely does that
And, yes, as soon as Hades's breathing evens out, Hythlodaeus's fingers make they way to the pale strands and start carding through them gently.
He can absolutely spend hours like this, and get through a decent chunk of work. Sure, his leg might end up being very much asleep so the second portion of tea may be a little delayed once Hades is awake, but it doesn't matter. This is, in its own way, blissful. ]
and now email notifs are down. JOY
He does sleep for a while. It is a restful one, which is what he needs. Yet, in time, he will wake without prompting. Waking, but not stirring. Rather he just continues to lay there as the other starts up and starts fussing about Hades' hair in some undiscernible pattern.
This is fine. He's just quiet, listening to Hythlodaeus work for an unknown amount of time. ]
Reading anything of interest?
oh no just what we wanted... (not)
Mm... work things, for the most part. Sometimes concepts come in that I need to read up on the history of to be able to make decisions. There is always more knowledge to seek out.
[ He might not be taking notes, but that's because his memory rarely needs external aids, soaking things in without hesitation. ]
Otoh… in training today
Is there any particular one you are troubled by?
[ Look at him subtly offering an opinion if needed. ]
That's either much worse or much better
This one is actually about, well, architectural elements. I need to understand how the ones that the application is for are different from what already exists, and how to make sure they will not put anyone in danger when they are realized. [ A smile, warm. ] Rather boring, I'm afraid.
i don't remember much of it today
It isn't that boring. I tend to enjoy such work, as you well know. While not the most thrilling, I would think that it just as important.
that sounds not that bad, then. maaybe.
It is important, and I like doing it, too. [ He closes his eyes and leans his head back against the couch. ] Let's see.
[ Voice calm and word succinct, he lays out the questions he wants to worry out. ]
Don't get me wrong, I don't doubt that those who have submitted the concepts have thought these through, I just think it would be... neglecting my duty to fail to find out for myself.
I usually instruct the content
You say this but do recall how many concepts seeking to "improve" upon sharks that you've had to turn down. When a concept is popularized, you will not have a shortage of additions to sift through.
[ Of this they are both aware. Just a reminder that not all of them have been "thought through." ]
I have only ever heard you refer to yourself as useless, Hythlodaeus. Yet you have never neglected your duty and I shudder to think of the day when you ever actually would.
So you know it and don't need to remember...
For once, I did not mean it that way - only to explain that I'm not actually doubting those who have poured their heart into the concept. The sharks... are altogether different. Living creatures are different concepts from something like this - and they undergo much more observation before being made into reality out there. And wasting resources on something that so little differs from what already is out there...
This is about structural integrity, and functionality. And aesthetics, though unless it's completely horrible, I am not like to reject a concept for that - many people see beauty differently than I do, and who am I to deny them?
Nah. I teach it enough i know all the changes
I'd argue that messing around with anything in a biome could cause just as catastrophic of a result as a faulty foundation or construction of a building.
[ Since ecosystems are just as fragile, really. However he lifts his hand as if to cede the point, but he just wants to be a little difficult for the sake of it. ]
When it comes to architecture, you may not have to. As long as they are structurally sound and serve the purpose, there can be variants on design. There are plenty of places on our star that may have similar themes, but not all structures look or are designed the same.
That makes the day a lot easier on the whole. Also, happy Friday.
And that is why I work closely with those in Elpis, who would have more immediate view upon creatures who may or may not become part of the life on this star - and there, I must admit, by this point I have much more knowledge. Hence - doing homework now.
The part that worries me is how to determine if the inner part of the structure element proposed is sound enough. While in some places, it would be safe it is moderately so, in other applications, such as elevators, it might prove extremely dangerous. But I think what is proposed might be good enough. With what I now know, I will take another look on the concept in the morrow, to verify again.
Happy Friday! Work day almost done
[ Because it sounds like to Hades that Hythlodaeus is putting so much thought and effort into this. Not that he would do anything less, of course. His friend is truly a soft yet bright individual. He downplays himself far too much, in Hades' opinion. ]
If it is going to wait until the morrow, I might suggest tucking in early tonight.
yesh, it is!
But then he chuckles slightly, raising his chin once again. ]
Early, perhaps, but it is still light outside. I rather suspect that if I try to sleep soon, I will wake far too early for anything much to get done. So your suggestion is duly noted and likely will be taken into consideration.
you'll probably see this when you wake up but hap sat /o/
I figure you would want to wake early so that you could get a jumpstart on it. Or is it that you require a certain amount of sleep prior?
and then weekend was... mostly ffxiv and few words
But that is neither here nor there, and Hythlodaeus chuckles slightly. ]
It is only that there is such a thing as too much sleep. I wake up rested, my mind racing. Has that not happened to you?
it happens! i just got busy
No, I can't say that it actually has.
[ Because he's liable to get few hours of actual rest and then fill in what he doesn't get with napping. ]
And then word decided to take a hike... I'm back!
But at the answer, he smiles. ]
That is good. It's easier, knowing you don't have to deal with it.
[ The two people who are actually more important to him than himself. Hades, of course, being the first of them. ]
welcome back! i've... had a few rough days so you're goood
Oh? Is there no lecture about how I should attempt a regular sleeping schedule coming henceforth?
oh nooo I hope things are easier!
Far be it from me to lecture you... [ A beat, and his lips curve up. ] When I find something that I believe myself suited to know better, you end up doing what I think it best. Lectures are for Azem.
oh i am partially snowed in so yes
So what you are implying here is that I cater to your whims to the point where you feel as though a lecture is not necessary.
[ Not that he really wants to get up, but Hades does. If anything it's so his dearest friend's leg doesn't fall asleep and tea can be retrieved once more. ]
Though Azem is worthy of lectures. Not that they pay such things any mind.
oh no... our snow falls a lot and melts a lot but partially snowed in sounds a Problem
You do indulge me, that is true. But I do flatter myself that I am rarely entirely selfish, and my whims are often as not good for you, not only for me.
see i wouldn't mind that!
I'm aware, though it wouldn't hurt to be a touch more selfish. Just slightly more from time to time. As much as I hate to admit, you often know my mind better or before I do. I know for a fact that I'd likely be lost without at least you to pull me around. Guide me into places and situations I'd never take the initiative with and all that nonsense.
yeah... I hope you get to be safe despite it!
Why would I be more selfish when I am content? You are near. And when you're happy, it is even better.
[ So, really, one could say making Hades and Azem happy is selfish, too, but Hythlodaeus can live with that definition of selfish. ]
i was!
As if Hades isn't also the same way deep down. But it's only in moments like this that it really shows. ]
Do you realize that you say the sappiest things without even truly being prompted to?
oh good!
He chuckles slightly into his free hand. ]
Oh? Does that mean that if I didn't, you would prompt me to say them?
but now work has been rough :')
I would never. If it was for praise that I had not received but earned, yes. All else? Not every likely!
Nuuu!
Well, then I only can do it without being prompted. But also, Hades... You have earned every sweet word I tell you, and more, all those that overflow my heart and mind every time I think of you.
Re: Nuuu!
This is one of those arguments I am not likely going to win, isn't it?
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Not an argument, hopefully. Merely clarifying a point. I do not wish to argue with you - now, or ever.
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That is inevitable, even if you do not wish it. We've very different personalities.
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Right you are, and yet - that means not we need have differing aims. Does it?
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[ It's just that Hythlodaeus thinks that "bettering the Star" means that he needs to support Hades. Oh no, he's not unaware that his his closest friend's aim. He might not understand it, but knows that it is there. ]
I do not think I'll be leaving tonigt.
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I am glad. Do let me know when you are in want of something to eat, or if you something to do something specific.
[ He'll likely come up with something soon enough, but right now this right here is enough. ]
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And then he promptly flops back onto Hythlodaeus' lap. ]
I am content for the moment. When you decide you are in need, then I suppose I will partake when you do.
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Mm. No appetite, or no desire to go anywhere, even as far as the kitchen?
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Both at the moment. However it's mostly that I'm simply willing to be patient.
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Patient? What is it that you are waiting for, hmm?
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Isn't that obvious? The answer to that is clearly you.
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I am right there.
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I mean that I can wait until as such a time as you are ready to get up and do what you see fit to do.
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Well, then patience you might need to have, though patience usually is reserved for waiting for things you wish for - that I get up is hardly what I think you're looking forward to, exactly.
Or is it?
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[ Or at least consideration of another. Hyth, please. ]
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Nothing to sacrifice, here. Just rest a little more, and then we'll figure out what comes after. Nothing urgent for either of us is... a welcome change, after all.
[ And for all that he does like to egg Hades into doing things that he can do though he technically doesn't have to, he doesn't go looking for such, only uses any that come his way uninvited. ]
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Of course you are being a bit of a brat.
[ He sighs. Waves the other off a bit. ]
My point still stands. Whenever you are ready.
Someone took a wrong turn
His cursed shackles are gone, so one would think that all the bad luck in his life has evaporated. One would, apparently, be wrong.
This is not any place he's been to before and he doesn't recognize any of it. It's quite vibrant and there are people around but they don't really seem to be paying much attention to him until suddenly, someone is in his way and he almost bumps into them.
The person is wearing a long brown robe and a mask, and even with that, Xie Lian can tell they don't look happy.]
'Whose prototype is this? Why is it unregistered? Who let something this powerful outside of their containment area?'
[Xie Lian looks around in confusion but there's no two way around it. That person seems to be talking about... him.]
... Prototype? Ha?
Dianxia, please.
[ The soft, confident voice comes addressing the masked man, but belongs to someone whose face is uncovered, bearing an easy smile. ]
This one is not causing any trouble, now, is it? Let me help a little, if I may?
Ah... if you would be so kind...?
Of course, of course. [ The purple hair inclines in return for the shallow bow, and the amethyst eyes fix on the newcomer, crinkling a little with a smile. ]
Good morrow, I am Hythlodaeus. If you would follow me, I believe we can find a place to talk without alarming people who are merely doing their work...?
He's doing his best
... Excuse me but... where is this? I don't recognize anything and it's definitely not where I was trying to go.
And why did that person call me a prototype?
... to give his husband an impossible heart attack by going missing?
Welcome, my new friend, at the testing ground of creation at Heaven's edge. [ So... the array worked inasmuch as the goal was Heaven, right? A Heaven? ]
It is where new life form concepts are observed to see if they are fit to exist on their own and just about everything needs to have someone responsible for it. That is why the guide back there was upset, for the most part.
[ Hythlodaeus's smile is like the sun. ]
Whether or not the guess about you was correct... or not.
He's not missing, just not where he was supposed to go!
No, I'm not a prototype. I was using a transportation array to go somewhere and I assume something went wrong and it brought me here instead.
... And I've never heard of anything like that in Heaven, and if there was, I would know, so I must have gone really far away from where I meant to go.
[Suddenly, his eyes widen a bit.]
Oh, give me just a second.
[He shakes one of his sleeves, and suddenly a silver butterfly fleets out, and perches on his fingers and he lifts it up to his face.]
Go tell Hua Cheng I'm fine and I'll be home as soon as I can, alright?
[The silver butterfly flaps its wings, and then it suddenly flies off into the sky, leaving behind only the sound of ringing tinkerbells.]
... I'm Xie Lian, by the way.
Called to a higher office
In the past years, she spent most of her time on the road accompanying her master, and she suspects that hasn't helped in that regard but... she does mourn the feeling she used to get when seeing the spires of the city come into view after a long trip. Now, whenever she does see that view, all she can think about is when she will next leave.
And then, for this particular trip there was the project her master talked to her about, the very thing that makes her walk through the streets at a too brisk pace for most of the other people around as she ponders.
It did not come as a surprise. One would have to be extremely inobservant for it to be a surprise, and as much as she is not vain, Achelois knows Venat chose her as her pupil for a reason. A member of the Convocation, and such a renowned one, would not err in choosing the soul they wish to instruct, she thinks. She might still be young compared to others, but no so young that she is unaware of her own abilities and values, all things her master has taken care to hone over their years together. She is confident in what she can do. Still, something of this magnitude... Her master left her some time to think about it, and so, she is thinking.
The city itself might not feel like home anymore, but there are some parts of it that do, and her steps take her naturally to the Bureau of the Architect. And upon being informed that Hythlodaeus is not in right, she juts shrugs and smiles.]
It's alright, I'll just wait for him inside.
[She ignored the fluster and sputter of the employees as she pushes past them to go through the door that lead to her friend's private office. The door still responds to her aether, so at least, it seems like he's not against her dropping by even unannounced.
She glances towards his desk, walks along the bookshelves and trails a finger along the spines of the books, mildly curious about whether he has gotten anything new recently, and then just goes to plop herself in a comfortable chair, hugging her knees while she keeps turning things in her head.
At least, this place is quiet, not like the city outside.]
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Achelois! You are returned!
[ ... and he registers the way she has braced herself and blinks, his joy abating somewhat, banked by concerned. ]
Are you unwell?
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I am fine, I assure you. Hale and hearty. Just a lot on my mind. I figured here would be a good place to sort out my thoughts.
[And then she jumps from the seat and strides towards him.]
I have been gone a moon and a half and I don't even get a hug?
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Of course you do, lovely. Welcome home.
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I might be staying a little longer this time. Mistress Venat has given me leave to not attend her for a little while.
[She almost never calls her 'Azem'. She never got into the habit, and Venat never insisted on it either, and so the personal name stuck.
She takes a step back to look up at him and... well, there's no two way about it, she might as well say it.]
On our trip this time she told me... she wants to retire from the Convocation to go do something else... and she wants to nominate me to take her place.
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[ He holds on as long as she does, and his eyes are smiling - before they widen. ]
I... see.
[ After a moment, he leans in to press a soft kiss to her brow. ]
I am very curious about your thoughts on that, but I will let you collect them and tell them on your own, rather than asking.
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... It's not like I wasn't expecting it. At some point. But not so soon. If she asked, it's because she thinks I am ready, but am I, really?
[And she hardly expected to be the first among them three friends to be asked such a thing.]
Besides, it's not like she is planning to reurn to the star when she retires. Her work is not done. She just does not think she can accomplish it while being on the Convocation.
[It is supposed to be a great honor and a momentous occasion to return to the star, of course, but... She shakes her head. Her years of journeying alongside her master have taught her many things, and one of those things is to ask uncomfortable questions that a lot of people here are not ready to hear.]
She is giving me time to think it over. But I cannot help thinking that every moment I delay my answer, I am keeping her from this work she deems so important that she would abandon her Convocation seat for it.
[No one has ever done that that she can remember. Never has a member of the convocation simply left their duty to go do something else.]
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But that's neither here nor there. ]
Her example notwithstanding, to take up a Seat on the Convocation is still to commit to a path of unshakeable responsibility. Foreseeing it or not, this is not a step to take lightly, so her giving you time to consider is not simply a gesture.
[ ... he may have read more than her on that note. ]
While what she is choosing to do is rare, it is not entirely unique. Hence white robes being worn by those who have retired from office, not only Elidibus.
Mm... let me finish here a little, and we can go out for some food, the two or the three of us as you'd like. No life-changing decisions when you are travel-weary and likely hungry, hmm?
[ He pauses for a moment. ]
She is much older than any of us. Her perspective on time is different. Whatever she will be doing after, she will be needed for it, I am certain, but it is not urgent enough for her to step away from all else without caution.
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[But Hythlodaeus is not wrong. Mistress Venat has been around much longer than they have, and she sees things much farther than Achelois can even imagine.]
I will not say no to food. I could not really bring anything edible back this time.
[And she sounds a bit put upon about that. Truly nothing as funny as feeding Hades some of the stuff she brings back and making him admit he likes it.
Still she looks around, with that weird feeling under her skin again. Here, in this place that belongs to him, she feels welcome and home. But outside the walls, the city is starting to feel strange an alien.
She starts musing out loud almost without noticing.]
I wonder if this was the same for her, when she became Azem. If she also started to feel strange whenever she came back.
[Maybe she should just ask.]
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[ He had a white-robed teacher, at one time. And there are some who do come to Amaurot, at least for a time.
But the question really was rhetorical, wasn't it?
Hythlodaeus catches the flicker in her aether, and tilts his head. While he truly does love cooking for her, right now he doesn't want the interruption that preparing the food would necessitate. ]
Mm. Or we can pick up something on the way and eat at my place. There is always the chance that Hades will come over, but he will probably have enough to say until a time you decide to tell him, and then he will be duly impressed.
[ ... and it occurs to him belatedly that perhaps he isn't acting all that impressed, but... truly, he's just concerned for Achelois. And wants to help.
He will finish quickly, setting his work in order - well, order for him - for tomorrow, and then step in to tuck his hand under her arm. ]
Only she can answer that. Meeeeanwhile, I can do my best to make that a good kind of strange. Ready?
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[He's not wrong, of course, and he is one of the few who would tell this very thing to people to their faces and probabyl not catch too much flak for it, because he is so nice that most people tend to forgive brutal honesty from him.]
I have not really dared ask her what she means to do next. To be honest, I cannot say that she knows herself for sure, but she means to find out. That has always been her way, after all.
[She nods distractedly at the offer to eat at his place instead of going out. It will be just as well. Hythlodaeus's house is one of the few places that still feel like home.]
Do you really think he'll be impressed? Or will he be cross at me for not jumping to the occasion immediately? Or else, if I had answered promptly, he would have berated me for making the decision too quickly, would he not? Really, whatever move I make, he'll find fault with it somehow, and he can only congratulate me after explaining to me all the ways I've gone wrong about this.
[This is how he is, after all, and it can be exhausting at times, and she is less and less inclined to let it slide when he starts doing it. But that's for his own good as well. People forgive Hades a lot because of his impressive gifts, but he truly hasn't made many friends in any of his appointment, with his absurd intolerance of mediocrity in any form.
But once Hylodaeus links arms with her, she leans against him as they walk, looking this way and that at the city and its buildings.]
It's been happening more and more, lately. I was born here, but I find myself... not wanting to come back. This place feels... small, and always looking inwards, and if you were not here, I don't think I would want to come back at all.
[She's been using her residence mostly as a storage unit for what she brings back and a library, but she spends most night at his place when she is in town these days.]
I wonder if this is why she asked me now. She cannot have missed it.
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He also smiles softly. ]
I know he will be impressed. And, because he won't be shocked into the news, I believe he won't put his foot in his mouth. He cares for you, scathing words and missteps notwithstanding.
[ The sweetest smiles he has seen on Hades's face are always for her, and Hythlodaeus is glad to see it.
The rest, however, makes Hythlodaeus eyes squeeze tight behind his mask, while his smile wavers a little. ]
I am sorry to hear that. But while you will be dearly, dearly missed while you are away, if you are happier away from Amaurot, then that is one of the things to do which will keep you from feeling cooped up.
[ And she is ever, ever welcome to him, to his place, for however long she is willing to stay.
... he is also ordering double dessert for
bothall of them. Just in case. ]no subject
I know he cares, but it wouldn't kill him to show a little bit of grace to the people who love him. It's like he is allegic to giving any kind of praise. he puts the bar so high for himself he forgets others cannot be expected to always be at his level.
[And Hythloadaeus in particulat deserves a lot more grace than their friend is giving him.
She may have noticed his reaction to her words, even without seeing his face, and she squeezes his arm.]
I would miss you terribly if I could not see you at all, so you can be assured I will always visit. I've just... lost this feeling of 'home' when I see this city now. Except when I come to see you. If I could just take me with you everywhere... But you have your own duties and I can't expect to be able to pull you from them on my whim. Still, one day, I would want to take you out there. The word is so vast, and there is so much to see, so many people to meet and learn from!
[And now her voice is more animated as she recalls this previous trip, and others before.]
I promise I won't make you look at all the sharks.