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[weenwoon]

Hythlodaeus

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[weenwoon]

Hythlodaeus didn't expect such a candid answer: he would have thought his friend to hide some more behind his blustering. But, he reminds himself, Hades has gone through much. Perhaps there simply isn't a need for hiding his thoughts and feelings anymore.

He remembers Hades crying for his mortal children he's had to watch go. Losing others he loved must have been no less painful. He... really has been alone for a very, very long time.

"Hades."

Hythlodaeus reaches out with a smile to brush his fingers against his friend's hand.

"What do you want to do?"

[emet_sulk]

Don't look at me like that, he thinks desperately. Don't look at me like you know what I want or what I'm thinking.

His fingers twitch. He curls them in and pulls his hand away.

"It isn't fair to ask it of you."

[weenwoon]

"Mm? You think I will refuse?"

He sounds amused - not at Hades's reluctance itself, but at the idea that there is anything his friend could (or would) ask that would make Hythlodaeus uncomfortable.

He stretches his arm out further to simply poke at Hades's curled fingers. Nowhere is safe!

"You have been away from me too long."

[emet_sulk]

"'Tis still a selfish request."

He shoves his hand in his lap this time and hides his face by taking a sip of wine. Maybe if he's a little drunk, this will go more easily.

"Today has been enough. Truly."

[weenwoon]

Unfortunately for Hades, that sly look is absolutely not leaving Hythlodaeus's face. He knows enough to interpret those words as an admission that he wants something more than taking some pictures and having a meal together.

"Hmmm? But I was promised that you still have some... private plans for later."

[emet_sulk]

Ah. Hades' gaze becomes evasive as he mumbles into his glass.

"I thought I could...play some music for you for once. Or something to that effect. I tried my hand at strings and the piano."

[weenwoon]

--Oh. That's not what Hythlodaeus expected, and it catches him off guard. It's a sweet thought, and very characteristic of his friend.

Hythlodaeus looks down for a moment, feeling his cheeks grow a little pinker.

"I... would really like to hear that, in truth."

[emet_sulk]

He relaxes slightly and lowers his wine now that Hythlodaeus is not fixated on teasing him.

"Mm. I purchased a violin recently... I know some pieces from various eras of our star. I can play some for you."

[weenwoon]

The atmosphere a little more relaxed now, Hythlodaeus takes a sip of his own Crab Rave, a smile rising to his lips.

"I would be happy to compare them to the ones I know. 'Tis a bit of a pity the rifts never brought another bard from our star here."

(He doesn't know about the Exarch.)

[emet_sulk]

"Ah... They did. That red-haired miqo'te you may have seen about. Although he is more of a scholar than a bard, in my estimation."

At this point, their food arrives as well. Hades waits until the waiter has set their dishes down and backed away before resuming.

"He has a fair singing voice, I suppose. But we have a complicated relationship."

[weenwoon]

Hythlodaeus looks surprised at that, almost forgetting his drink. That man is an inhabitant of their star? And a bard?

But before he asks about the rest, he has an important question.

"You don't like his singing better than mine, do you?"

[emet_sulk]

He chokes a little on the first bite of his food. After his coughing fit is done, he says, "Between you and him, I definitely prefer yours."

[weenwoon]

Hythlodaeus can't help chuckling at the reaction. It wasn't that strange a question, was it?

"Good. I would have been quite hurt otherwise!" He quips, moving his plates closer. Hmm, what to start with... Maybe the pasta while it's still hot.

"Where do the complications come from, then?"

[emet_sulk]

"He..." Hades hesitates. To say that it's an awkward situation is an understatement - although the Exarch does seem content to extend an olive branch of sorts to him these days.

"He, ah... Had a part in my death."

[weenwoon]

Ah, and now it's Hythlodaeus's turn to choke on his mouthful. (What a pair they make.)

"W-Well," he wheezes once he can breathe again, "that's certainly complicated..."

Calming down a little, he sighs, poking at his food.

"Goodness, he seemed a rather nice person, too. Now I am uncertain how to view him."

[emet_sulk]

"...He is a nice person. We simply happened to have conflicting views on what was best for the star."

The Exarch would probably enjoy his friend's company. They had similar interests and personalities, but not so similar that it would be grating.

"I think you and he would have been fast friends in another lifetime. You still could be in this one."

[weenwoon]

Hythlodaeus tips his head to the side thoughtfully. He would not be averse to it, really, but it's still a little strange to think of befriending someone who contributed to Hades's demise.

(At the same time, after those millennia of suffering, would death not be a relief?..)

"... You seem to hold him in some regard."

Despite everything, none of Hades's words about the Exarch bore any signs of enmity. Perhaps that is what he meant by 'complicated'?

[emet_sulk]

Hades sighs, picking at his food.

"He and his cohort somehow managed to create time and intershard travel. Had he deigned to share it, we might have avoided further unnecessary bloodshed and done away with the catastrophic Rejoinings entirely. But...of course, he did not trust me then. Even now he hasn't divulged the secret. I'm sure he knows I would use the knowledge to return to that moment in the ancient past before our demise."

[weenwoon]

Hythlodaeus looks down as well. The mood has certainly turned somber, but it is a conversation they need to have at one point, even if they both have been concentrating on their daily lives instead. For Hythlodaeus himself, he still cannot bring himself to believe that such calamity would befall their people.

"I... would do the same. I want to save our people."

[emet_sulk]

"Indeed. Who wouldn't?"

Venat and her cohort. She can dress it up how she likes, but she erased their people, history, culture - everything - in favour of the star.

He says more softly, "I wish you hadn't given your life back then."

[weenwoon]

He's silent for a moment, unsure of what to say. To him, that sacrifice is yet to come; would he be able to make a different choice?..

"If I knew that it would be futile... mayhap I would not have. Mayhap we could have spent the remaining time until the Sundering together."

He sighs, idly tracing patterns in his pasta with the fork.

"I cannot say for certain, of course, but I must have thought that I would be reunited with you and Azem eventually. One way or another."

[emet_sulk]

"You had too much faith in me," he mutters. "In us. In the end, I couldn't bring you nor our people back. I could only entrust the future of our star to Azem's successor and return to the sunless sea with you."

This isn't what he wanted to discuss over dinner, but he supposes it had to come up at some point. Even if Hades himself doesn't know the full story, having only heard it second-hand from the Exarch.

A heavy sigh. He starts taking a small mouthful of food. "I would say it was a waste if not for the fact that the star endures. I suppose I cannot be resentful of that."

[weenwoon]

"Mm."

Hythlodaeus looks uncharacteristically thoughtful. The star endures... but it is no longer their star. He doesn't know how to feel about it, having never seen the new world for himself. It could perhaps be fun, in the way this world is, but not as a replacement for his home. Their home.

Ah well, if he thinks about this too much he'll spoil his appetite.

"But I am glad to hear that we were reunited in the end. And who knows, mayhap our next selves will meet Azem's successor as well."

[emet_sulk]

"I hope not. I'm sure I would prefer an uneventful life," he retorts. It lacks the usual bite though. He, too, wonders what the star will choose his next life to be. Someone born into status? A pauper? Will he lead an unremarkable life, as he says, and die forgotten? The thought makes him sigh. After centuries spent burdened with the hopes and dreams of his brethren, it is a bittersweet feeling to set them down.

"Enough of this dour talk. I would like to enjoy my dinner."

[weenwoon]

That's true enough; they're meant to be enjoying this outing, aren't they?

So Hythlodaeus's next move is to reach out with his fork to snag a piece of Hades's food.

"Can I try yours?"

(Of course, he only asks after.)