Indelible Form

A once beautiful but now terrifyingly gaunt face scanned the land, sunken eyes of jet black peering at each home in an attempt to sense any of the participants that were sick, aged, or wounded.

Seeking out the taste of those about to pass on from life, in order to sustain herself.

"Oh, my. You wretched little thing. Who roused you from your sleep?"

Cronus wrinkled his nose at the scent of undeath, and a full bodied shudder ran along his back from the sight of the miserable thing.

"You were a fine lady, once. I can tell from your rags. Such a pity. I'll end this quickly."

At first she was going to brush off his insistence on replacing it, not wanting to accept anything from him, but feeling a tug in her chest at the thought of losing the brooch. So instead she simply clasped her hands together with the intention of walking away from him.

His question had her pausing, stopping and staring at the plants in front of them for a long moment before turning to look at him.

"You mean... feeding off the plants?" she asked, sounding as though she hadn't even considered such a thing before.

A once beautiful but now terrifyingly gaunt face scanned the land, sunken eyes of jet black peering at each home in an attempt to sense any of the participants that were sick, aged, or wounded.

Seeking out the taste of those about to pass on from life, in order to sustain herself.

"Oh, my. You wretched little thing. Who roused you from your sleep?"

Cronus wrinkled his nose at the scent of undeath, and a full bodied shudder ran along his back from the sight of the miserable thing.

"You were a fine lady, once. I can tell from your rags. Such a pity. I'll end this quickly."

"And I am Odyssey, Former Ash Priestess and Guardian of the Umbra Forest! Just because I was cut down and brought back as this fucking... thing... does not mean I will tolerate your rudeness!" she snarled back. "I have devoured people far more important than you ever since I was stuffed back into this fucking body."

Her chest heaved, and she glared at him for a beat longer before closing her eyes with a heavy sigh. Counting to five in her head, she settled herself before looking towards him again.

Manners were something she hadn't used in years, but she suspected she was going to have to brush the dust off of them if she wanted another proper feeding from him. She was loathe to say 'I'm sorry' out loud just yet, however, so instead...

He blinked, staring down at the brooch for a moment before looking up sharply to meet her gaze.

"What are you doing?" He demanded, planting his fists on his hips, "What even is this?"

“It’s not like I can use it anymore,” she muttered, huffing. “This school of magic is cut off to me now. And…” Fuck, he was really going to make her say it…? “…and I may have acted childishly out of spite for being locked up all night.”

A once beautiful but now terrifyingly gaunt face scanned the land, sunken eyes of jet black peering at each home in an attempt to sense any of the participants that were sick, aged, or wounded.

Seeking out the taste of those about to pass on from life, in order to sustain herself.

"Oh, my. You wretched little thing. Who roused you from your sleep?"

Cronus wrinkled his nose at the scent of undeath, and a full bodied shudder ran along his back from the sight of the miserable thing.

"You were a fine lady, once. I can tell from your rags. Such a pity. I'll end this quickly."

"And I am Odyssey, Former Ash Priestess and Guardian of the Umbra Forest! Just because I was cut down and brought back as this fucking... thing... does not mean I will tolerate your rudeness!" she snarled back. "I have devoured people far more important than you ever since I was stuffed back into this fucking body."

Her chest heaved, and she glared at him for a beat longer before closing her eyes with a heavy sigh. Counting to five in her head, she settled herself before looking towards him again.

Manners were something she hadn't used in years, but she suspected she was going to have to brush the dust off of them if she wanted another proper feeding from him. She was loathe to say 'I'm sorry' out loud just yet, however, so instead...

A once beautiful but now terrifyingly gaunt face scanned the land, sunken eyes of jet black peering at each home in an attempt to sense any of the participants that were sick, aged, or wounded.

Seeking out the taste of those about to pass on from life, in order to sustain herself.

"Oh, my. You wretched little thing. Who roused you from your sleep?"

Cronus wrinkled his nose at the scent of undeath, and a full bodied shudder ran along his back from the sight of the miserable thing.

"You were a fine lady, once. I can tell from your rags. Such a pity. I'll end this quickly."

Then slowly, it raised two fingers.

The knock had her twitching, and she looked at it for a moment before looking back to the Lares. Giving it a silent nod of understanding, she offered a ghost of a smile.

That could be useful.

She rubbed the spot on her chest that had ached, that odd feeling that had risen up when she'd learned the spirit was miserable. Then she eyed the door, and smiled secretly. Wandering over to tug carefully on the handle.

Cronus would wake to find his temple in a mild state of chaos. Odyssey had put her magic to work to mess with him as much as she could.

Having found a library, she made it a point to not only turn all the books around so their spines faced inward, but they were now organized by size from biggest to smallest.

All moveable furniture in every room she'd been able to get into was now adhered to the ceiling in the exact arrangement it had been on the ground, and all sweet foods now strangely tasted extremely sour, and vice versa.

Each and every painting was hung upside down, and all the sculptures were turned to face the walls as though they were in time out. Also, every single plant was now a vivid, unnaturally bright blue. Even the leaves.

He sat up, and stretched, rinsed his dry mouth with a sip of water from the cup at his bedside, then he'd gone into his washroom to clean his teeth and apply his make up, a ritual as sacred to him as the anointing of oils.

It was in there that he found one of his favorite paintings turned upside down, and the potter flowers beside his plant an ugly, unnatural blue.

At first he couldn't figure out the source of the chaos, but once he stormed to Oddyssey's rooms and found them empty, he let out a roar that shook the temple.

He found her in the Garden, his two buntings hovering around her and coveting her long black hair for their nest.

"You Gracelesss, odious little beast!" Cronus snarled, advancing on odyssey, "I suppose I shouldn't be surprised. You can bring an animal indoors without expecting it to make a mess."

He hissed out the last word, his pretty faced twisted into an ugly look of contempt.

She turned to watch him with a bored expression on her face, not showing an ounce of fear in the face of his rage. “Mmm… is this the part where I’m supposed to quiver and shake and beg your forgiveness?” she asked, turning her attention back to the birds and canting her head towards them again. “I’m afraid I’m not one for begging.”

Wearing a genuinely fond smile as she watched them nip strands of hair free, then immediately dropping the smile as she looked back towards him again. “In regards to your question, however…” Her bland expression shifted to a grin of utter delight. “Yes, I enjoyed myself quite thoroughly! How did you like the sour grapes, and the sweet limes?”

"You are going to set right everything you did wrong!" Cronus growled, "Or you and I are going to have a far more intimate conversation."

He stopped, then, considering his words.

“I wasn’t aware you ate ‘dead things’,” she snarked, her eyes narrowing as she felt the delicious hum of his lifeforce start feeding into her immediately. “For someone who claims to be put off by corpses, you seem quite keen to put your hands on me. I am not some doll you can drag around wherever you wish.”

A once beautiful but now terrifyingly gaunt face scanned the land, sunken eyes of jet black peering at each home in an attempt to sense any of the participants that were sick, aged, or wounded.

Seeking out the taste of those about to pass on from life, in order to sustain herself.

"Oh, my. You wretched little thing. Who roused you from your sleep?"

Cronus wrinkled his nose at the scent of undeath, and a full bodied shudder ran along his back from the sight of the miserable thing.

"You were a fine lady, once. I can tell from your rags. Such a pity. I'll end this quickly."

Then slowly, it raised two fingers.

The knock had her twitching, and she looked at it for a moment before looking back to the Lares. Giving it a silent nod of understanding, she offered a ghost of a smile.

That could be useful.

She rubbed the spot on her chest that had ached, that odd feeling that had risen up when she'd learned the spirit was miserable. Then she eyed the door, and smiled secretly. Wandering over to tug carefully on the handle.

Cronus would wake to find his temple in a mild state of chaos. Odyssey had put her magic to work to mess with him as much as she could.

Having found a library, she made it a point to not only turn all the books around so their spines faced inward, but they were now organized by size from biggest to smallest.

All moveable furniture in every room she'd been able to get into was now adhered to the ceiling in the exact arrangement it had been on the ground, and all sweet foods now strangely tasted extremely sour, and vice versa.

Each and every painting was hung upside down, and all the sculptures were turned to face the walls as though they were in time out. Also, every single plant was now a vivid, unnaturally bright blue. Even the leaves.

He sat up, and stretched, rinsed his dry mouth with a sip of water from the cup at his bedside, then he'd gone into his washroom to clean his teeth and apply his make up, a ritual as sacred to him as the anointing of oils.

It was in there that he found one of his favorite paintings turned upside down, and the potter flowers beside his plant an ugly, unnatural blue.

At first he couldn't figure out the source of the chaos, but once he stormed to Oddyssey's rooms and found them empty, he let out a roar that shook the temple.

He found her in the Garden, his two buntings hovering around her and coveting her long black hair for their nest.

"You Gracelesss, odious little beast!" Cronus snarled, advancing on odyssey, "I suppose I shouldn't be surprised. You can bring an animal indoors without expecting it to make a mess."

He hissed out the last word, his pretty faced twisted into an ugly look of contempt.

She turned to watch him with a bored expression on her face, not showing an ounce of fear in the face of his rage. “Mmm… is this the part where I’m supposed to quiver and shake and beg your forgiveness?” she asked, turning her attention back to the birds and canting her head towards them again. “I’m afraid I’m not one for begging.”

Wearing a genuinely fond smile as she watched them nip strands of hair free, then immediately dropping the smile as she looked back towards him again. “In regards to your question, however…” Her bland expression shifted to a grin of utter delight. “Yes, I enjoyed myself quite thoroughly! How did you like the sour grapes, and the sweet limes?”

A once beautiful but now terrifyingly gaunt face scanned the land, sunken eyes of jet black peering at each home in an attempt to sense any of the participants that were sick, aged, or wounded.

Seeking out the taste of those about to pass on from life, in order to sustain herself.

"Oh, my. You wretched little thing. Who roused you from your sleep?"

Cronus wrinkled his nose at the scent of undeath, and a full bodied shudder ran along his back from the sight of the miserable thing.

"You were a fine lady, once. I can tell from your rags. Such a pity. I'll end this quickly."

Then slowly, it raised two fingers.

The knock had her twitching, and she looked at it for a moment before looking back to the Lares. Giving it a silent nod of understanding, she offered a ghost of a smile.

That could be useful.

She rubbed the spot on her chest that had ached, that odd feeling that had risen up when she'd learned the spirit was miserable. Then she eyed the door, and smiled secretly. Wandering over to tug carefully on the handle.

Cronus would wake to find his temple in a mild state of chaos. Odyssey had put her magic to work to mess with him as much as she could.

Having found a library, she made it a point to not only turn all the books around so their spines faced inward, but they were now organized by size from biggest to smallest.

All moveable furniture in every room she'd been able to get into was now adhered to the ceiling in the exact arrangement it had been on the ground, and all sweet foods now strangely tasted extremely sour, and vice versa.

Each and every painting was hung upside down, and all the sculptures were turned to face the walls as though they were in time out. Also, every single plant was now a vivid, unnaturally bright blue. Even the leaves.

A once beautiful but now terrifyingly gaunt face scanned the land, sunken eyes of jet black peering at each home in an attempt to sense any of the participants that were sick, aged, or wounded.

Seeking out the taste of those about to pass on from life, in order to sustain herself.

"Oh, my. You wretched little thing. Who roused you from your sleep?"

Cronus wrinkled his nose at the scent of undeath, and a full bodied shudder ran along his back from the sight of the miserable thing.

"You were a fine lady, once. I can tell from your rags. Such a pity. I'll end this quickly."

Then slowly, it raised two fingers.

The knock had her twitching, and she looked at it for a moment before looking back to the Lares. Giving it a silent nod of understanding, she offered a ghost of a smile.

That could be useful.

She rubbed the spot on her chest that had ached, that odd feeling that had risen up when she'd learned the spirit was miserable. Then she eyed the door, and smiled secretly. Wandering over to tug carefully on the handle.

A once beautiful but now terrifyingly gaunt face scanned the land, sunken eyes of jet black peering at each home in an attempt to sense any of the participants that were sick, aged, or wounded.

Seeking out the taste of those about to pass on from life, in order to sustain herself.

"Oh, my. You wretched little thing. Who roused you from your sleep?"

Cronus wrinkled his nose at the scent of undeath, and a full bodied shudder ran along his back from the sight of the miserable thing.

"You were a fine lady, once. I can tell from your rags. Such a pity. I'll end this quickly."

Then slowly, it raised two fingers.

The knock had her twitching, and she looked at it for a moment before looking back to the Lares. Giving it a silent nod of understanding, she offered a ghost of a smile.

A once beautiful but now terrifyingly gaunt face scanned the land, sunken eyes of jet black peering at each home in an attempt to sense any of the participants that were sick, aged, or wounded.

Seeking out the taste of those about to pass on from life, in order to sustain herself.

"Oh, my. You wretched little thing. Who roused you from your sleep?"

Cronus wrinkled his nose at the scent of undeath, and a full bodied shudder ran along his back from the sight of the miserable thing.

"You were a fine lady, once. I can tell from your rags. Such a pity. I'll end this quickly."

"I mean, that was technically answering a question, so I would argue the first one applies too, even without words."

She stood there and studied the creature once more, debating and weighing and thinking. There was a very good chance this may be the only chance she had to question the creature, if they reported back to Cronus after this. So she had to make sure the questions were vital.

"...is his power truly limitless, or could he be injured or killed if he loses too much?"

It was very still for a very long time before it looked at her.

Wordlessly, it hovered over to a counter where a pitcher. of cucumber ice water had been set out for the guest. The Lares took the pitcher and held it up, looking at Odd, then at the pitcher.

Then, it went toward the bathroom, and dumped the entirety of the water down then drain.

"So, he can be emptied, then," she muttered. "It's just a question of if I can reach full strength before he runs out. Probably safer to do it in stages." Eventually she looked up at the Lares again. "...is he a kind man? I know he's sour with me, but I attribute that for now to the fact that I've been snacking on his people the last month or so."

And then two fingers rose again.

Answering both her questions.

The lares had seen far too much to ever call Cronus kind.

A once beautiful but now terrifyingly gaunt face scanned the land, sunken eyes of jet black peering at each home in an attempt to sense any of the participants that were sick, aged, or wounded.

Seeking out the taste of those about to pass on from life, in order to sustain herself.

"Oh, my. You wretched little thing. Who roused you from your sleep?"

Cronus wrinkled his nose at the scent of undeath, and a full bodied shudder ran along his back from the sight of the miserable thing.

"You were a fine lady, once. I can tell from your rags. Such a pity. I'll end this quickly."

"I mean, that was technically answering a question, so I would argue the first one applies too, even without words."

She stood there and studied the creature once more, debating and weighing and thinking. There was a very good chance this may be the only chance she had to question the creature, if they reported back to Cronus after this. So she had to make sure the questions were vital.

"...is his power truly limitless, or could he be injured or killed if he loses too much?"

It was very still for a very long time before it looked at her.

Wordlessly, it hovered over to a counter where a pitcher. of cucumber ice water had been set out for the guest. The Lares took the pitcher and held it up, looking at Odd, then at the pitcher.

Then, it went toward the bathroom, and dumped the entirety of the water down then drain.

"So, he can be emptied, then," she muttered. "It's just a question of if I can reach full strength before he runs out. Probably safer to do it in stages." Eventually she looked up at the Lares again. "...is he a kind man? I know he's sour with me, but I attribute that for now to the fact that I've been snacking on his people the last month or so."

A once beautiful but now terrifyingly gaunt face scanned the land, sunken eyes of jet black peering at each home in an attempt to sense any of the participants that were sick, aged, or wounded.

Seeking out the taste of those about to pass on from life, in order to sustain herself.

"Oh, my. You wretched little thing. Who roused you from your sleep?"

Cronus wrinkled his nose at the scent of undeath, and a full bodied shudder ran along his back from the sight of the miserable thing.

"You were a fine lady, once. I can tell from your rags. Such a pity. I'll end this quickly."

"I mean, that was technically answering a question, so I would argue the first one applies too, even without words."

She stood there and studied the creature once more, debating and weighing and thinking. There was a very good chance this may be the only chance she had to question the creature, if they reported back to Cronus after this. So she had to make sure the questions were vital.

"...is his power truly limitless, or could he be injured or killed if he loses too much?"

A once beautiful but now terrifyingly gaunt face scanned the land, sunken eyes of jet black peering at each home in an attempt to sense any of the participants that were sick, aged, or wounded.

Seeking out the taste of those about to pass on from life, in order to sustain herself.

"Oh, my. You wretched little thing. Who roused you from your sleep?"

Cronus wrinkled his nose at the scent of undeath, and a full bodied shudder ran along his back from the sight of the miserable thing.

"You were a fine lady, once. I can tell from your rags. Such a pity. I'll end this quickly."

"Mm... interesting question," she mused, tapping a thin finger against her lower lip. "Purple and red are both deeply appealing, but... I think I would have to cast my vote to blue," she eventually answered.

He lead her past three rooms then paused and flung open the door, revealing the room within.

The room was adorned in blue and copper, a blue area rug beneath the blue canopy bed, a chandelier with amber colored stones hanging overhead, a pillar with living fish and plants swimming through to one side of the room.

She remained at the door, however, looking over the interior with a growing frown on her face. Eventually she looked up at him, disapproval heavy on her face.

“So… you just have multiple rooms decorated in custom colour schemes, waiting to be assigned to guests?” she asked, looking back towards the room. “I hope you spoil your people as much as you do yourself.”

Stepping into the room, she looked around once more before spinning to face him, flashing a smirk as she grabbed the doors. “Otherwise, I may have to devour them to save them from living in poverty while the god-king lounges on his throne,” she crooned before shutting the doors in his face.

Downside? That was a lot of time to be bored in when there wasn't anything to do. She really should have asked for those books or puzzles offered to her.

She'd tried to get to the plants and fish in the aquarium, but they were far too well protected, which had left her to wander and poke around the room and search for entertainment itself. The bathroom was lovely, but she'd already cleaned up and she had no use for it otherwise.

There were still a couple hours before sunrise, so she did the only thing she could think of for entertainment. She called on one of those servants he mentioned beforehand, the Lares.

The Lares knocked before entering, drifting forward slowly.

Sniffing sharply, she stalked around the being for a moment before coming to stop in front of it.

A once beautiful but now terrifyingly gaunt face scanned the land, sunken eyes of jet black peering at each home in an attempt to sense any of the participants that were sick, aged, or wounded.

Seeking out the taste of those about to pass on from life, in order to sustain herself.

"Oh, my. You wretched little thing. Who roused you from your sleep?"

Cronus wrinkled his nose at the scent of undeath, and a full bodied shudder ran along his back from the sight of the miserable thing.

"You were a fine lady, once. I can tell from your rags. Such a pity. I'll end this quickly."

"Mm... interesting question," she mused, tapping a thin finger against her lower lip. "Purple and red are both deeply appealing, but... I think I would have to cast my vote to blue," she eventually answered.

He lead her past three rooms then paused and flung open the door, revealing the room within.

The room was adorned in blue and copper, a blue area rug beneath the blue canopy bed, a chandelier with amber colored stones hanging overhead, a pillar with living fish and plants swimming through to one side of the room.

She remained at the door, however, looking over the interior with a growing frown on her face. Eventually she looked up at him, disapproval heavy on her face.

“So… you just have multiple rooms decorated in custom colour schemes, waiting to be assigned to guests?” she asked, looking back towards the room. “I hope you spoil your people as much as you do yourself.”

Stepping into the room, she looked around once more before spinning to face him, flashing a smirk as she grabbed the doors. “Otherwise, I may have to devour them to save them from living in poverty while the god-king lounges on his throne,” she crooned before shutting the doors in his face.

Downside? That was a lot of time to be bored in when there wasn't anything to do. She really should have asked for those books or puzzles offered to her.

She'd tried to get to the plants and fish in the aquarium, but they were far too well protected, which had left her to wander and poke around the room and search for entertainment itself. The bathroom was lovely, but she'd already cleaned up and she had no use for it otherwise.

There were still a couple hours before sunrise, so she did the only thing she could think of for entertainment. She called on one of those servants he mentioned beforehand, the Lares.

A once beautiful but now terrifyingly gaunt face scanned the land, sunken eyes of jet black peering at each home in an attempt to sense any of the participants that were sick, aged, or wounded.

Seeking out the taste of those about to pass on from life, in order to sustain herself.

"Oh, my. You wretched little thing. Who roused you from your sleep?"

Cronus wrinkled his nose at the scent of undeath, and a full bodied shudder ran along his back from the sight of the miserable thing.

"You were a fine lady, once. I can tell from your rags. Such a pity. I'll end this quickly."

"Mm... interesting question," she mused, tapping a thin finger against her lower lip. "Purple and red are both deeply appealing, but... I think I would have to cast my vote to blue," she eventually answered.

He lead her past three rooms then paused and flung open the door, revealing the room within.

The room was adorned in blue and copper, a blue area rug beneath the blue canopy bed, a chandelier with amber colored stones hanging overhead, a pillar with living fish and plants swimming through to one side of the room.

She remained at the door, however, looking over the interior with a growing frown on her face. Eventually she looked up at him, disapproval heavy on her face.

“So… you just have multiple rooms decorated in custom colour schemes, waiting to be assigned to guests?” she asked, looking back towards the room. “I hope you spoil your people as much as you do yourself.”

Stepping into the room, she looked around once more before spinning to face him, flashing a smirk as she grabbed the doors. “Otherwise, I may have to devour them to save them from living in poverty while the god-king lounges on his throne,” she crooned before shutting the doors in his face.

A once beautiful but now terrifyingly gaunt face scanned the land, sunken eyes of jet black peering at each home in an attempt to sense any of the participants that were sick, aged, or wounded.

Seeking out the taste of those about to pass on from life, in order to sustain herself.

"Oh, my. You wretched little thing. Who roused you from your sleep?"

Cronus wrinkled his nose at the scent of undeath, and a full bodied shudder ran along his back from the sight of the miserable thing.

"You were a fine lady, once. I can tell from your rags. Such a pity. I'll end this quickly."

"Mm... interesting question," she mused, tapping a thin finger against her lower lip. "Purple and red are both deeply appealing, but... I think I would have to cast my vote to blue," she eventually answered.

A once beautiful but now terrifyingly gaunt face scanned the land, sunken eyes of jet black peering at each home in an attempt to sense any of the participants that were sick, aged, or wounded.

Seeking out the taste of those about to pass on from life, in order to sustain herself.

"Oh, my. You wretched little thing. Who roused you from your sleep?"

Cronus wrinkled his nose at the scent of undeath, and a full bodied shudder ran along his back from the sight of the miserable thing.

"You were a fine lady, once. I can tell from your rags. Such a pity. I'll end this quickly."

The loss of the warmth was more devastating than the loss of magic, already feeling her limbs beginning to chill once more. Clasping her hands together, she stared at her fingers, noting that just the tips were black now, then looked up at him again.

A calculating look in her eyes as she studied his chest, curious to see if any actual damage had been done to him. Wanting to know just how deep his well ran.

"Overthrown... Mm, that is a fate I know well," she muttered, flexing her fingers a couple times before gathering her skirts up and offering him a curtsy that was just shy of mocking. "I thank you for the delightful meal."

The hair twisted and twined in on itself, becoming a ring.

"Put this on." he told her, placing it in her palm.

"Well, that was certainly easier than expected. From this day forth, you cannot harm another human. This ring will tear you to pieces with rose thorns if you try it. It's rather lovely, if I do say so myself."

He smiled and patted Odyssey's cheek.

She continued staring at him even as he patted her cheek, then her hand snaked up to snatch hold of his wrist before he could pull away. Not only trying to leech a bit more power from him, but displaying her increased strength from feeding on him as she did her best to keep his hand there.

All the good humor leeched from Cronus face, his eyes growing distant and cold. Reptilian.

In an instant, his body was engulfed in flames that seemed to leap from his very skin. Searing, hungry flames that would burn but not catch.

And then let go. He was still stronger than her. For now.

"We shall see," she breathed, taking a single, graceful step backwards. Calling on her magic, she almost shuddered as she felt it respond, a feeling she hadn't felt in ages. Not nearly as strong as she wanted, but she could reach it, and that was a step forward.

With a wave of her hand, her skin shifted colour: still pale, but rather than the blue tint of death, she now carried a soft, warm blush to her skin. Her eyes changed from solid black to proper white sclera and a dark brown iris.