#voidalbound

Even though Hythlodaeus had turned down the offer to take the seat of Emet-Selch, a seat he had happily relinquished to his dear friend Hades, he still accepted the offer to become Chief of the Bureau of the Architect. It was a task that brought a lot of joy to him, he could spend hours going through the various concepts his friends and colleagues submitted to him, in fact, he enjoyed it so much that he often lost sleep over it, staying awake all night, so in awe over the creativity his fellow ancients possessed.

This night should be no different. A smile tugged at the corner of his lips as he read the concept in his hands, amused by the drawings attached to it. Another shark concept. This one with wings? How very peculiar and delightful, there was no way Hythlodaeus would deny this being from coming into existence. When they had two-legged versions, why not a winged version? He was just about to sign the paper when he noticed a small gust of wind, threatening to blow the papers off his desk.

And when he lifted his head he saw a person cowering on the ground in the darkest corner of his office. Strange. They had not come through his door or window, neither had been opened, instead Hythlodaeus saw the glimpse of what seemed to be a portal closing behind them. An intruder?

The lavender-haired man rose to his feet, slowly approaching the person on the ground, head tilted to the side in curiosity. For the first time in his life he felt like his soul sight was betraying him. He had seen lots of familiars before, he had seen some with strong aether and others with rather weak aether, but this was something new entirely. The aether of his new guest almost looked.. black. It was an alarming thought, but Hythlodaeus knelt down nevertheless, smiling gently as he offered his hand to the new arrival.

@voidalbound

Bracing himself for rejection— something that was all too common coming from the castle's knights when he begged them to bend the rules for him— Mephisto shuffled his feet and looked away. But when he heard the unfamiliar knight give their answer, the Troian prince perked up like a flower in bloom, grinning from ear to ear as he reached out to take the offered cloak. Finally, he could go on a little adventure, even if it was a short one.

"You have my eternal gratitude," he whispered excitedly, looking as if he had been swallowed up by the garment as he swiftly donned it. "Most aren't brave enough to indulge my requests, but you clearly aren't like the rest. ...I think I like you already."

He looked around, eyes scanning his surroundings for any eavesdroppers, then quickly tucked his telltale snowy curls behind his ears and out of sight, tugging forward on the cloak's hood for good measure. And when the swordsperson began to lead the way, Mephisto followed so close he risked tripping upon the other's heels. Maybe, just maybe, if he stayed close enough to them, he could pass off as a cape billowing behind them.

{ @voidalbound | con't }

Zero stares at this ‘sponge silkie’, a creature that is a mouse but also isn’t, if the aether they tasted was to go by anything. “It is a rat.” They point out, almost in an obvious manner. “That tastes as though it is made of soap and water.”

"... I mean, technically the creature is the little poof on the tail, the rat is just a distraction." At least according to Nanamo and the palace servants. They held onto the wiggling creature, poking at the poof in question. "It's a lot cuter than the big version and keeps my clothes clean while traveling! At least the ones that aren't too delicate and don't come with me."

"On the contrary, I do not believe I've read enough fables!" Mephisto answered as he scattered another handful of seeds to the birds gathered around his feet. "So many stories, and so precious little time to spend reading them all. 'Tis a shame that they aren't true."

Grabbing another handful from his birdseed-stuffed pockets, he held it out, grinning at Asteria as he waited for them to take it. "Here, give it a try now, and you'll see. There's something about being surrounded by a flock of songbirds that makes you feel as if you've set foot in a faerietale, and that any moment, they'll reveal their true forms and bestow a reward upon you for feeding them. A childish thought, I know, but it's..."

@voidalbound

@voidalbound

Worry was so openly expressed in the glowing lilac eyes of Hythlodaeus, both for his new companion, but also for the poor Ancient that had just been knocked down on his ass. It was an act of self-defense and the scythe looked very intimidating and dangerous, but luckily it had not been used to spill any blood.

“I am sorry, they meant no harm, they are still very new to this”, Hythlodaeus tried to explain while helping the Ancient back to his feet, and all he could do was make clumsy excuses as he tried to explain Zero’s behavior before sending this man on his way. Hythlodaeus really hoped this encounter wouldn’t have any further consequences.

His gaze follows that of his companion, upwards, to the sky, and even though the previous situation left him tense, he couldn’t help but smile warmly at their words. He doubted that many Ancients still paid attention to the light of the stars and stopped in awe of it. Still he would have to talk about what just happened.

“Zero”, he says softly, walking up to them to stand by their side almost protectively, shielding them from other Ancients walking past.