Gathering. (Pt. VIII) (or... Pt. 8, for Egyptians)

[sia_dot_com]

The last beats of the song to which they danced ended in the sweet, slow draw of a solo violin. Sia dipped his goddess deeply over his arm, his hands strong and supporting. She was beautiful, graceful, strong... Everything he found desirable

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[melinoe_dotcom]

She was watching, but she wasn't watching Thanatos and the Egyptian Death. Meilinoe had been watching her mother...and Hades. Softly softly calm the tiger.

He'd felt uncomfortable around her.

There had been a moment where she was considering making her excuses and heading home. She still had the last chapter of a Nabokov to finish. However, it appeared that before she'd found her chance, everyone else had taken theirs and had left. Now there was just the Celtic goddess, Flidais, remaining.

"Death and Death. Yes, they are quite an interesting pair. Do you know Thanatos well?"

[flidais_dot_com]

Flidais nods and focuses on the goddess to her side.

"I've only met him recently but I am glad that I did. It's been such a pleasure to consider him my friend."

She glances in the direction that Than and Neph went off in.

"Thanatos seemed quite taken with her and she with him. I'd be thrilled for them both if they became a couple."

[melinoe_dotcom]

"He's...nice. He reads a lot of interesting books. If you have any interest in poetry or fiction, you should borrow some of his books. I still have to return some"

Meilinoe tucked her hair behind her ears.

"It could be the occupational link. He's never usually so...warming to people, as far as my experiences with him go"

[flidais_dot_com]

"Perhaps you are right and that common bond will be the base of a beautiful relationship."

Flidais smiles just a little, feeling in an oddly romantic mood tonight.

"I'd just like one of my friends to be in a happy relationship, preferabley one that lasts more than a few weeks."

A glass of wine appears in Flidais' hand as she glances at the other party goers.

"Thanatos hadn't mention a library but we have only talked about work mostly. I'll have to ask him about it next time I speak to him."

[melinoe_dotcom]

"Yes, it doesn't have to be that way of course, but it can be. Especially since being Death isn't like other responsibilities. From what I've been told, it's not pleasant"

Folding her arms, she glanced around for a moment, and then settled her eyes back on Flidais.

"I...can't really say much on romance. I would like to, but it's not something I run into very often" she said, feeling a little uncomfortable about her inexperience

"It's not really a library, he just...appreciates reading, I think"

Maybe she should have made her excuses earlier...

[flidais_dot_com]

At that moment Flidais' senses were assaulted with two items. One being the spark that seeming flared up from the direction of Than and Neph, the other being the sudden discomfiture of the Melinoe.

"Romance is one of those fickle things, it's here today and gone tomorrow. She shrugs and takes a sip of her wine. I'm married but on most occasions that he shows himself around these parts I can barely tolerate his presence. Other days, having a husband isn't all that bad."

She added that last part with a small smile, figuring there was no harm admitting to Melinoe that there was still a part of her that enjoyed her husband's company. After all doubted her husband would ever go seeking Melinoe's advice on how to get back completely in Flidais' good graces.

[melinoe_dotcom]

Meilinoe chewed her lip. All this talk of marriage and husbands and couples made here feel quite unsettled. Love and sex were never things she had dabbled with. Not out of dislike of them, but she had never really found anyone who was likeable in a more than friendly way who would tolerate her in the same ways.

"I'm...not married. I doubt that I ever will be" she muttered, choosing her words carefully

[flidais_dot_com]

Flidais nods, finishes her wine and allows the glass to seemingly disappear into thin air.

"Do you know you are the second goddess that has told me that?"

She is rather surprised but knows that she can't blame either Melinoe or Peitho for wanting to stay single and unattached.

"If I could do it all over again, I probably wouldn't have gotten married."

[melinoe_dotcom]

Normally, the issue didn't bother her. She found it quite easy to be honest about that aspect of her life, at least with Greeks. This Flidais person wasn't Greek though, and although she had done some background reading into other gods and cultures, Meilinoe hadn't actually met any until now.

This woman was a stranger, a foreign stranger who possibly had views unlike her own.

Talking to new people wasn't her strong point.

"Oh. Well...I have nothing against marriage, I just don't think I am the type of person who marries"

[flidais_dot_com]

Flidais smiles politely as the realization sets in that perhaps the fact that she is a Celt bothers the goddess to her side.

"I'm glad Thanatos invited me to this party, it helps to get to know your neighbors in a setting such as this."

She smiles as a new face appears at the party, recognizing instantly the once young child goddess despite her more adult appearance.

(ooc sorry real life intruded abruptly)

[melinoe_dotcom]

(It's okay, real life has been stomping all over me lately too)

Meilinoe pulled her sleeves over her hands and stared absently at a dark patch of grass.

"I suppose so. I know some of the gods here from the Underworld. There aren't many new faces for me to learn."

"I wasn't invited...technically. I just...noticed a lot of my own in one place, at night and...that's not something that happens very often"

[flidais_dot_com]

She nods and glances back over at Ruina and Anteros. She could hear them is she wanted too but eavesdropping isn't really her style and also figures that with Ruina's mother and father also in attendence she won't be causing too much of a ruckus.

"I had never met any Underworld Gods or Goddesses before. Thanatos was my first."

Flidais shifts slightly on the bench before tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

"What is it like in the Underworld? I've been meaning to ask Thanatos but we've both been rather busy as of late."

[melinoe_dotcom]

This was a topic she felt more comfortable in discussing.

"The underworld. Well, it's...dark. Not exactly dark, but...there isn't much colour down there. Just blacks and greys. We have five rivers: the Lethe, the Styx, the Acheron, the Cocytus and the Phlegethon. They separate us from everything else. A lot of shades are usually gathered at their banks, which I suppose can be daunting if you've never seen shades before. There's Tartarus and the Elysian fields, and you can get to Morpheus' realm through the Underworld too."

Meilinoe paused a moment, and then continued.

"We have a dog, Cerberus. He allows the dead to enter but not leave, and keeps the living out. Not that the living are much of a problem to keep away anymore. He's a bit of a bully if he thinks you're afraid of him, but he's not all that bad."

"Its what you expect of the underworld, really. Dank, dark, and filled with strange gods and monsters"

[flidais_dot_com]

Flidais listens intently here