[Thread] You would take the breath from my throat.

[poppingseeds]

Characters: AU!Persephone, OPEN
Where: The Library
When: Early morning, after Persephone is uncoma'ed.
Summary: Persephone has a weird dream and goes to do some research at the library to decipher it.
Warnings: Vaguely freaked out goddess on a mission. Also me being sick so replies might be wonky. Apologies in advance!

Comments

[transparentdark]

He had taken to the library early, seeking to look through the books and scout for one that would be good for jumping into. Besides, after seeing nothing but the inside of Om-Enas for more than a month, being outside and elsewhere again was a welcome, refreshing change of pace. The hour itself was good, and seemed to hold a promise that few- if any- others would be occupying the library, giving the eldest Hades plenty of space and silence to roam about and study through the pages at his leisure. Of course, just because it seemed like something would be one way, it seldom followed through with the promise.

The soft, sporadic thunks of books falling to the floor caught his attention after several long minutes of listening to the sound. Re-shelving the tome he carried, Acheron weaved around to find the source, wondering who- or what- exactly was being such a disturbance. Upon seeing it was the goddess, his ire waned slightly. Since it was her, there wasn't much he could do that wouldn't turn the situation into a near battle. And yet...

"Miss Persephone?"

[poppingseeds]

The goddess had her nose buried deep in one of the books, studying the text. From the sleep and agitation it was hard to focus on the words, mind weaving between Greek and English, able to pick out some of the words, but leaving others unreadable. Even though that particular tome contained some of the information Persephone was seeking, she tossed it aside without a second thought, frustrated.

The sound of the voice was enough to distract her, not really having recognized it quite at first, so when she looked up, there was a faint smile forming on her lips. It died quickly and the girl's expression turned to cold stone, books shifting in her arms as she prepared to lob them at the man should he become a nuisance.

"Acheron Hades."

[transparentdark]

"You look troubled," he stated simply, aware of the sudden change in her expression, though letting it pass without comment. "Is something the matter?" Well, clearly, there seemed to be something, but it's one of those obvious questions you just can't help but ask, even when the answer is almost right in front of you. All things considered, however, the question sounded at least somewhat genuine. Seems he's not here to be a thorn in her side at the moment.

[poppingseeds]

Is something the matter? Persephone almost shot back with some sort of cruel retort, but she wasn't oblivious to the sincerity that the question held. That was what kept her from the response she wanted to give, the goddess thrown through a momentary loop and shifting her weight from foot to foot uncomfortably.

A few moments of silence passed before the goddess let out a small sigh, expression troubled. "I need to find something important." And hey, just because he was being nice didn't mean she couldn't be vague.

[transparentdark]

Acheron looked from her to the books on the floor, a very faint smirk pulling at the corners of his mouth. Vague was fine with him. "It must be very important for you to have pulled apart half the shelves to find it." Alright, maybe half was exaggerating somewhat, but the point still stood. "Important... and unpleasant, I take it?"

[poppingseeds]

The look Persephone gave him was flat, unamused. Her voice reflected it, bland, "How very astute of you. You are smarter than you look." It was hard to keep the quip down and rather than fight, the goddess gave in. The world was still spinning and standing was hard, and gods be damned if she was going to let this little mortal of a man (or at least whom she assumed to be mortal) get the better of her.

"I had an odd dream; I'm trying to figure it out," she explained curtly, moving the tomes in her sweatered arms to try and hide the titles. What the goddess was trying to figure out was none of his business.

[transparentdark]

"So I've been told," he answered with a quiet laugh. He wasn't unfamiliar with insults and impatience, as such came quite standard with his line of work. They were pretty fun, most of the time. Almost like a battle of wits, but with more snappy punchlines and quips about the other's mother. "But I'm sure you of all people know better than to, ah..." Hades seemed to ponder for a moment, eyes drifting towards the books in the goddess's arms. "...Judge a book by it's cover."

[poppingseeds]

The drifting of his eyes caused her to pull the books tight to her chest, shielding them and face set defensively. If she felt she had the strength to punch him, the goddess would have tried. Oh, she most definitely would have tried.

"I'm not judging by the cover, I'm judging by its contents. You've more than proved to me what an ass you can be." Anyone and all diplomacy Persephone had tried to use towards Acheron in the past was out the window at this point. "And don't you have better things to do than pick on goddesses that can so easily smite you?"

[transparentdark]

He fixed Persephone with a neutral stare, listening to her slight tirade in silence and waiting for her to finish before speaking up. "And I apologized, did I not? Hardly a penance, but you can't say I never tried." Crossing his arms, that voided expression gained a slightly darker edge. "Though, I wasn't 'picking on you.' You were standing about, throwing books and having a little fit. I only wanted to see if you were alright or not. Guess I made a mistake for even asking." Shifting one hand to wave it dismissively, he turned and started to head back to the other side of the shelf. "A thousand pardons, goddess. I'll remember to keep my concern to myself next time."

[poppingseeds]

Throwing a fit? Throwing a fit?! "I am not throwing a fit!" Now she was throwing a fit, yelling after Acheron's back and stomping after him, wild, disheveled orange hair flying behind her. "Why would you even want to bother to see if I was alright, hm? What, so you could use it against me, like you used my husband?"

[transparentdark]

"Yes, I wanted to use every little thing against you," he droned sarcastically, not looking back at the fuming Persephone as he continued on. "Because I love going through all the trouble to make amends and stop the death threats just to start right back at the beginning. Oh, what a clever lady you are. You have caught me red-handed." Now back at the shelf where he had been before, Acheron ran a hand along the book spines until he found the one he'd been reading minutes ago. Opening it and flipping through the pages, he added, "Heaven forbid that one so horrible as myself can be capable of feeling anything but spite, malice, and wicked intent."

[poppingseeds]

Some of the anger ebbed away. He had apologized, it was true. So had she. That still didn't make the entire situation any less infuriating, however, factoring in everything else that had been going. The compound had gone crazy and holding herself up in her room hadn't seemed to do Persephone any good -- the goddess wouldn't have been surprised if the nightmare she had had was a result of something that happened because of the mind control spell, like the dreams that had come from the red mist. Nevermind the fact it had been nearly a week after.

Fidgeting with her books, Persephone eyed him a moment. "Sorry." She didn't sound all that apologetic, but it was as close as he was going to get to it for now.

[transparentdark]

It was better than the book- or fist- upside the head he'd been expecting. It wouldn't hurt him, but he was a bit surprised the goddess hadn't struck or attempted to smite him several times by now. "Nothing I'm not used to already." There was still a flicker of annoyance in his tone, but most had been drained off for now.

After a moment, Hades paused his scanning to glance at Persephone. "Didn't you say you had something important to find?"

[poppingseeds]

The cuffs would prevent smiting and being knocked out right now? Not on the list of things to do that morning.

Puffing herself up haughtily, Persephone tossed back her hair. Talking to her about important things, hmph. "I do. Good day to you."