[ why does she want to see him??? like that was a very emotionally intense first meeting but it's still boggling anyone could possibly want to spend time around nico ]
[It was super emotionally intense and she was kind of conflicted over it but she got over it. Mostly. Nico's a sweet kid, and she figures that was harder for him than it was her.]
[ he doesn't respond to that, because there's no point. he'll see her in an hour. so in the meantime he gets the place ready - digs out some of his leftovers and sets them aside to heat up if she's hungry, some juice if she's thirsty. he may be terrible at dealing with people but he's italian and he's greek and he knows how to receive a guest.
since their first meeting he's tried not to think too hard about the things he shared, both intentionally and not. nill can read minds, and though he promised to treat her fairly he's still apprehensive about being around her. because nico can't always control where his thoughts go - the adhd does that - and he doesn't want to share more.
[Between finishing up with one of her jobs in the village, and making sure she had her stuff, Nill arrives just on time. Truth be told, once she actually found the place, they didn't live that far apart; she'd seen the place at a distance, but had never wandered closer to it.
Now however, about fifty feet away from the door, Nill stops in her tracks, and she still doesn't wander closer to it.
She's pretty sure those are skeletons outside the door. They definitely look it, and Nill stands in place, uncertain of what to actually do. Skeletons. Skeletons outside the door. She actually takes a brief moment to pull her tablet out again and double check the directions, but then she realizes... the one message made a lot more sense now.
So she steels herself, and walks up to the door, knocking firmly. And hopefully the skeletons outside won't take offense.]
[She takes it as an invitation, and peeks her head in, her expression brightening immediately when she spots Nico. She nods quickly, and steps inside, shutting the door behind her.
She's wearing considerably more... black now, than the last time they met. She's got a matching scarf and glove set, which though black also sparkles like stars. She's got a black jacket, too, and her wings are nowhere in sight.]
Yes. It wasn't very difficult to find.
[The voice is just as quiet and gentle as it was last time. She pulls her boots off and leaves them near the door before wandering further inside, brushing snow off her bag.]
Are they friends of yours?
[If he can sense death, maybe he's the sort that can see souls, too.]
[ friends....? he's never really thought of them like that. being a child of hades isn't about anything so warm and fuzzy as friendship. it's power, and control, and fear. ]
[It makes a small frown appear on her face, and Nill casts a glance back towards the door, even if it's closed now. So Nico lived alone... and he didn't even consider his skeletons, whatever they were in the long run, to be his friends.
She realizes she's probably paying too much attention to the door though, and instead moves to take a seat wherever one is available. She shrugs off her jacket, and stretches her wings.]
[She'd only said it out of concern, but nothing in her reaction suggests that he minds his defensiveness - or his thoughts for that matter, but it's especially rare that she lets on that she's listening in. But Nill appreciates the sentiment. She smiles gently, and nods.]
If you have anything hot, it would be nice.
[A lot of her winter stuff is waterproof, but not the warmest. She likes the cold, but it seeps into her bones.
Something occurs to her though, and she pulls her bag closer, opening it and pulling another bag out, which she hands over to him.]
Here-- they might still be a little warm.
[She brought cookies!! Chocolate chip and sugar cookies, in case he didn't like one or the other for some reason.]
[ They are still warm, and Nico looks down at the bag in his hands in mute surprise. Tentatively, he pulls a chocolate chip one out of the bag and nibbles at it. It's good, though he only has a few bites before wrapping it in a napkin and setting it aside. ]
Did you make them yourself?
[ As he asks, he sets the bag down on a makeshift table and bangs around for something hot. There's a weak tea he'd traded for as soon as he'd scavenged something to trade, and though he's never liked tea it's definitely better than drinking straight hot water. Maybe he can heat up apple juice the way you heat up cider? What he wouldn't give for some hot chocolate, though...his stomach's probably too sensitive for that now, after the pit and the Seeds. He hasn't exactly been adjusting back to a normal diet since. ]
[She looks a little embarrassed, and quickly shakes her head.]
No-- not today. I would have, but I didn't have time. I will next time I visit. Is there anything you like?
[Though outwardly she doesn't react to his thoughts, of course, she makes a mental note to bring actual food next time as well. Something easy if she could manage it - the way resources were acquired here was a little odd, but she could manage, probably.
While he's going through what he has though, Nill makes a point of trying to look him over. How well-nourished he looks, if he's taking care of himself, if he's got any visible injuries from running into anything big outside. She tries to do this subtly, but she hasn't actually needed to in awhile, so she's probably rusty.]
[ He definitely doesn't look well-nourished, though, bone-thin and hollow as he is. Exhaustion is written in every line of him, and he looks just as sickly pale and dark-eyed as ever. But he's learned how to push through that the hard way, so despite how obviously tired he is, there's an easiness to his movements. He lives like this. He's accustomed to living like this.
When the tea is ready, he'll pour Nill a cup and turn back around to hand it to her. ]
[If Nill listened every time someone said not to bother then at least fifty more people would probably be dead, she's so used to similar comments that it barely even registers otherwise.
The things that do register as important are the way he looks, and the way he functions with it. In a way it's reassuring - if anything, exhaustion won't be the thing that does him in here. Not with how used to it he is.
On the other, the fact that he's this used to it when he's this young isn't so much concerning as it is a little disheartening.
Even so, she takes the cup he offers her with a small, grateful smile, holding it between her hands to warm them up.]
Thank you.
[She sips the tea, and seems more pleased with it than someone probably should with sucky tea. She hadn't really managed to trade for any though, and Nill loves tea.]
[She either doesn't notice a great deal or doesn't mind, though she does spare a glance at the cookies, and back at him, before taking a sip of the tea. Once she's sure it's not hot enough to scald her, she swallows a mouthful, and her smile widens.]
It's wonderful. It's been a long time since I had tea-- I haven't been able to trade for any here, and it wasn't very practical on the moon base.
[It's a little funny, because she asks it while she's taking another sip of the tea. Perks of being mute and telepathic. She sets it down then though, and reaches for her bag again, working at pulling out something that looks mostly... black. She's not having the easiest time of it though, having stuff too much into the bag.]
[ He'll let her fiddle with her stuff on her own. Nico isn't the type to swoop in and do things for someone else that they're fully capable of doing. ]
Not souls. Those have moved on. But sort of like...memories. They have no will of their own, but their bones remember what they did, if not who they were.
[It seems a little sad to her, and she wonders, briefly, if her bones would remember what she did whenever she was really gone - if there would be bones left for someone like Nico to try to summon in the first place. In a way, she hopes not.
She doesn't voice the thoughts, however. Instead, having finally pulled what she wanted from the her bag, she makes sure everything is there before passing it to Nico.]
I thought you could use these.
[It's nothing fancy - but in the pile he'll find a circle scarf, a winter coat that should keep him relatively warm, and a pair of waterproof gloves. There's a kint hat as well, but that's gray and blue and black instead of just black. Black hats are surprisingly hard to find.]
[ He stares blankly at the bundle for a moment, uncomprehending, then reaches out and takes them. They're cold from being in her pack as she traveled outside, but the fabric warms beneath his fingers. His eyes burn, and he doesn't cry, doesn't go blurry-eyed or teary, but a sick, hot feeling knots in his chest.
No one ever looks after him like this. No one but his sisters. He misses Hazel so ferociously it hurts. And Bianca - Bianca he misses most of all. ]
[It's not hard to tell that it's... difficult, for him. That maybe he's been on his own for a lot longer than he should have been.
There's nothing she can do for that, nothing to make it better. The only thing she can really do is smile gently at him, and hope she can do enough to make his time here just a little better.]
You're welcome.
I live in a big place with a group of other people-- there are a lot of them there, but you're welcome there anytime as well. Just let me know.
[Nico's message is one of the last ones Nill sends. He'd be one of the easier ones, honestly, like Kano would have been. But the idea of searching the house she's in only to find Kano not in it is unbearable, much in the same way that the idea of going to Nico's big, dark temple of a house, that feels nothing like a home, and not finding his guards there and not finding him within it is... awful.
It's easier to just send a text, even if the sound of a message trying to connect to a device no longer active is tantamount to the sound of dying. She turns the volume down.]
She has to think about that for a moment, honestly. She's never been to a funeral, but she saw a few from the sidelines, back when she lived in the church. Not many, because she doesn't come from a world where many people have time for faith or for mourning, but... enough.]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
[ text ] BACKDATED to the 27th or something
Do you have any free time today?
[She has NO IDEA WHAT HIS SCHEDULE IS LIKE or even where he's living right now but pfft she'll hike there is she needs to.]
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is everything ok
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I just wondered-- if you don't have plans, could I come to see you?
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if you want
do you need directions?
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Yes. I'm not sure where you're staying right now.
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[ aaaaaaaaand insert directions here ]
just dont get too freaked out when you get here
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[Yeah totally missed the point of the second comment the first was more important.]
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kind of
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I have to get a few things, so I should be there in an hour. I'll see you soon.
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since their first meeting he's tried not to think too hard about the things he shared, both intentionally and not. nill can read minds, and though he promised to treat her fairly he's still apprehensive about being around her. because nico can't always control where his thoughts go - the adhd does that - and he doesn't want to share more.
he'll just have to be careful ]
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Now however, about fifty feet away from the door, Nill stops in her tracks, and she still doesn't wander closer to it.
She's pretty sure those are skeletons outside the door. They definitely look it, and Nill stands in place, uncertain of what to actually do. Skeletons. Skeletons outside the door. She actually takes a brief moment to pull her tablet out again and double check the directions, but then she realizes... the one message made a lot more sense now.
So she steels herself, and walks up to the door, knocking firmly. And hopefully the skeletons outside won't take offense.]
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there's a hearth tucked against one wall of the building, and nico looks up from where he's sitting there. ]
Hey. You found it okay?
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She's wearing considerably more... black now, than the last time they met. She's got a matching scarf and glove set, which though black also sparkles like stars. She's got a black jacket, too, and her wings are nowhere in sight.]
Yes. It wasn't very difficult to find.
[The voice is just as quiet and gentle as it was last time. She pulls her boots off and leaves them near the door before wandering further inside, brushing snow off her bag.]
Are they friends of yours?
[If he can sense death, maybe he's the sort that can see souls, too.]
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Not really.
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She realizes she's probably paying too much attention to the door though, and instead moves to take a seat wherever one is available. She shrugs off her jacket, and stretches her wings.]
Is it just you and them here?
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He takes a deep breath and catches his train of thought in both hands and wrestles it to a halt. Sorry. ]
Are you hungry or anything?
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If you have anything hot, it would be nice.
[A lot of her winter stuff is waterproof, but not the warmest. She likes the cold, but it seeps into her bones.
Something occurs to her though, and she pulls her bag closer, opening it and pulling another bag out, which she hands over to him.]
Here-- they might still be a little warm.
[She brought cookies!! Chocolate chip and sugar cookies, in case he didn't like one or the other for some reason.]
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Did you make them yourself?
[ As he asks, he sets the bag down on a makeshift table and bangs around for something hot. There's a weak tea he'd traded for as soon as he'd scavenged something to trade, and though he's never liked tea it's definitely better than drinking straight hot water. Maybe he can heat up apple juice the way you heat up cider? What he wouldn't give for some hot chocolate, though...his stomach's probably too sensitive for that now, after the pit and the Seeds. He hasn't exactly been adjusting back to a normal diet since. ]
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No-- not today. I would have, but I didn't have time. I will next time I visit. Is there anything you like?
[Though outwardly she doesn't react to his thoughts, of course, she makes a mental note to bring actual food next time as well. Something easy if she could manage it - the way resources were acquired here was a little odd, but she could manage, probably.
While he's going through what he has though, Nill makes a point of trying to look him over. How well-nourished he looks, if he's taking care of himself, if he's got any visible injuries from running into anything big outside. She tries to do this subtly, but she hasn't actually needed to in awhile, so she's probably rusty.]
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[ He definitely doesn't look well-nourished, though, bone-thin and hollow as he is. Exhaustion is written in every line of him, and he looks just as sickly pale and dark-eyed as ever. But he's learned how to push through that the hard way, so despite how obviously tired he is, there's an easiness to his movements. He lives like this. He's accustomed to living like this.
When the tea is ready, he'll pour Nill a cup and turn back around to hand it to her. ]
It probably sucks, but it's all I have.
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[If Nill listened every time someone said not to bother then at least fifty more people would probably be dead, she's so used to similar comments that it barely even registers otherwise.
The things that do register as important are the way he looks, and the way he functions with it. In a way it's reassuring - if anything, exhaustion won't be the thing that does him in here. Not with how used to it he is.
On the other, the fact that he's this used to it when he's this young isn't so much concerning as it is a little disheartening.
Even so, she takes the cup he offers her with a small, grateful smile, holding it between her hands to warm them up.]
Thank you.
[She sips the tea, and seems more pleased with it than someone probably should with sucky tea. She hadn't really managed to trade for any though, and Nill loves tea.]
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You're welcome.
[ He sits down opposite her, hunched in on himself, hands shoved into his pockets, and he watches her drink the tea a little too intently. ]
You like it?
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It's wonderful. It's been a long time since I had tea-- I haven't been able to trade for any here, and it wasn't very practical on the moon base.
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It's not great, but it was the best I could do. One of my skeletons was a hunter, and he gets me enough stuff to trade for things in town.
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[It's a little funny, because she asks it while she's taking another sip of the tea. Perks of being mute and telepathic. She sets it down then though, and reaches for her bag again, working at pulling out something that looks mostly... black. She's not having the easiest time of it though, having stuff too much into the bag.]
Are there souls in them?
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Not souls. Those have moved on. But sort of like...memories. They have no will of their own, but their bones remember what they did, if not who they were.
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She doesn't voice the thoughts, however. Instead, having finally pulled what she wanted from the her bag, she makes sure everything is there before passing it to Nico.]
I thought you could use these.
[It's nothing fancy - but in the pile he'll find a circle scarf, a winter coat that should keep him relatively warm, and a pair of waterproof gloves. There's a kint hat as well, but that's gray and blue and black instead of just black. Black hats are surprisingly hard to find.]
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No one ever looks after him like this. No one but his sisters. He misses Hazel so ferociously it hurts. And Bianca - Bianca he misses most of all. ]
Thank you.
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There's nothing she can do for that, nothing to make it better. The only thing she can really do is smile gently at him, and hope she can do enough to make his time here just a little better.]
You're welcome.
I live in a big place with a group of other people-- there are a lot of them there, but you're welcome there anytime as well. Just let me know.
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It's easier to just send a text, even if the sound of a message trying to connect to a device no longer active is tantamount to the sound of dying. She turns the volume down.]
Why do you wear so much black?
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I don't know. Death was always a sound to me.
[But man she's glad Nico DIDN'T MAKE HER WAIT like Kano did you are much better at this Nico thank you.]
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well think. what color do people wear to funerals?
[ HE WOULD HAVE but he likes nill and also he's not doing anything right now ]
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She has to think about that for a moment, honestly. She's never been to a funeral, but she saw a few from the sidelines, back when she lived in the church. Not many, because she doesn't come from a world where many people have time for faith or for mourning, but... enough.]
Black.
That's why you wear it?
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[ his father, the god of the underworld. lucky for him Nill has never met Hazel or she'd know that's a bullshit answer ]
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[She doesn't think it's a bullshit answer, she just doesn't totally understand it.]