Persephone (_persephone) wrote in greekswim, @ 2008-10-07 17:25:00 |
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Entry tags: | hades, persephone |
Tanym/Hades and Anne/Persephone
Who: Tanym/Hades and Anne/Persephone
When: Night, graveyard-shift time
What: Seph surprises Hades by popping in while he's at work
Where: The morgue
Rating: PG
Status: complete
It was dark outside, dusk long since having come and gone, the night bringing with it yet another occasion on which he was working. Persephone had stealthily made her way into the morgue, tired of the clashing schedules that promised they would not be able to see one another as much as she would have liked, and having had quite enough of that, thank you very much. Stopping at the door, she glanced around and straightened out her black blazer and white blouse -- thankful she'd opted for said attire and jeans, since it was rather cold -- smoothing down her long, dark hair before knocking.
She was anxious, feeling both nervous at the prospect of seeing him again, particularly after her encounter in Kolonaki a coupe of days earlier, and excited, happy to see him as she'd missed him terribly. It was... rather complicated.
Tanym was starting to dislike his shift. Once having loved the nights he was starting to resent them because it caused his schedule to overlap poorly with Anne's. When she was off he was working, when he was off she was working, it was quite annoying. So there he was, sitting in his office, in the morgue, filling out paperwork. There was a body expected within the hour, so he was taking this time to catch up on stuff that he'd been putting off. He was expecting someone, but not someone so soon; so when the knock came it did start him a little. Putting down his pen he slid out his chair and walked to the door. When Hades opened it, his mouth turned up into a small smile at the site of his beloved. "You." He whispered.
She smiled broadly at seeing him, feeling her heart race the instant he'd opened the door. She nodded at his word. "Me! You--" she placed her finger on his chest, "I've missed. Surprised?" she asked, voice quiet but cheery. "I hope I didn't catch you at a bad time or anything..." she added.
"Nothing more important than you." He said, leaning in to kiss her gently. "And yes, I am surprised; very much so. You look…" Almost like I remember you. "Beautiful." Taking a step back, he let her enter the office. It wasn't much, a desk with computer and a chair, two bookshelves along two of the walls that were full of medical texts. There were no windows (as they were on the basement) but there was a picture of a sunset over a mountain volcano peak on a wall over a couch. There was one chair before the desk, one pushed to the wall, and small coffee table near the couch. The space was pretty cramped, making the place seem quite modest, but in truth for someone in his moderate position it was quite nice.
She returned his kiss, the feeling of his lips seemingly sending electricity through her. It had been so long since Persephone had seen him, so long it seemed the emptiness inside of her might never be filled. The very sight of him made her feel a warmth only he could, and it was all she could do not to throw her arms around him tightly. "Thank you," she said, her smile broadening brightly, very girly reaction of giddiness at the fact that he thought she looked pretty. "And you look divine, as always," she said. The office was what she would describe as 'cozy,' the sort of spacing arrangement Anne was quite used to at the university, only hers had a window and a different collection of texts. "I like the picture," she remarked. "How've you been?"
"Thank you." Tanym said at her compliment as he rolled down the sleeves of his light blue shirt and straightened his tie- his hospital coat was draped over the back of his chair. "Busy, lonely." Well, except for Cerberus. "You?" He asked, gesturing for her to have a seat on the couch. He wanted to know everything she'd done since the last time they'd seen each other. "Thirsty?" Just her entrance had seemed to brighten the day.
"Busy, missing you," she said, taking a seat on the couch where he'd gestured, beyond happy to just be near him again. "I was dog-sitting for Hecate while she took care of some things back in the States," she elaborated, "so three large dogs plus Orpheus kept me rather occupied." His last question elicited a nod from her. "Just a little bit," she said.
Tanym smiled softly, she had such a big heart. "Sounds like a handful." He replied as he walked to his desk to pick up his empty mug. "Coffee ok?" He asked, as he stepped over to the door. It would only take him a moment to fetch the coffee from the kitchen area, but now that she was here, even a moment felt like eternity.
"Just a little bit of a handful," she said, with a chuckle -- it was more than an understatement, for certain. "Coffee sounds delightful," she said, reaching into her purse and pulling out a small Tupperware, filled with truffles she'd made. "Goes well with truffles, I believe," she added, grinning at him despite her reluctance to see him go, particularly after so long away from him. She kept this sentiment well under wraps beneath her grin.
Oh god, now he really -didn't- want to leave. "I'll be -right- back." He said popping out of the door and returning moments later with two full cups, his feet quickened by the urgency to be next to her. He walked around the small table, placing the cups down and sat next to her. Tanym- Hades put his hand up to her cheek and pulled her into a deep kiss. She brought truffles!
The pouting look that had appeared on her features as he had left vanished the instant he came back, and with good reason. An-- no, Persephone's hand went up to T--Hades's shoulder, her fingers tracing their way toward the back of his neck as she returned the kiss. Now, if this was the sort of reaction that truffle-surprises would bring, she would have to do this sort of thing more often.
He put his other hand around her waist and wanted to lean her back to the couch but instead he pulled away slowly. "You... and wonderful." Hades told her with a smile. "More than anyone could every ask for." He was doteing on her, but he couldn't help it. "I can not believe you brought me truffles."
"As... are... you," she said. His last comment brought a chuckle from her. "Believe it. Come on, you work so hard, late nights, and you cooked for me. Of course I'd bring you truffles." She paused. "Besides, I needed an excuse to sneak in and see you," she added, an afterthought.
"You never need an excuse." He replied, kissing her on the cheek. "I've actually been hesitant in requesting you by. I suspected it would be the only way we'd see each other right now but I didn't... I didn't want to feel like I forced you to come to me."
She took the fruit, broke past the thick scarlet skin, and held it, for a moment, looking at the ruby red seeds glistening in the translucent-white flesh, marveling at it. Her fingers pulled out a half dozen of the arils, and she pressed them to her lips, one by one, savoring the bitter-sweet taste. She blinked the vision away, trying to ignore the very vivid taste in her mouth, which she knew so well. "You could never make me feel that," she said. "Quite the contrary, I really miss you."
That made him smile. "You do not know how happy that makes me feel." He told her, Hades- yes Hades- reached for her hand and held it, she was so warm. "Things have started to become clearer, more detailed through the fog and though I am still trying to sort through it all I do know two things. I love you, I've loved you and never meant to hurt you through any of what I may or may not have done in other lives." It was a little confusing at times, the difference between what he was actually starting to remember, and some of the myths he'd read about. "I also know that I don't want to make the same mistakes I made before."
Persephone gave his hand a squeeze, her heart warmed at his touch, his words bringing light and joy to her dark eyes as she looked at him intently. Reluctantly retracting her hand, she threw her arms around him, hugging him in a tight squeeze, closing her eyes in an attempt to stop herself from bursting at the seams with all manner of emotions. "I love you, too," she said, softly. "And I'm sorry, too." Persephone never said sorry, never uttered the words of regret or remorse. The words had never meant anything to her; actions had always had reactions, and the simplicity of it was quite elegant, a balance of justice. But now, there was so much more. The words she had never said burned inside of her, sounded both strange and right once she'd said them.
"Why on earth should you be sorry?" He asked, slipping his arms around her to hold her close. "You have nothing to appologize for." He closed his eyes as his cheek rested against her hair.
"Yes, I do," she said softly, "just as much as you. Anything harsh I ever said, or anything petty I ever did -- I hope I never hurt you." It was an all-encompassing statement, her way of saying she was sorry for everything, from the half-year they spent together at a time to the at times seemingly underhanded way she had of doing things -- like the pomegranate -- to how at times she kept her feelings to herself. She had a lot of things about which she was sorry, things that this entire ordeal had put into perspective. She pulled back a little bit to look at him, perhaps just a bit hesitant, pausing. "And I'm sorry for not saying 'I love you' as much as I should have," she added.
Instead of pulling back to look into her eyes he pulled her tighter into the embrace, burrying his head in her shoulder, eyes closed. "That was something I never doubted." Or at least not so long as she was with him. When she wasn't he did. T-Hades had feared many times that she would so love the living earth- a place he had resigned himself to watch from a distance- too much and would leave him to rot with his subjects. "That is something I doubt no longer." He said after a moments pause.
She squeezed him tighter for a moment -- if that was possible -- one of her hands moving up to his hair, her fingers stroking through it for a few moments. "The first day of every Spring, and every day after that until Autumn, I would give all that I own, this cursed eternity of immortality spent going back and forth between two worlds, even if it meant never seeing the sun above, the fields of green, and the lilies and violets, for just another moment in the darkness with you," she said, softly, words barely audible.
It meant everything to him that she had just said that. He smiled softly and with a contented sigh leaned back to look at her face. He ran a hand over the hair by her ear, his eyes thanking her without speaking the words. "Of course, your mother never would have had that." Things were going to be different this time around.
His smile lit up her world -- it was a thing a thousand times more brilliant than the sun. He was all that she needed, and her look spoke plainly of that. Persephone paused as he mentioned her mother. "I would presume she wouldn't take to the idea too terribly kindly," she said, softly. She paused again, for a moment. "I ran into her." There was another pause. "In Kolonaki." Another pause. "The other day."
"You did?" He asked, a little suprised, a little happy for her and a little jealous. "How is she? Does she know?" Hades did want to make things better this time around, it might be his mortal part influencing him and that might make him weak to some, but he didn't care he would -not- get shafted on life this time around.
"She was a bit--" she paused, searching for the right word, "shaken. I sort of ran right into her," she explained, "and she kept blaming things on the heat, probably visions and feelings -- that's what I was feeling, and very strong, at that. I think she is confused, maybe doesn't believe what's happening." It made sense, given how she had tried to pass things off on the heat. She paused, again. "She called me 'Kore,' and everything."
His hand moved to her face. "Oh darling." He said pulling her into his arms. "She'll come through, I'd gather not everyone will have as easy a time as you, or me... or Hecate. But I don't think she could be around you more than once without feeling that need to be with her daughter. It was so strong before, it has to still exist." He kissed her temple softly. "Tell me, what was she like?"
His actions -- everything from how he held her and kissed her, to his words -- were comforting, placating, even. She nodded, though perhaps a bit apprehensively, thinking on it. She frowned at his last question, recalling the details of their encounter vividly. "Short, blonde, very recognizable, even her voice, despite an accent of the Southern USA variety," she said. "Her name is Chloe, and she seemed more than a bit taken aback by things," she recounted.
"Chloe?" He said a bit suprised. "You know... I met a little blonde southern woman who had that name the other day." But hell if he could actually remember -which- day. "She was a little... put off by me I think. Do you think that maybe that was why?"
She nodded. "Very possibly," she said. Chloe Rose Montgomery. The image of the nameplate was burned into her mind. "Chloe Montgomery was her name. The name rings a bell, but I can't quite place it," she said. "Anyways, she thought I was crazy, I'm reasonably sure." It was bright outside, too bright to see, and she had to shield her eyes for a few moments as Hermes took her from the Underworld's depths to the earth beneath the skies. The taste of the fruit was still on her lips, vivid, tart, bitter-sweet. No visible trace was left of the scarlet seeds on her lips, but there were stains beneath her fingernails, almost imperceptible. Her mother would think she was crazy...
"Chloe of Chloe's kitchen." He told her. "She introduced herself when we met." Hades remembered the way she'd recoiled from him. "She didn't like me. Said she started to feel ill." Of course with everything that had happened with his Persephone, who could blame her?
Persephone's eyes lit up. "Yes, yes, that's it!" she said, recognizing the name now. The reaction he had described was, of course, understandable, given the situation, and while she did not voice this, a simple brow raise was enough to convey the thought of 'could any different have been expected?' She recalled her own encounter. "She knew me, seemed to recognize me, somehow," she recalled.
"That's good. I do hope she comes into the light soon for you." Hades knew how much she loved her mother and how close their bond was. "I think it probably wise to keep away until then." He chuckled a little. "I am so happy for you."
She smiled at him, hugging him tightly once more at his words, a smile finding its way to her face despite the apprehensive conflict she felt. "Thank you," she said, softly. She had always felt a conflict, a sort of epic tug-of-war, where she was stuck in the middle, being pulled in two completely opposing directions. Husband and mother, dark and light, cold and warm. Could they be any more different? Could the worlds between which she was caught be even more starkly distinct?
He closed his eyes and hugged her back. He wanted her with him always, no more swapping, no more sharing, but he knew the chances of that happening were incredibly slim. Part of him wanted to keep her with him now that Demeter was lost, but he knew that in the end that wouldn't be best for his Persephone. Had he still been a full god with no mortal influence he probably would take advantage of this situation- that wasn't the case. "So…" He said softly. "Truffles?"
"Yes, truffles!" she replied, happy for the distraction from her thoughts. She somewhat reluctantly pulled back from the hug; being held by him probably the most comforting thing to her. She opened the tupperware with the truffles and offered them to him first.