Who: Melpomene and Hades What: Conversing. Where: Hades' House When: 5/5, shortly after convos with Hestia and Persephone Warnings: Nothing really.
Mostly Mel had stayed around Hera and the part of the house they were actually in. Not so much out of respect, but simply because that seemed like where she was meant to be. She knew Hera stayed there mostly for lack of will or desire to go much else. The muse had followed her outside, looking like she was about to think of gardening, or to the kitchen as if to cook, but any task the goddess seemed about to start, it was only a few moments before she moved on to something else.
For now, she was distracted with something on TV. Melpomene had lost interest and decided to go wandering. She had poked her nose through open doors, and explored spaces that seemed acceptable to such things. It'd been a moral battle to keep from going anywhere that almost screamed 'private' at first, but that was quickly wearing off in her child like desire to simply see how the house was laid out. Thus, she was paying less and less attention and exploring more and more where she could get away with it, going where ever she felt.
Peeking quietly through one doorway, she caught sight of Hades. She wondered if she should move on or not.
Hades sat at the foot of his bed on the floor in front of it, his two sons sat beside him in rapt attention. They were too distracted at their father's skillful precision at how he could toss the blue handball at the wall of his bedroom and catch it without seemingly paying attention. The constant sound of the ball whacking the wall and then striking his skin was almost as steady as a hypnotic drum and perhaps it had hypnotized the twin boys. They didn't seem to notice how their father stared off into nothing, his mind churning with thoughts.
Mel frowned. That didn't look right. She knew things weren't exactly cheerful, but this wasn't a good scene to be facing either. Slowly she walked in and took a seat on the floor beside one of the boys. Would her entrance alone be enough to break his focus? She'd wait and see. It would probably be better to ease into drawing his attention away, the question would just be how.
Break his focus? No. Gain his attention? Yes. Hades quite skilled at multi-tasked brooding. He had both invented and honed the ability for centuries. Thunk. Thunk. The blue ball went against the wall again and again with Little Edward following it like an adult did a tennis game. Hades, on other hand, kept his eyes on the nothing, but spoke to her in a soft monotone, "[I think there's a time limit on our good luck together before karma finds us. We need to get Hera out of here before the horror crashes on us and her. She's had enough horror.]"
Edward followed the ball, and Mel followed Edward. She continued to frown, considering the possible answers. "[I wish we knew how we have good luck together, and poor luck apart.]" She raised her head to glance at the ball. "[She will be easy to move, I suppose. Do we have a place to move her?]"
"[I invited Hestia over for a few days. Maybe she'll go home with her.]" Hades didn't look to her and in fact closed his eyes. What was the difference? He knew where the ball would hit and when it would return, but the fact that he now had his eyes closed seemed to thrill Edward more. Hades paid neither of his children any mind, thankful that they were easily distracted so he could brood without them trying to cheer him up. "[If the horror falls on us, fine. But our luck is beginning to give. Hera having to see Atlas at the memorial was a signal I should have noticed, but now I do. The ice is cracking, Niece.]"
Hestia and Hera together. She sat quietly as she considered that situation. She wished she had a ball of her own to bounce against the wall. "[Do you intend to flood your house with women who shouldn't be under the same roof?]" Melpomene had her grudges against Persephone, Hera and Persephone did not get along, Hestia and Persephone doubtfully got along... "[She isn't here.]" It dramatically explained everything at once. Including Hades sudden mood.
"Eric, clap your hands for Daddy," Hades asked and then his youngest son did so with a grin. He was helping! Would that make Daddy feel better? "[That's your applauds for figuring it out. She took my daughters and Zale and left for a week. Maybe two. Said that this wasn't a good environment for them.]" He was suddenly glad she didn't say 'I'm only protecting my children' or he might have had to jump through the phone and try to exorcise Demeter out of her. Sighing, he caught the ball and kept it in hand, showing it to both his sons to prove it wasn't a magic trick. It was indeed their ball. "[Today was supposed to be good, Niece. The Fates are warning us we're pushing our luck... twice, I think. I doubt they'll give three.]" Only then did he open his eyes and glance to her, "[Hestia might bring hope to Hera. I can't. And her being here makes me much less annoyed at Persephone.]"
"[I've done what I can for the widow,]" she shrugged. There was art filling an entire room to show the proof of that. She couldn't make the pain magically go away, only channel it to help her heal. As it was, Melpomene had probably helped her progress through months or years of grief before even beginning to reach the point of acceptance that she was at now. The muse also doubted that anyone else would see that. Months after his death, and still Hera was still not 'back to normal'. Maybe with as many as there were who complained about her, they should be grateful. She closed her own eyes and leaned back until she was able to lay on the floor, her arms stretching above her. "[What do you plan to do about your once wife?]" she asked softly.
"[She'll come back. She's resigned to.]" That much Hades knew. Deep in his heart he knew she was resigned to being with him whether it was pleasant or not. This was all just a brief escape to breathe and that thought did little make him come out of his brooding. "[I plan to carry through with my spite and then when she returns I won't be angry at her. I'm sorry I've kept you this long. Thank you for understanding.]"
For Mel, there was little to understand. This is where the tragedy was centered, and if she hadn't been there because of the odd set up between her and Hades, she probably still would have been there. Even now she could feel the tug of her calling, a store of energy. She lay quietly as she considered all of it. "[I liked being here.]" Her eyes cracked open to peer at him. "[I'll actually miss it.]"
His phone began to buzz and Hades got up, sweeping up his two little ones with complete ease. They clung to him as he moved. "[Wait here.]" Ever dutiful, he left the bedroom and brought his sons to the room set aside for them when they visited and laid them down for their afternoon nap. He rested his hand along their stomach to let them know he was there as they began to doze off and then gave them a kiss to their foreheads as they were finally asleep.
Only then did he return to Melpomene and continued their conversation without missing a beat. "[Not immediately, but after.]" He plopped down on the floor beside her, "[You have a family I've kidnapped you from after all.]"
She shrugged and sat up, wrapping her arms around her knees and looking down. "[Nick ran off to Greece for Helen's first birthday and had her baptized.]" She kept her voice neutral. The event was in the past. "[If he is smart, he is enjoying his time with her and barely noticing I'm gone.]" Now she looked to Hades. "[I've disappeared on him enough. He should be fine.]"
"[He's mine anyway. He should consider this is me telling him not to be with you as a task.]" Somehow that logic made keeping Mel here a little better in his mind. He stared at the ceiling as he crossed his arms over his chest. Hestia would be here soon and then he would have to pretend not to be brooding, might as well get some of it out now. "[I was more worried about Helen than him. How do you think Hera is doing?]"
Staring at him, it took a moment for Mel to focus on his actual words. The brooding was distracting. Scooting, she moved to the space next to him so she could lean back against the foot of the bed as well. Once she was in place, she recalled he had asked a question. "[Better. She knows she can't replace him, but she doesn't know what else to do. Once she can find something to do...]" She shrugged. "[She just needs to find her domain again.]"
"[Hestia has a crazy idea about marrying her. I'm hoping its crazy enough to work.]" It was just so easy to stare at the ceiling in this position, the foot of the bed helped support his head to be in the perfect position for it. He pulled his knees close to his chest to let his crossed arms rest against them. "[They deserve to have an escape from all of this. This isn't their world.]"
"[It might work. Hestia will be giving up a lot to offer it though.]" She tilted her head to the side, then leaned slightly, slowly moving toward him until her head could rest against his shoulder. Hopefully the sound of her movement was enough to warn him. "[It's the world we live in though.]"
"[And they're cramping our style. If everyone is brooding and depressed it loses its impact.]" Hades almost joked as he flinched as he felt her head touch his shoulder but then settled again. The touch had been unexpected and it was odd for Mel to touch him on top of that but it was a reassuring presence when he settled back to his brooding. "[Without her vow, Hestia is too much like me. An empty house with no living adult love is something she has to face, not enjoy. She gains much more from this if she can pull it off than she loses...]"
"[She may gain a wife, but she loses any chance of a husband.]" Not that it seemed like that bad of a deal to the muse, but she had a hard time seeing Hera accepting her spouse to have romps with others when she had not accepted such in the first place. Which could complicate things if they wanted more kids. She frowned slightly at that thought, and moved herself closer to her uncle. He was brooding, and it was impossible for her to resist just now. "[Hopefully they can be happy though. We don't need more people in our world. Few know the proper way to brood anymore.]"
"[People brood about things that don't matter or they brood about things that they can change but are too lazy to do so... They should get over themselves or get a grip of their lives, respectively.]" Hades clenched his eyes shut in a sudden bout of despair, "[I don't want them to become people who properly brood perpetually. Unable to change anything, longing for something better and grasping at straws for a moment's peace.]"
She closed her own eyes and released a slow breath. She needed to focus a bit more on what he was saying. Hopefully not looking at him would help. "[I can help you turn straw into gold,]" she mentioned without thinking. "[But most don't understand how close the straw is. They don't appreciate it, or know what it looks like. I think some just like the image of brooding to much to realize they are doing it.]" And that was an idea that made her frown.
Hades opened his eyes a sliver to glance down at his muse-niece at his shoulder, "[We're still talking about metaphorical straw, right? Because if it's real straw it would be me helping you to it into gold.]"
She twisted enough to glance at him, blinking a moment to get her words organized. "[I guess it would be. If it's turning brooding into money though, then I'm probably the one doing the helping.]" Not that Hades would need money.
"[Doing that would destroy the economy and the world seems to be doing a fine job of causing their own fiscal tragedies without our help,]" he replied softly, matter-of-factly as sighed again. None of this was good. He didn't have time to be so self-focused with everything going on around him and yet he didn't know what he could do to make anything better than what he had already done... And he understood why. His judgement was too clouded. He touched her cheek softly, "[If and when Hestia takes Hera, if there is still time...]"
Fiscal Tragedies... She hadn't given them much thought, oddly enough, and the mention of them made her curious. But that curiosity was instantly dismissed as she was distracted by the touch on her cheek. She nuzzled into it, closing her eyes as she did so. "[... I have time.]"
Hades accepted that she understood his request. He couldn't risk an uncontrolled breakdown and even though part of him feared the influence of the muses, it was more structured than the alternatives. He needed to be strong and not just feign it. But if she didn't understand, it didn't matter. She had agreed, regardless, and he knew Mel would follow through because of that. "[You really are in no rush to leave here. Why?]"
She kept her eyes closed as she leaned gently into his touch, enjoying it before she bothered to considering answering. Why didn't she want to leave? It was a good question. Her daughter wasn't here, though that was easy to change, and nor was Nick. But Nick had seemed to be doing just fine without her, and while his behavior had changed some, she wasn't one to chase after most people. Maybe he was finally realizing what it meant to live with Mel. "[Why should I be? I'm comfortable here.]" Not in the 'I have everything I need' way of material needs, but something about it simply felt comfortable, the way an old shirt fit just the right way, even if it was a little thin from overuse.
Letting his hand fall away from her, Hades again rested them against his knees. Something about her response had unnerved him, but something about the entirety of the situation he found himself in unnerved him if he took the time to truly linger upon it in all its aspects. It was safer to focus on each part to make it smaller, more bearable. The muse could probably feel the bigger picture, he decided. "[Well, I won't chase you away until Persephone returns.]"
She frowned at the lose of the touch. She'd said something to bother him. Turning her head, she pressed a soft kiss to the side of his throat, letting it linger with her lips close as she spoke. "[I'll leave when you ask me to,]" she promised, and turned her head away to face forward once more. Once her sister returned, he could help her turn straw into gold, and he'd have no need for Mel.
Her words held him in place and the flinch that such an unexpected kiss should have brought instead sent a shiver down his spine. When she turned away from him, he stood again and took a step away only to then turn around to look down at her and offer his hand to help her up. "[That sentence sounds very odd to me.]"
As he stood and pulled away, Mel shifted slightly away from him, giving him space and thinking she might have gone too far. When he turned and offered the hand to her, she looked at it, then up to him, before accepting and standing as well. "[Why?]"
Hades shrugged a little as he let go of her hand when she was firmly on her feet, "[Because I don't usually get middle grounds like that or people doing things I actually ask for.]" He reached down and collected his children's strewn about toys and tossing them over to his bed. Not like he would be sleeping in or using it. Might as well put his sons' toys on it and not on the floor. "[Don't listen to me. I'm not being fair...]"
She shrugged, and grabbed one of the toys that was close to her, copying her uncle and dropping it onto the bed. "[It sounds fair to me.]" She looked about for any other toys as she continued to speak, letting it break the need to focus on him entirely. "[My domain and art is built on the misery and sadness of the lives of others. Fairness isn't something people think about around me.]"
"[Maybe, but fairness is more innate in me. My misery is based on me bring treated unjustly.]" The words left his lips like a slur directed to far too many people and he took a breath and reigned back in the component of anger that sometimes accompanied the despair of his brooding. "[But people do do as I ask now, just not the ones who can hurt me most. And then that just gets cocooned with situations...]" Hades threw up his hands and let his words trail off. He didn't need to explain anything to Mel more than he had. And that knowledge was what calmed him as he looked to her, "[It's good we both know what my worst looks like. We can try to keep me from it.]"
"[We have a few tricks between us for it,]" she agreed. Moving some of the toys out of the way, she sat down on the bed and rested her hands between her knees. It was the easiest way to keep from touching him, from dripping some inspiration into him right now and seeing what would happen. Or trying to kiss him more directly. She could see it fairly clearly within her mind, and knew that it would probably all end badly. It didn't stop her from imagining it though. "[You repress until I can help you express.]" She shrugged. "[It's just a question of how you'll express this time, and if it's before she comes home again.]"
Some deep instinct inside of Hades told him to remain at a slight distance from the muse. He wasn't thinking about it, but some part of his judging instincts knew the muse was focused on him more than normal. Nor would he think about it. He had enough in his thought cue as it was. His eyes darted to the closet where he had put away the wedding dress in its box and then shook his head, "[I just wasn't braced for today... But that doesn't negate my theory that our luck is running ou --]"
There was a distant sounding bell then and Hades looked to the bedroom door, "[And so is our time of being relatively alone. That's probably Hestia.]" At least it better be. She was at least invited and announced. Anyone else and he was throwing the door in their face.
Blinking, Mel brought her thoughts back in line, and stood up. She shoved her hands into her pockets, and almost visibly shifted back into normal Mel mode. He wasn't going to need an inspiring today, or a watcher. Not that it would keep her from checking on him now and then while Hestia was around, but that was something else all together. Perhaps he needed to brood, but he wasn't actively doing so. "I'll get it," she offered, and started toward the door. "[I should probably check that she isn't overly cheerful before going to see Hera.]"
Hades nodded, even as his attention drifted back to the closet and then to the bed. It was a different bed than when Persephone had left him but it was still in the same place. Everything was the same besides it. Unconsciously, he ran his hands along the inside of his forearms where marks of him dragging a blade up them in a dank cave still remained when he brought his glamour fully down.. Of all the days for Persephone to go to Disney World... He shook his head and came out of the web of thoughts that threatened to entangle him. "[No. I'll get it. You can come with me if you want.]" Glancing around the room again, he headed for the door, "[I need to get out of this bedroom and go help my sisters...]" What else he needed was now unimportant to him. In the end, he came last and he couldn't help but believe that's how it should be.
She looked up at him, and frowned. He didn't need to come last, at least not in all things. Perhaps he would put off his needs for the moment, but while she was within the same house, there was no reason for him not to put her to use. She stared at him for a moment, then shrugged and looked away. If he didn't realize it now, he would later. There'd be a chance before she left. Turning, she walked out the door. They would greet Hestia together. Maybe once her aunt was with her other aunt, they could leave them alone and see what happened with the plans to move Hera to another location.
Summary: Mel is roaming the house when she catches Hades in his bedroom after his phone call with Hestia and Persephone. They chat until Hestia arrives.