[semi-open]

[abgrund]

Who: Ain and his CR
When: Jan 13th
Where: Temple of Hades, and some other places
What: Ain returns from canon update and pays a visit to his friends.

[ I will be doing closed toplevels below! If you would like one, feel free to PM me or hit me up on plurk. ]

Comments

[gentilitea]

[ It’s still very nice and stately. And kind of…cold? Certainly has none of the cozier, homier qualities of Add’s temple—at least on the outside, anyway. ]

So it is true then? You have somehow achieved godhood? [ Geez, that sure puts his offhand remark that time in an entirely new light. ]

[abgrund]

[ Ain tilts his head, indicating the temple with a vague gesture. ]

I have. My memory has returned to me as well.

[ An angel who was discarded and found new purpose in the void. It's a nice parallel, somehow. ]

I will still visit you, however.

[gentilitea]

Of course. You are welcome to all the hospitality our temple has to offer. [ A god that’s already allies with Add is certainly one worth keeping in one’s good books, after all.

Besides…he kind of wants to make sure that Ain’s doing all right, or something. ]

I am sure you will be of some comfort to Add.

[abgrund]

[ They're friends. It's as simple as that, to him. ]

He is... very lonely. I promised to never leave him. I intend to keep that promise.

[ Even if Add is all sorts of strange. Humans can't understand him anymore, and it's alright for Ain to stay here, because someone else will attend to his affairs back home. ]

[gentilitea]

I am truly grateful for that. [ Even if he looks more annoyed than grateful, because ugh admitting to his soft spot for Add is still tough sometimes. ]

He needs someone who understands him. Someone better than I do, at any rate.

[abgrund]

[ Jakob's expression doesn't bother him - he's not one to pay much heed to it, once he's sure of the appropriateness of his own words. ]

I will take care of that. Don't worry about it.

[ He's a lot more... long-lived than Jakob, who is a human. There is no need to force someone to do what they cannot. ]

I hope you'll take care of yourself too.

[gentilitea]

[ Scoffing— ]

Of course I am! [ Even though he’s a workaholic who barely even sleeps but shhh shhhh… ]

But I am not here to discuss myself. I have simply come to bring you a gift.

[ From beneath his coat he fishes out a black knitted cap, with that stylized green eye motif that follows Ain everywhere carefully embroidered atop. There’s even a little green pom-pom, for dramatic effect. ]

[abgrund]

[ He knows you barely sleep. He's watching you... you can't shh him!!! ]

Oh....

[ Ain opens his hands to hold the cap as how one would hold a small animal, with no small amount of reverence. ]

Thank you.

[ He manages a very slight, but noticeable smile. ]

[gentilitea]

[ Stop creeping on him dammit!!! ]

Hmph. It’s but a paltry little rag. I just had some scraps of yarn on hand. [ Never mind that he’d paid excruciating attention to detail in crafting that damn hat. ]

Anyway, I’m not even sure you wear such things. Do you ever get cold?

[abgrund]

[ where else is he going to put his eyes if not on the ppl he cares about???? ]

I can wear it.

[ Skipping over the question now because he doesn't want to make Jakob feel bad. ]

I was thinking that I should try to mimic a more human appearance, now that I have more responsibilities. I could find something to go with this.

[gentilitea]

[ Add’s traumatized people with those eyes, okay!! ]

Oh. Well then, I’m sure it will go nicely with…whatever it is you’re wearing. [ …Come to think of it, he’s not even sure if Ain’s wearing clothes or if they are simply…part of him, somehow. He’s confusing, okay!! ]

[abgrund]

[ Ain's better than him at not traumatizing people! Maybe....

He lifts the hat and places it on his head, just in front of the needles that hold his ponytail in place. ]

I'll try my best.

[ It is true that he is not wearing clothes, and that this is an illusion... but no one needs to know about this. ]

If you need me to help with anything back at the temple, please do not hesitate to contact me. It is as much of a home for me than this is, perhaps even more.

[gentilitea]

Well, you don’t look terrible.

[ That’s the most he’ll get out of Jakob, since he’s embarrassed enough as it is. Ugh. ]

But come along to the temple anytime you please. I am hardly in a position to stop you.

[abgrund]

[ Jakob is a tsundere. Ain knows that, so he'll not press. ]

Would you like to come inside this temple for a look?

[ He gestures to the marbled columns behind them. They look similar to classic Greek temples, if not for the patches of void brick here and there... ]

[gentilitea]

[ Honestly, big spooky places are a dime a dozen when you’re from Nohr. He’s not the least bit intimidated by it, but then again that might have a lot to do with him still not fully comprehending the nature of the void.

Probably for the best. ]

I suppose it wouldn’t hurt. Lead the way, then. [ Surely Ain’s temple doesn’t do the weird illusionary bullshit that Add’s does? ]

[abgrund]

[ Ain nods, turning into the temple. Even the interior is much like the outside, with the larger quantity of void patterns being the only difference. Braziers are lit in regular intervals, placed under tapestries in black and gold. Overall, the temple is rather formal, but without much life. It's empty.

There is usually a statue in the centre of Greek temples, and there is one in here as well. However, instead of a muscled man, the statue is of a winged woman, veined with patches of black paint and eyes.

(That's probably not black paint.)

In front of the statue is an altar of black stone, and behind it seems to be a small alcove. Both are furnished, but in a minimalistic manner.

Does Jakob have any comments? ]

[gentilitea]

[ Yep, that’s creepy all right, though knowing that it all belongs to Ain does alleviate his nerves somewha. ]

What a mess. [ He’s staring disapprovingly at the statue of the woman in particular. Like, really? ]

How do you expect to receive visitors with such an ominous interior?

[abgrund]

[ Ain tilts his head, though the gesture is more to let Jakob know that he is thinking. ]

I was under the impression that I should be suitably ominous....

[ You know, since he's the god of the underworld and all. ]

What should I change?

[gentilitea]

[ Well he’s not familiar with the deity in question anyway, so Jakob shakes his head with a sigh. ]

First of all, what are you a god of, specifically? Perhaps we can come up with a more suitably welcoming atmosphere.

[abgrund]

[ This is not hard to answer. He's studied a little after being given the title. ]

I am supposed to stand in for Hades, from Greece. He is a god of the underworld, of death, and of... monetary wealth.

[ Apparently, he's supposed to do that because gems and gold come from the ground. It's something Ain isn't familiar with. ]

[gentilitea]

Indeed? [ He raises an eyebrow at that. Mortals and their weird logic. It’s almost as stupid as the prospect of dragon gods rising up from under the sea. ]

I…suppose wealth is something that can be used to appeal to mortal sensibilities. Perhaps a more glamorous showing of your riches is in order.

[abgrund]

[ They're of the same mind, though Ain would say 'creative' more than 'stupid'. ]

I was told that my skill now is to create jewels. I could add more....

[gentilitea]

That would make for quite an impressive showing indeed.

[ Wait. ]

…Is that something you were always capable of? [ Because he sure doesn’t remember Ain ever mentioning any powers like that before. ]

[abgrund]

[ He shakes his head a little, his hair echoing the movement behind him ]

People who assume the roles of gods end up having a unique skill... that is mine. I can understand why it is rather mundane.

[ Ain is already powerful enough as he is, the Heavens wouldn't want to give him more. ]

[gentilitea]

[ It strikes him that he's never really seen what Ain's truly capable of in their short time together—though that's partly because he'd assumed that melting into the shadows and whatnot was about the extent of it.

Evidently he'd been wrong. ]

Oh, I suppose it's harmless enough. [ If anything, he sort of envies whoever will end up his shinki—this is a lot less messy than Add's…everything, after all. ]