[Closed] But we are ready and prepared to fight

[kill_some_time]

Characters: Steve Rogers and Hades
Location: Scandinavia
Rating: PG-13
Time: May 24th
Description: A forgotten God and a living Legend go troll-hunting.

After maybe an hour of speaking with the locals, following hints and getting a vehicle Steve and Hades finally arrived in the outskirts of a forest that was supposedly part of a famous park. Hades had left most of the speaking to the human Meister, assuming correctly that doing so would inspire more faith and cooperating from those they met.

The place their tracking had led them to was the shore of a big river that was filled with water that was of a muddy blue-green color and kept making small noises as the floods rushed by. A light rain was falling and the barest hint of faint mist had build up along the surface of the water.

Hades walked up to it until sand mixed with the earth beneath his feet and only a few steps divided him from taking another unwanted swimming lesson. “According to what that one said the last victim was snatched from about here.” He took a deep breath and closed his eyes for a moment. It wasn’t the ocean, but all that water still reminded him of his late brother. Silly stupid brother who had went down while trying to punch giant scorpions in the face. “…I don’t think that dying in the water is really preferable to dying on the land.”

Comments

[kill_some_time]

His concern earns him a sideways glance. "It is but the usual side-effects of me trying to say something that isn't true."

He takes a small breath and makes a step towards the woods. "I can." But it will hurt. He does not say this. Figuring out the right direction for them to go takes Hades a few moments where he keeps turning different directions while he keeps mumbling under his breath just to cut himself short over and over again. Out of habit he has switched back to speaking Greek, but if Steve bothers to listen he will quickly notice that it's always the same words. Verification through falsification had the bad habit of being quite case-sensitive.

When he is finally able to finish the sentence and switches back to English Hades is paler than usual and the hand he uses for pointing shakes lightly. "That direction."

[itsfondue]

Steve pieces the information together, so Hades feels pain whenever he lies. Guess that explains a lot of things and now he's using it in a tactical way, judging by the repeated words. But still worrying. It's not like he wants the guy to hurt himself for this. It doesn't feel right to him and he places a hand on his shoulder when Hades points in that direction.

"That's enough." He looks at his slightly shaking hand and pale face.

[kill_some_time]

Hades stiffens under the touch and without him noticing his breath catches for a moment. Then he regards Steve cooly before he slips out from under his touch. "I'd prefer if you don't do that."

[itsfondue]

Steve lowers his hand to his side, his expression slowly returning to a neutral form, although he's still a little concerned.

"Do you need to rest?" It's a risk, but Steve doesn't want Hades to keep on pushing himself and collapse.

[kill_some_time]

"It's no reason for concern." It was true. His breathing had mostly normalized already and his moves were less shaky already. Hades takes this as a reason to give Steve a haughty glance, but his eyes remain serious.

"I'd be a bad god if that much pain could hinder me long." Being touched as if it were nothing special still tends to ruffle him more, even though his poker face usually holds. Hades is too used on being either overlooked or avoided to expect the contact with living things. He takes a little breath before he gathers up his ridiculous long amount of hair and starts wringing it out. Some gods might have had a way of looking even more divine and desirable when they were doused in water, but Hades simply looks and feels wet as he grimaces.

"..Although I will probably never understand the charm of taking baths in rivers."

[itsfondue]

He notices that Hades is recovering from earlier, his breath evening and his movements more stable. If he's sure about continuing, then Steve won't stall for more time here.

"You're still not invincible." Steve is familiar with giving a comrade a small squeeze on the shoulder or helping them to safety, so it didn't occur to him to not show some support to Hades. It's part of being in the war, helping out a fellow soldier if they need it. Of course, not everyone here is soldiers, something that Tony said to him once before.

He is polite enough to not comment about Hades' appearance at least. "Not the most pleasant feeling, is it?"

[kill_some_time]

Hades doesn't deign that question an answer, albeit his expression paired with his silence speak quite vocally for themselves. 'Companionship' is a term that means as little to him as 'friendship' or 'loneliness' do. They are things that happen to others, others whose life is a lot more short and frail than his. In Hades' way of existing they simply make no sense when related to himself, which in turn causes him to repeatedly lose his proverbial balance when somebody tries to treat him like one of them.

It's not that he doesn't appreciate it, he simply does not understand it.

Starting to walk, the god opts to belatedly reply to Steve's first comment. "I know. I would consider it quite terrible if I were." It doesn't take them long to find another kishin egg once they get close to the woods. "You ought not to desire it either if you are wise."

[itsfondue]

Steve would probably find that existence a little disheartening, companionship was always a big thing to him during the war. Even before it, with Bucky always there to support him. Of course, loneliness is something more common to him nowadays, but he'd rather feel that than not understand it at all.

He begins to follow Hades through the water. "I don't." It's a little refreshing to hear a 'god' say that it would be terrible if he was invincible though. "Not being able to die, it's not something I'd want."

[kill_some_time]

"Oh?" Hades sounds nonchalant as he continues on. Hies ears move a bit every now and then, turning towards small noises they pick up as they progress to where their presumed third enemy is.

"What makes you feel that way?" Most people want to die never.

[itsfondue]

Steve continues to look around, no sense in letting his guard drop even if there's only one enemy left. It's a nice area though, or it would be if there weren't trolls roaming around and killing people.

"Don't think we're meant to live forever. And it'd be a lonely life, seeing people you know pass on. Watch the world change through the years, become the only person that knew how it used to be."

[kill_some_time]

Those words cause a pearly laugh to escape Hades from lips.

"You just described the life is this god quite adequately." Minus the getting lonely thing. No matter how human he is compared to his counterpart, Hades still lacks the empathy to feel that way about himself or others. "It happened once or twice that I missed to revisit a friend because I had forgotten that humans don't live in centuries."

[itsfondue]

Steve focuses his attention on Hades, although he isn't really frowning. "Does it ever become... disconnecting?" At least Hades is not invincible, but it doesn't erase the fact that he's still experienced these things.

[kill_some_time]

"Very." Hades admits freely as he keeps going. "I am the God of the Dead and the King of the Underworld. Because of that one could say that I have come to be the god who is both the closest and the most removed."

He stops when they enter a small clearing where a small kishin egg (small being relative, it's only about a shoulder taller than them) is trying to uproot a bush. "A young one."

[itsfondue]

"If you had the opportunity, would you change your position?"

Steve stops next to him as the kishin egg comes into view. It's surprising to see a young one like this, even if it's still taller than them. "And this kishin egg has eaten innocent souls as well?"

[kill_some_time]

"Why would I want to? Despite what the myths are saying I was neither tricked into it nor do I think that my lot is a bad one."

He gives the kishin egg that has by now managed to uproot the piece of shrubbery and is chewing on its roots an analytical glance before he shrugs his shoulders. "Presumably. Whether it was by its own accord or if it was forced or tricked into doing it... Does it matter? We should do away with it quickly."

[itsfondue]

"Just gonna make the most of what you are? Won't lie, don't think I'd want to change my role into yours either."

Steve still continues to eye the kishin egg, ready just in case it decides to suddenly attack. "If it's a child and was forced into this, we shouldn't just eliminate it." It isn't attacking them either.

[kill_some_time]

"Because you are and think like a human."

The reply sounds amused. "I would not be me anymore if I were to fall into being like that. Just like how a human would not survive trying to fill the position of a god." Whether they would be quickly undone by their fellow humans or simply loose their mind... Humans were not mean to be for eternity.

Eerily enough Hades expression does not change when he turns his attention back to the more pressing matter at hands. "It is a young without parents nor a mean to survive on its own. Killing it is the only option."

[itsfondue]

"Can't really disagree with that. Things don't work out when someone views him or herself as a god. It gets to their head."

His eyes flicker to Hades, frowning a bit at his response. "Killing isn't always the only option. It should be avoided when possible." Steve wonders if they can somehow make this kishin egg change its behavior, not grow up to be like its parents or something. He just doesn't feel right killing something that's not even harming anyone. "Can't it survive off things that are not human souls?"

[kill_some_time]

"Unless they actually are one?" The correction is made with a gentle, amused note. Hades has by now accepted that the humans here won't see how being a god and being a god is different to him based on how it is used to denote either a rank or a simple way of existence.

"Though back at the matter at hand..." He sighs as he raises a hand to his chin. "It is a pity I ended up saying it like this. It means that there is no other option that would work." A light frown expresses his disappointment with himself. "... How unfortunate. I have become careless."

[itsfondue]

"Only if they're truly one." And in Steve's opinion, there's only one god. Even though Steve has a lot of respect for Thor, he still can't view him as a god. A god-like being, maybe, especially with his control of lightning.

He looks at Hades with a somewhat confused expression, before understanding reaches him. "Because you cannot lie, correct?" The whole method that Hades used to tell if a Kishin Egg was nearby...

[kill_some_time]

He silently nods in reply. His expression says that he truly regrets having spoken that frankly. "It does not matter whether I know something or not. If I or another god of my kind can say it it is true, even if the exact circumstances of that truth are yet to be known." The kishin egg could live for ears pacifically until something happens that will force its keepers to kill it. Maybe it won't be able to eat anything but souls and starve. Maybe it would get sick. But it was going to need being put down in the end.

His lips curve into a smile. "Heh... It does not matter whether we see the stone at the bottom of the well or not because it is already a fact that it is there. It truly is 'the word of god'."

[itsfondue]

Steve believes him, even if it is a bit to take in. It seems like Hades could technically answer any question, even if he doesn't personally know the answer beforehand. Almost seems like it can be one of the most dangerous things around.

Still... "Doesn't mean that we can't still try and change its fate. Help it out in some way."

[kill_some_time]

The suggestion earns him a blank look. "What for? It's already decided what is going to happen." There is no passion at all in Hades' face and voice as he changes to his partial Weapon form.

[itsfondue]

"You don't even wanna try?" He wouldn't be here if he listened to all the doctors that told him he wasn't fit for service. Of course, the doctors are not 'gods' like Hades, but Steve is really stubborn when he wants to do the 'right thing.'

[kill_some_time]

"What I 'want to' or not is of no relevance in this case." He gathers the end of the chain in his hand and starts swinging it, startling the small kishin egg.

He didn't mean to come off cold. It is simple logic as far as Hades is concerned.

"It'd be best to get over this tiresome matter as soon as possible."