Chapter Seventeen – Of Books and Pumpkins
Yui didn't mention a thing to the others regarding the conversation that had transpired between her and Apollon, due to respect and friendship (for there was no other name to call what she felt for him anymore), as what the deity had told her clearly wasn't something he would like to be spread around... He had chosen to confide in her with those feelings and Yui would esteem that.
As she had told the others, in the following morning she felt better and ready to carry on (in fact, her recovery felt even a little better than usual, which she credited to Apollon's tea), yet, her brain was haunted by all that had been said between them... It as as if just now she fully comprehended what she had already understood when speaking with Hades regarding his curse, months ago...
As she looked through the window, the girl thought she could also understand more the pressure Thoth put upon her and the other humans... One couldn't solve such long-term emotions in just one simple talk, nor one could let go of them overnight. And if a human could still carry such scars (or was it the other way around, in the end?), what there was to be said about a deity who had carried them for so long that it made a lifetime be the brief twinkle of a star?
What could she do? What could any of them do in order to help?
It wasn't even just about making them understanding humans or letting go of whatever concepts they had. It was just about the gods themselves. Young Yui was, but not as naive as to not see the pain those ages and thoughts had caused Apollon... The feeling of being used, the constant questioning of the reason for his existence, seeing humans using each other and...
A sigh was born and died in her throat. When she had expressed understanding due to first-hand experience, it hadn't been a lie. She had had people regarded as friends who had been using her or just kept hanging out with her for reasons Yui was never able to understand, as there had been nothing to gain... Even now, she could remember insults disguised in sweet tones, the times she had been literally ignored when saying something or when those people agreed to go together somewhere and delicately said it was better if she didn't come, as it was not a place "meant for her".
She couldn't forget. And it hurt even now.
As much as Yui tried to be a good person, if inquired about it, she would have to say the truth: She did not forgive those people for this. Forget all the "let it go, it is bad for you" crap, there was a line between forgiving and forgetting... She wasn't able to do either.
Apollon probably had felt the same when people only prayed to him in order to ask for things and then proceed to forget to even thank him or when he tried to approach them as a mortal and they eventually found out, proceeding to think only of what they could get from the situation. Other gods often reacted to this as a great insult to their prides, for what Yui had gathered, and while she couldn't speak about those other ones, she could see that it was not only Apollon's pride that had been hurt in such occasions. It was his heart as well...
What if it was her? What if she had spent lifetimes watching beings that so often hurt others, using them to feel better, as steps in a ladder, to get something they wanted or just because they could?
"I would rather look away as well."
What could she do to help him?
What other reasons the others had had to look away from humans?
From the back of her mind, Thor's words about the destructive behavior of humans echoed softly enough to tease her brain with ghost-like fingers. And not for the first time, something alike shame arose in her. If you followed those thoughts, it wasn't so surprisingly that some of them had been so hostile or indifferent towards her when they first met.
"Are you alright, there?"
The question called Yui back to the present and it took her muscles a second to form smile as if there was nothing wrong.
"Oh, I'm fine, don't worry." She turned to Misaki, before looking back to the paper in front of her with the small essay they had for homework. "Just a bit lost in thought, that's all"
"You sure?" Misaki tilted her head to the side a little, which made her look like some cute puppy. "You seem kinda down..."
"Can the rain have such effects on you?" While there was no thunder, it was not the sort of weather for anyone to be out and about. The water collided with the glass creating a whipping sound and it was hard to see anything that was not the curtain of drops dancing with the wind.
"No, it... No, humans are not effected by rain" Yui was somewhat confused by Tsukito's question, but the Moon god kept staring at her as if he could see beyond the skin, directly to the pulsating blood and flesh of her skull. She probably would never get used to when any of the gods looked at her in such way.
"Some are" He insisted. "I've read about it, it's not due to any physiological reason, but some can feel saddened by the weather. And often women can experience changes of mood due to changes of the moon, some being susceptible to it even more when menstru..."
"I'm fine!" Her voice went a note higher while a wave of heat took control of her nerves, embarrassed with the mere thought of Tsukito entering a conversation about monthly cycles and perhaps even asking if she was facing such times. Misaki looked equally mortified by the idea and her eyes quickly averted his gaze.
Instead of insisting, Tsukito went quiet.
"Really, just... Just a bit distracted today, that's all" She lifted her paper, not wanting any of the presents (which included Apollon) to worry. "And can you guys blame me?"
Misaki sighed, deciding to comply even if she had not totally bought that excuse. Yui was usually cheerful and sweet. Today she was too quiet and it hadn't been the first time Misaki had caught her "lost in thought"...
"I really didn't think we would have so much homework. Let alone exams..." She grumbled. They had several kinds of classes and Thoth often gave them homework in at least four, when not ordering long essays. As for the exams, Misaki couldn't even imagine how those would be... Looking at her own homework, she felt as if her brain had emptied itself of everything Thoth had ever said in class... She had to agree with Arisu, she couldn't see the point for her and the other girls to take exams if they would be focused on humanity. For crying out loud, they were humans!
"But Thoth often draws parallels between how humans and gods see things and their evolution and all. Perhaps it will be like that?" The thought had no comfort whatsoever and she crossed her arms on the table, hiding her face on them with a groan, feeling any mental strength leaving her with that idea. Whatever reasons Thoth had (and she was sure he would come up with quite a few if asked), she wasn't sure she would agree with any of them.
"Once more, I will never complain about the teachers back in home ever again..."
"You girls are worrying too much. What happens, happens." Dionysus patted Misaki's back and pushed his notebook to her direction with a smile. "See, I don't have any notes and I'm just fine with it"
He was not joking. His notebook looked brand new, except for a few pages when he had scribbled some drawings.
"In your case, I think you should worry at least a little..."
"Don't even try, Saki-Saki... Dee-Dee rarely worries about anything" The sun deity had his face resting on his hand, his expression that of defeat though there was some amusement in his eyes. Dionysus didn't seem bothered by it and merely shrugged, still with that smile that made his eyes twinkle with something that was always a little close to madness.
"Well, you're better off than Loki, at any rate..." Misaki muttered, sitting straight, almost asking him how he was getting by with the homework and essays, but since they tended to study together so many times and that Apollon was his half-brother, she guessed (and quite correctly) that Dionysus faced no problems in this regard.
However, speaking of the Norse god, he was another one who had been a little too quiet today.
"Probably planning a bomb or something..."
"Our exams will still be at the beginning of November, we still have a couple of weeks to get ready" Tsukito mentioned, turning back to his paper and adding something quickly. "I take Thoth-sensei shall give more details on their nature later on."
Misaki wouldn't bet very much on it, but said nothing.
"We're near the end of October, anyway... Did your school use to do anything?" She asked Yui while scribbling a little smiling pumpkin in the corner of her notebook. Uui shook her head.
"Not really, but one of my friends, Mina, always gives a party."
"What are you two talking about?" Dionysus seemed completely confused and looking around, they realized Tsukito and Apollon also looked at them expecting explanations, even if Yui was almost certain that Thoth had mentioned Halloween when speaking of some human festivities of nowadays.
"Halloween. You know, it's at the end of October" Yui turned to Misaki, suddenly having an idea. "Think we'll be able to do something?"
Misaki doubted it. Better to wait for winter vacation and Christmas... It wasn't as if Halloween was as worldwide as Christmas and Thoth would probably refuse to allow a "party" that was not as connected to culture as the Moon Event had been... Halloween was more towards having fun and he would probably just point out how they were there to study, the focus necessary, yadda yadda...
To quote Arisu, for a god of knowledge, it seemed he had never learned to loose up.
Even so, it would have been fun and Misaki felt they could use it. Life in a boarding school, even one such as this, could get boring at times, especially when they couldn't go anywhere else. Oh, the gardens and the woods around were beautiful, but the lack of more diversity sometimes got to Misaki...
"We could at least try talking about it with the others later." Apollon suggested. Yui was quite pleased to see the usual signs of excitement beginning to show in his mannerisms. The God had behaved as though there was nothing wrong as well, but Yui had learned to see the small differences in his behavior that denounced there was something off. And by the glimpse she caught of Dionysus, he had as well.
"I don't think uncle Hades will be able to watch the stars tonight, so we'll have time to talk to him..." At this, Misaki kept her silence, for while the Underworld ruler was nothing but polite and kind, she was still a little... Well, a little scared of him.
She didn't know why and tried her best to never allow such feelings to be noticeable, often rebuking herself for them, yet her body worked without consent and the flesh often crawled under the skin when he stood too close...
"This is stupid, he is a nice guy." He was still very quiet, but so was Thor and he didn't cause such reactions. For a moment, Misaki remembered when Thor had patted her head during the Moon Event and had to control herself to not touch the spot... It had been surprising, as Thor had never been an expressive type, let alone affectionate as far as she was aware.
"But he obviously cares about Loki and Balder. It's not that he merely hangs out with them" She held back a sigh and, unknowingly to her, echoed Yui's own thoughts. There was still so much they didn't get about them... She crossed her ankles under the sofa, a little uncomfortable with her own thoughts and the memory of how her nerves still shivered in the presence of Hades, even though there was no rational motive for it. But even if she tried to tell herself of it, there was no use in trying to reason with her own body...
But... But perhaps some things were improving, right? Months ago, she wouldn't have believed if someone told her that Arisu and Takeru would be getting along, yet today as soon as they had left classes, Takeru had held her hand and insisted that they went swimming, telling her they "Could worry about homework later, Rat"... To which Arisu had rolled her eyes, more with camaraderie than annoyance and accepted since, according to her, "she still wanted to win against the Porcupine".
It was one of those scenes that forced you to think about past events, your brain automatically turning for comparisons. And it had forced Misaki to think once more of how things had been lately between them. Considering the beginning of the year, she had wondered how she hadn't noticed it more clearly earlier. Even Loki wasn't as hostile as he had been, which was saying a lot... Oh, he still made his pranks and there were still comments from time to time that could be taken as offensive, but there was less intention of being hurtful.
And now, being with Apollon, Dionysus and Tsukito, discussing their homework and other simple things, she couldn't help but to admit that this wasn't the feeling of being with mere classmates. It was like being with friends.
Apollon had told her, hadn't him? Back in the Cultural Event... He had told her that just because they were different, didn't mean they couldn't be friends...
Then why a part of her insisted in wondering if this was truly possible?
In the back of her mind there were whispers from a voice she knew well. And like she always did when those ghosts started to stir, Misaki made a conscious effort to silence them.
Remembering words from that person would be of no help whatsoever.
XxX
It was no use, it wasn't here. A strange occurrence, as usually the books of astronomy stayed in the room of the Club. Well, most of them, he had seen that the library had an entire wing dedicated to the subject (as well as many others). Perhaps it had been misplaced?
Possible. He had once found a book of arts here, so whatever spirit had been tasked with organizing things might have made a similar mistake.
As he crossed the empty hallways towards the Art Club room, he found himself thinking about the last months, his thoughts wandering with a light quality that wasn't so common for him. Being the ruler of the Underworld, Hades often had more serious thoughts in mind... It was nothing that bothered him, yet one couldn't help but to compare two states of living that were so different from each other. Once, in a letter-like report, Thanatos had jokingly referred to his current predicament as a "vacation" of sorts.
When he turned a corner, two spirits that had been speaking words without saying them, walked away. Hades paid them no mind.
He still disapproved of how his younger brother had handled things, despite having clearly good intentions, but Hades had to admit it wasn't being so bad. At the beginning of the year, even after accepting to attend the so-called classed, he had considered that such thing wouldn't be anything other than trying.
And it had seemed ridiculous, putting it mildly. He was a god, older than many stars themselves, the mere idea of being forced to attend a school... And in order to learn about humans, no less... He had been more than indignant and quite furious. In the moment he had woken up there, he had felt the traces of his brother's powers and had searched for him, demanding explanations (something not even Apollon was aware of).
It had been a good thing that he was among the gods that had a great deal of self control... Ares would have thrown a fit and screamed to the high heavens against this humiliation, no matter if a year meant almost nothing for beings such as them or that Zeus was his father...
But all in all, it wasn't quite unpleasant. When he reflected about it, the god of the Dead couldn't point the exact moment, but a part of him had grown used to that style of life, even if he couldn't completely detach himself from his duties like the others...
A proof of it was the newest letter he had in his pocket from Thanatos, containing the usual report of how his kingdom was faring. A couple of souls chained to Tartarus, aware of the god's absence, had attempted to escape and injure souls of the Asphodel Fields, being stopped by the Furies before they had the chance to reach them. Hades had replied with orders that would ensure that their minds wouldn't be able to come up with such ideas without causing their existences to convulse with the memory of the agony they would receive for this.
Contrary to what many mortals had believed in the Old Days, he was no sadist and took no pleasure in distributing pain, but the consequences for the souls of the Asphodel Fields if that plan have succeeded... Even he, a god, felt a wave of nausea at the very idea. To keep the necessary order of the Underworld, such actions were sometimes demanded...
He knocked at the door of the Art Club. No response. The logic assumption was that it was empty and he entered.
It was not.
Red Amaya was sitting by the windowsill. Hades frowned and approached slowly, not needing more than a minute to take notice of her closed eyes, the slow breathing.
Asleep.
For a brief moment, the god's gaze touched her shoulder, a few strands of her dark hair falling across it... It was hard to look at her without recalling the marks in her flesh, cracks that spread and made her look as a thing that, after broken, had been put together by uncaring hands... Even now he could remember, almost see, that in the fabric-covered leg there was a piece of muscle that seemed to have been chewed by some creature.
In the course of a long life judging souls, Hades had seen many kinds of wounds and had no shortage of scenarios that explained the birth of her scars... However, even if he had seen worse wounds, somehow hers still stood out in his mind...
Perhaps because he knew her?
Though even that was a curious way of putting it. Technically, he knew more about the souls he had judged than he knew her, having seen their entire lives and actions, what had moved them to behave in such ways and the consequences.
Her head was resting against the wall, forehead against the window. There was a book in the floor. Her muscles were relaxed, her mind closed in a world all of her own...
For a moment, he wondered about what she (as well as those other humans) thought of this whole ordeal.
His curse pulsed, sending through the blood the poison that warned him against approaching others.
Hades was not a fool. He knew well that some of the others still shivered with his presence. Why, the couple of spirits that had walked away just now hadn't done so for any other reason than the basic instinct... Though the humans tried to not behave any differently with him. Why, Misaki Aihara's attempts to hide her insecurity near him would have fooled him, had he been a human. Yet, the god was nevertheless grateful to see that that the girl cared enough to try. Many wouldn't have bothered.
And there was no blame to cast on her either.
It was like this to all deities related to death and darkness, which were primordial sources of dread. Their bodies, still alive and warm, couldn't react in any other way to the presence of a being that was so close to death itself. It wasn't like being near something dangerous such as a snake or poison, but the very essence of the end of life.
It was not something the body could fully process and, in self-preservation, it didn't try to, only able to shiver with warnings at what was lurking nearby. In a way, just as much as living creatures were attracted to Balder, they couldn't help but to want to recoil in the presence of others such as him.
Hades also knew he wasn't as approachable as the others. After ages of not bothering to leave the Underworld (not that many opportunities presented themselves), he just wasn't used to deal with other beings that were not Thanatos, Hecate or the other deities that called the Underworld home. Some, such as Apollon and Dionysus, at times visited him even if they couldn't stay for long... And he sure wasn't used to deal with living humans...
His hand slowly went to the eye he kept hidden under bangs of dark hair. Heterochromia wasn't completely unheard of among gods, yet the contrast of his black sclera and blood-like iris with the right eye being a cold gold didn't make him less intimidating... One of the few things positive about being forced to a human form was that his eye looked normal, despite the color.
Yet, there were things that couldn't be helped be by changing his form or through shackles...
His curse could affect some gods, but it hadn't taken him much to remember how vicious it could be for humans. In that occasion with Kusanagi he had felt how her life had almost started to leave her body and he knew the girl was aware of what a close call it had been.
Susanoo's speeches regarding the weakness of humans may have toned down and became less frequent, yet the Sea god was right. It was so easy to break them, to tear their skin apart... It took almost nothing to take away the life of their eyes and even less to cause pain.
His comment about how there had to be something amiss in Yui's brain for her to insist in going star-gazing with him right after she had almost died hadn't been an exaggeration of his part. It was something he hadn't been able to understand (even now he wasn't completely sure he did), so Hades had pinned it in some mental instability.
If one knew that by approaching a certain person, it was a fact that there would be misfortunes and pain, wasn't the following logic to stay away?
Logic that seemed to fail or be completely ignored by those humans.
"You should understand why" Ren's voice sounded in his mind again, back when he had expressed his opinion about Yui's decision. "She is like the stars you like so much"
Later on, he had understood what she meant and had agreed.
He had talked about those humans with the other deities. Like him, they also didn't fully understand their behavior, though Tsukito had pinned it down to how the effect of time on civilization, since they had stopped even checking on what humans did since ages ago. Apollon wasn't convinced and Hades wasn't sure this was the case either, no matter if it was the most logical explanation...
In the great scheme of things, they were like children compared to him and the other gods... And yet, as easy as it would be to tear them apart, they still had a strength of their own and often surprised him and the others through their actions and words.
Yet, there were things they didn't know and didn't understand. When he thought about it, Hades often hoped it would remain that way... For all creatures had a light and dark side and there was no need for those girls to ever see that part of the gods.
He took a step closer to the sleeping girl... She might as well be dead if it wasn't for the soft movement that indicated breathing and the fact that he still could feel life irradiating from her... Again, the images of her broken flesh came to his mind...
Her eyes snapped open.
She turned, for a moment almost losing balance, despite the fact that the windowsill was more than large enough for someone to sit comfortably.
"Don't do that!" Ren growled, one of the few times she sounded harsh, brushing her hand against her face as if to clean the remains of sleep and sitting straight. Hades nodded in respect.
"My apologies"
"That's okay, just..." She sighed and turned to him "I'm a really light sleeper, so..." And shook her head in a way of explaining, to which the god nodded and said nothing, proceeding to look at the shelf nearby. At least she had no way of knowing he had been lost in thought, it would make him seem like a creep.
Ren picked the book from the floor, but made no gesture to resume her reading and instead looked through the window, beyond which there was only a light gray world lost in the rain.
Her thoughts hadn't been totally focused in her reading anyway, but rather turned towards her parents. And she moved around, as if uncomfortable as that known piercing feeling of missing came back to life. There was no help, she was terribly homesick... And since the damn Cultural Day, there were times she was assaulted by memories and thoughts she wished she didn't have.
Even now, her brain came up with images. Her mother kneeling in front of her and hugging her, then her father joined... And the warmth of their arms made her feel so safe... Her father laughing with some silly joke as they sat together to dinner and she giggled for the first time in months... The times her mother had entered her room, only to find Ren lying in her bed, still as if already dead and merely waiting, even wishing, that the rest of her body would just rot away and free her soul... Then Nozomi whispered kindly in her ear and kissed her shoulder, her disgusting, grotesque, cracked flesh...
"What are you doing?" She suddenly asked, masking well her desperate need to have something that grabbed her brain's attention so to better ignore those ghosts and how badly she wished she was home now or that she had a way to contact her parents.
"I think a book of astronomy was placed here by accident" Hades muttered as his visible eye ran over the book's spines in search of a misplaced title. Ren said nothing immediately and looked through the window once more.
"No Astronomy club this night?"
"No, I don't think so... Not with this rain, anyway." Despite his short answers and usual serious tone, there was nothing negative there. He finally picked a book with dark blue cover and adorned in the front with a photo of what looked like a blue and lilac galaxy.
"May I?" She leaned a little forward and, after a moment, Hades walked to her, handling the book over, observing as she opened it and looked through the pages, barely bothering with the words as soon as she realized that many of the terms she did not understand or knew, instead appreciating the photos of and how some pages showed the way the stars were connected, shaping constellations and the images they represented.
"They're beautiful" It was a mere whisper, yet Hades caught on that. He took a moment before replying.
"I was surprised to see that humans had developed technology that allowed them to take photos of the sky such as those"
That made Ren frown for a second with a thought.
"How did you use to see the starts when you... Well, you live in the underworld?" Now that she thought about it, she couldn't imagine how Hades would be able to look at the sky then.
"Hephaestus made a telescope for me, at my request." His response made it sound as if it was obvious, but his never-changing expression didn't clarify if he had truly understood what the girl meant or not.
"But I mean... How can you..."
"Although there are gates in the world that do allow access to my realm and they do involve following paths under the Earth" Hades explained then, though he had previously decided against it. Why he had just changed his mind, he didn't know but perhaps there was no harm in indulging her a little. "My realm doesn't exist in this sort of physical terms, just like Olympus doesn't truly exist on top of a determinate mount. Those were the paths mortals knew and as such, the way they could understand such places and their localization"
"So, the Underworld..."
"It's a realm that can be reached by certain paths of the mortal world, but doesn't exist there."
Though there was no harshness in his voice, Ren understood by his seriousness that this was the best answer she would receive (and it was probably more than he had ever explained to a living being) and no more.
"Could you tell me?" She asked nodding to the book before handing it back. "I know some constellations are named after Greek myths..." She added, before gesturing with the head in a silent invitation for him to sit down with her.
Hades hesitated at this, as his curse became a shadow of thorns in his flesh, his own mind whispering warnings. Ren probably knew what he was thinking about because she whispered gently.
"Please, Hades?"
Not pleading, not insisting. A mere whisper that said more than the brief sounds.
And against his better judgment, he again decided to indulge the girl and sat at her side in the windowsill, proceeding to tell about how humans would see the existence of starts before they had speech to name fire or night and how some constellations had, in fact, been created by the gods themselves. Oh, they couldn't create stars themselves, despite what mortals believed back in their days of worship, but they could recreate their light in the sky.
One of the examples he gave was the constellation of Aquarius, which Zeus had created to honor Ganymede, the cup bearer of the gods (he omitted how his brother had kidnapped the mortal boy, even if he had had nothing to do with it). And Ren listened on and on with her ever inscrutable gaze.
The first time he stopped, not due to doubt of her attention, but rather because of it, the girl tilted her head to the side in a gesture he knew to be incentive to carry on, as he had seen her doing it before in the few times she (alongside with Kusanagi and some other of the girls or gods) insisted upon accompanying him and he had been unable to deny them. It invariably rained and they would take refuge in the gazebo, soon engaging in talking be about school, idle matters or the stars.
Whatever story or conversation was going on, he had seen that silent incentive, and knew the difference between that and any physical expression of confusion.
Ren, on the other hand, just waited and as much as Hades had no idea of what she was thinking about, she also couldn't guess his thoughts as he hid them well in the depths of his mind, rare fishes can hide in the parts of the ocean where humans can't go without being crushed by the pressure. Like the others, his face was not marked by usage or time and only in the eyes you would find some indication of the passage of ages.
It was something she had learned earlier to not be quite pleasant to search for, as the human mind cannot fully grasp the concept of eternity when it presents itself in such a physical way. The only way, even when it was with Apollon or Loki, was to ignore it.
Hades' red gaze was always piercing, no matter how calm he seemed, and always seemed to undo the muscle connections, to play with how her flesh and blood danced, until it reached her soul and stripped it bare. To drown in that red eye was to drown in a red mirror and break apart. A basilisk stare.
She did not look away and waited for him to continue with the stories of the stars.
XxX
The rain gave no signs of going away, but Isuzu would not be found complaining. She rather enjoyed such weather and there was more to occupy herself excluding the club activities, although as she crossed the hallway to one of the rooms the students used to hang together, she thought it would still be a lie if she said she didn't miss her computer.
"It would have made me feel better. And it would some connection to outside, outside of this school, outside of this golden cage..." Her hand ran through her hair as she breathed, for her mind tended to act as a irritable cat when she felt a little caged up (a trait she shared very much with her sister), except it turned against her. But today, with the rain, Isuzu couldn't help but to remember the things she would do to distract herself back in home and how many of them were not possible here, which was a little annoying in either way.
But again, nothing to be done about it except hope that by the end of the year they would be back home and not have to deal with this again... And Isuzu purposelessly ignored how this thought, once filled with nothing but hope and joy, now carried some questions that weren't very pleasant and threatened to poison the other emotions.
"At least we can read more than merely History stuff and I don't know what" Alright, some of the classes weren't quite the torture her sister had been expecting, but it didn't mean Isuzu (or Arisu, for that matter) would like to spent their free time reading "A History of the Human Thought" or just studying and studying. At this, she held the exemplar of the Harry Potter series closer to herself. And a good thing they liked to read as well, if you thought about that... Hm, maybe they couldn't get a computer (even if only to play games), but what if they asked board games in the school shop? She had always liked "Clue"...
"Ugh. Zeus should have thought more about that, we should get a game room or something like that around here" And she wasn't even much of a "gamer girl", though Arisu often watched "Let's Play" in the youtube.
"Yo, Isuzu" Her head snapped to the side, following the voice and finding Misaki coming downstairs.
"Hi there. So, finished with the homework?"
Misaki blinked and rolled her eyes, her voice becoming a mocking tone of childishness.
"Ugh, yes, mommy. Geez"
"Just kidding, just kidding." The other giggled at the blonde's expression "So, what are you doing, anyway?"
"Not much, to be fair." Misaki shrugged in a way that made Isuzu wonder if she didn't quite enjoy having to stay indoors. "Yui was explaining the concepts of Halloween to Apollon and Tsukito and I got a little bored, so I was just walking around... And regretting the fact I didn't have my Iphone when I was brought here." She added in a whisper of conspiracy, to which Isuzu immediately nodded in agreement.
"Join the club, I miss my computer." And she shook her head, a small smile playing with the corners of her mouth "If my dad heard that, he would be laughing and going on about how we're a lost generation, drugged by technology and unable to live without it..."
"And he would be right!" Misaki agreed with a scoff as if it was such an obvious idea that it shouldn't need to be put into words. "I just don't feel like doing anything and at the same time, I wish I had something to do..." Well, that was how she got when she was bored. It wasn't the staying indoors that bothered her, it was that she didn't feel like reading and at times, their options of distraction to pass the time became limited. This was what annoyed her.
Boring hours were too long.
"I know the feeling.I was thinking we could try asking for some board games at the school shop"
"Hey! Good idea!" Misaki's eyes brightened a little. "Heck, it would help in days like now. And you, what are you up to?"
"Well, I'm also not up to studies or anything of the sort, so..." Isuzu lifted the book she carried a little, showing it.
"Which one's your favorite?"
"Ask me something easier!" The reply was accompanied by a muffled laugh and Isuzu's eyes rolled up as she thought about it. "Hm, well, I like all of them, but I think if I had to pick, it would be... "Goblet of Fire" and the "Prisoner of Azkaban", you?"
"Chamber of Secrets and Order of the Phoenix" Misaki replied with no need to spent a moment thinking about it. "Though I've never met a character I hated so much like Umbridge"
"Well, that goes without saying... I've never heard of anyone who liked her. I mean, she added a great tension to the plot and all, but that's not the same." Isuzu was about to mention how they were missing the new season of "Game of Thrones" while they were in that stupid school, but another thought made itself known.
"Wait a moment" She muttered, stopping her way to look at the shorter girl. "Did you just say Yui is explaining Halloween to Apollon and Tsukito?" It was certainly a image to think about. Misaki lifted her hands as if to show she was disarmed.
"We mentioned it while we were finishing our essays and they wanted to know more about it. I don't think Thoth would allow us to do anything, so Apollon better not get his hopes up, though"
Isuzu could see her reasons to think so and couldn't help but to agree for the exactly same reasons. Even so...
"But think how it would be if they dressed up..." She whispered with a secretive smile, making Misaki's eyes widen. The thought of the gods wearing costumes was, at the same time, funny and disturbing. She couldn't help but to laugh at it.
"Oh, man, that is something I would like to see!" And was about to ask Isuzu what she thought they would dress up as when they entered the studying room and saw Loki, lying down in one couch, his face hidden in the cushion while Balder and Thor were in chairs nearby.
It was rare to see Loki quiet, let alone lying down like that and they exchanged a look.
"Hey, what's up with him?" Misaki asked as she took a seat in the other cushion. Loki didn't react to their presence, merely turning his face to the side. Thor looked at the blonde girl with a gesture of acknowledgment, but said nothing. Balder smiled as if there was something amusing about the whole situation.
"Oh, nothing, don't worry" And watched as Isuzu, still holding the book to her chest, approached the couch and leaned to it a little.
"You alive there, Loki?" She asked in a way that made everyone else think about Arisu. Loki turned his head sideways, opening a sleepy eye before resuming his original position and mumbling.
"Buzz off"
Isuzu was about to say something else when she felt warmth in her shoulder, realizing just now that Balder had walked to her and had his hand on her shoulder. Misaki still looked from the Light god to the redheaded lying there and couldn't help but ask.
"What's bitten him?"
Balder turned his head to her, with the soft smile of always.
"Loki always gets like that when it rains"
As if to emphasize the point, the god turned around like a cat trying to find a better position to sleep and waved his hand for a brief moment in a sloppy movement.
"Tryingsleepshutup"
Isuzu gently moved away from Balder's touch and went back to Misaki as they two shared a knowing look. This certainly explained why Loki had been so quiet in class today. It wasn't uncommon for him to sleep during the whole lecture, but they had noticed there was something different when he hadn't stood up with a jump and dashed out of the room when Thoth had announced the classes were done for the day.
Misaki could guess by the way he was lying there that Loki had just walked to the couch and threw himself there. On a hand, she personally thought it was easier to sleep at night with the sound of rain (especially if you had had some hot cocoa), on another, that was a bit pushing it... But it seemed Loki was someone who often lived by the extremes of things.
"If he wants to sleep, why he doesn't go to the dormitories?" This time, however, it was Loki himself who replied.
"Too far..." And by the sound of the last word, he had just fallen asleep.
"Okay, that's just a lazy excuse..." Misaki muttered as she turned to Isuzu, who had just sat at her side accompanied by Balder. "You know that sometimes I feel like I'm in an insane asylum, not a school?"
"It's the way it's always been." The other replied calmly before opening her book and starting to read, holding it in her lap so Misaki could read as well when she noticed the other leaning closer.
It was a huge surprise to both girls when Balder commented they were also reading the series and he commented how, despite the whole idea of magic being quite different from the views he recalled humans having, he had found himself just enjoying the story. Thor's face grew a pale shade of pink when he confirmed he had also "taken a look at it" when Misaki asked him. In the end, deciding it was better to let Loki sleep, they headed to the hall while discussing the series.
(Edit: Had some free time and revised the chapter, tried to fix some mistakes)
Ana: I am so sorry that I took so long to update. Life has turned completely chaotic here and I literally had no time to update any sooner. I think this chapter isn't very good, but I really wanted to get something done.
Takeru: Always the same excuses.
Ana: I'm not going to dignify this with an answer.
Takeru: And where I was in this chapter?
Ana: Wonder if there are any shippings going around...
Takeru: Don't change the subject!
Ana: Well, regarding the Halloween thing (and I swear I had not planned for this chapter to come in October), I'm really unsure if I'll do anything. Like I mentioned before, I don't want to keep doing "festivities" at every couple of chapters. On another hand, although we don't celebrate Halloween in Brazil (damn), I do like the theme (big surprise) and I thought the characters could at least spend the day dressed up. So, please, tell me what you guys think! Just some costumes, or you would like to see something more?
Arisu: Costumes? Are you for real? Haven't we been through enough?
Thoth: Should I remember you that this is not a place meant for fun and games and we're dealing with...
Ana: Not listening.
Thoth: You never listen. How you got to college is a mystery to me.
Misaki: I do wonder if it will come the day he will have something polite to say.
Ana: ANYWAY! People, I've made a ko-fi account. It's a really great site where you guys can give me some support. Between taking care of my mom, college, searching for a job and also how economy here is pretty much gone to the dogs, things have not been quite easy. So, if you like my work, you could always give me a hand. The link is in my profile, along with the one to my Deviantart account, where you can check my drawings and other stuff.
Loki (mocking): Oh, don't forget to like and subscribe!
Ana: And since when you know what youtube is, for starters?
Loki: Uh... Eh... I just...
Ana: Have you been using my computer without permission?
Jemstone6259: Thanks! This is something I really aim for in this story, as I think the issues gods/humans should have been treated a lot more seriously (and it also has many possibilities). Apollon was the first to open that much to Yui, so let's see how long it takes with the others!