Welcome to Gaia! ::

Inside his treasury? That must have been a long time ago then, and certainly not a feat easily achieved, not even by a goddess. What did that make her then? Not Greed, no, he had already encountered Avaritia. Certainly one of the tricksters then, Thievery? No, wait. You just answered your own question. “Trickery,” he said cooly, the temperature seeming to plummet as he spoke.

Lacrymosa had picked up the sound of the opening door as well, but as no one had come out before it closed again, it held little interest for her right now. Hm, that Adi's door was just all green was a bit of a problem – she hadn't quite figured out yet what green smelled or tasted like. Well, she did know a lot of things that were green, but she'd found nothing yet they all had in common. But that invitation for dinner certainly did sound fabulous. “I don't think eyes taste bad at all,” she announced. She'd tried them a few times.

“Papa, when we're done, can we--” She broke off, blinking surprised a few times at the open hostility in her father's voice. Usually, he only ever did sound that angry when demons were brought up. But that lady had no demon-scent upon her. She wondered what she might have done to make her daddy be so angry with her …

(( Kit, Medea, I see you lurking. And Ves too. Come and joinnnnnnn~! I had this RP started in the hallway on purpose! *dangles muse!bait* X3 ))

((Okay, you talked me into it. I can play for the next hour and a half. Got a doctor's appointment today. ))

A sigh of boredom slipped over her as she watched the aoidei go about their chores. Perhaps she should do a few. The thought slipped away quickly with a giggle. Not likely. Instead, she moved toward the door thinking that perhaps it was time to take a walk again. Grabbing a silk scarf from the table nearby, she wrapped it about her waist more as protection than modesty. She had discovered that some plants made her itch. In the back of her thoughts was the temptation to use them as part of a prank.

Her hand was still on the door as she spoke to the door handle- both halves. "Behave yourselves." she reminded as she shut the bubbled door, but then giggled again adding, "At least as much as normal, boys." One mumbled and the other laughed. That was usually the way of it.

Noticing several people in the hallway, she smiled when she saw Crys. But as her eyes traveled across the others, Lisana giggled. "Are we having a party in the hallway?" Then she stared at Nergal as she stepped closer. "Lord Nergal? Indeed, you have changed since last I saw you." With a smile on her face, she circled him entirely, looking him over.

(( Ahahah, oh god. That would be, like, the icing on the cake. XDDD heart Shame it doesn't work out.

Agh, sorry guys, had to rewrite the second half of my post to include Lisana as well. Hard to focus, am so huuuuuuungry ... ))

“I would be outright lying if I were to say that I am pleased to meet you, Daughter of Lies,” Nergal said sternly, “so pardon me for not keeping to etiquette for once.” She hadn't done anything yet, not in this life, yet there was something about her that rubbed him entirely the wrong way. He wished he could wipe that insolent grin off her face somehow. She hasn't done anything yet, he kept reminding himself. “If you have no business with me, it would be better for you to be on your way now.”

Crys' eyes widened in awe as she kept listening. Papa was capable of being rude?! Well, about as rude as it got, considering this was Nergal.

Underworld was just about to call out for his daughter, so that they might continue their little sightseeing tour of the Pantheon's doors, and much inclined to simply leave Tien standing and ignore her from now on, when a door quite close to the stairs was pulled open. A plain green door, completely without adornments, but he knew well enough who lived there. After all he had successfully managed to avoid him for years.

“Rioooooooooooo~!” Crys cheered, only to happily squeal again moments later, as soon as she picked up Lisana's telltale giggle. “And aunt Lis too!!” The girl clapped her hands excitedly. This was getting better with every passing moment!!

This was getting worse with every passing moment. Inwardly Nergal groaned. He wasn't going to get spared anything today, was he?

“Greetings, Lord Desiderio, Lady Lisana,” he said, his face a frozen facade of politeness. He wouldn't have recognized Laughter if it hadn't been for his daughter calling her name. “We were just about to leave.”

That brought a pout to his daughter's face almost immediately. She didn't want to leave. Not now that the air close to her was filled with the scent of sugar and raspberries, definitely not!

((Yup, yup, I'm back. ))

Lisana's lips curved upwards as she watched Nergal. He was really uncomfortable and it was certain he needed to learn how to play with others more. Normally she would have teased him much more intensely, but the others were doing so which was far more amusing to her. "I think the last time my host, Eftemie, saw you it was at her birthday party. Echo was with you. She had hoped you both had a wonderful time there though she had no clue who you were at the time. She liked you both even in those few moments."

A quick warm hug to Crys and a whisper in the child's ear. "I hope Yeti has been sharing all those ... tasties with you." Her eyes said she was up to mischief and was quite sure that the cookies were occasionally spoiling the child's meals. "Perhaps you should have your father meet Yeti sometime." She was quite certain the creature would drool on him at some point.

Her attention turned to Tien at her words, her eyes sparkling as she watched the goddess. "When I see you, I see parties. And lots of pranks. I have the definite impression we were always getting into trouble together. Perhaps we should have one just for Lord Underworld. Although it might be more appropriate to have a 'block party' now while he is here."

"Adrienne.. Very pretty name. Love..." she repeated, as another giggle slipped free. No wonder Nergal was in such a position. Trickery, Love, and Laughter all had cornered him. What would he do next? "You have been very busy in my life of recent. I thank you for that though you have done it indirectly. I'm Laughter."

Quite a shame the arrival of the newcomers was keeping Trickery from going her way, Nergal thought. Though, considering just who had chosen to join their conversation, he really preferred himself to be the one leaving. Trickery, Love, and then Laughter – really, the only one left to join their merry round and completely spoil his day was Greed.

Crys giggled when Love kissed her hand, quite flattered that she was treated like a 'lady', just like her mom. What was it again, that you said in response? “The pleasure is all mine,” she replied all dignified, just as her mother had in similar situations. It made Nergal stare at her momentarily, but of course she wouldn't notice that.

Nergal felt slightly at unease when he noticed Love's disapproval, especially as it was justified. He was the one wanting to get out of the vicinity of too many deities on his “do-not-want-to-talk-to” list at once, but hadn't Crys wanted to …? “Lacrymosa,” he queried, part of him trying to digest the fact that he'd been called 'uncle', “the doors?”

“They can wait,” Crys chirped happily, “they're not going anywhere, are they?” That's what dad said of the Dead lately, whenever she poked why it was that he stuck around so much all of a sudden. “Come have dinner with us?” she tried. “They're going to have eyes.” She beamed, as if that was a special delicacy akin to caviar.

“I thought we might have met in between, possibly,” Nergal responded to Lisana's explanation. His daughter was fond of her, he knew, so he was inclined to act a little more friendly towards her than to Tien. “But apparently that is not the case. The physical appearance changes a great deal, in between the initial fusing and the final rebirth.” He himself being the obvious proof of concept. Except for his dreads, he bore no semblance whatsoever to the woman who'd chosen to bear his gem, or even the slender, overly feminine form of the morph stage Hopefully that hadn't been too obvious when he'd encountered Laughter's host, or mayhaps she simply wouldn't remember..

“They were yummy,” Crys whispered back at her chosen aunt. “And he already met Yeti, I think.”

In fact, Nergal had indeed taken notice of the creature that seemed to consist mainly of an oversized floating eyeball, playing with his completely eyeless daughter – but only to give it an indignant stare and then promptly retreat into the relative peace and quiet of his study.

((And Lisana is actually taken right now or she'd probably be tempted by Rio. He would be fun for awhile. And sorry, Thabs, just had to do it. XD ))

Her eyes still watched Nergal somewhat. His discomfort was definitely due to the three of them, perhaps herself a little less. It would not do to spend all her teasing of him in this moment, but there was still some that he might tolerate. Eftemie had liked him, even as stodgy as he seemed to be. Once she might have continued despite another's discomfort, but not always now. But what to do in this situation?

She agreed with Nergal. "Not all changes are seen though. And thankfully, I am not entirely as I once was. The parties are still important but so too are other things." Turning to Crys a bit, she laughed softly. "Just make sure Yeti stays out of trouble while you have fun with him. I would warn you of the drool, but that would be obvious to one who has seen him." The latter was directed once more to Nergal before her eyes caught Rio's in amusement.

"And yes, he has been very attentive, plying with verse, gift, and affection." she replied to Rio.

She was quite certain that if a party began, Nergal was likely to find an excuse not to join them. But if they never left this spot... "A block party, if I remember correctly, Lord Rio, is outside in front of the homes or in this case doors of those living nearby."

"Isn't that right, Big Brother? That way Crys can continue to explore the doors and both of you can spend more time with all of us." she asked, turning directly to Nergal. A soft giggle slipped free at the nickname. Afterall, if she was Cry's aunt, then she could definitely consider him her 'big brother'. Eftemie had never had any siblings. And if she herself had, they were hidden deep in her memory- somewhere. It amused her either way.

“I would prefer to be involved neither in parties nor in pranks of yours,” Nergal said stiffly, still trying to come up with a proper excuse to make a beeline for his own quarters. Improvisation never had been one of his strengths, and Crys' presence certainly wasn't making this any easier to deal with. “If it is alright with my daughter, I would prefer to retreat – there are things of greater importance on my plate than to spend time in idle chatter in the hallway.” He was fond of neither Love nor Laughter, but he trusted both of them enough to leave his daughter in their care – though with Trickery around, he was wary. She would be smart enough to not get his offspring involved in any trouble, she'd better.

He gave Laughter an indignant stare when she referred to him as 'Big Brother' – sure, his children were 'adopting' aunts and uncles left and right, as it seemed (and he certainly wasn't exempt of that habit, as proven by young Caolan, and – mere minutes ago – Adrienne), but that didn't make any of them into his siblings. “I would not know,” he mumbled. “Parties, as you can certainly guess, are not my forte. You may refer me again whenever you wish to host a funeral ceremony.” There was a distinct hint of sarcasm in his words. “Besides, you seem to be under the impression that both of us want to spend time with you. Well, I, for once-”

“Oh, Papa, pleeeeeeeeease …?” his daughter interrupted him, pleading. As usual, it was hard to resist. “It's gonna be fun! And you can have one of the eyes, there's only gonna be two, but Adi said, that Nashwa said, that the best bits are supposed to go to guests.” Never mind that there were more than just the two of them, and never mind just who Nashwa was. Instead she wondered if it wasn't possible to maybe make a salad out of eyes. Of course, you'd need quite a few of them first, but maybe they could be kept … pickled?

Lisana smiled and then laughed, a soft amusement. "I guess you do not like my nickname. It is a term of endearment, Nergal. That is what my host saw you as- at least you reminded her of such. A Big Brother. Though she did not have one, her father did and there is some aspect of him that she saw within you. I tease you because that is what both of us would have done, though perhaps I am far gentler this day than I previously have been in gathering my amusement at your expense." Was she apologizing?!! She supposed in some ways she was as she was not who she had been before the fading. There was no need for the raucous laughter of old. What everyone needed was the joyful laughter found in a new life. Even Nergal.

Did she remember ever meeting him before the fading? Not really which meant if he had come to a party it was a formality. She sighed, folded her arms and smiled, the bubbles swirling around her. If nothing else, Eftemie's strange world had made her see her reality even more clearly. "I think you should join us for this block party if we have it. If for no reason other than to torment us back. You might actually have a bit of fun. It cannot all be work, can it?"

With a wink at Rio, she added, as she dared Love, "Provided we can find folding chairs, food, and some entertainment? I happen to have a ghostly juggler that tosses his head. At least he seems to like doing so. Crys, Adrienne, any other ideas to make this fun?"

((Sorry took me so long to reply, guys. Fridays are busy days... LOL at this point, they could very well end up having a block party in the hallway.. XD ))

(( Oy, didn't intend to shut down the thread completely until I'm back? XD;;; ))

“Well,” Nergal said reluctantly, looking upon his daughter's face, hopeful and pleading. Her lips were quivering, as if she was to about to start crying did he dare and say 'no' – knowing her abrupt mood swings, she might just do that. And Adrienne's wagging tail seemed awfully reminiscent of how Soto expressed his excitement (if it wasn't by jumping, dancing and cheering) all of a sudden.

Underworld's impressive wingspan shifted slightly, telltale of his uneasiness and indecision where his face wasn't, then resettled in their usual regal position. It was possible, he was well aware, that Lacrymosa had extended her power towards him, however little it might be. Not on purpose, certainly not. But that twist in his heart which was said to be cold and made of stone, that pang of guilt and regret he felt … There were the powers of Love and Laughter to be considered as well, both of them visibly having ascended quite close to their former selves – he eyed them warily for but a moment, wondering if it was their influence which made him feel … rather sentimental.

Tien, he simply ignored.

“Well,” he repeated. “Perhaps I could stay … for a little. But do let me put this straight – I have interest in neither games of any sort, nor idle chatter.”

“YAY!” Finally, Crys let go of her cousin, zooming straight towards her dad and jumping to glomp his legs. “Thank you!” she exclaimed enthusiastically, holding onto him as if she was some sort of little monkey.

Nergal sighed, extending one pale hand to gently stroke his daughter's dull, dark hair. The affection he felt for her was obvious.

“In that case,” he said to Lisana, “I shall take it as a compliment.” His tone was still far from being jovial, but it seemed he had relaxed to some … very small degree. “It does, however, also imply a certain degree of closeness between us, if you were serious about your statement. With due respect, but we are nowhere near that close.” A rebuke, albeit a surprisingly gentle one, just as her apology had come as a surprise to him.

There was a chance, he found, amazingly enough, that he might be able to suffer their company after all – just as long as he wasn't the aim of their jokes and pranks at least.

“You are the bestest daddy of the world,” Crys added, rubbing her cheek against his leg to show her affection, as if she was some sort of oversized cat.

How .. was he possibly supposed to resist that.

(( Ahah, have figured Nergal's antipathy out, finally. He loathes all deities that embody sin and deception. And it's deities whose domains are feelings that make him feel extremely uneasy. Pity that one of them happens to be his daughter, whoops. XD; ))

The slight rebuke made her smile even more. "We may be one day, Nergal. Afterall, even your dark realm needs a little laughter to brighten it once in awhile."

Lisana laughed as she watched Nergal and Rio. The girls were definitely excited about this. Briefly she wondered if they made enough noise if more would join them. But even a small party was still a party. "I'll return shortly. I'm going to find Meroe." Bowing she turned, slipping into her rooms again.

"Arlecchino! Jhyett! One of you find Meroe and send him into the hallway. We need some entertainment. And a large plate of those cookies." She turned back to the door, then added, "And a small table to put them on. And some tea. And hurry!"

They blinked in surprise, staring at each other and then jumped when she added more orders. "Mrow! She must be having a party!" The feline replied as she sighed, tugging at the short dress Lisana had insisted she wear when outside her room.

Arlecchino laughed, bells jingling. "This should be fun, but why in the hallway? Go find Meroe. I'll get the cookies and table."

It took them about five minutes to gather the things their goddess wanted. Both slipped into the hallway quickly setting the table to the side with everything asked for. Meroe had been told, but Lisana knew that he would wait for the appropriate moment to appear, dropping and rolling his head across the floor. Hopefully he would make the sound loud enough that Crys would understand what had happened. A thought suddenly occurred to her. Perhaps she needed to find entertainment that was more suited to Crys. Although from the way the child moved from place to place, she did not even notice there was a difference.

((That sounds like fun, Thabby. Take me with you? And Nergal is NOT allowed to steal Meroe when he shows up even if he is a ghost. ))

(( Nergal: Ghost. MINE. >| ))

Nergal did not bid farewell when Trickery left, and he sincerely hoped he wouldn't cross her ways again anytime soon. It could – and most certainly would – only mean trouble.

“I did not forbid it,” Nergal replied to Love's complaint, his hairless brows furrowing slightly. “I merely meant to say that I will have no part in such activities.” And no dancing for him either, thank you, though he might enjoy watching a performance of such. Or not. Considering it was going a servant of Love's to possibly perform, he'd probably end up pointedly looking elsewhere. He … simply couldn't imagine that this 'Nashwa' would be anything else than scantily clad (at most!) and her dancing style to be of the rather … sensual kind. “I have no other suggestions,” he admitted. The performances that he preferred and 'enjoyed', ritual dances and mummers' plays, the plainchants of priests, the laments written to honor the dead – it all would prove to be rather dreary and not much of an entertainment to those present, he assumed, with the possible exception of his daughter.

“I doubt it,” he said to Laughter. Their realms were just too different, he thought. Never mind the fact that Lacrymosa loved her, even though their domains were the complete opposite from one another, Comedy and Tragedy. He had seen symbols of those two united before, so maybe it was meant to be – even if he'd never wholly understand why.

“Sometimes,” Crys whispered, quietly, calmly. “Sometimes you can't really tell if someone's laughing or crying. Sometimes it just sounds the same.”

Nergal stared at his daughter, a shiver running down his spine. He was used to her saying random things at random times by now, that's children for you. But, why did she have to say this now, at this exact moment?

Crys, unaware of her father's unease, continued to snuggle up to his legs. Her words just now, they had simply felt like the right thing to say.

Nashwa's appearance seemed at first to confirm Nergal's worst suspicions, but then he was taken off guard by how courteous she was in her demeanor and speech. Surprised, he returned her greeting with a polite nod.

Lacrymosa smiled happily when she received her cookie, happily starting to nibble on it, icing first, with one arm still latched around her father's leg. Lisana always seemed to understand what she was trying to say, that was something she really liked about this aunt. She giggled at Meroe's antics, able to follow them well enough by sound. He was one of the very few ghosts that she could actually 'see', that was, she could hear him. Maybe he was special because he was Lisana's servant?

Nergal seemed rather disconcerted, not even the hint of a smile appearing on his face. If this was supposed to be funny, he failed to see the humor in it. That the amusement might be for the others, on his expense, thankfully escaped him. “A dullahan?” he said, quirking a curious brow. “It has been a long time since I last saw one. Not the kind of creature I would expect to see in your service.” But then again, there were enough stories about mischievous ghosts, from the will o' the wisps leading unsuspecting travelers astray, to the rough games of the poltergeists.

“Do not be concerned, Meroe,” he finally said, still somewhat bewildered that there might actually be common ground between his domain and that of Laughter. And even … No, not Trickery's. “You already are in the service of Another. I would not take you from her without a good reason.”

Gently, he lifted his daughter from the ground, and – after eying the cushions for a moment, sat down, with the little one seated upon his lap.