Welcome to Gaia! ::

The reaper blinked as Mot asked about her conversation with her mother. She was actually kind of flattered that he was being nosey about it! She was silent right now though, as she thought about it. Hel watched as Mot sighed and slumped and his shoulders, turning his attention to back out the window. Her lips pulled up just a bit. He was going to let her off the hook again…she wasn’t sure how to feel about that…and despite him letting her off the hook…it obviously didn’t set well with him. That was…touching?

Hel stared out the window for a long moment, before sighing. She turned her attention back to Mot, and leaned forward a lot in her chair, staring into the cowboil’s terra cotta eyes. “Mot.” She started, smiling a bit as she pointed to herself, particularly the split in her skin. “Do you know why I am like this?” It was a rhetorical question. She knew Mot didn’t know, but she couldn’t help but start off the topic like that.

Hel gave a short laugh. “Only since the wedding, huh?” She echoed. She might have thought he would have wondered when they first met…but apparently not! Oh well, it didn’t matter.

The reaper tapped her fingers together, thoughtful again, and glanced at the window momentarily before turning back to Mot. She’d never told anyone this before. There was a bit of hesitation…but on the whole, she wanted Mot to know. “…Ah…valkyries usually work in a group of nine to thirteen.” Hel started. “…Back in my mother’s prime reaping days…one of her fellow sisters was enamored and courting a grim reaper…well…my mother took a fancy to him as well…”

“Now…valkyries are very stubborn, yes?” Hel chuckled a bit. Mot should know. “…Despite the grim reaper being in a courtship with my mother’s sister…my mother did not stop pursuing him. Eventually…the grim reaper broke off the courtship with the other valkyrie and started to court my mother. That is my father.” Hel nodded her head a bit. “Now…valkyries are also very vengeful beings. The valkyrie would not let my mother get away with this without some sort of retribution. She wished a curse upon their children for their betrayal of her.”

Hel looked back out the window again, a hand reaching out to touch her dark cheek as she stared at her reflection. She turned back to Mot again. “My mother scoffed at this of course, as did my father. They believed themselves to be above it. They had eight beautiful, healthy, curse free daughters…and they decided to have one more, because valkyries cherish the increments of three, so nine was a good number, or so they deemed. So…ah…here I am!”

“…Ah…yes and no.” Hel replied, and for a brief moment there was a faraway look in her eyes before she focused back on Mot, pausing as she listened to the words he spoke. She looked stunned for a moment before smiling a bit, her eyes lidding. “…Thank you, Mot.” She murmured sincerely.

“…It’s true. I could have been afflicted by something much, much worse…but this…” She flexed the fingers of her dark hand. “It’s brought about its own heartaches throughout my existence…sometimes the simplest things can be the worst, eh?” Hel shook her head a bit. “…That ties in with the talk I had with my mother…about that…about the direction I’m heading in…” Hel smiled a bit more. “…It was a very good talk.”

The reaper hummed thoughtfully, wondering where to start.

“…Ah…the conversation started with my mother telling me she was very proud of my success over the exam, and that my time here at the Academy seemed to be very beneficial.” Hel paused. She wanted to summarize the events, as it probably wouldn’t do too good to try to recall her mother’s words for word by word. “…She also told me…I am one of the first Brynhildrs to step forward for a new change…you see, in valkyrie culture…it is often the way to hang onto old, traditional beliefs and values…but because of my appearance…and my course of actions…I am on a new path…one that no Brynhildr has walked before.” A trail blazer. Hel liked it.

“…My mother said she is looking forward to seeing what I make of my existence, and that she is awed by the beings I have surrounded myself with.” She smiled at Mot. “…She told me to return home whenever my soul is weary…” Her smile was fond now, as she recalled her mother’s words. “…I do not know when I will return home next. I do not know if I ever will…but if the fates happen to take me out that way…then they do.” Hel shook her head a bit. “…Honestly…Amityville…that feels like home now.”

Hel was beaming again at the talk about Amityville and home and her mother. “Ah, my mother greatly enjoyed you too, Mot!” Hel snapped her fingers. “Oh! That reminds me.” She took her feet off of the trunk and opened it, shuffling some things aside before she pulled out an envelope. She closed it then, and held it out to Mot. “From my mother to you!”

Inside, Mot would find a note from Valdis, wishing him well, asking if he was eating properly (one could see where Hel got it from), and in addition to that…would be pictures from the wedding. Proof that Hel did dress rather ghouly and that she danced and that she blushed. Hel had no idea that her mother had made a spare set for the grim reaper…

“…Ah…that aside…I feel like I’ve been talking for far too long.” Hel laughed, reaching up to rub the back of her neck. “I apologize if your ear has gone numb…tell me something more Mot…anything!”

Hel closed her trunk, watching Mot’s face curiously as he looked over the note from her mother and…wait…wait…were those…pictures!? Hel made a face. “Ooooh, she gave you a set too, I knew it!” The reaper gave an exasperated sigh as she flopped back in her seat. “…I just assume the worst too. I think I know what’s in those pictures.”

The ghoul raised her arms, resting them behind her head as she placed her feet back on her trunk, grinning lightly. “Aw, very kind of you, friend. I like hearing you talk too.” Hel nodded her head vigorously. “Yes, anything! I am sure you have plenty to tell! What about your days with your friends?" Did Hel just briefly grimace? "Did you do anything else at home? You didn’t play on that…that thing of yours the entire time, did you?”