Welcome to Gaia! ::

Opening her door for the first time since her skin tone had completely shifted was like looking at the world with a new perspective. It was also like taking a breath of fresh, crisp autumn air. Refreshing.

Dark burgundy eyes settled on the door right across from hers without hesitation.

It was time now. Time to possibly bury this hatchet or cut ties. Whatever happened, happened, and that would be that. She would give it an earnest go because of her pride and honor, and because even if they hadn’t always seen eye to eye, even if he had hurt her deeply, they had been through an awful lot together. Hel swept her dark locks behind her, opting to keep her hair down for now, and took the few easy steps across the hall to Mot’s door, where she knocked firmly, and then waited.

Hel sported a confused look as Mot opened the door and then smiled politely at her. Actually, the valkyrie looked rather dumbfounded. She really wasn’t expecting to be looked at like that…oh wait. Okay. Mot seemed to recognize her now. The ghoul’s brows furrowed briefly in thought as she glanced down at her left hand, flexing her newly dark fingers. Had she really changed that much in appearance…?

“…Ya!” She replied after a moment. “Do not look so surprised.” Though she said that as if there wasn’t anything obviously different about her, but there clearly was. She rested her hands back on her hips. “Might I have a bit of your time right now?”

Hel just smirked and moved past him and into his room. She glanced around briefly, a bit surprised to see his room looking rather bare, but that wasn’t what she was here for right now. Even though Hel had changed, both inside and out…well, her habits didn’t. The ghoul made a beeline for the rug and sat down right on it, like always.

It was the designated talk rug.

The ghoul waited for the cowboil to settle however he wanted to before she spoke, resting her hands on her knees.

“I am truly sorry, Mot, for what I said to you at the Battle of the Bands. I know it was low, hurtful, and untrue.” Bam. She said it, just like that, and not only that, but honestly meant it as well, staring at the cowboil in earnest.

This was going oddly well. Hel had almost expected she’d be…cutting ties with him, actually.

She listened to the grim, and smiled a bit. Huh. Well, this was relatively painless. It probably helped a lot that she could look at him without feeling hurt or like she had been thrown away. In fact, as she stared at him now, she really…didn’t feel anything. It was kind of like she was sitting across from a stranger, and was getting to know them. “…Ah…you know me, Mot…or…I think you do. You did hurt me. Deeply.” She looked down at the rug. “…After that night, after hearing that you did not love me anymore after we did that…I felt used…and you had had time to come to that conclusion and come to accept it...but you had figuratively swept the rug out from underneath my feet. It was sudden…I thought we would have been able to fix things after that night so…” She had just been crushed in every direction really. “…I felt alone. You seemed so happy, so fine…like I had not meant anything to you…like I could be so easily forgotten and tossed aside…and I wanted you to hurt as much as I did…”

The ghoul grinned a bit at him. “You know what I do when I am hurt. It does not make it right…but it is me.”

Hel just smirked at the flat look he gave her, and now that the apologies were out of the way, she could relax. The ghoul leaned back a bit, resting her weight on her hands behind her and stretched her legs out. What they were talking about though was still very serious and he had her complete attention.

“Ya. It is mean, Mot, and in case you did not notice, I will spell it out for you. I am not a nice person, and that is not going to change. Revenge is part of my core. It is natural for me to want to lash back at those who hurt me, and you can dislike it all you want, but it is me. I know you do not approve, and that you would rather not act upon revenge, and I can respect that. I do not have to like it.” The ghoul rocked her feet back and forth idly as she stared at him.

"But...does it not mean anything to you...that I am here now, trying to make amends with you? You like to only see the bad I do...but I am doing good right now, Mot, right here, for you."

That was all she could ask for really. Mutual respect. “We can agree to disagree, and there is camaraderie in that.”

The ghoul took in a deep breath. “WELL!” She cried suddenly, reaching forward to shove Mot with her foot. “If it means something to you, then let me know! I can not read your jackin’ mind, ya know! Then I will know I do not always disappoint you!” Hel scooted and then parked her feet right on his lap, wiggling her dark toes at him. “Ha…I thought you would not want to be my friend anymore, since you did not try for anything after…” She trailed off for a moment, thoughtful.

“…When I said I felt like you stopped trying…like you stopped fighting…that is what I meant, Mot. Like…now. It always feels like I am the one who is trying to make amends…and I am not always the one doing the wrong, either. Just most of the time, but not all of the time. It feels like…I am the only one who is fighting for any relationship for us…and that hurt too, especially after you promised me you would fight for our friendship…” She paused, and then looked up at him. “Should I release you of that promise, Mot?”

“Oh no, we definitely have different ideas of fighting. Hands down.” Hel stopped wiggling her toes, but kept her feet on his lap. She listened to the boil, nodding her head a bit. Yeah, assumptions were dangerous. “But there was nothing stopping you from seeking the truth, either.” She helpfully reminded him, pausing as she tilted her head.

The ghoul hummed a bit. “If that is how you truly feel, Mot, then go back home and move in with mommy.” She grinned a bit. “You are here at Amity, which means you wanted to change that. You can not rely on others to direct you. You have to get out there and make your own decisions, and accept the consequences, good or bad. Does being responsible for yourself terrify you, Motty? Do you still like using others as a scapegoat? If you do, then you do still have a lot of growing up to do…But that is what you have a network of friends for, ya? To help.”

At this she paused again.

“So…I ask once more. Should I set you free of the promise, Mot? Do you still want to keep fighting for our friendship? You know I will always try to be there for you, to support you and I expect the same in return. An earnest effort…or should I just cut you loose right now? I hope you understand what I mean when I say I will cut you loose…”

They wouldn’t be friends anymore. Just two beings that used to know each other.

“Did I stutter?” Hel shot back, chuckling a bit before she reined herself in a bit. After all, she wasn’t here to antagonize him. “You want to change, Mot? Try doing things and solving problems in ways you have not done before. That is certainly a way to do things differently, to change. Just try. Where there is a will, there is a way.”

The ghoul reached up and stuck a pinky into her ear as if she was cleaning it out. “I did not say anything about a contract, Mot. All I want is a promise that you will try. I never said I wanted to stop being your friend. You just assumed so.” The ghoul, oddly enough, did not look phased as Mot started to dig that incident back up, and if anything, her smile was humoring. Nice job catching that, Mot. Hel could learn a thing or two by learning when to stick her foot in her mouth.

Oh well. One could dream.

“Yes…how dare I ask you for something. How dare I ask you to be honest with me, how dare I ask you to put forth effort for me, because it is all that I would do for you, and then some.” She was grinning though, and her tone was cheerful. “Lighten up, dumpling.”