[ The unique curse from Red gets a sharp laugh in return, somewhat fractured with an unsteady breath in her failed attempt to try to stay silent. Such foul language... She has heard cursing before, though not very often, but that one is quite new. For her to tutor etiquette, well... The children will no doubt find unique ways to carry conversation.
Clearing her throat, Vanessa will push aside a few slices of cheese before moving on to the bread, where she'll borrow much thicker slices. She has spoken with Hermione and Emilia, though not enough to know them well. It seems Red is drawn to the magically inclined. Given her origin, who can blame her? ]
Beasts born of magic must be able to sense something similar in you. It speaks to your strength, I suspect. Even grander than a dragon... Perhaps they need only to know that you bear them no ill will. [ A glance. A curious smile. ] Does that mean you have not ridden one?
( Red feels a bit proud that she could have made Vanessa laugh. She gets the sense it probably doesn't happen very often. She shoves the haphazardly cut fruit pieces on to the plate now that she has finished and then set the knife back down. )
Uh, yeah, with their psychic connection thing especially, they take one poke into my brain, and they're like, Hell no. ( Which is pretty fair. ) I haven't. I don't think I'd like it though being all high up there away from the ground. ( She spent her entire existence under the ground so the idea of flying over it is... unsettling. ) How's the whole... robot situation on this side?
[ Her nose wrinkles in distaste at the reminder of the ease with which dragons can invade one's mind. She is worried about what they might see in her as well. Rejection is not a welcome feeling, not for anyone.
Though Vanessa will always wonder what it is to fly. She has wondered since she gazed upon her first falcon. ]
It takes poorly to the company of men who draw too near, as if I were its ward. Vexing at times, humorous at others, though its assistance with cleaning and cooking is of value. It never seems to sleep.
...that's weird that it's so in tune to humanity that it can react that way to men getting near you, but then also be funny and clean and cook and never need sleep. ( Red releases a very, very long breath as she rests her chin in her hands and then shakes her head. Humanity is a complicated fucking thing, and she still doesn't know-
A lot. Gods and goddesses, not the time to relate to a robot. ) Do you like having it around, or is it a pain in the ass? Especially with it acting like you're its ward.
[ She doesn't know if the droid itself is humorous, but she does find its frantic behavior humorous in her more light-hearted moments, when kindness feels less alien. It's depressing to consider how rarely those moments seem anymore, and that isn't to blame on the lack of the cannabis that Red had so kindly retrieved. There is no remedy for her ails, but she wonders if there may be a solution if the same problem plagued Red. Would Vanessa be able to do anything if Hades came for her?
Could a realm like this hold a god? Could it hold the Devil?
Her knife slows in its descent, then with a little sigh she finishes the last slice of bread. ]
Painful is certainly a word for it. I quite valued my independence in London. And I am capable enough to cook and clean, but it seems willing enough. I try to watch my words in its presence, in the case it may spy. It is off cleaning something at the moment, I gather. I do sometimes find it merely standing in corners, staring. It is unsettling.
( Red scrunches up her face at the very thought, reaching over to put the cheese and apple and bread together. That's how it works right? She doesn't know, but she is hungry.
She takes a bite out of it. )
Smart to be worried about it spying. The government in Minaras seems like it wants to watch everything at all times, which is way too Big Brother of it.
Sterile. Yes. A city can't breathe in such condition.
[ Vanessa had just begun looking for a tray to carry the food to the table when Red decides to skip all that and go right for the snack. Amused, again, she can't help but find such behavior a little refreshing.
It isn't the same as clotted cream, but simple treats like this one serve their purpose. The apple slices aren't the most uniform, though she manages to find something that keeps it to small bites. She breaks and tears the stacked piece off before taking a bite.
Despite the topic at hand, this sort of exchange is comforting to Vanessa. Musing at mysteries, enjoying a simple treat... It's something familiar. Even the tension of it is familiar, of knowing the other still carries more beneath the surface, and that's something else to relish. She misses London, and this is the closest she may get to nostalgia for a very long time. ]
( Red's unaware of the fact a tray may even be needed - sees food, wants to eat it, digs in. She chews on the combination of flavors with curiosity. Everything tastes really good up here in the land of the living (Can this city even be considered that with what people are learning about it?), but she wonders if that's partly just because she's actually hungry now.
Cerberus was... mostly hungry for souls, but that was less actual hunger and more hunting, guarding, instinct? )
What was the city you lived in before this one like? I've only ever been in this one, which is obviously not your ordinary city.
[ What is there to say about London that might not bore an ancient beast from Hades? Vanessa's fingertips hover near her mouth while she chews and considers. She is nostalgic for it, true, but she ought to wonder why that even is. So much strife. ]
No droids, to be certain... No dragons like Eidris. But the streets thrive. Similar to both Minaras and the Mouse House, if they could be one. The suffering of the poor is harder to ignore. The streets are hardly clean. But any who are able to choose ignorance, shall see what they wish to.
[ Not so different in that regard. She's fetching milk, now. They need something to drink. ]
Far more demons and Nightcomers in London, though. ...Thus far.
[ She could be wrong on that estimation, but hopes she isn't. Vanessa would be more than a little disturbed to think that so many undead could escape her notice. ]
( Red chews on a bite of apple and cheese, swallowing, tilting her head to the side as Vanessa explains. She's interested in learning about it, because it is all so different from the Underworld in so many ways. It does sound similar to this city: busy, full of life (well.), full of suffering, just full all of the time. And of course, people are very good at ignoring the suffering of others if they so will it.
It's why Hades thought few ever qualified for Elysium. No. Most mortals, according to him, deserved to suffer or to be caught in the neutral in-between. Few spirits ever really graduated from Purgatory High. )
[ She'll wait again until she's finished chewing. Sorry for the anticipation, but she's trying not to abandon all her manners, no matter how easy it may become to let her more wild side out around Red.
She can still see Sembene's gentle smile from the corner of her eye when he pretended not to see her take a dessert from the tray waiting in the kitchen. She has heard some of his stories. What would Red think of them? ]
Witches.
[ She ought to elaborate, perhaps. There are other witches in the group beyond Vanessa, after all. She hasn't yet pinned down their true purpose, but she has been willing to give them the benefit of the doubt. Before this, she had only ever met one witch who didn't serve Lucifer... Only one Daywalker. ]
Women who have pledged their services to Lucifer, in exchange for power beyond the mortal realm. I could not say if they are worse or better than the demons. The ones I know have been keen on commanding the thoughts and actions of others through fetishes. [ And, since she is used to people not understanding what that means: ] Dolls who puppet their victims.
( Red taps her fingers on the counter absentmindedly as Vanessa clarifies what she means. They do have witches within their group like Emilia, and she then winces at the explanation of what these witches in particular have been doing, bargaining for power beyond with someone who is like Hades - worse than Hades from what little she's even heard about him. )
Well, shit. That's- a lot of power to be able to command someone's thoughts and actions.
( That's what she was like before. After, she became this version of herself in Purgatory High, it was different. She knows now he mixed in too much human soul, and what the fuck happened to her? She hasn't let herself think about it. Afterwards, it was mostly only her actions that could be commanded, instructed. She stacks up several pieces in a row. )
Guess it's a good thing there aren't many of those here, or demons either. Demons weren't really a thing in my Underworld, but they're also in line with like Lucifer?
[ Vanessa isn't sure that there's any difference from controlling thoughts or actions in this case. Power over one dictates power over the other. It hurts, to think of being suspended here, eating a snack, while Sir Malcolm is still under that witch's thrall. Is he even alive? It seems quiet moments like this aren't allowed to come easy, either.
She doesn't reach for more, her appetite dulled by the memories. ]
The demons I have seen in the flesh, vampires... They would talk of their great master, and I can think of no greater Demon than Satan himself.
[ It doesn't mean she is right, and she knows there's a puzzle piece missing, but it's striking how little she knows despite her experience. More questions than answers at every turn.
Leaning against the counter, fingers spread against the cold metal just near the sliced bread and cheese, Vanessa's attention turns from her inner turmoil to Red's curiosities. How she eats, how she asks... She is still learning so much. They both seem to have only begun their quest for purpose. ]
What would you call those who reside in Hades, if not demons? What do you call yourself?
( Red frowns at her answer. It must be difficult to be so wrapped up in a world and then still have so many questions about it. The Underworld was... not home. That's not the right word (not at all), but it was so much a part of her she knew everything about it. She could sense when something was wrong with it, when a new spirit arrived, when one got too close to the River.
She plays with some of the pieces of cheese. )
...monsters. ( Red hasn't figured out what she is still, but that term is still true. Monster and- and something else (some human soul split into pieces and carved inside of a piece of Cerberus, but she doesn't like to think about that. It's not like she knew about the human part until she was here). She swallows. ) There were spirits, monsters, or gods and goddesses in the Underworld for the most part. And we had daemons, but they don't seem like the same as the demons you talk about. They weren't evil. More like spirit guides?
I know of Charon. He is not particularly verbose in the epics.
[ To hear them called monsters only draws her nearer. She can be fond of them. Part of her may even be fond of demons, that it's a part she continues to deny. If a thing should be lonely, if a terrible creature should want for love, can she not see herself in that? Can she leave them wanting? ]
Did you find friendship with any of the other...monsters? The gods or demons?
Oh. ...no. That's not what I was made for. Pretty sure Hades regrets- ( She shakes her head, bites down into some of the bread and chews and swallows. Regrets making her so human, infusing that soul inside of her, turning her into a being capable of choice and escaping him. He should have left her as she was - three headed dog monster to terrify the teens of Purgatory High instead of turning her into something more palatable, but the gods were trying to do things differently and so she was made.
Her shoulders tense and she stares at the food. )
I didn't really see any of them much except the spirits that were sent to that specific area of the Underworld.
[ What she was made for... What was Vanessa made for? Surely it can't only be to carry around her curse. Surely God made her for a better reason. ...Or does he also regret...
She 'hm's softly while leaning against the counter next to Red, appraising her. She's heard the growls, felt the heat, but she also sees the girl. Such a combination can only keep Red as a singular sort. With Vanessa, she has only been a gentle monster. In return, Vanessa's touch is gentle as she brushes back Red's hair with fingertips, tucking it behind her ear. ]
( Something painful crawls up her throat at the question. It wasn't supposed to be. Loneliness was not supposed to be for her - a tool, a creature created to be a god's, a weapon to be utilized, and she played her part, because she had no choice, but not only that. No. She did have choices.
It was easier to be frightening than to risk rejection. She lifts her gaze to meet Vanessa's briefly at the gentleness of the touch from someone who carries this dark power inside of her- the power of this dark goddess inside of her. Has it been lonely for her too? Vanessa sees more of her than most can, and still she isn't frightened and she doesn't pull her hand away.
Her own hand (awkward and unused to this, comforting or receiving comfort) wraps around Vanessa's brief and tight.
And she can't find her voice to answer the question, doesn't feel fair or right to so she doesn't. )
[ The awkward clutch of a child is a most unique feeling, when Vanessa can look to her hand and see claws. A growl that one might mistake for a whimper, if they only listen. Beyond that, she can hear Mr. Chandler's voice echoing from the moors, reminding her of why they must protect one another. Monsters alike. We are not like others. We have claws for a reason.
They have more than claws, though. They have searching hearts that must break so easily. They have yearnings and curiosities while they adventure on silly little errands and relish in the mundane of apple and cheese.
Holding their hands there, Vanessa steps behind and rests her other hand over Red's shoulder, her cheek gently resting atop the other's head. She can think of nothing fair or right to say, either.
Hades was a fool god. Such sweet monsters ought never be lonely. ]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
Clearing her throat, Vanessa will push aside a few slices of cheese before moving on to the bread, where she'll borrow much thicker slices. She has spoken with Hermione and Emilia, though not enough to know them well. It seems Red is drawn to the magically inclined. Given her origin, who can blame her? ]
Beasts born of magic must be able to sense something similar in you. It speaks to your strength, I suspect. Even grander than a dragon... Perhaps they need only to know that you bear them no ill will. [ A glance. A curious smile. ] Does that mean you have not ridden one?
no subject
Uh, yeah, with their psychic connection thing especially, they take one poke into my brain, and they're like, Hell no. ( Which is pretty fair. ) I haven't. I don't think I'd like it though being all high up there away from the ground. ( She spent her entire existence under the ground so the idea of flying over it is... unsettling. ) How's the whole... robot situation on this side?
no subject
Though Vanessa will always wonder what it is to fly. She has wondered since she gazed upon her first falcon. ]
It takes poorly to the company of men who draw too near, as if I were its ward. Vexing at times, humorous at others, though its assistance with cleaning and cooking is of value. It never seems to sleep.
no subject
A lot. Gods and goddesses, not the time to relate to a robot. ) Do you like having it around, or is it a pain in the ass? Especially with it acting like you're its ward.
no subject
Could a realm like this hold a god? Could it hold the Devil?
Her knife slows in its descent, then with a little sigh she finishes the last slice of bread. ]
Painful is certainly a word for it. I quite valued my independence in London. And I am capable enough to cook and clean, but it seems willing enough. I try to watch my words in its presence, in the case it may spy. It is off cleaning something at the moment, I gather. I do sometimes find it merely standing in corners, staring. It is unsettling.
no subject
( Red scrunches up her face at the very thought, reaching over to put the cheese and apple and bread together. That's how it works right? She doesn't know, but she is hungry.
She takes a bite out of it. )
Smart to be worried about it spying. The government in Minaras seems like it wants to watch everything at all times, which is way too Big Brother of it.
It's really... I don't know- sterile down here?
no subject
[ Vanessa had just begun looking for a tray to carry the food to the table when Red decides to skip all that and go right for the snack. Amused, again, she can't help but find such behavior a little refreshing.
It isn't the same as clotted cream, but simple treats like this one serve their purpose. The apple slices aren't the most uniform, though she manages to find something that keeps it to small bites. She breaks and tears the stacked piece off before taking a bite.
Despite the topic at hand, this sort of exchange is comforting to Vanessa. Musing at mysteries, enjoying a simple treat... It's something familiar. Even the tension of it is familiar, of knowing the other still carries more beneath the surface, and that's something else to relish. She misses London, and this is the closest she may get to nostalgia for a very long time. ]
no subject
Cerberus was... mostly hungry for souls, but that was less actual hunger and more hunting, guarding, instinct? )
What was the city you lived in before this one like? I've only ever been in this one, which is obviously not your ordinary city.
no subject
[ What is there to say about London that might not bore an ancient beast from Hades? Vanessa's fingertips hover near her mouth while she chews and considers. She is nostalgic for it, true, but she ought to wonder why that even is. So much strife. ]
No droids, to be certain... No dragons like Eidris. But the streets thrive. Similar to both Minaras and the Mouse House, if they could be one. The suffering of the poor is harder to ignore. The streets are hardly clean. But any who are able to choose ignorance, shall see what they wish to.
[ Not so different in that regard. She's fetching milk, now. They need something to drink. ]
Far more demons and Nightcomers in London, though. ...Thus far.
[ She could be wrong on that estimation, but hopes she isn't. Vanessa would be more than a little disturbed to think that so many undead could escape her notice. ]
no subject
It's why Hades thought few ever qualified for Elysium. No. Most mortals, according to him, deserved to suffer or to be caught in the neutral in-between. Few spirits ever really graduated from Purgatory High. )
...Nightcomers?
no subject
She can still see Sembene's gentle smile from the corner of her eye when he pretended not to see her take a dessert from the tray waiting in the kitchen. She has heard some of his stories. What would Red think of them? ]
Witches.
[ She ought to elaborate, perhaps. There are other witches in the group beyond Vanessa, after all. She hasn't yet pinned down their true purpose, but she has been willing to give them the benefit of the doubt. Before this, she had only ever met one witch who didn't serve Lucifer... Only one Daywalker. ]
Women who have pledged their services to Lucifer, in exchange for power beyond the mortal realm. I could not say if they are worse or better than the demons. The ones I know have been keen on commanding the thoughts and actions of others through fetishes. [ And, since she is used to people not understanding what that means: ] Dolls who puppet their victims.
no subject
Well, shit. That's- a lot of power to be able to command someone's thoughts and actions.
( That's what she was like before. After, she became this version of herself in Purgatory High, it was different. She knows now he mixed in too much human soul, and what the fuck happened to her? She hasn't let herself think about it. Afterwards, it was mostly only her actions that could be commanded, instructed. She stacks up several pieces in a row. )
Guess it's a good thing there aren't many of those here, or demons either. Demons weren't really a thing in my Underworld, but they're also in line with like Lucifer?
no subject
She doesn't reach for more, her appetite dulled by the memories. ]
The demons I have seen in the flesh, vampires... They would talk of their great master, and I can think of no greater Demon than Satan himself.
[ It doesn't mean she is right, and she knows there's a puzzle piece missing, but it's striking how little she knows despite her experience. More questions than answers at every turn.
Leaning against the counter, fingers spread against the cold metal just near the sliced bread and cheese, Vanessa's attention turns from her inner turmoil to Red's curiosities. How she eats, how she asks... She is still learning so much. They both seem to have only begun their quest for purpose. ]
What would you call those who reside in Hades, if not demons? What do you call yourself?
no subject
She plays with some of the pieces of cheese. )
...monsters. ( Red hasn't figured out what she is still, but that term is still true. Monster and- and something else (some human soul split into pieces and carved inside of a piece of Cerberus, but she doesn't like to think about that. It's not like she knew about the human part until she was here). She swallows. ) There were spirits, monsters, or gods and goddesses in the Underworld for the most part. And we had daemons, but they don't seem like the same as the demons you talk about. They weren't evil. More like spirit guides?
Like Charon. He'd ferry in spirits on the River.
no subject
[ To hear them called monsters only draws her nearer. She can be fond of them. Part of her may even be fond of demons, that it's a part she continues to deny. If a thing should be lonely, if a terrible creature should want for love, can she not see herself in that? Can she leave them wanting? ]
Did you find friendship with any of the other...monsters? The gods or demons?
no subject
Her shoulders tense and she stares at the food. )
I didn't really see any of them much except the spirits that were sent to that specific area of the Underworld.
no subject
She 'hm's softly while leaning against the counter next to Red, appraising her. She's heard the growls, felt the heat, but she also sees the girl. Such a combination can only keep Red as a singular sort. With Vanessa, she has only been a gentle monster. In return, Vanessa's touch is gentle as she brushes back Red's hair with fingertips, tucking it behind her ear. ]
Was it lonely?
no subject
It was easier to be frightening than to risk rejection. She lifts her gaze to meet Vanessa's briefly at the gentleness of the touch from someone who carries this dark power inside of her- the power of this dark goddess inside of her. Has it been lonely for her too? Vanessa sees more of her than most can, and still she isn't frightened and she doesn't pull her hand away.
Her own hand (awkward and unused to this, comforting or receiving comfort) wraps around Vanessa's brief and tight.
And she can't find her voice to answer the question, doesn't feel fair or right to so she doesn't. )
no subject
They have more than claws, though. They have searching hearts that must break so easily. They have yearnings and curiosities while they adventure on silly little errands and relish in the mundane of apple and cheese.
Holding their hands there, Vanessa steps behind and rests her other hand over Red's shoulder, her cheek gently resting atop the other's head. She can think of nothing fair or right to say, either.
Hades was a fool god. Such sweet monsters ought never be lonely. ]