drear | i put socks on my feet

He is a far one. [ neither agreement nor disagreement, but hades acknowledges his point before taking a seat on one of the stone benches. a cool breeze stirs the warm air. ] Their words are to him as the dunes are to the wind.

...though, they may not be discrepancies, after all. [ zeus is kind of an asshole. ]

[mitsunari gives hades a questioning look. he hasn't met the man's brothers personally, only overheard rumors - none of which he approves of - but their place in the estate's scrolls makes their positions very clear.]

To be worn away? [he glances around, in case anyone is trying to eavesdrop.] Discrepant or not, their words range against him and poison the minds of those who might otherwise support him. Until the truth can be determined, they should remain silent.

Incidental. [ there's no one else in the garden, and hades usually speaks quietly, though his low voice does carry somewhat. ]

If they could be silenced, there would be no discussion from the beginning. It is process, Mitsunari, one which... also wears away.

[mitsunari makes a dissatisfied noise and turns to glare at the archway they came through. nobody's there to run off, so he holds his ire in check. for the moment.]

I doubt I will ever truly understand how your government works. [no matter how much he reads in the estate's histories. he shifts where he stands again, as if almost wanting someone to pass by so he can turn his unsettled anger on them.] I will listen for anything that may be considered a lie, and leave it to your judgment to determine what is slander and what isn't.

If so, it will be to your advantage. [ which is as close to outright approval as hades will get. he sends mitsunari a soft smile and turns back towards the entryway.

most of the rest of the evening will pass in similar talk. hades only interjects comments occasionally and mostly just tries to push the discussion on with cryptic statements. ]

[mitsunari pauses at that smile, at the almost-praise, eyes widening a fraction momentarily. his thoughts rile and settle, and then he's back to his normal state of barely-restrained anger, of tension and distaste for this dinner.

he follows hades, and listens from a distance, and glares at the floor when he hears things that he considers objectionable (almost everything). any meaning in hades' own subtle comments escapes him entirely, though he does listen to them intently.

as the night wears on, people start to leave. he takes to watching them as he listens, counting their number, trying to remember who's who - and who's leaving with who.]

[ hades leaves the house slaves to clear dinner, picking up a few nuts to eat on his way back to his room. he gestures with his head for mitsunari to follow along with him. ]

Have you eaten?

[it takes him a few moments to realize hades' gesture is for him, and he starts briefly before glancing around the room. (but it's being taken care of; this is not his duty.) he follows after, a little slower as he contemplates all he's heard and what is worth telling hades.]

No. [he idly curls his hands into loose fists, lets them uncurl.] It seemed unimportant.

What was important, then?

[ hades keeps walking towards his room, but on their way he pauses abruptly and turns to face mitsunari. he extends a pecan in his fingers towards his mouth. ]

The work you set before me --

[he stops a moment after hades does, startled, instinctively pulling away from the proffered nut like it's a threat.]

... what?

It's a pecan.

[ he just keeps extending his hand further towards mitsunari, expression unchanging, before he stops quite abruptly as if he's just thought of something. ]

Would you prefer walnuts?

[mitsunari keeps leaning away until he can't anymore, not unless he takes a step back, staring at hades in bafflement.]

I'm not hungry.

You say that quite often during mealtimes.

[ he retracts his hand after another moment, watching mitsunari with his flat black eyes before turning and continuing to walk. once he reaches his room, he waits for mitsunari to enter behind him before taking a seat on a cushioned lounge. there's two other seats for mitsunari to choose from, if he does. ]

I am often not hungry.

[hades' pause gives him pause, but he follows anyway, returning to hades' private rooms in silence.

he takes neither seat, and contemplates what he's heard, watching the wall past hades without seeing it.]

... some tonight claimed your family has far less power than it truly does. What they hope to accomplish through such ridiculous lies escapes me.

[ hades matches mitsunari's thousand-yard stare with a long gaze of his own, eyes focusing on some point neither on mitsunari's face nor behind him, somehow stopping behind his eyes.

after a moment's pause, he blinks and turns to look out the window instead. ]

Lies are spoken and written for their own purposes. Selfish desires, or generous ones, perhaps. They will pass without substance guiding them.

Pathetic purposes, then, with deceitful goals.

[his disdain is clear and hateful, and he falls silent again to wrangle that into something worthwhile. he heard more than he imagined he would.]

Others claimed much the opposite, but only in whispers. That your power is too great. Unfounded. Undeserved. Most of them, I noticed, left alone, regardless of who they had come with.

[traitors. his tone betrays him.]

If it is a goal, is it deceitful?

[ hades gives him a soft smile and extends a hand towards mitsunari's face—not holding a pecan this time. he can't reach up quite far enough to touch his face, but his fingers hover a few inches from his jaw. ]

Whether it is undeserved, or otherwise... what would you say?

Deceit is the goal, for most.

[he almost doesn't notice the movement, caught up in his own anger, but the fingers nearly brushing his jaw make him start and watch hades very carefully again.]

Of your holdings? It is not my place to judge such things, but ... I have read the histories you permitted me. Your family earned what they have through strength of every kind. If they wish it for themselves, it's up to them to take it with equal strength.

And of deceit as a means... I suppose you would think of that, as well.

[ he makes another considering noise and gets to his feet, fingers now brushing mitsunari's jaw. if the man is angry, it isn't for hades' or his family's sake. at least—that's what he can gather. ]

What of your means?

[mitsunari tenses a little more at the touch, but doesn't draw away or try to push away hades' hand.]

What about them? My means are yours to direct, and I would not be so traitorous as to attempt to take what you have. [he grits his teeth briefly.] But when I act, it is out of loyalty, and out of strength.

[ his fingers slide further up, his palm resting gently on the side of mitsunari's face. ]

It could be said, then, that you have betrayed already.

But it is of no matter to you, at the moment. [ hades removes his hand just as abruptly as he placed it there. ]

...your strength will wane without sustenance. [ he reaches for a slice of bread from a plate near his bedside and puts it into mitsunari's hand. if he doesn't reach to accept it, he takes him by the wrist and holds his hand in the appropriate place. ]

[he stiffens at that simple statement, expression hardening in anger and offense and hurt realization. and then hades removes his hand, only to reach out with bread instead, and mitsunari is slow enough to react that it's only when hades' hand closes around his wrist to make him accept it that he finally tries to pull back and speak.]

I have never --

[but he falls silent, and considers hades' words. grits his teeth again in grudging recognition of that fact. he finally accepts the bread and breaks it into smaller pieces to eat.]

It's ridiculous that such things are necessary.

Is it that weakness which makes it... ridiculous?

[ he watches mitsunari eat without really blinking, but a soft smile crosses his face all the same. ]

Yes.

[he eats quickly, like he detests the very act and wants to get it over with as soon as possible.]

It is a waste of time that could be used otherwise and causes crippling detriments when not heeded. Sleep is much the same. That the body cannot obey without such things is an incomparable annoyance at best.

[ don't choke or bite your tongue, friend. ]

You can taste, can you not?

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