Seasons don't fear the reaper

[controlsthedie]

Who: Thanatos & OTA
Where: sleeper/passenger car hallways, greenhouse, training gym
When: Kazoo, Day 2 or 3 (after Jack's "Musical" Mayhem, before dance)
What: Death is being a dork: chores, flower growing, sword practice
Warnings: none

Chores: Death approaches the dust

[ A new month means a new type of chore assignment, apparently. At least this one doesn't need someone coaching Thanatos on what to do. He takes to the passenger area first, dressed in the train's standard blue hoodie and cargo pants to keep his own stuff clean. (Zagreus wanted to wear red not blue, so Thanatos just gave him the spare red hoodie he had.) Floating towards the ceiling with a feather duster in his hand, Thanatos gets to work.

Thanatos may not have paid much attention to Dusa while she worked (or at all really...), but he knows that she was always up high dusting the rafters. Sorry if he startles anyone going through a door to see legs dangling down. He's dusting the top of the door frame. ]

Greenhouse: Thanatos's Poppy Pot has sprouted!

[ Done with chores for the time being, Thanatos has returned to his usual way of dressing (chthonic death god style) and is crouched low to the floor. Mort is perched at the edge of a pot. They stare at nine tiny points of green pushing out of the soil. Thanatos is smiling, awestruck. (An expression that wasn't as rare when he was a godling days ago.) ]

They sprouted… they actually sprouted....

[ Thanatos speaks softly as if he fears being too loud would bring destruction upon them. Green. Growth. Life. He thought they would never sprout. They would never grow. Yet, here they were. Poppies, his and Hypnos's shared symbol, growing in this pot. Nurtured by Death of all people. ]

What do you think, Mort? Do they need more water?

Training gym: Trying not to float like a butterfly

[ There should be a mission coming up soon, and Thanatos is determined not to have a repeat of the last time. He had lost his powers, his divinity, and had become useless. He would have been a liability if other passengers hadn't come to his aid.

Gods, if Thanatos froze like that while Zagreus needed his help.... No. That's not going to happen. He's going to make sure that he can still fight, still protect… well, more than just Zagreus. It's still strange to think that he's developing a new role for himself on this train.

He summons his sword, not his scythe, and sets his feet upon the ground. Thanatos starts with a few basic motions when he notices he has company. ]

Pardon me. I'm not taking too much space, am I?

Comments

[controlsthedie]

[ The sad thing is he was trying to honestly answer her question. ]

No, I could shift locations and float since birth. Wings too, though I had to practice with that more.

[ Was he a terror as a child? Yes. ]

[enthunder]

[ her expression may be a reflection of Nyx's own feelings on the matter. Who decided a kid should be able to teleport? If Serah-- well, she got into enough trouble. ]

Gods are born where you're from, huh. [ And, because she can't help it, ] You're overextending on your right.

[controlsthedie]

[ Nyx probably didn't expect it. There probably would have been more trouble if his twin wasn't Sleep and therefore easy to watch. (He was always asleep.) ]

Yes, most of us are. Although, there are some like Lady Athena who sprung fully grown from Lord Zeus's forehead.

[ He tries to correct his stance and strikes again. ]

[enthunder]

From his... [ you know what, that's not that strange. She remembers pieces of the analects, phrases Vanille would repeat to herself. And lo, the viper Lindzei... ] That sounds more like I'm used to, actually. Were you always in charge of death, or did you grow into that, too?

[ the idea of a baby holding a sword is a strange one, but he said 'fully-grown', as though he wasn't. guess he was a baby after all. she draws her own sword without fanfare or flourish, and demonstrates the strike, moving into another, and then a step that would move her back out of an opponent's reach. content to be leisurely about it. ]

[controlsthedie]

As far as I know, I was born for the role, but the Three Fates weave their threads to their own design. It took me awhile to fully understand it. My twin settled easily into his from the start, I think.

[ Thanatos tries to do the same, but it's clear that he's used to depending on hovering and his powers. His strikes don't flow easily from one to another. There's power behind them, but Thanatos is a god used to one-hit kills and being able to take his time. There are noticeable delays. Those who can attack quickly and recklessly can easily gain the upper hand. It's how Zagreus can kill steal so many of his targets in their little contests.

Death may be mistaken for War, but he is not War. ]

[enthunder]

Your twin?

[ She's aware that she's asking him a lot of questions, but then, there's really not much else to do around here sometimes. Their worlds are all so different from hers. His mimicry earns a small nod. It's progress, even if he seems dissatisfied with it. ] Let me guess... he's life?

[controlsthedie]

[ That question completely stops Thanatos in his tracks. There's something pressing down on his chest. ]

No. He's... Sleep.

[ It would make so much sense. Life and Death, one and the same, right? And yet... ]

There's no god of life that I know of.

[enthunder]

Huh. [ What a weird thought. ] Sleep and Death...

[ His expression has changed to something she doesn't understand, so she turns to demonstrate the three-part step again. This time, she alters it so it can be done more deliberately, a variant of the form that allows for heavier blows. ] I can get why he'd be the easier baby.

[controlsthedie]

Hypnos slept a lot then, and he sleeps a lot still. At the wrong times too.

[ Maybe now that they are both older Mother Nyx thinks the difficult child has switched. Thanatos remembers her serene scolding whenever he tried to wake his twin to play, but now it's Hypnos wanting his brother's attention... or it was when Thanatos was still on his world.

Thanatos copies again feet moving as hers does. It's better this time. The heavy blows, meant to instantly end a life are more in line with what Thanatos hopes to do. Minimize pain and suffering with a clean, strong slice. ]

[enthunder]

[ His form is good, so she relaxes out of stance and moves to one side to allow him to practise. ]

Looks like swords are part of your role now.

[controlsthedie]

It is something to fall back on.

[ He's not optimistic about his ability to contribute to a mission (or to help Zagreus) if his powers disappear, but if he could stop himself from being completely helpless, then... this practice will be worth it. ]