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

[goingthroughaphase]

[ Though Kitty starts getting back to her practice, she can't help watching him for a moment. ]

...Hey, uh...you're pretty experienced with a sword, huh?

[controlsthedie]

[ His strikes are quick and powerful, but they don't flow from one to the other. The attacks are meant to end a life in one painless stroke, focused and precise. ]

It's no longer my preferred tool, but I am skilled with it.

[ When he's not specifically trying to keep his feet on the floor. ]

[goingthroughaphase]

[ She hesitates a moment, chewing on her lip as she debates on asking. ]

...would...you be up for a partner to practice with? I'm not as good yet, but...

[ She'd definitely been improving thanks to all her training with Trunks. But she figured that it could also help to practice with other people too. ]

[controlsthedie]

...

[ Thanatos goes still and looks at her as if he misheard. It's one thing to practice in the same space, he realizes. It's another to practice with another.

He says softly in disbelief, ]

You would risk sparring with me? With Death?

[ Sorry Ryo, Persephone. He slipped with the whole Death thing. ]

[goingthroughaphase]

[ Kitty tilts her head, blinking in surprise. ]

You're Death?

[ Once upon a time, the concept of talking to Death personified might have scared her. But somehow, with all the strange and interesting people she's met on the train so far, she's really only curious. ]

[controlsthedie]

I am Thanatos, Death Incarnate.

[ He remains still, trying to seem unthreatening. Thanatos knows how mortals usually react when they learn his identity, and he's waiting for it to change from curiosity to hate or disgust. ]

[goingthroughaphase]

...Oh.

[ She is still mostly surprised, but even as she says that she's thinking. ]

...Would you kill me? If we did practice together?

[controlsthedie]

I don't intent to practice my powers over death, but I can't be sure what might happen if I fought a mortal.

[ In truth, Kitty is completely safe. He does have a passive control over death's existence in the world, but like his fear that he couldn't grow a flower, it doesn't manifest in this way. ]

[goingthroughaphase]

[ Considering that for a moment, she then nods. ] Well, we won't know for sure unless we give it a try, right?

[controlsthedie]

[ He's silent, thinking things over, and then he sighs. ]

I'm sure this is wise, but if you're certain, how do we proceed?

[goingthroughaphase]

Well, first I'll need a sword.

[ Trunks usually lends her one to practice with, and she doubts there are any spares available to just pick up. ]

I can go and borrow one really quick.

Pfff that should have been "isn't wise"

[controlsthedie]

I didn't realize there were practice swords available. Where are they? I could get one.

[ Since he can shift places. (Little did he realize...) ]

Haha no worries

[goingthroughaphase]

To be honest, I don't know if there are any available to everyone in the train. Usually I borrow one from someone when I train with him.

[ She really does need to see about getting one of her own. ]

But I can probably run and find him, see if I can borrow one for a while.

[controlsthedie]

I'll wait here.

[ If the sword belongs to someone, then Thanatos can't just retrieve it and come back. ]

[goingthroughaphase]

[ She nods, holding up a hand to wait. ] I'll be right back.

[ And she hurries off to find Trunks to get the sword she practices with. ]

[controlsthedie]

[ And as he said. Thanatos waits, though he does take the opportunity to practice some more sword swings. ]

[goingthroughaphase]

[ After several minutes she does return, clipping together the buckle of a broadsword secured to her back. ]

Sorry about that! It took a while for me to find him. I forget how big this train really is sometimes.

[controlsthedie]

I'm probably not the best to commiserate with about how big the train is...

[ Without warning, Thanatos shifts to the other end of the car. Once the bell toll fades, he does float back to where he was originally. ]

I've been told I cheat.

[goingthroughaphase]

[ A bit surprised at first, she grins. ] Oh, so you can teleport? That's pretty cool.

I've got a few tricks too.

[controlsthedie]

Should I be worried about those tricks while we spar?

[ He doesn't know for who's concern he asks that. Still, he takes a ready stance. Whenever Kitty would like to start their sparring, they can. ]

[goingthroughaphase]

We'll see how it goes.

[ Drawing the sword from its sheath, she shifts into a fighting stance, getting herself ready. Then, after weighing her options for a moment, she swung the sword for the first strike. ]

[controlsthedie]

[ He blocks the strike easily, but he doesn't try to capitalize on the block. Instead, he pulls back and waits for another attack. Hopefully, Kitty isn't unnerved by his unblinking focus on her. ]

[goingthroughaphase]

[ She is just a little unnerved when she notices, but she does her best to ignore it as she moves in for another attack, her mind racing through the different lessons that Trunks had given her to help try and find an opening. ]

[controlsthedie]

[ It's almost impressive how long Thanatos tries to go without going on the offensive. His footwork is stilted, but he manages to keep blocking. Finally, he feels like he understands enough about how she attacks. He tries to give a hard downward swing.

However, it also leaves him open because there's little flow between his movements. Thanatos aims for one-hit strikes to maximize killing potential while minimizing the pain his opponent feels. (He doesn't use his full strength in a spar against a human, though. He's trying to become more comfortable with technique.) A quick dodge will put him at a disadvantage. ]

[goingthroughaphase]

[ She is able to see that opening, and steps to the side and out of his strike zone (while phasing just in case she's not fast enough), before swinging her sword again to try to hit him with the flat side of it. ]