voidtreckerexpress | Seasons don't fear the reaper

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?

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Excellent questions, although some of them may have no answers. Left to the void of the unknown and the mysteries of how exactly the anatomy of something that looks like a child's drawing come to life actually works.

"Oh, it's not uncommon for the name to be given to pet dogs these days." It is dawning on him that if this young man is from the same world as Zagreus, and if he is truly speaking of the actual Cerberus, then he must be talking to a...

"Oh, how rude of me, I haven't properly introduced myself." He extends a hand in greeting. "Aziraphale. And your name...?"

He looks at the offered hand for a moment before grasping it for a handshake. The gesture still feels odd to participate in. (And hopefully Aziraphale extended his left because Thanatos's right hand is currently being licked and nibbled by a curious Ferdinand.)

"I am Thanatos."

Aziraphale has been talking to a god from Zagreus's world, Death Incarnate himself.

"Oh." Aziraphale looks vaguely stunned by the new information, and the confirmation that he is, indeed, speaking to actual Greek gods. You'd think that meeting god figures would not be as surprising anymore, but there's still something to specifically finding those that, in his world, were created by humans in their image.

"Oh--yes." He remembers to actually shake Thanatos' hand. "Pleasure to meet you. You'll have to excuse me, I didn't really you were--well, who you are."

The fact that he's Death Incarnate isn't as shocking. He's seen DEATH from his world - besides being quite intimidating at first, he seems like a good enough chap.

"While I don't hide who I am, I know it bothers people." Although, Thanatos slowly is learning that many on the train don't seem to be bothered by it at all. If anything, they're bothered by the fact that he assumes the worst first.

"... Are you all right?" He has trouble placing why Aziraphale is reacting as such. It's different than what he expects, even for people on the train.

Aziraphale isn't really bothered. His own nature makes it a bit hard to be shocked, and his experience in the last year even more so. Perhaps he's more surprised to find, specifically, an ancient Greek god, as the kind he's read so much about - well, after living in the actual culture, of course.

"Oh, quite alright. My apologies, dear boy, I don't mean to make it awkward. Just didn't quite expect to meet the God of Death himself. But I suppose none of us can really escape this sort of thing."

"There is no escaping Death." Unless one is Zagreus and then it becomes more like Death can't escape him, which Thanatos prefers if he's honest with himself. (He's never honest with himself.)

Thanatos shakes his head. He's not the one making it awkward. Thanatos is, as usual. "Although, not many would still call me 'dear boy' after learning my identity."

Yeah, that's still kind of strange.

Not quite what Aziraphale meant, but he'll politely gloss over the fact.

"Oh, well, I don't see why there's any need for that. Unless you rather be called something else, of course." It's meant as nothing more than a blatantly polite and very (old) English sort of thing, but Aziraphale has found himself using it more often, lately. Something about being more at level with other people.

"I will say you look a tad bit different from what I've seen humans make you out to be, but then again they could hardly keep themselves to a specific look."

What's old English to Aziraphale is more modern slang to Thanatos. There's just a lot that trips Thanatos off in ways people don't always expect. It happened back home as well.

"Different? Ah. The wings. I don't always have them out." He doesn't need them to float around, and a lot of the times, they get in the way. Especially in narrow areas like the train.

To Aziraphale as well, even if for different reasons. Not too many people ever bothered to make things clearer, but whether Aziraphale noticed or not is well up for debate.

"Oh, not- not those." It certainly isn't the strangest thing in seeing a god, or a supernatural creature. In fact, most of the ones he knows do have wings, including himself, or can don some at will. He doesn't let his own out often, though, not since humans began taking notice of that sort of thing.

"Well, never mind. How have you been finding the train?"

"I would prefer to be home, tending to my responsibilities." Which is to say that the train is okay, but Thanatos really doesn't want to be here. He also considers the train like a bigger box to be trapped in. However, he's not about to disclose that delicate information to someone he just met.

"There are some very helpful and kind people here..." He trails off. Is that strange animal still about? At least he's not doing anything to Thanatos's poppy sprouts.

Aziraphale nods knowingly.

"Yes, other passengers do tend to be quite nice and kind. But I do suppose at least the majority of us would much prefer to be in our own homes."

He could have stated that in a much more concrete manner, had he not learned by force that not everyone has a world to return to.

His expression darkening, Thanatos has to look away. His thoughts are too focused on home now. The place he needs to be. Not here. There. Where he can do his job and keep the natural order of the world working as best as it can given all the struggles on the surface and the House falling apart.

Is there even a world left for him to return to? Or will everything be so weak and crumbling at the only ones left alive are the gods? No life left on the world?

"Well, I think I'm about done here. I should attend to some of the train chores." Red Team is small. They need all the help they can get.

"Oh, hum." Aziraphale isn't quite sure about the sudden change, but he supposes everyone has their own activities to get to. Ferdinand, on the other hand, sniffs at Thanatos's foot.

"Very well. Well see each other around, I'm sure. Not that there's much of a choice." Meant clearly as poking light fun at the less than stellar situation. He's learned to live with it.

"Not that there's much of a choice," Thanatos repeats, though his words aren't as light as Aziraphale's. He gives Ferdinand another pet on his strange head. Then he leaves in a burst of light and darkness.

Once off on his own, Thanatos sighs and puts a hand to his face. He's been here for a month with no clue how to return or even send a message home. Mother, please say you're doing something... this time....

Seasons don't fear the reaper

Chores: Death approaches the dust

Greenhouse: Thanatos's Poppy Pot has sprouted!

Training gym: Trying not to float like a butterfly

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