lostcarnival | What do you see? (Open)

So far, being a janitor hasn't killed Rhys but he's certainly complained enough. Mostly, he keeps the complaints to himself, bitching and moaning at walls or to the artificial intelligence that lives in head. It's not like Jack can go anywhere so he makes a convenient sounding board even if he calls Rhys names for the most part.

He spends as much time outside of his trailer as he can since it's cramped and sometimes it smells. That smell is probably him though considering the type of work he's made to do.

He's outside today, tooling around the area, pointing his ECHO eye at various places and things to figure out what they are and what they're function is. He turns and his eye lands on a person, someone who's trying to look like he owns the place.

His eye doesn't scan the man immediately and Rhys calls out, "What are you doing? Are you gonna go inside? It's the only place that's gonna protect you from rain, you know. Your trailer, I mean."

...trying to look like he owns the place. Technically, he does. All that is connected to the ground - all that lies beneath - belongs to him. The seas belong to his brother, Poseidon, but there is no sea without a bottom and everything from the horizon on belongs to his youngest brother, Zeus.

To put it succinctly: Hades is too damn old to look meek or confused. Sorry, Rhys.

"I don't mind the rain."

It feels nice, though his wet fur and feathers will surely look better dry.

"I have never resided in a place so small."

"Yeah well, I've never resided in a place that's not in space but we all have to make sacrifices for the...greater good."

Rhys doesn't know if this is the greater good or what. He doesn't even know if he can trust the Ringmaster to give him what he wants when his contract is over. She seemed pretty powerful and had been convincing but so had Handsome Jack, at one time.

"You just get here, then?" Rhys asks him. "Join the club. Hopefully you're not a janitor too."

"You come from the sky?" he turns his horned head to focus on Rhys, his wings lifting faintly before they settle against his back. Hades is rather fond of the Ringmaster. She has imagination and he wants to see where this journey takes him. If nothing else, it beats the hell out of sitting around in the dark.

"I am a Magician." and a Conman, but that isn't something one advertises, "Your job should be interesting."

The left-overs of...whatever they get up to...will be puzzling and compelling.

"A little beyond the sky but yeah, same difference," Rhys says, shrugging. This is the longest he's been on a planet in awhile and he's already itching to change his mind, toss his contract away because he wants to be back there. What's done is done though and he knows he can't because the Ringmaster had been pretty intimidating.

"But geez, you're a Magician too?" Rhys asks, making a face. "I've already met one of you. He threatened to eat me."

It wasn't an overt threat but Rhys still checks his fingers and toes each morning just to make sure. "What kind of magic can you do?"

"The stars reside in his domain. All of it is connected; all of it is the sky." technically. If atmosphere is all that separates the two, why are they not acceptably interchanged?

"I have no appetite for janitors." Hades...soothes? Maybe? Though he looks amused.

"If that is their idea of a disappearing act..."

It's not very good, is it. He lowers himself onto a bench, crossing his dark legs.

"First, tell me: what do you see?" he cants his head to the right, waiting patiently.

"Does this place just hire crazy cannibals?" Rhys asks, frowning. Between Tyki's scary prowling and this guy's scary...well, everything, so far, Rhys is thinking very seriously of finding his trailer and locking himself up. He can barricade the door, set traps, apologize to his roommate and just try and stay alive.

He's pretty clever and he's got his arm and eye to give him a bit of an advantage. It might work.

"What do you mean what do I see?" Rhys asks, his tone saying how dumb a question that is. "I see you right now. And trailers behind you. My eyes do work, even the robotic one. That one works better than my real one, even."

"I cannot say." Hades doesn't look ruffled or upset. In fact, he seems...content. One of his ears flicks, almost as if he can hear what is not said. Of course that isn't possible, but he can make an educated guess. You don't live as long as he has without picking up the habits of humans.

"Precisely what I said."

How does he appear? Death is different for everyone. Does Rhys fear it? If so, Hades must appear like quite a monster.

"I was not passing judgement on your sight."

"So, what was the question for?" Rhys asks, curious now. "Or is it some existential thing? Am I not seeing what your all knowing eyes can see? Or was that some test that I failed?"

He's getting that feeling a lot, like he's done something wrong. This place is totally throwing him and putting him on his back foot and Rhys doesn't like that. He doesn't like having to think quickly or improvising every single moment of his life.

He just wants something, anything to be easy.

He delays answering, letting the silence grow between them until it feels almost sentient. Then he smiles, a thin expression - perhaps in response to Rhys's anxiety.

"You fear failure." which has nothing to do with their previous conversation, "You will waste away under the weight. Who can free you?"

Only Rhys, truly. Hades, at least, will not play directly into his overactive imagination. Then...

"I think you must be braver than you seem. Many look upon death with...discomfort."

Edited 2018-05-09 02:46 (UTC)

Rhys frowns, suddenly looking uncomfortable. What the guy's said isn't necessarily untrue but he doesn't really want anyone to know that, least of all some guy he's just met.

"I don't fail," Rhys tells him, all bravado, "so there's no reason to fear something that doesn't happen. So there."

That was a great comeback. Very solid. The mental version of Jack is gagging and rolling his eyes, acting like he's dying all because of Rhys' answer.

"I'm plenty brave. The bravest employee at Hyperion." He'd stolen from Vasquez, hadn't he?

"You argue against the inevitable." Hades imagines he himself has failed many a time in the eyes of others. One cannot exist and interact with others without that burden hanging over their head!

"That will be of great help to you." he supposes. He doesn't know anything for certain here. Can he even say his words are the absolute truth anymore? Out of habit, he speaks what he knows, but if he tries to lie...

"Do you consider that a strength? Your bravery." he walks to his door and opens it, peering inside the trailer, "I think you'd be a great deal safer if you were a coward."

"I'd also be a coward," Rhys points out, trying to see the logic in that. "And I'd rather avoid people labeling me that. Maybe I'd live longer but running away from everything would just get boring. And exhausting. And hell on my shoes."

He looked down at the boots he was wearing. They weren't the designer shoes he'd arrived with but those were tucked away, safe from the dirt and grime he got on him just from walking to and fro.

"Do you consider yourself creepy?" Rhys wonders. "Because I kinda do."

"You remind me of the Prince." Ganymede had come to the same conclusion after attempting escape many a time. Hades had even offered him an exit - by no means easily attained - and the Prince had understood he could not take that path either. Cowardice... Madness... They are simply different ways of escaping reality.

"I assume many do." he is Death incarnate, so, "A lady said I looked like a cow once."

"I don't know if I want to remind you of your Prince," Rhys says, wincing just slightly. "I don't know if I want to remind you of anyone, Mr. Creepy."

Rhys had thought the hair standing up on the back of his neck was just because of the weather but now he was guessing it was this guy and the aura he was giving off. Rhys doesn't want to remind him of anything, doesn't want to catch his eye and be memorable.

"But, I don't see the cow thing," Rhys admits, looking him up and down. "No udders."

"He is not my Prince." though he won't say no to Ganymede joining him in his realm. Zeus shouldn't get to have all the fun.

"You cannot avoid that. I will know everyone eventually." Hades doesn't mind going to the surface to see that done, either! Except when he does that, some humans see him as a monstrous...bear cow? Poor Iris.

"Then I am more of a steer?"

Death really has no gender. Hades doesn't mind shifting between male and female - or he can be a mixture of the two.

"I would have no use for udders. Milk is meant to sustain life and that would be contrary of me."

"I think you might be biting off more than you can chew in this place," Rhys says because while he might not be as powerful as this guy (or as crazy, let's face it, that's what Rhys is thinking), he knows that someone is and she's in charge.

"You're really working this doom and gloom angle, aren't you?" Rhys asks, cocking his head and frowning. "I hope it gets you far but I'm pretty sure you're stuck here same as me."

Same as everyone else.

He turns his head as if to ask "oh really?". Hades rather enjoys his "doom and gloom", thank you. He truly doesn't see that as a criticism.

"I chose to be here."

He might be crazy. Or bored out of his mind. It pretty much amounts to the same, doesn't it?

"She was kind enough to indulge me."

"Sure yeah okay, man," Rhys says, nodding in a way that says he believes but he totally doesn't believe. "Don't know why you'd choose to be somewhere but hope you enjoy your stay and work hard and get paid and all that."

Did they get paid? Rhys doesn't think so but free room and board is kind of nice even if the trailers are a little...small.

Rhys just resists the urge to make a 'crazy dude alert' gesture. Instead, he salutes. "Sure you'll find your stay eye opening."

Childermass is a busy man, especially with an entire library to comb through and — as of today — a very particular book to discuss, but neither of those facts absolves him of his duty. He's aware enough of the comings and goings of thieves and conmen, new and old alike, and so while Hades is regarding his new trailer, he'll arrive through the shadows.

Where there was no one before, there is now, leaning casually against the shadowed side of the trailer as if he had been there the entire time. It's not true, as he hasn't, but he is now and he'll give the god a curious look over before saying anything. Horns, fur, feathers, he has no particular opinion on death being good or bad, so he just sees Hades as he normally is and is unperturbed by it. After all, he himself has feathers and taloned hands. He's in no position to judge or worry about another's appearance at this point.

"There's not much of a welcoming party right now, I'm afraid," he opens with that rather than an outright greeting and pushes away from the trailer, stepping out into the light. "Nonetheless, I thought I should stop by and see if you needed any help settling in. I am Childermass, the carnival's Acquisitioner."

Hades is fond of men like Childermass. They are fun to watch and their stories are extraordinarily varied. Of course the majority of them die horribly and before their time, but a life lived enthusiastically - passionately, greedily - might be worth the price. He does not look shocked or surprised - he has a way of appearing and disappearing as he sees fit too - but his lips do quirk, faintly.

"It is enough." he does not need a full welcoming party, "What do you acquisition?"

That is a lofty title for someone who keeps to the shadows. With a slight incline of his horned head, Hades returns the favor.

"I am Hades."

The Ringmaster has acquired something interesting with him. Physical appearance aside, Hades has a playful, deceptive nature. He does not lie, but the truth need not always be spoken.

"I acquisition anything the carnival has need of," is the simplest way Childermass answers, "Be it restocking the kitchen larder or robbing a prince, there's no real difference to me."

That's an odd name, though. An odd name for an odd person and he has Childermass frowning slightly, brow furrowed. Hades. He knows of Hades, an old god, lord of the underworld, and after a moment of consideration, he can't help but make an amused sound. Almost a laugh, almost.

"Funny. I would have thought the Ringmaster would have someone with such a name handling finances," he points out. "Not working to rob the multiverse blind."

Then again, the mythology he knows could very well not apply. It happens.

"Larders and princes. One cannot exist without the other." Hades likes the small eccentricities of humanity. Unlike Apollo, Poseidon and Zeus, he likes bringing himself to the level of mortals. That doesn't mean they are not technically insects in comparison, of course.

"I care naught for money." he is offered enough of it - jewels included - whenever someone is afraid of death. Counting objects he deems useless would be a waste of time. However stealing from others intrigues him and he will enjoy the fact that he can now lie.

"I came for curiosity's sake. Myself, as I am, can provide services in the interim."

Edited 2018-05-09 03:26 (UTC)

So the stories do vary, as the multiverse has proven over and over again. Childermass just shrugs, as it matters little to him in the long run.

"As you say, Mr. Hades," is literally all there is to say to that, what Hades does and does not care for. Why he's in the carnival, however, does earn the quirk of an eyebrow. "For curiosity's sake... That seems a little vaguer than usual for what I expect from the Ringmaster's contracts, I must admit."

The stories vary in the same culture. Hades expects that they must vary even more between worlds or universes. Humans are a creative bunch!

"I have lived a long time." he smiles as if that is a fine explanation. It isn't, of course, and he pauses as if he has nothing more to say.

"She understands the monotony of existence. The differences intrigue me and I wonder from whence - or whom - they spring." he could say the Ringmaster in this case, but that doesn't include the presence of people - and beings - from various worlds. Hades has really ever known one.

Well, Childermass still doesn't have the entire story for where everything originates. Creation, the Source, one or another, it seems fairly unimportant to him in the long run. Not that a chance to discover that is a poor choice for others, so he can hardly mock the intent.

"She really does," he agrees with that much, however. "There's rarely a dull moment when traveling with us. In any case, I am aware that part of your job falls under my purview, Mr. Hades." Does Mr. Hades even work? Hades is no god of his, so he supposes it will just have to do. "Thievery and conmen do not have a place at every stop we make, though, but if there is anything you wish to know, you may as well ask now."

Hades hums deep in his chest, looking away from Childermass. He could be contemplating what he wishes to ask the man or he could be thinking of something else entirely; it is difficult to know with such a deceptive god.

"Am I allowed to do as I please to see a job done?" he has never been shackled - except by the fate decided for him at the beginning. The three godly brothers had drawn straws then and he had been given the bowels of the Earth.

"I do not expect failure." unless his hands are tied, but ties can be undone and even if Childermass or the Ringmaster impose rules on him, he will seek to slither around them or under them.

Hades doesn't look that strange to Anghel. What he sees is different from what is actually there and Hades' appearance fits right into the way Anghel views the world. Anghel's own appearance - a bird over three feet tall with a bright red mark on his chest - may seem a bit more unusual to Hades than Hades is to him.

Even so, Anghel isn't quite sure what to make of Hades yet. "Are you searching for the Domicile of Repose?"

(OOC: Anghel has some abilities that could affect how he interacts with Hades so I'd appreciate it if you could take a look at this this. Thanks.)

Anghel is a delightful change from the ordinary! Hades is tempted to touch those feathers - it is not often he is in close proximity with birds. They are far closer to the realm of Zeus, after all, unless they rest in his realm.

"Tis not a place of permanence if you speak of the trailer?" he prefers to look at it as a roost, "Are there more like you?"

"The path laid before one such as I is one that must be traversed alone. It is price that must be paid for the sins I have committed." Actually, come to think of it... "Though... The Knight of the Silver Skies fought his way to this place before me from a world still unknown to me. His presence in this world shines brightly."

Finding another large bird shouldn't be difficult if Hades keeps his eyes peeled.

"Sin has granted you a marvelous shape!" he is not being facetious either. For a moment, he allows Anghel to see his wings. They are black and as inky as the deepest of shadows.

"Knights arrive en masse below. They fight, they die and many say it is glorious." Hades feels differently about it, however.

Anghel can't help but feel a little troubled at the inky wings - usually a sign of the demon spores. But Anghel doesn't feel their presence here and decides that the being before him is an exception.

"The Knight of the Silver Skies has not yet gone to Eternal Rest." At least, not as far as Anghel knows.

While demon spores sound fun, Hades's wings - and the rest of him - are free of such creations. He is indeed an oddity, but not one that is possessed.

"Then I suggest he find a new occupation. Death needn't be sped along."

The demons spores are vile. It is the duty of the Crimson Angel of Judecca to eradicate them from the world so that he may atone for his sins.

"That is true, but the fate of the Knight of the Silver Skies is not so easily changed. His journey will continue." Anghel really has no way of knowing this, but it is something he is convinced is true.

For them to require a hero to eradicate them makes them interesting. Hades does not see black and white - all are equal in his domain. In a way, he celebrates the vile by giving them sanctuary.

"Are you a prophet?" he has whispered in the ears of human prophets - sometimes just for his amusement, "You make it tempting to knock him down."

Having no real opinion of death, given he deals with it every day often by his own hand, Hades looks as normal as anyone can around the carnival. At first, he contemplates him as a possible veteran. Tyki made a habit of being aware of who came into and out of the carnival even if he never decides to approach them in most cases. This one just seems interesting. There's momentary insight as he peeks at his soul. He can't identify him and the only thing that tells him is that he isn't human.

Being a Noah, God is something he hates down to the very depths of his core but this was not Tyki's world and God did not exist here. This was the Ringmaster's realm and only she owned this area, this world, this existence.

He announces himself with a strike of a match against the side of the box, shuffling the contents intentionally as not to startle. He lights the cigarette at his lips and breathes in its sweet poison.

"Joining or returning," he says cheerfully with an air of mischief. Hello fellow Magician, and conman but he doesn't announce that regularly. A good conman just didn't. They'll be seeing each other a lot at both their jobs.

Edited (minor tweak) 2018-05-08 13:16 (UTC)

Hades likes the Ringmaster. She certainly changes up the norm and he has been looking for just such a being for a long time. When you have existed since, basically, time began, you grow weary of watching the same patterns. Hades is the oldest and the wisest of the gods in his world, but his age has not muted his tendency for mischief.

And the Ringmaster has offered him a wonderful opportunity to have all the mischief he likes.

"Joining."

How nice to not be a veteran for once!

"Tis ironic that ill wind can be a comfort."

Also known as Tyki, why are you smoking?

He has to admit she certainly does veer outside the norm both for introspective and physical reasons. She was the reason he joined the carnival in the first place. Her beauty and intrigued, far different than the common woman he was use to, made him gamble on her fortune. He had lost that game of strip poker but had come out of it with a contract and her amusing laughter.

He can't say he's been bored at all. It was a vacation compared to the mess at home.

"Welcome to the carnival, Mister...?" He slides his hand out with a gesture and offers him a gentleman's bow, "Tyki Mikk, Magician." And unadvertised conman.

He considers his words as to piece together what he means, "Oh this?" He chuckles softly, "A vice so deadly that it saps away your life, piece by piece, yet unable to put it down in most personal cases. I won't have to worry about any of that." It pays to have a self healing body.

"Hades." his tone is casual and he hardly seems to be what one would expect of the solemn and mighty god of the Underworld. Except in appearance, perhaps, but even that can shift in the eye of the beholder.

"I am a Magician too." and a conman, of course. One doesn't walk around advertising that, though - particularly if they want to excel at it. Hades looks at it as a game - to be played with care so that it brings about maximum enjoyment.

"What differentiates you? Or is it that you worry about nothing at all?"

If death isn't foreboding, what could possibly cause discomfort?

Edited 2018-05-16 10:13 (UTC)

That's an odd name to give someone especially since that name usually comes with its weight in gold and presence, "Interesting. Your mother must have had high hopes for you." Or perhaps she wanted something far more sinister of him. He certainly looked the part but then a lot of people at the carnival did. Already he knows he's not human. It's too easy.

"Then we'll be working together. Our Supervisor's name is Joker. Please treat him with some respect." Because he adores the man and he would hate to get involved if anyone gave him a hard time. That's far too much effort.

"A very long, above average, life span without disease and a resilient body." Words he might not have spoken a few months ago. He had grown comfortable.

Gold matters naught to him. He much prefers amusement - and it comes so infrequently after his long, long years of existing. Companionship too is valued, but it can't be boring and that is equally difficult to find.

"I had no mother or father. A creator, perhaps, but I do not know them." he is the real deal. The original. Those words are not spoken haughtily or proudly; they are just the truth.

"We shall see." if it is amusing for him to show respect. He doesn't do anything without a reason.

Hades focuses on him, the full weight of his gaze likely feeling tangible to the man. Once gifts of that nature are revoked, Tyki will be his. As they say, patience is a virtue.

"The clock ticks inside of you." with every heartbeat.

Scout pauses. She sees the newcomer, initially, as a badly scarred person in the robes of a Jedi Master, of a species she's familiar with - Sakkubian, Gotal, Iktotchi, Elomin, someone with distinctive horns and upswept ears. That in itself is weird, Scout's nickname is thanks to her skill at reading situations quickly. That disorienting moment of familiarity shouldn't be there, or at least it should be a lot shorter before she registers that those definitely aren't Jedi robes and this is just a person of either an unknown species or with various changes, how could she fumble like that.

He also looks like he was badly injured some time in the past and not given prompt and proper treatment. One half of his face seems to be shiny and stiff with scar tissue that pulls the eye on that side and the corner of his mouth in an alarming way, and an obvious prosthetic eye, all polished bare metal and glowing lights, is planted in the eyesocket. Similarly he seems to have the most robotic arm and hand she's ever seen, but after her moment of confusion about the rest of his appearance she's not sure she trusts that to be true either.

She's spent a good few seconds staring, and Scout is the sort of person who wears her heart on her sleeve, so several emotions had flicked over her face - surprise, recognition, confusion, dismay, something a little like disgust or pity, all resolving into suspicion which she then tries to smooth over, because she's definitely been noticed and that means it's time to interact. Scout squares her well-built shoulders and approaches, bronze hoof-claws gleaming dully.

"Hi. Sorry for staring. You're new, right?"

Ah a human imagination! Hades must applaud her for her kindness and he shows no sign of being offended by her approach. Pity was usually mixed with disgust; such was human nature. Very few emotions were entirely pure.

"I am." his voice may sound coarse to her ears - a sign of a man who has seen and endured nightmares beyond counting. His movements additionally will seem halted, though there is something like amusement curving his scarred lips.

"Are you here to greet me?"

After centuries upon centuries upon centuries of greeting the dead to their new home, Hades now finds himself in that position. How quaint!

Is Hades familiar with the sensation of being watched? As he's looking over his new trailer, he might feel a pair of eyes on him, belonging to someone who's obviously not human. Alphys doesn't even realize that she's staring- she can't help it. Once she laid her eyes on this drop-dead gorgeous human(?) she lost all track of time. Her mouth is even hanging open a little.

Yes? He does not respond immediately to the sensation, taking his time to enjoy his surroundings. He is not a god who acts with any speed, though he has a tendency of being surprising when the mood strikes him.

Finally - finally - he turns and cocks his head, ears perking curiously.

"Greetings." his voice will match his appearance - pleasing to her ears; perhaps even musically so.

OH NO, he spotted her! Alphys resists the urge to just turn and run because that would be weird. She's just gotta say something.

"Uhmmm... h-hi? Are you new here?"

"I am." he stretches out a hand to her, beckoning her closer. He doesn't introduce himself - that would give away his identity far too quickly - and he likes how she is reacting to him. She is one who would relish living in his realm.

What do you see? (Open)

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