[ When Thanatos returns to the House with his final assignment ( at least for a time ), he finds much of what he expects to see - a queue of spirits leading up to the Master's desk that's fraying away from order near the back and his twin asleep on the job. Death sighs deeply and shepherds his current charge to the back of the line. On the way he catches sight of a particular list in the spectral gravity of a particularly curious spirit. ]
Excuse me.
[ He chastises the spirit with the sort of flatness that suggests a tempered soul, yet he nonetheless practically snatches that list away. Thanatos has half a mind to use it to swat Sleep awake when he makes his way over to where his brother hovers, looking quite serene beneath the quilted cape by his estimation. Sometimes it feels like Hypnos rests for the both of them for how little work ( and lately, let's be honest, stress ) allows Thanatos to do so, something he's been rather resentful of in the past.
Now, however, things were changing. Zagreus, that blasted meddler, had made a fair point to convince Thanatos to be more aware of his behavior with his brother. Finally it seemed they'd come up with a system of keeping Hypnos on task and really, Thanatos had seen the sincere effort his brother had been giving it. When all is said and done, Thanatos wants him to succeed. So he takes a moment to think, frown traveling between Hypnos and the queue as he deliberates. Lord Hades isn't at his desk, fortunately, so there's no dire need for Thanatos to be the one to wrangle these souls. On the other hand, who knows when he'll be back? And in what condition? Thanatos tries not to think too hard on the implications of the lord's absence while everyone knows Zagreus is still on his quest to escape. He's got a task right in front of him.
He tries to also block out the onlooking audience of spirits as his hand reaches out to his twin, hesitates, then finally moves to ruffle through the wild, pale hair. To call the gesture awkward is a bit of an understatement, but at least he doesn't yank. ]
Hypnos... It's high time you got back to work, brother. This is becoming untenable.
[ The other hand holds the list, though Thanatos curses himself for the moment of weakness he takes in quickly scanning it over for names of interest. ]
[Hypnos didn't mean to fall asleep this time, honestly, but it was just so quiet in the House with the Boss and Zagreus both out. (Not that he liked to think about what that would mean, or the number of redacted entries next to Zagreus' latest causes of death...) So it wasn't like the line was gonna go anywhere, anyway!
So okay, maybe he didn't fight the call of his aspect too hard, knowing he'd have plenty of time to make up the backlog while the Boss worked through his backlog. He floats through the realm of sleep, gently coaxing a few of Greece's mortal insomniacs to rest and tending to dreams.
Usually he's woken by the jolt of footsteps nearby-- shades don't have them, so footsteps always mean someone he needs to appear to be awake for is approaching-- or by his brother's voice snapping at him. Though that seems to happening slightly less of late, so that's pretty nice!
This time, the pull back into waking is much gentler. A hand ruffling at his hair, drawing a sleepy, confused sound from him as heavy golden eyes flutter open. He perks up with a wide smile when he sees his twin, and really, this is the best wake-up call he's had in a while. Even with those clearly disapproving words, he doesn't sound that mad about it.] Oh hi, Than! I was just about to do that, I swear! [He goes to look at his list, only to find his hand empty. Huh. Where'd it go? He searches himself for it, realizing belatedly that it's in Thanatos' hand. Then he laughs at himself.] Can't really get back to work like you asked with you hangin' on to my list like that, Than!
[ Clearly Hypnos has either miscalculated or doesn't think he needs to be awake when Thanatos or Dusa are around - both of them can float, after all. The sound of a bell is also a theatrical choice, as there's no doubt Lord Hades would have been driven mad long before now if it had to ring every time Thanatos appeared in the great hall.
Anyway, Thanatos frowns as his brother returns to this realm and begins to offer excuses; someone bold might even dare to call it a pout. He pointedly slips the list back into his twin's hand. ]
Your efforts of late have not gone without recognition, but what's required most now is consistency.
[ And then he's going to drift aside to stand - well, float - alongside Hypnos, arms folding over his chest. Apparently he's going to observe what his brother does next in the course of his work. ]
[Well, on the occasions Than decides not to be a drama queen about his arrival, surely the twin instincts will kick in and wake him up, right? Or, you know, he'll get snapped at. Either way. And Dusa is Dusa. And Mom doesn't talk to him anymore anyway.]
Right, consistency!
[His smile brightens when Thanatos admits he has noticed Hypnos trying to be better about the whole productivity thing, and that small bit of encouragement is invigorating.
The fact that Thanatos doesn't immediately teleport away also has him grinning like a loon, even if it means his eagle-eyed brother will be looking over his shoulder while he works. At least he's here! Spending time with him! Hypnos will take it. He pulls out a second list from somewhere-- this one is a personal one to help him remember how to schedule out his days-- scanning it real quick. Right, it's time to catch up on the work that built up over his nap! He stows the personal list away, and calls for the next shade in the line to come up. His smile is warm and welcoming as he checks them in, jotting down their details and directing them on where to go. He even cuts down on the meaningless chatter, at least a little bit!]
[ Seeing Hypnos grin at him like that... Thanatos is not terribly familiar with his own feelings, seeing as he rarely has the time or inclination to examine them, but he definitely feels something when that smile happens. Zagreus' words echo, annoyingly, in his mind.
Than, you know, Hypnos, he adores you.
Thanatos just tucks his head enough to let his hood better shade his eyes, though it's clear he's watching his brother work. He watches Hypnos' process, prepared to take notes so he can later give them. Seeing his cheer put against the shades makes him wonder how much of it is sincere and, thusly, makes him question how much of a show it was when he was greeted.
The truth is, despite what he retorted to Zagreus at the time, is that he really doesn't know his twin all that well. Perhaps he did at some point in their shared existence. Perhaps they were thick as thieves in their childhood. But lately Thanatos has just been so busy, memories giving way beneath the demands of the present. He's always having to flicker around the mortal world, entrenched in his responsibilities, while Hypnos has seemingly always just been... here. It's always seemed to be a fairly simple task to him in concept, checking the shades in...
But just this smidgeon of time watching Hypnos at work makes Thanatos recognize he'd never want this kind of task - not if the particular attitude his brother was portraying was a requirement. That is a truly humbling thought... though not one he's about to admit yet or one that's going to keep him from scrutinizing the workflow. ]
How quickly would you say Lord Hades processes the shades himself, after you've checked them in?
[ Than's actually... has never watched one of the mortals go through the full gauntlet, so to speak. He drops spirits off and then he's out to get the next batch. Of course, he knows in theory what it's supposed to be, but he's never escorted a mortal to their final final destination. ]
[Thanatos is familiar with dealing with the souls of the recently departed, and the emotions they frequently exhibit. Hypnos' cheer seems to offset those fraught emotions-- more out of confusion than anything else, but it gets results.]
Hmm? Oh, it depends, really! Some shades just go right on through, but some want to petition for better placements, or to be near their loved ones, or not near their loved ones... or maybe they didn't get the proper burial rites, that's always a mess! Happening a lot more lately, too. And, you know, the line for petitioners is always so long, I wanna make sure everyone who waits gets to say their fair piece!
[Oh look, what a surprise! Zagreus is dragging himself back up out of the River Styx... again. He shakes it out of his hair and shivers all over like a dog.]
Ugh, that smarts...
[He walks up the long hallway, watching for the moment his footfalls awaken the god of sleep and make him fumble with his list. That never gets old.]
[Hypnos does indeed jolt awake at the sound of those familiar footsteps, nearly dropping his list and fumbling to try and catch it with a flustered-sounding, "I'm up! I'm up!"
That wide-eyed look of surprise quickly falls into his usual heavy-lidded grin when he looks up from his barely rescued list and sees Zagreus.]
Oh hey! What gotcha this time? Bone Hydra again? [He glances quickly over the list, the corner of his lip twitching in amusement as he sees the latest entry.] Floor Spikes? Didn't I already tell ya not to stand on those things?
[It has been so many years since Hemera was welcomed on the regular into the House of Hades. More so, recently, thankfully, but she still suspects that those in residence do not expect her every night like clockwork, like they used to. She says her farewells to Apollo as the sun goes down and slips into the underworld, making her warm, glowing way into the depths.
[Hades himself isn't around for one reason or another, and Nyx has left to do her part bringing on the nighttime. It is so difficult for Dawn and Night to exist in the same space together, after all. Hypnos is there, as always, though. Just as she'd hoped.
[A rosy glow precedes her, though whether that light wakes him or not is a tossup. Once she's close enough, she's floating up with him, an arm wrapped around him and a hand in his hair. Her own long sunrise-red hair falls over his shoulder as well.]
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Excuse me.
[ He chastises the spirit with the sort of flatness that suggests a tempered soul, yet he nonetheless practically snatches that list away. Thanatos has half a mind to use it to swat Sleep awake when he makes his way over to where his brother hovers, looking quite serene beneath the quilted cape by his estimation. Sometimes it feels like Hypnos rests for the both of them for how little work ( and lately, let's be honest, stress ) allows Thanatos to do so, something he's been rather resentful of in the past.
Now, however, things were changing. Zagreus, that blasted meddler, had made a fair point to convince Thanatos to be more aware of his behavior with his brother. Finally it seemed they'd come up with a system of keeping Hypnos on task and really, Thanatos had seen the sincere effort his brother had been giving it. When all is said and done, Thanatos wants him to succeed. So he takes a moment to think, frown traveling between Hypnos and the queue as he deliberates. Lord Hades isn't at his desk, fortunately, so there's no dire need for Thanatos to be the one to wrangle these souls. On the other hand, who knows when he'll be back? And in what condition? Thanatos tries not to think too hard on the implications of the lord's absence while everyone knows Zagreus is still on his quest to escape. He's got a task right in front of him.
He tries to also block out the onlooking audience of spirits as his hand reaches out to his twin, hesitates, then finally moves to ruffle through the wild, pale hair. To call the gesture awkward is a bit of an understatement, but at least he doesn't yank. ]
Hypnos... It's high time you got back to work, brother. This is becoming untenable.
[ The other hand holds the list, though Thanatos curses himself for the moment of weakness he takes in quickly scanning it over for names of interest. ]
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So okay, maybe he didn't fight the call of his aspect too hard, knowing he'd have plenty of time to make up the backlog while the Boss worked through his backlog. He floats through the realm of sleep, gently coaxing a few of Greece's mortal insomniacs to rest and tending to dreams.
Usually he's woken by the jolt of footsteps nearby-- shades don't have them, so footsteps always mean someone he needs to appear to be awake for is approaching-- or by his brother's voice snapping at him. Though that seems to happening slightly less of late, so that's pretty nice!
This time, the pull back into waking is much gentler. A hand ruffling at his hair, drawing a sleepy, confused sound from him as heavy golden eyes flutter open. He perks up with a wide smile when he sees his twin, and really, this is the best wake-up call he's had in a while. Even with those clearly disapproving words, he doesn't sound that mad about it.] Oh hi, Than! I was just about to do that, I swear! [He goes to look at his list, only to find his hand empty. Huh. Where'd it go? He searches himself for it, realizing belatedly that it's in Thanatos' hand. Then he laughs at himself.] Can't really get back to work like you asked with you hangin' on to my list like that, Than!
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Anyway, Thanatos frowns as his brother returns to this realm and begins to offer excuses; someone bold might even dare to call it a pout. He pointedly slips the list back into his twin's hand. ]
Your efforts of late have not gone without recognition, but what's required most now is consistency.
[ And then he's going to drift aside to stand - well, float - alongside Hypnos, arms folding over his chest. Apparently he's going to observe what his brother does next in the course of his work. ]
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And Mom doesn't talk to him anymore anyway.]Right, consistency!
[His smile brightens when Thanatos admits he has noticed Hypnos trying to be better about the whole productivity thing, and that small bit of encouragement is invigorating.
The fact that Thanatos doesn't immediately teleport away also has him grinning like a loon, even if it means his eagle-eyed brother will be looking over his shoulder while he works. At least he's here! Spending time with him! Hypnos will take it. He pulls out a second list from somewhere-- this one is a personal one to help him remember how to schedule out his days-- scanning it real quick. Right, it's time to catch up on the work that built up over his nap! He stows the personal list away, and calls for the next shade in the line to come up. His smile is warm and welcoming as he checks them in, jotting down their details and directing them on where to go. He even cuts down on the meaningless chatter, at least a little bit!]
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Than, you know, Hypnos, he adores you.
Thanatos just tucks his head enough to let his hood better shade his eyes, though it's clear he's watching his brother work. He watches Hypnos' process, prepared to take notes so he can later give them. Seeing his cheer put against the shades makes him wonder how much of it is sincere and, thusly, makes him question how much of a show it was when he was greeted.
The truth is, despite what he retorted to Zagreus at the time, is that he really doesn't know his twin all that well. Perhaps he did at some point in their shared existence. Perhaps they were thick as thieves in their childhood. But lately Thanatos has just been so busy, memories giving way beneath the demands of the present. He's always having to flicker around the mortal world, entrenched in his responsibilities, while Hypnos has seemingly always just been... here. It's always seemed to be a fairly simple task to him in concept, checking the shades in...
But just this smidgeon of time watching Hypnos at work makes Thanatos recognize he'd never want this kind of task - not if the particular attitude his brother was portraying was a requirement. That is a truly humbling thought... though not one he's about to admit yet or one that's going to keep him from scrutinizing the workflow. ]
How quickly would you say Lord Hades processes the shades himself, after you've checked them in?
[ Than's actually... has never watched one of the mortals go through the full gauntlet, so to speak. He drops spirits off and then he's out to get the next batch. Of course, he knows in theory what it's supposed to be, but he's never escorted a mortal to their final final destination. ]
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Hmm? Oh, it depends, really! Some shades just go right on through, but some want to petition for better placements, or to be near their loved ones, or not near their loved ones... or maybe they didn't get the proper burial rites, that's always a mess! Happening a lot more lately, too. And, you know, the line for petitioners is always so long, I wanna make sure everyone who waits gets to say their fair piece!
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[Oh look, what a surprise! Zagreus is dragging himself back up out of the River Styx... again. He shakes it out of his hair and shivers all over like a dog.]
Ugh, that smarts...
[He walks up the long hallway, watching for the moment his footfalls awaken the god of sleep and make him fumble with his list. That never gets old.]
Hello, Hypnos.
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That wide-eyed look of surprise quickly falls into his usual heavy-lidded grin when he looks up from his barely rescued list and sees Zagreus.]
Oh hey! What gotcha this time? Bone Hydra again? [He glances quickly over the list, the corner of his lip twitching in amusement as he sees the latest entry.] Floor Spikes? Didn't I already tell ya not to stand on those things?
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[He didn't stand on them! He was chased onto them while trying to avoid Alecto's area-of-effect attack!]
Must have forgotten.
[His usual dry response.]
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[It has been so many years since Hemera was welcomed on the regular into the House of Hades. More so, recently, thankfully, but she still suspects that those in residence do not expect her every night like clockwork, like they used to. She says her farewells to Apollo as the sun goes down and slips into the underworld, making her warm, glowing way into the depths.
[Hades himself isn't around for one reason or another, and Nyx has left to do her part bringing on the nighttime. It is so difficult for Dawn and Night to exist in the same space together, after all. Hypnos is there, as always, though. Just as she'd hoped.
[A rosy glow precedes her, though whether that light wakes him or not is a tossup. Once she's close enough, she's floating up with him, an arm wrapped around him and a hand in his hair. Her own long sunrise-red hair falls over his shoulder as well.]
Hypnoooooos~