[It'll be a few minutes before he gets the next message.]
I feel so honored. Turn around. Surprise?
[When he does, he'll see her standing there with a goofy grin. She shouldn't enjoy spending time with him this much but hey. Christine is glad to actually have another friend.
She sees the glass waiting for her on the bar and oh no. He may be all sorts of dangerous, consistently riding a high off who-the-hell-knows-what kind of drug but...he is awfully sweet, too.
Stop making her feel things, Hancock, how dare you.
She slips into the seat next to him.]
Hope you weren't saving this seat for anyone special.
[He grins back and throws her a lazy two-fingered salute in greeting, waiting until she's taken her seat to turn back to his own drink.
Yeah, it's a surprise. A good one. He watches her from the corner of his eye, and his grin widens into something mischievous and sly before he replies.]
I was. Lucky for you, she's sitting in it. [Without missing a beat, he slides the glass over to her.] Drink up, sister. I wanna hear about this favorite city of yours.
[And he just keeps going with the being sweet thing.
Thank goodness the lighting in this place isn't super bright so he won't be able to see the slight blush on her cheeks. Good job, dude. It takes a lot to get her to blush these days.
She takes the glass and tips it to her lips. When the liquid hits her tongue, she damn near spits it out but manages to get it down her throat. He bought it for her, she's determined to drink this vaguely vomit tasting concoction now.]
My favorite city, then. You'll think I'm crazy for choosing such a place. Little Hades is a cakewalk for an angel compared to Mnemosyne. Had to keep my wings concealed the whole time I was there but...it was worth it.
I've been in quite a few Hell cities, now. None of them even come close to being as beautiful as Mnemosyne.
[Sure, the place is a dive, with dim lighting and days-old smoke hanging in the air that spares her the teasing a blush would've gotten. Nothing short of total darkness would have stopped him spotting the face she pulls at the taste of her drink, though.
He barely suppresses his laughter, constraining himself to a small smirk as he motions the bartender over.
While she speaks, he gestures at his own drink and holds up two fingers. By the time she's hit that second Mnemosyne two more shots are on the bar, and he trades one for her glass of vaguely wine-flavored swill.]
I'll take that. Valiant effort, you should be proud. [And he'll just be setting the glass down again as far from the two of them as he can reach.] Wouldn't push that shit on my worst enemy. So, what's so beautiful about Mnemosyne? Can't have been the locals.
I should be used to that by now. No place in Hell has a good Bordeaux.
[And she'll just be grabbing that shot and downing it, trusting him that it'll taste better than that vomit-wine. It's strong but yeah, the flavor is definitely much more acceptable.]
Unless you hit up the places like Little Eden.
[Her tone heavily suggests that she does not like those suburbs that are set aside for angels. She is far more comfortable being the hare in a den of foxes. Crazy girl.]
It's surrounded by these gorgeous mountains. Everything is so dark there, covered in a thick fog. Still just as hot as the rest of Hell, of course. But the architecture was so...it was interesting. The sorts of buildings I was used to when I was alive, tall Gothic monuments. Lavish Victorian mansions. All juxtaposed to structures that were very much more modern. It was such a lovely melding of old and new.
[He doesn't ask what a Bordeaux is. He just smiles in that thin-lipped, roguish way of his and lifts his own glass in a toast while she knocks back hers. Like he told her, he's never been a wine guy.]
Remind me to ask what your beef is with Little Eden sometime. [There's a hint of a laugh on the edge of his voice. Considering how easy she fell into his company, he's not all that surprised to hear she's not a fan.
Heaven has a way of sucking all the fun out of everything it touches.
Except her. Elizabeth, too. He's been running into angels that defy his expectations all over the place, lately.]
We had some of that in the Commonwealth. Old historical sites butted right up against skyscrapers. Well, the ones that were still standing, at least. Made things interesting.
[And often deadly. All those little nooks and crannies people like him could disappear into. Or lie in wait in.]
So... why leave Mnemosyne? The way you describe it, it sounds a damn sight better than this shithole.
What's the point in coming down to Hell if you're just going to hide in the safety of such a place? [That's the short answer. The long answer would reveal a bit too much about her past for her liking. Christine shrugs.]
Skyscrapers hadn't really become a thing yet when I was alive. I rather love them, now. Nothing quite like standing on the roof of one and flying off it.
[She reaches into her pocket for a moment to pull out her phone and pull up a photograph. Christine slides her phone across the bar to show it to him.]
The mountains. Those are pretty fun to fly off of, too. When there's not giant dragon-vulture creatures trying to tear your head off.
The view was definitely better, yes. But I was searching for something. Mnemosyne didn't have it. Little Hades did.
That's a thrill I won't be experiencing anytime soon. [Not without the aid of a hang glider or something similar. Demonhood is a mixed bag, as far as he can tell. Some of them have wings, some have tails, still others traded in their soft skin for scales.
To be honest, he's kind of glad he hasn't changed. Wouldn't say no to a set of wings for a day, though.
He picks up the phone for a better look, giving a low, reedy whistle. Those are some kind of mountains, all right.]
Yeah, but giant dragon-vulture creatures trying take a bite is half the fun, right?
[He flashes another grin at her.]
Can't say I'm not pleased you decided to settle. [There's no question there, no press for more information. He passes her phone back.] Who else am I gonna pawn all these concealment potions off on, huh?
You never know. It's not uncommon for strange physical changes to occur after you've been down here for a while. I certainly wasn't born with eyes this color, nor did I have them when I still resided in Heaven. [She'll always be a hopeful soul. Besides, the idea of Hancock with wings is oddly appealing. Oh the trouble they could get into with both of them capable of flight.]
Depends on the day. Sometimes it gets a bit dull. Unless they've started swarming. That's still exciting.
[...Because this is something that happens a lot and so the level of fun has worn down a bit for her.
She really likes it when he smiles at her like that.
And then says things like that without asking about her past.
Unconsciously, she leans a bit closer towards him.]
This town has certainly been growing on me. It has its charms.
[And to his teasing...she doesn't have much of a response other than to look away, grin and look back up at him.]
[It's a pretty thought, the wings, and he likes what it says about her that she can still be hopeful in the depths of Hell. Still, he waves it off with a half-smile and a gentle flip of his hand.
Really, he's good. He went through a big enough change in life. No need to tick off that box again in death.]
Gettin more charming by the minute. [He shifts to order another round of drinks, his leg bumping hers. There's no quick jerk back, no move to reclaim the lost space, nothing to signal the brush was accidental.
Maybe it wasn't. Maybe he just doesn't have any complaints if it was.] So, second drink. Think that was somethin to do with bullets?
[In Hell, there's possibilities. Good and bad. The story can continue. Heaven...it's just an ending. Nothing left to be hopeful about up there, honestly.
...He's invading her personal space a bit there, though. It suddenly makes Christine hyper aware of his presence. Such a simple sort of touch but this sort of thing was frowned upon when she was alive and in death...well. Christine had been so focused on finding Erik that she never really gave herself the chance to get close to anyone. In any sort of fashion. This is odd.
But she finds that it is not unwelcome.]
Ah, yes. A story that is rife with the hilarity of my own stupidity. Happened not that long ago, shortly after I found myself in Little Hades, actually. You can even still see some of the scars.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
text ---> action!
I feel so honored. Turn around. Surprise?
[When he does, he'll see her standing there with a goofy grin. She shouldn't enjoy spending time with him this much but hey. Christine is glad to actually have another friend.
She sees the glass waiting for her on the bar and oh no. He may be all sorts of dangerous, consistently riding a high off who-the-hell-knows-what kind of drug but...he is awfully sweet, too.
Stop making her feel things, Hancock, how dare you.
She slips into the seat next to him.]
Hope you weren't saving this seat for anyone special.
no subject
Yeah, it's a surprise. A good one. He watches her from the corner of his eye, and his grin widens into something mischievous and sly before he replies.]
I was. Lucky for you, she's sitting in it. [Without missing a beat, he slides the glass over to her.] Drink up, sister. I wanna hear about this favorite city of yours.
no subject
Thank goodness the lighting in this place isn't super bright so he won't be able to see the slight blush on her cheeks. Good job, dude. It takes a lot to get her to blush these days.
She takes the glass and tips it to her lips. When the liquid hits her tongue, she damn near spits it out but manages to get it down her throat. He bought it for her, she's determined to drink this vaguely vomit tasting concoction now.]
My favorite city, then. You'll think I'm crazy for choosing such a place. Little Hades is a cakewalk for an angel compared to Mnemosyne. Had to keep my wings concealed the whole time I was there but...it was worth it.
I've been in quite a few Hell cities, now. None of them even come close to being as beautiful as Mnemosyne.
no subject
He barely suppresses his laughter, constraining himself to a small smirk as he motions the bartender over.
While she speaks, he gestures at his own drink and holds up two fingers. By the time she's hit that second Mnemosyne two more shots are on the bar, and he trades one for her glass of vaguely wine-flavored swill.]
I'll take that. Valiant effort, you should be proud. [And he'll just be setting the glass down again as far from the two of them as he can reach.] Wouldn't push that shit on my worst enemy. So, what's so beautiful about Mnemosyne? Can't have been the locals.
no subject
[And she'll just be grabbing that shot and downing it, trusting him that it'll taste better than that vomit-wine. It's strong but yeah, the flavor is definitely much more acceptable.]
Unless you hit up the places like Little Eden.
[Her tone heavily suggests that she does not like those suburbs that are set aside for angels. She is far more comfortable being the hare in a den of foxes. Crazy girl.]
It's surrounded by these gorgeous mountains. Everything is so dark there, covered in a thick fog. Still just as hot as the rest of Hell, of course. But the architecture was so...it was interesting. The sorts of buildings I was used to when I was alive, tall Gothic monuments. Lavish Victorian mansions. All juxtaposed to structures that were very much more modern. It was such a lovely melding of old and new.
no subject
Remind me to ask what your beef is with Little Eden sometime. [There's a hint of a laugh on the edge of his voice. Considering how easy she fell into his company, he's not all that surprised to hear she's not a fan.
Heaven has a way of sucking all the fun out of everything it touches.
Except her. Elizabeth, too. He's been running into angels that defy his expectations all over the place, lately.]
We had some of that in the Commonwealth. Old historical sites butted right up against skyscrapers. Well, the ones that were still standing, at least. Made things interesting.
[And often deadly. All those little nooks and crannies people like him could disappear into. Or lie in wait in.]
So... why leave Mnemosyne? The way you describe it, it sounds a damn sight better than this shithole.
no subject
Skyscrapers hadn't really become a thing yet when I was alive. I rather love them, now. Nothing quite like standing on the roof of one and flying off it.
[She reaches into her pocket for a moment to pull out her phone and pull up a photograph. Christine slides her phone across the bar to show it to him.]
The mountains. Those are pretty fun to fly off of, too. When there's not giant dragon-vulture creatures trying to tear your head off.
The view was definitely better, yes. But I was searching for something. Mnemosyne didn't have it. Little Hades did.
no subject
To be honest, he's kind of glad he hasn't changed. Wouldn't say no to a set of wings for a day, though.
He picks up the phone for a better look, giving a low, reedy whistle. Those are some kind of mountains, all right.]
Yeah, but giant dragon-vulture creatures trying take a bite is half the fun, right?
[He flashes another grin at her.]
Can't say I'm not pleased you decided to settle. [There's no question there, no press for more information. He passes her phone back.] Who else am I gonna pawn all these concealment potions off on, huh?
[Definitely teasing.]
no subject
Depends on the day. Sometimes it gets a bit dull. Unless they've started swarming. That's still exciting.
[...Because this is something that happens a lot and so the level of fun has worn down a bit for her.
She really likes it when he smiles at her like that.
And then says things like that without asking about her past.
Unconsciously, she leans a bit closer towards him.]
This town has certainly been growing on me. It has its charms.
[And to his teasing...she doesn't have much of a response other than to look away, grin and look back up at him.]
no subject
Really, he's good. He went through a big enough change in life. No need to tick off that box again in death.]
Gettin more charming by the minute. [He shifts to order another round of drinks, his leg bumping hers. There's no quick jerk back, no move to reclaim the lost space, nothing to signal the brush was accidental.
Maybe it wasn't. Maybe he just doesn't have any complaints if it was.] So, second drink. Think that was somethin to do with bullets?
no subject
...He's invading her personal space a bit there, though. It suddenly makes Christine hyper aware of his presence. Such a simple sort of touch but this sort of thing was frowned upon when she was alive and in death...well. Christine had been so focused on finding Erik that she never really gave herself the chance to get close to anyone. In any sort of fashion. This is odd.
But she finds that it is not unwelcome.]
Ah, yes. A story that is rife with the hilarity of my own stupidity. Happened not that long ago, shortly after I found myself in Little Hades, actually. You can even still see some of the scars.