March open

[inthenameofhades]

Who: Zagreus and you!
When: After the Eplum event
Where: Horizon (& Zagreus's Domain specifically)
What: Zagreus finally visits Horizon
Warnings: NA

Immediately upon his arrival to Horizon, Zagreus's appearance had altered to align much more closely to how he appeared at home: red and black exomis adorned with three canine skulls on one shoulder, a belt made of more skulls, arms adorned with golden bands. And around his head a crown of fiery, ever-burning laurels. The only difference was the now the symbol of the Chariot had been etched into the metal greaves he wore above his fiery feet.

Driven by the compulsion to create, he had also swiftly begun construction of his Domain: a space for which the most immediately notable feature was the river of blood surrounding it. Perhaps you will dare to attempt to cross it.

[[ooc: Starters will be in the comments below! And if you would like a custom prompt, feel free to poke me at blueflowers!]]

Comments

[thedreamer]

"Naturally," the Doctor adds, as though he can relate to the missing of family and friends. Thing is, he can, but rather than elaborate on that, he shifts away from seeming to understand too well. "Anyone would. Or — many here, in fact, from what I've gathered."

He supposes for himself, he doesn't dwell to think on it much if only because while he misses everyone he's ever loved — friends and family alike — being separated from them is the inevitable progression. He doesn't presently have anyone to go back to, but there's an ever present ache for his beautiful ship, his home, the one who's tended him all these years as he dashes about the universe.

"You'll get back to them, though, promise. I'll make sure of it," the Doctor gives a little affirming nod. "In the meantime, this is absolutely an adventure to take advantage of while we can. Less with the dying bit, though, because it doesn't quite work like that here."

[inthenameofhades]

That's one way in which Zagreus and the Doctor's experiences are different. Zagreus might be similarly long-lived - but he's not used to the people around him really dying. His friends and family are the immortal and the already dead: barring very unusual and unlikely circumstances, Zagreus expects them to be around forever.

Some of them, like Chaos, have been around forever.

"You will personally, will you?" Zagreus says, with a small smile of amusement. "And don't worry, I'm used to dying. I do it all the time! In fact I'm pretty sure I hold the record by a very, very large margin. Though - what do you mean, death works differently here?"

[thedreamer]

"Yes, I've done it a time or two myself and it's not my preferred adventure, if we're being honest, though I don't doubt you have everyone beat."

Given how old he is and how many friends he's lost, one would think the Doctor should have learned better by now not to get attached to friends with such painfully short lifespans, but if he hasn't learned by now, he really never will.

More importantly, though, they need to get a few things straight — "Used to it, you may be, mate, but this entire world is vastly different from yours, mine, anything I've ever seen. Now, I suppose I can't speak with absolute certainty, not having witnessed it myself, but I know enough about this place to assume death would be permanent here. At the very least, let's not test the theory, eh?"

[inthenameofhades]

"Well...usually death is permanent, for everyone except the gods. And some immortals," Zagreus says, blinking with mild confusion. "Father's always quite displeased with anyone who tries to break that rule, and I imagine the local death gods must feel similarly."

After all, you couldn't just have mortals coming back to life all the time. The Surface would probably get uncomfortably overcrowded that way - and unlike the Underworld, they couldn't just expand it whenever they needed the extra space.

"And don't worry, I have no intention of going home anytime soon, but...you really think that even gods would die permanently here? As if we were mortal?"

[thedreamer]

"A thousand years of befriending species with considerably brief lifespans — yes, I'm quite aware of its permanency."

All too aware.

"I think anything is possible here, and you should be as careful as everyone else."

In the time he's been here, his own autonomy has been fussed with in ways that are exceedingly unsettling; the way those birds in the Nether had been able to infiltrate his memories and recite them out loud to others, for instance.

Shall we wrap up around here?

[inthenameofhades]

"I'll be careful," he promises. "And...I do appreciate your concern."

Even if Zagreus still doesn't feel like he would die forever, like a mortal does...he can still appreciate someone who cares for his wellbeing.

good to put a bow on it! 🎁

[thedreamer]

"Good! Excellent. I do prefer it when people listen to me."

As well they should (he thinks).

Zagreus might be one of the few.