awesome_lilly | (no subject)

(no subject)

It's just barely getting warm enough for Lilly to be outside without running straight for the Caribbean inlet. Scotland in the spring is still chilly, but sometimes it's nice to be somewhere without any walls.

She's sitting on a rock by the lake, just looking out at the water.

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"No."

No, running would be bad.

"I've seen you before." There's a momentarympause as he shakes his head. "You're dead."

"...yes, I am. Also famous, apparently."

He's not exactly being reassuring.

"I don't think I've seen you before, but I could be wrong. What's your name?"

Her tenseness isn't exactly helping the situation either. He swallows noisily and shakes his head again.

"Cerberus. I'm Cerberus."

Lilly's eyes get very very big.

"You're Cerberus?"

She's been at Milliways for a while. The transformation from dog to human doesn't faze her. It's more the dragging her down to the underworld part, really.

"Uh, you're still forbidden from kidnapping dead people in bar, right?"

There is a pause. A very long pause. And then he sighs, tension leaving him for the most par. He's not hunting today, meatling.

"Yes. They wouldn't be happy with me."

This is confusing as hell. Judging by his expression anyway.

"I would so not be happy with you either," Lilly points out.

"And I get loud when I'm unhappy. Loud and flaily. You could get bruises all over your shiny new body."

But he's relaxing, and so she is too... a little.

That gets a round of confused blinking. Why should it matter what she thinks?

"I would advise against it." Strange things these mortals. Much easier to deal with back home. For one thing it involves a lot less talking.

... well, there goes the relaxing.

"Seriously? Because I might advise against tackling innocent dead people who are just minding their own metaphysical business and trying to drag them into your underworld."

Poor Cerberus. Lilly can't even be somewhat freaked out without lots of talking.

...

"Why?"

"I don't belong there," Lilly snaps.

And then stops short, because. Well. She doesn't.

Right?

She... wasn't able to pay for the crossing? That might explain the anger.

"How long have you been dead?" No. It doesn't appear as if her tone's had much effect.

Not in making him more tactful, no.

"Four and a half years," Lilly says, absently.

She's not looking at him anymore.

"Only ninety six and a half more to go then." This isn't in his job description. He'd never presume to act above his station, but hopefully Seph won't mind...

"... wait, what?"

He can't- he can't possibly know. And there's no way that number can be right...

Is there?

She's looking at him as if he has thr- well, yes.

"Don't they have temples in your world? Priests?"

"Well, yeah. All kinds, actually."

Lilly's staring at him, confused and, well. Not happy.

"I didn't really go to any of them, though."

...

"What?"

Even the smallest of hamlets has something. A small shrine, a municipal harth... Didn't go to any?!

It's hard to say who looks more nervous at the moment. He'll be taking a step backwards out of lightening bolt range just in case though.

Lilly is even more confused now.

"What? I'm not very churchy! It doesn't really matter in my world!"

"Doesn't even mat-!!!!" Yeah, he's backingup rather hurriedly now.

"You're mad. Just like the other one! I clean myself of this whole thing. You've got far more to worry about than being short an obolus, meatling. If I were you, I'd keep my head down. They're here, you know."

"Obolus? Meatling?"

Lilly is switching from confused to pissed off. This may or may not be progress.

"Look, I am not the crazy one here. I am not the one telling people how long they have to wait for their afterlife or that I need to worry about some mysterious they."

Mysterious, she says!

"The gods! And if you didn't bother to pick up the basics before your time came to an end..."

Well, there's really not point in starting now. She'll probably be turned over to the Furies. If she's lucky.

"There are lots of gods here," Lilly retorts.

"You're with Medusa, right? So like, the Greek Gods or whatever? Not my gods. I don't worship them or anyone else, really, and when I die for good I'm not going to some stupid underworld with weird dog-guardians who turn into people just so they can get all confusing and rude!"

She takes a much-needed breath.

!

!!

!!!!!!!!!

And without another word he turns (figurative) tail and flees for the relative safety of the treeline. Maybe his portal has returned. Maybe he can go home and pretend this horrifing conversation never happened.

Lilly stares after his retreating figure for a long moment.

He's a guardian of the underworld, but not her underworld, right? So he's just a crazy dog-person with an overdeveloped sense of religion who knows nothing about her or her whole deal, right?

Right?

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