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[ D-Did she really say "romances" so casually? She's not supposed to just tell people that's what she reads the most! She already told someone and it feels like it's too much. ]

N-N-Not that romances are the only thing I read...! [She turns back to look at him.] I have also read lots of s-serious books that helped me develop better systems in the Underworld!

[ He nods with a slightly sad, but understanding smile at the mention of her kidnapping, but truly. All the better reason to reveal the painting, and her reaction is enough to quickly push away all of his own dark thoughts too. His smile easily warms with pride, since there is an art to being a curator. He may not be able to be as picky with what he exhibits here as he was at home, but he’d still like to say he has a discerning eye.

Plus, admittedly… He’s picked some of the works because of the tastes of people he’s met more than his own. This is one such case. Every floral still life was picked imagining if Ereshkigal would like it.

Though before he can get into explaining the finer points of the painting, her answer is actually much more fun. He nods along at her explanation, not thinking anything of it, really, but clearly she does. Once she starts stuttering, stammering, and most importantly, justifying, Hugo’s lips purse into an amused and slightly mischievous little smile. ]

Why, you’ll hear no judgement from me, you know! I like a romantic book myself~.

[ Though, from her reaction… He does wonder if “romantic” is a bit of a euphemism. Not that he’d have any judgement for that either, though. It’s still best not to dig, lest she explode from embarrassment. ]

Actually, my sister loves the genre. Enough so that she would write her own fiction with characters from her favorite comics. I was her editor on occasion if it was something she really wanted to perfect before she posted it.

[ …He’ll do Vivian a favor here and not mention her self-insert fanfics with Phatheon. It’s probably also best that Ereshkigal doesn’t know about that genre either, since he has a feeling she similarly might take too well to it. ]

[ Wow there, she only reads safe for work romances! A goddess of her stature could never read anything else. She is a pure and innocent maiden after all, and she has to live by those expectations!

... ... ... ... Okay, maybe 95% of the romances she reads are safe for work. Or somewhere between 85 and 95. B-But that's still far from the worst humans have written! She has very high standards. She only deals in tasteful romances, even when they're not totally safe for work! ]

Y-You do...? You do not think it shameful?

[ He truly is a kind soul, because she cannot believe him. She bets he is judging her beneath his smile, he just wants to make sure she doesn't feel too awful about herself.

Talks about his sister feel familiar though. ]

She posts her fictional alternate endings? [The way she's wording it, clearly she's familiar with the concept.] Y-Your sister is very brave. To share your writings is a courageous act.

[ She would never. ]

[ …Her calling it shameful is really not helping with his guess that it’s a euphemism. He’s absolutely graceful with the information, though, and he shakes his head with a warm little laugh. ]

Not at all! [ Though the fact she would think so is again telling about her circumstances… ] It’s fun! I love to get swept up in a thrilling tale of romance. Though, admittedly, I can’t say I’ve read any offerings here that I’ve loved, it’s true…

[ Now, granted, that’s been more because has hasn’t really been in the mood for that, as dark and cynical as he’s truly been in recent months. But! It’s nothing to worry her with. ]

She does, though, yes. And if, heaven forbid, she ever arrives here? You absolutely cannot tell her that I’ve said so.

[ He winks at Ereshkigal with playful mischief. Vivian wouldn’t exactly be thrilled to learn about her little secret being shared either… ]

I think it helps that it was all shared under a pseudonym. Not that it’s any less courageous, I’d agree, but it does help separate the art from the artist, you know?

[ This is so embarrassing. She wishes she could dig a hole in the ground, reach the Underworld and cocoon up until this whole accident is a forgotten memory. Woe is her.

That sister of his sounds like such a valiant woman though. One who would likewise seal herself away from the world to weather the storm of shame and embarassment! ]

I promise not to tell her. [A pause.] And well, I expect you not to tell anyone about me either.

[ She has a reputation to maintain!

... One that's really not that great to begin with, admittedly. There's nobody in this world who takes her seriously as a goddess. Kids these days. ]

A pen name... I have multiple different names myself, though not by choice. They are a result of humanity's shifting perspectives over time.

And your secret is safe with me, I promise.

[ He even playfully brings a finger up to his lips to seal the deal, but as unserious as the gesture is, he does mean it. The only reason that he shares Vivian’s hobby is because she’s not so shy about it that she doesn’t tell anyone. There’s Miss Lilac, after all, but Ereshkigal seems to be more guarded than that.

He picks up the sheet that had been covering the painting so that he can carefully cover it again. He’s giving a tour, so there are more paintings to see, of course. ]

But it sounds like you have an opportunity to pick your own to me! It’s quite fun, actually. I love making up an alias… [ For different reasons obviously, but. ] Though did you like any of your other names?

[ He loves making aliases, huh... She wonders now if Hugo even is his real name? Not that it would change much, that's the name she knows him by. But it's fairly common for humans to change their name to better define who they now are. Perhaps that's why gods like them have been given so many names by humans, too. ]

I quite like Ninkigal, it's one of my oldest names. But I only use it for very specific circumstances nowadays.

[ Like when she's alterized and fighting off cosmic horrors in South America. ]

Picking my own pen name... [A pause.] Ankigal? No, that's too on the nose... [She shakes her head.] Do you have any ideas?

[ happens to everyone... ]

Mm, and you see, that wouldn't be a very good alias, either! Even if I don't know anything about where you're from, it's not a far leap to go from "Ninkigal" or "Ankigal" to "ah, that's Ereshkigal, isn't it?"

[ He even holds up a finger like he's playing teacher... Though, honestly, this is something he's done many times and enjoys doing. Mockingbird wasn't only himself and Vivian, after all. Every dashing thief has to start somewhere!

...Or, in her case. He can just help her be a little more anonymous when she wants to. ]

No, you pick something that has no connection whatsoever to who you are. Perhaps even something a little generic to blend you into the proverbial crowd. So, just off the top of my head here... Audrey Byrd, Lottie Rose, Ava Bell... I could go on! Coming up with names on the fly was a favorite exercise that my mentor would have us practice.

[ He's right, everyone would guess it's her - especially if they are knowledgeable in Cuneiform and the roots of the words composing her name. ]

Mhm...

[ It's so easy for him to come up with names! And here she is raking up her brain, desperately to think of something that's not easily identifiable as one of her name... His are good, but they don't really strike a chord. ]

[ Unless... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ]

[ !!! !!! !!! !!! !!! !!! !!! !!! !!! !!! !!! ]

[ Heh, that's brilliant if she says so herself. ]

I-I got it!

[ She strikes a most dramatic, elegant and energetic pose (someone ought to tell her she's not Sailor Moon) and announces most enthusiastically: ]

Geek Larhis, Dark Lady of the Forgotten Depths!

[ Lo: she sparkles! Who would ever think to move the letter around to check whether this name is an anagram of Ereshkigal? Nobody, surely! Also she doesn't know the word geek. That may be bad for her if she goes out and starts using this name. ]

[ To be fair, even after he’s come up with a list, he doesn’t feel like they suit her all that well either… There’s a moment where they’re both mulling over options together, though when she brightens with an idea, Hugo’s smile warms too. It’s always better to pick one for yourself, really, so—

. . .

…She’s not joking, is she?

…..Is she sparkling??? ]

[ But, ultimately. He can’t help it. He brings a hand up to his mouth to stifle his very genuine laughter. ]

I- No, I’m sorry, and I truly don’t want to burst your bubble, but—

[ He doesn’t even get that it’s an anagram. He’s far too caught up on her first name, but at least unlike another blonde troublemaker in another dimension, he wouldn’t let her just go with it. ]

“Geek” is… Well. It’s already a word, my dear, and I don’t know if you’d want that association!

[ T-That's not the reaction she'd been expecting! She'd imagined he would be in awe and clap at her most clever anagram. But no, he is... Laughing? He's trying not to, but it couldn't be any more obvious. ]

Heh?

[ Disappointed goddess is disappointed. And also surprised! She'd never heard of this word before, she'd not even suspected "geek" existed as a word! It's not exactly in the kind of books she reads. ]

W-What is the meaning of that word?

Well, it’s nothing terrible or inappropriate, to be clear, but… How to put this.

[ He really has to think it over for a moment, since from what they’ve talked about, he gets the sense that what comes to mind first wouldn’t make any sense to her either… How do you explain “fandom” to a shut-in goddess? These are questions he never thought he’d have to answer. ]

It’s being very into something, like obsessively so? It has a negative connotation, to be sure. All of the really old high school movies tend to have a plotline about geeks getting terribly bullied!

I see... This does sound most inappropriate... [Isn't that called a "Yandere" in her beloved little grape's language?] Though this is no reason to bully children.

[ Imagine being bullied just for that! Humans are really terrible sometimes. ]

It will only cause them to shut in on themselves and grow even more obsessed as a way to compensate.

[ Also she feels like if she had been a human and had gone through high school, she would definitely have been on the side of the bullied. Sniff. ]

Ah, take it as a story more than anything else! Admittedly, I don’t have any personal experience with things like that since my upbringing was… Well, I’ll just say atypical.

[ Awful and isolated, he means. The Ravenlocks had enough children that they simply hired private tutors and taught them all together, so. The schooling experience that he’d seen in movies was just as foreign to him as it was to her, really. ]

But if that’s how it works, that does explain Vivian’s obsessions, admittedly

[ He laughs pleasantly, and with a sweeping gesture first, he starts to lead the way further into the gallery. The front may be more of a work in progress, but towards the back is more finished, and on this floor, it’s mostly sculpture. ]

We can workshop a pseudonym, though. I’d just hate for you to start our your secret career with people teasing you about the name, you know?

[ He's right, she would take it super poorly if people teased her about her alias. She'd start by panicking, then get angry and lash out, only to isolate herself even more as she'd feel inadequate and like a failure. ]

W-Well, this was an anagram... It's the most pleasant-sounding one I could think of.

[ There are others, but they sound weird. Maybe she just hasn't come up with the right combination. She follows him still, looking at the sculpture. Mhm... They're not bad, but she preferred the paintings.

There's something he said though... ]

But... Your sister. Do you mean to say she was bullied?

Ah, was it? My apologies for missing the cleverness, then! Though if that’s the best… Well.

[ He chuckles lightly as he shrugs. Maybe an anagram isn’t meant to be the solution, alas… Though he also wouldn’t really recommend that either, since if someone has the inkling that’s the case, they’d solve it. At least it’s a moot point, so he doesn’t explain it further. ]

Mm, but yes, she was. “Bullying” is putting it lightly, honestly, but my dear Vivian is an unlucky girl.

[ His smile does turn a little sad as he explains, but it’s still warm. It’s clear that he adores her, but it’s easiest to tell when he shares the story of her misfortune. ]

She was born with a cruel power to see the future, but only when it’s disasters and the like. She wasn’t quite Cassandra, since as she tells it, sometimes people would heed her warnings… But more often than not, they didn’t. So, she was blamed for causing them. [ He huffs out a humorless laugh. ] We humans aren’t exactly rational when we’re scared, are we?

[ He glances back to Ereshkigal, since he does feel like the story needs the happy “ending” even if it does sound a little self-aggrandizing when he thinks about it… He hopes she doesn’t take it that way. ]

So, when we met not long after her family kicked her out, I took her in. We’re not related by blood at all, you see, and it was just coincidence that we met. But I love her like I’ve always been her older brother.

[ Ah. She looks down to the ground for a moment. ]

This is a most unusual form of clairvoyance. [Most typical is just being able to see the future, period. There are those who can see everything that happens in the present, or the past... But being able to see only future disasters? It sounds perfect in theory, but when you take into account human nature:] A cruel one.

[ The poor girl. No human should ever hold such a power - let alone suffer the injustice that comes with it. Those she knows who hold this power... They're not entirely humans, if at all. And the weight of that power has affected their lives in many ways, none of which are pleasant. ]

Humans fear death more than anything. They would rather detest, vilify and discard that which reminds them of it, rather than acknowledge them and prepare for it.

[ She speaks from experience here, but... She imagines it's a near universal experience for those who remind humans of their mortality. And she absolutely doesn't think his conclusion sounds self-aggrandizing. Happy endings are nice sometimes, even when they are so uncommon. ]

She is fortunate to have you.

[ Hugo listens to her words with a thoughtful expression, because immediately… He thinks that her words are wise. Perhaps that’s to be expected of a goddess of death, and perhaps she’s better acquainted with that loathing than most. No wonder she reminds him of Vivian, probably. They’re both unlucky in how people must view them.

…Because he’s the perfect example of what she means, isn’t he? He detests this new body of his. He hates looking at his ghastly bones, hates feeling that eternal heaviness of water in his chest. It’s why he’s a coward that wears his glamor so stubbornly. So, her words aren’t likely to leave his mind any time soon. But even thinking that she’s probably right that it would be best to just acknowledge what he is?

He won’t be able to stop rejecting it.

It’s a good thing this a conversation about Vivian. Not him. ]

Ah, you’ll make me blush with praise like that~.

[ He’s more light-hearted in his presentation than he feels, but the more he talks, the easier it is to push down. ]

Thank you, I mean. I’m just as fortunate to have her too. Well. Have had, maybe? I certainly don’t want her showing up here… [ he would, frankly, lose his shit, ] But I think the two of you would get along very well. I think she’d be enchanted to talk to a goddess, in fact.

Maybe we'll meet in a more auspicious world.

[ She most certainly wouldn't wish for anyone she knows to be summoned in this world, not even Ishtar. Especially not Ishtar. Well, except maybe Gilgamesh. Not only he could use the humbling, but he would also be a huge help in getting something done against Patho-Gen. ]

That I can be summoned against my will now that I have a vessel is pretty novel, but I suspect this may be a more common occurrence than any of us realize. [She smiles.] If so, surely our paths and any others will cross in the future.

[ The only question being whether it'd be the current them or different them. Hopefully current, because other incarnations of her would possibly put his sister in a cage to protect her, based on his description.

... They may also put him in a cage, but that's another matter. ]

Have you thought about making a painting or statue representing her? She matters a lot to you, and perhaps this could help you to materialize those feelings in an artistic way.

Mm… That would be nice. In fact, if you happen to be looking over ours, I’m sure an assist for the Hollows would be appreciated~!

[ He’s joking, though. Ironic as it may be when he’s literally standing in front of a goddess and happily chatting away like she’s a normal girl, he’d still call himself an atheist… When it comes to his world, at least. It’s not even the normal lamentations of how gods could let cruel things happen in the world (to him), but rather, it feels more solidly practical.

Surely, if they existed, they would have at least made themselves known, right? His world stands on the razor’s edge of total extinction. Even callous gods would have to care about that.

When she asks about a representation of Vivian, he stops walking. ]

Ah, but I’m a step ahead of you there… I have drawn her, actually. It’s my most painstaking work, and thus, it’s in a private gallery.

[ He turns to walk back towards the way they’d entered. ]

By which I mean it’s in my home. I live on the fourth floor here, since why not? [ No reason to pay rent twice… ] We can make a little detour to see it, if you’d like.

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CRYING......... (1/2)

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