“Oh, right,” Xellis said, eyeing where the wound had been on the other boy’s chest. He flicked his gaze back up to meet his eyes.
“They’re back beside my room,” he began, flinging a thumb in the general direction behind the two. “And hey— if you want me to… heal you, I can get someone to do that. But I mean, some of the deceased like to show off their death wounds. Up to you.”
He shrugged, spinning on his heel and leading Scipio back to the bathroom door. He leaned against the wall next to it, motioning a hand to the door.
“All yours… if you want it to be,” he hummed, grinning.
"Alright. Thanks." The word felt and sounded unnatural as it rolled off his tongue. "And it doesn't particularly bother me unless it's going to hurt or something. Be back in a few." Scipio headed into the bathroom and locked the door, the sound of the shower resonating from inside the room a few seconds later.
Xellis took a deep breath the second Scipio disappeared behind the door, slumping against the wall.
This was going… terribly, to say the least. But what could he do? It had taken him this long to get another soul… he couldn’t mess it up any more.
Well, he already sort of had. He had promised to let the man go after tonight. At least tonight the other gods could see that Xellis actually had an associate soul, and maybe take him a little more seriously. But after Scipio left, how long could Xellis keep up the lie?
He closed his eyes, letting his head drift back and hit the wall. This would be a long night.
Scipio returned about twenty minutes later, looking far cleaner than he had before he went in. He hadn't planned on taking so long, but finally having the opportunity to take a nice, hot shower was far too tempting to just rinse himself off and go. His hair was fluffier now that it was clean, and he generally just seemed to be more comfortable and relaxed. He could definitely get used to that. He ran his fingers through his hair to smooth it out a bit and sighed. "Have you just been sitting here the whole time I was in there?" He asked, raising one eyebrow questioningly.
Xellis almost yipped slightly as the door opened, stepping to the side abruptly.
“I don’t really have anything else better to do,” he said, regaining his composure.
“Also, healing you shouldn’t be too painful. I mean, maybe slightly,” Xellis informed, standing upright from his reclined post. “I’ve been giving it some thought, and I know just where to go.”
"Alright. If you insist. I really don't care that much, though." Scipio yawned a bit, lowering his hand from his hair when he seemed to be satisfied with it. "It's not too far, is it? My legs still kinda hurt like hell from running amok on the battlefield for hours."
“Alright then, never mind,” he said softly, glancing over before looking down to his hands and beginning to preen his nails. “It’s a pretty long ways. And hey, if you’re tired, feel free to take a short rest in my room. I’ll wake you up when we have to go.”
And then after that, you can leave forever, he thought to himself, clenching his free hand tightly.
"Alright, then." Scipio followed Xellis to his bedroom and flopped down on the bed with a quiet sigh of relief. "Fuck… it's been so long since I've been on an actual bed. The army really fucked me up… damn…" He slipped off his shoes and curled up a bit to be more comfortable.
“Well, enjoy it while you’re here,” he said warmly, standing in the doorway. “It’ll be your last night before you’re released as a hollow-body. If that’s what you choose, of course.”
With a shorter and shallower sigh, Xellis turned and walked from the doorway, shutting the door until it was a short crack he could poke through again. He looked over to the bed, stifling a smile before saying, “I’ll be in the courtyard just outside, if you wake up before I wake you.”
And with a last nod, he shut the door.
"Mm…" Scipio yawned and soon drifted off to sleep. He seemed to be far more amiable while he was sleeping. He was still fast asleep when it was time to go, huddled up into the covers. He was smiling weakly in his sleep and appeared to be comfortable.
Xellis knocked on the door, and upon hearing no response, pushed it open slowly.
He quietly padded to the side of the bed, smiling down at the boy. He was… cute, when he wasn’t scowling and admitting he didn’t want to be caught up in celestial games.
Xellis had taken off his pilot’s cap and actually tried to comb his hair, although it didn’t really go as planned. The reddish tufts still went in any direction they wanted, although just slightly more tame. And based on excitement, his golden eyes were brighter than ever.
With a small shake, Xellis began to rock Scipio awake.
“Good morning,” he said calmly. “Or evening, rather.”
Scipio stirred and yawned, looking up at Xellis tiredly. He mumbled something in his haze that resembled 'what do you want?' And forced himself up into a sitting position. He rubbed at his tired eyes a bit and ran his fingers their his hair, which had gotten mussed up again from sleeping on it. "We leaving now…?" He asked.
“Yessir,” Xellis said cheerfully.
He walked over to stand by the door, clicking the tip of his right shoe on the floor impatiently when he got there. He slipped his hands into his pockets. The feathery quill was still tucked behind his left ear, the ivory color stark against his hair and matching his shirt well. Knowing Xellis, he most likely had more than one quill.
He shot Scipio a warm smile— one that looked much more sorrowful than the teasing others.
“You ready?” he said, his lighthearted tone not fitting his expression.
"Mmmm… yeah. M'comin'…" Scipio mumbled, sliding out of bed and slipping his shoes back on. "M'ready…" He headed over to the doorway and stood beside Xellis. "Lead the way, whatever your name was…" He yawned again and kept running his fingers through his hair.
Xellis gave a sigh, not even trying to fight it. He sucked as a god and he knew it too well. And… this soul wasn’t helping.
“Y-yeah,” he stuttered, trying to keep up his happy demeanor. He grit his teeth, one of his hands clenching and unclenching, fingernails digging into the skin of his palm.
Everything would be fine. He just had to show everyone here tonight that he was worth something. Worth a soul, at least. For a single night.
Xellis sucked in a breath, holding it momentarily before letting it seep slowly back out of his lungs.
He raised a hand, and in the doorway stood another portal. The ring around it was a beautiful rose gold, and on the other side stood a giant table, many gods already seated around it.
“After you,” Xellis said politely, although his words barely echoed any sense of charm anymore. It was useless.
Scipio stepped through the portal and looked around the room curiously. He kept his arms crossed and stuck close to Xellis, if only because he was the only one he'd met down here yet and he didn't trust the other gods at all. "What are we supposed to do here?" He asked in a hushed voice, fidgeting with the collar of his shirt a bit.
“They’ll go over council stuff,” Xellis replied. “To which I am not important in the slightest.”
He pulled out a chair toward the end of the table, lowering his voice and eyeing the other gods. He was extremely worried to run into Kieshara, considering he had taken her war recruit. But the looks on the other gods’ faces were priceless.
Low murmurs echoed from the table as Xellis and Scipio were seated. Because they were so hushed, Xellis could barely tell the subject of conversation. Although he was almost entirely sure it was about the fact that he had brought in an associate.
Xellis leaned over to Scipio slightly, keeping his gold eyes fixed on the other gods but talking to the soul in a hushed tone.
“Though, toward the end, they’ll ask for gods to introduce their new associates. All I have to do is get up and say your name, so you don’t have to do anything.”
He paused for a moment, his eyes quitting their wandering while he pursed his lips.
“And… after that… you’re free to go.”
"Alright. Go where, exactly?" Scipio asked, yawning a bit as he sat beside Xellis. "Because if it's between you and Hell, I'll probably stick around." He ran his fingers through his hair and hummed some tune softly to himself, closing his eyes. He seemed to be very casual, calm, and unconcerned with the whole situation.
“It’s not necessarily Hell…,” Xellis murmured, leaning forward with elbows propped on the table. His voice got the slightest quieter as the gods began their council activities.
“It’s more like… an empty place. You would become blind and deaf, and just your other senses would help you wander the afterplane as a hollow-body. Endlessly. It’s tiring and terrifying, but if you’re up for the challenge…”
He trailed off, hoping to have made it sound as unappealing as it really was. Xellis had always hated the afterplane.
"Hmm… sounds boring as fuck, if I'm being honest with you." Scipio hummed, entirely unconcerned. "At least I can do shit if I hang around with you. Presumably, anyway. So, I guess I'll be sticking around." He yawned a bit and looked around at all the gods that were looking at him in surprise, challenging them all with his stare. He figured he probably couldn't intimidate them, but he could at least let them know that he didn't want to be fucked with.
He cocked his head, looking back to Scipio with excitement littered in his juvenile eyes.
“Wh-what? Really?” Xellis said slightly louder, a wide genuine grin spread across his face. “You’d do that?”
He took a deep breath, clenching his hands together.
“And yeah, of course you’ll get to do stuff. That’s the whole point of you being my associate.”
"Well, yeah. I don't exactly want to consciously float in oblivion forever. I was kinda hoping it would be a 'you're destroyed and your consciousness no longer exists' kinda thing." Scipio toyed with a lock of his freshly clean hair, clearly enjoying the way it felt. It hadn't been like this in ages. "And you've got showers and beds and stuff. That's better than I had on earth." He shrugged nonchalantly.
“Well, good to hear,” Xellis said, truthfully. It was wonderful to hear, actually. He had never wanted to listen to another word spoken if it didn’t make him feel this absolutely ecstatic.
His smile stayed but he looked back to the council, who had just decided on a solution for some issue Xellis hadn’t even ever been effected by.
The evening dragged on in a series of boring events Xellis didn’t even know half of. It wasn’t until the very end did he get to shine.
The God of Knowledge, Ivodyr, was the one who ran the meetings. He always sat at the head of the table, his silvery hair flowing elegantly behind his shoulders. He stood up, calling attention from every member seated at the table.
“It is now time to discuss new associates. Does anyone have a soul to present?” he asked, his voice as elegant as his looks.
With a smack of his hand on the table, Xellis shot up from his seat and held a mocking smile. He resisted the urge to stand up on the table as he said, in his most melodic voice, “I have an associate to present.”
The table quieted immediately as Xellis cleared his throat.
“This is Scipio Alesso Ricci,” he said confidently. “A soldier who died a valiant death and offered his soul to live out his days as one of my house members.”
Scipio tuned out the entirety of the meeting. If it didn't apply to Xellis, it definitely didn't apply to him. He looked up when he heard Xellis say his name and stood up as he'd been instructed to do earlier. He remained completely silent considering that Xellis seemed to have the talking part handled. He was also not very talkative or friendly as a person, so he felt no obligation to say hello to these random gods.
Xellis clearly took a large amount of pride in Scipio and his demeanor. He even considered taking a page out of his calm and collected book. Maybe then the other gods would respect him. Besides the fact that he had an associate now, of course.
With another charming smile and a gleam in his eye, he sat back down, awaiting Ivodyr’s next words.
The knowledge god remained standing, not giving Xellis even a second glance as he replied, “Anyone else?”
Xellis locked his jaw, his eyes narrowing for a split second before he noticed the other gods’ eyes still on him. No one else presented, and Xellis recognized that they all still had their regular associates. He had been the only new case.
Ivodyr nodded when no one else rose, and in return, he ended the meeting with a bow. The other gods followed suit, all bowing, as did Xellis. In a matter of moments, they all dispersed.
From some of the nicer gods, Xellis got congratulated. After the majority had left, Xellis looked back to Scipio, beaming.
“You. Are. Wonderful,” he cooed joyfully, giddy with his newfound confidence. “I can’t thank you enough, Scipio.”
