#* ━━ VERSE 002 : 𝗮 𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝘁𝘂𝗱𝗲.

[keepmovinjunior]

❝ Note to self. Heroes? Overrated. ❞

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random starter for ˗ˏˋ @seachant * bc we haven't had ariel and meg interact yet somehow, and i love nini's ariel ?? wtf

The water's edge, along the calm ocean, as long as it was relatively level... minimally rocky, and near to the ground... was nice. The way light shimmers off of the golden chariot's spoils... gleams in the afternoon sun. Meg understands the appeal of solitude once she walks along the ocean. She sighs, heavily albeit not unhappily, and, hoisting her dress up, she settles, gently, upon a rock. She could think here.

Or, perhaps, something even better.

Staring out into the endless distance, she pulls a small, albeit carefully crafted wooden flute out, and up to her lips. Blowing upon it gingerly, she begins to play. A sad, pretty little tune, one she had learnt back home, in the Theban docks, from an old lone traveling woman, long left to herself after a day of trading and caravans. Sometimes Megara wonders where that woman is; who she is. She'll never know.

What was that?

Meg stops for a moment. Her heart skips. She lowers the flute only just. She furrows a brow; lips flattened in a tepid concern. Had that been a fish? She could have sworn she had caught a glimmer of a large, green fin. And out here, a woman could never be too cautious.

After nothing happens for a few more long, tense moments... Meg reluctantly relaxes once again... falls back into her playing. Perhaps just a trick of the light.

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˗ˏˋ @musemelodies * said : "i'll take it from here, darling. (TIMON)"

❝ Hey, knock yourself out, T. ❞ Meg's speaking out of the corner of her mouth to the meerkat upon her shoulder, lips flattened in annoyance. ❝ Pretty sure between the two of them there's not quite one brain, so. ❞

❝ HEY, SISTER! ❞ The gruff, loud yell of PAIN, Hades's little minion, from in front of Timon and Meg. ❝ WE GOT WORKIN' EARS, YOU KNOW! ❞

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@musemelodies for ˗ˏˋ timon , * the tiny sass pal, continued from here.

❝ Hey, at least you got My Town. Don't even get me started on the dramatic renditions of his original stuff. And he gets those little imps for back-up vocals. Not everyone short and small can sing, ya know. ❞

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˗ˏˋ ❥ @musemelodies big bad gets a random thing because i love him. *

❝ Alright, FIDO. Wonderboy can't find Phil. Spit it out. ❞

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˗ˏˋ @aamaranthiine * said : "try to be a little bit more careful next time."

Megara rises, slowly, from the water. Such a voice is hardly human. It's soft and feminine and silvery as a bell, and it rings through the clearing, almost as if the light upon the water speaks. Nessus, the river guardian, is an unforgiving brute, and yet, he had fled. He had almost CHOKED a few moments ago ━━ spotted something ... stared into the forest at someone Meg couldn't see ━━ and, finally, released her in a panicked open hand. He had run off and into the thicket; snorting and grunting in frustration and evident anguish. At least for now, Meg has been spared from his horrid whims.

Or maybe not. Was it thanks to this mysterious being, or in fear of? WHO WAS SHE, AND WHERE?

All Meg can hear is a voice. Leaning toward the trees, tepidly, she looks for whom had addressed her ... unsure, cautious, tense to face an immortal. She is no stranger to the gods, and what they can do.

❝ Yeah, sure, I'll uh ... keep that in mind. ❞ She frowns. Water drips from her hair and her clothes, and she narrows her gaze. The trees are thick, but she thinks she can glimpse ... some white? A horn? Was that ... a horse? Or not quite...

❝ Who are you? ❞

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@grandvizier , * continued from here.

Being of the Underworld had its benefits, arguably. Were she in control of her own fate, Megara might have even been inclined to enjoy the secrecy of its nature. The ability it granted her to appear in places unnoticed, undetected, and at any moment... it could certainly come in handy to a free woman. However, a free woman Meg is not. Oftentimes, she's sent somewhere blindly; almost an apparition, and, perhaps, a temptation, to horrible, foreboding figures, all to win them in Hades favor; to persuade, convince, intrigue. She's a weaponized blind woman, fighting for a cause not her own, and without any information nor warning at all.

" You're a skilled little lady, eh? C'mon, Meg. I believe in you. You'll use that sharp little head of yours and figure it out! No questions. See ━━ I don't gotta waste my precious time and explain the mission ━━ and that's what's so great about you, huh? I'm an immortal! Time is of absolutely no essence! Badda bing. Right. "

Ugh. If only she didn't know exactly how Hades thought. She hates herself for it.

Even clearer, however, is the sight in front of her ━━ a very tall, rather dark and, unquestioningly, by the looks of his outfit and how silent and still he himself is, powerful looking figure with a SNAKE STAFF, standing before a tree. He's hardly reacted to her presence, which tells her he is unconcerned with a woman like her. He does not fear her; she's used to this. However, less familiar to her is his neutrality; he does not move impulsively; does not immediately gravitate toward dominating her. Like her, the other waits, and perhaps strikes from the grass, rather than the sky. THE SNAKE. Well, duh. Just look at his staff.

Meg stares for a long while, unsure of what to do. She knows better than to make any foolish moves, but Hades wants her here for a reason. Perhaps she could at least get him to speak...

❝ If you're lookin' for something... ❞ Meg tries, carefully. ❝ I uh. Know these woods pretty well. ❞ She doesn't, but she'll figure it out. ❝ If you're willin' to listen to a girl like me, that is. ❞

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˗ˏˋ ❥ @mariotime gets a thing, because i'm like that. *

❝ Heard you were . . . lookin' for a princess. ❞

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❥ @deathxdefied , for aphrodite *

❝ Ugh. You. Listen, I uh . . . don't want anymore trouble, alright? Promise ya, I'm . . . in deep into the lessons of true love and all that. ❞

She frowns, tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear, looking down in a submissive gesture of surrender. Meg has a feeling she's not, nor has she ever been, in Aphrodite's good graces.

❝ It's a mess, best left to you. I got it. ❞

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@cxnscience said : ‘ this is great. i mean, i really love this … adventure, excitement, danger lurking around every corner … ’ but hes being sarcastic he hates it here 😔 outside of his pay grade fr

❝ Yeah, and you're leavin' out the best part, Explorer Jones ━━ ❞ she stops in front of a massive, growling, drooling three-headed beast. ❝ Hell Hounds barrin' your exit and doomin' ya to stay for all eternity. Nifty, huh. ❞

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random starter for ˗ˏˋ @flowervain , *

Meg jumps. SOMEONE IS HERE. She'd been strolling through the marble garden, alone, and she hadn't been followed . . . she'd been careful about that.

Usually this place was quiet ; void of any other beings at this time of night. Perhaps a rogue critter, or . . . of course, the Lord of the Dead, should he find her. And he could find her. He often did.

But when Meg turns around to investigate the rustling, sharply and fearfully, it's not Hades' blue smile of knives that greets her : it's a woman. She looks shifty ; eyes glinting with purpose, enormous hair tucked beneath the hood of a cloak that's roomy enough for a weapon, no doubt . . . but she's also . . . mortal. THANKFULLY.

Meg's arms drop from readied stance beside her ; she hugs her forearms instead, gently, shrinking her form. She then lets them fall to her side.

❝ Sorry. Didn't know anyone else was here. ❞ Meg raises a brow, watching the other. She's not entirely calm, yet. ❝ You uh . . . lookin' for something? ❞

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She's alone, and that's a relief.

Megara sits upon the marble edge of the fountain. This garden is usually peaceful. Nevertheless, she checks behind her, in front, and on all sides. Once. Twice. Nothing but the crickets and the stars.

A girl of the underworld can never be too careful.

Letting a small sigh escape her lips, she reaches into a satchel in her lap, and removes her small, wooden flute.

Raising it to her lips, she begins to play. A quiet, simple tune ; reminiscent of Thebes. It's not home, but it's childhood.

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sad  feels  thread  for  any  interested  mutuals,  because  reasons.

She  is  alone.      ALONE     ━━   TRULY  ALONE.     A  moment  of  silence,  of  clear  skies,  crickets  chirping  among  the  brush  and  vines  in  the  garden  around  her.   Alone.  And  alone  is  best.   There  is  no  one  to  hurt,  no  one  to  sweep  in  and  manipulate  on  behalf  of  a  god  of  death  whom  she  cannot  breathe  around.   Alone,  with  no  one  to  con.   Alone,  with    no  one  to  hurt  you.   That  is  important  above  all.   

Megara  sighs,  closes  her  eyes,  and  remembers.  She  remembers  her  father,  she  remembers  Adonis  upon  his  horse,  and  his  beautiful  face  full  of  lies  and  golden,  broken  promises.   The  music  she  played  on  the  flute.   She  remembers  being  in  love,  and  her  heart  bleeds,  because  she  has  so  much  love  with  nowhere  to  put  it.     She  remembers  lost  love,  and  she  will  always  be  lost.  There  is  never  any  love  but  lost.

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❥  starter  for  @musemelodies​  *  !   for  the  big  bad  boi.

“  If  you’re  lookin’  for  Hades,  I  haven’t  seen  him.  I  know.  Been  a  good  day.  Don’t  ruin  this  for  me,  pooch.  ”

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❥  starter  for  @bearmaiden​  *  !  

Meg  eyes  the  little  glowing,  incandescent  wisp  floating  beside  her,  frowning.  Ugh.  Not  another  one.  THIS  MADE  WHAT,  THE  THIRD  THIS  WEEK?   She  was  losing  count  of  how  many  souls  had  gotten  themselves  lost  after  trying  to  flee  from  Asphodel  Fields.  Of  course,  it  was  no  small  feat,  if  not  a  feat  at  all,  to  flee  the  Underworld  ;  not  a  single  soul  could  actually  do  it,  once  they  had  passed  on.   Most  of  the  time,  they  would  simply  get  stuck,  and  lost,  in  this  small,  in  between   state  of  being  . . .  unable  to  assume  a  form,  unable  to  communicate,  unable  to   do  much  of  anything  . . .  except  for  glow.  Eventually,  they’d  just  have  to  wander  back  to  the  River  Styx,  and  back  into  the  Underworld.  If  they  could  find  it  at  all.  

Yep.  No  soul  could  ever  escape  the  Underworld.  Unless,  of  course,  they  were  just  . . .  indebted  to  the  rest  of  their  life  to  the  Lord  of  the  Dead  himself.  And  wasn’t  THAT  just  a  gig  to  die  for.  Yippee.  

                    Wait  a  second.    A  GLIMPSE  OF  MOVEMENT.    Was  that  . . . 

Meg  squints,  and  then  frowns.  

Yes,  that  was  definitely  a  mortal  person.  A  girl,  actually. A  girl,  but  she  looked  almost  like  anything  but,  with  wild  orange  hair,   as  large  as  the  Nemean  lion  ;   eyes  bright  and  studious  and  full  of  adventure,  carrying  a  very  large  bow.    

Yikes.  This  would  be  bad  if  Hades  came  around.  This  wasn’t  part  of  the  plan  today,  but  with  him,  it  would  hardly  matter.  Meg  HATES  when  kids  get  caught  up  in  this  kind  of  thing.  

She  sighs.

“  Hey  there,  merry  maiden.  This  isn’t  your  average  neighborly  neck  of  the  woods.   Ya  might  want  to  turn  and  go  back  the  way  you  came.  ”  Meg  is  still  frowning,  but  it’s  no  longer  of  disgust.  “  Not  kiddin’.  You’re  not  safe  here.  ”

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megara  quirks  a  brow  at  @waitlifted​  ,  who  is  looking  troubled.  she  knows  all  too  well  that  crease  between  the  eyes  ;  the  air  of  unmistakable  disappointment  at.  well.  all  of  this.

“  you  look  like  you  could  use  a  drink.  or  several.   maybe  a  nice  change  of  atmosphere.  you  tried  the  asphodel  meadows?  river  styx  gets  old  real  fast.  ”