trip-downtheriverstyx

[trip-downtheriverstyx]

The NTO mall was not the place to have this conversation.

Neither was a week before Christmas. Really, Hades wasn't sure when the right time was to sit down Opal and explain to her that siblings were not the same as asking for a pretty dress or a new book. Siblings were a gift, but a different kind of gift-- one that ah...picked you. Instead of the other way around.

Well, that was quite poetic.

Still, now was not the best time to tell her. And perhaps they wouldn't even need to have this conversation later either as Opal's fancies would flutter to this or that other topic by the time next year swung around and she'd be perfectly satisfied with the family she had.

Hades glanced at both Lou and Belle before clearing his throat. "Well-- he said he'd try his best. So let's be patient, my love," said Hades. And then, as quickly as he could-- "Shall we swing by the bookstore, eh, and see if there's anything new?"

"Book?" Bellamy finally piped up, lifting his head. And for the first time since they entered the queue, a smile spread over his face.

"Your brother wants to look at the books. Let's all go for Bellamy."

Opal popped her bottom lip out, looking like she might argue. But she loved being a big sister so she said, "Okay. Yeah-- let's go to the bookstore!" With a happy chirp, she went over and held Bellamy's other hand.

@lou-bonfightme @labellerose-acheron

Santa Claus Is Coming To NTO || Loud Bell

[trip-downtheriverstyx]

A sister.

Hades's mind flew toward the future too-- remembering a fourth child at their dinner table and the confusing memories that came with her. Those memories faded like they had just been a dream as time passed. And the future was a dream for the most part-- ever-shifting and intangible. Hard to hold onto. More feeling than anything else.

But one word was all it took to bring it rushing back. He glanced from Belle to Lou, the surprise having jumped onto his face. He probably should admonish his daughter as well-- not for her request but rather her stubborn attitude, more than anything-- but he was speechless.

Santa, thankfully, wasn't. A consummate professional, it was his job to cater to the whims of whatever ridiculous thing popped out of a child's mouth. And so he chuckled warmly again, not breaking character.

"Well that is quite a wish-- a difficult one to grant, as I'm sure you understand," said the actor. "But I will see what I can do."

That seemed to satisfy Opal. "Okay! I'm ready for pictures now."

She shifted on the stranger's lap and dazzled the camera with her sweet expression. Click.

Opal clambered off and ran to Tonton, taking his hand again. "He's going to try his best!" she reported.

"Well--" Hades uttered. "Well. That's kind of him."

@lou-bonfightme @labellerose-acheron

Santa Claus Is Coming To NTO || Loud Bell

[trip-downtheriverstyx]

Well, at least this went rather fast, thought Hades. He supposed that wasn't the kind of thought a father should have. He should be relishing this moment, knowing that it was a unique and specific kind of experience to share with his children, a moment that would evaporate as they got too old for Santa Claus. And what was Christmas if not an opportunity to celebrate the sentimental?

But Hades mostly wanted to leave the mall, which was getting more noisy and crowded by the second.

"Alright, Opal, do you want someone to--"

"No!" Opal declared cheerfully.

Hades chuckled and stood back as Opal flounced forward. She got on Santa's knee and her eyes gleamed dangerously. Ah, whatever was Opal hiding? Now that was a present that Hades would love to unwrap. Half the things that popped out of his daughter's mouth were always the oddball delight.

But Opal was determined to try to keep her secret as she leaned in to tell Santa what she wanted.

"Oh! Is that so?" said the Santa, looking surprised. And he glanced at-- of all people, Belle.

Hades's eyebrows quirked.

"Well, that's quite the gift to ask for. You know, even as a miracle worker, that present won't get here by Christmas. It needs time."

"Well, next Christmas then!" Opal declared.

"What about this Christmas?" said Santa.

But Opal got that stubborn look on her face, so stubborn she forgot she was trying to be secretive entirely. "No, I just wanna sister."

@lou-bonfightme @labellerose-acheron

Santa Claus Is Coming To NTO || Loud Bell

[trip-downtheriverstyx]

Just as Opal's obsession with clothes elided Belle, Aidan's recent interest in anything with wheels (bicycles; racecar; tractor) flummoxed Hades completely. He had no problem with it of course-- he just had no idea where it came from since no one in their family was obsessed with automobiles. They had a bloody van for Christ's sake.

But alright, a racecar. Noted.

Anyway, the kid that clambered onto Santa's lap seemed to know exactly what they wanted. They leaned in, whispering something very quickly. Then leaned out and grinned for the photo. Just like that, the child bounced off and ran straight into their mother's waiting arms.

And now it was the Acheron Family's turn.

"Alright, alright-- Opal, you can go first--"

"No, Aidan and Bellamy can go first," Opal said sweetly. Though she had a mysterious glimmer in her eye. She was probably enjoying the drama of it all.

Aidan took Bellamy's hand and tugged his brother toward the stranger. Bellamy let out a tiny whine, planting his feet. Aidan gave him a look. "C'mon, Bell. I'm doin' it with you!"

Bellamy's lip quivered and then he looked back with his big blue eyes at his parents.

"Do you want one of us to come up with you?" Hades said.

Bell nodded and he reached for-- ah, of course. His mum.

@labellerose-acheron

Santa Claus Is Coming To NTO || Loud Bell

[trip-downtheriverstyx]

Hades was not one to publicly complain. At least, not until this precise moment, in which case he could feel the complaints bubbling up inside him as he clenched his own jaw and glared at the parents who were taking about five thousand pictures of their child on Santa's lap.

But deep breaths, eh? As tempting it was to conjure a little fire to scatter the queue, well... it wasn't in the Christmas spirit.

(Also, he'd get arrested. They were not in Swynlake anymore.)

So he took a deep breath and smiled down at Opal, forcing himself to calm down. "How about you tell us what you're going to ask Santa when you get up there, love?"

Opal's eyes sparked. She giggled and shook her head. "I can't!"

"You can't? Why not, eh?"

"It's a secret! If I tell it, it won't come true!"

@lou-bonfightme

Santa Claus Is Coming To NTO || Loud Bell

[trip-downtheriverstyx]

"Ah-- I have a coffee machine in my office as well if you'd like to use it before the replacement arrives," mentioned Hades, sending Ben one of his most charming smiles.

Which yes, seemed awful kind of him, didn't it?

But obviously, Hades had different motivations. He didn't plan to helicopter over Ben forever. But keeping an eye on him for the first month or so of this position felt prudent...just in case. Once Hades cleared the bloke of any suspicion or ulterior motive, then he could get his coffee wherever he bloody well pleased.

"Really-- stop by any time, eh? It'll help break up my meetings. And you can get to know my staff better," Hades added pleasantly.

Keep Your Enemies Closer || Hooks

[trip-downtheriverstyx]

Hades hated the bloody mall.

He usually avoided the bloody mall at all costs, preferring shopping at classier outlets than this cursed place in NTO. But here they were because, of course, everyone in Opal's classes had gushed about their trip to see Santa Claus in the Next Town Over. So Opal desperately wanted to see Santa. And she got Aidan on it too.

Not one to disappoint his children-- and let's be honest, they'd only be able to visit Santa for two, three more years maximum anyway-- the family had taken the van over to the mall and gotten in the queue.

Here they still were: queueing twenty minutes later.

"I swear we haven't moved in the past five minutes," Hades grumbled. He peered toward the front. "What's taking that kid so long?"

@labellerose-acheron @lou-bonfightme

Santa Claus Is Coming To NTO || Loud Bell

[trip-downtheriverstyx]

Hades hadn't expected any demands. The National Chinese Dragon didn't have any reason to make any, eh? Swynlake had nothing to do with his line of work, even if Swynlake had hosted the American Dragon before.

But he had to ask, just to make sure this kid had his head on straight, eh? He apparently had showed up here with barely a plan and looked more and more clueless the longer he stood in Hades's office. Poor chap.

Hades's eyes glittered with amusement. "I'll take the contact information, sure," he said, holding out a hand. "And I suppose I should officially welcome you to Swynlake then, hm?"

@dragon-not-a-lizard

Why invite stress in? | Mushu & Hades

[trip-downtheriverstyx]

Obviously.

Hades thought Tom was narrow-minded and a fool-- he'd never track down the actual culprits doing things 'by the book' or within the narrow confines of the mundus legal system. But that didn't mean Hades was going to go behind his back either. He needed to keep things with the police force if not good, then decent, for his own political career.

Though he might have to do his own research into MAFIA at this rate. His gut was telling him this wasn't a copycat crime or anything like that. It was probably them. And they might be coming back.

"I know that," he said brusquely. "We'll try to keep it from the press, best we can. At least until we have significantly more information."

@prince--thomas

Told You So ~~ [Hot Todes]

[trip-downtheriverstyx]

Yeah, there were barriers to entry for the VFD even if there shouldn't be.

But perhaps that should be a project for Hades. Better yet-- it was a good project, a potential win, for his upcoming election next fall. If he could expand the program or somehow create a stipend for the program (legal hoops to jump through but he could talk to Belle about that), he could run on the success and hopefully secure reelection.

None of which he'd share with Tom now, naturally. The bloke was not going to be part of his campaign team.

He flashed a brief, near-mocking smile. "Yes, let's," he said. "Any other information you have for me that I should be aware of?"

@prince--thomas

Told You So ~~ [Hot Todes]

[trip-downtheriverstyx]

"You're not going to get the full picture," said Hades, snorting.

But this was not his jurisdiction. He wasn't a detective or someone on the force. He knew that he could not dictate how an investigation was run. If Tom wanted to be narrow-minded and play by the book-- then he would. But there were magicks he could bring in as consults to help the case, forensic degree or not (probably bloody not considering the laws). People consulted on criminal cases all the time without those degrees.

But again: not his jurisdiction.

"But you run your investigation the way you see fit. If it's a magick-- which seems likely-- then you'd be better to catch them with magic. Or at least with a magic consult. That's my point. In fact--" Hades tilted his head. "Maybe it's the VFD we should expand, not the force."

@prince--thomas

Told You So ~~ [Hot Todes]

[trip-downtheriverstyx]

"I don't care about court," said Hades swiftly, rolling his eyes. "I care about answers, alright? I care about trying to find out as much information-- accurate information-- as we can so we can protect Swynlake. What happens in the court of law after that is not my business."

It was, technically, his wife's business.

But the odds of them catching the culprit were probably low anyway. The fire had burned down everything, including most of the clues. The fire's magical nature was the only thing that might point toward someone, MAFIA or not.

Though if they could confirm MAFIA, then that'd be huge. He was rather hoping it was not MAFIA though, considering he'd be obligated to contact the federal government.

@trip-downtheriverstyx

Told You So ~~ [Hot Todes]

[trip-downtheriverstyx]

Hades cocked an eyebrow at the comment.

What a narrow-minded thing to say but he supposed Tom couldn't help but let his natural prejudice show even as he paraded around Swynlake like a reformed man. Well, no one but Hades and Belle knew about his past. Everyone else was proper fooled into thinking he was fair and balanced.

But no man was truly fair. Everyone had biases.

"You'd be stupid to try to answer magic-related questions on your own. We have plenty of qualified sorcerers in this town that can provide information if given the chance. The least you can do is show them these pictures." He gestured.

@prince--thomas

Told You So ~~ [Hot Todes]

[trip-downtheriverstyx]

"That won't exactly help the buzz die down either," said Hades.

His gaze dropped to the photos though, frowning. He'd never seen green flames before-- and that was coming from him, eh, a wielder of hellfire. He wondered if they'd be more easily distinguished by a magick-- a sorcerer, perhaps. His mind wandered to Howl...

He sighed, and then rubbed at his forehead. "If you want to expand the force, then write up a proposal. I can't approve anything without understanding the impact to the budget. In the meantime--"

He tapped the photo of the flames. "We need to learn more about that fire. I suggest getting a magick consult."

@prince--thomas

Told You So ~~ [Hot Todes]

[trip-downtheriverstyx]

Hades, to be clear, despised the police.

Certainly the force in Swynlake was not nearly as corrupt, cruel, or as unfair as the one in Manchester. Sleepy Swynlake did not call for much to keep it in check. Hades wished he could keep it that way.

But he could see the oncoming storm and even if this was some pissed off magick trying to make a point, he couldn't completely disregard the real chance that MAFIA had returned. If so, then MAFIA had its target set on Swynlake, specifically. Why? Why attack one of the only sanctuaries for magicks? It didn't make sense to him, but then again, he was trying to apply reason to terrorism.

His jaw clicked in frustration. "If we add more security though, that will inevitably draw questions. If you want to keep scrutiny about this to a minimum, then we'll have to be careful exactly how we move forward, eh? And to be clear-- I do want to keep scrutiny to the minimum. If it's MAFIA, it's their MO to grab headlines. It's free advertising. All it will do is polarize our community-- potentially radicalize more people."

@prince--thomas

Told You So ~~ [Hot Todes]

[trip-downtheriverstyx]

What the bloody fuck was going on in Swynlake this year, eh?

Was it because he was on the cusp of a reelection next year that Swynlake had decided to go to shit? Some might call that dramatic, but considering all the legal trouble piling him, it was starting to feel that way. The last thing Hades needed was to get called in the middle of the night-- because of course he was called-- to hear that a fire was raging down at the Deer, and they suspected foul play.

He'd not gotten much sleep since.

Hades already anticipated the oncoming headache as he met with the sheriff to go over the facts of the case so far. He prayed that it might be simple and that their initial suspicions were off-- it actually was not foul play at all, just a candle left lit or a misbehaving burner in the kitchen or...

His hopes were immediately dashed as Thomas showed him the pictures.

Splendid.

He frowned as he picked up the picture of MAFIA in the ashes. "And you suspect the motive was political then? Because of the bans?"

Not a hard leap to make.

@prince--thomas

Told You So ~~ [Hot Todes]

[trip-downtheriverstyx]

This boy didn't have a filter at all.

Hades assumed that the National Chinese Dragon would have media-trained his kids. The position was a political one after all, though Hades didn't know much about the actual duties of the position. He supposed the responsibilities might vary from country to country with more magick-friendly countries letting their Dragon take an active role and others, well...

He'd have to do his own research especially if this lad was going to be running amuck in Swynlake. From these few minutes alone, Hades sensed potential trouble.

"I see," said Hades, cocking a brow. "So your father had no requests of me?"

@dragon-not-a-lizard

Why invite stress in? | Mushu & Hades