. . .
"I should know enough about loss to realize that you never really stop missing someone—you just learn to live around the huge gaping hole of their absence."
―Alyson Noel
. . .
"You know," Rei Kashima drawled, without bothering to look up from the still waters of Sanzu-no-Kawa, "...I'm flattered that you think of me so often these past few weeks, kage no megami, but I'm afraid I'm not interested."
The goddess of shadows glances away from the waters to level him with a flat glare. Is he getting senile? What the hell is the old man talking about now?
"Excuse me?"
"No offense but I'm not interested in little girls."
...what.
Proserpina frowned, "You are not funny."
"I'm hilarious," he said dryly.
Her expression flattened, "Whatever helps you dream, ojīchan."
Rei clicks his tongue at her reproachfully, despite not being really offended in the slightest bit. The years (as well as the long-term exposure) had made him sort of immune to her—unfortunately—barbed tongue. "Shitsureina gaki! Did Warren forgot to teach you how to speak to your elders or something? He'll be rolling in his grave for sure!"
As if there was anything left of him to bury.
Right on cue, as if reading his thoughts—as expected, really—the goddess of shadows' darker-than-black eyes instantly narrowed into such an intimidating glare at the casual mention of her adoptive father. And to be honest, it's actually rather impressive how well Proserpina can project bloodlust with a mere glance.
A pity it doesn't affect him one bit.
"Come," Rei tells her as he finally stands up, the majestic River of Three Crossings fading from view as soon as he did, "Let us walk and enjoy the moonlight, my friend."
"Here I thought you'd never ask," she drawls.
"I have manners, unlike you," he easily retorted.
Proserpina fell into step beside Rei.
"Debatable," she intones.
"No, really," Rei insisted, deadpanning at the dubious look on her face, "I have manners. The likes that are wasted on you."
Here, the son of Hypnos finally noticed that she's dressed in a plain, white knit sweater that she's practically swimming in as the sweater was twice her size as well as black leggings, matched with white ankle shoes.
The casual outfit should have made Proserpina look less solemn and more approachable in any sort of setting—younger and adorable even with the top of her hair braided into something that vaguely reminds Rei of a crown... but no. There's that too-smooth movement accompanying her with every step, that too-steady gaze that reminded him too much of the chasm that was Tartarus, the intensity and focus one could only expect from an apex predator.
Although the long tendrils shadows that trailed after her feet like spilled ink practically gave her away as something atypical, something that was definitely not human... even in dreams.
"Huh. After all these years... I think this is the first time I saw you finally wearing a different color. White, of all things," Rei comments offhandedly as he pinches some of the fabric between his fingers, admiring the texture and the way it stretches this way and that when he pulls ever so slightly.
