[ Three of his friends have disappeared too...? Ah. This is starting to make a lot more sense as to why he wanted to meet her today. It's worrying though... What with the recent happenings, that many people disappearing altogether cannot be a coincidence. She has some theories, but-- T-Tthe embrace is so sudden and unexpected!
... T-Thankfully, she's been slowly opening up to her hug monster(tm) tendencies, so she doesn't pull away. As a matter of fact, she embraces him back. A big, tight hug is what he gets! Because she really needs one and so does he, by the sound of it. ]
... That's why you wanted to do this today, right?
[ Though she is very much prone to crying and sorrow, she's still a goddess of death. Partings, endings... They're at the core of the concept she rules over. She wasn't lying when she said she's handling it better than she thought she would.
But he? She's not so sure. It must be a lot to deal with. ]
You should have told me. I'd have come immediately.
[ He laughs a little, but it’s gentle and pleased as she not only accepts the hug, but returns it full force! He knew it was perhaps rolling the dice a little bit to initiate this, lest she explode (whether that’s literal or proverbial is a matter for debate), but he’s glad it ends up this way. It’s a good indication of their mutual fondness for each other, right? ]
It is.
[ He’ll admit it without reservations for once. He still doesn’t like to, but at least with Ereshkigal, it feels… safer. It’s also why he hugs her tightly back, but the way he rests his head on hers is just a little bit heavy. ]
It’s alright, though. You’re here now, and that’s perfect. I would have hated to worry you by really insisting, you know~?
[ He wouldn’t have, besides. He doesn’t have that in him. ]
[ Se really ought to be less of a neurotic worrywart, if even her closest friends are afraid they'll worry her by simply confiding in her... After a moment, she pulls back from the hug and takes his hands with her own. ]
Well... I can tell you this: we'll get them back.
[ She smiles confidently. It's surprisingly natural, even though this goddess is a natural void of confidence. ]
I promised my first friend if she's ever in trouble, I'll show up looking super awesome and be her totally amazing goddess of victory. [And she did! As a space goddess, no less.] But I've made many more friends since then, and there's no way they deserve any less.
[ All of them deserve to be saved by the super awesome goddess of winning! Which she totally is, trust. ]
And that counts for you too. If you ever disappear... [A dramatic pause, and:] I'll summon the Underworld again and this time I'll do much more than simply free a few dozen souls!
[ Well she hopes it won't have to come to that. With how limited she is in this world, she might just burn her spirit origin to get anything done. But she will if she has to! That'll only be the fourth time her current self dies. ]
He’s a little bit surprised by her confidence first (no offense, Ereshkigal!), but it’s quick to melt into a warm, gentle smile. For one, he’s humbled by how others he’s talked to have been so— Maybe not optimistic, exactly, but certainly more hopeful than he’s tended to feel lately. Hugo may be full of confidence in general and he’s capable of carrying himself through terrible circumstances, but… This was an area where his heart is vulnerable. It always has been.
It’s why he adores her, Vivian, every other achingly lonely person, because he understands it incredibly well, even if he pretends otherwise.
He looks touched, which might be surprising. It doesn’t seem like he’s used to hearing a sentiment like this. ]
I… Well, I would be honored, Ereshkigal.
[ Does he know what that practically means? No, not really, but that’s fine. More than the mechanics of how it works, he cares more that someone would actually choose him. That tender feeling is enough to push away any of his cynicism, at least for now, so he squeezes her hands in return. ]
I might not be able to promise anything as grand as that- [ He is Just A Guy, after all, ] But I’d also do anything I could to find you too. I’d never leave you alone here—not intentionally. I promise you that.
[ Ehe! It's rare, but she can be the confidant one who comforts her friends every now and then. And after what she's gone through in her homeworld... Well, she has reasons to be optimistic. ]
I know you wouldn't. That's why I'm not afraid of disappearing.
[ She's maybe a little bit afraid because her current self is very important and those memories being gone forever would pretty much erase the only happiness she's ever known. But even then, she knows he and her other friends would do their very best to save her.
And while she'd rather be the one doing the rescue, being rescued never gets old! ]
You know... My first friend, she used to call me "Erechan" all the time. And a few people on this world have taken to calling me that too. [She still doesn't know what it means, but she likes the sound of it.] I wouldn't mind if you called me that too.
[ He feels a little bit bashful, of all things, because it feels like something that’s almost dangerous to admit. It’s like tempting fate, because the more he deepens these bonds, the worse it’ll be when they’re ripped away, won’t it? He knows it better than ever now. And, yet… That makes him want to hold onto the imprints he does have left all the tighter.
He’s afraid of her disappearing. He probably always will be. But he at least does his best to not let his fears of the future impact how he enjoys his present. ]
Erechan…
[ He repeats the nickname lightly, but warmly, like he’s testing how it feels, but he nods easily. ]
It’s a very cute nickname~. Far better than the ones I was mulling over! So, yes, Erechan it is~.
[ Because, yes, he’s been thinking about it. Of course he has! With the way he casually throws out a “dear” or a “darling”, nicknames are the clear next step of affection, so far as he’s concerned. He’d even been considering borrowing some of the diminutive they use over in Failume Heights, but xiao doesn’t exactly fit her name any better than it would his…
He lets go of her hands (with some reluctance!), but it’s only so he can continue towards the kitchen as he’d intended. ]
Well! I was thinking that if we’re having a little manicure party, then we need something with it, right? Do you drink? Ah, or eat, for that matter, since I really don’t anymore, but I still keep the kitchen decently stocked~.
[ Because he’s cooking for Heinrix, but he leaves that part out… Not out of any shyness, exactly, but more because he’s not sure if Ereshkigal is ready to conceptualize a situationship… ]
[ Oh? S-She hadn't expected for him to have been musing on a nickname for her! ]
Heh? Which one did you have in mind?
[ Not that it should be surprising since she's been thinking of nicknames for her friends too... And coming up short. I-It's difficult and she's not very creative with names! Who thinks "Ereshkigal" and "Ninkigal" sound super different, after all?
Regardless, she follows him. ]
Well, I do like human food... My true form didn't need to eat either, but I did anyway as it wouldn't do for one such as me to lack manners. [She's a goddess and a queen, after all! And the daughter of the local chief god.] W-Well, it was only clay shaped as human food... But it is still important for me to remain worthy of my status.
Ah, they’re all bad, so if I tell you, you’re not allowed to tease me! There’s a reason they were all on the chopping block, right~?
[ He says, teasingly, but. ]
“Eresh” is probably the best one, but it’s not as cute as Erechan… And I was trying to thing of a way that a “Xiao” could work, like Xiao’Eresh or Xiao’Kigal, but those don’t really flow off the tongue. You have the same issue I do where a nickname is just a little difficult.
[ Though he’s laughing by the end of listing off his less-than-ideal nicknames. He at least takes the information about her food (?) in stride, since that’s a good enough answer for him to get to work whipping up a modest plate to snack on. It’ll all be for her, but he doesn’t mind, since it’s just spoiling someone he likes. That’s always worth the effort. ]
It won’t be anything fancy, since alas, Karteria doesn’t quite have the industry for me to make charcuterie boards as would be truly fitting for a manicure session… But I think I can do better than clay, at least~. [ which… ] Did you like clay, or was that more out of necessity?
Xiao...? [????????] T-That would have been unexpected to be sure!
[ Does the word mean something? She can but assume it does, much like chan. She should look up what those prefixes and suffixes mean sometimes, some of those modern languages have such complicated rules. ]
To be quite honest I have been trying to think of a cute nickname to give you... But I have come up short. [She sighs.] I have considered Huggy but that would make you sound like an unrepentant serial hugger and I cannot give you such a reputation!
[ A man who goes and hugs everyone who crosses his path! That's bordering on assault!! No no, she can't do that to him. There is surely a better nickname just waiting to be found... ]
... ... ... ... ... ... ... I would rather not lie to you, but I do not wish to ignore you either. Therefore I ask we pretend you didn't ask this question.
[ He snorts out a little laugh as she asks him to pretend he hadn’t asked, but he nods agreeably as he makes a zippering motion over his lips. Question at least answered, so he’ll let it go! ]
Mm, “xiao” is a prefix they use in a district of New Eridu! So, it’d be borrowing it a bit, since I’ve never lived there, but we don’t have anything as versatile, so. It works far better with the names there, though, like Xiao’Zhao?
[ And indeed, with that combination, it does sound cute! It’s definitely similar to the “chan” that she received, from the sounds of it. ]
Though I’m glad you didn’t go with Huggy. Why, it’d be tragic if a nickname gave me the reputation of a cad!
[ …But he’s also a little amused because, like. There’s probably a little truth in that. Maybe not in that sense, but he’s definitely taken up decidedly intimate pursuits as a way of coping with being here. His habits from youth weren’t quite as far as he thought, it turned out…. ]
I assure you, all of my serial hugging is very much mutual~.
[ She doesn't, but that's a different world and different culture she knows nothing about. Not unlike with the -chan suffix, really. Maybe she likes chan because it is tied to valuable memories? That means she'd probably end up liking xiao for the same reasons, buuuuut one nickname is enough. ]
Maybe I should, if it got you less often in troubles with dangerous people.
[ Like a certain red-head! Though now that she thinks about it, she hasn't seen him in a while... Is he one of the disappeared too, she wonders? That means she's the only one left to represent her homeworld if so.
Or would be - but she has yet to meet with the most annoying of all gods. ]
For now, your serial hugging shall be put on hold as we do your nails. I don't know how you do them usually, but here you'll have only the best and most amazing treatment a goddess can provide!
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
queenofkur) wrote2025-10-01 11:40 am
no subject
... T-Thankfully, she's been slowly opening up to her hug monster(tm) tendencies, so she doesn't pull away. As a matter of fact, she embraces him back. A big, tight hug is what he gets! Because she really needs one and so does he, by the sound of it. ]
... That's why you wanted to do this today, right?
[ Though she is very much prone to crying and sorrow, she's still a goddess of death. Partings, endings... They're at the core of the concept she rules over. She wasn't lying when she said she's handling it better than she thought she would.
But he? She's not so sure. It must be a lot to deal with. ]
You should have told me. I'd have come immediately.
no subject
It is.
[ He’ll admit it without reservations for once. He still doesn’t like to, but at least with Ereshkigal, it feels… safer. It’s also why he hugs her tightly back, but the way he rests his head on hers is just a little bit heavy. ]
It’s alright, though. You’re here now, and that’s perfect. I would have hated to worry you by really insisting, you know~?
[ He wouldn’t have, besides. He doesn’t have that in him. ]
no subject
Well... I can tell you this: we'll get them back.
[ She smiles confidently. It's surprisingly natural, even though this goddess is a natural void of confidence. ]
I promised my first friend if she's ever in trouble, I'll show up looking super awesome and be her totally amazing goddess of victory. [And she did! As a space goddess, no less.] But I've made many more friends since then, and there's no way they deserve any less.
[ All of them deserve to be saved by the super awesome goddess of winning! Which she totally is, trust. ]
And that counts for you too. If you ever disappear... [A dramatic pause, and:] I'll summon the Underworld again and this time I'll do much more than simply free a few dozen souls!
[ Well she hopes it won't have to come to that. With how limited she is in this world, she might just burn her spirit origin to get anything done. But she will if she has to! That'll only be the fourth time her current self dies. ]
no subject
He’s a little bit surprised by her confidence first (no offense, Ereshkigal!), but it’s quick to melt into a warm, gentle smile. For one, he’s humbled by how others he’s talked to have been so— Maybe not optimistic, exactly, but certainly more hopeful than he’s tended to feel lately. Hugo may be full of confidence in general and he’s capable of carrying himself through terrible circumstances, but… This was an area where his heart is vulnerable. It always has been.
It’s why he adores her, Vivian, every other achingly lonely person, because he understands it incredibly well, even if he pretends otherwise.
He looks touched, which might be surprising. It doesn’t seem like he’s used to hearing a sentiment like this. ]
I… Well, I would be honored, Ereshkigal.
[ Does he know what that practically means? No, not really, but that’s fine. More than the mechanics of how it works, he cares more that someone would actually choose him. That tender feeling is enough to push away any of his cynicism, at least for now, so he squeezes her hands in return. ]
I might not be able to promise anything as grand as that- [ He is Just A Guy, after all, ] But I’d also do anything I could to find you too. I’d never leave you alone here—not intentionally. I promise you that.
no subject
I know you wouldn't. That's why I'm not afraid of disappearing.
[ She's maybe a little bit afraid because her current self is very important and those memories being gone forever would pretty much erase the only happiness she's ever known. But even then, she knows he and her other friends would do their very best to save her.
And while she'd rather be the one doing the rescue, being rescued never gets old! ]
You know... My first friend, she used to call me "Erechan" all the time. And a few people on this world have taken to calling me that too. [She still doesn't know what it means, but she likes the sound of it.] I wouldn't mind if you called me that too.
no subject
He’s afraid of her disappearing. He probably always will be. But he at least does his best to not let his fears of the future impact how he enjoys his present. ]
Erechan…
[ He repeats the nickname lightly, but warmly, like he’s testing how it feels, but he nods easily. ]
It’s a very cute nickname~. Far better than the ones I was mulling over! So, yes, Erechan it is~.
[ Because, yes, he’s been thinking about it. Of course he has! With the way he casually throws out a “dear” or a “darling”, nicknames are the clear next step of affection, so far as he’s concerned. He’d even been considering borrowing some of the diminutive they use over in Failume Heights, but xiao doesn’t exactly fit her name any better than it would his…
He lets go of her hands (with some reluctance!), but it’s only so he can continue towards the kitchen as he’d intended. ]
Well! I was thinking that if we’re having a little manicure party, then we need something with it, right? Do you drink? Ah, or eat, for that matter, since I really don’t anymore, but I still keep the kitchen decently stocked~.
[ Because he’s cooking for Heinrix, but he leaves that part out… Not out of any shyness, exactly, but more because he’s not sure if Ereshkigal is ready to conceptualize a situationship… ]
no subject
Heh? Which one did you have in mind?
[ Not that it should be surprising since she's been thinking of nicknames for her friends too... And coming up short. I-It's difficult and she's not very creative with names! Who thinks "Ereshkigal" and "Ninkigal" sound super different, after all?
Regardless, she follows him. ]
Well, I do like human food... My true form didn't need to eat either, but I did anyway as it wouldn't do for one such as me to lack manners. [She's a goddess and a queen, after all! And the daughter of the local chief god.] W-Well, it was only clay shaped as human food... But it is still important for me to remain worthy of my status.
[ And besides, clay doesn't taste that bad!
... ... ... ... I-It's an acquired taste. ]
no subject
[ He says, teasingly, but. ]
“Eresh” is probably the best one, but it’s not as cute as Erechan… And I was trying to thing of a way that a “Xiao” could work, like Xiao’Eresh or Xiao’Kigal, but those don’t really flow off the tongue. You have the same issue I do where a nickname is just a little difficult.
[ Though he’s laughing by the end of listing off his less-than-ideal nicknames. He at least takes the information about her food (?) in stride, since that’s a good enough answer for him to get to work whipping up a modest plate to snack on. It’ll all be for her, but he doesn’t mind, since it’s just spoiling someone he likes. That’s always worth the effort. ]
It won’t be anything fancy, since alas, Karteria doesn’t quite have the industry for me to make charcuterie boards as would be truly fitting for a manicure session… But I think I can do better than clay, at least~. [ which… ] Did you like clay, or was that more out of necessity?
1/2
[ Does the word mean something? She can but assume it does, much like chan. She should look up what those prefixes and suffixes mean sometimes, some of those modern languages have such complicated rules. ]
To be quite honest I have been trying to think of a cute nickname to give you... But I have come up short. [She sighs.] I have considered Huggy but that would make you sound like an unrepentant serial hugger and I cannot give you such a reputation!
[ A man who goes and hugs everyone who crosses his path! That's bordering on assault!! No no, she can't do that to him. There is surely a better nickname just waiting to be found... ]
no subject
... ... ... ... ... ... ... I would rather not lie to you, but I do not wish to ignore you either. Therefore I ask we pretend you didn't ask this question.
[ It's easier that way, if she says so herself. ]
no subject
Mm, “xiao” is a prefix they use in a district of New Eridu! So, it’d be borrowing it a bit, since I’ve never lived there, but we don’t have anything as versatile, so. It works far better with the names there, though, like Xiao’Zhao?
[ And indeed, with that combination, it does sound cute! It’s definitely similar to the “chan” that she received, from the sounds of it. ]
Though I’m glad you didn’t go with Huggy. Why, it’d be tragic if a nickname gave me the reputation of a cad!
[ …But he’s also a little amused because, like. There’s probably a little truth in that. Maybe not in that sense, but he’s definitely taken up decidedly intimate pursuits as a way of coping with being here. His habits from youth weren’t quite as far as he thought, it turned out…. ]
I assure you, all of my serial hugging is very much mutual~.
no subject
[ She doesn't, but that's a different world and different culture she knows nothing about. Not unlike with the -chan suffix, really. Maybe she likes chan because it is tied to valuable memories? That means she'd probably end up liking xiao for the same reasons, buuuuut one nickname is enough. ]
Maybe I should, if it got you less often in troubles with dangerous people.
[ Like a certain red-head! Though now that she thinks about it, she hasn't seen him in a while... Is he one of the disappeared too, she wonders? That means she's the only one left to represent her homeworld if so.
Or would be - but she has yet to meet with the most annoying of all gods. ]
For now, your serial hugging shall be put on hold as we do your nails. I don't know how you do them usually, but here you'll have only the best and most amazing treatment a goddess can provide!