'Cause I think you're so good, And I'm nothing like you

At his observation, Persephone turned her head enough to peek at the river they followed, noting that they hadn't even made it to where the river turned. A sigh, dramatic and playful, was his only answer, shifting to get to her feet and pull away so that they could walk together once more. He didn't even seem to mind her idle chatter as they went, more often than not about the plant life near the river, pleased to see it all blossoming and developing this soon into Spring.

Her demeanor didn't change, either, when he stopped to investigate a... cave? Looking from him to the shadowed entrance and then back, Persephone wasted no time in answering him, not even bothering to use her words and instead slipping past him into the close confines of the cavern's entrance. “Woah,” She marveled, her eyes struggling to adjust at first. “It's so dark!” And it was, her pawsteps slowing to one at a time, careful to make sure she didn't fall into some invisible hole or something.

Ten steps or so in, her head turned to look behind her, blinking at the imposing silhouette he struck. “Are you coming?” She asked, tail flicking.
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He was surprised when she seemed to effortlessly move forward, no hesitations in her. Hades found himself coming forward the moment that she beckoned to him and Hades raked his teeth through the fur at her flank. "What if I was trying to enjoy the view?" He teased with a grin, coming up shoulder to shoulder with her. It took a moment for his eyes to adjust, even with the snow melting it was still so bright so his blue eyes needed a moment. Their steps were careful, they were slower, but Hades noticed it sloped down. "I wonder how big it is." He said idly, careful to keep some part of him in contact with her for the sake of not stumbling or stepping on each other. 

The air was cooler the further down they went. "I imagine that this would be amazing in summer." With this perfect little escape for the heat? Hades could just imagine them laying out and sprawled in the darkness. He was glad that he could see at all, given that so many animals couldn't see at all in the dark. Suddenly the image swirled in his head - fog and darkness, the swirl of mist up along his bident and his skin dark as night. Tartarus, somewhere it was back in his head. He let out a shuddering breath and for a moment pressed a bit closer to Persephone as if the light she brought into her life was enough to brighten the very land around them. 

+2 Discovery Points

---

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“Hades,” She admonished him, giggling quietly as a tingle raced up and down her spine when his teeth teased at her hip. “Behave.” And yet she couldn't deny the fluttering in her stomach, the bashful way she looked up at him as he stood next to her perhaps betraying all of those butterflies. The little honey wolf was so busy staring at him that when he spoke, "I wonder how big it is.", her mind was certainly not in the place it should have been, blinking in a sort of stunned silence. “Shouldn't you--”

“Yes!” She agreed suddenly, eyes a touch wider than they normally were. “It-it would be rather wonderful.” The closeness was suddenly far too much for the smaller wolf, who nosed his shoulder before easing down the slop as her eyes adjusted more, intent on forcing her mind to the task at hand and not whatever gutter it had landed in just now. There was a scent, one that drew her in, faint and light but there, floral and intoxicating. There was the faintest surprise in her mind at the idea of anything living, thriving down here, especially flowers, but Persephone knew what she smelled. She just needed to find it.
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That little giggle and how she fussed at him. Hades grinned at her, glad that until their eyes adjusted so might not be able to see the mischief in his eyes. "No one but us will know how I behave." Hades teased, tail swaying behind him. But her question ended abruptly and his head canted to the side in confusion because it didn't exactly make sense. "Shouldn't I?" He asked but then she was moving away from him and then continued further into the cavern. Her nose was working and he could see that something was working in her head. 

"What is it?" Hades asked, careful to keep his head low as they made it further into the cavern. He wasn't sure how tall it was but he didn't want to risk hitting his head anywhere. His ears shifted forward and he could faintly hear what he thought might be water. There was nothing living in it - at least not an animal. He could smell something fresh and alive too. "What do you see?"

+1 Discovery Point

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Oh, how she was thankful for the space between them in that moment, his words only stoking whatever nerves had been lit. “I see you’re not afraid to show me how much of a scoundrel you are now,” She said, lilting voice reverberating off the walls of the surprisingly spacious cavern. Well, spacious for her, considering how he needed to duck low.

“Jasmine,” Persephone answered, glancing at him for a moment before venturing deeper, following the wind of the tunnel until it opened up, revealing a lush, hidden paradise. How this was even possible, considering the time of year, the girl had no idea, but she was in awe of their new surroundings. A small lake, flowers, even... lights? She peered up at the little blue lights, curious as ever. “Hades, what are these? How do they glow??”
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Hades smirked and looked Persephone over. He could see better in the dark, his eyes roaming over Persephone's body. Why was she so beautiful? And he felt like a moth drawn to her flame - completely enraptured and he had no qualms in it. He let out a shaky sigh at her comment, the sound ebbing into a dark chuckle. "Goddess divine - this isn't even me at one hundred percent scoundrel." He promised. It wasn't a threat at all, but, all he could say was that there was far more to his teasing. He just didn't need her encouragement or he wouldn't know quite how to stop it. He nodded when she'd looked back to him and explained the plant. Jasmine. 

It was the sight that greeted them when they got further into the cavern that shocked him entirely. His jaw dropped, eyes wide as he took in this paradise tucked beneath the forest. It was startling given that winter was barely breaking above them and here it was like this little paradise. The small pool of water trickled off and he could hear the occasional drip of water from elsewhere. He didn't have much knowledge of natural springs or waterways intimately and for a moment he was just slack jawed. His gaze shifted to the little blue lights she was talking about and he started intensely at them. "They're...they're moving? A little?" He could see the slightest movement from them - tiny and wiggling, suspended in their own little webs? He wasn't sure. "They look like worms." And the whole concept of bioluminescence was beyond his mind. "It's lovely." He said, coming to stand next to Persephone. He tried not to gawk but she was beautiful. The lights shining in her eyes, it was like the stars themselves were caught in her gaze. 

+2 Discovery Points

---

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She flushed, deeply so. For some reason, his words went straight to her gut, her skin practically burning beneath all that sandy fur. Part of her wanted to respond, and part of her wanted to ignore the comment, as if it hadn't affected her. It had, but she was far enough away from him that maybe he couldn't tell, that he couldn't see the tension that suddenly sang along her spine, the coy look she tossed at him over her shoulder in the dark maybe hidden by the distance between them.

Persephone found herself glad for the distraction of the little glow worms, marveling up at them as the lit and dimmed, the latter more so when they seemed to be disturbed by the two wolves. Persephone had never seen such a thing, and stepped up on a nearby rock to get a better look. Unaware of his lingering stare, Persephone leaned up to nose, oh so gently, at one of the little creatures, a gentle sound of surprise escaping her when it climbed its own web to get away from her. “Oh!” The withdrawal of one seemed to cascade, triggering a response from them all, a pretty frown shaping the lines of her mouth.

“Did... I scare them?” She asked, looking at him, her perch on the stone once more bringing her closer to his height.
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He was trying not to gawk at her. It wasn't boding well for him however, considering that he couldn't take his eyes off her and the way the lights bounced off her eyes and everything was awash with this ethereal glow. "This was what my realm was like, darker, the shiny of night always on us." He didn't dislike it, it was his home. He felt more at ease there than he ever had been beneath the bright endless skies of olympus. The only time he'd ventured beyond his realm was occasionally to the mortal plane and only when he had to visit Zeus. He wasn't going to focus on those memories. Not now, although the darkness of the cavern only added to the memories. Hades wondered if he spent more time there, he might be able to remember more of his life. 

He watched her as she moved, delicate nose reaching up to touch at one of them. One movement set the others off and they cascaded in waves, shining and glowing in a ebb and flow. He was mystified by the way that she spoke seemed almost worried she'd caused them some type of distress. "No, Goddess, they just want to put on a better show for you." Hades promised, standing level with her on the rock she'd climbed. "They wanted you to see how beautiful they are." And for him? Perhaps they wanted to show him how good everything looked. As if he wasn't aware, somehow, and he realized he'd been staring too long. He turned to look at the water and the shine from above on it, smiling softly. "This would be perfect to settle in. It reminds me of Tartarus - dark and endless, but the sky was always so beautiful to me."
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He spoke of his home and Persephone’s gaze turned from the glow worms to the man beside her, awe spinning to something warm and content. “It sounds like it was very peaceful,” She said to him, tail swishing gently behind her. She had always appreciated calm, quiet places, ones you could visit to unwind and relax. The idea of doing so here came easy to her, imagining finding a bed of soft moss and grass mixed with flowers and laying there, watching the glowing worms shift across the ceiling.

A better show? Her head canted, just slightly, eyes cast up at the very ceiling she’d just been imagining, smiling when she realized that they hadn’t stopped glowing. They’d simply put space between themselves and the wolves, creating a star-like pattern above them. “They are very pretty,” She agreed absently, her attention focused still upon them, though she managed to pull her eyes away and look at him as he spoke of settling here. A light, bright and excited, flashed through her eyes.

“You mean we could call this home?” She asked him, ears alert as she waited for his confirmation.
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Peaceful? He'd never heard anyone call his realm peaceful. Not with the eternal struggle of souls and then the whole business of judging them and the servitude. This was a strange concept to him, given that this world seemed so different and her perception was so different. "I would have loved showing you." Hades admitted quietly. How could something so bright and beautiful as her enjoy his dark and cold realm? "But I don't know how much you would have loved it." He admitted and smiled softly at her. 

That flash in her eyes amused him and enticed him. He wanted to know more of what drew her in. Hades gestured to the cavern and then above, back towards the entrance. "If we settled here, claimed the forest, but this....this would be ours." Ours, in a protective sort of note to it - it was a different suggestion than what he'd made before. It was more possessive of her and theirs.

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“Mm. All of it, or just this particular cavern?” She was sure there was more to this underground world, more to explore, more to find and delight in. This cavern though... Stepping down off the small boulder, Persephone poked around a bit more, searching. What was he thinking? She wondered after it, though she didn't blatantly say so, instead finding the flowers she'd smelled before. Just as she'd imagined, perhaps better than her imagination, vines of jasmine and wisteria hung from the cavern walls to frame a little alcove where grass and moss covered the ground.

Grinning, Persephone flopped into the bed of grass, rolling onto her back and stretching. Yes. Yes, she liked it here. “Let's do it,” She agreed suddenly, giggling as she lay there. “I like it here.”
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Hades gave her a roguish grin, blue eyes flashing at the mere idea of having it all. His tongue brushed across one fang. "I was a King - and anything less certainly wouldn't suffice for a Goddess after all." Hades did remember that. All three brothers had their own realms, their own jobs, their own worlds. It was a fine balance and all and he truthfully couldn't remember all of the details but it had been sufficient enough for him. He didn't feel envy and he didn't struggle with the power struggle. 

He watched as she sought out the flowers and grass and rolled around, finding her spot and getting settled. He'd taken maybe two steps towards her when she said lets do it and he swore it went right from his head to his stomach and that heat was stoked so quickly. The shock shown on his face and he tried to blink it back when he realized she was just talking about the idea of claiming the land. "I'm glad," He said softly. He laid down next to her, rolling in a surprisingly graceful way to be on his back next to her. "I like it too." 

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Pleased that he joined her, Persephone turned her head to look at him, the smile on her face warm and content. “I think we should call it Tartarus, then. After your home.” If it was theirs, it was theirs to name, too. “The forest still hasn't given us a name, yet.” Perhaps it was odd to speak of it as if it was its own entity but there was something about the collection of evergreens that stood outside that told her there was something special about it. A yawn split her maw then, a thoughtful sound leaving her as she thought more about what they would call the forest. What if they never figured something out?

“Aidoneus? Do you think we could nap here for a bit?” The use of his true name slipped from her tongue without thinking. She had been jarred from her sleep initially anyway, and it wasn't like she'd sleep all day. Just a little while.
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Tartarus. He smiled gently and then when she'd said the forest hadn't told them it's name.....he could only agree. "It will," Hades felt confident in that. He was happy at her side and leveled her a glance when she yawned. He leaned in and nuzzled against her, ears perking a bit when she said his name. "We can, Persephone." His teeth trailed through her fur, just nibbling at her jaw. "Turn over," He suggested, gently nudging her to her other side. When she'd settled he curled around her, settled and happy where they were. 

"Maybe when we get up we can explore the forest a bit more and it will give us a name." Hades wasn't in any hurry after all. They had time still, time aplenty, and they could make sure that this kingdom of theirs was built exactly how they wanted it to be.   

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She did as instructed, rolling to her side and snuggling back into him, the weight of sleep suddenly so heavy it was difficult to keep her eyes open. Humming a soft acknowledgement to his words, Persephone dozed off rather quickly, that same little smile present on her face even now.

Fade.
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