PC: HANAKO 💀

[resumed]

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w3 monday

[resumed]

[ anyway at some point on monday nico is just. standing at the essential oils shop and kind of staring tiredly into the void. ]

...is it me, or are these stores getting more and more random? [ he does not believe in aromatherapy, apparently. ]

[hanaban]

[ Hair salons... aromatherapy... ]

At least they got the hospital and schools up and running first...

[ their priorities ]

But I bet you're just bitter they didn't work on the Halloween store, aren't you?

[resumed]

[ don't just call him out on this? ]

What gave it away? [ haha. he's really not (much) but also he doesn't mind playing along with that. ] I mean obviously it opens on Thursdays and by force, but it was still empty. All I'm saying is that it's stupid to announce that it's coming soon with no signs of progress.

[hanaban]

Aw, but that's the spirit of Halloween, isn't it? It sneaks up on you, and goes BOO!!

[ none of that three month slowburn nonsense that Christmas does ]

[resumed]

[ it gets a laugh from him. ]

Usually I'm the one sneaking up on people and going "boo", so you can see why Halloween and I get along. Call us old friends. [ but he glances at the store again. ] ...seriously though, essential oils?

[hanaban]

[ glances back at the store too... ]

Essential oils are flammable, right?

[resumed]

I think most oils are. [ glancing at the store. ] ...are you thinking of becoming an arsonist later?

[ should he be preparing for hanako to burn down the store. ]

[hanaban]

Haha!

[ the answer is a resounding yes ]

[resumed]

[ love that for him. and nico just kind of covers his face and laughs behind his hand. ]

Okay, new question. Do I get enough of a warning not to be here when the whole place goes up in smoke? Or should I be on standby to watch the show?

[hanaban]

Like you'd be hanging around here anyways?

[ he'll be fine!! ]

[resumed]

I don't know if I'll have to be anywhere close by to see the impact if there's flammable oil everywhere, Hanako. But fair enough. After this I'm...not really seeing a reason I would ever have to come back to this part of the city. I just like to check in case there's something hidden elsewhere.

[hanaban]

That's kind of a surprise. I thought all kids liked hanging around in the city.

[ maybe not this shop specifically, but the other stores? it's a whole city out there. ]

[resumed]

Depends on the city. I mean we're from New York. [ which is a big, big difference. ] I don't dislike cities or the places in them, but I guess I'm still a little more used to secluded places. Or at least places with options that aren't so...normal.

[hanaban]

So... like Mouse's dorm.

[ it's secluded-ish. definitely not normal. ]

[resumed]

Not...that secluded. Your ball pit still terrifies me. [ it's a joke but also he really does believe you'll just drown in there. ]

[hanaban]

[ it's very possible ]

It's not that bad! There's a prinny at the bottom, you know? I don't think it's seen the light of day in years!

[resumed]

[ i really hope this is just hanako fucking with him because he does actually look startled by this. ]

There's...why? Wait, did you guys just leave it in there? [ HELLO? ]

[hanaban]

Hm? It lives there.

[ sorry to report that I don't know, it was there and then we abandoned it and moved on ]

[resumed]

[ i love this for you guys.

anyway nico now assumes the prinny is bugged to spy on mouse dorm. ]

Well...as long as it's happy or whatever. [ no. ] But regardless. The dorm's a little too closed off, but more like...the underworld?

[hanaban]

[ The underworld is closed off in an entirely different way ]

But as somebody who isn't bound to it, I'm guessing.

[resumed]

Right, exactly. [ he sort of shrugs to that because he hasn't really thought much about being bound or not lately. ] It's not that often, but I do still visit my father's house. Or I'll be down there on other business checking on stuff. It's different than the surface world...busy, but not the same as the busy-ness of the upper world. If that makes any sense.

[ and even the upper world he spends so much time at camp or on quests trying not to die, so being in a city like this where everything is so chill outside of murder is. still a little weird. ]

[hanaban]

[ When you spend your entire death bound to a single building, anything bigger than a school seems like so much, overwhelmingly so sometimes. ]

Kinda. Humans are so complicated. [ Supernaturals? easy. it's the living that are So Much. ]

Are you like Danny? Half dead, half not? Most people wouldn't be able to pass in and out as freely as you make it sound.

[resumed]

[ this is fair and valid. ]

Tell me about it. [ he says, as half-human. ] I'm still trying to get the hang of understanding everything about them.

[ but he shakes his head. ] Danny's situation is a little different, I think. But it's more like...half god and half human? My father's the god of the dead.

[hanaban]

[ something about Nico's tone makes him think of The God of The Dead, not just a representation like Number 6. Still, if Number 6 has as much power as he does, then a God... ]

Your father, he still has to abide by certain laws, doesn't he? Like how you cannot return the dead back to life. Death... is the end. Isn't it...?

[ It's the law that's always governed his beliefs. But if that law doesn't necessarily hold true... ]

[resumed]

[ hm...the question makes him pause just a little because it's sort of. uh. complicated? it's a little complicated and he frowns softly as he mulls over his words. ]

In theory, yes. It is meant to be the end. When a person dies and their soul is escorted to the Underworld, they're put before a counsel of judges who determine if they'll go to Elysium, Asphodel, or the Fields of Punishment. Once a person has been properly judged...that's usually it.

[ ... ]

You're not supposed to bring the dead back. But there was a time my father made a single exception when I brought someone out with me. [ he thinks on this a little further. ] And even then...in our world, those who are judged and sent to Elysium are given an option for rebirth. Even if they don't choose to do so, I suppose you could say death still has life to it.