Monday Night at Nell and Gladio's

[mylandmyrules]

Nell wasn't sure who, if anyone, would be coming tonight after the men's weekend getaway, but she had food stuffs ready to throw together. She'd wanted to bring home some of the daffodils, but given that they were toxic to cats she'd brought home a few sunflowers instead.

And,as usual, once everything was set she settled down with her book to relax a little.

Comments

[deathsmajesty]

Much of Liliana's good mood from the weekend remained on Monday, perhaps even heightened considering how Sunday had progressed. So she swept into the apartment all smiles.


"Hello, Nell dear," Liliana said. "Are you quite recovered from the fright I gave you?"

[mylandmyrules]

"Yes," Nell said with a rueful smile. "And now I know to check any wayward middle of the night text I get from you before panicking." Be careful, Liliana. An important text might go unchecked for a bit now. Oh, who are we kidding? This was Nell!

[deathsmajesty]

Somehow Liliana didn't seem overly concerned about that terrible outcome. "Sorry, dear, but I hadn't thought about what time it was or how such a thing might be taken. I simply saw and responded so you wouldn't worry."

Or assume the worst and tattle.

[mylandmyrules]

Nell laughed. "Well, all's well that ends well."

Or have her show up and make you eat.

[deathsmajesty]

Pffft, Liliana had been down in her workshop. Nell would have shown up and had to wait when she came back up. On the plus side, that was when she was most likely to be hungry, so hey!

"So did Ignis ask you to keep an eye out for me?" she asked.

[mylandmyrules]

Nell raised an eyebrow. "Ignis? No. I thought it up all by my ownself."

She had. Though it was possible Ignis might have asked her if he'd thought of it.

"You're my friend, Liliana. I know you don't always remember to eat and thought I'd check on you."

[deathsmajesty]

"He threatened once," she said. "It's different when someone checks in of their own volition." And then she pouted sighed. "Physical bodies were a mistake."

[mylandmyrules]

That got a laugh. "There are days when I would definitely agree with you. But there are others - most days - when I rather like having a body."

[deathsmajesty]

"Bodies that aren't projections of your own will given form by magic," Liliana amended. "Where you could eat and sleep and...partake in other physical enjoyments, but didn't require obnoxious upkeep and maintenance and were immune to things like 'aging' and even most 'deaths' because that simply wasn't how you saw yourself."

[mylandmyrules]

"I suppose," Nell said, "Though I guess I'm one of those 'to everything there is a season' people. I could do without the aches and pains of getting old, but I don't think I would want to live forever."

[deathsmajesty]

"I suppose that is where we disagree, dear one," Liliana said. "I didn't rest until I regained my immortality. And my youth as well, because an eternity as an ancient crime didn't suit me, either."

Unlike some people, Grandmother Sengir.

[mylandmyrules]

Nell smiled at her. "Then I hope you'll remember me fondly when I'm gone."

[deathsmajesty]

There was a moment, less even than an eyeblink, where Nell could spot a deep and abiding grief within Liliana.

"Of course I will, my dear," she said. "I shall raise a glass in your honor every year. Well, most years. I've lost a few years every now and again in my work."

[mylandmyrules]

"And I shall watch over you from the other side," Nell said with a soft smile.

[deathsmajesty]

"I kicked down the barrier to heaven recently to shove a spirit in there," she said idly. "I'm sure your transmission will go more smoothly."

She still didn't really understand all of what that meant, but she'd talked to Nell enough to get that much.

[mylandmyrules]

Nell shrugged a little uncomfortably. "Not sure I'm gonna make it to heaven," she said. "Pretty sure I'm not actually."

God frowned on murder. At least Nell's god did.

[deathsmajesty]

"Why?" Liliana asked, since she didn't have much of a bar for what getting into heaven entailed anyway.

[mylandmyrules]

"He's... pretty strict on his commandments," Nell said. "And I haven't actually kept them all."

[deathsmajesty]

Liliana raised an eyebrow. "Well, what are these commandments that are so all-important?" she asked.

Try and catch a god telling her what to do.

[mylandmyrules]

"There's prob'ly three of the ten," Nell said, "But the main one is the one about not murdering people."

Yes, even if the few who knew about it said it was self-defense, she wasn't so sure God cared about that.

[deathsmajesty]

Then this god was even more of an asshole than they sounded like, if anyone was unsure about Liliana's not-at-all humble opinion.

"Well, I'm out," Liliana said with a shrug. "Though, dear one, a god that sees things only in black and white with no shades of gray is hardly one worth the worship."

[mylandmyrules]

Nell sighed. "I have a difficult relationship with him anyhow, seeing what the people of God's Cloud of Glory do in his name, but still."

[deathsmajesty]

"Why does what they do in his name have anything to do with what you think of him? I have a whole cu--" Liliana stopped, blinked, frowned. Then her eyes widened fractionally and she shook her head. "People will attach themselves to anything. Who says he even knows about them?"

[mylandmyrules]

"I was brought up to believe that what the Church said was the Word of God," Nell said quietly. "But some of them are definitely not good people, so if God approves of the things they do and have done..."

She shrugged.

Especially some of the things they'd done or tried to do to her.

[deathsmajesty]

"Many people say things," Liliana said gently. "If you hadn't met these people through the Church, would you believe the things they had to say? Would you so much trust them to tell you what's good for breakfast?"