February Open Prompts/Catch-all

[pummelgranite]

WHO: Persephone vs everyone
WHERE: various cities
WHEN: through February
WHAT: A few prompts, please poke me if you want something else
WARNINGS: discussion of violence/depression/disordered eating likely as always

A. Nona- A Strange Performance in a Tiny Jazz Club

[ It's not her typical venue, not by a long shot. It's a small space, with a simple stage. She even lets them use their own lights instead of miracling up herself something more impressive. There's no dance floor, and they hardly advertised for her at all. It's more a jazz club than anything else, too small for her sound, really. But that's alright. She's not here to perform her normal mass.

She isn't in high heels, or armor, or war paint. Rather, she comes out in a simple black dress and veil, ornamented with white flowers. What she sings is no persistent climax. The rage and defiance and violence usually typical of her songs is missing as well. Instead, it's something bittersweet and heart-wrenching. It's like an intimate aria sung in that same untranslatable language, but the message is clear: winter will always fade, spring will always come, but there are still so many things lost that can never return. Just because spring is coming, does not mean you will live to see it.

The piano and cello duet that follow her aren't bad either. After her performance, it might seem like anyone else would pale in comparison, but if anything the opposite is true- they, too, sound breathtakingly beautiful in the space that she's blessed. The goddess herself makes her way to the bar. Her normal companions seem absent, and most of the patrons don't dare to make eye contact, let alone approach. Do you? ]


B. The Hotel Castille lounge/lobby, evening

[ Persephone WAS at the bar. But now she's in the beautiful, glittering lobby. She is sprawled in a chair that looks like it cost several normal human's paychecks, in a way quite disrespectful to the quality of the upholstery. Her feet dangle over the back, and her head hangs towards the floor. There's a soft cloud of colorful hair beneath her. In her hands is a notebook, and in her mouth is a pen. Every once in a while she takes the pen out of her mouth to jot something into the notebook, but mostly she's just chewing on the pen.


C. Maurtia Falls Art Museum, reasonable business hours

[ If one were to happen into the museum that day, it would be hard not to miss her. She parks herself on a bench in front of a particular piece of art, and doesn't move for over an hour.

The art in question is probably no surprise- it's a Renaissance work by a not-so-terribly-famous artist, depicting Orpheus playing for Hades and his queen. There are headphones in her ears, and the only sign she gives that she's not a statue herself is pulling out her phone every so often to change her music. ]


D. South Maurtia Historic Cemetery - literally any time you'd like, day or night

[ What the fuck is she doing now? Is she sleeping on a grave? It's a single grave in a family plot, but the headstones are all so old that the names have long since faded. So... yeah. Sleeping on someone's grave. Cool, cool, cool, cool, normal. ]

Comments

[pummelgranite]

[ She sighs and puts a hand on the headstone like she might put a hand in Nico's hair. ]

[abandon_hope]

[ He softens at that. ]

It's all right. I don't sense anyone lingering, anyway.

[pummelgranite]

Oh.

[ . . . ]


Been busy?

[abandon_hope]

... yeah. I was looking for Inanna. Guess there wasn't much point to that.

[pummelgranite]

Mm. [ She lays back down on the grave. ]

Well, thanks for looking.

[abandon_hope]

[ He sits next to her. ]

I could have found them. If they were still here.

[pummelgranite]

Oh shit, you can divine that kind of thing?

[abandon_hope]

No, but I can teleport all over. And there aren't many people here who have died.

[pummelgranite]

- ah.

[ There's a little twitch at her mouth. She doesn't like thinking about it these days. ]

Right. Handy. So what are you up to now?

[abandon_hope]

[ Not much. Nico shrugs a little. ]

Staying out of trouble?

[pummelgranite]

Sounds boring.

[abandon_hope]

I can't be interesting all the time.

[ A beat. ]

There's a new guy on the network who seems kind of neat.

[pummelgranite]

Oh yeah?

[abandon_hope]

Yeah. A figure skater. Blond hair, around my age.

[ And unspoken: He's kinda cute. ]

[pummelgranite]

Huh. Another one?

[abandon_hope]

... Huh? There's more?

[pummelgranite]

Yeah, there was this couple that got Inanna totally hot and bothered, then turned them down. It was pretty amazing.

So what's the kid like?

[abandon_hope]

That just sounds weird.

[ What kind of adult turns down Inanna??? Anyway. ]

Um, he's blond. Kind of angry, with a pet cat. And he was pretty skeptical of the whole "son of Hades" thing.

[pummelgranite]

[ Is Nico making a friend? Nico!! Is making a friend!!! ]

Need me to show off a miracle or two?

[ Normally, showing off a miracle JUST to prove herself to another imPort is beneith her. But to impress a friend of Nico's? Any time. ]

[abandon_hope]

Would you? I think he likes that kind of stuff. Things that are cool and a little weird.

[ He means that to apply to both of them really. ]

[pummelgranite]

Thought about introducing him to the dancers?

[abandon_hope]

I already did. Kind of. Well, just Frank. You know how excited he gets.

[pummelgranite]

Uh huh.


[ OH. OH SHE KNOWS. There are reasons no one is permitted to send fresh flowers back stage anymore and that reason died in 1997 and was named Frank. ]

[abandon_hope]

[ Dammit Frank. ]

I'll introduce him to the rest next time.

[pummelgranite]

Sure. I dunno that I have much better than the dancers, outside of an actual show.