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Lint Roller? I Barely Know Her
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@archtemis
independent, extremely lowkey multimuse, primarily featuring ARTEMIS ☾ & sometimes NYX ☽ set in the universe of supergiant's hades. written by k, they/them, 30+. graphicless & mutuals only.
rules under cut.
main blog: @nymfernal
when she was actually had the great bow in hand she could do little else but stare as she slowly closed her fingers around it, suddenly drawing her back to long hunts with it in her grasp, determined as ever to keep up with her goddess no matter the toll on her body or the ache it would bring the next day. last thing she ever wanted was to let her out of her sight, not when she had a choice. at the very least she'd want to witness the moment it happened, and at most she wanted a shot at the creature herself. she was sure she never did like sharing, not when she was never afforded things of her own when walls closed around her, but she didn't mind it with her. her hunt was her Lady's hunt, she'd spoken her name into her arrowheads since the very first time she had let them fly.
her eyes travelled between her bow and the goddess standing in front of her, “ you're sure you don't want to take a shoot at it yourself? ” she tempted her, speaking absentmindedly as she stroked the smooth wood beneath her fingertips, tested its weight, “ you did say you'd hardly had the chance lately. ”
it didn't go unnoticed, as ears pricked at the sound of another request of hers granted. a warm fire, a full stomach, shelter and her... by her side again as they wiled away the night. looking at her, she was sure she wasn't the only one that could use it either.
but it filled her with a dread at the very same time, wondering again if she'd never really left those starved fields. she had to be ensnared in the most perfect dream, on her way to Tartarus as she looked into those eyes that felt like home. what lady nemesis had told her aside, this seemed— just far too good to be true for someone who had so selfishly broken her Lady's trust. she'd always prepared for the worst, expected there to be wolves where there weren't any, made sure she was ready for it, just in case. it was basic survival, now etched into her bones that still felt strange and unnatural as she ambled on two feet... should she be foolish enough to hope? could she even stop herself if she wanted to? that she'd- want her by her side again. everyone she had ever known had turned her away, but all that really mattered was this, was her greatest friend. she might never truly be forgiven, but she'd dedicate the rest of her life to healing the wound she'd created (and she knew it was there, recognised it before she'd— all but run from here.)
she had to set those thoughts aside lest she lose her mind over it. all that mattered right now was this, their hunt, like it used to be.
she actually laughed, real from her stomach, gave it to the forrest, “ oh, you didn't enjoy them then? didn't even have to catch them yourself and you never used to like— ... never used to like it either, but my claws don't miss a fish these days, ” her spear too, unlike the great weapon she towed along at her side. thought she'd appreciate that when she'd caught them, at least.
now this was familiar, the challenge reflected between them, taken up without a second thought as she followed after her, “ we're hardly spoiled for choice here, but i'd much rather hunt a blood thirsty creature than another mindless thing. i'm not that out of practise. ” not to speak of the unquenchable urge she felt to prove herself.
there was a moment of stillness as she closed her eyes to try orient herself in this strange place she'd just begun to know. after a long moment of it her nose wrinkled as the stench found her, had her coughing, “ gods, it doesn't help that everything reeks of death down here. ” it made it hard to focus, to rely on what she knew best these days. but when she had the scent she was off, eyes narrowed at the concentration of it ahead, decaying but something great, something the mortals told stories of. or so Lady Nemesis had seen fit to dangle for her.
of course this creature was also half way down to Hades. a resurrected, cursed thing doesn't know how to go down honourably, just like the rest of the masses around here. but at least it would be one less thing for Lady Melinoë to encounter, “it's a few glades down. isn't it? ... deserves a natural end after it's defeat up there. ”
so she got to one knee to prepare the bow while they were still far off enough. a hunt these days meant survival, for at least one more day. but as she looked up at her, still the most precious thing in her heart. her frown blinked away. she wasn't alone, couldn't be with her here. there was no helping the fierce determination that smiled up at her, like an outstretched hand wondering if she'd reach back. her stomach was in knots she'd never be able to untangle from it.
“ ... any chance your arrows can slay these things for good, or am i about to make a worthy enemy for as long as we're down here? ”
❝No such luck. These days, all it takes to escape the Underworld is simply the fortune to be heading in the right direction.❞ She'd been more susceptible to the nymph's fearless smile, once, she's certain, but the Huntress finds her focus too frayed for it. The look of her beloved wielding her bow... sours her expression before she can hide it. Perhaps it'd been a mistake. All of this. How evident it is, her shame, her regret, her relent — or shall be to the few beings privy to the circumstance, at least.
Though it is not the goddess of retribution nor the younger goddess teetering on proper understanding that Artemis is concerned with. It is her, still flitting between cognisance and otherwise. Herself, for she knows her mind well. How likely is it that her choices should hold up with full coherence, once she can be certain? And how can one persist while this entangled with the very wound to her pride?
But she feels her heart beat as it had not in an age, to be party to her unfiltered pondering and to walk alongside her, close enough that any movement might cause her pelt to brush her calf. Oh, the presence of her, making lively this corner of Hades. It is succour and suffering at once; shackled not by oath, but something even more unforgiving as love. She wishes that this hunt should never end.
She thinks she is not as easily read as before, these thoughts causing the silence to stretch long. For her part, Callisto keeps either careful concentration or wise restraint until the goddess speaks.
❝You haven't transformed since.❞ Barely a blink of the eye, in comparison to the years spent in her other form, apart; alone. She'd seen the look in the She-bear's eye, wild and cornered, desperate to preserve her very life. Why she freely calls to this bitter existence she'd condemned her love to, Artemis cannot say. Only that it is in her wont to speak straight to the point. ❝I have to wonder, after all this time, do you feel more like a nymph who wears the skin of a bear, or a bear who wears the skin of a nymph?❞
It is simpler, after all, the life of a creature. Concerned with far less than faces them now, the injury not attended to.
Yet that is precisely where her courage fails, and her words lack. ❝You did well to survive, all this time. A true display of shrewdness and skill.❞
her body begun to relax before she did the the moment the rolling hills of home came up in the distance, space and peace in bounds instead of the hot stones underfoot causing her to swelter under her pelt, not to mention the crowds of mortals that had her on alert as they pooled around her.
she so readily took on these tasks for her Lady each time, knowing she would give them the proper care they deserved. though each time, no sooner than she stepped foot outside her woods did she start to wonder why on earth she'd traded her Lady's company for those she had left behind long ago. why she so willingly faced the bustle of the polis, towed around her weight in offerings or sat so calmly through praise after praise. for her, of course. she had nothing to prove after so long by her side, but so far there was hardly anything she wouldn't raise her hand for, when it came to her... and perhaps also for some creeping fascination— what these places she'd heard so much about were really like, beyond the suffocating walls she'd always been kept behind as a child, how they would worship her goddess.
the paint that covered her face was usually her only saving grace. most mortals these days regarded her with an unwary fear of what they didn't fully understand, a dangerous looking woman, or with a respect that kept them far away... just not the one she had met on her journey back, following her all the way from one village to the next. filled with curiosity that had her peering in like she could see past it all. it was a humbling feeling and more than unfamiliar these days, her stomach rolling at the interest in her eyes.
it made her even more relived to be back, to see her faint glow in the distance, feel it deep in her bones that she was home. there was no longer anything to hide, she could just be here, herself.
she released a smile she’d shown to no other since she'd left, one that would mean even less if it were anyone else she was angling it towards. wanted nothing else than to fall at her side and rest her tired legs. but did she receive any of that in return? it was yet to be seen, barely a look in her direction when she called for her in the distance.
“ my Lady... it's good to be back... a few of the young ones did say i should take care coming over here... is there something i should know about? it wouldn't happen to be something I could string my bow for, would it? ” so she was desperate for it, it was a long shot by far but her bow had been left practically untouched for weeks. yet still, she was lacking the spark of recognition in her eyes she had been hoping for her entire journey...
she tilted her head, tried to catch those eyes she'd pictured since she'd left, “ ... - i realise, i took longer than i should have, than i wanted to... was held up by worshippers of yours, stopped more than half a dozen times on the way back... but that's what you get for travelling on the beaten path, ” she sighed. she was displeased, with her, that much was obvious. practically pained her not to see that look her in eyes whenever she returned from a long trip away, the one that had her feeling like she was atop the tallest tree there ever was, the one she'd expect after a tiresome trip... was it really so much to ask to lie in the grass and make up for lost time? it turned out the fates weren't on her side today.
but she'd need to find out what exactly it was before she started with apologies, before she could claim her well earned reward. she moved a step closer, determined to find out, “ ...my Lady?”
ˋ°•*⁀➷ @archtemis
Ah. So she returns. She feels the leaves rustle, she hears the wind whisper of it. Her very joy of homecoming spreads through the forest like contagion, swift and feverish. It sends the birds aflutter, if not her very heart. Her sisters titter, and the creatures gather to rejoice. Callisto, broad shouldered and bear-pelted and twice as beautiful as her name would suggest, ever delightful and most beloved to Artemis.
The goddess does not turn her face toward the nymph. Does not deign to. She, alone, is unmoved by the warmth of her arrival. In the growing heat of late spring, she remains cool under shade, made colder by an offence graver than mere tardiness.
❝Oh, I'm well aware of the delay you speak of. Waylaid by those wanting mortals, were you?❞ The creeping edge of contempt belies her disapproval. Not so much to fully anger, and not so little that she need not take to her knees in apology. But she speaks her sternness to the trees; so rare is it that Callisto should disappoint her that the goddess knows not how the honey-toned gaze might sway her.
☾ Too much already has the sound of her voice done to placate her dourness, the naked delight turning to dismay, the playful call gone muted and wary. She does not wish to soften further, far too wild to be in the nymph's hold. ☽
Should have known better, the countless cycles she's done this. But tender is her heart that it would overpower her wisdom. Does she think nothing of it, to simply guess at her goddess's ire?
❝Perhaps there is a particular one you wish to tell me about.❞
@callisthope — you dance like you’re trying to forget something.
Observant. Though, most others take the hint much sooner than she. She, with the sure steps that can only belie competence and the gaze that does not rest. It darts after the barest of movements, ever vigilant, the shine of such garish displays of wealth reflected in them far more invitingly amongst the speckles of moss and — what reason has she to pay this much attention to eyes?
Perhaps it is because they remind her of the woods, lush and alive and eternally preferable to here. Perhaps it is because they are like hers, a thing of the wild held captive, under the visor that would proclaim domesticity.
Whatever it is possesses Artemis not to scowl her into retreat, and instead let this errant knight interrupt her merriment.
The light's harsher than she remembers, and the dance floor spins even after she's stopped. Pulled from the place of numbness, her regret is as quick to sink in as the prattle all around.
❝Aren't we all? Or are you one of those who truly believe they gain nothing but benefit from their station?, in which case, do carry on with your night.❞ Far from light conversation. Her tongue's loose. Hard to find it in her to care. She is still the lady known widely as surly and unapproachable. How she loathed them the most who delighted in the games made of their lives, and wished no more but to play it well. Much like the shining groom-to-be, her blood, the celebrated of tonight's feast.
❝I need some fresh air. If you'll excuse me.❞ Her feet move before it is given.
How many times until it's too many to draw her?
This is my 5th time ;w; oops
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@callisthope — i didn’t mean to call you. my hands just remembered your number.
Should hang up, be done with it. With her — like she's been these past months. She's drunk ☾ she's not far behind ☽ ; and Artemis knows too well the kind of damage her untethered tongue can wreak.
She'd once sworn to protect her heart. Had sworn a lot of things; palm on her chest and cheek against hers, pressed so tightly she could hardly discern where it was that she ended and Callisto began. The warmest of eyes and the most heartfelt of looks as she kissed her wrist and promised it all, sweet and sincere and so unsuspecting. Suppose it wasn't she who broke her word.
Might as well be turned to stone, for all the action she takes. Can hear her racing thoughts in the heavy silence, the wistfulness in the static. Recognises the sheer restraint in withholding what she truly wishes to say by the sounds of her breathing alone. I miss you, I'm sorry; I don't know how to be without you. Her mouth will not speak it.
The mattress shifts. Just barely, carrying the whole weight of irreparable. So ends her trance, but they'd ended a long time ago.
❝Well, you ought to forget it. Delete it, if you haven't already.❞ Had known who it was from the first glimpse alone. Didn't have to pick up. Why did she?
❝I'm– with someone.❞ It's deliberate. She knows how to lay a trap. She'll misunderstand. It's a wonder Callisto's still on the line.
ˋ°•*⁀➷ @archtemis asked: “ what happened? ”
“ it's not obvious? ” she huffed, sparing a glance down at the blood that had amassed and crusted against the back of her pelt, sat still at the river bank. blood always seemed to run when they came together, part of an ancient toll paid by mothers to give all that was theirs until there was nothing left, she was sure of it. (she wouldn't be anymore, not once her instincts telling her to fight back receded, she knew.)
but it seemed like there was at least one thing he hadn't taken.
“ he needed to aim a little to the left and then some. safe to say we can rule out any other resemblances, ” she knew she shouldn't be too hasty to write off arcas, even if he had shot an arrow into her currently stinging shoulder. he was still learning after all and it was his first proper try at it— but he hadn't even been aiming at her. gods. she sighed, relinquishing the tension held in her body to gaze upon her heart warily, letting her frustration dispense, “ he just- couldn't wait. i told him you'd be back soon, ” he'd waited a long while for it, asked for it practically since he could talk. but the impatience on him, that one she was likely to blame for, “ ... did you- see him already then? our little bear. ”
Quick is Artemis's expression to sour, what lingering concern soon wiped clean by displeasure. ❝Do you mean to say you allowed him his first shot? With the bow I'd carved him, while Olympus had me trapped?❞ Where her words end is a hair's breadth from danger, undecided if the mishap is retaliation served efficiently or calamity narrowly avoided.
The Huntress finds herself approaching regardless, lithe fingers lifting the soiled pelt. There are few others than her beloved that the goddess would tend, skirts already muddied where she's knelt. Callisto's sister nymphs might have nursed the wound just as well as she, but they'd do little to address the other half of it.
❝He's wilful.❞ Much like you. The surest proof of his parentage, if not the warmth of maternal instinct. Nevertheless, it is her duty to guide him well in childhood. What might the little bear wish for next — to drive her chariot to the seat of her father? ❝But he'll have to learn to heed your word. The sooner the better, for both your sakes.❞
❝I'd thought to supply him a dozen blunted arrows, and my blessing for good measure. And I'd intended to witness his first draw myself... Still, it appears he's good instincts if he managed to hit you.❞
@archtemis espoused her truth, “i would not have it any other way.”
❝ I'll ask for your forgiveness pre-emptively, my lady. It has been... so very long since last I practiced. ❞
The rushing waters of the Cocytus provided a natural rhythm for her last performance. The gentle warbling of gathered shades, the faint sound of chip bags being trampled underfoot? Accoutrement and accompaniment that once surrounded the eager witchling were all, pointedly, missing now.
The Wild Isle was no Crossroads. It lacked many of the comforts and amenities of her once-home, not the least of which being a well-marked scoop for The Hunt herself to sit and sing from.
All Diana had to offer her Goddess on this freshly bloomed night was a warm fire, an overturned log, and the gentle trilling of her own voice warming up after years of disuse.
❝ Farewell... To all the earthly remains. No burdens. No further debts to be paid... ❞
Whatever the Princess's attempts are sure to surpass that of hers, the sound of gravel markedly closer to a growl than the desired affirmation. So long is it since she'd sat in firelight, since she'd regarded its crackling not as deterrent to bloody maw, but as warmth and welcome. As long as Man has forsaken the wilds and its mistress, Her ways scorned, and Her lands laid to waste.
But her tune... not that of her Amazons, kept in memory and away from the goddess herself; yet like cleansing waters after a particularly grizzly kill. It tempers the sharpest of the Huntress's instincts and soothes her restless bloodlust.
She's regaled Artemis before, she remembers now. Head resting on paws and sung melodies of the Underworld as if they'd not fought tooth and claw just hours before. The hospitality and singular voice are always precisely what her spirits need.
It is enough to soften her vocal chords to inflect, even, express:
❝You are far too modest, Diana. Your song is a boon to me, for it reminds me of the company I used to have in- ❞ ☾ what gods could be listening? ☽ If the Huntress, solitary and unbound, was wont to wistfulness, this might be such a moment.
commissioned this beautiful artemis and callisto piece from kat_kay_tee and thought I’d share 💘
now that one hadn't been entirely her fault; she hadn't been the only one treading leaves beneath her restless feet while she was away, who longed to help their Lady— she was their goddess, yes, but at the core of it she was one of them. they'd treat her like they would any other huntress who was faced with a great beast, alone. “ you won't believe me if i tell you it wasn't my idea we have daily training, will you? although, i can't say i put up much of a fight. or- any, really. ” she sighed. they had been longing for her as much as she had been, so how could she turn them down?
it'd slowly become clear to her, what she needed to be in her Lady's absence, and how the fresh sting of her leave made it more than a little difficult to refuse anyone's wishes, had her begrudgingly conceding to the sort of frivolous fun that had become harder and harder to recall.
“ that was a good try. but i don't think i'm as merciful as I used to be, my Lady... i'm afraid all the responsibility of practically leading your band of nymphs might have gone to my head. it won't be so easy to get out of this. ” she felt her lungs fill full, for the first time in a long time as she walked by her side, tugging her hand closer to her side to squeeze past the twin trees ahead, to have her closer. because she could. a dangerous thought to have— as she felt a greedy hunger like no other, starved in her stomach— to take while she still could.
she exhaled sharply to bring her attention back, shoulders lifting while she tried earnestly to keep a teasing smile from her lips, letting it breech the way she glanced her way instead, “ i have no clue what you mean. why would i want to torment my goddess, right after she's finally returned to me? ”
but then she almost stopped walking, slowing as hearing gained priority above all senses. she could see the olive branch for what it was, and she felt the load on her shoulders lighten at the attempt, after a few long moments. she'd waited years for this, after all. who was she to refuse a goddess? lest she become exactly like her father. let alone the one who kept her heart. but it wasn't as easy as she would have thought, unfurling the stiff furs from around her that had shielded her all this time. it'd always been easier, weathering the after effects of her brief visits while she was something nature and mortals agreed was a thing of anger, expected rage and volatility, rather than... a girl. quarrelling like she was her lover which was- she was above such a thing, wasn't she ? gods.
she schooled herself, fighting the exasperation she felt. there was only one right answer, when her goddess reached for her. she stopped, turning into her and searching her for what was needed to climb this hill that had separated them. no doubt she'd have to climb it a dozen more times before it became easy. til she left it behind entirely. “ ... i think it depends. on how much praise exactly... we'll see how you fair, by the time i get to you. ”
she threw her a smile then, the least she could do to soothe after the torment she had accused her of, “ you really don't know what i'd choose? maybe that'll be another surprise for you to enjoy then. ”
she found herself leaning into her, drawing her other hand into her grasp as she tilted her head in the direction ahead, “ ... follow me? i'd hardly recognise you by scent alone if you wandered into these woods without me knowing. i can help. — if you'd let me. ” her Lady wore solitude well, a second skin she'd tried to slip her way past a long time ago. she'd soon find out what had held up while left untouched and what hadn't.
❝Daily — ?❞ The goddess does not concern herself to conceal her dismay, little else she's had a chance to do while absent from this place all those years. Tight-lipped and slow to words, she says not without stiffness: ❝I see I was entirely mistaken to allow freely your relations with your Amazon sisters. In any case, you'll be sure to remind them all that fighting wars is hardly part of their ordained duties, won't you, Callisto?❞ Warriors she's never had need for, and Callisto ought to've known better.
She will cease those ideas, whatever she might have made of serving Artemis in times of war. This is not then. If suffer a feast she must to convince the nymph of that, well, she'd already resigned herself to it.
The Huntress smooths her bristled furs, figuratively. ❝I see that clear.❞ It is not wholly true: Callisto has not changed so much as fallen into natural tendencies in her absence. She'd always that headstrong impulse and the boldness to follow through; and once, Artemis had even delighted in it. She's ill-practised in such things these days, quick to impatience and quick to outrage. But goddesses such as she are not of a singular nature alone. She is all that, and altogether devoid of appetite to spark new disharmony with her dearest.
❝You'll not let me leave until I hear out all my Huntress's woes over my abandonment.❞ Unnecessary torment to make a point she has repeatedly.
But she is obliging, allowing and appreciating the press of her devoted's furs at her side, making paltry pretense when they do not part for paces afterwards. And she is magnanimous, stooping to implore her love's forgiveness, as if it could be presented like boon from handmaiden to goddess. She humours the nymph her teasing and lets her touch soften her own laden shoulders. With her is where Artemis'd left the tenderness solitude forgot, the heart of warm golden days and opposite to the gloom of death under their feet.
❝Would've made a poor spy letting the scent of the surface give me away. Must've gotten used to it after a while...❞ This, she says not without pause. Another small offence Callisto must surely take, the things she's left behind along with her. It does not adequately distract from the feeling of palms sliding against hers, the attention that rough calluses command. Decidedly not the smoothness of her bow, or sleekness of an arrow, both practical and blessedly free from complicated emotion.
This is what she sought, no? Putting off the cheery welcome for the sake of intimate company. How familiar and strange is it now that she's returned. To have hands in hers, warmth and service offered as if she'd not fended for herself for a century on her own. But, there was never a question; after all, Artemis is supposed to be making amends.
❝By all means, lead the way.❞
her eyes, no longer glued to the tall fields of grass surrounding one side of them had slid, abruptly at her Lady's tone. a mistake if there ever was one; she wasn't ready, not nearly, to face the entirety of those eyes like a sunburst in this light, boring deep into her soul, so soon after─
she'd dragged her up and down hills, having thieved her away while the others dozed in the shade. felt the comfort of having her at her side, the way they bumped and twisted closer as they walked.
and then she'd gone and leaned in with a amusement curling her lips, lifted herself taller to pull the tufts of leaves that had wrung themselves around her crown in the tall fields. the one time she couldn't hide from her so easily in plain sight, her antlers giving her away. it was nothing out of the ordinary. but she was only mortal, or- whatever it was that allowed her to turn into a creature four times the size of herself. she never stood a chance, in either form.
it was different, she told herself, out here, just them, with no other eyes or hands to distract and make more impersonal a task that was... it was ridiculous. but her body had been set ablaze even more than it already was from heaving her pelt all this way in the blistering heat. and frozen at the same time, her hands stalled where they fell off the smooth bone under her fingers at the request.
a breath was forced from her mouth. she had no choice. friend or goddess, it didn't matter much; when she was spoken to like that she had to be at the ready. her furrowed eyebrows were lifting high, “ it - wasn't you... alright, i'll not tear my eyes away from you for as long as you're with me still. since that is what you wish for, ” and she held fast to her promise in equal parts devotion and play, levelling her with a thick, weighted stare she was sure had to be betraying her in some measure.
she tried to lighten her voice, purge from it traces of her inner turmoil, resuming the soft trail of her fingers down the side of her neck without holding her breath, “ ... was it the walk then? ... have i tired you out already, My Lady? ”
Hawk-sharp eyes do not miss the flush in her cheeks, deepened whilst shaded from the heat of Helios's chariot. But despite it all, it is with a brazenness ☾ that grows increasingly familiar ☽ that the nymph obeys, gaze as heavy as the day she'd ushered her to her sacred lands.
It must be devotion that made the very best of her Huntresses; fierce willingness not just to serve, but to hone oneself into an exemplar of her goddess's skill. To become one with the Hunt, its domain the forests; beautiful and wild and deadly as the creatures Artemis presides over. Much of this has Callisto already proven in the short span of seasons, yet the determination remains, going and doing as her sister nymphs would never dare to.
Such antics that the goddess has yet to tire of, to great surprise — she would not be here otherwise, talked into hardly a walk.
The goddess Artemis presses tightly her lips. ❝Did you not intend for me to savour this spring, after all the pains you took seeking out such a place?❞ If one must trek through mountainous terrain in full summer's heat, then the reward must be to submerge in its fresh waters.
The sunlight suits the sight — and the nymph — well enough; her eyes the colour of the golden forest floor, bright and adoring, the trek setting her ochre skin aglow under her great bear's pelt. It is more pleasure for Artemis, to have such beauty to look upon. Though, ❝Have you no partiality to the nighttime, Callisto? I find the sun can be overly harsh, and Selene's light far more suited to stalking.❞
❝But I can see you've taken advantage of your sisters' repose to have me all to yourself.❞ It is not the first occurrence of its kind.
❝Now, before I tire of this pointless standing... ❞ She will not suffer to be kept waiting in such heat, even if her prickliness can only be surface under the nymph's tender ministrations. Plenty of time for that in the water,
❝You know who to thank that you have no help with attending my needs.❞
if she were so bold.
unfocused eyes opened, like from a long slumber up at the goddess taking a height advantage. didn't bother her as she tilted her head back in her hand and tried to focus on the familiarly of her woodsy gaze, a spring spent in crunching her way to her sacred spot, rather than the cold dark of this one.
she narrowed her eyes, 〝 no, i- ... ungh... 〞 was weak, barely protesting. but it wasn't about being relaxed, this was about... — ugh, couldn't think straight like this. ALL SHE KNEW right now was the ambrosia pulsing through her, pulling at every thread until it was released. all she knew was this attachment, indulging for once in the need she felt to keep her here, usher away her shroud of solitude that was as thick as her armour.
she gripped the back of her thighs, holding them to her as she rolled her eyes up to hers, 〝 sure you'd love it if i wasn't disturbing your peace and dragging you out there so often though. 〞this was just temporary, though.
she sounded beneath her breath again at her closeness, feeling it BURN a flush across every surface of her skin beneath the armour. a cradling warmth she was hardly used to— usually didn't let anyone close enough. but then she was pulling her waist in against her like she could feel her on her very skin, thumb rolling on her bare skin there.
her eyebrows furrowed as her tongue met hers, not trying to prove anything for once as she indulged in the tip of artemis' tongue across hers, shifting an inch to ask for more until it hit her in this daze that she hadn't said what we wanted to say, 〝 not like that- not why i'm... 〞 she breathed out. wanted to... make things right between them. show her gratitude, do something with what was crawling inside of her right now —
MORE THAN THAT, could see it clearer now. why she kept coming back here, to her, aside from her usefulness, straight-forwardness, and their understanding... the goddess of the hunt brought her balance as it turned out, made her bones melt inside her suit, just a little when she was around. helped TIP HER in the other direction, much as it pained her to do things her way. didn't even know she was lacking before.
but now all that single-minded devotion to her task was channelled here for the night thanks for the liquid burning in her, able to get absorbed in the sweet taste of her mouth as she held her flush against her, urging her closer still with the metal digging into her skin. had to avert her gaze for a moment of clarity from it all,〝 ambroisa might've gone to my head but— ... need this- you. trying to do this your way, alright... not so used to it. 〞
Already guessed as much, from the honey dripping from her tongue. But no such foreknowledge could dull the impact of hearing this. It— ... had known them to be kindred beings both, shared scorn for the types of affections too many fall to at the very core of their mutual understanding. Catches the vigilant Huntress off-guard, raw and ready and far too close for comfort. Stuns her for speechless for a second.
These arms are a cage, though far less dire than that of her admission. Artemis takes her jaw between cool hands, but not for fondness. Tilted to face her openly, she cannot help but feel partly shamed to witness the goddess in such vulnerability; misplaced honesty. Together they'd alleviate the solitude, yes; but this tenderness, it...
Can see why she chooses to avoid the indulgences otherwise favoured by their kind. She runs her thumbs 'cross hungry cheekbones, pausing for a sorely owed retraction.
❝My Nemesis, ❞ She sighs, none forthcoming. If anyone were to not perceive her distance as biting and cold, it ought to be Retribution.
Melinoë pursues you even as we speak. I'm certain she is to whom your words are meant. But there are a great many things that needn't be spoken between them to be understood.
Instead: ❝You've grown sweet.❞ Soft. Though she'll gladly take the advantage. She presses her into the ground, eyes never leaving that of impassioned yellow. Might be drunkenly off the mark about needing her, but doesn't have to mean she doesn't give it anyway. Call it reparations; an apology. Never was good at sticking it through.
How swiftly does the goddess of the hunt seek to touch her while their lips meet, skirting over adamant plates and deftly slipping under its edge. Nemesis need not instruct; she usually does. Hasn't been crushed against her too-tight grip and ever-present armour, either. Artemis grazes the underside of her thigh and nudges. She settles between knees fallen open, to take stock of the goddess's impatience.
❝I rather like it. How about I make sure my way proves to be a treat, in return?❞
The whole school has dragged me into things again, there’s no escaping it. BUT I have a sketch of Artemis and Apollo!
@callisthope — you’re supposed to be off-limits.
❝Oh, I am.❞ Easy for the goddess to brush off when the girl is so endearingly bashful all of a sudden. As if she'd led the languidly basking Huntress to this hidden spring at scorching midafternoon for naught but to admire its clear waters. Poetry's hardly her area of interest, after all, nor is standing back when the air is still but for birdsong, the blue-green promisingly refreshing after the unexpected hike.
How quickly this Callisto turns from boldly trespassing her space — entering the confines of her solitude and breaching the goddess's silence, long lingering looks and the touch never retracted since drawing her to her feet, that clasped tighter the more her chatter turned personal — to this self-conscious maiden barely daring to lift her eyes! She who might leave her lady the task of uncloaking herself for fear of crossing some divine boundary, ha!
❝But you are mine, ❞ Her voice is steel, though not cold all the way through. ❝And I command you gaze upon me.❞
❝ — Amongst other things. It's hot and I should like to bath.❞
🌿The Hunt🌿
A GIFT BORN IN RAYS ON HIGH, YET MOONLIGHT GLOWS IN EACH GOLDEN DROP - Melinoë raises her glass, allowing her sister in arms to refill it. The green imprint from her lips linger and she smudges it with her thumb as she hums her agreement, staining the skin green with the remnants of a kiss.
❝ I suppose you are right. Neither of us would much reason to cross paths, otherwise. ❞ She replies, mismatched eyes casting their gaze across the taverna. Who knew the dead could be so lively, singing their merriment of her victory, swaying and circling each other as if the music itself led them by their pale hands, feet going around, and around, and around, never touching the ground. . .
Should she close her eyes, she would still feel the sting of her skin splitting under his scythe, would hear how his venom gurgled as she carved his throat with her sickle.
❝ I don't think of the future, often. ❞ The admission slips forth without permission from her loosened tongue, landing clunkily between them. Melinoë smiles, wry, though the irony of her own words is not enough to let it reach her eyes. Time's arrow marches ever forward, yet her waking nights are filled with her own desperate hands, forcing it back. ❝ Well, I do. I think of brother - mother and father, back together. I think of you and Headmistress there. Odysseus. Even Nem. ❞
But where exactly there lied, Melinoë could not point to. Hell nor Heaven could seem to hold her want.
❝ I would like a hunt with you. ❞ Softer now, her smile grows. ❝ Though, I hope you wouldn't mind Erebus, still. The surface is still so bright to me. I don't know how you stand it. ❞
❝Well it's high time for you to.❞ It is not entirely devoid of understanding, for the way she says it. The Huntress herself takes pride in those all-consuming moments of focus on the hunt — eye to arrow to mark and naught else; though the tunnel vision of her Sister's kind is hardly comparable. ❝And not just in abstracts, you ought to think of what'll make you happy in the rest of your immortal life.❞
❝The Moirai know you deserve it.❞
Whether that is a place Artemis may no longer go once their realms are restored should be no matter. After all, her Sister's so accomplished as to overcome the Fates' will and her blood curse.
❝You know, when the King and Queen of the Underworld ascend their throne again, it's more like than not I shan't be allowed to set foot down here. Up on the surface might just be where we'll have to meet.❞ She says it as if it does not dampen the sweeping highs of drink a little. Not accustomed to this sort of wistfulness and wanting, is she. Never usually lets grow enough attachment for that.
But, it's hardly a thought befitting their celebration. For the love of Melinoë, the goddess of the hunt's more than willing to put aside her miserly ways.
❝Better hunting on the surface, too, I can promise you that. You might think cutting down a horde of wretches is a thrill, but I'll show you more worthy prey yet.❞ Made the same promise to Zagreus, once. This one, at least, she can keep.
❝There's the nighttime, besides. Being of the surface doesn't exactly predispose one to tolerating Apollo's obnoxious light, you know. I've always been more partial to Selene's myself.❞
@underbloods — starter call
❝So you're telling me, ❞ Incredulity pairs well with aloofness. ❝ — That you're using all this aid we lend you just to run amok in your Father's realm, which, as I understand, is both for sheer enjoyment and the official charge bestowed on you by Hades himself?❞
The Huntress has heard of little as audacious in her time. A wonder that her family hadn't simply turned their backs on his plight once pretenses were up. How he'd charmed them so completely, she... well, she does have an idea herself. Had let herself be summoned by the call of the arrowhead, after all.
❝Surely you'd've tired of dying over and over again by now?❞
