(rolls dice) we got gunfire and a kiss along the jawline
As a matter of fact, Tim had her own throne, and it was quite a nice one too—polished gunmetal encrusted with rubies. But she rarely used it, preferring instead to share her husband’s throne which was large and imposing enough for the both of them.
When Ashes, or Lord Hades as they were widely known, saw fit to grant audiences to denizens of the City or workers of the Acheron, it was not unusual to see their wife seated in the same throne as them, either perched on the arm rest with a rifle over her shoulder or sitting in her lord’s lap.
Today, Tim was lying across Ashes’ legs with her back against the armrest of the throne and her burgundy skirt spilling across the other armrest. Ashes’ gaze was on the petitioner kneeling before them, but their hand rested on Tim’s hip with a casual possessiveness that sent a very clear message: This one’s mine.
“Lord Hades, Lady Persephone,” the petitioner said in a quavering voice. “My name is Orpheus. I beg you… hear my plea.”
Tim hid an amused smile as Ashes flickered their eyes over the pale young man who would ask a request from the Lord of the Acheron.
“My true love, Eurydice… Please, you must return her to me,” Orpheus pleaded. “Whatever the cost.”
“I see,” Ashes said. “And why should I do as you ask?”
“I can’t live without her. She was my muse, my reason for being, my everything, taken from me too soon.” The young man’s words were rich with sorrow, and his voice had a soulful, lilting quality that tugged at the heartstrings.
Ashes looked thoughtful, but Tim felt pity for him. She remembered what it had felt like, many lifetimes ago, to be lost in grief.
“Perhaps you should give him a chance, Hades,” she said.
“Perhaps. It’s true that I can release a mind from the Acheron if I must, but do you have the funds to have a mind rebodied?” they asked Orpheus.
Tim could tell from the young man’s sunken cheeks and hollow eyes that he hadn’t, and she sat up slightly to bring her face closer to Ashes’, laying her arm across their shoulders.
“I have nothing,” Orpheus said in a desolate voice.
“You have asked for a service you can’t afford,” Ashes said.
Tim brushed her nose against Ashes’ cheek. “Surely, you have a job for him.”
“I might,” they said, a soft smile crossing their face at Tim’s touch.
She pressed her lips to her husband’s jawline and traced kisses from the corner of their jaw to their chin. Ashes smelled like cloves and tobacco, and Tim breathed in the scent with a sigh.
“Take pity on the poor boy,” she said and kissed the corner of her husband’s mouth.
“Since you asked so nicely,” Ashes said with a smirk. They turned to the young man before the throne.
“A friend of mine is hiring for a job. It’s not strictly inside of the law, but if you pull it off…” they shrugged magnanimously. “It’ll pay what you need and more. You could start a new life for you and your beloved.”
A fragile hope bloomed in Orpheus’s eyes. “I’ll do it.”
“Good. I’ll put you in contact with my friend.” Their eyes drifted back to Tim who smiled. “You’re dismissed.”
Out of the corner of her eye, Tim saw Orpheus bow and leave. She fluttered her eyelashes at Ashes. “Thank you for helping him, my lord. How could I repay you?”
“I can think of an idea or two,” Ashes said, leaning in to capture Tim’s lips.
Tim smiled as she kissed them back.