good morning mister cranky pants. cannon is olimpos.

[gardenprince]

Where in the world am I....? What is this place?

( Louder now, uncalloused hands clenching at his sides. )

You pluck me from slumber for what? A cure for your boredom? Your idle ways? Selfish; you are no better than he who trapped me beneath the stars! If you want to play at being a god, fine, but I refuse to take part!

Comments

[swayedto]

What's this, what's this? More of a helpless prince's foul temper? Oh, dear, and he's inflicting himself on poor humans, too. How despicable! How terrible!

Do that again.

[gardenprince]

( He's surprised, bright blue eyes wide and his lips parting, before he scowls. )

Not if it entertains you. ( Stubborn, stubborn prince. )

[swayedto]

Oh, no! I absolutely hate it. Bores me stiff. So, go ahead.

1/2

[gardenprince]

I am not helpless. ( Not completely so.

And then, hesitantly; only because gods supposedly can't lie: ) She is nearly as suffocating as you. Nearly. She promises adventure but I know better.

2/2

[gardenprince]

What are you doing here?

[swayedto]

Of course, of course. You know... just about everything, don't you? Certainly, you've had the time to consider.

As for why I'm here, well! It seemed suspiciously as if you weren't thinking of me in the slightest. And who exactly likes to be ignored?

[gardenprince]

You're mocking me. ( An accusation made sharper by the fact that he is almost nearly sure he is right, but the soft confusion sewn into his features hints that he isn't certain. )

This isn't your garden, your realm. ( Oh, he's haughty, now. ) What if I was to ignore you for these other worlds?

[rotandriddles]

Good morning, good day, good evening, good night.

[gardenprince]

Good morning or good day.

It's strange to see the sky without stars, or darkness.

[rotandriddles]

That can be changed.

But why put forth the effort?

[gardenprince]

You don't favor one over the other?

[rotandriddles]

Favor? (He tastes the word.) No. I have no favor.

[gardenprince]

( Sigh. Gods and their wordplay. He doesn't know why he presses, why he is curious, but - )

Even for sunrise or sunset?

( - he is. )

[swayedto]

...oh. Are you...? Is that what you're doing.

It can't be that you're hoping for something as flimsy as a god's 'jealousy', could it?

[gardenprince]

Wh-What? Why would I want to make a loud, showy braggart jealous?

[swayedto]

Who's to say why a contrary pet might decide to bite the hand that feeds it? With kept things, you just can't tell.

[gardenprince]

( It's so hard to mask his anger when Apollo knows exactly what buttons to press. )

I may be kept, but I am hardly a pet. Do you ask because you are jealous?

[swayedto]

It's a human feeling, isn't it?

[gardenprince]

Is it?

Gods can't be made to feel jealous, then?

[swayedto]

If it's a human feeling, why would it be my duty to assume it? That kind of reasoning makes no sense.

[gardenprince]

( A thoughtful hum, because he has never really paused to contemplate jealousy here. )

I never thought of it as only a human feeling.

But that's relieving. You're bothersome enough without the ability to be jealous.

[swayedto]

Hmmm? I should ignore you more, then? Is that what you're saying?

You're quite right. I suppose in all that silence, you'd love nothing more than to be alone. Shall we give it a century, then? Two? We have all the time.

1/2

[gardenprince]

( He is silent for a long moment, stalling, stalling. )

2/2

[gardenprince]

( Only because he knows he can shoulder another century of silence, but not at this very moment: )

Why white flowers? You can bring anything to the garden, and all you choose is white?

[swayedto]

What's wrong with white? There are a good few beautiful things of that colour: snow, stones, cloth. The moon.

[gardenprince]

White is boring when it stretches as far as the eye can see, as far as my sandals can reach, for all of eternity.

Is it your favorite colour?

[swayedto]

...is that your foremost complaint? Flowers?

I'll right: I'll grant your wish. Isn't that how gods should be, you said? Benevolent and wise?

We'll add more red to it all. Some thing or other could die before you again and again and spill. Wouldn't you like that? A great deal of red.