Neutral Omens

Surprised, he looked at her in shock; to an outside observer he may have jsut been looking her over, or perhaps staring in that deer-in-the-headlights way at being caught stealing. Truthfully, he was trying to figure out what she was. She didn't look like Psyche, or Persephone...well maybe a little like Persephone.... A thought occured to him. She might be Hades' daughter, Melinoe, goddess of fear and nightmares. He hoped not, rationalising that she looked too nice. Realising she'd spoken, he blinked and answered.

"My family," he answered stupidly, then mentally shook himself, straightening. "Have you seen any of them? I don't think anyone but my...partner...and my friend Dion would be here. ...Are you a Maenad*?" he asked, the thought occurring to him as he uttered Dionysus' name.

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*It was only a little better than her being Melinoe, because Maenads were crazy as all get-out and very primal, like wolves. Drunken, sex crazed, bloodthirsty wolves. Still, any connexion to Dionysus was a good one, at this point.

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"A Maenad?" Ellie shook her head, somewhat regretfully. The newcomer looked so anxious and so hopeful, she hated to burst his bubble. "'Fraid not. Wrong theology."

She took a few steps closer, trying to place him. "I don't know whether we have any Greeks in residence. It is Greek, right? You might want to check the guest register downstairs. Most folks are asleep right now, or, um, engaged in other bed-bound acitivities." She smiled, not unkindly. "What's your name, honey?"

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Well, she was nice, so that was okay. Maybe she was a Faerie being. "Hermes," he said, a little shy. He was the god of wit, once, but it was hard to be witty when your hopes had been crushed and your people were all dead...and you were alone. "Guest register? This is a hostel for...?" he stopped, not wanting to offend her. "For otherworldly...out--um, beings, like us?" he ventured. Outcasts might have been a bad word to use, so he'd changed his mind halfway through.

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"Sort of," Ellie said cautiously. "It's...Adam's. That's really all I can say about it. You'll want to see him, if you haven't already. Or more accurately, he'll probably want to see you."

She paused and ran through a list, ticking off names in her head. "Greek. I really don't know...so far I've seen Judeo-Christian, Egyptian and Norse. Plus the Horsemen of course, they sort of defy classification, some other stray personifications...and a few oddball humans and wizardly types running around, just to keep things interesting."

Seeing the disappointment growing in the other being's face, she added, "But as far as I know, just about anyone is welcome here. So if none of yours is around yet, you might want to just get a room and wait to see if they turn up."

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His eyes widened in terror at the mention of Judeo-Christians, and the blue eyes began to dart, looking for a hiding place. "C-Christians?" he whispered; it really looked as though he were about to bolt, like a panicked rabbit.

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Ellie frowned slightly. She didn't know why the word had triggered such a reaction, but she did know mortal terror when she saw it (or immortal terror, as the case might be.)

"Well. Not Christians as such. Entities of a Biblical persuasion." She absently pushed a wayward lock of hair behind one ear. "There's an enforced truce, though. Adam won't let anybody play too rough on the Manor grounds, so don't get your panties in a bunch, okay? Nobody's lurking around the corner waiting to jump you."

Then she chuckled. "Or, well, there could be someone lurking around a corner, but anyone who jumps you around here most likely won't be looking for trouble. Quite the opposite, I'd say." She gave him another approving once-over. "D'you need a place to sleep, honey? My name's Ellie, by the way, what's yours?"

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At the mention that all the Christians were NOT human (something which his brain had been refusing to process previously), Hermes really freaked out, though he was trapped in a hallway in an unfamiliar place. Now Ellie had gained, to him, an aura of deception and malice. "No," he said fearfully, backing away as though she were weilding a mace. "No no no..." He hadn't noticed the tears that had started, and tried to keep his eyes on her while looking for an escape. Aha, linen closet. In a flurry of suddenl movement he hid inside it, holding the door shut with the paranoia of terror. Ellie could hear him making panicked little whimpering sounds inside.

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Ellie watched open-mouthed as the godling fled to the linen closet. She debated briefly trying to coax him out, but the whole encounter was beginning to take on a quality that was at once surreal and annoying. This definitely wasn't her department.

"Well. All right then," she muttered after a moment, turning on her heel and walking rapidly the relatively short distance to Adam's room.

She was really beginning to hate this place. An enormous building chock full of delectable specimens of manhood, and practically every one of them seemed to be either gay, spoken for or crazy, if not all three. Life really was unfair.

Arriving at Adam's door, she knocked firmly, hoping the strange newbie wouldn't wander away and try to make off with Uriel's sword or Crowley's sunglasses or something while he was left unsupervised. Maybe she should have fetched someone to someone dress up as an Inquisitioner and guard the closet door...

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Adam answered the door wearing only blue pajama bottoms, the same colour as his eyes. He ran a hand through his already sleep touseled hair and stifled a yawn.

"Hi, Ellie. What's goin' on?"

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Ellie smiled and took a moment to peruse the goods on display, not bothering to disguise the fact. She might as well get some fun tonight, and Adam was eminently ogle-able, especially when he was all sleepy-eyed and tousle-headed like this.

"Sorry to wake you, cutie, but there's an adorable Greek kleptomaniac deity weeping hysterically about the Christians in the second story linen closet," she said matter-of-factly. "Just thought you should know."

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Blushing lightly at Ellie's frank assessment and finding her silk nightie rather attractive as well, Adam sat quickly, using finding a shirt as a pretense. There was a cleanish one near his seat, fortunately, and he pulled it on.

"Oh, that'd be Hermes," he said, trying to distract himself. "Though I dunno why he's in the linen closet."

Torn between not wanting to rudely shut the door in her face and modesty, he asked, "Would you like to come in for a second? I'm just gonna get some jeans on..."

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"Hermes, is it?" Ellie raised her eyebrows slightly, trying not to let her smile turn overtly lascivious, and added smoothly, "Sure, take your time. I guess you can find him if he decides to bolt."

Stepping lightly past him into the room, she added, "I think I scared him, though I'm not quite sure how. He seemed terrified the minute I said the C-word. I told him the place was under truce, but I'm not sure it sank in."

She turned her back politely so Adam could change, letting her eyes wander the room in search of any convenient reflective surfaces.

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"Well, I guess we'll find out soon enough," said Adam confidently. He stripped off his bottoms quickly, his back to Ellie, and pulled on some green y-fronts and a pair of baggy jeans because he didn't trust himself around her. Then he pulled on some trainers without bothering to do up the laces.

"Okay, I'm ready."

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Ellie turned around and pouted just slightly at the baggy jeans, but waved toward the door. "Off we go, then."

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Fretting, Hermes hugged his knees as he sat in the closet--after his right hand tucked a purple washcloth in his coat pocket, of course. He was glad, really, that this was a linen closet; dark and small places always comforted him, and he liked the smell of fabric softener a great deal. Taking deep breaths, he reviewed the situation: someone--probably this Adam person--was going to show up and open the door sooner or later, and Hermes had to be prepared. He tried to remember the names of the deities-who-were-deities-but-called-themselves-something-else. Weren't all those lovely renaissance artists named after them? Let's see...something like Michaelangelo, Raphael...he had nice legs...and... he ran out of ideas, mostly because his phobia Did Not Want to Think About This. She was a pretty lady though...what did she say her name was? Ellie? That's short for...Eleanor...Eumelia...Melanie...Oh I hope it's something pretty like Eumelia. She looks like a Eumelia.

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He followed Ellie back to the linen closet in question, took a deep breath, and knocked softly.

"Hermes? It's me, Adam. Won't you come out so I can meet you in person?"

Adam had heard that he looked like a Greek god. With any luck, that'd help calm Hermes down. Or he could disprove it. Either way...

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"What are you, first?" he asked, leaning against the vented door to be heard. "You're not one of those winged Christian gods-who-say-they-aren't-but-actually-sort-of-are, are you?" His voice was still timid, though calmer from being in the closet.

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"I'm a human," said Adam honestly, even if it wasn't the entire truth. "And I don't have any wings. I'd show you if you'd open the door."

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Hermes was rather a good person to lie-by-omission to, because even if he found out he wouldn't be all that miffed. Still... "I don't want to open the door," he answered in a small voice, "I'm scared." The admittance was a hard thing to say, though easier to say to a stranger.

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"Scared of me?" asked Adam surprised. "You wanna know what you'll see when you open the door? A twenty-year-old with golden blonde, kinda curly hair, and blue eyes. Wearin'..." he looked down, "an old t-shirt and blue jeans. And Ellie's here, too. You met her earlier, I think. She came to get me 'cause she was worried about you. What are you scared of? No one's gonna hurt you."

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At that, he threw the door open, incredulous. "Of COURSE they're going to hurt me!! I'm a HEATH--en." He stared at Adam, surprised. "...You've been quite blessed by Aphrodite, haven't you?" was all he could think of to say, cheeks slightly pink with embarrassment at his outburst.

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Adam blushed for the second time that night. "I can't really help what I look like," he said with a shrug. "And no one's gonna call you a heathen or try to hurt you for not bein' Christian. Nobody's hurt Odin or Loki and they're Norse gods. And nobody's hurt the witches and wizards or called them satanic or anythin'. I wouldn't let that happen at all." He radiated trust and confidence. "Welcome to Tadfield Manor," he said with a smile.

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"No one hurts the Norse gods because it would be like smacking a tank," Hermes muttered with a dry humour. "...Welcome?" he echoed, "You mean..." it began to sink in. "I can...stay the night?" in a bed! he thought to himself joyfully.

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Adam laughed. "Well, that's true. Of course you can stay the night. Stay as long as you like. We've got lots of rooms. But you should prob'ly tell Aziraphale in the mornin' that you're here or he might clear his throat significantly at you. You'll find him at the front desk. I'd try not to have any of his things in your pockets, though..."

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"Well if I see things I want with his name on them, I'll leave them be," he promised with a smile, not realising he already had one of Azi's 'babies' in his left pocket.

The prospect of a room with a bed appealed greatly to the god, as well as bathing. "May I...see...my room?" he asked, a little awkwardly.

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"Some people own things that don't have their names on 'em," said Adam with a faint smile, but he dropped the subject. The inhabitants would adapt soon enough. They always did.

"Sure. Follow me. I think one of the rooms near me is free. It's pretty simple, just a bed, dresser, desk and chair. But it's got its own private bathroom even if it's small and there's a restaurant and bar on the first floor and room service if you like. And if you need anythin' just knock on my door. That's what everybody does."

By the time he'd finished this speech they were at his door. "There you go. Sleep well, Hermes."

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His face lit up. A private bathroom? Oh he was going to like staying here. Wait... "There isn't any anything I need to do in exchange?" he asked, shrewdly.

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"Nope," said Adam, holding up three fingers. "Scout's honour. Anyone who needs refuge can stay here under my protection as long as they like. All I ask is that you don't hurt anyone else that lives here."

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He thought a moment. "That is well enough," he answered, deciding to keep his habits very tidy just in case. And definitely no stealing. he thought to himself firmly.

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Ellie, who had followed along for lack of anything better to do, winked at Hermes. "See, what'd I tell you? Nothing to worry about."

Pausing to consider a moment, she added, "Oh, and in the interest of full disclosure, I do have wings. But some of my best friends are heathens, so don't fret it, all right? I promise I won't bite. I'm...kind of out of touch with my own family, you could say, so come see me if you want to unload.

"Sweet dreams, babe." She blew him a friendly kiss, and went on her way.

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