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Azem hummed under her breath as she worked. She finally had some time in Amaurot, after being sent all over the star. Someone had added more flowery concepts to the collection, and she had eagerly made them in hopes of making her friends something. The colors came out beautifully; people were adding more and more colorful options and she could only see it as a good thing. Selene liked the flowers that bloomed at night best, or the early morning ones. A lot of them were white, but that was all right; her hair was white too, and they were like little spots of light in the darkness.
I hope he likes this, she thought, holding up a garland of light blue flowers. She had an adroit ability for flower crafting, even with brand new flowers. Small posies of pink and yellow were on her table, waiting to be given to Hades and Hythlodaeus.
Selene lowered her flower garland. Those two were her friends, but sometimes… Well, she had to admit, sometimes Hades made her uncomfortable. It wasn’t because he disapproved of some of her adventures—those grapes were delicious, by golly, of course she was going to prevent a volcanic eruption—it was more that he said things, or moved certain ways, that unsettled her.
He’s just a gloomy sort, that’s all, she told herself for the umpteenth time. Mion will know what to say the next time Hades says something odd. Thoughts of Endymion, like always, brought a smile back to her face, and she finished the garland in short order. First, she had to give the posies to her friends, and then deliver the garland.
A few extra flowers lay scattered about her desk. Something extra for me, too! Selene picked up a yellow one to see someone standing in her doorway, which she had left open. “What is it?” she gasped.
“May I enter, Azem?”
It was only Emet-Selch. Her shoulders relaxed. “Come on in, Hades,” she said, choosing to use his name rather than his title. Selene was terrible about titles among friends. “Have you seen these new concepts? Hythlodaeus let me have them!”
“Azem, I wanted to talk to you about your latest expedition before we met at the Convocation.”
“Out of curiosity?” she asked absentmindedly, already working on a necklace from the remaining flowers. “It was the same as usual, I think. Somewhere is affected by disaster, I tried to help before reporting back, etcetera.”
Her friend frowned and sat in front of her desk. “Azem, you know you’re not supposed to do that.”
“This is for you,” she said, pushing his yellow posy over to him and ignoring his admonition. “Yellow for happiness and friendship.”
He picked up the posy and looked it over. “Did you just decide that’s what it meant yourself?”
“Oh, no, not at all. Doesn’t it just look like a happy color? I found it in the concept description, I’ll have you know. The pink one is for Hythlo. Maybe pink could be for friendship too, who knows? What do you think, Hades?”
“Selene.” His tone of voice forced her to stop playing with the objects in her hands and look up at him. “Selene, please, I’m talking to you.”
She pouted, confused. “And I’m talking back to you, what’s wrong?” Selene leaned forward, putting the flowers down.
“More like you’re talking at me. You never converse with me anymore.” Even with the mask on, Selene could see the hurt in her friend’s eyes.
“Hades…” What was she supposed to say to that? It wasn’t until she met Endymion that she realized what kind of person Hades was. She infinitely preferred her shepherd to her friend, but that didn’t mean she didn’t want to be friends. She preferred Endymion over Hythlodaeus too, after all. But if I said that to him, he’d chuckle at the joke, unlike Hades, who is becoming the title of Emet-Selch more fully as the days go by. I don’t even know where my friend is in there some days. “Everyone is just so busy right now, and terribly stressed. The Convocation keeps sending me out into the world and I hardly see anyone at all!”
“You’d see more people if you didn’t waste time on these concepts,” he snapped, although he clutched his yellow posy quite fiercely.
“Not this again,” she groaned, and stood up. The necklace for herself could wait. “Am I not allowed to have a pastime, Emet-Selch?”
“Wha—no! No, Selene, I’m sorry—”
“You came into my office and lectured me,” she growled. “I’m going to see Hythlodaeus, at least he’s nice to me.”
He hurried after her, desperation in his voice. “Selene, please, I’m sorry.”
She looked over her shoulder, still walking fast toward where their mutual friend worked. “Why are you so mean lately, Hades? What have I done? Is it because I don’t think the Convocation’s solution is right?”
“You’re allowed your own opinion, Selene,” he answered. “I’m not upset about that.”
“Well, then you better get it figured out in your head soon, because I don’t think there’s much more time for you to be nasty.” With that rather ominous warning, Selene broke into a run, leaving her friend behind.