"They are tough." Persephone nodded, flitting about the potted plants and cacti beds on the tables and shelves. "Some of 'em even grow pretty flowers, like this one." She said, lifting up a small grey pot to show him the purple flower on the green cactus.
"Huh. Interesting things," Hades admitted with a smirk. "They would sure brighten up the place down there. I wonder what big guy would say. 'Hades has plants in his place!' They'd all be baffled." He chuckled a bit, then glanced over at Persephone. "Can I get one? Maybe two?"
"I'd go two if I were you. Make sure the first one has a friend." Persephone said, handing him the pot she was holding as she passed, looking over another shelf. She selected a green pot, waving for him to follow her through the jungle of plants toward the register.
Hades looked down at his new plant, chuckling to himself as he followed Persephone. She was cute, and perky. And interesting, that's for sure.
"Okay, so, you don't have to water them daily, obviously." Persephone started, setting the pot she was holding down on the counter and slipping behind it to fiddle with the register. "But you still have to water them. Every few days should be good, and you can even go a week if things get hectic and whatnot."
"Does it matter…what type of water?" Hades asked, tilting his head and observing Persephone. Where he came from, what he called 'water' was to most people a really brown sludge that Styx somehow plowed through every day. The guy must have some good arm muscles by now.
Persephone looked up, raising an eyebrow in amusement. "Tap water usually works. We've got distilled in the corner over there, for finicky plants, and just normal jugs of water for people who like to hook them up to greenhouse irrigation systems."
Hades let out a breath, straightening his jacket. "You have clearly not seen my type of water," He muttered, looking up. "I should probably get some of those. Without the whole irrigation thing."
"You got sewage problems?" Persephone asked, punching in the item number for the water without needing to go grab it.
"You could say that," Hades admitted, tilted his head. "Yeah. Sewage problems."
"Definitely don't feed them that water then." Persephone said with a nod, nose wrinkling as she thought. She slipped out from behind the counter, heading to a shelf full of watering cans, and pulled down a small whale watering can before heading back. "I'll throw this in, on me, for the sake of the plants."
"Aw, thanks." Hades smiled at her and took the cacti in one hand and the jug of water in the other. What a kind gesture - not what he was expecting, or used to, but he liked it anywhom.
"Need help with any of that?" Persephone asked, motioning to the items. She tilted her head as she looked up at him, deciding his smile just improved his good looks.
"Yes, please, actually." Hades smiled gratefully and handed her the water jug, his hand brushing her arm as he did so. She is really very pretty, I will admit, she thought to himself.
Persephone was startled by the accidental contact, her skin tingling where his hand had touched as she shifted the water jug into one arm. "Alright, lead the way. How are you planning on getting Cerberus back? I highly doubt he'll fit in that car of yours."
"Oh, he'll follow me on down. Don't worry." Hades laughed a little, leading the way out of the shop where Ceberus was waiting. How am I going to nonchalantly open up the ground in front of her?
Persephone greeted Cerberus with a brilliant smile, standing on her toes to scratch behind his ears as the dog lowered one of his heads to help her reach.
"Alright. Here we go." Hades slipped on his sunglasses as he stepped into the sunlight again, opening the car door to put in the plants and water. "What you're about to see may be a little interesting."
Persephone looked over at him, raising an eyebrow. "Weirder than seeing the guardian of the under-er, a three headed dog walking down my street?"
Hades slid into the driver's seat of his car, writing something down quickly, folding it, and handing it to Persephone before shutting the door behind him and letting out a loud whistle. "Yup," He assured with a smirk as the ground started to crumble, leaving the perfect ramp down into the underworld. The car's engines revved and he zoomed the lexus down into it, Ceberus following him, and it closed up behind him.
He'd given Persephone his number.
Persephone's eyebrows shot up, her question left to die on her lips as the ground opened up, and then closed once again, looking very much like nothing had even been there at all. What the hell?
Hades drove for a couple more minutes to his fortress, parking the car in the large driveway that was surrounded by blackened brambles. Ceberus padded up behind him, grinning happily to be back home. Chuckling to himself a little, Hades got out the cacti, which shone in comparison to everything else, and the water jug, its bright blue hue lighting up the space around it.
((Skip? If so, to when?))
Persephone blinked down at the paper in her hand, and a small smile flickered onto her face. He'd given her his number. Her cheeks darkening a tad, she turned, heading back into the shop to get back to work. Her father would be back from his errand soon. Though, even as she worked, she couldn't quite get the god out of her mind.
(I'm thinking to when she calls him, maybe tomorrow around lunchtime?)
((Sure!))
Persephone wiped the dirt off of her hands onto her light green apron, before using the bandana keeping her hair back to wipe the sweat from her brow. She was out back, in her personal garden, and it wasn't exactly great gardening weather. So hot. Ugh. Deciding to take a break, she slipped back inside the shop, turning off the music playing from her phone as she did. It's almost lunch…I wonder what Hades is up to right now? What was the worst that could happen if she called? He didn't answer? Shaking her head, she dialed the number from the paper she'd spent plenty of time staring at, listening to the phone ring once, twice…
Hades jumped as the home phone next to him rang, interrupting the silence that he'd been immersed in for the last two hours. Grumbling in annoyance, he went to pick it up. "You've reached the underworld, yes?"
"You sound so happy to hear from me." Persephone teased, slipping through the plants to the stairs that led to the apartment above the shop. She made her way into the kitchen, pulling a pan out and setting it on the stove as she gathered ingredients and items from the fridge to make lunch.
"Oh, it's you!" Hades brightened at Persephone's voice. "It's Persephone, right? Sorry, I'm bad with names."
Persephone laughed, shaking her head. "Yeah, it's Persephone. Long day?" She asked, tucking the phone between her ear and shoulder to talk and cook at the same time.
"Sort of. You come down here, it's like you're immortal." He chuckled a little, sitting down in a gray velvet armchair. "What about you?"