"Oh, somewhat. I've spent a good portion of the day gardening, which is great and all, except it's almost ninety degrees, and there isn't a cloud in sight." Persephone said, snorting. "Not the best outdoor gardening weather. Oh! How are your cacti doing?"
"They're in the other room right now, but I saw them this morning and they seem to be doing fine, despite the…circumstances." He cleared his throat. "The underworld doesn't look kindly upon life, but they're fine right now."
"Make sure they get some light from time to time, even if you can't manage sunlight." She advised, the smile carrying in her voice. "And if they ever need a break from the, uh, dismalness, feel free to bring them by." The double meaning to her words was subtle but noticeable, an offer for him to drop by at some point.
Hades grinned into the phone, laughing a little. "I think I might at some point. I suppose it's too much to ask you come down here sometime?"
"Hmm…" Persephone hummed thoughtfully, stirring the boiling noodles in a pot she'd brought out. "I might consider it. I'd have to wait for a day off work though."
"That's fine, no pressure or anything. I'll probably swing by up top sometime anyway," Hades admitted, tilting his head with a smile and shooing off a skeleton that poked its head into the room.
"You should. And I'll see what I can do about visiting down under." Persephone promised, smiling as she moved the noodles into the pan with the olive oil.
"That sounds like a plan." Hades was a silent before speaking again. "Are you cooking?"
Persephone blinked, looking down at the pasta in-process. "I….am, yeah. How'd you know?"
"I could hear it," Hades admitted, shrugging. "I've been sitting in silence for a while, so it's easy to pick out smaller things."
Persephone huffed a laugh, nodding slightly, even though he couldn't see it. "That makes a bit more sense. I figured I'd go all out for lunch today. Usually, I don't even bother eating lunch."
"Aw, you should eat more," Hades coaxed, knowing full well he rarely ate at all. "Why don't you?"
"I'm a busy person." Persephone said, shrugging a shoulder. "Food takes time."
"Yeah, but something as quick as a sandwich should work. Really do try to eat more." He insisted.
"It's hard to make a sandwich when you're elbows deep in mulch and dirt~" She sang, obviously dancing around the core issue.
"Persephone," He coxed, his voice practically oozing over the phone. "I know you're hiding something."
She stilled, her heart fluttering at the tone of his voice, paired with her name. "What would I have to hide?" She asked, glad he wasn't actually there to see her, knowing he'd probably be able to tell she was lying.
Hades sighed in defeat, rolling his eyes with a small smile. "I'll have to get back to you about that sometime, then. I'll drop it for now, though."
Persephone let out a small sigh of relief, finishing up with the scampi she'd been making and splitting it onto two plates, wrapping one in cellophane for dinner later. Though, she'd likely end up offering it to her father. "Good, How's Cerberus?"
"He's been a good dog since he came back," Hades responded, his tone turning fond. "Thank you, again, for finding him."
"He's such a teddy bear." Persephone cooed, picking up her plate and taking it to the already open window in her bedroom. She climbed out, onto the small balcony, and sat down near the edge to eat. "I'll admit, despite his size and the whole three heads thing, my first thought when I saw him was 'puppy!'"
"Is that so?" Hades tilted his head with a small smile, crossing his legs in the chair. "First plants and now puppies. Quite fond of life, aren't you?"
"I guess so." Persephone said with a laugh, letting her legs dangle out over the edge, "There's so much of it to be fond of."
"I guess you're right," Hades considered with a little huff. "You've even brought plants to the god of the underworld."
"And I'm absolutely gonna try and get you more." Persephone said, the mischief carrying in her tone.
"If I don't watch out I'm going to be running a greenery down here," Hades chuckled, glancing at the cacti that were already settled on the mantel.
"That'll be perfect!" Persephone said excitedly, her mischief turning to a bubbly sort of happiness. "Plants are great for bringing positive energy, you know. And they're great for clearing air, and just brightening things up!"
Hades laughed at her tone, and not in a mocking way either. "I haven't even known you for that long, but already you sound like a plant." He blushed a little as he said it, glad she couldn't see him.
"Maybe I am." Persephone said in a low, conspiratorial voice. "Or maybe I'm not. That's for me to know and you to find out."
Hades couldn't help but laugh a little bit. If anyone came in right now and saw Hades, God of the Underworld, laughing and blushing with plants nearby, his dignity would be gone forever.
So he kept talking. "And how would I find out, Persephone?"