The Prodigal Child Returns

"I'm not being emo," Xanthius said, tired of always being compared to that. "I am simply explaining facts. My mother was very protective of me growing up, not wanting me to cause trouble, and though she taught me magic, I didn't take to it as well as my sisters. It's all about a matter of will, and my will was not wanting to cause trouble." Before Xanthius' mother was queen, they were hiding from the gods. Going to lengths of staying safe, he was a quiet, well behaved boy while growing up, essentially the exact opposite of his sisters. Even growing up with Asgardian boys, he was different, preferring to read rather than rough house and do things that would earn most boys a scar or two. "If you think you can unlock a secret talent of mine, go ahead. Challenge accepted."

Hippolyta just shrugged at the idea of a zombie chorus line. "I can't help it. Living with mom... she reassured you a lot. It rubbed off on me. But if you don't want me as a adoring, loving sister? Fiiiiine. I'll just go back to annoying the hell out of you." Or at least she would have if a tie-dyed wolf pup didn't come running in like the Furies themselves were chasing him. Hippolyta just stood there, looking mildly confused and perhaps a little amused by the puppy's coloring.

"You do not get to blame me for what children have done to your pet, Kaileena. It should wash out," Amora reasoned, removing a ribbon from Chibi's fur. "And if it does not, we can always shave him and let his fur regrow." Probably not the best thing to say, but it was the truth. "But no, this is not the work of good children. If they were any good, they would know not the use such decorations on fur. They slide off so easily. See?" While talking, she removed a few more. At the mention of more family members, the thunder goddess raised an eyebrow. "Then when she arrives, I will shorten your name, but not before than time. As for Loki's things..." Amora thought about it for a short while. "Yes, I suppose we could do that. He has quite a few secret stashes he thought I knew nothing about. After your clothes shopping is down we'll do that."

"I've had lots of fun since you've been gone. None of which involve annoying Xan or Dante. I helped dad with some anniversary stuff as a surprise for mom. She liked it a lot. And I do other things." Hippolyta frowned at Kai's attempt at a joke. "You know damn well none of us ever need to get boob jobs." She saw a brief change in Kai's eyes when she inadvertently called this Circe mom. They both knew how the other was feeling regarding this situation and it hurt them both emotionally, if only a little.. "Hey, c'mon, I'll treat you to lunch while we shop. You and Amora. So let's get going."

"I am not suicidal," Xanthius told her, starting to not like how this woman was treating him. This was one of the two women that Mel wanted to set him up with? She clearly had horrible tastes in women. "I've learned a bit of fighting and defense. Enough to let me get away from people if I need to." At the mention of training an eight year old, Xanthius just gave Nemesis an odd look. "Why would you have to train someone that young? Kids shouldn't need to know how to fight."

"Your dog has quite the mouth on him," Amora noted, still able to understand Chibi. She wasn't about to repeat what he had said, but it certainly wasn't pleasant. "I meant that your fur would be regrown with magic. Do you really think I'm cruel enough to let it grow naturally? You're too handsome to be bald." She hoped that would smooth things out with the puppy. "I suppose that I should lead the way to the clothes, since I doubt either of you would know the right places to visit." Asgard did have a huge variety of specialty stores, particularly clothing and the many accessories that went with it.

"I only make fun because I remember when someone was very worried that she'd never get boobs." At that, Amora smirked, glancing very briefly at Kai and her chest. That was something that Hippolyta noticed, but decided not to say anything about. "So, so worried when puberty started. I think you expected them to just suddenly pop out." Hippolyta stopped while she was ahead, not wanting to embarrass Kai anymore than she already had as they left the throne room and Olympus. It was all meant in harmless fun, but Kai sometimes took it harder than everyone else. "I was worried too though. My magic sucked when I was little, not to mention that I was short and if I cut my hair, I…" They were away from the rest of the family now, allowing Hippolyta's body language to change. she exhaled and relaxed before pulling Kai into a tight hug, almost afraid to let her go. So many hugs this close together was odd for Hippolyta, but this was an odd moment. "Thank you, thank you thank you thank you for being all right," she told her softly, voice sounding a little weak. "You don't know how much I worried."

"My mother did not coddle me. She tried to do everything in her power to keep us safe and hidden from the Olympians when we were growing up. I have never had anything handed to me in my whole life, Nemesis. I was the son without a father, the one considered a bastard or weak by all the other Asgardian children because I was raised solely by women or whatever other nonsense children can come up with. What little my mother was able to give me I was happy with." As for what she said regarding training children from birth in order to fight, Xanthius had only this to say. "If your world is filled with nothing but hardship and fighting from day one, you must be terrified of the thought of peace. Your life would be meaningless then. I'll train with you, but other than that, I want nothing to do with you, Nemesis. Talk with my sister about the details of your training program and I will be there," he said, indicating Melina. With that done, Xanthius then walked away, going to sit with his brother and think of what to do next.

"If they can not, I have some cleaning agents that should do the job." When Amora was younger, often times the magic she experimented would result in unexpected colors on her or others which would not easily wash off. "When we get back, both you and Chibi will look brand new."

"No hitting me with trees, Kai. You'd cause deforestation that way. And I think Mel did stuff her bra a bit at the beginning or had a magical enhancement. Those weren't natural for a girl her age," Hippolyta smirked. "If you ladies are quite finished with this little bit of bonding, we need to decide what shops we should start in first." Amora's eyes wandered over Kaileena's body, imagining the girl in different materials and styles. "Please say that with your added height, you will endeavor to try new styles and not stick with whatever materials Death prefers to wear. There are more than a few tailors I would love to take you to, but I am not about to waste my time or my money on something you will only wear once and promptly rip to shreds as you rough house with your siblings." Amora was sounding more like her pre-thunder god self as they began shopping. Hippolyta looked at Kaileena, not being blind to how much interest the blonde goddess was showing her sister. Oh yes, she and Kai would be having a little talk about this later on.

"Ahhhh, I see. Poor little thing, you must have been scared out of your mind. First you likely caught a glimpse of your nude sister and then she stuck you in a tree just for good measure." Had they been alone, Amora would have pulled Kaileena into her arms and kissed her tenderly, but since they were not, she refrained from doing such a thing, though the urge was hard to resist.

"Excuses, excuses. They won't save you here," Amora told her, taking Kaileena by the hand and pulling her into a nearby shop. Naturally the store just happened to be a place that specialized in undergarments and sleepwear. Hippolyta followed with an amused look on her face. "If you want to look right, you must have a proper foundation. I'm thinking silks and satins, perhaps a little bit of leather." And so it was that Amora decided to take it upon herself to teach Kaileena and show her how to dress. They took their time with the lingerie mainly because the enchantress would occasionally give the dark haired goddess extravagant bits of lace and fabric, with a multitude of closures where she would inevitably yell in frustration over its construction. The would give Amora the opportunity to step into the changing room and 'oversee' things. She would only tease and kiss Kai, promising her more once they were truly alone.

This was how things went from shop to shop; each of the girls rotating and choosing where to go, as well as picking items to buy; some for Kaileena and some for themselves. It was in a shoe store where Hippolyta was trying on a pair of exquisite leather boots and Amora was off admiring the classier dress shoes that the lavender haired goddess finally spoke up. "So.... you're back at it again? IS she really that different from the one who broke your heart, Kai?"

Amora considered the idea of a random teleportation spell in the doorway of her bedroom, but that seemed a bi over kill. True, if you were living in a house with many people and you only had your room to call your own, the spell would make sense, but Amora had her own home. When she wished not to be disturbed, no one, no matter their strength or their abilities, could enter her house. It just simply wasn't possible.

As for Kaileena's apparent discomfort over trying on the elaborate lingeries Amora picked out for her, the blonde enchantress had one explanation behind it all. "Think of it all as wrapping paper," she whispered to her softly while helping her with a piece. "You are the present and all of this is simply the decoration that either makes you feel better than anyone else, or it gives your intended a little tease and enticement in the bedroom." In the end, it seemed that they settled on more simplistic designs when it came to foundation garments.

"I mean you and Amora. You've slept with this one, haven't you?" Her question was all but answered as Kai talked. "No, I haven't met Aldrif, so I don't know how major that is. But your mother rules Olympus, so I would guess that it's pretty much the same thing. If she's respected and this Circe trusts her, that lends support to her being different." So did the news that she ruled Asgard for ten years, and from what she could tell of the place, it hadn't gone to hell. But the whole decade long girl trip? Hippolyta hadn't expected that. Not really. "Oh sure, you willingly spend ten years with a grandmother you've never even met, but spend a day shopping with your sister and you act like we're torturing you to death." Deciding to buy the boots she was looking at, Hippolyta turned to her sister. "If you trust her, if you love her, if you believe that she will never turn against you or break your heart, then you can stay with her. But the instant you come running to me or Mel with tears in your eyes and another broken heart, she's fair game. All right?"

Amora simply smirked, refusing to give Kaileena a clear answer. Of course she enjoyed playing with her, and the added benefit of seeing her in something other than black leather? Well, that was just the best thing ever, wasn't it?

"What would make me think that you are her are sleeping together? Hmmmm…. let me ponder that… could it be that you are willingly trying on lingerie sets and clothing she picks out for you? That she is the one who is 'helping' you when you can't figure stuff out in the changing rooms? Or could it be the fact that you have just a little bit of her lipstick smudged on your neck under your ear?" Hippolyta couldn't wait to hear Kai's excuse about that one. "We'd get along? Because we're both pains in the ass who prefer to be control? Or are you actually trying to hook me up with someone?" That actually made Hippolyta smile a little. Both Kai and Mel had been trying that for the longest time. As of yet, their choices hadn't worked out for the best. Of sure, there had been plenty of one night stands, but neither the men nor the women they had picked for her had lasted. "Clothes shopping is not torture, Kai. And what was the reason?" Part of her didn't really want to know, but here they were, talking about serious subjects, so why not delve deeper?

"I said that she's fair game. I never said that I'd be the only one fighting. Do you think they can take on Melina and her dragon, or dad for that matter?" Naturally Hippolyta meant the dad in their universe, but she figured the one here would help out if coaxed properly.

"I'm sorry to interrupt and cut things short, ladies, but I'm afraid duty calls," Amora said, walking over to them while indicating the small lightning elemental following her. "It seems that Olympus is having a bit of trouble. Circe's requested my help."