maybe I've been here before [hermes]

[Alyss Heart]

At first, Alyss was confused, but the moment he explained Tori's little trick with the cards, explaining that she had used it to ask about Hermes, it was like a cold wind blasted the fog away. Perhaps some mothers would have chalked this up to an overactive imagination, but A) overactive imaginations were kind of their specialty, B) Alyss wouldn't do that to any child, least of all hers and C), Tori had never asked that of anyone before. The closest she had gotten was asking Apollo if he was related to Hermes, and she had been absolutely right. She clearly had a knack for this sort of thing. She didn't expect Tori to always be right, of course, but at the very least, this Hermes thing was plausible, she realized, and a part of her was thrilled by the prospect...but...

...but Mercutio (...wait...Mercutio, Mercury...his name sounded quite a lot like Hermes' Roman name...extra point, Tori) didn't even seem to recognize the name...but then again, that wasn't necessarily proof he really didn't. Especially since he had somehow been able to intuit that the name was Greek...if you know enough about Greece, particularly the language, to guess this...it almost felt like it'd be MORE unlikely for this to not be some sort of trick, but Alyss knew better than to go barging into this without some solid proof.

...well. There was certainly one way to figure this out.

So after unnarrowing her eyes, she nodded, expression far more neutral than her brain wanted it to be. "Why yes it is...it's her father's name, actually." That would have been as far as she went were it not for her hunch, seeing as she had grown so careful with her life story...but she wasn't going to stand a chance in drawing him out if she was vague. And if she was wrong...well, Mercutio would just have to deal with it.

"She never really got to meet him, which just makes how much like him she is even funnier. Like...that little thing with the cards? Exactly the sort of thing he'd have done, same with giving poor Della a hard time...and it's hard to not look at that little smirk on her face and not think of him..."

Tori had been sulking rather quietly, seriously thinking of insisting that he probably WAS Hermes and was just being a jerk right now...but now that Mum was talking again, she was focusing more on her, frowning as she tried to figure out if this meant that her mum believed her or not...that was, until Mum looked at her and her lips twitched into a little smirk of her own, like, for a split second...oh...oh, Mum had a plan, she could tell. She perked up right away, even showing off the very smirk her mother had been talking about.

"There, right there," Alyss agreed. She could have easily gone on about how under all the mischief and cleverness, it was their shared sadness that had really drawn her to him, but she had a feeling that might make him run off no matter WHO he was. Better to keep it light. "Clever, mischievous, always ready to keep you on your toes...I imagine they would have gotten along well, had we not been separated..." The neutral term was very deliberate. Despite Della's insistence, she wasn't nearly as angry as she should've been at Hermes leaving. Perhaps a little disappointed, but, well, she didn't have as much room to talk as some others about leaving a war that needed her. So she wouldn't condemn him, nor would she excuse him...she'd simply state the fact. They were, in fact, separated, for seven long years. "Would've been nice if that hadn't happened in a lot of ways..."

And now the time came to wait, wait and see if he took the bait.

[Hermes]

Hermes kept his expression calm and curious even as she narrowed her eyes suspiciously. He was devilishly good at keeping things a secret if he wanted to. The problem was it was no fun being too good at anything. He was far too found of himself to not hint toward his true identity. He had too much fun making the game more fun to play to worry too heavily about the consequences. Still he had to worry a little. If he didn't care he wouldn't have changed himself into Mercutio in the first place. If he didn't care, he'd lean in and kiss her right there as he watched the cogs turn in her beautifully clever mind. His kept his eyes on hers despite their longing to linger toward her lips.

After a few moments of beautiful tension, she spoke and she moved her game pieces around rather than right out accusing him. He admired her so for this, it was hard to keep from grinning. IT was obvious that he hadn't evaded her suspicion entirely, which truly he hadn't really hoped for. He felt that he'd lured her into a place of uncertainty. She didn't want to come right out and say it was him, because what if it wasn't? Yet if she played a game with him, she was far more likely to get him to trip into playing it too honestly; too much like himself. He had set up Mercutio to be to far away from the truth to make too many similar moves to his true self. Mercutio was curious, but not cunning and not so mischievous he might downright flirt with a teacher. These were the characteristics he'd been showing her up until this point. It was going to be much harder to play her game and keep up with what she believed she knew about him. Oh, but what a delicious challenge. How could he resist?

Hermes softened his eyes to one of polite concern and glanced at Tori. The poor thing was looking for her father. That was probably something Mercutio would find troubling. In fact, Hermes own heart felt something odd and unpleasant pulling at it. He'd blame it on good acting. Hermes eyes swiveled back to Alyss as she continued about the cards and his similarities with the child. His expression grew blanker, decidedly unreadable, as he processed. He did enjoy card tricks and he really had missed toying with Della. He'd have to find her, she'd probably already figured out it was him from that meeting. As soon as Alyss directed his attention to Tori's smirked he'd realized one to match had grown on his lips. He let it fade instantly. Strange to see your reflection in a child. Strange and a bit frightening. He wasn't precisely what the world considered a decent sort of person after all.

Hermes watched Victoria curiously until Alyss said the word separated and his attention was drawn back to her. what an odd word to choose. His expression was very still, calculating under the guise of a polite listener. Why would she say that? Most everyone was likely to have known he had left when the war turned against them. In fact he may have saved them if he had stayed, maybe. The term made it sound like they either decided on it together, or were forced apart by things outside their control. Did Alyss truly believe he hadn't left on purpose? That pulling at his heart grew stronger. She couldn't possibly think so highly of him. Or, perhaps she was shielding herself from the pity of a near stranger. She'd only just met Mercutio. Or, perhaps she had told Tori he hadn't simply left. His heart began to ache. She ended with remarking on how she would have liked it if he had stayed. What was this? How was she doing this? He felt flustered and annoyed as the sensation of guilt and desire riddled him, but his outside remained calm. It was too early in the game to lose.

"Do you miss him?" Hermes asked, glancing between her and Tori. There was something odd in his voice. It suited the character so well, a softness, but it was odd for Hermes. Still, it was a clever move. If she was going to toy with his emotions, it was only far that he try and push out some of hers.

[Alyss Heart]

While Alyss was focusing on crafting the sort of story that might draw Hermes out, Tori had more of a chance to study her possible-father. Now, being young, her ability to read people wasn't the near superhuman ability that it would become once she was older, but she could see he was thinking quite a lot about what Mum had to say, and focusing on her face a lot. Whether this was her father or not, he seemed to like her...and...and he was smirking back at her, just as Tori had done. The little girl's eyes widened, she had definitely seen that in the mirror more than a few times...wow. Even though he apparently looked nothing like Mum's Hermes, that had to mean she was right, right?? She longed to tug at her Mum's skirt and tell her exactly what she was thinking, but Mum clearly had a plan and though she liked messing with people's expectations, she didn't want to ruin whatever Mum had planned...though it had better be good.

Meanwhile Alyss awaited his reaction...she had to give him this, if it was who she thought it was...he never could wear his heart on his sleeve. Why would he? Either that, or Mercutio was behaving how any outsider would, polite and curious as a total stranger regaled him her sad story. What she wouldn't give for Tori's gift now...

...and then he asked a rather interesting question. Would that be the sort of thing a total stranger would ask? Especially when she had just said that she would have liked it if Hermes had stayed? Was it not obvious that of course she missed him?

So why ask...unless it was something he wanted to hear straight from her, because he wanted his ego stroked a bit or, and gods help her for even thinking it, he missed her too? The latter seemed impossible even if he was who she thought...and thus, with a single thought, she amended her plan just down to one detail.

"I do...quite a bit. Pity it's not likely mutual."

Tori's eyes flicked to her mother's face, wondering if she was speaking the truth of how she felt, or if this was just another trick...and this time she couldn't quite tell, it was all too muddied...after all, it's hard for children to understand that a statement could be a truth and a lie at the same time. Finding nothing there, she looked back at Mercutio, eyes boring into him like a silent dare.

[Hermes]

Not mutual. Hermes didn't have much time to think this time. If he kept taking long pauses to think it was likely to add to her suspicions. He shoved down most of the way her words made him feel for the moment and focused on how his character might feel. A mother and her child longing after a man that she believed didn't miss them. That was horrific. From anyone's perspective she was witty and lovely and worthy to be missed. Even Mercutio must think so. He'd dazzled him with her teaching and story telling. She had an outgoing and charming daughter. This were things that normal mortals admired. This were thing that made her worth missing. This made Mercutio sad. Just Mercutio. That's why Hermes felt this way. He was just so immersed in his character.

"Pardon me for saying so, but he doesn't sound like a very nice man if you miss him and he doesn't miss you." Mercutio offered with a troubled look on his face. Had Hermes not be so focused on not revealing anything he may have been proud of the answer. Hermes would never say such a thing to most anyone. He certainly did not consider himself kind, but he would never say it in such a way that would render it a bad thing. Being nice was so terribly overrated anyhow. That didn't explain why he was going through such an effort to remain a decent person in front of Alyss during this conversation, but he'd have to work that out after the game and concluded.

[Alyss Heart]

Much like Tori, Alyss searched for the sort of indignant response she'd expect from the ever proud Hermes...or perhaps even some irritation. She rarely saw that from him, but it was certainly possibly. She'd never expect him to say anything out loud, she knew better than that, but something...something other than claiming Hermes wasn't terribly nice for that. That...that was different. Especially if this was still an act.

Alyss was well past confusion now, so much that she didn't notice steam was literally coming out of Tori's ears. Sure, it was Imagined because Tori had to express her frustration SOMEHOW, but STILL!

Instead, Alyss was still carefully choosing her words...even if it seemed that she was losing her grip on the game. "I...don't blame you for saying so..." Her words came slowly, and she tried to keep her tone noncommittal. "You wouldn't be the first, actually...but it's not as simple as that. He's a god, after all, I can hardly expect him to...it's not as if I'd mean anyth..."

There she paused, seeming to have realized how far into this she was getting with a total stranger... "Mercutio I'm sorry. You just seem to have the sort of face one would want to confide in, but I have no business dragging you into my personal dramas."

However, Tori would have been glad to tell you that this wasn't a matter of her mum losing control of her emotions due to grief over her less than devoted lover...though again, something could be a truth and a lie at the same time, and one day, Tori would realize Alyss' attempts at tricking him were not only fruitless, but also had a grain of truth in them.