A knock on Nora's door snapped her out of her thoughts. "Nora! I'm back. Have you seen Hesperus?"
"Akatone..?" Nora thought for a second. 'That's right, Akatone left for night classes.'
"Yeah Hesperus is in here with me!" Raising her voice Nora felt a tickle in her throat, after a couple of seconds Akatone walked in. "What happened? You look more terrible than when I Ieft." Nora glanced at her magenta eyed cousin. "Akatone. Can Gods talk to you through your dreams?" "Oh? What's this about?" "Just answer the question." Akatone leaned on the door frame, a pondering look on his face.
"Depends on the God I think, but for a simple answer yes they can talk to you and reach out through dreams."
Nora looked down at Hesperus who was still asleep on her lap. "Would you believe me if I said I was contacted by Urana?" Nora heard Akatone chuckle a bit.
"No, absolutely not."
Nora frowned, though a part of her couldn't blame Akatone, she had always been more of a jokester than Akatone and he sometimes didn't know when to take her seriously.
"But..let's, I don't know, go with this idea. Let's say I did believe you. What would you tell me?"
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Nora had a huge problem with rambling, like, huge, problem.
Akatone got the point a while ago but Nora kept going, while that was happening Akatone focused more on Hesperus, who would wake up once Nora got too loud then fall back to sleep. 'You choose Nora over me Hesperus? Little traitor.' Akatone felt a tad bit betrayed that his favorite cat chose to lay with Nora rather than him.
"-like my mother looked like an absolute bit-"
"Nora! I got the point you can shut up now." Akatone just wanted to leave now. "Right. Well, do you believe me now?" Nora's voice was hopeful but not too much, knowing Akatone would not believe her the second she told him, he had to think about his choice.
Akatone sat at the edge of Nora's bed chewing on his lip, he looked dazed out. Like he was imagining how the scenarios of each option would play out.
"Yeah" He spoke up. "I'll believe you, for now." Nora let out a breath of relief she didn't know she had been holding, "So" Nora began. "What do I do?"
"Nora, do you really have 'No' as an option? Are you aware of the consequences when you say No to the ruler of Cosmos? Do you know what she wanted you for?" Akatone's voice wasn't loud nor angry, rather stern and terrifyingly calm. Though she came to realize he was right, she didn't know what Urana would do if she said no.
"So? My options?"
"You don't have any." Nora looked down at Hesperus, slightly comforted by the birman cat, she hated how blunt Akatone could be at times, this is one of those times.
"Though you are sick." Akatone said off handedly, he then let out a small sigh of defeat before standing up and walking towards the door of the room. "I'll make soup for breakfast, and I'll pick some oranges and other fruits from the garden." Akatone said before completely walking out the door and down the hallway.
"Wait! Akatone! What about Hesperus!" Nora yelled, calling to Akatone who came into the room for the cat.
"Keep the little traitor!"
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Soon after Nora could see the blue light of the winter sun peak through the cloudy sky of the City of Shadows, Nora took a look at the grandfather clock in her room, 6:12 AM.
Nora wanted to get out of bed but chose not, the aching feeling in her stomach was not the best motivator. In the kitchen she heard the same bone chilling static as before, but this time it was changing, still static, but you could hear words if you listened close enough, probably a full sentence if you were actually in the room where the radio was. Eventually the radio stopped and Nora could hear Akatone finishing up and getting silverware.
A soft four knocks hits the door before the door slightly opens, Akatone waits a moment for Nora to protest his entry to the room, after hearing nothing Akatone walks into the room with a plate full of healthy fruit, and a bowl of soup. "Oi are you awake?" Nora chuckled and sat up grabbing the food from her older cousin. "Thank you, can I get a dessert too?"
"I can eat this right in front of you, you know that?"
"You couldn't you don't even eat enough for the average human to survive."
"I can still throw it out."
"You don't have the audacity." Nora exclaimed so sure of herself.
____________
He had the audacity.
Though he was mumbling about how he might get lectured about throwing away freshly made food, it didn't matter because Akatone had made extra. But now Nora knew to take him seriously when it came to food.
Soon it was to become noon and an unexpected knock was heard from the front door, Akatone, who was reading on the couch, got up and answered the door and was met with Eden.
Eden stood at the height of 5'7 an inch shorter than Akatone, she had pale tan skin, ash black hair, golden yellow eyes and she wore a rouge pink long coat with a black mock neck and black shorts and long socks.
But the thing that set Eden apart from the normal human and even demi-god was the cobalt blue symbol under her right eye. It was a spiral that looped two times.
"Nora! Eden came to visit!" Akaton stepped aside and let Eden in.
"Akatone, how are you? How is Nora?" Eden's voice was cheerful and sweet, an upgrade from Nora's loud and obnoxious voice or Akatone's cold and monotone one.
"I'm doing well Eden, as for Nora-"
"Oi let me speak for myself" Nora said stepping into the living room.
"Oh dear Nora! Are you sick?" Eden's voice was now filled with concern.
"See Akatone, that's how you are supposed to ask if someones okay, don't insult them." Nora lightly scolded. "I do that with everyone that's not you." "Eden is now the better cousin."