Hades drove. Noel alternated between holding the soda to her face and drinking it. By the time they got back to the hideout, her drink was gone and the can was warm. They hadn't had time to grab a Davronski. Police response time was impressive when people were shooting without reservation in a crowded tenement. They'd barely had time to make contact with Hades' FBI guy before local authorities arrived. Hades and Noel slipped through the closing net, in part, thanks to that contact.

It really shouldn't be that easy to get away with murder, but grease (in this case living Davronskis) in the right places did wonders. It was stupid that the world worked that way.

Noel was an odd mix of wired and exhausted once they were settling back in to the apartment. She had clothes now. That was a great step one. Step two...?

"You are not letting me stay here for free." That wasn't an accusation or a question. That was Noel. Telling him that her pride wouldn't allow it. Of course, her pride was a bit moot with a swelling cheek, but hey - she would hold on to whatever was left to her.

"You've seen what I can do. Let me do something for you." The please was implicit right?

The drive back to the safe house was made in silence.

>"You are not letting me stay here for free. You've seen what I can do. Let me do something for you."

Hades smiled slightly. "No, apparently I am not. If you do wish to help, here is a disk containing a copy of all that I have collected regarding who might have sold us out. It is possible that after word of their failed attempt has reached them they will slink away with tail between leggs but it is more likely that they will try again. On there are 12 names, 12 potential candidates that could ahve done this. If you are willing I would like to ask you to chase them down, use whatever means necessary, if you need any resources feel free to ask for them. Some of the names on that list know me."

This was an important task. Hades had a trip in the next few days, and while he could investigate the 12 names on that list it would be infinitely more difficult for him to do so undetected than Noel. There was another thing that he wanted Noel's help on but.......

"One other thing, after you have finished that if you are still interested in helping I would welcome your help in a matter that is decidedly more..... personal in nature." He said no more content to leave the topic where it was.

The next day after notifying Noel Hades romptly left for his week long "trip".

A disk? She took it and, mentally, it became her top priority. It was good to have something to occupy her while Hades was gone. Noel was best when she had something to do, especially when it was something she was good at.

His "one other thing" was perplexing, but she could leave it until he came back.

Or... she could snoop while he was gone. There would be plenty of time. A whole week, in fact, where she would have free reign in a hideyhole full of Hades' things. No doubt he had handled some of them and left her something to work from.

~~ Hades Left ~~

Keeping Hades' personal space in tact and keeping the cameras in mind, Noel still managed to snoop a bit. She felt like she needed to know about Hades' behaviors. He gave off an aura of trustworthiness to her, but was he really?

From what she tasted, he was weirdly impersonal here. But this wasn't his home base. She knew that she could find that and snoop there, but from what she saw, Noel had the impression that she'd get only more of the same. Hades may as well have been a machine for all the personal life he had. Heck. Noel seemed to be one of the only girls he'd brought home. Ever. And keeping Noel was just good business.

Speaking of business, he did that stuff too. Glont and other conglomerates. He was busy. It was just that somehow everything he did, even his hobbies, seemed to be all about work.

She had a plan by the time he came back.

Noel cooked dinner. It wasn't hard. There were cook books and she was good with blades. Okay. So she had very little experience with actual cooking mechanics so some things that were supposed to be crunchy were soft and some things that were supposed to... well, you get the idea.

She ate first and then tried to have something ready for the moment Hades stepped back into the apartment. Noel was trying to grease the wheels and make what she had to say a little easier to swallow by padding the news with food. She'd eaten first so that she could report while he ate.

First, she told him about Gunter Von Krause. Hades was understandably upset, but Noel was most professional and thorough in her investigation. After he had digested that ...?

Noel cleared her throat. "Uhm. Before you left, you mentioned something personal. I want you to know that I'm ready to take on your next challenge so long as you are." She waited to make sure he was keeping up now that they'd switched topics. She finished one job. He'd teased her about another. She couldn't quite figure out what it could be from what she'd read unless it was to find out why he was so dang boring.

"You know I can read memories, but what you don't know is the whyfors and the hows? If you need something personal, I need to know a little of what I'm looking for. I get a sort of automatic index while I'm getting a read, but only while I'm reading. If I break contact, there's a window of opportunity and then..." She held up her hands to indicate that what she got afterward was poof, "it's as good as chaos without me being able to direct how I dig into the memories.

I've got to taste something related to what you want. If you're looking for something that was said or thought, lips are a good gateway. Hands for passwords. That kind of thing." She shrugged the implications of all that off. Noel was a professional. If Hades needed something, she was eager to provide it. She'd kissed plenty of toads and come out better for the information they'd provided. So. Who did he need her to lick this time?

Hades week has passed constructively. He had successfully made a rather important and well guarded Mafia boss...well disappear. So it was with quiet satisfaction that Hades returned to the safe house that he currently shared with Noel. He returned to find...that she had...prepared a meal...for him. This was....nice, to be honest he was not sure quite what to think. It had been so long since he had allowed anyone to get close enough to do something... nice for him that was not related to business or favors of professional courtesy. The thought of letting anyone get close brought up...memories. Hades sat down to dinner. He commented on the superb preparation of the food. In response to Noels expression he smiled

slightly and replied, "I can appreciate good knife work regardless of the context." The food tasted not bad. Hades was in less good humor when Noel informed him about Gunter Von Krause. He had his suspicions but as Noel laid out the evidence out piece by piece it became clear. The one who had sold him, them, out was none other than the information broker Gunter Von Krouse. Hades had worked with Gunter for a number of years although they had never met in person. He knew that as soon as Von Krause learned that Hades was still alive he would not rest until Hades had been captured or confirmed killed. Noel seemed to have realised as much from the information she presented. Houtwardly he showed no reaction other than the slow clenching and relaxing of his right hand. He took his time digesting this information and finally looked up at Noel. "You realize what this means right? Von Krause will keep coming after us until either I am dead or captured or he is." He let that statement and the resulting implications hang in the air.

After that was settled, and one can read more about it in the thread Of Mercs and Men, Noel one again changed the topic to something a lot more... personal.

>"Uhm. Before you left, you mentioned something personal. I want you to know that I'm ready to take on your next challenge so long as you are. You know I can read memories, but what you don't know is the whyfors and the hows? If you need something personal, I need to know a little of what I'm looking for. I get a sort of automatic index while I'm getting a read, but only while I'm reading. If I break contact, there's a window of opportunity and then... as good as chaos without me being able to direct how I dig into the memories. I've got to taste something related to what you want. If you're looking for something that was said or thought, lips are a good gateway. Hands for passwords. That kind of thing."

Hades lent back to think over what she had said. By this time they were sitting on the sofa in front of the fireplace. Hades had been silent for a while. Thoughts were flying through his head, too many to count. "Noel, I have been doing research into... my past, there seem to be inconsistencies between what I remember and what actually happened and I would like to learn the truth." He paused, collecting his thoughts. "Before you agree, there are things that you might want to consider. I would not have you agree to help me while remaining ignorant of the risks involved." How much had she gathered of him. "I assume that you know by now that I am a professional assassin, that I am at least over 200 years old and that my actual age likely spans millennia." He watched for her reaction. "Then there is your power. The advantage of your ability is that what memories that and object or person possess are an open book to you, there are no half measures. there is no holding back. Noel I have lived a very long time. I have killed many, I have helped stabilize and topple government, I have helped to start and stop wars, civil and international. I am a keeper of secrets, some of which would cause the deaths of many if they ever saw the light of day, others that would see you and me exiled from numerous countries around the world and be hunted by their military."

This next part was also hard. It was not that Hades was unaccustomed to asking for help or backup, it was that Noel had started to become...well something close to a friend?  Perhaps more, Hades was blessed and cursed with a photographic memory. He remembered every kill, and also the death of every friend, he had been married once, twice, a number of times. What did it matter. Every one of them ended the same way, She could spend her lifetime with him but he could not spend his lifetime with her. The same applied to offspring. The same with friendships. Noel was unique in that if he let her, she of all people would come the closest to understanding him, all of him, all how many thousand years of him. The idea was both frightening and exciting at the same time. There was a reason why Hades often just seemed to live for work for long periods. It was easier to keep the memories at bay. Hades was weary of changing the status quo. "The fact is Noel, if you choose to help me, you will learn information which, if you ever revealed, would force me to.... ensure your silence. Something that I would very much regret having to do." Hades was not good at expressing....emotional things. The truth is he would be very sad if it came to that but he also wanted Noel to know what she was potentially getting herself into. He paused, looking into the fire. "Knowing this, is your reply still the same? I understand if you have changed your mind and will think no less of you as an ally and ....... friend." Wait had he just said that out loud? Outwardly he betrayed little if any indication of the turmoil that was going on inside. What had he gotten himself into. 

[OCC: Let me know if edits are required]

Report and explanation finished, Noel stood at the ready between Hades and the fireplace. He sat on the couch and she tried not to shift and distract him while he chewed over what she'd had to say about the details of her own abilities.

> "Noel, I have been doing research into... my past..."

Oh. His past? Noel clasped her hands behind her back and strove for sheer professionalism as she processed what he had to share in return. She glossed right past the numbers he tossed out as far as his age went. She'd already gleaned at least one memory that was somewhere around the 200 year mark. What was a millenia more after an already in-humanly long life span?

Hmm. This seemed an ill-advised application of her power.

"The beauty of my abilities, sir, lies in the fluidity of my memory. I can, if you want, read into your past and forget the pertinent bits, assuming I could figure which ones those were. I can't say how you would test that theory, but I at least am confident that I will never be the source of any information leak." She addressed the top of his head because there was a whole lot going on in Hades' eyes. He was asking her silently for what? Trust? Hope? Something... and she just didn't get it. So she was trying her hardest to ignore it, whatever it may be.

"I want you to know that there's a great personal risk to my mind. As far as I can tell, I was not built to hold that much memory so we will have to plan accordingly and take it slow. I've interacted with an immortal before and I came out okay after so I know it's possible. I also know that it will take a certain amount of trust on my behalf as I cannot attest to what I will retain and what may be overwritten." The more she spoke, the more this was sounding like a military briefing. Feet together. At attention. Back ramrod straight. She was admitting that after taking in Hades' memories, there might not be much of herself left, if they did this wrong.

She cleared her throat, after risking a glance at Hades' eyes. "If there is something that you want me to help you forget..." She broke rank a bit, compassion creeping in for just a moment. She could help him forget. It would be best if she saw what he wanted to forget first, but it could be done.

Having said that, "I too would prefer that you not murderize me." She smirked at the top of Hades' head again. If they were in a life-or-death battle she had no doubt about who would win. And it wasn't her. "I'm really hoping to avoid that. I could even forget all of it, if that was your preference." And that was quite the offer. She was potentially volunteering to lose years of her own memory. A lifetime, if they didn't handle it right.

"I have not changed my mind. The offer is still on the table." If this could help Hades find some peace... well, she wasn't exactly using her mind for much else these days. Hades was a good employer thus far. She would like to keep him on so what was a few years here or there? Her memories were cobbled together versions of a few different people's lives anyway. Her own original memories were long gone.

Hades wondered why Noes was standing so formally, it was almost as if he was a commanding officer and Noel was reporting in. Then it clicked, she was uncomfortable very uncomfortable. Hades was relieved upon learning that Noel could be selective in her recollection. He was also... touched at her offering despite the potential cost should it go wrong.
>"If there is something that you want me to help you forget.."
"Thank you for the offer Noel but I would prefer to remember."
>"I too would prefer that you not murderize me. I'm really hoping to avoid that. I could even forget all of it, if that was your preference."
Hades smiled at this. he to would prefer that Noel not forget all, although the offer was touching. He was enjoying the interaction far too much. He really needed to get out more. But being an introverted immortal assassin sort of got in the way.
>"I have not changed my mind. The offer is still on the table."
Hades was silent for a while. He had offered Noel no small amount of trust in even revealing the topic to her and even more in implying that he would allow her to look through his memories, knowing what little he did about them. If she wanted to she could make him forget so much. Then again the flip side was that if something went wrong he could do the very same to her. Normal mortal minds were not designed to cope with the sheer volume of memories of an immortal mind, especially one cursed/blessed with a photographic memory and almost perfect recall. Perhaps he should mention that little tit-bit at some point.
"Noel, please sit, this is not a briefing and I am not your commanding officer." Hades smiled as he said that. He was doing that more often. He was starting to let his guard down a little. Only a little mind you but lowered it was none the less. He paused, weighing his words carefully. "I trusted you enough to broach the topic with you and you responded with no small amount of loyalty, both of which are rather rare in my profession. Thank you."

She owed him nothing, perhaps she felt a misguided sense of gratitude at him offering her a roof perhaps she was enjoying the relationship like he was either way, it was nice to have someone else around. Hades rose, "In that case, perhaps I should start by telling you what I know and what I suspect, that way when you....rifle though my memories it will be easier to concentrate on the pertinent ones."
Was he being reckless, he had no defense against Noel, she could literally make him forget everything. Was life so boring? or was it because here was someone who seemed to be on the way to becoming a friend and most importantly had a better chance of actually understanding him, knowing him than most. The ability to literally see his memories negated the need to explain many things. Of course it was all so very likely that she would turn tail and run if she truly knew him. His was a face that had seen so much pain, that had caused so much pain. He had seen cities burn, he was a heartless killer, yet inside all of that he was not overly cruel, he had simply been raised with different principles. At least the second time he was raised. "You are the second person in the world that I have ever recounted this tale to. Wait here. I would prefer not to tell it with a dry throat." The wine might also make the inevitable a little bit more natural.

Hades returned with a dust covered bottle. He poured for each of them half a glass of while and a glass of water. He then sat down to compose his thoughts. To call the wine alcohol would be the atrocity of the century, it flowed like liquid silk. It was a wine to be sipped, a wine to share among friends. "Now where to begin...."

If he preferred to remember, Hades certainly didn't know how very freeing forgetting could be. Yeah. It was a constant hassle for Noel, but even she had thing she'd wanted to forget. The difference was that she could and often did put those things out of mind freeing her emotions or actions in ways she would not be able to had she retained whatever had been weighing her down.

It wasn't her place to argue, though. Noel took a tentative seat on the couch. This was one of those mutual trust moments that could make or break an alliance. If they were going to trust one another, this moment was a turning point.

> "I trusted you enough to broach the topic with you and you responded with no small amount of loyalty, both of which are rather rare in my profession. Thank you."

Loyalty? She'd figured it was mostly a self-serving, dire curiosity. Though that wasn't it exactly, was it? She wanted to keep... whatever this was in tact. Hades had been good to her. Food, shelter, work. Everything a girl needed, right?

"Some direction would be appreciated, yes." He was being kind of weird, though. A little more formal in some ways and really a heck of a lot less formal in others. He was different than he had been before. Had something happened on his trip? Or was it the double whammy of betrayal and then the whole past digging business? Or... maybe it was the whole idea of her power? Her abilities were useful when applied to others, but once it was focused on them, her friends seemed to get a little squidgy.

"But they're just memories, okay? Anything I see can only help inform me about why you are the man you are now." She felt lame saying it, but still felt it had to be said. Anything that he was carrying, bad or good, was something that factored into his every day life decisions.

And apparently this whole thing had him unsettled enough that he felt the need to have a drink. Noel took her glass in hand, but didn't actually drink any. She'd learned her lesson last time. Booze was not her friend.

> "Now where to begin...."

"You are at least 200 years old, your memory has been tampered with previously, and you think I can help you unlock some things that you're missing." Noel glanced up at the ceiling as she recalled some things she had gathered about the man in front of her between all their interactions and her snooping. "You have several safe houses, you are a successful assassin with a world of high-stakes secrets, and for all that you're quite possibly one of the most boring people to observe in recent memory." Noel looked at him then. Had she overstepped? "How's that for a start?" She was only helping...

Hades smirked at Noel's slightly smart alec comment. "Wait a minute, one of the more boring people to observe in recent memory?" He raised an eyebrow. "Considering that no thanks to you, and in no small part myself, since we met we have, between us, been shot, stabbed, been hunted like prey, huntede as the hunters and in general lived an action packed life worthy of a Jason Borne film." He smiled, perhaps the wine was relaxing him. "If that is what you consider boring I would like to know what you consider interesting and exciting. Although for an assassin that is a moderately exciting week. I have had worse." He turned from the leaning against the mantelpiece and staring at the fire ti face Noel. "You on the other had are possibly one of the most interesting people to observe in, well, years." As Hades talked he set his wine glass on the mantle piece and counted off the points on his finger. "You used to work in security, were trained by no less than a master swordsman, have never been involved in shadowy world of assassins yet have taken to it like a duck to water." He paused for a breath. "You went from a bar fight which turned out to be much bigger than either of us imagined, did not freak out when we were attacked by a group of assassins and did not even flinch when we ended up hunting another nest of them." He took a breath, "And now you are poised to see through the eyes of an immortal assassin which, if done incorrectly would permanently ruin either me or you. For which you seem remarkably calm."

"You are a mystery." She was intriguing. Hades had never been on for long conversations, especially since Lucy passed away. The world of assassins tended not to be a very verbose one, well aside from when he was in disguise. Somehow Noel had begun to draw him out of his shell. Upon reflection he had probably become a bit boring, all work and little play. Lucy always accused him of that, well her and his .... first? wife. That was... a long time ago?.... the memory was hazy as if someone had tried to overwrite it. Hades shook his head slightly and composed himself.

"Hazy memories aside, I remember being in what I presume to be an orphanage, but before that there is a strong sense of pain and a... changing in perspective? Anyhow I was with a group of perhaps 500 children. we were trained from young, to be assassins, to move in shadows, we were trained in various weapons including rifles, sidearms, military equipment and machinery as well as knives, improvised weaponry and garrotes." He paused. "We were trained to incapacitate, to would and kill, and we never used anything but live rounds, those who were weak or too slow, died. By the time I was 20 there were less than 100 of us left, we started doing missions after that. We got into to containers which were then dropped on location and we went from there. We were never allowed to know where the training facility was. Then there were the numerous injections and the Gene therapy." Hades shuddered slightly. "One of the staff members had the ability of genetic manipulation. It was she who stopped out body clocks and helped unlock and shape our abilities." He paused to gather more thoughts, his eyes distant. Dimly in the corner of his mind he was aware that the time for the kiss was approaching and he could not honestly tell what he felt about it.

>"...in general lived an action packed life worthy of a Jason Borne film."

Noel barked a laugh out at that. "Well, when you put it that way... things were pretty quiet while you were gone, though. So maybe all the excitement was your fault." Actually, things hadn't been 100% quiet since she'd been busy tracking down that information for him. Also there'd been that encounter in the park with the Bird Hunters... maybe she should bring that up with Hades. Later, though. That wasn't the mission for this evening.

>"I have had worse."

Noel coughed. Her cough sounded suspiciously like the word show off.

> "You on the other had are possibly one of the most interesting people to observe in, well, years."

Huh? "Uhhhg. Noooo. Don't put it like that." Noel grabbed at her hair. "I'm a good person, not an assassin. I don't want to be an assassin." And yet what he'd said was true. She fit right into Hades' world almost as if every event in her life had been leading up to it.

>"You are a mystery."

"Even to myself. Thankfully, though, this isn't about me. This is about you. So spill." Remarkably calm was Noel's middle name.

And spill he did.

"If you know all that, why do you need me?" She didn't mean to be terse, but... honestly. He already knew a lot. "Are you missing a name? Or something specific?" She shrugged. If he had his body's clock stopped, maybe he meant to restart it again some day?

"Noel I am not saying that you are an assassin nor that you are becoming one. I am merely stating that you are remarkable. You are a professional and you adapt to situations quickly. You don not loose your nerve easily and learn quickly."

>"If you know all that, why do you need me? Are you missing a name? Or something specific?"

At that he turned sharply. His eyes catching the fire light drilled, no bore intently into her own. His whole body tensed slightly. His hands clenched slightly. As he spoke his hands clenched and unclenched, not just opening and closing, but subconsciously into different attack poises, tiger claw, bear claw, phoenix palm.... His eyes blazing with pent up frustration and anger.

"There is still so much I do not know." His breathing rate increased. His body seemed to be poised, coiled tight like a spring. "I recall the unusually sensation of pain and something vaguely resembling a changing of perspective, like the world seeming to grow larger before I started training. I do not know where we were trained, there was extensive documentation on each of us there, each of us had whole filing cabinets devoted to us. I am reasonably sure that the leader was an omega level super-intelligent mutant, the second in command a genetics manipulator and the third a memory manipulator. Your memories were her plaything. I recall that I always knew more than they taught, styles that were extinct always accompanied with hazy memories, like shadows of being trained in them in a different age and locations that are no longer on any maps in the world. I was given photographic memory and almost perfect recall." The cork was out and the information kept coming, he was staring at her as if my force of will he could see answers in her eyes, or perhaps he was staring past her, transfixing Noel in place by force of will. This was probably the most intense anyone had seen him. He had shared this with no one, it was private, it was personal, but somehow Noel had drawn? Provoked it out of him. The gene was out of the bottle, the Pandoras box opened and would not go back in.

"I can recall every moment from when I first met my wife Lucy until I held her as she died in my arms during the second world war, pregnant with our first child. She was my first wife. How then do I vividly dream and have shadows of memories of holding my two sons and my daughter in my arms and have flashes of them at different ages? Why does even thinking of them bring with it a strong, irrational sense of anger and revenge. I vaguely recall another woman, but the memories are so vague that every time I try to grasp for them they elude my grasp. For months I dreamed vividly of fighting in battles so much older than my supposed paltry 200 years of age. I finally recalled a name of a person that I fought along side, after 10 years of research and much money I suspect he was a military person in times past at least 1500 years old? What was done to me at the training facility? How was I changed? What did I forget? Who was I once? All these and more Noel, I am missing."

Hades took a deep breath as the tension slowly seemed to leave his body, his hands relaxed. he blinked and looked past Noel, no longer drilling her with a laser like intense stare. He seemed to come to and realize where he was. He took another deep breath and seemed to relax more, or was it that his iron self control had once again slipped back into place. He wondered if he had scared her, startled her. "My apologies." Was he apologizing for startling her, more likely for loosing control. He paused, searching for the right words. "Now you know why I have tried for years to find answers." The main challenge was that his memories of some of the things were so vague that there was no way he could even describe them to anyone, perhaps Noel would have better luck being able to almost "see" through his eyes. "Are you ready to do this?" Asked Hades as he took one step towards Noel.

He went from calling her remarkable to wigging out pretty quickly.

> "There is still so much I do not know."

It was specifics. It was also family. Children, wives, and wars. Noel's eyebrows drew together as she listened. He was intense. Glaring like maybe he was changing his mind about her and her power. Or maybe she was just sensitive from her encounter with Kaz. She'd never felt threatened from Hades ever since she'd proved competent enough to wield a cloth in that alleyway.

Then again, he seemed pretty calm when he wasn't talking about someone messing with his head. Which was exactly what he was asking Noel to do.

"So the issue is when perfect recall meets memory manipulation." That was tricky. Very tricky. If his memory was indeed perfect, she could find it. But if it was gone... what would he do if she couldn't find it? This was going to take some extended digging and that meant extended contact and that meant Noel heaved a sigh.

"Have you ever considered the memory manipulator put a couple extras in your head? Just to mess you up?" Though he sounded like he wanted to know about the dream family. Immortals were so messed up. Some people didn't even have one family and he wanted to make sure he knew about all his previous ones?

And, she had to ask so she tried to do it gently. "Have you ever considered that you might be better off not knowing? The mind does put some fail-safes in place on purpose." Noel tried to be calm and centered. Hades seemed like he needed that now. They would never get through this if he couldn't relax.

"Does it really matter who you were once? Do you not like who you are now?" That was a question that hit closer to home than she cared to admit. Noel was always who she was now. Whoever she was before... she didn't have a memorymancer to kiss and tell her. Now had to be good enough for her.

It wasn't good enough for him, though.

> "Are you ready to do this?"

She watched him for a moment, coming to some unspoken conclusion before she pat the couch cushion beside her. "Sit. Please. This might take a while."

Clearly he had rattled her, but somehow Hades suspected that it was not just what he had told her.

>"So the issue is when perfect recall meets memory manipulation."

"Partially, I did not have perfect recall before it was gifted to me during training. That is why I cannot recall many details about the early days of my training."

>"Have you ever considered the memory manipulator put a couple extras in your head? Just to mess you up?"

"I have considered that. I considered it unlikely that she would ahve gotten hold of martial arts styles that have not been taught or have been lost for over 500 years. The memories of family, I am not sure. still the little details that i can recal seem far too mundane to be manufactured, but I could be wrong."

>"Have you ever considered that you might be better off not knowing? The mind does put some fail-safes in place on purpose. Does it really matter who you were once? Do you not like who you are now?"

Hades stopped and thought. Not that he had not gone down this path many many times. "Noel, I am who I am today, I am enjoy what I have accomplished, but I also realize that my past, perceived or actual, manufactured or genuine still affects me today. Part of me wants to know what other skills or talents I may have forgotten, the other part wants to know if they are real or not. As an assassin, the more I know about myself the more I am aware of potential weaknesses. I have been in situations where certain words or phrases have triggered mini flashbacks. I cannot afford to have a lapse in concentration during a mission. I would like to learn if any of by brothers are still alive. Finally I want to know what they did to me, partly to learn more about my abilities and limits and partially to learn if they left any embedded safeguards or trigger phrases in me." He smiled, "In a sense Noel I envy you, you are who you are today, what you forget affects you less, it may affect how those around you interact with you but you can choose to forget things. For me the past continues to have an affect on me, regardless of how complete my memory of it is."

Noel seemed to deliberate for a moment, would she back out?

>"Sit. Please. This might take a while."

As Hades sat and made himself comfortable, softly he said "Thank you Noel. Don't take on more than you can handle at once, and, regardless of the outcome..." He paused, the words not coming easy to him, nevertheless they were heartfelt and genuine. "Thank you, my friend" He would say no more.

Okay. So. How to make out with someone who just called you friend to your face and was asking you to look into his hypothetically imaginary family?

Noel didn't look happy about it, but he put her hands on Hades' jaw and turned him to face her. This was awkward. There just wasn't any way to get around that. "I don't know what this is like for the other guy." She was determined not to be embarrassed, though. Friend. Wasn't like he'd asked her to make out with him for fun. There were reasons. He wanted to know something and this was the only way to know that thing.

She huffed a sigh and scooted closer. Decided that wasn't going to work at all and threw one leg over Hades so that she was straddling his legs. There. The color in her cheeks could be blamed on the wine she hadn't touched.

"Let's start with one thing. This shadow family that's got you all twisted up in knots." Noel leaned in close and closed her eyes only once their lips were touching. She had a hundred questions about his past that she wanted to know and see and review. But for now, this? This was all about the things he had asked her to find.

She deepened the kiss incrementally. After all, she did have to taste him.

Her mental connection established, Noel delved into memory. She reached as far back as she could and kept her target firmly in the forefront of her mind. Family. She looked for something old. Older than the second world war.

Noel looked like she was trying to decide something, truth be told she looked a little squeamish. Next he knew her hand was on his jaw turning his face towards hers. Her hands were cool and soft, her touch gentle.

>"I don't know what this is like for the other guy."

Hades tried in vain to suppress the smile at her words. She was clearly trying to hide her embarrassment. Hades decided it was wiser not to attempt a reply.

Noel seemed to be getting a little frustrated in getting the position "just right". Hades could understand. He had no idea how long this would take. In a move that prompted a raised eyebrow from Hades, Noel finally decided to... well straddle Hades, facing him. There was a blush rising in her cheeks that Hades attributed to embarrassment. This was probably the closest they they had been since they first met. She was attractive in an athletic sort of way. Hades had never really looked at her in that light before. He had always seen her as an ally, a resource and no, a friend but certainly no more than that. He tended to shy away from missions that involved seduction, there were far more effective ways to obtain information. The closeness brought so many things sharply into focus. She had nice toned legs, she was lithe, fit. some would call her beautiful. Hades had not thought about intimacy for, well, decades. He had sort of walled that part of himself away after Lucy died. It was not as though in his line of work one would be likely to meet anyone, and if one did meet someone one would always wonder, is she doing this for an advantage?

>"Let's start with one thing. This shadow family that's got you all twisted up in knots."

As Hades processed what she said, Noel leaned forward and pressed her lips against his. They both closed their eyes. He was suddenly aware of how close they were. He found her slightly floral scent pleasant. The kiss started off gentle but gradually deepened. As if by some unspoken command, Hades arms raised to hold her, one wrapped around her lower waist, the other around her shoulders. He held her gently. He was not sure why he did that, it just felt... right, like the echo of some memory long past. He closed his eyes. The kiss felt...nice. Who was he kidding, it felt, well, Hades was not sure of how to describe it. Gently he stroked her shoulders in a soothing fashion. He wondered how long this would take yet there was another part of him that did not want the kiss to end.

She pushed away without warning. Noel's eyes roved blindly around seeing things long gone, long forgotten.

"She beat you in a local martial arts contest. At first, it made you mad. Then it made you better." The memorymancer settled back on Hades' knees, her arms stretched between them to maintain distance. "Eventually it made you a couple. A rivalry turned friendly. Amorous. She was..." Noel breathed a sigh feeling a wash of what he once felt colored by nostalgia. "She is lovely. Her hair is thick. She had a dark wood comb with light brown tines. Her skin..." Her head swam as she essentially fast forwarded. Private. That was private. She did not want to experience that.

"You are a father thrice over." Thrice was not in her typical vocabulary, but she wasn't exactly herself anymore. Noel would probably be speaking ancient Chinese if the memories were stored more strictly than these, but this wasn't an area of perfect recall. This was emotional and tactile. Images and sentiment more than exact words. "Two boys one girl. Farmer, artist, soldier. I am proud of their passion and drive. We are a happy family and each day closes with contentment."

Noel was on her feet in a flash, no doubt she looked like a crazy person, but she was so far gone now that it wasn't even a consideration. Her gut twisted with the new tone of emotion this branch of memory brought. "Oh. Oh no. The village was attacked. I ran. My chest was on fire for how far I ran to find them. She was beautiful even in death. A tigress for how she fought." Her fists balled up.

"Daughter. Son. Worse than gone. My anger became a hard thing. I saw that same iron in my surviving son. We found a way to temper that anger and make it into something strong."

"Poison. Assassination. Revenge. We almost didn't make it." There was a lot here. It was disjointed, some things incredibly clear while others were fragile as soap bubbles. Noel's eyelids fluttered while she scrubbed through to the next points of interest.