Astronomically Imposterble

Epilogue

In all her years on Midgard, Hel does not recall ever properly celebrating Day of the Dead. Which is entirely odd, all things considered. But, she supposes, she wouldn't have had to celebrate seeing as all her friends are (were) either British (or some other variation of it) or Asgardian. Elorie Moonvez, however, is neither of those things. And she most definitely celebrates Day of the Dead with her family and Ethan.

Which is why Hel now finds herself standing outside Elorie's house, contemplating whether or not she should actually go in, her ears buzzing with the amount of dead souls around her visiting their living relatives.

Luckily (or unfortunately), Elorie throws the door open before Hel can actually make that decision for herself. She greets Hel with a bright smile which is a stark contrast to the skull makeup she's wearing. She's fully decked out in traditional Day of the Dead garb; skull makeup, marigolds and roses (both red and yellow) in her braided hair, a simple red dress. Hel reaches up and tentatively touches her cheek. Elorie's brow furrows for a second before she's gesturing Hel inside the house. Hel shrugs her shoulders, dropping the glamour spell she usually keeps on when around mortals, before entering the house. Elorie's smile widens as she closes the door behind them, following after Hel.

"I'm so glad you could make it!" she cheers. Hel wraps her arms tightly around herself, taking in the appearance of Elorie's living room. It's. . . simple. Not at all what Hel was expecting. She had pictured trophy cases and ribbons and all that sort of junk they give to successful people. But it's just picture frames and knick-knacks. So. . . homely. Elorie scratches the back of her neck, screwing up her face. "I realized after I sent out the invite that today might not have been the best day to invite you over but. . ." She shrugs. "Pros and cons." Hel gives her a curt nod. "You okay?"

Hel shrugs. "There's a lot of ringing," she answers, gesturing to her ears. Elorie presses her lips together and nods, rocking on the balls of her feet. "But. . ." Hel shrugs. "Thank you for inviting me." Elorie's smile returns. "I've never actually celebrated something like this before." Elorie's face lights up.

"Really?! But you came dressed for the occasion!" She gestures to Hel's half dead side. Hel glances down at herself and flexes her fingers. "Like, really dressed." She looks Hel over. "No one's ever painted half of their body like that before." Elorie winks, keying Hel in on the joke. Hel snorts, balling her fist at her side. "But it's cool," Elorie rushes out, sensing Hel's discomfort. Hel raises an eyebrow. "I love it." Elorie grabs Hel's hand (the still alive hand) and starts dragging her through the house. Hel follows, intrigued. They stop a few minutes later, now standing outside in front of Penelope who's also wearing skull makeup and flowers in her hair. "Mamá! Look, she came!"

Penelope smiles and nods. "Hello again, Hel. It's lovely to see you. So glad you could make the celebration." Hel smiles slightly and nods. "I see you dressed up for the occasion."

"She did more than just that," Elorie rushes out. "Look!" Penelope studies Hel's appearance before nodding in appreciation. Hel squirms under her gaze before relaxing at the nod; while she's always unapologetic about who she is, she does get a little self-conscious when it comes to her half-dead side--especially around mortals. "She fits right in," Elorie declares, squeezing Hel's hand tightly. Penelope nods in agreement.

"That she does." Penelope and Hel share a smile. "Ethan's by the ofrenda if you'd like to pay your respects." Elorie nods. "And maybe show Hel around?" Elorie nods again before pulling Hel off in a new direction. "Ellie!" Penelope calls after her. Elorie skids to a stop and glances at her mother over her shoulder. "Both ofrendas?" Elorie nods, her smile brightening before speeding off again.

Elorie leads Hel into a small barn-like building, completely carved out of anything useful. At the far back wall is a large table with stacks of picture frames on top. There are bowls of fruit and a ton of candles taking up the remaining space. Sugar skulls and plates of pan de muerto. Marigold petals are scattered all over the table top, a few actual flowers draped over picture frames. There are a few tamales on higher shelves. Ethan's standing off to the side, studying a few of the picture frames, his hands clasped together in front of him. Hel's gaze flickers over everything before turning to Elorie, an eyebrow raised.