Despite the playful goading coming from Serafina when he commented on the stamina of deities compared that of mortals, Icarus wasn't moved to actual consideration for several reasons. First, he knew she was only making a light-hearted comment. Next, they were in the midst of playing their game and he found himself dead in that regard, for lack of a better term. Lastly, he was always the intuitive sort and he knew that regardless of the peak performance a human could achieve, it would never be within the same realm as one that possesses a control over fundamental forces within the reality they dwelt in. It had been the same when he walked the surface of Dae Luin and there were no reasons to suspect any variance on the matter. 

There was, however, always one means that he had not tapped into that he knew was not stripped of him throughout his various incarnations. It seemed that there was a unique trait that permitted him to rise to mythical realms of power temporarily in absolutely desperate circumstances. He hadn't yet found the need to do so as the recoil of the ability could potentially kill him, but it was a last ditch trump card he knew none of the gods knew about. That was perhaps one of the few saving graces he had from either being considered a weapon to use or a threat to be eliminated. 

His intuitive nature caught the slight changes in body language that seemed to wash over Serafina's face and body. It seemed to him that she, too, had an understanding of lost loved ones. Fairly, life was a chaotic existence that could gift and take others with nary a warning, leaving only a ruinous gash upon one's heart. Often enough, it proved too painful to move beyond and any mention or memory reignited could either cause that slight loss of attentiveness or a complete nervous breakdown based on severity. Unfortunately, part of his gifts was an eidetic memory that encompassed the five senses, triggering complete memories without variance. It was strongest at night when his subconscious took over during sleep, inserting him into different parts of his life; some were pleasant while others made him restless.

Icarus almost chuckled when Serafina joked about possibly not permitting him to escape from her personal Hell. The variance was almost total in their understandings. His memories of his time there were varying journeys across plains, mountains, and tunnels, appearing no different from the mortal realm, but with a feeling of continuous oppression and the endless pursuit by demons. He had witnessed one mortal soul being consumed, the demons fighting amongst one another as they tore the soul apart and grew more powerful from it. Yes, he was quite thankful that there may be some lord such as Serafina watching over the Hell of this reality as he much preferred the possibility of eternal suffering over absolute destruction. 

He approved of her answer. Icarus had made it simple for the reason that he knew the answer had a complex implication. The more complex he had posed the question, the more difficult it would have been for her to answer and then they would be sitting for hours just to finish that round of their little game. When she replied in kind with her own question, Icarus immediately knew his response as it was one he had maintained for decades, knowing his work would never be finished.

"Death. As soon as my work is finished, I intend to end my life because this cycle of resurrection is preventing my soul from rejoining that of my ancestors in the afterlife. I feel it's a fitting reward for all my effort. And you? What is it you wish for?" he answered, returning the same question as he drank from his glass. "No, no, no, I need to ask something else. Well, feel free to answer that question if you feel inclined, but my other question will be: What, if anything, is your favorite cut of meat?" he asked, trying to lighten the mood once more. He was often too serious for his own good, a blade sharpened for surgical precision, and it made him seem to not care about people. In fact, this could not be further from the truth.

The goddess was mildly taken aback by the response that Icarus offered her when she asked about his true desire. The way he spoke of wishing to end his life came about in such a nonchalant manner that he may as well have been discussing what he had eaten for breakfast that morning. After a moment of thinking about it, however, Serafina had decided that it certainly made sense. From the way he had explained his past, it would be the sweetest of releases he could achieve, were he to be finally free of the perpetual cycle of existence it seemed he had been thrust into. While she had been alive for much longer than the average mortal, even before she had achieved ascension into her divine status, she had yet to reach the point where she yearned for it to be over. She found her line of existence much too enjoyable to wish for such a thing.

Serafina had opened her mouth to respond to Icarus’s next question, but she closed it again as he backtracked and changed what he was asking her. The replacement question solicited a surprised laugh from the blonde. ”My favorite cut of meat?” she replied, still laughing somewhat. She was unsure about whether or not Icarus knew of her true being, the fact that she was not just a vampire, but carried the ability to shift into a werewolf as well, such was the gift of being a vaewolf that Nemesis had bestowed upon her. After she managed to suppress her laughter at the out-of-the-blue question, she came up with an answer for him - perhaps a bit longer than he would have expected.

”Well, I suppose the answer to that question is subjective to which aspect of myself is answering. For the way I sit right now, there is nothing better than a rarely cooked filet of beef. However, the hunter, the vampire within me, would tell you than a young, virile male - such as yourself, for example - offers the most succulent of flavors when you bite directly into the area of the neck around the jugular,” she continued. There was no malice to her voice - she was merely answering his question. There was no threat in her words. ”The wolf in me would tell you that whatever prey I can catch tastes the best,” she went on. ”A young fawn has the most tender meat, while the old, strong bucks are too tough,” she added, nodding to herself.

”Now that we’ve discussed my dining habits, shall we touch on yours?” she asked, though she knew that it had hit the point where sooner or later, the pair was going to need to discuss what Icarus had sought her out for - information regarding the death of Dalanesca. ”Tell me, what is the best meal you’ve ever had the pleasure of eating?” she asked, and it was clear by the tone of her voice that she was enjoying the conversation. Having the opportunity to discuss such trivial things had come so rarely in her life. Back when she had spent so much time with Nemesis, and then Celeste once she had become a part of the picture, everything was so political and held such an important and serious air to it, that she couldn’t just freely speak. Serafina had always been one for being casual, never wanting to toe the line of following the rules - but now, here she was, having a meaningless conversation with someone, with no strings attached - though she knew it would not last for long.

Before Icarus could answer, she chimed in with one more statement. ’Give me a good answer, because I am afraid that we will need to steer the conversation into less casual territory before too long,” she said, an air of disappointment to her voice.

Icarus mentally noted how Serafina continued to explain how she had different tastes regarding her various forms. Had he not known based on the context of the conversation, he might have almost felt his heart beat a wee bit faster in preparation for a potential immediate gate back to the Void. It was fortunate that he had that ability as the further one traversed, the less influence divine power had. Among countless other reasons, it had been chief as to why he deigned to live there. Alas, it proved unnecessary as she didn’t even pause as she continued.

When the question was returned to him, he had no other recourse but to pause for a moment. Throughout his empire and even the two worlds he had dwelt in, one particular dish came immediately to mind. It was a delicacy from the eastern islands far from the capital.

”I haven’t really searched much for it here, but there was a particular preparation of fish I really love. Essentially, you lightly cure it in salt-water for only a few minutes, hang it to dry, and then slice at an angle to provide thick cuts of fresh fish for consumption. Even among that, there was an even simpler food. If one were to take an urchin and crack it open, there’s delicious orange meat inside of it,” he explained, recalling the flavor of urchin and the textures as well.

He looked out toward the bar as it seemed to be thinning out almost unnoticeably. Indeed, this had been a pleasant diversion and it was a rare opportunity for a mortal to gain any insight with a deity, but her mention was bringing the lighthearted conversation to its end. ”Yes, I suppose it is coming to that time and as much as I enjoyed this opportunity, I did originally come with a purpose. If you would enlighten me, I would like to know as much as you care to impart regarding my friend,” he explained, eagerly anticipating the penultimate result of his journey to this city and the risk associated in approaching a deity.

While their conversation had been welcome and enjoyable, it seemed that the time had come for Serafina and Icarus to discuss the reason he had sought her out in the first place. She knew he was going to be disappointed - there was not much that she could tell him about Dalanesca’s possession and death than what he probably already knew. She knew little more than the mortals - it was not as though the Voice shared that information with her upon her ascension, when she had replaced Dalanesca in the mantle of Death.

”I am afraid you aren’t going to like what I have to say on that matter,” she said, with a sigh. ”Truthfully, she didn’t disappear. Well, she did, but not in the sense as in we don’t know where she is. She died, Icarus. Dalanesca is dead. Angela had to destroy her, along with the help of the other gods, for the safety of Revaliir as a whole. Were there any chance for her to come back, I think the gods would know…” she said, with a sigh.

”Look. Long story short: she was possessed by an other worldly entity, Azizheth, straight out of the void,” she said. ”I am sure you have heard that part before,” she added. ”They tried - the other gods - they tried to find a way to save her, but they just couldn’t. Everything they tried was in vain, I am afraid.” She took a moment to think over what she was going to say next.

”You said that she was your friend?” she repeated what he had said earlier. ”You must be something special then, for someone as powerful as she had been to befriend you,” she mused. ”Look, I’m happy to share anything else with you that I find out, but I’m afraid there isn’t much more beyond that. Her very soul was destroyed when we ended her,” she said, frowning.

”Now I”m sure that wasn’t exactly what you were hoping to hear from me, was it?” she asked ”If you have any follow up questions, I would be happy to answer them.”