fandomtownies | Dite's Decadent Delights, Monday Afternoon

If you're here for class, she'll share her discount!

It was afternoon when 'Dite entered the store. She was muttering to herself as she did so, staring down at an inventory list.

"How in Hades did we sell that many? I didn't even know we had six copies of Deep Throat." With a sigh, 'Dite set the papers and looked up. "Karla! How was your week, kiddo? Didn't get into any trouble, did you?" One finger tapped on the inventory lists as the goddess looked at her with a raised eyebrow.

Karla gave 'Dite an uneasy smile, trying not to shift on her feet like someone about to get a righteous--and deserved--scolding. "Warren turned back from a bird to a male right in the middle of the strawberry social yesterday," she said, which didn't answer 'Dite's question in the least. "Naked, of course. I had to toss up a sight shield around him so he could run back to the dorms--but not before everyone at the picnic got a show."

Because distracting 'Dite would totally work!

"Oh, wow, almost wish I'd seen that. I was ~~handwavily~~ there, but didn't stay long ~~cause Disneyland was calling~~." 'Dite's finger was still tapping. "Who's Warren again?" She tilted her head. "And did you maybe bring him to the store last week? Before he became a bird?"

"Warren's my..." Oh, look! Karla was ducking her head and kind of blushing. "My friend? He's been in the store a few times, but not last week. Last week, the only person to come in during my shift was the guy I nearly roasted."

She was back to shifting uncomfortably again. "Erm, did you get my ~~handwavy~~ note about the display? I'll pay for it, I promise."

Between the display and the bondage and orgy gear, Karla was pretty much just going to sign over this week's check right back to 'Dite.

"I don't have a problem with the display, Karla." This wasn't about the money. "So, Warren is your . . . friend?" Her look was slowly becoming a little more serious. "And what about this guy you almost roasted? What happened there?"

This was about someone who was using her employee discount for certain items that . . . well, it was rather unusual. 'Dite wanted to know what was going on. "Just what kind of 'friend' is this Warren?" And she was imagining all kinds of bad at the moment.

Unfortunately for Karla, she had no idea where 'Dite's thoughts were trending. So she was rather happy to burble on about Warren, especially if it would keep 'Dite from looking to closely at certain receipts with Karla's discount attached.

"Well, to answer your second question first, I was, erm, napping on Monday." That would be a guilty look Karla was shooting 'Dite now, yes. "It was after that weekend and I was really tired. And then James came in, yelling about something and woke me up and I was all ready pretty on edge to begin with so I let loose a blast of Sapphire power before I was fully awake. I deflected it away from him when I realized what happened, so it hit the display instead. But not the window!"

Because that made it all better, really!

"Okay, wait." 'Dite didn't normally need a map when she spoke to Karla but today it really seemed the girl was setting out to confuse her. "So, James is the guy you almost fried? And you haven't mentioned Warren. How does he fit in here?"

How does he fit in with bondage gear, is what she really wanted to ask.

"Yeah, James comes to the shop a lot on Mondays. I helped him shop for his girlfriend once," Karla said, waving the topic away with a dismissive hand. "He has nothing to do with Warren."

She was most certainly not going to tell 'Dite about James's suggestion that she model some of the lingerie for him. No reason to test 'Dite's temper, after all.

"Warren..." There was that stupid grin again. "He showed up in January. Handsome male with wings?" Maybe 'Dite had seen him flying about town? "I helped him gain enough confidence to fly, early on. He was used to hiding his wings like they were something to be ashamed of." Her dopey grin got a little wider. She was proud to have helped convince him of that. "Anyway, a while ago he promised me delicious lunches forever after helping him with his molt, and then we had dinner together a few weeks ago and we've been spending a lot of time together. I really like him, 'Dite."

"Well!" 'Dite was trying not to grit her teeth. Warren sounded wonderful, and she had noticed a handsome young man flying around Fandom. But there was still a problem. "That sounds great, but . . . Karla," she hesitated, not sure how to broach the subject, but worried nonetheless, "is he pushing you to . . . do things? Things it wouldn't really be good for you to do?"

Like have sex while tied up? Not that 'Dite really had anything against that, but it just wouldn't be good for Karla.

Karla looked more confused than anything else. "Pushing me? 'Dite, if this is about the naked thing, I swear, he was more embarrassed than anyone else. I spent most of the time laughing, before I remembered I should be helpful."

She tried to think of what else could make 'Dite wonder that. Perhaps Raven...? No, she wouldn't suspect Raven of anything that could even be considered underhanded. It just wasn't in her nature.

"Has radio been reporting on how we've spent the night together? Because it was only twice and both for very good reasons!"

Perhaps not the best turn of phrase, Karla...

No, that was probably not the best turn of phrase. 'Dite's eyebrow rose and she straightened to her full height.

"Spent the night together?" She flipped to a marked page and pointed at a circled entry, several sets of handcuffs. "Is that why you needed these? And that?" She pointed to another entry, a harness. "Karla, if he's forcing you to do something . . ." Well, more than chicken wings could be fried. "You can tell me."

Puzzlement turned to protest turned to dawning horror as Karla looked from 'Dite to the the list and back. "These?" she squealed. "Oh, no, 'Dite, no! It's not like that at all! That wasn't for him, that was for the orgy!"

Groaning, she facepalmed. "That was so not the best way to explain that. Let me back up?"

For a moment, 'Dite just stared. Then her hand began to clench into a fist, wrinkling the papers she'd been pointing at.

Her jaw was tight as she fixed a stern look on Karla. "Yes. Perhaps you'd better."

"There was no participating!" Karla said hastily. She felt it was best to get that out up front. "Ugh. As if. Okay, so how to begin. Umm..." she shoved a hand through her hair, trying to figure out how to best defuse the situation before 'Dite went all angry vengeful goddess again. "So, you know about maenads, right? I think I read that they were Greek. Well, once came to my friend's hometown, in Lousiana. And she was taking over everyone and forcing them to participate in wild, violent orgies to feed off of, I guess."

"Maenad." 'Dite frowned. "Maenad, from Gree-" She stopped and her eyes flew open wide.

"You went to an orgy run by a Bacchae?!? Are you crazy??"

Way to defuse the situation.

As if her tiff with Tim hadn't been proof enough, this was.

"Well, someone had to stop her!" Karla protested. "None of the locals could! And it wasn't just me! There was a group of us! Some of the stuff we bought was to let us infiltrate the orgy without looking out of place--" which had worked so well, really "--and the bondage stuff was so we could incapacitate the regular folks so they wouldn't get underfoot and hurt by accident!"

It had even worked! Sorta.

'Dite rolled her eyes hard enough that it turned her whole body around, or at least it might have looked that way for a moment. When she turned back, she put her hands on Karla's shoulders, not so casually eyeing her neck. "Are you okay? What happened? She didn't bite you, did she? Or any of the others?"

A bacchae breakout on Fandom Island, just what she needed!

"Oh no, biting wasn't what she had in mind," Karla said. "She was trying to summon her god-who-comes?" And wasn't 'Dite going to get an eyebrow about that stupid name for a god. "But she didn't. We stopped her and I killed her."

Look at Karla, skipping over those pertinent details there!

"There was no biting, not from her or the vampire that led us there."

"Vampire that . . . god-who-what?" 'Dite shook her head. "Okay, maybe we're not talking about the same thing. In my world Maenads are better known as bacchae, as your roommate can attest. They're like -- well, like vampires, really, except if they bite you, you automatically become like them. This Maenad doesn't sound like that, so maybe not the same universe?"

Not that that made her feel any better.

"Wait, did you say you killed her?" Give her a minute, she'd catch up. "Tell me exactly what happened."

"This maenad was a thousand year old creature that could spark lust and violence and madness in people," Karla explained, looking a little troubled. The idea of being bitten and becoming just like the creature was a little terrifying. "So she came to a town and was riling everyone up so she could feed off their emotions and get strong enough to summon her god, I guess. So a bunch of us went down to Louisiana to stop her, by cutting her off from her food supply, breaking her mental connection to her followers and then, well, fighting her off."

This was where Karla quickly elided over the who's and how's of that plan--which wasn't her plan, let it be known!--because she had a feeling she'd be in even worse trouble if 'Dite found out Raven had gone along.

"And it worked, sorta, and when she was at her weakest, I killed her. Then we came home."

It had really been that simple, 'Dite! Honest!

No, it really wasn't that simple, and 'Dite knew that. Her eyes narrowed as she sensed there was much more behind the general explanation. Just a few months ago, the goddess would have badgered, would have pushed, would have demanded the truth. She would have expected Karla to come to her.

But no more, and she knew why. A memory of Karla appeared in her mind, fear in the girl's eyes, and a stab of guilt went through Aphrodite. Karla no longer trusted her. It hurt.

Looking away, 'Dite nodded. When she spoke, her voice was very soft. "Okay. I'm just glad everyone's alright." Picking up the list, she cleared her throat. "I'll be in my office if you need me."

"'Dite..." Karla said, flinching away at that sudden surrender. She didn't want to tell 'Dite the rest because 'Dite would be upset and scared and worried--all for damn good reasons. Karla already had two people with unrestricted fussing right now, she wasn't sure she could handle a third.

But at the same time, watching 'Dite just give up, that had...hurt.

"You just...have to promise not to yell, if I tell you the rest. Because you'll want to," Karla said in a little voice. "And no fussing."

'Dite hesitated, but nodded. "No yelling." She smiled just a little, but I can't promise not to fuss. Goddess of love, remember?"

It felt good to claim that title again.

She moved back over to the desk, leaning on it as casually as she could. "So, what happened?"

Karla took a deep breath and then began explaining everything, from the vampire to the orgy to them all getting captured by the maenad. Sorry, Raven.

Also, of course, the stealing of her Sapphire. No one here could understand what kind of a wrenching loss that had entailed, but damn if Karla wasn't going to try.

"When they were done anointing me and all that whatever--" which, fortunately, hadn't involved more than dressing her like a giant doll and dabbing some perfume on her "--I was taken out to the center of the orgy, bound to some giant tree made of meat, and offered up to her god." Here, Karla's eyes hit the ground. "She stabbed me." Her hand lifted up to her midsection. "And I bled out. The only reason I didn't die was because Kennedy and Bobby grabbed me while the maenad fought off Emma telepathically, and brought me to Raven."

'Dite had to swallow, hard. If it was possible for an immortal goddess to be nauseated, she was.

If Karla looked closely, she might see 'Dite's hands shake a little as she straightened the inventory papers, before messing them up and straightening them again.

"So . . . Raven brought you . . . back?" She couldn't look at Karla, her face twisted as she accepted what was being said. "Was Emma okay?" 'Dite spared a grateful thought to the others who had helped save Karla. "How'd you guys get out of there?" She wasn't going to ask how Karla killed the creature.

"From the very brink, yes," Karla said quietly. "I didn't--quite--cross over, but Raven said it was very close." After Karla had badgered the information out of her.

"Emma's fine, if a bit diamondy right now. After Raven Healed me, she cut the maenad off from her emotional food supply. That left her weaker, so Emma engaged her in a kind of mental tug-of-war. Which was when I...finished her off."

Looking at 'Dite, Karla felt it was best not to go into that kind of detail. "After she was dead, we all hopped through a portal and came home. That was the second time Warren and I spent the night together." She tried to catch 'Dite's eye to explain that. "He held me and I cried and we kissed a little. That's all. I did the same for him when he came back from Meathook Palace or wherever he went over the weekend. He's not going to push me for anything I'm not ready to give."

'Dite wasn't sure how she should respond. Should she be concerned that Karla was spending nights with this Warren person? Be upset that the whole group had put themselves in such danger? Gratitude for Raven's abilities was her first and foremost emotion, but Raven wasn't here to thank.

She found she really couldn't look at Karla. "I'm glad you can trust Warren and I'm glad you have someone like that you can go to." Ignore the slight tang of jealousy in her voice; she was still well aware that there were details she wasn't getting.

Besides that, Aphrodite was suddenly very tired and a little afraid. Having to kill used to bother Karla. Now . . . 'Dite backed away from the counter, feeling her age for the first time in a long while. "I'm glad everyone's safe."

Karla felt her withdrawal and was uncertain how to deal with it. Guilt for having caused it? Anger for being judged without cause? Shame? "So am I," she said. "And I'm glad we stopped her. She was planning on moving on to start again somewhere else. We couldn't let her do that. She was evil, 'Dite."

'Dite nodded. "I know. Bacchae always are." She turned away, still troubled, then made a decision and turned back, her eyes tracking to Karla's once again.

"How did you kill her, Karla?"

There was no judgment in her voice, just a sadness and a touch of concern.

Karla looked away. "You don't want to know," she said. "You'll be more disappointed in me than you already are."

Taking a step back toward her, 'Dite raised her hands. "How can I be disappointed in you? How? So far as I know you're the same young woman that put herself in danger for some defenseless kittens, the same person that helped a group of mainly students discover the key to how to stop the whole island from going poof, and the same person that risked everything when she thought a friend was going crazy." Her hands dropped and she shook her head. "I'm not disappointed, Karla. I'm just worried."

She waited. "Tell me how."

"I waited until she was entrenched in her fight with Emma," Karla said, "and then I snuck up behind her and put my hand through her chest."

In all, it was a very delicate piece of Craft, passing her flesh through someone else's and removing something of theirs, without leaving any of herself behind.

Somehow, she doubted anyone else would appreciate the skill.

"I pulled out her heart, 'Dite." There was almost a challenge there. Do you still love me? Are you sure?

Aphrodite stared for a moment, taking one slow deep breath. She sensed the challenge, and met it.

Yes. I still love you.

Still, there was worry in her eyes, and a hint of warning in the soft tone she spoke with.

"Be careful, kiddo. There's a big difference between justice and revenge -- but the line between them is as thin as a hair."

She held Karla's gaze a moment more before starting back up the stairs to her office.

"I know," Karla said, cupping her elbows as she turned back to the counter. "May the Darkness have mercy, but I know."

Don't mind her mumbling in the stacks.

Naptime for me, omg.

Dite's Decadent Delights, Monday Afternoon

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