'Dite's Decadent Delights, Thursday Afternoon

[divinesurfchick.livejournal.com]

The goddess of love was not used to being nervous. Worried, she could handle -- she'd been worried ever since she started taking an interest in the lives of mortals. She figured she had to; they certainly didn't worry enough about their own world.

But this wasn't worry. This was a case of the nerves. Aphrodite didn't know what Karla was going to say, and that made her go from place to place in the store, frowning at any little misplaced item, rearranging books on shelves, growling at misaligned boxes. Really, there was nothing wrong with the place, and even the dusting she was doing was busy work. Hercules watched her in amusement.

'Dite frowned as she picked up a tiny grey mouse toy. "Would you please not leave your disgusting and chewed up toys out where customers can see them?"

He twitched his tail, but otherwise didn't move.

"Seriously, cat, this is a place of business. Have a little respect, huh?" She gathered up the mouse, a few half-eaten treats, and a rubber ball that had bits chewed out of it. Herc didn't move as she put them in the trash can.

When she found the walnut on the floor, she stopped and stared at it before turning to the cat. "Really? A walnut? Did you swipe it from the bowl I had at Solstice?"

Suddenly he stood up, staring wide-eyed at her, tail swishing back and forth. For a moment he reminded 'Dite of a small puppy and she looked at him quizzically before shaking her head. "No. No toys on the floor out here, and absolutely no walnuts. Someone could step on this and break something." She dropped it into the trash bag, then tied a not in the top and took the bag out to the back trash can.

As she came back in she heard a noise like a book or a box hitting the floor. Curious, she quickened her pace, looking around for the cause of the noise.

Hercules was sitting on the corner of a top shelf, using his paw to edge boxes of condoms off their display. They hit the ground with a nice solid thunk, bending in the corners. 'Dite glared, then was over to the display stand. "Knock it off, Cat!"

He jumped down as she began picking up the boxes, muttering all the while. Before she'd even finished, she heard an even heavier thud and turned to find him pushing books off the bookshelf.

"Hercules!"

As she approached, he jumped down and ran for the back room of the store, then jumped up where there was a display of glass dildos. 'Dite froze.

"Okay. Okay. I get the hint." She opened her hand, and suddenly a walnut appeared in it. Hercules twitched his tail and jumped down. 'Dite rolled the walnut across the floor and the cat pounced on it, rolling over and over with it clutched between his paws in glee.

"You are the weirdest cat ever."

She really shouldn't have been surprised.

(Expecting a Kaeleeran witch at some point, but open before and after. There is one bad word behind the lj-cut, so maybe NWS. The cat in this post bears no resemblance to any cat i know in real life. Ho hum.)

Comments

[glacial_queen]

After showering several hours worth of dirt and mud off of her, Karla changed into some decent clothes and headed down to 'Dite's. The walk took her longer than it should have; the closer she got to the store, the slower her steps became, like by showing up late, she could put off the inevitable.

"Kiss kiss, 'Dite," she said in a very small voice as she opened the door. "Let me guess. You're leaving."

Thanks, radio.

[divinesurfchick.livejournal.com]

As Karla came in the door, Aphrodite looked up with a smile that fell even as Karla spoke.

She was suprised; Raven had said she wouldn't tell, and --

Oh. "Squirrels." She rolled her eyes, then focused on her friend with a sigh. "Yeah. I kinda am. Can we talk?"

[glacial_queen]

"Is there really much more to say?" Karla asked, cupping her elbows and looking away. "You're leaving--" she managed to leave off the 'me' there "--again. There's a lot more important stuff going on than one tiny island."

Intellectually, Karla knew she wasn't being fair. But she was aching right now and holding back tears and she didn't want to be fair! She wanted 'Dite!

[divinesurfchick.livejournal.com]

"There's a lot more to say." Moving around the counter, she dropped into one of the chairs she'd left in place and regarded Karla with a sad expression. "I know you're probably angry about this, and I know you probably feel like I'm deserting you, but I'm not. I'm going back because I have to face the problems in my own world now, just like you'll have to go back and face the problems in Glacia in the years to come." She cocked her head. "I still intend to be with you when you do, but if that's going to happen, I need to know my world will be safe. Can you understand that?"

[glacial_queen]

The stubborn expression Karla was wearing suggested the answer was 'Yes, but I don't want to.'

"But why do you have to leave?" Karla asked, flinging herself into the other chair. "Don't you need like...some kind of home base or something?"

[divinesurfchick.livejournal.com]

'Dite sighed. "Karla, did I say I was leaving forever? Did the words, 'I'm never coming back' ever cross my lips? Of course, I'm keeping Fandom as my home base." She spread her hands. "Some of my closest friends are here."

[glacial_queen]

"Leaving does sound awfully permanent," Karla pointed out. "And there's a difference between staying here and just...coming back to visit."

What about the store? And Hercules? Sure she wasn't going drag him into danger!

What about Karla?!

...No, this wasn't one of Karla's finest moments.

[divinesurfchick.livejournal.com]

Considering that, 'Dite nodded. "You're right. Leaving sounds permanent. Let's say Iiiiii'm . . . going on assignment." She thumped the arm of her chair firmly. "Yes, I'm going on assignment, and I'll be required to check in here at headquarters once a month. Does that sound better?"

Headquarters, of course, would be the store, and if Karla understood that, maybe she'd realize 'Dite wasn't planning to 'leave' permanently.

[glacial_queen]

Karla nodded slowly. It wasn't great, but it was better than being abandoned 'Dite just moving away forever. "What--" her voice cracked. "What kind of assignment?" she asked.

[divinesurfchick.livejournal.com]

"Well," she hesitated, trying to think of words that wouldn't make Karla worry, "Bliss and Cupid and I are working in a place called the Middle East, trying to keep tempers cool. My brother Ares has been . . . stirring things up, and we're trying to settle them back down." 'Dite sighed. "It -- might take a while."

[glacial_queen]

She was a goddess! Why couldn't she just wave her hands and make everything better?!

...Ignoring the fact Karla had taken her to task for interfering with mortals' minds before. She didn't have to be consistent right now. She was sad.

"Can't you just go after him and leave everyone else out of it?" she asked instead.

[divinesurfchick.livejournal.com]

That made Aphrodite's eyebrows rise into her hairline, and for the first time she seemed to regard Karla with a less than sympathetic expression.

"You want the Goddess of Love to attack the God of War?" She raised a hand, flipping her wrist in an expression of, Really? as she asked, "What am I going to use against his bullets? Flowers?"

She shook her head. "No, this is much more delicate than that. As Ares makes his plans, and influences people, we have to be there to stop them, to influence others to stop the wars he wants to start. It's not a question of waving my hands and making it so." 'Dite sighed. "I wish it was that easy."

[glacial_queen]

"I don't know!" Karla shot back. "You're both gods! Maybe there's...something else you guys do to fight? Or well, there are three of you? Maybe by banding together you can change his mind? With...love?"

Yeah, that had sounded less stupid in her head.

She leaned over and rested her head on 'Dite's arm. "I just don't want you to go. And I extra-don't want you to go if you're in danger."

[ancientbschamp.livejournal.com]

Gabrielle had heard the radio broadcast much like her roommate had, although it was earlier in the day when she headed down to the shop. She wasn't sure why she was doing it, exactly; her run-ins with the gods of Olympus had usually been fraught with chaos, or at least a massive headache, but after the whole thing with the enchanted scroll, she couldn't help but develop some affection for the Goddess of Love.

Even if the one she knew at home was a lot flightier than the one here seemed to be (and wasn't that scary).

"Aphrodite?" she called, stepping into the shop.

[divinesurfchick.livejournal.com]

That voice. 'Dite closed her eyes for a moment before turning around from the display she'd been restacking.

"Gabrielle?" This was a surprise. "What are you d-- I mean, it's nice to see you. Come on in."

[ancientbschamp.livejournal.com]

"I heard you were leaving," Gabrielle answered, giving Hercules an odd look -- she never would have pegged Aphrodite of all people as the cat-owning type, but then again it did make its own kind of sense -- as she moved further into the shop. "I wanted to come by and say goodbye."

She had a vague impression, not enough to really even be a memory any more, of feeling guilty about something connected to the goddess.

"I feel like I have something to make up for," she admitted. "I'm not really sure why, but it's compelling, somehow."

[divinesurfchick.livejournal.com]

That made Aphrodite raise an eyebrow. "Something to make up for? Huh." She tilted her head. "Did you . . . do something you shouldn't have? With . . . a temple? And a vase, maybe?"

A vase from Thrace, perhaps? With Goddesses, old grudges died hard, though this was only a tiny grudge.

[ancientbschamp.livejournal.com]

It took Gabrielle a moment, but once she remembered exactly what Aphrodite was talking about, she . . . wished she didn't remember it quite so vividly, and sputtered a bit before she found words.

"Oh, no no no," she exclaimed, raising her hand, index finger extended, and shaking it as if she had no qualms about looking like she was admonishing a goddess. "First of all, that was a long time ago. Second, that whole mess was your fault in the first place. If you hadn't decided you had to use Joxer to prove your point to Cupid . . . !"

Talk about tiny old grudges that died hard: she still wasn't over almost swooning over Joxer. Ugh.

[divinesurfchick.livejournal.com]

Well. It was nice to know she was right about the timing, and Gabrielle was past that adventure.

'Dite grinned. "But wasn't he handsome when he was the hero? Ah, Joxer the Mighty!" Her grin didn't fade, though she said, "You cost me some temples then. Plus a statue of me!"

[ancientbschamp.livejournal.com]

"It wasn't a very good statue in the first place," Gabrielle pointed out, then shuddered. "Ugh. I don't ever want to think about Joxer that way again, do you hear me? Remembering it makes me feel like I need a bath."

Under a waterfall. With Xena. The way she usually did.

NOT THAT THOSE TWO THINGS WERE CONNECTED. AT ALL.

[divinesurfchick.livejournal.com]

Aphrodite laughed out loud. "You're right. It sucked!" She waved Gabrielle over for a hug. "And I promise to never put a spell on Joxer again."

Especially since the warrior-wannabe had long since gone on to the Elysian fields. But she wasn't going to remind Gabrielle of that.

"How are you, Gabs? The old warrior treating you okay?" 'Dite wondered what adventures the two of them had been having lately.

[ancientbschamp.livejournal.com]

"We're doing all right again," Gabrielle assured her, not one to waste any time taking her up on that proffered hug. "We had a rough time for a while, but we've worked through things."

. . . getting dragged behind a horse was at the extreme end of 'rough time,' granted.

[divinesurfchick.livejournal.com]

"Rough time?"

I will not ask, I will not ask, I will not --

"What kind of rough time? What happened?"

Oh, Hades, why did I ask that?

[ancientbschamp.livejournal.com]

"A lot." Gabrielle looked down for a moment, finding her hands awfully fascinating; the timbre of her voice dropped a notch or two. "If I really think about it, the problems started when we went to Britannia. It was a complicated web of lies and resentment, and fear, and I think it started to smother us both."

[divinesurfchick.livejournal.com]

"Brit--" 'Dite looked away and swallowed. She hadn't realized how much time had been passing for her friend. "Oh, Gabs. I'm so sorry."