Theo
The elderly female cared for Vivian deeply.
I wasn’t thrilled at the threat of being lit on fire by another Pyran, but her fierceness in protecting the goddess was a good sign.
I wasn’t sure Ida knew the actual stakes at hand…
E.A.R.T.H. and energy factories and captivity.
But she did at least seem to recognize that this female not being from Trebianna was worth keeping secret.
I’d watched them interact closely. Ida treated Vivian like her own child.
She was hyper-concerned for her safety and occasionally addressed her authoritatively.
Motherly. Vivian behaved like a daughter who’d long since outgrown their angst. She was patient and tended to her friend hand-and-foot despite all the sass sent her way.
This dynamic made sense to me. It was real and honest and loving.
My risk assessment? Vivian was safe with Ida.
“We’ll get to town just in time for nightfall,” I said, breaking an anxious silence.
It was raining, so we couldn’t see the daytime stars setting, but it was starting to get suspiciously dark. Unspoken concern began to float between us. I wanted to say, “don’t worry, I won’t let any night beasts hurt you”, but that may only confirm any suspicions that we were in danger. We weren’t.
I would make sure of it.
Besides, we hadn’t crossed paths with any wildlife in some time… we must be close to civilization. They generally avoided the town by about a mile, and I’d only recently learned why. The crystals. I pictured the reflective wall surrounding the town, it wasn’t hard to put two and two together.
Vivian shielded her eyes from the heavy droplets as she looked up at the sky. “Should we set up camp?”
“We can find a place in town to stay for the night. It’s been a while since you slept in a bed, right? My treat.” I knew she didn’t have money for an inn, and I wanted to spoil her however I could.
“Oh my god, that would be amazing!” she moaned, her mouth gaping at the idea of having something as simple as a mattress to sleep on.
“I guess a bed should be the first thing I make for you when we get back,” I chuckled. A warmth filled my chest. She was excited by the comforts I was offering.
“I bet Ida can make the casing, and I’ll gather some stuffing,” she mused. “This homestead is about to be one big team effort!” The cheeriness in her voice subsided and a shadow crossed her expression. “I wish I could move Ida in. I feel bad having all the new luxuries to myself.”
What we were throwing together was far from luxury.
That said, Ida needed new living arrangements sooner than later.
Those floorboards wouldn’t last much longer.
The roof was in even worse shape. But moving her to the field may not be much better.
I wasn’t educated on how to make accessible housing, and the uneven terrain may be difficult for her to traverse with her missing limb.
Not to mention she missed engaging with the community she spoke so highly of—roaming town, seeing old friends, shopping…
The Pyran wasn’t my priority, but she was Vivian’s—so, tangentially, she was part of my purpose here.
“What should we do about dinner?” Vivian asked, redirecting my attention. I’d think more about the Ida situation later.
“Are there foods other than meat that you can’t eat? Dinner is on me. I’ll even buy you a drink if you ask nicely.”
I immediately regretted throwing that offer out there, too quickly remembering her words from before. Why did she have to say she’d do “unholy” things in exchange for alcohol? Knowing damn well alcohol was my gig. The enthusiastic throb inside my pants felt wrong.
Usually, holy things came to mind when I thought about the goddesses.
I came from a religious family and had prayed to the goddess of vitality—her mother—my entire life.
I was devout. But my veneration of Vivian was different.
Although still reverent, the things I felt when I looked at her too long were sinful. Every stolen glance blasphemous.
“Aw you’re taking me on a date!”
Not helpful. “It’s been a long day. We both need to refuel.”
The sacrilege of taking this goddess on some shitty pub date after a long day sloshing through fresh mud made my stomach turn. No. This was just… grabbing food. No different than eating berries in her alcove.
“I’m not picky as long as it doesn’t poison me,” she laughed. “I’ll take your word on what to order. I don’t know much about Trebiannan cuisine.”
“Sure, I can help. Meat is your only poison?”
“You got it! No shredded chicken.” She shuddered. Right, her story about being ill. Something about an exorcism? “Chicken” must be a meat found on her home planet.
“I’ve got you covered.”
The wall surrounding the town was speckled with crystals set within the muck and stone, just as I'd remembered.
The people of Drifael clearly knew what beasts lived in the mountains of their backyard.
On sunny days the fortress glistened like water, reflecting the blue of the forest. Today, the clouds and setting stars muted that spectacular effect as we arrived.
I wondered if herbs and blood were mixed in as well.
It was hard to tell with the dim light and bumpy texture.
We approached the gate guarded by two Pyrans sheltering under the wooden overhang. “Good evening,” I smiled pleasantly. “Staying dry?”
“More than most days,” the brunette Pyran said, lifting the heavy bar that secured the doors together. “Always a lil’ damp.”
“Doin’ better than us,” I volleyed, naturally adopting his subtle accent as my own. A habit from years of blending in on G.P.O. missions.
The guards used their full weight to push, and the doors groaned open. Warm light and pleasant smells wafted from the entrance as a warm gust blew Vivian’s hair over her shoulders.
Once the opening was big enough for me to fit through, I placed my hand on Vivian’s lower back and encouraged her to step forward.
This trip’s socializing was all about simple pleasantries and avoidance.
I would keep my encounters as brief as possible.
Steer the conversation to the mundane. An easy way to avoid questions.
The streets were mostly sheltered by thatched roofing supported by wooden frames.
It wasn’t uncommon for water to break through the straw, but it was better than nothing.
The ground went from thick mud to damp dirt as we stepped under the cover.
Vivian let out a sigh and paused to ring her hair out in her fists, then used her fingers to ruffle its layers back into place.
We were in the dining sector of Drifael.
Housing was kept far from the front gate—just in case something dangerous broke through.
Surrounded by restaurants at peak dinner time, the smell of food was overwhelming.
I looked down at the goddess, noting the way she wiped a bit of drool from the corner of her mouth with her thumb.
I could only imagine how good it must smell to her after surviving in the wilderness this long.
“Dinner, then inn?” I confirmed.
“I will gladly sleep outside if it means we can eat now.”
“I’m sure we can manage to get you both.”
I’d only been to Drifael a handful of times over the years. Twice to kill someone for my old job. Once to collect information on if there may be a field nearby for my own mission. Twice more for the events put into motion by Vivian.
I knew a place that was under the radar, dimly lit, and not too carnivorous.
“This way.” I fought the nagging urge to reach out and grab her hand to direct her.
We followed the path straight ahead, then hung left.
The open doorway of Five Silvates was warm and welcoming.
The interior was as rustic as the town, its aged wood reminiscent of my pub countertops.
I made eye contact with an attendant, then beelined us to a booth in the far back corner, claiming the side that faced the doorway.
Vivian shimmied into the dark green bench across from me.
“What can I get you two started with?” The Mercurian waiter asked. Mercurians and Pyrans were the most common species in this part of the world, both originally from the South.
“Calix on the rocks and a glass of vinox, Eastern if you have it.” I took the menus held out to us and passed one to her in the name of normalcy. She could at least pretend to skim through it.
“I’ll go get those for you while you look over the menu.” The server headed for the bar.
“Alright. What’s the cheesiest thing on the menu?” Vivian leaned into the table, peering at my copy instead of hers like it would magically translate to Earth foods within my hands.
“Cheesiest…” I raised a brow.
“Oh god, I don’t know how to fucking describe cheese,” she chortled. “It’s like… melty? Savory? Delicious? Comes from milk?”
That last part made my expression twist. “Milk?”
“Yeah.” She locked eyes with me as we tried to cross the cultural barrier between our worlds. I knew what milk was. But surely it wasn’t the same?
“From… mothers?” I reminded myself not to judge other cultures. In general, I was a very open-minded guy. I just found it interesting that this goddess wanted “melty” breastmilk on her food.
“No! I mean… yes? I guess? Maybe?” Her pink cheeks reddened and her tone turned defensive. “Not from humans. Just like… other species…”
My eyebrows arched against my will.
“Fuck. Okay. Forget I said that please.” She raised her menu in front of her face to cover her flushed cringe.
I blinked away the confusion and looked back at the menu. “You want something melty and savory. Got it.”
Drinks were set in front of us and I placed our orders, giving explicit instructions to the waiter to make sure meat was excluded from her dish due to an allergy. Vivian drummed her fingers on the table subtly. Her eyes were fixated on the drink in front of her like a ravenous beast.