"I suppose you could call it gossip," Raven replied quietly, "I haven't said anything compromising though, I've kept quiet about the same things I've suggested you keep to yourself. I would never put you at risk my Goddess. And I know Lee wouldn't have said anything to Ida unless she was specifically ordered to."
"Lee? That's Ida's angel?" I asked.
She nodded, "Correct. She usually goes by the name Lieve, but I call her Lee. Most of my friends and I use short names or nicknames for each other."
The goth angel was talking quietly and mostly kept her eyes down at the floor. She was still on the dining chair, while I'd moved to the sofa since it was a lot more comfortable. All in all, my angel was acting like a kid who'd got caught with a hand in the cookie jar.
"What about the rest of them?" I asked, "Moira and Fergus and the others? Do you hang out with their angels too?"
She shook her head, "I don't know if the other four have angels. If they do I haven't met them, and haven't heard any mention of them either."
"Ok," I sighed. "So what can you tell me about them? Or do you only have details about Ida, since you're friends with her angel?"
Raven replied, "I know something about them, from what Lee has told me. Ida is rather meticulous and detail-oriented. And she tends to act serious at times. She's not enough of a natural leader to take charge of that group though, but from what I understand she'd make a good administrator or manager. She used to be an agrarian goddess like yourself, but like you she's been all but forgotten by the people she used to watch over."
She continued, "Moira is more outgoing or extroverted, and tends to act as the leader of their little group. She and Ida are currently a couple, as I'm sure you noticed. Moira used to be revered as a goddess of fate, but the community who once prayed to her no longer exists."
"Fergus is another extrovert," she went on, "And apparently he can get rather loud and boisterous. I don't know much more about him unfortunately, according to Lee he and Ida don't spend much time together outside of when their group meets."
She grimaced slightly, "I'm told Lenz is a 'laid-back party guy', and that comes from being worshipped during spring fertility festivals. Lee doesn't know as much about him either, apart from the fact that Lenz and Moira used to be a couple. Nowadays he's seeing Fergus."
"Sigrun is the odd one of the group," Raven frowned slightly. "Lee thinks they're fairly harmless, she says they seem quiet and unobtrusive. If they really are a former warrior goddess then they're potentially dangerous, but from what my friend's observed Sigrun is very non-confrontational."
She added, "Apparently Fergus raised his voice at them once, and their response was to turn into a cat and hide behind the sofa. The only other thing I've been told about them is Ida once tried to hook up with Sigrun but was turned down. Based on gossip Lee's overheard, odds are Sigrun is asexual or aromantic. Or both."
It took me a few moments to get my head around the mental image of a warrior goddess being a literal scaredy-cat. Once I got past that thought I asked, "What can you tell me about their group?"
Raven shook her head, "Probably not as much as you'd like, my Goddess. According to Lee, her goddess meets with the other four a few times each decade? That's not counting their various hook-ups and trysts. And apparently they've been meeting like that for the past century? As far as I know all five of them have been displaced from their original homes, and all of them are without purpose or worship."
I nodded slowly, "Thank you Raven. Now I'd like to hear your opinion. Should I help them? Should I join them?"
My angel hesitated, "I would recommend against joining them. Not right away at least, my Goddess. Right now I feel like their goals and purposes do not align with yours, and I don't think they would be a good match for you?"
"Perhaps in the future, if their goals shift closer to your own, then I would revise my suggestion." she added.
"As for helping them," she continued after another brief pause, "My suggestion is to proceed with caution. You might benefit from the arrangement, as I think it would put them in your debt if they are successful at reinventing themselves with your advice? On the other hand it might not be a bad idea to secure some assurances from them first, that they won't use whatever you teach them in ways that could be harmful to you, your people, or your goals."
After a few moments to think all that through I responded, "Thank you Raven. You make some good points. I'll keep that in mind. I wonder if it would help for me to get to know them a little better? Maybe individually rather than the whole group."
My angel didn't seem very enthusiastic about that idea. She offered, "I could ask around and try to track them down, but I suspect approaching any one of them individually will only result in the rest of them joining in. At least until you've become part of their group. Or until they're confident you don't mean them any harm."
I nodded, "Understood. All right Raven, thank you for your input. Now there's something else I'd like to discuss with you?"
After a deep breath I stated, "Earlier you made it seem like you were willing to throw your life away for me, and I'm not ok with that. I don't care what sort of relationship you had with Amethyst in the past. I want you to know that I consider you a friend, and that you are not in any way disposable. I appreciate your loyalty and commitment, but if we ever find ourselves in a desperate situation I'd rather run away with you at my side than escape while you throw your life away."
She looked uncomfortable as she stared down at the floor for a few moments. It took her another second or two before she responded, "It's not a question of friendship or loyalty my Goddess. The reality is that I'm nothing without you. You created me, from a part of you. I'm yours in every way. And if I should be destroyed, you always have the option of creating another angel to take my place."
I shook my head slowly, "I don't want another angel, you are not interchangeable. You're important to me for who you are as a person, not what you are or what you can do for me or how you were created."
Her eyes were still cast down to the floor, but I could see from her expression that she was dealing with some complicated emotions. She looked like she maybe she wanted to argue or deny what I just said, but I knew it was probably very hard for her to refuse me or contradict me. And maybe there was also a little understanding going on, like maybe she was finally starting to realize that I really did value her as a friend.
Before either of us could continue that conversation the apartment door swung open and my girlfriend came in. She was about a half hour early, but it was Friday so I figured maybe her boss let her get a head start on the weekend.
"Hi honey, I'm home!" Tess called in a sing-song voice as she closed the door behind her. "Look what I found in the hall outside our door!"
I did a double-take as I realized she was cradling a kitten in her arms. Or a young cat anyways, it was big enough to have been weaned but definitely wasn't full-grown yet. Its fur was a splotchy mix of dark and light brown, in what I was pretty sure they called a tortoiseshell pattern.
"Oh hello Raven," she added when she realized my angel was here as well. "Did I interrupt a meeting or something?"
"I think we were just about finished?" Raven replied as she looked to me. "I'll take my leave now, if that's ok?"
I looked back and forth between them both then offered, "You're welcome to stay for dinner if you like? We usually order something in on Fridays, but I was thinking of doing some cooking tonight instead."
"If that's ok with you?" I added as I looked to Tess.
My girlfriend shrugged, "Delivery or home-cooked, either's fine with me. You're welcome to join us Raven. Also Amy, I hope you don't have anything planned for tomorrow evening? Emma invited us both over to have dinner with her and her wife."
"Sounds good," I replied. "I've been looking forward to meeting your new coworker. Raven what do you think? Care to stay and join us for dinner tonight?"
My angel got to her feet as she replied, "I appreciate the invitation my Goddess, and your earlier comments as well. I'll have to decline however. I hope you both enjoy your evening."
She teleported away before either Tess or I could respond, so I moved the dining chairs back to the table while my girlfriend sat down and got herself comfortable on the sofa. She still had that little cat in her arms, and it didn't seem to mind in the slightest that it was being held. If anything it looked quite cosy and content cuddled up between my girlfriend's arms and her chest. Which to be fair was a pretty awesome place to be, I thought.
"So what were you two talking about?" Tess asked as she relaxed and started stroking the little cat's head and ears. "Raven almost looked like she was in trouble or something when I came in."
"Not in trouble," I replied as I got us both some wine. I joined her on the sofa and added, "We had some uh, goddess stuff to take care of. And I was trying to explain to her again that she's more than just an angel to me, that I see her as a friend. I think she still has a hard time keeping that in mind?"
Tess thanked me for the wine, though the cat let out a little meow of displeasure since that meant it stopped getting pets.
"So who's cat do you suppose this is?" she asked after taking a sip of wine. "There's no collar, but it has to come from one of the apartments on this floor?"
I grimaced, "I thought the building had a no pets policy? If we go asking around or something, we're just going to get somebody in trouble. We might find the kitty's home, but the person will end up having to get rid of it anyways if the property management people find out."
My girlfriend frowned for a few seconds, then asked "Can't you use your goddess powers to find where it belongs? There must be something you can do to figure out which unit it's from. It has to be someone on our floor right? It can't have ended up here on its own."
"Maybe?" I shrugged. "I can give it a try anyways. May I hold it for a moment?"
Tess nodded, "Sure. Just be careful, its claws are small but sharp."
I reached over and carefully picked up the little cat then set it down on my lap. It quickly curled up and got comfortable, while I ran my fingers along its back and through the soft fur. At the same time I tried to take a little peak inside its mind. I barely ever did that with people, and I'd never tried it with an animal before so I had no idea what to expect.
My attempt to steal a glimpse into the cat's thoughts came up with nothing, but I did get one brief image along with that tingly energy sensation.
"Sigrun," I sighed. "I hope this wasn't some sort of plot to spy on me. Did your friends put you up to this?"
The cat's ears drooped as they slumped on my lap, with their chin resting against my leg and their tail dangling off the other side of my lap. And despite being a small cute cat they responded in the same quiet but otherwise human voice they used to introduce themself earlier.
"They didn't put me up to it and they don't know I'm here," the enby goddess mumbled. "And I didn't mean to spy on you. I was just curious, and thought I could get a better idea of who you were or what you were like. So..."
They paused briefly then sighed, "Ok I guess I was spying on you. I didn't mean it like that though? I'm sorry."
I noticed they didn't actually make any move to get up off my lap. In fact they closed their eyes and let out a quiet sigh as they lay there, as if they meant to sleep ontop of me or something.
I stared for another couple seconds then asked, "Uh, Sigrun?"
"Mmhmm?" they responded without opening their eyes. It seemed pretty clear they had no intention of moving though, nor did they seem to be in any sort of hurry to turn themself back to normal.
Then Tess finally spoke up. She'd been staring wide-eyed at the cat since I started talking to them. Or more accurately, since the cat started talking back.
"That cat talked," she stated. "You have a talking cat on your lap. I take it that's some sort of supernatural cat? And how do you know it's name? How many talking cats do you know?"
I rolled my eyes, "Theresa, this is Sigrun. Their pronouns are they and them. They're another goddess, I just met them this afternoon. Allegedly a retired warrior goddess from Norway, now living on Vancouver Island. And Sigrun, this is my girlfriend and fiancée Theresa."
"Are they normally a cat?" my girlfriend asked, as she continued to stare at the furry little bundle on my lap.
I shrugged, "No idea, I only met them today. They weren't a cat an hour ago, they looked like an anxious teenage femme enby. They wore a big hoodie and wouldn't make eye contact, and they were playing nonstop with a fidget toy."
Tess frowned at the cat, "So you can change into an animal? Like Zeus did in all those legends?"
The small feline goddess scoffed, "Zeus is an egotistical jerk. Would you believe he spends his time hanging around museums in Greece, just to listen to people gush over statues and artwork of him?"
My girlfriend was left staring at the cat in disbelief again, while I just sighed. "This has gone a little off-topic. Sigrun, now that we know it's you why are you still a cat? And why are you still on my lap?"
They let out another little sigh then stood up and moved off me and onto my girlfriend's lap instead. Then they curled up there and asked, "Can't I stay here a while, with you two?"
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"I suppose you could call it gossip," Raven replied quietly, "I haven't said anything compromising though, I've kept quiet about the same things I've suggested you keep to yourself. I would never put you at risk my Goddess. And I know Lee wouldn't have said anything to Ida unless she was specifically ordered to."
"Lee? That's Ida's angel?" I asked.
She nodded, "Correct. She usually goes by the name Lieve, but I call her Lee. Most of my friends and I use short names or nicknames for each other."
The goth angel was talking quietly and mostly kept her eyes down at the floor. She was still on the dining chair, while I'd moved to the sofa since it was a lot more comfortable. All in all, my angel was acting like a kid who'd got caught with a hand in the cookie jar.
"What about the rest of them?" I asked, "Moira and Fergus and the others? Do you hang out with their angels too?"
She shook her head, "I don't know if the other four have angels. If they do I haven't met them, and haven't heard any mention of them either."
"Ok," I sighed. "So what can you tell me about them? Or do you only have details about Ida, since you're friends with her angel?"
Raven replied, "I know something about them, from what Lee has told me. Ida is rather meticulous and detail-oriented. And she tends to act serious at times. She's not enough of a natural leader to take charge of that group though, but from what I understand she'd make a good administrator or manager. She used to be an agrarian goddess like yourself, but like you she's been all but forgotten by the people she used to watch over."
She continued, "Moira is more outgoing or extroverted, and tends to act as the leader of their little group. She and Ida are currently a couple, as I'm sure you noticed. Moira used to be revered as a goddess of fate, but the community who once prayed to her no longer exists."
"Fergus is another extrovert," she went on, "And apparently he can get rather loud and boisterous. I don't know much more about him unfortunately, according to Lee he and Ida don't spend much time together outside of when their group meets."
She grimaced slightly, "I'm told Lenz is a 'laid-back party guy', and that comes from being worshipped during spring fertility festivals. Lee doesn't know as much about him either, apart from the fact that Lenz and Moira used to be a couple. Nowadays he's seeing Fergus."
"Sigrun is the odd one of the group," Raven frowned slightly. "Lee thinks they're fairly harmless, she says they seem quiet and unobtrusive. If they really are a former warrior goddess then they're potentially dangerous, but from what my friend's observed Sigrun is very non-confrontational."
She added, "Apparently Fergus raised his voice at them once, and their response was to turn into a cat and hide behind the sofa. The only other thing I've been told about them is Ida once tried to hook up with Sigrun but was turned down. Based on gossip Lee's overheard, odds are Sigrun is asexual or aromantic. Or both."
It took me a few moments to get my head around the mental image of a warrior goddess being a literal scaredy-cat. Once I got past that thought I asked, "What can you tell me about their group?"
Raven shook her head, "Probably not as much as you'd like, my Goddess. According to Lee, her goddess meets with the other four a few times each decade? That's not counting their various hook-ups and trysts. And apparently they've been meeting like that for the past century? As far as I know all five of them have been displaced from their original homes, and all of them are without purpose or worship."
I nodded slowly, "Thank you Raven. Now I'd like to hear your opinion. Should I help them? Should I join them?"
My angel hesitated, "I would recommend against joining them. Not right away at least, my Goddess. Right now I feel like their goals and purposes do not align with yours, and I don't think they would be a good match for you?"
"Perhaps in the future, if their goals shift closer to your own, then I would revise my suggestion." she added.
"As for helping them," she continued after another brief pause, "My suggestion is to proceed with caution. You might benefit from the arrangement, as I think it would put them in your debt if they are successful at reinventing themselves with your advice? On the other hand it might not be a bad idea to secure some assurances from them first, that they won't use whatever you teach them in ways that could be harmful to you, your people, or your goals."
After a few moments to think all that through I responded, "Thank you Raven. You make some good points. I'll keep that in mind. I wonder if it would help for me to get to know them a little better? Maybe individually rather than the whole group."
My angel didn't seem very enthusiastic about that idea. She offered, "I could ask around and try to track them down, but I suspect approaching any one of them individually will only result in the rest of them joining in. At least until you've become part of their group. Or until they're confident you don't mean them any harm."
I nodded, "Understood. All right Raven, thank you for your input. Now there's something else I'd like to discuss with you?"
After a deep breath I stated, "Earlier you made it seem like you were willing to throw your life away for me, and I'm not ok with that. I don't care what sort of relationship you had with Amethyst in the past. I want you to know that I consider you a friend, and that you are not in any way disposable. I appreciate your loyalty and commitment, but if we ever find ourselves in a desperate situation I'd rather run away with you at my side than escape while you throw your life away."
She looked uncomfortable as she stared down at the floor for a few moments. It took her another second or two before she responded, "It's not a question of friendship or loyalty my Goddess. The reality is that I'm nothing without you. You created me, from a part of you. I'm yours in every way. And if I should be destroyed, you always have the option of creating another angel to take my place."
I shook my head slowly, "I don't want another angel, you are not interchangeable. You're important to me for who you are as a person, not what you are or what you can do for me or how you were created."
Her eyes were still cast down to the floor, but I could see from her expression that she was dealing with some complicated emotions. She looked like she maybe she wanted to argue or deny what I just said, but I knew it was probably very hard for her to refuse me or contradict me. And maybe there was also a little understanding going on, like maybe she was finally starting to realize that I really did value her as a friend.
Before either of us could continue that conversation the apartment door swung open and my girlfriend came in. She was about a half hour early, but it was Friday so I figured maybe her boss let her get a head start on the weekend.
"Hi honey, I'm home!" Tess called in a sing-song voice as she closed the door behind her. "Look what I found in the hall outside our door!"
I did a double-take as I realized she was cradling a kitten in her arms. Or a young cat anyways, it was big enough to have been weaned but definitely wasn't full-grown yet. Its fur was a splotchy mix of dark and light brown, in what I was pretty sure they called a tortoiseshell pattern.
"Oh hello Raven," she added when she realized my angel was here as well. "Did I interrupt a meeting or something?"
"I think we were just about finished?" Raven replied as she looked to me. "I'll take my leave now, if that's ok?"
I looked back and forth between them both then offered, "You're welcome to stay for dinner if you like? We usually order something in on Fridays, but I was thinking of doing some cooking tonight instead."
"If that's ok with you?" I added as I looked to Tess.
My girlfriend shrugged, "Delivery or home-cooked, either's fine with me. You're welcome to join us Raven. Also Amy, I hope you don't have anything planned for tomorrow evening? Emma invited us both over to have dinner with her and her wife."
"Sounds good," I replied. "I've been looking forward to meeting your new coworker. Raven what do you think? Care to stay and join us for dinner tonight?"
My angel got to her feet as she replied, "I appreciate the invitation my Goddess, and your earlier comments as well. I'll have to decline however. I hope you both enjoy your evening."
She teleported away before either Tess or I could respond, so I moved the dining chairs back to the table while my girlfriend sat down and got herself comfortable on the sofa. She still had that little cat in her arms, and it didn't seem to mind in the slightest that it was being held. If anything it looked quite cosy and content cuddled up between my girlfriend's arms and her chest. Which to be fair was a pretty awesome place to be, I thought.
"So what were you two talking about?" Tess asked as she relaxed and started stroking the little cat's head and ears. "Raven almost looked like she was in trouble or something when I came in."
"Not in trouble," I replied as I got us both some wine. I joined her on the sofa and added, "We had some uh, goddess stuff to take care of. And I was trying to explain to her again that she's more than just an angel to me, that I see her as a friend. I think she still has a hard time keeping that in mind?"
Tess thanked me for the wine, though the cat let out a little meow of displeasure since that meant it stopped getting pets.
"So who's cat do you suppose this is?" she asked after taking a sip of wine. "There's no collar, but it has to come from one of the apartments on this floor?"
I grimaced, "I thought the building had a no pets policy? If we go asking around or something, we're just going to get somebody in trouble. We might find the kitty's home, but the person will end up having to get rid of it anyways if the property management people find out."
My girlfriend frowned for a few seconds, then asked "Can't you use your goddess powers to find where it belongs? There must be something you can do to figure out which unit it's from. It has to be someone on our floor right? It can't have ended up here on its own."
"Maybe?" I shrugged. "I can give it a try anyways. May I hold it for a moment?"
Tess nodded, "Sure. Just be careful, its claws are small but sharp."
I reached over and carefully picked up the little cat then set it down on my lap. It quickly curled up and got comfortable, while I ran my fingers along its back and through the soft fur. At the same time I tried to take a little peak inside its mind. I barely ever did that with people, and I'd never tried it with an animal before so I had no idea what to expect.
My attempt to steal a glimpse into the cat's thoughts came up with nothing, but I did get one brief image along with that tingly energy sensation.
"Sigrun," I sighed. "I hope this wasn't some sort of plot to spy on me. Did your friends put you up to this?"
The cat's ears drooped as they slumped on my lap, with their chin resting against my leg and their tail dangling off the other side of my lap. And despite being a small cute cat they responded in the same quiet but otherwise human voice they used to introduce themself earlier.
"They didn't put me up to it and they don't know I'm here," the enby goddess mumbled. "And I didn't mean to spy on you. I was just curious, and thought I could get a better idea of who you were or what you were like. So..."
They paused briefly then sighed, "Ok I guess I was spying on you. I didn't mean it like that though? I'm sorry."
I noticed they didn't actually make any move to get up off my lap. In fact they closed their eyes and let out a quiet sigh as they lay there, as if they meant to sleep ontop of me or something.
I stared for another couple seconds then asked, "Uh, Sigrun?"
"Mmhmm?" they responded without opening their eyes. It seemed pretty clear they had no intention of moving though, nor did they seem to be in any sort of hurry to turn themself back to normal.
Then Tess finally spoke up. She'd been staring wide-eyed at the cat since I started talking to them. Or more accurately, since the cat started talking back.
"That cat talked," she stated. "You have a talking cat on your lap. I take it that's some sort of supernatural cat? And how do you know it's name? How many talking cats do you know?"
I rolled my eyes, "Theresa, this is Sigrun. Their pronouns are they and them. They're another goddess, I just met them this afternoon. Allegedly a retired warrior goddess from Norway, now living on Vancouver Island. And Sigrun, this is my girlfriend and fiancée Theresa."
"Are they normally a cat?" my girlfriend asked, as she continued to stare at the furry little bundle on my lap.
I shrugged, "No idea, I only met them today. They weren't a cat an hour ago, they looked like an anxious teenage femme enby. They wore a big hoodie and wouldn't make eye contact, and they were playing nonstop with a fidget toy."
Tess frowned at the cat, "So you can change into an animal? Like Zeus did in all those legends?"
The small feline goddess scoffed, "Zeus is an egotistical jerk. Would you believe he spends his time hanging around museums in Greece, just to listen to people gush over statues and artwork of him?"
My girlfriend was left staring at the cat in disbelief again, while I just sighed. "This has gone a little off-topic. Sigrun, now that we know it's you why are you still a cat? And why are you still on my lap?"
They let out another little sigh then stood up and moved off me and onto my girlfriend's lap instead. Then they curled up there and asked, "Can't I stay here a while, with you two?"
PurpleCatGirl hat tip to Jess & her story Nyaa! for the Zeus lore ^^
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