A/N: This just popped into my brain as I was falling asleep, and I therefore had to wake back up and write it down. My my, I certainly hope the Gods have a sense of humour...
The little inventor appeared in the temple, screaming, his thin body curled into the fetal position.
The Water Dragon, in her most impressive form, turned her enormous head to look at him, a small smile of amusement on her scaly lips. It always took the godling a moment or two to realize where he was.
"I...oh dear," he muttered, uncurling himself. Standing, he spotted her and gave the cursory bow which was all anyone could ever truly get from him. "My lady...? Oh my...I must be dead again. Too much dragon powder in that last batch, no doubt..."
The dragon hid a smile, assuming instead a stern expression. "Lord Lao, what am I to do with you? This is the fourth time in the last half-century. I'm running out of bodies to put you into."
Sheepishly, the inventor smiled at her, though his eyes remained, as always, unreadable behind the thick, protective lenses. "Ah, as you say my lady. But...mmm, how should I put this...?" He ruminated for a moment, then bowed again, his smile widening. "Nothing exploded, nothing gained!"
The goddess couldn't hold her stern expression any longer; her huge jaws gaped in a loud laugh. He'd always had that power over her - even more so since her rebirth - which was why she was so very fond of him. It wouldn't have been proper for her to seek out such sources of amusement of her own accord, and none of these monks could tell a good joke anyway. However, if one such source should come to her, why, who was she to refuse it?
Still laughing, the Water Dragon shifted to her smaller, more human form. She put a clawed hand on his thin shoulder. "Come, Lord Lao, as long as you're here, you may as well tell me some of those stories of yours."
"Oh..." He thought a moment.
"Has my lady heard the one about the courtesan, her wealthy patron, and his three monkeys?"