I do not own the Ah! Megami sama / Oh! My Goddess series
Nekomi, Japan
"That's a bit of a sudden… And you both have to go?"
Urd knew that her flimsy excuse was probably hard to believe, but, fully explaining the situation to her mortal boss was clearly out of question. So, when she told her that she and Mara had to go back to their home country for some unexpected job that father's company wanted them to handle, she hoped that she wouldn't ask far too many questions.
"Yeah, I know what you mean, Chihiro. I never saw it coming and it seems that we can't really do much about it, either," said the half goddess, trying to sound as convincing as possible.
"Well, I suppose that it's gonna take a while then?" asked the businesswoman, in an attempt to figure out whether she could manage with the remaining employees or not.
"Actually I'm not totally sure how long it's gonna take, to be honest with you. We're certainly talking about weeks or maybe even months." Unlike that previous lie, this time the goddess of the past was telling the truth and as a matter of fact, she was unhappy that she couldn't actually answer that question. It would've been much easier if she had a specific timetable and knew in advance when she was coming back. Of course, on the other hand that was going to put a lot of pressure on her, given that she would've to accomplish certain goals at a limited period of time.
"Really? That's unfortunate. If it was for a couple of days, then I could've just waited for you girls to come back, but, it seems that I'll have to find some temporary replacements while you're away," said the owner of Whirlwind with a sigh. Her new employees had proven to be a real asset for the shop and going without them was out of question. The only problem was that it wasn't going to be easy to find anyone willing to work for a short period of time and then lose the position once Urd and Mara returned. Using Tamiya and Otaki was the obvious option, but, having to rely on them for a few months was extremely undesirable. With their crazy antics, they could end up ruining her shop's reputation and that was the last thing she needed right now.
"Don't worry! I've already got a solution for that! Remember our friends from the reopening event; Peorth and Lind?" asked Urd with a smile. "They can take our place while we'll be away and by doing so, you won't have to find anyone. Plus, you can just give them our salary, so, they won't even cost you anything extra at all!"
"Hm… That's really convenient. Are you sure that they'll agree to work here? I know that they've given us a hand on that incident, but, this is a bit different," said Chihiro, slightly surprised that the matter was supposedly resolved so easily.
"It's sure nice to have good friends," said Urd with a wink. "We've already talked to them and they're probably going to drop by later, so that you can discuss some of the details with them."
"I'd really like that. It sure saved me a lot of trouble to find some temporary replacements," said Whirlwind's owner with a smile, before she headed back to the workshop where Keiichi and Skuld were currently busy with a bike. "Tell me when they're here."
"Sure thing!" said Urd, as she turned back to her magazine. However, unlike the ones that the goddess of the past preferred to read, this was actually a tour guide for Muspelheim that her mother gave her yesterday. As a matter of fact, Urd hadn't expected that there was one in the first place, but right now, she browsed through the pages trying to find anything that got her attention. Unsurprisingly, there wasn't really all that much in terms of tourist attractions, although the various pictures of the fiery realm's capital city with the bronze skinned demons walking around gave her a strange feel of homesickness, something that she had never expected from herself.
After all, she had probably been there once, considering her mother's claims that it was her birthplace, but other than that, she spent most of her early life in the confines of the Daimakaicho's mansion. Still, as crazy as it sounded, the prospect of going there was somewhat appealing to her and she knew exactly why; her demonic side wanted to see that place. It was probably the first time in a while that her other self was so excited about something; the last being the incident where she had to call her mother to help Peorth.
"Found anything interesting?" asked Mara as she approached her friend. For the most part she was finally happy that her new assignment would be something a bit more engaging than working for a bike shop in the mortal realm. If only she could've gone to Niflheim then it would've been absolutely perfect, but, at the very least it was going to be better than here.
"A few things, actually. Let's see… there are a few picturesque oases, volcanic observatories, a bustling market with all sort of jewelry and other types of goods, and finally hot springs!" said Urd as she went through a list of interesting articles from the magazine. "Not too shabby for a blazing inferno."
"Well… It's not gonna be a total disaster as it seems… Still, I'd rather we went to Niflheim, since it has much better attractions. Even Jotunheim can be a better place, as I've seen some really cozy cabins if you like to spend the day in front of a fireplace," said Mara with a rare smile. "Been there once and I kind of enjoyed my stay in one of the tourist camps.
"That's a surprise… Never thought you'd be the type of demoness to go for such a thing. I guessed that you would've found it to be utterly boring," said the half goddess staring at her blonde friend.
"Hey, there's nothing wrong to try a new thing once in a while. Besides, we don't always go for crazy parties and all sorts of over the top activities whenever we're on vacations," said Mara with a shrug. "There are moments when we just want to relax, you know."
"I won't argue with that. Still, it's kind of funny to imagine you wrapped in a blanket in front of a fireplace," laughed the goddess of the past, much to the blonde's chagrin.
"For your information, I was nearly down to my underwear, since the cabin was actually warm enough even without the fire. And not to mention the fine collection of drinks that were available, as well as all the delicacies I could order whenever I wanted. Plus, there were many types of winter sports I could try." Crossing her arms, Mara smiled at the memory, although, she also tried to make her friend a bit jealous, too. After all, unlike celestials, demons put a lot more effort into keeping their citizens happy, since it was the best way to maintain order and prevent anyone from becoming too dissatisfied with their superiors. Of course, there were some clear limitations as pampering them too much would've proven to be a problem by itself.
"Too bad we're going to a totally different place, then," said Urd with a seemingly innocent but clearly fake expression as she teased the blonde. "And if you really stripped down to your underwear in Jotunheim… I don't even want to imagine what's gonna happen when we'll get to Muspelheim."
"Hey! Stop laughing! It's not funny at all!" protested the demoness, glaring at the half goddess. "It's your fault to begin with! You just had to open your big mouth and ask Hild-sama to send me there with you."
"Oh? I can tell her that I've changed my mind, you know. It's not like I won't have anyone to talk to, since I'm bringing Excalibur with me," said Urd with a grin. "Just let me call her and…"
"I don't care if you take that sword with you or not, but, there's no way in Hell I'm letting him do my job! I'm supposed to be your guide, not that sentient weapon!" said Mara, unaware that she was basically tricked into confessing that she wanted to go. After all, the blonde had no particular objections, since it was the first opportunity in a while to do something right, especially after all those failed attempts to send the goddesses back home.
'She's never been there and wants to be my guide? I guess she's more enthusiastic than she looks,' thought Urd, before she handed her magazine to the demoness. "Since you're coming with me, then why don't you take a look, too?"
"Hm? Oh, right! Don't mind if I do." With something to keep herself busy, the blonde hadn't noticed the amused look on Urd's face.
XXX
Ithavoll, Asgard
Taking a sip from his coffee, the celestial leader was trying hard to focus on his job, although, his mind was preoccupied with yesterday's events. He knew that telling Urd about her temporary reassignment wasn't going to be easy, but, Belldandy's almost identical reaction was really troublesome. Perhaps at some point, he had started to treat everything as the Daitenkaicho and in doing so, he had forgotten that still had a family. Explaining everything to his daughters in such a plain and impersonal manner was probably something one would've expected from a stranger, not their father. As such, Tyr worried that despite his intentions, his girls would inevitably come to the inevitable conclusion that he didn't truly care for them.
His thoughts were interrupted when the door opened, revealing his wife, who seemed to be rather worried. "Are you okay? I knocked twice and you didn't answer at all."
"You did? I'm sorry, I was… thinking about a something and haven't heard you," said Tyr as he motioned her to come closer. "Are there any news from the Presiding Celestial Court?"
"Not yet. Keep in mind that a high profile case like this will require some time before all the preparations are complete and each side has the chance to collect the available evidence in order to present it during the trial," said Ansuz and then paused for a moment, wondering how to phrase the next part. "I've also happened to hear that you've told Urd about her training in Muspelheim."
"Yes, I did that yesterday. Why?" asked the Daitenkaicho, wondering why his wife was giving him that dirty look.
Shaking her head, Ansuz tried to hold back the first thing that came to her mind and opted for a softer way of expressing her thoughts. "You should've considered her feelings a bit more before you decided to announce it like it wasn't even your problem. And the same goes for the rest of them, since those girls had grown together and taking one away can be distressing for them, even if it's only for a short period of time. In a manner of speaking, you pretty much used a sledgehammer to fix a cracked window."
"I know… That's what troubles me, to be honest. I'm trying a bit too hard to make sure that I won't display blatant favoritism and in doing so, I end up forgetting that I'm talking to my daughters," said Tyr with a sigh. "And I don't think that calling them again would be advisable, as it might cause more harm than good at this point…"
"In that case, how about a different approach? It's gonna take weeks or even months before the trial starts, especially considering the case's complexity. So, why don't you let me get there for a while to make sure that the girls will be okay?" suggested Ansuz, with a hopeful expression.
"That's doable… I can cover you while you're there, and I bet that they'll will be happy to see you." Walking to his desk the Daitenkaicho prepared the necessary papers to grant his wife a short vacation and handed them to her. "Here, that should be enough for now. Wish I could do more, but… Just tell them that I said 'hi' and I'm really sorry about hurting their feelings."
"You know, you can be sweet at times like these," laughed Ansuz giving her husband a kiss, before she grabbed the papers and nearly ran towards the exit, eager to see her daughters again.
'Well, I hope that's gonna make things a bit better for them,' thought Tyr, only to pause as he realized something that he had totally forgotten about. 'Wait… Hild is there, too. I really hope that those two won't go too far with their games. Whenever they hang around... all sorts of crazy stuff happens…'
XXX
Nekomi, Japan
Standing in front of Whirlwind, the brunette goddess checked her outfit for the last time, making sure that everything was perfect. Yesterday, Frigg asked her and Lind to take Urd and Mara's place at the shop in order to allow her granddaughter to go to Muspelheim without worrying about finding anyone else to do it. While far from the most important task she had undertaken, this was a great opportunity to show some of her skills and prove that she was a worthy contender as the goddess with the best customer service; even if it had nothing to do with granting wishes.
"Are you certain that you want to show up dressed like this?" asked the Valkyrie from her side, as she gave her friend a critical look. Unlike Lind who was dressed in a very similar outfit to the one Belldandy wore during work, Peorth had taken a few liberties; a few too many as far as the warrior was concerned.
"On no… Don't start another one of those arguments…" grumbled Peorth, her perfect mood now ruined as she fully anticipated all those witty remarks about her choice of modifications she made to her work uniform. With a blouse that was halfway open to expose what was in reality the top of her casual clothes and a black microskirt instead of the regular one that the other employees were supposed to be wearing, the goddess of the roses wanted to give herself a more personalized and stylish selection of clothing, compared to Chihiro's rather plain choice for an outfit.
"It's not like that. You're just pushing the boundary of what's considered acceptable as a work uniform in this place. I'm sure that it's by far something relatively tame compared to what you'd normally wear…" said Lind, glancing at the other goddess. "After all, this is a bike shop, not a strip club…"
Staring at the Valkyrie in complete silence, Peorth blinked a couple of times wondering if she heard right. "I'm shocked that you even came up with that! Do you really think that I'm so crass that I'd agree to work for such an establishment?"
"Actually, I don't," said Lind in an effort to avoid any misunderstandings about her choice of words. "I was merely talking about the disparity between our versions of Whirlwind's uniform."
"If that's what troubles you, then allow me to fix it," said Peorth with a smile. However, much to the Valkyrie's horror, the goddess of the roses didn't change her own clothes to what the warrior was wearing; instead she did total opposite. "There! That really looks amazing on you!"
"W-What in Asgard's name are you doing?!" shouted the startled Lind, as she suddenly found herself dressed in a way that she would've never approved. While the outfit didn't expose too much skin, it was primarily the purpose of those modifications that she found to be unacceptable, as they were mostly for showing off her body.
"Well, you wanted our clothes to match, right? That's one way to fix things," said Peorth, as she inspected the embarrassed warrior. It was true that this action could horribly backfire later, but for once, the rose goddess wanted to get some satisfaction from knowing that she bested her in one way or another. Of course, she knew that going too far with this prank would've only infuriated her further and as such, Peorth tried to change her back, before the Valkyrie had to do that on her own.
Unfortunately, that was also the moment when Chihiro opened the shop's front door, causing the rose goddess to abruptly stop, leaving Lind in her modified outfit. And with both goddesses dressed in such a provoking manner, the mortal woman took a few seconds to realize that they were actually wearing a custom version of her work uniform. "Oh! You must be Peorth and Lind, right? I'm sorry, but we didn't have the time to properly introduce ourselves back then. Things were a bit frantic during that event, so, please come in!"
"Thank you!" said Peorth, leading the uncomfortable Valkyrie inside the shop. With Chihiro around, it was impossible to do anything about it and Lind was also well aware of that. Worse, now that she had seen them, it would've raised a couple of questions if one of them suddenly swapped clothes, meaning that the warrior was stuck with Peorth's 'gift' and had to wait until they were out of there to change back into something decent.
Looking up from her counter, Urd smiled at them, although she did raise an eyebrow when she saw Lind. "Hey there! You're a bit early, but, we were about to have a break, so, you probably picked the right time."
"Yeah, It's time for lunch," added Mara, stashing the tour guide away. "Nice outfits by the way."
"Oh, thank you for the kind words! They were my design!" said Peorth, trying to sound as polite as possible given that, Chihiro was present and ignored the demoness' obvious jab.
"As a matter of fact, I kind of like them. They look well made and might work nicely as your uniforms while working here," said Whirlwind's owner as she gave them a closer look. "Is any of you a seamstress by any chance?"
"No, not really. We just know how to put things together," replied Peorth, trying to answer as truthfully as she could while avoiding to mention anything about magic. "Why?"
"Nothing, I was wondering if we could have another one for Belldandy, although, I don't want to force her into wearing anything she wouldn't like," said Chihiro scratching her chin. "Still, I'm impressed by the quality. My supplier would've charged me quite a bit for something that well made. It sure is fortunate that you came up with them on your own."
It was then that the horrible realization sank in for the Valkyrie; she wasn't just stuck with them for now, but, for as long as she was going to work here. Deciding to 'thank' Peorth later for the gift, Lind tried to focus on the present and ignore the amused stare she was getting from Urd. "Can you tell us what are we required to do as part of our jobs?"
"It's fairly simple to be honest. You'll primarily handle the sales and provide customer service, as well as helping the rest of us keep the shop clean. If you happen to have any questions or don't know about some part, you can always ask me or Morisato-kun for details," explained Chihiro. "Also, you need to give us a hand during events, just like the one we did a while ago. Of course, that's a bit of an extra thing, since we don't have them on a schedule and if it requires you to stay overtime, I will most certainly compensate you for your work."
"That seems reasonable," said Peorth, before looking around the shop. "Hm… This door leads to the workshop, right? We've been here once, so…"
"Yes. Actually, let me give you a tour of the place, since we never did that back then," offered Chihiro taking the two goddesses to the next section of Whirlwind where Skuld and Keiichi were working while Belldandy prepared the tea for the lunch break. "Hey everyone, we've got company!"
Letting the spanner down, Keiichi turned around to take a look, only to find that it was Lind and Peorth. However, the unfortunate mechanic was so low on the ground while working on the bike's exhaust that their microskirts were practically pointless. Getting up as soon as he possibly could, he accidentally hit his head on the handlebar, getting everyone's attention. "Ow!"
"Are you okay, Keiichi? Be more careful around the shop," said Belldandy, as she approached him, while Skuld looked over the bike to see what happened.
"I'm fine… Just being a bit careless, that's all," answered the mechanic, rubbing his sore head. Interestingly though, the pain was subsiding at a much faster rate than normal and he was absolutely certain that it wasn't his wife's doing, leaving only one possible candidate. 'Terrestrial spark, did you just heal me?'
'Yes master. After all, I got a bit of a headache, too, and wanted to do something about it,' replied the angel from within Keiichi. 'Although, please refrain from looking up skirts while you're around hard metal surfaces.'
'I didn't do that on purpose!' was the hasty reply, as he tried to remain calm in order to avoid alerting the others about his inner dialogue with his angel. 'Besides, you should be aware of that, having access to my thoughts and all…'
'That's indeed true, master. I was merely commenting about your lack of concentration when startled, not the fact that we got a glimpse of their panties. Well… maybe a bit more than a glimpse, but, you know what I mean.' said Terrestrial Spark. 'Although, I'm rather surprised that, Lind actually agreed to wear something like that.'
'Yeah, me too,' send Keiichi over their link, before he put an abrupt end to their conversation as Belldandy was apparently trying to tell him something while he was preoccupied. "Yes? I'm sorry, I wasn't paying attention for a moment."
"I said that it would be really nice if I get a similar outfit like them. That way we're all going to look like members of a team, and I wouldn't feel left out." Smiling at her husband, the goddess of the present was blissfully unaware that his mind was nearly overwhelmed by the mental image of her in those clothes.
"O-Of course! I'm sure that you'd look perfect in anything, Belldandy!" said Keiichi with a nervous laugh, trying to get some distance from Skuld, as he noticed the glare he was receiving from her.
"Very well, then! I'll try this style tomorrow!" said Belldandy, and then went back to make two more cups of tea for Lind and Peorth.
'Uh… Terrestrial Spark?...'
'Yes, master?'
'Can you defuse bombs?'
'Not yet, but, I hope I'll learn to do that eventually. Why?'
'Nothing… Let's make it priority, though… I just have a bad feeling about this...'
'Master, you always seem to have a bad feeling about everything...'
Meanwhile, the goddess of the future was also having a similar debate, although it was mostly about whether to be mad with Peorth who not only corrupted Lind, but, also her oneesama, or… just punish Keiichi for being a pervert. 'Grr… what's up with this kind of development?'
'Mistress… Wouldn't it be a problem if oneesama didn't go for that?' asked Noble Scarlet over her mental link with her goddess. 'It would almost seemed as if she wasn't good looking enough to pull it off...'
'T-That's sort of… true, I guess,' replied Skuld. 'And if Keiichi didn't responded in any way, it would've meant that he didn't find her as attractive as those two… Okay, I guess I'll let him off the hook… for now.'
"Tea's ready, everyone!"
XXX
Castle Utgard
"So, Ymir finally made a move."
"Yes, it certainly seems to be the case." Staring at the screen in front of him, Skrymir was considering his options and by the looks of it, there was no other way but to ask for some assistance. "If worse comes to worst, then I might've to use Jormungandr to deal with him."
"Let's not be hasty. There's absolutely no need to jump into conclusions, before we learn about his true intentions," said Loki from the other end of the secure line. "Have you informed father about this?"
"No, I haven't told him anything to avoid complicating matters even further. I do believe that withholding information about the outcome of his failed attempt to kill the first Daimakaicho was the right move," said Skrymir. "Although, the situation is a bit unstable here. I had little control over Ratatoskr to begin with and this whole mess is putting me in very bad position. I don't want to end up losing my authority here if Ymir decides that I'm a problem, and having to solely rely on Jormungandr isn't enough. I might need some extra help."
"Fenrir isn't ready for deployment, yet. While I've already upgraded him, I don't possess the energy to let him go into his full form for any reasonable amount of time," said Loki with a sigh. "You know how hard it is for me to come up with resources here. After all, I'm not the leader of an entire realm and I barely managed to get my old position back."
"Well, it seems that I'm going to have to try and see whether Surt and Hagall are going to try to do anything about it. I'd rather have a plan B in case everything else fails and Ymir tries to kick me out of here," said Skrymir, leaning back into his chair, while watching at the almost mirror like reflection on his screen. "Personally, I would prefer to avoid any unnecessary conflict, but, I never expected him to try and contact Hild of all demonesses. And if we take Njord into account, this whole situation will get far too unpredictable and extremely dangerous."
"I won't argue with that. Although, I kind of wish that those two demonesses would run into each other, despite the potential risks," said the trickster god with a rare smile.
"I bet you do. But, since it's most likely happen under my castle, I'd rather that they wouldn't," said Skrymir as he narrowed his eyes at the god. "Those three are all dangerous enough on their own without anything else thrown into the mix. So, it would've been for the best if they never met, but, I'm afraid that I failed to prevent it."
"Aww, come on have some heart…" said Loki with a frown. "They're…"
"I don't need that garbage!" snarled Skrymir. "Also, don't forget that if I happen to die, you're going down with me, too. After all, the double system was reverse engineered from our accursed link."
"I know. But a life without its risks is kind of… boring I guess," said Loki with a chuckle. "At any rate, I don't have anything to help you at the moment. You may try to see if you'll get lucky with Surt, though. He certainly possesses the means to put up a decent fight, and who knows? It might save you in the end. Providing that this will go bad to begin with…"
"Well, that's what I'm gonna do. I just can't leave things to happen without any contingency plans," said Skrymir before he got up. "I won't give up right now. Not after all the painstaking effort to get here…"
"Keep in mind that we might get an ally in this," added Loki, sensing that the demon was about to end the call. "Urd will soon be in Muspelheim and if push comes to shove, she can be instrumental in the whole situation."
"Or destabilize it even further," countered Skrymir. "Your plans are always far too chaotic for my liking. Like that brilliant idea you had to drop the Judgement Gate into the Pit."
"Hey! In the end, I did got rid of it, right?" said Loki in his defense. "Not to mention that we might get a bit more out that, given the whole investigation that's going on. Maybe we can finally get some of those pesky Councilors a much needed lesson in manners for being a thorn on our side."
"We were lucky to get a second chance in that case, though. With this… we might not and I'd like to make sure that nothing will go horribly wrong. Anyway, if you have any news from Asgard, don't hesitate to tell me," said Skrymir as he shifted back into his more familiar form that everyone else recognized; that of a tall, red haired demon.
"As you wish Skrymir… or should I say... Loki of Utgard…"
XXX
Nekomi, Japan
Sitting in the middle of their room, Keiichi tried for the tenth time to follow his wife's instructions and for the first time, he realized the frustration Skuld had gone through when she started those lessons. "I don't know what to do… It just won't move at all…"
"Keiichi, you've got to keep in mind that you don't actually possess magic powers. It's your angel that does, and as a result you need to focus on relaying the request through him," explained Belldandy, sitting opposite of him, watching him struggle to levitate a small bolt.
"Through Terrestrial Spark? I… Oh, I see how it is!.." said Keiichi when realization hit him. Of course, trying the same thing with Skuld wasn't going to work, since he was a human. 'Well… you heard her, so, can you give me a hand here?'
'Yes, master. After all, Holy Bell is watching too, and the last thing I want is to make fun of myself,' replied the tiny angel as he materialized above his host's head, extending his arms towards the metallic item until it started to hover.
A proud smile formed on the goddess' face as she saw her husband's great accomplishment. He had very little control of Blue Lance back then, but thankfully, this didn't seem to to be the case with his own angel. Even though the bolt was slightly unstable, wobbling in mid air, it was still a monumental achievement for a mortal who only had his new partner for less than a full day. "That's amazing, Keiichi! I'm so proud of you!"
Blushing, he and the angel scratched their heads, feeling a bit shy. "Thank you, Belldandy! I'm sure that it had to do with you helping me!"
"Not really, I think it's your doing, being able to make friends so easily, which also extends to Terrestrial Spark, allowing you to deepen your bond with him in a much shorter period of time," explained the goddess before she noticed that the tiny bolt started to move far more erratically than before and a lot faster, too. Typically, this was the first sign of losing control of the hovering spell, something that both her husband and his angel were obviously aware of.
"Whoa! It's suddenly a lot harder to…" started Keiichi, only to watch helplessly as the metallic object turned into a projectile, moving in all sorts of random directions while Terrestrial Spark attempted to regain control, although in vain.
Following the item with her eyes, the brunette goddess managed to grab it in mid air faster than Keiichi could blink. "It's okay, you did very well for the first lesson. I think that we should continue tomorrow and increase the difficulty a little bit every time, before we move to other abilities. But, it's never a good idea to push yourself too hard, since you'll most likely lose your concentration and then get frustrated while trying to fix the problem."
"I know… It's just that, I barely did anything. But then again, it's something that I certainly couldn't do before we started and I bet that it's pretty much like any other skill; it takes time and effort in order to improve," said Keiichi with a confident smile. After all, if there was one thing he learned from several years of living with the goddesses was that even though they were very different from him, some things were still the same. No matter how powerful, they didn't just snap their fingers to solve all their problems, making them a bit more human in some sort of way, at least from his perspective.
"That's the spirit, Keiichi! Don't worry, I won't go too easy on you or anything like that. I just want to avoid frustrating you by rushing your lessons," said Belldandy, pausing for a moment. "Besides, I'd like to give ourselves a chance to prepare something for Urd. I don't want to make it too much of a big deal and potentially make things worse for her, but, I think that she shouldn't get the feeling that nobody cares whether she left or not."
"Hm… That's a bit tricky. I'd normally propose a party, although, she might feel that it's not the right thing for the occasion. A dinner could be a better option, however it might seem too common and even unrelated to her. After all, I just got my angel and it's possible for everyone to assume that it was meant for me," said Keiichi scratching his chin in thought, until he felt a jolt that made him nearly scream from surprise. "What was that?!"
"You felt it, too?" asked Belldandy tilting her head slightly as she hadn't expect him to pick that sensation. "It's the Gate, and by the looks of it, we're going to have a visitor soon enough."
'Another one?' wondered Keiichi, trying to avoid rolling his eyes in front of his wife. While not particularly small by most standards, their house was never meant to be an inn and they've already ran out of available rooms a while ago. "I wonder who…"
He never got to finish his sentence, though, when Skuld rushed into the room with a horrified look on her face. "Oneesama! It's a disaster! Mother just dropped by for a visit! And!..."
"Oh my! She said that she wanted to do that, but, I wasn't expecting her to arrive this soon," said Belldandy with a wide smile. Noticing her sister's expression, the Norn of the present seemed a bit puzzled. "Skuld… There's absolutely no reason to fear mother anymore. Me and Keiichi have already passed the test, so…"
"That's not the problem! Megumi was out there, too! And she landed right next to her!" said the younger goddess pointing towards the general direction of the house's entrance. "It's a huge mess!"
Turning towards her husband, Belldandy tried to read his own expression and much to her surprise, he seemed rather calm about the whole incident, unlike past occurrences where he used to freak out. "Keiichi, dear?"
Letting out a sigh, the mortal crossed his arms for a moment, giving it some thought, before he simply shrugged at them. "I… think that it's about time we told her what's going on here. I'm not a fan of the idea to expose your natures to the whole world, but I believe that, Megumi has the right to know."
Heading towards the front of the house, the three of them found Asgard's second in command, trying to make sure that the young woman next to her was doing fine; mentally at least, as she was otherwise unharmed. "Are you okay, miss?"
"I-I… I'm fine! What about you?! You fell out o-of… of the sky!" stammered Megumi, pointing upwards where she could've sworn that there had been a bright light moments ago.
"Oh, you don't have to worry about my well being, as a goddess such a thing is really natural for me," said Ansuz with a smile, trying to calm the startled woman down a bit.
"Goddess?" wondered Megumi, staring at the teal haired lady dressed in something that slightly resembled a tutu, although, she'd never seen one like hers. Furthermore, those strange wings on the sides of her head appeared to move on their own, almost as if they were alive; a notion that she started to believe that was actually the case here. Most importantly, she did have those markings that, Belldandy, her sisters and much of their latest guests had on their faces.
"Mother, is everything alright?"
The sudden question made both Megumi and Ansuz to turn towards Belldandy who slowly approached them followed by Keiichi, while Skuld waited at the entrance with the rest of the goddesses that gathered to see what the commotion was all about.
"Eh?! Mother?!" Looking between the two of them, Megumi wondered how it was possible for her sister-in-law to address the newcomer in such a manner, given the teal haired lady's youthful appearance. In all reality, she could've easily passed as her sister, but clearly not her mother.
"I'm quite certain that a lot of things aren't really making sense to you at the moment, but, I assure you that this isn't some sort of a prank. She's indeed my mother and as you might've started to realize, we're all goddesses," explained Belldandy, in a calm voice, hoping that she wouldn't completely freak out. While she never wanted to keep her nature a secret, the Norn of the present knew that talking about it first was a much better approach, instead of trying to do it after a mortal witnessed something beyond their comprehension.
"I knew that something strange was going on here, but… goddesses? That sounds crazy…" said Megumi, as she started to remember all those bizarre incidents that happened during the last couple of years. "And now that you mention it, I don't recall mentioning anything about it, Kei-chan…"
The dark haired mechanic winced a bit, as this was a conversation he really wished to avoid if possible. Having to explain why he hadn't told his sister about Belldandy was a topic that could easily make the younger Morisato feel that he didn't trust her enough to keep it a secret. "To be honest with you, I was a bit skeptical first and probably that's why I've made a reckless wish. But, it's a rather long story and I don't think that this is the best place to talk about it. How about we get inside and I'll try to give you a summary of what happened?"
"I'd like that," said Megumi with a nod, feeling that it was probably for the best to relax and listen to what her brother had to say. Clearly there had to be a good reason for all this secrecy. Besides, getting angry wasn't going to help her a bit as she wouldn't get those answers she wanted right now.
Heading towards the house, Ansuz paused when she noticed Frigg motioning for her to get closer. Worrying that the elder goddess was upset at her rather uncharacteristic blunder, she mentally prepared for the worst."Yes, mother?"
"If my sources are correct, there's a lot going on at Asgard at the moment. And I doubt that you just dropped by merely for a random visit." Glancing towards the Norns for a moment who were following Keiichi and Megumi, Frigg smiled a bit as she turned back to her daughter-in-law. "We had our arguments about celestial protocols before I got here, but, I'd like to note that I do appreciate the fact that you've decided to check on the girls, given the current situation."
"I… I'm happy to hear that you approved this. Although, I'm terribly sorry about this whole fiasco. I was so excited to spent time with them, that I failed to do a proper check before I transferred here," said Ansuz with a frown.
"Don't worry too much about it, child. I believe that it's better for Keiichi to explain a few things to his sister, and hopefully get this whole matter out of the way. It was inevitable that at some point, one of his closest relatives would suspect that there's something a bit off with all the guests in this house," said Frigg with a chuckle. "Even in the short period of time I've been here, we had a fair share of mishaps and now that we've got you as well, my expectations are rather high."
"Your expectations?... You want more… chaos here?" wondered Ansuz, not sure if she actually heard her right. It was something that she would've expected from Loki, not his adopted mother.
"Not necessarily, but anything that could keep their minds preoccupied for a while is certainly beneficial. The news about Urd-chan's training caused some distress and while they may not act like it right now, it's still there. I hoped that we can organize something to act as a proper distraction," explained Frigg, as she retrieved a couple of tickets from her pocket. "Here, take a look at this."
"Oh! Those are for… hot springs?" said Ansuz, as she finally started to piece everything together. "You want me to take them on a trip? What a nice idea! I'm sure they'll love that!"
"Of course they will, and I've made the necessary arrangements for everyone to go there, too. I thought that it was a good opportunity to relax a bit," said Frigg with a smile. "Hm… Perhaps I might do something about the younger Morisato, as well. It would be rather beneficial if she got to spend some time with us in a setting that would help her understand that deep down we're like everyone else, not some mythical entities."
"Yes, I agree with you, mother. Still, it's always one thing after the other here," said Asgard's second in command, tilting her head. "One moment, Urd learns that she's getting transferred to Muspelheim and the next, they have to deal with Keiichi's sister. Although, that one was my fault if I had to be honest."
"Oh, even if you did nothing, something else was bound to occur; that much I'm sure of. It's one of the benefits of spending time in the mortal realm, you know," said Frigg, as she started to head back inside. "Things happen a lot faster, here. And for old beings like us, this is a refreshing change indeed. Although, I must admit that ever since I started to dress in a more modern manner I feel much younger on the inside, even if I have to show a bit more on the outside. "
"Mother?!" gasped the scandalized goddess, not believing her ears. "That's highly… improper!"
"Hush, dear! It's not like I've forsaken my modesty and embraced the same brazenness that's characteristic of a demoness. That much I can assure you, my child. As a matter of fact, I'd like to use this opportunity to find a new look for you, while you're here. I'm sure that you're going to love it!" said the elder goddess with a wink.
"A-As you w-wish, mother," stammered Ansuz, not particularly enthusiastic about that whole idea.
'Dear heavens above! Now, I really want to go back to my paperwork...'
XXX
"So, let's see if I got it straight… She came down to grant you a wish, and you asked for her to stay with you. Wow… I knew that you didn't know anything about dating, but, you should've taken her out for dinner at least," said Megumi, much to her brother's chagrin.
"It's not like that! I thought it was a prank back then and I made a joke… and!..." started Keiichi in a desperate effort to explain himself, before he noticed that his sister was trying to contain her mirth.
"Oh, come on, Keii-chan! I was joking, you know," laughed Megumi. "I'm sure that you're not that much of a dummy to mess up something so basic. Still, that was quite a thing to say."
"I know… Not that I got any regrets at any rate. Hm… come to think about it, you're taking this a lot better than I've feared you would," said Keiichi, carefully watching for the younger woman's reaction.
"What were you expecting anyway? Freak out and then refuse to talk to you for years? I don't see the point and it won't change anything, too. It's a bit crazy for sure, but, it also explains a few things," said Megumi with a shrug. "Like how girls started appearing out of nowhere one after the other, Skuld's robots, those strange incidents that happened from time to time and even the markings that everyone has on their faces. And not to mention the fact that you've gotten married in a hurry and without telling us anything."
"That's entirely true, and as regrettable as it was, we just couldn't do much about it," said Belldandy, offering the younger Morisato some more rice crackers after she refilled her cup of tea. "The ceremony was meant for immortals to attend to, and inviting others who had no idea of our true nature would've been rather problematic. We haven't even thought about the entire subject, to be honest with you, and when you and Chihiro found us it was a bit too late to organize an earthly version of a wedding."
"Yeah… What started out as an ordinary day, eventually turned out to be a lot more exciting than anyone would've predicted," said Keiichi with a chuckle. "Talk about the craziest birthday ever."
"You know, we talked about magic, so… Is there anything I can see, too? I mean, it's not like I don't believe you or anything, but, I'm really curious now," said the younger Morisato, looking at her sister-in-law.
Without a delay, Belldandy's clothes started to shine, changing into her official goddess attire. "Something like this, or do you want me to try an actual spell?"
Despite the fact that she was expecting it, Megumi still couldn't help but stare at her in amazement. It was one thing to recall what magic was supposed to be from popular works and a totally different one to actually see it in real life. "T-That's enough for now, I guess. It's going to take a while to get used to it, though. Hm… Could this also be the reason why I've never seen your shoes at the entrance? If you summon your clothes like that, then it's pointless to store them around like we do."
"Yes, you're absolutely correct, Megumi. We can do a lot of things with our powers, although we don't rely on them for everything. There's always the feeling of accomplishment when we do something the old fashioned way and that's why we often ignore convenience and shortcuts when it comes to certain topics," explained Belldandy. "For instance, I could've used my powers to conjure Keiichi's meals, but, I prefer to make them in the same manner like a mortal would. In a way, it feels far more personal to me and I bet that they're a lot more enjoyable when the person who eats them knows that they weren't just created by a spell."
"Actually that makes sense. It's still nice to know that you weren't forced to do that whenever I was around for lunch. I wouldn't want to anger a goddess by being an inconvenience," laughed the young Morisato. Of course, she doubted that the Norn of the present was ever going to consider her a problem, although, she had to be careful about the others. Urd and Skuld had much shorter fuses and the mortal girl had no desire to see how they were when someone managed to annoy them enough to get punished for their impudence.
Almost as if they were summoned, the two Norns opened the living room's door, poking their heads inside cautiously.
"So… How did it go?" asked Urd, while she and Skuld glanced at the Megumi, before turning to Belldandy.
"Everything's fine, neesan. We all had a nice conversation and the matter is pretty much settled," answered the brunette goddess. "But, why hadn't you joined us?"
"Uh… We had some really urgent stuff to take care of. Right, Skuld?" offered the Norn of the past, as she turned to her youngest sibling.
"Huh? Oh, yeah! It couldn't wait and…" started the little goddess, before she noticed the frown on Belldandy's face and lowered her head.
"Let me guess… You've prepared something to erase Megumi's memory. Am I correct?" As both of them stepped into the living room, they extended their hands, showing their solutions; an oddly colored pill from Urd and that dolphin shaped gadget Skuld had created in the past.
"Guilty as charged…" said both of them at the same time, earning a worried look from the mortal girl.
"Um… Keii-chan… this isn't a prank, right?" asked Megumi, staring at her brother.
"Nope, it's the real deal. Not that we're gonna need them right now, so, relax," said Keiichi with a forced smile. 'Been there, done that...'
"Indeed. Don't worry about my sisters, Megumi. I'm sure that they only had the best intentions, especially if the whole situation turned out to be too stressful for your mind to handle," added Belldandy reassuringly.
"If you say so…" Shaking her head a bit, the young Morisato reminded herself that those two were always like that and it probably wasn't something personal. After all, goddesses or not, they were most likely worried about her well being and that's something that Megumi was happy to know.
"On the other hand, we've got some great news!" said Urd, trying to cheer everyone up. "I've just spoken to grandmother and she said that we're going to a hot springs resort tomorrow. She even called, Chihiro and made the necessary arrangements to let all of us get there."
"Really? How?" asked the baffled mechanic.
"Tamiya and Otaki can do the job for a single day, Keiichi. Also, let's not forget that, Frigg is a seasoned goddess who used to be Asgard's second in command for several millennia. If there's someone skilled enough in negotiations, then it's certainly her," said Urd with a wink.
"Uh… Excuse me for asking a stupid question, but… you mean that, Frigg is your grandmother?" asked the incredulous Megumi. Getting a simple nod from the rest of them as if it was the most natural thing in the world, the mortal woman couldn't help but feel a bit jealous, her expression darkening. "Wish I could look like that by the time I'll become a grandma…"
As everyone started to laugh at that last comment, the aforementioned goddess opened the door with her daughter-in-law following close behind her. "Ah, I see that everything's under control here. See? I told you that they wouldn't have a problem."
"That you did, mother. However, we still need to make the last preparations for tomorrow and speaking of that… Is there any room left for me?" asked Ansuz, even though she had a feeling that this was highly unlikely.
"You can sleep in mine!" offered the ecstatic Skuld, raising her hand. "Please, mom?"
"If that's fine with you, then I will. It's been quite a while since we did that," said Ansuz patting her daughter's head.
"So, what about you, Megumi? Are you coming with us, tomorrow?" asked Keiichi. wondering if all this weirdness was too much for his sister to cope in such a short period of time.
"A free trip to a hot springs resort? Are you kidding me, of course I'll come!" answered the younger Morisato, giving her brother one of her characteristic catlike smiles.
Observing the scene around her, Urd was content that everyone appeared to be busy with something. Skuld and Belldandy had their mother to talk to and Keiichi had a lot of stories to tell to Megumi about all those incidents that took place in the last couple of years.
'Hm… I think that once we get back, I can go to Muspelheim without worrying too much about them. They should've enough things to keep their minds preoccupied for a while and maybe by then I might be ready to return. At any rate, I think I'll just relax and have some fun tomorrow.'
AN: I would like to thank everyone that has offered their feedback and support both here and on the Goddess Relief site.
There are a few things that I'd like to note for this chapter.
The scene with Peorth changing Lind's clothes was a bit of a reference to the manga where the Valkyrie made a comment about trying the rose goddess' style. Of course, things happened a bit differently here, but, I thought that it was going to be slightly funnier this way.
Okay, I'll have to admit that I tried to avoid explaining too much about Skrymir, but, in the Norse legends that wasn't the giant's true name. It was how he initially introduced himself to Thor and Loki when they found themselves in his castle. Later, they learn that his real one was Loki and in an effort to clarify which one of the two, he was referenced as Utgarda Loki (alternatively called Utgard Loki). Keep in mind that the entire thing simply means "Loki of the Outyards" and shouldn't be used as an actual name, like it sometimes happens in other adaptations of Norse mythology. For that very reason, I'll avoid to call him that and I'll rely to his alias (Skrymir), instead of using something that I know that's technically a toponymic (not that there's anything wrong with that, but I'd like to use his real name; Loki).
I also think that there were enough hints about the rather bizarre fact that, Skrymir and Odin seemed to collaborate on certain instances and if you combine that with what's mentioned on this chapter, you'll probably find out what's going on. To avoid some confusion, this isn't just a repetition of Urd and more about those two versions of Loki will be revealed in the next chapters. Also, it explains why I've mentioned that, Jormungandr was in Jotunheim and so far, absent from the story.
Megumi's introduction to the immortal world as part of an accident seems more believable to me, given that there were a lot of instances where she had actually seen things (just like Chihiro), but, later she either forgot about them, thought they were a pranks or had her memories removed. Either way, this had technically happened a few times in the manga, although in this occasion, Keiichi finally decided to deal with the problem, instead of avoiding it once again.
Additionally, I seem to have postponed Urd's departure for at least one more chapter. While it's a bit slower than I would've liked, at the same time, I didn't want her to simply get there in a single chapter, right after that phone call. Perhaps spending a bit more time with her family seems a better way to do it, instead of rushing things all of a sudden and that's why they're going on a little trip.