Chapter 61

Giselle drifted downwards, but also slowed a little so she was flying between Shinkage and I. "I know I can't really stop you, but please, be polite!"

"Of course! I am a guest!" I replied over the wind, "Will they mind if we just land these guys in the middle of the square?"

Giselle looked like she sighed, then shook her head 'no'. A moment later, she tilted her wings just a tiny bit and sped up again to land ahead of us. Shinkage and I had enough time to give each other a puzzled look before our wyvern did a similar wing tilt and we went into a controlled fall.

I think I figured out what Giselle's sigh was about when I saw her being (very politely) mobbed by a bunch of young women in what could only be 'priestess robes'. Looking almost exactly like Giselle's robes, except not quite as... exposing... Though, they matched the grey stone of the temple itself, not the pure white of the Apostle. I'll also note, all of them were very pretty, and (I blame Akeno for me noticing this) not wearing anything under those robes.

I wondered how they would treat other guests, but they had crowded around the Apostle and were, for lack of a better term, chirping at her like a bunch of attention starved children. The purple skinned half-dragon even gave a couple of them headpats! (inducing a happy 'squee!' from their recipients).

Since I understood and shared the dislike of 'fame' (and was thankful the people of Orario respected that), I politely, "Ahem." 'ed.

Like a life preserver, Giselle latched onto the 0.5 second distraction and said, "This is Kodori Haruhime, a petitioner."

I bowed, fist-in-palm, "I greet you all, from another world. I've come to pay homage to Hardy, and to speak with Her over a meal." I made sure to give Giselle a very direct look.

Giselle blinked, then realized it was her turn to 'sell' my skills. "She's a very good cook too!"

This perked up a couple of the girls, but the sharpest of the bunch asked, "You're from the other side of the Gate?"

"I am." I nodded, "And so I bring not just my skill with food, but tales to tell for entertainment." I would give Lelei a super special headpat for telling me about her trip here.

Giselle looked like she wanted to cry with joy as the mob migrated over to me, and I was bombarded with questions. But, I was a pro at dealing with this kind of thing.

"If you will show me to the kitchen, I will teach you what I can, and share some of my stories with you."

(Shinkage)

Once the mob of priestesses vanished into the temple, Shinkage stepped out from behind one of the wyvern. It made a sad noise, since she'd been petting it around the eyes and over its long neck, but it didn't pursue the overall clad elder loli dragon for more.

"Oh? You're still out here?" Giselle noticed her after breathing a sigh of relief at no longer being the centre of attention. "I thought..."

"Pretend I'm not here." Shinkage said, "Her and I have a history of Gods being... troublesome. And as the JSDF would say it, I am Plan B." Shinkage paused, backed up a step, and resumed giving headpats to the wyvern she'd been riding.

"That's a shame... I mean, Hardy would love you."

"That's the problem." Shinkage said, "The last God who touched me without permission tied my soul to a mortal for ten thousand years." She looked up at Giselle with her nearly featureless black eyes, "Don't be too long out here. Or you will miss her cooking."

"If you ever wanna tell me that story... I'd love to hear it." She knelt down and without any warning gave Shinkage a hug. "Your brother and I got along really well, so I want to be your friend too." Just as if she were giving a child a hug, Giselle even made that 'squeeeeeeeze' sound effect, "You're just as satisfying to hug."

Giselle let go, putting her hands on Shinkage shoulders and looking into her face. Of course, she had the same blank 'the bigger sister is hugging me' face on, but only punished Giselle with a nose boop, "Maybe later. Go help in the kitchen."

Shinkage watched Giselle leave, then looked to the two Wyvern who were very slowly shuffling closer together so they might capture Shinkage in the middle of a 'sleeping ball'. "Don't even think about it." Shinkage said, "But I'll pet you until you go to sleep."

(Kodori)

The interior, when I could pay attention to it, was very nice. To be expected for any church really, but the grey stone was polished to a near shine that didn't reflect the light from the blue torches, but seemed to almost glow with the light from them. It prevented the place from being 'creepy' and made it almost warm feeling. The interior spacing wasn't what I expected for a Goddess of the underworld either. There were large chambers for prayer, obvious places for sermons and the like. And plenty of those 'winged woman' icons everywhere. Judging by the people here, this was a popular Goddess.

Blue torches! Those were neat too. From a chemistry perspective, that would mean something like copper chloride, or very pure sulphur. It could also just be magic, but since most of my Kitsune ability was sleeping, I would have had to touch the fire itself to find out.

The kitchen, I was happy to see, was the most modern one I'd seen in this world so far. I won't count the JSDF chow tent, since I that was obviously based off of a standard a thousand years ahead of this world. It was actually similar to Yasaka's kitchen in Kyoto. Neat, organized, clay, metal and wood construction... I'd have no problem working here, especially since they still used actual wood to cook, not foxfire.

"So." I said, clapping my hands together as I looked around, "Since this has been praised in two worlds, I will try for a third." The Priestesses gathered around in front of me, and as mature as they looked, they were acting like school kids. "To start, let's get some eggs and flour." I smiled.

Yes, I taught them how to make pasta. Something as good as May's Pasta should be shared, and no matter what world I was in, I would do my best to share it. Of course, I might have been doing this just so I could satisfy my craving for pasta. Or to get another hug from May, since the shy master chef of the Hostess of Fertility was quite emotional that it had been so much of a success in another world.

Sadly, I didn't know enough about this world's spices to do the dish true justice, but from what the chef lady at the mess tent had taught me, and these Priestesses while I in turn taught them, told me they would certainly do some experimenting.

Yes, take that you knowledge fearing Gods of this silly world! You can't stop me from teaching something new to a willing student!

The atmosphere changed completely once the meal had been prepared. Excluding the cooks, some of the priestesses went ahead of Giselle and I, putting their hoods up and starting a quiet chant. Others went down branching hallways, only to follow behind us with lit incense censers. Even Giselle seemed to lose a little of that energy she seemed to have.

It might have been her getting nervous though, since she gave me a thankful glance when one of my tails went to pat her back.

We were led past one of the main altar rooms, to a simple doorless archway. All the way here, the citizens who had been quietly praying, or (also quietly) noticing Giselle and myself (in my LOUD gold and silver battle dress), went totally silent as the quietly chanting procession of priestesses paused at the door, then entered.

If it weren't for my ability to see in the dark, it would have been a VERY nervous moment. Aside from the faint blue light down at the bottom, the dark stairwell looked like the last flight of steps before a literal underworld. Reminded me of Hades's place actually, though his domain used green torchlight. And there were a LOT of steps.

But while I was counting steps, and purposefully losing count, I was building up my mental defences. Lelei's told me that Itami, in his (certainly not very) diplomatic way, had discovered Hardy could read minds. She was apparently a little upset his first thoughts of her were a 'plastic surgery beauty'. She was also unable to be heard by most people, until she possessed someone. Though apparently Apostles could, since Rory had been present and was acting as a translator.

At least until Hardy had taken over Lelei's body for a while. Then she was only as capable as the owner (Lelei) and couldn't read minds or the like.

At the bottom, there was no door or the like. No, it just opened up into a MASSIVE vaulted ceiling room, with all kinds of nice pillars and blue flame fire pits along the walls, and of course, at the back was the largest 'winged woman' icon I'd seen so far. Standing in front of it was an elderly man in the formal robes of Hardy (something like a mix of Christian and Egyptian, with iconography down the front of otherwise simple layered robes).

Upon seeing the procession, his eyes settled on Giselle, then me, and in a loud voice declared, "Petitioner! Hardy will now descend here! Show your respect!"

Everyone crouched down, almost to their knees, but not quite, as the air between us near the entrance and the altar where the old Priest now knelt, lit up with a pure white light that seemed to soak into the stone around us, making it take on a different luminescence than before.

But, I knelt for no one, not even my own Goddess. So instead, I put one foot slightly in front of the other, shoulder width apart, and bowed, fist in palm as if I were standing across from Takemikazuchi in the Dojo. I held this posture as the light seemed to draw in on itself, and a form started to coalesce inside.

Of course, the woman who formed from the light and silence was quite beautiful. Tall, curvy without being exaggerated, long platinum blond hair, skin to match, and deep red eyes. Finally, her image settled, a pure white robe/dress fluttering and forming around her as her feet stopped just shy of touching the floor.

Around me, the Priestesses looked up at her, hands in prayer, while Hardy smiled at us, looking around like an amused parent. But, Lelei's information, again, was invaluable, and I spoke up, "Cause no trouble, and be welcome."

Her eyes snapped to me, an amused smile on her face, and she spoke, "My my, how brave. Little Giselle? Did you bring her here as an apology?"

"No." Giselle shook her head, but stopped when one of my tails swished over her nearest wing.

"Goddess Hardy. Giselle brought me here because I asked her to." Hardy, and everyone else, looked at me in shock. "By the standards of your world, I am an apostle of my Goddess Hestia. I seek guidance, information, and possibly a little aid. And in exchange," I took a deep breath, "Cause no trouble, and be welcome."

Someone broke their silence behind me, "She can hear her..."

Hardy turned to me fully, and drifted over to me. Her hand raised up, and with a gentle touch I could almost pass off as my imagination, cupped the underside of my jaw, almost like a lover might. I didn't flinch, but instead mirrored the gesture, touching my own hand to her face. There was no 'substance' there, but it still felt solid, almost like touching Fen-chan as he manifested fur for me to scroofle.

I felt a sharp pain between the eyes, a full body tingle not quite similar to 'pins and needles', after a moment, my squinted eyes opened without my conscious control, and my voice said, "This body is..." A pause, "Very fluffy. And... confusing... oh my, what ARE you?"

For a moment, I watched Hardy/me do a bit of self examination. Hands, arms, a bit of a side to side twist, some toe wiggles, then an attempt to capture some tails to look at them. She even gave herself/myself an ear scroofle.

Knowing that I wouldn't be in control, I had chosen my spectator's seat already, mentally sipping tea under the bright cloudy sky that I used to keep my 'inner flame'. But I'd fully connected with my Kitsune nature, and now it was just a cheerful place where I kept the cage that held the remaining taint of Black Jade. The 'Oni corruption'.

If I was going to have to take a back seat, I'd do it on my own terms. "Goddess Hardy." I spoke, "Since you are my Guest here in my body, I have cooked a meal for you, my best attempt at something quite popular from both Itami's world, and my own." I made no attempt to wrest control, no effort to stop her from poking and prodding my body. I simply 'talked' (thought) loudly. "I only ask that you share with Giselle, since she'd done me the favour of bringing me to you."

She only replied after digging her/my fingers under the fluff of one of my tails and scritching exactly the right way. For me, it felt like someone surprising me, but for her it seemed to be a little more... intense. Her/my body did a full body shiver that was just this side of sexual in nature. I'd done my best to get used to that kind of tingle, like ignoring someone who was tickling you. But it seemed she had none of that resistance.

"Oh?" She spoke aloud, "Not surprised by how that felt?"

"Well, you did offer to have sex with Itami almost as soon as you moved into Lelei's body." I replied. "But, if you wait too long the food will get cold."

She/I pouted, "You seem to be no stranger in dealing with Gods." She looked to everyone, "Come along, my 'host' has offered a meal as tribute." Then to Giselle, as she started to walk towards the stairs, "Yes, come along, you gluttonous lizard."

"In the mean time, while you partake, perhaps you'd be interested in a story about a God from Itami's world. Your not the first God of the underworld I've met, after all." I smiled inwardly (hah! At the moment it was all 'inwardly'). "And my world itself is a playground for the Gods."

"This body is so light!" She cheered, going up the steps, "Everything seems so effortless!" A pause, as if she'd taken a moment to actually 'hear' me. "I would very much like that. That Itami fellow seemed to know nothing of the Gods of his world, save what was in storybooks."

"I could tell you about that, too. As your host, it's my duty to entertain you."

One of the things I learned, not from working with May, or even my practise with cooking, but from Rias and her lot... Was meal pacing. How to enjoy things without tastes clashing. How to reset your palate so things tasted brighter. Like how wine tasters nibbled on a bit of cheese between tastings.

Since Lelei had also told me Hardy had made a total glutton of Herself while in the mini-mage's body, I guided Hardy around the various dishes while I told stories, letting her enjoy things to their fullest and stopping her from just shovelling food into my mouth.

I told her of Orario, the Gods there, then my visit back to Earth, and some of my dealings there. Dealing with Hades, Loki, my trip to the Eastern Heavens...

As she neared the limits of my physical stomach, she slowed down and started asking questions, and in a round about way, opened up the topics of why I was here at all.

"Phew..." Hardy sighed, "I'm surprised you're not worried about your body. That amusing fellow, Itami, and Lelei's friends were quite worried I'd do her harm by eating so much."

"Sharing information saves time, and lives." I said, sipping my imaginary tea while I looked out from my own eyes, as the Goddess looked about. "Lelei told me almost everything about her dealings with you, and so I made sure to prepare properly. My body, as I'm sure you can feel, is quite sturdy as well, and my lifestyle means I'll have no trouble working off the extra food."

"Ah yes, I can feel some of that. And how your mind is so guarded." She giggled, a weird thing to hear in my own voice, but not actually be doing. "Like these." She drew a fingertip up the length of one of the binding tattoos, "Clever. Were you thinking you could contain me?"

Across from me, Giselle was looking quite stuffed, but getting thinner again by the minute. Her Goddess's words made her go a little wide eyed. "What? That's not-"

Hardy/I held up a hand. "Not at all. These simply limit what my body is capable of. I've heard that your presence in a mortal shell can damage it."

"Ahh you're gift of falna was it? Yes, this touch of your Goddess's divinity has made you quite suitable for this. That and these tails..." A pause as she cleaned off her hand with a freshly provided wet cloth, then captured one of my tails, "And this..." She poked at the silver ring of fur on the tail, Fenrir's mark on me. "Curious..."

"Of course." I replied, "I would not have tried this otherwise. If I thought I was incapable, I'd have brought Lelei back, since I know she's capable."

"For having so much power, you're quite the worrier." She laughed, "Even with the limits you've placed on yourself."

"My world requires such power be used, but controlled. I hope you forgive me for saying so, but you've been a little irresponsible with your power." I hoped my inner voice sounded suitable repentant.

Hardy pouted, "It's not like I was the one who killed the flame dragon. I fully intended for it to destroy the Gate, but Itami and his people killed it instead."

"Oh? So the Gate can be destroyed with sufficient force?" I perked up.

"Maybe?" Hardy shrugged, "As you should know, I've washed my hands of it. You're familiar with how the Gate operates?"

"Somewhat. As worlds get closer, gap between them thins. You've done this many time before correct?"

"I have! It's such fun, using a little push at just the right time to open the way between worlds." Hardy smiled, standing up and stretching, "Hmm..." She looked back at my tails, "Fetch a brush!" A pause, "Actually, two! Wouldn't want to be at it all day..."

"So... you don't actually know what's on the other side, do you? It's all random."

"That's right! I will admit, I didn't expect Itami or his people. But, I did try and correct it." She shrugged, reaching up and playing with her/my ears and giggling, "I've never possessed a beast-ah pardon, a Kitsune before."

"And once the JSDF killed the Flame Dragon, you gave up on it." I mused, "But now, that has caused trouble for my world."

"You've dealt with that though, have you not?" She started walking, Giselle and a small procession of Priestesses following her. "Or are you not satisfied with the outcome?"

"I'm more worried about a repeat of what happened here." I replied, "Your world is quite lucky the JSDF were the ones to cross. Japan is small, and the people well mannered. Had another nation of Earth found there way here, well, both worlds may have been destroyed by now."

Yes, had Japan not been under such incredible scrutiny from the rest of the world, they might have simply taken what they wanted from the Special Region. This would probably have led to the Apocrypha going unnoticed, or the Scholars of Rondel ignored, or any number of things...

Yes, I was going to give Lelei such a headpat later... Without her figuring out how to turn the Gate off...

"My my, I see why you're so thorough in your plans." Hardy giggled, "Hmmm, you!" She pointed at one of the priestesses, "Take me to your room." Then pointing to another, "You! Make sure those brushes find their way to her room!"

One vanished, the other bowed and led the way. From the corners of my eyes, since I couldn't turn to look, I could see the people watching as we walked through the rooms. Whispers of 'She has descended' and 'She walks among us!' reaching my ears. Hardy however didn't really care, so she never spared them a glance.

"What are your thoughts on the other war that's going on?" I asked, "Or do you not keep abreast of the recent events?"

"Well, I certainly felt the arrival of a particular cat-boy." She said, "It's not my job to deal with the people before they die."

Glad that she wasn't as sore about it as Hades had been for me killing someone on his 'turf' so to speak, I continued, "The Apostles of your world will lose eventually." I said, "Before the JSDF arrived, with their weapons and technology, the people have already thought of ways to... neutralize them."

"An Apostle who is defeated in such a way is undeserving of the power they were given." She said. Beside her I could hear Giselle 'eep' ever so quietly. "This is why I said that the Gods of Itami's world were fools to allow the humans to advance so far."

I shook my metaphorical head and took another sip of imaginary tea, "That wasn't their mistake. Their mistake was thinking they could get away with suppressing humans forever."

Hardy was about to reply, but the priestess in front of the little procession stopped at a simple wooden door, "Goddess Hardy, my chambers."

I could feel a little inward... pressure. It was hard to describe but certainly not difficult to figure out. But what ever hint of anger I'd caused we shoved aside as Hardy simply walked into the room. A small comfortable looking bed, dresser, washbasin, and some small icons of 'faith' were the only things in the room. But it was quite clean, and even the bed was made!

Then from behind us, a slightly breathy sounding, "Goddess Hardy, we've brought what you requested."

"Excellent." She smiled, "hmmm... You and you!" A pause, "Giselle, don't go anywhere."

It wasn't long after she shut the door and plunked her/my rear on the bed (yes, pretty comfy) that the two she'd chosen started working on my tails. But with my usual 'defences' down, or ignored, the Goddess riding my body felt every single tingle as the brushes worked through my fur.

Every single pass of a brush felt like someone was running a finger up my spine, and it wasn't long before Hardy started making noise. Sure, it started as little shivers and gasps, but it wasn't going to stay that way for long.

The poor girls brushing my tails could only hear Her half of the conversation, since I was (almost literally) a voice in the back of the Goddess's head, but it started something like this...

"You're being... such a spoilsport..." She gasped quietly, "How can you be so calm, when it feels like thisssss?"

Still sipping imaginary tea, I replied with a calm, "I got used to it, and I'm a fan of watching."

"Why nnnnnot join in?" A pause, as her/my hands started to wander, "How... this belt..."

"Mostly because I'm married." I said, "Behind your right hip."

"To another...woman!" She figured out the buckle of my adventurer's belt, and a moment later it slid off the bed onto the floor. "Thissssss ring! It's telling me so!"

I caught a brief glance in a mirror of a blushing Priestess, before my Battle Kimono was pulled over my head and tossed aside as well, "Be gentle please." I requested, since I had no control, "And you're only getting a fraction of what that ring can show you."

"Gently?" She laughed and pinched both her/my nipples at the same time, then added a tiny bit of a twist, "That's not what you tell h-them? Two women!" She laughed and gasped at the same time

Even with the mental disconnect, I was starting to lose a little of my concentration, my imaginary tea tasting a little like... someone else, just for a moment. It took a moment, but the tea regained the simulated minty flavour, and I replied, "You'll have to close your eyes, and touch the gem and band at the same time with your right hand."

It was a little awkward, since her/my left hand was about to explore something else of mine, "Ssssso smooth, and you've ha-had children too?!" But she managed to get both hands together.

My inner 'realm' dimmed as I lost 'input' from my eyes, but then...

Everything was Haruhime.

Her face was on every blade of imaginary grass, her body on every curve of the clouds, her eyes in every speck of moisture, her scent and sound in every motion of the 'air'...

I mentally clawed my way back into a sitting position and did my best to re-gather the shattered bits of teacup. Hardy was doing far worse, or better, depending on your point of view. The Goddess had ridden my body to temporary exhaustion, and I was sure the poor Priestess who's bed it was on would need to clean the mattress.

While I recovered my wits, I had a great view of the room's ceiling, and from the corner of my unmoving field of view I saw one of the two with the brushes blushing Gremory Red at the display. I was pretty sure the entire chapel heard that, but I would let myself be (very!) embarrassed later.

The taste of the tea wasn't quite right, but after such a display... "Ahem." I tried to wake up my 'driver'.

"That... was incredible." Hardy said with my voice, "But you wa...want to get back to business, don't you?" She sighed and started to move, "A shame... I feel like I could do that for hours..." A pause, then an amused, "Even without help."

"I don't know about going solo, but considering how I do back home." I took a sip of my imaginary tea again, then very firmly reminded myself I was 'on the clock'. "So, you intended to have the Flame Dragon... what? Eat the Gate?"

"I have my limits when involving myself with the world. I simply woke it up, but it was up to my useless Apostle to direct the beast towards it." Hardy replied with a growl.

From the other side of the door I heard a very quiet 'eep'.

"She decided it was better to have it mate with the great Water dragon instead." Hardy grumbled, finishing her long languid stretch on the bed, then standing up slowly, "Hot water, go." She said to one of the (still blushing) Priestesses, who very quickly left the room.

"Ahhh, and by that time, the JSDF had set up around the Gate, and the Flame Dragon had become too hungry to control?" I guessed.

"I wouldn't know. All I know is my instructions were not followed, and now the Gate is your problem." She laughed.

"I heard that your original use for the Gate was to make this world better?"

"Not quiet." She laughed, looking towards the door as the Priestess came back in, a bucket of hot water in one hand, and a cloth in the other, "Wash me." Then, "My wish is to make this world more beautiful. More alive, and the Gate allows me to do this." The two Priestesses started to scrub my body, "Survival of the fittest is only part of it." She laughed, "Only the bravest come to this world, and those tribes of people, from all those other worlds, add to this world their own colours!"

"Except you aren't letting them advance." I countered, a little irritated that the ones cleaning my body were treating it like a dirty pot and not bare skin, scrubbing too hard. "Strange how the Goddess of the Underworld doesn't understand that things must grow."

Again that little feeling of pressure in my mind, "The mortals, all mortals, must remember the Gods. Must worship them. You of all people understand this!"

Even with the proverbial hair on the back of my neck standing up, I shook my head and taunted her a little further, "I understand where the Gods went wrong."

The two cleaning the... exertion off my body stopped, and one of them tried to figure out my battle Kimono to help Hardy dress again.

"Oh? And having seen, your world, Itami's, and now mine, where exactly have we gone wrong?" Hardy's tone was making the two women nervous.

"On the one side, the Gods did as they pleased. They punished the mortal realms for every overstep, imagined or not. Prometheus giving fire to the mortals. Denying the Gods their daughters, and having the Gods rape them instead. Creating monsters to ravage the land. Causing plagues and famine..." My tea was tasting exactly how I wanted it to now, "Yet, every story ends the same way... The Mortals rise up, and above the challenge, and push back the Gods."

"Humph, they should have been more direct! They are simply mortals!"

"On the other, the Gods of my world walk among us, give us their gift freely, and let us do as we please, so long as we entertain and protect them." I paused for effect, "Our Gods guide us, and in return, we keep their world safe from being overrun by monsters. Had the Gods of Itami's world done that, they wouldn't have been chased away, forced into hiding or worse."

"Your Gods shirk their responsibilities to play in the dirt with the masses." She growled, tugging at my battle Kimono angrily, but getting it settled properly over her/my shoulders.

I pretended like I didn't hear her, "Your world is perhaps a decade from starting down the same path Itami's world is locked in to. The common people have been oppressed so badly by the humans your little toy has brought into the world, and with the recent malfunction, where it connected to my world, the 'masses' now have the means to kill Apostles."

"ENOUGH!" She shouted, my inner world rumbling slightly while the world outside shook as she put my fist through the heavy wood door of the little bedroom.

The door came off its hinges as she pulled my hand out of it, and she spotted a VERY scared looking Giselle. "It's all a matter of trust." I said, "Our Gods trust us to take care of them and their world. Itami's world no longer knows it has Gods at all. And your world only trusts that if they try and advance too much, then an Apostle will come after them."

Hardy pointed my finger at Giselle, "We're taking this outside!"

Unable, or unwilling, to disobey Hardy, Giselle walked ahead of us and out of the church. Once outside on the nice stone area in front, Hardy punched her square in the back.

Lacking grace, but certainly not power, Giselle didn't even have time to 'eep' as she rocketed forward, went through someone's market stall, and slammed into a stone pillar that would have done a Telskyura tree proud.

While the Apostle flopped out of the pillar and her body put itself back together, I spoke calmly, "Here in your centre of power, the people worship you. But out in the world, people fear and revile you."

Hardy stalked towards Giselle, picking up the still dazed dragon-newt by the collar of her uniform and throwing her one armed back the way she'd come. All power but no skill, Giselle hit the ground a few paces away and rolled towards the grand doors of the church and slammed into them, upside down. "FIGHT BACK YOU USELESS LIZARD!" Hardy/I screamed, "This body is incredible! I could rule this world, in life, and death!"

"Speaking of." I sipped my tea, the taste a little bitter, "Yao and her tribe of dark elves... You say survival of the fittest, and that's fine, good even."

Panicking, Giselle got back to her feet, and looked like she was about to run. But before she could even start turning, my hand captured her wing and with a heave slammed her off another pillar by the entry. Pinballing off it, Giselle managed to actually slide to a halt on her feet this time. "If you do not fight back, I will kill you." Hardy said firmly.

"But you said you want to make your world shine." I only paid a little attention to the fighting, it was kind of sad to watch. "But how does wiping out a race contribute to that?"

My words bit just enough for Hardy to totally wiff a punch, and Giselle actually hit back. Only distantly aware of my body, the strike still felt timid. But Hardy was hardly an expert at taking a punch and my body was sent backwards, bounced off the lip of a nice fountain, and rolled to a halt off to the side of it.

"HAHAHAH! I hardy felt that!" Hardy stood up, my tails acting without control and just helping me/her to our feet. "Do it again!" Hardy demanded, running forward, hand back, telegraphing her punch so wide she might have attached neon signs to it.

Giselle found a little of her courage, or maybe she just didn't want to take the punch on the chin, and lashed out with a foot, catching Hardy/me in the gut. But instead of sailing backwards, Hardy caught the foot.

"No wonder why no one takes the Apostles seriously!" Hardy shouted into Giselle's face.

And then started to HULK SMASH Giselle against the stone. Once, twice, three times, then half turning and throwing the blue skinned Apostle towards the fountain. She slammed against the lip of the fountain hard enough to shatter the stone, the water spilling over her in a mini-waterfall.

"But with this body, I don't need an Apostle." Hardy laughed into the sky, "I could get rid of those pesky green men, pull down everything this human empire has built, and walk through that abomination of a city Rondel!"

Hardy stalked towards Giselle, the poor Apostle hardly able to get to her feet as her broken body cracked and popped back into shape again.

"This sort of attitude is why Itami's world has almost no magic in it." I said, struggling to keep calm. This kind of bullying was one of the things I'd fought so hard to end in Orario. "The Gods started acting like children. Throwing their toys out of the crib."

"Yes! That's what mortals are! Toys!" She picked up Giselle by the throat, and very slowly started to squeeze, not enough to crush, just enough to asphyxiate, to render Giselle helpless. "And once I discard this useless pile of scales and skin, I'll take your body and pull down every brick Ral and Elrange have in their little city!"

I set my teacup down, picked up a teapot and poured some into a new cup.

"Excuse me?" Hestia said, her form indistinct in my mental space, but shining no less brightly because of it, "This is my Kitsune, thank you very much!"

Hestia's ghostly hand rested on my shoulder, while her other hand picked up the second cup I'd poured. In a single go, she drank it all, and I felt not just the hand on my shoulder, but on my back as well.

"What!?" Hardy/me face twisted in anger, "You DARE trespass in my realm! You weak Goddess who plays in the mud with the mortals?!"

"Her playing with us, only proves the Gods of Orario are worthy of their children's Respect." I said, picking up my teacup and taking a sip, "They guide, we offer them service, comfort and entertainment."

"And I'm not trespassing! You are!" Hestia kitten-growled, though it sounded much louder here in my inner space.

Hardy let Giselle go, turned, and left her there to cough, "You DARE lecture me? And I'm already here! It's too late to save your 'child'!"

Hestia's hand on my back gave me a little push, and I stood up, "Goddess Hardy. For acting like a spoiled child, for using my body for pointless violence, for threatening to steal my body, you have been a poor guest."

Hardy stopped walking back towards the church, did a perfect Akeno head tilt, and laughed, "Oh? And what are you going to do about it? You think to use some archaic rule to remove me from your body?"

Shinkage chose that moment to step out from behind one of the 'flying woman' statues, and simply said, "Plan B then."

Inside my mental space, I gently pushed Hestia away. She vanished, but not before giving a little angry kitten fist shake towards Hardy. Then, I threw everything I had against Hardy. Not to push her out, but to lock my body in place.

"You're lucky Hardy, that the JSDF were there to stop the monsters from my world. If they hadn't, your little 'toy' might have wiped out your little 'garden' because you've stopped guiding them, and been stunting their development."

And Shinkage let out a blast of flaming breath.

To be clear fire didn't harm me, but it did hurt me. Long hours of getting used to and ignoring the pain was what allowed me to forge things with my bare hands. But Hardy had shown she had non of my mental resistances.

And she screamed.

"You DARE try and hurt me?!"

"As a mortal, I am doing my duty and defying an unjust Goddess." I corrected, "Now get out of my body. I have things to fix because you've denied your world the ability to grow and fix it themselves."

"FINE!" She screamed as Shinkage's flame stopped, paused just long enough to take a breath, then returned, making Hardy scream again. "YOU'VE PROVEN YOUR POINT! BUT YOU WON'T WALK AWAY UNSCATHED FROM THIS!"

My inner 'world' cracked, the clouds shattering like glass as her power lashed back at me. But I endured, and simply said, "Unwelcome in my HOUSE!"

And she was gone from my body.

Snapping back into my body turned off the 'pain', and brought me back to full awareness of my senses. Including my jaw and gut where Giselle had hit 'me'. It also made me very aware of all the people who had stopped to watch the 'fight'. Citizens, Priestesses, that old Priest, the wyvern. All eyes were on me as my tails covered up my nakedness and walked towards Giselle. Shinkage's fire might not have harmed me, but without my Kitsune abilities to sustain my mana-cloth, her fire had dissolved it like any other cloth.

And I didn't want to turn my abilities back on until I'd left Hardy's city, maybe until I'd gotten back to Orario.

"Giselle." I said as I stopped in front of the still kneeling dragon newt. I knelt as well, reaching out for her shoulder.

She shied away like a timid animal, "She abandoned me." She whispered, pushing against my shoulder feebly. Her voice was harsh, and her already dark blue skin was darker still around her throat.

It looked like she had put real effort into that push, but I felt almost nothing. "I won't leave an orphan behind because of my actions." I said, lowering my shoulder so her hand slid off it, and then leaning forward to hug the poor girl. "For her actions unfitting of a Goddess, I'm going to take away her supposed 'toys'."

She sniffled into my shoulder, "Wha...sniff... what do you mean?"

"I mean exactly that. Would you like to come home with me? This world doesn't deserve you."

NOTES!

See? I do listen to fan suggestions.

See you in the next update. :)

Amani has new art on the Ko-fi!

aKAQg4bnYu for the discord!

And my actual book, Were Too? is on Inkitt.