Chapter VII:

The plot shows up (FINALLY !)

(A.N. : Again, so sorry about the devas and asuras. Here comes a sequel to last night's chapter. It was supposed to be one and the same, but I cut it in half like I did with chapter 4. Hope you enjoy !)

Eventually, she raised her eyes and dared to meet the asura's look.

"I'm sorry, can I just ask you – why do you want to protect them ?"

Now that the gates were opened, it was impossible to stop the wave of questions that she'd been holding in for so long.

"Is it really going to save the whole of India ? How is that possible, when their kingdom was so tiny and unstable ? And... what exactly do we need to be saved from ? I mean, we do have problems, like everywhere else. But if there has to be a chosen one, I'm just curious, not just about how does it get chosen and who chooses it but really, I just really wonder..."

She paused, almost out of breath, before finally saying it.

"Does it really have to be them ?"

Jambhanā pouted.

"Does it really have to be someone else ? Girl's such a sweetie. She's like the daughter I already have, except if she was anything like me and wanted to hang out some times. Of course, Fan, she's ten times dumber than you and definitely less pretty, but it feels so damn nice to be able to share the tiger love ! And those guys are so hot, so –"

"Moronic ?" Fanindra interjected. "Obsessive ? Unstable ? Shallow ? Selfish ? Whiny ?"

"And murderers."

There was a sudden silence as the asuras turned towards their guest.

I used to just shut up. Why can't I do it again ?

"What ?" Fanindra asked, incredulous. Her eyes, those almost human eyes, seemed so wide, so innocent, so vulnerable. She might have been some sort of near-godess – that one was really hard to swallow – and she seemed incredibly tough and daring for someone as cautious as Nilima, but the human knew her friend would do something stupid if she said what she knew.

"They keep killing the cuddliest animals to feed themselves. I couldn't do it."

Fanindra looked down in shame, and her friend suddenly remembered that ridiculous and heart-wrenching night when she'd found her crying over her plate of frozen mice.

The not-godess frowned. She seemed to be trying her best to understand something beyond understanding, something beyond reason and logic, something so shocking that she couldn't – no, couldn't even –

"Are you two saying – that you – you – don't like the tigers ? Or the girl ?"

Having just succesfully lied to a demigodess and escaped a few awkward mother-daughter moments, Nilima was enjoying a nice boost in her confidence. She could have lied to that mystical force from the dawn of time. But it was Fanindra's mother. Maybe, just maybe, she was a bit like her daughter. So she answered:

"I think master Kishan is mostly harmless, but after all these years, I couldn't say. What I know is that he cares for little else than his own amusement. He has no concept of loyalty, he seldom keeps his word and whenever he's tempted, he is incredibly weak. He's shown potential for decency, but not for greatess. He would never be a good ruler."

Durga stayed still and listened and her face did not betray any emotion, but Nilima did not notice her unusually receptive state.

"Of course, you would rather support his brother. Master Dhiren is extremely demanding towards everyone, including himself. He's tyrannical and power-hungry. He needs to prove his worth. He does good because he feels he ought to, but I don't think that he understands or care about the little people's feelings. That is the most unnerving, about both of them. Even when they mean well, they feel entitled to decide the fate of others, without consulting anyone but their self."

Fanindra's tongue clicked and Nilima instantly knew that they were in for her Jungian perspective.

"I think they've got massive mommy issues. Deschen was super shady and kept lying about where she came from, and she was pretty awful with them. Ren needs everyone to see how awesome and perfect he is because he doesn't want to suck like his Broshan, and the other is desperate for a supportive pushover that will tell him he's pretty, and brings home as many as he can in his weird perverted manhunt for the most spineless. It's like they're still ten years old, and they need to fight over some bland action figure with no personality."

"As for Miss Kelsey, she will never go out of her way to harm someone, but she'll definitely do it even they are a threat to anything she wants."

"Mostly if it's about ribbons."

Jambhanā had turned to hear her daughter's last quip. She looked at her intensely.

After some agonizing seconds, she smiled.

It was a smile that exsuded warm pride and affection, and made her look almost human, sane and sober.

"You passed my test. Except it wasn't really a test. But I changed my mind. I trust my daughter."

Nilima looked at her in disbelief.

"So you are going to unchoose Kelsey as your Messianic Archetype ? And we will live in a world where Fanindra doesn't have to follow her in the shower and her lovers can never raise a hand or a claw on a living thing ?"

Jambhanā and Fanindra's eyerolls were perfectly synchronized.

"My mom's not capable of rational thought. Whatever she's saying has fuck all to do with the point you just made."

"Watch your tongue, young lady, or I might have to take back that blessing." Jambhanā warned her before using her strange glamour smile on Nilima again. "You're welcome in the family, you adorable ape-thing. Try not to die on us too soon."

Fanindra grumbled something about MooomseriuslystahpbeingschamoronI'm Not! Dating! Her!, but her mother made one last absent-minded remark.

"That's the thing with humans. They just go to whatever it is. I always forget the name. But they leave no trace up here. That's gonna be a downer sooner or later, but right now, it's a good thing for you." She sighed dramatically. "I've lost one of my closest friends, and you get to post applications for a new, better job. So you can properly support my daughter. As you will find out, I'm still very traditional about gender roles, and I won't let my own daughter -"

Nilima blinked.

"I'm sorry, what ?"

"Oh, yeah. I forgot. It's your fault, monkey, you kept on ranting for so long, I didn't want to interrupt. That's my problem, I'm too darn nice. She's dead. Kelsey, I mean. A little bit after you got here. I got a vision of her, lying in her blood, but I couldn't stop Fanindra from crying over your tiny bruise, and then I made you come to shut her up and tell you about it in hope you'd do something. But she went Anaconda on you and I was like "My little girl totally scored !". And then I asked you to help and you had a bug for I don't know how long. It was so awkward, seeing she was choking with her blood. I just thought you'd say yes."

Both friends looked at each other in horror.

"We have to go back." Fanindra said, matter-of-factly.

"Maybe we can still do something. Maybe we can help. She can't already be -"

"I'm not worried about her." Fanindra said darkly "There were people tending to the rose garden and others working on the new golf course. I'll find them, you go look for her if you want. Mom'll activate our teleporting device, just come with me."

Nilima ran down as quickly as she could, tripping and missing a few steps as her friend slithered down the stairs with unnatural speed.

She kept thinking of the look she'd seen on Kelsey's face when she'd surprised her. Betrayal. Confusion. Shame.

Jambhanā waited untill they'd both reached the last step, and made an ample gesture with her left arm.

Lightning stroke again.