It had been too long. Hadn't it? Reshi counted on her fingers and decided, yes, it had definitely been too long. She'd had a complete discussion about it with Taweret, and had been texting her regularly with no real updates and a lot of speculation. And giggling. There had been a lot of giggling. But out of Ninkasi? ( Nothing. )

Kratos was a patient guy. He had the strength of will to wait for things when it was required, and he didn't really get anxious about the passage of time. Because most of the time, what he was waiting on had little to do with his personal life, and more to do with his job. And even when it was something that was closer to the heart, it was more likely that he'd be calmly waiting for a resolution than seeking to force the issue. It just wasn't his style.

( But this was different. )

Lottie wasn't totally sure what she was doing in Chicago, because she wasn't exactly certain that she understood what Kratos had been asking of her. The general gist of it, though, if she got it all, was that he had a friend that needed a friend like her. And even though she was still dealing with some stuff of her own, how could she turn him down? Especially when he preemptively gave her the puppy dog eyes. He knew she was a sucker for that, had been since he was little. It's why the Styxlings always sent Kray to ask her for sweets before dinner when she babysat.

( So she'd said yes, and let him set up a meeting. )

She was only a little bit chicken shit. At least that was her argument when she texted Bast to tell her where she was an that since Kratos wasn't home, she had to wait outside. That's what Ninkasi was going to do, anyway. The idea of calling or sending him a text -or something, to try to coordinate schedules or something was just going to create a ridiculous build up of anxiety and honestly, it was easier if she just... sat vigil outside his damn door until he showed up again. She'd break in to use his bathroom if she had to, and then back out again, because it was best that she not surprise him inside. He wasn't sleeping. He never slept through the day. Ever. And it was daylight out.

He could be a busy guy, though, depending on what -if anything, Zeus had going on and if even Kray had any plans of his own. ( So, she might be here for awhile. Oh, well. )

This was weird.

Actually the list of weird things was just growing longer. In the plus column, most of her house was remodeled, which was good because it had been in desperate need of it. Thor's help had been enlisted because well, he was helpful like that and an overall good, reliable guy. No matter what anyone else thought of him, he was. Besides, she couldn't put cabinets in by herself and hiring people meant opinions from people who didn't know her. His opinions had been helpful, and logical. And he'd talked her down from some ridiculous renovation ideas, which was good.

But Ninkasi still got rid of her old nasty shower/tub combination thing in her en suite. Now she had an awesome glass pane shower and a separate jacuzzi jet tub that she was convinced she was now in love with. If it was possible to be in love with a bathtub. She needed a hot tub next, but somewhere that it was actually going to be practical. It was too hot in Queensland for that. ( Maybe Chicago? It would require thought. )

Dionysos was both a great friend and a terrible friend at the exact same time. Certainly he had provided both the intoxication she had requested and given relatively practical advice. However, he had also embedded a rather unnecessary visual in her brain, one that they both shared a rather vigorous rut of their own out of, and Ninkasi had been quite unable to remove it from her mind since it had been mentioned. This mental visual fantasy of sorts kept appearing at the forefront of her mind at the most inopportune of times. Of course it did. That was always how those things worked out. It wasn't something that happened when she was alone and in a private enough a situation where that was a bit more acceptable and could maybe do something about it. No. Oh no.

No, it hit Ninkasi when she was doing things like wiping down the bar after someone accidentally spilled a bit of beer and she had to bend forward to reach such a bit further down. Her face would go blank, her mind would drift and in her memory she saw those hot abs and that low pelvic v and... and then someone would ask if she was alright. It was so much worse because it wasn't even as if she was just making up the image. ( She had seen it. All of it. Dammit. )

Days flowed like water: swirling, twirling, fluid eddies of time that did not follow a rigid, straight line. Dionysus floated along on the current, letting life take him where it may, enjoying the moments as he lived them. After having an adventure with his Daddy-mommy, there had been something with a theater troupe in Minnesota that involved a lot of chiffon. Following that-- or was it between?-- there was something with an artist and a blow torch, and Dio semi-firmly recalled marshmallows. At some point, he'd had fun with one of darling Love's little babies, sharing in some wonderfully destructive behavior. And he was pretty certain that he'd been to wedding. That had been a wedding hadn't it? ( It felt like a wedding. )

Ereshkigal was done for the day. It was rare that she cut her hours short, because she took her duties seriously. Even more rare on days when she knew her husband would be preoccupied elsewhere, so not available for her to crawl all over his hot, naked body. But it was precisely that reason, Nergal's absence, that had her delegating things that could be handled without her direct supervision. Because instead of watching the dead kneel before her, naked as the day they were born, ( Ereshkigal was planning to get bare herself. )

She really needed to do laundry. Okay, that was an understatement. Ninkasi really, really, really, really needed to do laundry. Thankfully, she had a pair of clean panties that did not look like they belonged in a trash can or on a homeless person -they were kind of adorable because they were from a whole pseudo-burlesque Batman thing she had and ended up not using (the whole Comic Book Panty Party got canceled due to weather weirdness and had yet to be rescheduled) and now hadn't worn them because after Halloween that seemed weird somehow. But, it was what she had left. At least, she thought so. She wasn't really up to closet spelunking to find out. And she did have a large clean tee that was big enough to cover her butt. She couldn't remember if it was something someone had given her or if it was something she had won in a strip poker night, or if it just sort of got left behind ages ago. But it was clean. So, she had that.

What Ninkasi did not have, however, was a bra that didn't smell like armpit and boob sweat -which was a lovely odor on its own when you drank enough beer to consider that your sweat took on that scent. She also, was fresh out of clean pants. Which... was problematic if she planned on going anywhere later. Or if anyone was coming over. Not that she really cared, but it was probably better that she wear pants.

( People tended to prefer that sort of thing in public. )

Re was comfortably settled in his favorite spot on the front porch. He actually thought he had everything for once. His newspaper was beside him, with the usual complaints of Egypt's current political climate. His reading glasses sat on top of it, with an ashtray, pipe, and tobacco nearby. He'd even remembered the lighter. A pitcher of iced sun-tea and an already filled glass rounded out the table. He even had his Ipad. A gift from a certain loved one. At first, Re had questioned the choice, but now...

Re was seriously addicted to Candy Crush Saga.

Behind the table, a checker board waited, just in case someone would stop by. An extra, empty glass waited as well.

Munching on his cold Pop Tart, he wondered if anyone actually would drop by. He had a large family, and friends throughout the many pantheons, but he knew they were all busy folks. He smiled as he recalled the days when he was just as busy, and sighed in content at the knowledge that those days were long gone for him. Occasionally he missed it, but it was rare, and today was not one of those days. He had enough to worry about at night, he didn't need that shit during the day, too.

His Pop Tart finished, Re took a drink of his tea and settled back to fill his pipe. Good tobacco. Fine tea. Warm day. Life was good.

This was bold. Ninkasi didn't exactly think it was rude given her relationship with Kratos, but it was definitely bold. It wasn't even really the first time she sort of broke into his apartment either. But, she hadn't done it when he was still sleeping before. Which, honestly, was the only reason she wasn't up on the bed with him. Well, alright, no, that wasn't exactly true. ( There were a number of reasons she wasn't perched on Kratos' bed while he slept. )

Kratos wasn't exactly a clean freak – there were stacks of magazines and mail piled up on one corner of his kitchen island that he had no intention of sorting through any time soon – but he did like to keep things orderly. It made it easier to find the things he needed. Early on in his service to the king, he'd learned that keeping everything in order meant he could get to his weapons fast enough to be of timely service. Scrabbling for a sword and shield meant opportunity given to the enemy. Though he didn't think that his apartment being clean would be life or death, ( it was still an ingrained habit that he continued to practice. )

It was rare this time of year that he was able to sit down and put his feet up on the tasseled hassock in his study. Which was why, as he settled into the cushy plumpness of his red velvet chair, Santa began mentally reviewing his to-do list for today. Did he really have time to enjoy his peppermint hot cocoa, or had he forgotten something that would require his attention?

( The List )

Ibiza was one of the most beautiful places in the world. When she'd first arrived on the club scene, she didn't speak much Spanish, but she understood the root Latin enough to make some headway. It all didn't matter in the end, because her and her party friends eventually just dissolved into a giggling mess of bodies. It was a wonderful way to lose yourself and she loved the atmosphere. Everyone came to lose themselves or find someone. The music and the flashing lights transported you to a whole new world.

( Down here in the cave was no different. )

Ninlil and Enlil's home was quainter than it used to be here on the Mortal plane, Baghdad had suffered too greatly from wars for them to keep their home there. It would have been suspicious for them to stay there too long with a near pristine almost palace. Ninlil missed the gardens there. What plants she'd saved had their own places of honor in the new gardens outside near the lake, but it wasn't the same. The gardens were wilder here, because she could keep them that way. She hardly had mortals busting down her door anymore. Enlil was hardly around either. She didn't blame him, but she did miss him. So that meant she needed to fill this house with voices now and then, and who better to have over than family? Nanna and Nergal would probably spend the dinner as they always spent their dinners. Ninlil had considered putting the knives away and cutting everything she'd just made into bite sized pieces..

( But she didn't want to be accused of treating them like children. )