Return of the Referee (tag: Nergal & Nanshe)
Once upon a time, so long ago that it almost made her dizzy to think about, right here in this very spot, Bast had met someone that would become a very dear friend. What she was doing here, now, she couldn’t exactly say. Beyond missing Nanshe. Perhaps she was looking for more answers to questions that hadn’t been asked. Who knew.
Bast rarely did things in what others would consider a logical progression, but that did not mean that she didn’t accomplish the goals she set for herself. Most of the time. While she was occasionally stubborn just for the sake of being stubborn, and possibly because she refused to admit that she could be wrong, Bast did know when to cut her losses. When a fight simply couldn’t be won. Sometimes, other approaches were needed because the first was unsuccessful.
So. She had tried to locate Nanshe the usual way, going to her home, seeking out her friends and family. She had tried finding her in reverse, looking for the people that might be responsible for her absence. Neither had worked, and she’d ended up feeling very frustrated. The visit, and chocolates, from Ereshkigal had helped cheer her a bit. But it was the long night with Zelos that had left her feeling like herself once again. For the first time since her fight with Nergal, Bast felt confident.
Damn Sumerian. As though he were the only one who might have a care that Nanshe was missing. True, she was his sister, and yes, that probably meant he had a greater emotional stake in finding her, but if he hadn’t been such a hot head, they might have been able to work together to find her. That probably would have gone better, pooling their resources. But no, he had to be an ass. Why she’d ever thought to give him the benefit of the doubt was beyond her, because obviously there was no way he could ever been anything but a sword-happy war god with the IQ of a walnut.
A very small walnut.
Not that any of that explained why she was standing there, sand seeping into her shoes. But with this second wind, she was ready to go back on the hunt for her friend, and this had seemed a logical place to get her bearings. Maybe a reminder to bring closer to her heart the reason she was searching. Perhaps she’d just needed a bit of inspiration.
It started as a bit of a tickle. Just a little one. A tingle at the nape of her neck, something that was barely there, but couldn’t be ignored. In fact, it was so small, that for a few minutes, Bast dismissed it as nothing more than the prickle of perspiration from standing in the desert sun. But she’d grown up here, and she knew, deep down, that really wasn’t what she was feeling. Slowly, she turned her attention to what was niggling at her and got quite a shock when she recognized it as awareness.
Awareness of another being like herself, of another deity. A goddess. Nanshe. She had found Nanshe! Well, not found, exactly, but she could finally feel her. And not far from the place where she stood.
Impatient enough to forgo traveling in the more mundane way, Bast was still careful as she made her appearance on the outskirts of a very run down settlement. It wouldn’t do to frighten people, especially given that it would probably upset Nanshe. If she truly was here. She had to be here. Didn’t she? Yes, the tingle was much stronger and…
There she was!
Bast broke into a run, a wide smile on her face as she jogged toward her found friend. A breath was taken in order to call out to Nanshe, but before she was able to give in to the urge, a blur of motion to her right startled her. Turning her head, the Egyptian saw the last thing she ever wanted to see again on the face of the earth.
Nergal.
Nergal!
And he too was running for Nanshe. Bast’s eyes narrowed. Oh no he didn’t! Sister or not, he was not getting to her first! He might be stronger, he might have a better punch, he might be a lot of things as a war god that Bast could not compete with. But she was faster than he was. She knew it. Stretching out her long legs, she lengthened her stride, turning it from a jog to a full out sprint. But it was going to be close.
Within feet of her friend, Bast came to the conclusion that it was going to be too close, unless she did something. It was not the most fair and honorable thing she’d ever done, but then, she’d never had much problem with shades of grey. Lurching to the side, she deliberately and forcefully ran her shoulder and hip into Nergal, throwing his gait off. Hopefully it made him fall face first into the sand. Bast didn’t bother to wait around to see.
Skidding to a halt in front of Nanshe, she just barely refrained from knocking her over, then very nearly toppled them both anyway as she threw her arms around her friend. “Nanshe! Where have you been? I missed you!”
There was one, tight, love-filled hug and then a sound from behind her, a masculine and displeased sound, reminded her of the fly in the happy ointment. Leaning back, she looked Nanshe in the eye and declared with utmost sincerity, “He started it!”