Bast was reclining in her bedroom when her housekeeper came to tell her that she had company. Though, reclining might be a generous term for hanging halfway off a bed that hadn't been made in three days. Mostly because Bast hadn't been out of it for that length of time. She wasn't sulking or upset, which were the usual reasons she took to her bed and nested up in this way. No, this time, she was confused.
And it was all because of Hermod. He was a puzzle that she couldn't seem to work out. At first, she'd thought it was the sex. Which was ah-may-zing. Holy shit, she felt turned inside out and put back together in the very best ways every time he made her orgasm. Which he did every time, at least once. When did that ever happen with a new lover? Rarely, that's when. Bast had been around the block long enough to know that it took time to find likes and dislikes and sometimes a lot of direction was needed to locate those happy spots. But with Hermod? It was there not only the first time, which could have been a fluke, but every time after that.
And Bast had definitely put it to the test. Not just the night she'd tracked him down at his ranch with the tiny horses, but a few other times as well. Which was the other thing: Bast kept going to find him. She never did that. She didn't hunt down lovers, they came to her, because she left them wanting more. Not that Hermod didn't seek her out too, because he had. But the fact that she... what was the word she was looking for? She longed for him. That was it. And it was weird. Bast didn't do that.
So she'd holed up in her room, trying to figure out what was going on there. And she'd come up, thus far, with a big fat zero. She was coming to the unwelcome conclusion that she was going to have to ask for help on this. And she didn't like to do that if she could help it. But really, it was so weird. She needed to suss out the issue and get some kind of control.
This became even more apparent when Bahti appeared in her doorway to let her know that she had a visitor, because her heart leapt when she thought it might be Hermod. Leapt. That was ridiculous. As was the momentary let down when she was informed that Ninkasi had been put in one of the sitting rooms, and no refreshments had been provided since she'd brought her own.
Fortunately it was only a momentary let down, and Bast rolled out of bed and bounced down the hall. Ninkasi was a favorite, her fucked up family aside. She understood Bast in a way that few others could or did. Spending time with the Sumerian was easy, too easy, because Bast didn't have to change a single thing about herself to suit any preconceived notions. And if there was anybody she wanted to see right then, besides Hermod, Bast probably would have named Ninkasi. Maybe that was the answer to her confusion: time with someone other than Hermod. And Ninkasi was definitely perfect for that.
The sitting room where her guest had been stashed was one of Bast's favorites, and it was a mark of her housekeeper's understanding of her mistress that Ninkasi was shown there. It was a room decorated in warm desert colors, splashed with jewel tones in the accents, so pleasing to the eye. But it was also pleasing to the other senses, with soft music in the background and mild incense scenting the air. And it catered to the sense Bast liked to indulge most: touch. Everything in the room was pleasing to touch, the soft couch, the plush pillows, the fluffy cushions that were large enough to pass for bean bag chairs. It was exactly where Bast wanted to spend time with Ninkasi.
"Kasi," she promptly announced as she walked into the room, "we need to have sex." And then she kissed her friend full on the mouth in a warm greeting.