She sat down upon the floor, in a very proper manner, Megumi noticed, and gestured for the confused girl to do the same.
"I, Peorth, and the Norns," Athena started.
"Oh, hey," Megumi said. "I just realized that I'd never heard Belldandy's surname before. Odd, shouldn't I have asked about that before."
Sayoko, having taken the chance to return to the bath room came back into the room and sat down regally by Peorth's side, who had also recovered her diefic robes. Were most people to look in on the room, they would have said that Sayoko was the one most acting like a goddess. She was regal and serene, with a grim set to her chin and face that spoke of one used to command.
Sitting next to Peorth, however, and with Athena in the room as well, Sayoko may have been acting the part of the goddess more, but she still seemed small compared to either of those two. It was a sensation that couldn't have a finger actually laid on it, but was there. Megumi noticed it a bit, but brushed it aside in her confusion.
Sayoko, however, was noticing a lot of things that she hadn't before, not just how the sisters didn't seem to have surnames. She thought about the birthmarks or tattoos she'd seen them all sporting. She thought about some of the weird things that had happened. She remembered that this temple used to be a complete wreck until a short time ago.
"Then again," she reminded herself. "Belldandy's a witch. Maybe the rest of them are, too."
"Perhaps," Athena said, indicating that Megumi should let her speak more. "As I was saying, we work for an international consulting organization. We arrange for peopke to find the resources they need to finish whatever task they have at hand. Our main task is to keep the world stable, and, hopefully, encourage its growth."
"So what are they all doing here?" Megumi asked.
"Belldandy is on sabbatical," Athena started. "Skuld is still training, Urd is on suspension and Peorth is our systems administrator, but she took some time off to come visit here."
"And do you know what happened here?" Megumi asked.
"Some bare details," Athena shrugged. "We keep track of our own to make sure that they are safe, but, as I said, that is not why I'm here. I'm here because of her."
Megumi glanced to Mara and shifted about a little. She still couldn't figure out where she knew the woman from.
"What's the big idea about her?"? Megumi asked.
"She works for a rival organization," Athena said. "Another consulting group. Though her group prefers to promote anarchy and chaos. We received word earlier that she wished to change sides, I'm here to acclimate her to her new situation."
Megumi felt a quiet chill work down her spine as she listened to Athena's words. Phrases and words like 'organization' and 'received word' or 'change sides' rang clearly in her ears. She wasn't certain what to think, because it was starting to sound like Belldandy was part of some secret organization of some sort.
"Are you interpol or something like that?" she asked, hesitantly.
"No," Athena said. "We're older than them, but we haven't taken an active role in doing things for many years. They do, occasionally, consult us on matters though. We do background stuff, give support, that's all."
"What I'm wondering is why you came," Peorth said. "I mean, this isn't really your thing."
"We don't often have one of their top agents defect." Athena answered simply. "This isn't like when some little 6th class decides to quit the whole anarchy thing. Lots of time and effort went into Mara. We have to handle this delicately or we could just lose her again."
"Anarchy?" Megumi repeated. She turned to look at Mara again. "Hey, I remember her now! She attacked me once before! But...that was a dream...wasn't it?"
"No, we do have a report that she did attack you at some point," Athena said, not saying the manner of attack, or that it happened more than once.
Megumi shifted away from the sleeping Mara then, glancing at her nervously.
"You still haven't explained what's going on," Sayoko commented. "Or what went on, or do you know?"
"I already said that I have some bare details," Athena sighed. "That is something for the eight of you to work out. I'm here for Mara. Though I will help with matters, if you need it."
She couldn't say anymore at the moment, not while Megumi was in the room, at least.
"Oh!" A voice declared from the hallway in sudden shock. "What is...oh dear..."
"That would be Belldandy," Athena noted.
The goddess of wisdom glanced around the house and waited for electrical appliances to start going on the fritz, or for the room to start shaking, but everything remained fine. She nodded, as if in confirmation of something, as the expected jealousy storm failed to make an appearance.
"So, she's just surprised, not jealous," Athena thought to herself.
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(Posted Mon, 09 Aug 2004 16:04)
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