It did no good to explain these things to the God of the Dead. Nuance was not nor had it ever been her strong suit: it was not a thing that had fallen into her domain, and so she had no use for it. And even to begin with the concepts of value and usefulness had stopped carrying much weight at all now that she had shed her mortal shell and become a thing of divinity. 

"...For the last time Bella, it's [i]not[/i] wine! It's called sake and it is [i]different[/i] and I am [i]begging[/i] you not to make an ass of yourself in front of the Goddess of the Hunt again!"

Bella lifted the small stone bottle between two fingers and stared at it with curiosity flickering in her golden eyes. She poured a small measure into the tiny saucer in her hand and swirled the clear liquid about, setting it down without touching it to her lips at all.

"It looks like wine to me, Beljani."

"Bhhh! You! Just 'cause you outrank me now doesn't mean you're an expert on [i]treats![/i] Does that smell like grapes to you? No! Does it look dark? N-"

"There are white wines, you know."

"Yes but! Not the! This is clearly different! It's not white either, for one thing! It's clear, like water! And for another you're not supposed to chill this one! It needs to be warmed up or it won't release the aromatics right! Those are the best part, Bella!"

"Of wine?"

"Of! Sake!"

"You're getting really spun up about this," said Bella, "Does it even matter when Artemis doesn't drink?"

"She does, though! She does when she's bathing! And it matters a lot because your predecessor had a rad as hell Casino Fort - which you up and trashed I will remind you - and he knew the names of every libation he served and if you ever want to have company over again YOU HAVE TO KNOW THESE THINGS! I'm right, aren't I? Vesper, help me! I know you're up there! You always are!"

Lying on her back tucked into the rafters above, Vesper lazily turned the page of her new book. She'd been reading a lot, lately. Just for the pleasure of it. All trashy fiction; it was more fun to guess the silly twists and turns than it was to study any new facts. There weren't tests to take anymore. This wasn't poison anymore. She sighed, and rested her novel on her chin.

"You, uh, don't want my help on this one Gem."

"Beljani! When I'm down here it's-- sorry. Never mind. I would, though. I would like your help. Because this uncultured [i]oaf[/i] won't listen to me and I am running out of slippers to throw at her!"

"...Sake is rice--"

"HA!" crowed Beljani, full of triumph.

"...Wine."

Bella's cackle echoed off of every stone and bit of flowing water winding its way into the baths.

It really did no good to tell her, after all.

*****

She felt hands around her neck. Beautiful, blue, and shimmering scales. Claws trace the outline of her jaw while talented fingers peeled back the layers of her silk robes and revealed her glory to the world. Bella stood there and let the tip of her tail curl in place of words. She closed her eyes and let the pressure all crash down on her.

The weight and warmth of another person. The softness of skin and fur and the sharpness of bone and joint intertwining, mixing, until the difference between them all became irrelevant. She felt Mynx trace her collarbone and did nothing. She felt the hands against her breasts and merely stiffened. But then the tip of a claw slid down her stomach and...

"Mynx." she snapped, "You do understand I'm technically a god now. Right?"

"Mmhmm. That's why I'm worshiping you~"

"Fuck's sake, Mynx. Knock it off."

In reply, Bella felt teeth sink into her neck.

"That still doesn't work, for the record."

"Awww, that's boring. But don't worry! I'm gonna figure you out yet! Then we'll have all kinds of fun <3"

Bella snarled. Mynx's hands obligingly (if slowly) worked their way back up Bella's body and busied themselves tying a blindfold made of white flowers in place. Lilies, chamomiles, a chrysanthemum... but not a single rose. She'd refused their presence ever since she returned home. It was a stupid thing to have a hangup over. Was somebody in her positioned even meant to [i]have[/i] hangups? 

Well, yeah. Obviously. How else do you explain Zeus if not...

"Ok Bels you're all dressed and ready. Go have fun! And remember, no peaking! God or not, you [i]really[/i] don't wanna find out what she'll do if you try to watch."

****

The water was warm. The steam was waking up her blindfold; petals unfurled across her cloth wrap and turned her whole world white even as they buried her in their soft, clean scents. She took a deep breath and descended deeper into the spring. She liked this place a lot. Ever since it fell here from Above. 

There was time now, nearly infinite time to indulge all of the hobbies she'd built up in death and in life but as importantly as that, she needed to wash it all away sometimes. To soak and to let the obsessions that clung to her seep away into the water and swirl around the many smooth stones that decorated the garden here. The bamboo in particular soothed her. It felt like... like she hadn't missed out.

But today she was not alone. She tried not to swallow her nerves. It shouldn't be unusual for a meeting like this to happen. No big deal at all. She'd even been the one to suggest it.

"...I appreciate your restraint," said Artemis, "Move no closer."

In response, Bella floated a tray of wine across the water and listened for the clink where it met the goddess' hand. The broken splashing of the waterfall told her everything she needed to know about what was happening. She could picture it, if she really wanted to. She took a sip from her own cup, instead. Smooth and slightly sweet, with no burn but a vaguely pleasant sour earth note on the back of it. She let it dance across her tongue, and set the saucer down again without turning her head to follow the motion. 

"Thanks for letting me join you at all. I know you can't be particularly thrilled with me, so..."

"Why do you keep assuming that? Do you think that I, out of everyone, would mince my words with you?"

"I just... I always wanted this. With everyone. But especially with you."

"You have it." said Artemis. Her fingers slid through her hair like moonlight.

"And did I... earn that? I know I wasn't the arrow that you knocked. And I didn't land even if I was. Just, when you pushed me... what were you hoping for? It couldn't have been this?"