Need. The invisible hand which guided all interactions. For without a need, there would be no progress. WIthout a need for air, one does not breathe, without a need for water, one does not drink, without such a need for food, one does not eat. What then do the gods need? These immortals born out of the aetherium, as timeless as they were and powerful as they are, they too were servants to the great need. For what was the purpose for their being if they had no need? Simply being was torment, an empty existence as a mockery to the self, there must be a reason to why, a rational to be. Or perhaps there was not? Perhaps existence was a fickle state, and things are because they were and were not. And the universe and all reality was merely a joking construct of some laughing idiot, taken without an essential purpose. But even then there was a need to explain the insanity of it all.
A mother. How her horns nearly matched his own, hidden beneath the deceptive guise of his charm. Thousands of forms innocent and predatory the Lord of Hunger had, but amongst his fellow brethern, he retained his regal airs well knowing he fooled no one here. He was an essential, all understood the true nature of his being, even if they could not see the horror beneath the demon's eyes. Of which understanding what he is and who Zhystkrexas was not the greatest mystery given his influence in the assembled court. Yet his plans were a mystery, his desires evident but unclear as he nibbled on the seeds. The faceless goddess bowed low to her elder, dressed in the sheet to clad her seducer's form. Fertile womb waiting to regurigitate as much as his jaws to swallow. His eyes took a keen interest in her, turning to face her facelessness for a moment as the god paused his consumption.
"You approach me with humble grace... And yet claim a seat that is not yours..." An observation made and uttered towards the goddess, words with a meaning far heavier than the horns either of them bore.
---
Silacetus said nothing for a moment, digesting the words spoken by one such as he. There was a power to them, intoxicating and divine. It made her skin crawl with a mixture of excitement and fear. She gave her reply with a calm demeanor,
"One such as I would be foolish not to approach you without being humble, my lord." The Goddess paused then spoke once more,
"I claim nothing that is not mine be right. No one stopped me from sitting here, my lord. I apologize if this displeases you. I am after all, quite new to this world."---
"Foolish... Foolish is to sit in such a place... To believe yourself fit for such a throne without first measuring your worth... But... Do you wish to sit there? Is it why you have answered the summons? Or have you come to mingle with the lesser rabble on the fringes?" A pause as a bite into a new apple tore into the fruit flesh with fangs, as if aggressively acknowledging the others who made their way into the court. "I taste it... It drips from you like blood from a bleeding offering, ritually gutted in the name of the gods by trembling mortals. Quivering as they cry out our names until they are silenced... The same mix of fear and adoration is about you..."
---
His words bit into her, like sharp teeth cutting through flesh but she only found herself admiring the God that sat before her. Perhaps she was foolish, perhaps she was not, but the bell had rung its note and there she was. She not like those on the fringes, she was here before him, talking. It was wonderful.
"Yes... I wish to sit here, If I hadn't I would have sat elsewhere my lord. I am not a rabbit, sitting in its burrow all day timid and afraid. I am here, talking to the mightiest Essiential to sit upon a throne." She played a dangerous game. But wasn't life full of games to play? Through flattery or other means, she would not be denied her birthright. Even now they called to her, sweet whispers in the back of her mind full of desire.
---
"I cannot dine on flattery, such empty words are without substance, unpalatable to taste the sweetness alone without anything to chew on. And... Do you believe yourself worthy to judge We the Essentials? Does the hare think the wolf as stronger than the fox and bear? Or does she fear the soaring eagle that would snatch her from the skies?" The toxic effects of being in the presence of the Lord of Hunger, eating away at the chains that restrained the desires, repressed and surpressed it was he that brought out the true nature of the beast within. She made the monsters, he made them into monsters.
"Thoughts to dwell on... But now I offer you a deal." Another bite into the apple, deeper this time, munching into the hardy core, as ivory teeth tore into that which others threw away. "You wish to sit there... And I shall support your attempts to sway the court into accepting your status into the Pantheon... You shall have what you want... A seat of power upon the world beneath us, the influence and authority it commands... And you shall have your hand design it... And in return... I shall ask of you a single favor to be owed as a debt to me... What say you to this arrangement... Mother?" The terms vague, but Zhystkrexas was known for his deals, dark and devious, as mortals scarely became better off than than they began. Yet with the gods on equal footing, it would be impossible to bind a forced aggreement. Silacetus would be able to back out of this deal once she successful ascended to the throne. And yet... Would she want him of all people to be against her future plans?
---
Flattery held no sway for such a being as Zhystkrexas, she should have known better. Still she could not help but have a little hope that her words had placated the God of Hunger. As meaningless as they were to him, perhaps they still held a little to dine on. She was not worthy to judge beings who sat so high above her, yet she could still hold opinions about them within her own mind. Opinions were fickle things, much like a rabbit they are afraid to leave their burrows, but once they do two things might happen. They might be caught and punished, or escape to live, grow and reproduce. Being eaten is never what a rabbit wants, and to the God of Hunger she was just that. But Silecatus knew that if a predator wasn't able to eat, they too would grow hungry with despair. But she would never tell the thoughts she had in her head, so she simply mused on them and listened to what he had to say.
She was suprised to see that a deal was offered to her. It seemed that even a predator such as he, needed a rabbit to live, even if it was for the rabbit to create more rabbits for food. A promise of immediate support in exchange for something in return. Her desire for power on the Pantheon, for her future and her childrens futures. The authority to command, and the influence to craved by those deemed lesser. It was all very intoxicating for Silecatus. But the goddess knew whatever Zhystkrexas would want from her would be devious and dark. And if she accepted then denied him such a request she would make a very powerful enemy. She thought upon the deal in silence for a moment, her mind coming to the only conclusion she desired. For better or for worse, she could not not deny such a gift.
"I accept Lord Zhystkrexas, God of Hunger. And I thank you for an offer such as this."Her statement was short and to the point, from her talk with Zhystkrexas she could see he much liked short answers. It was akin to a hungry man waiting for a feast to start before him, growing angry that he could not eat because of long pleasantries. She would acknowledge that now, having had a taste of the God. She looked about, wondering who else might have arrived. She noticed two figures right away. A small creature and a robed figure sat near the back. Fools they were for not sitting closer, but she would not judge them, not yet at least. She only cared for herself in that moment. And her existence was just about to become even better.
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