“I need a place to stay.”
Tenuk looked awful. There were dark rings under his eyes, his armour was chipped and ugly and his skin was dry and cracking. He stood in the doorway, holding a plastic carrier bag with various bits and pieces in it.
“Are you well?” Retvik asked as he led Tenuk inside. “What happened to you? Where have you been?”
The tired Kronoreth didn’t answer at first. He wandered in, confused, as if he had entered a strange, new realm.
“Tenuk?”
“This place has changed…”
“Well, Elksia moved out. You disappeared. Things…” Retvik hesitated. Tenuk tiptoed around, as if he was trying to solve some great mystery. “Things have been quiet. Gath and I live here permanently now.”
“There is something…” Tenuk stumbled over his words. There was something different about all of this, but Tenuk couldn’t explain it. The way everything was laid out. The way Retvik was standing. The way the living room was full of damn pillows.
“Tenuk, I have to tell you something,” Retvik sighed. “I am pregnant. I have an egg due in two weeks.”
Everything snapped together. A smile grew across Tenuk’s face, then swiftly disappeared. “Really?”
“Really. Tenuk, are you…”
“No, I’m happy for you!” Tenuk explained. “So glad you finally got what you wanted. You’re going to have a healthy kid with Gath. It’s just… I don’t want to bring any drama here…”
Retvik shrugged. “There is no drama with you staying here. This is your home too.”
“Well yes, my name is on the title deeds, same as yours and Elksia’s… She living with Vel now?”
“Yes.”
“Ah…” Tenuk wandered around a bit more. He left his bag on the kitchen counter and poured himself a glass of water. “That isn’t what I mean about drama though.”
“How so?”
“I kinda… pissed off my dad again…” Tenuk explained, somewhat sheepishly. “You see, the Anexartitai decided to try and expand again. Us ‘Spasts let them do that because we then claim their territories when they fail. Problem is, they angered Kinisis and… Well, dad expected me to go to Kinigi and plead to Kinisis to leave the Anexartans alone…”
Retvik blinked. “Really?”
“Yeah. I refused and just, well, left.”
“Your father is an imbecile…” Retvik tutted. “You though, you are free to stay here.”
“I know, I know. It’s just for a few days anyway. I just need to…” Tenuk paused. “I need to re-mortalize myself. Clean myself up, put my Rethan armour back on, get back into being a mortal and not a Deitic who can do whatever he wants. Plus I need my Rethan wristbands to withdraw my money.”
Retvik seemed fine with that. “You stay as long as you need.”
“Thank you…” Tenuk smiled. “I’ll buy you both dinner as well…” Tenuk returned to his carrier bag on the counter and opened it up. Inside was a dull, metal box. Inside of that was a leather bag full of gold coins and other various shinies.
“Where did you get all that?” Retvik gasped.
“Well, my dad may be an imbecile…” Tenuk smirked. “But he’s an imbecile with a lot of gold lying around…”