“It’s… been a while since I last came here…” Arkadin muttered as he followed the insanely long tail of Kinisis into the large kitchen. The rest of Kinisis was in the other room, rummaging through stainless steel shelves and cupboards.
“Oh?”
“Yeah.”
“When WAS the last time you were here?”
Arkadin thought back, trying to remember, then wished he hadn’t. “That time when you invited me round, Kenon got pissed that I was here, you kicked him out and then he tried to convince the siblings that I was mind-controlling you and they needed to come here and kill me. Then Yisini convinced everyone that I was the source of all unhappiness and you stabbed me with a sword and threw me into a shallow grave, deciding that four of my friends would make a great replacement for a death god.”
Kinisis peered out from the doorway, her flowing mane of black, star-studded flame hair obscuring the rest of her body. “I did that?”
“Yeah. I still get upset about it. There’s a massive scar where you stabbed me that I’ve been covering up with the larger chest decorations lately.”
“Oh. I’m… I’m sorry about that. I do a lot of… mindless things.”
Arkadin shook his head, dismissing this conversation. He hated that whole series of events and wished none of it had ever happened. Reminding himself of it all had soured his mood. “It’s fine, let’s just get back to why we’re here.”
“Ah yes!” Kinisis beamed, randomly throwing a bag of flower onto the main counter in the centre of the room. “Yes yes yes! We need to make snacks!”
“Why?”
“It’s a snack party. Everyone brings snacks and drinks and stuff. It’s an opportunity to taste and experience other universes!” Kinisis started moving ingredients from the storage room into the main kitchen, then began rummaging around for bowls and cooking utensils.
“Uh, what sort of snacks?” Arkadin asked, watching as plumes of flour dust hovered in the air. “Because it’s pretty tricky distilling an entire universe’s worth of culinary culture and talent into a handful of dishes. I couldn’t even begin to name the signature dish of any particular race, let alone the whole universe!”
Kinisis smiled as she returned to the kitchen and spread out all the ingredients and cooking utensils across the counter.
“You are absolutely right, Arkadin. Now, tell me, what’s your favourite snack?”
“My what?”
“Your favourite snack? Or something you’ve always wanted to have but haven’t allowed yourself to eat.”
Arkadin fidgeted awkwardly. “You… you don’t want to know.”
“Oh come on!” Kinisis teased. “There must be SOMETHING you have always wanted to try!”
“I… I can’t…”
Kinisis tutted. “Kid, I’m your mother-figure. Just answer the damn question. Tell me the one thing you want to eat above all else. And no lying! I hate lies!”
“Trust me…” Arkadin eyed the floor, almost shaking. “You…”
“Fucking answer me.”
“FINE!” the Thantophor shouted, fire briefly erupting from his eyes and wings bursting from his back. “You know what I really, really want? The freshly removed heart and liver of the Allbirther, marinated in her own blood and made into a paste with a fuckton of butter and garlic!”
The two deities fell silent. Arkadin sighed, calming himself down and taking deep breaths, before dismantling the wings that had appeared and crushing them down into a fine, black powder.
“Sometimes, Kinisis, there are things I shouldn’t be made to say.”
“I’m actually more surprised about how specific that was…” Kinisis shrugged. “We can’t cook that because Yisini is still using her internal organs, but how about we make a nice little chicken liver pate and some nice bread to serve it on?”
“You’re… not angry about my outburst?”
Kinisis left the counter and pranced towards Arkadin. She gently placed her hands on his cheeks, smiling.
“You’re the god of death. Outbursts like that are to be expected. You spend your entire existence hanging over a tempting pit of despair but don’t let yourself fall in, for fear of hurting others. You don’t act out on these outbursts, so you’re fine.”
Kinisis patted Arkadin on the shoulder, then wandered back to the kitchen counter. Arkadin sighed, clearing his head, then followed.
“So, aside from pate, what else do you want to cook?” Kinisis asked.
“Well, cake is always nice…” Arkadin smiled, picking up a bowl and some scales. “And we should totally make cookies too…”