“How many times have you died now, General Elkay?”
“Officially, once. The same as you, I believe.”
Litvir snorted, admiring the joke his fellow Rethan deity had made. “Amusing. Very amusing. But also rather curious. I am especially curious about your name change. You are Relkir now, are you not?”
Relkir looked up from what he was doing. He’d mostly been eating lunch while browsing through a magazine. The rag in question was mostly filled with glossy images of Life Goddesses doing random helpful things to the lesser unfortunate mortal mobs. It was genuinely terrible, but it had been a good distraction up until now.
“Yes, I prefer being called Relkir now.”
“Why?”
“It is the Rethianos name I would have had, if I had not been abandoned.” Relkir watched as Litvir sat down opposite him. “Is there something you require, Litvir?”
“I just wish to talk and ask a few questions, if that is alright with you.”
Relkir grunted, then shrugged. “That is fine.”
A smile flickered across Litvir’s face. “Good. So, first question, when did you, a being known for being against bi-species intercourse, find the time and energy to get a Skyan partner and keep them satisfied, while also maintaining your hypocritical views?”
Relkir rolled his eyes, tutting loudly. “I knew you would ask this. It is what most do when they first meet Teekay and myself.”
“Oh, so you have an answer already?”
“Yes,” Relkir nodded. “The simple truth is that I have changed as an individual. I realized that my beliefs were wrong and I changed my mind. Teekay helped me change my mind.”
Litvir’s eyes widened. He didn’t expect that much honesty in one go. “So you too are reformed from your past?”
“I suppose so, yes.”
“And you are dating Teekay all the time now? Are you both official?”
“No. We are partners but we are not married. It is a little difficult trying to get married when one of us is legally retired and the other is legally dead. Nothing is really set in stone though.”
“Hm…”
Litvir fell silent. Relkir returned to his food, some poultry that had been battered and fried, now ignoring the magazine and Litvir.
After a few seconds though, Litvir blinked and looked up at Relkir. “I have a proposal.”
Relkir eyed Litvir. “What do you mean, a proposal?”
Litvir lowered his voice gently, before switching to his telepathy. “We could have a four-way partnership.”
“Between… us, Teekay and Eksi?”
“Yes. A physical and romantic partnership.”
“That seems…” Relkir stuttered, trying to find the best word. “That seems… like a complicated secret.”
Litvir stretched his arms out wide, gesturing the area around him. “My friend, we are at what is essentially a hotel for Life Goddesses and their partners, after they have been shopping and had dinner. This place is perfect for discovering ourselves and our love life.”
Relkir tutted and frowned. What Litvir had just said seemed rather… too weird.
“If you do not mind me asking, Litvir, are you… desperate?”
“A… a little.”
“You mean-“
“Yes, I am desperate. I was given a taste and that was taken away from me. Being an open-linked telepath, I hear others too. I just…” Litvir deflated slightly. “I am attracted to you, Teekay and Eksi. But I cannot do anything about it.”
Litvir fell silent, looking away from the table. However, Relkir continued to look at Litvir, feeling somewhat sorry for him.
“I can… speak to Teekay about this… if you want…” Relkir finally suggested. “I do not know how he will react, but I will speak to him anyway. The same with Eksi.”
“What, really?” Litvir blinked.
“Yes. Really.”
“But… why?”
Relkir shrugged, getting up from the table. “We are deities now. Things are… different now. Anything is possible…” Relkir hesitated, then smiled. “At the end of the day, we all have holes that wish to be filled…”