“So, what now, Kinisis?” Arkadin asked as he washed his hands then began to tidy away all the kitchen utensils.
“What now?” Kinisis was floating above the kitchen counter, cleaning up with her massive tail, not getting her hands dirty. She was already covered in flour and powered sugar, but Arkadin just assumed she liked showing off her tail power.
“Yeah, what now?”
“Well…” The Allmaker thought to herself, getting flour on her chin. After a few tuts and sighs, she suddenly perked up. “You decided on what you’re gonna wear?”
Arkadin shrugged, finishing up the dishes then sitting on the counter, so he was slightly closer to Kinisis. “Not really. I was just going to wear my normal armour. The armour that’s not covered in scars and scratches.”
“Aw, just that?”
“You… want me to dress fancy?”
“I want you to look nice!” Kinisis took Arkadin by the hand and led him off the counter and out of the kitchen. Rather than walking into the room next door, which should have been a rather basic stone walled hallway, the pair found themselves in Arkadin’s bedroom. Or rather, what had been Arkadin’s bedroom before his house had been destroyed for the umpteenth time. Kinisis had rather abruptly recreated it and then gone and painted everything pink.
A cupboard opened up in front of the two deities. Kinisis let go of Arkadin and started rummaging through it, humming to herself.
“When you say nice…” Arkadin muttered. “Do you mean, like, casual weekend nice? Cocktail party nice? Stern Rethan ceremony nice?”
“Attractive nice.”
“You…”
Kinisis pulled her head out of the cupboard. “I don’t want you to look like your sister, but I do want you to look attractive. Pretty. Sexy even.”
“Why?” Arkadin looked confused. “Wouldn’t it be better if I was just… myself? My normal, slobby self?”
“You’re not slobby, just dishevelled. And you don’t believe in yourself so you don’t believe you should look good…” Kinisis disappeared back into the cupboard again, still rummaging around. After a moment, she reappeared, bringing with her some golden armour attachments and a black neck piece with gold trim.
Arkadin eyed the clothing, then sighed. “That’s… too much.”
“You think?” Kinisis shrugged. “Well, what would you recommend?”
“It’s a party. I want to be comfy.”
“And? Are armour attachments not comfy?”
Arkadin shook his head. “Not really, no.”
“Then we’ll pick out something nice that is also comfy!” Kinisis left the cupboard and pranced around Arkadin, eyeballing measurements. Yet again, she disappeared into the cupboard and started chucking things out, throwing them on the floor. After what seemed like an eternity, Kinisis finally found what she was looking for.
With a smile, Kinisis forced a star-studded stomach wrap and some delicate shoulder and neck ornaments into Arkadin’s hands.
“Uh… This is… too nice for me.”
“What do you mean by that?”
Arkadin looked at what Kinisis had chosen. “I’m a death god, this stuff is too nice for me.”
“Don’t be fucking stupid!” Kinisis giggled. “You may be a death god but you’re my beautiful death god!”
“Yeah but…”
“But what?” Kinisis’s tone changed. “You really are too harsh on yourself. Just because you’re a death god, doesn’t mean you don’t deserve to look nice. You deserve to look and feel good about yourself, just like every other conscious being.”
“Yeah but…”
Kinisis tutted. “Just shut up and agree with me, alright?”
Arkadin sighed. “Yeah, you’re right.”
“Now, you gonna make yourself look nice?”
The Thantophor nodded, then started putting on the clothing Kinisis had handed to him.
“So, uh, how do I look?”
Kinisis clapped her hands with glee. “You look absolutely wonderful, Arkadin. Absolutely gorgeous!”
Arkadin glanced down at himself, then smiled. “Yeah, I do, actually…”