Gath perched awkwardly on the bed, not sure what to say. His beloved partner had brought him to the place he had been living for the last few weeks and Gath was really not impressed. The room was pleasant enough, but it was very small and tight. A small apartment with everything one Rethavok needed. It was nowhere near enough for two Rethavok though.
“So, what do you think, my dear?” Retvik asked.
“It is…” Gath tilted his head to one side. “It is very small.”
Retvik sighed. “I thought you would say that… It is very small. Barely enough for me. Not meant for two of us. But it has… everything. I want water, I find cold water in the fridge. I want a hot meal, I find one in the microwaver. I want a bath, there is already hot water and bubbles, exactly how I want it.”
“So it is all… magic.”
“When you are employed by the Allmaker to act as a guard and keeper for the Thantophor, pretty much all that is done ends up being above one’s understanding.”
Gath fidgeted slightly. The bed was very comfortable. Overly comfortable. Insanely comfortable. Almost addictively comfortable.
After some thought, Gath turned to Retvik.
“Are you well, my beloved?”
Retvik grunted. “How do you mean?”
“You seem…” Gath thought for a little longer. “You seem brainwashed.”
“I do?”
Gath nodded. “You seem rather brainwashed. Made to believe that you have to be here. That what you are doing is good and you want to do your duty. That you like being here.”
“I… I do like… wait…” Retvik looked confused. He glanced at Gath and grunted some more. “Hmph.”
Gath grunted back. “You see what I mean? You have been here this whole time, happily working away, not realising what you are doing.”
“No. I know what I am doing. But I am finding myself enjoying this work despite it not being enjoyable. My mind is being… altered.”
“Brainwashed.”
Retvik tutted. “If I was brainwashed, I would not believe so. This is subtle, a desire to keep us working here but not strong enough to actually change us. I assume the Allmaker is doing this…”
“Not the death god?”
“I do not believe, despite what Arkadin has said under duress, that he would attempt to control our minds…” Retvik wandered over to the fridge. “Would you like a drink?”
Gath shook his head. “No thank you.”
“You sure?”
“I am not normally a betting vok, but I would bet that there is something in the water here.”
Retvik stared at Gath, a half-poured glass of water in his hand.
“You have already drunk the water. You are already tainted.”
“I guess…” Retvik sipped the drink cautiously. “The question is… what do I do? I cannot leave my post here. The safety of the universe is at stake. But I also cannot… be subtly mind-controlled.”
Outside, a heavy flapping noise could be heard. Gath got up from the bed and the two Rethans rushed over to the window. The massive form of the Whenvern could be seen, preparing himself for take-off, while talking to a very feminine figure.
“You should talk to them…” Gath suggested. “Maybe they will understand that you do not need to be forced to stay here.”
Retvik continued watching the two deities. The feminine one seemed very angry and slapped the Whenvern across the face. Another deity, the Allmaker, wearing thin, translucent white robes, appeared to separate the two.
“Maybe I will wait until they are less angry…” Retvik muttered, putting his drink down. “Until then, we will have to source our meals elsewhere…”