The last few hours, Elkay had noticed that the Lord of Death was lingering just outside his vision. He had been following Elkay and his close friend Ver all afternoon as they dealt with meetings and talked about several planet-wide military exercises over the next couple of weeks. The Thantophor had said nothing, simply tutting and rolling his eyes occasionally. Elkay was now finishing up a few things in his office, while looking over a holographic map of a small Reth-Vrekan controlled solar system.
Occasionally, the Thantophor would sigh audibly. He was doing so right now. None of this had been bothering Elkay up until now.
“Do you have an issue with what I am doing?” Elkay asked abruptly, interrupting the silence in the room.
“No,” the Lord of Death growled.
“You seem to have an issue.”
“Not with you.”
Arkadin wandered over to the hologram map. He pointed at a barren moon, then went back to the corner where he’d been sitting. “You should send a mining crew there. Whole moon is made of iron and gold.”
“Is it?” Elkay questioned this random change in conversation. Seemed too random.
“Yes. Epani made it. Forgot about it. Didn’t care when I told her. None of them care.”
“There is clearly something bothering you, Lord Arkadin, and that makes me very concerned…” Elkay sighed as he left his desk and sat down next to the Dark God. “Do you want to talk?”
Arkadin tutted. “You wouldn’t understand.”
“You do not know until you tell me.”
“You really wouldn’t understand.”
Elkay shrugged. “You do not know.”
“No, seriously, it’s messed up beyond belief.”
“I may be a small mortal to you but I have lived through some very messed up things!” Elkay replied proudly. “As I said, no one knows until you go down a path. Missed opportunities and all that. How bad could it be?”
Arkadin took a deep breath, then sighed loudly, then spoke. “I walked in on my sisters screwing each other and told my parents about it, only to be told that incest is not a problem if no actual reproduction is involved.”
Elkay blinked, then rubbed his eyes, then fell silent, having no idea how to respond.
“See, told you…” Arkadin crossed his arms, both vaguely amused at Elkay’s confusion and even more annoyed at his awkward situation.
Elkay remained silent for a bit, then glanced at the Thantophor. “Your parents sound like wankers.”
Arkadin snickered. “Heh, you’re right, they are…”
The Rethan General edged closer to Arkadin. It seemed like the Lord of Death was enjoying his company. “And I do understand in a way. For the last, hm, hundred or so years? There have always been those wanting to restart hybrid programs. Generally at the expense of others. There is a reason why having kids with another species is illegal among the Union.”
“Yeah but people just bitch and whine and do what they want anyway.”
“Unfortunately…” Elkay shifted in his seat. “While we follow the laws laid out in front of us.”
“Fucking heck…” Arkadin muttered, quieter than normal. “You’re…”
The Thantophor didn’t finish his sentence. Instead he stood up and rushed to the door. Elkay got up and followed.
“Lord Arkadin?”
Arkadin hesitated. “You don’t need to call me ‘lord’. It’s annoying. And suggests that I’m worth more than you.”
Elkay laughed awkwardly. “But you are the God of Entropy.”
“Still…” The Thantophor trailed off. “Still…” He paced up and down the room occasionally glancing at Elkay. “Still…”
“Still what?”
“There are rules I have to follow. Emotions I am not supposed to have. Kinisis didn’t make me right, she made me too good and honest. Too nice and caring. I was always supposed to be the merciless killing machine of the universe, the evil monster for mortals like you to attempt to slay.”
“I do not follow…” Elkay was confused. “Does this have something to do with me?”
Arkadin smiled. “Yeah. I like you. I like you a lot.”
Before Elkay could respond, Arkadin patted him on the head then vanished in a puff of smoke.