Timik sat under the glass and plastic roof, his ears deafened by the thrashing rain and booms of thunder. He’d spent most of his afternoon there, watching the storms roll in and out. It wasn’t like Timik had any work to do. In fact, he could probably do this any day he wanted, but only today had there been some genuinely amazing storms for him to watch. If anyone really needed him, they knew where to find him.
The rain was probably why Timik didn’t hear the door open. Someone entered behind him. It wouldn’t have mattered though as the being’s scent tipped Timik off. A scent of overpowering lust, compressed inside a ball of confusion and awkwardness, wrapped up in an aura of sheer power.
The Allbirther was standing behind him.
“Hi.”
“Hi.”
“You just… sitting here?”
“Yeah.”
The Goddess of Life didn’t seem too annoyed that Timik hadn’t turned around to look at her. He continued watching the storm, interested in how the wind was blowing patterns in the rain.
It wasn’t until the Allbirther approached and sat down next to Timik that he realised she wasn’t her normal self. The Allbirther almost always appeared as a vast serpentine being with the upper body of a busy Temthan, but today she was all Temthan, no serpent. Sure, she had the super long tail (why did all the deities have long tails anyway?) but otherwise she looked pretty… average. Beautiful but normal.
“What makes you like this weather?”
Timik shrugged. “I dunno. It’s pretty.”
“It’s loud.”
“Yeah.”
Timik took a quick look at the Allbirther then went back to watching the storm. “Why are you here? Don’t you have things to do? Don’t you all? Rather than flirting with us?”
Yisini shook her head. “Most things are really already taken care of. Actually, most things kinda just… maintain themselves. We offer guiding hands and step in when needed but most of the time, it all sorts itself out.”
The Allbirther trailed off. Lightning struck in the distance, splintering across a nearby lake.
“That was cool.”
“Yeah…” Yisini replied. “Kinda reminds me how life starts. Just the right mixture of events.”
“That’s how life starts?” Timik asked. “Lightning striking water?”
“Eh… not exactly. But the right chemical soup with the right catalyst? It could create life. You never really know with these things.”
“You’re the Allbirther. You’re supposed to know.”
“It’s a very ill-defined art. At first I had no idea what worked. It’s only been the last billion years or so that things generally work when I do them. And even then, the chances aren’t great if I don’t pick a good spot.”
“Huh…” Timik trailed off. The rain had calmed down a little bit but thunder was still echoing across the landscape. “I think I prefer you like this.”
“What do you mean?”
“More thoughtful and quiet. Less angry sex snake.”
“Well… I did kinda let my base instincts run wild. I can’t help it sometimes…” Yisini hesitated. “You prefer me when I act like a normal Temthan?”
“Yeah. More relatable.”
“That’s fair.”
The thunder began to ease off. In the distance, a beam of sunlight had managed to sneak through the thick clouds.
“Would you like to go out for a drink once the storm passes?” Yisini quietly asked.
“Only if you don’t do anything funny…” Timik tutted. “No angry sex snakes.”
“No, none of that. Just two Temthans, having a drink.”
Suddenly, a flash of lightning scratched its way across the sky. A blast of thunder and a torrential downpour followed.
“Alright…” Timik sighed. “But we will have to wait for the storm to pass first.”