Dan sighed as he looked at the two of them sitting opposite him.  One was the ever familiar Ashy, the other was a person he had only seen one other time, the mysteriously disappearing dragon lady.

“Why are you sighing? You don't even know what I am going to say.”  Ashy shook her head with a faux indignation.

“I know you too well, I know you are going to make me do something and I know it will be interesting to you.”  he stated.

“Such arrogance!” Ashy barked out a short laugh. “You would think I would get more respect from a man I saved not once but twice, what is a madis supposed to do with all of these feelings of turmoil in her soul?”

“What do you need me to do?”  he asked, he looked over at the sullen Nix, she was after all most likely to be the reason Ashy was here.

“This lovely youngin’s name is Nix, she is a goddess from another dimension, or rather she was, it fell unto me to punish her.”

“Punish her how?” Abyzou asked, she looked at the shadowed face of Nix who sat there in silence, if not for the small breaths she was breathing you would have thought she was a statue.  She didn't look at any of them, simply looking down, never meeting any of their gazes.

“She caused a great transgression, she imposed herself on my property and destroyed my possessions, I am sure you realise what the punishment for such a crime is, correct.”  everyone nodded, well everyone except Dan and Sara, who looked at Ashy with a look of confusion.

“Explain it to us poor mortals will you?” he said, looking at Nix and back to Ashy.

“It is punishable by death.”  she stated simply.

“Wait what?”  Dan asked in shock. “You mean she intruded and broke some things and that means she has to die?”  he almost spat out the words in shock and protest.

“It is not that, well for me the thing she broke was irreplaceable, but that is irrelevant at this moment, the reason such laws are in effect, we can't have such division between gods, many worlds have been destroyed when two sides went to battle, and cost many people there lives, as such these strict laws were put in place, as more of a stop gap then a cure.”  she looked over at Nix. “But I chose not to do this, after talking it over with her family we came to an agreement, she was stripped of her divinity-” Both Abyzou and Bastet gasped and recoiled slightly, and even Amani looked disturbed. “Yes, well it is more accurate to say I blocked her divinity, instead of stripped it, I will be able to give it back when she has learned her lesson.”

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“So, besides stripping her of her divinity what exactly do you plan on doing to punish her?”  Dan asked, he was not well versed in the laws and rules of gods but if they had survived this long then he would imagine that they survived for a reason, and it was safe to say that they worked.

“She is now a servant of our house.” Ashy said, lifting up the woman’s grey skinned arm and showing everyone the markings. “She will stay here with you and you will show her the ways of this world.”

“This is not a goddess rehabilitation center...” Dan said folding his arms across his chest.

“Oh, Oh, Oh that is good, Dan’s Goddess rehabilitation center!” she swept her arm across an imaginary sign “A troublesome goddess appeared in your neighbourhood and you don't know what to do with her? Just throw her at Dan and he'll fix her. ”  she laughed.

“Listen-”  Dan started.

“No you listen,”  she said a little more firmly. “You will watch her, she is not some pup, she can take care of herself, her life, well let us just say all she knows is her work and it is not good for her, I have agreed to release her from my service once she has learned her lesson, but I am to upset at the loss to be impartial.”  she looked at Dan, “I know this, and it would be unfair to her, please Dan.”

“Fine.”  he sighed.

“Good, I don't think I have to remind you that she is not a slave, and I know for a fact that you won't treat her bad.”

“One question Lady Asherah.”  Abyzou asked.

“I told you before call me Ashy, this is the name that I allow my family to call me.”  she said softly, but made a motion to allow Aby to continue.

“Ashy, how long do you expect us to keep her?”

“As long as it takes to have her see the errors of her ways and to truly be repentant.” she said, she looked at Aby “It might take some time seeing as she is a goddess of war, was a goddess of war rather, you know how stubborn that lot is.” she said with a small laugh “Now I have some matters to attend to, I leave her in your capable hands.”  she said, and just like that she vanished, leaving behind Nix, still sitting there like a statue.

Dan sighed and stood up, “Come on, let's get you something to eat.” he said to Nix, it was well past lunch, there discussions had eaten away most of the afternoon. She however did not move, or even seem to hear his words. He walked over to her and extended his hand, offering it to her, she looked at it, her eyes blazing red with hatred, and she looked back down at her own lap, resuming the position she had previously held. He tucked one arm under her shoulder and another around her and attempted to lift her up, but she twisted out of his grip with a hateful hiss.

“Don't.Touch.Me.Murderer.”  she growled with so much malice that he could almost feel the heat coming from the asid words she spat at him.

“Murderer.”  he said softly. “Yes, I murdered.”  she looked at him, confused by the sound of his voice. “I killed untold amounts of people, caused unknowable amounts of destruction and despair, you think I don't know this?” he growled.  “And I would do it again to save the people I love.”  his voice was so dark even a goddess of death was frightened. “Now get up,”  he said, pulling her to her feet despite her protests. “Come on, I need any redemption I can get my hands on.” and he led her away.