Dan’s eyes opened slightly and he found himself looking at a curious site, there was a very happy lamia that had his head currently resting on her coiled tail, smiling down at him as she ran her fingers through his hair, her long nails scratching against his head slightly.

Honestly speaking it was a heavenly feeling, but it also was a slightly demeaning feeling, what was he a dog to be petted?

The scene itself was not strange, it was the opposing expressions on the two women’s face.  While Abyzou was smiling happily like she had just won something Apate was floating cross armed and looking upset and pouty.

“Do i want to know?” He asked sitting up and looking at the two women in turn.

“We each wanted to nurse you back to health but seeing as she is vastly incorporeal she can't do much in the way of nursing, we attempted to place your head on her lap but you simply fell right through.” Abyzou offered with a happy expression and a smile.  Apate grumbled something and turned away from them in discontent, Dan sighed and sat up, and was relieved to find that though his clothes were rather torn most of his wounds here healed, well, all except the deeper of the cuts. “You can thank me for that” Abyzou said proudly, raising her head and casting a single glance over at the other girl to see if she was watching and paying attention.

Ha, that was a little malicious of her.

And by a little he meant completely. Sitting up he looked around them, they were currently sitting on a beach front with the waves of of a shimmering sapphire lit with the golden light of twin suns that revolved around each other slowly. It was a completely impossible setting, the soft completely white sand, the rolling blue waves capped in gold fire of the sun.

Impossible and beautiful.  

The sand was ridiculously comfortable, like a soft warm comforter that he had sunken into. It didn't take much effort to get up to his feet his entire body felt like it was no issue, like he had been resting soundly for hours and he was full of life and energy.  Off to the left was a path made of a darker sand, it was all to distinct and perfect, and along the path there was an archway, they all quickly made their way over to it, and once again Dan found himself cursing that he could not read cuneiform.

“It reads; Why are you so resentful and crestfallen? If you do well, you can hold up your head; but if not, sin is a demon lurking at the door: his urge is toward you, yet you can be his master."” Abyzou translated. “If thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door.”  

Apate hissed when she heard the words out of Abyzou’s mouth, and he looked over at her with a confused look on his face. “Rabisu,” she growled as though that explained everything, but when he didn't answer in agreement she went into further detail. “an evil vampiric spirit or demon that is always menacing the entrance to the houses and hiding in dark corners, lurking to attack people.” she looked around carefully,  “ In hell, they live in the desert of anguish, attacking newly arrived souls as they travel down the road of Bone to the city of the dead.”

“That means we have to watch out for them popping up?” Abyzou asked.

“Yes but more importantly that means we are in the realm of 𒀭𒊩𒆠𒃲.”

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“I am sorry but you are really going to have to translate...” Dan said, with a sigh.

“Sorry, we are in the realm of Ereshkigal, Queen of the Great Earth,  goddess of Irkalla, the land of the dead.”  she looked at the two of them and smiled bitterly, “the only way into this land is death, we have died.”

“That's not possible is it?” Dan asked his eyes growing wide.

“I do- I mean I have never died before...”

“This is nothing like last time.” Dan said looking around.

“Wait, last time? You have died before?”  Abyzou grabbed him by the shoulders and shook him wildly with every word.

“In my defence I always came back right? All I ever had time to do was have a conversation with Asherah, and then she simply sent me back...”

“It sounds like I also need to have a conversation with Asherah.”  Abyzou narrowed her eyes…

[Asherah’s home.]

She laughed, she really liked the spunky little lamia, honestly she did. A discussion huh? She swirled the glass containing her liquid with a simple ease, smelling the clear wine with a soft sigh, she looked down into the pool in which her feet were resting, and looked at the three of them as they made their way across the perilous trials of the snake, she smiled as she looked at Dan, she was obviously not the only person that was currently watching these people as they risked their lives that on this journey even though there was  no real need.  Human pride, it was an interesting thing. She smiled as the memory came into her head, it was the first time she had met him, the question on whether he was a part of the original whole or his own still was one that caused her to pause.

On one hand he really was not so different from the original, and on the other he was completely different.

She might be biased about this, but he truly was interesting to her, his diversions, his differences from the original, where they a result of his soul being a particular part? Or where they because of the shard’s new found sentience?

Part of her really wanted to be there when they got judged at the end of the trial, she really wanted to be there to see the sure and cocky smiles melt off of there all to holier than thou faces.

She flicked her foot in the water, the image rippling, and instead of the man and two women she had just been watching she was looking at a man that looked remarkably similar, save for the fiery red eyes.

Lira looked at Leon, she stared deep into his red eyes and asked him for the third time this morning.  “Why exactly am I strengthening the barriers?” when he didn't answer she moved to a different lane of questioning, one that was in her mind undoubtedly connected.  “Why were a set of your new robes damaged?” she narrowed her golden eyes,”Almost like you were in a fight?”  she asked softly, her hands moving in ever shifting complex patterns as she wove a stronger protection onto their property.

Even under her suspicious gaze he refused to answer, it made her wonder if this was more out of pride than anything else, maybe he had burned the robes himself and didn't want to say…

No.  

Leon wouldn’t be that careless.

Had it been anyone else, and that might have been the answer, but she knew him, knew him too well to think that was the reason, that was not how he worked. Fine he might be able to hold out against one upset woman’s stare, but unfortunately for him she had behind her two other women that could glare along with her.

And hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.

Almost as if they were communicating telepathically both Krya and Fluffy entered the room, and they lay into Leon burning him with their gaze. It didn't take long for him to cave, just a little.  A small crack in his near impenetrable facade. “There might have been someone spying on us.”  he finally growled, caving to the three of them..  

“Spying?”  Krya asked.

“Yes, I found him high in a tree looking over the wall, observing.”

“And? What did he look like?”  Fluffy asked, this onslaught of questioning pleased Lira, the three of them were working together like a perfect organism, slicing right through Leon’s pride to get to the meat of the story.

“It was dark, and he was using some sort of concealment magic.”

“Did he look like an animal or was he more incorporeal?”  Frya asked, picking up the torch that had been handed to her.

“He was like smoke and shadow, and he moved like such.” Leon answered. “I was unable to get ahold of him, however it would seem as though flames can still burn shadows.”

Asherah laughed, it seemed like they were handling that situation well, hmm, perhaps she would have to stop in and say hi some time, it sounded like fun, like a lot of fun...