Dear Diary,

"Don't escalate to murder,

But clear, present danger to,

Agency justifies it."

Doctrine of Tabitha, Book of Justified Homicide

Yeah, sometimes I really wanna smack future me for picking this particular format. I mean, I get it, maybe, I think. Give people something they can hum, can sing, can turn into hymns, and they'll remember it a lot better than just dry prose. Keep it short and they'll remember it better than longwinded discussions about shit too. I even get how she decided to avoid too many 'do this, don't do that' things, because that shit ages like fine milk.

So that leaves me with nine verses, twenty seven lines, one hundred eighty nine syllables to explain when it's okay to merk somebody. Oh, I could take the easy way out and just make a list, but that runs into the whole moralizing problem. If somethings on the list and shouldn't be, somebody gets away with murder. If something's not on the list and should be, somebody else gets away with shit that should have by rights put them in a pine box. So I gotta abstract that shit. I mean, with Agency being such a big thing in the earlier verses, I can lean on that a little. Because the shit that I can think of that justifies homicide all comes down to taking Agency away from somebody in a serious way. Rape. Slavery. Murder. All the things that steal away chunks of somebody's very limited Time.

Oh. Oh, fuck. Maybe that's another reason I'm so down on, y'know, me going off on somebody like that. Or anybody like me. A God or Goddess. Because with very few exceptions, it's not possible to take all our Time away. Fuck, it's hard to even take a meaningful amount of it away. So yeah, on top of the whole thing where I've apparently got mad melee skills and secret tentacles that can yeet hundred ton monoliths like shuriken, so maybe I can afford to not escalate to murder as option number one, there's also the fact that if I get my ass kicked so bad that I lose a week or three, it's not, like, even a meaningful portion of my lifespan. Same goes for any other Deities out there.

So yesterday afternoon was fun, but did bring up some real weird shit that had me sorta pensive through our end of day routine. Which, since Siobhan insisted on 'doing her duty', included a visit to the Bed's room, where I definitely spoiled everything by musing, "y'know, I always thought it was rude to think about somebody else while you were with somebody."

Saffron, as the only other person in the room with her mouth free, said, "I suppose it would be if you make it seem like your partner is a second choice."

"But how can you not?"

She just grinned at me, and suddenly surprise second Saffron got right up in my grill, smiling and saying, "simple. Choose both."

Then she took away my ability to ask stupid questions. Not complaining.

Dreamt of my lovely ladies feeding me again. New addition, though. Karen showed up. Not sure what she stuffed in the maw yet. Too busy nomming to look. Crunchy and sweet, like the Ice Pop, but spicy hot. Don't know what exactly, but I know I've had something like it before. Wasn't half bad, although definitely in the dessert realm like Siobhan. Didn't slow down the nom one bit, though.

Woke up and went through the normal morning routine. When Anna went through the bath, she asked, politely but clearly, "pardon, Imperator, but have you any idea when we'll be able to join you on the Homestead?"

Saffron paused a moment before replying, her hands still working suds into Anna's hair. "I had intended today, but something came up to delay us yesterday. Tell everyone to be ready to go tomorrow after breakfast." Then she paused again. "Unless you think the ladies would rather start with a half day? We could bring you all over after lunch."

That seemed to blow Anna's mind. She froze completely, utterly still while Saffron kept scrubbing, eventually whispering after Saffron dumped a kettle of water over her. "Are... are you actually asking me, Imperator?"

Saffron smiled at that. "I should have you call me Saffron when we're here in the bath, I think."

"As you will, Imperator." Saffron just stared at her. "Ah. Saffron. As you will, Mistress Saffron."

My tiny tyrant laughed. "Just Saffron, while we're all here in private. I am Imperator Aetos-Diaz. I am Archmage Aetos-Diaz. I am Hero Aetos-Diaz. But none of those make me infallible, and you spend the bulk of your time every day socializing and, to the extent you can all find productive uses for time, working with the ladies. I would be arrogantly stupid to assume I know more of their preferences and desires than you."

Anna frowned thoughtfully. "Archons and Kings seem to think they're infallible."

Saffron chuckled. "So it's for the best that our Tabitha named me Imperator, isn't it?"

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

I did what?

"She did?"

Saffron just nodded, meeting my eyes as she gave Anna a little boost toward me. When I finished drying Anna's hair, while Saffron showed herself to be fully capable of fending off Devorah's flirtatious bathtub incompetence, my Kitten explained. "After the Battle of the Walls, when the men of power were set to sign yet another in a long line of treaties guaranteed to start another war in a generation, Champion Diaz, then just Freshman Cadet Diaz, already acknowledged as the most powerful military force in Atlantis, suggested a better way. A compact between our four Cities, one where each City stood equal to the others, back to back against all who would threaten any of us. Then she turned down every position of power, giving one to her greatest rivals' father, another to her worst enemy's sister, a third to a waitress, a fourth to a homeless refugee, and then," she paused, and the look she gave me left me breathless. "Gave the final authority to me."

"Hey, I'd suck as Imperator. All I can do is wreck shit."

Saffron just turned up the wattage on that look, and it surprised me that so little of it was, y'know, sex. Just... I dunno. A clear desire to grab me and cling to me forever. "Says the woman who came up with the idea for our pontoon bridges, for the Smite spell, the corn that kept the Alliance fed through a famine, and even the Alliance itself."

"Pfft. Pontoon bridges my idea? Nah, couldn't be. I don't even know the Smite spell, don't know how that could be me, and the corn... that's just me eating shit, that's not 'creative'."

By now she was chuckling as she shoved Devorah at me and started in on a smirking Siobhan. "And the Alliance?"

I contained Devorah by capturing her hands in the towel and then using it to dry her off. "Oh, that's easy. Power makes you horny. Totally just a way to keep you ready to go any time I'm in the mood."

She snorted. "Like you're ever not."

"Exactly."

That got Devorah trying to laugh while she pouted. I kept spinning her and nudging her just a little off balance while I dried her until I got her to the point I could boost her toward Marie. No idea if our Maenad intimidated her, or she wasn't into tall chicks, or if, I dunno, Marie was just really, really good with subtle finger work and Devorah had some hitherto undisclosed ability to not project her intentions and activities to three counties.

Breakfast we got scrambled eggs mixed with peppers, onions, and some kind of sriracha. Holy fuck, those were good. I think I polished off like two whole serving trays all by myself. I was a little worried folks would be upset with me nomming all that, but the only comment was from Bonnie, who said, "I'm glad our Ladies managed to get the recipe right!"

Spent the morning making more big stone slabs and stacking them up. Right after we stopped for lunch, as Marie set out a nice spread for all four of us, because Siobhan had tagged along today, Karen showed up.

"Goddess."

"Hey Karen. You can call me Tabitha, y'know?"

She smiled, shaking her head just the tiniest bit. "Not as a greeting, Tabitha. I'd... Permit me to greet you as seems fitting to me?"

I shrugged. "Hey, your mouth. Use it as you will."

I nearly spit out the big bite of sandwich I'd taken when she smirked and said, "I told you, I'm looking for Mister Right. But if you keep teasing like that, you might wind up Miss Right Now."

Saffron interrupted. "Highest Priestess Smith, you came to report?"

Karen blushed a little. "I'm sorry. Did... did I overstep?"

I'm glad I've never played poker with Saffron. If I'm wearing my Holy Garb, I'd be naked in three hands. Her face carefully blank, she said, "of course not, Karen. But you cannot give a proper report with your mouth full."

Siobhan, lying on her side and blushing furiously as she drank some more of Marie's liver bisque, thought, but she really could though.

That got Saffron, whose poker face broke as she snorted out a laugh, and Karen blushed furiously, her freckles standing out like stars as she said, "Well. We've reached the headwaters of the James, we should be within sight of Rich Mans' Port in another two days."

I thought of something. "Who's managing the Temple construction now?"

She nodded. "Oh. Me, of course." I must have frowned just a little, because she said, "it's not like I have a lot to do aboard ship, so I find a visible place to sit or stand, then Co-Locate to the Temple to oversee construction. The foundation is complete, and the lower rooms have finished construction. We've decided to hold off on furnishings and decorations until construction is complete. Construction is currently focused on the Sanctuary, although we only started yesterday, so while I can't give a definite completion date, if things move as they have for the rest, I suspect we'll be ready to begin construction of the upper rooms within two weeks."

"Damn. Seems pretty fast?"

She nodded. "We've received a great deal of assistance from the other Temples, not to mention an outpouring of support from the citizens of Phileo and the Yards. Even if most of those from the Yards aren't skilled construction workers."

I frowned at that, thinking about how many people assumed anybody from my old Camden had to be unskilled, until Saffron cut in. "The skilled construction workers in Camden Yards are working almost exclusively on their new City Hall and Academy."

"Oh. Right. Guess that takes precedence for them."

"Indeed." Then my Kitten looked at Karen and said, "so Karen, will you be staying for lunch? I'm sure Tabitha would love to see your mouth in action."

I'm really not sure whether it's more dangerous to piss Saffron off, turn her on, or just amuse her. I mean, I'm pretty sure I do all three on a regular basis, because I'm an idiot, but luckily for the goddess who needs instructions on the heel to pour piss out of her boots, my High Priestess is smarter than that. She blurted out something about needing to oversee construction, then disappeared.

We did wind up bringing the rest of the crew in for the afternoon. Turns out the Maenads, working together, can move one of those big slabs. It's up in the range where they definitely need a clear path and all of them to do it, but they can. I'm pretty sure Saffron chose the slab sizes specifically for that, but I'm not gonna say anything. I can, in fact, keep my mouth shut on occasion.

Really I can.

Why is everybody laughing?