The plan was vague from the start, I can admit that much. We sort of ran into a mysterious foe, whom we sort of followed until we lost track of him, when we sort of got into a fight with a brute, and now...
"I sort of lost my entire party..." I admitted a tad bashfully to the shopkeeper.
"Uh huh." He nodded along unamusedly, "And so your first instict was to go back here for another round of clothes shopping?"
"I'm asking for advice!" I begged, "You sounded like you knew your stuff way more than we did, so surely you can tell me what to do next!"
"I see. Well, in that case, I can recommend you this..." He pulled out a pair of devilishly stylish boots, "Brand new. Heh, not like any of my wares aren't."
"Whoa, and what do they do!?" I gawked at the shape of them.
"You put 'em on." He explained.
"Uh huh?"
"And when you walk around or otherwise run somewhere..." He continued.
"Mhm...?"
"You'll feel more comfortable than walking in those sneakers you've got on currently!" He finished the presentation off with a cheer, "...What? What are you looking at?"
"Those are just normal boots!" I yelled.
"Normal boots?" He gave a wry smirk before brushing it off, "Well yeah, I don't know what you expected."
"Dude, I expected they'd give me like flight or superspeed!" I rolled my Eyes, "Y'know, something to help me traverse the streets faster? I'm kind of rushing to chase after my friends!"
"Doesn't look that way to me." He crossed his arms after spotting me peeking guiltily at the cloaks on display, "Look, those bystanders gave you the best advice they could. If you want something done, you go to the Gods for help. That's how I got this job, actually."
"Does it pay well?" I tilted my head with a raised Eyebrow.
"You tell me." He sighed, "How much did those clothes set you back?"
"They were free?"
"Exactly." He halfheartedly tossed the boots in front of me before shooing me away, "Now go on, you're holding up the line. Go, save your friends or whatever."
"O-Oh, yeah..." I glanced behind at the large line that formed behind me, "Thanks for the boots!"
"Come back anytime. You're my favorite customer!"
"Really?" I smiled back excitedly.
"Hell no. None of you are." He revealed to the crowd as well, "I don't get paid."
Poor guy, so is he just stuck in that shop of his forever then? No, but he said he asked the Gods for the job, so surely he can opt out whenever he wants to. And if he can't, I guess I can try asking him if he needs help getting freed... After I save these two first. Sab, it feels kind of wrong to be actively going in the opposite direction of where he was taken to, but that can't be helped. Once I explain the situation to the Gods, they'll surely get things done quicker than I would alone.
"Excuse me, which way to the Gods' Abode?" I asked a bystander.
"Mn." He pointed to yonder with his chin.
Around 2-3 blocks later, and still no dice. So I asked again.
"Where do the Gods reside?" I asked a woman.
"Just keep going forward and you'll see it." She smiled back.
"Okay, thank you."
Four more blocks, and yet I still couldn't see anything that stuck out. Now I'm expecting like a palace of sorts, or even just something that looks more grandiose than the other houses around, but nope, still nothing. So, upon walking some more, I found myself in front of two large doors. They were huge, I mean, 15 meters high at the least! The Gods said everyone gets a yard with their dream house each, so I can't help but feel happy for the person living inside. I knocked on the doors, and two large, non-White colored floating men came out.
"You again..." The lanky one muttered under his breath.
"Hey, I got a question." I shouted with all my might in case my standard voice couldn't reach them.
"Ugh..." He let out a long sigh as his muscular friend comforted him.
"Selz, it's okay. This is just the price we have to pay for timeloops."
"Guys?" I shouted.
"Yes, miss." The friendly, muscular one smiled down at me, "Ask awa-"
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"Which way to the Gods' Abode?" I asked.
"...Pfft." The lanky one couldn't hold back his mocking laughter.
"Ack, Selzion!" The muscular one nudged him, "You're being rude!"
"Oh come on, this is hilarious!" His friend replied through tears, "Prylos, I knew she was dumb from before, but this just takes the cake! Surely you agree?"
Eh? Selzion, Prylos, as in...? The God of Knowledge and Meditation respectively!? Wait, so this is how they looked like all this time!? I knew their appearance was different than the others, but I just thought this was another case of seraphim powers or whatever! Like, gigantism or something. Ah, I was walking for so long I didn't even notice I was at the finish line already! No wonder there were no other people around me.
"So wait..." I looked up at them confused, "You guys really live in such a random spot?"
"...Come again?" They paused their laughter.
"This is the Gods' Abode, right? I got the right address, no?" I looked at the house again, "Kind of underwhelming. No offense of course, but for something that's literally praised as the House the Gods reside in, I expected more."
"Your expectations don't matter, Migu." Selzion groaned.
"Didn't even get my name right. My name's Magnes." I smirked smugly, "And you call yourself the all-knowing God of Knowledge..."
"I'm gonna do it!" Selzion had to be held back by his friend as he threatened me with a Book and quill, "I'll erase her from Heaven 2.0, don't try and stop me Pry!"
"Calm down, meditate! Meditate!" Prylos begged him to stop, "Breathe! Count to ten infinite! No, make that a hundred infinite! Selz-!"
Heh, these two are funny.
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***
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"Mig-" Prylos corrected himself, "...Magnes, we would like to formally extend our apologies to you for witnessing our little outburst."
"It's all good. As long as you help me with my request." I smiled back innocently enough.
"Ugh, she's incessant." Selzion rolled his Eyes, whispering not so savory things not so behind my back.
"Ahem! W-What makes you think we are able to do that, Magnes?" Prylos still tried desperate to stave away the awkwardness.
"I heard you guys are the go-to fixer-uppers for any and all problems one might have in Heaven." I shrugged, "Was I wrong? Am I a bother?"
"Ye-"
"No, Heaven's no!" Prylos shut his friend up, "Of course not, no one in Heaven 2.0 is a bother! Ha-ha, now... What exactly is ailing you, Magnes?"
These guys also seem to know me from before. Or maybe they're just confusing me with some brat named Migu. It wouldn't surprise me, honestly—We all look the same, dammit. Ah, but this little interaction did teach me to stay away from the lanky and moody Selzion whenever I need help. Thank goodness Meditation God was here to save the day, otherwise I'd have been kicked out ages ago.
"I'm here to report a kidnapping." I explained.
"Wait, huh?" They seemed surprised to hear it, "N-Not...? Ahem, not anything else?"
"Well, there is one other thing." I recalled, "Also a missing person's report."
"Oh my Us..." One facepalmed, the other breathed a sigh of relief, "Well then, we can manage that just fine!"
"Really!?" I jumped for joy, "Great, then..."
"It's S.B and L.G. isn't it?" Selzion asked with a confident smirk.
"E-Ey, don't go making things complicated again!" Prylos warned.
"How...?" I stepped back with Eyebrows pointed up, "How did you know that...?"
These guys, much like the winged angel, they've definitely met me before. We might have even talked, from what it seems, but I can't remember anything about either of them no matter how hard I try. I was beginning to suspect something like this was the case, but their knowledge of Sab and GaLi proved it. If... If they keep quiet for even a second more, I'm gonna have to run away.
"......." Selzion suddenly burst into laughter "Bahahahaha!"
"E-Eh?" I jolted, but thankfully stood my ground long enough for him to give his explanation.
"Seriously? Look who you're talking to, dammit!" Selzion pointed to himself in between wheezes, "God of Knowledge, of course I know everything!"
"Oh..." I felt a bit dumb for that one.
"R-Right." Prylos too seemed relieved before composing himself again, "Well, we know who they are, and we can certainly get them back to their homes by tomorrow morning."
"Wait." I realized, "You guys are Gods, right?"
"The creators of this world and the next, yes." They confirmed.
"You can create worlds, and Selzion at the very least knows everything, according to your words." I continued pacing about in front of them.
"I really don't see why you're so suspicious about this." Prylos shrugged, "I mean yeah, good on you for being wary, but like, nothing to be afraid of with us."
"Alright then, prove it." I dared them, "Prove to me you are to be trusted."
"Ugh, we really ought to install a gate to our yard..." Selzion whispered to his friend, "Alright then, what can we do to convince the lowly angel to trust us literal Gods?"
"What are S.B's and L.G's names?" I asked.
"Heavenly Beings can only know their initials." He tried dodging the question.
"Stop beating around the bush. You're the all-knowing God, right? You know what I'm talking about." I glared at him heavily, "What are the names they chose to go by?"
They messed up my name, but I could honestly believe it if they just genuinely got me mixed up with someone else. That being the case, they claimed they knew everyone, and they got the right initials, so this is my way of having them prove something for me. It'll sound strange if I suggest it myself, but if they answer wrong, then I know it's the truth.
"...Ah, of course. You lot have decided upon extending those initials into full names for greater ease." He nodded, "Then, I can answer that. Sab and GaLi, was it?"
"A-Ah?" I felt my Eyes pop out of my head as I glanced up at his face, "Y-Yeah..."
"Then, could you please leave me and Selz be so we can go save your friends?" Prylos asked nicely, "We would like to chat, but since you asked us to and all, well... You get it, right?"
"Y... Okay?" I was baffled, to say the least.
...He got it right? Wait, nonono, I wasn't expecting that at all. Wasn't I supposed to be trapped in a time loop or something? I woke up without any memories, people already knew me, the Gods despised me, they said they'd find these two by tomorrow (presumably when time would reset back to this morning)... Yeah, it all added up to mean I was in a time loop, so what gives? What the hell, I was sure I just cracked the craziest and most elaborate case known to man, but now I just look like a crazy person soliciting the Gods!
"S-Sorry for not trusting you..." I lowered my head down meekly.
"Hey, it's okay." They smiled warmly, "We're happy that such a smart and wary girl is with us in Heaven 2.0."
Since I was told to leave, after all, I barely had any other option but to do just that. With a queasy feeling of shame hung over my neck, I left their large yard feeling embarrassed as hell. They even let me go after I started acting all defiant and bratty, can such good people even exist? Ah, well, I guess they're not just any ordinary people, so to speak....
"Then, what now?" I looked around the street for anything else to do, "Guess I can always go clothes shopping again."