Sasha was already several pages in when her stomach rumbled for nourishment. And as much as she wanted to hurry to the ship, it was hard to resist the smells of Zery cuisine drifting through her nostrils. Thus the trio made a quick stop at a nearby restaurant to refuel, Sasha's mouth watering the minute she was seated. After months of space rations, it felt good to finally taste normal food again. She had no idea what a griffid or a calamari was, but they both melted in her mouth. So much so she had to take a few back to the ship with her.

"If you think those are good," Mr. Xan said as they were boarding, "you should try a little human dish called sushi."

"What's that?" Sasha asked.

"Basically fish and rice."

She made a face. "That sounds gross."

The panda scoffed. "It's a Lioshan delicacy. For crap's sake Sasha. Remind me to blow your taste buds off later."

The exit hatch rose shut behind them, Mr. Erin heading to his room while she and the panda kept talking about food.

"Since when do you cook?" Sasha asked.

"Technically you don't cook sushi. But I learned from the best. I swear, one taste of Gradma Hua's sandfish rolls will have ya' crying out tears of joy."

Sasha gave a wry smile. She liked to believe she had pickier tastes than most, but she knew deep down she'd eat anything with fish. And the prospect of sandfish did pique her interest. Sure, mixing it with rice sounded doomed to failure, but if it meant tasting a new kind of seafood. One made by her liaison no less...

"Alright, I'll bite," she said. "You'll have to give me a taste test later."

The panda flashed a grin, the two having already made it back to the command deck.

The process of navigation was always simple. Mr. Xan would punch whatever coordinates he had into the ship's mainframe, and the ion core would do the rest, warping them across galaxies to their new location. His only job was to monitor gauges, tilting the ship every so often so it remained on course. A simple job, but one the panda refused to relinquish to anyone else. Sasha handed over Madame Dyre's card, their ship making the quick jump from Zery to warp space.

"I figure we'll probably drop in a few days early," Mr. Xan said, sitting back in his chair. "That'll give us some time to get our barring's. Figure out what the heck kinda game Elisia's playing."

"You don't trust her?" Sasha asked.

"Honestly, I don't trust anyone that claims to be a god. Far as I care, she's just a spirit with an ego trip."

"Maybe." The panther shrugged. "I guess I don't know her well enough to say."

"Which is kind of the problem, isn't it?"

To that, she had no way to argue.

When it came down to it, she didn't know much about the woman who made her weapon. Or any of the gods, for that matter. The whole Spirit vs. God Tool debate was an argument as old as dirt. Some of the kids on Shiny would swear on their lives they saw the gods in their dreams. She never did. Everything about them was always a giant question mark she tried not to dwell on. Even with her new title of graduate. But...

GT isn't like that, is it?

She looked down at the staff, her weapon still quiet though she could tell it was listening to them talk. It was always listening.

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"Hey, Mr. Xan," she asked.

"Hmm?"

She stroked the metal. "Have you ever met Elisia? Do you know what she's like?"

The panda laughed. "A pain in the tail, if you ask me."

"I'm serious."

He looked back at her, his smile falling when he saw her concerned frown. She sighed.

"Never mind," she said. "I'll just ask Mr. Erin."

The panda scratched his head. "Uh. Yeah. Probably for the best. That's a pretty loaded question, Panther."

He went back to manning the ship, watching the different gauges and adjusting as needed. Sasha shook her head, leaving the panda to work in peace while she made her way towards Mr. Erin's room. At least he was always willing to indulge her questions, no matter how stupid. She wrapped her knuckles on the door, sounds of tinkering halting.

"Hang on!"

It slid open, the weasel sitting at his workstation with a blowtorch and his open wand. He pulled off his safety goggles.

"Ah, Sasha. To what do I owe the pleasure?"

She smiled, wandering in and plopping down next to him. Mr. Erin always kept a chair out for her, which she was forever grateful for.

"I wanted to ask you about my goddess," Sasha said.

"Elisia?"

"Yeah." She brightened. "Like, who is she? Where does she come from? What's she do? What is she?"

"That's more than one question, Sasha."

"Then pick one."

The weasel tapped his chin a moment. Sasha laid GT across her lap, making sure the weapon could hear what would undoubtedly be a particularly long history lesson. But one she for once was eager to hear. He finally shrugged.

"I guess I'll choose the two in the middle," Mr. Erin said. "The truth is, nobody knows where she or any of the other gods originate. If you're a person of faith, the creation myth isn't a bad theory. For the rest of us, it's a simple matter of causality. They were the earliest causers. Whether spirits or creators, they've been around long enough to see the universe grow. Elisia especially. I can't say for sure how old she is, but she's been the Goddess of Judgment long before even the AIC existed."

Sasha nodded. "So she's super ancient, then? Wait. You said she's the Goddess Judgement?"

"The Lady of the Scales, to be exact. That is her official title."

"Is she strong?"

"Beyond a shadow of a doubt."

The weasel reached over for his tea, Sasha holding out her hands expectingly. After trying it once, the drink had an almost addicting taste to it. She eagerly sipped at it as the weasel went on, his expression turning somber.

"They say she holds the power of life and death," he said. "Those she deems wicked are cursed to die on the spot. Meanwhile, everyone else gets welcomed with open arms."

Sasha recalled her initial meeting.

"Rabbit crap."

That brought his smile back.

"Yes. I would imagine if she had that kind of power, she wouldn't need a graduate." His gaze fell to her. "Frankly, I'm glad she chose you."

Sasha smiled. Even if she doubted the Goddess was as powerful as the rumors, it was a nice sentiment.

"Mr. Xan said she was a pain."

He chuckled. "I can relate. I've met her a handful of times. It isn't always pleasant."

She could only nod at that. Do you want to die? Who asked that kind of question to a girl bleeding out in the street? Even if it led to GT, it was hard to deny how flippant Elisia treated her. How she seemed so casual. Almost playful. She called her catty of all things.

"Are all the gods like her?"

"Oh, sweet whiskers, no! You oughta meet Pauline. She's the biggest saint in the universe. Or Apoli. He'd give a man the shirt off his back if pressed."

She giggled. Though a strange image, it did give her a bit of relief. Sure she'd gotten the misfortune of being tied to a jerk of a goddess, but at least her friends would have gotten better. Assuming they didn't also get gods like her. She shivered at the thought.

"Maybe after we get Iris you can introduce me," Sasha said. "A nice god-finding trip."

"The gods tend to come and go as they please, but we can certainly try. Just be sure to be on your best behavior when we meet them."

"You kidding?" Sasha rested her chin on folded hands. "I'm an angel, Mr. Erin."

The weasel tried to stifle his smile.

"You are one of a kind, Sasha," he said. "That I cannot deny."

She grinned, taking that as confirmation.