Lily’s eyes drifted over towards Finntello and it pulled on her heartstrings. He looked exhausted, the splattering of dried blood and streaks of dirt over him, he looked so tired. Though she didn’t remember the name Tazette, she did recall people leaving the cult, escaping. Or defecting as her parents had called it.

With a wince, she piped up. “My mother is dead, as far as we know.” She sighed out, lifting the tea up to her lips and taking a small sip. It felt pleasant going down. “Something I am glad for.” Lily peeked at Finn then looked back towards Alma.

“My father said that anyone who defected was to be sacrificed on the spot, Finn included.” She leaned back into the couch and let her gaze drift back over towards him. “They were only going to send me, but then they found you.” Lily’s eyebrows scrunched upwards. “I’m sorry they found you.” Her voice trembled ever so slightly. “If I hadn’t kicked up such a fuss about being sent there, then maybe I would have been sent sooner and you never would have been found.”

Callisto had sat down beside the corner of the couch and remained there, ears pricked and listening. Clearly, this cult of his had developed beyond belief since his departure. It seemed Lily’s parents were the heads, well her father was alone now. If he assumed correctly, Lily would be next if not for the whole wife thing.

–

Veles had let his eyes close when he heard Xevon beside the bed, he slid them open and glanced over towards him. Interesting. For a few seconds, he simply stared back up at him with little expression on his face. Then he leaned up on his elbows and moved a little more to the side, using one hand to gesture to the space beside him.

“Not at all.” He decided roughly, leaning himself back down onto the bed. On his back, he gazed up at the ceiling for a moment before he let his eyes close.

Lily’s whole face crinkled at the mention of making more Veles spawn, it made her want to retch at the mere idea of doing that with him. No doubt once she had provided him what he desires, she would have been killed and added to that lantern.

A short laugh came from her at his angel comment before she caught Alma’s reaction and quickly corrected herself, drawing another long sip from her mug. She nodded her head quickly after Finn’s comment.

“They’re the only reason we got out of there, he needs help.” Lily pleaded lightly, not that she had to convince Alma much, Finn was obviously the main point she was focused on. She felt a small amount of relief as the conversation didn’t go on much longer. Instead, she relaxed her shoulders and looked over towards Finn with a soft smile.

For the first time in days, she felt safe in here. Even if Callisto was lurking nearby. “She’s right, you need to clean up.” Lily pulled a hand free from her mug and gestured to him. “You look a right state.” She teased gently, tilting her head to one side.

–

Veles felt his presence slip into position beside him, yet he didn’t open his eyes. It wasn’t really sleep that he participated in, more so a deep meditation. Something he was aware Xevon did not have the luxury of doing, no he was awake all hours of the day.

His lips parted in a small sigh before he began to clear his mind of the inane thoughts, coaxing himself into the blackness of his own mind.

Finn nearly shook his head. He didn't feel like cleaning up or resting or anything. He felt like jumping back into the fray. He didn't have time for this, he didn't know who else was going to be sent in next. "Alma--"

"Chico, don't you give me any fire," the woman gave him a raised eyebrow. The type of look that Finn knew full well what that meant. She had adapted well to another culture and she would weaponize it very well. Her ancestors' blood flowed strong through her and he knew it was only a moment of time before he was going to be avoiding a sandal hucked at Mach E.

Finn looked back at Lily for some help before she pointed out that he was a mess. A right mess. He pulled lightly at his shirt before sighing again and shaking his head. "I can't ... I can't fit into another shirt. I have wings, Alma."

"I have eyes, Chico," she responded, pouring another cup of tea. "I will fix you a shirt, just go clean up," the woman chided, watching him shuffle off down the hall. "Aye, that boy," she murmured under her breath and stepped toward the cat. "Callisto, eh? You'd best shift and take some tea and a few tamales or I'm tossing you out on your own. You take the hopsitality, you don't ask questions and we're all going to be fine," she set the cup down on the end table.

Alma finally sat down and pulled a basket over, digging through it to find another shirt. "This... mmh... it might be a bit big on you, m'ija," she frowned, shaking her head. "You are so thin--let me--I will make dinner first. You will eat."

Lily did in fact not offer any help, instead she gave him a small shrug and looked back towards Alma. It was her house, what she said goes. She took in another mouthful of tea, finding it rather calming.

Callisto’s ears pinned back against his head as Alma approached him, not from aggression but from uncertainty. His tail swept around his paws as he listened to her and as she turned back away he gave a soft huff from his nose. Raising himself back to normal, he stood there awkwardly and looked over at Lily who was glaring at him. He tensed his shoulders and looked back ahead of him quickly.

Lily diffused her anger and looked back to Alma and offered a smile. “Thank you, anything is better than these rags.” She cocked her head to one side and then looked down at herself, she didn’t think she was that skinny, was she? Lily was frowning down at herself for a good few second before she startled again.

“A-Ah, yes please. Neither of us have eaten or slept properly for days.” Lily was outright ignoring Callisto as he hesitantly sat down on the couch, looking a little out of place in his vintage suit. His eyes were avoiding both of the women, his hands tucked in close to his torso in order to keep out of their way.

At the weight of Callisto sitting beside her, Lily’s eye twitched ever so slightly, her smile joining in the tiny dip of genuine friendliness. Instead, she wanted to move on in conversation from the annoying git beside her.

“You knew Finn since he was a child? Was he just as, well, exuberant as he is now?” Lily drank down the remains of her tea and kept it clutched in both her palms as she peered over at Alma curiously. She had clearly been near Finntello when she was a child too, but she didn’t remember him at all. He must have simply been another child forced into attending those ceremonies in her head back then, she never did pay much attention to the other kids that attended. She wasn’t even sent to normal school, her mother had homeschooled her.

At first they hired a homeschool teacher, but Lily had said ‘strange’ things to her and all of a sudden the teacher had mysteriously vanished. Lily could take a good guess at where her soul resided now.

"Horrifically so," Alma confirmed with a brief chuckle, "if not worse. That child--good heavens, it was hard enough to keep him somewhat still. Keeping him from getting injured? Ay, that was a dream. And it still hasn't come true," she gladly slipped into a leisurely gossip as she moved to the stove again. She pulled out a pan, dug through the freezer and removed a frozen meal. It was homemade, clearly, and put into a plastic sealed bag. It looked like a meat mixture of some sort as she set it in the pan.

"I imagine he gets most of his energy from his father. Tazette was never sitting still, always restless and always had to be doing something. Goodness, he was stubborn as a mule as well up to the end and Finn was just as stubborn. He'd get an idea in his head and he was not going to be swayed from it unless someone told him otherwise."

Alma turned briefly, watching the pair for a moment or two before chuckling softly. "I had to get him out of a tree once, if you could believe that. He had climbed all the way up and gotten stuck. I pulled out the ladder and boy oh boy was he redder than a beet by the time we came down," her shoulders shook in a warm chuckle. "I hope he hasn't been too much of a... hinderance to you and your journey?"

Her eyes softened, taking some of the meat, vegetables and a tortilla before handing one to each of them. "There is more on the stove, please, feel free to grab whenever you feel hungry," she urged as she sat down to dig through the basket yet again. She'd pull out a shirt, squint and hold it up to Lily before tutting and setting it aside. Finally, she settled on a pink T-shirt. "It will be a bit big on you but not too much."

Lily couldn’t help the small laugh that pulled from her throat as Alma began exposing Finn’s childhood to her. It sounded exactly like something she could imagine him doing, the second he was even vaguely embarrassed he was turning bright red.

“Not at all, quite the opposite actually.” She replied almost a little too quickly and she scrunched her nose briefly after realising. “He’s..he’s good under pressure.” She settled on that, preferring not to mention her frequent panic attacks at the hotel. Her eyes drifted to watch Alma as she began to move around the kitchen.

“He’s a good man.” Lily finished carefully, looking back down towards her own hands as they fiddled with her cup. She was only pulled away from her own head when Alma had arrived with a plate of food for them both. “Thank you.” She smile dup at her, leaning to place her cup down on the table before taking the plate.

Callisto barely looked up when he was handed his place, giving Alma a small glance before he nodded slowly. “Thank you.” Voice quiet, he looked down at the food and tilted his head. He hadn’t eaten in centuries. The taste of anything was a distant memory. He tentatively began to pick at the food and lifted some to his lips, once he had begun to chew a soft sound of pleasure came from him. Then he was hungrily chomping down on his serving whilst Lily was a little more demure in her consumption.

Lily peeked around the edge of the shirt as Alma held it up towards her, taking a pause in her chewing. “I’m sure it will fit fine, thank you Alma.” She hummed graciously, taking the offered shirt from her and placing it beside her. She didn’t want to dirty it with the muck that clung to her bare skin, likely some of Finn’s crusted blood dotted over her.

She took another bite and hummed appreciatively. “This is amazing.”

Alma shook her head lightly and sighed softly. "He definitely didn't get that from his father or me," she admitted, leaning back as she returned to folding laundry. "I tend to panic and Taz would get so worked up... he couldn't think straight. I don't know where he learned that from," her voice was slightly guilty.

"But I am glad to hear that he is good to you. It means that whoever his mother was... she was much better than we were," she murmured softly, setting the shirts in one pile and pants in another. Her brown eyes lifted, watching the pair with some vague emotions before pride drifted over her gaze.

"It should be amazing," she hummed warmly, "I make it from scratch. I learned it from my mentor. She taught me how to make it and eat it, but for simplicity sake, I won't bore you with that whole story and recipe right now. It can wait..."

Alma paused and turned her head, almost listening for something before turning back to Callisto and Lily. "However, I do have a question for you. Did they mention, at all, who his mother could be? I don't know, Taz never revealed that information and now I worry that ... perhaps it could be... important information. You see, if Veles... exists... then I worry who else could exist."

Lily nodded her head along with Alma’s voice before she piped back up.

“Well, whoever taught you did a good job of it.” She mused before taking another mouthful and savouring the taste. Perhaps it was simply that neither her nor Finn and Callisto had eaten in a long time that it tasted so good. But she didn’t think that was all of it, Alma was just a good cook.

Lily had finished her plate by the time that Alma’s expression had changed when she looked back towards them she felt a shift in the emotion of the room. Her spine straightened a little before her shoulders slumped back down and she gave a gentle shake of her head.

“They never said anything. Once ‘defectors’ were sent to Veles they weren’t spoken about again, it was blasphemy.” Lily sighed, meeting Alma’s gaze with a touch of curiosity as she pieced together what she was actually implying. “Who do you think his mother was?” She questioned cautiously, her words drawn out a little.

Now she knew why she had waited to listen for Finn, who Lily could hear perfectly well in the other room. So could Callisto for that matter.

Callisto narrowed his eyes as he listened to them, he had finished his plate long before Lily had. Veles wasn’t exactly the only god, there were more but the death incarnate was so stuck up that he refused to even think about them, let alone talk about them.

“Veles cut himself off from the others.” He suddenly spoke, turning his head to look back over at Alma. “If he has had any contact with them, I doubt it was a nice experience. I do not know of any other gods that debase themselves by walking the earth.” Then upon realising he was speaking, Callisto knitted his eyebrows together and looked back at his empty plate. Silencing himself, he stood up and walked towards the kitchen doing his best to ignore all the confusing technology and dished himself another serving.