Bloom

32: The Harsh Words Will Go Away

With a courteous grin, Pepper served tea after tea. A few thank you's, a couple "may I have a spoon?" which made them zip back into the kitchen to retrieve them. One tea left on the platter. They strolled up to the guest with ginger tea. The deity nodded at them while they set it down.

"Thank you so much, dear."

"You're very welcome, Madame Flora."

Eyes continued searching for any sign of a shorter, orange-haired deity. For a second they thought they saw him, but it was just another goddess. Eventually they caught Stellalume seated at the fourth table, busy chatting with other deities. Strangely to them, Dante wasn't around. Even the space where the younger deities interact turned up empty. They looked around some more. Where could he be?

"Pepper?"

Their name was called. It was their mother's voice. They looked at Mortelline, who was proudly showing two other deities her wine collection. She motioned for them to walk over. The deities seemed familiar to Pepper. As they stepped closer, one of them waved.

"This is your descendant, right Mortelline?" One of them asked, then held out a hand. "Pleasure to meet you, sweetie. I'm Ethereal and this is my partner, Everlast."

Pepper's eyes widened. They couldn't believe it, the one and only duo Ethereal and Everlast, death deities that reside in the nature realm. They recalled watching them overpower even the greatest of monsters that attempted to cause great calamity with one single slash of a scythe. Their inner fan jitter was ready to burst, but they tried to keep their composure.

"Nice to meet you, too." They shook their hand and smiled.

Everlast let out a chuckle. "You seem to be a much younger deity."

"Oh pish posh, Everlast," Mortelline snorted. "We deities do not ponder much on age."

"No, I do not mean it like that," they waved a hand in the air.

Pepper looked between the two. Both of them are taller than Mortelline, who is already a tall goddess. The intimidating tone of Everlast made their smile falter a bit. Everlast's eyes stared down at Pepper before looking back at Mortelline.

"Are you sure your child is up for being the next death deity, though?" The deity said while chuckling. "They look about as weak as a twig."

Like a stake struck through their heart, Pepper felt their self-esteem shatter. Ethereal glared at Everlast while giving their shoulder a shake.

"Ever," they said with disappointment in their tone.

They raised an eyebrow. "What? I am only speaking the truth, am I not?" They said while resting a hand on their hip. "When I am saying you are young, I mean that your stature appears too weak for combat."

"I..." Pepper's voice grew quiet.

"Do not speak ill of my child's skills," Mortelline's bright red smile dropped.

Pepper glanced at Mortelline with shock.

"They will live up to Death's expectations and more. I am certain of it."

"It is merely a small criticism," Everlast turned to Mortelline. "Anyhow, the wine you showed earlier was quite delectable."

A brief shared look with Mortelline told them she could not dismiss the conversation, so they went on their way. The words played over and over in their head as they walked: "They look about as weak as a twig.". Despite their attempted deflection with their mother's words, it stung them inside because that was someone they looked up to. As they returned back to Tulip, they figured they had to mask that sadness somehow. But upon seeing Tulip's face that sparkled with glee made all that sadness disappear, and remember that they had to report what they saw to them.

For those negative emotions, they try to keep them buried underneath those peppermint leaves. A piece of time that's part of the past.

Far, far away.