Fated

Part VII

As it turns out, 'fun' was code for pampering, which I was in dire need of. After neglecting all forms of self-care since my arrival, I was more than happy to be introduced to the bathhouse that bordered Glory's temple.

Fed by a waterfall, the pools led into one another, varying in temperature like a hot spring. Lush vegetation canopied the entire area in curtains of willow-esque tendrils, letting streaks of colorful light shine through while alluding to privacy. My previous exposure to the gardens made the etherealness of it all less jarring and thankfully, allowed me a moment to truly relax.

Cleanliness went further than dermis as I soaked neck-deep in a liquid massage offered by a gentle current of heated spring water. Head resting back against the smooth stone, my eyes glazed in sleepiness as Glory continued a story that I had lost track of. She had started off with explaining her role in the grouping; and honestly I should have been able to guess that she was the current embodiment of Envy. With the effortlessness that she personified, her beauty was more akin to Emmy's than Narcissa's but at a much greater scale. I had picked up on an otherworldliness that all the Sins seemed to resonate that had me feeling more ordinary than ever.

But meeting Emmy had thrown me, for she didn't present herself as average or common. Did being mated to these demi-gods grant entitlement or did she always possess such confidence?

Would I too become so full of poise and command?

"You aren't even listening, are you?"

My attention snapped to Glory as she snapped her fingers in my direction pointedly. "Kailey?"

"I'm so sorry. I completely spaced out," I said in apology. "I think I'm beyond relaxed right now; it's causing my mind to wander."

"Well, just keep in mind: you aren't going to gain my kind of wisdom from anyone else here." She stretched her arms out across the rockwall behind her as her eyes closed, a small smile barely discernible in the dim glow.

"Speaking of wisdom," I started, "Can you explain to me more about what happens after all this? After this... after-life?" She poked an eye open as I stumbled over my words.

Giving me her full attention, she eyed me with scrutiny. "This isn't any sort of 'after' for us. This is it. One, super-long, lonely existence." She sat straighter, her lips turning in a sad smile. "We have each other until we have something better. And the wait can be maddening."

I chewed on that in silence until she continued. "'After' for us is a being allowed to be done, to sleep, to be able to say 'I've done enough, I can rest now.' If that completionist bliss isn't enough, then I'd say 'enjoy what you have, while you can.' Though we may forget sometimes, this existence is temporary."

***

Feeling like a new woman, I stood outside the oversized, carved doors to what I was slowly accepting to be my new home. I yanked on the familiar tasseled pull to the side of the entrance and made a strong conscious effort not to fidget with the lacey dress Glory had insisted I change into, rather than redress in worn attire.

I had been promised a wardrobe of my own, which apparently I should have been offered by now if Avaron had been as hospitable as his fellow Sins expected of him. I had shrugged off the detail as simply being overlooked in a time of transition. Though clothing options certainly would be appreciated, I honestly had no concept of how long I had been in Infernus and therefore wasn't dwelling on the missed opportunity.

In fact, there was a part of me afraid to give up my own clothes, sensing that in a way, the outfit had been a comfort. They had given me something to ground myself in reality when all else was still terribly foreign.