Passion From The Ones Above

1.2

Being a god wasn't all glitz and glamour. It meant having the lives of millions of people in your hands, having overly devoted followers ruining your reputation among mortals and even other gods, and for many of them, it meant a lifetime of loneliness.

Being a god was tiring and it showed during their meetings.

The most "perfect" beings in history sit around a large table and they all look weak. Some a little bit too thin from not eating properly, many scarred from battles of wars that had long ended but still fresh in their minds, and all with dark and heavy eye bags from who knows what.

Yet it seemed that being tired never stopped any of them from picking fights with one another.

"I just don't understand why some of us keep giving in to the most ungrateful beings in that damned realm."

A rather large wave of noise filled the room. It was a mix of a lot of things. Sighs, groans, the distinct sound of a facepalm, and a few sounds of agreement.

"Some of us should truly feel embarassed by how much they care about mortals! Look at Junghwa!"

Junghwa flared her nostrils and took a deep breath. "What about me?" It sounded like a calm response, but at the moment, Junghwa was anything but calm.

"You let that…that- that thing walk all over you and disrespect us all day! You're even wearing that stupid bracelet it bought you!"

Junghwa quickly removed the bracelet and hid it behind her back. "They are simply misunderstood and with gods like you stomping around, I too would stray away from my own faith."

The god rolled their eyes. "It's not just her, it's almost all of you! Soojin, we caught you sleeping around with some random mortal on the street! And don't give us that 'I was heartbroken' bullshit again. Have you considered what that looks like at this point?"

"It looks like a damn good time to me!"

Clearly not satisfied with the lack of embarrassment, the god continued.

"Minnie, you abandoned your duties to go meet with some random hospital patient! Medicine isn't even in your realm of influence, why were you even there?"

"Have you considered I was checking in on one of my favorite singers?" Minnie shrugged and sunk into her seat.

"And- Where is Jessi?"

Silence fell over the room.

Junghwa shrugged. "We were working on something before the meeting was called but she mentioned having to meet someone… so definitely not here!"

The god let out a defeated sigh and waved their hand in the air dismissively. "Of course Yuqi isn't here either… meeting adjourned. You all disgust me."

◇◇◇

"Awe come here baby, we're gonna find you a pretty collar today! Aren't you excited?" Soyeon scratched behind the kitten's ears.

The small kitten meowed before jumping out of Soyeon's lap and into Miyeon's, nuzzling the woman's chest as she purred in delight.

"Still haven't figured a name out for her?" Hyejin asked as Soyeon shrugged.

"Haven't gotten around to it. Any suggestions?" She asked as Shuhua raised her hand.

"Stray."

"No! Absolutely not." Soyeon said as the cat hissed at Shuhua. "See! Even she hates it!" She said as Shuhua rolled her eyes and took another long sip from the soju bottle she was holding.

"Ninja? I mean, she never seems to be around whenever we come round. Today seems to be a rare occasion." Yongsun pointed out as Soyeon looked down at the cat, who simply rolled over.

"Ninja it is then." Soyeon said as Miyeon began stroking the newly named Ninja as she smiled to herself.

"She reminds me of my own cat." Miyeon's tablet spoke as she continued stroking Ninja while the cat nibbled on her fingertips.

"Oh? You have a cat?" Soyeon asked as Ninja jumped from Miyeon's lap onto the newly repurposed altar, which had been converted into a makeshift cat playground, with dangling toys hanging from random fixtures and kick toys scattered at the foot of the altar and cushions on the top of it.

"Yeah. His name is Salmon."

"Salmon?"

"It's short for Salmonella."

A fit of laughter broke out along the others.

"Miyeon, that has got to be the stupidest name for a cat I have ever heard!" Shuhua smacked Miyeon on the back only earning her a sharp glare from the girl, causing her to quiet down quickly.

Miyeon pouted and tapped away at her tablet. "We literally just named a cat Ninja."

"Doesn't mean that's not a stupid name either." Yongsun reached out to pet small cat curled up in the bowl on the altar. "At least Ninja is a cute name, why name a cat after a sickness?"

Ninja pawed at Yongsun's hand before suddenly scratching her.

"See? Ninja doesn't think it's a stupid name!" The robotic voice said again. Miyeon's face seemed satisfied enough.

Hyejin raised one of their eyebrows. "Well, Ninja's name is Ninja so I don't think it's a good indicator of any kind."

Miyeon rolled her eyes and began typing again. "Don't you have some random lady at the beach to go swoon over? Worry about that."

"You're mistaken if you think they have any shame about that… 'arrangement' they have with her."

Hyejin cleared their throat and stood up. "I came here to play with your cat, not get bullied for my questionable romance choices. If that's all you guys are gonna do, I'm leaving!" They collected their jacket and headed towards the door.

"Ooh, guys I think they're gonna tell the beach lady again!"

◇◇◇

"Well, Ninja's cute. And that's what matters." Soyeon said as Ninja suddenly jumped out of the bowl and scampered into Soyeon's lap, suddenly meowing loudly.

"Ninja? What's wrong?" Soyeon asked as Ninja began to meow and hiss in the direction of the door. Just at that moment, there were three knocks on the door.

"Expecting anyone else?" Miyeon's tablet asked as Soyeon shrugged and moved to open the door while Ninja made a dash for Soyeon's bedroom.