QUEEN.

This has to be the seventh time of the day she spotted someone mesmerised by her weapon. Yes, it is glowing. Yes, there is a sinister red aura around it. Is it really that special, though? Humans and their overwhelming curiosity of the unknown... Though, Ereshkigal knows that it is their nature to behave in such a manner, so she has been answering their every query — but it does get repetitive.

❝ What is it — something about my lance? Yes, it’s real. ❞

❝ How cute... ❞ 

So the surface has creatures like that too... Ereshkigal admits she doesn’t know much about living things — but one thing she’s sure about is that no such species have ever walked the lands of Mesopotamia, or she would have read up on them.

She must have been staring at the animal very intently — for she only snapped out of it when she notices an individual approach her. ❝ Huah?! ❞ Her cheeks momentarily flash pink, before she collects herself. Did she really just get mesmerised by an animal in front of someone?! That was so not underworld-goddess-y of her!

If not for the fact that she was wandering outdoor, Ereshkigal would have thought she walked right into a drinking bar. To think that one would reek of this much alcohol when it’s barely noontime..! Yes, she knows of one or two alcoholics, and wine is indeed favored in Mesopotamia, but this may be a tad bit too much, even for her. 

[tw car accidents, tw drowning mentions]

Sniffling slightly, Jonghyun kneaded at his head. He’d made the very big mistake of dwelling too long on the car accident and found himself with a headache that made him think his skull was about to split open. It had taken everything he had to not start screaming with the pain. Eventually it had abated, but not without making him completely miserable and close to tears.

Once again, he wished he’d drowned in that car with his friends.

“There is no more need to mope, mortal.”

Head jerking up at the sudden interruption to his melancholy, Jonghyun made a face that was somewhere between a scowl and a pout. Was this girl mocking him or something? But as he turned to face her properly, he say that her face held nothing but (a haughty) kindness and he automatically reached out to take hold of the sunflower before he too realized it wasn’t in the happiest of conditions.

“Ah….”

At once, the girl looked as depressed as he felt. Forcing a weak smile onto his face, Jonghyun gestured for her to take a seat beside him, tilting his head to get a proper look at her. He wasn’t so sure about this girl being a goddess, but he’d long since learned that nothing in this city was as it seemed.

“It’s alright. It’s the thought that counted. Not that I deserve your kindness, but… I do appreciate it. So, thank you.”

So saying, Jonghyun cautiously reached out to lay a hand lightly on the girl’s shoulder.

“Don’t be sad, bad times will pass, after all.”

Not that he believed it for himself.

The stranger’s hand is surprisingly... Warm.

Uwah, so humans were this high in temperature... Contrary to the chilly depths of the underworld, life above the great below is indeed extremely different. Ereshkigal supposes she still has a lot to learn about them, but for now, she ought to do something about her exceptionally surprised expression.    

❝ Yes, you’re w...welc—— I mean..! Forgive my momentary lack of grace. I meant to say: be grateful. After all, it is only right for a reliable goddess to lend strength to those around her. ❞

She shakes her head. ❝ I don’t think this will ever change for me, though. It has been the same since I first drew breath. In a way, it’s fate... I suppose. ❞ Not that it was a bad thing, per say. Thousands of years have passed since she wholeheartedly accepted her role as a gloomy, terrible mother goddess — and this hasn’t, and will never change. What she feels about her role matters not.

❝ But you’re different. You’re human. As long as you live on the Earth’s surface, you have control of your own destiny and the eventual outcome of this. Unpleasant things happen, and that’s fine. What matters is the future. ❞

Ereshkigal assumes lances with otherwise intimidating red auras are not a norm in human society — how else can she explain the countless number of glances she has been receiving? She’d be lying if she said she wasn’t the least bothered by them, though; this is the most attention she has gotten in a while, but she still has to play it cool. 

Though she has to admit, she hasn’t seen anyone more stunned by her appearance ( or was it her presence? ) than the lass standing by the pavement. Ereshkigal had spotted the other by the corner of her eyes, but every time the goddess tried to make eye contact with her, she would look elsewhere. 

Ah, is this how humans react to the unknown? Almost curiously, Ereshkigal makes her way to the girl — here goes an attempt at interacting with mortals. ❝ Is something of the matter? If you wish to touch my lance, you just had to ask. I shall allow it this one time. ❞ 

This woman... To think that the scent of death would be this strong on a mortal — Ereshkigal had never seen someone like that before. Naturally, fear is not the first thing that comes to her mind, but in a way, familiarity. She is, after all, the governor of the underworld. Death is but a part of her daily routine, and it is what makes her feel at home.  

Now that she met someone who — in a certain way — appears to be so close to the notion of demise, she wonders if any of the spirits under her care had their lives, or to be more specific, their final moments, intertwined with the lady here. ❝ Death... What a mysterious thing it must be, for the humans who linger above the deep below. ❞

A small, solemn smile creeps on her features. ❝ They know it is their inevitable fate, yet the very notion of it still strikes their heart with terror. Yet, no matter how much they try, it is something they cannot escape from — it is their true, final destination. ❞

Interacting with the spirits of the underworld was one thing; communicating with the living was another. Despite the jarring difference between the two, Ereshkigal could not conceal her naturally caring disposition — the human next to her appeared to be so melancholic that she could not just sit by and watch.

Reaching into her pocket, she pulls out a sunflower — one that she got as a housewarming gift. She knew little to nothing about humans, but surely, this would make him feel better? With pride, she sticks her hand out in his direction, the flower clasped tightly. ❝ There is no more need to mope, mortal. Bad days shall pass, but for now, the Goddess Ereshkigal bestows upon you... ❞

A wilting sunflower?!

Upon the sudden realisation, she lets out an audible gasp, a soft tint of pink coloring her otherwise pale features. This is, indeed, a complete shift from how her otherwise regal aura earlier. ❝ S—Sorry about that. ❞

Somehow, being in a place outside of the underworld made Ereshkigal forget — everything she touches can, and will return to dust. It seems like this still rings true, even in this city far away from Mesopotamia; she could never walk out of her role as the death goddess. ❝ Y—You looked upset, so I wanted to give you this, but... ❞ Her voice trails off. 

ahh hello! i’m olivia ( catch me on twit! ) back in koi with my ( not-actually ) gloomy goddess of the underworld. eresh may come off as your usual goth, but there’s a lot more to her and i hope you will come to love her as much as i do.