SekSy

Gods his family was so cool. He laughed at Sekhmet’s bravado. If ever there was anyone justified to be that confident it was her. Throwing punches at her felt like he was fighting gravity itself and in truth he was. Her movements were fluid and so fast he almost couldn’t see them. Thank gods for that superior vision. Among the other things his father had given him his sight was one of the ones he was most grateful for.

The hit was probably only a tenth or so of her power but boy did it still hurt. He hissed a bit as he stepped out of range and shook it off, bouncing and shifting his weight in preparation for whatever attack she sent at him next. In typical fashion he was not entirely focused on the fight and insisted upon asking questions of his Aunt. “So like, have you always been this good at fighting or did someone teach you? It’s hard to imagine someone being your Mr. Miyagi.”

As he recovered, Sekhmet took a step back. There was no point in abusing the boy. She was supposed to be teaching him, not bullying him. Still, Jinseok seemed to insist on coming at her while distracting himself with additional questions, so fending off each of his thrusts at her was practically child’s play. In fact, the goddess was so quick in dodging and deflecting that she was able to take a quick moment to adjust the boy’s stance, positioning, and form between hits. It would almost have been embarrassing if the eye of a normal passer-by was capable of perceiving the sheer speed of her movements.

Eunbi couldn’t believe her luck. (And surely this was luck, because it was not like she had good karma and this was the universe giving back to her or something ridiculous like that.) Maybe being a barista wasn’t so bad, if it allowed her to meet people like Sekhmet. Sh still had no idea why the goddess was being so generous, and she did not understand it, but she was beyond questioning it.

“I could… use some clothes.” She had been trying to live minimally, trying to stick to her story of having to start all over with nothing and build herself back up slowly– but she really missed having nice things. She was a materialistic, vain person and she missed having nice, designer clothes and jewelry and makeup. They were silly things, but they helped make her feel less empty, silly as that sentiment was. This was her chance to get some of that back. An excuse. If anyone questioned her new belongings, she could give them the honest answer: that Sekhmet had bought them for her. 

It was almost too convenient. She should have been suspicious, probably, but she wanted to believe the goddess when she said she had no ulterior motives.

“Here, maybe?” She suggested, reaching out to point to one of the high-end stores on the map, not far from where they stood. It was a store she had liked before, and it seemed to her that they also carried things that would fit her new style.

It was almost amusing for Sekhmet to watch this girl pretend to be timid. And she was definitely pretending, because Sekhmet could feel when fury and tumult were raging within a person, and Eunbi’s whole body sang of a genuine rebellion against the world around her. But Sekhmet was far too polite to point that out. Well, maybe not polite, but if Eunbi had her reasons for supressing her nature, it was none of Sekhmet’s business why she chose to do so. It wasn’t like it was hard to keep pretending to hold the power between them; she was the one holding the black card. And in modern society, as Sekhmet had learned long ago, whoever held the money usually held the power too.

The goddess hummed and nodded, stalking off to the store after Eunbi pointed it out. It was one she frequented herself, full of simply cut and probably overpriced clothes, but she wasn’t paying for the quality. One shops at those kinds of stores for the brand, the name, the bragging rights. For instance, Sekhmet never had to tell anyone when she was wearing Gucci. Gucci spoke for itself.

While they were there, Sekhmet decided she would shop around for things for herself as well. There was no reason not to do so, even if she wasn’t in the mood to be trying on clothes. She could always use more accessories, more shoes, more hand bags, more expensive little knickknacks. As usual, she was drawn over to the hair accessories, glancing over the various items and picturing how they would look in her tumbling beach blonde locks. The bracelets and earrings weren’t so bad either, but they were certainly coming out with strange styles for them lately.

“Hm… You strike me as a Slytherin. Slytherins are ambitious and cunning and strong leaders, and I get that kind of vibe from you. Do you think that fits you?” Felix asked, looking up at Sekhmet with a smile. Some people thought Slytherins were evil, but he didn’t think that anyone was truly evil, so therefore Slytherins couldn’t just be evil people. Maybe, kind of like Sekhmet, Slytherins were just kind of intimidating and people interpreted them as being evil. Which was totally unfair, so no wonder they could be a little grumpy. 

“Yep, Felix!” He clapped when she put on the hair cuff, a wide smile spreading across his face. “It really completes the look! I’m glad we could find it!” He chirped, rather pleased with himself. He would have felt bad if he couldn’t find it for her, and he had been a little scared to disappoint her, so he was glad that he had proved himself to be useful. After all, it would have been bad if he had failed, after telling her that Hufflepuffs are good finders. 

“Rewarded? Oh, I don’t need a reward! I’m just glad I could help~” He replied with a cheerful smile, waving his hands to dismiss the very thought. He never did anything nice to get a reward, after all; he just did it because it was the right thing to do and how he would want other people to treat him. It was his hope that if he lost something, his friends would be willing to help him without any incentive, too.

Despite having only known her rather briefly, Felix seemed to be right on the money with his psychoanalysis. And if she couldn’t be represented by a lion, well, a snake was a pretty damn good secondary. Sekhmet wasn’t sure if ambitious was really the right word for her though; she didn’t want power, she had power, and she was comfortable with her claim to it. Were ambitious people ever satisfied with what they already have? If so, then perhaps she counted as ambitious after all.

Not that it really mattered.

The boy’s enthusiasm was a strange but not unpleasant change of pace. If only more men were as docile as Felix then maybe Sekhmet wouldn’t have to play dirty so often. Or not. She did so love playing dirty. “I know. There was a reason I was searching for it so intently. I guess I’ll have to find a way to keep my things organized so I don’t lose them,” the goddess added with a sigh. She did so hate organizing. What was the point of tidying when you could pay, bribe, or blackmail people to do it for you? Besides, Sekhmet had much more important matters to attend to. Cleaning simply did not fit into her schedule.

@mpsekhmet

There wasn’t a soul out there that could beat Sekhmet at hand-to-hand combat. Maybe a different war god and maybe if she was running a little less than optimal at that moment, but generally speaking there simply wasn’t a being that could best her. She didn’t want to burst his bubble, but the only time Jinseok was going to land a hit on her was if she let him. Or if she got distracted. But it would take one hell of a shock to distract her from a fight.

The fist came at her as if in slow motion, and Sekhmet parried it with her arm hard enough to knock Jinseok slightly off balance, then jabbed her loosely closed fist into the boy’s side. It would wind him but not leave him on the ground with the breath knocked out of him like a punch from the front would have.

When Sek invited Val over to her place, she was beyond excited. She couldn’t help but admire the goddess, Sekhmet was the type of woman Valentina wanted to be. Strong, brave, resilient, beautiful, smart, kind and powerful. The demi-goddess had nothing but the utmost respect for her. To top it all off she was incredibly attracted to her - she couldn’t imagine who wouldn’t be. So with the promise of a gift, Valentina made it to Sek’s apartment.

She had made the comment off-handedly, blushing a bit along the column of her neck at the way Sekhmet was looking at her in her new ensemble. Valentina fell in love with the set as soon as Sekhmet laid it in her hands, and she was bursting with excitement as she changed into the gorgeous pieces. She felt absolutely stunning, more confident than she thought she ever could feel. The demi-goddess had already had one glass of champagne, she savored the bubbly drink as she changed but, downed the last of it before she came out.

Valentina gave Sekhmet a warm smile as she joined her on her bed, laying on her side and leaning on her arm for support. For a second the material of the lingerie moved in such a way to send a wave of goosebumps over her, tickling her just slightly. With a soft giggle, she readjusted and sent her gaze back to the goddess beside her. She ran one of her own hands along her hip and ribcage, enjoying the way the embroidery felt underneath her fingertips.

“It’s beautiful, thank you.” It came out a bit softer than she intended but, she was genuinely very thankful for the gift and wanted Sek to know it. She lifted her arm that she was leaning on to rest her head in her hand, adjuting to catch the goddess’ eye. “Temptations can be… hmm what’s the word… fleeting? Perhaps it is up to those that are tempted… to choose if they will give into them or not.”

Val reacted exactly the way Sekhmet had hoped she would, equal parts awed and that kind of bubbly that gratefulness always seemed to inspire in people. The world girlish came to mind, the way that Sekhmet could only be around a precious few people. And besides all that, the set looked absolutely gorgeous on her. It was every bit exactly what Sekhmet had imagined it would be on Val’s glorious body.

“Any time, baby girl. That’s what I’m here for!” Sekhmet replied, not inclined towards quiet or softness much herself. The alcohol only added to her mild rambunctiousness. As far as the goddess was concerned, this was now a pajama party or something. And a party with Sekhmet was never any kind of casual affair. Not in her sprawling penthouse flat with its luxurious furnishings, expensive beverages, and multitude of entertainment devices (of all kinds). The two of them could get up to quite literally anything without leaving the apartment. Hell, they could even order delivery. Very fancy delivery.

Her voice dipped low to match Val’s in tone. “I’ve never really seen anything wrong with fleeting. If you want something and there’s no harm in taking it, why not take it?” The answer was probably something along the lines of ‘Well, not everybody is a powerful immortal who is absolutely swimming in money’, but honestly, what did that matter? In the famous words of Ariana Grande, you see it, you like it, you want it, you got it. Nothing wrong much with that.

“Hey,  sweet thang”

“Yay, me”

“Oh, this is a DISASTER”   

“Whatcha doin?”

“Hey, we have something in common we both like staring at you”

“Stop making ‘name’ think you’re fabulous, I want  him to think *I’M* fabulous”

“Ew, loser. You can have him”

“ No I don’t know what the fat content is! Just stick it in the mustard, stick it in your mouth, and walk away!”

“When did you suddenly become so interested in school?”

“You said you wanted someone smart”

“That may be the most wonderful thing any boy… man has ever said to me”

“Sure, he is incompetent, you can barely understand a word he says, his best friend is a chicken… where was I?”

“Because compared to where I live, everyone has a ratty little place!”

“We can be BFFWLSAGSAL! ‘Best Friends Forever Who Love Spending and Go Shopping A Lot’ “

“Right. Jelly babies, cherry soda and cheese products in a can. All the ingredients of romance!”

“Pate - low fat, crackers - low sodium and chocolate cake - low nothing. Room freshener - forest pine.  All the ingredients of romance!”

“You have nothing to fear from a man who only seeks to adore you” 

“Oh, that is sweet. And if you try to go too far, I have a black belt in karate and can snap your arm like a twig”

“I’ll keep on making scary monster sounds when you’re sleeping” 

“that makeup you’re wearing makes you look all sad”

“Oh, no… now you’re probably going to tell me why and I’m gonna have to pretend to care..”

“The more you connect with them the less your stuff they’ll break”

“No running in my LOBBY”  

“Can you believe this guy? I guess you hate apple pie too, huh, fella? And puppies. And your own mama” 

“Well, the best part is I’ve got this clock and this wonderful wheelbarrow”

“Who you callin’ ugly Mr. Avacado-head?”

“Boy, humans are ugly”

“I just had a dream that taught me two things; No matter how small you are, if you’re fighting for something you believe in, you could win”

“Counting my armpit hair. One… done” 

“HOW DO YOU LOSE A WOMAN?”

“You forget to cherish her”

“You know, I wish you people would realize that I’m a thoughtful and intelligent person” 

“We’re gonna go lay down in front of the bulldozers”

“You mean… the prindle?”

“You’re making me nervous with all this… technical talk!”

“Oh! I’m sorry. Why don’t we just *relax* and turn on the *radio*? Would you like AHM OR FIM?”

“Oh, right! That makes sense.” Felix tended to avoid the dressing room areas of Minx because, well, undressed people, but he supposed that Valentina would have a dressing room. He nodded and followed Sekhmet to the room, smiling as he slipped inside and left the bag of goodies on her vanity. He was sure she would know that it was him who had left the treats, since they were wrapped up in a bag covered in cute cartoons. Surely none of her other friends were so childish, right? Not that it was a bad thing, obviously.

“A Hufflepuff! The Hogwarts house! From Harry Potter? Hufflepuffs are loyal and kind and good at finding things!” He explained patiently, his smile never wavering. It did not really surprise him that some of the gods were not caught up on more recent pop culture phenomena– although they also had a forever’s worth of time to spend consuming such media, so there was also that. The point was, he could forgive her for not being familiar with Hufflepuffs. Most people forgot about Hufflepuffs anyway.

“Okay! Let’s go!” He announced, following her into her dressing room and pausing by the door to take a look around. It was just as glamorous as he would have expected from a goddess like Sekhmet. “Over on the counter top?” He repeated, going over to inspect the counter that held the other hair cuffs. Well, he was glad that she had other ones; now he actually knew what a hair cuff was. That was a start. “Hm, let’s see…” He dropped to his knees to examine the floor below, squinting into every nook and cranny to see if he could spot anything like the cuff she had described.

He was sure that the goddess wouldn’t get on her hands and knees to crawl around and look for it (she seemed above that), and so that was a good place to start. “Oh!” He suddenly exclaimed, spotting something purple under a rack of costumes on the other side of the room. “Hold on…” He crawled over and reached for it, pulling it out and holding it up for her to inspect. “Is this it?” It had probably been knocked off the counter and had rolled across the room, he figured.

Closing the door after he left Val’s room, Sekhmet half-listened to the kid explain what Hufflepuffs were. Ah. Harry Potter. She had at least heard of that series before, since one could only go so long in this day and age without hearing about this or that pop culture phenomenon. Harry Potter, Game of Thrones, Breaking Bad, Sekhmet had heard of all these things before, but she hadn’t really seen much of them beyond merchandise that seemed to litter stores like Hot Topic. However, she wasn’t a frequent patron of Hot Topic.

“I...see. So which Hogwarts house do you think I would be in?” That seemed like a good way to distract the kid as he went about searching for the hair cuff. Apparently, distracting him didn’t seem to be at all necessary. The kid instantly threw himself into the search. Sekhmet could appreciate that at the very least; she liked a guy who could actually keep his word with no ulterior motives or intentions. The goddess’s cat-slit eyes flitted around as they followed the boy in his excavation of the room. It wasn’t terribly disorderly, simply filled with brightly colored decorations, clothing, accessories. It was a veritable wonderland of middle eastern design which ended up making the entire room look decidedly more cluttered than it actually was. It also contributed to the frequency of losing objects to the sinkhole of pillows that littered the floor.

On his hands and knees, the kid almost looked...cute. Like a little boy who was looking for a lost toy. The goddess had just begun to smile at the image when the kid made a noise, then another, then reached underneath a costume rack and then sat up. In his hand was the glittering purple hair cuff she had been searching for. A look of surprise crept up on her face; for some reason, she hadn’t actually expected the boy to find the cuff. The surprise faded into a soft smile as she stepped gracefully across the sea of pillows to retrieve the hair cuff from his hand.

“That’s exactly it. Thank you...Felix, was it?” She was pretty sure that had been the name on his ID. “I guess you were right. Hufflepuffs are good finders.” With that, the goddess lifted the cuff to her ponytail and clipped it around the hairband at the base of it. Now her look - sugar plum scary, or something - was complete and her performance could go on as planned. And no one would have to die. This time.

Eunbi ducked into the car and settled herself inside, watching the goddess with acute interest. She was incredibly interested in Sekhmet– after all, she had not met many people like her. It made her awfully curious. “Oh, yeah, sure…” She agreed, taking the phone and typing in her contact information. Next time, huh? If all went well, she certainly would not be opposed to a next time. And she did not think anything would go wrong. She was a good judge of character, and she could tell that the goddess was her kind of person.

“Hwang Eunbi. Nice to meet you, Sekhmet.” And for once, she meant it. This Sekhmet lady seemed really cool. At the very least, she would be a good distraction from the monotony and annoyance of work.

It almost sounded like the goddess collected sugar babies, although she decided not to voice that particular thought. If that was what she did, it was none of her business. “Good to know.” She replied evenly, although she had not been worried. If Sekhmet had tried to force her into something she was uncomfortable with, she would not have allowed it, anyway. Goddess or not, she was confident (perhaps foolishly) that she could handle herself in such a situation. She had always wanted to test out how succinylcholine would affect a deity. But she did not think she would be trying it out on this woman.

“Sounds good to me,” she replied, stepping out of the car behind Sekhmet. She paused, looking up at the woman expectantly. She did not want to be presumptuous, after all– not if Sekhmet was willing to spoil her. No, she had to be on her best behaviour. “Lead the way.”

“Eunbi,” Sekhmet murmured, testing the name out in her mouth. “Pleasure.”

When taken out of her work environment, Eunbi had turned out to be surprisingly complacent. No, not surprisingly. Most of the girls she took out shopping tended more toward timidity when Sekhmet was holding the black card. Perhaps it was one of those little mortal quirks, the inclination toward complacency when being treated. Respect and politeness were expected, certainly, but there was really no reason for these mortals to be so timid about being treated. Sekhmet did it purely for the fun of watching these women - usually ones who didn’t have enough money to truly indulge in all of the hedonistic desires of their heart - receive every item that caught their eye. It never failed to delight the immortal goddess.

As soon as they stepped inside, Sekhmet stalked toward the huge illuminated mall map. It was the biggest mall on the island, three entirely different floors stuffed to capacity with expensive boutiques and brand name shops, snacks, food, beverages, makeup, clothes, video games, electronics, Eunbi could literally treat herself to everything on her wishlist and then some. That would be the fun part for Sekhmet, after all. Maybe she would even pick up something for herself, if there was anything she found attractive.

They could get matching Tiffany’s bracelets if they wanted to.

“Self love is not as vile of a sin as self-negligence.”

“I would challenge you to a battle of wits, but I see you’re unarmed.”

“You won’t find love where it doesn’t exist and you can’t hide love when it does exist.”

“You only know who you are now, not what you’ll become.”

“True love never runs smoothly.”

“I’m unworthy to follow you.”

“Even villains smile.”

“I have a method to my madness.”

“What are you reading?”

“Something smells rotten.”

“Even devils have the power to assume a pleasing shape.”

“You can’t take anything from me if I’m willing to part with everything.”

“All you can take from me is my life.”

“I’m unworthy to be with you.”

“It’s one thing to be tempted and another to let yourself give in to that temptation.”

“A friend is someone who knows who you are, where you have been, accepts what you’ve become, and still allows you to grow.”

“Let her/him sleep. When she/he wakes up, she’ll/he’ll move mountains.”

“Before you do amazing things, sometimes you have to mess up a little.”

“Nothing is good or bad. It’s your thoughts that make them this way.”

“The earth has music for those who listen.”

“I wouldn’t want it to be anyone else but you.”

“I would give everything I had for a drink right now.”

“Be true to yourself.”

“When sorrows come, they come not as single spies, but in battalions.”

“The miserable have no other medicine, but hope.”

“Suspicion always haunts the guilty mind.”

“What’s done cannot be undone.”

“The meaning of life is to find your gift, but the purpose of life is to give it away.”

“When words fail, music speaks.”

“How do you like this play?”

“Should I live? Should I die?”

“Swear that you won’t say anything?”

“It’s better to be three hours too soon than a minute too late.”

“There is no darkness, but ignorance.”

“Love doesn’t look with the eyes. It looks with the mind.”

“Listen to all, but share with a few.”

“Laughing is worth the wrinkles.”

“But I pray.. why do I still get beaten?”

“It is not up to the stars to hold your destiny, but up to yourself.”

“Love all, trust a few, do wrong to none.”

“You better endure me speaking my mind if you can’t, then close your ears.”

“Doubting leads to destruction.”

“Our doubts are traitors.”

“I wish the stars would hide their light so no one can see the darkness inside me.”

“He/she’s eating me out of house and home!”

“What’s in a name?”

“Be who you are, not what the world wants you to become.”

“Expectation is the root of all heartache.”

“It’s easy for people to joke about scars if they’ve never been cut.”

“Scars remind us that the past is real.”

“Mortals are fools.”

“No more ladies/gentlemen. No more.”

“It was told by an idiot, full of sound and fury. It meant nothing.”

“Though [NAME] is little, she/he is fierce.”

“Are you sure we’re awake?”

“To me, you are the world.”

“Take the pain and be perfect.”

“What did I do to deserve this mockery?”

“Why do you have to flaunt my insufficiency?”

“I see you’re in love by the look in your eye.”

“I can’t play a woman! My beard’s growing in!”

“Get out of here, you dwarf!”