The next few days passed without event as Pallas focused on working as hard as she could at the inn. On her day off, she made a point of visiting Mayor Rusk. True to Lukas's advice, Walfrey was willing to discreetly loan out a few history books for Pallas to read, after she proved she was capable of doing so - by reading the titles off his bookshelves to him. For some reason, he seemed to panic when her eyes wandered down to a shelf of books down low behind his desk and he was very quick to press a few titles into her hands and send her on her way. Pallas smiled despite herself.

The books were very dryly written. Highly informational, but not entertaining in the slightest. It was mostly about the foundation and rise of the Kingdom of Erimere and the establishment of the Twin Churches of Tyonon and Listern. The Kingdom itself was formed when the first merchant-king, Beliaus, rose to power through careful trades, deals, and acquisitions. What started as an overgrown estate quickly grew into a flourishing port city with Beliaus at its head. In time, his son Ezekius was crowned as Beliaus abdicated the throne to focus on matters of finance over those of state. It wasn't until the reign of the third king, Cyrus, that the Church was formed. The text was sparse on the details of the deities, instead focusing on the integration of the Paladins of Tyonon into Erimere's military, supplanting the existing secular hierarchy. The Priesthood of Listern then presided over all matters of health and healing, officially replacing practicing doctors and healers when they didn't join the ranks of the Priesthood. It was very sudden and all-encompassing. Honestly, Pallas thought it was creepy.

After spending nearly a day sifting through these stuffy tomes, Pallas was dying for a distraction. After a brief glance out the window to confirm that it was raining and thus unfitting of an outdoor stroll, she sat down at the table with her mirror.

"Athena?" she asked hesitantly. She waited for a few moments, but there was no answer. Realizing what she had done wrong, she tried again. "Mother?"

Her reflection melted into a casual smiling version of herself whose hair was pulled back and curled. "Yes, my darling daughter?" the reflection replied with a touch of amusement.

Pallas blushed at both the teasing and the recognition of their relationship. It was a very odd position to be in, after all. It wasn't every day that one became the adopted child of an ancient deity. "I had a few questions, actually," Pallas began. "If it's not too much trouble, do you think we could have a chat?"

"Despite our world's predilection for warfare, it would seem to favor the counsel of my brother Ares over myself. Gives me more time to spend with my amazing child! What would you like to talk about?" Athena responded cheerily.

Leaning forward and propping her chin on the palm of one hand, Pallas tilted the mirror ever so slightly to make better eye contact. "So, what am I, exactly? I mean, you made me out of water, put my soul in, and breathed Divinity into me to give me life. So that's been making me wonder - am I human, or a demigod, or what? Like, what sort of things can I do? Do I have any specific abilities or powers?"

Athena laughed, a merry sound in the relative quiet that made Pallas smile. "So, there's going to be a bit of trial and error figuring that out," she said eagerly. "I didn't gift you any specific abilities or traits, just Divine energy. As a result, it's going to be up to you to grow that energy and learn to use it." From seemingly nowhere, Pallas's reflection-as-Athena procured a pair of glasses and put them on in homage to the brainy nerd trope. "You've already developed some enhanced speed and strength, which, by itself would make you a warrior among warriors if that's how you chose to go. However, you'll find that because your body was not directly made of clay or borne of man, your limitations will be a bit different than most people would in your situation."

"Made of clay?" Pallas asked, somewhat incredulously. "So you're saying evolution wasn't a thing?"

"Oh, not at all," Athena replied quickly. "Evolution is *definitely* a thing. Let's just say that we gods helped things along at certain points. Maybe making a *specific* man or woman here or there only to have a whole creation myth based upon it? I know each myth would have you believe that the man and woman created by *their* deity was the very first, but that's a bit of a misunderstanding. Mankind existed before we gods were fully-realized and sentient beings - little more than a collection of energy or a tulpa. However, the faith imbued upon us by our followers granted us with power that we could, in turn, use to create and change reality as we saw fit. Obviously, the greater our following or the greater the belief in our power, the stronger we could become."

Athena tapped her chin thoughtfully. "I just realized it was rather conceited of me to cast you in my own image," she muttered.

"So, how am I different, exactly? You made my body out of river water, correct?" Pallas was genuinely curious about this, as the vast majority of creation myths resulted from godly action upon clay or mud.

"Water is a very unusual material. It expands when frozen, boils when heated, can sublimate straight from ice into water vapor and create solutions with an astounding array of elements and compounds due to the fact that it is one of the world's strongest solvents. Pure water is an excellent insulator of electricity, but virtually no water is pure. As a result, those impurities are what allows water to become a surprisingly good conductor. And yet water's surface tension allows it to be firm as concrete when attacked with force and supple as silk when handled gently," Athena said, playing up the nerd angle even more by drawing a water molecule on a whiteboard that was only visible in the mirror.

Pallas unconsciously raised her hand to ask another question before realizing she was not in school and pulling her arm back down before Athena turned and saw it. Instead, she asked aloud, "That's all incredibly interesting, but what does it have to do with me?"

"Think about it, Pallas! Your are less prone to thermal regulation issues, because the heat capacity of water is more than twice the heat capacity of natural mineral and rock materials. You're not likely to sweat or shiver unless exposed to extremes most other humans couldn't handle. Based on how you choose to *conduct* yourself--" Athena paused here to laugh at her own joke, "--you could actually resist electricity or lightning-based attacks or redirect them by taking advantage of the impurities in your body! You're more likely to break down and reject simple poisons than to let them harm you. And best of all, the harder someone tries to hit you, the more likely the other person is to be hurt instead!"

Pallas blinked in confusion. "But... I'm flesh and blood, now. Right? Like, I need to eat and drink to stay alive, I have bones and structure, and..."

"It's a matter of perception," Athena interrupted. "Your concept of self is centered around your knowledge of a human body as a being of flesh and blood and so your body is configured in a simulacrum of human anatomy to remain familiar to you. Essentially, your consciousness defines your present self beyond the shape I've given you."

"So I'm a slime."

"What? No. You're a girl made of water," Athena replied, perhaps too quickly. "As long as you perceive yourself as such, you are capable of all the things a human can do, including reproduction if you are so inclined."

"Slimes reproduce asexually and can mimic the shape of other creatures," Pallas said meaningfully.

"Okay, yes, but you're not a slime! You're more like a Naiad with my Divinity!" Athena blustered in exasperation. "I know you consumed a lot of popular fiction in your world, but your focus on slimehood baffles even me!"

Pallas, chagrined, looked at Athena with a pout and said, "The story of a slime reincarnation was really interesting to me!"

"That's all well and good, but true slimes have no intelligence and lack a human spirit. Mortals cursed into non-human forms by the gods tend to lose their intelligence in proportion the degree of inhumanity," Athena said. "I've done some things in my time that I regret. I was too prideful and lashed out in anger." Her expression darkened for a moment before she changed the topic. "Suffice it to say, you are not a slime because I wouldn't be able to argue with you about the topic if you were."

"Sorry, Athena-err, Mother." Pallas's gaze was downcast and sullen.

"Pallas, αγαπούλα μου, there is nothing for which you need to apologize," Athena said soothingly. "I'm just trying to help you correct certain misconceptions you might have about yourself. Like the fact that, for all intents and purposes, you *are* a real girl. I scanned all of your memories to be sure before I gave you your new body. The last thing I wanted to do was exacerbate your gender dysphoria."

"I wish I could give you a hug," Pallas admitted. "You've gone above and beyond for me, and I still don't really understand why."

"At first, it was simply trying to make amends for the tragic way your life ended. But after seeing your life and your mind in full, I grew to love the person you were and it made me wish all the more to see the person you could become," Athena responded candidly.

"Last question," Pallas stated as she sat up and squared up her shoulders.

"Fire away."

"Will I ever be able to return to Earth and see the people I loved?" Pallas hadn't actually intended to bring up the question that was nagging at her mind, but in her growing loneliness, she felt like she had to know.

Athena took a deep breath, the costume glasses disappearing from her face as she folded her arms. "I honestly can't answer that, right now."

Pallas raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"There's a lot of factors that impact that outcome. The first of which is you. As things stand, I cannot move matter between worlds, only energy. I picked this world for you because there was a lot of ambient energy to work with so it would lessen the strain on me. I'm sorry I didn't have time to thoroughly research the, uh, religio-political situation in this world before I dropped you into it. But this world presented a fertile ground with which to, if you'll excuse the term, raise you to be strong and healthy." Athena paused a moment to collect her thoughts and choose her phrasing. "You are the key. Your soul is linked to your home world, so it's not impossible for you to find your way back. But that is largely dependent on your individual growth and cultivation of abilities. If it's something you genuinely desire, you'll need to focus on more than combat."

There were several long minutes of silence as Pallas considered this. Finally, she asked, "Where do I begin?"

Athena smiled encouragingly. "It will be difficult. You won't have the advantage of growing up among gods... or inside of one's skull. First you'll need to learn to touch the magic within you. Meditation exercises are an excellent place to start."

"The magic within me... You mean my Lun?" Pallas inquired, referencing what she had been taught by Sister Berna.

"Your what?" Athena replied quizzically.

"Lun -- you know, the female side of magic? Supportive, creative, and all that? The Second Priestess, Sister Berna was telling me about it," Pallas stated.

Athena threw up her arms in frustration. "Άπαπα! What foolish notions are they trying to give you? Energy is energy! It has no gender!"

"But this country's entire religious system is centered around a twin deity with male and female magical energies..."

Athena leaned closely to the surface of the mirror. "The basis of Christianity is that a mortal aspect of Jehovah was tortured and crucified for human sins! Let's just say that the *humans* that write scriptures are known to embellish and fabricate when it suits their needs!" she said firmly.

Pallas's eyes widened in shock at Athena's response. "Wow. I have so much to unpack, there."

Athena's eyes darted to the door. "We'll discuss more, later. You have company. I love you, Pallas."

Pallas turned her head to the door, then back to the mirror, but Athena's presence was already gone and the reflection had reverted to a normal mirror image of Pallas. Sure enough, there was a gentle knock at the door.

"Come in!" Pallas called out.

Amelinne stepped in and closed the door behind her. "Hello, Pallas! I was wondering if you wanted to spend some time with me? You've been on your own a lot, lately. I thought you could use the company."

With a quick glance at the mirror to ensure that Athena wasn't visible, Pallas nodded. "Sure, what did you have in mind?"

"Well, we could sit and talk, if you like? Or I can bring you by my place to meet my family?" Amelinne asked somewhat hopefully.

Pallas tilted her head and arched a brow curiously. "Has your family expressed an interest in meeting me?"

Amelinne blushed and gave an abashed smile. "Well, no. But I figured with you being alone all the time, it might be nice for you to spend some time around a family for a while. I talked to Eber about it and he's willing to give the both of us the day off tomorrow and the day after. Sarrine and Morah will cover our shift, tomorrow."

The two girls sat in silence for a moment as Pallas pondered whether or not she should go. Amelinne fidgeted with the skirt of her dress, plucking at her apron, doing her best not to pressure the smaller girl. After a couple minutes, Pallas said, "Okay, sounds good!"

Amelinne smiled widely and clapped her hands in excitement. "Excellent! You'll be staying overnight for a couple days. Pick out some clothes and I'll be right back!" With that, the taller girl disappeared out the door.

In the time that followed, Pallas rummaged through the chest of drawers to select her "adventuring" outfit, as she called it, as well as a pale green, short-sleeve A-line dress. Both would pair well with the long boots that Mallory had given her. She also retrieved the silver ribbon that she had tied her hair with, before. She lay the box with her grooming set on top of the clothing, then looked around awkwardly to find something she might put them in to carry it all to Amelinne's home.

She was relieved of this duty when Amelinne arrived a moment later, slightly out of breath, carrying a large leather purse decorated with a leafy green filigree along the flap and across the strap. Pallas was no judge of such things, but this accessory looked rather pricey. She must have borne a concerned expression on her face because Amelinne was quick to explain. "This is, apparently, a gift from Lukas. Mufree was holding it for you, but you haven't been by to pick anything up." She took a moment to collect herself before continuing, "I was going to pick up a cheap cloth purse for you, but this is much better, don't you think?" She held the purse out for Pallas.

Pallas took the purse in hand and ran her fingers over the tooling, admiring the lacing on the seams. "This looks really expensive. I'm not sure I can accept this... everyone has been giving me so many things -- I don't feel like I deserve any of it."

Amelinne flicked Pallas's forehead with a sharp finger.

"Ow! What was that for?" Pallas cried indignantly.

"Because you haven't been able to get it through your head that people might actually care about you! I don't know what you've gone through up until now, but some of us might actually enjoy your company and worry about you," Amelinne declared. "Look, I know you haven't really been here that long, but you've made a pretty good impression on most of the people that have met you. Well, with a few exceptions. Merrilee and Allete seem to think that you're stuck-up, for some reason."

With a sharp laugh, Pallas explained, "I may have verbally trounced them, a few days ago. They were having a big of fun at my expense and I turned it back on them."

"Eh, well, they're not really the best judge of character. Anyway, get your stuff packed and we'll head over to my place!"

Pallas carefully folded her clothes and her grooming kit into the purse and fastened the clasp, throwing the strap over her shoulder. She snuffed the candle on the table and turned to face Amelinne. "All right, let's go!"

The two made their way quickly through town by darting from awning to awning, avoiding the worst of the rain. Soon enough, they found themselves standing in front of a modestly-sized home with a straw thatched roof. As they stepped inside, Pallas was startled to see a very cozy home. A large stone hearth formed the centerpiece of the main living space with lovingly worn hardwood covering the floors. Large cabinets and shelves were practically overflowing with fruit, vegetables, and earthenware jars containing various ingredients. A table adorned with a plain beige cloth was pressed against the closest wall with space to seat seven people comfortably, a wide bench on each of the long sides and a single chair at the head. There were only a couple windows, both very small and shuttered against the chill of the rain outside. A large double bed occupied one corner of the house, obscured by a tan curtain, with a chest at the foot. On the opposite side of the house stood two pairs of bunk beds, the mattresses made up of straw-stuffed sacks and covered with woolen blankets of various flat colors and some sort of drawers worked into the space beneath the lower bunks. In a small alcove, set a little further back from the main room, was a full-sized bed - not as nice as the double bed, but in good shape, with a mattress that seemed to be stuffed with wool. A large wardrobe stood on the opposite wall from the alcove.

As soon as the girls walked in, they were beset upon by a pair of meylarns, one smaller and tawny, the other larger with a coat consisting of patches of white, brown, and black. Amelinne laughed and greeted the pair, giving the larger one merry scratches along the neck and jaw. The smaller one nuzzled Pallas for attention, its mouth open in some sort of pant or smile. Pallas followed Amelinne's example and gave similar attention to the smaller one. "Hello, there! What are your names?"

"The larger one is Reese and the one nuzzling up to you is Mayla!" came an unfamiliar female voice. Pallas turned her head to see a woman, perhaps late thirties or early forties, with a fuller figure and long, wavy copper hair. Like Amelinne, she had very warm, brown eyes that seemed to glitter as she smiled. "Hello, Pallas! My name is Vienne. Vienne Tirtha. But please, just call me Vienne."

"It's nice to meet you, ma'am... Vienne," Pallas replied cordially. "Would you like me to take off my shoes?"

"Oh, if you could, that would be ever so sweet! I swear, I sweep these floors twice a day, but there's no end to the dust and dirt my husband and children track inside." Vienne stepped toward Pallas and nudged the meylarns aside. "Here, let me take your bag," she said as she gently lifted the purse by the strap and turned to hang it from a hook on the wall.

Pallas slipped her shoes off and set them neatly on the floor to the side of the door. There was little in the way of ornamental decoration. An embroidered rose was framed without glass on the walls and flowers from the fields outside had been brought in and arranged into a couple tall clay vases on the table. A kettle, already simmering with the night's meal stood alongside an empty spit on the hearth. Pallas ran her eyes across each element, doing her best to memorize and acclimate to the living conditions. Most of what she was seeing seemed to speak of a late medieval period relative to Earth's development.

Vienne served some tea and pastries as the ladies sat down to chat. Vienne inquired about Pallas, where she came from, what her favorite foods were, how work was proceeding at the inn. Pallas answered the simple questions honestly but was forced to be oblique with regard to her family and origins. Some of Pallas's answers were met with confusion, this world lacking analogous foods and animals to the ones Pallas was familiar with. Amelinne smoothed this over with the explanation Pallas had given regarding her lack of memories upon waking in the Church. All in all, it was a pleasant way to spend an hour or so. During this time, Pallas realized that she wasn't conscious of her body or her gender or her previous life. She was simply happily existing.

It wasn't long, however, before the door swung wide to reveal a largish bearded man with a balding crown of sandy brown hair and green eyes flanked by a pair of boys in their early teens separated by no more than two years in age whose coloration appeared to match their leader. "Vienne! How long before dinner? The boys and I are starving!" the man bellowed in a gravelly bass. "Oh, we have a guest!"

"Jerald! Welcome home!" Vienne gestured toward their guest. "This is Pallas, the young girl working at the inn with Eber. She'll be staying with us for a couple days." She stood and walked over to the hearth, stirring the kettle. "And dinner won't be long, it looks like the veggies just need to soften up a bit more. So how did things go down at the South Road?"

The married couple proceeded to have a light conversation about Jerald's work day while Vienne tended dinner. The boys, having shed their boots, were wrestling with the meylarns in the middle of the floor and making a bit of noise. In the somewhat smaller space, the din was a bit louder and Pallas found herself sitting on the bench beside Amelinne, drowsily leaning on the taller girl, content to be present without really participating. Amelinne occasionally barked warnings at the boys to settle down or interjected her opinions on her parents' conversation, oblivious to, or accepting of, Pallas's proximity.

Just before Pallas could fall asleep, however, the door opened again and a younger girl stepped in. She was taller than Pallas, but only just, with large green eyes and a pouty smile. Her blonde hair, bound into braids at either side of her head, was the color of a field of wheat on a sunny late summer day. Rather than pretty, she gave an appearance of being cute with her rounder features. This girl made eye contact with Pallas and waved shyly.

"Well, come in, come in, Laraline! Don't just stand there, staring at our guest!" Vienne called from the other side of the table.

The girl stepped in, slipping off her ankle boots as she closed the door behind her. As she shook some of the water off her red dress, she appraised Pallas coolly before frowning and stating, "Your hair is oily. When was the last time you took a bath?"

Pallas's mouth opened to respond, but no words came out, so flummoxed was she at the rudeness. Amelinne, however, was quick to step in. "Lara! That is incredibly rude to say to someone you just met!"

Pallas recovered somewhat from the shock and managed to add, "Honestly, I've been so busy since I started working that it completely slipped my mind. You're right, I should do that soon, but the inn has no baths."

Laraline put her hands on her hips and replied haughtily, "Of course not! Everyone pays to use the bathhouse or they bathe down river! What's wrong, you can't even manage something that simple?"

*SMACK*

All the noise in the Tirtha home was abruptly silenced. Amelinne was now standing in front of Laraline, her right hand still held out to her left side after slapping her younger sister. "This is my friend! If you can't be respectful then don't talk to her at all!" She dropped her hand and turned to face Pallas. "I am so sorry, Pallas. She's not normally like this."

"What do you mean? She was just being honest, if a bit too blunt," Pallas answered blankly.

"Dear, it's obvious she hurt your feelings," stated Vienne.

Pallas furrowed her brow. "What do you mean? I'm fine."

Vienne frowned and replied, "You're crying. You have tears running down your cheeks."

Pallas put a hand to her cheek and felt a warm dampness. "Oh. That's been happening a lot, lately. I'm sorry. Don't mind me." She suddenly felt quite embarrassed, especially with the attention of the entire family on her. Despite her best efforts to stymie the flow of tears, they continued to flow unbidden. She smiled helplessly and looked back to Amelinne. "I'm really sorry, I don't know how to make them stop."

Amelinne wrapped Pallas in her arms and murmured softly, "Maybe you're not supposed to. Maybe you're supposed to let them out."

Unwilling to sob in front of relative strangers, Pallas sniffled a few times and rubbed at her eyes. "Not now. Not here. That's really not fair to your family."

The shorter of the two brothers approached Pallas and patted her shoulder comfortingly. "Mama says it's okay to cry if you're feelin' bad. Doesn't matter if you're a girl or a boy, feelings gotta run their course."

Pallas smiled awkwardly before saying, "I've been crying too much lately. It's like my emotions are running away without me. I'll be fine, I just need to calm down a bit."

With a forced cough, Jerald said suddenly, "How about we eat and talk about this after dinner?"