His partner physically pulled him aside. “You lied to her,” said Tikba.
“I didn’t lie. She can still protect her sister like that,” he answered, pulling away.
“Do you think how you handled things was an okay thing to do? We’re just supposed to leave her little sister like this?” The girl continued screaming, but Libum tuned the sound out. It was white noise in the back of his mind. “You’re not cruel. You can’t believe this is right.”
Libum swallowed the words he wanted to say. The soul didn’t have the right to tell him how to handle his work. What did it matter how he got the soul? All that he cared about was that he got it. It was another number to add to his debt. What did Tikba know of whether Libum was cruel or not?
“Kolupati just asked us to convince one of them to agree to a contract. When the younger one dies, I’ll offer her the same deal.” Libum tugged his hand away and escaped from their grip. “They both care about each other more than anything, so this is the best option. Just too stubborn to admit they would do anything for one another. We’re done for the day. It’s time to go back.” Before he was completely consumed by the portal, Libum overheard Tikba’s final words to the girl.
On the other end of the portal, he could smell the fire. Kolupati’s barrier prevented unwanted guests from entering her Spirit House, but the courtyard surrounding it was free game. A bonfire blazed right in the center of it, the scent of burnt wood and smoke strong. Crates of firewood and parched logs were being carried by the Tagkawal to the site. Libum followed them as they threw hunks of wood into the fire.
Some Anito carried livestock: mostly chickens with slip nooses around their necks, thrashing weakly against the chicken catcher, and pigs that had been slit and drained of blood. Tables had been set up around the yard. Barrels of beer and homemade tuba wine poured into fat, brown glass containers decorated each one.
Many souls kept their eyes glued to the cat as it walked straight to Kolupati. The God lounged on the steps right outside her Spirit House, fanning herself with a pink raffia, adjusting her mask to keep it in place. Her purple top was made with sheer fabric, and her skirt was such a dark color that it was almost black. It stopped just below her knees.
Libum had forgotten all about Kolupati leaving for her salukolu, a meeting between Gods, the next morning. It would explain the party. This was a way to keep the Tagkawal compliant. The food and alcohol would keep her problems subdued temporarily, the Tagkawal would be too drunk, full on the wine and food to do any damage while their God was away. Libum remained stoic as he made his way to Kolupati. He didn’t have to look behind him to know Tikba was following, finally some necessary space between them. Libum didn't learn much about the ways of human society in the present age, but at least he understood the basics of personal space.
Good, thought the human, mocking them a little. I’m not so desirable now, am I? They got the hint. Stay away from me. There was not a single thing that would attract others to him, men or women. They spoke so freely because they intended to get a rise out of him.
Tikba made a surprised sound out of curiosity, breaking Libum’s thoughts. The Anito turned around to see Hukla, a member of the Tagkawal, grabbing Tikba by the collar. He practically threw the Anito onto one of the free tables. “Why do you look like that, pambi?” Hukla demanded, the smell of palm liquor radiating from him. “Who are you from? Why are you here?”
“You’re one to talk, Hukla,” said Libum. “You’re not much to look at either. Go die.” He shoved Hukla to the ground without a thought and grabbed Tikba by the arm, pulling them forward and stepping on Hukla in the process.
“Sorry!” Tikba yelled as they stepped directly on the Tagkawal’s face.
The two were in front of Kolupati before long, and she examined each of their faces with a serious air surrounding her. Kolupati broke after a few seconds. She grinned and patted Libum on the back.
“You two work fine together!” Kolupati said. “I don’t know why you were so insistent that you wouldn’t be able to work with them. It sounds like my anuk is just as stubborn as ever, I’m afraid.” His nostrils flared at the comment. He couldn’t tell, or care for that matter, if Tikba was offended or not. The soul lowered their head and pressed Kolupati’s palm against their forehead.
“So, my dear, I pray everything went well? How was your experience?”
“It wasn’t what I expected,” answered Tikba.
Kolupati’s eyebrow raised, and she looked to Libum for an explanation, but Libum found he couldn’t give one. This first day, chosen for Tikba’s sake, was mind-numbingly simple to him. Libum would go as far as to say it was boring—if the woman wasn’t at risk of becoming multo, teetering on that horribly thin line. The God’s eyes flickered between the two before she let out a gentle laugh that could be heard by everyone in the yard.
“Please eat plenty after you’ve worked so hard, then,” announced Kolupati. “Libum will have to fill me in on the details at a later time. For now, it’s time to celebrate. There’s not a lot of reason for me to leave the realm these days. These two will take control of things over the course of my absence.” Kolupati stood up and reached for a glass container holding tuba wine and took a sip. “Tikba,” she raised the bottle in their direction. “I look forward to seeing that face of yours turn into something beautiful.”
While Tikba walked away, Libum focused his attention on the woman. “You could have corrupted both of us.”
“She was an old lady!” she argued.
“Her skin was blemished, did you even check to make sure it was an easy assignment?” Libum asked incredulously. “If she turned completely, I wouldn’t have been able to defend us. You told me it would be fine.”
“Since when do you trust what comes out of my mouth?” offered the God. “I thought you’d be able to handle it, and you did. Tikba worked well. Go on and join them.” Kolupati pressed her nails against Libum's shoulder. “Are we going to have a problem, human? Should I send you off to Anuk Buwan, after all?”
He blew out some air and walked away.
Libum sat himself at one of the less rowdy tables, and Tikba sat across from him. Dark green banana leaves covered the table as makeshift plates, and soon enough food was served to each table. They ate together communally, hands eagerly trying to get the best bites. Due to the general attitude of both the Tagkawal and Anito, their behaviors uncouth and impolite, they devoured everything until there was hardly anything left but bones. Libum scanned the tables next to him.
Tikba picked at the roasted pig on the table, which Libum left untouched.
With the souls around him distracted, he began using his hands to scoop up leftover clumps of rice and dark meat that no one else would eat. Libum ate meticulously, not wasting even a single grain of rice. He could see Tikba looking in his general direction as if they were entranced. Or they were just looking at him like he was crazy. Mutya, now light on her feet, jumped on his back and wrapped her arms around his neck.
“Kolupati says that you were supposed to get Spirit Wine, but I don’t see any.”
“She didn’t tell me it was for the party,” Libum said in defense. “It’s too late to get it now. You’ve had enough, you already smell sour.”
“Get it now! Get it now! You’re ruining the party! The new recruit needs to try the Spirit Wine before you scare them off. Rookie killer!” The group, now realizing what Mutya was requesting, began chanting for Libum to fetch some Spirit Wine. Even a group of hummingbirds watched him.
“Get it yourself.”
“Come on, you big bata! Stop acting like this in front of the new guy. I want to try to get them drunk—”
The comment made Libum’s skin crawl.
“I’ll come with,” offered Tikba. “I can help you get it. How far’s it from here?” Libum sucked the oil off his fingers as he answered.
“It’s not far, but it’s in the human realm. Come on.” Libum slashed the air and pulled Tikba through. “I can’t stand the damn smell of pig anymore.” Libum inhaled the fresh air deeply on the other side of the portal. The air stung his nose when he breathed in the salt. A cliff overlooked the area, and just at the bottom of it was one of Kolupati’s temples. “Sorry for the walk,” Libum said casually. “This was the closest I could get us, given my energy level right now. I’ll count on you to get us back there, if you wouldn’t mind.”
“You saved me from that awkward interaction. Anyway, I was hoping we'd have some alone time,” Tikba said. “I wanted to talk to you.”
The Anito trekked down the cliff and reached the bottom. Hot sand clung to the bottom of Libum’s feet, burning his soles. They reached the entrance to the temple and Libum peered in—crystalline blue sediment glared back at them, almost like a mirror. Libum walked towards six tall bottles lined up perfectly at the feet of a Kolupati statue, the taste of Spirit Wine already in his mouth.
“I don’t know why,” Tikba looked up at the ceiling, deep in thought. Their teeth chattered, most likely out of habit rather than actually feeling cold. The temple opened upwards when the two walked in, and seemed to stretch towards the heavens. “But I feel uncomfortable. I can’t believe people pray here.” Tikba changed subjects. “What are…the Inapo? They’re not all cats, are they? You said they were cursed.”
No one prayed here. All the caretakers did was refill the bottles with wine for Kolupati. Libum began collecting bottles and could only carry two bottles at a time, and normally would have had to make a second trip. Tikba carried three with ease, so Libum balanced another bottle in between his arms. He had to keep up with Tikba, but he didn’t know why he felt so competitive all of a sudden.
“They’re taboo.” Libum finally answered, figuring this is what Tikba wanted to talk about. Tikba gave Libum a sideways glance. “The Inapo. They aren’t meant to exist, so the humans hide them.” Tikba opened a portal once they realized Libum wasn’t elaborating, and the two soon found themselves in front of the group of cheering faces. He could not ignore the pleasure on Kolupati’s face, looking just too happy.
While handing a bottle to the Lady, he couldn’t help himself. “It’s your head if you have a hangover at your salukolu. I hope they at least have the decency to send it back so we can burn it.”
Libum distributed the bottles, saving what he thought would be the best-tasting for Tikba and him to drink. Libum’s sense of taste, though, was horribly skewed. Tikba popped open the glass bottle and examined the milky substance inside. They brought the bottle to their lips, took a swig, and their face instantly soured. They looked like they just swallowed something completely rotten.
“How was it, Tikba?” called Kolupati. She was cradling two Spirit Wine bottles in her arms as if they were her children. “Can’t handle your alcohol?”
For someone who was about to get scolded in front of an entire court of Gods the next day, she didn’t seem afraid. Libum took a careful sip, just enough to coat his tongue, and he puckered his lips. He was tempted to check if mold had grown inside the lip of the bottle, but resisted the compulsion. He knew for a fact he wouldn’t find anything. These kinds of thoughts often polluted his mind, but he found them tiresome.
“It tastes fine!” Tikba answered, taking another big swig. Then, in a low whisper, they asked, “Does it ever get moldy?”
“No. Humans have a very specific fermentation process in order to prevent such a thing. That’s just how it tastes, you get used to it.”
“I won’t be drinking that again. What’s the party for, anyway? Am I being welcomed?”
Libum snorted. “She doesn’t care about things like that.” He didn’t want to say that Kolupati didn’t really care about either of them, in the long run. Tikba was right, he wasn’t that cruel. “It’s to keep them unconscious while you and I do the actual work around here. She leaves, and the stress adds on. Spirit Wine can get you wasted after a few sips, so it can keep everyone drunk and busy.”
Tikba opened their eyelids in a way that Libum was sure meant they were widening their eyes. They looked around, then pressed their hand against the table. “Why didn’t you warn me?” asked the soul. “You let me drink all of it without saying a thing!” Libum just shrugged at them.
“You looked like you could handle it.”
“Keep up!” someone shouted after eavesdropping.
Tikba laughed, unable to keep up an angry facade as the alcohol entered their system. With a sultry smile, they said, “I can definitely keep up.” Their shoulder bumped with Libum’s as if they were both in on an inside joke. Tikba leaned forward and said, “Can you, boss?” Not even a minute later, their head slumped forward and hit the table.
While Tikba was resting their head, Libum began dragging out unconscious bodies from the courtyard. Kolupati had disappeared somewhere in the crowd, and when he found her, his expression darkened. The drunken Goddess announced to the entire Village the way Tikba had come to them, even going so far as to suggest that the soul was infatuated with her. When she wasn't looking, he took her second wine bottle and poured it into the soil beneath.
