Aka Amy

"Hello again. Thank you for joining me Amethyst," May greeted me as I settled into the booth across from her. "I hope you don't mind the venue? I thought perhaps a neutral location would be preferable."

"And if you're hungry they do an excellent steak and ale pie here," she added.

I smiled, "I'll keep that in mind thanks. It's actually only three in the afternoon for me, but if you're here for dinner don't let me stop you. As for the location, it's fine. Will we be ok talking openly here though?"

We were in a quaint little pub in the village near her home in east Kent, and it was about eight in the evening local time. The place was busy, and if this was the weekend it might have been packed. For a Tuesday night I figured it was a pretty good crowd. There were a few televisions mounted on the walls in strategic locations so people could watch soccer or rugby or whatever other sporting events were going on, and the place was full of the din of conversation and the smell of beer and food.

May replied, "Most of the mortals are caught up in their own affairs, and the place is a little noisy. If you'd prefer I can put up a spell to ensure our conversation doesn't leave this booth?"

"I'll leave it up to you," I responded with a shrug. "You know the place and these people better than me."

Apart from a couple stares when I first arrived nobody seemed to be paying me any attention, or May either for that matter. To the casual observer we were just two young women meeting for some drinks and conversation. Our body language made it clear we weren't partners or anything like that, so as far as I could see the main concern would be people nearby listening in. Or single young men trying to chat us up.

At that point a middle aged woman appeared next to our table, holding some menus and a little notepad. She was tall and slim, with long blonde hair pulled back into bun. "What can I get for you two ladies? And would either of you like to look at a menu?"

May nodded for me to go first so I replied, "Just a glass of white wine for me please. No menu thanks."

"Make it a bottle of Chablis and two glasses," May added. "And I'll have the steak and ale pie."

The waitress made a note on her pad as she asked, "Chips ok with the pie luv?"

"That's fine thank you," the other goddess replied. Then as the waitress left May added to me, "If you don't like the Chablis we can get something else. Their house white is not the best, but they stock some French wines that are more acceptable."

I smiled, "I'm not picky. We usually drink cheap local Riesling back home."

She nodded, "In that case you may like the Chablis, but if not I know they also stock an Alsatian Gewürztraminer that might be more your style."

That made me laugh, "I probably wouldn't be able to tell the difference. Sorry May, I'm not that into wine? I just drink the stuff."

"Hmm," she frowned. "Well I think if you're going to drink it you ought to make a point of learning the difference between quality and plonk. And there's no reason for our kind not to enjoy the very best humanity has to offer."

I shrugged, "I guess? But there's nothing wrong with liking the cheap stuff too."

By that point the waitress was back, so we both let the topic go. A couple wine glasses were placed on our table, then the woman used a proper corkscrew to open the bottle. She poured a splash of wine into May's glass, then waited while the ravenette goddess sniffed and sampled it. May nodded, and the waitress poured me a full glass then topped up May's as well before leaving us alone.

The wine was ok, but I really wasn't a wine snob so any nuances were probably lost on me. I knew it wasn't my usual thing, but I didn't dislike it which was all that mattered.

After a sip I looked at the goddess seated across from me and asked, "So I'm obviously curious, what was it you wanted to talk about? And I should warn you, I've only got until... Well ten o'clock your time. That's five back home, and I've got plans this evening so I need to head home at that point."

"Of course," May nodded as she sipped her wine. "The full moon I take it? It peaks tomorrow morning, but most faiths would be honouring it tonight."

I smiled, "That's right. I take it the moon is important to your worship as well?"

She sighed and stared down into her drink before responding, "It was. And the mortals I last worked with still honour it. Some of them continue to use my rites, although the faith I get from them has been substantially weakened now that they're aware of my deceptions."

"Ah," I nodded slowly. "Is that what you wanted to discuss?"

"I suppose," May replied quietly. She seemed uncomfortable with the topic, but considering she's the one who asked me to come and meet with her again I figured I'd let her pick the subject and get the conversation started.

Instead we both ended up quietly sipping our wine for the next minute or so, until I finally asked "So let's talk. You asked me here, and like I said I'm only here till five. Or ten your time, that's less than two hours away."

The ravenette goddess grimaced slightly, "Of course. I've been thinking about what you told me when we first met, about how you reinvented yourself. I'm not entirely sure I'm ready for that sort of step, I rather like who I am and what I do. You also mentioned how you were taking actions that flirt with the status quo, doing things directly and in person, if not in public."

It was my turn to grimace, "I actually haven't done that much lately. In fact since we last met I've been fairly quiet. The weeks prior to that encounter were busy, but I suppose I took a break. Actually I took a vacation and did some travelling with my girlfriend."

May hesitated, "Are you dating a mortal? Does she know who you really are?"

I nodded, "Yes she is, and of course she knows. She asked to become my cleric in fact, although we're careful to keep our romantic relationship separate from the official one."

Then I thought about the full moon plans Tess and I had for tonight, and the way she wanted to worship me. I tried not to blush or smile as I added, "Mostly separate anyways."

Our conversation paused at that awkward moment when the waitress returned with May's dinner. The food actually got my mouth watering, the look and smell were both very tempting. Rather than a slice from a larger pie it was a smaller but complete pastry, prepared and served in an oval dish about fifteen centimetres by ten and a couple centimetres deep.

It was presented on a larger plate alongside a stack of thick hand-cut fries, which also looked and smelled very tempting. In fact I couldn't help wondering if the pub could prepare some food like that to go. Tess and I were probably going to order in tonight, but some authentic English pub fare might be a welcome change from our usual pizza or Chinese food.

The waitress used the last of our wine to top up both our glasses. Then she asked if we'd like another, but we both declined. After that she left us alone again, while May started eating.

I had another sip of my wine then asked, "So you're not looking to rebrand, are you thinking about maybe changing your approach? Like instead of taking worship from unsuspecting teens, maybe you could be more up front and forward about it?"

"Yes, that's what I've been contemplating," May nodded. "However I'm still leery about running afoul of the status quo. I'd rather not find myself permanently banished from the mortal realm."

"Same," I agreed. Then after a slight hesitation I commented, "At our last meeting you mentioned a goddess named Socha was banished for that?"

She nodded, "Banishment doesn't just send us back to the heavenly realm. It cuts us off from the mortal realm completely. No more worship, no more faith. When I visited her last year she was but a shadow of her former self. In another hundred years there might not be anything left of her at all."

The pain was obvious in her voice, and even though Tanya already told me how May was related I didn't want to reveal that I knew the fallen angel. So I asked, "Was she a friend of yours? Is that why you got involved with those enchanted toys last year?"

May sighed and had a gulp of her wine. Then she shook her head, "She's my daughter. She was young and headstrong, and full of dangerous ideas."

After another sigh she continued, "Socha wanted to subvert or break the status quo. And despite the risks to herself and what it would do to human society, she wanted to bring magic to the entire world. It was her hope that gods such as myself could return to our former glory. Instead she got herself banished, and I've spent the past century trying to clean up after her and fix her mistakes."

I suddenly saw the goddess across from me in a very different light. Rather than a stubborn traditionalist or a callous goddess using teen girls for her own benefit, I saw a heartbroken mother who was trying to make amends for her child's misdeeds while watching that child slowly deteriorate while trapped in the divine equivalent of prison.

The whole thing seemed that much more poignant knowing Socha's ultimate goal was to try and make things better for her mom. Even if her methods were questionable, it felt like her motive was pure. It also left me thinking May was probably carrying a lot of guilt over the whole situation.

"I'm so sorry May," I replied quietly, and I meant it.

She shrugged slightly then focused on her food for the next minute or two, while I watched her and quietly sipped my drink. I decided to let that topic go since it was obviously painful for her, and instead brought the conversation back to the subject of the status quo and how I was getting around it.

"I'm no expert when it comes to the status quo," I commented, "But in my experience there's definitely some leeway? Performing a miracle for one person here and there doesn't rock the boat that much. It might be life-changing for them, and it can disrupt things with their family and friends. But beyond that? It seems like the general public just don't notice, or they don't care."

"Actually that may even be the status quo working for us?" I added. "Whether it's me performing a miracle for a trans worshiper or one of those enchanted toys turning someone into a bunnygirl, there's no great fanfare and the world at large simply looks the other way."

May looked thoughtful as she chewed on a mouthful of pie. She washed it down with a sip of wine then responded, "There's still a potential threat though. If you help someone and they talk, or try to share that information. Unless you're magically enforcing some sort of oath of secrecy with them?"

That made me grimace and I shook my head, "I'm pretty sure the status quo dampens that too? I haven't asked people to keep quiet, to the contrary I've encouraged them to share their good fortune. I was hoping on word of mouth to work in my favour, so I'd get more and more queer people reaching out to me for help? Instead it seems like anyone talking about getting miracles like that are being ignored, or the message is downplayed."

"Ah," she nodded. "You mentioned things had been quiet recently, I take it that's why?"

"It's part of the reason, yes. As I said, I did take some time off for a vacation with my girlfriend," I replied.

We were both quiet for a few moments as May had a few more bites of dinner, and she seemed to be thinking over what I'd told her so far. Meanwhile I had some more wine, then checked the time. I had over an hour left so there was no need to rush.

After another minute or so she finally spoke up again, "I suppose the problem I'm facing is I'm not looking to go out and perform miracles for people, in hopes of gaining their worship. I think I'd rather keep the same purview I've always had. Except that brings me back to the same problem I've had for the past few centuries? Almost nobody believes in real magic, and nowadays most people think witchcraft is the sort of new age Wicca they can learn from a book they've ordered online."

I frowned, "You mentioned taking worship from teens, what were you doing with them exactly?"

In between bites of her dinner she described how she set herself up as a high-school English teacher then hand-picked girls to form a semi-secret club. The girls she chose were ones she identified as being interested in witchcraft or the occult, and who were open-minded enough to believe in real magic. Apparently she'd done it a number of times, as she'd transfer to a new school in a new location every ten or twelve years rather than stay in one place for too long.

May told me how over the last six or seven decades she'd done this in the UK, Australia, New Zealand, the USA, and most recently Canada.

Then she explained how she taught her charges magic. Spells, lore, methodology, all of it was designed around her rites, so just about anything the girls did as part of the club would feed her faith or worship. And all without the girls having any idea who or what she really was, or what the magic was really doing.

As she got to the end of the explanation she added, "My methods worked just fine for decades, It wasn't until last year and the most recent iteration of my little club where things finally went wrong."

"What exactly happened last year? If you don't mind sharing?" I asked.

May sighed and sipped some of her wine. For a moment I thought she wasn't going to tell me, but after a few seconds she opened up and shared some of the details.

"It all started with a rather unique student," she replied quietly. "She wasn't human, and normally I wouldn't allow any supernaturals into my group. Partially because they can be unpredictable, and partially because some of them know a little too much or are a little too sensitive, and might reveal my true nature to the rest of the group. In this case I let my curiosity get the better of me last year. I knew this student was something different, but I had no idea what. And I was eager to find out."

"There were also some extenuating circumstances," she added. "So it was easier to allow her into the group where I could keep an eye on her than it would have been to exclude her. In the end there was an accident, and the girl in question was injured. Then I found out her adoptive parents were angels, and they figured out how I was gaining worship from the club. After that I felt it was untenable to maintain the club and my cover, so the best option was to leave."

My eyes widened as I thought about Tanya Underwood. I remembered she didn't want to discuss any details about her family, but May just confirmed that Tanya's daughter was some kind of mysterious supernatural.

"Ok," I commented, "I can understand why you'd want to leave after that."

May drained the last of her wine then nodded, "So that's my story. I moved here, and I've been keeping an eye out for teaching opportunities in the area. In the meantime I'm still gaining faith and worship from some of the girls from my last club in Ontario. However, I know that won't last indefinitely and I'd like to be proactive and have something else in place before that club finally dissolves."

"Understandable," I nodded slowly. Then after a few moments to think it over I asked, "So why don't you follow the same formula as before, obviously it works for you, but I'm going to suggest one significant change to the way you do things."

"What's that?" she asked warily.

I shrugged, "Be honest with them. Tell them who and what you really are, and tell them what you're getting out of the arrangement. Let them decide whether or not they want to provide you with worship or faith. If they decline, accept their decision and let them go. The ones who agree will be worth more to you in the long run. What you gain from them in an honest exchange will be better and more pure than any faith you gain through deceit."

"Or to put it bluntly," I added, "Good faith is far better than bad faith."

The ravenette goddess seemed hesitant, "What will I tell them when they ask the inevitable questions, like why a goddess is stooping to work as a high-school teacher?"

"Like I just said, tell them the truth" I replied. "Be honest with them, that's how you'll earn their trust. And if you don't want to divulge all your secrets, then tell them that. Just don't lie to them."

It took May at least a half minute to finally respond, "You've given me quite a lot to think about Amethyst. I won't be making any decisions right away, I think I'm going to need some time to consider everything we've discussed."

"Thank you again for taking the time to meet with me," she added. "I think I should head back home now. I hope your full moon rites tonight are satisfying."

I had to suppress a smirk as I replied, "Oh I'm sure they will be. Good luck May, I hope things work out for you as well. Let's keep in touch? I'd love to know how it goes when you make a decision."

"Of course," she agreed as we both got up out of the booth.

May left some twenty pound notes on the table, then the two of us headed for the exit together. She bid me a good night, then set off towards her cottage outside the village, while I teleported myself back home.