7- That Was Embarrassing

After shifting her position three times, getting up to get a blanket, opening a can of soda, and munching on a bag of Cheetos, Imset started to fantasize about snapping the woman's neck. This was his favorite part of the movie and she didn't even have the decency to have a DVR so he could rewind. He could feel his blood pressure rising. It was simple, really, he detested other people and this woman might have been the worst of the bunch. Was that over exaggerating? Probably. Did he give a damn? No. Dealing with his family was easier because he couldn't kill them. Not without really, really trying. But this human was fragile. If he lost his control one good time, she'd be gone. And then his father would really rain hell down upon him.

"I've had it! Are you truly not scared?!" Imset yelled out of the blue, nearly sending all of Aisha's Cheetos to the floor, "Because if you were scared you would BE QUIET! If you had a death wish, why the hell did you ask to be saved?!"

"I didn't..." Aisha glared at the floor. She couldn’t place exactly what made her answer. It had obviously been a rhetorical question but still, she wanted him to know she wasn’t weak. That she wouldn’t have wasted such an honor on herself. She didn’t deserve it.

"You didn't, what Aisha?! Be precise. I've no desire to play twenty questions."

"I didn't ask to be saved..."

"Of course you did! You said..." Imset paused to think. What were the exact words of her prayer? The more he thought the more he realized she hadn't asked to be saved at all. She had asked for help to bring vengeance upon her enemies. But no, she'd never asked to survive. In fact, she'd offered all of herself in exchange. Anything. Body. Soul. Had she been willing to forfeit her life? He studied her again.

"Why didn't you ask to be saved?" The words were out before he could stop them. He told himself he didn’t care. In life and death situations, mortals always tried to bargain for safety, for the option to live just one more day. He'd never understood the fear of death for those who had light souls. And even though hers was a deep ash color, her refusal to preserve herself was curious. Nope. He didn’t care.

Aisha paused to consider the question, poised to place another chip in her mouth. Of course, she feared him and of course, she wanted to live. Everyone did, didn’t they? She fought the voice that said she was a liar.

If she had to choose between revenge and life, the choice was clear. She didn't want to waste her one request on herself. Face to face with an answer to her prayers, she would be stupid not to lead with her strongest desire. If her life was the cost to make sure those bastards never touched anyone else, so be it. And for Aiko, she'd burn their whole world down. She’d feel absolutely no remorse about it either.

"It was more important that they suffer than that I lived," she answered at last and Imset found the unwavering look she gave him odd. She wasn't lying and he couldn't understand it. He'd never met another human so dismissive of her own situation. Could she really care so little about herself? Or was it that she really thought so little of death? Was she challenging Anubis… challenging that he wouldn't come to claim her? Did she think Imset would stop him? Technically, he would, but she didn't know that.

"You don't fear death," was all he said, ignoring the pitch of thoughts in his head.

"Of course I fear you..." Why would he think she didn't? She didn't want to tempt death at all but if he wanted to kill her, he would and there wasn't a damn thing she could do to stop him. Was she supposed to wallow in constant fear from now until the end of her days?

"Darling, I'm not death. I'm a master OF DEATH but no, not death himself. I don't collect souls and send them to judgment. I simply enact a little wrath here and there, guard a few sacred canopic jars, make mortal men piss themselves before they die, occasionally do my father's or grandfather’s bidding. Case in point," he made a pass of his hand toward her body, "I certainly wouldn't have chosen this for myself... Death though? That's Anubis' gig and when you meet him, you'll pray you lived a good life before he takes your soul."

Aisha felt a cold wash of air over her. An open window--

"Shit, no I wasn't calling you Anubis, you're interrupting," Imset huffed, staring at the space behind her head. Aisha didn't dare turn around, feeling the icy chill rolling over her shoulders. She thought she could hear something breathing.

"DON'T SMELL HER! DAMMIT, SHE'S NOT DEAD YET!" Imset's eyes flashed red and the chill disappeared immediately. He blew out a frustrated breath and scratched his chin.

"Sorry, he has incredibly good hearing when he wants to. Jackal ears and all that..." Why was he explaining himself to her like some elementary god? Imset scolded himself. Get your shit together.

Aisha was sure her heart hadn't started beating regularly again yet as she shivered.

"Hmm, so you do fear death then… Just not me... we'll have to work on that. Now stop making noise!"

"I'm… sorry?"

"Why are you saying it like a question? You're either sorry or you aren't sorry! What's wrong with you?!" His eyes flickered red for another moment as he gritted his teeth. It would be so easy to just snap... "Just don’t make another sound until the movie is over."

Aisha stared at the profile of his face. All this over the movie Troy? She knew it wasn't a terrible movie but it certainly wasn't a cinematic masterpiece or anything.

Inside Imset raged. This little human wasn't as scared as she should have been. He would have thought she'd want to stay out of his way but no, she cuddled up on the other end of the couch ruining every single minute of his movie. He wasn't even enjoying it anymore, he was silently waiting for her to fuck up the one thing he requested of her. He'd lost his temper, summoned Anubis, and still, he felt like she wasn't going to be able to stay silent.

"Can I j-"

"THAT'S IT!" he hollered as if he'd been about to burst, "On your knees human." Well shit, that hadn’t been what he meant to say. And now he had to roll with it. Imset rolled through all the possible things she could do for him on her knees and cringed at the flush he felt. He was better than this. Summoning Anubis by accident. Making himself hard like a godsdamned young one. It was downright embarrassing.

Aisha balked, not knowing whether he was serious or not. Did he know how that sounded?

"Do not make me ask twice," Imset’s voice felt like a caress, unsettling her. She didn't make him ask again, dropping her chips and scooting to the floor as fast as she could.

Imset fought away the image of her eagerness. Making himself go soft by thinking of his father picking this woman out--his nosy family, forcing his hand.

"Undo my sandals," He leaned back against the couch, stretching his arms out. He took on a lazy air as she worked the buckles, telling himself her hands on him were disgusting. Her face was ugly and uneven. Her body was--no he wouldn’t even look at it again. A teasing glance when she left the shower? Fine. He was as inclined to notice a naked woman as anyone else. But a close up study of it while she was on her knees before him? No.

"Massage my feet until I tell you to stop."

Aisha almost said no. For a moment she forgot who was demanding it. Her gut almost overruled her brain. She really really didn't like feet. Did he know that? Could he tell it would have been the fastest way to gross her out? Probably. She set her jaw and let her fingers graze the top of his right foot. Smooth. Soft. She blinked. What had she imagined a god's feet would feel like? Rough and cracked? Sweaty? He was divine. Of course, nothing so commonplace would affect him. Relieved a bit, that they weren’t disgusting, she took his right foot in her hands and kneaded the tense muscles underneath. How could a foot feel strong?

Imset looked down. Did he expect she wouldn’t actually do it? Most people hated feet, himself included. But he'd commanded it and there she was, on her knees, massaging his feet as if she might enjoy it. And what surprised him was that it felt good. To be touched like that. Without a sexual component. To just feel and be felt. How had he gone so long without ever having one of these? Pondering that, he watched her work, wondering if it would feel like this on his back. There was a spot under the base of his head that never seemed to soothe. Just the thought of such relief sent heat over his shoulders. He stilled.

Aisha rolled a bit of tired muscle in just the right way and he almost groaned. Almost. Again, he watched her work. What had his father seen in her? He began to notice the small things about her he had missed. A mole over her left cheek. Her top lip was slightly bigger than her bottom one. Her brows scrunched and quirked as she moved around his foot then switched to the other. She rolled her bottom lip between her teeth and more heat flushed over the top of his spine.

"That's enough," he jerked, standing suddenly. Why was he so angry all of a sudden? Embarrassment? Why would he feel embarrassed about being attracted? She wasn't unsightly... Shit. That is what his father wanted! What all his family wanted. Lonely, miserable, Imset would be attracted to anyone at this point, right? He could feel the sting of it. The way they were trying to manipulate the situation. The way none of them saw what all this did to him in the end. Or if they saw they didn’t care, figured they knew better.

Imset launched the remote at the television, smashing a deep crater in its center and knocking it backwards into the wall, "I'm going home before I kill you." And the words rang true. Then he was gone. And Aisha was left in the awful silence of the room.

She and Aiko could barely afford that small 44' television after they'd paid up their rent. Between cell phone bills, transportation expenses, cable, utilities, Wi-Fi, school materials, and the savings account they needed for emergencies, they'd barely been able to scrape up the money. But they had. It was the last major purchase Aiko had made. And it was a smart model with apps and Wi-fi. Hell, she could even airplay from her phone. Aisha couldn't bear the pang of desolation that settled in her chest. She tried to force it down with everything else but she couldn’t. It hurt so much she almost couldn’t breathe.

All of this because she was going to ask if it was his favorite movie? And if it was, what made it his favorite? Stupid, stupid, Aisha. Or was it because she was terrible at giving massages? She'd let her emotions get the best of her. It was all so interesting and exciting. It didn't even feel real. Fixating on Imset even helped her forget that she'd been attacked... but now that she was alone again, ice spread across her skin. Was she really so bad that everything in her life had to turn out terrible? If people manifested their own futures, what did it say about her soul that her life was always hard?

She didn't even know she was crying until the first tear hit her hand. Her nose burned until her cheeks flushed and the tears wouldn't stop. She wiped at them angrily. You just couldn't leave well enough alone! She scolded herself, Now look at you. Worthless.

Whatever the reason, it shouldn't have made him smash her only tv. But she couldn’t expect to understand a god’s logic. Humans were probably nothing to him. And him shattering it shouldn't have hurt her feelings but it did. Aisha forced herself up to grab her broom and dustpan to sweep the glass from the linoleum. The weight of everything pressed down on her. She couldn't feel anything except heavy.

---

"Back so soon brother?" Qebe mused, applying suntan lotion to his wife's bare back. They'd already migrated from the boat to the shore, lounging out along the open patio of the palace. Time moved differently in the old world so while Imset must have been gone for a long while, it had only been an hour or so for them.

"I'm still not speaking to him," Serket rolled her eyes and turned her head the other way, "Asshole."

"He's done something bad, I can tell..." Nephy grimaced, lowering her shades as she dipped a big toe into the water of the tide pool, "You're sulking."

"I am not fucking sulking the girl is absolutely unbearable!" Imset roared, shaking out his dreads from the ponytail. Why was it that no matter how frustrated he felt with his family, he could never stay away? If he were painfully honest with himself, they were all he had.

"Woman," Neith corrected, "It's dismissive to call her a girl. I hate when you do that."

"How did you survive, brothers?" Imset ignored Neith, "She made me accidentally summon Anubis! Do you know how annoying that is? I look like it's my first day on the fucking job!"

Mutef snorted, "I would have paid money to see Anubis show up to claim a soul and there you are, just showing off in front of your consort."

Qebe howled in the background, "Not the great and mighty Imset, that bull's ass would have simply let Anubis claim her soul before he admitted he was showing off!" They all began to chuckle at his expense.

"I agree with Nephy, though, tell us what you've done first. You are definitely sulking..." Hapi ran a hand across his wife's shoulders.

"I've done nothing! She kept fidgeting and eating crunchy things and TALKING during the movie I put on! I couldn't stand it any longer. It's like she has no fear! That needs to change." He took up a seat near the bar and poured a shot of cognac. He continued to mumble about foot rubs and heat and busybody ass people.

"Oh, gods not Troy again!" Hapi hollered, "It's not even that good! And that's not even how it happened!!"

"Will you drop it?! I like the damn movie," Imset growled, sulking more into a whisper about exceptional cinematography and action, about Brad Pitt being the pinnacle of a generation.

"You're leaving something out. C'mon we can all tell, you know," Qebe began a soft massage of Serket's shoulders.

Imset grumbled to himself, pouring another shot, "I didn't do anything wrong... she just gets under my skin... father clearly never met her before he forced me to take the bond… I told her to be quiet..."

Neith looked at Nephy who then looked at Serket and as they all exchanged their glances, the decision was unanimously made, without saying a single word. Neith took a breath and stood, "I like the woman, you're not to harm her."

"Dammit Neith, mind your business!" Imset yelled, launching a shot glass at her figure. He hadn’t even thought as it released across the air. Again, his temper flared beyond his control. Why was he so volatile? Mutef caught the glass easily, well before it hit any part of her, "Careful brother." His voice had dropped, become cold and inhuman.

The flash of his eyes was all it took for Imset to put his hands up in surrender. He hadn't wanted to start a real fight, he was letting his emotions get the best of him, again. His mind momentarily flickered back to the television. What the hell was his father thinking pairing him with that woman?

"You've left us no choice," they said in unison before Neith, Nephy, and Serket all disappeared without a word.

"Imset now look at what you've done!" his brothers growled in unison, "You're definitely the worst brother..."