Mommies

This is joint-written.

The group went back to the Nexus, sopping wet but effectively clean from their battle in the rain. They found and mingled with the rest of Raven's Nest. "Find a good place for my parents?" Ambree asked Yasya and Gatari once they'd met up.

Yasya shook his head. "Not yet. It's probably best if they stay here until this business with the demons is finished."

Ambree nodded. "Understandable. Where are they now? I only managed to catch up very briefly."

"They're down on the next floor." Yasya replied.

"'Kay," Ambree replied, waving as she headed down to meet them.

"I have an, um, errand to run. I know this demon stuff is distressing, but I'll be back in like, half an hour," Niqi said.

Glide rolled his eyes. "Whatever, do what you gotta do."

"See you soon." Niqi jogged away in search of a certain Nexus door.

 

...

 

As Niqi waited, she was reminded of a scene in Kill Bill.

Her result didn't take quite so long to arrive, however, and she didn't have to decode it via confusing box instructions either. The answer appeared in all of ten seconds. "PREGNANT. BOY."

"Yep," Niqi mumbled, tossing the test into the wastebasket beside her. She felt odd; all the times she had seen or read about in which someone got a positive pregnancy test, the girl in question either bawled her eyes out or ran around joyfully showing everyone, especially her parents. She felt like doing neither of these. She placed a hand over her stomach.

"Your first spanking is gonna be for keeping me from fighting in this damn war," she told it, grinning.

 

...

 

Niqi re-entered the Nexus a half hour later; right on time. "Back," she greeted Raven's Nest. "What's the plan?"

"We've got a little bit of a problem." Glide said. "We don't know when the next rift is going to open, or where... And we've also got a bigger problem..."

"Bigger problem?" Niqi asked.

Shetani nodded. "While you guys were out taking care of the scouting party, we discovered something. Our powers have stopped working."

Niqi froze. "...Say what? All of them?"

"Yes. All of them." Shetani replied. "None of the gods have any power."

Niqi facepalmed. "Just f****n' wonderful."

"This is going downhill in record time..." Therali muttered. "There's only one living person that knows how to bind our powers, and isn't in this room right now. Gasteria."

Niqi looked around for a wall to bash her head into. "What the hell does she want with the Omniverse, anyway? Shetani, you're her daughter; you got any idea?"

Shetani shook her head. "None at all. But if she's on the demons' side, we have no choice but to stop her, with powers or without."

"Are you going to have trouble with that? I mean, were you on good terms with her before this or something?" Niqi asked awkwardly.

"Neither I nor my sisters have seen that woman in centuries." Shetani stated. "I don't think you could say we're on 'good terms'."

Niqi nodded. "Alright. At least that makes obliterating mommy a little less difficult."