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A curly-haired girl stumbled into a neglected temple. Pearl’s temple. She had not had visitors in years. Hiding behind a tall pillar, the goddess observed the redhead quietly. She was…rather pretty. The light caught in her hair like halos. The girl looked around in awe, clearly not having come here on purpose. There was the sound of thumping, and two men ran into the temple, having chased the girl in. She squeaked and dived behind the altar to hide. The men stalked around the inside, holding their weapons menacingly. The blue-haired one called out. “We won’t hurt you, just come out so we can talk.”
The girl just curled into a tighter ball behind the altar. Pearl continued to watch from her hiding place as the men split up to search. One of them came closer to her, the one with brown hair with a green streak that was absolutely more intimidating than it had any right to be. He brandished his axe. “Oh, GeMINItay!”
The girl’s eyes widened a little. The goddess had learned her name now. She slowly shrunk until she was fully into her moth form, and she flew out from behind her pillar to land by the girl’s feet. She ought to grant this girl—Gem—sanctuary, because clearly these men had ill intentions. Gem’s eyes never left the little moth, but her ears were strained to hear the men’s footsteps. Pearl reverted to human form, tucking her moth wings carefully around herself to conceal her as much as possible, and crouched beside Gem. She whispered, “Listen. You are safe here.”
The girl started slightly, not expecting Pearl’s sudden appearance. But she nodded, because she was stuck for the time being. Pearl stepped out from behind the altar, eyes glowing softly. She called out to get the men’s attention. “Hey!”
The brown-haired one turned immediately. “Where is she?”
Pearl crossed her arms and frowned down at him. “That is not your business.”
The men exchanged glances before the blue-haired one spoke. “And why is that? We just want to speak to her.”
“That is unfortunate; now leave. You are not welcome here.”
They exchanged glances again. The brown-haired one tried a different approach. “She’s been on the run from the law for days. We’re simply doing our jobs to bring her back. Can’t you be reasonable?”
Pearl glared at him. She absolutely refused to be reasonable. She was good at reading people, and Gem was the most innocent person she had seen in a long time. “She has been granted sanctuary in this temple. You are not to disturb her.” She heard a faint sigh of relief from behind the altar.
The blue-haired man squinted at her. “Who are you to say she’s been granted sanctuary? This temple’s been abandoned for years.” He took a step closer, cocking his head to the side. “You don’t look familiar. Who are you?”
Pearl took a breath. Her eyes glowed more intensely and she stared hard at the man in front of her. “Leave. Now.”
The man with brown hair laid a hand on the other’s shoulder, slightly intimidated by the light of Pearl’s eyes. “Scott, I think this might be a little overki—”
“Joel, no.” Scott said, frustrated. “We’ve come all this way and now this girl thinks she can play at being a god in an empty temple. All that I want is to bring the criminal to justice. I refuse to let a silly girl get in the way.”
Pearl clenched her fists. Silly girl. She had not been insulted in this way since before she could remember. She quickly formed an axe from where the light filtered in through the ceiling to meet the shadows. Brandishing her flickering weapon, she took a step closer to Scott. “I am not a silly girl. If you had any sense, you would have known better than to call me such a name.”
Joel’s eyes widened at the sight of a weapon where there had not been one mere moments before. “Scott, I really think we ought to go. The gir—er, woman—means what she says.”
But Scott wasn’t intimidated. He shook his sword in Pearl’s direction. “Listen here, you have got some nerve to obstruct justice like you’re some divine being. Give us the girl and we can end this peacefully.”
Pearl had finally reached her breaking point. She let her wings grow to their full size and floated a few feet off the ground. Her voice echoed through the temple, bouncing off the marble walls, entering the minds of all inside. “I, PearlescentMoon, have bestowed sanctuary and safety upon the girl GeminiTay. You are not welcome here. Leave now, or suffer the consequences.”
Joel’s eyes nearly popped out of his skull, and he turned and fled from the temple, leaving a stupefied Scott in the dust. Pearl glared down at him, menacingly pointing her axe at him, but saying nothing. He opened his mouth, closed it, turned, and walked out.
Pearl dropped to the ground, landing lightly on her feet. She turns to find Gem standing at the altar, the light catching in her hair. Pearl stepped closer to her. “All is well. You are safe, now.”
Gem took a deep breath. Now that Scott and Joel had left and the terror was wiped off her face, Pearl could truly see the girl’s green eyes that sparkled like emeralds. Gem took a step toward her. “So…you have moth wings. And you can turn into a moth. Right.”
Pearl nodded. “I can. I am a deity.”
Gem’s eyes widened slightly, and she dropped to her knees after a slight hesitation. “My…lady. Thank you.”
Pearl gently took Gem’s hands and helped her stand. “No, it is all right.” Their eyes met. “Everything is all right.”
They held eye contact for a moment before Gem tore her gaze away. “Thank you, my lady.”
My lady. How…formal. Too much like a worshipper, and not at all like a friend. She suddenly realized they were still holding hands, but she said nothing for a moment. Pearl hesitated. “Would you…mind calling me Pearl?”
Gem smiled at her. “Thank you, Pearl.”
A sensation came over her. Happiness. Warmth. Hearing her name from the girl’s mouth felt nice. Like home. Gem let go of her hands, opening her arms to offer a hug. After a moment, Pearl threw her arms around the girl. Home. Yes. It had been long enough since she’d had that feeling.