As Master didn’t have any pressing need for the gun, (indeed, from reading his memories, Tomoyo could tell he’d been very reluctant to use it on anyone he didn’t think would explicitly want it, barring life-or-death situations,) and had been assured that both it, and Tomoyo, were safe, Tomoyo felt okay with leaving them be while she visited her mother.
Well… her mother in this timeline. The mother she had before, Vivian Olbane, had a different child now. A girl by the name of Tammy. And Vivian and Tomoyo had never met in this timeline… That realization shook the phoenix-kitsune hybrid. Sure, as a goddess, she could easily visit her old mother whenever she wanted, but she’d never see Tomoyo as her son… er, daughter, again.
She tried to take her mind off it, to think about other things… But her near-omniscience made that difficult.
What about her new mother? Yes, she’d try to focus on Kasai for the moment. She took a deep breath (more out of human habit than need, there was no oxygen to take in in the divine realm, and she needed none to fuel her eternal fire,) and teleported back to the Evenson estate.
A dramatic burst of flame appeared in the entrance to the mansion’s playroom, startling Emma and Kasai, the latter of whom suddenly burst into flames, catching the wooden dollhouse they’d been playing with on fire.
“Oops!” Tomoyo gasped, willing the fire to fade, and undoing the minor burn damage to the toys. She set down the ray gun “Sorry, didn’t mean to surprise you.”
“I’m certain you didn’t Tomoyo-Kami,” Emma said with a smile that suggested she was used to years of this sort of thing (and used to it being very much intentional).
“Tomoyo-Chan!” Kasai chirped, her flames fading as she flew up to give the blazing fox a hug. “I missed you!”
Tomoyo quickly realized, reading the little phoenix's mind, that while Kasai had general memories of her being family of some kind, it seemed the memory of Tomoyo being her daughter, specifically, had been one of many lost in the regenerating process. Given how confusing it would be to have a daughter that was “older” than you at that age, Tomoyo decided not to let Kasai know HOW they were related for a few more years.
“Hi Kasai-Chan,” Tomoyo said, hugging the bird back. “Sorry I missed your rebirth. But I’m glad Anna-Dono was there to see it, and help make sure you were safe. Have Emma-Chan and Simone-Oujo been playing nice?”
“Emma-Chan’s very nice!” Kasai smiledd. “Simone-Oujo is rude sometimes, but she’s still nice.”
Tomoyo patted Kasai on the head. “I’m glad you’ve got such good friends.” She looked down at the dollhouse. “Would you mind if I played dolls with you?”
“I’d like that a lot!” Kasai nodded vigorously, fluttering down to the house.
“I’m fine as long as you promise not to shrink us to fit in the house again, or turn us into actual dolls,” Emma said.
“I promise!” Tomoyo said with a slight giggle at that mental image.
“You’re not crossing your fingers behind your back, are you?”
“Of course not!” Tomoyo huffed, getting down on her knees beside Kasai, and picking up one of the dolls (which, naturally, had a maid’s dress). She made her voice higher-pitched as she spoke for the doll, “Hey friends, let’s get this place cleaned up for our guests!” (The old, human side of Tomoyo was still surprised at how easily the topic of keeping things orderly seemed to come to her now.)
The three lost track of time as they played, imagining various scenarios of cleaning, cooking, and gardening. Tomoyo enjoyed the company of the two children (that had both technically been older than her this morning) and found them a comforting distraction from the new existence she’d accidentally set for herself, and the many duties that came with it.
But all things must come to an end, and the three’s playtime was eventually interrupted by a voice coming down the hall.
“Emma! Kasai! It’s time for dinner, let’s get ready to-” The voice’s owner gasped as she looked through the doorway. “Thomas?!” Skyla gasped. “I mean, Tomoyo! What a surprise seeing you here!”
“Ah, hello, Skyla-Chan.” Tomoyo waved nervously.
Skyla still looked stunned for a few moments, seeming to consider what to say next. “You know, Tomoyo, I’m pretty sure Master would LOVE for you to join him during dinner. And to stick around for a chat afterward. In fact, if he were here, I KNOW he’d insist. And maybe give him his… ahem… heirloom back.” She picked up the plastic gun that had been laying on the floor.
And like it was second nature, with Master’s Orders on the line (even if they were indirect), and no greater good to justify putting them off, Tomoyo found herself replying with “I’d love to!” She picked up Kasai, and followed Skyla to the dining room with an awkward silence.
When she’d reached the dinning Room, Tomoyo saw quite a few people at the table already, including the Banks family, Cassidy, Emma (who had teleported in ahead of them), Rachel, Morgan, Luna, Carrie and Kathy, all of whom seemed to regard Tomoyo with a great deal of respect. Meredith and Stephanie were serving the food. And of course, at the head of the table were Curt, Anna, Misty and Ashley.
While Curt and the “in-the-know” maids had already seen Tomoyo’s new form in the mansion’s security footage, seeing a nine-tailed fox seemingly made of fire itself casually stroll into the room behind Skyla still startled all of them.
“T-Thoma- ah, Tomoyo!” Curt stammered. “Nice of you to join us! Please, have a seat.”
The sight of Tomoyo bowing to, and obeying the mere mortal Curt elicited no surprise from the other maids, or human hires; how much of that was the work of the perception filter, and how much was already considered normal due to Tomoyo having existed as a goddess and already displayed unconditional love and affection for certain mortals for centuries even Tomoyo herself wasn’t sure of.
After setting Kasai down in a high-chair, Tomoyo took her own chair, her nine blazing tails swaying back and forth behind her. Even though she could read his mind racing, she couldn’t help but find Curt cute… It startled her a little, how quickly her attraction had changed. But, of course, remembering her character’s backstory, and Curt’s new implementation into it, it made sense. And, despite the surprise, she had to admit it felt right. Then again, he was still dating that donkey girl, Danielle, and of course, her cousin-turned-daughter Skyla had eyes on him as well. If she wanted to act on that attraction, she’d have to get in line. Or find some way to persuade him into being okay with multiple wives...
“So…” Curt started. “What have you been up to, Tomoyo? Actually, never mind, we can save it for later. For now, let’s just enjoy Janet’s cooking.”
“As you wish, Curt-Dono.” Tomoyo served herself a bit of the excellently seasoned roast beef.
Kitty Banks spoke up. “I have to say, Goddess Tomoyo, it’s an honor to meet you in person. I knew Master Evenson was blessed by the goddesses, but I never thought I’d get to see you face to face! You’re even more radiant than the stories say.”
“Thank you, Kitty,” Tomoyo mumbled, feeling a little awkward about the glowing praise.
“And working in a garden blessed by Virdencia, there’s really nothing like it; even just a little attention, and the flowers bloom brighter than anything I’ve ever seen before, and the smell is just heavenly.” Kitty turned to Curt. “I’ve been saying prayers of thanks to her for being able to see it all since I got this job, but I’d love to tell her in person. Does she show up here too?”
Curt grinned to hide his lack of knowledge about this “Virdencia.” Though it was clear he had a guess as to where she came from. “Oh, I think TOMOYO,” for just a second, he shot a sharp glance across the table at the kitsune as he said her name, “might be able to help you out with her schedule.”
“Right!” Tomoyo said, trying not to let her resolve break under Master’s clear displeasure with her. “But there’s no need to worry about that. For a goddess, every prayer is just as personal as a face-to-face meeting. She appreciates it.”
“I’m glad she heard me, then.” Kitty smiled.
After a little pause, Rachel, the wolf maid, spoke up. “Speaking of gardens, have you seen what Dazzle’s been doing in hers?”
“You mean our neighbor down the road whose fashion never left the eighties?” Anna asked with a smile.
“Yeah, her,” Rachel nodded. “She’s been planting Cacti at the edges of her flower bed. Guess Cindy’s dog must have been running into them too many times, and she’s looking for a more persuasive form of discouragement.”
“That’s a lot of work to stop one dog,” Kathy said.
“Won’t they just hinder the view?” Carrie asked.
“Maybe not if they’re flowering cacti,” Kitty suggested. “They can have very pretty blooms.”
The small talk continued casually through dinner, as if nothing at all was out of the ordinary. After the meal was finished, Curt motioned for Tomoyo to follow him to his office, the other four “in-the know” maids following quietly as well. After they’d all filed in, Curt shut the door behind him, then took a seat behind his desk. He looked the fiery fox up and down, still seeming pretty nervous about this. “Alright, first things first. Does the name Thomas Olbane mean anything to you?”
“I’m guessing you’re trying to subtly ask if I remember my old life?” Tomoyo asked. “Yes, I do. Don’t worry Skyla-Chan, despite all this,” she gestured toward her body, “I’m still the cousin you spent most of middle school with.”
Skyla sighed in relief. “Good, that makes things a little easier.” Skyla may have usually preferred the transformed maids remain oblivious to their changes, but these were very unusual circumstances. “Now, if you don’t mind my asking… WHAT ON EARTH WERE YOU THINKING TAKING THE GUN, CHANGING YOURSELF, AND VANISHING LIKE THAT?”
Tomoyo tapped her pointer fingers together nervously. All the power in the world, and she still hated seeing her cousin-turned-daughter upset. “...I was thinking that I had no way of knowing that pointing what looked like a plastic toy at myself and thinking of my fursona would turn me into a Kitsu-Phoenix fire Goddess? And you guys DID just leave it out in the open...”
Skyla raised her finger and opened her mouth to respond, then stopped, put the finger to her chin, and seemed to think it over for a few seconds. “Okay, you’re right.”
“That doesn’t explain why you just ran off with the gun, though,” Curt said. “Or why a pair of maid-goddesses showed up in my office. I’m guessing, due to their existence, the story about the gun being damaged wasn’t true.”
“You’re right, Curt-Dono,” Tomoyo said, finding it hard to imagine lying to her Master and reincarnated lover, “the gun is fine, and Skyla-Chan has it now.”
The brown-furred kitsune nodded, pulling the plastic gun from a pocket in her apron, handing it to Curt.
“So, what’s the real reason you took it, then?” Curt asked.
“Well, at first it was kind of an accident, just like the change itself. I got overwhelmed by all the sudden sensations of power and knowledge,” she left out the mind reading, knowing her Master and the others would likely find that uncomfortable, “and instinctively teleported myself to the divine realm. Then I realized, the gun seemed to implement some of my character's backstory into the world when it changed me, and that it would now NEED gods… or goddesses… to keep going. Your gun was the only object I had powerful enough to create more of them to keep the world in balance. I’m sorry I couldn’t stop to ask for permission, but I couldn’t waste any time!”
“I… see…” Curt mumbled. “How… many did you create, exactly?”
“Well, including myself, Amaterasu, and Issun… fifteen.”
“F-Fifteen!” Curt went wide-eyed. “Did you really need that many?”
Reading his mind, Tomoyo heard him continue ‘I don’t need TWO kitsune trying to make the whole world my personal maid army!’ Tomoyo did all she could not to wince at her Master’s displeasure.
“Yes,” Tomoyo explained, “that was the minimum number needed to keep order. Ideally, we’d have at least a dozen minor goddesses as well, but we can all survive with the current fifteen.”
‘Ugh… I’m not supposed to have ANY other gods before Him…’ she heard Curt think, regarding his own Catholic beliefs. ‘Does it count if they’re technically serving me, rather than the other way around? Or does that just make it worse?’
“You’re not just saying this so you have an excuse to zap more people, are you?” Curt said aloud, wondering if that tendency might run in the family. ‘I know the gun makes whoever’s zapped loyal to me, and want what’s best for me… wouldn’t be surprised if that meant they’d be more willing to zap others given the chance, and to make even gods loyal and unconditionally loving to me…But I never asked to become the center of the universe!’
Tomoyo didn’t bother hiding her hurt this time, a small frown forming. “Master, please, believe me! I’d never dream of deceiving you! But if you have your doubts, you can order me to tell the truth. You know I couldn’t refuse.”
“I…” Curt opened his mouth, then closed it. “...I believe you. Look, I’m sorry, I understand, the greater good, and all…” He groaned, hunching slightly over his desk. “This is just… this is a lot to take in… It’s too much to think about...”
Tomoyo sighed softly. She knew it was the effect of the gun on her, but she truly felt, from the depths of her heart, that if her Master wanted the world on a platter, he’d deserve it, and she’d happily serve it to him willingly. Not only that, but if every aspect of her fursona’s backstory had been made true, she’d, indeed, made it his destiny to become the “Emperor of the World,” eventually. (A title that, she suddenly felt, may have been a little over the top, now that it was a reality). But… clearly, that wasn't what he wanted…
“‘God isn’t a genie in a bottle, or a vending machine…’” She quoted quietly.
“Pardon?” Skyla asked.
“It’s something I’ve heard a few Christians say over the years, and given Curt is Catholic, it’s likely the source of his distress…”
Curt smiled slightly. “Well, yeah, you could say that…”
“What do you mean?” Skyla asked.
“Basically, that you shouldn’t come to God only to ask for things, and shouldn’t expect him to give you whatever you want,” Tomoyo explained.
“Yeah,” Curt said, “and now I have fifteen that are literally volunteering as my maids on top of taking care of the natural order…”
Tomoyo, reading the minds of the others, could hear that Skyla, personally, thought that was a wasteful perspective to take. Especially when the power of a goddess could potentially turn Curt into a mythical, long-live creature like her, and let them enjoy their lives together, even before getting to the “literally moving heaven and earth for you,” part. But Skyla still wanted her Master to be happy, and could tell this was making him uncomfortable.
“Maybe,” the five-tailed kitsune spoke, “you could just order the goddesses to not show you any special favors with their powers. They can still be maids during their free time; I KNOW they would be horribly hurt if you didn’t allow them to work for you at all! But they can just tidy up around the mansion place and chat with you, and leave it at that.”
“I’d accept that compromise,” Tomoyo said. “But that WOULD mean no exceptions, or take-backs. No literal deus ex machinas to save you in emergencies, no miracles besides the ones you make with your gun, and those granted humanity (and anthros) as a whole. Gods don’t do half-measures. I’d advise you to make your choice carefully, Master.”
Curt tapped on his desk, thinking over their words. After minutes that felt like hours he finally spoke.
“I’ve decided to...”