Balm in Gilead Chapter 20 (Patreon)

Chapter 20

Somehow, I managed to escape to the sanctity of the changing room.

I sighed, setting down the pile of clothes that two incredibly cute deities in dresses had forced upon me with weaponized pouts.

It was all dresses.

With another sigh, I began sorting through the pile of light, airy summer dresses and silky, satin formal dresses and tight, clingy cocktail dresses and sheer, lacy night gowns and wondered who I’d offended in my last life to deserve this kind of treatment.

Well… it was kind of a long list.

I pulled out a little black number and held it against my chest. “This one isn’t too bad, at least.” I would have preferred something with more, you know, pants. But the excuse Aphrodite had pushed was that I had enough ‘stuffy, adventuring clothes’ and needed to fill out the rest of my wardrobe. “I guess it goes with my hair?”

I’d have resisted more, but Hestia looked way too excited to see me in a dress.

Honestly, the things I did for my Goddess.

With a shrug, I slipped out of my clothes and into the dress. The fabric was nice, and I did need more clothes. I just wished it was something more me.

The sheath dress looked good on me in the mirror, highlighting my svelte figure. I wasn’t a fan of the off-the-shoulder look, but it didn’t look bad with my loose braid. It was backless, which seemed to be kind of a staple in adventurer fashion, mostly for women. Something to do with your falna, even if it was hidden. And then the hemline, well, it had been a while since I really cared about things like that. Running around in a skintight bodysuit for a few years will do that to you.

All and all, it was nice enough.

“Taylor!” Hestia rapped on the door. “C’mon, c’mon! Let us see!”

“I agree,” Aphrodite said. I could hear the salacious grin in his voice. “I’m sure it’s excellent. I picked it all out, after all.”

I chuckled. “Coming.” I gave myself one last glance in the mirror, fixing my hair a bit. Then there was nothing to do but face the music.

I stepped out of the door to the changing room barefoot. The store itself was small and cozy, with a low couch across from me for exactly this purpose. Hestia was perched eagerly on the couch, almost glowing with perky excitement. Meanwhile, Aphrodite was leaning back, one leg folded over the other in his gauzy shift in a way that was just shy of scandalous and every bit intentional.

And we were here to put clothes on me, for some reason.

“Well?” I asked.

Hestia’s jaw dropped, eyes tracking down over my legs for a second. The dress was a bit on the shorter side. “Wow.”

I rubbed the back of my head. “Aphrodite?”

The god of love hummed. “It looks good on you.” He glanced over with a giggle. “Hestia, love, you’ll catch flies.”

Hestia snapped up, cheeks going red. “I-i-it looks really good on you Taylor. Thumbs up!”

“Really?” I looked down at myself, twisting back and forth. “I guess it does show off my legs.”

Legs that looked quite nice after all my time in the dungeon, even if I did say so myself.

Aphrodite clapped happily. “Give us a spin!”

I rolled my eyes, raising my arms to spin slowly on my right foot. I went just fast enough to let the excess fabric around my hips flare slightly before settling back down as I came to a stop, facing the two gods again.

I gave a small smirk. “Does this dress make my butt look big?” God, if I had a penny for every time Lisa asked me that question when we went shopping…

Well, I’d had plenty enough money anyway. It seemed wrong to be stingy.

“It makes you look thickie.” Aphrodite gave me a wide, shit-eating grin. He glanced at Hestia’s blushing face. “I think that one’s a keeper.”

I raised an eyebrow. “Thickie?” Was that supposed to mean thick or something? I glanced down again. I didn’t think the dress actually made me look fat.

He waved hand. “Don’t worry about it!” He said. “Just put on another dress and pass that one over to us.”

“I’d like to know why you seem to think I need so many dresses,” I said. “I’m hardly going to wear them all.”

“But you need to try them all.” He clasped his delicate hands. “Otherwise you might leave a hidden gem buried amongst the dross, left being to languish in obscurity when it could instead have been the crowning jewel of your beauty!”

I sighed, but Hestia was having too much fun for me to take this away from her. It wasn’t like I really hated trying on nice new dresses.

It's just that, compared to the literal gods and goddesses that walked the streets of Orario, coupled with the other high-level adventurers, it wasn't like I was some great prize.

Still, I tried on the dresses and skirts one at a time, parading them in front of Hestia and Aphrodite. We set aside the ones that got the best reactions and put other ones back on the rack to be carted away. It was a remarkably 21st century mall kind of experience. But then Orario was just packed full of these kinds of anachronisms.

I will admit a certain fondness for skirts that left me free enough to move, while also showing off my legs. Now, I always thought my hair was my best feature, and I stood by that. But my legs were quickly growing into a strong contender for second.

Maybe half an hour in, Hestia went off to gather some more clothes for me to try, and Aphrodite told me to wait for a moment.

“Have you thought about what you're going to do with my brother?”

I raised an eyebrow. “Are you really related?”

Aphrodite shrugged. “Kinda,” he said. “Divines don't really have families the way mortals do, but … we do have some relationships.” He giggled. “Some more scandalous than others. Why else would we arrange ourselves into pantheons?”

Because how else would this fantasy kitchen sink of a setting be recognizable to general audiences? I shook off the thought. Given an infinite number of worlds, I suppose it wasn't so farfetched to assume there would be a world where gods not only walked the earth, but also mirrored their counterparts from the most prominent religions of Earths aleph and bet.

“Do I have to do anything about him?” I asked.

Aphrodite fixed me with a serious look. “If you don't, he'll do something about you.”

I paused, a dress hanging lightly from the tips of my fingers. “It seems like a rude way to talk about your ‘brother’.”

Aphrodite gave a small pout. “Just because we’re ‘related’ doesn't mean I'm blind to his flaws. The playboy hit on me enough times back in heaven.”

Apollo played for both teams in mythology as well, if I remember correctly. Or every team.

“He hasn't done anything yet.” I shrugged, letting my hair fall down to cover my eyes for a second. “And the agreement between our Familias is almost entirely to my advantage. I’d be a fool if I didn’t take advantage of it.”

I didn’t like the vibes coming off of him during our short meeting, but I also didn’t have a leg to stand on when it came to judging people by their intentions.

“So, what?” Aphrodite tilted her head cutely. “You plan to string him along for a bit until you get strong enough to stand on your own two feet?”

“That will take some time.” I'd absolutely shattered the record for first level up, which previously had been held by my on-again, off-again sparring partner and jagamarukun black hole, Ais Wallenstein. The current consensus of the gods was that my fast level up was only possible because I’d drunk Soma’s perfected wine and come back to myself.

I shook my head. “Either way, blowing him off from the start would be a mistake.” I’d made my fair share of enemies in my last life, by being too reckless and impatient. This time, I’d take things slower, holding out for as long as I could.

I had something far more concrete to protect this time.

Aphrodite hummed, kicking his heels against the couch. “Honestly, that’s probably your best choice.” Her eyes narrowed. “Well, unless you feel the desire to chase your heart in a different direction.”

I turned, meeting her gaze dead on. “Hestia is my goddess. I’ll not serve another.”

He remained silent and stone faced for a second, before breaking out into a wide grin. “Great!” He tossed his head. “That’s exactly what I wanted to hear.”

I ran a hand through my hair. “You could have just asked.” Gods could tell if a mortal was lying after all. It wasn’t like I tried to hide my devotion.

“I know.” He grinned unabashedly. “But it’s more fun this way.”

“For you, maybe.”

“Yep!” He grinned for a moment longer, before lapsing into a more serious expression. “As long as you know what you’re doing, that’s fine. Still… don’t underestimate Apollo just because he wears his heart on his sleeve. He’ll go to any length to get what he wants.”

I raised an eyebrow. “And you won’t?”

“The difference between us,” Aphrodite said, “is that I make sure they love me back. Apollo doesn’t really care.”

I felt a dark frown cross over my face for a second, before smoothing it away. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

“Please do.” And like that, the cheerful personality was back. “Say, Taylor… how do you feel about—”

“Taylor, here!” Hestia bustled back around the corner, carrying another stack of clothes. “You have to try these on.”

I sighed fondly. “Of course, Hestia.”

“Well don’t stop on my account.” Aphrodite leaned back on the couch, resting a finger against his lips. “We’re just here to enjoy the show after all.”

“We?”

He just giggled, glancing at Hestia, who was looking at me with intense interests.

It was going to be a long day.