It had been too bloody long.

Their paths continued to divert from one another as time slipped by, even as they had learned the truth when she sought him out. A truth that would reveal her to have been risen just as her sire had been. Nothing more had been said and done other than Nemesis and Serafina being left to their own devices. To his surprise, she hadn’t flipped the world upside down. That wildfire temper of hers was both a beautiful work of art and a dangerous vice to all, including himself. One had to wonder how she would govern given such awesome power.

Perhaps such a question was the reason why he tracked down her establishment, in the heart of the city that a church of his stood in as well. It hadn’t been his intention to tread so closely, and certainly not his idea to construct on in general, but give it to that stubborn Reaver to want to spread gospels and such. While such things didn’t seem to suit him well, he couldn’t speak the same about Sera and her tavern- it greatly stood out from the poverty-stricken streets and buildings with its exquisite exterior. As he entered inside, the interior was just as impressive. But then again, she always knew how to run establishments like this and bring out its full potential, even back when she was human. The thought brought with it some comfort as his eyes lay onto the inner workings.

Like a shadow, he glided through the sea of men and women before making it to the bar and fell onto the closest stool. There was no want for distractions in his eyes- he wanted to speak with his alpha. One more, they were on equal terms again, linked together this time by god-blood. She had once before came to congratulate him on his rising; it would be rude not to do the same for hers, no matter how late.

He tapped on the bar and waited for the bartender, “Give me your strongest drink, and let your mistress know that Nemesis is here.”

Jasuin looked up as he heard the tapping sounds against the bar, his gaze shifting in the direction to where Nemesis stood. He froze for a moment, of course, as he recognized him. He had never seen the god in person before, but Serafina had spoken of him enough where he felt as though he had. His presence was just as commanding as she had made it seem. Without delay or hesitation, he made his way over to Nemesis immediately, stopping in the middle of mixing a particularly difficult drink. He nodded at him respectfully. ”Absolutely, m’lord, I shall fetch her immediately,” he replied, bowing his head in a sign of acknowledgement and heading towards a door off the back of the bar. As he exited he motioned for another of the bartenders to come forward and mix up a drink for Nemesis. The bartender poured him a whiskey based concoction that was a particular favorite of Serafina’s. It had a big kick and a lot of burn, just the kind of drink that was her favorite.

Jasuin made his way to Serafina’s office in the back room. It wasn’t too often that she was back there, but Nemesis had been lucky enough to choose a day where she was already easily accessible and Jasuin wouldn’t have to spend time trying to track her down. When he entered, the blonde haired goddess looked up from her desk, a minor expression of annoyance gracing her countenance. ”What is it?” she asked him hastily.

”You’ve a visitor down at the bar,” Jasuin said, a serious tone to his voice. Serafina sighed heavily and rolled her eyes, looking back down at the scrolls of parchment she had been analyzing when Jasuin had come in.

”I’m sure there’s more than one,” she said with an air of annoyance still in her voice. ”I don’t have time for niceties today, I am afraid. Got to get the orders ready for next month, and that idiot you put in charge while you were on vacation royally screwed everything up,” she added, glancing back up at him.

”I’m sorry, Serafina, but you’re not going to want to keep this one waiting,” said Jasuin, looking at her rather Sternly. Serafina looked annoyed, still, but set down the quill she held in her hand. She knew that Jasuin wouldn’t be telling her this unless it truly was important, so she begrudgingly got up from her desk and pushed her way out into the bar, Jasuin in tow behind her.

Serafina froze when she saw Nemesis at the bartop. She hadn’t been prepared for this at all, and she silently cursed Jasuin for not warning her about who this mysterious yet overly important visitor was. The goddess nearly felt her heart skip a beat as she stared at the man who had given her a new life, a new purpose. The pair hadn’t crossed paths in some time, yet seeing him felt as though no time had passed at all.

Clearing her throat, she snapped herself out of her reverie and made her way towards him, standing in front of him, just taking in the sight of him in her bar. She was not prepared for a visitor – in fact, she was dressed much differently than Nemesis had probably ever seen her. Her blonde hair fell in loose waves around her shoulders, and she wore a loose tunic over a pair of leather leggings that were laced up the sides with cord. On her feet, rather than the intricate boots she normally wore, were a very basic pair of leather boots that only came halfway up her calves.

She breathed out, seemingly having held her breath forever, and addressed him. ”You’re not who I was expecting,” she said, trying to keep her voice stable although she knew it was a fruitless effort. It wavered with both the joy of seeing him and the fear of what it possibly could have been that had brought him here. She knew that a lot had gone on in his life since they had last spoke, just as a lot had gone on in her own – but perhaps it was just a social visit? Only time would tell.

”While I am surprised to see you, I can certainly say it is a pleasure to see you again, Nemesis… to what do I owe this fortunate meeting?” she asked him, leaning towards him with her elbows resting on the bar, her blue eyes fixed on his face. With a wave of her hand she sent one of the bartenders off to ready a private meeting room for the pair where they would be able to speak in quiet, were he planning on staying.

It seemed as though her staff was rather aware of who he was, especially to their matron. The bartender was respectful enough to abide by his requests and went off to find Serafina while another kept him company. Nemesis, in turn, was grateful to the quick responses and mind his manners. After all, despite their relationship within the family, the divine ties demanded him to see her as an equal now under normal circumstances. And even more important, he was in her domain, and therefore, he was a guest here. The second bartender whipped up a rather potent drink for him and he took to it, chugging down a few sips before he felt the full effect immediately down his throat. "Expected nothing less", he said with a toothy grin. If he wasn't a god, Nemesis was sure it would have put him on his rear end on the floor.

He set the drink down for later watched the maelstrom unfold within the tavern with its lively patrons. It was a contrast to how quiet his own realm was, though he had to admit he didn't know just how deep hers went. If only he knew… But what he did believe was that he wouldn't be waiting long before Sera showed up. As estranged as they were, they still held a connection, one that had been made since he turned her so many moons ago.

He was deeply lost in his thoughts that it took him a few more moments than he’d like to notice her presence. His head snapped over towards her direction and looked towards the goddess. A soft chuckle fell onto him as his lips met with his drink once more. Although he was a bit surprised by her choice of attire, she still looked as radiant as always. There was no denying her beauty nor her strength- that’s always been key elements in his choice of women. “I hope I didn’t come at a bad time for you, Sera. But I wanted to see how you were doing. It’s been too long, I’m afraid.” He turned his body fully towards her and smiled genuinely. She seemed different; like she was more at peace with herself. An oddity in of itself for as far as he knew her over the years, but then again, how much had really changed with her over the times? A part of him missed her and her dominating attitude towards all, himself included. She was feisty and didn’t care who was pissing her off- the perpetrator would surely get the message once she dropped them.

“I mean you no trouble, Sera. I had been curious about what you’ve been up to since our last encounter. Clearly, you’ve been hard at work, but then again, management had always been your forte, no? But something tells me that even here, not everything is what it seems…”

Serafina remained silent for a moment, her blue eyes fixed on Nemesis as she simply took the time to look at him. When he finally seemed to notice her and began to address her, she gave him a half grin. It was clear that she was happy to see him, but she was certainly making an attempt to shield the amount of happiness that she gave off. She didn’t care that Nemesis knew she was glad to see him, but he didn’t need to know the extent to which it went.

”It’s never a bad time to see you,” she said, the tone of her voice welcoming. ”I was just correcting some mistakes that a rather inept employee had made before the orders for next month’s inventory go out,” she said, a hint of exasperation to her voice. ”Believe me, seeing you after this long is a welcome distraction from such tedious business dealings,” she added, leaning a bit more across the counter as he turned his body to face her.

”It has been an awfully long time, hasn’t it? I suppose I am partially, if not mostly to blame for the lack of communication between us,” she admitted. ”Had I not so belligerently went against you and changed Xerxez without your permission, maybe things might have been different,” she added, and there was a slight air of regret to her tone. It was also, perhaps, the first time she had admitted out loud what exactly had undone the last small strand between the pair.

Before she responded to anything else Nemesis said, Serafina stood up straight from the bar and walked around the opening until she was standing next to Nemesis. ”Come, I’ve had a room set aside for us so we can speak in private without the prying ears of the patrons,” she said, gesturing vaguely around the room. She then led him down a hallway towards the private sitting room that had been readied for them, speaking as she did so. ”You’re not wrong. I’ve always had a knack for running things, so I figured why not now? I was already running an establishment before my ascension… I just made it better with the extra power I was granted,” she explained as they entered the room.

The room was decorated in the same red and black decorum of the rest of the establishment, a few couches of red velvet along one side. An onyx and obsidian table sat amongst the couches, a large crystal decanter of what appeared to be blood with two crystal goblets. The fact that only the blood had been served certainly gave way to the fact that the staff she had sent off to set up the room had known who Nemesis was without Serafina having said it out loud.

”As for what I’ve been up to… you’re basically saw it. I run this place, unless godly affairs take me elsewhere. The only thing you can’t really see is what goes on in private,” she said a bit deviantly. ”And of course the portals to my realm in Inferos, but beyond that… what you see is what you get,” she said with a shrug. ”I’ve had a good amount of time for introspection, I suppose, so as odd as it may seem, godhood has balanced me out a bit, even if I am in charge of debauchery. The heavy helm of death has its toll, though… and I’ll tell you, Dalanesca left me some big shoes to fill,” she said, moving to sit on one of the couches. She poured a glass of the blood for herself and some for Nemesis as well, pushing it towards him on the table to wherever he chose to sit, whether it be next to her or on the opposing couch.

”What about you?” she asked, sipping on the blood. ”I have heard quite a bit about what has been happening in your life,” she said, with a smirk. ”But I don’t think you came to discuss your marriage or my business… so what is it truly that has brought you here?” she asked, narrowing her eyes ever so slightly.

As far as he knew, any bad blood between them had been torn away due to the respect and love they still had one another. The two had been together for eons and survived just about everything is thrown at them. Still, he was no stranger to jealousy and the feeling of abandonment. It had taken him a good deal later to realize that he had been at fault as well for causing a rift between them, though he had not seen it until she brought Xerxez home and havoc took form. She needed not to apologize to him and Nemesis shook his head in protest. “Sera…I too am at fault for that. I’d wished I’d know how you felt about our attempts to conceiving a child…but what’s done is done. I will say something though- a part of me will still love you for that beautiful, stubborn, and strong woman you were even before I turned you.” He wanted to make sure that she knew that he knew that their most previous conversations went with plenty unsaid, at least from his side. Had things truly been different indeed…

“I had already made amends with Xerxez some time ago, as a matter of fact. He came to the Bastion and swore allegiance with me. Of course, I haven’t seen him for a bit.” He then smirked at her and brought the drink back to his lips, once more relishing in the burning sensation of the whiskey down his throat. It wouldn’t be long before he accepted her offer for privacy and the two left the eye of the public and took to a private room. It was better for them anyway, and Nemesis took to the spot right beside her own. He could smell the freshness of the blood from the decanter lined up for them- seemed like her people knew their stuff. Then again, Sera had been a stickler for running her place well before back in Kurayo.

He knew there was more than just the beautiful tavern she ran- her realm was much deeper. “I have personally been saying many times that I flirt too much with Death. I suppose then that it is fitting that you are charged with it now. As far Dalanesca… I had met her briefly. She was strong in both mind and power. Shame what had become of her, but that seems to be the way of the divine. Eventually, all makers are called in, and I pray that none of us within the Family have to be drawn into it.” He shifted himself so that he was facing her while he took his newest drink and savored the favor of it.

“I, or rather my brother, Reaver have been at work opening a few churches among Canelux as of late. Spreading the word of the dark faith to those that want my favor. Ironic, isn’t it how our establishments differ from one another? But when it comes down to it, still have the same goal?”

His own smile dropped briefly; Serafina wanted him to speak of his intentions for being here. For a brief while, the alpha fell quiet. He had wanted to come to see her, that was a fact. He also was still rather protective of her, even if he didn’t have the right to. It was simply in his blood. “The thing that led to Dalanesca's downfall…the out worldly beast had possessed her and attempted to use her to destroy everything. While we are powerful, we aren’t invincible. The Reaper had taught me that lesson firsthand.” Without hesitation, he went to reach up and caress the side of her face. “You are still precious to me, to the family, even if you haven’t been home in some time. You both are missed”, he spoke, referring to Xerxez as well. “I don’t want what happened to her happening to you as well. I fear that if that was to happen, I may not be able to do what needs to be done.” Angela had to summon the strength to slay her greatest of friends; Nemesis wasn’t sure if he could bring himself to kill someone as close to him as Sera was, despite the type of man he had been.

He returned to his blood drink and downed it before refilling. “You may not need it, and I understand fully if not, but I wish to offer my support and protection. Your enemies are mine as well. I wish to amend whatever bridges we need, my dear.”

It came as no surprise to Serafina that there were those amongst the people of Revaliir spreading word of Nemesis and the faith that his followers held. He had always held a commanding presence, and his ascension into godhood had only furthered said presence. She felt no need to comment on it, as it would only be telling Nemesis what he already knew about himself. They shared an understanding about that, as did so many others, it went without saying.

Serafina’s eyes locked onto Nemesis as he shifted position while speaking of Dalanesca. An air of respect shrouded them as the fallen goddess was brought up. ”No, immortal or not, there will always be something that can come along and take us out. It is our job to sniff those things out before they become an issue… But in Dalanesca’s case, I don’t think that was an option for her,” she added quietly.

As his hand reached up to caress her face, she leaned into his touch, her eyes closing briefly. To an outsider, it would have looked to be a romantic act, but to her, it was merely a display of affection from her maker, from a man who had given her the life she had for so long. ”And you, to me,” she said softly, choosing not to bring up Xerxez even though Nemesis had certainly indicated him as well. She was not sure if Nemesis was aware that Xerxez had returned, or even if he was aware that he had been gone. She just had to think of the right way to mention it to him.

She watched him in silent reverie as he sipped more at his drink, still enamored with him after all this time. ”If you offer me your protection, then you know you will have mine as well. What a united front we will be, Darkness and Death, having one another’s back,” she said, with a bit of a smile on her face. She was glad that after all this time, Nemesis still felt protective of her, even with everything that had happened. ”There’s no need for bridges to be amended, my dear Nemesis. What is done is done and we are here now, freely speaking with one another and that is what truly matters,” she said, the emotion in her words a clear testament to just how much she had changed.

She fell silent again and took a sip of her own drink, before reclining back a bit and crossing one of her legs over the other. She decided now would be as good a time as any to tell Nemesis of Xerxez and his apparent disappearance and return. ”You know… Xerxez was gone for some time. In that time we… lost one another, I suppose,” she said, not sure whether or not she was repeating information that her maker already knew. ”He’s back, though,” she added. ”I mean, we are not back, but he has returned, and we have spent a bit of time together. We have the bond, you know well enough what that’s like,” she said, trying to sound as though the bond as maker and protégé was what drew Xerxez to her and she back to him, but the light in her eyes as she spoke of him gave way to something else. ”Perhaps we could all get together sometime, the Volkov family,” she said softly, though there was a hesitant air to it. ”Up to you whether or not that would be the newest addition,” she added, clearly indicating that she meant Angela. ”I’m not entirely sure what Angela Rose thinks of me,” she said. ”Considering I took the mantle of her closest friend after her death.”

"And that's what worries me some nights. Death was never a problem in my former life. To be frank, I had once wished it had taken me", he spoke up, "This was before I came here and met you and Celeste. Since then, I had been cautious and determined not to go silently into the night. Even as the beings we are now, I knew that we weren't invincible. I don't fear myself dying- I fear what could happen if something like what happened to Dalanesca was to happen to you, Celeste, Xerzez, or any other in our family. I fear that I may not be able to do what is needed as Angela had done." It was one of the things that made Nemesis uncertain, a feeling that he loathed greatly. What else was lurking out of their sight? Aside from that eldritch, the answers seemed infinite without sleuthing about. “We were caught off guard, and I’ll be damned if it happens again on my watch”, he said bitterly. It wouldn’t be long before he followed up on his word and investigated a few spots in mind that could house some promising information about things beyond this realm.

It was clear that her place among the family remained intact. It had been too long since he had seen her in the mansion. Then again, his own time had been split as well and he knew that she had her own obligations. Still, it would soothe his thoughts by seeing her more often. As far as Xerxez was concerned, he supposes that the same could be said for him.

It humored him a little in thinking that they’d be this civic after so many centuries. Back then, Sera was a tempest that couldn’t be stopped. Perhaps reasoned with when he appealed to her at times but never stopped. He actually didn’t know what triggered this side of her, it was admirable, to say the least. “As if there wasn’t enough of a reason to fear our name”, he chuckled, taking another swig. “Perhaps fate does smile upon us after all.”

He placed down the drink and eyed her with some hesitation in learning what became of her mate, well former mate. “Any idea on what had happened to him?” Nemesis had made it clear when Sera had chosen her beta over him- that he was to do what her sire could not. To give her the undivided love she deserved. He tried not to jump to conclusions, but in his eyes, it was clear that he was a bit pissed off. His slow tempered sizzled down and his brows came together before he placed a hand onto the back of hers. “Believe me, Angela is also an old soul. She’s reign longer than any of us and seen many friends and even her husband fall from grace. Dalanesca was closer to her than most, but she knows the rules of the divine. I hardly think that she’d hold anything against you. Besides, she's busy entertaining a trio of rambunctious children inside her for the time being. It'd be good for us all to reunite. Also, Celeste misses your banter and Sergei thinks highly of you as well.“

Serafina cleared her throat when Nemesis asked if she had any idea what had happened with Xerxez that had caused him to take leave for so long without informing her. She could sense his hesitation, she could sense the bad taste that the thought left in his mouth. Leave it to Nemesis to remain protective of her even over something as trivial as what could be surmounted to a lovers’ quarrel. ”He hasn’t been entirely forthright on what caused his, well, disappearance,” she said, and there was a clear air of exasperation to her words.

”What I do know, however, is that it seems as though his loyalty is still as unwavering as ever, and he certainly seems to still care for me. I don’t know that I would say we are together again, but I think there is certainly a strong chance for it… I won’t discount it, not now,” she added, and there was now a sense of happiness to what she said, as though that were truly what she was hoping for.

Silence befell the pair for a moment, before Nemesis continued speaking, now bringing up Celeste and Sergei. Serafina nearly beamed at the mention of the pair. Even though there had been some tension due to Celeste and Nemesis having Sergei, which of course in turn made Serafina feel rather unnecessary to the family, she still loved them all just as much as she ever had. She knew that with Nemesis having married Angela, things would most certainly be different now, but her curiosity was too strong to stop her from asking.

”I have to ask – how is that whole dynamic working out now?” she said, clearly meaning his being married to Angela and still being connected to Celeste. She hadn’t heard much of Celeste since she had reached out to her upon her ascension and the message had gone unanswered. She knew, from stories at least, that Angela Rose was not a traditionalist in the most common sense so she assumed there had been some sort of procedure worked out, but regardless, she wanted to know. They were her family, after all.

”I’d love it if we could all get together – what do you think?” she said. After a moment, her face lit up. ”You know, we could make it a whole thing! Get the family back together and have a big dinner, party, whatever,” she said, though she was grinning and near bursting with laughter as she knew just how much Nemesis was not a fan of such things, but always ended up enduring them because he would inevitably cave to the women in his life requesting such things. ”Yes, I think that would be a great idea,” she said with a devilish smirk.

Nemesis could think plenty of things about Xerxez but abandoning his mate was not one of them. As much as he was irritated at the moment, he attempted to think that something must have happened to make him disappear. It wouldn’t have been anything small by any means. But she reassured him that her beta was still loyal and they may have a chance to reconcile. In all honestly, he knew that Serafina could take care of herself, regardless of if she took Xerxez back. She would know what would be best for herself. “Fate is amusing at times. I didn’t expect to marry Angela of all people. But we find ourselves linked together as time goes on before that pink-haired imp of a sister of yours set us up. I’m sure that your beta wouldn’t refuse a second chance if that is what you wish.”

And hopefully, he wouldn’t lose sight of what he had lost once again. Heaven knows what pain Sera had possibly hidden away during that time. Nemesis felt that prying into it further would open up a whole bunch of worms that no one possibly wanted.

Her question seemed to be akin to addressing the elephant in the room- something he wasn’t sure could be avoided with his former wife about the new marriage. “It’s odd. I’ll admit that handling both you and Celeste was simpler because you both were different in natures”, he said freely with a small smile. “With both her and Angela, they are quite similar save for the fact that Angela requires more of my attention. Celeste, on the other hand, is more independent now than ever, only seeking me out when she needs me. But both will busy themselves away with work and studies for the most part, which can be annoying. But aside from that, the arrangement is working.”

“The House, in general, has been more alive as of late. I’ve taken in my long-estranged brother Reaver as my beta and some of the others have come home as well. I’m sure that they would all be pleased with some downtime of sorts.” He thought for a moment about the possibility of such. It would be rather quite easy to plan accordingly. “A big dinner would be excellent. A homecoming of sorts as well as a chance for everyone to get to learn of each other.” He certainly didn’t hate the idea; even though he wasn’t one to relish in huge social gatherings. But Sera seemed to be beaming with glee over it and once the other women learned of it, they would surely also push for it as well.

“When would you like such a thing to take place? And where? Our home in Kurayo is always available and is neutral ground or any of our respective spots would do as well.”

He eyed her for a moment before fetching his glass again. She certainly seemed more at peace with herself, something that he had never dreamt would happen. Perhaps Xerxez or her domains had changed her. “I will say, that you weren’t one that was fond of such occasions. I really have missed much in your life as of late.”

”Kurayo would be the most logical and neutral zone to host it in,” she replied in agreement. Her narrow brows furrowed in thought for a moment. ”Of course, the logistics of getting everyone together at one time will be the biggest hurdle to get over,” she said, her voice having taken on a rather thoughtful tone. ”Xerxez might be back, but he seems to come and go as it pleases him – which I am sure you can imagine just how much that annoys me,” she added, with a bit of a huff. ”Plus, my schedule varies so much with all the business meetings on top of the ‘godly duties’ we all have, and I can imagine you’re just as busy, if not more… And Angela, of course, she has got to be the busiest of us all,” she continued, her hands coming to rest at her hips.

”My main concern is that this is going to turn into some dramatic power show,” she added, though the statement was paired with a laugh. ”You know how Xerxez gets, wanting to assert his dominance,” she said, shaking her head with a grin plastered on her face. ”Though, I think he learned that such a thing is not to be done around you, especially not now… And I don’t think he’d even dream of it with me, now,” she added, flashing Nemesis a knowing smirk.

”Listen, why don’t you let me handle all the details? I’ll come around the home in Kurayo sometime soon, and I’ll get the preparations together. Jasuin can handle things here, and I can actually get away for once. Perhaps I’ll be able to talk Celeste into helping me out, though I know that can’t be all too difficult of a task. She’s got a much better brain for those type of things than I do,” she said, offering Nemesis a warm smile. ”It would be nice to make our family whole once again, unite on an impenetrable front. Darkness, Fear, Death, Debauchery, Life, Love… we encompass almost everything,” she said, her voice almost taking on a dreamlike tone. It seemed that she snapped out of her reverie rather quickly. ”Yes, I’ll arrange for everything, and will work with everyone to find a time that will work best,” she concluded.

”Now, have you time to share a meal with me, as we used to? Assuming Angela would take no issue with that, that is,” she said. Her eyes had narrowed slightly. If he accepted, she would continue on, offering him a few choices. ”A nice, thin blonde tonight? Or perhaps, a curvy brunette? What are you in the mood for?” she asked, her chiming laughter ringing out throughout the room as she was reminded of when it had just been the two of them, feeding their way across the land.