“Hyun? What’s up?” Jihyo asks lightly, she was shopping with Momo and Chaeyoung, well, she was in the same market as them……. She thinks.

“Hey Hyo.” She sounded worried. “I have to talk to you and Jae, well, we need to talk to both of you.”

“Sounds serious. Come to the house, we’ll have dinner and you can tell us what’s up.”

“Will do, we are leaving work now and should arrive at your place in about two hours?”

“We’ll be waiting. But don’t strain yourselves and drive carefully.”

“Will do, thanks Hyo.”

They hang up and now Jihyo is very worried. Despite anything, she knew Dahyun would never sound like that without reason, and that Nayeon would put her own life on the line to protect them, be it for the love for her brother or the guilt for her past actions, and this very serious sounding phone call meant something not so good was happening. Might as well just have everyone over and up to date on things as they happened.

“You done, Ji?” Momo asked when Chaeyoung and her got out of the supermarket and found Jihyo sitting by the entrance.

“I’ve been done for quite a while. But looks like something came up on Nayeon’s side, so they are coming over for dinner to talk to us, and so are the two of you. I already messaged Youngjae and he’ll be over as soon as he can.”

“Alright, mind if we drop by our house first? We’ll take a quick shower and get going.”

“Of course not, and you two can put your groceries away too.”

And so they head out, believe it or not, Momo and Chaeyoung were ready in less than twenty minutes, they took turns putting away the groceries while the other was showering and got ready to leave soon. There was a dry age experiment Chaeyoung had been working on, so they took that and Jihyo had texted Jaebum to start making the rice and get a salad going with what they did have, he answered that there wasn’t much for the salad, but he would start one with what they had anyways.

When they arrived, Jackson and youngjae were already there, suspiciously close to each other. Nobody had ever seen the two together, as Youngjae had been called in last minute to fix some error in the production line that needed him right away, last time they were all supposed to get together. The woman wasn’t that slow, no matter what Chaeyoung tried to say, it was obvious there was something intimate going on there, but she could just question her nephew later, now there seemed to be more pressing matters at hand.

Oh, and there was another goddess that just showed up that morning too, and that’s when the group reaches the living room, they find a new (stunning) face with bunny ears and very angered, looking at Tzuyu on the corner, sitting on her knees with her arms up and what appears to be a regretful face. None would know, Tzuyu never really regrets anything, and that’s what prompts Jihyo to just out and ask.

“Oh, hello.” The small nurse greets. “I’m Jihyo, these are Momo and Chaeyoung.” She points to the other two, who bow when their names are said. “I’m guessing you came here for that one?”

“Finally! I get to meet THE Park Jihyo.” The woman stands up and barrels towards Jihyo to hug her.

“I’m that famous, now?!” Jihyo laughs trying to defuse the situation, Chaeyoung and Momo already losing themselves behind her.

You see, Jihyo was a bit touchy with new people, and she got very, very upset whenever someone she didn’t know invaded her personal space. Sure, she is a nurse, but treating someone was very different from a person she had never seen before just up and hug her like this. Jaebum was trying his best to signal to the bunny woman to let his wife go, but it looks like she wasn’t intending to listen to anyone but her own whims.

“Now that you are all here, I should introduce myself. Sit down, children.” 

Now that was it, Jihyo launched at the woman, aiming for the head without hesitation and manages to tear it off clean, the usual celestial light pours out of it, but that doesn’t stop her attack, nor does it stop the woman from talking, it was freaky (not the good kind), soon enough, limbs were going down the garbage disposal and the head was screaming at Tzuyu to help out, to which the other goddess argued she was grounded and told not to move from her spot.

Once everything was mangled and properly ran through the disposal, Jihyo controlled herself and came back to the head, who was watching her in sheer terror, the small woman looked completely calm and composed, even managed a small smile that brought chills down the spine of everyone present. 

“Now, you will start talking and you will not stop until I tell you to.” The small woman sounds like a tibetan monk at this point. “You will explain yourself and not leave a single detail out. Begin.”

What was the bunny gonna do? Say no?

“I’m Elkie, the hare goddess, hares, rabbits, doesn’t really matter, I’m that goddess. Tzuyu and I have been married for milenia now, and she knocked me out to sneak into the mortal world again, when I looked for her, I found she had two new disciples, who she made her priestesses and never went through the proper procedures. I came after her to get her to make things right before Tiāndì decides to handle her himself, which he did promise to do after the japanese deer infestation in the 1700s.”

“Wait, hold up.” Jaebum, the only one who would dare to interfere right now chimes in. “You are telling me that was her doing?”

“Oh, yes, very much Tzuyu acting out like a teenager and saying that everyone would start praising the deer goddess if they knew more deer personally and understood how awesome they were. Not gonna lie, the rabbit problem you guys had around the same time was my doing because that one over there convinced me to follow.”

“Alright, now keep going, I still didn’t say you could stop.” Jihyo urges.

“Sorry. So, I came to try and do some damage control, but it was very difficult to find Tzuyu the closer I got, her presence is already set through this entire city, it’s hard to pinpoint her, one of the reasons I was at the hospital is because all of you emanate her and Gucci’s essences, they bestowed upon you all their greatest blessings, and that drew me in. I was also in their building, trying to find her.” She pouts towards Dahyun and Nayeon, who were sitting somewhere to Jihyo’s right. “And now I’m here. Gucci tried to warn me to be respectful, but I didn’t believe him and just went for it, guess I brought it upon myse-”

“Alright, that’s quite enough. So, Elkie, I’m Jihyo and today we learned that goddesses have to behave as well.” Jihyo cuts teh rambling, satisfied to know everything now. “And what’s up with you ear goddesses and showing up at my house?”

“I think I can answer that.” Tzuyu decides to talk, raising a shy hand and waiting to be allowed to talk.

It’s not that they just feared any mortal, but Jihyo felt like Tiāndì, their presence too similar to be mere coincidence, but the goddesses had a silent agreement to never reveal that without the big boss telling them to. Nonetheless, the woman was seriously scary, I mean, who even dismembers deities like that.

“Go on.” The nurse allows.

“You see, when I decided to have Sana as my priestess, wherever she lives is my shrine, other deities feel drawn to it, as it’s a place of sanctuary and we all feel safe and welcome. I’m one of the goddesses of nurture, and my presence is comforting to all deities.”

“You are what now?” The incredulous look on everyone’s faces tells Tzuyu Chaeyoung wasn’t the only one wondering.

“I know, you all don’t really see me like that, but ask Sana or Mina. I am a goddess to her and Mina, but a friend to the rest of you, maybe that’s how your skepticism came to be. I nurture my followers, but I do admit I’m a brat to my friends and family.”

“That I can confirm, she is a nightmare when she warms up to people. I know, I married her, but it was something I decided on a whim, I was still young and infatuated by the tall dark and handsome mysterious woman who Tiāndì had chosen for me. Sure, it only went downhill from there, but how could I go against the Emperor of the Gods when I was told my wife had been decided?!”

When nobody answers, Elkie looks across the room and sees understanding on all the faces looking at her, there is sympathy and slight pity there too, but she decides to not focus on it too much. A quick look on the thoughts around made her at ease, she understood that these people were worried about her and they understood perfectly what both goddesses were trying to convey. 

“Alright, I should go and let your body out of the garbage disposal now.” Jihyo says as she places Elkie on a pillow carefully, and heads to the kitchen.

“Okay, now that one thing is out of the way, let’s eat and handle the serious stuff.” Jaebum declares, standing up himself and defusing the tension completely. “Now, Hyun and Chae, in the kitchen with me, Momo and Nayeon, look after the kids, yes that includes the two big kids. Jackson and Youngjae, just go out to the porch if you are going to keep eating each other’s faces up.”

“Alright, break!” Chaeyoung screams as she shoots up, Dahyun and Momo follow, giggling like idiots. 

“Just don’t burn the house down.” Jihyo pleads, coming back from the kitchen.

“We cook very well, excuse you.” Dahyun defends.

“I was talking about those four.” She points at the goddesses, Nayeon and Momo. “I can trust Sana and Mina, but I know they won’t be able to stop these buffoons when the time comes.”

“Oh.” The pale woman looks stunned for a moment. “Then yeah, don’t burn the house down.”

Everyone heads out to handle their tasks, Jihyo goes in to take a shower and use that pregnancy test that had been weighing down on her purse from the moment she purchased it. Might as well break it to everyone already, if it was the case.