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No, this was nothing like writing a story. When he was writing, he was the master of the story, the one in control.

He definitively was not the one in control there, which did make him a little nervous. Indeed, the trap was starting to close, and Akakios was not certain how to avoid being caught.

"Not very long." That seemed easy enough. "We arrived yesterday." Certainly she could not be that up to date, right ?

Really, it was Enji's proposition that was proving the most troublesome. It was not like he could conjure something like that out of thin air ! And while there were at least one troupe of entertainers he was aware of... Well, they would not know who he was.

Problematic indeed. "Sure." He finally answered, trying to look as calm as possible. Well, he had experience there, at least - how to look calm and composed when he was not. "I just have to get this done first. My boss is going to have my head on a plate if I have to come up with another excuse..." A lazy-looking grin for emphasis, but the physical contact was not something he expected.

He could feel the mask slip, loose at it was - he was not used to wear masks, so he had not tied the lace strongly enough - but he caught it, pushing back up his nose there it remained more or less stable. "Hey, careful now, yeah ?"

It had not been much, but it had been enough to notice a few streaks of purple hidden underneath.

Enji laughed having caught the change of name. "Akakios? It seems you have been found out I guess." He winked at Kios and added, "Don't worry. It's hard to get one up on her. I'll help you figure something out at some point. Maybe by the time we get back from Aejiss, I will have a plot all worked out for you to try and fool her with. Just don't mistake my twin brother for me. His hair is different."

He had already guess by the name that this was a god. He probably should have treated him differently but somehow he hoped that Kios appreciated being treated just as everyone else was.

"It takes practice, Kios. You did very well...I'm just better at reading tells than most." Possibly the understatement of the century, given who she was. "You have to sort of believe the story you are trying to tell, if that makes any sense. It will help make your body language more natural which will help a good deal." She snorted at Enjiron's comment. "Good luck with that, amerei."

At Kios' question, Tien nodded. "We have some unfinished business to deal with." She was not willing to say more than that, at least in a public place.

...Yep. This was serious stuff, and Akakios grew more serious as soon as he realized that. "The closest place I know is the pantheon..." If his mother's rooms could be remotely considered private. As far as Lament was concerned, it was not. And the library was public... Even if people rarely did venture there.

And, well, he certainly hadn't seen Mystery in quite a long time. "And Taj knows me... Well. If he will recognize me, that is." He said, quite amusingly - Tien might get what he was referring to, but Enji probably thought him reborn through a gem like the others.

Gods making more gods never seemed to occur first things to mortals. That seemed rather... backward.

Enji laughed grinning as he hurried to follow her. "Better keep up, Kios. She waits for nobody." He reached out, grabbing her hand and squeezing it. Kios would catch up, he was sure. "So you know Taj, do you? I must admit Iike him and it's a good thing he's been around or my entire family would have been in trouble."

It did not take them long to get inside the room. Not at Tien's pace anyhow. Mirshu was near the front of the door, showing a woman out. She was dressed very provacatively and Enji broke into laughter. "Another lady for Tristan I see," he said softly so only Kios and Tien might hear him. She was getting very irate with the aoide.

"Enji, will you tell Tristan..." she began, hands on her hips.

"No. I won't. I'm staying out of this, but I will tell you this. You will get more flies with honey than vinegar. No leave before you cause more trouble. Mirshu, we need some tea if you'd not mind telling Delphine. And Rasmus, ask Taj to lock the door again so that Tristan can get some rest."

"He would not be, I think, if he had his own way. It is their eldest brother's fault." Tien laughed and shook her head. Poor Tristan. If he would just get it over with and choose it would all be over. She glanced over at Akakios as he shed his guise- there was that familiar purple hair. "You must have gotten your looks from your mother." She had not seen Echo in a very long time- the memory of it was strange and double sided since she had sort of been present for it, but Lament certainly did not look like Nergal at all.

She headed up the staircase and opened the door to her shared room with Enjiron. "After you two. Make yourself comfortable on the couch, Kios."

...Oh, my.

"That is... a strange condition." Akakios blinked once, twice, clearly a little confused. That clearly sounded more than a little bothersome. "Through maybe he should just pick one and..." Well. Be done with it ?

Uh.

"But I figure I can kind of understand... A child will not be your brother, but it would be something, at least." Often, it was children that helped loved ones pull through grief. Children did not understand and mourn the same way as adults did. Adults were often too proud to allow themselves to cry when they needed to.

"As long as none of you give my brother any tricks..." There was both weariness and annoyance in Lament's tone as he more or less let himself flop on the couch. Not exactly a godly gesture, but hey.

"Yes, I believe that was my brother's reasoning for it. And I wish Tristan would just get it over with. I've been trying to drive out the females to give him a break now and then," Enji stated and then laughed pulling Tien down into his lap. "Don't worry. I've not met your brother to give him tricks. I'll help you instead."

"Aejiss... I guess the best way would be to start from the beginning. If Taj were here he could easily tell it all, but I guess we will try as best we can," the man said, scratching his head a moment. Delphine had arrived, placed the tea on the table in front of them, bowed and left in only a couple moments.

"I guess this is my second life. I was once an aoide named Nykyrrian for Tien before the.. fading or so Taj has explained. I guess he sees the secrets whether he remembers them or not. Anyhow, this woman, an immortal tried to take Trickery's place. Nikki protected her and died for it. Trickery and Taj hid my people on another world to protect them. Recently we just got here and found all this out, though we knew of both and worshipped them all this time. A book we had safely hidden and sealed revealed all that had happened to us and why we were there. If this woman is still alive and on Aejiss, she is passing herself off as Tien. We plan to stop her."

He suddenly grinned. It would be a pun, but he had to do it, "I don't suppose you'd want to go along and make them Lament what they've done, do you?" He liked Kios and his attitude of not taking himself too seriously except at the proper time and place. It was what he liked about Taj too.