A Difficult Answer

Tonya sees the trickster god suddenly appear before her, clearly distressed, "Khalus? Is everything alright?" She asks with genuine concern and a bit of fear.

Khalus blankly stares for a moment before responding, "What am I to you?" His voice monotone and distant. Tonya gulps, nervous about how to reply, "Y-you're my god. I would do anything for you." She gets on her knees and prostrates before him. This does make Khalus feel slightly better, but he can't shake the weakness he feels when he thinks about Emily.

"AARRGGHH!" He screams as he punches a hole through the office wall before vanishing, leaving a confused and frightened Tonya.

Khalus appears back at the diner and sees Emily outside, quickly walking away. He teleports in front of her. "What are you?!" He demands an answer. Emily screams as the god appears before her, "Me?! What are you?!" She snaps back in fear. She tries to run away but Khalus grabs her hand and teleports them both to the rooftop of a skyscraper.

"Why are you weakening me? What realm do you come from?!" The trickster god asks in a confused fury. Emily begins to cry, "I don't know what you're talking about! Please don't hurt me!" She screams as tears run down her face. Khalus sees the genuine fear in her eyes and normally being feared would give him joy, but coming from her it only pains him.

Khalus' aggressive demeanor calms, "Why do you make me feel this way? Who are you to make a god feel powerless?" He walks to the edge of the rooftop and looks over the city, "I could have it all, anything I want. But you..." He turns back towards Emily, "...you make it feel like none of it matters. We have only been acquainted for a few hours and in those few hours, you made me forget I was a god." He says with a confused solemnity.

Emily stands there trying to process everything that is happening, "A god?" The words barely escape her lips as she falls unconscious.

"Well, shit." Khalus exclaims. He picks up the girl's limp body and teleports her to the Club Cobalt office. He lays her down on the bed and explains the entire situation to Tonya.

"Sounds like you're in love." Tonya says with a knowing smirk. Khalus scoffs at the thought, "Love? I don't love. I lust and I take, as you well know." He responds, slapping the blonde's firm ass.

Tonya gives a warm smile, "There's a first time for everything. You clearly care for her, or else you would have treated her as a plaything like you do everyone else." She points to the unconscious girl, "Instead you brought her here and aren't taking advantage of her vulnerable state."

Khalus shakes his head, "I can't be in love, especially not with a pathetic human...." He looks over at the unconscious girl, "....Can I?"

Emily stirs and begins to wake. She opens her eyes and as she sees Khalus her fear returns and scurries up against the wall, not saying anything, just staring with wide eyes. Khalus looks to her and does something he never thought possible, he apologizes.

"I am sorry about earlier." He summons a bouquet of flowers into his hand, "I do not mean to hurt you, I just....don't know how to act around you." As he says these words, he reveals a vulnerability he didn't know he had.

Emily, still bewildered by it all, tries to understand. "You're a god? And you like me or....don't like me? I don't really understand what's happening."

Khalus explains, leaving out the messy details, "I am a god from the realm of Volsona. My mother is the God-Queen of that realm and she banished me to the mortal realm after I kinda....tricked my horrible father into swearing fealty to a goddess from another realm. I then played around in this realm for a while, eventually meeting you and, yes, finding myself to like you."

Emily lets it all sink in. She points to the blonde standing next to Khalus, "Is she a god too?" Tonya laughs, "I wish. But, No, I'm not a god, just a newly converted follower of Khalus."

The young brunette looks back to Khalus, "This is crazy. I hung out with a god? We played Silver Saber together, and let's be honest, I kinda carried you."

Khalus chuckles, "You did, but to be fair, it was my first time playing any kind of video game."

Tonya smirks to herself as she sees Khalus being much more down to earth when he talks to Emily. She quietly leaves the room to let them bond and they do. The two spend all night talking about various things. When Emily looks at the clock sees that it five in the morning. "Oh crap! I gotta get home. My mom is gonna kill me!"

Khalus grabs the girl's hand, "Allow me to help." The two rise into the air and begin flying over the city, toward the dawning sun. Emily smiles as the wind blows through her hair, "This is the most amazing thing ever!" She shouts in pure joy. The trickster god feels that flame ignite in his heart once again, but this time he lets it burn.

After a few minutes of wondrous flight, they eventually land in front of Emily's house. She kisses Khalus on the cheek, "Definitely a date." She exclaims before entering the house.

"I suppose it was." Khalus says to himself, a smile on his face.