Taweret's return

"Oh Laylaaa!" a sing-song voice carried through the temple. Eyes widening, Layla scrambled, quickly pulling herself out from the baths. Well, it wasn't like she hadn't known it was coming. She reached the top steps at a crawl, before managing to get to her feet. She shook off her arms and legs, still gleaming with the water from the baths, a couple of steps from her clothes.

She glanced over to her piled outfit - shirt, shoes, pants and panties - and faltered. She was still soaking, skin still wet.

Wait, stupid, what was she thinking. Layla took a deep breath, and summoned her suit: the chosen costume of Tawaret's avatar materialised around her, gold boots and white-and-gold dress and the weight of the golden wings secreted at her back. Her face was still a little flushed when Tawaret walked into view, cheerfully waving and holding a small statuette.

Layla quickly steadied her breathing. She stepped away from the water's edge, managing a smile like she hadn't just been naked. Too close. Well, it wasn't like she didn't have a history of making reckless decisions.

"Layla!" Taeret squealed. "You're wearing it!"

"What? Er, yeah," Layla said.

She looked down at herself; unsurprisingly, the armor was waterproof. Her shoulders were bare, just enough to show off her muscle, but the rest of her was covered up in the admittedly stylish suit.

"You know what? I think I'm going to miss this," Layla said. She sighed; "Well, let's get on with it. Do you have the things?"

"Of course I do sweetie," Taweret said. She handed Layla the statuette: "Touch this."

"Er..."

Layla reached out. She held the idol for a moment, before Taweret took it back; Layla frowned.

"I don't feel any different," Layla said.

"It should have worked," Taweret said. "Ooh! Try dismissing the suit."

Layla's face went hot.

"Er, do I have to?" Layla said.

"We can test how easily it comes back," Taweret said. "Go on!"

Taweret clapped excitedly. Layla breathed out a long sigh.

Well, better the weird quirky hippo-goddess than some other people, she supposed. Layla crossed an arm over her breasts, held her hand over the front-piece of the skirt, and willed the suit away.

For a second she stood there in all her nude glory, skin glistening, chest barely hidden behind her arm and wrist needing to adjust to hide a dark-brown glimpse of nipple after the loss of the suit had changed the angle, and then a moment later the suit reappeared.

Layla blinked. She hadn't even tried to summon it that fast.

"Ooh! Layla! You tried the baths," Tawaret said excitedly. "Aren't they lovely?"

"I-I guess," Layla said. She flushed. "Anyway," she said quickly. "What was that? The suit came back fast."

"We boosted our connection," Tawaret said. "You just need to think of the suit for it to appear - it's a little more tiring, and less practical, so you don't want it to stick, but it'll let you join me in the Duat."

Right, that. Go on some spiritual journey, meet the 'true' form of her goddess, and suppress the connection, and probably lose the suit.

"So, I need to go asleep next or something, right?" Layla said. She looked around. "Is there any place for that?"

"Oh, here's fine," Taweret said. "This'll send you right off, and there are plenty of gods around to keep you safe."

Taweret lifted up a sprig of some herb; Layla, meanwhile, didn't pay attention to that part. She looked around the vast baths.

"I don't see any gods," Layla said.

"Well of course you don't silly, you're my avatar, not theirs," Taweret said. "Can't see them anymore than you could see Khonshu, but they're always going to be here. Oh, hi Hathor!"

Taweret waved to a figure Layla couldn't see. Layla's cheeks immediately resumed heating up. She awkwardly looked around the huge chamber.

"They could've mentioned," she muttered, slightly annoyed.

"What was that, dear?" Taweret said.

Layla made a face, then, flushed, shook her head.

"Nothing," Layla said quickly. "Um, right, so should we get on with this?"

"If you want!" Taweret said. She wiggled happily. "Oh, can't wait to meet you properly! Lay down then."

Giving the baths another, somewhat flustered look, Layla slowly lay herself down, resting her damp hair on her clothes, giving her a slightly soft resting place. Taweret knelt over her, sprig in hand.

"Okay, so when you wake up you'll be in the Duat," Taweret said. "It usually looks like some place from your life. Just come find me, and we can finish the ritual, okay?"

"I guess it'll have to be," Layla said.

She closed her eyes, smelled the scented waters, and then smelled a note of something else-

And then she was asleep.