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The empty stare I get for the question would have rippled my scales a few hours ago. Now, I’m unconcerned.

I can’t remember the last time I felt so nonchalant about my death, and it makes my lips curve at his challenge.

“I’m asking for a reason, not to aggravate you. I can’t believe that’s even possible.”

He looks away towards the house again, and silence descends between us.

“What are we doing?”

Kimi’s voice from the back seat startles me. How did he -

“Would you like your ring, Kimi?” Mitri asks without inflection.

He gasps and extends his left hand, all his fingers curled under except for the ring finger.

Mitri reaches into his pocket, and I halt him by saying, “In the car?”

“Mne vse ravno,” he replies and slides the ring on.

We ignore Kimi as his body begins spasming in the backseat. The silence between us lasts about ten minutes before Kimi sits up and wipes his bloody nose.

“Why is marriage so hard, you guys?”

“Tell us your Goddess story again,” I suggest with a vicious smile.

“Why? You guys neverbelieve me,” he whines directly into my ear, making me grit my teeth to keep from snapping at him.

“Now,” Mitri turns to give him a blank stare.

“Okay, then,” Kimi exclaims excitedly and leans between our seats to begin, holding his palms out, “Once upon a time…”

I never noticed that what I once considered embellishments to the faery’s tale have never changed. It’s a script he’s acting out in the backseat for our entertainment.

The Goddess was killing the land and enslaving the people, beginning some sort of cult that followed her obsessively. Her ultimate goal was to destroy their planet.

I raise an eyebrow at Mitri at this part, which he ignores.

When the female reached the forest where Kimi’s people lived, she wanted the kings of his people for her own.

After some questioning, Kimi admits he has four fathers and six older siblings that could have taken his place as a sacrifice. When he’s asked why they didn’t he only says, “That wasn’t their role in this.”

His people weren’t the type to lie down and obey, so they planned to meet her with a show of force. An inevitable war began between the two factions. The armies that were defeated were kept as her pets to be trained. She would only cease the war if his fathers agreed to abandon their mate and marry her instead.

Kimi decided enough was enough. He sent his own message to the Goddess, claiming to not be content at home as the seventh son of royalty with no prospects and willing to marry her, no ceasefire necessary. He went to her without an escort.

Bold and idiotic. Perfectly Kimi.

The Goddess was apparently not very intelligent, or she believed herself untouchable. Either way, they married in some grand ceremony, and she bound his spirit to follow hers wherever she ended up.

The following diatribe about how Gods shouldn’t be worshiped because they’re idiots, and if you want something done, you should just get off your ass and do it yourself instead of wasting time praying lasts for a little over an hour.

We let him vent, knowing he’ll return to the main story eventually.

When he does, he adds some new facts. Things we haven’t heard before because we either stopped listening or he just gave up on us paying attention and shut up.

Seeing that we’re still a captive audience, he tells us how she reincarnated over several different realms, taking longer and longer each time to be reborn. He doesn’t know how long between because he gets trapped in some realm filled with gray mists with no way to tell time talking to himself.

Mitri tilts his head at this information, and I don’t know if he’s taking mental notes or if something has triggered him. He’s been motionless throughout the entire retelling.