86 Loving mother

With Mable swearing to tease him back later, they proceeded to step into the grand temple.

Emp served as a guide telling her all about what was happening around them. He showed her the priestesses blindly writing predictions and throwing them in the massive pool of them, he showed her the horn that was used to receive the payment for a prediction and told her how the stairs in the back led up to the prayer room.

"I came for the prayer room but if you'd like, we can go take a prediction for you. I think they call them counsels here."

"I'd like one yes, that's why I came."

"Let's go talk to that woman then."

They made their way around the burners spreading a sweat scent and the sea of flower covering the floor and arrived in front of the woman. Like last time, Her overly long white dress flowed all over the floor around the horn on which she was sat leisurely. Behind her and the pool of messages, the small stage was presenting five talented harp players, all of them women with white dresses.

Like the last time he came, she welcomed them warmly with her smooth voice.

"Welcome to Love's temple proud pair. This one grew and now wears armor but I do remember. Are you here for a prayer or a counselling this time around?"

She must have recognized him because like last time, Celtine was on his shoulders.

"I'm here for a counselling." Mable answered. "We'll go for a prayer afterwards."

"Lovely, in this case, entrust a gold crown to the horn and choose a message from the pool. Remember, you can only read it once you have chosen."

Mable nodded in understanding and after taking one from her purse, dropped the coin in the horn. With the approval of the priestess, she walked up to the pool and laboriously fought her dress to take one of the papers. Those sort of dresses weren't made to bend and fold after all. It was very intricate and fit for a ball room but not to crouch.

Only after Emp helped her by holding one of her hands was she able to lean forwards deeply enough to pick one of the papers.

She thanked him warmly with a smile and unfurled the piece of paper to read what was on it. She made confused frown and walked back to the woman on the horn with Emp right behind her. He didn't try to read what was on the paper because Love had told him not to do that sort of thing last time he came. He was curious of what could be troubling her though.

"I don't understand what it is supposed to mean." Mable complained to the lady.

"Sometimes, it's a bit cryptic but it always is the right words for you. It might be a metaphor or even a single word, sometimes it seems clear and sometimes you need to wait for the moment of truth were it all comes together. You have to trust in lady Love and believe that it will help you when you most need it."

Mable seemed unsure if she should be believing her words but thanked her all the same.

"Thank you for the explanation."

Trying to be helpful, the lady in white gave some further advice.

"I noticed in the past that our lady Love likes to give choices. Even when it is meaningless, there is always an alternative. She likes to show everyone that there is always a second path even if that second path is a wrong one. If you close your eyes and think about the two paths offered, often you will find that your heart knows clearly which is the right one for you."

Mable thanked her again, this time more warmly and asked about the prayer room.

"Just place a hand over your heart and tell the idol what lies in your heart. Like I told the man at your side, do not say a word out loud, only the words in your heart matters."

The small group then walked up the white stairs to the second floor and Emp saw for the second time the prayer room. He placed Celtine onto the floor just like last time and looked at how similar it all was from before. People were praying all over the room as the large statue of Love watched over them just like in his memory of the place.

"Do you think that the statue looks like Love?" Mable asked him. "How do they know what Love looks like? Maybe they were wrong."

Emp felt that if they had been wrong, the temple would have crumbled for making a god mad.

"I know for a fact that it does look like her. Stone can't make her warmth justice but that statue is otherwise just like her."

"Really? How do you know?" Mable asked him with a very skeptical look.

"I met her before, she was the one who gave me the magic ring." He answered pointing at her finger.

He couldn't tell her that Love had created him but the origin of the ring wasn't really a secret, plenty of people knew about it already.

Mable seemed very impressed and saw the ring on her finger in a new light. No wonder it was this magical! It had come from a true goddess! Why didn't he say so from the start?

Emp and the others stepped into an empty spot and everyone placed their hands over their heart.

It didn't take long before the world around him faded.

Everything turned grey and the brilliance of Love filled space above the heads of the believers.

"Darling, you finally decided to come back to see me! Why don't you ever come see me?"

"You said you couldn't help and I was busy with a lot of things."

"Can't you just come here to talk? There are two of you and you can't make any time for your real mother even though you live so close by. That's not fair at all!"

Her hair swayed like annoyed snakes but he could see on her face that she wasn't really angry at him. Instead, she seemed like she was playing some harmless mischief on him.

"It's true I want to tease you a bit but it's also true I missed talking with my son. Last time you were in a hurry and then you waited more than a year to come back. You even chose yourself a mortal mother in the meantime and didn't even bother to ask me if this was alright."

"Is it?" Emp asked.

He had not considered this before because Love was more one of his creator than an actual parent. He didn't think she would be bothered but gods were fickle after all, since she was bringing it up now, he feared that she might be upset.

"It's fine, I'm not upset at all. Most mortals have many mothers too. As long as you remember that it was I that brought you into this world and gave you life, I'm fine. I know you think I'm unreliable but it's only because of that stupid bet, I truly wish your well being. You are the son of Love and there is nothing in this world I love more than you. This is a fact."

She was Love after all, even though he didn't think she showed it well, it must have been the truth.

"I'm sorry that I haven't come talk to you in a while and that I let Marcy become my mother without telling you. I didn't think you would mind either."

"Well it's fine, I'm keeping an eye on you. I just want you to remember that I'm not that far off. For example, when next you marry a girl, I want you to come here to present her to me."

"I don't think this sort of thing will happen soon."

She laughed loudly at his comment as if it was the funniest thing she heard the whole day.

"You think? I'm sure it will come sooner than what you expect. You're doing well for someone who doesn't know what he's doing."

Of course, she knew of his problem, not only could she read his mind, she said she kept an eye on him.

"Now I know what it feels like to love but I don't know what to do with the feeling." He complained. "The emotion is smothering me, there's too much of it it's a torture."

"How is it a torture, Love is the best feeling there is!"

"I told Harriett and Celtine that I loved them but both became distressed afterwards and now I really wish I had said nothing, I just want things to go back the way they were. Mable too, she gave me a kiss on the cheek and then ran off and refused to give me any sort of explanation. And then there's/"

"Wait, wait. One at a time, jeez."

If they were to go one at a time, it'd take the whole afternoon and there were still more he wanted to talk about.

"It's fine, it's fine, we have as much time as we want here outside of reality."

"How does that even work?"

"Way too complicated for you, don't bother with it. As long as it works, it's fine. What do you want to talk about first? You don't have to hide anything from your mother, I'm there to answer anything at all."