"Oh, the poor thing…" Derlik didn't care. She had helped hurt his doll, and she was going to pay for it. He took a small bit of the offered food, looking up as Tanya came in. If she had died rec gently, hell even within the past few years, it would be so, so easy for Derlik to get her. She'd be right where he needs her.
"Actually, those two boys are who I'm looking for. They hurt my friend."
"That's not surprising. They hurt a lot of people." Tanya piped up from the kitchen. "No one is strong enough to get to them though. They harass men and women alike." She comes out with a pitcher of water. "We've tried reaching out to the gods, but no one listens."
"Tanya." The mother spoke sharply. "You do not speak ill of the gods."
"They did nothing to save my sister, they do nothing to stop the reign of those men. All they do is get our offerings and leave us to suffer." Tanya spat back coldly. "If the gods had listened, my sister would not have fallen prey to them. She would not have lost herself. It is the gods and the men's fault."
"The gods have their own things to worry about. We are merely people under their guidance. One person is not enough to-"
"It wasn't one, or two, mama! They've hurt almost every woman. Every man! They're unstoppable and they'll probably keep going until someone strikes them dead!" Tanya bit back. She stood and stormed off to her room. The old woman sighed and hung her head. "I apologize for her anger… ever since Navinne died…" She turned her attention back to the god. "If you're looking for the boys, you can find them a few blocks from here. They have the biggest house." She said softly. "Now… please excuse me. I have some things to finish up." She bowed slightly before moving up into the upper part of the house.
Derlik felt his blood boil as the girl spoke such ill of the gods. Even if they had ignored them, it didn't matter. She had to learn her place too, then. He waited uptil the mother was gone- she had done well, she had been respectful to him and the gods in general. Derlik stood, following Tanya into her room. He was seething with rage, bursting in. He didn't give her time to think, hand going to her face. She could process just what was going on herself as she was turned into a doll, shoved into Derlik's skirt pocket. She could come to the horrible realization of what Derlik was on her own.
With that anger satiated for the most part, Derlik smoothed his clothes down and checked on Luca once more to make sure he was asleep still.
The poor old woman. Losing both of her daughters before she had even taken her last breath. Luca woke up slightly but didn't move much else. He hummed and slowly opened his eyes, looking over at the god and offered a sleepy smile before falling asleep again. Other then that he didn't react much. He looked rather adorable like that, curled up and snoozing peacefully in his gods shirt. He looked rather adorable.
Who knows- if she begged, Derlik might just let her come along. Let her spend the rest of eternity with her daughters. If she learned what happened, of course.
Derlik smiled some at Luca when the man looked up at him, gently patting his back through the shirt. So, so cute… This was why Derlik liked him. No matter what he did, he just looked so adorable.
Derlik looked up, then, walking out of the room calmly and taking the daughter with him. She would learn. In fact, just because, he took her out of his pocket. She could watch. So, then, the god started to walk away. He had to men to take as well, after all.
He smiled a bin in his sleep before relaxing again. Luca was just so quiet and happy as he was held. He just liked being taken care of.
As for the men, they were currently drinking themselves silly. They were laughing and messing around. There was no welcoming of the gods, there weren't even any shrines, it was just them laughing and messing around, no care in the world. Usually there was at least a shrine, but it showed just how much the two men cared for nothing but themselves.
The self-centered pricks. Derlik let his hand with the girl swing some. He didn't bother with formality or any show. He was scowling, forcing his way to the two men.
"So, you're the ones I've heard so much about," the god spat. "What, can't even bother with a shrine? It might have saved you." Derlik grabbed one of the men by the head, not waiting for a reaction. He held the new doll in his hand, showing it to the one remaining.
"Too late now, though. I'm going to make you pay for what you did to my precious, favorite doll."
The men became confused, their eyes widening at the sight of the god. The first man could barely get out a scream before he was turned into a doll, the other man became so confused, the audacity. "What the hell are you talking about man? God? Doll? What the hell are you here? Who are you?" He backs away from the god, raising a beer bottle, as if that would protect him from the angry god. "What doll?" To think he had the audacity to question the god in front of him.
Derlik took his time, ignoring the man's questions. He sat the two dolls, the rude girl and the horrible man, down, turning to the one remaining. He grabbed him by the chin, fingers digging into his cheeks.
"Can't you recognize a god when you see one?" He spat. "Surely not, if you can't recognize the god of chaos. And you hurt my dear, sweet Luca. You used him. Now, I'm going to take your body from you." The god slammed the man's head against the wall, holding him there. He made the man's body turn slowly, painfully into a doll.
The man startled a bit and shook his head. "What- listen buddy there are a lot of people that I've fucked, or messed with. You're going to have to be more specific-" he snickers softly. He startles when he was grabbed, crying out in pain. "What the hell- let go!" He struggled a bit and cried out. Based off of Luca's memory, this was the man that had done the most damage. This was the man thst hurt Luca the most. Luca slowly woke up at the cries. He woke up and looks around.
Derlik kept focused on the man. He'd make him pay, for everything. Soon enough, the god had the man turned into a doll, tossing him to the others and walking over to examine them.
"One more to go, then…" Derlik looked down when Luca woke up in his pocket, humming softly.
"Hey, Luca," the god said softly, one finger going in to gently rub the man's cheek, "I'm just getting some work done, kay? Go ahead and go back to sleep, my doll…"
Luca leaned into the finger rubbing his cheek… So he was tiny now. That was okay, he still had his human form. "What are you doing?" He asks softly, his head tilting ever so cutely. He smiles sleepily up at the god, looking rather content about being in the mans arms. He presses a quick kiss to the gods finger before curling up again, presumably to go back to sleep. He liked being carried around wherever the god went, it mean the god wanted him close, and he wasn't complaining.
The final woman had died about a year after the events that had unfolded. Her body had been found at the cliffside. Now, her spirit stayed there. Unable to move on or forward, just caught in a constant loop of pain and agony.
"I've just got a few tasks to attend to for my work is all. We'll be back home in no time." Derlik watched Luca curl up, gently patting the man's head before pulling his finger out of his pocket. He picked the three dolls up, humming to himself as he looked down at them. They wouldn't get any of the kindness Luca was. He lifted the girl up, unsealing her mouth.
"Now, where did that precious sister of yours die, hm?" He had no time to bother with this.
Luca nods a little bit at the explanation, but he was already dozing off. If his god was working, he'd let his god work. He was sleepy anyways.
The doll hesitated for a moment before muttering quietly, "She died at the cliffside. She… she's still there. Sometimes I can see her, before she falls. It's like a loop." It sounded like she had been crying, the doll. She wanted to go back home, she wanted to be with her mother. She'd respect the gods, she had just been angry. "Please-" She murmured.
Derlik had already sealed her mouth again. He didn't care. She'd disrespected him, and now she would pay for it. He tucked the two men into his pocket, holding the girl for now. He might need her again, who knew. The world twisted once more, bringing them to the cliffs.
"Come here." Derlik waited, patiently. The soul wouldn't be able to deny his command to her.
The woman appeared quietly, she appeared with her head bowed. "I can still hear the screams." She kept muttering over and over again. She seemed lost within herself, a wreck within her mind. "I can still hear the screams." Her eyes then lifted and focused right on Derlik' shirt where Luca rested and she broke down into more tears, wailing miserably.
Derlik was a bit taken back by all of this. He watched the woman for a moment before stepping up. He took her head in his hands, lifting her face gently to be looking up at him.
"Do you want to stop? Do you want to truly pay for your crimes?" The god said, looking down at her.
She looks up at him, the tears never ending. Her eyes widened though, when the god offered for it to stop, for her to pay for her crimes. "Yes." She begged softly. "Please, anything. Please. I never- I should have stopped them." She whispered. "Please, please… I couldn't stop them." Apparently witnessing what had happened to Luca had driven her into hysterics.
Derlik looked down at the woman, still confused some. Just how much of a real role had she played in Luca being hurt? He wanted to see.
"I'm going to judge you for your crimes," the god said. He touched her forehead, the scene playing out before them for Derlik to see. For him to examine himself.
She had been threatened, really. The men had threatened to hurt her little sister, do what had been done to Luca if she didn't help them. Luca was a traveler, and had been targeted by the men. She simply stood by, watched in pure horror at what they had done to this young, sweet boy. She couldn't even watch for the most of it, pretending she was simply keeping watch outside. When everything was said and done, she had come back in, seeing the mess, the horror that they had left behind. The cuts and the bruises, all of it. The men had grown bored and moved on, probably to their next horrors. She had cleaned Luca up with what she had, which wasn't much and dressed him carefully. The memory ended. "I should have stopped them." She murmured sadly as she looked up at the god. "They were going to hurt Tanya… They were going to hurt my baby sister. I couldn't- but after-" She broke down again. "After seeing him like that- I couldn't-"
Derlik let out a soft breath as the woman's memories finished. He gently ran his hand over her head, wiping her tears away with his thumb.
"Are you ready for the penalty?" He asked. He held the woman's head still, having her still look up at him. This would be quick. It wasn't her fault.
She looked up at him tearfully, still shaking with quiet sobs before she nods in the gods grasps. "Please. I'll do it. Whatever the penalty is, just please-" she whispered. She regretted everything. That much was obvious. "I'll take if willfully." She murmured sadly. "Just- please- keep my little sister safe." She whispered. "That's- that's all I ask." A last request. It was more of a beg, a silent plea with the god.
Derlik moved his hand to the woman's forehead, lightly touching it with his finger.
"You're going to be the one watching over her, actually." The touch wasn't enough to take all the pain away- but it could clear her mind, bring her out of hysterics.
"That's your penalty. You're to watch over her, understood?" Derlik held up the doll that was the woman's sister, restoring her to her human form.
"And you," He said, poking his finger at the girl, "Are going to serve three years in my temple for disrespecting the gods, understood? You have the night to say your goodbyes, and then you are to leave in the morning."
She relaxed when her mind had been cleared. The regret was still there, but she was grateful all the same. As for the younger sister, she stumbled a bit when she was released back into her human form. She glances at the god fearfully before nodding. Fair enough. She wouldn't complain. It was better than being a doll after all. She inhaled nervously and heads back down the cliff and back to the village.
The older sister paused before bowing slightly. "Thank you." She murmured quietly. She floats off after her sister.
Luca turned in his sleep, a soft yawn leaving his lips. He murmured something but didn't make much noise other than that.
Derlik watched the younger sister go, patting the woman's head when she bowed.
"I'm getting soft," he murmured to himself as she left. "Ah, well. I'll fix that later." The god hummed some, looking down at Luca. He gently patted the man's back again from outside the pocket before starting down the cliff himself. He hummed some, pulling the two men out. He didn't need to bother with their memories- he knew their crimes.
"Time to punish you," the god said, eyes cold, as the world warped around him, bringing him to the clearing.