In the Cradle of Civilisation [Arcadia, Ninsianna]

She smiled at the request, one that almost told the woman that she answered correctly if such a question poised to her could have a wrong answer but Arcadia thought it was the best possible answer that she could provide to the question.

"Of course, you ask a humble request befitting your character. It's my pleasure to bestow such a wish upon you."

Her hands moved from Ninsianna's hips, reaching up for the golden earrings that she wore and took one off. A small trinket though it was not of the living realm, the metal from demon world which appeared as gold but a material that was far more attuned to being used in demon magic. A material that was perfect for acting as a catalyst.

"O' Atra-hasis."

She spoke, illuminating the carvings on the wall and the red markings on her body that only her true state could conjure compared to any cheap knock-off. A genuine article of magical capacity she could perform and gather it all into the lock-shaped earring before presenting it to Ninsianna.

A snapshot of this moment; this details of this space, this Arcadia and Ninsianna inscribed onto it. Eternalised for her graceful servant's wish as a grand feat which was far more unnecessary to fulfil something as simple as giving her a memento. It was far more than that.

"This is your's. I hope you receive this blessing from me and continue to aspire towards your beautiful ideal until you can find peace."

Arcadia said, reaching up and bringing her head down to plant a kiss on her forehead and then her lips. The people of this Earth were the stars of it but Ninsianna was not, she was a star sent from Heaven to bring out the best of the humans she had grown to value and care about.

"What is your name?"

Even had Ninsianna simply been given the earring from her goddess, that surely would have been more than enough for her. But she was no fool, and she understood the extent of this demon magic being cast around her. The degree of this blessing would surely have been overwhelming had she been a mere human, but instead, the scope of this gift simply caused her to smile graciously, a beautiful and genuine expression.

"Thank you, my goddess. I will carry it for all eternity."

As their lips met, Ninsianna allowed herself one more selfish gesture, and returned the affection for the brief moment that it occurred. She had not asked for the right to do so, and she would accept any penance that her goddess found fit to dispose if she had overstepped her bounds. But, no matter what, she would not regret it.

"My name is Ninsianna. What would you wish for me to call you?"

The demon's red eyes looked at those golden eyes, thinking about the way that she pressed back ever slightly. A silent inquiry to the woman about the action. If she were any other temple priestess she might maintain the premise of divine retribution but she didn't need to do that for this particular individual.

"I am known as Enkika, you understand what it means don't you?"

Not the Enki that Ninsianna gave praise to, rather her name carried greater meaning in the cuniform language as the one who is the Origin of Enki. An individual who put in work to try and conceptualise these stories, raise humans and nurture them. Enki was the most fitting figure in the pantheon that resonated with her, just as Ninsianna resonated with Inanna.

The better attributes rather than the more negative ones that Enkika wrote into her to demonstrate the misdemeanours that power could lead into.

"You are a bold one, Ninsianna."

If Ninsianna sought divine retribution then she would receive it for having the audacity to kiss back. The golden haired demon's hands reaching up and pulling the temple priestess down closer. Something about this woman was a faithful servant in both soul and body? Enkika had her suspicions that this woman would like nothing more than to fulfill all that she promised.

That's why Enkika thought of her as the heavensent guiding star.

"I do, yes."

Ninsianna, of course, would not dare to say anything more than was asked of her, certainly not when her goddess was speaking. But the accusation made against her made the priestess smile the faintest bit, if for no other reason than as a way of admitting her guilt. After all, one could not repent without acknowledgement of their sins.

"Forgive me, Enkika. Would that I could make offerings to you in penance, but you have already bought the whole of my being for this night. Still, I pray to you for absolution, if you would be so benevolent as to offer it to me."

What else could she say about this moment, other than to freely admit that she was overjoyed? This, for a dutiful priestess, was all that she could ever have asked for. The full attentions of her goddess, the opportunity to speak with her so intimately, the gift of a memento far greater than any she could have asked--

It was magnificent to a woman like Ninsianna, whose joy arose from abiding by the divine law. Her voice lowered just a touch, growing the faintest degree more intimate, more personal. It still carried with it all the propriety that one might ever expect of a priestess speaking to the object of her worship, of course, but now it was said in a manner that could only ever have been shared between the two of them.

"I am yours, in my entirety."

"Good, and so long as you carry that Tiankida-sikkuru I will always be with you, this night immortalised in full. Know that no matter what your future may hold, how the world may change or what may happen, regardless of loss or destruction I am with you."

Enkika stated, taking a moment to consider her next words before she said them. It was no small order to put onto another creature, she knew that Ninsianna would take it to heart which made her happy that she was so reliable and dedicated.

"Your penance will be paid with your very being, I give you the sworn duty that you will persevere through trial and labour. Your life will not be easy, Ninsianna. Of this I have no doubt for life is a tale of failings and partings while trying to make the best of our circumstances, dedicate your entire body and soul to this and know that I will see you rewarded your service when you finally rest."

"This is my divine command for you, my greatest challenge to you... and my most personal request of you."

She finished. Hands running through the woman's hair and crawling along the skin of her back. It was evident by her eyes that it pained her slightly to give her such a grand undertaking but she was genuine in that statement. The promise of giving her a gift to a being that was created and inclined to lead such a life.

Someone like that deserved only the most appropriate rest for all her hard work.

At the utterance of the name given to the gift Enkika had bestowed upon her, Ninsianna held it that much closer to her person, the meaning behind it certainly not lost on her. Every word that her goddess spoke was the most important that Ninsianna had ever heard, not merely in her capacity as a priestess, but as an individual, as Ninsianna herself.

"I will undergo all hardship with gladness, knowing that it is done in your service. No matter the agonies that I might face, I will not falter for even an instant."

As her goddess' hands moved across her body, Ninsianna allowed herself a faint, brief shiver of pleasure. She did not know what Enkika might or might not deign to do this night. But, no matter what she decided upon, Ninsianna would commit it to memory, every instant and every sensation. It was only right that she do so, as one so blessed with this attention.

"Until the very end of my days, Enkika, I will be your faithful priestess. Your word is my everything."

She smiled with delight while her hands continued to idly indulge, keeping her fingers occupied while she pondered using her lips but they were just so preoccupied in their discussion. The words exchanged here to be recorded for Ninsianna's own indulgence, a contract of sorts where no signatures were made beyond oral word which to these two were indifferent from each other.

"You are my authority on societal order, the force that will guide the people forward as best as you can in supporting them. Come the end of your days Ninsianna, I will not see you as my priestess for it will not convey the full enamour I will feel towards you and your true nature come that time. You're my star that will return to Heaven beside me at the end."

Enkika praised before her lips sealed their agreement, silencing any protest or response to such praise. She valued all humans equally but she acknowledged time. She loved all of them equally that strived towards reaching their fullest potential but their lives were brief, transient and incomparable to what Ninsianna had gone through and yet would.

Rolling over and pressing Ninsianna's figure into the cushions, the demon returned their dynamic to its natural state. Hands explored, lips commited and bodies pushed together. She would drag this night out as long as she could for Ninsianna before letting her return to that humble position which Enkika found so precious.

"I am blessed beyond measure."

There was nothing more to be said, and nothing more that she even could say before Enkika's lips once more met hers, this time for far longer than a mere brief kiss. Ninsianna's role as priestess had put her into this position countless times before, her body given willingly to those who sought blessings from the temple. But, this was not simply another supplicant given their due reward for piety. For her, it was a gesture of love, not simply for ideals or for people, but for a singular individual.

It was a love that would not change. Not for decades, not for millennia. It would prove all too true that Ninsianna knew pain, knew grief, all from the collapse of the world that she had only sought to build up. But she did not abandon the penance she had been given, nor the single memento of that most important night. Yet, even in her strength, in her drive, Ninsianna still on some nights could do nothing more than hold the golden earring which was her most dear possession. On those nights, she could do little more than reminisce, and utter prayers which she knew would go unanswered.

For even in her strength, she was but a humble priestess.

Shared was the feeling, and while she proclaimed to love all equally. There was a special place for Ninsianna, that a single night of stories and experiences shared could be sealed as a memory. A first and final meeting between the two individuals on top of a mountain which joined the Heavens and Earth, locked inside of that tiny trinket of which the other earring might still be found in that mountain where they shared that precious brief time.

While she never saw Ninsianna again for she wanted to not disturb her in her work, she watched and appreciated the dedication and drive. She did immortalise her. Making sure that her faithful follower would glance and find the stories arising of the holy torch that illuminated the Heavens, an aspect of Inanna and that was enough to remind her priestess of everything she had said to her that night and exchanged. It was the second gift that she gave to her besides that time together in physical form.

Her kingdom fell, her life extinguished. So many long years to think about for her life, no one can really attest to know what a primordial demon as herself might've been thinking on her deathbed but she most certainly smiled and relaxed. Thoughts to Ninsianna maybe, to wonder how she was doing, and wonder about her progress.

Regardless of what happened she could trust Ninsianna, she'd see her again at the end of it all and hope that they could share over a hundred thousand years of stories to each other.