Melonie was bored.
Among the various deities, there were few things that would strike fear into their hearts quite as intensely. The wakening of the eternal dreamer. Another battle between Justice and Malice incarnate, in whatever forms they happened to be taking on. Even these paled in comparison to the boredom of the trickster god. If she said it aloud in the realm of the higher beings, half of them would run screaming for another dimension, while the other half would prepare for war.
But that was part of why she liked hanging out in the mortal plane. They actually appreciated her jokes, or at least she assumed they did. No human had ever teleported to another dimension when she said she was bored.
The downside of living in the mortal realm was that they spent so much time doing pointless crap with their lives. Melonie loved playing with April, and she knew April enjoyed it as well. However, April spent most of her day either at university or this weird place called "work." As much as she tried, Melonie just couldn't understand why she spent so much time at a place that as far as she could tell made her miserable. Humans were just weird like that sometimes. But even though April complained about her work all the time, she was also deeply adamant that Melonie was never to visit her at work ever under any circumstances.
Her exact words had been "Absolutely not, unless there's a massive world ending crisis on the line." And Melonie was bored, so she was pretty sure that qualified.
"Hmm, let's see what you're up to." Melonie waved her hand, and an image started to form in the air. April was standing behind a counter, wearing an apron and serving drinks to a decently sized line of customers. Although she wasn't an expert on human societies, Melonie knew this was a coffee shop, and April was something called a "barista." The customers were all asking for the same basic sort of thing, which April and the other workers dutifully made time and time again.
Melonie was certain of it. This had to be excruciatingly boring for them. If anything, April would probably thank her for making things more interesting. She stood up in place, stretching her arms upwards and arching her back. Before she could head out, however, another member of the house made herself known.
"You're going to visit her at work."
Melonie cursed under her breath. Iris was a strange one, and she was particularly good at seeing things before and/or after they happened. Still, she was a fun one to work with, and there was no reason they had to be at odds with each other.
"Iris, hi! Yes, I was just going to pop in and pay April a quick visit. She's stuck at that dreadful work of hers, and it could be fun for everyone involved."
Although her body was a void of light incapable of showing expressions, Melonie could feel the scrutinizing gaze on her. "I was under the impression that April specifically instructed us that we were to, and I repeat 'never ever ever EVER show up at her work.'"
"Yeah, that does sound like something she'd say." Melonie considered her next words carefully. Unlike herself, Iris wasn't very good at telling what humans truly meant behind their words. "The thing is, sometimes humans say things they don't actually mean. Especially between friends. So when they say they want something, what they really mean is that they don't want that. And vice versa."
"...So you're saying that this is one of those times, and April secretly wants us to arrive at the coffee shop she's currently at."
Melonie shrugged her shoulders. "I dunno, probably. I know I'm awesome, and I'd always want a random spontaneous visit from me. How about you?"
Iris paused for a brief moment.
"Yes, you do make a compelling argument. I cannot think of a single reason why any mortal being would not wish to speak with me."
The cracks in the air around her expanded as she spoke, a sign that she was swelling with pride.
"Should an invitation be extended to Kassandra as well?"
"Nah, I think she's got a write-up of some sort to do." Melonie lowered her voice before saying the next part. "Besides, she's... y'know. She's still a mortal, even if she's not human. It's not like she's
actually
in the same category as either of us."
A slow nod from Iris showed that she agreed. In truth, Melonie knew that Iris wasn't remotely close to her level either. Just because she was a weird freak of reality didn't mean she could stand against a literal god. But she made for good company, and she was willing to be the bigger person and let Iris believe they were equally powerful.
"Very well then. To the coffee shop it is."
In tandem, both of them vanished into thin air.
***
The street outside Cuppa Bliss was moderately busy. There was a steady stream of people walking back and forth, but it was hardly a crowded place. However, there were enough people that somebody
should
have noticed seemingly materialising out of thin air. One who looked almost like a stereotype of a Japanese girl, complete with a vibrant outfit and a headband of fox ears, and another with lilac hair and a dress that was much too light for the brisk weather. Under normal circumstances the pair would've drawn quite the crowd even disregarding the spontaneous teleportation.
But their appearance went largely unnoticed. A few people gave second glances towards the odd pair, but only before going about their day as usual. Anything supernatural wouldn't be noticed unless one of them specifically wanted it. And for now, there was only one specific employee of a local coffee shop that was of interest to the duo.
"When April sees us, do you think her first reaction will be to give us a hug or to verbally thank us for our presence?"
Melonie pondered Iris's question for a moment. "That's a tough question. Normally I'd say both, but humans are expected to be emotionless at this 'job' place of theirs. Something about professionalism, I think. I don't really understand, but she might not be able to express her true feelings." She stopped in mid stride in front of the door to the Cafe. "In any case, we're about to find out."
Much like the street outside, Cuppa Bliss had a decent bustle inside. There were plenty of empty seats, but a fairly solid line was in front of the counter. And behind the counter, along with a number of other staff, was April in her barista uniform. The two took a seat over in the corner, able to watch their friend without being the centre of attention. "Let's start things off simple, shall we?" Melonie twirled her finger, causing a mote of divine energy to fly outwards towards April.
It was fairly obvious when it reached its target. April bolted upright, eyes bulging as she stood up perfectly straight. Although she was trying to speak with a customer, she was fidgeting in place and adjusting her legs in a rather obvious fashion.
Iris tilted her head. "I was under the impression we were going to visit her directly? Why choose to remain on the side and simply force her arousal?"
"Because it's more fun this way." A devious smile was growing across Melonie's face as she spoke. "Don't get me wrong, we'll talk to her alright. But I can also make her wonder why she just popped a random boner that simply won't go away."
After a moment, Iris nodded along. "Very well, I shall attempt this game of subterfuge and subtlety as well." She focused her gaze, staring intently at April. "My gift shall be that her mind fills with sexual fantasies of the customers as they order from her." Sure enough, there was a slight change in April's breathing pattern, hardly noticeable unless someone was directly looking for it. Much more noticeable were the beads of sweat forming along her brow.
