Gentle rumbling is an okay noise, something she would much rather prefer at present. Instead, loud claps overhead reverberated through her chest, drowning out the child’s scream. She and Neera were soaked, the latter of the two having chosen a small newt as her form, hiding inside a pocket. This way, she could breathe whichever way was easiest for her. Why was Akira even here? The child had taken a wrong turn, and was hopelessly lost by the time she realized where she was.

All Akira could do was follow this path. It took hours for the child to do so. Each crack of thunder would send the child screaming, hands clamped over her ears. Often, she would curl up into a little ball on her knees, huddling as she quivered with fear, until the water running off her face threatened to choke her. Stand, scurry, scream, huddle, repeat. Sometimes, it wasn’t even the thunder, but the crackle of electricity hitting metal as lightning hit the drawing towers that sent the child in another screaming frenzy.

Her throat was raw by the time she saw the pearly white doors, glistening in the lightning flashes as a beacon. Yet, the screaming did not stop as she hastened. The sign at the door was overlooked as the terrorized child pounded against the door, screaming in panic. All she wanted to do was get in, and sleep the storm away, or see if anyone could teleport her away from the loud, booming thunder. The doors slid opened, and Akira did not wait until she could pass safely, turning her body and squeezed in as quickly as possible.

Screams bounced off the brightly lit entrance as the child ran, her legs already about ready to give out from beneath her. Feet were squelching in her boots with every step, and soon she tripped, landing on her hands and knees in front of the podium. Akira burst into tears, trembling with fatigue and fear. While soaked, she was also covered with a fine layer of mud from the tips of her ears to the soles of her boots. ”Make it stop! Make it stop!”

There were eyes and ears around Antikythera, and as soon as an outsider entered she could feel it. However when she heard the screams, she stood up. Eyes wide and ears alert, she quickly began to scan the area through the sentries she had set around the Machinarium. Before any of her attendants could notify her she located the source of the screams and ran out of Serenitas. Opening a portal right before the entry to the Entrance Hall, she dashed in without even thinking to wear a disguise. A child was bawling, clinging to the pedestal that welcomed visitors. Rushing over to pick them off the floor, Shiloh's face paled when she saw who it was. "Akira! Akira! It's me! Your sister's here!" Holding onto the fox child, she patted her ears and head trying to calm her down.

It had been years since they had first met in Komiteia. There were times when she wondered if she was well, how the little girl was doing. Was she keeping herself safe? Did she have a loving family? A place to live so she didn't have to steal just to stay fed? Becoming a deity had been a severely unwanted intrusion into her life. She couldn't do as she pleased, couldn't act as she wished. Her time was limited; even if she wanted to check in on everyone she had once known, how would they see her now? Would they see only her title, and forget her as a person? That was more terrifying to her than being hated, than being forgotten. She held onto Akira until the girl recovered, both of them on the floor of the Entrance Hall. From the hall leading to the Marble Corridor several automatons had gathered and were watching quietly. It was rare for the Steward to act without putting on another face. Galatea, Coppelia, Archytas, and Erasmus were all present waiting to see if their help was needed.

Letting go, she began fumbling around for her bag. Pulling out a dry cloth she began wiping Akira down as much as she could. Forgetting everything else around her, she desperately wanted to make the girl feel less afraid. Whispering numerous things in hope that it would soothe her, Shiloh and Akira both were like small figurines in the stark whiteness of the Machinarium. The mud and rain from Akira's clothes had gotten onto Shiloh's trousers and tunic as they both had their first reunion in such a long time.

She felt the arms wrap around her, the child instantly clinging to whoever it was for comfort. Shiloh’s voice spoke out to her, which only seemed to make her sob harder. ”Shiloh! Make it stop!” Akira repositioned herself until her arms were around the goddess’s neck, crying into her shoulder. It had been a long time since she had met Shiloh, yet she had not forgotten the kindness and generosity the woman had given her. To have her now in this scary moment was a blessing.

”It’s so scary! Make the mad sky stop.” But the elder’s efforts were beginning to work at soothing her. While the crying ceased, her small hands still clutched at Shiloh, afraid to let go to the comfort the sturdy body provided. Her breaths came in near hiccups with double breathing followed by a sharp intake of breath before letting it all go. The body was attempting to regulate the blood levels of proper air and gas ratio, not that the child knew anything about that. Eyelids began to droop heavily.

Blurry outlines of several people were standing nearby, their gaze upon the pair, expectant and calculating, assessing. Akira’s eyes drifted closed, and she relaxed to an almost limp like state in Shiloh’s arms. If the goddess moved too suddenly, her body stiffened as she reestablished her latch upon her. Neera refused to move from the pocket of Akira, sensing the power emanating from the woman. It was a power only bestowed upon rare individuals that set them aside as deities. From the sounds of it, both child and goddess knew each other, and may even care for one another, and that was enough for the puca not to worry about the spawn of Xunatar.

This was the first time she regretted placing Antikythera in such an inhospitable location. All this time she had been thinking of keeping out intruders but had never expected what would happen if people wanted to find her instead. Why did Akira want to come all this way down Via Fulminis? Of all the places she could visit, why here? As Akira held onto her, she hushed the fox child quietly, arms wrapped around the girl in turn. Shiloh's eyes were closed but she could hear everything–her breathing, the pounding of her heart. At last, weariness took over and Akira crumpled into a deep sleep. Smelling the rain and mud, Shiloh could tell that she had likely taken the long route all the way to the door. No wonder she was so tired.

Turning to see her staff not to far off, she threw her voice so they could hear. "We'll be fine. Can you get some pillows and blankets? She'll be sleeping for a while." They then dispersed except for Erasmus, who walked over and took a seat slowly on the floor. "This child, did she truly come all the way without using the obelisks?" He asked the deity. Shiloh gave a nod. The automaton then went silent for a few minutes. "She has a brave soul. Even though she was so afraid, she still came through the doors instead of turning back. Where did you two first meet?" Shiloh raised her head and sighed. "It was a while ago, back before Antikythera happened. Remember when we were finally running the shipping business to where people actually were asking for us? I still ran a courier service for individual orders and made a stop at Komiteia. I had just delivered a package when I had to exchange my coin for a different currency and needed to find someone for that. I ran half a dozen random errands chained together just to get it done. When I finished, I saw a group of kids chasing her and she ran behind me."

"I would assume it was because of this little one here?" Erasmus asked. Shiloh continued. "With no family and this appearance, she had no one to protect her from being picked on. They were pulling on her ears and tail, and bullying her for that. I couldn't stand watching, so I…convinced them to leave her alone." The automaton raised an eyebrow. "I didn't hurt them, well not physically. Gave them a little scare–that's all." She grumbled. Erasmus was still listening so she summarized the rest. "Anyway, I bought her some food and we sat together, talked about some things, and found a good family to take care of her for a while. I haven't heard from her since then." Eyes looking at the floor, Erasmus placed a metal hand on her shoulder. "There you go, looking guilty again. There's no reason for you to blame yourself on things you cannot control." 

The child fell deeper in her fatigue. She had ran so far, terror pushing her higher up the mountain as it was the only path she could see. Crying as hard as she had drained her emotionally, deepening her exhaustion. Goddess and automatons waited until the child would not wake before making attempts to making her slumber more comfortable. As they were waiting, a small, red newt poked her head out of Akira’s pocket and scurried to a spot so that she could easily see the goddess. ”Ahem, allow me to point out that this child prefers to sleep with her stuffed fox, usually found at the very top of her pack when not in her hands. May I request that it gets properly tended to so that she may slumber peacefully with it in her grasp?”

Just as quickly as it showed itself, the newt hurried over to Akira’s pack and disappeared into one of the waterlogged pockets. While she slumbered, the child’s wet clothing was removed, and she was cleaned up as gently as possible. They tended to her hair and tail, effectively drying her off before putting her in a set of fresh clothing and tucked into bed. When she woke, sometime later, Akira wearily rubbed her eyes as she sat up.

The room she found herself in was completely foreign, the clothing upon her body were not her own. There was her fox, which was now clutched tightly to her chest as her eyes took in everything. Akira flinched as the muted rumble echoed through her room. Yet, she realized one thing: she was not chained. No cage bars held her captive, and her things were sitting tidily in the corner. Her eyes widened as she remembered a voice calling out to her, as well as the distinct lack of a certain puca. ”Shiloh? Neera?”

Shiloh stared at the small soft-bodied lizard thing that crawled out from a pocket, and began speaking. Right now anything to calm Akira down was an option to consider, and she began digging furiously into the fox child's bag for said stuffed animal. "Fox…fox…fox…" The deity muttered repeatedly until she found what she was looking for. She pressed it into the girl's hands, before assistance arrived. Keeping the toy from being soaked in bathwater, they had Akira cleaned up and dried, all while a nervous pair of eyes watched from a distance away. "Get some clean clothes, anything that's big enough for her to wear." She told an attendant. The automatons scoured the Machinarium and came with some smocks used by artisans. "It's a bit loose, but it was all we could find aside from oversized shirts." A female automaton said. Giving it a look, Shiloh nodded. "That's fine."

Creating a new room in the fabric of Antikythera, she made a spacious room with a plain queen-sized bed, and piled as many clean sheets and pillows she could gather. Setting Akira in the middle of the blanket nest, she tucked her in and returned the fox toy to the girl's hands. There were faux windows, simulating clear skies and sunlight. The sound of the storms outside were blocked out the best she could. There were animal statues and canvas paintings of idyllic pastures, things borrowed from the gallery to make it feel more welcoming. The statues also served as a way for Shiloh to ensure that Akira would be alright inside. The girl's bag and belongings were sitting on a table nearby, and her soaked clothes were in the wash. They would be dry soon, depending on how soon the child regained consciousness.

Shiloh was standing outside on the other side of the door, with her ear on the wood. After seeing how panicked and fearful the girl was, she wouldn't walk away unless she knew she was fine. Listening, finally she heard someone call her name from inside. Holding her breath, she knocked on the door before slowly opening it. "…You're awake." Coming in, she closed the door behind her as she came to see how Akira was. "Are you alright?" 

In all honesty, Akira felt quite comfortable in the nest of blankets she had found herself in. Statues and pictures filled the room, animals and rolling hills. Her eyes found the door as a knock drew her attention. Shiloh had come in. Instantly, Akira beamed up at her friend. ”Sister Shiloh!” She scrambled out of the covers and threw herself into Shiloh for a big hug. ”Akira missed you. Have you seen Neera?” A small frown creased her brows momentarily.

”Oh Shiloh must see!” Crawling excitedly across the bed, Akira retrieved her fox toy and presented it to the goddess with an air of triumph. ”Akira found my daddy, and he gave me this. I love my foxy. And Akira adopted by nice ladies, and we live in Sularia.” There was so much to tell Shiloh, and Akira took a huge gulp of air. ”Akira got lost outside, sky so mad it yelled!”

She frowned again, contemplating something. ”Why Shiloh here? Does Sister live here?” Once more, her cheerful attitude came back, almost bouncing on the bed as she spoke. ”Shiloh should meet mommies and Aunty! Look, Mommy Larka and Celeste gave me this, on day they adopt.” Around her neck was a silver chain holding a metallic feather charm which held a miniature stone which looked like a dew drop. ”And Aunty Lirin makes beautiful music! Pretty voice.”

She patted the girl on the back as she hugged her, more relieved that she seemed to be fine now. "Neera?" She wasn't sure who that was. "No I don't think so. What does Neera look like?" Any fear that Akira had when she came inside was gone. "I missed you too. Oh, it's a fox. It looks like you." The rogue nodded approvingly at the toy. A lot had happened since the last time they saw each other. The last she heard was her leaving the halfling couple she asked to look after her. When Akira made the comment about the weather outside, she grimaced. "Yeah, it's pretty angry huh? Awful conditions to travel through." Then, the girl did the one thing she'd hope wouldn't happen–ask questions about what she was doing here.

Doing her best to be as subtle as possible, she had to think fast on an answer to sate her curiosity. "Oh, this is where sis works now Akira. It's hard to get to from other places, but there's a lot of things to do." She ignored the stifled chuckling from behind the door coming from the eavesdropping attendants. She should've expected this would happen, sooner or later. Of all the people to show up, Shiloh had never thought it would be Akira. It didn't make sense–everything about this place was designed to make people think twice about walking all the way to Antikythera. And against all odds, the girl made it. From what the fox girl told her, she was happily adopted by a family. Two, no technically three women if you counted the aunt. Hearing they lived in Sularia was no surprise. Most of the population there was female.

"Congratulations on finding your father. What's he like? Interesting necklace you got there too. Very detailed." Her eyes kept looking back at the metal charm and the stone. Her natural tendencies suspected it might be magical, but that could just be her paranoia talking. Magical artifacts using a stone as the source of whatever enchantments they held were standard fare.   

Akira’s frown momentarily matched Shiloh’s own. ”Neera is puca. She can be anything. When Akira first meet Neera, Neera was mermaid. But Neera say she watch over Akira all my life. Give Akira food, clothes, blanket in Vilpa. But Akira never knew.” Shiloh stated that she now worked here in the place with the angry sky, but Akira peered around Shiloh at the closed door. The sound of laughter was unmistakable. ”Does Sis have friends here? They good friends? Cause they at door.”

In all honesty, she didn’t mind the fact that people were listening in on her conversation with Shiloh. There was nothing that she wanted to keep private between them at present. Yet, with Akira, one could hardly stay on one topic at a time. Once more, Akira beamed at Shiloh. ”Daddy is sweet, but looks like swallow by darkness. He look like Akira. White hair, but elf ear instead of fox. Blue eyes, light skin. Really tall! Smile looks mean unless he look at me, then smile seem warm. Oh, and he has big castle out in ocean! But it scary place. Lots of monsters in dark.”

Normally, Akira would not share so much about Xunatar. However, she felt like she could completely trust the woman with the sensitive information. Plus she had not seen Shiloh in what felt like forever, so she was positively gushing, hardly able to control herself anyway. While Akira had been busy chatting with the goddess, a fennec fox had emerged from the child's pack. Neera made her way to the bed and gracefully jumped onto it, slowly picking her way to Akira's lap. When Akira finally noticed the large eared fox, Akira gasped with excitement. ”Neera! Akira glad you still here. This Shiloh. Shiloh is Akira big sis!” Large round eyes regarded the goddess, a twinkle in one as the fox appeared to smile. ”We've met ever so briefly.”

Shiloh nodded, listening to Akira's explanation. A shapeshifting creature, that made sense. She was hoping the girl wouldn't notice the eavesdroppers, but her hearing was as good as ever. "Ah…well I guess you could say that they are friends. Friends and something more. Though it's pretty rude to be snooping on somebody when their back is turned." Shiloh emphasized in the last sentence, throwing a glare at the peering automatons. There was silence from the other side, but she knew they were still there. She knew where everyone was inside of the Machinarium at all times. Akira wasn't upset, being good-natured for a kid. The topic then moved away from herself and why she was here to something a bit more personal to the fox child. Something that Shiloh probably would regret hearing.

The girl described her father in a very unusual set of terms. He was good to her, but was shrouded in darkness. He did not have fox ears, but had white hair. Akira's hair likely came from him while the rest of her took after her mother. The description was growing more and more detailed in a way that Shiloh wasn't feeling comfortable about; the clincher being the offhand comment on a castle out in the ocean filled with monsters in the darkness. Oh boy. It didn't take Shiloh two guesses to figure out who the girl's father was. She could feel the hair on the back of her neck slowly stand on end and a chill go down her spine. 

But thanks to her experience with controlling her expression, Shiloh was able to feign casual interest in a way that appeared and sounded natural to hide the fact that she was internally screaming. Thankfully something popped out of Akira's bag and broke the tension, giving the deity a quick moment to vent some of that bottled anxiety. Flinching, she calmed down when the puca finally made its appearance. "Oh, uh. Hi…Neera." Erasmus and Archytas had often reminded her to be less rigid by addressing others on a first-name basis. It took her a few moments to recall meeting the talking newt after Akira dropped that bombshell of her heritage. "The newt, huh? Convenient form for passing through a place that always rains." Being amphibious would make survival easier in a storm alley like Railoch.

It was about time that she asked the question she had been waiting to say. Introductions were more or less done, and she really wanted to know. "It's a nice surprise to meet you after so long Akira. But if you don't mind sis asking, why'd you want to come here? Wasn't it scary?" When Akira came in she was terrified and screaming. Why would the girl brave thunder and lightning–something she was clearly afraid of–just to come to Antikythera? Before today the fox child had no way of knowing of Shiloh's ascension, or that she could find her here. Her new status as a deity was something she still wanted to keep from Akira, for personal reasons. Knowing that the girl's father was another deity didn't make things any less awkward.