Athena could not help but feel a sense of frustration and disappointment, it was as if the very fabric of the metaverse was working against her. It appeared as though her meeting with Kyn in the contemporary world had been in vain, despite the fact that she had diligently tracked him down and planned the meeting after the post-apocalyptic chaos.
All the effort, patience, and thought she had invested in making this meeting happen, hoping to leave an indelible impression on Kyn, had apparently not yielded the results she desired. She had anticipated that he would keep her in his memory, but the reality of the situation left her with a tremendous sense of yearning and a touch of regret. Athena was forced to acknowledge that despite her best efforts, Kyn's memory appeared to be obscured by the haze of the past. This was after all a difficult realisation for her to come to terms with.
"Hmph! This is so not fair," she muttered, then thought to herself, 'If that un-rule-full woman can have him, so can I.' She hoofed willing herself not to give uo.
When Kyn looked at the tall and beautiful woman in front of him as they stood within the sacred halls of Athena's garden, he could not help but feel a glimmer of recognition. She reminded him of someone. The memory of the stolen kiss from earlier still remained, and it had left an imprint on him that time could not erase. He had been emotionally torn as a result of it. In spite of his current connection with Gaia, he discovered that he was in the midst of a moment of temptation.
'He seems lost in thought, hehehe,' with a smirk on her face she thought, her eyes never living his, ' If at first you don't succeed try and try again.'
It was as though Athena, with her imperial bearing and overwhelming appeal, was aware of the gravitational pull that their common past exerted. She then snuck up on Kyn again and surprised him with another passionate kiss that lingered for a while. She had a sly glint in her eye.
That exact moment put Kyn's reputation as a gentleman, along with his values, to the test. He felt split between the strong connection he had with Gaia and the magnetic draw of Athena's presence, which was heavenly. The kiss had set off a complicated web of feelings within him, and he soon found himself in a circumstance in which his loyalties were being put to the test in a significant way.
"Don't you remember me? Your partner kept on calling you an uptight 'Marimo.'" she recounted
Kyn now stunned for a brief moment when Athena asked him the question. It was as if a bolt of lightning had struck him. Her words had just shattered his memories wide open, and he felt a rush of emotions and confusion wash over him. It was difficult for him to make sense of the relationship between Athena and his previous life as a detective, and more specifically between Athena and his partner.
In the midst of his emotional turmoil, a surge of PTSD memories flooded his mind. The traumatic experience of losing his partner while on the job had left him with deep wounds, and it appeared to him in the form of vivid flashbacks. When Kyn saw his partner's face again, the face of the person he had pledged to seek vengeance against, his face contorted in anguish and hatred.
In his distress, Kyn abruptly grabbed Athena, and pinned her to the wall. He demanded explanations, his tone tinged with the sense of urgency and annoyance that he felt, "Why do you know of him?"
After being taken aback by Kyn's unexpected hostility, Athena was even more taken aback by the severity of his response. Her heart was racing with a mixture of terror and curiosity as she saw the display, and while being momentarily caught off guard by it, she found the display to be weirdly wild and fascinating. She had not prepared herself for this kind of response, and it brought a whole new level of complication to their interaction.
Her arms now pinned to the wall making her melons pop up making them even more appealing didn't much help Kyn's case. Her V- tapper now exposed to his full view only added to his want but then again his partners killers. Up until now he was doing what the system, Unity, wanted him to do. She was the first connection he had regarding him.
Kyn's gaze bore into Athena's captivating blue eyes as he struggled to reconcile his past with the present. The revelation that the model he had once protected was the same woman he had pinned to the wall now left him in shock. The allure of her eyes had drawn him in before, but he had kept his distance then, focused on his duty. Now he realized it, her free spirit, those were the same eyes, the want he saw then still existed
Seeing the recognition in his eyes, her ethereal voice sounded like a reminder, she muttered , "It's been a while Kyn."
The past and present seemed to blur as he realized the connection between Athena and the star they had protected. The mystery deepened, and Kyn's desire to know more about his ex-partner and the circumstances surrounding their protection of Athena intensified. In his mind he understood if you hadn't signed up to become a hunter you technically were free of this life. How did he and his partner end up getting mixed up with the gods.
He released his grip on Athena, his thoughts consumed by the newfound information. "Tell me everything you know," he demanded, his voice laced with a mix of curiosity and frustration.
"There is pretty much nothing to talk of," Athena replied, "You and your partner were incharge of taking care of my avatar."
"I don't get you?" Kyn replied.
"The 'me' you protected was me, but a new me... you understand what it implies?" she asked, looking back at him.
His link popped up a new message: New Mission now available.... reward 5% permanent raise in chaos affinity. Pantheon affiliation contract: Athena, goddess, wishes to be betrothed to the House of Aldrich.