Elaine sat cross-legged on the edge of her bed, staring at the collection of glowing runes and artifacts floating lazily in the air above her palm. Her hair was slightly mussed from teleportation, her cheeks still faintly pink from the Goddess's proximity. Mystica perched on the back of a chair, tail flicking like a metronome, watching her.
"Yippee," Elaine drawled, voice dripping with sarcasm. "I have a goddess who's obsessed with me, wants to have sex with me, and apparently thinks stalking me from across dimensions counts as flirting. Truly, living the dream."
Mystica's ears twitched. "You don't sound thrilled, Mistress."
"Oh, I'm thrilled," Elaine shot back, lifting her hands dramatically. "I'm over the moon. Infinite magic reserves, hundreds of times more talent than any mortal could ever hope to touch, artifacts from every magical universe imaginable—" She gestured at the floating items: the Philosopher's Stone, the Elder Wand, the Yata Mirror gleaming like moonlight. "—I should be on par with the Ancient Gods themselves."
She dropped her hands and slumped back against the wall with a sigh. "And yet here I am. With a divine stalker who apparently gets her kicks out of warping my body and poking at my brain like a toy."
Mystica hopped onto the bed and curled up near her knee. "You are far stronger than anyone else alive. Even in this merged world. That has to count for something."
Elaine tilted her head, smirking faintly. "Oh, it counts. It definitely counts. I'm practically untouchable now. If Odin or the Ancient One saw what's inside my head, they'd faint." Her smirk faded a little as she stared at her own reflection in the gleaming surface of the Yata Mirror. "I just… don't like being watched. Or manipulated. Especially by someone who's clearly having fun at my expense."
Mystica's mental voice was dry. "And yet you blushed."
Elaine shot the cat a withering look. "I have new instincts, remember? She built them in. Of course I blushed. It's not like I wanted to."
"Perhaps you should turn it around," Mystica suggested, stretching out luxuriously. "You're the cleverest witch alive. Outplay her. Use her obsession. Make it work for you."
Elaine blinked, then a slow, dangerous smile curled across her lips. "You know what, Mystica? You're right." She rose smoothly to her feet, the artifacts vanishing into shimmering motes as she waved her hand. "If she wants to stalk me, fine. But I'm going to make this my game, not hers."
Her eyes gleamed with ambition. "I'll learn everything. I'll shape this world she's mashed together. And when she comes back to tease me…" Her smile turned wicked. "…she won't be looking at a cute little witch anymore. She'll be looking at an equal."
Mystica purred, eyes glowing faintly. "Now that sounds like my Mistress."
Elaine laughed softly, the sound echoing through the cabin. "Let's see how the Goddess likes being outplayed."