Several of the cats followed us, which wasn't much of a surprise. They were probably curious about the lion goddess, especially as she'd smell feline to them.
Sekhmet raised her eyebrow as I showed her into the comfortable room that doubled as both a lounge area for me, and a place for me to do the paperwork I needed to run the cat sanctuary.
"There isn't much space in the flat upstairs," I admitted. "So I converted this room into an extension of the living space."
I headed over to the small kitchenette that had already been installed when I bought the building and grabbed two glasses and a plate of dates and nuts I'd prepared earlier for when I closed for the night. I was just glad I had something to offer my guest.
"It's not what I expected," she observed. "Then again, I suppose anything is disappointing after Bubastis."
I chuckled. "There were always too many people there."
"They were there to worship you."
"Then they should have been doing better things with their time," I pointed out. "I never asked for it."
"Maybe not, but you shouldn't be punishing yourself for it now."
"I'm not," I denied too quickly.
She hid her knowing smile by unstoppering the wine and filling the glasses. "If you're not punishing yourself, why are you hiding here instead of spending time with other people?"
"I never liked other people much."
"We both know that's not true."
"Fine. I like some people." Proven by the fact I hadn't thrown her out of my sanctuary already.
She passed me one of the glasses of wine, and I shot her a grateful smile in response. Even from here, I could smell the enticing flavour. It had been so long since I'd had this vintage that I'd almost forgotten what it tasted like.
"Then why don't you spend some more time with them?" she said. "Have you heard about Jinx?"
"The dating agency?" I responded, feeling more than a little cautious.
"That's the one," she said. "Venus has been holding events for them."
"Good for her." I took a sip of my wine. I couldn't say I had many thoughts about that, especially considering I hadn't spent much time with the love goddess in years, and we hadn't been particularly close even before that.
"They meet on Thursdays. I think you'll love it."
"What kind of event?" Surprisingly, the idea of going to something with lots of other people didn't sound quite as bad as I feared it would.
"One with plenty of people there," she responded cryptically. "You might know some of them, but considering how long you've been a recluse for, it'll be like meeting new ones anyway. I think it'll be good for you to go."
"Okay, I will." The affirmation was out of me before I had a chance to think it through properly.
"I'm glad to hear it. It's speed dating."
"Speed dating?" I repeated, completely bewildered by her admission.
"I'm sure you've heard of it. You talk to each of the guests for a few minutes..."
"I know what speed dating is," I said, cutting her off. "Why would you think I'd want to go to something like that?"
"I thought it would be perfect for you. It gives you a chance to meet new people, but only in a small amount of time. If you don't like them, you won't end up stuck in a conversation you're too polite to leave."
"That only happened once," I muttered.
She flashed me a disbelieving look. "It happened all the time, and everyone who knows you knows it."