The Heavenly Halls were more of an idea given form than any true place or substance, and that idea depended on the whims of the gods assembled.

Shadows mingled with Light as skeletal remains and their ghostly inhabitants shared ethereal libations with the sacred geometries of angelic choirs amidst wobbly spinning disks that always managed to avoid seemingly certain collisions.

"Why? That's what I want to know! We had a perfectly good exchange, and then they have to weight it down!" Solaris, working hard to stay in his aspect of Light, groused. Being also the god of conflicts, that wasn't the easiest of chores for him.

Lunaria reflected back some of the harsher bits of Solaris's light and said, "Well, you shouldn't poke at them so much. They are Tribulation, and you're not going to take that domain from them. Conflict and Tribulation must stay separate. It's the Sleeper's Law."

"Do you have any idea how difficult it was to set that trade up? Those stuffy Agents called for one of our souls purely of the Sleeper's making, and somehow, somehow , in the instant between their selection and the appointment, they go and put a realm-building tribulation on the Agents' choice! Do you--? Of course you do; you were right there when the Agents came back and demanded reparations for the spoiled deal! We lost three more pure souls thanks to their antics!"

The muted sound of lamenting wails accompanied an oppressive presence of determination. "Naturally, you sun-headed light-beard. Three of yours for every one of mine. Not like I didn't warn you," the newly arrived god said. Elamshaq encompassed too many facets to be "him" or "her", and they were all short on patience or forgiveness. "Just to be clear: Stop fucking with my pawns."

"Must you be so crude?" Lunaria asked.

Elamshaq's lamentations took on a salacious note. "You know how to put honey on my tongue," they said with a smoldering amusement. That faded back to irritation as they turned back to Solaris. "We do not require intervention from the Agents, and if you bothered to look beyond your fucking mirror, you'd have noticed that they're a hungry bunch. Our duty is to guard the Sleeper. All the fancy building shit you want to do for that glory and honor bullshit is just a fucking hobby. Hold to your duty."

"We need more mana to wake the Sleeper!" Solaris snapped back.

Elamshaq shook their head. "Isn't Truth supposed to be one of your domains, too? Try growing your hold there; that should satisfy your need to break shit. Lun, come look me up when you want to talk honey."

With that, the lamentations left to grab up a swig of libations, tickle the skeletons, and fondle the angles of the angels.

"They really annoy me," Solaris complained.

Lunaria smoothed out his flares, not really paying attention as she listened through her shadows to the secrets of the ostensibly frolicsome trio.

Around them all, Fortuna kept spinning her wheels.