Adam held back the 'and you're welcome' that nearly came out of his lips, sure that she wouldn't appreciate a sarcastic joke right now, but Gods was it tempting.
He didn't really give a fuck about who was a 'true' Goddess, nor did he honestly care much about saving the Voice's reputation - the Ascended he'd like to not die, but her? As long as she was still around to provide them fluid or whatever, he didn't care. Probably wasn't best to tell Arialla that though, so he just raised his eyebrows at her impassioned speech and pointed to himself. [say]"And uh, me. I'm not from here, you know? I got taken outta my world right as shit was starting to go okay."[/say]
The reminder of that soured his expression a little, and he looked off to sea. [say]"Had to make the best of my time here, cos I've missed out on a life back there."[/say]
[say]"So you should know better than anyone what the Voice does to people."[/say] Arialla's eyes rake Adam up and down, judging him and finding him wanting -- not just as an Ascended, but as a person. [say]"And you still bowed to her to save your own skin? You shouldn't be surprised that people hate you."[/say]
She paused, softening a tiny little bit -- from "steel" to "copper," maybe. [say]"I do pity you. I pity all the Ascended. The Voice has led them -- you -- astray, and there is nothing to be done for you now but putting you out of your misery."[/say]
Maybe Arialla felt she had softened, but to Adam it felt like a real barrage of insults. Face frozen in a disbelieving half-grin, he scoffed and shook his head, standing up and stretching out his arms. [say]"Alright. You're a stone cold hardass, I can respect that. I tried."[/say] As much as he wanted to believe he could charm anyone, he did sometimes meet people stubborn enough to resist him.
[say]"I don't pity me, so you know. Save it."[/say] He said with a shrug, glancing behind him to make sure there was enough shade for him to slink off into the treeline. [say]"I would say I'll see you later, but I guess you wouldn't like that, huh?"[/say] Unless she stopped him, he'd then turn and walk away, casually kicking the sand on his way off the beach.
Arialla almost, almost smiled at that description of her. She didn't mind if an Ascended thought she was a hardass, and there was something satisfying about being stone cold to them -- stone might be cold, after all, but it was also invulnerable. No Ascended could get through to her, with words or fangs.
Last chance to try to kill Adam. As he turned his back, Arialla really thought about it. But something still held her back. Yes, she wanted him dead, but she wasn't quite willing to take up arms herself -- to stab a man in the back as he walked away from her. Or something that looked like a man. She did have to remind herself occasionally that he wasn't a person.
Person or not, he wouldn't perish at Arialla's hands, not this time. She almost told him that if she saw him again, she'd kill him, but that was a promise she wasn't sure she could keep. So she said nothing as Adam walked away, just watched him disappear into the distance -- and then headed down to the waves. After this conversation, as after any conversation with Ascended, she had the urge to cleanse herself, to bathe in the salt water until all trace of their sin was washed away. Her dolphin form would help with that.
- FIN
