Arialla nodded. [say]"Without wishing to be cynical -- we can worship the gods, even love them, but it can be unwise to rest all one's hopes on their favor."[/say]
Then she stopped herself when she'd meant to elaborate, realizing that Samuel had to rely on the Voice's favor, as an Ascended. She'd already seen that without it, he would die. Maybe it was different for the Ascended, the Voice's chosen ones. And, after all, Arialla had relied on Apollo's blessing herself -- had spent sleepless nights after arriving in Caido wondering if it would fade now, rendering her body more masculine than she wished. By now she was fairly sure it wouldn't, but the worry sometimes lingered at the back of her mind. [say]"Perhaps it's different here. The gods here -- the heralds, at least, and I suppose the Voice -- seem more invested in mortals, more likely to form true relationships. Apollo only ever truly spoke to me once, when he blessed me, and even then it wasn't a conversation -- he didn't expect an answer, beyond gratitude and worship."[/say]
Wincing sympathetically, Arialla nodded again. She could scarcely imagine how heavy a god's ire might weigh on one's psyche, even beyond any practical effects the god might cause. It must feel so much more pervasive, as if the world itself had turned against you. And Samuel had said he had never been well-liked -- that must have been hard on him, if he took others' disdain so personally, gods or mortals. [say]"I know it must be difficult. The gods at home had their rivalries, but they weren't generally in active conflict the way the gods here are -- I never had to worry that, say, Poseidon would hate me for being Apollo's chosen ... Your worth isn't determined by others' opinions, though, mortal or god. There's more to the world, and more to people, than divine approval."[/say]
Then she stopped herself when she'd meant to elaborate, realizing that Samuel had to rely on the Voice's favor, as an Ascended. She'd already seen that without it, he would die. Maybe it was different for the Ascended, the Voice's chosen ones. And, after all, Arialla had relied on Apollo's blessing herself -- had spent sleepless nights after arriving in Caido wondering if it would fade now, rendering her body more masculine than she wished. By now she was fairly sure it wouldn't, but the worry sometimes lingered at the back of her mind. [say]"Perhaps it's different here. The gods here -- the heralds, at least, and I suppose the Voice -- seem more invested in mortals, more likely to form true relationships. Apollo only ever truly spoke to me once, when he blessed me, and even then it wasn't a conversation -- he didn't expect an answer, beyond gratitude and worship."[/say]
Wincing sympathetically, Arialla nodded again. She could scarcely imagine how heavy a god's ire might weigh on one's psyche, even beyond any practical effects the god might cause. It must feel so much more pervasive, as if the world itself had turned against you. And Samuel had said he had never been well-liked -- that must have been hard on him, if he took others' disdain so personally, gods or mortals. [say]"I know it must be difficult. The gods at home had their rivalries, but they weren't generally in active conflict the way the gods here are -- I never had to worry that, say, Poseidon would hate me for being Apollo's chosen ... Your worth isn't determined by others' opinions, though, mortal or god. There's more to the world, and more to people, than divine approval."[/say]
