Happiness is not an ideal of reason but of imagination
Some relief is felt as she reassures me that my questions would be welcome. I was glad to hear it - there were only so many questions I could pepper the Natural locals with before getting turned away. They were happy to answer the ones pertaining to my imminent survival, of course, but in the pursuit of knowledge you often met others who simply didn't care to know, or to share what they knew, at least not to the extent that satiated my appetite.
And so she informs me that she can teleport, like it was nothing, no big deal, whatever. My eyes widen a bit in surprise, my mouth opening - but she gets in her question before I can roll straight into my next one, and I find myself compelled to respond with the same ease she proffered her answer. "Attuned, though I am yet to seek out a Shrine for the purpose of identifying which god brought me here and 'blessed' me."
To be fair, I actually loved the attuned gift. I had explored the Shrines, but the Earth-Atheist self within me still couldn't kneel before an altar and trust a so-called greater being. In my mind, they were still simply beings who possessed power in far greater quantities than regular people, beings who had turned magic into science, who understood it enough that to them, it was not magic at all.
"Do you… What are you?" I return the question, restructuring it as I realised she almost definitely knew what she was already.
And so she informs me that she can teleport, like it was nothing, no big deal, whatever. My eyes widen a bit in surprise, my mouth opening - but she gets in her question before I can roll straight into my next one, and I find myself compelled to respond with the same ease she proffered her answer. "Attuned, though I am yet to seek out a Shrine for the purpose of identifying which god brought me here and 'blessed' me."
To be fair, I actually loved the attuned gift. I had explored the Shrines, but the Earth-Atheist self within me still couldn't kneel before an altar and trust a so-called greater being. In my mind, they were still simply beings who possessed power in far greater quantities than regular people, beings who had turned magic into science, who understood it enough that to them, it was not magic at all.
"Do you… What are you?" I return the question, restructuring it as I realised she almost definitely knew what she was already.
CHULANE
