Arialla's heart pounded as she processed what she could only call a rebuttal from Safrin. Perhaps she really had called on the wrong goddess, but she doubted Safrin would be pleased with a "oops, sorry to bother you, can you transfer me over to Ludo?" Besides, Safrin had a point. You ought to be pleased that she doesn't just want to use you as a weapon, like you're disposable. Even if part of Arialla wanted to be used -- at least that would be straightforward, with just a set of orders to follow.
Taking a deep breath, Arialla tried to hide how unsettled she was. Few, if any, of her conversations with Apollo had run this long, or gone into this much depth. "Death and destruction have never been my domain, at least not before this. My worship has always been of life and beauty. That is why I called upon you rather than Ludo."
Knowledge and power. That certainly had its appeal, but Arialla didn't want to tell Safrin that she'd use such boons only to get home or fight the Voice. She felt like that would only cheapen the goddess' gifts.
Arialla raised her head slightly. "I was a priestess in my old life. I don't know who to be in my new one, but turning to the gods for guidance comes naturally to me."
(Though in Arialla's own realm, she never would have expected the gods to answer so readily.)
"I am not set on fighting the Voice. But when I know of no other paths to take, throwing myself into such a battle seems like the only option." Arialla probably shouldn't leave it totally up to Safrin to suggest a fate for her, though. For one thing, she doubted the goddess cared enough to set out a life plan for a new worshiper. So, thinking of Safrin's mention of knowledge, she added, "I do wish to join the loreseekers. While I do not wish to be arrogant and suggest that I could find truths beyond the knowledge of gods ... If any possibility of returning to our own realm does exist, then working with the loreseekers would be the way to find it."
please don't take my sunshine away
