Arialla laughed with Samuel, glad to hear him amused -- glad that she could brighten his mood at least a little.
"I ... hm." She sobered a bit, thinking back to her own blessing. "His attention made me very special, but I don't know that I did anything unique. He was impressed by my devotion, and he heard my prayers. But, well, gods are capricious. Another girl could have made the same prayers, shown the same devotion, and received only silence. I benefited from his whim."
Another smile, but that faded as Arialla listened to Samuel's grievances. She'd heard something about the Ascended's aversion to sunlight, but hadn't realized it was so painful. "If you look at it from their perspective, the Ascended are those who have chosen to defy them, to turn against them ... I'm not surprised that they react with cruelty. That is -- I don't mean to lack sympathy for your experiences. Cruelty from the gods is still cruelty -- is sometimes all the more cruel for it -- and I'm sorry that you've experienced that."
She paused, trying to figure out how to word her next thought in a way that would appeal to Samuel, and finally settled on: "But they are gods. If they are not appeased, it is ... natural for them to be cruel. Just as a fire will rage if unchecked."
Had that gotten the point across? She wasn't sure.
please don't take my sunshine away
