[SE] What ghost around, comes around

Like any great love, it keeps you guessing

Feeling a bit silly for having admitted to her failure to procure a lasting relationship with any of the gods, Soh might have blushed had she been human. As it was, a flicker of unease crept down the Attuned bond before she sequestered the emotion away. I haven't really felt called to any one in particular, she said quietly, feeling as though it were due to some shortcoming on her part. It's something I'm working on.

Deimos's explanation made sense, and Soh nodded silently in acknowledgement. She supposed that if she had started life as an Abandoned and been subsequently shunned by the gods, she would have granted her loyalty to the first to respond to her, too. As for Soh's own preferences, she shrugged. I'm not sure. Vi, maybe? Even though his assistance had only occurred the once, he'd spoken to her heart in a way that the others had not. Though, I don't know that one quest is enough to judge.

Like any real love, it's ever-changing

Sohalia

Time has stopped before us The sky cannot ignore us Considering Deimos had admitted not being able to see the gods for a long while, the Luminary shouldn’t have felt silly for no relationship at all; maybe she hadn’t felt connected. Maybe she hadn’t felt the pull or tug. Plenty of others likely felt the same. Initially, the Sword had only been filled with resentment and bitterness. Nor was he bothered, besides a mild tease that he’d thought she’d been able to handle without offense, that she hadn’t snagged or pinpointed on those sentiments – she’d had enough going on. Fair enough he responded in kind, granting her a short nod and descending a little lower, tucking talons in over ripped apart mountaintops. Then give it time, he advised. And opportunity. She wouldn’t know until she tried – but given enough patience and fortitude, and perhaps a direction of thereafter and where she’d be wandering to now, that might give her more thoughts, more patience, for herself and any herald affiliations. Depends on your preferences too. Do you enjoy chaos? He grinned inwardly, enough to encompass the bond, pondering if she’d be able to simply cross out Dygra and Ludo lines with the simple inquiry. the Resurrected Sword No one can separate us For we are all that is left

Like any great love, it keeps you guessing

Soh followed along, descending alongside Deimos, but not so far that her hooves clipped the mountainside. Staying higher and to the side, she avoided the flaps of his wings as she flew alongside, enjoying the feel of flight even in the strange clouds and unnerving weather. There was just something so freeing about being able to take to the skies, something that she'd never experienced in any other shift.

At Deimos's question, Soh snorted, amusement flickering through the bond. Not particularly, she replied. Ludo makes me nervous. I wouldn't even know where to start to gain its favor. And Dygra... I like things to be in order. I understand that she is rather more chaotic than I think I could keep up with. Besides, she liked herself as she was. She wouldn't want to become an Ancient and be subjected to the bloodlust, thanks very much.

Like any real love, it's ever-changing

Sohalia

Time has stopped before us The sky cannot ignore us He couldn’t help the laugh rumbling through; right in his estimation of Sohalia’s penchant for chaos (none). An understandable facet, he supposed; he’d been so immersed in the wild ends of bedlam that it was almost natural for him to sink into its fathoms and execute plans, strategies, actions. But that wasn’t the same for everyone – and potentially expected, given everything the Luminary had gone through. Candy and games. Toys. he granted to her in lieu of Ludo favors and offerings, granting another chuckle thereafter for good measures, banking to the left as they came over another spot where thermals rose. I do not know enough about Dygra. To give any opinion; the ancient god had been willing to grant Kiada a boon of continued existence after Ascended proportions. I went to one Blood Moon festival, and that was enough. The Sword also enjoyed control, especially over his own pursuits – not randomly screaming or dancing simply because another demanded it. There is always Frey too. the Resurrected Sword No one can separate us For we are all that is left

Like any great love, it keeps you guessing

Listen, not everyone can be a minion of chaos, Sohalia least of all. She took Deimos’s laughter in stride, amusement evident through the bond as they soared through the skies. Still, she appreciated the tips for dealing with Ludo. If she ever summoned the courage to try asking it for anything, at least she’d be better prepared.

Dygra was an unknown, but Frey was a deity that Soh was at least familiar with. Frey has been kind to me, Soh admitted. I like their nature aspect. It was, perhaps, the one most aligned with some of her values - but there was still a decided lack of a relationship built. And the sexual side of Frey was as unknown to Soh as Dygra’s chaos. Could she choose to align herself with a god who she knew only half of?

Like any real love, it's ever-changing

Sohalia

Time has stopped before us The sky cannot ignore us She probably could; plenty of others had done it. From what Deimos understood about Frey, those different aspects were important, and didn’t mean one needed to ingratiate themselves with both. The Nature side of Frey has done much for us in Halo, and he gestured with his beak towards the Citadel in the distance; between weaponry, defenses, temperature fluctuation, and the greenhouse; the herald had ensured the region had become a sustainable kingdom. But you could probably discuss things with their followers. He would always be a Safrin loyalist, but each deity had their convictions and beliefs that others could carry on. If Sohalia intended to settle upon Vi, her next best hope might’ve been Safrin in any case, given the Big God’s less accessible means. Maybe once she gained enough of a direction, a plan, she’d be able to puzzle through which conviction she craved the most. Given her experiences, Deimos figured she would’ve known who she was more pulled toward – where allegiances formed and devotion rendered – before long…or especially after Attunement. Some wouldn’t be particular, and others would, when it came to bestowing bounties upon mortals and not receiving the same commitment and reliability. the Resurrected Sword No one can separate us For we are all that is left

Like any great love, it keeps you guessing

Perhaps she should have had a direction by now, should have devoted herself to one deity above the rest. But maybe it was the constant upheaval of the life she knew that had left her unsure, unable to truly focus on building a relationship with a god when the rest of her world kept falling apart. Either way, it wasn't a problem that anyone else could solve for her. It was something she would have to figure out for herself, sooner or later. After all, the only one she was hurting by being so undecided was herself.

Thank you, Deimos, she said, meaning it. You've always given me good advice. Advice that, at least on some occasions, she'd taken to heart. She hoped that this time would be the same, that she could find some direction and some solace in one deity or other by talking with their followers. I'll be sure to talk with others. I'm sure I'll figure it out.

Like any real love, it's ever-changing

Sohalia

Time has stopped before us The sky cannot ignore us Good advice meant very little, he supposed, if not taken; he’d had heaps of those experiences too. He nodded, figuring she’d work through the portions at some point – because the gods might be able to give her direction too, if she was willing to grant them her loyalty, her willingness to strive. She certainly wasn’t incapable, but the deities might be a way of grounding, of planting roots when everything else felt flimsy, unknown, or chaotic. But time was of the essence now, at least for him, and one glance towards the horizon and the direction of the sun in the far-off distance assured the Sword he needed to head back to the Citadel to conduct the rest of his business. I need to head home now. Thank you for help on the patrol, with a slight indulgence of good humor through the bond – she probably hadn’t been aware that’s what he’d been conducting in the first place. Good luck with your endeavors. From there, he swooped onward, back towards the Citadel. [FIN] the Resurrected Sword No one can separate us For we are all that is left