The bard listened solemnly at the tale she had to tell, one he'd had no inkling of in the flurry of panicked preparations and fugitive false faces he'd been forced to resort to with Zariah's rise to power. That Rexanna had gone to bargain for Bastien's release was no surprise. That Zariah had tried to force her into a marriage and make her a broodmare for more baby Launceleyn's was... but only until he remembered her unsettling fixation on women bearing babies to make more soldiers during the farcical meeting she'd called.
Hearing that Rexanna had escaped brought a smile back to his face, and a wry tilt of his head in congratulations at her daring and quick-thinking, even suspecting that she was skimming over most of the juicy details. Still, the ending to the tale raised a few questions, even as he nodded solemn agreement with her desire to be a weapon rather than a pawn. Even though he thought she had been far more than a mere pawn before, what he thought mattered less than what she thought of herself, and if this change in her being gave her more confidence, he would be happy for her.
"And becoming Ascended so that you could no longer have children, and thereby escape Zariah's plans for you?" he asked gently. "Did that not play a part in your decision as well?" He hesitated, then shook his head with a sigh and a wry smile. "I am sorry, my friend. I am being less supportive than I mean to be. I find the Voice..." He hesitated, a faint frown marring his features before he sighed and shrugged. "Worrisome. But if you find this change a reason for joy, then I am glad you were able to overcome the dangers and emerge victorious." He gave her one of his seated half-bows, his smile more sincere as the revelation sank in more fully and he came to terms with it. "And what will you do now, with your new abilities... and limits?" he added more hesitantly, remembering the things Sam had told him about being an Ascended that were less than joyous. Fear of fire, and sunlight, and a lack of taste and dulling of most other sensations until he was frantic for something as small as being able to feel the warmth of a friend's hand... Was that the future Rexanna now had to look forward to, once the newness of her transition had worn off?
Hearing that Rexanna had escaped brought a smile back to his face, and a wry tilt of his head in congratulations at her daring and quick-thinking, even suspecting that she was skimming over most of the juicy details. Still, the ending to the tale raised a few questions, even as he nodded solemn agreement with her desire to be a weapon rather than a pawn. Even though he thought she had been far more than a mere pawn before, what he thought mattered less than what she thought of herself, and if this change in her being gave her more confidence, he would be happy for her.
"And becoming Ascended so that you could no longer have children, and thereby escape Zariah's plans for you?" he asked gently. "Did that not play a part in your decision as well?" He hesitated, then shook his head with a sigh and a wry smile. "I am sorry, my friend. I am being less supportive than I mean to be. I find the Voice..." He hesitated, a faint frown marring his features before he sighed and shrugged. "Worrisome. But if you find this change a reason for joy, then I am glad you were able to overcome the dangers and emerge victorious." He gave her one of his seated half-bows, his smile more sincere as the revelation sank in more fully and he came to terms with it. "And what will you do now, with your new abilities... and limits?" he added more hesitantly, remembering the things Sam had told him about being an Ascended that were less than joyous. Fear of fire, and sunlight, and a lack of taste and dulling of most other sensations until he was frantic for something as small as being able to feel the warmth of a friend's hand... Was that the future Rexanna now had to look forward to, once the newness of her transition had worn off?
