”Was, but not still are?” he asked gently, wanting to hear it from Rexanna herself, to make sure he wasn’t misunderstanding. Rexanna might wish to place herself as a go-between, and clearly she had been accepted by the Voice, but whether the old gods would still speak to her now that she had become Ascended? Jigano was not so sure. The magic she had arrived with hadn’t been a willing gift of the old gods, though, that much her was certain of. That magic, combined with the Voice’s blessing—
She picked up his meaning clear enough, and he returned her smirk with a tired smile, appreciating her wit and courage, even if he disagreed with the choice that she had made. After speaking with Sam, he was becoming more certain that the Voice was growing in both power and influence over her children now that she was awake and free. Still, to say she stood on both sides in one breath, and then to turn around and accept that she was an enemy of the old gods – not by her own preference, but knowing that her choices would have that result – sent a chill down the bard’s weary spine.
Defining herself as a weapon and then being at ease with the enmity of three – or six – major deities was a level of confidence that the bard could only dream of, and he watched her curiously, amazed at the changes in her in so short of time. Amazed… and unsettled, seeing echoes of Samuel’s sudden blaze of fervor in Rexanna’s sharpened smiles and casual displays of cocky assurance. His eyes widened at the site of her flames being wielded with such casual mastery even while she smiled with fangs on display. And not just the mastery of her magic – he had not asked if Bastien would follow her, but if the hedonistic artist would be willing to fight for a goddess when Jigano had largely thought the man preferring to avoid violence. The way Rexanna answered made it sound as though what Bastien wanted or was willing to do didn’t matter so much as what Rex wanted him to do, and the lorekeeper straightened slowly, smile falling away as he regarded his friend with newfound wariness.
”And if he asked you not to fight?” he tried, wondering what would happen if she and Bastien ever found a point of disagreement. ”Would you do that for him?”
She picked up his meaning clear enough, and he returned her smirk with a tired smile, appreciating her wit and courage, even if he disagreed with the choice that she had made. After speaking with Sam, he was becoming more certain that the Voice was growing in both power and influence over her children now that she was awake and free. Still, to say she stood on both sides in one breath, and then to turn around and accept that she was an enemy of the old gods – not by her own preference, but knowing that her choices would have that result – sent a chill down the bard’s weary spine.
Defining herself as a weapon and then being at ease with the enmity of three – or six – major deities was a level of confidence that the bard could only dream of, and he watched her curiously, amazed at the changes in her in so short of time. Amazed… and unsettled, seeing echoes of Samuel’s sudden blaze of fervor in Rexanna’s sharpened smiles and casual displays of cocky assurance. His eyes widened at the site of her flames being wielded with such casual mastery even while she smiled with fangs on display. And not just the mastery of her magic – he had not asked if Bastien would follow her, but if the hedonistic artist would be willing to fight for a goddess when Jigano had largely thought the man preferring to avoid violence. The way Rexanna answered made it sound as though what Bastien wanted or was willing to do didn’t matter so much as what Rex wanted him to do, and the lorekeeper straightened slowly, smile falling away as he regarded his friend with newfound wariness.
”And if he asked you not to fight?” he tried, wondering what would happen if she and Bastien ever found a point of disagreement. ”Would you do that for him?”
