there's light at the edge of the darkness
Arguing with a demi-god child of Rae about her parent’s herald was probably a bad idea. Sighing, Loren ran a hand through his hair and gave Oia’i’o a thoughtful look. While he was uncomfortable telling a near stranger about his interactions with Frey, she might be able to provide insights no one else could. ”Then I guess you would say I do have an interest in hedonism.” He shifted his weight awkwardly. ”They...gave me a task.” It was so far from her assignment that it felt weird even bringing it up. And that wasn’t even getting into the specific nature of what he’d been asked to do.
Speaking of the gods in more generic terms was safer and far more fascinating. He had no idea that Safrin, Frey, and Ludo had been placed here for a specific reason. ”Did the heralds exist before the barrier? And now that the barrier has fallen have their functions changed?” Indeed, the Hollowed Grounds were no longer a closed ecosystem, but it didn’t sound as if the heralds had changed their behavior much. In particular, procreation and pleasure seemed less necessary now that the people here had more freedom.
It seemed they’d reached an impasse. Still, the summoner was stubborn enough to continue to try and explain to Oia’i’o why she should work on her demeanor; maybe it was impossible for her to change, given how their interaction had gone so far, but if he gave her a heads up (see?) maybe she wouldn’t be surprised next time someone took offense. ”I would certainly indicate when I was at that point. However, wouldn’t your purpose be better served by not having agreements revoked halfway through your study?” She legitimately didn’t seem to understand some basics of human contact. ”No, not humor. And there are things to consider beyond efficiency.”
If that’s the framework she needed to consider, though, the Launceleyn could work with that. ”Yes, I or others might take offense at any number of things you might do, which would cause us to revoke our agreement. Wouldn’t that be more inefficient than doing what you can to put us at ease? Moreover, we are doing you a favor. That means that you should at least try to be gracious and accommodating.” Maybe veering into shoulds wasn’t a good idea. He did have a good one though. ”Have you considered having someone assist you in your work?” Perhaps having someone else who could indicate when Oia’i’o was getting close to crossing a line in a social context would make everyone’s life easier.
As he’d suspected, it couldn’t be that easy. When she asked why he required it, he gave her a slightly sad smile. ”I’m a Launceleyn. When I came to Caido, some of my family came with me to the Hollowed Grounds. However, not all of them were there. When you mentioned that there were others who had arrived outside the barrier, I wondered if my other relatives might’ve shown up elsewhere in Caido.” His voice came out a little wistfully: most of his family was dead or gone at this point, so even the chance that others might live was enough to get his hopes up. They’d been thoroughly dashed.
And there was the specter of Zariah on the horizon, not that he’d tell Oia’i’o about his cousin.
Speaking of the gods in more generic terms was safer and far more fascinating. He had no idea that Safrin, Frey, and Ludo had been placed here for a specific reason. ”Did the heralds exist before the barrier? And now that the barrier has fallen have their functions changed?” Indeed, the Hollowed Grounds were no longer a closed ecosystem, but it didn’t sound as if the heralds had changed their behavior much. In particular, procreation and pleasure seemed less necessary now that the people here had more freedom.
It seemed they’d reached an impasse. Still, the summoner was stubborn enough to continue to try and explain to Oia’i’o why she should work on her demeanor; maybe it was impossible for her to change, given how their interaction had gone so far, but if he gave her a heads up (see?) maybe she wouldn’t be surprised next time someone took offense. ”I would certainly indicate when I was at that point. However, wouldn’t your purpose be better served by not having agreements revoked halfway through your study?” She legitimately didn’t seem to understand some basics of human contact. ”No, not humor. And there are things to consider beyond efficiency.”
If that’s the framework she needed to consider, though, the Launceleyn could work with that. ”Yes, I or others might take offense at any number of things you might do, which would cause us to revoke our agreement. Wouldn’t that be more inefficient than doing what you can to put us at ease? Moreover, we are doing you a favor. That means that you should at least try to be gracious and accommodating.” Maybe veering into shoulds wasn’t a good idea. He did have a good one though. ”Have you considered having someone assist you in your work?” Perhaps having someone else who could indicate when Oia’i’o was getting close to crossing a line in a social context would make everyone’s life easier.
As he’d suspected, it couldn’t be that easy. When she asked why he required it, he gave her a slightly sad smile. ”I’m a Launceleyn. When I came to Caido, some of my family came with me to the Hollowed Grounds. However, not all of them were there. When you mentioned that there were others who had arrived outside the barrier, I wondered if my other relatives might’ve shown up elsewhere in Caido.” His voice came out a little wistfully: most of his family was dead or gone at this point, so even the chance that others might live was enough to get his hopes up. They’d been thoroughly dashed.
And there was the specter of Zariah on the horizon, not that he’d tell Oia’i’o about his cousin.
loren
