gone to hell

Arialla considered this for a long moment. "What new things? Help her how?"

She stared at the buildings, so different from home. They, more even than the Spire or the wasteland around it, made clear the fact that she really was somewhere entirely unfamiliar. This, to someone who had never traveled more than ten miles from home in her life: it was terrifying. Swallowing, her mouth dry, she tried to keep her body from shaking. She didn't want Sam to notice how scared she was.

"I already serve a god, Lord Apollo. I don't think he'd be pleased with, well, any of this."

"Well....she wants to do things like make portals to connect each region to each other, or she can help people improve their bodies with upgrades, or get rid of their pain." Sam couldn't help his smile as he said this, always happy to imagine his Goddesses future; the future he was already living, with his lack of pain and use of the portals to travel the land. "You can help..well, if you wanted you could become one of her followers, the Ascended." Again, he neglected to mention he was one at the moment. "She needs help with exploring each region to make a portal, or with keeping the Old Gods from halting her plans." Thinking this might be too much to put on someone's shoulders right away, Sam quickly added: "Though at the moment, you must really only think of getting settled. The Gods can wait." As for her own deities, though...he looked off uncomfortably, not sure how to put what he needed to say gently. "I'm sure he wouldn't be...but...there's no way to contact your Old World's Gods here. You can still worship ..A..Apollo? If you wish, but you can't talk to him and I don't think he can see you." Samuel He took a step but then felt tired He said, I'll rest a little while But when he tried to walk again He wasn't a child

Tears rose to Arialla's eyes and she blinked them back. Hearing that she couldn't reach out to her god here -- it almost felt like being ripped from her family all over again. And what of the blessing she'd earned? Would that fade away now that she was beyond Apollo's sight? She wrapped her arms around herself tightly. "I don't believe you. There has to be some way ... Is there somewhere I can go to pray? A temple, consecrated ground?"

She altered her path slightly to pass through a patch of sunlight, feeling its comforting warmth on her skin, and tilted her head back, looking toward the sun in the sky. The sight of it comforted her. Where the sun shone, Apollo could see her.

Honestly, Arialla preferred speaking of the gods than facing actual, practical concerns. She was a priestess; the divine was her life -- and finding somewhere to live felt too much like admitting that she would be here for some time.

"Why do the Old Gods oppose your goddess?"

Arialla's clear distress at the loss of her God was hard to see and Sam looked away out of a mix and respect and discomfort. There was nothing he could really say that wasn't a lie to make the situation better; at least he could provide her with the request. "Yes, we have a temple for our Gods. There are shrines about the land too, for different Gods. I would recommend you find an offering and get settled somewhere before you try to pray, though. They can be...temperamental." They entered into the Domiciles proper and Sam smiled at the few people he knew as they passed, ignoring the glances at his new companion with her odd clothing. Upon hearing Arialla refer to the Voice as 'his' Goddess, Sam paused for a moment, wondering if he had really been so obvious. Well, there was no hiding it now, he supposed, and he didn't like having to be secretive anyway. "Because she is trying to be one of their equals and they are proud. Traditionalists. They want things to stay as they always have been." It was clear from the tone in his voice he did not approve of this motivation. Samuel He took a step but then felt tired He said, I'll rest a little while But when he tried to walk again He wasn't a child

Arialla nodded: Sam had just said the first thing that really made sense to her. You didn't approach a god empty-handed, not if you intended to ask for a favor. And Arialla had a very big favor to ask for. "Yes, you're right. I'll have to find an offering first. A sacrifice ... "

Having some semblance of a plan of action was really starting to calm her down. Step one, find an offering. Step two, pray. Then the gods would guide her from there.

Now that she felt a little calmer, she could pay attention to the people around her, noting how her clothes stood out. All right, maybe step one was to get a new outfit. Especially shoes. Her ceremonial sandals really weren't very practical, for all that they were gilded.

She'd intended "your" in a more communal sense, really, but she noted Sam's tone. So, he approved of this Voice's goals. Well, he'd said he'd been born here, hadn't he? He hadn't been ripped from his home ... "Isn't the entire point of gods that one is not their equal?"

"Oh, um...we don't do many sacrifices here." Sam shook his head and held up a hand, hoping to make it clear that wasn't the usual kind of offering; he was not too shocked though, having heard this kind of thing from Outlanders before. "Depending on what God you wish to speak to...I've heard Frey likes fruit or flowers, Ludo likes toys...I don't know about Safrin. The Voice doesn't ask for offerings, but you can still take something if you'd like." Sam shrugged, never having taken anything special to his Goddess other than himself. Turning a corner to a quieter street, passing the memorial left after Fiat Lux for the children lost, Sam bowed his head for a moment out of respect before he replied: "Well, should it be? Is it right that they should rule over us, if they do not have our best interests at heart? The Voice presents another option, one where we have more power and choice in our lives." Samuel He took a step but then felt tired He said, I'll rest a little while But when he tried to walk again He wasn't a child

Arialla suppressed the answer that she didn't want to speak to one of their gods, she wanted to speak to Apollo, and he liked sacrifices. To be honest, she was a little relieved. Killing animals had always been her least favorite part of her role as a priestess, and usually she had help: she wasn't sure she could drag a lamb or goat to an altar by herself anyway. So if these people didn't want blood on their shrines, she'd stick with that. Fruit or flowers sounded good. Or she might think about what would please Apollo specifically, if her prayer did somehow manage to make it to him. "All right. Thank you for the advice. Though -- I don't know who those gods are."

She noted Sam's somber moment and waited till it had passed, but she couldn't help laughing at his theological views. "Gods aren't gods because they care about us. They're gods because they just are. They created us to serve them, and their power and majesty demand our respect and worship. That they deign to listen to our prayers is just a sign of their generosity."

"Well, yes, I suppose you don't, but.." Sam cringed, not wanting to beat in the point too hard, but: "You won't be able to speak to your old God here." He tried to think of if he knew anyone that had been particularly religious in their old lives, or whom had had a harder time adjusting than others; he knew the Undertaker had been faithful to his old Gods, but he was dead now... "We have an Outlanders Advisor, Jigano. He might be able to talk to you, he came from somewhere else too." Her laughter caught him by surprise. "Well...um...I suppose we simply will have to disagree. I don't think the Gods inherently deserve any praise at all." This seemed like a bold statement to come from his lips, but when he said he it he knew it was true. They arrived at his door and he set to unlocking it, turning to ask: "Do you mind cats? ...Do you know what a cat is?" Samuel He took a step but then felt tired He said, I'll rest a little while But when he tried to walk again He wasn't a child

"'Outlander'? Is that what you call people who've been dragged here?" Arialla imagined finding someone from home, how much less alone that would make her feel. "Yes, I suppose I'll have to talk to him."

She saw Sam's surprise at her laughter and had a brief, worried thought that she might have offended him. Only now did it occur to her that maybe she shouldn't have dismissed his beliefs out of hand; that had been rude, especially as he had gone out of his way to be kind to her. But still: "I wouldn't say that where the gods can hear, if I were you."

Another laugh, but this one more self-deprecating. "Yes, I know what a cat is, and no, I don't mind them."

"Yes. Outlanders are those that are brought in by portals. People born here, like myself, are called Naturals." He informed her, touching his own chest as he spoke of his own heritage. "There's...also races here that I don't believe exist in other places. Attuned, Accepted, Abandoned, Ascended...oh, Fae too. They're decided by your relationship with the Gods, really." Of course, just from looking, he had no way to tell Arialla which she was. Sam had said much worse of the Gods and been fine, so he wasn't too worried. It was only when he actually approached shrines that the sunlight was brought out. "The Voice would protect me if they tried to hurt me." As she was fine with cats, he opened the door. Mia immediately came to it, mewing her greeting and rubbing against his legs, then staring at the newcomer. Stepping past his pet he came into a living room with two large armchairs and a fire, books and rugs everywhere making it very homey. "If you'd like to sit down, I could make you some tea. I have some clothes, but they're not very...feminine. Still, they'll fit in better." Samuel He took a step but then felt tired He said, I'll rest a little while But when he tried to walk again He wasn't a child

"Your relationship with the gods decides your race?" The idea seemed strange to Arialla. She considered it. "You said Ascended were followers of the Voice ... is that what you are? If it's not an invasive question."

Sam's assurance made Arialla laugh again, a rather bitter chuckle. "I thought Apollo would protect me from strange gods -- and yet here I am."

Seeing the cat brought a smile to Arialla's face, as she followed Sam inside. "Oh, she's beautiful! And clearly adores you."

She sat in one of the armchairs, a little gingerly, filled with an entirely mundane -- and thus rather silly -- nervousness at being a guest in a stranger's home. As a priestess, she was usually more self-assured -- but again, she'd come from a community where everyone knew each other. At home, there were no strangers' homes to be nervous about, because there were no strangers. "If you're willing to give me your clothes ... It's generous of you. Fitting in might help. I can, uh, repay you someday?"

They would probably fit her, too; she and Sam were about the same size.

"...Yes. I am Ascended." Sam revealed, hoping that if she first saw his people as the kind welcomers  to Caido, she would not get caught up in the irrational dislike of Ascended. "We have...special teeth, like this." Sam opened his mouth for her, pointed to his fangs; then held out his hands. "And special abilities." With that said he turned his hands invisible, letting Arialla reach out to see they were still tangible if she wanted to. Mia happily went to sit by her feet as she settled in the chair and Sam busied himself getting the tea, setting before her a pot and a couple of cups on a little table between the chairs. A tin of biscuits also sat on the level beneath. "I have quite a spicy berry tea today...I hope it's to your liking. Now, feel free to help yourself, I will go and look for clothes. There's no need to worry about repayment." Heading upstairs to find something that might at least look acceptable on Arialla until she could find something else, Sam took about five minutes going through his wardrobe; finally coming down with a cotton button-up shirt in a light cream colour and a pair of pants that were a little too tight for him, hoping they might fit Arialla better. He held these out towards her. "I hope these will do?" Samuel He took a step but then felt tired He said, I'll rest a little while But when he tried to walk again He wasn't a child

"Oh!" Arialla said, rather surprised. She wasn't sure how she felt about seeing Sam's fangs, to be honest, but his invisibility -- that she could get behind. Reaching out to confirm that his hands were still there, she smiled. "Fascinating. You can do more than just your hands, I assume? And your goddess grants you these abilities? Like Perseus ..."

Beside Sam's invisibility, her own blessing from Apollo seemed minor -- but it was important to her all the same, and thinking of it brought back the worry that leaving Apollo's domain might curtail it. But she tried not to let that show, leaning down to pet Mia, then sampling the tea and biscuits. The tea caused her to make an odd face -- she'd never tasted anything like it before. It wasn't that she disliked it; she just wasn't used to it. She took small sips, trying to acclimatize herself.

"Those look quite nice, thank you." Accepting the clothes from Sam, she hesitated. "Are you sure I can't repay you? And, um, is there ... somewhere I could change?"

She would need better shoes, too, she realized -- she would especially need better shoes. But she didn't want to outright ask Samuel for some when he was already showing her such generosity.

"I can do my entire body, yes. There's more, too...but I hope you won't mind if I keep some of it to myself." His barrier, the time abilities of his fingers, were a little more advantageous if kept secret, just in case Arialla ended up one of the Old Gods devout followers. She took the clothes from him; Sam shook his head and held up a hand. "Really - we know Outlanders will come with nothing and they all need help. It's fine." Honestly, there likely wasn't much Arialla could give him he'd want, given that he knew she was going to have to come up from nothing. As for somewhere she could change, he nodded. "Of course. If you go upstairs, my bathroom is the first door after the stairs. I'll wait down here." That said, Sam went to sit in one of the armchairs and pour himself some tea. If Arialla went upstairs and to the room, she'd find a small tiled bathroom with a toilet and shower, the toilet entirely covered in stacks of books that went around the perimeter of the room. Samuel He took a step but then felt tired He said, I'll rest a little while But when he tried to walk again He wasn't a child