they will shake their heads and wag their fingers
by daybreak we'll be gone
Bastien himself had come from a world with a distant and far away God, one that he had not even believed in, and could remember how much of a shock it had been to hear that the Deities here walked among men and deigned to speak with them, could be proven to exist simply with a visit; he patiently smiled through Dani's questions and rose a hand at her apology, shaking his head. "No need to be forgiven. I know it is a lot. I will do my best with your questions."He paused for a moment, rubbing a smudge of blue paint on his finger as he considered where to begin. "You can, indeed, meet and speak with the Gods here, and I have met three of them. The Voice, Safrin and Frey." Of course, he wasn't on great terms with two of them now, but that was irrelevant to this explanation. "They have their own realm to go to when not speaking or existing within this mortal one, but if their shrine is prayed to, and they feel like it, they will appear before you as real as another person. I found it hard to believe at first too." He remembered the first time he'd seen Safrin, how he'd checked for wires and mirrors around the room, wanting to see if it was all some kind of trick.
As for what distinguished them as Gods...Bastien smiled as he shifted his weight, having considered this many times himself. "It's hard to explain how you know they are Gods. You just do, once you meet them. You will see."
It was refreshing to find a new Outlander that wasn't utterly dejected about their new life in Caido. Most people (rightfully) felt lost and ripped from their old life before their time. Bastien was sure that Dani would need to adjust, but the way she was already coping well with it gave him some hope for her. "Indeed. There is happiness to be found here, if you look for it. It is...a harsh place, but not one without love or life." He added a thin film of gold paint over some of the dark blue side of his painting, just enough to make it shimmer in the right lights.
As for himself being a good person - well, all he could do was smile and say "Thank you."
That she found the news of her double more amusing than upsetting was good, Bastien having seen the news disturb more than a few people. "We have known for a while. I believe the information came from the Voice, but I may be mistaken."
BASTIEN
