Cam was only here to buy some paints. They didn't even pay attention to the man speaking in the middle of the road until their ear caught the word Ascended. Then they pushed their sun-blocking parasol back on their shoulder so they could get a good look at the man speaking. For a moment they just listened. Anger grew in their chest -- their knuckles went white on their parasol -- but it didn't occur to them to respond, not at first, accustomed as they always had been to living as a bystander. But no one else was answering the man's accusations, no one was defending the Ascended, and instead of making Cam back down, that actually just made them angrier. Finally they realized that if they wanted to see him contradicted, they would just have to do it themself.
But god, where to begin?
Well, they could sit here all day trying to come up with the perfect phrasing, or they could just start talking. Cam stepped forward, tilting their parasol back -- while still careful to keep out of even the weak afternoon sun. "You're going to hear it one more time: we, the Ascended, just want to be left alone to live in peace. If you think that's a lie, then call me a liar to my face."
They took a deep breath, glancing out at the people around them. OK, don't focus on the asshole preacher; take the high ground, speak to the crowd. "I'm Ascended. I'm not miserable, by the way. But that aside -- I don't care if any of you Ascend. I'm not here to proselytize for the Voice. You can worship the Old Gods for the rest of your lives and I'll have no quarrel for that. I just don't want to be fucking murdered for following a different god than you do."
As for Gideon's nice little demonstration ... Cam pulled up their sleeve and displayed the scar from Nephele's chakram, long and silvery in the sunlight. "Cool scar. I've got one too." HearingRay's questions, Cam nodded. "What were you doing when you got yours? I was drawing flowers when someone decided to take on a big, bad Ascended." As they spoke those last words, Cam chuckled ironically, gesturing a little to their own unimposing form. They certainly didn't look like a monster, just a pale, awkward person.
But god, where to begin?
Well, they could sit here all day trying to come up with the perfect phrasing, or they could just start talking. Cam stepped forward, tilting their parasol back -- while still careful to keep out of even the weak afternoon sun. "You're going to hear it one more time: we, the Ascended, just want to be left alone to live in peace. If you think that's a lie, then call me a liar to my face."
They took a deep breath, glancing out at the people around them. OK, don't focus on the asshole preacher; take the high ground, speak to the crowd. "I'm Ascended. I'm not miserable, by the way. But that aside -- I don't care if any of you Ascend. I'm not here to proselytize for the Voice. You can worship the Old Gods for the rest of your lives and I'll have no quarrel for that. I just don't want to be fucking murdered for following a different god than you do."
As for Gideon's nice little demonstration ... Cam pulled up their sleeve and displayed the scar from Nephele's chakram, long and silvery in the sunlight. "Cool scar. I've got one too." Hearing
cameron ?
"Cameras" by Ennev is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
