GODLY AUDIENCES: RAY

[divus]

Comments

[selfimmolates]

[...]

Someone used Advancement Opportunity on me, looks like.

[divus]

Yeah...I know. [Her voice is steady even if it sounds a little more than upset.] We know when powers are used, remember? Do you know where you want to go?

[Maybe treating this diplomatically will help it suck less.]

[selfimmolates]

I figured.

[...]

Cunning is always an option, but if he's getting an influx of followers already, maybe not. Otherwise, maybe Beauty, Justice, or Piety.

[divus]

You want to win, don't you...? After everything from last night Cunning and Ambition seem pretty popular. You would have people you know there, too. Yu-senpai told me.

[Which...that wasn't a fun conversation either. ] But Beauty has had two for the entire game. Justice has low numbers, and Piety has one, I think. Cunning would be where people expect you, but...why those three?

[selfimmolates]

If I have to spend the next few weeks around a god who throws tantrums all the time, I might throw myself off a cliff.

[...]

That's why. They're useful to me, and they like me well enough. The competition is unlikely to end next week, so I can switch over to whoever I want afterwards, right?

[things he will not admit: he doesn't want to see them die. ): ]

[divus]

It won't end next week. It's a six-week minimum no matter what happens, so you've got that part right.

[Glad that Ray's slowly growing softer. She seems to consider this though.] ...but yeah. Nothing's stopping you from switching again at the end of the week next week for whoever you want. It's not too bad of a strategy as long as people don't go after you.

[She doesn't bring herself to say "you can switch back" because even now she's still not sure that's what he would do and she's not forcing him into a losing position if he thinks he can do better. He deserves better. He deserves to be on a winning side after everything.]

[selfimmolates]

What if everyone died before six weeks are up? What then?

[not that he intends for that to happen, but just to confirm.]

... Yeah. I'm not going to have Hopelessly Devoted anymore, so it'll be up to my own abilities to defend myself.

[also i hate those brackets, fuck you]

[divus]

[:)]

If somehow everyone died before then, I guess it'd be whoever had the most followers before that. It's still about numbers and ideals. And anyway...you can always pick a god whose powers you can use, too. Those three have good ones if you know how to use them right. It doesn't have to be just you.

[selfimmolates]

That's the other reason. If their powers were useless, I wouldn't be considering them.

[divus]

I'm not surprised you did research already. Talk to them. They'll have a better sense of what you can do with them than I do. They might know what to do next, too. Young or kind of idiotic that they are, they all have good ideas.

[selfimmolates]

That's what I plan to do. Besides, they might have a better idea of their follower count next week, so if they have reason to think they're safe, then... we'll see.

[divus]

You'll be okay at least. You're one of the smartest people we have left, so you'll probably be safe wherever you end up. I trust your judgment.

[selfimmolates]

Well, unless someone tries to kill me next week.

[he'll be prepared, but in the end, he's still a (non-ninja) twelve-year-old. he knows there are certainly people better at fighting here.]

[divus]

They won't. You're a source of information. It'd be stupid to eliminate you this late in the game.

...I take it you're canceling that meeting though now that half of you are getting split up?

[selfimmolates]

No. The others said they were okay with it even knowing that others would have to defect, as long as they were coming back.

Besides, if nothing else, it could still be useful for me. [ray continues to be a pragmatic ass.] Though maybe not, since Sieg doesn't seem to know much anyway, and Zoe and Yu have already expressed an interest in swapping info with me regardless of my alignment.

[divus]

If you say so. And what about Nonon-san? What did she say about alignment changes and stuff?

[selfimmolates]

She doesn't have to switch, but I don't know what her feelings are now that she knows your numbers will be going down.

[divus]

...if anything? She'll probably stay with Senpai wherever he goes. They're friends. He cares about her.

[But she's also not sure if that means staying with her.] At minimum, the numbers will be half this week. I don't see anybody switching to me anytime soon because they'll think I'm still in the lead until tomorrow. But it'll work out.

[selfimmolates]

... I'm going to ask Sieg to stay with you—unless it turns out he's been hit with Advancement Opportunity as well.

[divus]

He hasn't, but the day's not over yet. I think since it's defection day it's safe to say he'll be safe from someone using that on him...but--[She thinks about saying she wants Sieg to go where he's happiest, but maybe it doesn't matter. She falters briefly, pausing on her words.]

Thanks.

[selfimmolates]

[...]

I've seen enough people die. I'd rather not have you be the next one.

[divus]

I don't want you guys to die either. But you already knew that. [It's kind of a big fear.] ...Sieg-kun and I will take care of each other. Senpai might stay with me, and Nonon with him. If I have those three, that'll get us through this week until you guys get a chance to decide if you want to come back.

[selfimmolates]

As long as you keep your numbers up. If they go down too much, you might not recover from it.

[divus]

I don't know. Seems to be working for Cunning just fine, but I don't have anyone in the pantheon to vouch for me the way Ambition did for him. But I'm hoping to host soon. Maybe that'll help.

[selfimmolates]

Yeah, Ambition crying probably helped.

Don't have any best friends?