GODLY AUDIENCES - ZOE MURPHY

[divus]

Comments

[divus]

You ever consider it was because he was a major asshole to her? How would you like it if someone agreed to align with you only to throw it back in your face that they don't want you at all and that there's someone better?

[Apparently that hit a hot-button and the topic of killing's dropped.]

[requiemed]

I don't know what exactly he said to her, but that's not an excuse to threaten him.

[She frowns, crossing her arms.]

I know you guys are best friends are whatever, but my god would never have acted like that even if I said I wanted to defect.

[divus]

It is when he threatened her first, Zoe. Bottom line. And you know what? She didn't put out a hit on him, so that should also say something.

[There's a low chuckle then.] Love is too soft, but she can be pretty petty, too. Don't think otherwise.

[requiemed]

Uh, no, if they both threatened each other than it just means they're both jerks at the very least. It doesn't mean she was right.

[She crosses her arms.]

I'd never even mentioned anything about defecting to her, and she told me she would understand if I did. So I'm going to stand by what I said, and she's not soft.

[divus]

I'm not spelling this out for you, but you need to open your eyes and realize there's a hell of a lot more going on here than what you're just seeing.

[requiemed]

Right. I’m so wrong, but you’re not going to bother to tell me any details about how or why. Really convincing.

[divus]

You're not asking the right questions first of all. Hasn't anybody explained to you that we can't just hand out free answers and details?

[requiemed]

Yeah, obviously they have, but not everyone is a purposefully cryptic jerk.

[A frustrated sigh.]

Here’s a question. Why do you dislike Love so much?

[divus]

...[Well.] What do you know about Love, Zoe? Not the concept, the god herself. Do you know how old she is? What she was like?

[requiemed]

I do, yeah.

[But she doesn’t elaborate on it.]

Why?

[divus]

Her ideals aren't the worst, but I don't think they're, you know, realistic. Not the way she wants it done. What would you do if a god promised you a world that they couldn't live up to?

[...] If she thought about it, maybe it could work. But right now she's in the lead for something she hasn't earned on her own yet.

[requiemed]

[She doesn’t look like she agrees with that much, but more importantly:]

Something she hasn’t earned on her own yet? What do you mean?

[divus]

She's not really a leader. She's always played support, and suddenly she's got a good chance of being head of pantheon. What do you think is going to happen? [This actually doesn't sound as cruel as it should. It's a serious question.]

[requiemed]

[It’d be a lie to see she doesn’t see the logic in that, but...]

And I guess you’re going to follow up with how you have so much more leadership experience than she does.

[divus]

I have more experience being a god than she does, at least.

[requiemed]

And you think just that makes you capable?

[divus]

Uh, no? But it helps. Take into account the part where I've been living on my own and training since I was a kid, I've run my own armies and alliances and the part where I was working on already restructuring a different world? I think that counts.

It's not about ideals, it's about what you're gonna do with those and the actions you take. What actions has she taken yet? Have you asked her?

[requiemed]

She’s been trying to convince people not to kill each other. What have you been doing?

[divus]

Making deals to make sure some people don't die. [SO THERE.]

[requiemed]

[She gives a small pause of surprise, but it’s genuine when she speaks.]

Good. [...] Do those deals endanger anyone else?

[divus]

...not if the people who made those deals act in the way I think they will.

[requiemed]

[The pause she gives is shorter this time.]

Okay. Then... Thank you.

[divus]

Sure. [...] Look, I get it. Death sucks. Just because I agreed to allowing it as a clause doesn't mean I don't get that.

[requiemed]

Yeah, well... If you think of anything I could do to help the 'nobody dies' cause, you can count me in.

[divus]

Without getting into details, I made a deal with somebody that they could protect somebody else with a price attached. You can start by making sure that person that's being protected doesn't die.