[Kahl doesn't say anything for a while. He'd - he'd been so ready, and he doesn't know what to do with all those feelings, with the plans that had sharped in his mind as quickly as shattered glass turning smoothness into sharp edges.
So much of Kahl's nature is about what it means to cross lines that can't be uncrossed. Zerxus backed away from one, and did cross another. He feels like his little bird ribs are full of summer storms.]
[Kahl didn't, technically, promise Elias anything. But he did tell him that he meant to help, and that's as good as the same thing, as far as Kahl is concerned. Elias isn't his, but he could have been.]
[ This, at least, is an unmitigated positive to focus on. Elias didn't get the childhood he deserved, didn't get to maintain friendships and family the way he should have. ]
...Evandrin will take longer to convince. But not by that much.
[ His husband has no love for gods, and his skepticism of Zerxus's judgement is, well, certainly valid.
Arguing with Elias is a different matter entirely. ]
[ He likes to believe it will be closer to that, one day, but it will never be perfect. People will always hurt and use and betray each other; people will always be lost, alone, forgotten.
There are just so many, right now, and Evandrin knows that almost as well as he does. ]
...What will you do, if someone wants vengeance on me? [ It would be righteous; it would be earned. ]
[Not against Zerxus, anyway; not much; not enough to need Kahl's path.]
And that is his choice.
Anyway, you're a poor target. It is not as though you profited by the damage you did the world. It is not as though you lived in thoughtless, selfish pleasure and power by it. Anyone who wishes you to suffer for your folly is already well-fed. I might grant them the gift of knowing how much, if they wish it very earnestly.
[ It's not the relief it should be, which - goes to Kahl's point of self-martyrdom, probably. He'd feel better if Elias took some kind of retribution. (He feels better, just a little, every time Asmodeus tears him apart with Evandrin's hands.) ]
...Fair, I suppose.
[ There are only a few ways to make things worse, and he knows damn well Kahl wouldn't use Elias as a sacrificial pawn.
Which, actually, brings him to a good point: ]
Each of our gods has a set of three commandments - the most important tenets their followers should live by.
[ There's a song of retribution in Evandrin's heart, raw and desperate and viciously yearning, but even Zerxus knows that it isn't for him. ]
Yes. How to live your life, how to treat allies or enemies, how not to. [ He can give an overview of all of them, but there are two he knows by heart.
His cadence shifts, and even the strokes of his hands fall into a slower, gentler rhythm. ]
Lead with mercy, patience, and compassion. Inspire others to unite in fellowship.
Aid those who are without guide. Heal those who are without hope.
[ And finally, with an weary twitch of his hand and a wry one to his lips: ] Those who are beyond redemption, who revel in slaughter and remorseless evil, must be dispatched with swift justice.
What cannot be borne must not be forgotten. What can be never be restored nor repaired must instead have a reckoning.
Do not be careless in your obligations to others. Honest enemies may make peace, but a false friend, who gives cruelty where they owe kindness, has earned the greater wrath.
[Parenthood is the greatest obligation, but not the only one.]
[ Zerxus finds himself smiling as he listens, even as his own guilt - and his own bitterly betrayed anguish - blooms in his chest. ]
Principles anyone seeking vengeance would be better off having.
[ Acknowledging the possibility of mending what's been broken, not forbidding peace when it can be found, demanding accountability from yourself as much as anyone else. ]
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Re: Voice
So much of Kahl's nature is about what it means to cross lines that can't be uncrossed. Zerxus backed away from one, and did cross another. He feels like his little bird ribs are full of summer storms.]
Thank you.
[Awkward, half-squawked, but clear.]
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Thank you. For holding me to account.
[ For not letting him fail another - ]
Elias will be happy to see you.
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[Kahl didn't, technically, promise Elias anything. But he did tell him that he meant to help, and that's as good as the same thing, as far as Kahl is concerned. Elias isn't his, but he could have been.]
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[ This, at least, is an unmitigated positive to focus on. Elias didn't get the childhood he deserved, didn't get to maintain friendships and family the way he should have. ]
...Evandrin will take longer to convince. But not by that much.
[ His husband has no love for gods, and his skepticism of Zerxus's judgement is, well, certainly valid.
Arguing with Elias is a different matter entirely. ]
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Maybe he should.
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He should be worried about your motives? Your influence?
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I'm never going to be a nice god.
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[ He likes to believe it will be closer to that, one day, but it will never be perfect. People will always hurt and use and betray each other; people will always be lost, alone, forgotten.
There are just so many, right now, and Evandrin knows that almost as well as he does. ]
...What will you do, if someone wants vengeance on me? [ It would be righteous; it would be earned. ]
Re: Voice
That depends on why they want it.
Elias's claim is greatest, though.
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If it would help him, he should have it. [ Whatever form it takes. ] ...Avandra doesn't strike me as a jealous goddess.
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[Not against Zerxus, anyway; not much; not enough to need Kahl's path.]
And that is his choice.
Anyway, you're a poor target. It is not as though you profited by the damage you did the world. It is not as though you lived in thoughtless, selfish pleasure and power by it. Anyone who wishes you to suffer for your folly is already well-fed. I might grant them the gift of knowing how much, if they wish it very earnestly.
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...Fair, I suppose.
[ There are only a few ways to make things worse, and he knows damn well Kahl wouldn't use Elias as a sacrificial pawn.
Which, actually, brings him to a good point: ]
Each of our gods has a set of three commandments - the most important tenets their followers should live by.
Re: Voice
Oh?
[His ears flick, and the feline puddle of him proving into a more attentive loaf shape.]
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Yes. How to live your life, how to treat allies or enemies, how not to. [ He can give an overview of all of them, but there are two he knows by heart.
His cadence shifts, and even the strokes of his hands fall into a slower, gentler rhythm. ]
Lead with mercy, patience, and compassion. Inspire others to unite in fellowship.
Aid those who are without guide. Heal those who are without hope.
[ And finally, with an weary twitch of his hand and a wry one to his lips: ] Those who are beyond redemption, who revel in slaughter and remorseless evil, must be dispatched with swift justice.
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That's not justice, it's pest control.
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[ Isn't, or wasn't. He still doesn't know what it means to murder a god the way Asmodeus did and he hasn't tried to find out. ]
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Weird to mention it, though.
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It's just an example.
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Parents owe their children a life, not the other way around.
[Maybe it's not a broad enough application for what Zerxus is talking about. But it's a principle that's been on his mind.]
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That definitely sounds like guidance a lot of people could stand to hear.
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Do not be careless in your obligations to others. Honest enemies may make peace, but a false friend, who gives cruelty where they owe kindness, has earned the greater wrath.
[Parenthood is the greatest obligation, but not the only one.]
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Principles anyone seeking vengeance would be better off having.
[ Acknowledging the possibility of mending what's been broken, not forbidding peace when it can be found, demanding accountability from yourself as much as anyone else. ]
Re: Voice