[b]Dolly[/b]

Valynia listens to those muffled angry mewls. It makes her stop her playful claw work and kneel down next to you. “Mmm, you’re a loyal priestess, aren’t you? Trying to valiantly fight me off. Hitting me with that purse of yours even though you knew it was pointless, just to show me how tough and strong you are, isn’t that right?” 

She tilts your chin upwards and back down so that you nod for her while she keeps thinking. “But you know, I don’t need to stand in the way of you and your goddess. She’s welcome here too! The Red Band would be so happy to have that beautiful idol of hers. We’d bring her offerings every day. Especially if she were to, say, help earn them.”

She grins, a wide mischievous grin. “How does that sound, little priestess? I take you and mark you as mine, and then, if you’re behaved, I’ll let you call your goddess here to come join us and we can start up her cult right here. Then when the Red Band have our own planet, we can set aside a whole city for the worship of Smokeless Jade Fires and you can be her high priestess, bound at my side while I rule the province for both of us.”

Then she actually looks at you. No nodding your head for this one, though her palm presses just a little into your chin, pushing against the stuffing in your mouth. Valynia Bander is many things, but a small dreamer she is not. She thinks bigger than Erys Bander, maybe as big as Jacinta Niares herself, and she actually wants you to like this. You can see it in her eyes. 

At the same time, you finally, finally feel something from Jade, but it’s muddled, maybe by the distance. Or…or maybe it’s muddled by what Valynia was saying. Maybe Jade’s interested in having her own cult city? Maybe Jade wants you to recruit Valynia for her and go along with this. That’s kind of what it feels like!

[b]Jade[/b]

Dolly is distant and she’s…well she’s doing something, something with a close touch and a hand cupping the chin and it’s VERY DISTRACTING at the same time that your summoned pilot has arrived dressed to kill!

***

[b]Mirror[/b]

The…engineering cult? The engineering cult has given you a respectful distance, likely at Jade’s request. They can hear her (and they have system monitoring going anyway, though the drape is hiding most of the damage from her last match). But they can’t hear you, you’re free to speak directly to the goddess with no interference. 

***

[b]Solarel[/b]

The priestess nods and bows before you and the Kathresis in a formal, low bow done without bending a knee. Her brown cloak and hood fall past her sides. She does not speak, but she raises one silver arm and sends a geist out that introduces herself to the Kathresis as Hethar Rasra, priestess of the forward Zatharian raiding hold under Halak Rasra. The geist requests information about the Kathresis, its nature, and its status. 
Her name in this case does not necessarily indicate relation, but merely that she is adopted within the household. This would be the closest Zaldarian settlement to Styx. 

As the geist begins to return information, she steps up before the Kathresis (and you, but she is looking up), lowers her hood to reveal an aged silver face, and makes a series of hand symbols offering a prayer to the Kathresis. She draws in turn the signs for small and dragon, then the signs for ice and death as she takes it in, absorbing information that it offers in response to her prayers. 

She cannot have gained the full understanding that you hold from days of linked meditation, but at least a small piece of it has come to her and she has offered her prayers in return.

When she finishes, she gestures with one arm to both her crews to come forward. The three Zaldarians will approach the Kathresis and begin reviewing its body digitally for indications of damage, wear, or needed resources. As they direct, the Boatmen will begin assembling scaffolding, bringing in equipment and tools, and starting repairs and refurbishment as needed. 

Finally, once they are all moving, she signs to you: [i]I have been informed by these Terenians that you acquired a new god without a cult. I shall be directing its maintenance henceforth. Your bond with the god is acknowledged. This does not change your standing with the Zaldarian Empress, but the proper worship of this new god supersedes your banishment.[/i] 

***

[b]Isabelle[/b]

Oh, no, the tiredness is completely obvious. Once free, and despite her imprisonment, Quar offers you some of her food with an honestly caring look on her bronze birdlike face. She holds it up until you take at least a bite, so there’s really no choice on the matter.

She eats the remainder, fairly ravenously, then turns to you and begins signing. She tries to go slowly, like she is teaching a child. She points to herself, then signs, then points to herself again. The sign for her name most likely. She points to the food and signs. Then to her drink and signs. Food and water, or maybe the word for meal or something close enough. She does these repeatedly, prompting you to mimic her until you can do them smoothly. 

Then she points between herself and you repeatedly and signs. She points to your mouth and prompts you to speak the words, and eventually you realize that she’s giving you the signs for teacher and student. Agreeing to the arrangement that you proposed upon your return. 

This is slow-going, but valuable. The nanobots are helping your memory with these signs, assisting you in retaining and incorporating their meaning into lasting memory, but you have to figure them out by yourself one by one using mimicry and saying words out loud to make sure that you’ve understood correctly. 
For a brief while, you can lose yourself in the flow of this. You’re learning a language and making connections between Quar and yourself, between your unique implants and your brain, between pieces of your own psyche. The Zaldarian sign language is rich and expressive, with gesture modification to express emotion (Quar is by and large calm at present and signing accordingly, but indicates to you excitement, fear/agitation, and anger). This makes sense coming from a species that, by and large, will not communicate with other species except through this medium. 

Your time will be cut short though. You have lessons, you have mecha practice, you have technical studies, you have match video to review and a fairly substantial berating to receive.

But perhaps you don’t want any of that. What would it take for you to simply blow off your duties and stay here for the morning and afternoon, at least until word of your truancy reaches your mother and she comes looking for you?

[Spending one of my free GM strings to ask that question, answer truthfully.]