With the reveal that she’d been tricked out in the world and her temporary teacher heading off, showing no sign of wanting to stay any longer than he needed to, Nati was left alone with her two companions, both of whom had their own feelings on the matter.
Xilly hadn’t been shy in showing her opinion on the human, or his people as a whole while he’d been there, and Zallith was undoubtedly fuming over the idea that any mortal would call themselves a friend of her grandfather's, leaving them both deeply negative after the encounter, forcing her to try and brighten the mood, even as her own thoughts began to poke at her.
“Why don’t we head out for dinner now? I could use the change of pace.”
Even though she’d asked it as a question, she was already walking, not giving either time to answer as she thought over what had just happened, along with other, connected events.
While knowing someone had just succeeded in scamming her wasn’t exactly thrilling, it wasn’t the end of the world either. While not a priest, oracle, or apostle, she was without a doubt an important figure in her grandfather’s faith, and as such was funded in a way that would mean money would never be an issue, with even more coming in for both the awakened skills she had and the things she would make and sell. Anything she lost wasn’t going to be some major blow, instead ending as just a bit embarrassing.
The fact that someone had to swoop in to help only made it worse, with the final nail in the coffin being just who had been the one to do it.
She wouldn’t deny that she had not been showing Ben the kindness she should have as someone who had been invited to teach her by a god. Both Xilly and Zallith had strong opinions about him before he’d even arrived and as her two trusted, if not a bit troublesome, friends, she’d accepted their opinions, letting herself get infected by them, with it only made worse once the idea was put in her head that he and her grandfather might have been hoping she’d become his lover.
But how true was that really?
During his time there, Ben had been what she would best describe politely professional, friendly for the most part with only a few times where he’d let any annoyance slip through, but if she were to be honest with herself it would be unfair to hold that against him. There were definitely times that they’d taken the least charitable stance on what he’d say or do and while she wasn’t sure how much of what he’d done should have been interpreted through the lens of her memories, she couldn’t deny that much of her reactions had come from a desire to keep him at a distance, lest she learn her concerns had been true.
And maybe that had worked. Maybe the reason she hadn’t felt him trying anything was entirely because her actions had made things abundantly clear, stopping that problem before it could sprout.
Or maybe she’d misread the situation, taking in the biases of her companions and letting them keep her from making her own opinions, leaving them mistreating someone who had just been trying to do the teaching he’d been sent to.
The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.
She couldn’t help but sigh thinking about it, with the only other opinions she could get on the topic coming from those who had already made up their minds.
“So, he’s been here for a week, what do you both think?” She tried over dinner, wanting to see if either were second-guessing themselves the way she was, only to find opinions largely unchanged.
“What’s there to think about?” Xilly asked. “He clearly doesn’t like it when we don’t do what he wants no matter how much he tries to hide it, he’s a huge show off the way he constantly materializes everything, plus he just came to play hero. It’s gross. For all we know he was lying about what happened anyway, or maybe arranged it from the start.”
“...I think that last bit is a little too paranoid.”
Nobody had made her take a turn against the cup spinner, she’d done it willingly since it had seemed fun. Even if any other problems they had with him were true, she couldn’t justify dumping that on him as well.
“Doesn’t matter. In the end, he’s still human. They’re gross and I don’t like them.”
“Alright, what about you then?” She asked Zallith. “Even if you’re not learning from him, you’re around so what do you think?”
“Also firmly in the negatives. How could it be anything but? Ignoring the casual attitude he’s shown about his own faith when he’s supposed to represent it, we know he took part in a riot against one of the communal churches before coming here since he admitted as much and nobody goes from good believer to that sort of thing immediately. It implies a history of behaviour which is clearly backed by how he’d dare treat Eneth, and that’s not even touching on what just happened. If someone actually tried to steal from you then the very notion of letting them off the hook is ludicrous. No, worse, it’s disgusting. For any god to have accepted a man like that is simply unbelievable.”
He wasn’t saying anything about how Ben had dared to call himself Nare’s friend but it was clear that was still tinting his thoughts with how recent it was. Believers were protective of their gods, but none more so than the core three. The fact that Zallith hadn’t had time to react worse was about the best they could have hoped for with how Ben had slipped away so soon after, but it was obvious it had only made worse an already poor impression, with neither of the two giving her anything useful.
On the one hand, she had a reasonable amount of trust for their opinions, but on the other, it was clear both had their biases, with Xilly against his people as a whole and Zallith judging him for going against the way he believed a proper worshiper should act. Neither of them could give her a good view that was free of what they’d already decided the man was.
Perhaps I should get someone to gather information on him and his people in general. Of course, if I was going to be doing that then I should have done it back when I found out he was coming in the first place.
“So why are you asking?” Xilly prodded. “Don’t tell me he actually managed to win you over by swooping in like that. Oh Nati, a heart’s no good if it’s so easily taken.”
“Absolutely not, I’m just not seeing the need to keep things up. He’s only here a little longer, if he actually does have some goals for getting us that he hasn’t given up on then that’s not going to change for a couple more days.”
“Ha, maybe for you. I’m happy to be as unpleasant as I need to.”
She didn’t bother responding to Xilly’s final comment as she focused on her food, her thoughts left to herself. There’s only a few days left, it will do me no harm to be a bit more reasonable for the time he’s here.