IC INBOX ( KENOS ).

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█ To Commune with Set is to stand barefoot in an endless, scorching desert. The sun illuminates all, scalding the shadows themselves out from underneath whomever enters his dominion; the arch of gentle, distant, waves of sand mask the precarious chasms, towering dunes akin to mountains. The sense of vastness, timelessness, is of particular notice, lending itself to the alien, eldritch quality of his mind. There is a dark storm in the distance, and you know intimately that this divine being is far from benign. You cannot bargain with a force of nature. You can only survive it. COMPATIBLE WITH: Exalt, Iconoclast REPELLED BY: Advocate

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You did this, Hayame.

[ He says it again, for her to hear. It is an injury he must bear, because in the end, recognizing that a god is little more than a memory without those who believe in them is a difficult thing to have to consider. Set has always thought lesser of mortals, thought himself independent — that he had been known for his ability to traverse the world, land-to-land, without being bound to restrictive duties was... well, it had helped. But, without that land and those knowledgeable people, it was Hayame who had allowed him to step back onto a divine path.

However adapted it was. ] You, who have carried my name into battle, will carry the proof of your loyalty and devotion. No one will be able to doubt that I favor you, that I pride myself with your strength and vision.

[ In another life, he would sprawl upon Kenos as the endless, red desert. The arid plains that did not support life, but stifled it; yet, upon those sands, life still found itself spreading, stalwart and defensible, stubborn and true. The desert was a beautiful place, harsh and pitiless, but splendorous to those who adapted to its nature — and he values Hayame for her power, and yearns for her to adapt, as well. To thrive, clever and cunning and honorable, not brittle and faltering.

He sweeps his hands down upon her, her star hovering off into the dark distance of his endless war table, papers fluttering in the wake of her stormy passage. Set gathers her hands into his, pushing his mouth to the place where her fingers tuck together as he aligns the heels of her hands. He kisses her there, and perhaps to a mortal, it would be the most magnanimous sign of his gratitude. She did this. She did. ]

It is yours, Hayame. Call upon me when you have need, and my presence will envelop you — I will strike fear into the heart of the one you wish to cower before you, and they will know that you are a warrior who's prowess is of grave peril to them. Doubtlessly.

[ There is a sense that it is an impermanent thing, that it is not as powerful as a blessing would be in his own world, but it is the crisp, burning bite of power that settles upon her. The whispering hint of Set's divinity, stretched out to bolster her strength. ]

[warmare]

[The purpose in that statement is almost enough for her. She did this. She, who had helped ruin so many lives in order to protect her own, who struggled still with helping others and finding paths that did not end in the failure to understand or to bond…

She did this.

She’ll remember exactly what his face looked like when he said it, the way his lips moved, the way his eyes gazed upon her, the warmth of the peculiar kiss he presses to her fingers… not that the rest is forgettable- it is not. She won’t forget the sensation of his power seeping into her veins and covering her like a battle shroud, nestling into something she could call upon in times of need…

But she won’t forget the rest either.

Somehow, she has found her feet again. Thinking the way he took her hands must be the way of his people, of Egypt, she gently, firmly turned the motion back on to him, pressing her own kiss in turn… and then bringing his fingers to her forehead, where she might bow her head slightly over his knuckles.

A far different stance than the desperate humbling of her previous bow.]

I will not disgrace your favor.

[Even if she failed again… She had to live, like he had asked her, demanded. She had to survive to fight again, despite the fact that her upbringing and instincts lead her to want to offer him her life, to pledge to die for honor and his service…. If she cannot say that she will end her life in his service, then what—]

I will never truly fall as long as this blessing remains.

[Truly. Whether that meant her shard, her body, or something else… She releases his hands so that she might straighten up and stand tall again, looking around until her temporary eyes alight upon the endless papers, the threads that connect… The Church, he’d said, the Beyond…]

Tell me what you would have me know, Set.

[About those things, or anything else he might wish her (allow her) to learn.]