[ It is, admittedly, pretty satisfying. All the local kids have lost their holy awe of him, and sometimes a guy needs a little boost to the ego, right? Especially after so many rough weeks and lost fights. It's a relief to be God again for a minute.

He's always liked the chance to be a kindly God. ]

No, this is interesting stuff. No one's ever willing to give me the gossip.

[ Except for the information he gets from people tied to chairs, but they don't have to acknowledge that particular elephant. It's frankly embarrassing. His fight isn't with her; it's one thing for his Lyctors to throw betrayal in his face, knowing what they know about the shape of things. It's another to watch kids flounder in a fight they don't understand. He's too tired to make a thing of it, and too far from home.

He steps forward, all the same. Whether she hits her knees or stands her ground, he has a piece to say. ]

You said it yourself... you were acting as a cavalier. That's loyalty, if you'd follow your necromancer to an unfriendly planet with shitty showers.

[ He quirks a smile at her, kind of awkward, kind of wry. It's the same guy he'd been a minute ago, joking about his no-murder streak-- which, to be fair, he might have oversold-- except that he looks somehow steadier and more tired, now. ]

I do appreciate you alive, Hecate Triphosphera, Cavalier Primary to the Third. For as long as you consider that your name, I'll consider you one of mine.

[ Even if he has no clue who she is. ]