Excerpt 007: Lay of the Land

[rekindledtitan]

TYPE: Patrol log

LOCATION: Nexus

PARTIES: Three [3]. One [1] Ghost-type, [1] Guardian-type, designate Blaze-37, Class Titan [rekindledtitan], One [1] Unconfirmed, designate Costas, Adia [chiron_survivor]



ASSOCIATIONS: Multiversal Nexus; Costas, Adia; Blaze-37; Cylons; New Caprica; Demeter Effect



Blaze’s patrols in the Nexus have become less frequent, but the need to keep the place monitored and safe hasn’t diminished just because she wants to distract herself. So she still arrives, on a schedule dictated by strategy and calculated variations. All the better to be unpredictable.

Still, there are certain people they’re not out to surprise, and by the time her boots hit the paved Nexus streets this time, Ghost has already sent a text message well ahead of them:

Hello Adia! If you’re free to come along, we’ll be on patrol in the Nexus three hours from now. Hopefully the temporal variations won’t throw that estimate off by too much. If you can make it then we’ll arrange a rendezvous. -Ghost

Comments

[chiron_survivor]

"Oceanglide knows how to take care of himself," Adia says with a small, wry smile. No, it's not that she's worried that something bad has happened to her friend. Her concern runs deeper, a matter of her not being in the same Nexus as before. But there's nothing wrong with hoping. She's made some good friends in the meantime. "You could have been given wings," she says light-heartedly. "Then you wouldn't even have to transform."

"As you should, but I'm hoping it won't come to that." She's not thrilled about waiting to see if Reynard can keep out of trouble this year, but it's not like she can do anything about it. "He promised that he wouldn't put me in the middle of any conflict, at least."

She looks over at Ghost and smiles reassuringly. "Hey, before I forget to tell you, I got to ride a horse in the Nexus."

[rekindledtitan]

"Heh, think I could pull off wings?" She's tickled by the idea, though one glance over her shoulders and she decides they'd get in the way of her weapons. "The only person I know with wings is an angel. Touches down like a feather. Me, I'm more like a crashing warsat."

Promising retribution to Reynard this way holds none of the joy she felt last year, charging out to answer his challenge in the snow. But it's a true promise and she's glad Adia understands the necessity. (Even if a small part of her wonders whether Adia's feelings will be so simple, should warning turn to battle.)

For now she nods, with a low grunt of acceptance. There's some reassurance in knowing Adia (and any civilians standing next to her) will be left out of future trouble.

They both look up curiously at her news - and the happy change of subject. "You did?" Ghost perks up. "We've only met one up close. Although I... don't think that was a normal horse either."

[chiron_survivor]

"Absolutely," Adia says with a bright grin. It's easy for her to imagine a pair of stylized wings on Blaze's back, the same colors as the rest of her armor. "You could swoop down like one of the Furies." Her eyebrows go up at the mention of an angel. "Are they nice? We don't have anything like angels in our mythology... well, except for Eros, but he's a god, not a spirit."

She seems at peace with the situation currently, but Blaze is right to wonder if she will feel differently when push comes to shove. But that is a problem for another time. "I did!" She beams, remembering the event fondly, before blinking at Ghost in surprise. "Oh, I wonder if it was the same horse. What did it look like? Was its owner a woman with black skin and horns?" It's always possible that there is more than one strange horse in the Nexus (which would be totally awesome, by the way), but it's more likely that Blaze and Ghost also met Paladin and her steed.

[rekindledtitan]

"Hah, I'd like that!" Like a Fury, huh? It's a good image. She imagines how easy it would be to stoop in, to light out and reposition at will, hammering her enemies from a different angle every time they tried to regroup, striking them with Light and vengeance-

Yeah. It's a very good image.

"Angel's great," she assures Adia. "Kinda shy, but she's loyal and brave in a fight. Uses her power to protect and heal people. I should introduce you two sometime, you'd have a lot in common." Well, so far as Angel gets mortal people. Blaze hasn't actually seen her socialize in the usual sense, but she assumes it'll work out for the best.

And on the subject of friends in common, she brightens right up at Adia's description. "You met Paladin too, huh?"

"A big black horse who sort of... floats when it moves? That sounds right. You really rode on him?"

[chiron_survivor]

It's flattering to hear that she has something in common with an angel, especially one held in high esteem by Blaze. "I'm assuming you mean the shyness, and not the fighting. I'd like to meet her, if the opportunity comes up. And her name is Angel?" An angel named Angel... Adia would find it strange if she hadn't already met a paladin named Paladin.

Speaking of... "I did, when she first showed up in the Nexus." And judging by the open smile on her face, they got along quite well. "We've hung out a few times now. I like her a lot, she's really nice." It's not entirely surprising that Blaze seems to like her, too, but it is also a relief after the whole Reynard fiasco.

She grins at the small bot. "Yep. She let me name him, too." She shrugs thoughtfully and adds, "Honestly, he doesn't ride that differently from a regular horse. What did he think of you, Ghost?"

[rekindledtitan]

"No, not so much the shyness. More the loyalty and compassion, even after she got a hard time from all sides back in her world." Blaze explains this quite casually, adding with a chuckle, "Even if you don't demonstrate it on the battlefield so often. But yeah, she calls herself Angel. Got a few things in common with Ghost that way, too."

And Paladin, well- Blaze's tone says that she's already rather fond of the Tiefling warrior. "She's pretty great, isn't she? Only ran into her once, but we got a drink and she told me how she fought a chimera once. You know she actually killed one?"

"What name did you pick?" Ghost asks at once, all curiosity. "I don't really know what he thought, but I think perhaps he was curious. He didn't shy away like the other horses I've seen. He just took a good look at me."

[chiron_survivor]

Living up to her shyness, Adia ducks her head and blushes, but she's unable to hide the smile on her face. "So often?" She echoes with a laugh. "Maybe on a metaphorical battlefield... why was Angel getting a hard time?" That, she can relate to, even if the feeling of being pulled in different directions is mostly in her own head.

"She is. And yes, she told me about the chimera. She's fought all sorts of monsters. Kind of reminds me of what you do, actually." Both Paladin and Blaze have a straight-forwardness that Adia deeply appreciates. She grows tired of the subterfuge that some people engage in, even if they are looking out for her best interest. "Did she tell you about the giant bees? She and her friends were able to tame them, and now they make honey for the town." It seems only natural that her favorite story so far is the one with the happy ending for all involved.

"Shadow." She waves her hand in a so-so gesture. "Not the most creative name, but his appearance is so striking, and I couldn't think of a good hero name to give him instead. I think you're right about him being curious. Some horses can be high-strung about new things in their environment, but I'm sure he's been exposed to all sorts of sentient beings."

[rekindledtitan]

"Everyone fights in their own way, Ghost reminds Adia quietly. Blaze might get a little carried away with her wording, but she's not actually wrong in the little bot's opinion.

Blaze goes ahead and answers the question. "She was captured by demons a while ago. They were still holding her prisoner when Jesse and I ran into her back during the invasion. So far as I can understand it, her own kindred didn't make an effort to come to the rescue. They think she's- hnn, tainted somehow. Just by being captured." Her tone's hard and heated at that part. She'd have a few words for those angels, for all the good it would likely do.

Being compared to Paladin is nice though. Blaze takes well to the direct approach herself, and Paladin's a very easy woman for her to get along with. "She didn't get to that one, no- I didn't know you could tame bees. Thought you sort of put them where you wanted and hoped they stuck around." She doesn't remember if she ever saw one, either. She has a vague impression of something cute and winged and fuzzy with dubious aerodynamics.

"Shadow suits him. He's very quiet."

"Paladin would need a horse who didn't scare easily," Blaze judges. "He's a real old-fashioned battle charger. Only smarter and tougher, I'd guess."

[chiron_survivor]

Adia smiles at Ghost. He would know that best, she supposes. "I'll keep that in mind," she tells the small bot, before turning her attention to Blaze and her explanation. "Oh, that's horrible. They didn't try to help her at all?" Adia sounds a little heated, herself. "I'm glad you and your friend found her, though. What does she do now?" She can't imagine Angel going back to a world where she's been rejected so thoroughly.

"Tame might not be the right word... keep them calm, I guess, so that they wouldn't attack when you took their honey. She even gave me a jar of their honey. It's really good, although it doesn't taste different from regular honey." She adds wistfully, "I always thought it'd be nice to have an apiary. But I'd stick with regular honeybees."

"Yes, he is. Quiet and smart. Maybe smarter than a horse normally is, but it's hard to tell. I hope I get to ride him again. I forgot how much I missed it."

[rekindledtitan]

Blaze shakes her head in grim answer to Adia's first question, though the second makes her pause. "She lives in the Nexus now. I've asked her to heal people once or twice but- actually I'm not sure what she does the rest of the time. Ought to check in on her more often."

She's not entirely clear on the nature of the contract she shares with Angel, only that it spares the 'demon' from having to struggle for the sustenance she needs. As long as Angel is safe and free, Blaze hasn't worried too much about her.

"They're good and useful creatures. I think you'd be good at that. Keeping them calm and taking care of them, I mean."

She gives Adia a glance, at that last part, and guesses: "Missed the freedom of it?"

[chiron_survivor]

"I'm glad she has the Nexus, then." Adia really needs to stop being surprised at how many people live in the Nexus as opposed to traveling between worlds. It's not like all there is to the Nexus is the Plaza... which reminds her to pay more attention to where Blaze's patrol is leading them. Without the hot chocolate, she's been better at keeping up with her friends, and she still seems unperturbed by the cold. "She sounds like the kind of person this place needs more of."

The compliment makes her smile and shrug modestly. "Well, I'm not scared of them, and I'm not allergic to their sting. I'd have a lot to learn, though." And she'd need some bees and a place to put them. "I'll have to ask Paladin if there are giant flowers that the giant bees pollinate. Otherwise I'm not sure how that works for them." She smiles a little, imagining a giant bee trying to alight on a tiny wildflower. "Are there bees on your Earth, Blaze? Or are they gone, too?"

She automatically nods in a reply, then frowns softly as her thoughts grow more complex than a simple "yes" or "no". "I think I miss everything a horse symbolizes. The freedom, sure, but I miss where I used to ride, and the fact that horses even exist..." She sighs. "It's so barren on my world, Blaze. Nothing grows. The only animals are what we've brought with us."

[rekindledtitan]

Blaze nods in agreements. So far they've been heading down one of the better-traveled roads leading away from the Plaza. Blaze wants to get some distance quickly, and starting from a relatively familiar thoroughfare will give Adia an easy way to find their route again. That said, there's a bit of smog on the breeze, and the buildings around them are slowly beginning to include less cafes and clothing stores, more mechanics and wholesalers. They're headed for the heart of the Industrial District.

"Well, I haven't seen one. But I'm pretty sure we have them. Something's got to pollinate all the flowers. Maybe folk down in the City keep them."

The two bots exchange a troubled look. How is humanity to begin rebuilding on such a world? What good is that going to do a wounded soul?

"It's no place to rebuild," Blaze says. "Even the Cylons oughta see that. Maybe they're too afraid to look for anywhere better, but could you even adapt the planet for habitation?"

"I'm not so sure that would suit the Cylons," Ghost observes with quiet disapproval.

[chiron_survivor]

Adia has never been to the Industrial District, having had neither reason no desire to explore it. She makes note of their surroundings and the path that they are taking, not that she plans on traveling by herself. "What do you usually see when you make this patrol? Anything unusual? I haven't seen much of this part of the Nexus."

That's a relief to hear, that Blaze's Earth still has flowers. "There are some other animals that pollinate flowers, but bees are the most prolific. What other animals does the City have?"

The look that Blaze and Ghost share makes Adia little embarrassed. Not for herself, but for the series of events that led to humans settling on New Caprica when they should have kept searching for Earth. "We originally settled there because the planet is in a nebula that prevented the Cylons from finding us... even though they eventually found us, anyway. I think if we hadn't been found, we could have eventually done something with the planet. Terraformed it, maybe.... I don't think the Cylons like living on New Caprica, either, but I imagine it's in much greater comfort than our Settlement."

She doesn't bother to comment on why the Cylons would allow the humans to suffer their mistakes, but her mouth twists into bitter frown as she thinks about it. She's the first to take responsibility for her fate, to find empathy for a race that was attacked and vilified merely for wanting to be recognized as sentient. But hadn't the Cylons gotten their pound of flesh? How long would humanity have to keep paying for its sins?

[rekindledtitan]

"All looks pretty normal so far. This road's got a lot of the mechanical workshops - see that one?" She points at a shop with a hamster-wheel looking vehicle left outside. You wouldn't know what it was if not for the dashboard and the seats visible inside. "They do custom repairs on tech that's not cross-compatible with the more common machines round here. And down that way is a big salvage yard, that's why the road's so wide. You might not be parts-hunting any time soon, but it's a good place if you need cover."

She cocks her head and points out a very short figure in brown robes and hood, as it hurries down the street and into an alleyway with something shiny in its arms. "Hang on, here's something we'd better check out."

There's no reason to interrupt the conversation as they head that way, though. "Lot of fat pigeons around the Tower, little lizards hanging onto the walls when the sun comes out. And I see eagles overhead sometimes. Not sure what's down in the City besides all the usual farm animals - I've seen pictures with donkeys in them, and I know folks have dogs. You see more out in the wilds though. I don't know much about animals, but it makes me glad to see 'em."

Blaze nods at Adia's explanation. "See, that makes sense. If you were free to terraform the place it'd be different..." She pauses, gives her friend a puzzled look. "Wait, I thought the Cylons were living with you. Don't tell me they built their own separate village next door."

"Actually, that's probably less awkward than having to be room-mates..."

[chiron_survivor]

Adia peers curiously at the hamster-wheel vehicle. She wishes that she was more mechanically inclined, a salvage yard sounds promising. But before she can ask any questions about what sort of tech need custom repairs, Blaze points out the tiny robed person hustling into the alleyway. "That's not a child, is it?" she asks worriedly, even as she dutifully follows her friends.

It wouldn't be much, compared to a planet like Leonis, or what Adia has heard of other Earths, but it sounds wonderful to her. Pigeons, lizards, dogs... you don't realize what you take for granted until it's gone. "The eagles are probably hunting the pigeons, especially if the pigeons are fat. Do people feed them?"

She gives Ghost a faint smile, grateful that the little bot understands her situation so well. "They live on their basestars -- their ships. Some of them work with us. There's a Six in my lab, for example. But aside from running the detention center, we don't see them often." She pauses, her frown returning, but softer this time. Sadder. "Caspar's model doesn't work with any humans, so far as I know."

[rekindledtitan]

"Some kind of little alien, I think," Blaze explains, though the Titan adds after a moment, "I hope so anyway. You see them running around the Nexus all the time." And sure enough, the alleyway contains four of them, adding to a small pile of varying-condition mechanical gadgets on a sled.

Their heads snap up at the Guardian's approach, revealing nothing of their faces except glowing yellow eyes. One of them makes a muffled sound that comes across suspiciously like 'uh-oh'. Might have something to do with the rod-shaped sensor beacon in his arms. One of his friends steps forward to jab a finger at Blaze, scolding her in a language even the Nexus apparently doesn't feel like translating. The Titan strides past him like she doesn't even notice and picks up the sensor beacon... thief and all.

"Hmh." She gives it a shake, trying to encourage him to let go. "Come on, that ain't yours. Don't make me do this the hard way."

Speaking of scavengers... "Some people do. Especially if they've got lunch to share. They seem pretty tame; I even had one of them sit on me before and I didn't have anything to give it. Besides, they don't backtalk like the birds in the Nexus."

"That's odd. I wonder if that's preference or a strategic decision?" Blaze doesn't see how, but what does she understand about Cylons aside from 'they're bad at making friends'.

[chiron_survivor]

Adia watches the scene unfold from the safety of the mouth of the alleyway. Not that the little aliens are paying her any attention. She looks poorer than a backwater nerf herder, with nothing of value to scavenge and no credits to her name to purchase even one busted droid.

She'll wait for the small robed figure to give up the sensor beacon in his arms before she replies. "Pigeons are pretty friendly. The can carry diseases, but that wouldn't be a problem for you. What birds backtalk in the Nexus?" Adia has not yet run into the crows that occasionally hustle for change in the Plaza.

"Probably both." Adia shrugs and put her hands in her pockets. "I know some of them still hate us. And the less you know about the enemy, the harder it is to fight them." She smiles wryly. "Even I know that."

[rekindledtitan]

The little guy (or whatever gender they go by) lets go about as soon as Blaze stops shaking him. He lands on his butt, and with a chuckle the Guardian reaches down to set him back on his feet. He doesn't seem terribly appreciative of the gesture, mind you, and Blaze has to wave off the renewed harangue she's getting.

"You make certain none of that belongs to anyone else," she warns them, pointing at their sled. "If I find out it does I'm going to be back, understood?" She examines the beacon as she returns to Adia, lifting it up for Ghost's inspection as well.

"Looks all right, doesn't it? -Yeah, the immunity is a pretty good perk, but it's still important to know when to get a decon shower. And there's a flock of crows around the plaza most days, don't know if you've seen them. Arrogant and mouthy little things, up close. Almost as bad for tampering with our beacons as those guys." She points over her shoulder with the one in her hands.

Adia's stuffing her hands into her pockets draws the Exo's notice as they resume their patrol. "You aren't getting cold, are you? Wind's picking up a little." Tickling her antennae a little, actually. She may have to get her hat out. She doesn't get enough opportunity to use it.

"Hmm. Maybe." Not that Adia isn't right, under most circumstances. Blaze is trying to imagine why she might avoid someone, however, and it makes her wonder- could the Cylons have more in common with Exos than she thought? It's not something Adia can answer, though - not something she can even ask without confessing things that won't help either of them.

"That's the cowardly way, though," she says, vocaliser running while her mind is half elsewhere. Who's mouthy now? "And Caspar wasn't a coward. Do models share base personality traits?"

[chiron_survivor]

Adia tries not to smile, but there is something comical about Blaze shaking the little alien off the beacon only to help him back to his feet. She keeps an eye on them while Blaze talks, watching them sort through what looks like a pile of garbage. "I haven't seen the crows, no. They're clever birds... smarter than pigeons, anyway." She points at the beacon. "Is that what that is? What does it do?"

"Oh... no, I'm fine." She feels the wind blow through her hair as if on cue, pleasant and not at all chilly. "It's nice. Less stuffy than the humidity on New Caprica." She assumes it's been a very mild winter in the Nexus, and silently thanks Reynard for taking it easy so far.

Adia is a little surprised when Blaze's attention drifts. Her non sequitur about Caspar only enforces that surprise, and it's a moment or two before she answers. "Well... in theory. I don't know how much of that is them hiding their individuality from us. But... well, I only know Julia well, but I've heard that most of the Sixes are rather pious. The Eights are hard workers, and the Fours tend to be doctors." She frowns to herself and adds, "I've yet to see a Five who looks like he wants to be on New Caprica."

[rekindledtitan]

Asking about the beacon prompts Blaze to hold it out so Adia can take a good look for herself. It's a simple-looking piece of equipment, well-made but sturdy rather than elegant. "It stores encrypted messages from authorized people back in the Tower - usually that's some mission or request they want any Guardians in the area to handle. And it collects environmental data, ambient temperature and so on. There's a bigger type that co-ordinates our transport systems in places we want to land regularly, but we didn't plant any here."

"You must be very used to the cold," Ghost notes. It's harder for either bot to judge, but the other humans around seem to be bundling up more than Adia is. "I agree, though: I don't like humidity much either."

Blaze is getting watched by Ghost too as she mulls things over. "Guess they aren't getting out and having new experiences either, by the sound of things. Makes me feel kind of sorry for them." Not enough to outweigh everything else, of course.

She pauses for a second. Adia's remarks aren't doing anything to stop her suspicions, and she has to at least try and ask. "They aren't built for combat, are they? I mean as a core function. Primary, even."

[chiron_survivor]

"You put these here?" She sounds surprised. "I didn't know you'd invested so much in the Nexus..." She's continually surprised by how much people care about protecting this place. It warms her heart and she smiles up at Blaze. "Thanks for looking out for the rest of us."

"Oh, well... I guess. I must have built up a tolerance at some point." She frowns a little in puzzlement before shrugging it off. If Adia was aware that Reynard had blessed her with cold resistance, she would have shared that information. It might put the Winter spirit in a better light, or at least cause Blaze to worry less about how he treats Adia. "Does it interfere with your sensors? How do you do in harsh weather, Ghost?"

Adia makes some sort of non-committal sound, wondering why Blaze is asking so many in-depth questions about the Cylons. It's natural to be curious, particularly if you are a sentient robot yourself, but she's not really following Blaze's line of thought. Her next question, at least, she can answer. "I don't think so. They are stronger than humans, but they leave most of their fighting to the Centurions." She sighs and adds, "The original Cylons, the robotic ones, were built for combat. And dangerous labor."

[rekindledtitan]

"It's nothing." She tries to rub an antenna with the beacon in hand and ends up waving it in a an abashed sort of way. "Just what we Guardians are here for. Besides... our universe contains some terrible things, Adia. Word has it some of them know a thing or two about warping dimensions themselves. If anything of the Darkness ever finds its way here, we have to be ready to halt it in its tracks."

"Losing our system to the Darkness would be bad enough..." Ghost doesn't even want to think about it spreading to others. Not least because at this point, they feel more than a little invested in the safety of all their friends' homes.

Better to commiserate about the cold, right? "It does make it harder to take good sensor readings, but I especially don't like how it sticks on my shell. Getting rained or snowed on isn't so bad unless it starts to freeze onto me." The little bot shivers with the memory. "Actually though, high winds are the worst part. Before I found Blaze, I had to find shelter by myself. I um, got blown away more than once."

Blaze probably didn't intend her grunt of understanding to come out so... relieved, there. "So maybe they do need to keep those barriers up. Even though you're not supposed to be enemies any more." She snorts. "You ever just want to grab them by the shoulders, give 'em a good shake and yell 'Explain!'? Because I sure as hell do, and I'm only hearing about them."

[chiron_survivor]

Adia's smile turns into something of a grin, in response to Blaze's modesty, although she loses it all together when the conversation turns serious. She nods soberly. "That's why I haven't told anyone on New Caprica about the Nexus. No one is in a position to use that knowledge usefully and if the Cylons found out..." She sighs. "It probably wouldn't be as bad as what the Darkness would do, but it still wouldn't be good."

The cold is a better topic, although hearing about her little bot friend getting buffeted around by the wind makes her frown sympathetically. "Oh, Ghost, that sounds awful. Is there any way you can keep that from happening?" Maybe he needs a stronger propulsion system. Or at least a little snow hat to keep him dry. (And not that tea cozy that Reynard shoved on him when Blaze wasn't looking.)

She's not sure what to make of that relieved noise Blaze makes. The Guardian is usually so forthright with what she's thinking, but whatever has her ruminating over the Cylons isn't making sense to her. "Not really," she says, laughing a little at the absurdity of shaking a Cylon by the shoulders. "Maybe Julia, a couple times... Blaze, why do you want to know about their motivations so badly?" She looks up at her friend, hoping that she isn't imposing. "Is it because they're sentient robots, too?"

[rekindledtitan]

Blaze nods. "I think you made the right call. If you asked a while back maybe I'd have hoped the Cylons'd get some sense knocked into them here. Now I think they'd be just as likely to get the worst of themselves reinforced and blind themselves to the good. They're not yet ready for a place like this."

"It's all right, Adia." But Ghost drifts down in front of her, grateful for the concern. "I have my Guardian now. I can always take shelter inside her systems when I need to. And if it does snow, I have a hat to keep me warm. Well, we both do."

Blaze, meanwhile... Blaze hesitates. "I'm trying to understand where they're coming from. What kind of people you're dealing with, what's going on in their heads." She takes a moment to scan the street again. "They aren't Exos. I know that. Our creation's a parallel thread, not a shared one. But some things we ought to have in common. Maybe if they were combat models I'd be able to understand them better."

She shrugs, giving a shake of her head. "And yeah, I guess the situation feels more personal because they're machines. But I care about both sides in this." She finally looks back at Adia, optics brightening. "And the people who'd rather not have sides."

[chiron_survivor]

"They'd use it to their advantage," Adia replies. "To wipe out the Resistance. I'm not sure if they'd try to hurt humans from other worlds, but I think you're right, they wouldn't listen to anybody's advice. Julia acts like the Cylons know everything already." She's pleased that Blaze agrees with her decision, although it takes a while for the worried expression to leave her face. The Cylons discovering the Nexus is not a thought exercise that she likes to indulge in.

She'd give Ghost a hug, if she could. She settles for smiling at him fondly. "I'd love to see these hats sometime. I'll bet you look very nice in yours."

When Blaze pauses to scan the street, Adia takes a moment to look at her friend, grateful that she hadn't let her own prejudices get in the way of becoming her friend. "I look for those things, too, when I come to the Nexus. Someone's story will resonate with me, or I'll hear about an Earth's history that reminds me of my own world. But you aren't much like them, for what it's worth. You're honest and forthright. Maybe that's because you don't have anything to hide, but I really appreciate it." She ducks her head a little at Blaze's comment and smiles modestly. "I'd rather people were more like you and simply tried to do the right thing without playing games about it."