Closer, certainly.

"Quite. What's Maeverine's domain like?"

"Very hot. Quite wet, it rains frequently. There is almost more water than land, though some of the channels get so silted there's hardly a difference. And it's easy to lose your way amongst them."

"Hm," says Tisvetaia. "Well, I suppose she prefers it that way. It is more defensible."

"Yes. Though the mountains do most of the work in the direction almost anyone would have to approach from."

"A bit, yes. Very isolated. Maeverine enjoys the space?"

"She's never complained about it to me."

"Mm. Well. I imagine the state of things in her domain is exactly how she likes."

"Having things just so is very important to her."

"I'd be a hypocrite if I condemned her for being very particular about her domain."

A mysterious bit of paper materializes out of nowhere and lands in front of Ellie. Are you safe? Shake your head if not, she won't be able to notice, but say anything and she'll hear you.

Ellie tilts her head back and forth slightly, and makes a subtle equivocating gesture with one hand, down at her side.

Her situation is a little more complex than simply 'safe' or 'not safe'.

The paper's writing changes.

Do you want to work for her?

"I was very obsessive when building my mountains, I wanted them just so. You know, so people could travel through them without too much of a climb but still get a nice view."

Again with the equivocation.

"You care a great deal about your people."

"I do."

... Are you planning something in particular?

Nod.

All right. Good luck. Let me know if I can help in some way.

The town's close now!

At last. What's it like from up close?

It's cute, colorful, and somewhat spread out; the result of being built on mountains. Another result is that it is very multilevelled, but it seems to mitigate this by having slow, meandering inclines for the main paths and stairs if someone would like to take a faster detour. This makes navigation rather different than Ellie might be used to, but each street is named and there are occasionally signs pointing to relevant locations. For example: Tisvetaia's temple, various civic buildings, and a few places to eat. The roads are well paved and the stairs all have nice railings.

People there also look happier than in Maeverine's domain. Also younger, but that's probably less of a surprise.

Ellie thinks she might like this place.

She'll go look at the temple first. She doesn't have anything to offer right now, but she wants to see what it looks like.

Her temple is similar to Maeverine's in that it is very large, and very impressive. That's about all it has in common besides an altar, though. It's open where Maeverine's is shut off; with archways and multiple entrances and exits and a lot of open space. It's also very lovely, with white marble and green granite and a dark, purple-tinted obsidian and with diaphanous curtains over the many very large windows. There are two living quarters attached, one that's for priests and one that's larger and meant for anyone that needs a place to stay. This is matched by what looks to be a cafeteria that serves food for free. There's a sign pointing to baths and hotsprings that are purposefully a bit more secluded than the temple.

It feels more like the well organized and surprisingly color-coordinated center of town than a monument to a god, though there is an altar provided.

That fits with what Ellie has gleaned about Tisvetaia's personality. Coming here to begin with seems like it might pay off.

Now, to make an offering... Are there any shops around?

There are a few! But mostly they sell practical things like baskets or clay pots or clothes, Tisvetaia doesn't seem to be the type of god to provide easy offering gift shops.

(She doesn't need them. Offering immortality? Very lucrative, power wise.)

She'll have to think a little outside the box on this one, then. Hmm...

One of the shops has notebooks for sale. Ellie hasn't used one years, the inside of her head is much safer, but she pauses at them nonetheless. Her one-sided conversation with Tisvetaia earlier gives her an idea. She purchases two notebooks and a pair of pencils, then goes to get something to eat. While she eats, she begins writing in one of the notebooks. An account of her life in the village, the raid, and her first years as a ward of Maeverine, including Ellie's decision to commit deicide. This should answer all of Tisvetaia's questions, and might even persuade her to help.

She's done writing by the time her meal is gone. Ellie returns to the temple and places the notebook upon the altar. "Tisvetaia, I ask that you accept this offering, which is a tale close to my heart, and keep it safe as you do your worshippers."

The notebook disappears, and there is a pause as she reads it. ... Not a long one, she can read multiple pages at once and reads very quickly, but a noticeable one.

"Thank you," she says, "This is a fine offering, and very well thought out. I'll keep it very safe."

A note appears:

Later - here is too public. Then it disappears shortly after.

It is a public temple. There are lots of people around.

Ellie won't hang around for much longer then. She goes wandering around town, taking in the sights. And if she happens to wander down some empty streets, well. These things happen.

When she is in one of these empty streets:

Do you know her desecration material?