Ranara and her little daughter Azabel move to Urtho's Tower when the latter can say six words ("up", "mama", "milk", "no", "now", and "please") and hasn't started to walk yet. Ranara sets up to teach little children to read, ones who don't have evident Gifts yet - Ranara herself has Mindspeech, is all, with about a classroom's worth of range. Azabel sits in on classes, worn on her mother's back or later plopped in a corner with toys or, when she's only four, plopped in a corner with a book, younger than the other kids in the class. When Azabel has in fact sat through her mother's curriculum she is turned somewhat loose, to walk very carefully up and down and around the Tower, exploring.
"Do gods possess people who don't want to be possessed? That's not an honor at all, that's just as bad as - sticking a set-command on somebody and making them forget about it, pretty much, isn't it? Plus all the psychosis-like side effects."
"...You would have to ask a shaman or priest for exactly how it works, I am not sure. I - do think that a god needs some sort of connection to a person, in order to possess them? But, for example, in sufficiently dire circumstances it would be enough that I am of the Kaled'a'in people, who are Hers. And possessions do not always take place at convenient moments for the possessee."
Lionwind blinks at her, as though he's not sure whether he's parsing the question right. "She - looks out for us, and loves us?"
"...so she can possess you if she feels like it? Are you allowed to convert or is this solely by ethnicity."
"I - mean - if I wanted to convert and worship, oh, Vkandis or the Twain or the Ever Burning Flame instead, I am sure She would respect that? I am not sure why I would want to?"
Lionwind seems so nonplussed by that question!
"I...do see why not? But - I am not sure why anyone would - choose to leave the protection of any of the gods–"
He stops himself. Lifts a hand, takes a breath, and then shakes himself a little.
"I am sorry. I know this is - a personal topic - I generally avoid bringing up the subject of the gods with either my patients or my students, for that reason."
"I guess we don't have to talk about it if you don't want, we can't really tell whether the patient was possessed or not anyway so we have to do things that would make sense either way."
Blink. "Oh, no, it does not bother me to talk about it, if you are interested - I just do not want to pressure you into it..."
He shakes his head. "I do not even have any idea what god you or your family worships - because of that same policy that I keep, I suppose." A self-deprecating chuckle.
"Uh, Ranara shops around like she's picking out a bouquet of flowers and I... don't. My dad occasionally swears by Vkandis when he's startled but doesn't do... anything... about that."
"I see." Lionwind nods, as though this slots exactly into some existing template that he's already familiar with. "- Are you still curious about the subject? It is a very fascinating one, albeit something of a tangent from our actual lesson material."
Nod. "Anyway. I think if I wanted to - declare in some way that I did not want to be Hers - then She would accept that. But...why would I do that...? It is a precious thing, to be of a people that belongs to one of Them."
"- Oh, hmm. I really ought know better to assume you want all the same things I do! But - for me - I suppose I have a deep desire to...be a part of some plan, that is larger than me, larger than I could ever be as a mere mortal... Does that make sense?"
"...How would I be able to comprehend Her plan? I am merely human. That is the entire point - that She is something far greater than us."
An apologetic head-shake. "It is hard - perhaps impossible - to explain. This is why I do not generally bring it up, and - well, I ought assure you that whatever you say now, I will certainly not hold it against you as my student. But - hmm. Since it is relevant in this patient case... What about faith in the gods does not make sense to you?"
"...well, apparently you have no particular reason to expect that She is not a volcano. Metaphorically. But even if She issued an annual statement about how She is still not a volcano this year or something it's pretty obvious none of the gods are actually doing a good job at... any... thing."
"...I suppose they could be doing incredible heroics in the background all the time against threats we can't see and it just so happens that the best miracle I've heard of is a dubiously legitimate healing about as good as what a normal Healer can do and which caused a lot of side effects for a bystander. But that's not very impressive."