"I don't think so. I think they - would break the game where we are Evelyn's children, if they put you to death for hitting a free man, because Evelyn's children would be entitled to do that. The man is much less likely to get in trouble than if he tried Evelyn's true children, but if it is you before the court, Evelyn would go with you to court and say 'this is my government-given child, the man shouldn't have touched her', and as long as you weren't carrying a knife you will have their sympathy. I think. I'm not completely sure but I don't see what else we're supposed to do. 

If you ask Evelyn she will claim that you are just like her child and the government will take it as seriously as if you were her child and all you have to do is tell her but I don't actually believe her about that. I guess we'll see what ends up happening with the man I stabbed, but what I am expecting is that the magistrate will say 'neither of these people have papers? what do I care if they lie with or stab each other?'

- the other caution about Jeremy is that he doesn't have to force you, you know, he could also give you money or nice things or say you are pretty or that he'll marry you, and he won't, so don't let that dissuade you from running off."

"I don't want to be married and I would not lie with a man just because he gives me things or says I am pretty. Why would that matter? It would be better to say that he is pretty, but then I would still say that I am not a man and do not care if he is pretty."

"Well, some girls are very stupid, and if a boy tells them how they're very pretty and very special they like someone being nice to them, and they like the attention, and they'll spend time with him to hear more nice things about themselves, and then give themselves to him because it's so nice to be praised and told you are special.

Or so I am told. I am a paladin. I am not actually sworn to Aroden yet because I got lost on the way to the order I wanted to join but I mean to behave as if I were."

"Some girls are very stupid." she agrees. "You are a paladin of Aroden, that means you do not like the gods here?"

"I think the main god here, the one called Christ and Jesus and God, is Aroden but a different name. Some of the stories here are new to me but the important ones are the same - that He was mortal and worked great wonders in the world and founded his church while still living and was opposed to Hell and wanted to save everyone and then ascended but left instructions for how we can all follow him into Axis without even dying, and also He'll be back one day for the Age of Glory to fix everything."

"Maybe I did not understand well, the workers I was with and the priest said that Jesus did not think empires were good and this empire killed him for it?"

"Well, Azlant was good, and America is good, and the empire that he was travelling in when that happened was bad? I think only some empires are good. Only if they are - growing towards a thing that can challenge the gods. Tar-Baphon's empire is obviously not good in Aroden's opinion.

I don't think you could rebel against Tar-Baphon by being executed by him, considering he's a necromancer, but on the other hand when Aroden killed Tar-Baphon he got more powerful so maybe that would've been the way to go and if Aroden had tricked Tar-Baphon into executing him instead that would've destroyed Tar-Baphon?

That's my best guess about what was going on with the crucifixion, that he was tricking his enemies into killing him so he could get powerful enough to fight Hell."

"Why are good empires making trouble for the gods?

...what is Hell? Is it the Abyss? Why does Taldane have two words for it?"

" - well, it is the destiny of man to surpass the gods. And to do that you need empires, because you need - many powerful people, and if you only have villages, no one will be powerful enough. In an empire, a thing that takes the labor of a hundred thousand men can happen, and surpassing the gods is the labor of even more men than that.

- Hell is the place you go when you die if you are Lawful and also Evil. The Abyss is the place you go when you die if you are not Lawful, and also Evil. The Abyss has demons. Hell has fiends. In the Abyss anyone can kill anyone and may the strongest win. In Hell, they hurt you until you serve Asmodeus without question. They are both bad, Aroden opposes both of them. I'm not sure if the crucifixion saves people from both of them or not because the local language doesn't distinguish the same things Taldane does."

"...Aroden says that it is our destiny to surpass him?"

"Yes of course. That is why He left the Starstone and why He is the best god."

"I think if that is true then he is probably the best god."

"I can read, and I read the holy books myself, and He said 'it is the birthright and the destiny of man to surpass their fathers and eventually their gods.'" She says it reverently; it is the most important claim about the world she has ever encountered. "And also probably if I was very wrong about Him He wouldn't have made me His paladin."

"Does he say we should not worship other gods now?"

“Depends which ones? If you want Erastil to help with the fields why not ask? Worshipping Evil gods is giving aid and comfort to humanity’s enemies, and not even in your interests besides that because the Evil gods won’t keep any promises they make you.”

"I understand." Alfirin does not in fact trust this person to be telling the truth about Aroden (or to know the truth about Aroden) but she can't really verify any of what she's being told right now so there's not much to do about it.

Evelyn has been trying hard to get some kind of read on the new girl. It's hard to get a good sense of someone when they're speaking a foreign language, but she seems very - self-contained, wary - compared to Iomedae, who wears her heart on her sleeve and approaches every conversation so earnestly. Evelyn has the sense that she doesn't entirely trust Iomedae; that's something you get good at picking up on, in this line of work. 

Eventually she's going to interrupt. "Alfirin? Why don't we give you a little tour of the house. I'll explain things in English and Iomedae can explain them in Taldane, to help you learn more English words. And then we can have a snack. Does that sound good?" 

Lily has been watching the two of them in puzzled fascination; she's barely ever heard foreign languages spoken in her whole life. 

"Wa'snack!" she says. "Mi'coc'lat!" She always calls cocoa 'milk chocolate', for some reason, as though it's the same beverage as the cold kind but inexplicably served from a pot. 

"...Yes, all right, just this one time. But you'll have to brush your teeth again, love." And in that case she kind of wants to do hot chocolate first, and get Lily to bed before settling Alfirin into her room. Maybe they can do a little kitchen tour while she heats the milk on the stove? 

"She says she wants to show you around the house and tell you about it in English, and I can tell you about it in Taldane, so you can pick up more English, and that afterwards she'll give you something to eat."

In her best English, then, "Thank you." She follows Iomedae.

Then Evelyn will show her the table where they eat, and she can get a quick introduction to the fridge and microwave and stove and oven and sink and dishwasher and contents of cupboards.

By the time they've done that, the hot chocolate is ready, and she pours it into cups and brings a tray to the table for them to have together. Alfirin is probably hungry, too; does she want some toast, or some leftovers heated up? (Evelyn really hopes they're not about to have a repeat of "but why aren't you feeding the poor????") 

Alfirin is hungry. She ate the pizza but that was hours ago. "Yes thank you does me want some toast or some leftovers heated up?"

She can have a bowl of reheated pasta veggie casserole and a slice of toast with butter, then. 

Lily is very curious about Alfirin and doesn't actually know what to do about this. She puts her chin down on the table on top of her crossed hands and stares at her.