He wasn't drunk. Not in the conventional sense. It was not his way. But this woman wove words and movement as easily as he did. The body divorced from the mind. She had played to an audience too. He wondered if she was another like him. Anathema. He did not think there were any like him. That there was anything but him. At least until recently.
He tried to remember what it was that had made Ana so special. As he thought about it, it was very similar. Though if he had to put his finger on it, Meera was more calculated, as opposed to Ana's earthy nature.
Still, it was close enough he felt a stirring.
She was a way to Daiyu's whereabouts, of course. So that was enough. But there was more, here.
Her mood flashed and suddenly she spoke of the newly revealed channelers with contempt. He found himself fascinated. Was she a fundamentalist? She spoke as one. Did he hear jealousy? In general, those who rejected fact for myth deserved nothing but his scorn.
And yet...there was something in the way she spoke. A hint, perhaps, that there was something she knew.
The humility Ana had taught him still lingered. There was something else out there. Something shifted again within his mind. For a moment, he glimpsed It shining through a set of eyes. As if reality had been wiped away in two small places and the one he sought watched him through that vessel.
His head tilted slightly, intrigued. Unlike the others, this one held promise.
To her question. "I was a lawyer in the United States. For the last 10 years I worked for the Department of Justice." He smiled at the pedestrian thought. "I was on track to be the next Attorney General. Before the world changed." He shrugged as if it were no loss. "Trivial, now. This is the center of the world, as far as I can tell. For now." For him and for what he sought.
Her hand rested on his thigh. He made no effort to hide any interest. But neither did he make any move to reciprocate. He peered into her dark eyes, that enigmatic smile that seemed to say she knew all the secrets.
After a moment, the question in his mind solidified. "Tell me the truth of God, then. If these beings are not gods, what is?"
Despite his control, a hint of desperation tinged his voice. "I need to find it. No matter the cost "
He tried to remember what it was that had made Ana so special. As he thought about it, it was very similar. Though if he had to put his finger on it, Meera was more calculated, as opposed to Ana's earthy nature.
Still, it was close enough he felt a stirring.
She was a way to Daiyu's whereabouts, of course. So that was enough. But there was more, here.
Her mood flashed and suddenly she spoke of the newly revealed channelers with contempt. He found himself fascinated. Was she a fundamentalist? She spoke as one. Did he hear jealousy? In general, those who rejected fact for myth deserved nothing but his scorn.
And yet...there was something in the way she spoke. A hint, perhaps, that there was something she knew.
The humility Ana had taught him still lingered. There was something else out there. Something shifted again within his mind. For a moment, he glimpsed It shining through a set of eyes. As if reality had been wiped away in two small places and the one he sought watched him through that vessel.
His head tilted slightly, intrigued. Unlike the others, this one held promise.
To her question. "I was a lawyer in the United States. For the last 10 years I worked for the Department of Justice." He smiled at the pedestrian thought. "I was on track to be the next Attorney General. Before the world changed." He shrugged as if it were no loss. "Trivial, now. This is the center of the world, as far as I can tell. For now." For him and for what he sought.
Her hand rested on his thigh. He made no effort to hide any interest. But neither did he make any move to reciprocate. He peered into her dark eyes, that enigmatic smile that seemed to say she knew all the secrets.
After a moment, the question in his mind solidified. "Tell me the truth of God, then. If these beings are not gods, what is?"
Despite his control, a hint of desperation tinged his voice. "I need to find it. No matter the cost "