[Michael Poe]

As she spoke once more about herself, and perhaps not liking what she would see, he felt his smile once again slither across his visage.

"Don't worry on it too much, Kyia, there is one constant that holds true, luckily. People can change, however much it's feared, and it isn't always a bad thing. You might not like what you see, but that doesn't mean what you see will forcibly remain that way the rest of your life. If you have the will and the inner strength necessary, you can affect changes in yourself that even you might find startling." He fell quiet once more, keeping stride with her. He hadn't missed the footsteps in the sand...they were things he was naturally trained to pick up on, as a prefect. They were the steps of someone restless, hesitant, and not sure what they wished to find, only that they wished to find something. Another interesting reveal about the woman he was currently escorting. As she commented on his dictation he chuckled softly at her ribbing.

"Then imagine that way with words married to my charming demeanor presented to the people who stand in your way politically. Seems my list of assets to you and your group just keeps growing..." he bantered back light-heartedly. It was odd, really, that he'd find himself so close to this woman already. They were bantering, she'd seen some of his true soul, and he some of hers. They'd met that darkening, and already they seemed comfortable friends together. How unusual, especially for someone such as he who made so few friends...who in the two decades of being here he hardly had a single person he could truly call friend. Until now. He couldn't help but gently wonder if perhaps she was twisting an enchantment on him...but if it was in the company of her and her compatriots he'd seen at the party, he might not mind so much, he admitted. Of course he was male, he'd have thoughts like that every now and then. It hadn't slipped his mind that this beautiful woman was on his arm, making jokes, and delving into his personality as deeply as he into hers. It was just that romance wasn't exactly on his mind at the moment. Not that he didn't find her attractive or think it a possibility, it was just that their conversation, deep as it was, didn't seem like to give way to such tender and gentle thought and action. Again, not that he minded.

As she spoke of this Kaimelea, he considered her words quietly. He did not speak up nor interrupt as she spoke her dialogue--truly such depth and length that it seemed more fitting as a monologue, but she seemed so impassioned that he didn't mind in the slightest.

She spoke of this goddess with such fierce commitment and adoration that he couldn't help but want to know more. This woman, who was thoughtful, friendly, deep, beautiful, and full of character and strength in a way he'd not met in quite some time was so intoxicated by this goddess that she would speak with such eager adoration...it spoke a lot to Michael. He didn't consider her the type to take things lightly or read too much into something. She seemed practical and intelligent...and for her to feel so...

...in a strange way, he couldn't help but feel himself drawn to know more of this goddess, and know more of Viskyia and her love for the goddess. As she described him he did not puff up in pride nor blush bashfully. He seemed accepting of her acknowledgment of his attributes as fact. Neither good nor bad, simply fact. As she reached the end, though, he couldn't help but feel a slight, teasing grin flicker on his face.

"More extreme before they normalize, huh? ...well, fine by me...because here on Demios, we've learned to find the unusual usual, hmm?" It was, in a strange way, a mixture of things. Support for her and what she believed, showing that he didn't think her crazy nor push her away, but embrace her words. A play at their earlier conversation to have a bit more light-heartedness to offset the serious tone that had settled over their conversation. And there was one part that surprised even him. One word he'd used that had caught even him off-guard, that he already was thinking in such terms.

We.

He'd called them 'we'. It might seem minor, but for one who'd felt like an outsider all his life, it was a very odd and important point. That it wasn't until he was here, with this half-Esh worshiper of a heathen goddess--according to the Empire he once served as a lawman for but did no longer--who he already was considering a friend despite knowing her for just one darkening...it wasn't until here and now that he'd ever considered himself part of any 'we'. In all honesty, it frightened a small part of him.

Could it be true that perhaps my fate does indeed intertwine with hers? An interesting thought, and one that remained to be seen.

"My eyes and ears are open, Kyia...and they ever will be...but not just to the possibility that I am here at the will of Kaimelea...but to you, too. If your words are true, you'll be entering a hard time in the near future."

Could I really be doing this?

"And you know..."

Am I crazy?

"...you'll need someone."

I must be.

"Someone to protect you."

But lets see where crazy leads, shall we?

"Someone like a good head of security...oh, I'm sorry...'Special Operations Manager'." He gave her a smile that made one thing very clear. If the position was still open, he'd take it. Not just out of a wish to know more about this goddess...but out of a wish to protect this woman who had, really, become the first friend he'd ever had in this country. He wasn't used to making friends...but when he found them, he was loyal and protected them with his life.

And now he was offering that to her.

I create my own fate.