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"I'm figuring it out. Um, did you know that we're not required to stay here today?"
Wraythe shook his head. "They will throw you in Obligation if you try to leave the grounds."
"Well, I am. I prayed for some guidance, and I think I just got it. Now, you can come with me or stay here. Either way is ok, but I have to do this, Wraythe. I need to figure out what I'm supposed to be, and I can't do it surrounded by nothing but priests. I need to understand why temptations are such a big thing. I want to drink alcohol, buy my own meal, and do something stupid."
Both of them looked at me for what seemed like an eternity, then they looked at each other. "I think she needs to do it alone," Eladehl said. "I mean, Nari's never broken a rule since she arrived. We can't exactly say the same."
Wraythe huffed out a humorless laugh. "True, but I don't see why she has to leave to do it."
"I do," Eladehl said. "She wants to find her Path. She needs to see why normal people need the Word, what kind of men would request an assignment from the Body, and how Action fits into all of it. She needs toexperiencewhat she's being offered, not just told and asked to blindly accept that she'll like it."
"Consent," I said softly. "I asked Zeal to give me the chance to consent, and this happened. I want to see what I'm consenting to."
Wraythe had his hands clasped before him, and the knuckles were tight enough to blanch. "Are you coming back?"
"I swear it."
He nodded. "Then take gloves, because if you want to be a normal person, well, your hands will give you away."
"So you're not coming?" I asked.
He bit his lips together. "I think the idea is just about the dumbest thing I've ever heard, but I can see that you're excited. If you want me to, I'll go, but you're the one who prayed. You're the one who was pushed in this direction. Us? We got nothing."
"That's not really true," Eladehl said. "We'd just decided that if you didn't want to choose Wraythe as your guardian, then we'd just choose each other, and then you walked in and said that's what we should do. I mean, I've been praying all day to make sure that's the right thing."
"Guys, I feel like Zeal's pushing me. I know that sounds crazy - "
"No, it doesn't," Wraythe said. "I heard you that night. When he used your voice? Iheardit, Nari. You didn't, but all the rest of us did. He's invested in you, so if you think this is the right thing? Not choosing a Path, sneaking out of the temple, or anything else, well, you'd be a fool to ignore your god. For all we know, he could just take over and make you."
"Seems there's something he needs from you," Eladehl said, "so go do it. We'll make sure no one knows you're missing."
Chapter 31
Nariana
The inn was exactly two blocks away. The priest simply forgot to mention that both blocks were across the grassy area reserved for the seven temples of the gods. That meant I didn't need to worry about getting lost and asking for directions. I just walked the way he'd pointed and found myself looking across the street at a three-story building with a freshly-painted front.
Taking a deep breath to catch my nerve, I jogged across the street and inside the front door. A bell jingled, announcing my arrival, and it took a moment for my eyes to adjust to the change in brightness. The setting sun leaked in through windows on one side, casting the room in a soft, orange glow, and the gas lights around the walls matched the color.
Before me was something resembling our student dining hall. The tables were smaller, and there were a lot fewer of them, but the idea was clear. The chairs were made from wood, without the padded seats and backs I'd grown used to. The furniture was a bit more rough, both in quality and texture, but the dozen people sitting around all looked comfortable. Some were even smiling.
"Just find a table wherever you want," a girl told me. "Looking for a meal?"
"Yeah, and a drink," I said.
She smiled at me, and it made her eyes light up. "Well, did you want to be alone tonight, or were you looking for company?"
"I'm not sure what I'm looking for," I admitted.
She gestured to a table in the middle of the room. "Grab that one before people start showing up. I'll get you a menu."
I went where she pointed, surprised to find that the stiff chair was oddly comfortable. Years of rumps wiggling in it had worn it into the proper shape. Still, this was all so new to me. When I'd been a child, we'd never come to places like this. My family couldn't afford it. Since then, I'd only ever seen the houses of people who could afford to ask Amerlee to come to them. This felt more real, like it was within reach of most people.
A few minutes later, the girl was back with a single piece of paper. She leaned over my shoulder to place it on the table before me. Quickly scanning the options, I couldn't quite decide what sounded best. The menu didn't say much about each meal, just the meat and the cost - which didn't mean anything to me.
"What do you recommend?" I asked her.
"You don't read?" she assumed.
