I had of course heard all about the Goddess's confinement in the Lava Pit. In fact, I am one of the fortunate few who have had the honor of hearing the tale from the Goddess herself! (Just one of the many perks of being the Goddess's personal bard.)
As I walked through the forest I began to picture our Goddess trapped in mortal combat with Valasca. What a trying experience that must have been! Forced to relive her childhood horrors daily in her fiery prison. That damned destroyer of nations! If she weren't long dead, I swear I would.....(What? What would you do? Would ya write her a nasty message, Melissa?) I smiled at hearing the Goddess's voice in my head. So what if it was mocking me, any sort of contact with the Goddess is an honor. How many citizens of Cirra can say they have spoken to the Goddess even once, let alone on a daily basis? Yes, I am indeed fortunate.
GC: "There is no need to kowtow Melissa. Your position is quite secure."
MM: "Oh I wasn't Goddess. I am merely expressing how I was feeling at the time. Very blessed."
GC: (raising a suspicious eyebrow)
MM: "Really Goddess, something about being alone with my thoughts and so near the place of your unfortunate entrapment really struck a chord with me, sort of gave me perspective on my position in Cirra."
GC: "So you are ready to accept you role as a mere bard then?"
MM: "Well no, not exactly. I also learned a lot about the true meaning of blood lust while I was away."
GC: "Oh really? That *is* fascinating. I can't wait to hear about it."
MM: "Thanks for the unsolicited sarcasm."
Anyway, as I was saying, I was thinking a lot about the Goddess that day, when suddenly I felt a great emptiness. As if I had lost a piece of myself. For no apparent reason I was overcome with grief and rage all at once. I don't know why, but I had the feeling the Goddess was in grave danger. Which, of course, was a ridiculous notion, as the Goddess is all powerful, the only one who has come remotely close to defeating her has been dead for centuries. Never-the-less, I could not shake the feeling.
MM: "Funny huh Goddess, me thinking you were in trouble."
GC: (silence)
MM: "Goddess are you still with me?" (spin around in my chair to face the Goddess who looks very somber all of the sudden)
GC: (sighs) "Well I guess if you don't hear it from me you will hear it from someone else. Unless of course I forbid it." (ponders this for a moment) "No, I respect you too much to lie."
MM: (thinking in a confused daze, did the Goddess just say she respected me? Perhaps I heard wrong.)
GC: "No you heard right. Now focus Melissa, don't make me regret telling you this."
MM: "Go ahead Goddess, I am listening."
GC: (Thinking, oh Gods she really is like Gabrielle. How do I stand it?) "Well my little bard, I didn't want to worry you but, while you were away we had a bit of a close call around here."
We had to snip the part where the Goddess tells Melissa about being poisoned by Hind Blood as the Goddess was just a wee bit too graphic with her description of what she planned to do to Morgan Adams upon her capture, not to mention the Goddess can swear like a sailor."
MM: "WHAT?! And you let him live?"
GC: "Look Melissa, I was really feeling the effects of that Hind Blood, and while I would have liked to of snapped Admiral Bello in half for his insolence, I.....well, I couldn't take care of business myself and he seemed suitable enough."
MM: "I see. And what about the Hind?"
GC: "What Hind?"
MM: "The one at the zoo! Don't tell me you let her live too?!"
GC: "Well yes actually. The Hind is one of my prized possessions and I will not give her up because of one little blunder."
MM: "Little blunder? You could have died!"
GC: "You're not going to cry are you? You know I hate that."
MM: (sniffle) "No of course not, Goddess, it's just that, well I never thought that you *could* die before."
GC: "And how does that make you feel?"
MM: "Rather sad actually."
GC: "You don't have to sound so shocked about it."
MM: "oh Goddess!" (move to hug her)
GC: (vanishes out of my grasp) "ugh. Bards."
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