"I meant booking passage on a ship to Tarev. There have to be like-- traders, and things."

"Not many. Tarev isn't exactly fond of us." 

Sataro is, Tholassi feels, just not dedicated enough. If Tholassi had been left with Karisu they'd be halfway to Tarev by now and he wouldn't have to put any thought into keeping his damn prophet alive.

"Well, where do you have trade with?"

"I'm a member of Dhavilot's honor guard. We're going to be visiting Tarev anyway, and if I bring you with me then I won't get tortured to death for desertion." 

"--I knew that," Tholassi says quickly. "I was just testing your devotion."

"Of course." 

"So how long will it be until we can leave?"

"I'm not entirely sure but it's soon. If I had to guess I'd say directly after the Solstice." 

That is an unreasonably long time to be trapped as a salamander. He totally thought he'd be back in the godworld by the Solstice.

"All right." He curls up. "You are a prophet so you should take care of yourself."

Sataro puts a hand over him to keep him warm. 

"I will, Your radiance." 

That is very nice. Before he was a salamander Tholassi had been aware of many good traits about humans, such as their belief, but he had totally failed to appreciate how warm they are. He should do that more in the future.

"And you don't have to keep calling me 'Your radiance.' You're my prophet, we are going to be spending a lot of time together."

Unfortunately.

"Yes, Tholassi." 

Tholassi watches the shape of Sataro's thoughts for a bit and then says, "you are mistaken about the character of most people in the keep."

"Hmm?" 

"You think you are less pure than they are and you are not."

His thoughts flick back to how much he'd enjoyed Ashka's touch while he was supposed to be purifying. He can't think how to respond out loud; he stays quiet. 

Tholassi's voice has a dry humor to it. "Ashka has slept with men."

"— ah." 

A hundred remarks or touches or sideways looks that had seemed like nothing at the time are suddenly and abruptly recontextualised. Sataro doesn't voice how much he would like to tear off his skin, but his shoulders curl inwards. 

"He has five kids"-- Tholassi has no idea how many kids Ashka has but it's important to sound decisive around humans, it's not like anyone else has any idea-- "and he drinks and he's halfway through Kalevi's On The Nature Of Stars, which he confiscated and took to his cell instead of burning. He has quite the book collection."

Sataro pulls his knees to his chest and pulls himself away from any number of things he could be thinking about. 

That's probably enough, don't want to lay it on too thick, just enough to make him believe that he's better than anyone else around here and not enough to get him a swelled head--

--Sataro hates himself MORE?! 

Why is Tholassi's sole believer so difficult.

"You are the purest person in the keep," Tholassi says, "and the only one who deserves to be my prophet."

He doesn't uncurl. "Thank you, Tholassi." 

He doesn't like doing this too often, it tends to warp humans--

Tholassi reaches out and touches his mind again.

It feels like sunlight in the summer, like cold air in the fall, like the shock of ice water.

It feels like being clean, like being pure, like peace. 

"You are my prophet," he says, and his words have the ring of truth. "You are the only person in the keep who is worthy."