"Then you are ahead of schedule and have plenty of time for the decision.  And I hear it said that you should really see Absalom first."

"Oh definitely- I've been wanting to go there forever, they say it has the highest proportion of wizards in the world- and the Starstone, and Morgethai, and Geb's siege engines- they say you could spend a whole human lifetime in the library there and still not read even a fraction of the books..."

Awwwww, she's so enthusiastic about it!  "Maybe you should visit everywhere else first, in case you never leave the library again!"  

"But I think Morgethai's mostly in Andoran?  Ah, I've been assuming it's... religiously impolite... not to correct Nethysians about things like that."  Slightly apologetic face.

"Oh-" she ducks her head a bit and puts a hand over her mouth.  "...I know not if it's religiously, but I should like to tell me if you notice, yes."

"Of course. And--" is there a non-condescending way to say he really doesn't think less of her for not knowing things about countries on a different continent from her own and without having had a politics-focused education or possibly any education whatsoever... "Well, if you sat through all the classes they made me sit through I imagine you'd remember a lot more about them than I did."

"But since you didn't – I think Morgethai lives in Almas where the university is.  A place you'd also probably really enjoy visiting."

Well, presumably any education, she became a wizard somehow... what it may have included beyond wizardry and archaic Taldane is more of an open question. 

She nods and takes a slow breath.  "Well then, if her university isn't in Absalom, perhaps I shan't retire before I can Teleport.  If I'm very lucky there may be an opening on the route between them."  Tiny impish smile.

Marcus's politics-focused education did not involve very much about the technical requirements for becoming a wizard – he does know how it normally goes (his siblings got the beginnings of wizardry education, though he didn't, because it was so obviously not for him), but Khalida really seems like someone who may have spontaneously figured out wizardry from random scraps of information!

"A minute ago you had no plans at all, and now you already know what the best job in the world is!"  Grin.

"Clearly I ought pass the time with Iomedaens more often!  Though if I make it so far, I expect I've had another hundred ideas in the meantime."

"I'm sure you will!  Teleport does seem a wonderful thing to have, though.  I think I'll be a little envious, when you get there."

"Well, you'll have paladin powers by then... I admit I wouldn't trade, though."  Okay, both polite and honest isn't so hard after all- oh oops, it's past time to return the question.  "And yourself?  Where will you go when the finite demons have been fought?"

The finite demons!  What a wonderful thing that is.

"Lastwall!  ... Well.  Maybe Lastwall, or maybe I will find another thing more important than taking the time for it," a wry smile.  (This is most of why he's going to be envious of the Teleport.)  "But I do hope I'll make it there in not too very long."

"Perhaps if you hurry, you might get to their front while they're still fighting the demons, and combine the two?"

"Mm, I could, but... Does the Lastwall front need my help?  It's the one that already has a lot of people just like me.  I'd feel wrong to go there just because I wanted to.  ...I did write them and ask, and was told Mendev was a good place to stay in, but maybe I should write again.  I don't know very much of what's happening everywhere."

"Well, I expect they will eventually?  As there's fewer demons, they'll keep fewer paladins and send more elsewhere."  There's... probably not a polite way to say 'isn't that what Iomedaens always do'.  "I suppose Mendev may also."

It did not... really occur to him... to expect that the Mendev front would stop being a disaster at some point before they run out of demons.  He's still not sure it will, but she does have a point that it's at least possible.

"That is true.  Mendev will probably want to focus on rebuilding rather than sending its people out, but of course Lastwall will not.  You may be right that it'll be a good idea eventually to go there and help, so the more experienced people can go elsewhere."  He looks rather hopeful about the prospect. 

"There's also Cheliax, of course, but I... don't know that I expect it to have the sort of problems I can be of much help with."

"Mm.  Yes.  I-"  She lowers her voice again, not sure if the Chelish soldiers are paying attention (or the Mendevian soldiers a horse-length ahead, for that matter.).  "I don't- know that more paladins are really the help they need, yes."

"What do you think is the thing they need?  ... Besides more healing, clearly, but-- what would make that work well--"

"Sar-" she starts immediately, then pauses to consider.  "I- think Sarenrae, but... not perhaps Sarenrite priests?  Foreign Sarenrite priests especially.  I don't know- something more what I had of Nethys, more like, but He'd hardly choose everyb-"  She cuts herself off and makes a face, muttering something that's definitely not the call for Glitterdust.  "...They haven't all separate verbs also, yes?"

"No, they don't," a soft laugh.

More seriously, still softly:  "What was it that Nethys did right?"

Small wince, and smaller nod.  "I- fear I must apologize about that, but- later."  She chews on the corner of her scarf for a few moments, realizes she's doing it and hurriedly tucks it back into her coat collar.  It's not like it's private, really, or anyway not all that private. 

"It's- He sees everything, yes? Everybody knows that, but I didn't really know it, not before- I did-"  Yeah that's as far as that sentence is getting right now.

He remembers when Iomedae saw him.

(you are not good enough because nobody has ever been good enough, but you are fit for this purpose, you are doing a good thing and should keep doing it)

Of course it wouldn't be the same, but with that starting point he can imagine what 'seeing everything' might feel like, and--  "Oh." 

"I think I can see what you mean.  Or some of it.  But-- we are none of us Nethys."  In many different ways.

"No, we can't be."  She's silent for a while, absently petting her horse's mane.  "People- aim towards Sarenrae, but- I think this is simpler, for a mortal?  To start from loving than from knowing?"

"I think they... go together, usually?  Or it feels like a lie, if they don't."

A sigh.  "I expect it mostly feels like a lie, for Chelish people."

"...oh.  Yes, I think so."

She has to stare out at the tundra again for a while before she's sure she has her voice under control- it sounds so simple and obvious like that.  (How was she such an idiot not to figure it out sooner, no wonder she's only barely wise enough to be a cleric.)  It's probably incredibly obvious anyway and poor Cambra is going to be so concerned but she can at least keep from literally crying in public. 

...knowing it doesn't really help anyone else either way, though, which was what they were talking about in the first place, the people still stuck in Cheliax without even clean water and proper burials and however little healing they were getting.  Right.  Assemble the sentence, breathe.

"Perhaps it should help to have clerics of other gods who do practical cleric things?  Pharasmins for undead, Abadarans for banking?"

Marcus is also concerned!  But she has the right to be upset without being bothered with questions that she rather clearly doesn't want.  (He might still ask, eventually, but on a horse in the middle of a patrol is very obviously not the time.)  He can ride along, and look out at the barrier and the horizon, and do his best not to make her feel like she has to tell him anything.

"Certainly that.  Maybe you're right that it just... doesn't make much sense to want to show them Good, instead of simply the normal human things that aren't Evil."