Duskfire Glacier love will always be a lesson

"A smile," the woman spoke bluntly, and they left the matter to rest, lain in the dust, abandoned in pursuit of others. Ann merely smiled as he answered, holding in a soft chuckle. Oh, he thought of her as if she believed in other things. No, she too followed her own rules, and the rules that she spoke were hers alone - they were different and with that, the talk about food too was laid to rest in a grave.

"If none believe in such a god, then what of them? He is useless to me; whether I have my own gods or not is for me to choose." She snorted, and buried the remains of her meal into the ground where it would decompose and fertilize the ground anew. "Figments of the imagination - those are all stories are." For a while, the two shared a moment of cynical snark, a return of wit regarding that religion and Ann found herself wanting more. It had been long since she had met one who would take up the mantle of debate and she was loath to lose it now.

"Allow me this: how many know this Ishtar? How many children have you visited and scared in their beds? How have you brought to life your namesake?" Andromeda let herself smile, in thought at the question he posed in return. A query for a query - it seemed fair enough. "Both."

It was short and simple, but it was the truth. "Andromeda was a powerful warrior-queen of the past. I earned such a name through merit, before I was granted the responsibility."