And I heard, as it were, the noise of thunder
One of the four beasts saying, 'Come and see.' and I saw.
and at his feet they'll cast their golden crowns
when the man comes around
One of the four beasts saying, 'Come and see.' and I saw.
Raymond was not so absorbed in the act of attempting to free the regimes that he was blind to what happened around him. One does not survive long with tunnel vision, and the red stallion tended more toward the tactician's view of the world: each person was a piece on a map, pushing or pulling as was its wont, and if he had a particular knack for spotting danger in the mental model it was only because he'd earned more than his fair share of stripes by missing it in the past.
Avdotya stood out from the others not because of her strength, but because in a sea of activity she seemed content to resist the current. She watched with stubborn smugness as others did what they could, judged them for their heart. These things Raymond noticed, and without a word to his allies he broke from the rubble like a cat on the hunt, his movements swift and sure.
If he had been able to read minds, Raymond might have approached with venom in his eyes rather than his default patient intrigue. He was no fan of religion, or the deeply religious, for the evils they would do - and the good they would not do - simply for the desire to project their own insecurities on the entities they followed. He was accountable only to himself and held others to the same standards, regardless of the god they did or did not follow.
Perhaps it was folly to oppose someone that vastly outstripped you in strength, but in Raymond's mind the simple act of dissenting against tyranny, however it could be managed, was worth the pain.
The red stallion's tail affected its customary languid arc, the claw of a panther poised in easy repose for the moment it was called to strike, and the smile on his face was both confident and complicated. He neither broadcast fear nor hatred for her inaction - but he did have questions. "You seem cheerful," the red stallion said, "I'd love it if you let me in on the joke."
Avdotya stood out from the others not because of her strength, but because in a sea of activity she seemed content to resist the current. She watched with stubborn smugness as others did what they could, judged them for their heart. These things Raymond noticed, and without a word to his allies he broke from the rubble like a cat on the hunt, his movements swift and sure.
If he had been able to read minds, Raymond might have approached with venom in his eyes rather than his default patient intrigue. He was no fan of religion, or the deeply religious, for the evils they would do - and the good they would not do - simply for the desire to project their own insecurities on the entities they followed. He was accountable only to himself and held others to the same standards, regardless of the god they did or did not follow.
Perhaps it was folly to oppose someone that vastly outstripped you in strength, but in Raymond's mind the simple act of dissenting against tyranny, however it could be managed, was worth the pain.
The red stallion's tail affected its customary languid arc, the claw of a panther poised in easy repose for the moment it was called to strike, and the smile on his face was both confident and complicated. He neither broadcast fear nor hatred for her inaction - but he did have questions. "You seem cheerful," the red stallion said, "I'd love it if you let me in on the joke."
@Avdotya
and at his feet they'll cast their golden crowns
when the man comes around
aut viam inveniam aut faciam
