[Truth for truth, he says and despite this she hesitates. But why shouldn't she? He's spoken the exact issue aloud himself. Byerly Rutyer may come from a dreadful house and mad father, and perhaps it's even true that those things shade everyone's estimation of him. But it's not him. Indeed, having laid the whole thing out, in a way makes him seem somehow more honest and reputable. Yes, of course a scoundrel and a rake with all the secretly delicate sensibilities like Byerly has would have such origins. And if he's a liar or if he has been playing games, then in a funny way it all manages to align very closely to the truth despite everything. Doesn't it?]
Well. [She says, like a placeholder as she mentally tries to work through exactly what she means to say and how she means to say it. Annoyingly though, no clear way forward magically reveals itself to her. So after a moment, she says again:] Well.
Well, I suppose the natural solution, Mister Rutyer, is to simply make yourself despised for being Riftwatch's Ambassador. That can't be very difficult. I believe we're unpopular with a great many people already. You need only be slightly more intolerable to the correct people and eventually the one reputation will win out over the other one. I believe that's how these things often go. Certainly that's how it usually goes in Kalvad, and I imagine gossip is one of those things which is fairly universal in its application.
Anyway, my truth is highly uninteresting. The reason no one would consider me a scholar in Kalvad is because I'm not one. I was only an apprentice magician—which is and isn't like a mage here, which you know a little of—to a highly unpopular fellow, and was considered far too old for the position besides. Most apprentices are children of ten or eleven and far more accomplished with their Talents. And if I told you what other people said on the matter, you might think it was very poor treatment indeed. But I assure you that it is all highly regular in that place. That's how one should expect to be treated in Kalvad if the impression one gives is being something of a waste of time.
That's all. So you see. It has no importance here whatsoever.
no subject
Well. [She says, like a placeholder as she mentally tries to work through exactly what she means to say and how she means to say it. Annoyingly though, no clear way forward magically reveals itself to her. So after a moment, she says again:] Well.
Well, I suppose the natural solution, Mister Rutyer, is to simply make yourself despised for being Riftwatch's Ambassador. That can't be very difficult. I believe we're unpopular with a great many people already. You need only be slightly more intolerable to the correct people and eventually the one reputation will win out over the other one. I believe that's how these things often go. Certainly that's how it usually goes in Kalvad, and I imagine gossip is one of those things which is fairly universal in its application.
Anyway, my truth is highly uninteresting. The reason no one would consider me a scholar in Kalvad is because I'm not one. I was only an apprentice magician—which is and isn't like a mage here, which you know a little of—to a highly unpopular fellow, and was considered far too old for the position besides. Most apprentices are children of ten or eleven and far more accomplished with their Talents. And if I told you what other people said on the matter, you might think it was very poor treatment indeed. But I assure you that it is all highly regular in that place. That's how one should expect to be treated in Kalvad if the impression one gives is being something of a waste of time.
That's all. So you see. It has no importance here whatsoever.