Chapter 44

"It's great that we finally have something to do that isn't decorating, but why is the place so far away from everything, Azami?"

"Don't tell me you have something against Nature, Marie."

"It's nothing like that, I just don't get why you would suddenly care about something that isn't related to War and conquest."

"Well, I actually just said that I wanted that Ability of yours for this, it's still related to War and conquest, as you so aptly put it."

"Great."

"Now come on, Marie, don't kill my good Mood like that."

"See, we're already here."

And indeed, you could already spot the enormous amount of work in front of you as you finished speaking, for even from afar you could see that the Land was a Mess in need of attention, but unlike you, Marie wasn't prepared for the Sight in front of her. It truly seemed like the little City Girl never actually saw what remains after a Natural disaster that isn't cleaned up despite having lived through the Winter. From broken Trees to buried Homes these Lands harbored them all, and after so many Years of neglect not even a single Village still resisting the pressure of Nature could be found, it was perfect.

"Don't just gawk, Marie, we have work to do."

"You don't really want to fix all that, right?"

"Not in one Day, but yes, I want this Land restored, it's Property of House Lannister, and I think it should not just look the part but also contribute to the Westerlands."

"Ugh, fine."

"Why can't you just take a Day off like a normal Person and pray for the Gods to do your work, Azami?"

"Are you going to tell me that works, Marie?"

"Not really, no, but I guess you would have a Chance if you really tried it."

You decide to ignore her continued remarks and simply begin creating more of your little Siblings to clean up the giant Mess before you, you're sure that Marie would come around eventually, for she simply wasn't the kind of Person that could remain still or annoyed for long. Waiting for a few more Minutes until she got bored again wasn't really the end of the World, especially seeing as the Livestock your Father bought was still traveling through the Reach. Marie was merely here on the first Day of your efforts because you needed to test how much her Ability could actually do, and of course to show the little Fanatic that you could do some good as long as it aligned with your Aims.

Returning your focus back to the Events unfolding before you, you could see that things were going quite smoothly, the biggest problem being the Wooden Remains that you couldn't simply erase from existence like the majority of the Boulders that you had more or less unconsciously dealt with. And sadly, there was very little you could do but pile it all up to the Side, for you honestly doubted that you could burn more than a fraction of the stuff as absolutely soaked as it was.

Leaving the matter of the Wood for later you were happy to see that Marie was finally focusing on her work as well, she actually seems quite enticed with cutting and healing the Grass over and over again, perhaps a bit too much if you're being honest. You don't really have much use for a sadistic Healer in your Retinue, but there's also little reason to stop her from going in that direction if she really wants to, and at least you wouldn't have to deal with her Morals anymore once she leaves them behind to finally have some fun.

You didn't want her as a Healer for your Retinue anyway, you needed her Connection with the Gods to better deal with whatever Calamity they wanted you to stop, everything else was pretty much up to her as far as you were concerned. Looking around you, you could feel that whatever Marie was doing was working, even if you weren't affected by her Ability you could still appreciate the change the Nature around you was undergoing, the absorption of Water into the surrounding Greenery in particular was making your current undertaking a whole lot more pleasant. Though you suppose you will have to create some Wells and enlist a number of Workers to water the Land if you really want to use her Ability in the future, nothing that you aren't doing yourself is truly free, it seems.

"What are you thinking about, Azami?"

"I was just wondering since when you got into mutilating things, Marie."

"Hey, it's nothing like that!"

"Are you sure, Marie, I wouldn't cut the same piece of Grass for half an Hour without a reason."

"Perhaps it's my Corruption that is rubbing off on you, who knows."

"Ugh, why are you like this, Azami, not everything I do has a reason."

"Yeah sure, the only Human on Westeros that can hear the Gods does the same thing over and over again because she feels like it, do you get what I mean?"

"Even if you don't realise it, Marie, you're quite special, and a Mind touched by the Gods is obviously going to change over time."

"Besides, sitting on the wet Ground cutting down the same patch of Grass again and again isn't something you would normally do, now is it?"

"Because you're one to talk about acting normally, yeah?"

"That's not the Point, and you know it, also, you were the one who asked what I was thinking about."

"To be polite, Azami, not to get told that I'm wrong in the Head."

"Honesty is a virtue, is it not?"

"Besides, wouldn't I be a terrible Friend if I didn't tell you what you're too dense to realise, Marie?"

"Then be nice about it, Azami."

"Or you could toughen up a bit instead."

"You're terrible!"

"I know, but I decide when I'm terrible and when I'm nice, and to whom."

"But you just said that you didn't want to be a terrible Friend, Azami."

"Yeah, but you're such an easy Target that it's still fun to make you all huffy and annoyed from time to time."