Chapter 969: Good Lord

Moisture from the nearby waterfall took the edge off the bright sunlight, beaming into the gorge from high overhead. Trees and wildflowers grew around the houses carved out of the rocky walls, wooden decks jutting into the gorge. Clean, natural aromas drifted on the gentle breeze. Jason sat in a porch swing, on the deck of the house closest to the waterfall, an arm draped over Zara’s shoulders as she leaned into his body.

“You made this place to be relaxing,” she said. “Given that you feel as taught as a harp string, it does not appear to be working.”

He let out a slow, ragged breath.

“Anger makes you feel strong, when it actually makes you weak,” he said. “It’s a simple lesson, yet one I need to remind myself of, over and over.”

“So does everyone else,” Zara pointed out. “It’s one of the few areas in which you are completely ordinary.”

“But the consequences if I forget are not. My instincts are to go out, tearing the Earth apart to find who is farming reality cores. I know it’s the wrong move, but it feels right.”

“But you made the actually correct choice. The considered choice. To let the appropriate people do the work that will lead to genuine solutions.”

“It was meant to be easy. I have so much power, yet the best choice is to sit here, using none of it.”

“Is that what you think? Take it from someone who grew up surrounded by politics, Jason: the power you don’t use is often greater than the power you do. Would there be whole nations working on this if your power was no greater than that of your last trip to Earth? Your power is working for you Jason. As is your restraint.”

He reached out with his free hand to squeeze hers.

“Thank you,” he said as she felt his body lose some of its tension.

“Do you know what your problem is, Jason?”

A smile teased through his grumpy scowl.

“Too handsome?”

“You know, your sister showed me some pictures of your brother…”

He sat up straight, turning to put on an affronted look.

“Hey…”

She giggled and he found himself smiling, despite himself. He leaned back and she sidled into his side once more.

“What’s wrong with you,” she said, “is that you’re too humble.”

“Shade, you heard her say that right?” Jason asked. “I don’t suppose you recorded it? Wait, this is my domain; I can just make a recording of it. But does it count as a fake if I do it after the fact?”

“Will you let a woman finish?”

“Making sure women finish is kind of my thing,” he said in a husky voice, then giggled at the slap on the arm it earned him.

“What I’m saying,” she continued, “is that you have this idea in your head that you need to be humble.”

“And it’s a good idea,” he said, the amusement gone from his voice. “Once I started getting power, my greatest fear was what I’d do with it if I turned into a prick. I got a taste of how that would play out last time I was on Earth, and it didn’t go well for anyone. And I have so much power, now.”

“I understand that, and I’m not saying you should never be humble. I’m saying that you need to be careful about showing humility.”

“You want me to be more arrogant?”

“No, not more arrogant. Just the same amount you’ve always been. Do you remember when we met?”

“Of course.”

“You swanned into my tent with the arrogance of a king. Even back then, you carried yourself like a diamond ranker who just didn’t have the rank yet. I think, to this day, you don’t realise how much your connections to the Geller and Remore families shielded you from the consequences of your behaviour. Now, you have the power, but you act like you’re still that manic boy back in Greenstone.”

“In fairness, we met while I was on my way to meet a bunch of gods. I think it’s fair to feel a little important when that happens. Especially when it’s to thank you for being generally amazing.”

“That’s not what they were thanking you for.”

“I’m pretty sure it was.”

“There were hundreds of witnesses, Jason.”

“It was twenty years ago, who can remember?”

She let out an exasperated sigh.

“Your diplomatic agenda on Earth, hasn’t gone as well as you’d hoped, has it?” she asked.

“No.”

“And how much of that would you put down to inconsistency in your public persona?”

“More than I’d like,” he admitted.

“You’ve always been erratic. Grounded and laconic one moment, terrifying and murderous the next. It keeps people uncertain and wary, which is an asset when the world is full of people more powerful than you. Now that you’re the one with the power, is uncertainty and wariness what you want to inspire?”

“No,” Jason said with a frown.

“No,” Zara echoed. “You need to project consistency and power. Save the humility for when you’re with friends and family. Let the people closest to you keep you grounded, and everyone else look up to you.”

“You want me to play the stern authoritarian?”

“No, that isn’t you. Projecting authority doesn’t mean you have to be staid and dull. Look at Dominion. Power can be sexy.”

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“You think Dominion is sexy?”

“Of course I don’t. Women are never attracted to arrogance and power.”

He twisted to give her a flat stare, to which she responded with a grin. He rolled his eyes and leaned back into the porch swing.

“Jason, I’m not saying that you need to be something that you aren’t. You just need to school your public persona. Be more deliberate. Every person ever chooses which sides of themselves to show in any given situation. Politicians just have to be more conscious of it than most. And, like it or not, you’re a political figure.”