Private Speaking softly with a big stick

It just so happened that they were meeting up at the Mexican restaurant Chloe had taken Malara to, early in their relationship. It was when Chloe had just started warming up to her, and they were bonding over... something. It was something important; Uzza remembered that much, and it was bothering her that she didn't remember it. But maybe it wasn't really that important.

No matter. The point is, it had proper mexican food, it wasn't expensive, and the service was good. And she didn't have anything to do with Malara anymore. She was here with Arda now.

Arda had really kicked ass in that arena match. She was glad she'd come out. Violet also noticed him looking for her in the crowd, and had actually been especially loud in cheering for him so that he would notice her - and she didn't miss that he was bowing at her, specifically.

"You were awesome," Violet said, sliding into the booth across from him. "Do you always show off that much, or was that for my benefit?"

Violet knew Arda had something important to talk to her about. She really hoped he wasn't going to do something crazy, like giving her an engagement ring. Violet wanted to keep this casual.

Violet ordered what had once been her usual - now, of course, even Chloe hadn't been here for a couple of years. She recognized the waitress, though. They used to be on a first-name basis.

"Thanks Maria."

Maria hadn't actually introduced herself to them yet, but it was a fairly busy lunch hour. Maybe, she thought, she had told them her name, then just forgot that she did. She paused a little while writing down Violet's order, smiled, then took their menus and left.

Now they were discussing wielders. "Really? I thought you were a strong, independent stick that didn't need a wielder anymore. Though... I don't really know what having a wielder would mean for you." In a world like Arda's with so many sapient objects, having a wielder or an owner probably carried a lot of cultural baggage. She had been thinking about that. Her assumption had been that not having a wielder was like not having a slave-master, but there was probably more to it than that.

Violet listened, giving an appreciative nod at that part about gods wrecking more than demons. "Right?" She was just about to point out a few examples - stuff like the Greek gods' tomfoolery, the Abrahamic God flooding large parts of the planet that one time, even that one goddess she knew (who would not be named at this table) who used to destroy populated planets.

Then Arda mentioned having been involved in some of that. Probably against his will. That was sobering. She flashed him a sympathetic look after thanking Maria for their food.

Arda apologized for unloading on her, and she assured him it was fine before taking her own first few bites. "Getting to make the choice is definitely good, though."

Violet hesitated. "I'll let you in on a secret about me," she said. "I almost ended up in a situation sort of like that, twice. For me it was two different demon lords trying to make me into one of their lieutenants. Narrowly escaped both times." She took a few more bites. "I don't know if I could trust anyone enough to give them that kind of power over me."

She stopped short of advising Arda not to look for a wielder. He was a grown-up. He knew a lot more about what having a wielder would mean for his life than Violet did. But at the same time, she had no idea why Arda would want a wielder and her gut told her that this was a stupid thing to want.

Violet froze mid-chew, staring at Arda for a moment. Then she went back to chewing, swallowing, and having a drink of water. She was taking her time, figuring out the best way to respond to this.

"I... I don't know what to say. I'm honored that you would consider me for that, Arda. But I don't know what this would mean for us." It occurred to Violet that this might be the closest thing a sapient weapon had to marriage. Exactly the kind of thing she had been fearing when she was walking into this conversation. But she could also have entirely the wrong idea. "Could you talk me through this?"

Perks and techniques? She half-smiled. It sounded almost like some kind of video game tutorial tip. Like they would be gaining experience points and leveling up together, or something like that.

She chewed, and she thought. There weren't that many strings attached. Violet was tired of feeling weak. and scared, tired of feeling like she had to hide half the time. Not to mention the other benefits. She missed the kinds of sparring and exercising she used to do when she lived with Malara.

Soon, Violet broke her silence. "Honestly, Arda... given my situation, this almost feels like a prayer being answered. I don't admit this to a lot of people, but I've been fearing for my life for most of the time I've been here. And I'd feel a lot safer if I could call on you. Plus I can't really think of any downsides on my end. As long as you're okay with getting involved with my stuff, sign me up."