Light a match

Oh, old green gods and new, could the boy talk. But he didn’t really answer her question did he? She had asked what sort of power followers had, not what they would eventually receive, but what powers they had right now. It was all there, just like the promises of the imaginary friends of every other kid that was dropped on their head too many times and never quite loved enough by mummy and daddy, down to the fire and brimstone promises of delusion. She almost wished she could conjure up the image of a wild fire right now to show him just how much control anyone other than the wind had over one of those. None of her exasperation showed outwardly on her face, in fact, it looked like she was listening rather intently from the outside. Inside, she was howling with laughter.

When he finally finished his spiel and introduced himself, she determined it was in her own best interest to keep her own name to herself. "Then part o’ tha’ adversity has ter be people not believin’ yer, yeah?" It was clearly phrased as a question, without judgement or her own personal opinion thrown in there. "Wha-der-yer do then?"

"speech".