Kushiel was blessed with a devoted mother. Along with his looks (another gift from his mother) it was one of the few things going for him. Oh sure, he had a powerful ability that could be turned on destruction, but he didn’t have the will to wield it, at least for anything other than his own amusement. Perhaps, more accurately, it could be said that he had everything going for him but lacked the motivation, discipline and general will to make anything of it.
There were those that would commend his lack of interest in politics. There were those who would praise him for refusing to be drawn into the rat race. Kushiel simply hadn’t met those people yet. But still, for all his griping, and for all her griping, Kushiel knew his mother loved him, and that was not a small thing. There was, however, no need for her to say it. He grinned crookedly.
“Oh please don’t, you’ll just embarrass us both.” That idea was on the list of absurdities. It would seem that Kushiel and Gallows were not easily embarrassed. If it were possible it would have already happened. His grin grew a little wider.
“But I’m glad to know that I can always come home to Mom, despite whatever unforgivable thing I do. Just for that, I’ll set a little bit of the Chamber on fire for your birthday. My gift to you.” Truly, his own nobility sometimes left him staggering. He took comfort in knowing that Gallows was true to her word. If Kushiel remembered correctly, he had already done several unforgivable things, and each time she managed to forgive him. A good woman indeed, undeserving of the burden placed on her. Though, before he could feel too sorry for her, he remembered that most of his traits surely came from her. He lacked the true villainy of his father. Carnage did insane things for what seemed to be the pure joy of doing them. Kushiel never did things if he could avoid it. The two couldn’t be farther apart. Surely he was mostly his mother’s doing. Perhaps deserving than, of the burden placed on her. Besides, she did some things of questionable morality himself. Sure she didn’t set things on fire, but she did read people’s minds. She suggested doing very that, and Kushiel shot her a warning looking.
“You will do no such thing. You can meet this prophetic ass, but I won’t hear a word of what she’s thinking. The best I can hope for is a good looking woman of poor taste to pretend to care for me for as long as she can. If you tell me what she’s really thinking it will ruin everything.” As enjoyable as this topic was, he had something else on his mind, and he was beginning to wonder if he was starting to pick up an interest in politics after all. He quickly dismissed that idea as absurd, he was simply curious. It was one of his more charming traits.
"So, Ma, a little bird told me someone was staging a bit of a coup in my hometown. I don’t need to start hoisting your battle flag do I?” The little bird hadn’t said anything of his mother’s inovlement, but it did kind of sound like something she would do. Better to ask.
Kushiel
some rise by sin, and some by virtue fall