For sure, [ Matt agrees. ] I don't know how you'd get new technology without curiosity, for instance. And curiosity is arguably related to imagination and restlessness--curiosity to see things differently than they are. So that could create new political circumstances, which creates new social opportunities.

[ He nestles a little closer against the proverbial darkness. It's hardly the closest they've been, after all--though even in the name of stoking scandal, Matt's not about to proposition Sebastian for more than a dance.

He lifts his champagne flute for one last sip, tipping his head back to drain the glass. ]

I can understand a loyalty to your areas, or domains, [ he muses. ] Especially if ...

Some scholars where I come from thought that if god or the gods did exist, in some literal, reachable sense, humans were the ones who'd created them. Our faith, our thoughts, our preoccupations and fears and all that--birthed entities big enough to hold them for all of us. So in a sense, a god as an entity focused on the areas they represent is like ... a feedback loop with humanity. Not that that's necessarily "true." Or the only truth.

[ Matt considers what he's said for a moment. Then he chuckles, mordant. ]

God, I really hope all human knowledge doesn't die with me. I just explained that so badly.