Lottie waited patiently as the Sumerian chewed and thought. The first answer was hesitant and insincere, and even Ninkasi had heard that as it came out of her mouth. So Philotes left space in the quiet for her to reconsider, which was incredibly difficult for her to do. She'd been practicing it for years, and thus far, she was able to hold out for just under five minutes.
Fortunately it didn't take Ninkasi that long.
Philotes nodded when the other goddess spoke, pleased that she was owning up to things. Right up until the end when she said she was selfish. Then Lottie stopped nodding and started shaking her head.
"No, that's not selfish," she replied. "Not if it was because you were afraid. I mean, it's not like you set out to deliberately hurt him. You just didn't know how to put what you were feeling in to context of where you thought you were in your relationship before. But now..."
She leaned forward so she could look at Ninkasi's face. "Do you have a better frame of reference for what you're feeling now?"