When he had touched her, she had frozen like a frightened rabbit, wondering if she was going to have to disassociate herself, like she had so many times before. It was easier than fighting, easier than trying to run. The few times she had tried that at the beginning she had been punished accordingly. So she had learned simply to put herself elsewhere, to imagine that what was happening to her was happening to someone else as she looked on from afar. She hadn't expected to have to do that here, after Arva's promises, and she was flooded with a profound sadness. The world was the same everywhere. There was no escaping it.
And just like that, his gibberish became words. She looked down at the bracelet, half frightened and half amazed before looking up at him again. He hadn't been attempting to steal from her, or to exact payment. He had been trying to help her. The feeling was so unfamiliar that Briseis was unsure at first even how to react. She looked up at him - he was taller than she was - her blue eyes wide in surprise and uncertainty.
"My lord," she said. "You are one of the gods, there can be no other answer. I beg of you, tell me which you are so that I may leave tribute at your temple. I do not know how you have done what you have done or what wondrous power this is, but I am forever your servant."