Private message to Ari Baddock

My dear, I appreciate your concern, but I have been in Our Lord's service for quite some time, and I have seen the complicated dance of allegiance, factions, precedence, and gamesmanship play out over and over again. I am not the sort to bestow my affections based on whose star is ascendant at any given moment. Particularly when that is apt to change on a whim

Our Lord bestows His favour where He finds most appropriate, as is His right, but as His hands it is beneath us to jockey for position and quarrel with each other like dogs fighting over scraps from the table. It is upon us to serve Our Lord's desires, to support His endeavours, and to do what is necessary for the good of His realm. That cannot be done if we are more concerned with pride and placement, or obsessing over which of our nearest and dearest are in favour at the moment. The winds of Our Lord's dearest favour may shift from time to time, but the bonds of brotherhood ought not be treated so cavalierly.

Yours, in service,
A.