And she, completely plausibly especially since she's the one saying it, thinks the [Outer God] is doing what?  Trying to set up a romance?

Esta hasn't read a lot of romance novels -- though he has heard that many of them are good enough as pure literature to be read by men, if they don't mind the implicit messages those novels send about men's place in the universe and their ultimate inferiority of wit and power to the female protagonists -- but he has heard about a general concept of what romance is like, for the sort of Chelish person who's into relationships more complicated and less entirely Lawful than 'I get sex and you get to suffer'.

And she, very plausibly since Merrin is the one saying it, thinks the [Outer God] is doing what?  Trying to set up a romance?

Esta hasn't read a lot of romance novels -- though he has heard that many of them are good enough as pure literature to be read by men, if they don't mind the implicit messages those novels send about men's place in the universe and their ultimate inferiority of wit and power to the female protagonists -- but he has heard about a general concept of what romance is like, for the sort of Chelish person who's into relationships more complicated and less entirely Lawful than 'I get sex and you get to suffer'.

And Merrin, very plausibly since she is the one saying it, thinks the [Outer God] is doing what?  Trying to set up a romance?

Esta hasn't read a lot of romance novels -- though he has heard that many of them are good enough as pure literature to be read by men, if they don't mind the implicit messages those novels send about men's place in the universe and their ultimate inferiority of wit and power to the female protagonists -- but he has heard about a general concept of what romance is like, for the sort of Chelish person who's into relationships more complicated and less entirely Lawful than 'I get sex and you get to suffer'.

And Merrin, very plausibly since she is the one saying it, thinks the [Outer God] is doing what?  Trying to set up a romance?

Esta hasn't read a lot of 'romance novels' since the literary form was invented a few years back -- though he has heard that many of those novels are good enough as pure literature to be read by men, if they don't mind the implicit messages those novels send about men's place in the universe and their ultimate inferiority of wit and power to the female protagonists.  But he has heard about a general concept of what romance is like, for the sort of Chelish person who's into relationships more complicated and less entirely Lawful than 'I get sex and you get to suffer' --

And Merrin, very plausibly since she is the one saying it, thinks the [Outer God] is doing what?  Trying to set up a romance?

Esta hasn't read a lot of 'romance novels' since that literary form was invented a few years back -- though he has heard that many of those novels are good enough as pure literature to be read by men, if they don't mind the implicit messages those novels send about men's place in the universe and their ultimate inferiority of wit and power to the female protagonists.  But he has heard about a general concept of what romance is like, for the sort of Chelish person who's into relationships more complicated and less entirely Lawful than 'I get sex and you get to suffer' --

And Merrin, very plausibly since she is the one saying it, thinks the [Outer God] is doing what?  Trying to set up a romance?

Esta hasn't read a lot of 'romance novels' since that literary form was invented a few years back -- though he has heard that many of those novels are good enough as sheer literature to be read by men, if they don't mind the implicit messages those novels send about men's place in the universe and their ultimate inferiority of wit and power to the female protagonists.  But he has heard about a general concept of what romance is like, for the sort of Chelish person who's into relationships more complicated and less entirely Lawful than 'I get sex and you get to suffer' --