Umbertiel, part 2 (Inquisition)

[Alberich]

"If they're there, father, I will - but as I mentioned before, she left us there and said she was going on errands for the Church, which I thought meant here...but I'll ask around until I find where she went." He hurried off. He delivered the good news to Desiree and Eli, and made sure their quarters met Father Arpad's specifications. Then he invited Brad and Lillith to walk with him back to the inn.

As they walked, he reverted to his usual, jaunty self, greeting the townsfolk he knew as they passed. Several stopped to talk to him, and he made sure to put out the "party line" exactly as Father Arpad had laid it down. To those who seemed to know of the accusation against Maduin, he asked further, where had they heard it, or did they know who saw what? He also asked after Rose.

Once these guests were safe in their quarters, he meant to chase that one down further. While he was pretty sure it was just some random drunk's talk, the simple fact was that someone or something had started that fire and, so it was said in the church, someone had tried to assassinate the inquisitor, and Sister Bree had died, and Bishop Cyrus nearly did. Something was afoot and it wasn't just destiny. He wasn't about to spread rumors himself, but it's just possible that whoever was behind these other happenings had wanted a riot, had wanted the strangers dead or mobbed, and had nearly achieved it.

Which reminded him to say to Brad, along the way, "By the way - you handled that crowd very well, and got us out of a near scrape. Thank you."

[Graybeard]

Brad blushed. "I really didn't do anything," he demurred. "I just had to -- to --" He looked at Lillith with the usual big puppy-dog smile on his face, and it wasn't necessary to finish the sentence.

As they walked back to the inn, Lillith having made sure that her hair covered her ears, they could hear that the rumor mill was up and running. "Her soul already be hauntin' the temple..." "Ol' Elmy be havin' a -- hallucy-nation, thinkin' he be seein' an elf..." "His Emy-nence be gettin' possessed by that damn witch's soul, that's what be makin' him almost be dyin' there..." "I seen it! I be seein' a demon settin' that fire..." But he did notice one thing as they got to the inn that wasn't a rumor or a hallucination.

He knocked softly on Sister Rose's door, aware that she and Argus were in there, although their voices were just a (magically) subdued rumble. (Surely they couldn't be ... could they?) "Rose? There's a -- parrot out at the wagon for you."

Rose had just finished another entry in the late Sister Bree's diary, and momentarily she poked her head out, first taking a moment to conceal the diary before she answered the door. "Brad? Is that you?" she said as the Damping spell went away for the moment; they could bring it back when they resumed with the diary. "Give me just a minute, I'll --" She paused and looked at Brother Timothy. "I -- wasn't expecting you here," she said. "What's wrong now?" I probably shouldn't assume that this young priest only shows up when there's trouble, but so far it seems like a pretty solid assumption...

[OOC: OK, so we have Eli, Desiree, Bryce and Maduin more or less safely ensconced in the cloister, and these five here. However, we seem to be missing some players, even if their characters are accounted for. Where did everybody go?]

[Drusia]

Having been shown to our room for the night, I look at Eli.

"So... um... I guess that worked," I say.

I pause, glancing around our quarters.

"Say, Eli..." I say slowly, a sly smile spreading across my face, "I've never made love in a temple of Luminosa before. And it seems that we're being permitted full marital rights as 'newly weds' - so... wanna?"

-- Desiree

[Porcelain Fish]

Bryce waited until Timothy and the others had left and Eli had settled down before opening the door he'd been "guarding."

Maduin's light brown hair formed a halo around his head, spilling across the pillow, and he had one leg crossed over the other, shoes discarded in favor of the relative freedom of plain white socks, the train of his pale green robe spilling off the edge of the bed, combining with his light green silk slacks to make it look as though emeralds had been poured out over the plain bedding. He was looking at the ceiling, a serene expression on his features.

Bryce waited. Maduin said nothing.

Finally, Bryce's eyebrows rose. "All right. Why no fancy mind-bending magic?"

"Brother Timothy had the entire situation well under control. I'm perfectly comfortable with delegating a task to someone who can handle it capably." Maduin folded his arms behind his head. "I don't compel people as a matter-of-course, Bryce. I'd think you'd have seen enough to know that by now."

Bryce looked at him for a moment longer, and then stepped inside, shut the door behind him, and walked slowly over to the bed, sitting on the side of it. After a moment his hand came up, fingers resting flat on Maduin's stomach and then sliding over to his ribs.

"I'm sorry," he said softly. "You didn't deserve what I said to you."

Maduin let out a long sigh, and he laid his hand lightly on top of Bryce's. "I'd like to say it's not true, that everyone in Tsuiraku is sweet and wonderful and thinks only of the best for all society, but the truth is, most of them only look after the interests of society because they're smart enough to realize that it's in their own best interests to do so. If you don't play the game, you lose face, or you're exiled entirely. Public benevolence is just one more weapon in the arsenal-"

Bryce's mouth, warm and gentle, interrupted his words. The deep green eyes were intent as he pulled back slightly. "I don't care about them. I don't care about Tsuiraku. I care about you."

Maduin studied him for a long moment. "It made me what I am."

Bryce grinned, but his gaze still held its intensity. "I guess that's one good reason at least not to burn it out of the sky."

Maduin lifted his head and kissed him lightly back. "That, and the shopping. You just can't beat the shopping."

[Sareth]

[OOC]Sorry, I've been ill. I'm still recovering.[/OOC]

Lillith spoke up to respond to Rose's question. "Apparently he's been asked to join in our efforts on your church's behalf. I don't know if it's a good thing or a bad thing, but at least he doesn't mind us." Lillith pulled her hair aside to reveal her ears. "And he seems able to handle himself well enough. He talked a crowd out of lynching Eli and he managed to talk Eli down as well."

The girl stepped aside to let Sister Rose digest what she had just been told. She slipped through the door to stand next to Argus. Very quietly she spoke to him out of the hearing of the others, "Hello father." She glanced around. "This room is far too orderly. You two need to start misbehaving more."

[Graybeard]

"This room is far too orderly. You two need to start misbehaving more."

Sister Rose couldn't help herself. "Oh, that can be arranged," she said cheerfully, and delivered a quick peck to the obviously mortified Argus' cheek. "Let me go down and check on the parrot, and you can discuss the fine art of misbehaving with your daughter." (Who could possibly stand a little amping-up of the misbehavior herself, Rose thought, but one thing at a time.)

She returned a few minutes later bearing a message capsule. [OOC: Feel free to insert the contents of that father-daughter conversation as you wish; that can go on asynchronously. /OOC:] "This one is unclassified," she said, "so it's in hard copy ... and it's interesting."

Just a heads-up on two issues. We have received word that something happened down your way, although the Patriarch's office isn't telling us what. We checked, and they say you're all okay, which we were glad to hear. Please give us your own report, classified if necessary, ASAP. Meanwhile:

First thing: We are told that the Patriarch wants a young priest from Umbertiel to join you on the next leg of your voyage. We don't know anything of him ourselves, but his name is Brother Timothy, he is also a reservist, and somebody over in Xanadu speaks highly of him. That might mean that he actually knows his ass from a hole in the ground; it might just mean that he has kissed the right ass, no doubt attached to some highly placed and devoutly conservative bureaucrat. We just don't know. Anyway, please accommodate him as best you can.

Second, there will be another, classified parrot arriving in the morning with your marching orders. That one is going to be highly sensitive, for your ears, Dr. Cleiviein's, and Brother Timothy's only. Consider this a heads-up and be ready to listen to it bright and early. I don't know what the contents will be; I'm not even sure they know over at the pleasure dome. Just be ready to move out as soon as you find out.

More later. If I can find out what it is that has the Patriarch's knickers in a knot, I'll pass it along. For now, take care of yourselves and get some sleep.

Bernie

[OOC: Hope you're feeling better, Sarge. Incidentally, for the sake of newcomers to this family of threads, "Xanadu" is the term that Rose's commanding officer in the reserves/special forces uses to refer to the great temple in Emerylon. He's at least as snarky about the Orthodox regime as Rose is ...]

[Jack Rothwell]

"I've never made love in a temple of Luminosa before. And it seems that we're being permitted full marital rights as 'newly weds' - so... wanna?"

Instead of giving Desiree a verbal answer, Eli took her in his arms and kissed her. Thoroughly. When he pulled back he was breathing like a man who'd just run a race.

"I wanted to say thank you." He said earnestly. "You intervened in there before I had the chance to do something stupid and I appreciate it." A mischievious smile spread across the half-elf's lips. "And I should really show my appreciation..."

With that, Eli scooped Desiree off her feet and jumped onto the bed with an audible thud that carried clearly down the neighbouring corridor.

[Alberich]

Brother Timothy laughed boyishly, a little too loud, at the description of himself. In any hierarchy, military or not, you always wondered what the higher-ups were saying about you, if they were even thinking of you at all. The message confirmed what he'd picked up from everyone's conduct, that Rose was just what she said, and was the leader of this expedition.

To Rose and Argus he delivered his charge, confirming that he had been ordered to join them, that the others were safe at the temple -- "And Father Arpad asked me to take you and Argus both to see him there. Would you mind going yourselves? If I've only got one more night here, I'd like to do some asking around the people I know, and see where that stupid rumor came from. Someone was blaming Maduin for the fire, which doesn't fit what I saw, and, well, I might find out something." Better than sitting around waiting for the enemy, whoever that is, to try a new move.

Brad cut in. "Here's a thought - if you're doing that, why don't Lillith and I go with you? I bet some folks would open right up to her...I mean, ah, you know, cover more ground, that kind of thing."

Brother Tim gave it a moment's thought. Most of the locals knew next to nothing of the Reformists, and wouldn't recognize the differences between Brad's vestments and the Orthodox. Brad, at least, was ingenuous by nature, and would warm the right kind of hearts so that they'd talk. And this Lillith, he hadn't gotten to know her so well or even where she was from, but people liked talking to pretty girls, and falling all over themselves to help them, if she'd keep those ears covered...When trying to chase a rumor down, he liked to take his time talking to people, and an extra hand or two would certainly be of help.

He looked the question over to her, to see her reaction, while waiting for Rose's answer.

[Drannin]

Argus had simply groaned when Rose had gone for the message. Turning to Lillith, he had said "Darling daughter, must you make such embarrassing comments?" Lillith's smirk indicated that, indeed, she had to.

Now, he couldn't help but note with bemusement that Rose's superiors seemed so willing to let him in on sensitive information.

[Drusia]

"I wanted to say thank you." He said earnestly. "You intervened in there before I had the chance to do something stupid and I appreciate it." A mischievious smile spread across the half-elf's lips. "And I should really show my appreciation..."

With that, Eli scooped Desiree off her feet and jumped onto the bed with an audible thud that carried clearly down the neighbouring corridor.

I laugh happily as Eli shows his appreciation - laugh, and other, similarly joyful noises.

I survived. And I did something useful.

And tomorrow we get to leave this deadful town. None too soon.

Never mind that. I take my time and embrace joy. And Eli - for the moment, sharing one face.

-- Desiree

OOC: I'm going to be out of town until Tuesday. I should have intenet (and plenty of free time) so hopefully I will be able to post as usual, but if not - just wanted to give everyone an FYI. ^^