Goriel and beyond, part 6

[Graybeard]

Dorothy Ordial was enchanted, and it wasn't hard to see where Sister Rose had got her capacity for empathy. "Yes, she does that," she smiled, with a wink to her daughter, who replied in kind (albeit with some embarrassment). She switched to the Tsuirakuan language. "I don't get to practice this very often. Now why don't you come in for some tea? Unfortunately, my husband got called in to work, some annoyance involving an airship, but I'm sure he'll join us later." She waved her hand dismissively; it couldn't be very important.

[OOC: But she may be wrong. Check what's going on in the other thread.]

[Drusia]

[OOC: Anfisa's staying with Desiree wherever she is; Desiree tends to be very shy about going out in Veracia; but I also wrote it so Drusia can make the call.]

OOC: Sorry for the delay - I was slammed with papers all last week, and yesterday I had a wedding to go to. It has been a very, very busy week.

Desiree (and therefore Anfisa) will accompany Therese and help her with her clothes - that's pretty much SOP for Anfisa, and Desiree might take the opportunity to look for something more Veracian to wear by way of flimsly camoflague.

Actually, I think I'll let the master handle this one. Let me quote:

Knowing some little bit about [Veracian] sensibilities... I dressed modestly... donning a gown of brownworsted which I used to wear traveling, and a thick woolen shawl; well-made, but the sort of stuff a rustic noblewoman might don for commonwear. ...with my hair coiled in a braid and [wearing] sturdy boots, surely, I thought, I was the very picture of drab modesty.

This is what I thought [in my chamber], anyway. In a sea of foreign faces, a [half-Rinkai] stands out like a beacon, flashing that deadly beauty that cuts like a blade. ... here, as voices fell silent and [Veracian] children raised wondering eyes, I remembered.

So yeah. That.

Anyway, back to the story in progress... /OOC

Desiree:

"Mind speech?" I ask Tim, leaning in and keeping my voice low, "I've heard my mother speak of that. I didn't realize it was common among Luminosans to learn such things." I'm not sure if that is reassuring or more frightening.

-- Desiree

[Graybeard]

[OOC: LOL, that was entertaining...]

Telepathy, thought Therese. She'd heard of it being used (not to mention seeing Sister Rose and Argus use it), but nobody in the Sisterhood could use it, certainly not herself. It put her on guard; from what little she knew of Veracia, it didn't seem like a very Luminositan thing to do.

She finished paying for the little trinkets for back home, then walked into the neighboring shop where Desiree and Anfisa were buying outfits, keeping an eye out as she did so for the trio who'd been following them. Nobody was obvious. Of course, with this rather foolish young priest having all but announced to the followers that he knew they were there, they'd be more discreet now. Oh, well; what was done couldn't be undone. However, it would still be good to know if they were still being followed. "Let's go look at that war memorial," she said; it should be easier to pick out stalkers once they were out of the crowded marketplace.

------------

A young woman was looking, wide-eyed, at Rose and Argus as they followed their hostess into the house. "No need to stare, Rae-Ann," Dorothy Ordial chided her. "People from Tsuiraku have one head, two arms, two legs, just like the rest of us. Now be a dear and fix us some tea." The young woman gulped, answered "yes, ma'am," and disappeared back into the kitchen.

"Our maid," she explained to Argus. "Country girl, really quite a clever child, but still full of all manner of stories and legends and rumors about your country. I thought some of these exchange programs, like what took Rose to Kiyoka, might make some inroads on those, but apparently not."

"Oh, I don't know about that, Mom," Rose smiled. "We met as a result of one of those exchange programs, after all." She reached over and squeezed Argus' hand as the tea was brought; the older woman had probably figured out the situation by now, but no point in leaving any lingering doubts.

Mrs. Ordial picked up the cue instantly. "So you're going to make an honest woman out of my daughter? Or maybe you did already? There are so many things I need to warn you about, then ..." She winked and smiled as Rose once again blushed.

[Alberich]

"Mind speech? I've heard my mother speak of that. I didn't realize it was common among Luminosans to learn such things."

"Oh, it's not common," he said. "And a good thing it isn't, too." From his last experiment with Rose, he'd been able to see...you could sense more than just the words being spoken, indirectly. The integrity of one's own mind, the privacy of one's own thoughts - these were gifts of Luminosita, and this mind-speech put them in danger. For people to rub along together in society, lots of true feelings had to be hidden, and lots of thoughts had to go unspoken. In a small snowbound village in midwinter, let everyone feel each other's thoughts, and there might be no one left come springtime! No, regular talk was far better.

"But...things like that are more common among the priesthood than layfolk, so I figure, whoever that man was, he was probably a churchman as well."

Tim was in fact well pleased with the way he'd handled this, and amused at their "disciples'" departure. The simple fact was that the ladies and he weren't on a secret mission of any kind, just sightseeing, and the only thing they had to fear was that they'd raise suspicion by looking furtive. He'd done exactly the opposite, and even a thousand spies would see only innocent people doing innocent sightseeing - not because of a cunning plan, but because that was exactly what was going on. Besides which, he thought it was right and proper for the Church to keep its eye on foreign travellers, even those travelling with a priest. He couldn't get into the mindset of lying low, hiding everything, and trying not to draw attention - not in his own country he couldn't.

[Drusia]

"But...things like that are more common among the priesthood than layfolk, so I figure, whoever that man was, he was probably a churchman as well."

"Oh, I see," I reply, although I'm not sure I do. Luminosan politics again? Ugh.

"Let's go look at that war memorial," Therese said.

"Yes, let's," I agree. I have no idea what war it's memorializing, but anything is better than being stared at by this crowd.

-- Desiree

[Graybeard]

The war memorial was built on the usual principles of war memorials: large, gaudy and jingoistic. It was open to the outside, with a large rotunda [OOC: think Jefferson Memorial as a model -- /OOC], in the center of which stood a statue of Luminosita in a pose that would be familiar to residents of Emerylon. Smaller statues of priests and military leaders from the Mage/Priest War stood at the four entrances. Names of those who had fallen in the War were engraved on the walls.

Therese, to her considerable mortification, couldn't help herself. She looked at the statue with growing amusement, doing her best to stifle a chortle -- but eventually just the slightest hint of one came out.

"So that is what the god of the Veracians looks like?" she whispered to Desiree, hoping that none of the few citizens inside the memorial could hear.

[Alberich]

Anfisa was also starting to join in with a giggle. But one Veracian had heard - Tim himself. He stepped up and spoke softly.

"Therese, when I was in your village, I didn't go off on these 'five great mothers' and all. Would've been bad manners for a traveller." Plus I was under orders not to convert anyone in Goriel. "Please show those same good manners yourself." He gave a half-glare to Anfisa as well. He didn't want another scene from Umbertiel, with damn-fool Eli calling his countrymen "peasants" while he, Tim, tried to stop a riot.

Really, he'd thought this Therese had more common sense than that. The truth was, in Veracia, a lot of trangressions were tolerated - like the village "funny boy," or a house of ill fame that everyone could find, or a neighbor who drank too much on a holy day, or didn't seem very enthusiastic about his religion. It was like a covenant, but the other half of the covenant was, you had to keep it discreet. Otherwise, you were challenging the authority of the Church, and tempting the innocent to sin or heresy - far more serious matters. He hoped she'd get the message and cut the foolishness.

[Graybeard]

Therese made a conscious effort to wipe the smile/smirk/whatever off her face. "I'm sorry, Tim," she said softly. "That was terribly impolite of me. I should know better than to make comments on other cultures' religious practices. It's just that ..." Her voice tailed off. How could she possibly explain the role that this "deity's" image played in the dwarven porn that was a staple of the lower classes of the countryside surrounding Refuge-Nouveau? The thought was enough to get her going again, and she turned away so that she could put a hand over her mouth without facing the priest ...

... And as she did, she noticed something that sobered her up.

"They're back," she said. "Standing outside, wearing tourist clothes rather than robes. And they look pissed."

[Drusia]

Therese and Anfisa seem to think the statue of Luminosa looks funny. I think he looks pretty terrifying myself, but then perhaps that's just my fear of smitings - whatever they are, they sound very unpleasant.

"Therese, when I was in your village, I didn't go off on these 'five great mothers' and all. Would've been bad manners for a traveller. Please show those same good manners yourself." He gave a half-glare to Anfisa as well.

I'm torn. I'm generally inclined to respect the gods of any place or group I happen to travel to, so Tim has a point. At the same time, he makes it sound as if worshiping 'great mothers' is somehow outlandish. Who better to worship? Anilis is the great mother of Elves, after all.

"I'm sorry, Tim," she said softly. "That was terribly impolite of me. I should know better than to make comments on other cultures' religious practices. It's just that ..." She breaks off, giggling again. What? I look back at the statue, then at her. No really, what? Before I can ask aloud, she sobers.

"They're back," she said. "Standing outside, wearing tourist clothes rather than robes. And they look pissed."

"They are?" I whisper, hiding behind Therese. Anfisa hides with me. There really isn't enough of Therese to make this an effective tactic for both of us, so I imagine we look a bit foolish doing it, but I'm still not sure if I should be cross with Tim or not, and anyway I get the impression that Therese is a better person to hide behind if things get unpleasant.

Also, I'm not above taking the opportunity to let my hands rest on her back. Out of her disguise, she's quite slender, although through the cloth I can feel those same tight muscles. She probably got them hiking around the hills and mountains near Goriel, setting up camps, and doing whatever other physical tasks one does when one 'roughs it'.

"What do they want?" I ask softly. I'm not really asking anyone in particular, and I'm not even sure if anyone has an answer for me, but still, it seems like a question worth asking.

-- Desiree

[Drannin]

Argus coughed, blushing a little himself. "Well," he said awkwardly, "You know what they say. A relationship is like a voyage of exploration and all that." Actually, he didn't remember where he'd heard that exactly. All Argus knew was that he hadn't courted a woman in many, many years, and was starting to remember how awkward he was at it. Fortunately, the associated females seemed to be understanding of that matter.

And Mrs. Ordial, good natured as she was, saw right through that and was going to have some good-natured fun at his expense, he was sure. Oh well.