Salticiel and beyond

[Graybeard]

Sister Rose nodded and dropped the matter of Harker for the time being; they were approaching the Orthodox temple, and certain subjects were ... awkward ... to discuss in Orthodox hearing. It'd merit coming back to later, though.

Before they knocked on the door, Rose motioned Argus to a halt and bent to his ear, trying to look disconsolate for the sake of the few passers-by. "I'm going to need lots of help here," she said softly. "One of my personal quirks that you've probably noticed by now is that I don't lie well. Evasions, yes, misleading half-truths, yes, but for some reason, I just have a very difficult time telling an out-and-out falsehood. If this conversation goes in certain directions, you may have to take over, to make it convincing." She smiled ruefully. "It's ironic, because one of the things they tried to teach us back in seminary was euphemistically called 'public speaking,' also known as 'how to say outrageous things with a straight face.' I didn't do very well in that class..."

The nondescript Father Thaddeus opened the door, recognized Rose, made polite noises. She got straight to the point. "I'm sorry to say that there has been a death in my extended family." Very extended. "You may have heard about it already. There has been an elf following us, and it appears that she killed two half elves this morning. One of them was my -- cousin's daughter." She indicated Argus and hoped Thaddeus wouldn't inquire how close the "cousins" were; scholarly estimates were that every human in the world was at least a fifteenth cousin of everyone else, after all. "We need your assistance in doing the things that must be done."

The aging, gray priest nodded, mustering all the passion he seemed capable of, which wasn't much. "A terrible business, so I hear. My condolences and prayers are with you. How may I be of service?"

[Drannin]

Argus bowed deeply, thinking back to what Rose had said earlier. "My apologies for coming to you like this, Father. I want to see my daughter back home, to where she can be buried. I came here to beg your assistance in this manner." Meaning a coffin, and a story about a grief-stricken father taking his young one back home. He hoped the old priest was buying it.

[Graybeard]

"My apologies for coming to you like this, Father. I want to see my daughter back home, to where she can be buried. I came here to beg your assistance in this manner."

The old priest nodded gravely, if rather diffidently. "I'm terribly sorry. May Luminosita's Peace be with you. Let me gather up the embalming spices." He started to turn toward a cabinet, but Sister Rose caught him before he could open it.

"Unfortunately, we can't do that," she said. "You may recall from our earlier conversation that we've been working at the mission in Kiyoka, on the island of Tsuiraku, trying to make converts in that godless land." Would Argus take offense at the way this conversation was going? She thought not; she certainly hoped not. "This poor girl was not a child of Veracia, and she had not yet been brought into our holy church when she died. To give her the full rites of a child of Luminosita would be -- inappropriate."

Father Thaddeus stiffened, slightly but perceptibly, at this news. "Well, then, I suppose a cremation would be more to the point," he declared. "We have the facilities for that as well." He looked expectantly at Argus.

[Drannin]

Argus screamed mentally, but suppressed it. "Actually, Father, all I really need is... well... a coffin. As long as I can manage to transport her body safely, I can take her back home, where she belongs." He wondered vaguely if the old man was just screwing around with them for fun.

[Graybeard]

"Actually, Father, all I really need is... well... a coffin. As long as I can manage to transport her body safely, I can take her back home, where she belongs."

Sister Rose was puzzled at the impassive stare Father Thaddeus was giving Argus, but then she noticed something that made it all clear: the man's hand was hovering near an offering plate.

Would mind-to-mind communication work directly with Argus, minus the much greater magical powers of an elf? She decided to try. She turned her gaze to her companion and said, "Argus..."

And thought at him: <"Bribe. Baksheesh. Or, from his point of view, offering.">

[Drannin]

<Br...sheesh... fro-is..view, offer...>

Argus picked up Rose's mind-speech in a very hazy fashion. It was indistinct and full of static, but Argus was still impressed. To have learned mental communication so quickly from interacting with Drusia... Rose was quite impressive.

In any case, the massage was mostly incoherent, but the last word had some emphasis on it: offer. As in offering. Combined with the fact that the old man's hand was havering near an offering plate... well, Argus was able to do the math.

With a slight cough, Argus reached into his pocket and dropped a few high-denomination coins into the offering tray.

[Graybeard]

That did the trick. "For one who supports our work for Our Lord Luminosita, I can do no less." The priest motioned for Sister Rose and Argus to follow him to a shed behind the temple, where several plain wooden coffins were stored.

Rose was surprised to notice one thing as the transaction was completed: the shed also contained boxed-up vestments and altar pieces of a distinctly Millenarian design. When she asked Father Thaddeus about them, the old man shrugged. "The Millenarian temple in town has been out of business for some time. The congregation shrank to almost zero, and the last itinerant priest they had coming around, a Brother Elgin if I remember correctly, stopped visiting to conduct services. We've been storing their temple goods for them as a courtesy, but I believe they've suspended their ministry in town for good."

No, they haven't, Rose thought, remembering the two men who'd been in the tavern when the charade with Lillith was conducted, and the fact that they'd made a beeline for the "defunct" Millenarian temple. Something was going on there ... but whatever it was, seeing to Lillith would have to take precedence over investigating it. They thanked Thaddeus for his cooperation and started carrying the coffin back to the inn.

[OOC: And on that note, would people be OK with opening a new thread? It can pick up from right here, but this one is getting to about our usual maximum thread length. Go ahead and post here until it's up, which will happen as soon as everyone gives the go-ahead.]

[Drannin]

(OOC: Might as well; this looks like a good point to stop the thread anyway. Should we jump ahead to when everyone's leaving town?)

[Graybeard]

OOC: OK, new thread ("The road to Gervasiel") open, this one to be locked shortly. Please continue on there as though it was 100% compatible with this one...