Salvus and homeward

[Graybeard]

[OOC: So on to morning? Incidentally, I'm going to be out of pocket for a couple of weeks starting on Wednesday, with net access intermittent at best, but let's give Udo something to do while I'm gone; A, feel free to take that part of things from here...]

As the sun rose over Salvus, Therese and Sister Rose began the relatively agreeable process of disentangling themselves from those they slept with and doing their morning religious rituals. For Rose this was no big deal, as she'd been sleeping with Argus long enough now to be able to leave him snoozing peacefully as she said her prayers, although the prayers themselves had a slightly different content than they had had for years. For Therese, however...

As she set up the figurines representing the Five Great Mothers, she couldn't help sneaking an occasional glance back at Desiree. Part of it was pure wonderment, but there was something else too. On a conscious level, she had no idea that her new lover had been awake for more of the night than she herself had. But nerve endings that weren't connected directly to her consciousness ... well, maybe they'd noticed something. Or maybe not.

Finally, as she pressed the small figurine representing Continne to her lips, she turned at the right time to see Desiree's eyes flutter open. She flushed and set down the figurine. "I'm sorry," she said. "Was I making too much noise? I didn't mean to wake you up."

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Meanwhile, in Corgal:

The intrusion of light and sound on Udo's consciousness was less ... gentle than on Argus' or Desiree's. Of course, part of that was because of the state he'd been in when he fell into what passed for sleep the night before. Part of it, though, was that the Veracian man now squinting down at him, with a dowdy woman and small child behind him, wasn't exactly inclined to be subtle.

"Be pardonin' me, soor," the rustic said, "but I be hear tellin' you be in the buzyness of providin' security for trav'lers. Be ye wantin' a job helpin' me an' my family to be gettin' acrost th' border safe-like?" He jingled a beat-up money pouch that had a small but indeterminate number of coins in it, "We be willin' to pay -- not real much, o' course, we be poor folk, which is why we be tryin' to get over to Santy-warry-el, but we be willin' anyways." He jingled the pouch again.

[Alberich]

Udo's bleary eyes went from shellshocked to shiny in an instant. Hero for hire - soldier of fortune - and they were on the Road to St. Joe Warrior, and hadn't he heard that was some kind of uplifting spiritually mystical vision quest kind of thing? It was the road to someplace anyway, and the pilgrims needed guarding, and if it was really spiritual...who knew what kind of freaky i-root they might have there?

But if he was going to guard them, there were preliminary challenges. Like standing up. And what with being a mystififfical martial artist now and all, it had to be done in the right morning-meditation style. Don't think of the headache -- let go --

Beaming through his beard, Udo spread his arms wide and stretched his legs out forward. "The Soaring Albatross!"

The three Veracians looked puzzled.

Seeming unaware of them, the Tsuirakuan balled his fists, drew in his knees and elbows, and rolled forward. "The Impregnable Roly-Poly!"

The puzzlement did not disappear.

The demonstration ran through the Mantis Seeking Prey, the Fist Shaken at the Heavens, and the Erectness of the Morning, but in the end he absolutely proved that he could stand up. Now he must find the Balance, between the Light and the Dark, the Night and the Dawn, the Pain and the Bliss, the Sacred and the Profane, the Ethereal and the Material.

"So," he asked, "How much is 'not real much'?"

[Graybeard]

"How much is 'not real much'?"

The farmer looked uncomfortable, made a decision. He jingled the purse again. "Whatever's in here, less'n whatever it be takin' to get th' magic boys to be healin' the daughter. See, she's got a cough somethin' fierce." As if on cue, the child produced a bellowing, whooping cough that made the farmer's face turn pale.

Meanwhile, a tall man seated on the other side of the room frowned at proceedings, then turned back to his breakfast.

[Alberich]

The hacking cough brought on a demonstration of The Leaping Crane. Specifically, the Crane Leaped back away from that contagious kid. Udo then relaxed back into a normal stance.

"I'll take it!" he said. He meant it, too. It didn't occur to him for the moment that a family with a cute kid would convince him to forfeit his fee, or the bulk of it, just by giving him those sad cow eyes. Medidation hadn't brought him self-awareness.

"When you're ready!" he said. "Or after breakfast, whichever is later." He'd just have to do his guarding upwind from Little Lord Pestilence.

[Graybeard]

The farmer's face lit up with a smile. "Bless you, soor," he said, and turned back to his wife and child to finish his own breakfast...

... While the tall man glared at them from across the room, and the air crackled faintly with magic.

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

OOC: And on that note, I'm outta here for about ten days. Will try to check in when I can, but this trip may be pretty net-silent.

[Drusia]

For Therese, however... As she set up the figurines representing the Five Great Mothers, she couldn't help sneaking an occasional glance back at Desiree.
Finally, as she pressed the small figurine representing Continne to her lips, she turned at the right time to see Desiree's eyes flutter open. She flushed and set down the figurine. "I'm sorry," she said. "Was I making too much noise? I didn't mean to wake you up."

I blink a little and supress a yawn. She looks so happy. I smile in spite of my tiredness.

"No, it wasn't that," I reply, which is only half true as she did wake me up, but never mind. "I'm interested in your ritual. Please, go one - I'd like to watch." I pause, considering my words. "If you don't mind, I mean."

I do yawn now, blinking furiously in an attempt to look alert. Mental note - if there's any tea at breakfast, I need to steal a tea bag to rub on my eyelids. I don't want to have shadows under my eyes all day.

-- Desiree

OOC: Save travels, Graybeard! Take care!

[Graybeard]

[OOC: just a quick one while I have a little access, back in regular touch Sunday...]

" Certainly," Therese smiled as she continued, pressing each of the five figurines to her lips and then arranging them in an arc around a candle. This she lit, and she uttered a quiet prayer. "Great Mothers, give me strength and wisdom to face this new day,". She was ready to disassemble the set, but she decided on one impromptu modification; such things were allowed in her people's rituals.

" Strength, wisdom... and love," she added with a soft smile.

[Drusia]

"Certainly," Therese smiled as she continued, pressing each of the five figurines to her lips and then arranging them in an arc around a candle. This she lit, and she uttered a quiet prayer. "Great Mothers, give me strength and wisdom to face this new day,".
" Strength, wisdom... and love," she added with a soft smile.

I smile in turn. Whatever happened last night, whatever she was feeling then, she's thinking of me now. That's more than I've ever asked of a lover before. I'm not really sure what got into me last night. After all, before all corporeal concerns, I belong to the goddess. Last night I served her and - I hope - gave healing to Therese.

It wasn't what I intended, but I'm glad it worked out anyway.

-- Desiree

[Graybeard]

Therese and Desiree were up early enough that breakfast at the inn wasn't yet an option. "Let's go for a walk," Therese suggested. "Work up an appetite." Her impish (and rather out of character) smile left some uncertainty as to exactly what kind of "appetite" she was thinking of working up.

They hadn't gone far, however, before she noticed that a thirtyish woman in the robes of the Veracian Church was staring at the pair intently from the doorway of a nearby inn.

[Drusia]

They hadn't gone far, however, before she noticed that a thirtyish woman in the robes of the Veracian Church was staring at the pair intently from the doorway of a nearby inn.

I sigh. Why does trouble always follow me around?

Without letting my eyes follow the Veracian woman, I say softly to Therese, "I figure there's about a 10 percent chance she has information about Sasha, a 20 percent chance she has information for Rose, a 30 percent chance she's a part of some sort of evil organization who plans to oppose us, and a 50 percent chance that she's just some crackpot about to call us whores and temptresses because we're a couple even when those insults illogically imply we'd want to be sleeping with people other than ourselves."

I pause, considering my math for a moment. Hm. Well, technically she could be about to do two of those things, in which case the percents could cross over.

-- Desiree

OOC: Desiree chooses to snark rather than engage.