Douaga: the search for Brother Dalton

[Graybeard]

The nun glared at Mordan's back as he scampered away, then composed herself. "I am Sister Helen, of the Church of Our Lord Luminosita," she said. (Sister Rose wasn't particularly surprised that she didn't find it necessary to identify herself as part of the "Orthodox" church. Most priests and nuns wouldn't.) "How may I help you?"

Introductions were made, Rose noting with approval that the nun seemed quite unfazed at the inclusion of a Tsuirakuan and two (maybe she would see three, believing that Desiree was also not native to Veracia) Northerners in the group. Good; that would make things easier, and it wasn't something that could be counted on among nuns of the Church. Other than Mordan, with whom she seemed to have prior issues that had nothing to do with this mission, the only party member who didn't seem to meet with her approval was young Audie. She's wondering how a twelve-year-old novice came to be included in this group, thought Rose. I don't need the Empathy for that, and truthfully, even knowing the nominal reason, it was a surprise to me too. "I think we'd better get to work right away," she said as soon as the formalities were done. "Can you show us where Brother Dalton was working when this unfortunate event happened?"

"Oh! I can do that, ma'am," a child's voice piped up from beyond the open door, surprising Rose, and apparently, also Helen. A boy who appeared about the same age as Audie, with the same nut-brown skin tone as Brother Miguel, was peeking around the door, his eyes wide and excitement drawn clearly on his face. A local boy serving as a novice, Rose thought. Sharp, too; he's picked up our language, the translator didn't have to do a thing, and he's almost accent-free.

Unexpectedly, the older nun smiled; Rose deduced that she rather liked this young man. "That won't be necessary, Shortround," she said. "I see that our visitors include a novice just like you. Why don't you show him around your town while we work on the investigation?"

The boy's grin widened. "I can do that too, ma'am," he beamed, and stepped out to join the group, heading instantly for Audie's side.

[Alberich]

"Thankye," said Audie, going off with the lad into the byways of the tree-town. They'd barely gotten out of earshot when they were stopped with a "Whoah!" A well-muscled, long-headed, short-bearded, bald fruit harvester stepped out in front, held out a hand, and started talking in the local language.

"<What's this, Mordan? I knew you were sweet on Sister Helen, but this is going to new lengths even for you! And you've given up that foul-smelling pipe...>"

Audie looked blank - Shortround started to explain - but Mi!fule the Fruit-Picker was already calling his neighbors, "<Hey, look who's joined the Iron Tree Witch Doctor!>" -- for his robe and his looks had brought him to the wrong conclusions entirely -- and soon they were surrounded with gabbling villagers, all peppering Audie with questions he couldn't understand, let alone answer. Shortround tried to talk, but was silenced with a reminder to be quiet while his elders were speaking.

[OOC: Should Mordan overhear - he can make what he likes out of this scene.]

[Graybeard]

[OOC: Not quite sure where you're going with this -- hard for me to see how a 12-year-old can be mistaken for someone who's 26, even a short and young-looking one -- but let's go with it for now. However, some things need to happen...]

Shortround was trying to get something out when the ground trembled slightly, and there was a low rumbling noise similar to what Audie and the party had felt back in Douaga. For a moment the villagers fell silent, then their incomprehensible gabbling resumed, at what seemed to be a higher level of excitement. They turned away from the two boys for a moment, long enough for Shortround to whisper in Audie's ear.

"They think their tree goddess is talking to her child-tree." He tipped his head toward a particularly tall tree in the center of the village. "Doesn't happen often, and they get excited when it does, because sometimes it means there are weird animals that show up for them to hunt and eat." His face got a look that suggested he was trying to look thoughtful and wise beyond his years. However, it just came off as impish, smug, and thoroughly boy-like. "But I know what it really is. Show you when this crowd breaks up."

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

"'Shortround'?" Sister Rose asked Sister Helen, amused.

The older woman chuckled; Rose was getting the idea that Helen wasn't as frumpy and forbidding as she had seemed when she first emerged from the temple. "His real name is --" She produced a complex string of syllables that included clicks and whistling sounds. "Or close to that. I can't even pronounce it properly. He says it translates to Short-And-Round, so that's what he wants us to call him."

Rose rolled her eyes and smiled. "Then Shortround it is. So can we move on to the scene of the crime?" The longer they waited, the more dilute any remnant magical aura was going to be. "And let's get some detection magic up," she said to anyone in her group who had the power to cast it, as they moved around the outside of the small temple building toward a garden and a door leading to the rear of the building.

"One moment," Therese said before they entered. "Am I permitted to pick one or two of these flowers? They remind me of -- home."

The older nun considered. "I don't see any reason why not. They're no more and no less sacred to Our Lord Luminosita than anything else here, the villagers don't care about them, and things grow so fast here that they'll be replaced in just a day or two."

"Thank you," said Therese, and she bent to a plant bearing bright red flowers and picked one... and without even thinking, placed it not in her own red hair, but in Desiree's.

She flushed as Rose gave her a startled look. "Sorry, don't know what I was thinking there... but it just reminded me of someone who wore flowers in her own hair when she could."

Melusine.

[Alberich]

[OOC: Mordan's description says he's about the right height to be Audie's age, and on top of that it says he looks like a child and is sometimes mistaken for one. With the smoking habit like a lesser Baby Herman effect...So I thought it make a fun side plot to have them look almost like twins, which is why I posted that here. More when I can.]

[Graybeard]

OOC: OK, go for it...

[Alberich]

Less concerned about Mordan's apparent "conversion" than this rare religious experience, the crowd ran off to look for a Mushroom priest. Audie and Shortround took the opportunity to mosey off their own way.

"So what be it?" asked Audie.

[Browncoat]

The actual Mordan was hanging from a tree branch above, barely managing to stifle his laughter. The confusion between Audie and the villagers was hilarious. After hiding his pipe where it couldn't be taken, Mordan had returned by way of tree branches.
"Funny how people rarely think to look up," he murmured to himself.
The ease with which people mistook Audie for himself gave Mordan several ideas for fun. He slid down a trunk to join the boys with a crooked grin.
"Miss me?"

[Alberich]

Audie, who hadn't understood a word of the natives' talk, didn't know what was amusing Mordan so much. But it meant he was looking friendly and that was fine with him. He didn't mind seeing all the adults discombobulated, especially if it meant they'd run off to do their own business with the men in the funny hats and leave him and his new friends to their own devices. After all, he'd just been assured that the shaking in the earth was nothing for him to worry about. It gave him a chance to feel a little smug himself.

"Yeah," he said, "Shortround here was about to be explainin' what this rumblin' noise be, like what we were hearin' back in Douaga."

[Graybeard]

Shortround got another trying-to-be-adult smirk on his face. "Follow me," he said, and he led the way to the edge of town and to a low mound that was covered with an ivy-like vine. A snake squirmed away as he approached, but he made an unconcerned noise. "Not poisonous. Not very, anyway."

As the other two watched, he started pulling vines away from the mound, and it didn't take long for it to become obvious that what lay beneath the vines wasn't the fertile soil of most of Gona ... but a metallic door. "Ready for some adventure?" he smirked again.

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

Sister Rose felt more than slightly uneasy entering the tiny chamber that had been (still was, she hoped) Brother Dalton's dwelling place. Something just seemed basically indecent about this, poking around in a young man's bedroom while they still weren't sure whether the man was even alive. However, things needed to be done. Beckoning Argus to join her, she put up a basic magic-detection spell and set to work, while Therese, Desiree, Anfisa, Father Morton, Sister Helen and the mushroom man waited; there simply was not room for everyone in the small chamber.

[OOC: Anybody want to do anything specific in here? Or maybe better, to poke around elsewhere on the temple grounds? That might be fun. If not, don't worry; what Mordan, Audie and Shortround are poking into will shortly reveal something to keep the group entertained for a while...]

[Alberich]

"Aye!" said Audie. He'd already picked up on the idea that Rose was a non-thrasher at heart, and figured that as long as she was letting him run free with Shortround, here, he might as well get "shown around" the fun parts of town. Maybe there'd be a way to spy on something they shouldn't?

* * *

Anfisa wouldn't have felt at all indecent poking around young men's bedrooms, or old ones' either, but no one was asking her. She waited.