Gervasiel

[Drusia]

"Well... I was just curious about Sanamish, but then Brad seemed alarmed by something when we got to your door, and..." Lillith blinked. "Brad? Are you quite alright? You seem distressed." Lillith looked around for water or some similar item to help Brad. "Oh. Drusia, your robe is still quite open." Lillith sighed. "Come on, Brad..." She put her arms around his shoulders. "It's not like you haven't seen this sort of thing before, right?"

Ah. Of course. I nod. "Of course I can tell you about Snamish. I would have before now, but I didn't want to rush you. If you like, we can talk now. I was just telling Surish about the War, so perhaps it wouldn't be wrong to end on a more positive note after all."

I head back to my room and find that Suriah is already dressed. Probably wise of her. Then again, she did go get breakfast - did she undress again after that? I'm still a little light headed from blood-loss. Anyway....

I usher Lillith and Brad into the room, busying myself with finding chairs for everyone. Once everyone's situated, I sit down on the bed, propped up on several pillows. Suriah scoots her chair over next to me, watching me with concern. I smile at her. And I take care to keep my robe closed - I don't want Brad to pass out or something.

"I may not be up to my usual self for a bit," I warn everyone. "Healing magic closes wounds all right, but it doesn't restore lost blood, and I left a few pints on the floor of Rose's room." Not to mention in Kurou's castle. Breakfast helped, but it will be a day or two before I'm back up to full strength, even with all of Rose's help.

"Anyway," I say, waving away my near death experience this morning, "You wanted to know about Snamish. I thought you'd be interested too, Suriah, hence this. So, having founded the place I could talk about it for hours. Instead, I think it would be best if I answered some of your questions." I pause. Suriah, I think, is suffering from a bit of information overload at the moment, as well as her concern for my well being, so is perhaps less than prepared to ask. So, for now, I think it's down to Brad or Lillith to open the conversation. I look to Lillith first - Snamish exists for half-elves like her, so I think the right to begin is hers, if she wishes it.

-- Drusia

[Sareth]

Lillith licked her lips. "How... how big is it? Where I came from was..."

Memories flooded up of the home she'd left seemingly years ago, though she know it had been only a couple of months. Images of the kindly and cantankerous, old and young, healthy and not. She had to swallow back a wave of homesickness, trying to fix her smile into something seeming natural. Once again she felt that pang telling her that she should never have left, that she had no place out in the world. She shook it off and tried to focus on the present. "Where I came from wasn't very big, but was still a town worthy of the name."

[Drusia]

Lillith licked her lips. "How... how big is it? Where I came from was... Where I came from wasn't very big, but was still a town worthy of the name."

Ah. Good question. I smile a little.

"Snamish is big, by the standards of the Veracian towns we've been traveling through," I tell them. I don't add that it always seems small and rustic to me. If I could recreate my poor Malacia, I would. Snamish is my best attempt, but it will never be the same. Nothing ever could be.

"It's on the edge of a lake, in the mountains. I wanted somewhere I could see water and stars." After being stuck in Praenubilus Astu, those were the two things I longed for most. I would have loved an ocean view, but that would be too dangerous. Hence mountains.

"It's a fishing town," I add. "Since it's, you know, the readiest food source available." I managed to bring in some freshwater seaweed to cultivate that tastes almost like nori. "We grow rice as well."

I pause. Sort of already answered the actual question. Tendency to ramble, particularly when talking about home. "So, next question?"

-- Drusia

[Graybeard]

Brad cleared his throat nervously. "May I ask one? I wonder -- just what am I going to do there? I mean, I want to devote my whole life to making Lillith happy --" there was no reason to doubt his sincerity in that -- "but a man's gotta make a living, too. Do they really need a priest of Luminosita there?"

Even one in the Reformed Church who's not quite as sure about things today as a month ago, he thought, but did not say.

[Porcelain Fish]

"Not to worry dear, not to worry." Maduin gave Kim a reassuring smile. "You don't have to go anywhere you don't want to, I promise." He glanced over his shoulder in the direction they'd come. "And I don't think that gentleman will be taking anyone anywhere. As I said, I think the fellow was quite daft. I'll be quite surprised if he manages to find his shoes for quite some time." A good hour and a half at least, he added privately as they entered the Red Parrot and went back upstairs to Professor Indianel's room.

It wasn't that he hadn't noticed her little mention of being "taken back". He'd already tucked the tidbit away in a little mental box for later contemplation, dissection, and probable divulgence to certain other members of their company at a later, less public opportunity. For now, the nosy priest was dealt with, and the sooner they departed the area, the better.

He prepared one of his charming smiles, and knocked on the door. "Professor, I believe we're ready to depart."

[Drusia]

Brad cleared his throat nervously. "May I ask one? I wonder -- just what am I going to do there? I mean, I want to devote my whole life to making Lillith happy --" there was no reason to doubt his sincerity in that -- "but a man's gotta make a living, too. Do they really need a priest of Luminosita there?"

I can't help it - I must tease. "Well, I think a strong young man like you would make a wonderful fisherman." He looks rather horrified, so I take pity a little sooner than I'd like. Then again, I might not want to put too much of an image of a shirtless, sweat-slicked Brad in Lillith's mind; she might make him become a fisherman, just for the visual.

"But," I continue, smiling, "There are some Luminosa worshipers in Snamish. Not all that many, but when I bring in new people, many choose to maintain their previous religious beliefs. I think they might like having a priest of their own. Besides, if any church of Luminosa could survive in Snamish, it would be the Reformed Church. Rinkai blood being what it is, celibacy isn't really an option." My smile turns a bit wicked. Again, I can't help but tease.

"So long," I add, "As you understand that you'd be working along side priests of Anilis and Senilis." I don't add that I worship Anilis particularly - that I call on her in my prayers, from one mother to another, to protect my children. I don't add that I called upon Anilis last night to guide my hand as I made love to Suriah, so that I wouldn't hurt her, so that she'd feel blessed, so that she'd feel the touch of the sacred and divine.

I never had much time for Senilis... but Anilis I love.

"If you don't mind that," I say instead, "Then I think Snamish could use a young, open-minded priest of Luminosa." I don't ask for the next question; they seem to be on a roll now, so I'm sure the next will follow on its own.

-- Drusia

[Graybeard]

"That sounds ... just wonderful," Brad breathed as he stood in the open doorway, his face reflecting his wonderment. "Anilis and Senilis are your elven ... deities, right? I don't see a problem there. In my denomination we're content to let your people live your way." It wasn't altogether true of the main-line Orthodox church, of course, but Brad wasn't Orthodox, so it didn't matter.

Whatever else he was about to ask, it was interrupted as he noticed Sister Rose emerging from her room, blushing furiously ... followed by a similarly blushing Argus.

Now it was Brad's turn to blush, a condition that came easily to him. "Rose ... you didn't..."

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

Avner Indianel's eyes grew wide as he beheld what had become of Kim, then snapped momentarily to Rebekah Codoin before he regained his self control. "Well, I think we're ready to move out," he said, shouldering his pack.

[Sareth]

Lillith's eyes widened. "Fa...ther?" She glanced over at Brad, then at Rose, then backed towards Argus. "Congratulations?" She smiled, but it was clear she wasn't certain she was understanding the situation quite right.

[Drannin]

Argus stopped dead, his cheek still tingling. "Huh? Wai...wah...huh?" It was hard to form a coherent sentence through his surprise. Why had Rose done that exactly? It wasn't as though Argus was complaining... he was flattered... but where had THAT come from?

"Congratulations on what?" he asked blankly... before realizing that his face was burning. And that Rose's face was matching her namesake. And that people were grinning in their direction. The mathematics came easily once all of the figures were in place.

"Er... now wait a moment..." he sputtered helplessly, blushing even more furiously. Weave, he was bad at this! They had it all wrong!

[Porcelain Fish]

[OOC: Hope it's okay if I pick up the pace a little bit and just throw in a little flavoring on this end since I can't really think of anything interesting to add for the walk back to the Stone Man. If not, there's always retconning. /OOC]

Maduin noted the way Professor Indianel's gaze lingered on Kim as the carriage rolled down the street, hooves and wheels rattling on the cobbles. The curtains were drawn but not closed, just enough to keep them from casual view.

There was appreciation in the professor's gaze, but not of the sort to give Maduin cause for undue alarm, and he hadn't missed the way those eyes had darted toward Rebekah. The use of the pet name "Becky" and the blush earlier in Rose's company gave him an idea of just what was running through the man's head.

What he found even more interesting was Rebekah's unconsciously comfortable posture in Avner's presence, the way she angled herself towards him ever so slightly. It might be that they had a sort of surrogate father-daughter relationship at the moment, but the cant of Rebekah's head, the way her eyes went to Avner, made Maduin suspect that even if things were that way now, it might be another story entirely in a couple of years when she'd stepped fully into her maturity.

Professor Avner Indianel clearly had one idea about the proper boundaries of the relationship between the two of them. It would remain to be seen just how long he held those boundaries before "Becky" brought them down around his ears.

Maduin's inward grin was a great deal more knowingly salacious than his small, polite outer smile.

The carriage came to a gentle stop outside of the Stone Man Inn, and Professor Indianel helped both young girls out onto the street. Maduin gave the driver a generous tip and a slightly warm, but rather vague memory of his passengers, and chivvied everyone inside.