Goriel and beyond, part 6

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Drannin
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Re: Goriel and beyond, part 6

Post by Drannin »

Argus nodded slowly. "I'd love to meet her," her said evenly.

Well, she had met his family, after all. And they were certainly at that phase of the relationship, or even beyond it, really. It was probably a good idea. Albeit a bit terrifying to think about.

"So, what's your mother like?"
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Re: Goriel and beyond, part 6

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[OOC: Out of synch a little bit here, but I think it'll resolve, so ...]

"So, what's your mother like?"

The question caught Sister Rose off guard. Truthfully, she'd never thought about what Dorothy Nuria, now Dorothy Ordial, was "like." She was just, well, Mother. She thought for a long moment before answering.

"I think you'll like her," she said. (Well, she'd have said that anyway, for the sake of promoting family harmony -- I'm already thinking of Mother as his mother-in-law, she realized -- but it did happen to be true.) "Our family was, I wouldn't say wealthy, but comfortable, and she stayed home and raised three kids. Speaking of which, it would be nice if you could meet my brother and his family too, and my sister if she's in town. Anyway, she's very well-read by the standards of Veracian women, speaks fluent Tsuirakuan, plays several musical instruments, all that. We didn't travel outside Veracia, but after Dad died, she re-married, to a man who made a bunch of money in the airship business. They've been able to do more traveling, to Farrel a couple of times, and even up north once." She chuckled. "The neighbors think they're weird for that, of course, but they don't care. I guess I come by my wandering by both nature and nurture."

The lines were getting secured, and the conversation was going to have to be suspended soon, but there was one more important thing to say. "She's Reformed, of course, but my stepfather is Orthodox. They agreed when they got married not to argue about religion at home. That'll carry over to when they meet you, I'm sure. As long as we don't raise the subject, they won't."

But we're going to have to have a talk about it eventually ... and it'll be a very important talk to have, she thought, as the ramp lowered to allow them to debark.

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

Therese hadn't felt this flustered when dealing with the thugs in Goriel a few days earlier, despite the scary nature of that interaction. In fact, she hadn't felt this flustered in a very long time. Not wanting to look directly at the very beautiful body of the half elf (and, to be sure, she'd already had quite a good view of it), she looked guiltily out the small view port in the wardroom. Surprisingly, the city of Saus was already in sight. Apparently the three women had slept late.

"It looks like we're coming -- ah, coming in to port," she said. "Should I step out and give you some privates -- privacy to get dressed to go?"

This just wasn't going well at all...

[OOC: A small, belated retcon here; Rose's mother has duplicate names as a result of something I'd written here and forgotten about. Now fixed.]
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Drusia
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Re: Goriel and beyond, part 6

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"It looks like we're coming -- ah, coming in to port," she said. "Should I step out and give you some privates -- privacy to get dressed to go?"

I smile some more.

"A little late, isn't it?" I ask. I bend over and select a dress from my pack. Then I slide it on. A hygine spell does the rest, although I'm nearly certain that Anfisa will insist on brushing my hair.

I turn back to Therese. "Should I turn my back while you get dressed?"

-- Desiree

OOC: I couldn't remember what Therese said she was wearing, so I'm assuming pajamas or similar. Maybe a modest nighty. If she's managed to get fully dressed already, um... assume Desiree was just teasing, I guess?
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Re: Goriel and beyond, part 6

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[OOC: I really have no idea what Therese would have worn to bed, but assume it's something modest and functional; that would be in character. Let's say pajamas for working purposes. Anyway... This should get us more or less re-synchronized, and ready to get off the airship. (No need for Tim or Argus to wait for that in responding to Rose, though.)]

"Should I turn my back while you get dressed?"

"I -- if you don't mind," was all that Therese was able to get out. (A listener would have noticed that that answer stopped short of a clear "yes.") Without waiting to see whether Desiree did indeed turn her back, she turned away, then peeled out of her pajamas and got back into her traveling clothes. (That same listener would also have noticed that Therese's body bore a few battle scars, and otherwise, was just about what one would expect of a very fit 30-year-old woman.)

"Thank you," she said when she was done. Then she decided to take a chance. "May I ask a favor? That magic you have, to make dirt and sweat go away -- we don't have anything like that where I come from. I still feel -- well, I haven't had a chance to bathe since we broke camp." She flushed at this admission, although it was obvious enough; nobody else in the group had either. "Would it be possible for you to teach me that spell?" Her inquiry had a plaintive note to it that would have come as a great surprise to anyone in Refuge-Nouveau.
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Drusia
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Re: Goriel and beyond, part 6

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"I -- if you don't mind," was all that Therese was able to get out.

I do so - it's only polite, after all.

"Thank you," she said when she was done. Then she decided to take a chance. "May I ask a favor? That magic you have, to make dirt and sweat go away -- we don't have anything like that where I come from. I still feel -- well, I haven't had a chance to bathe since we broke camp." She flushed at this admission, although it was obvious enough; nobody else in the group had either. "Would it be possible for you to teach me that spell?"

I blink. "Oh, sure," I say brightly. I walk over beside her and do so. It's quite simple - most of my temple spells and healing spells are more complex. I heard she's some sort of expert battle mage, like Argus - I'm surprised that the Hygine spell wasn't part of her first magic lessons along with the Contraception spell.

It's nice to spend some time close to her. She's a tad ripe, but not offensively so, so I'm just a little sad when her scent vanishes upon successfully casting the spell.

"Well, there you go," I say, regretfully stepping away from her.

I wonder if Anfisa would like to learn some spells. And if she even can - some people just don't do well with magic, and she is unlikely to have any elven blood to help her along. Still... it might not be a bad idea to try.

-- Desiree
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Re: Goriel and beyond, part 6

Post by Graybeard »

Therese's reaction to the Hygiene spell surprised even herself. "Mmmmmm. That felt good," she purred, and stretched her arms and legs languidly.

Some minutes later, after she had a chance to recover her usual dignity and aplomb, she would think back to this experience and try to sort out exactly what had caused this unusually sybaritic reaction.

Part of it was just the sensation of feeling clean, of course. In her business one couldn't count on having that sensation on a daily basis. But there was more to it than that. Was it the comfortable feeling of mastering a new spell that, the Five Great Mothers knew, would be useful enough? Was it something about the spell itself, some sort of magical well-being that set in as the dirt and sweat and dust winked out of existence?

Or ... was it the delicate touch of a beautiful woman's hand on her body as she demonstrated, then taught, the spell?

She was still considering that last question as she went forward to talk to Sister Rose about the debarkation ... even though she damn well knew what the answer was.

-----------

Rose, for her part, was talking to the young airship captain, Argus and Tim at her side, and her mood at the moment was considerably less relaxed than Therese's.

"We'll be getting off under secure conditions, ma'am," Captain Murial was saying. "No observers, covered wagons, a few guards, not that any trouble is expected, but you never know." He tried to wink conspiratorially, failed. "The -- prisoner will go off first, under guard. I think you can understand why they -- we won't want any observers for that."

Indeed I can, thought Rose, trying (successfully) to suppress a rolling of her eyes. Far be it from the Orthodox Church to let the hoi polloi get the picture that one of their own had strayed from the One and Perfect Path to Salvation in Luminosita. That just couldn't be countenanced.

(A less cynical corner of Rose's mind then tried to add, and rightly so. Humans were imperfect beings, even the most righteous, which she was well aware that she herself was not. Luminosita's perfect Grace, however, had to be communicated to the lay community through the imperfect human medium. It would therefore be in the interest of that community for disciplinary matters to be conducted in private, so that the message of Luminosita's Love would not be contaminated by the imperfections of the messenger. It all made good sense, that corner of her mind would assert. However, that corner had been losing in most of Rose's internal debates lately.)

"So once he's off, we'll be able to go our separate ways?" Rose asked the young man when he was finished.

Captain Murial hemmed and hawed and shifted on his feet, and Rose didn't need to hear what was coming. "Well, no, ma'am," he said. "The debarkation of your party will also be under secure conditions. Oh, that doesn't mean you'll be in custody!" he hastened to add, although Rose caught the nuance that he wasn't exactly denying it either. "You'll just be hidden from the public eye as we take you to comfortable accommodations at the main temple, until you can be debriefed on what happened out there."

Well, that was mildly reassuring, Rose thought; if they were being arrested or otherwise detained, they wouldn't be stashed anywhere near the main temple. But still ... "I don't understand. Why is the concealment necessary?"

More hemming and hawing. "Well, it's just a little thing, ma'am ... but the Patriarch thought it would be best to keep you out of the public eye, just for the moment. You see, while you were gone, some -- rumors were starting to float around that might -- be disturbing to the public."

So why not let the public see that we haven't all turned into winged, fire-breathing monsters? thought Rose, but this wasn't the time for sarcasm. "And those rumors are?"

The young captain could hardly have looked more apologetic than he did. "Well, ma'am ... they're that someone traveling with you has become demonized."

The conversation was interrupted, first by the arrival of Therese, and then by the departure of the disgraced Brother Boris down the landing ramp, surrounded by armed guards. [OOC: Therese, of course, would figure out that something was going on, even though she didn't know what, and would go back to pack up and help Desiree and Anfisa do so, so those three can be considered as ready for what comes next as anyone.]
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Alberich
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Re: Goriel and beyond, part 6

Post by Alberich »

Desiree was right about Anfisa wanting to brush her hair, and combine that with little touches around her ears and shoulders, and a bit of her usual sort of chatter. To use magic for that kind of grooming, when Anfisa's fingers were available for the same - surely that would be a crime of some kind.

Any efforts to teach magic to the former getera proved fruitless - Anfisa had no talent for magic whatsoever, only for making the world more pleasurable for those who tasted her own personal magic, and some would say that was enough talent for anyone.
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Drusia
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Re: Goriel and beyond, part 6

Post by Drusia »

Desiree was right about Anfisa wanting to brush her hair, and combine that with little touches around her ears and shoulders, and a bit of her usual sort of chatter. To use magic for that kind of grooming, when Anfisa's fingers were available for the same - surely that would be a crime of some kind.

OOC: I think Desiree is just going to sit there and purr for a bit. Nothing else to post for the moment.
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Re: Goriel and beyond, part 6

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[OOC: Sorry to interrupt the purring :evil: , but it's time to get off the airship, and there's a reception committee at the bottom of the ramp ...]

At the bottom of the ramp, the travelers emerged into a shimmering tunnel of green glow. A simple Obscuration spell, Sister Rose guessed; anyone with a little magical aptitude could cast it, and it would accomplish the goal of keeping the party out of sight of curious (or fearful) onlookers.

Within the tunnel was good news and bad news. Rose didn't like it at all that militiamen, bearing spears, were posted inside the tunnel. If the goal was really to keep the crowd out, rather than to control the party, shouldn't they be outside rather than inside? But the good news was that they all saluted as she passed by. They wouldn't do that if she and her colleagues were marching into captivity. Probably.

Since she was leading the procession to the handsome stage that would bear the group to the temple, she didn't hear an exchange between two of the guards as Desiree passed by ... but other members of the party did.

"See?" one said sotto voce, nudging the other with an elbow and surreptitiously gesturing toward Desiree's head, notably her ears. "The rumors were true ... there's a demon among them."

The second man gulped. "I didn't realize demons were so beautiful."

"Ah, that's what makes them so dangerous," the first man said. He gripped his spear a little more tightly.
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Re: Goriel and beyond, part 6

Post by Drannin »

Argus kept his face impassive, but sent to Rose a concerned message. <"Did you hear that? Looks like Desiree isn't going to be popular here. I hope there won't be any trouble with her.">
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