Home 22: Our neighborhood watch is extra vigilant

[Recaiden]

Just wait till you need to go down stairs, poor thing.

The bed is very soft, and the clothes, well, they're clothing. A random assortment of things, but better than nothing.

[Deathkeeper]

Skullfort Town

Sarina has strange dreams that night. She wakes up, laughing to herself about that strange dream involving praying and being a woman. Except that part actually happened. Much examining in the mirror happens, and frowning.
Indeed, walking down the stairs proves to be a significant hazard, one Sarina solves by merely jumping down them.
First order of business: breakfast!
Second order of business: haircut!
Third order of business: talking to this high priest Message asked her to talk to.

[Recaiden]

Be glad you didn't have a dream that you were a giant beetle!
Must be hard, waking up far from home, in a new town, in a new body.

Breakfast is probably closing up when she arrives, but she can still get oddly colored milk and pancakes and potatoes.

Haircut, well, actually goes pretty well. There's exactly one robot barber and one flesh-and-blood barber's apprentice, but they are very good at cutting hair.

The town is more active in the daylight. People going up to the new castle and back, usually carrying something, tools or materials. People out in the fields and the gardens, weeding and watering. Angels flying here and there, delivering their messages. Kids are in the black brick schoolhouse, and at the temple, the high priest is speaking to a small crowd about the end of time. Much like the scarf-wearers, they're completely covered up, but unlike their eclectic masses of fabric, this is a uniform, the white robe and green scapular and the golden collar and the seemingly endless sleeves, the veil and the gloves (five fingers, at least on that hand).

[Deathkeeper]

Skullfort Town

Sarina smiles and kneels down, seats now being ever out of her ability to use. She'll wait until the sermon is done before she tries to speak to the high priest. Interrupting them would be rude.

[Recaiden]

"-and whatsoever the heights you rise to, do not forget where you have come from. Even the smallest things will be remembered."
"Go towards serenity"

The congregation responds quietly "so be it" and mostly goes on their way. Pots to cast, cows to milk, bread to bake, fires to build. Busy day, like every day.

[Deathkeeper]

Skullfort Town

Sarina waits until the rest of the congregation have more or less left. Darn it, this was not the assignment to give a dork like her. But she saunters up regardless.
"Good morning. I'm Sarina, I just got here yesterday. Um, I thought I should introduce myself to people, if that's okay." she says politely to the Priest.

[Recaiden]

The priest nods.
"Good morning Sarina."
Their voice lingers on the 'i' in her name.
"Nice to meet you, and welcome to our little town."
"I'm in charge of the temple here."

[Deathkeeper]

Skullfort Temple

Sarina gives her best smile. It's not a great one. Well, maybe a bit better than Isaac's would have. She's a bit prettier than him, after all. To some at least.
"Thank you. Do you have a name, your Holiness? It's not polite to skip introductions." she adds.

[Recaiden]

The veiled figure conveys no noticeable facial expression.
"Oh. I'm Alexis. But no one calls me that. You came here just to meet me?"
There's a hint of amusement.
"'Your Holiness' is nice."

[Deathkeeper]

Skullfort Temple

Sarina shrugs.
"I dunno, kinda? I'm trying to meet the people I'll be living with. And I admit, I got curious. Almost no one says 'she' when talking to you. I was wondering what you were like. Do you always wear that veil and everything? It looks hot." she asks.
That's one thing nice about her weird new rear. Not having to wear pants.

[Recaiden]

"Most people take the hint when I don't give my name. That maybe they don't need to know me personally."
"What I'm like?"
Alexis shrugs, fringes and sleeve-adornments fluttering.
"I'm the best. That's why I do what I do. What do you want to know?"
She takes a step up and twirls around, cloth sweeping through the air.
"Whenever I'm away from home. A priestess has a certain decorum to uphold."

[Deathkeeper]

Skullfort Temple

Sarina laughs.
"Well, maybe I should visit you some time. I might want to know what the best looks like.
I don't know, what do you like to do? Have any hobbies?" she blushes. "What do you think of me? This is a new look and I'm not sure about the results." she says, unconsciously folding her hands in front of her. She's a bit self-conscious of her chest as she says that.

[Recaiden]

"I'm sure you have better things to do than come visit me."
Alexis chuckles, a littler nervously? Or maybe she just doesn't laugh much.
"I am kept rather busy. Preaching, teaching, healing the sick, feeding the hungry, keeping the town's enchantments strong, helping at the fort with their experiments; not to mention exercise, cooking, cleaning, practicing the guqin- but I do find a little time for my sculptures."

She reaches out a gloved hand to gently nudge Sarina's arms away.
"Well, hiding yourself away doesn't help. And have you been getting enough to eat? But it's cute, all in all."

[Deathkeeper]

Skullfort Temple

Sarina lowers her hands, though she isn't really clear what to do with them.
"Well, I just got here and no one's given me a job, mundane or magic. So no, I don't really have anything better to do.
What do you mean, hiding myself? I just got here. And I eat plenty! I'm not that thin, am I?" she asks, looking down at herself. She's lean but not in an unhealthy way. Quite normal, really.

[Recaiden]

"The way you hold your arms, yourself, very defensive. I do not blame you, but remember that this is a safe place. No one's going to hurt you here."
Alexis gives a nod, and moves over towards the altar, practically skipping.
"That's right, you're the sorceress! After lunch, sign up with Nathaneil for a shift helping at the kitchen. And your magic has changed, yes? Once we figure out how it can be useful, that will be your job."

She ought to get an outfit with pockets for her hands, of course.
"And no, we've had people come here a day from starving. But you are on the lighter side."

[Deathkeeper]

Skullfort town

Sarina eyes her deer-like rear self-consciously.
"Uh, the kitchen? I don't think they make a hairnet big enough for all of this. I don't expect to get heavier any time soon. I'm already a few hundred pounds, probably. What to do until lunch, though?" she ponders.
Oh, don't worry Sarina, I'm sure they make potions for that. Or someone could pray again. That went well last time, right?

[Recaiden]

"Of course they do! How do you think the centaurs work there cleanly?"
Really, Sarina. It's not as though strange creatures are unusual here.
"As for the morning, what do you like to do? Have any hobbies?"

[Deathkeeper]

Skullfort Town

Sarina really doesn't have an answer to that.
"I don't know, maybe a ward or something? Sounds like a simple charm. But uh, I like drawing. I was into art, at school. I might need to finish that at some point. " she adds, shrugging to the Priestess. Truth be told she's not great at making friends and is just enjoying talking.

[Recaiden]

"Alright. Well, why don't you add a ward to the road leading here from the main street?"
The temple itself is pretty well enchanted already.
"And then we can get some paper and pens."

[Deathkeeper]

Skullfort Town

Sarina blinks. "What? I was referring to the kitchen thing. I don't even know if I can do wards. Message didn't really tell me what she did when she gave me a new spark of magic. It hasn't really been tested yet, and even then I don't really have much training." she admits hastily.

[Recaiden]

"Oh, well. Your job, for this afternoon and so on, is to test your magic and find out what you can do."
Alexis waves ah and over the altar, and there appears some paper and the sort of things Isaac liked to draw with, be they pencils, pens, or weird 7-color paints.
"There's no hurry."

[Deathkeeper]

Skullfort Town

"Well, uh, I'm not going to just sit down next to a pew and draw something. I need a subject. And something to draw on. And well, maybe not somewhere so stuff. I'm not saying anything bad about the Goddess, just it's not really the atmosphere I like." she says, trying to draw an excuse to not leave just yet. Though she isn't lying, either.

[Recaiden]

"Of course. Again, there's no hurry. We'll go elsewhere."
But Alexis makes no immediate move herself.
"So you aim to go back to school, learning magic?"

[Deathkeeper]

Skullfort Town

"Great! Where should we go? We can just go home if you'd rather not go around in your uniform. More laid-back probably. I don't know if I should go back to a formal school. Education is fine. But I owe Message a lot, so wherever she wants me to be, I'll be." she says resolutely.

[Recaiden]

How thoughtful.
"I don't mind going around in my regalia, but you don't have a home of your own next, do you? Come along."
Alexis taps on a stone of the floor, which swings smoothly upward to reveal a staircase. Down they go!
"And if she didn't want you here, I don't think you would be. Perhaps you have something to do for this town. It's good that you're so dedicated to giving back what you owe."

[Deathkeeper]

Skullfort Town

Sarina scoops up the art supplies and begins the harrowing tribulation of making it down stairs.
"I do. Really. Respect and want to repay her. But. I really wish she hadn't put me. In this stair. Situation. Stairs and hooves suck." she says, going one hoof at a time until she's down and can catch up.
"Well, I'm sure they don't suck as much when you only have two. Either way, there's stairs all over the place here."
And Message had to have known that from Leah.

[Recaiden]

"A lot of this place was built, you see, back when there were only people with two legs here. The new construction all has ramps. It would be easier if she'd made you a faun or something..."
Alexis sounds embarrassed.
"But these things happen for a reason."
Even if that reason is just 'the twilight goddess wanted to see you trip on the stairs.'

Anyway, at the bottom of the staircase is Alexis's home. The hidden door closes behind Sarina. The place is small, 'cozy' perhaps if you're being generous, but richly decorated with rugs and paintings and varicolored magical lights. A big armchair near a fireplace, a wall of bookcases, arched doorways, a tiny kitchen seen through empty windows.

There's a sort of coat rack by the stairway, upon which Alexis does start to set the various parts of her uniform. Hang the sash there, tuck your sandals under there, gloves off (revealing pale skin and shiny metal claws), unfasten the collar and hang it up, and so on and so forth. Which leaves her wearing a short skirt, a little halterneck shirt, and a second, lighter veil still hiding her face. Of course, there are all those queen snakes now stretching out and peering at Sarina.
"Welcome to my home."

[Deathkeeper]

Skullfort Town

"A faun? Yeah, I can see that." Sarina ponders. Probably the Narnian kind with the long tails, though. Normal goat tails are two stubby to really have two of.
"Maybe you could put a word in. After all, she seems very kind. I'm sure she wouldn't object to someone of your stature giving advice." she says, humorously but entirely serious.
She's a bit surprised by the snakes, though. Dots are connected.
"Oh wow, you had those little guys under your hood the whole time? I never even heard a hiss out of them. You look a lot more comfortable like that. I've never been fond of robes. Ironic I know, given that I went to Zaff's."

[Recaiden]

"Perhaps. Its not exactly my place to give advice, but it's not exactly not."
Alexis nods.
"They're very well-behaved. But that's part of why the hood and such a heavy outfit if the uniform for my level."
"Robes aren't so bad. They're very comforting, you know. But so is being at home."
She leads the way in through the living room/study and to the kitchen/dining room, which boasts the home's only real table.

[Deathkeeper]

Alexis' House

"Well, maybe consider it a request for a friend, then? I mean, you'd know what to ask of her. I personally would be plenty happy just being human but clearly She wanted me to be a bit more...eclectic? If she doesn't want you saying such things I'm sure she'd just tell you and that'll be the end of it. Now, what do you think I should draw. Would you like me to draw you? I can do that." she says. She wonders what her face is like. Maybe some time Alexis could wear a blindfold so Sarina could see her face, but for now Sarina's curiosity has been sated. She doesn't want to end up stone, after all.