"Hello! Do you have a minute to talk about ...?" ((Open to everyone))

[Church ~ Protective Flame]

         Inspiration can come from the strangest place.  This time, it came from a meme.

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         Everyone is welcome to play along.  But, please, respect a few small rules.

1. This should go without saying, but no moding.  
2. Feel free to play that you’re ignoring the door or whatever, but please don’t get into an involved interaction and then poof one or two posts in.
3. If you want to play as a guest, you may certainly do that.  You can sign in with the username “Telguest” and the password “Telguest20”, no quotes.
4. If you have to poof, unexpectedly, try to post an exit or send some kind of notification.  Life happens.

         Thanks everyone.  Have fun.  Oh, and yes, they are expendable, but please don’t just go around killing them all.  LOL  

[Church ~ Protective Flame]

……….•<@>• The Preacher •<@>•

He stood before the elders of his congregation.  His brown hair tickled his forehead as he hung his head in shame.  The shoulders of his six-foot frame rose and fell as he took in a deep breath and let it out slowly.  His breath leaving his body caused his long, red, robe to ripple.  He looked back up and the elders and furrowed his brow and slowly blinked his soft brown eyes.  ”I’m not going to sugar coat this.  Her actions have caused some serious damage to our attendance numbers.  I’m not sure how we’re going to recover.  There’s a fear amongst the citizens of Rhy’Din.  So many were attacked, some even killed, because of attending this church.”  He wasn’t speaking only of the church they stood in.  Churches everywhere were suffering.

Left hand came up to rub the lower portion of his face.  Fresh shave.  The absence of his wedding band was new as well.  She was one of the casualties of the time period that he was bringing up in this very meeting.  It had taken him quite a bit of time to come around to taking the ring off.  ”I'm open to any suggestions.  If we can’t get our numbers up, we can’t keep our doors open.  We have to pay the bills, and we can’t go to her for money.  So, anything you guys have, I’m listening.”  The mail had brought a disconnect notice for the power the day before.  The situation had become dire.

……….•<@>• Elder Joseph •<@>•

Joseph stood up and scratched the back of his head.  His dark hair barely moving as he had just gotten it cut.  Brown eyes studied the small group gathered within the church before landing on the preacher.  ”My father told me a story once.  It was from back on Earth.  There was this religious sect.  They were called Jehovah’s Witnesses.  He said they used to go door to door and try to get people to take their pamphlets.  They were basically recruiting for their God.  Perhaps, we could do the same?”  His eyebrows raised and a look of hope came over his tan hued face.  He sat down and waited to hear the responses.  

……….•<@>• The Preacher •<@>•

Father Christoph raised his eyebrows in response to the words of Elder Joseph.  We looked around at the rest of the congregation to see if anyone else had anything to add.  After a moment of silence, he looked to Elder Joseph.  ”Well, no one has any other suggestions, and no one seems to think that this is a bad idea.  I guess that’s what we’re going with.  I’ll meet with the other preachers in the realm and we’ll get the logistics worked out.  Thank you Elder Joseph.”  He lead them in prayer and then they left.  He said another silent prayer to himself asking for this plan to work.

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……….•<@>• •<@>• Three Days Later •<@>• •<@>•

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……….•<@>• Father Christoph •<@>•

He walked into the church with a purpose.  Absent were his red robes.  Wearing nothing more than a pair of blue jeans, a red t-shirt, and white tennis shoes, he was ready to address the others.  The gathering was an informal meeting for an exchange of information, nothing more, but he couldn’t help but feel excited.  

The meeting only lasted an hour.  All seven of the preacher’s present had agreed to the pamphlet idea.  They discussed the details over their lunch of cheeseburgers and fries.  It was agreed upon that each church would fund one-hundred pamphlets to be distributed by parishioners.   The parishioners would then go out, in pairs, on Friday nights to knock on doors.  

 

[Church ~ Protective Flame]

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……….•<@>• •<@>• Friday Afternoon •<@>• •<@>•

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……….•<@>• The Preacher •<@>•

Father Christoph stood before the small gathering of volunteers.  ”Thank you all for volunteering.  We’re going to try a new approach to getting some beings through the door.  It’s been discussed and decided that we’re going to pass out pamphlets.  You’ll be going door to door.  We’ll be sending out five pair of volunteers.  ((Three pair will be on the boards, two pair on Discord.)) For safety purposes, we want at least one mythical in each pair.  We don’t want two humans to go out together.  There’s still some animosity towards the members of this church.”  He knew about that animosity first hand.  He rubbed his left ring finger.  It still felt strange, to him, for the ring to no longer be there after fifteen years of never taking it off.  ”Any questions?”

He waited a moment, no on raised their hand or stood up.  So, he paired everyone up and gave each group ten pamphlets.  Then everyone picked their sections and headed out.


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……….•<@>• •<@>• Group One •<@>• •<@>•

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……….•<@>•  Kristin •<@>•

She looked at her travel companion.  He was rather small for a human male.  She had not seen any smaller that were full grown.  He was maybe five feet tall, short blonde hair, green eyes, slender build.  He hardly looked full grown at all.  In fact, he looked like a preteen.  Of course, almost all humans looked diminutive compared to her.  Not only was her human half well-muscled, but her horse half had perfect muscle tone.  The black hair of her body shone in any light.  Her long red tail matched her long red hair perfectly.  Her lightly tanned skin blended perfectly at her waist as it darkened into the black of her horse body.  She had just gotten her hooves done, and new shoes.  Because this was a church function, she had put on a blue button-down shirt.  It was amusing because her companion was wearing blue jeans and a blue t-shirt.  

The pair had been walking for about half an hour, and the small steps she was having to take to stay with him were causing her legs to cramp up.  ”Bernie, do you ride?”  She had an idea to make their travel a little easier.  ”I ask because, if you can ride bareback, I could let you on.  I know we’ve got some distance to cover and I could run for a while.”  It was very rare for her to offer to allow someone on her back, but their designated area was on the other side of the Eastern Forest.  She wanted to get there before morning.  

……….•<@>• Bernie •<@>•

He looked up at Kristin and smiled.  He wasn’t prepared for her comment.  He wasn’t sure, but in this light, her eyes looked lavender.  He thought it was pretty.  ”Um, yea.  I ride a little.  But, are you sure that I’m not going to be too heavy for you?”  He stopped walking, as did she.  When she reached her hand out to him, he took it.  She pulled him up onto her back with ease.  This made him chuckle.  ”Well, I guess that’s a no.  Um, where do I put my hands?”  She still had his hand from pulling him up, so she put his hand around her on her stomach.  He leaned forward and wrapped his hands around her waist.  He felt a little embarrassed, so he slid his hands a little lower, closer to her waist.  He didn’t want to accidently graze her with his thumbs or anything.  

They rode off toward the Eastern Forest.  He held on tighter, which scooted him closer to her.  But, it wasn’t uncomfortable.  They continued all the way to the Crimson Cliffs.  That was when Kristin needed to stop for a little while.  She pulled two bottles of water from her cross-body bag and handed one to Bernie.  He found a rock to sit on while she laid down to rest a little.  They had covered three times more ground in the last half hour than they had in the first.  Bernie didn’t want to admit it out loud, but she was right, riding her was faster.  But he still felt a little strange riding a person.


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……….•<@>• •<@>• Group Three •<@>• •<@>•

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……….•<@>• Tilly •<@>•

As the pair approached the Marketplace, Tilly saw the crowd and drew in her bottom lip.  She was uncomfortable in crowds, and it was a very thick crowd today.  She bit down on her lip softly and tried to keep her breathing steady.  Her five-foot six frame continued forward on feet that were seemingly tiny compared to her rather portly frame.  She ran her left hand through her short brown hair and blinked her blue eyes repeatedly.  She tilted her head left and right a few times in an attempt to crack her neck.  She crossed her arms over her stomach and under her breasts.  Beings were bumping into her from all sides.  It was making her pulse race.  ”So, uh, Dimitrius, tell me about your people.”  She was desperate for some conversation to distract her mind.

……….•<@>• Dimitrius •<@>•

Dimitrius’ six-foot seven frame had no issues pushing through the crowd.  He was a very large and lumbering being.  And he had no issues with anxiety when it came to crowds.  Thrill rides were his kryptonite.  Of course, when you’re built like him, thrill rides are a bit of a challenge.  Not only was he tall, but his feet were the size of elephant’s feet, but shaped like human feet, and covered in fur.  He walked slightly hunched over.  His arms were so long that his knuckles could drag the ground.  The orange hue of his fur, that only covered his legs, feet, arms, and the part of his head where humans have hair, made him look like a stuffed animal.  The parts of him that weren’t covered in fur were covered in a reptilian skin that had a yellow hue.  The horn that came from the center of the top of his head curled backwards to the base of his skull, and it was even more orange than his fur, almost a fluorescent orange.  He had two teeth in the bottom of his mouth that grew up out of his mouth like a pair of tusks.  And, to make matters worse, one leg was an inch longer than the other.  

He looked down at Tilly.  When he spoke, you could see that those nearly human facial features held a full mouth of ‘normal’ teeth, it was just the two that were odd.  There was sadness in his grey eyes as he spoke.  ”We are called Locha.  We come from a planet many light years from here.  We are a peaceful people.  We don’t have wars and crime.  But, that is due to our strange laws.  Anyone who commits a crime is banished from the planet.  We have a once a year purge where all crime is legal for one day.  It’s usually enough to keep everyone on the straight and narrow.  But, I was banished for a different reason.  I was banished for having a birth defect.  I was given five years to outgrow it, and when I did not, I was placed in a ship and launched off the planet.  I landed here, on Rhy’Din.  I don’t know if anyone else from my planet has ever landed here, but, I hope to someday find another like me.  It would be great if it was a female of breeding age.”  He had hopes of someday finding a mate, but they were not very high hopes.  He was already one-hundred and fifty-eight, and his species didn’t usually live past two-hundred.

……….•<@>• Tilly •<@>•

The distraction was working.  In fact, it was working a little too well.  Someone bumped into her and she dropped the pamphlets on the ground.  She carried a purse, but she didn’t want to wrinkle them, so she had been carrying them.  When she was hit, she jumped with a start and gave a short, but loud, scream.  ”Jerkface!”  It was the closest to cussing she had ever come.  She knelt down and started trying to gather the pamphlets back up.  Dimitrius took advantage of having super long arms to help her.  


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……….•<@>• •<@>• Group Five •<@>• •<@>•

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……….•<@>• Mahaskah •<@>•

The pair set out on their small trek in silence.  Mahaskah stood straight and stoic as he walked gracefully along side his human companion.  His waist length black hair, with its lone white streak that ran down the right side, blew in the soft breeze.  His dark tan skin had an undertone of red, and it hadn’t faded with time.  His slender, yet muscular, frame had slimmed down with time.  His already high cheek bones were even more obvious.  Brown eyes scanned the road as he walked with his hands clasped behind his back.  His six-foot frame looked like a walking pole.  The tight, black, leather pants he wore creaked as he walked.  The flowy sleeves of his white blouse rippled with the same breeze that was blowing his hair back from his face.  His footsteps fell silently upon the ground as he walked in his soft leather moccasin type boots.  When he spoke, there was a hint of the accent of his ancestors, or possibly his immediate family, as he would never reveal his true age.  ”I believe that the next road has a heavily populated housing area.  We could begin there.”  He didn’t even look at his traveling companion.

……….•<@>• Jalie •<@>•

Jalie had been walking along with a phone in her hand.  Her attention was fully on whatever she was doing on the device.  Five-foot three and a hundred and thirty-five pounds, you would think that she would be more aware of her surroundings.  When Mahaskah spoke, she was startled.  She reached up with her left hand and scratched the back of her head.  Her hair was various shades of blue and green.  Mermaid hair was what it was called.  An expensive dye job.  Green eyes blinked a few times as she looked over at him.  ”Oh, uh, yeah.  That’s cool.  We can start there.”  She shut the screen of her phone off and she dropped it in her shoulder bag.  Then she fished out one of the pamphlets.  

The pair walked to the next road and turned left.  They headed to the door of the first house.  Mahaskah stood in silence as he waited for Jalie to knock upon the door.  He worried that her black clothes covered in various types of silvertone metal, and the rings upon her fingers that looked like skulls, would cause the beings in this neighborhood to slam the door in their faces.  But he ran his tongue over his fangs to make sure that he had a pearly white smile just in case.  

*Knock, knock, knock.*


((The pamphlets ...


         ))

[Telguest]

{for group three....}

Susan tugged on the end of her Habit and lifted up her chin as she held her basket closer to her chest and zigzagged her way through the Marketplace. Of all the preposterous things she had seen and heard today, hearing conversation snippets about the Vampire Church made the top of the list.

Of course she knew that all types of denominations resided within this world and she shouldn’t be so quick to cast judgement upon anyone, but vampires? Susan had recently obtained the official rank of ‘Sister’ at the Church of Saint Emili, and they had very stern views about vampires - especially after what had happened a year prior. Since then there had been more rumors of vampire attacks and other blasphemous creatures of the Dark. Despite her education, Susan had been rather tolerable - she thought - of vampires. Until her best friend vanished.

Susan shook her head firmly as she felt herself starting to be captivated in a flashback. She had been distracted and suddenly collided with someone.  Susan stumbled backwards though managed to keep her feet and hold of her basket. The other had not been so lucky as sheets of paper were now littering the ground around them.

Hitching up her skirt Susan bent down and started to help  “Oh excuse me! Pardon me! I’m so sor—“ Susan’s flooding stream of apologies came to an abrupt halt. She took a look at what she was helping to pick up and her lips pressed into a thin line.

She set the papers she had collected on the ground and stood up, finally getting a good look at the other pair. Susan crossed her arms whole holding the basket.  These two were part of that church.  Perhaps they were lost souls who didn’t know any better?  

“Do you two know that you worship a murderer?” Okay, so maybe that came out differently then she had planned.

[Archer Caughey]

((For group five.))

Up the three stairs of the stoop of this L-shaped ranch, to the left of front door there was a sign: Archer Caughey - Alchemist, Scientist, and All-around Genius.  In need of help?  Ring the bell. Under the sign, there was a bell. They wouldn’t have to bother with the bell, though, the knock seemed to work just fine – the door swung open mere seconds after they’d knocked, and there in the doorway stood an eager, breathless teenager.

From Illuminado's lips came a surprised yip as his gaze traded between the short girl and the tall man. “Oh,” he blurted, “you’re not pizza.” It was what he and Archer had ordered for grub today, a cheeseburger pizza and a tub of cheese fries. It made the teen’s mouth salivate just thinking about it, and his anticipation wiggled its way all the way down to his wagging tails. Yup, tails. There were three of them – fluffy, snow white, and foxen – because he was a kitsune. Still young in years, hence the teenager appearance and only three tails, but a smart one. You had to be smart to work in Archer’s lab.

Once he realized that they weren’t the pizza guy, his eyes traveled back over to the colorful female. “Hi,” he offered with a nod, as he leaned casually against the doorway. He was trying to redeem himself form his outburst and score some cool points. He blew his snow white hair out of his face – it tended to fall over his eyes, and the action helped him think of a good thing to say to her. “I like your hair.” His eyes didn’t stay on her hair, though, he was looking her whole outfit over. It seemed almost like a costume, and there was a girl who wore costume-like things that he'd had a crush on for a long time.

As for what he was wearing, he had on a t-shirt with the design of an atom on it and the words, "YOU MATTER – unless you multiply yourself by the speed of light squared. THEN YOU ENERGY." His bottoms were a pair of carpenter pants with a ton of pockets that were just as much for style as function, and his shoes were black Chuck Taylors. His style was always a blend of the two men he looked up to the most, with his own rave flair. In fact he had earbuds draped around his neck, connected to a device that was in his pocket, and the pounding electronic beat of industrial music pulsed faintly because he hadn't turned it off before he answered the door.

“Do you need help? I’m good at helping people. I’m his Apprentice.” He gestured with a smooth wag of his thumb over at the sign next to the door, flashing a proud grin.


Picture of Illuminado:

[Church ~ Protective Flame]

……….•<@>• •<@>• Group Three •<@>• •<@>•

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……….•<@>• Tilly •<@>•

Tilly saw the nun kneel down and she instantly felt bad for calling her a jerkface.  “Oh, I am so sorry sister.”  She smiled at the woman as she tried to help pick up the pamphlets. Being were still bumping into her as if she were invisible.  And, at that moment, she wished she were.  She wasn’t at all comfortable, he was on the verge of a full blown anxiety attack.  She scooted a little closer to where Dimitrius’ arm was.
Between the three of them, they had easily picked up all ten pamphlets in no time.  But, then the nun placed the four that she held back upon the ground and then stood back up.  Tilly, perplexed, picked up the pamphlets that the nun had put down.  She used Dimitrius’ arm to help her stand.  She furrowed her brow and looked at the sister with a look of utter confusion.  

She opened her mouth and inhaled.  She was about to ask if the sister was alright. But, then she heard the hateful tone as she spoke her vile, accusatory, words.  Tilly’s heart felt like it had been hit by a hammer.  Her right hand came to her heart as she took a cleaning breath.  But, just as quickly as her heart broke, she became angry.  ”Excuse me?”  Her voice was still soft and steady, but there was anger.  ”Let he who is without sin cast the first stone.”  The anger was stronger, and her volume louder.

……….•<@>• Dimitrius •<@>•

Dimitrius waited for Tilly to be standing upright again, then he handed her the two pamphlets he had picked up.  He placed his hand on her arm that was farthest from him.  He wanted to comfort her and help her calm.  He had been paying attention to what was going on and letting his thoughts process it.  He tilted his head to the left and looked at the nun.  He looked so confused.  But then he righted his head and spoke.  His voice was level and his words measured, because that was his natural manor of speech.  ”Your God turned a woman into a pillar of salt.  He let his own son be murdered.  He killed a man in a very painful way when he made his bowels explode.  What makes your God’s murders any better than ours?”  Dimitrius was well versed in various religions.  He had done a lot of studying when he first decided to find a religion and church for himself.

[Church ~ Protective Flame]

……….•<@>• •<@>• Group Five •<@>• •<@>•

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……….•<@>• Jalie •<@>•

Jalie couldn’t help the right side of her mouth curling into a half smile.  She almost chuckled as she shook her head no in response to his pizza comment.  She prepared to speak when he shifted gears and started … Flirting?  That made her giggle.  She had noticed the hair and the tails, but the t-shirt got her.  ”Love the T.  How old are you kid?”  She knew what a Kitsune was, though she had never met one before.  She wasn’t sure if they were older than they looked or if this cutie was too young to be flirting with her.  She was twenty, anything less than nineteen was kinda cradle robbing.

She held up the pamphlet in her hand.  She was fighting the urge to move to the music playing from his earbuds.  ”Sorry we’re not the pizza.”  She heard him say he was an apprentice.  That gave her a full smile.  Especially once she read the sign.  “We’re Holy Rollers trying to recruit members for our church.  Definitely not as enjoyable as pizza.  But, if your boss is around …  She was supposed to stick to a general conversation starter, almost a script, but this kid had thrown her off her game.  And this was just the first house.

……….•<@>• Mahaskah •<@>•

Mahaskah understood the flirting between the pair, and he wasn’t there to play father figure to the young lady, so he stood there in silence with his arms crossed over his chest.  He, too, had seen the tails and the shirt.  It took a moment longer for it to register in his mind.  The shirt was saying that beings were important, while also reminding them that E=MC2.  It was rather cute.  When he looked at the sign that the kid had pointed to, he wanted to leave.  An alchemist was one thing, a scientist another, but a genius was going to be a handful to deal with in regard to this.  He was not looking forward to this discussion.  But, the silver lining, at least it wasn’t some drunken, fat, creepy, old guy who was trying to get touchy feely with his companion.  That would have required action.  Something he was hoping to avoid this night.

[Telguest]

{For group three}

“Why is it that people always want to reference things in the old books before the covering of grace?” Susan rolled her eyes.  If her hair hadn’t been inside of her habit she would have flicked it to further demonstrate her annoyance.

Focus Susan, she said to herself, these poor souls are likely under the vampires influence so you — “And another thing. His son is alive thank you very much.” She really should listen to her inner voice more and not run off at the mouth. That was always problem. Then she waved a hand dismissively, “But that’s a different topic that we don’t fully focus.”

Susan took her time now and took in the pair. The people of the Marketplace didn't bother her much.  She was use to the throng, though she did notice people beginning to give stares at the big guy. “Besides,” she said, nodding her head rather matter-of-factly, “This Vampire Goddess has been killing people for pleasure - but what else can we expect from a creature of the Dark, yet you want people to worship her?” Susan leaned forward towards the pair and whispered. “Are you okay?  Are you currently under her influence? Did she threaten to end your lives, make you like her, if you didn’t go and do her bidding?”

[Archer Caughey]

((For group five.))

Making a girl giggle was good. So was getting a compliment from one. Illuminado flipped his hair out of his eyes, and grinned. “Thanks! I bought it on another planet after we saved it from an infestation of hallucinogenic spores.” The eager, excitable way he delivered that, it seemed like he had no clue that most people didn’t have lives that consisted of traveling to other times and planets to save worlds.

When she asked about his age, though, he made a face. Followed by a half-hearted shrug. “Older than you are,” he asserted. “I have three tails.” Which he flicked to punctuate his point. Born with one tail, fifty to a hundred years passed before a kitsune got each of their next tails, but he didn’t like to tell other people how old he was because they usually got all weird around him after that. “Besides, ‘age ain’t nothing but a number,’” he sang the melody that went with that song lyric and added a bit of swagger for good measure. In his case the lyric was true. He was over a hundred years old, but for his kind, that still meant teenage and that’s how he acted.

When the girl said why they were there, Lumie stopped short, looking totally surprised. “Church?” he echoed. It made sense, except that Archer told him not to talk about that stuff in this realm, that no one knew. He glanced behind him, down the hall, then back at them. “But not – um – which church? Wait.” He didn’t even let them answer. Instead he turned away from them, shouting down the hallway at that socially unacceptable volume only a teenager could manage. “Archer! Did you order a church?”

“What? Chicken ranch?!” Came the distant reply from the lab in the back of the house. “We agreed on cheeseburger!”

“NO!” Lumie let out a huffy chitter. “Your Holy Rollers are here!”

“Meat lovers?!” From inside the lab, Archer’s irritated confusion was cut short by the kind of pop you’d expect to hear from a backfiring motor, followed by the screech of bending metal, and some creative swearing in a language that was not native to this land. “ – was exactly what we didn’t want t’ happen!” Archer concluded in a bellow to Lumie after he was finished cussing. “I’ll be there in a minute!”

“WELL I DIDN’T DO IT!” Lumie barked back. Then, turning to face the two who were standing on the front stoop, he drew himself up to look professional and like everything was well in hand. “He said he’ll be out in a minute,” he informed them with a regular speaking volume and a polite smile. As if the whole neighborhood hadn’t just heard the entire exchange. “Do you want to sit down?” Stepping back from the doorway, he gestured to his right to the sitting room. It had a couch, love seat, bookcase, coat rack, that kind of stuff.

[Church ~ Protective Flame]

……….•<@>• •<@>• Group Three •<@>• •<@>•

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……….•<@>• Tilly •<@>•

Tilly felt a little calmed down by Dimitrius’ hand upon her arm.  She even moved to stand closer to him.  She wanted to turn into a flea and hide in his bushy orange fur.  Her voice was even more timid than usual, and there was a quiver to her words.  ”It do … doesn’t matt … matter that he’s alive now.  He let him be murdered.  And, and, the reason everyone references that … old book … is because it’s what happened.  Or, are you … calling your own bible a lie?”  Her grip was tightening on the pamphlets, so she stuffed them in her purse for safety.

……….•<@>• Dimitrius •<@>•

If he had a way for Tilly to turn into a flea, Dimitrius would let her hide in his fur, even if fleas were the bane of his existence.  He tapped her arm with his fingertips to tell her that she was safe and doing very well.  But he had a few things to say to the ‘sister’.  ”And you God kills people for being the bratty children that he created.  Well, I’ve got a news flash for you, sister, your God created the ‘creature of the dark’ that we worship.  He created her as a human witch, he created the being that turned her into a vampire, and he recreated her as a Goddess.”  He shook his head.  He could not believe that this evening was starting out this way.

His free hand came up to his face and he pinched the bridge of his nose.  He was far more humanoid than others of his race after spending so much time on this planet.  He looked back at the nun and sighed.  ”Furthermore, she kills for food.  She has a right to eat, doesn’t she?  I mean, come on, you eat, right?  Things die so that you can eat, things die so that she can eat.  It’s called the circle of life.  And why do things have to die so that other things can live?  Because that’s how your God made things.”  He placed his free hand on his hip.

……….•<@>• Tilly •<@>•

Tilly leaned her head back as the nun leaned in to talk to them more intimately.  Then she blinked in surprise from what she heard.  ”WHAT?!?!?!  Under her influence? Like, what do they call it, captured by her eyes?  We’re not under her influence.  We’ve never even met her.  She’s never threatened us.  We worship her because she protects us, not punishes us.”  The nerve of some people.  Accusing the Goddess of capturing the minds of her followers.  Tilly was mortified by the mere suggestion.

[Church ~ Protective Flame]

……….•<@>• •<@>• Group Five •<@>• •<@>•

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……….•<@>• Jalie •<@>•

Jalie smiled when he spoke of saving a planet from spores.  ”Lucky for them that you showed up when you did.  You’re their heroes.”  She winked at him.  Hey, the kid was cute.  And the wink was a lot less inappropriate when he said that he was older than she was.  She watched him flick his tails.  She was seriously fighting the urge to see if the web could tell her how old he was due to his having three tails.  No, she would leave her phone in her bag, for now.

He yelled to the back of the house and she chuckled.  Order a church.  That was so funny.  But, she didn’t interrupt, she wanted to see where this train went.  She giggled more and more with each comment the pair shouted at each other.  

……….•<@>• Mahaskah •<@>•

Mahaskah was also amused by the exchange.  He almost chuckled as he listened.  Something that he almost never did.  Then he heard the sound.  Was that an explosion?  And, perhaps the others present couldn’t hear it, but the man in the back of the house was cussing rather profusely. The caused Mahaskah’s eyebrows to raise as he was rather shocked.  But the cussing, ad subsequent shouting, told him that the man had survived the blast.  That was a relief.

……….•<@>• Jalie •<@>•
 
A squeak of a sound came from Jalie as she was startled by the sound.  The slight jump that went with the squeak was paired with her almost dropping the pamphlet.  She listened to the rest of the exchange and smiled.  So, the man of the house was coming to speak with them.  Yay!  Then the kid invited them in.  Far be it from her to be rude.  ”Thanks.  I’m Jalie {Jay Lee}, and the big guy back there is Mahaskah {Ma Ha Ska}.  What’s your name cutie?”  As she listened for his answer, she made her way in the door to where he had directed them.

……….•<@>• Mahaskah •<@>•

Mahaskah followed behind Jalie.  He half expected that he would be unable to enter since it had not been a formal invitation.  He was wrong.  He was able to cross the threshold. So he followed Jalie to the sitting room.  She sat on the loveseat, he sat in a chair.  They awaited the master of the house.

[Archer Caughey]

((For group five.))

"Yea, it's not luck, see the Ta - " Illuminado stopped himself short just in time. His life with the family he protected with wasn't something he was supposed to talk about - if he said the wrong thing, it could accidentally change history. Instead, he offered a little shrug. "You just need to know how to make good timing." He said instead, nodding at how he talked his way around saying too much.

At the sound of the small explosion, Lumie wasn’t surprised or scared. That kind of thing was normal when he and Archer were starting a new experiment. In fact, he was grinning, because the girl seemed to be enjoying what was going on and that made him feel like his game was on point today. "Illuminado," he offered. "I'm from Polytheia." Added as if that explained the unusual nature of his name. "It's a planet of mostly kitsune like me."

After they came inside, he shut the door behind them, following them into the sitting room. Looking at them seated there, he realized he had no idea what to do next. Lingering in the archway between the hall of the sitting room, he slipped his hands into his pockets and rocked on his heels. “So, um. You’re Archer’s church? He said that no one – “

“Now what were you on about?” Talk about making good timing. Archer had arrived, coming to stand beside his apprentice. Wearing blue pinstripe slacks and dress shoes, when it came to his upper half he’d stripped down to his plain white undershirt. The blow up in the lab had left his dress shirt and suit coat a mess. Otherwise the genius was looking good – the deep blue sparkle in his eyes was vibrant, dark hair had no signs of grey like it used to a couple years back, complexion was rich from the summer, hell he even had more muscle. All signs of the thriving vitality that flowed through beings who embraced their calling. Or in his case, begrudgingly accepted his calling? You know. Whichever.

Flipping up his safety goggles to set them on top of his head, the genius did a double take when he noticed the two who were in his sitting room. “You’re not the pizza.” After stating the obvious, Archer glanced over at Lumie. He gave the teenager a questioning quirk of his brow, before looking back their guests. “Do you need my help with something?”

[Telguest]

{for group three}

Laughing.  That’s what Susan was doing right now.  She was laughing so much that she doubled over and actually felt the start of tears brining about her eyes.  She laughed so much that she stumbled back a couple of steps from the other two and bumped into a person who was behind her. She took in a hard gasp of air as she turned and grabbed the person she bumped into (which happened to be a guy) by the arm. “He KILLS people! Ha!” She practically shouted at the man.  

His eyes went wide and he began to pull away from Susan, but she held on, gasping between her laughter. “Did you hear that! Did you hear what they said!” Susan let the guy go with a shove.  Her outburst had drawn a bit of a crowd. It was to be expected when someone was shouting about kills. She was use to this though - people coming around to hear what was being said and she took advantage of it.

Susan’s laughter trickled down and she dusted off her skirt and lifted her chin, then pointed at the two with their pamphlets. “They say that the Light kills people for being bratty. Lies!” Susan looked like a meek person with her small frame and otherwise quiet demenure, but when things got under her skin she was one boisterous female. “The Light gives us free will!  But these two,” Susan lowered her hand and took a few steps to the side.

“These two misguided souls would have us serve a vampire goddess who kills people so she can eat.” More than a hint of malice in her tone at mention of the word vampire. If these two took anything away from their encounter with Susan that she didn’t like vampires would be one of them.

She fixed both of them with a hard stare. “Please protect me vampire goddess.  Don’t eat me. I’m one of your faithful. Eat this blasphemer. Obviously they deserve it and it’s only right that you get to eat too, but while you’re killing to survive, don’t forget to protect us.” Clearly she was making a mockery of their church. She had seen people do that often enough at her own.

Susan took a step closer to the pair and brought her voice down a notch. “Is that how it works? I guess she was protecting them as she drained the life out of their bodies. But she was just hungry, right?”

[Church ~ Protective Flame]

……….•<@>• •<@>• Group Five •<@>• •<@>•

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……….•<@>• Jalie •<@>•

Jalie smiled as he talked.  Hey, the kid was cute, and apparently legal.  He spoke fast and rattled on, but in her opinion that just meant that the conversation would never get boring.  Besides, he did seem to be a teenager, and while he said he was older than her, for his race he could be a teenager.  She had no idea what the life span of a Kitsune was.  ”Illuminado.  Lovely name.  I bet your home planet is a great place.  So, do you have a nick name?”  She pulled a scrap of paper and a pen from her bag while they were talking.  She took advantage of her sitting down to scribble down a note on the paper and then she dropped the pen back in her bag.  She held the paper in her hand that wasn’t still holding the pamphlet.

……….•<@>• Mahaskah •<@>•

Mahaskah had been silent as the pair flirted.  There was no need for his input.  But then the creature, Illuminado was it?  He asked if they were Archer’s church.  Having seen the sign outside, he knew that Archer was a reference to the man of the house.  ”I was not aware of his attending our church.  Perhaps, if he already attends …”  He was interrupted by the appearance of the one called Archer.  

He slid his leg and removed his right ankle from where it rested atop his left knee.  With both feet planted on the floor, he rose from the chair in one fluid movement.  From the man’s question, he did not attend their church.  Had he been an attendee he would have known of the pamphlets and the passing out of them.

……….•<@>• Jalie •<@>•

Jalie stood up from where she was seated upon the loveseat.  She closed the distance between Archer and herself as she spoke.  ”Good evening sir, do you have a minute to talk about the Vampire Goddess of Fire and Protection?”  She placed the pamphlet between the fingers of her left hand, the note still pressed to her palm, and extended her right hand to him for a handshake.

[Church ~ Protective Flame]

……….•<@>• •<@>• Group Three •<@>• •<@>•

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……….•<@>• Tilly •<@>•

Tilly was perplexed by the laughter of the nun.  She didn’t see the humor in arguing over who’s church was right.  Didn’t people used to go to war over things like this?  And, the gravy?  This crazy nun was causing such a commotion that a crowd was gathering and watching them.  This was very bad for her anxiety.  Very, very bad.  She moved so close to Dimitrius that she was now touching him with her shoulder.  

……….•<@>• Dimitrius •<@>•

Dimitrius didn’t see the humor either.  But he let the nun have her little fit, standing stoic and silent.  The pair of them not acting out and getting loud had the gathering crowd looking at the nun like she had lost her ever loving mind.  This could work in their favor.  Of course, if Tilly lost it and had an anxiety attack, that would swing the situation in the opposite direction.  That made it very important for him to focus on keeping her calm.

……….•<@>• Tilly •<@>•

Tilly took deep and calming breaths.  She refused to give in to the threatening anxiety attack.  But, the more that silly old nun rated and raved, the more uncomfortable the situation became.  And Tilly’s anxiety was slowly melting away to the waves of anger that were filling her.  The nerve of this woman.  Some nun she was turning out to be.  Weren’t they supposed to be nice and nonjudgmental and all that?  

……….•<@>• Dimitrius •<@>•

~Locha are a peaceful race. Locha are a peaceful race.  Locha are a peaceful race.~  Dimitrius chanted to himself in his mind.  This woman was pushing his limits, and that took a whole lot.  ”Lady, we don’t serve a vampire.  We worship a woman who went to war to save humanity and has come to Rhy’Din to protect the beings that live here.”  He wasn’t sure how much more he could stand there and put up with.

……….•<@>• Tilly •<@>•

When the crazy nun leaned in closer to them to spout the end of her rant, Tilly started moving closer to her.  Her hands had gripped into fists and she was ready to swing on the woman.  Had it not been for Dimitrius’ hand moving from her left shoulder to her right hip with his arm across her body like a seat belt, she might have actually moved forward enough to strike the woman.  Lord knows she wanted to.  But, she couldn’t reach her.  So she settled for the next best thing.  ”You bitch!”  That’s right, she said it.  And she wasn’t sorry.  

[Venis Jordianthan]

{Group Three}

“Please protect me vampire goddess …

The words rang in the mind of the Goddess.  She didn’t recognize the voice.  Could it be someone screwing around?  Her luck, it was someone in a life or death situation and her pausing to think about what the tone meant could cost them.  So, with a sigh, Venis rose from her position in the bay window of her living room where she had been reading.  

She snapped her fingers above her head and a spiral of sparkling light swirled around her body.  Her pajama top was replaced with a blue t-shirt.  Her pajama bottoms were replaced by a pair of blue jeans.  Her slippers replaced with a pair of six in stiletto heels in the exact shade of blue as her top.  Her hair was combed out and it pulled itself up in a long, braided pony tail protruding from the back of her head.

With her right hand she pulled a sword from a sheath on her back.  With her left hand she sliced through the air, causing a portal.  As she was changing she had figured out that the call for help had come from the marketplace.  So, that was where the portal opened up to.  And she stepped through.

As she exited the portal, the nun would have been behind her.  She was facing the yellow and orange guy who was holding back the little human.  When you’re six-foot two, and then you put on six-inch heels, everyone is little to you.  But the big furry guy sure wasn’t.  With her sword at the ready, and pointing upward in front of her, she decided to find out what was going on.   ”What’s going on around here?”  She almost got caught by the fist of the woman flailing to get free.  That would have been unfortunate for the woman who was swinging her fist.  

[Archer Caughey]

(( For group five. ))

That made Lumie light up, the talk of his planet. He nodded, leaned against the archway, tried to play it cool, but just by looking at him it was no secret he loved his home a lot. “On my planet everyone is treated like a member of the pack. The rulers don’t leave anyone out, ever.” Those rulers were also his parents. He left that part out. Like his age, when people found out that he was technically what most thought of as a prince, it was another reason they got weird. And he hated when people got weird around him. He was just a person – well, a person who was a kitsune, but still a person just the same – yanno?

When Mahaskah mentioned Archer attending the church, Lumie opened his mouth to clarify the question he was asking, but Archer had showed up, and there was no way he could clarify without Archer smacking him on the back of the head. So Lumie took this moment to fall silent, resting against the archway and letting Archer take it from here. His dark eyes were on watch, though, darting to whomever was speaking as the conversation unfolded. He was a fox, foxes were extremely curious by nature, and the teenager was incredibly interested in finding out what the heck was going on.

Jalie’s words were like a missing piece of the puzzle for Archer. With this new information in mind, the genius closed his eyes, nodding as he replayed everything Lumie had yelled to him. “Church,” he realized, glancing over at his apprentice. There was more he wanted to say to the kitsune, a few points he wanted to clarify based on what Lumie had yelled to him a moment ago, but he’d save that for later, when they were alone.

A second slow nod followed as he turned his attention back to Jalie and Mahaskah, as he tried to keep his expression as neutral as possible. He knew who they were talking about, through second-hand knowledge. But diplomacy was in his blood and one of the calls of his being, he was the last one who’d ever want to stir the pot. What’s more, when he was in this realm he always erred on the side of passing as a simple scientist. So he was going to do everything in this power to keep himself just that.

“Archer, please. And sure,” he acquiesced, reaching out to shake the hand that she offered. “What about them?”

[Telguest]

Susan, well Susan wasn’t exactly the type of person to back down once she believed in something.  She was the type that would defend what she believed in until she ran out of air. This didn’t mean she shut her ears off to listening to another persons side of the story - it simply had to be stronger than what she was saying and right now, those two were anything but convincing. How could they believe that their deity, who had recently killed so many, was someone to call on for protection?

“Sure,” Susan spat out at the tall furry fellow. “She’s a protector. A protector of the chosen few.”  

If any of the older Sisters of the church - especially the Sister Mary’s - witnessed Susan’s performance today they’d have more than a word or two for her. As it so happened there was a person or two among the crowd who thought Susan looked familiar. Word of this was sure to get back to the Church.

Venis showed up right as Susan had her mouth open to respond to the other person.  Persecution wasn’t anything new, but that didn’t mean she liked it. Now, however, there was this tall woman blocking her way. Though Susan had never met her in person, she knew the rumors and stories of what she looked like, and the fact that she merely appeared in the middle of the conversation and asserted herself was all the verification she needed.

Susan pursed her lips together and took a step backwards. If eyes could bore a hole in something, then hers would be doing that to Venis’ back. Don’t say anything stupid, she thought, don’t say anything stupid…

“Why don’t you tell us goddess,” that was about as tame as Susan was going to get. “Or do you need to eat first?”

[Church ~ Protective Flame]

……….•<@>• •<@>• Group Five •<@>• •<@>•

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……….•<@>• Jalie •<@>•

The rulers don’t leave anyone out, ever.  That’s what he said.  That made Jalie blink a few times and smile her most genuine smile ever.  She had been treated as an outcast for most of her life.  That was what drew her to the church.  She was included in things and welcomed with open arms.  If she needed someone to talk to, there was always someone willing to listen or offer a hug.  And they genuinely listened, not like let her run off at the mouth for an hour and play on their phones the whole time.  ”That sounds like a eutopia.”  She blushed slightly as she realized that she sounded like she was melting when she said that.

……….•<@>• Mahaskah •<@>•

With age comes wisdom … Most of the time.  And in the case of Mahaskah, this was indeed true.  Which meant that he had the wisdom to not scoff at Jalie when she spoke.  That being said, he did close his eyelids and roll his eyes.  After all, the girl had gone from sounding like she wanted to date the boy to sounding like she wanted to run away with him to his home planet and have a litter of halflings.  But, to each their own.

……….•<@>• Jalie •<@>•

Jalie smiled at the hand shake and the request of a preferential address.  ”Alright, Archer, tell me, have you ever felt like the God’s of Rhy’Din have abandoned us?  Like there’s no one left who cares?”  She paused for a moment.  ”We are spreading the word that not all the Gods have abandoned us.  The Goddess of Fire and Protection still watches over us and protects us.”  She took her pamphlet back into her right hand, not wanting to drop the little note hiding in the palm of her left, and offered it to Archer.

[Church ~ Protective Flame]

……….•<@>• •<@>• Group Three •<@>• •<@>•

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……….•<@>• Tilly •<@>•

Tilly was straining against Dimitrius’ arm and swinging her fists at the nun like they were sparing.  She had gotten so angry that she had gotten past her anxiety.  Her words were further proof of that.  ”You’re going to wish you were one of those chosen few when I get my hands on you.”  She was getting frustrated at not being able to reach the woman.  She really wanted to hit her, and hit her hard.

……….•<@>• Dimitrius •<@>•

Dimitrius held on as tight as he could.  He had stopped paying attention to the nun all together.  He was just trying to calm Tilly down.  ”Tilly.  Tilly.  Calm down, Tilly.”  His words were falling on deaf ears.  Tilly had gone into a zone.  Apparently, the zone was called kill the nun.  But, at least he was strong enough to keep her from reaching the nun.

……….•<@>• Tilly •<@>•

Tilly wasn’t hearing Dimitrius, she wasn’t hearing anything anymore.  She was dead focused on trying to get her hands on that nun … Until she nearly gut punched a tall red-head that seemed to appear out of thin air.  She stopped fighting against Dimitrius and looked up.  She caught her breath in a loud gasp, but she had no words.  She just froze.

……….•<@>• Dimitrius •<@>•

Dimitrius had words though.  Well, a word.  ”Goddess.”  His voice was breathy when he spoke.  He was in awe.  He had never been in the presence of a deity before.  He couldn’t help but think that she was rather beautiful for a human.  Humanoid?  He’d stick with human.  He was rather curious though, why was she standing there holding a sword at the ready?

[Venis Jordianthan]

{Group Three}

Venis didn’t move when the big orange and yellow guy spoke, in fact, she had no reaction whatsoever for him.  She was busying herself with trying to assess the situation.  But she did hear the nun behind her.  Though, she didn’t know that she was a nun at first.  She realized that when she turned her head to the left as far as it could go.  She kept her eyes on the beings in front of her, but she spared a glance over her shoulders to see the nun.  She turned her head back to face the front as she was speaking.  ”How the hell am I supposed to know, sister?  You called for me.  And I’ve already eaten but thank you for your concern for my health.  Now, what is the danger?”  She honestly hoped that the nun didn’t call for her in regard to the little human swinging like Mohamed Ali.  That would be a rather piss poor reason to call upon her.

[Archer Caughey]

Lumie grinned, giving her a nonchalant shrug as he tried to be humble. Maybe he managed it with the gesture, but when it came to his words his pride was probably showing. “Yea, it’s a pretty awesome place.” He visited it as much as he could, but his work with the doctor, and with Archer, both of those things were pretty awesome, too. He didn’t want to give anything up, so he split his time as best he could.

When Jalie asked her questions, though, a chittering snicker slipped out of the teenager. It wasn’t her questions that made him laugh. It was that she was asking Archer those questions. The erratic flicking of his tail gave away that he was waiting for the answers with eager anticipation. This whole thing touched on a side of Archer that the genius didn’t agree to talk about often. Lumie was incredibly curious to see if he mentioned it now. Maybe he'd get to learn something new.

Archer glanced over at his apprentice, raising his brow. After a slight shake of his head, the genius turned his attention to his two guests, taking the pamphlet that Jalie offered. “My relationship to divinity started long before I set foot here,” he replied as he skimmed the information over. “So I can’t say I’ve had a need. And when it comes to protection, empathy, and abandonment…” he paused, the gears in his mind working to find exactly how he wanted to phrase this, “That's not part of my relationship with divinity. I look to myself, or to my clan. We all have the power to lift up the brothers and sisters of our community, to provide for their welfare, and to protect them. That’s part of the glory of being alive.”

Closing the pamphlet, he lifted his gaze to consider Jalie and her companion. “Do you both feel abandoned?” He felt it a fair question to ask, since it seemed like they were citizens of this realm.

[Church ~ Protective Flame]

……….•<@>• •<@>• Group Five •<@>• •<@>•

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……….•<@>• Jalie •<@>•

Illuminado, he still hadn’t given her a nick name, earned another smile from Jalie when he beamed with pride even more.  She could tell he was going for humble from his tone, but he was mostly managing endearing.  Not that that was a bad thing.  After all, the kid had charm.  

……….•<@>• Mahaskah •<@>•

The pair listened attentively as the one called Archer spoke.  Though, Mahaskah would wager that Jalie was a touch distracted by the youngster.  Regardless, he had paid attention, and therefor was able to have comment in response to Archer.  ”For some beings, the church is the community that they are able to turn to when they are in need of ‘lifting up’.  For others, the attend because they have the means to help others or do the lifting.  So, we understand what you mean.”  He wasn’t a man of many words, so he wasn’t sure if his comments made sense to anyone but himself.  That had been the most he had said to anyone, in one remark, in months.  He lived alone and wasn’t much of a conversationalist when he was at church.

……….•<@>• Jalie •<@>•

Jalie agreed with Mahaskah, she understood what he meant, so she just nodded.  But, then Archer followed up with his question.  She swallowed hard and looked to Mahaskah, but he simply looked back at her with his blank stare that said that he wasn’t going to say anything.  He had gone, what Jalie and a few others referred to as, vampire still.  He wasn’t breathing or anything.  

Jalie looked back to Archer.  Father Christoph told them to draw on personal experience to make their interactions feel more like a conversation and less like a sales pitch.  Damn.  ”Once upon a time, I did.  I wasn’t the most popular kid growing up, and my family seemed to agree with my peers, neither of which wanting me around much.  But, I ran into a lady at a coffee house one day, like literally almost spilled her coffee.  But she told me that it was ok that I ran into her and invited me to go to church with her.  I’ve been a loyal church goer for ten years now.  That was very hard for her, and she took a few quiet, but deep breaths to keep from having a tear fall.  After all, she had to keep looking cool in front of Illuminado.

[Telguest]

{for group three}

It took about every ounce of willpower Susan had not to roll her eyes and in the end she rolled them anyway.  She was flustered at those two for advertising for this goddess and, moreover, she was irritated that said goddess actually showed up! Not that anything was wrong with a deity showing up when asked, but this vampire goddess didn’t even know why she was here and that is what grated on Susan’s nerves.

She was going to breathe. Susan pinched the bridge of her nose with her thumb and forefinger, crossed her other arm over her waist and took a deep, slow breath.  “This… this is amazing,” she said.  It was mostly to herself, but she spoke normally enough to be heard. “You just ‘poof’ show up whenever you’re called.”

Susan sighed and brought her hand down from her face, quite aware that she was talking to the goddesses back. “Prayer time must really be exhausting with people all over calling your name and asking for protection, blessings, mercy so they won’t be your next meal.” She shrugged.  “This is a farce and soon people are going to realize that they can’t pray for protection from the same entity that feeds off of them.”

It was like trusting a thief to not steal. Susan knew she couldn’t take on the goddess by herself, but also knew now that she could actually be summoned - and rather easily too. She also knew she had shopping to do.

She didn’t say anything as she settled her basket and looked for a way through the throng.

[Archer Caughey]

“Aye, understandable.” Dipping a hand into his back pocket, the pamphlet was slipped inside. When he brought his hand back around, a handkerchief was in its place. He wiped his hands first, then his brow. “When it comes to providing a place in the world, this neck of the woods seems rough around the edges. Then again, I don’t do much communing here besides enjoying the company at Tir Na Nog. Good people. Even better bangers and mash.” Added with a hint of his fool’s grin. Tir Na Nog was his favorite bar, modeled after the old country back on Earth, which was modeled after the even older country.

Then Archer fell silent, trading his gaze between the two of them, watching their conversation without words. Did his gaze linger on Mahaskah even after Jalie starting speaking? For a couple seconds, yeap. He was a scientist. He observed. In fact, it was Illuminado who he observed next, with an amused smirk as he enjoyed the sight of the kitsune listening to Jalie with rapt attention. Archer's deep blue gaze shifted to her finally, nodding as she shared a slice of her history with them.

“Are you that woman at the coffee house now, knocking on doors to have run ins with folks in case anyone else is in need?” Maybe it sounded like it, but it wasn’t a rhetorical question. He looked at each of them in turn once more, adding a second question into the mix. “It’s a very specific type of community, isn’t it. A community of worship. What is it that you’re worshiping?” With luck they’d notice he’d said what, and not who. He wasn’t asking about the individual, he was asking about the tenets of their religion. The cornerstones.  

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