Draft-dodging

Moira’s order was the worst thing John could have imagined happening. What was he supposed to do? He couldn’t call on Malal’s blessing, that much was certain - which meant he’d have to hope Gaia felt like answering or he’d look like a fraud in front of Rebecca. Who was already unsure about him after they’d found the restricted area of his temple. And more importantly, he’d look like he was lying to Moira, who was almost five times his level in a very much smite-the-unholy combat class.

Even if he managed to get a blessing, there was also the side effect to consider. Given the combat, and as a once-off, he had been hoping that Rebecca would have chalked the lustiness up to adrenaline plus some kind of subconscious crush. Especially when he considered the way she’d been sort-of-stalking him just prior. In a chapel on the other hand, and on the woman Rebecca referred to as the Warden? Yea, there was no way making her randomly horny could be laughed off.

Left with only bad options, he swallowed hard and stepped over to the indicated table. “Just so you know… the Lady does not always heed my calls for aid. Only when the situation is dire or…” John trailed off under Moira’s hostile gaze and reached out, his fingertips brushing the dagger’s blade. “Oh Gaia, please bless this weapon,” he began, closing his eyes in prayer. ”Seriously, please… in a way that doesn’t get me killed by your cult here!” he added in the privacy of his own head, opening his eyes once more and exhaling a sigh of relief that he’d managed to pass at least the first hurdle. The blade beneath his fingertips was glowing with a gentle flame.

Moira’s intake of breath was immediate. Turning, the Warden gestured to the door. “Novice, close the doors at once. This may have just become a far more serious matter than I initially thought.” As Rebecca hurried to obey, the redhead moved to stand beside John then reached out and picked up the dagger. “Interesting.” She held it a moment, then nodded and set it back down. “Novice, come here.”

Rebecca crossed the floor hesitantly, her head bowed. It seemed that her instincts had been right about John, that he truly was touched by the Lady, but Moira didn’t sound all that pleased as she gave another order, “Pick up the dagger.” The Warden’s command was curt, the redhead watching as Rebecca tentatively took up the weapon, its blade still glowing with fire. “Do you feel anything?”

John bit his lip. This was clearly not going to end well for him; he’d managed to summon forth Gaia’s blessing, but the side effects… maybe the Warden wouldn’t have felt them, she was much higher level than him, but Rebecca was far closer to his level and he knew she’d already been affected by it, albeit after a lengthy fight.

The Novice held the dagger a moment, frowning as she did so, then gasped and almost dropped it. “The heat… Lady Warden, I feel it in… umm…”

Moira cut her off with an outstretched hand, taking the dagger back before turning to John. “You may cease the blessing, if that is within your power, priest.” At her words, John cut the spell instantly - if he had to run right now, he’d need every drop of mana he could get and… and Moira was looking at him quizzically.

“It seems our novice was telling the truth. Which means we have much to discuss, and little time if we are to do so without my father hearing about it.” Moira frowned then, before nodding to herself. “This matter is my concern, for the time being. I… but no matter. John, I’m sorry if Rebecca or I have been impolite, but you must understand that the Lady does not grant many the ability to wield her light.”

John’s head was spinning, trying to deal with the mental whiplash. Rebecca had clearly felt the side effect of the blessing but that had, what, convinced Moira that he was telling the truth? “Umm… don’t mention it?” he tried, erring on the side of caution. Malal’s advice - try and avoid getting involved with the Order as much as possible - returned to the forefront of his brain just in time for the redhead’s next words.

“We, of course, would welcome one such as you to the Order. We can provide proper training, both in using the gift you have been granted and in self-defence and…” Moira’s words washed over him, promising sanctuary - but, it was clear, at the cost of his freedom. John thought frantically - he had to get out of being made to join the Order, but how?

It wouldn’t be easy. But, the combination of twenty-five Intellect and eighteen Wisdom could do a lot of rapid thinking in a pinch. The question of whether he had the Charisma to sell his idea or not was an issue though. Wait. He’d loaded most of his quest rewards back into his inventory when he’d gotten home from Matilda’s, just in case he needed them at Ashcroft. Which meant, if he could just find a way to access them without being spotted… “Could I have a moment to pray for guidance? In private? I… wish to seek the Lady’s wisdom,” he blurted out, cutting Moira off mid-flow.

The paladin looked rather flustered at his brashness, but nodded. “Call when you are done. We will wait outside momentarily,” she said, before gathering up Rebecca and shepherding the novice out the door. The instant the door clicked shut, John pulled the friendship bracelet from his inventory. This was either going to be incredibly smart or catastrophically stupid…

He’d waited four minutes in silent prayer - genuine prayer, admittedly mostly along the lines of, “Please Gaia let me get out of this alive,” before he pushed the door open. As soon as he did, Moira dragged Rebecca back through almost instantly and slammed it behind them.

“Well, Mr Newman?” the Warden of the Rose asked, quirking an eyebrow. “What guidance does our Lady offer you at this time?”

John swallowed, and activated the bracelet. “The Lady…” he began, then pulled the key from his pocket with his other hand. “She has granted me this. A temple, as both boon and burden. I am to build the temple’s following, and it is clear that it must be from the uninitiated. I fear that were I to join the Order, I would not find it easy to pass into places where lost but salvageable souls may be found - and so grateful as I am for the offer, I must decline so that I may continue to follow the path she has laid for me.” It was religious sounding rubbish, made up practically on the spot, and utterly vague rubbish at that. But vague as it was, it was also good religious sounding rubbish, delivered with a temporarily boosted Charisma of twenty-five. The gambit paid off.

Long before the buff could fade, Moira had already nodded. “Very well, John. If that is the calling the Lady has placed upon you, then so be it. I trust we can still be friends, however?” So grateful was he that he’d seemingly dodged the enlistment trap, John nodded without hesitation. He regretted it a moment later, when the redhead gestured to one of the benches and added in a far more casual manner. “In that case, the three of us should talk. We’ve a few more details to discuss.”

Rebecca’s eyes were saucer-wide as she slowly took her place in the semicircle of benches the Warden had dragged together. The Warden of the Rose, the most important person in the entire Order, was sitting next to her on one side, and on the other, John Newman, the man who’d… She fought down a blush, before considering the details beyond just where his hands had been. He was also touched by the Lady, Moira had confirmed it. Which meant she was currently sitting in counsel with two of the most important people in Springfield as far as she was concerned. And she was just a novice!

The two had barely started their discussion, Moira drawing out what exactly John hoped to accomplish in his mission to the poor and needy with typical skill, when Rebecca heard her own name mentioned. Snapping her focus back from the surreality of being involved in this conversation at all, she found them both looking at her. “Erm, pardon?” she asked hesitantly.

John did his best not to grin at the dazed look on Rebecca’s face because he was pretty sure it mirrored the one on his own. He’d hoped for a quick exit after his little speech, but Moira had pressed him on details and he’d done his best to make up a believable plan, albeit one accompanied by a lot of comments along the lines of “if the Lady wills” and “depending on the situation”. And then she’d leaned back, nodded once and then gestured to the Novice sitting beside them.

“Rebecca, I said that John will need a contact within the Order… or rather a liaison. I do not wish for this matter to get to my father’s ears yet, which means that my choice of staff to assign to the task is limited to one. You are to communicate and visit regularly with John and then provide me with detailed reports - or requests for aid, if he has any. Likewise, you are to convey any and all official requests from the Order to him. Is that clear?” Moira’s tone was curt - but there was a hint of approval in her voice, especially in the, “Very well,” she added before turning back to John after Rebecca shakily nodded.

With the matter of a liaison sorted, John thought they would be done. Instead, Moira sat watching him, biting her lip before nodding to herself. ”Sanctuary calls forth for the huddled masses,” she said softly, almost to herself rather than to him, then fixed him in the eyes. “John, before you leave, I want you to understand… no. Now is not the time. Tomorrow, you have a self-study period, do you not? I will meet you then, away from the manor. I wish to talk to you more, beyond the reach of my father’s ears.”