Reply to thread

Message

<blockquote data-quote="Rolzup" data-source="post: 2846350" data-attributes="member: 10105">Interlude: Ship of Fools Part VI. Some Like it Not.&lt;Late in the evening aboard MCSDF Windsprint, 5 days from Narayan:CITY&gt; Mother Superior Tawny Portal speaks with Rackhir the Red, privately, if such a thing is possible, concerning the fate of Han Oi Xian's mother.&quot;I just had a revelation, actually several, just now in my cabin,&quot; says a flushed and smiling High Priestess of the Saint of Shamelessness. &quot;I have a solution to your soul problem. The Magnaeta Delphine is a blood relative of Xian's mother --the resemblance is unmistakable, yes? So she is of her body. And Xian is her true son by birth? So he is of her body and of her soul? Good....&quot;Now as everyone knows, life begins at birth. The soul enters an infant when it draws its first breath. Before that its just a bunch of wet, fiddly bits that look like they belong in a stewpot. Where was I?&quot;So!&nbsp; The obvious answer is that Delphine and Joachim must conceive a child, which will be the perfect vessel for Xian's mothers soul. At the time of birth a ritual will deflect the newborns soul away, and the soul in the jade necklace will be inserted in its place. The newborn soul, blank as the eyes of man at his crisis -- don't you just love that euphemism? I got it from a book about saucy woodsmen -- that soul will return from whence it came, i.e., the mother and the father. No harm done. Except the mother will feel the briefest sensation of loss, and the father, searing relief....&quot;&quot;What kind of ritual is involved?&quot; asks a suspicious Rackhir. &quot;To be frank, and my order is encouraged to be that no matter what the cost to others, I'm a little hazy about the specifics. I asked my goddess a question. And got a brief answer back.&quot;I'll inquire further at the Pleasuredome when we get to Narayan. It's the greatest Temple of Aja Opal Blossom in CITY, near the Bridge of Sighs. Ever been there? All are welcome. It says so on the plaque over the main door.&nbsp; 'Give me your tired, your poor, yearning to be....' Ah, it's a lovely place. Classy. Though I wouldn't go so far as to call it stately. Anyway, I've heard they have some Shirac witches there who took the Vows of Unchastity. Perhaps they could use their mind-magic.&quot;&quot;And this isn't evil?&quot; Rackhir grows more suspicious. &quot;There are some in Aja's priesthood that are capricious and vindictive, but none are evil. We're charitable, though in ways that can wreck homes. We give until it hurts, more often than not. We heal the sick and protect the innocent, though usually from continued innocence.&quot;&quot;Is any child guaranteed to be perfect?&quot; &quot;I said a 'perfect vessel'. There's a difference.&quot; &quot;What if it's a boy?&quot;&quot;Nobody's perfect&quot;. Hours later, in the dead of dead of yet another unquiet night, the Mother Superior rises with a start from the middle of a sacrament known as the Wet Meditation. &quot;Did I say Delphine and Joachim must have a child? Silly me, I meant to say Delphine and Xian. That makes a lot more sense.&quot;Perhaps I should lay off the gin.&quot;</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Rolzup, post: 2846350, member: 10105"] [b]Interlude: Ship of Fools Part VI. Some Like it Not.[/b] <Late in the evening aboard MCSDF Windsprint, 5 days from Narayan:CITY> Mother Superior Tawny Portal speaks with Rackhir the Red, privately, if such a thing is possible, concerning the fate of Han Oi Xian's mother. "I just had a revelation, actually several, just now in my cabin," says a flushed and smiling High Priestess of the Saint of Shamelessness. "I have a solution to your soul problem. The Magnaeta Delphine is a blood relative of Xian's mother --the resemblance is unmistakable, yes? So she is of her body. And Xian is her true son by birth? So he is of her body [i]and[/i] of her soul? Good.... "Now as everyone knows, life begins at birth. The soul enters an infant when it draws its first breath. Before that its just a bunch of wet, fiddly bits that look like they belong in a stewpot. Where was I? "So! The obvious answer is that Delphine and Joachim must conceive a child, which will be the perfect vessel for Xian's mothers soul. At the time of birth a ritual will deflect the newborns soul away, and the soul in the jade necklace will be inserted in its place. The newborn soul, blank as the eyes of man at his crisis -- don't you just love that euphemism? I got it from a book about saucy woodsmen -- that soul will return from whence it came, i.e., the mother and the father. No harm done. Except the mother will feel the briefest sensation of loss, and the father, searing relief...." "What kind of ritual is involved?" asks a suspicious Rackhir. "To be frank, and my order is encouraged to be that no matter what the cost to others, I'm a little hazy about the specifics. I asked my goddess a question. And got a brief answer back. "I'll inquire further at the Pleasuredome when we get to Narayan. It's the greatest Temple of Aja Opal Blossom in CITY, near the Bridge of Sighs. Ever been there? All are welcome. It says so on the plaque over the main door. 'Give me your tired, your poor, yearning to be....' Ah, it's a lovely place. Classy. Though I wouldn't go so far as to call it stately. Anyway, I've heard they have some Shirac witches there who took the Vows of Unchastity. Perhaps they could use their mind-magic." "And this isn't evil?" Rackhir grows more suspicious. "There are some in Aja's priesthood that are capricious and vindictive, but none are evil. We're charitable, though in ways that can wreck homes. We give until it hurts, more often than not. We heal the sick and protect the innocent, though usually from continued innocence." "Is any child guaranteed to be perfect?" "I said a 'perfect vessel'. There's a difference." "What if it's a boy?" "Nobody's perfect". Hours later, in the dead of dead of yet another unquiet night, the Mother Superior rises with a start from the middle of a sacrament known as the Wet Meditation. "Did I say Delphine and Joachim must have a child? Silly me, I meant to say Delphine and Xian. That makes a lot more sense. "Perhaps I should lay off the gin." [/QUOTE]

Verification