Stranger in a Strange Land (RP)

This land is strange... and cold. Intellectually I knew this would be so, but I was not prepared for just how strange nor how cold. Where I come from the desert nights can get pretty cold, but we stay indoors and by the fire, here it is cold all the time and I can not move with all the layers I am forced to wear. The locals don't seem so affected, maybe I will 'get used to it'?

I have in my possession a letter of introduction to the sisters of the local monastery, but I don't know if they will accept me, and I can't really tell they my real reasons for being here, I need to keep the book (The Signature of Aibesta of the Two Courts) secret until I know more about the attitudes to such things over here.

On the journey over they started calling me 'None', apparently that is close to their word for sisters of my order, but it sounds a lot like our shared word for 'an absence', which suits me. We are not permitted individual names in my order and being forced to take one would have felt wrong. Hopefully this does not confuse anyone too much.

There are not many people of my race over here —not surprising, given the cold— and most of them seem to be servants. Already I have had several men assume I am there to serve them and issue me with orders, where I can I have tried to avoid making waves and just done the work. How can an entire nation be reduced to one single class or function?

I say again: This place is strange.

I was unable to persuade the caravan to come all the way to the city —they seemed strangely reluctant and I found their excuses 'that it was out of their way' unconvincing— so I was forced to make the last leg on my own. This inflicted upon me much more scrutiny from the gate guards —scrutiny I had hoped to avoid by passing unnoticed with a large caravan, which is why I signed up with them in the first place!

A ranking member of the Order of Benevolence had to be called to vouch for me, meaning a lot more suspicious eyes on my letter of introduction than was comfortable. This was not how I wanted our first meeting to go, and not the impression I wanted to start off with.

I was then dragged before the Abbess, still dirty, travel-weary, and extremely saddle-sore, not making the best second impression either. Adding to this, it is apparently customary for visiting nuns to 'make a donation' to cover the costs of their stay, I was not aware of this, and it took way too long, what with them dancing around the question of funds while avoiding talking about worldly issues, for us all to realise that I was deficient. A third strike against me.

I am not surprised, but they expect me to work to pay for my food and lodging, it does not sound onerous, but I thought I saw a malicious glint in the Abbess' eye when she assigned me my duties.

---

No one seems to know what happened to my camel, they all seem bamboozled by the question, but all my meager belongings have been move to my room. I can't tell if they were searched through, but I have nothing to hide... in may pack. My precious copy of The Signature I keep hidden upon my person.

The girl assigned to show me to my room —I have a room or my very own!— has the most amazing red hair that she constantly has to fight back into her habit as it sneaks out. I am so jealous, but she seems sweet and I try to make friends. At my complement her face changes colour in a fascinating way, but she drops her eyes and will not meet my gaze.

It almost seems like she wants to tell me something, but she remains mute, only giving me a look that I can not interpret before closing the door. I have a door! I have never had a door before, we were not afforded such privacy at home.

---

Before evening prayer I am to attend to one of older nuns needs. But I have two hours to rest from my journey. Looking around at the cell I have been given I know I should be careful and check it, but it seems like such an ideal place to Study the Grimoire in peace...

I will just test the bed, which is covered with grass, do I remove the grass? Or is it there for the cold? I will just lie down for a moment...

This is the first time I have been warm in weeks. Leaving the bed takes all the discipline I have, but I need to get started on fixing my image so I can be accepted here. Helping the senior members of the order is a good start...

Except 'senior', in this case, is in reference to age, not position. I don't know if they are trying to demean me, but caring for the elderly is an important tenet and I don't mind.

"Sister Eutrapelia? I am ... Sister None." I greet her, feeling very strange to be using a name for myself. "I am here to help you get ready for prayers." I have to speak up and repeat myself as she is hard of hearing and, it seems, almost blind —at least, she is one of the few people who don't stare at my dark skin.

"Prayers? Bah!" Eutrapelia says. "You new, or just naive?" I don't really understand the distinction between those two words so I confess: "I arrived today."

"Arrived?" Eutrapelia asks, but then loses interest in me and turns to talk to 'someone else' in the room, but I am on the only other person here, and I can not make out what she is saying.

"Sister Eutrapelia?" I ask a few times before giving up and going to make her medicine from the written instructions posted above the medicine chest. I don't know what half the ingredients are, and not all the contents of the chest are labeled.

I am sure I can work this out, though...

"I'm sorry." I say to Sister Eutrapelia, waving the instructions before her unseeing eyes. "I don't know all the words, here. And I don't recognise some of the components. I will have to get someone to come back and help me make the medicine after prayers, but I need to go now."

Quick as a snake, her hand darts out and locks around my wrist, she is strong and my instinctive attempt to pull away only brings Sister Eutrapelia up into a sitting position. She turns her head towards me, trying to focus, but clearly not seeing me. "Forget the prayers." She says, sounding more lucid than before. "The book is all that matters. Focus on the book if you want enlightenment."

My non-trapped hand starts to move towards the place where the book is hidden, between my robes and my skin, but I manage to stop it. "Which 'book', Sister Eutrapelia?" I ask, trying to sound innocent.

Is this a trap? I look around the room, seeing no obvious places for a spy to hide. Then I open my Third Eye, which is not really an 'eye'. Wizards apparently call it that, because it is too hard to explain, but it affects my sense, letting me see, but also hear, smell, taste, and touch that which normal senses can't, it also affects all the other little 'senses' we have but don't have names for, our 'sense of balance', for instance, or the innate awareness of where our body is that allows us to touch our nose with our eyes closed.

I talk quietly with Sister Eutrapelia while I let my mind wander around the room and the surroundings, trying to see if I am being observed.

"The book, stupid child!" Sister Eutrapelia scolds me. "The one you carry with you at all times."

Her words are almost lost on me, focused as I am on my wider surroundings and the clear spark of someone watching at a hole in the wall.

"Yes." I agree, hoping I sound more confident than I feel in the lie. "We all carry the holy book with us at all times, in our hearts and minds. But prayer is still important, the book tells us so." There is a note of hysteria in my voice that I don't try to suppress, let the watcher see my worry but think that I am only worried about missing prayers and not also worried about other things.

I don't know why they are watching, it is probable that they are merely assessing a new nun and making sure the old... elderly are treated well. They have no other reason to suspect me... right?

I have been prying the iron-band fingers from my wrist —making sure I don't hurt Sister Eutrapelia— while letting my mind wander.

If the watcher were there to help, surely they would help? I don't sense amusement at my distress, so it does not seem like a prank on the new girl.

"Not that book." Sister Eutrapelia continues to say worrying things. "Well, also that book. Meditate upon the book..." she says, "...when you are alone." Did her eyes just dart to the hidden observer's nook? If she knows then why does she not shut up‽

"I will, Sister Eutrapelia." I promise, trying to simultaneously reassure her and the watcher of possibly different things. "Let me get to prayers, then I will get someone to give you your medicine."

"Medicine?" Sister Eutrapelia says, sounding suddenly fragile. "It is poison. Clouds my mind." She has been sounding more and more coherent as time went on, but now she has relapsed into crazy-mumbling. Her vice-like grip finally loosens and I can free my wrist.

"I will come back to see you later." I promise Sister Eutrapelia, not sure if I believe it.

I manage to extricate myself from Sister Eutrapelia's iron grasp, quietly Pronouncing Liveliness Upon My Shoes to speed my way to the prayer chamber, slipping silently in part-way through.

After prayers I get some disapproving scowls from the other sisters, the red-haired junior who showed me to my room smiles shyly but does not say a word, she is surrounded by other girls her age, they all cover their mouths —hiding giggles, it seems— but also remain silent. I suspect they have taken vows of silence, or at least I hope that is the case, and that they are not just being rude.

When I make my report about the medicinal failure no one is surprised. 'Someone will sort it out' I am assured, but my offer to help and learn is refused. 'Maybe tomorrow' they say, 'it is late and you are travel weary' they say, so I return to my room.

The indecent with the ... let's call them a 'watcher' at Sister Eutrapelia's room has me on edge. I can't let these people know about the book, so I take their advice and very obviously go to sleep early. I slept a little before, but I am still tired. But early to bed means early to rise, and I plan to be up well before the morning stirrings to head out into the town to find a place to study in private.

• Can I sneak out unnoticed?