“I’ve been having nightmares again,” Vernon explains. “And I think it was Nual sending them.”
“Must we go through this again? The gods send feelings, not dreams. If we got dreams, our courses of action would be much clearer,” the taller priest explains..
“Okay, then Nual’s afraid of something and I felt it and it gave me nightmares,” Vernon grumbles. “All I know is, I saw this huge wave of water washing us all away. You, me, Sister Angela, everyone on this ship with… our connections. And when you feel what the god of the sea feels, that kind of imagery sure as the hells feels to me like a warning.”
“It sounds to me like your own fears,” the other priest replies. “You worry that you are washed up in forces greater than yourself, and not just the gods. It is true that we are risking much, but in the end, if we have faith, it shall be worthwhile.”
“Faith, right,” Vernon mumbles. “I guess I have trouble with that. You know, after what happened.”
“What happened to you was a failing of humans,” says the other priest. “It was not guided by Nual’s hand, whatever they may say. And together, we shall build a world where such things need never happen to anyone again. Remember this. If that is all, I need to get back to work.”
“Oh, wait!” Vernon says suddenly. “Hand me the eyepiece now that you’re done with it. I’m going to get in trouble anyways, no sense in you getting blamed for that when I can take the fall.”
“That would simplify things on my end,” the other priest agrees, handing the eyepiece over. “But it will be hard for you to go unsupervised. Which will complicate the, ahem, delivery.”
“I’ll just try to keep attention on me. I’m pretty good at that,” Vernon replies. “We might have to improvise on making contact, but we should be able to figure something out.”
The other priest nods, and walks out. You wonder if any of this relates to the hats you’re supposed to be investigating. It definitely sounds like information you should pass on.
But as you’re thinking that, another ethereal beacon goes off.
Too busy to talk. Go there, the Storyteller sends to you. You try to send back a warning about Brother Vernon, but you can’t trace the message easily. It seems the Storyteller was in a great hurry.
Best to just see what the beacon is about, then.
Seems like more birds are getting involved, somehow!