Wish upon the Stars chapter 1061

Knocking on the door, I waited carefully, looking around for any sign of being followed or watched. I was ALMOST certain Murmur had kept us safe on the way. But almost wasn’t completely, and the last thing I wanted to do was put Bernadette in danger just because she wanted to help me. The nun was certifiably insane, but she was also a genuinely kind person, for certain values of kindness (she HAD poisoned me the first time we met, but she meant well).

After a brief pause, the door opened, revealing a tiny blonde girl a few years younger than me, with big blue eyes and a permanent look of innocent surprise. “Oh!” she said cheerfully. “Hello, how may I help you, sir?”

“I’m looking for Sister Bernadette,” I said politely. “I heard she could be found here? If you could tell her Mephistopheles is here to see her I’d appreciate it.”

She beamed excitedly. “Visitors! I’m sure she’ll be delighted. I’ll pass the message right away!”

Spinning, she slammed the door closed, letting it thump shut right in my face, and I blinked. I was prepared to wait, but the door flew back open and the same girl gave me a mortified look. “Oh! I’m sorry, that was terribly rude. Won’t you come inside while I fetch her?” She stepped back. “My apologies for the abruptness.”

Her tone was so genuinely horrified at her faux pas I felt the need to cut the tension. “It’s fine. Just don't make it a…habit.”

She stared at me for a full thirty seconds…and then burst into peals of laughter. “That’s so FUNNY!” she giggled. “Because nuns wear habits! Like mind! You’re a very funny person, sir.” Despite the almost staggering levels of sarcasm I’d expect from someone making that observation about a bad pun. She was totally sincere.

“Well, from your reaction I’m assuming that’s the first joke you’ve ever heard, so it might not be a high bar. But I definitely appreciate the compliment.” I kept my tone light and teasing so she’d know I wasn’t actually being a dick about it. “Might you introduce yourself?”

She blinked. “Oh! Of course, my apologies,” she curtsied hastily. “I am Sister Chloe, initiate level nun in the Order of Mercy, and a member of this humble place of spiritual learning.”

“Nice to meet you Sister,” I said with a nod. “As mentioned, I’m Mephistopheles. A fellow Order member selected on the planet Rackham.” I tried to remember something that might prove my credentials, and I stumbled upon a prayer Bernadette had used on our first meeting. "And so comes pain, and pain gives shade to the light, gives the eyes respite, and teaches us the contrast between suffering and delight."

She clapped happily. “Wonderful! How pious, how devout. To quote our Lady’s ‘Chapter of Elevation’ from the Book of Lamentations so flawlessly. It’s lovely to have such an enlightened soul visit our humble priory.”

“Thank you,” I said serenely. “Now, I was hoping to speak to Bernadette…”

“Of course!” she said excitedly. “Apologies, sir, my most emphatic apologies. I get so sidetracked sometimes. I’ll go and find her for you! And after that I can get you something to eat. You look famished. Maybe a sandwich, or perhaps some of the stew in the kitchen.” She turned to walk away, muttering to herself.

“Wait!” I called after her. She stopped, turning to give me a confused look. “This is a shot in the dark, but where exactly were you going just now?”

She blinked at me innocently. “Why, to the kitchens! I want to get you that stew as soon as possible, the bread we baked this morning is still in the kitchen, and I’m sure having something fresh to dip it in would make it so much more filling.”

“That DOES sound nice,” I said slowly. “But do you remember what you were going to do BEFORE going to find me stew?”

“Why, I was going to find Sister Bernade…” she trailed off. “Oh dear, I’ve done it again, haven’t I. I got so distracted by something else I completely forgot my intended purpose. Foolish Chloe! I’m so sorry sir, I’ll rush right over to the chapel and kneel for twelve hours on the stool of penitence.”

I sighed, rubbing my temples. “But if you do that,” I pointed out. “It will take you TWELVE HOURS to go find Bernadette.”

Waving my hand, I called for my companion, and Archie appeared with a trill in a burst of green flame. He landed on my outstretched arm, and Chloe stared at him in childish delight. “What a magnificent bird, sir. He’s lovely! I can take him to the kitchen with me to get some of the stew. I’m sure he would love a bit of fresh bread.”

I glanced at Archie. “This is Chloe,” I told him with a sigh. “She needs to go see my friend Bernadette, but she has problems with…”I trailed off. “Chloe, what’s your Perception like compared to your Focus?”

“Almost quadruple,” she chirped excitedly. “I’ve specialized in Perception to better experience the Lady’s gifts!”

I stared at her. I knew the mental stats fed into each other, and that Focus allowed you to process Perception better. I had never met anyone who stacked Perception WITHOUT Focus that high. I wasn’t sure how she’d even managed that without access to a steady supply of Wish scrolls. I turned to Archie. “Chloe needs to find my friend Bernadette, but she’s easily distracted. Perhaps you can keep her on task until she can retrieve my friend.”

He shot me a look that made it VERY clear that he was not amused by this assignment, then trilled and swept over to perch on her shoulder. “Well aren’t YOU handsome,” she cooed. “Who’s a beautiful and majestic birdie. You are. Yes you are.” She reached up to scratch him under the chin. Then she wandered off down the hall. Off in the distance, I could hear her say. “You’re such a good boy. Let’s go get you a snack before we do anything else.” There was a screech and then I stopped listening, choosing to exercise my own totally ACCEPTABLE level of Focus. Archie could handle the task.

I waited for about twenty minutes before a familiar form hurried around the corner, a green flaming phoenix swooping after her. “Bernadette!” I called with a smile, waving at the older nun.

Bernadette looked the same as I’d last seen her, simple habit, wimple, and a grey cloth wrapped around her eyes, making her face only visible from the nose down. “Mephistopheles,” she said with a pleased grin. “Oh how lovely, to think you would choose my priory of all places to begin a pilgrimage to our Lady’s realm. How are you finding it?”

“I found it after about six hours,” I admitted. “I did NOT have directions. It’s certainly a nice place though. And the people are nice. If a bit…absent.”

She groaned, burying her face in her hands. “I’m so sorry. Chloe is enthusiastic, but somewhat scattered. She belongs to a subset of the order we call ‘the Witless’. They believe that the Lady’s gifts are best experienced pure. Focus distracts and taints the experience, and so their main goal when accruing stats is to gather as much Perception as possible to the detriment of all other stats. It makes them…flighty.”

“You have an entire sub order of nuns who can’t pay attention?” I asked in awe.

“Fortunately not,” said with a chuckle. “The Witless are a fringe group. Chloe’s mother is a god child, and a particularly powerful one. When Chloe decided to become a member of the Sisters of Sainted Suffering, the real name of the splinter group, her mother supported her desires fully. Most of the Witless don’t manage to funnel QUITE so many stats into Perception. But enough about Chloe. What brings you to my priory?”

I hesitated. My instincts told me to trust her, but not to trust EVERYONE. I looked around. “Is there someplace we could talk in private? I have some things to share that I’m not comfortable discussing in the open.”

“Of course,” she beamed. “In fact, I have the PERFECT place!” She led me down a hallway and out into a large, open room with a vaulted ceiling. Then she brought me over to a small boxy wooden…closet? “These,” she said proudly. “Are cleansing booths. Sometimes pain is private, but even the most private pain must be shared. In the cleansing booths, you might bare your soul to a chosen of the Lady, without fear of your burdens spreading too widely.”

“Huh,” I said with a chuckle. “That’s surprisingly considerate. Didn’t think privacy was a big thing for you guys.”

She shrugged. “We’re all at different points in our journey. Some cling to the antiquated stereotypes of pain being a private matter, and we respect their stance. The cleansing booths are enchanted by the Lady’s most devoted servants, and eavesdropping is, of course, impossible. We can speak inside and you can rest assured your matters will remain confidential.”

I nodded, then stepped through the door she gestured to, closing it behind me. After waiting a moment, I began speaking. “Ok, so…I don’t remember if you were one of the people I told about this, but first up, my name isn’t Mephistopheles. It’s Shane. Shane Wyndham. I’m a descendant of the Wyndham family, and the current Wishmaster.”

There was stunned silence, which I chose to take as an encouraging sign. “The reason I bring this up,” I continued. “Is because I’m here on a diplomatic mission. I need to meet with the Lady, I’m hoping to arrange a truce between the Lady and the six, and hopefully to bring in Lord Verdyn as well through her. I know it’s a lot to take in, but I need to meet with her, and I need your help?”

“MY help?” she sputtered. “How would I possibly help you with that? You’re a diplomat. A FACTION leader. You can just walk up to the castle and request a meeting.”

“I might be able to do that,” I admitted. “Except I’m not the only diplomat. The Void sent someone too. My family and the Void are in an irreconcilable feud, and if they find out I’m here, I don’t think they’ll hesitate to try to kill me. Even if the Lady protected me, I have to leave eventually.”

She sighed. “The Void is truly otherworldly. I don’t believe that allying with them would be in our best interests. They feel little pain, and as such are too alien to communicate with properly. I hadn’t heard they were courting the Lady for their war effort, but I am not surprised. Pain is a supreme weapon of war as well as a tool of enlightenment.” She was silent for a moment. “I…I need to pray on this. If I choose to help, I still may not be able to get you an audience, but I have ideas on how to make the attempt.”

I sighed in relief. “I understand,” I assured her. “Thank you so much for even considering this Bernadette.”

“Tis nothing,” she laughed. “I have known your pain, Shane Wyndham. I understand you still, regardless of the truth of your name or origin. I just need to consider all the possible consequences before agreeing to anything. Were it just myself I would not hesitate, but with the rest of the priory involved…”

“Understandable,” I repeated. “I don’t blame you at all for thinking things through. I can wait. Provided you can put me up here for a while while you decide?” She agreed, and I grinned, cracking my neck. “Perfect. And while I wait, I don’t suppose you could point me to your kitchen? I’d love to make you all a meal as thanks for your consideration.” I couldn’t help grin in anticipation as she gave me directions. It was time my cooking demon finally got to show what he was made of.