I Can't Get the Vampire Rogue to Romance Me

Chapter 34 - A Clerical Stand-off

"Wow, wonders never cease!" Artmond declared as they saw the contraption sitting on two stumps near the back of the scullery area. As they approached the counter just in front of it, which itself was a board balanced flat over two piles of flat rocks, a woman in a cleric robe with the sleeves rolled up to her elbows and a haggard look on her face, approached them as they wove through a series of rough constructed round tables with equally rough chairs.

"Looks ... gnomish," Hagor speculated, still studying the machine, which had coils and pipes coming out of a shiny bronze body.

"You're half right," the haggard woman said, nodding at it. "The infernal thing's gnomish design, but I had a dwarf build it for me. Now I got an orc trying to fix it, so if you are looking for a caffee fix, you're going to have to wait."

"That's actually why we're here. Are you White Oak? I have a delivery for you," Evangeline said, unslinging the delivery from her back onto the counter, which made the plates and cups stacked nearby chime with the impact. "Ooo, sorry."

"What is this, and why is it on my counter?" White Oak asked, eyeing it.

Evangeline grinned as she untied the bundle, watching the woman's face light up. "Oh, dear heavens! At last!" She gathered up the bundle into her arms like it was a baby and hurried over to the machine. One of her other workers met her there, a dwarf, who took the bundle with an expression of relief. He set it down on the ground and pulled over a ladder to start working away at the machine.

While this was happening, a small crowd gathered around the little party full of excited murmurs.

Really hard up for coffee, Evangeline thought again.

The less haggard White Oak returned to them grinning from ear to ear. "Anything you want to eat? We have fresh stew, fresh bread, a few slices of poppyseed cake?"

Evangeline looked around at the others, who all nodded. "That would be great," Evangeline agreed, then glanced at Valerian.

"Oh actually, just for us four," she amended, stopping the woman in her tracks.

"But I see five of you," she noted, crooking up an eyebrow.

"I have a bit of an upset tummy," Valerian interjected. "I'm not eating very much right now."

"Ah, I could make up some ginger tea?" she offered.

"That would be lovely," Valerian acquiesced before Evangeline could say anything.

White Oak nodded. "Go find a table," she said.

"What's wrong with your stomach?" Sigismund asked.

"I ate something last night that hasn't agreed with me since," Valerian said, flashing a twinkly-eyed smile at Evangeline.

"Wouldn't be a problem if you weren't such a pig," Evangeline retorted, wishing she could have come up with zingers that good in her other life.

Before Valerian could open his mouth to serve back, Sigismund scoffed with disgust and stepped pointedly away to go around and sit on the far side of the table.

Valerian met Evangeline's eyes again, then shrugged as he pulled out a chair and sat down. It was then that Evangeline noticed that Hagor had been detained a few steps back by three clerics. And from their stances, they were looking for trouble.

"This is no place for the likes of you," the lead, and shortest one, declared, crossing his arms.

"I have no quarrel with you," Hagor tried to say, but the one to the left stepped up.

"And you won't as long as you leave now. Peacefully," he stressed as if his request was him being reasonable.

"What's going on?" Artmond asked, reflecting the concern Evangeline felt.

She moved to go back him up, but Sigismund shoved her back roughly. "No, sit down," she ordered. "You've got the social skills of a mud golem today. I'll have an advantage talking to them anyway, cleric to cleric."

Evangeline knew that was true the minute Sigismund said it.

Knowledge Skill: Religion. Success.

As long as the clerics weren't in religions that were diametrically opposed to each other. And Evangeline realized she had no idea which god or goddess Sigismund aligned herself with. Before she could burn a Meta point though, the cleric approached and bowed to the three clerics.

"Hail brothers. What has my companion done to upset you?" she asked, again in that soothing voice that seemed so unlike her.

"We don't want any trouble," the reasonable-sounding one said. "We simply are asking your ... companion to leave. White Oak has been through enough."

Hagor and Sigismund exchanged glances, then the large druid took a step back. The three clerics reacted as if they were expecting an attack, but it didn't come. Instead, Hagor tapped his fist against his forehead twice then pressed that same hand to his chest as he bowed at the waist.

Evangeline could practically hear the dice rolling for Hagor's social check, and to her relief, it worked. The three clerics backed off, passing confused, uncomfortable glances at each other. Without saying another word, they turned and left.

"What just happened?" Valerian asked on behalf of the table.

"What an ass," Evangeline breathed, so no one heard her codephrase and thought it was about them, her curiosity getting the best of her. "Oh man, Hagor, you got really lucky, that could have ended in a fight for us. Then the whole place would have been against us and that would have been a mess!"

Hagor didn't say anything to that as he finally assumed his seat.

"Are you a ... companion of Kish?" White Oak asked as she approached the table with their food, drinks, and Valerian's tea.

"A companion of Kish? What does that mean?" Artmond asked.

Evangeline glanced at her Meta gage and realized she was burning through them too fast. They would need to rest soon ... for a lengthy time. She would have to wait like everyone else for the story.

At least I'll remember it later, she thought.

Hagor blew out a heavy breath. "Alright, alright. I will tell you my story."

To be continued...

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