trans_9 | The most friendly sermon.... [extremely open]

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The most friendly sermon.... [extremely open]

Wolfwood had made the call over the omnicomm. However, he received a far larger audience than expected. He had no idea of how people were even possibly looking for faith after Daimon's admonishions, so the crowd disturbed him a bit. He pushed ahead anyway.

"Well, here I go." He started, picking and chosing his word carefully. "In these harsh times, it's easy for all of us to look outward for salvation. We all come from different worlds, with different religions. Now, more than ever, clinging to those beliefs seems natural. And it is, because you aren't wrong. We all believe in the same thing, in the end, don't we?" He paused for a moment, to let it sit. "We all believe in a higher power. Now, I am going to tell you a truth I have normally only shared with my close friends: I... am a cynic." He paused again, letting it sink in. "I know, right? Horrible quality in a priest. But it's how I have been. One of my favorite expressions was that man is nothing like God. Not only are our powers limited, but sometimes we are forced to become the devil himself. You, every one of you here today, has proven me wrong, regardless of belief or religion, or lack thereof. Every single one of you have shown a devotion, a faith, a strength that I have always lacked." The ertswhile priest paused for a moment, collecting his thoughts.

"I was raised with my faith from childhood, and until being on this ship, I had no concept of divinity. It hasn't come from your abilities, skills or powers. It has come from your faith. In yourselves, or in others. And truly , truly, I understand that now. Every one of you has shown divinity in your own way, from the lowest to the highest." He pause again, yet more collecting of his thoughts, before moving on.

"In my time on this vessel, I have seen you all perform everyday feats that you may take for granted. I have seen sinners forgiven their past. I've seen evil men turn their backs on evil to benefit the greater good. I've seen people being kind to eachother for no reason other than being kind. These things, at best, are a luxury where I come from. And yet everyone here displays it fervently, with the kind of faith and strength most saints wish they could have. That is my proof, as a man of God, not just in my own holy power, but in all of them. Yours, mine, his, hers, they're all the same, and they all show themselves in your actions." Now was not only a pause, but a deep breath, as he had been ranting for a little bit. "In short, it is easy for any of us to look for our gods in the heavens. Hell, it seems a natural reaction. But maybe, just maybe, that proof of God you are looking for in these desperate times lies, truly, in the kindness of a neighbor. In the support of a friend. In the strength of an admired comrade." He stopped, this time to let it all sink in.

"So, the next time you want to look outwards to see divinity, I would rather inspire you to look to your friends and allies, and ask them and accept them for their beliefs. Because their strength is your strength, and yours theirs. Maybe, just maybe, all of the gods want us to work together." Another pause, another prayer, another moment.

" I will be taking confessionals and offering counseling in this church's offices after this service. All who want to talk are welcome to have their discussions with me, or be guided to a proper minister of their own faith, if I know of one." He then walked to the office, thinking one solitary thought.

Sermons are hard.

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[[This is a new type of sermon for those on the meatship. Feel free to react accordingly, not just as newcomers, but as your character's religion would have them. A sermon is an excellent excuse to discuss amongst yourselves, really.]]

Wolfwood made his way into the back office of the church Daimon had lead him to. And there he waited, patiently, for those who wanted to either offer up their own sins or discuss their thoughts on the gods.

Curious, Haku had attended. He'd stood on a nearby roof the entire time, white hakama gathered high around his knees and showing the cuff of the much-shortened plantsuit below. To those that didn't know of him, it probably seemed quite impossible that he'd gotten up there in the first place. He hadn't bothered to explained, nor had he said a word to anyone gathered before.

But, privately, he'd laughed. Mortals? Looking up to the gods for guidance? Not a chance.

Ahava wasn't particularly religious herself, but it was a good opportunity to meet other people, and she'd been curious to see what Wolfwood's 'universal sermon' would be like.

Now that it was over, she was curious to hear what others thought and approached an interesting looking individual. "That was... interesting," she commented. "To say the least. What do you make of it?"

To be honest, the speech -- sermon was the word? -- left Fletcher a bit uncomfortable. He wasn't even sure why he'd come in the first place, aside from maybe socializing with others and maybe finding some reassurance somehow. But while the priest's words were obviously intended to be uplifting, they just left him disconcerted.

Sure, Tess had given him some ideas for how to possibly help, but he still felt like the most useless person aboard the ship. He hadn't done any of the things Mr. Wolfwood had attributed to the crew. And the assumption that there were gods or something out there... well, that much was to be expected at a religious service, so he couldn't be too bothered by it, but it was something he just plain didn't believe. It didn't resonate with him at all.

Here Wolfwood, have a loud burst of applause from the very back of the church. There stands your friend, the man with a $$60,000,000,000 bounty on his head, tears shining in his eyes as he claps. Vash had gotten the message on his commni-whatshit and had of course come to support his friend. Smiling, he waved and made his way over once the sermon was done. It was really good!

"Hey preacher-man. You're not so bad at this."

Kang had simply come out of curiosity. Honestly, it had been a little bit of a struggle for him not to laugh at a few points; he was not as nice as everyone seemed to think he was, and the talk of kindness just for the sake of being kind was certainly not something he made a habit of. He had a feeling that quite a few of the others on the ship were not as nice as they seemed, either.

That, and he knew that gods existed. The idea of worlds where their existence was in question just seemed... weird to him. Acknowledging their existence and putting faith in them, though, did not always go hand in hand.

"Interesting, wasn't it?"

Kang was still a little intimidating, but by now Fletcher knew better than to think he was dangerous. Especially since he'd even had a dream involving him recently, and he hadn't even tried to eat anyone in it. Somehow.

He did cringe a little when Kang talked to him, though, and didn't look at him as he answered. "Um... I-I guess so... It was, um, really new."

"What'd you really think of it?" Kang asked, curious. "Truthfully."

"Um..." He didn't really want to unload all of his issues on someone he barely knew. Tess was one thing, she'd cuddled it out of him. Kang was pretty scary, though. "It was, um... Inspiring." That's what it was supposed to be, right? But his voice sounded a little flat, and he could tell.

"...I've never believed in any gods, though, so..." he added in hopes of explanation.

Damn, that Intimidate +11 was annoying at times. Kang shook his head, reassuring the boy, "You don't need to worry about offending me. Krynn had many gods, many different beliefs. I used to talk to one every night."

Kang should re-roll his stats one of these days.

Fletcher couldn't help feeling a little skeptical at that comment. Funny, really, what with everything going on right now... especially the Nightmare King threat, and everyone referring to it as a god. He wasn't sure he believed in that classification either, though.

But, then, people back home would talk to their gods all the time, at least from what little he knew about religious beliefs. It didn't mean their gods would talk back. "Oh... I-I see. There aren't very many religions in my country." How different the two lands were.

Kang liked his stats. They worked well for him, despite the occasional inconvenience.

"It's odd to me, to think of worlds that only have one, or where the gods don't make their presence known," he admitted. "I suppose it doesn't really matter anymore, though."

Bene Gesserit were naturally suspicious of religions, despite the robes they wore and their monastic image. They had built up many a religion for their own purposes, after all. Sheeana took this suspicion to another degree yet, having been raised among Leto's oppressive, reactionary priests. She knew the patterns religious proffesionals followed, the thought-stopping symbols that were their stock in trade.

Yet this was not like the bellicose fire and brimstone she'd heard from Daimon, or the similar exorciations to worship of the priests. Though belief in a higher power still eluded her (Leto 2 perhaps came close, but his even limited omniscience was a terrible burden, not a tool in the kit of God) she was smiling despite herself. This took a definite kind of courage.

Wolfwood had no problem approaching the young man. In fact, he loeved challenges.

"You don't like what I said?" He asked in a questioning tone.

The priest simply walked up to her, without looking. He stopped, as if she was just another parishoner, but he gave her the courtesy of recognizing her above the crowd.

"You want the real me, kikddo?" He said non-chalantly. "Then, for once in your life, you follow." That was all he said as he moved, from the front to the back, as if he knew something about everyone there.

Assume two things about Sheeana that weren't true. The first was that she wasn't a Fremen. Water conservation was an art, enough that it became more, became moisture conservation. One never spat except as a sign of deep respect. A water gift.

The second was that she was drinking something at that moment.

If both of those false things were true, she would have spittook mightily.

How in sheol did he know that?! I must watch my reactions. I'm becoming careless, just because I assume others can't exercise Petit Perception.

She readied a retort, but a memory intruded: Darwi Odrade's words the first time they met. Sometimes silence is the most important lesson!

So she tucked her hands into the sleeves of her robe and followed.

He sat and stared at the Bene Gesserit. And then he waited

She might be surprised at the patience he showed, were she not so well versedin the arts herself. after what could easily seem like hours, to those like them, he broke first, not out of frustation, but out of kindness.

"I'll talk first then. You're freaked out and I'm a priest." His words sang, almost, as if he could truly could understand Sheeana.

"You figured something out. That happens almost never." Candor was sometimes the best piece to put forward in a game. "I was raised by priests." She took in the holy sorroundings, the booth they were in front of. Details changed. Patterns of symbolism remained.

"Alright then... maybe the kinship I'm feeling is we're both killers?" He hazarded a risky guess. If he was wrong, she would know his own secret, dark past. And if he was right, he had nothing but priest/parishoner confidentiality to rely on.

"Or mayeb we're both holy people? Who knows?" He said, sensing the truth but not speaking it to save his own hide as much as anyone else's.

Sheeana laughed. This was the other kind of laugh, the colder kind of desert wind. "Yes. And yes. And hiders of secrets too. You're a good guesser. Are you offering me redemption then?" Her ability with Xanatos Speed Chess was actually a liability here. She didn't see an offer of companionship for what it was.

"God offers redemption, and Him alone." Wolfwood said with the conviction befitting a man of his chosen profession, even one who had admitted as much sin in the past few moments as he had.

"What I offer is more rare and valuable, lady. I offer an ear to listen to your problems, and a shoulder to help bear your burdens." He was earnest and honest.

If it had been only for herself, well, Tess probably wouldn't have come. She isn't a religious girl-not in the sense that most would understand. She has seen the deaths of worlds and the birth of stars. She has felt the touch of alien winds and dived into the cosmic ocean. She knows that she is a self-expression of the cosmos. To speak of a God in limited human terms is to do no justice to the endless, beautiful expanse that is the vast reach of the univer.se

She's come, rather, in her role as a Bene Gesserit-in-training: to observe the others in attendance, to study the implications of what Wolfwood says... The little sermon strikes her as unusually practical.

God? God?! She wanted to lash out God is a cultural disease we Fremen inflicted ourselves with. God 'transmutes men to be one with him', men flung from thoptors to the open sand. This reaction though she kept well hidden. He wasn't Leto's decrepit priests. No need to punish him.

Instead she shook her head. "I appreciate the attempt, I honestly do. But my burdens cannot be relieved. If I tell them to someone or not, they will stay the same." She studied the planes of his face and realized what looked familiar about him. "You're from the desert, aren't you?"

Mal had no reason for attending the service, anymore than he had any use for religion. The only thing that brought him there was the chance to learn more about the man named Wolfwood.

He hung back, away from the others who'd shown up, and listened to the guy talking. When he was finished, Mal didn't move. He didn't look particularly moved by the speech, nor did he look annoyed by it. He simply looked blank, an maybe a little bored. Sermons usually had that effect on him.

He waited in the background, deciding if it would be worth it to talk to Wolfwood or not. If he did, he expected the conversation would hardly be enjoyable for either of them. Conversations about religion usually went sour pretty fast, especially when Mal was involved.

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The most friendly sermon.... [extremely open]

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