ignore the strange boy. lets see about getting some lessons on reading this morning.... after breakfast of course.

>>23976160

Though you don't like having his eyes on you so intensely, you climb out of bed and head up into the kitchen. There's a woman sitting in a chair near the fireplace, reading. A covered cast-iron pot hangs over the flames.

Nawal, you assume.

[ ]Speak up
[ ]Wait
[ ]Other

Greet her, its only polite if she is the one cooking for you. Ask if there is anything you can do while you wait for breakfast.

>>23976323
Hold our knife blade in the flame, then walk up to stare-fag and cut him.

Self cauterizing wound.

the troll is strong in this one

>>23976405
No troll. We just need to show him who's boss.

1) We are in a church
2) We already hit him over the head with a rock. Hes been punished already.

>>23976345

"Hello?"

Nawal looks up from her book. "Ah, yes. Sister Varya told me about you. I don't believe either of us got your name, though..."

"Clovish."

"Well then. If you'll be eating, you'll be working." She eyes you momentarily, adding, "Though you're absolutely filthy. You'll have to clean yourself before you can clean anything else. Cleanliness prevents the spread of disease, you know."

You didn't know.

"Varya and I have already bathed. The bathwater is over there." She points towards a corner blocked off by a hanging curtain. You get behind the curtain and undress, leaving on only your scarf. There's a washbasin and a bar of soap.

You clean up hastily and without issue aside from, if your ears didn't betray you, Ghayth coming in searching for you and Nawal flinging various kitchen implements at him until he left.

"I swear, this is why we don't allow men as members of the clergy. No sense of privacy at all. Toss your clothes over, dear. No sense in taking a bath and then putting dirty things back on. Don't worry about your personal belongings, I'll put them in a bag for you."

You reluctantly give her the clothes, except for the scarf and she exchanges them for some robes not dissimilar to those that she and Varya wears, though without the vermilion trim. They're a bit big on you, but flow pleasantly about your legs.

You come out and Nawal looks pleased.

"Much better. Now go sweep the prayer chamber. Tell the boy that he needs to take a bath while you're at it."

You glance back at the water you have left behind, grayish-brown from your months of caked-on dirt. You doubt he'll be getting very clean in it. You arm yourself with a broom and head for the prayer chamber.

Ghayth is there, picking up the rugs. You relay Nawal's message and he tosses the rugs and heads for the kitchen.

Varya is nowhere to be seen.

[ ]Start cleaning
[ ]Look for Varya
[ ]Other

[X]Start cleaning
Earn your keep. Though we won't be staying here to join the clergy, I doubt they will take those cursed with magic anyway, I just don't see us as becoming the religious type. We question things too much.

>>23976590

You sweep the dust and sand tracked in by the devout who came for yesterday's service out the door and off the steps. It's early morning and cooler than usual, though perhaps it's simply the impression you get since you're not bundled in your usual layers. Wearing these when it got scorching hot in the noon would certainly be nice, but for now you wished you had your coat back.

Ghayth comes out to hastily shake the rugs clean, gives you a sidelong stare, then returns inside.

You spot robes fluttering in the breeze a half block away and sure enough, it's Varya.

"I see you're hard at work already. Nawal is likely finished with breakfast by now. I can tutor you for a bit after we eat."

Breakfast is a bowl of green lentils and a piece of flatbread. Varya and Nawal say a short blessing. You raise your hand to your scarf, then hesitate. You don't want to eat in front of them, but it seems impolite to ask to eat somewhere else.

>>23976720
[ ]Excuse yourself
[ ]Eat there
[ ]Other

>>23976724
just eat in front of them

>>23976724
Well, they already know we have a speech impediment. Might as well get it over with. If Ghayth starts some shit, though, let's look at him intimidatingly. I've dealt with too much of his shit.

>>23976838
>let's look at him intimidatingly
Naww. We can just bite him.

>>23976838
That's the implication, anyways.

"You want to get a goodnight kiss from me pal? Cause I'll give you one that'll be your last!"

>>23976724
Is there any way we can eat with our scarf on? Otherwise just eat in front of them.

File: 1364745088401.jpg-(48 KB, 800x624, pic2-lg.jpg)

48 KB JPG

>>23976749
>>23976838
Reluctantly you pull down your scarf. It's okay, right? They've done so much for you already. They won't mind.

You expose your mouth. Your incisors are as long as ever, curling under your jaw and pressing into your flesh. Your lengthy molars prop open your mouth and your bottom lip itches something fierce. You pick up the spoon and bowl.

"Magic," Nawal states flatly.

"Magic," agrees Varya. "No doubt about it. She's been touched by Fannar."

The room feels like it's dropped ten degrees.

Nawal takes the bowl from you. "Sorry, you'll have to go. Give us the robes back. We'll have to burn them. I'll fetch your clothes back for you."

"The bedsheets too." Varya stands.

You do believe you're being kicked out.

[ ]Input

Pro-tip, the OP image is slightly misleading when it comes to her teeth. The person who drew it for me, bless their soul, said they "couldn't draw her mouth as disgusting as it actually is". As I said before, it's more this than that.

Ask to keep the bedsheets.

>>23977021
Ask for the bedsheets.
If they say no, tell them that they are really shitty nuns, and that is not how you help cursed orphans.

>>23977021
"Aww rats!"

Also damnit, I should have guessed they would do this. Their devil counterpart is the one who 'gifted' us with this curse.

Otehrwise it was nice to have a few meals. Also damnit, there goes our chance to read.

Now we can learn magic and fuck everyone up guilt free.

"You get rat teeth, you get rat teeth, ERRYBODY GETTIN RAT TEETH!"

>>23977021
Cry. "I never wanted to be touched by magic... Varya, I thought you were my friend..." Sob.

Cry.
Guilt trip the fuck out of them.
Just sit down and cry.

>>23977111
nah,

Instead we should thank them for the first good few days we've had in a long time. It was nice to be treated like a person rather then another rat on the street.

Guilt them. Guilt them hard!

>>23977021
Draw dagger, cut ourself, get blood on stuff.

They want to get rid of us then they get to deal with the cleanup.

Get our tainted blood all over all their stuff.

>>23977021
Cause a scene. Make it awkward for them to throw out a poor orphan who just had some really poor luck.

>>23977137
>>23977041
Do what this guy says.

>>23977021
Talk to them about how Devorah loves all of her creations, no matter who they are, and say that you never asked to be touched by Fannar, just as all the other orphans who died from her poisons had been. You may be a freak, but damnit, you are going to be a freak who is also a good person, and Devorah willing, you will rise past your issues and be accepted!

>>23977287
>The illiterate urchin arguing religion with the nuns

>>23977121
>>23977111
>>23977137
>>23977041
>>23977067
>>23977287

Heat wells up in your eyes and begins to spill down your cheeks. You thank them for their kindness. Nawal goes off to get your clothes and Varya turns away from you. You ask if you can at least keep the sheets.

"I suppose it would be less wasteful that way, but the robes must be burned."

You wrap your face back up. Nawal comes back with your belongings. You change downstairs and take the sheets with you.

Varya can't look you in the eye, but it seems neither of the priestesses are going to change their minds.

"You are beyond Devorah's reach now," Varya whispers.

"Go along. We don't want to have to call the guards on you." Nawal is clearing away your meal.

You think about speaking up again, but leave instead.

Where do we go from here?

[ ]Rawling
[ ]Beyond
[ ]Other

>>23977295
Well, the "I never wanted this" part might work well enough...

Besides, we've shown interest in religious matters before. That might help them to at least change their mind a little.

>>23977338
Someone getting stabbed. Can't play nice? We robbing people now.

>>23977338
Cry. We just lost a friend, one of the few we had...

Leave a copper on the steps, and head over to the curio store. Maybe the mauled owner is there, he might sympathise with what I have to deal with. He never asked for those scars on his face...

>>23977392
>Leave a copper on the steps
They'll just burn it. Don't leave shit.

I know we just sharpened it, but fuck, we melodramatic now.
Etch a sad face in the softest material around with our knife. Then aimlessly wander.

If we are beyond her reach then we must use what we have been given.I think its time to search out this 'magic' that has cursed us. But for right now...

Return to our home and lets start securing it. We can't be stolen from again. We have new sheets to keep us warm

Other than the copper thing, seconding >>23977392. He might be a little more understanding about our plight. Possibly enough to let us have the owl.

Although it's a poor replacement for a friend

>>23977421
I'd agree, although I think we should find a new place to sleep. I'm sure that wasn't the only abandoned room in the city.

>>23977378
this kinda suggestion is going to get us killed. The fact that siccing the gaurds on us is a real threat means that magic users are reviled everywhere. We WILL get burned at the stake or something similiar.

>>23977439
>magic users
We aren't even users. We're just magic victims..
So much hate I can smell it.

I'll continue to hope that we'll eventually get to use this magic... as so farr it just seems to be an allegory towards physically deformities

>>23977392
Buy the owl. "At least YOU won't betray me, Mr. Hoots. Right? -sob-"

>>23977493
Then scrawl an owl on the church in oil and light it up.

>>23977501
And from there, the dark origins of the Bloody Owl begin...

>>23977466
If you call "turned to ash" a physical deformity...

Go back to your hiding place and look if we can either secure it or find a better place.

>>23977535
>the more fatal deformities like a hole in the heart.

>>23977392
>>23977429

You shuffle on down to the curio shop. There's no sign on the door today and it opens when you try it. The owner sits at his counter, studying a map. The owl is beside him.

"Didn't think I'd see you again. Here for the owl?"

You nod.

"That'll be six coppers, then."

[ ]Pay
[ ]Leave
[ ]Other

>>23977741
Pay, and apologize for the last time we met. Keep sniffling as I pay and rub my red eyes.

>>23977741
Pay. Wrap Mr.Hoot in the scarf so he's warm and close to us.

>>23977741
>>23977767
Might as well ask for a small job around the store while we're at it. Couldn't hurt.

>>23977767
>>23977796

You pay the coppers, bringing you down to a total of five. Holding the owl is a small comfort. You knot him up in the tail of your scarf. It might be more reasonable for you to put it in your pocket, but you sort of like it this way.

>>23977798
"I can help around the shtore too," you offer. "Mishter...?"

"Kurush." The man scratches his scarred jaw in contemplation. "Come back tomorrow and I'll try you out."

"Shank you!" Losing the chance to better know Varya still ached, but perhaps this was a door that was meant to be opened in its stead.

You exit and start heading home. Someone snatches you from behind and squeezes you tight. You flail about and squirm, but they're not letting go. You can't be getting robbed. Not again.

But it doesn't seem as if they're hurting you.

In fact, they're just squeezing you.

Then they let you go.

You look behind you. Ghayth is standing there, staring at you.

Confused, you finish your trek home. He doesn't follow.

It's time to start rebuilding your home.

And now I'm off to work. Shall we resume tonight or tomorrow? I'll be back around 7:00 EST, but I know it's a holiday and all that. I'm also considering whether it would be better to do weekends-only or daily questing. Would be glad for some feedback.

>>23978013
>You look behind you. Ghayth is standing there, staring at you.
Oh god he stole Mr.Hoot! Kill him.

>>23978013
I'd be great for tonight. See you then.

>>23978013
Either this was some kind of weird signal toward his gang friends to rob/murder me, or he knows about our problems with our teeth.

KEEP AN EYE OUT FOR HIS ASS.

>>23978114
Well, he was eating with you guys. He kinda knows.

>>23978054
Nope, the owl is still tucked safely in your scarf.

>>23978186
Well, tomorrow, let's ask the storekeeper if he'll pay us by teaching us how to read and write, and ask if he can help write a note to Varya, one that says, "Thank you for being my friend, if only for a little while. Bye."