Old New World (Sundance)

[Dervish]

We stepped out from the muggy darkness of the ship's hold, straight into glaring sunlight and damp sea air. Right at the front, our self-appointed leader, a woman built like an oak, wrapped her arms just a little tighter around her waist and tried not to shiver.

I trudged along at the back, just one more monster in human's clothing on his way back to civilization. The captain of the ship was waiting at the gangway, casually glancing over at the docks. He heard us approach, and turned to acknowledge us with a smile.

A real smile. Began at the eyes, ended at the posture and everything.

He shifted as we got closer, just getting edgewise between us and Alexandria. He extended a hand, and we shook it as we filed by him, one after the other. Firm, hopeful, confident, optimistic.

Glad to know someone was happy to see the backs of us.

Someone in front of me froze in place with a gasp. I only realized two seconds after the fact, when I'd ambled into his back and almost set off a domino chain of falling Weres.

He twitched forward, one jerky footstep after the other as he gazed down at the wharf. Then he abandoned all sense of dignity and began shoving his way to the front of the group, and all but sprinted the last few feet onto solid concrete.

I heard laughter.

I heard crying.

I watched him lift a girl and spin her around while her pigtails streamed out behind her. I watched a small gaggle of children charge in to tackle him around his knees, all exploding with joy, until an elderly couple finally waded into the fray.

The man hit the ground, surrounded by his adoring fanbase, and proceeded to bawl his eyes out while I stood up on the ramp, feeling like an oversized match girl on the other side of the window.

The other weres drifted off, one by one, disappearing into the morning mist. Some had people waiting for them. Some didn't.

And then I was the last one left.

The captain cleared his throat, reminding me that I was still clogging up his gangway.

I shrugged, then slunk off with my metaphorical tail tucked safely between my legs.

* * * * * * * *

The church looked safe enough. The gate was open, the sign next to it said "Visitors Welcome", and I didn't burst into flame as soon as I crossed the threshold.

I sauntered in, studiously examining the sun pattern on the tiled floor, and tried to look as inconspicuous and harmless as a giant thug could.

Nice place. Very... sunny. The pews were as empty as they could get on a Monday afternoon. A chorus of voices rose and fell in harmony, emanating from a room somewhere off to the side. Tapestries all over the walls bore the same gold sun on a red background, and a few posters in between extolled the goodness and benevolence of the all-seeing, all-loving sun.

Pardon me for disagreeing. That flaming ball of gas in the sky hadn't paid much attention to my life, unless it was glaring at me through a magnifying glass.

And yet here I was, safely hidden away from the wrath of a celestial object in a building dedicated to the worship of its anthropomorphized form.

Mmmmmm. Irony.

I sidled into a corner bench at the far end of the sanctuary, just a few steps away from an easy exit. I pulled a discarded newspaper out from the back compartment of the pew right in front of me, flipped to the classified ads, and tried not to hope too much as I began to read.

[Abele "Sundance" Del Sol]

To those who entered any of the many Church of the Sun, they would assume it was a rundown and abandoned building. That was far from the truth. The building was designed with the intent of letting the sun into the church. Holes were set into the sides of the roof, letting the sun light up the hall no matter what time of day. Beneath the holes were small ponds, to take in any rain or snow and to prevent flooding of the church, each one set to send out water to either the sewers or to greenhouses if the church had any. The broad windows had stained glass of various shades of red, yellow and orange, tinting all of the main chapel in the colors of the sun.

The church was also to built to accommodate several of the priests, and a much larger room above the main chapel for any of the higher ranking priests. The church also had many spare rooms for those who were lost or needed a place to stay, the building functional enough to provide a comfortable life for the time they spent in the church.

Sundance himself was enjoying his tenure at one of the churchs in Moore Island. This one was right by the ocean, getting the full force of the sun through its many windows. The stones of this building were well worn, despite being one of the newer buildings erected, only around thirty years old. The sun, salt and the sea would do that to any building, and it made this church that much more unique. Sundance couldn't help feeling a bit guilty however.

He had fallen asleep inside the main chapel, sitting on the ledge in front of the one the great windows. He had been sitting there, praying with his eyes closes, when the gentle heat of the sun had finally lulled him to sleep. That was the curse of having an older body, the loving light of the sun would send him to a world of bright dreams if he was not careful. But with the short nights that were becoming common lately, he was losing sleep and wearing out his body.

Slowly he began to uncross his legs, regretting making the decision to sit in that position to pray, his joints crying out at him in pain as he did so. Once his legs had straightened out, he stood up slowly, more of his joints yelling at him for moving a body that wanted to rest. He began his usual stretches, designed to make his body more limber when he noticed that there was another soul in the chapel.

The man was the definition of gruff, with a stocky build, unkempt hair and more than a few scars marking his body. Considering the intensity of those scars at the mans neck, Sundance could make more than a few guesses at what the man was. He had healed and helped many of them, though some had been forced to leave due to the intensity of the sunlight within the church. Still, as long as they walk beneath the sun, they are welcomed with open arms and given all that is necessary to set them on the path granted to them. This one was much the same as many of those, appearing unhappy with the life unwillingly forced upon them.

Sundance approached the man, making sure to not get close to the man, standing a few pews away from the man. Experience taught him a great many things in dealing with those unhappy with their forced life, and getting close was one of the many mistakes made in gaining that experience. He gave a half bow to the man, making sure to dip his head to show that he would treat the man the same as any other. A half bow was the best he could do anyway, since fulling bending over made it hard to get up, and as the older one, which he usually was, it was only the younger one who needed to fully bow.

Straightening up, he said to the man in his deep baritone voice, "Welcome to the Church of the Sun. Are you seeking guidance? Or merely looking for a place to enjoy the suns light?"

[Dervish]

Footsteps.

I held the newspaper an inch higher and resisted the urge to take a closer peek at the movement in my peripheral vision.

Pity. It was turning out to be such a great day.

The footfalls got louder as the figure approached. I gripped the paper just a little tighter and braced myself for anything from a sanctimonious invocation to a curt eviction.

They stopped, and the silence began to drag on.

The newspaper went down an inch. My eyebrows went up by two, as I took in the sight of the white-robed, white-furred figure. At odds with the color scheme were the occasional ornaments in his mane, peppering the white with flashes of assorted color - all ending in a carved sun ornament.

Looked like someone took his religion really seriously.

He was already coming out of a half-bow, slowly straightening as if something weighed him down. The pure white fur came to mind, and I tried to take a closer look without making the question obvious - was it naturally white, or faded with age?

The lion spoke. "Welcome to the Church of the Sun." If he was old, his voice didn't seem to think so. "Are you seeking guidance? Or merely looking for a place to enjoy the sun's light?"

Gravity tugged insistently at the paper in my hand, slowly dragging it down, down, out of the way, until the flimsy shield was completely out of my sight.

I blinked.

My throat recognized the long-awaited opportunity to tell a religious authority exactly what I thought of his whole glass-half-full "People are nice and a big invisible sky person wants life to be all sunshine and roses, really" deluded optimism, and promptly choked on nothing.

Smooth, Ollie. Very smooth.

"Bit of - " I turned aside and coughed to clear my throat. "Bit of one... not so much of the other..."

Up in the sky, the clouds shifted, letting the sunlight in - and for the first time, I noticed the way it streamed in from countless openings in the roof, tiling the floor with a fresh pattern of golden puddles.

"Do you do theological questions?" I glanced up at the roof again. "See, I was just wondering - does it ever rain around here?"

[Abele "Sundance" Del Sol]

Sundance had to fight the urge to raise an eyebrow at the man. He obviously had something he had wanted to say, but had choked on his words. As with everyone else who had passed through here, they each had their own thoughts. The man was either reluctant to say what he wanted, or was considerate enough not to.

"Bit of-" he began to say before he coughed to clear his throat. "Bit of one... not so much of the other... "

The man looked up at the ceiling, finally noticing the odd design of the church it seems.

"Do you do theological questions? See, I was just wondering - does it ever rain around here?"

Sundance chuckled and walked past the man, heading towards one of the many coolers they had in the back of the chapel. While the church praised the sun and the life it gives, there was no point if no one could actually sing the praises. The coolers were rather large, with a sprig near the bottom so that one could get the water that were contained in them. Grabbing one of the many glasses, tinted various shades of red, orange and yellow like much of the church, he filled it full of the cool water.

Sundance then walked back to the pews, setting the glass filled with water next to the man. He then went to one of the nearby window ledges, sitting to where he could hear the man but not make him uncomfortable.

"Let me ask a question as well then. Is water not just as important as light?"

[Dervish]

The priest chuckled. He opened his mouth and let out a gentle, grandfatherly sound of affectionate amusement, and suddenly I didn't feel quite like an imposing six-foot-five caveman as he laughed off my brilliant jab without a single irritated twitch. Funnily enough, that sudden deflation didn't sting as much as usual.

He walked a short distance away, and returned with a glass of water. He set it down on the pew, right next to me.

Something primordial and inhuman stirred inside me and assaulted my mind with the image of throwing myself into a river and guzzling it dry. Must have been my throat. I hadn't had a drink since... day before yesterday?

"Let me ask a question as well then..." Father Congenial shifted out of my personal space, retreating to a window ledge to soak up more sun. "Is water not just as important as light?"

My eyes stayed riveted on the glass of water. My fingers twitched.

I reached for the cool liquid in a smooth, dignified, definitely non-twitchy motion, raised it to my lips in careful, deliberate silence, and most definitely did not down the whole thing in one gulp.

It just went down really fast anyway. Water does that. It's slippery.

I lowered the glass. "Good point." Then I caught myself wiping my mouth with the back of my other hand, and promptly lowered that one while I scrabbled for a rebuttal that would make me look just a bit less disadvantaged.

"Just... well... you know." I glanced back up at the ceiling to make my point. Coughed again, to stall for time. "Too much light, you get a sunburn. Too much water, you get... a really wet church."

[Abele "Sundance" Del Sol]

Sundance followed the mans gaze to the ceiling, the holes in them allowing sunlight to pour in.

"Too much light, you get a sunburn. Too much water, you get... a really wet church."

That much was true, Sundance knew. It was always inevitable that such would happen. But thats just life isn't it.

"That is quite a problem, but there is always more than one way to solve that," he said, lowering his head to look at the man again. "Sunscreen can help prevent the burn, or one can simply move out of the sun. Ones body can also adapt to taking in all the light, preventing oneself from taking in all the burn."

"In the case of a wet church... " Sundance spread one of his arms out, pointing to one of the many drains built into the floor to prevent just that. As he lowered his arm he continued with, "A drain is a simple solution to prevent flooding. We also have awnings so that one does not have to get wet while in service."

This time Sundance closed his eyes, turning his head back to the man before opening his eyes once more. "Water can help cool the burn, and all that sun will dry out the church."

He stood up, walking in front of the pew towards the aisle in the middle. He then turned and went down to the podium standing a few a steps above the floor, set so that all could see whoever was behind it when service had started. "One of our many teachings is to live and adapt with nature and to not fight against it. The world continues to adapt to itself, as we adapt to it."

[Dervish]

The rogue spark of anti-logic ran backwards through my mental circuits, frying synapses and charring grey matter to ash until I stopped thinking about it altogether. In a sudden moment of perfect clarity, I began to realize how religion had survived the age of rationality.

I conceded the victory. "Point taken." I'd probably think of a good comeback for this. Eventually. Next week.

Tried to pick a fight with an old man on holy ground. Lost. Just your regular episode of Mondays with Dervish.

My eyes drifted off the priest at his pulpit and settled back on the classified ads in my lap. I scanned a few more lines of job descriptions, wondering how much time it would take for "I'm a were" to lead to "don't let the door hit you on the way out".

"So, uh..." I glanced back up. "You... worship the sun?"

[Abele "Sundance" Del Sol]

Sundance looked down at the pulpit, glancing at the old bible sitting on there, mulling over the question. The bible was well worn and had obviously seen much of the suns light, its page old and yellowed.

"Worship the Sun? In a sense," was his reply. "The sun is the basis of all life. It provides us with the beginnings needed to begin our life, and watches over us till it dies. The Sun and its counterpart the Moon control the world, it is the balance of night and day. With each change they make, the world also changes. Most assume that what we worship is the Sun, which is partially true. But when you're as old as I am, you realize the true meaning behind things."

He moved away from the pulpit, walking back down the aisle as he continued speaking. "We worship the life that they give us, the changes that they force upon us. The Sun gives us life, food, shelter and even water. It changes the world for us, and we use the bounty that it gives us. At the same time, it challenges us, making things harsh or changing the world against our favor. It forces us to struggle to survive and create our own world."

"The moon is a reflection of the Sun, but it has its own world. The night becomes a hunting ground, the more dangerous beasts appearing. The tides change, the seas become more turbulent and deadly. We struggle to see in the moons light, a mere reflection of the harshness of the Sun."

He walked back down to the ledge where he was sitting, looking at the man once more. "We worship the life it gives us, gives thanks to Them when things are bountiful and to be our strength when life is harsh, for the Sun and Moon are always there. Watching over everyone and accepting everyone. No matter who or what they are"

Sundance made sure to put special emphasis on the word 'accepting.' He had sensed the apprehension and anxiety coming from the man earlier. He had felt the same many times before, from a great many people forced to walk a great many paths.

"I have seen many people come and go here, even those who cannot stand in the Sun. One of our many tenets is to accept anyone, for everyone is under the Sun. You are in its domain, whether you like it or not, and you will always be apart of it."

[Dervish]

He started talking. My gaze returned to the classified ads, and I started mentally crossing out all the office jobs first, giving the occasional nod to show I was still paying attention.

Janitor. Maybe. Technician. Not with my high school qualifications. Daycare assistant... nope. Think of the children. Trucker. Trucker again. Bodyguard. Ha ha ha. No. A giant ball of burning gas puts assholes in our life to give us hell so we can get stronger. Sounds reasonable.

Gardening services. Great idea. My herbivorous were form made a great hedge trimmer. Something about the moon. Garbage collector - sorry, "sanitation engineer". I felt desperate enough to consider it.

"- accepting everyone. No matter who or what they are."

My head jerked back up. "What?"

"I have seen a great many people come and go here, even those who cannot stand in the sun," the priest said. "One of our many tenets is to accept anyone, for everyone is under the sun. You are in its domain, whether you like it or not, and you will always be a part of it."

"That's... really nice..." I offered, trying to look for the hidden time bomb in the gift horse's mouth. "Sounds a lot friendlier than most people I've met..."

People who couldn't stand under the sun. Did he really mean...

He couldn't. No one's heart was big enough to take up that much brain space. Then again, I'd known one guy... and look where that had gotten him. Dead before forty.

Old pain reared its head at the memory and sank its jagged fangs into somewhere deep inside me.

"You've... actually had vampires here?" I asked, as tactfully as I could manage. "Serial mass murderers? Cross-dressing leprechaun stripteasers?"

"There's a catch, isn't there?" I timed it just as he was opening his mouth before I spoke again. "No one can honestly be that nice and... not be dead. Life just doesn't work that way."