"Sheriff Stilinski. Do you need help getting home?"

"Nice to meet you. I'll be all right, don't worry. Um, could you tell me what the nearest god's domain is? I don't recognize the iconography in this church."

"The uh, the what? The nearest god's domain?"

"This is a Christian church, and there aren't really that many other gods around this town. No one will be rude about it, but it's either this one or no god, if you want a church or a temple in Beacon Hills."

Only the one church in town but it's not in his domain already? Weird.

"Oh, okay. Can you tell me a little bit about this god or should I find a priest and ask them?"

"Sorry, explain domains to me?"

"I think you're really far from home, Pascale. We should talk away from all these people, who are from around here."

"Sure. I don't mean to bother anyone."

Presumably they will now lead the way to someplace else?

They lead the way.

Outside, in the parking lot, Melissa paces.

"So, first of all, people believe in one god, or sometimes many gods, but none of us have proof. Gods don't show us that they exist, we just believe anyway."

"What kind of accident, exactly, brought you here?"

"No, gods definitely exist, and show it. I know this because I am an acolyte of one and have met several others." She touches her necklace and the small vial hanging on it. "And I got here apparently by means of some weird snake thing with a mirror for a face. I was investigating what it was doing in my god's domain, it charged over and ate me and I ended up here. Somehow."

"No gods here, then. Not your kind. Our gods are quieter, they don't meet people."

"Do you need a place to stay? I can help you find something."

"No gods? At all? That's really weird. Normally when I travel I'd just stay at the local temple but if you don't have gods here they might not do that?"

"The church might let you stay without much explanation, but if you think you'll be wanting a more permanent option, you'll have to pay for something."

"You could stay with me for the night, if you wanted, and we can figure out other arrangements later."

"That's very kind of you. I don't have any local currency, so paying for things might be a problem. I could offer you some blessings for your trouble?"

"Don't talk about blessings and domains and gods too openly, people will think you're strange at best, and it could get a lot worse. When gods don't show themselves, people argue a lot more about them."

"How do blessings work? I definitely don't object."

"Sounds like it might be a good reason to talk about gods more, then. Maybe if they had one who verifiably did things people would argue about them less. Blessings are small benefits a god can grant to their followers. Because I'm an acolyte, I can also hand them out. Ellayania of Libraries and Fen offers the blessings of speed, vision, stamina, memory, resistance to cold and damp, and waterwalking."

"Walking on water?"

"I'm going to need a minute."

He wanders off.

"...How noticeable is the speed? I work as a nurse, if it could make me more effective but not require explaining gods right away, that would be nice."

"It lets you move a little quicker than everyone else normally, and you'll notice your top speed increases as well. It won't boost your capabilties entirely out of standard variation, but you'll be in a higher bracket than you were."

"Stamina would be nice, I'm not getting any younger. Can I sleep on it? I'll drive you home."