Even when you have no wounds to be healed, the feeling of a channel is unmistakable.

Miriel feels it pulse through her, Sarenrae's will which she effects in the world because for this one moment it is Miriel's will too, and it is the commingling of both that permits this small miracle.

The will for noone to hurt, for all wounds to heal, for everyone to be all right and for everyone to wish that on everyone else because that is the only thing that is fundamentally wrong with the world, that people don't love each other as themselves, and once they learn to do so all this senseless Evil will simply end.

If Sarenrae were aware of Eru's Creation, Her part in the Great Music would be the Healing of Arda Marred. But She would never agree to wait until the Last Battle, and that is, perhaps, why Eru does not have a god like Sarenrae.

But Pharasma's Creation does.

And Wanda can feel it dimly too. It is not her goddess and she has nothing to be healed of, and it is possible to channel without making it obvious if you want to. But Wanda's own cleric domain is Healing, and the channeling of a priestess of the goddess of Healing who wants to declare herself resonates with a piece of her soul.

"You're a cleric?" she blurts out. "But then - why were you so surprised earlier - why did you say you didn't understand that gods grant spells" -

Wait. Wait wait wait wait wait just one moment.

Wanda can see two obvious reasons why this morning Zimraphel might have been interested in Sarenrae's holy symbols while saying she didn't understand spells, been shocked to see a channel, and an hour later would show Wanda in private that she too can channel.

One is that Zimraphel saw Wanda channel and immediately derived how to do it herself was clericked by Sarenrae on the spot. That would be a very good thing to happen, obviously, and not in any way an emergency or a source of any danger.

The other is that she's been hiding her status as a cleric of Sarenrae from Gimildun, who is not wearing a sun-pendant because he's from Geb.

Wanda looks around carefully to see if she can spot Gimildun lurking menacingly in the background.

(She can't; he's still in the inn.)

Oh.

Oh, this is what the Valar have given her.

Beautiful, and so dear - not exactly what would heal the problems of Numenor, but what would?  And worth more than she's been given all her life till now.

Wanda gives Zimraphel her best smile, gestures her inside, and closes the door softly. She wants to offer her a hug but refrains, on the grounds that she hasn't yet determined what exactly she'd be hugging her about.

"You're a cleric of Sarenrae," she says. That is: Zimraphel, prayer (hands folded), Sarenrae (sun symbol), Zimraphel, channel (arms thrown wide open, smile)!

The Sun (the one in the sky, visible through the window), moves. When it moves alll the way around it will be "tomorrow". And then Wanda, pray, Pharasma (spiral), understand Zimraphel! (Maybe.) But also: tomorrow, Zimraphel pray Sarenrae, Zimraphel understand Wanda! (Emphatic nod: she knows that's a first-circle spell.)

Now for the worrying part. Gimildun, no Sun-pendant. Gimildun, not understand Sarenrae? Not smile Sarenrae?

"Oh, understanding you will be so helpful!"

And she shakes her head; no Pharazon doesn't smile at Sarenrae (as ?Arien? is called here?).

Then Wanda won't - uh, how to say this in mime -

She fetched the slate she uses to take notes when she's making her rounds. Stick figure time!

Wanda→→Gimildun understand Zimraphel pray Sarenrae: no! She crosses out the arrow and shakes her head emphatically.

She shrugs.  "He -" oh, Wanda still doesn't know their real names. "- Gimildun understands I pray.  He doesn't like it, but he doesn't try to stop it."

Wanda doesn't understand that second sentence but the first one is reassuring! Except that it brings back the mystery.

This morning - she points at where the sun was - Zimraphel didn't understand spells or praying. But Zimraphel is a cleric of Sarenrae, Zimraphel prays to Sarenrae. Why did Zimraphel say she didn't understand?

How to say this... it's time for stick figures.

Zimraphel and Gimildun go from there to here with Wanda.  Here, Sarenrae gives channels.  There, Sarenrae does not give channels.  ("Sarenrae not" - same gesture Wanda used to communicate channeling.)  These other gods (she sketches ?Ulmo?'s conch-shell, ?Aule?'s sword, and ?Mandos?'s scales) don't give channels there either.

Wanda points to the place Zimraphel and Gimildun came from. "Geb"?

Blank stare, and then she shakes her head.  "Numenor.  Arda."

Maybe Geb isn't called that in Geb, since they speak a different language. 

Geb or not Geb, it shouldn't be that hard to tell the difference. Wanda tries to draw a skeleton; this is pretty hard when her standard for normal people is stick figures Shelyn I'm so sorry but she hopes she can get it across - are there stick-skeletons where they came from?

Blank stare.  That looks like it might be some weird sort of stick-person, but she can't tell what it is?

...she wipes her part of the slate clean, and then draws a skull. Big, obvious skull, she can do that. With a crown. Yes/no?

... yes, the dead kings of Numenor are entombed in honor, if that's what Wanda is talking about?

Yes, her father Tar-Palantir just died, if that's what she's talking about?

After a few moments' confusion, Miriel hesitantly nods. 

"Geb", Wanda says grimly. 

Geb →→ Pharasma, Sarenrae no channel. Not Geb, yes channel.

Also, Pharasma hates Geb (crossed swords).

Oh.  They do know about Numenor.

And yeah, she was pretty sure Ulmo hates them now.

She nods soberly.

But now they're here and Sarenrae smiles on her and so everything will be fine! (For her. Not for everyone back in Geb. Sigh.)

So, just checking... Zimraphel in Geb →→ Zimraphel prays Sarenrae, no channel →→ Zimraphel come here, channel?

Yes!  Exactly!  She nods.

And also - when she was there, she also prayed to Ulmo (sketch a conch-shell), Aule (a sword), Manwe (a bird)...

(well, she did that occasionally.  A lot more than most people did).

Sarenrae would know not to give people powers that would only see them killed, in Geb. That doesn't mean Sarenare wouldn't reach out and pick people while they're in Geb, that's not - who Sarenrae is.

Wanda is fiercely proud of this stranger who grew up amid what must have been unimaginable horrors and was still Good enough to be clericked by Sarenrae and resourceful enough to flee the country. (And come all the way here still confused about clerics? - never mind that's not important right now -)

People growing up Good in a Lawful Evil country is the Andoran national identity. She's come to the right place.

Also: hug?

Hug.

She melts into the hug even more than she thought she would.  She thought this'd be a day for awkward negotiations and flirting with Pharazon, but instead - things are going so much nicer.

She'll get all the hug she wants!! She's a new (or possibly a secretly old) cleric of Sarenrae despite being from Geb! That's just so huggable!