"Mmmm.  Very good.  I approve."

"...Oh, what was I going to ask..."

"...Right!  Re-reincarnation, does that, uh, also involve coming to in the middle of the woods and reassembling yourself from scratch?"

"Mhm. Usually a lot less effectively than you are."

The snuggles are continuing. She squeezes slightly at this.

"Want me to brush your tail? It's not like you could do mine."

...right, so she had better prepare herself to be able to pull a Leareth.  Just in case.  ...She has very little idea of how to actually do that.

"I..."

...Does she?

"...Maybe?"

"Someone did brush my tail a little while ago, I'm not sure I need more brushing now, you know?  But you do seem...nice."

"I think I'll wait for a bit more of an affirmative on that... I should get ready to leave this place. I am a wandering priestess but I have a few errands to finish first."

"Yeah.  Tomorrow, perhaps."

Then she will hop down from Megi's arms.  "If there's anything I could help with, I'd be glad to do so."

She arranges her good again.

"I am not thinking of anything right now. All's well."

She nods.  "Then I'll stick with you for the moment, I suppose.  It's nice to be able to talk to someone without - all but resorting to interpretive dance."

"I'm sympathetic even if I'm not totally sure I can relate..."

Megi is cleaning up the place now. The teapot goes in a little backpack, which she dons.

"It's really going to be a couple hours though. There are people I need to see, some in private."

"...Ah, in that case...  I'll stick around here, then?  ...Goodness, I don't rightly know what to do with myself for that long.  Might try praying."

"It can't hurt! And you're plenty welcome to stay at the shrine. People might leave you offerings!"

She giggles.

She'll just!  Curl up behind something then!

And...try praying.

...She doesn't direct it to anyone in particular.  She just...  Hopes.  And feels.

It could be Illumine to whom she prays, asking for a blessing upon her striving as she tries to be good for the world she now lives in.  It could be Galasa, for bravery as she takes on a responsibility she couldn't afford to bear in her first life, for she has been given power and with great power comes great responsibility.  It could be Alteri, for guidance and inspiration as she tries to turn what yet remains of Earth's knowledge in her to this world's benefit - for all that her own seems lacking in many of the important practical bits.  It could be Otena, in thanks for the blessings she has been given and in hope that she will be able to return the kindness she's been shown.  It could be Tamamo, patron of absolutely mad ideas, for she has many of those starting to rattle around in her head.  Indeed, this almost is one.  It could be Isara, for insight into the person she has been, and insight into how to become a better one.  It could be Hekosi - for if there is anything that will shift ill fates hidden in what yet remains of her past life, she would share that knowledge freely with a goddess she trusts will shepherd it wisely.  Even Erius - for she is making an offer of time, energy, investment into the gods, and if that be the coin of divinity then she would spend it wisely - or Ragni, for while she remembers precious little of medicine she knows she knew some of it, if it could but be recovered from her tattered soul.

But mostly, she just...prays.  For what, she does not know.  For hope, she supposes, that living this second life as she hopes she will is no mistake of hers.

If there is a sign, or any kind of response, she can't really tell. Still, the shrine feels... Peaceful. Clean, compared to outside. Like a thin but undeniably present barrier fending off trouble and worry.

Then...  She'll just be here, for a while.

Maybe a nap? It feels like a nappish place and time.

Regardless, Megi returns eventually. "Ready to head out?"

Yeah.

...She's as ready as she'll ever be.

"I think so.  Your errands go well?"

"Mhm! I have supplies and I dealt with a couple promises I made- You asked about miracles earlier and those do happen but priestesses can also do rituals, to call down blessings without costing the gods as much attention. Oh- I'm very much not a fighter, by the way. If there are monsters I'm going to be running away, as should you. To the village, where I can bless the militia to deal with it. This is also why we are going to be careful when approaching the place."

She nods, silently, suddenly reeling as the nature of the gods from The Gods are Bastards hipchecks her worldview from around a blind corner.  (To wit, she followed a rabbit hole from "godly answering service" to "deus literally ex machina".)

"...Do we know why, how, anything about what makes a god?  Incidentally?  Because now that I'm thinking about it I have.  So many questions.  And half a wild-ass guess about some matters of ancient history that I've stolen from a work of fiction, come to think.  ...I mean, I should hope that it's not going to be exactly the same, if nothing else the magic's surely different - but..."

"I mean, how would you disprove the idea that someone invented - well, probably not magic itself for my soul to be floating around, but gods for all I know - at some point in my far future but your far past, anyway?  ...Not very scientific of me.  But if there's any random ancient spaceage artifacts around here...  Well, I want to poke them, now.  See what data I can shake out."

"...I probably already wanted to do that, to be honest."

"...In more present matters.  We should be careful even in the universe where you're secretly some combat monster, anyway.  For one, I'm squishy, for two, who knows how deep the corruption goes, and for three, proper procedure prevents piss-poor performance, as someone once said."

And without further ado, she sets off down the road, intending to both lead Megi to the Stinky Danger Place and also show her the warrens she dug out in case they need to lose something bigger than them in a hurry.  (...She may have overdone things a bit, there.)

Megi lets her ears come out again once they're past the original little village. She also has a censer, and a stole with some kind of wave symbol embroidered, straight out of Catholic visual language. For some reason.

She doesn't complain about the swim across the river... Though she does kiss Alicia's forehead, and in that moment turn into a majestic white-furred fox. ("That's the quickest way for me to change, I could also visit the graveyard or wait for a full moon, but... Hihihi.")

She speaks in yips and growls that are somehow entirely understandable, much like Alicia is doing. As far as the warren goes, Megi just gives a knowing smirk. And then... A very cautious walk and exploration towards the cursed area. ("Ohhhh yes, I can definitely smell it, ugh...")

Is it possible for a fox to blush, because she's really stress-testing that today!

"Quite.  It smells...  Quiescent, still..."

"...We pace out the bounds, then?  Figure out the shape and volume of the zone from outside its aggro radius, by walking along the smell.  At least that's what I'd figure is the tactically sound thing to do here, but you have more experience than me with this stuff.  ...Actually, hang on, is this smell physical or metaphysical?"

"It's metaphysical. We're sensing high concentrations of cursed energy. There's no clear boundary, usually, just increasing concentration as you approach the site of something horrible... As long as we are very quiet and still, we shouldn't wake anything up. So what we should do is go right to the middle and have a look around. Carefully."

"...I can't fault that but if it's purely metaphysical --

"...We don't have aerial surveillance tools, Alicia, why the heck did I assume their existence?"

"Anywho.  Gradient descent it is, I guess.  I don't...  Hmm...  Part of me still thinks that it would be better to feel out the edges in case there are multiple trouble spots...wait, no, we don't even have the tools for that.  But yeah.  Investigating very carefully seems like the only valid play.  ...Um.  Actually.  What are we looking for?  Other than 'things that smell bad'?"

"It's usually pretty obvious. There's probably old ruins or a tomb or a battlefield. But being thorough doesn't hurt."

"...Gotta wonder how old.  ...But we shouldn't stick around here talking.  ...Hm.  Can we communicate like this without making noises?"

"Not without more magic. It will probably be fine. Over nineteen in twenty. You can stay here if you want. Now shh, we're getting close..."