Oh that's such a pretty observance.

Thekla returns to the pew, very slightly smiling.

Pretty Rebecca writes.

Thekla draws a seven-pointed star (the broader, more sun-like kind) in response.

Back at the pulpit, Mother Dedemos gives a tight twenty-minute talk in the form of a parable, though one written relatively engagingly and with a fair amount of detail.  It's about a woman who lives in the city but visits a nearby small town for her brother's wedding and develops some romantic chemistry with the bride's cousin.  Things are going well until they pay for their meals on a date and this for some reason causes the man to realize the woman is left-handed.  He recoils from her and after the wedding she takes an "aeroplane" back to the city.  Over the course of several argumentative "teleloquer" conversations, he becomes convinced of the non-immorality of her writing method and reveals that he's actually a natural leftie himself, who was taught as a child that he was unnatural.  The woman agrees to a "kinemagraph" date when the man travels to the city for work, but is unsure about whether she wants to try anything further.  She didn't like his initial position and is glad he's becoming more open-minded but doesn't know whether she wants to claim responsibility for his growth by becoming romantically entangled.  And that's before getting into the practicalities of their living situations.

It ends without revealing her decision, and Mother Dedemos instructs the congregation to consider variations on the pattern: what if instead of left-handedness it's dearly-held opinions on vanity; what if you swap their positions; what if she's in favor of something far-out like injecting christblood; what if it's a secular preference instead of a religious conviction; what if it's about having religious convictions at all?

...Rebecca doesn't feel qualified to have a train of thought about any of this, let alone an actual opinion.

Next is a showcase of a few solos and duos from congregation members.  An older couple goes up to perform an instrumental piece with a lot of arpeggios on something guitarish and something flutey; someone reads a poem in the same language that most of the choral song was in, one with a strict enough syllable and rhyming structure that it's quite enjoyable even without being able to pick up any of the meaning; Thekla's presumable grandmother displays surprising nimbleness in dancing to the accompaniment of another woman on an instrument Rebecca has no analogue for.

Aww this part is fun, why doesn't her church do it?

The second hymn selection has not been amended to celebrate Rebecca's arrival.

Stand up, stand up for Mirkes, you soldiers of the light
Lift high his holy banner; serve as his radiant knight
From victory unto victory, his army shall he lead
Till all suffering is vanquished, and each has all they need

Stand up, stand up for Aurles, o heed xir trumpet call
That beckons each to gather in xir communion hall
You that are brave now serve xem, you meet unnumbered ails
A shelter build against them with fellowship's bright nails

Stand up, stand up for Sernes; her strength she lends to you
She calls you to improve in each worthy work you do
Put on the gospel armor, o don each piece in prayer
Until each call and trial your fortitude can bear

Stand up, stand with the Lady, the strife will not be long
This day the noise of battle, the next the victor's song
To those who vanquish evil, a crown of life shall be
They with the Queen of Glory shall reign eternally

There's three Christs here, with those funny names, but who's the Lady? She didn't get the impression that all three Christs had the same mother.

The hymnal holds no answer to this, or at least not on this page.  The Doxology is printed next in the program.

Praise God, all blessing's wellspring source
Praise Her, the author of joy's course
Praise Her, in hardship and dismay
Praise She whose wonders all outweigh
Amen

...well, God isn't really exactly quite a man, but frankly this one skeeves her out.

People start filing out of their rows and downstairs as the recessional plays.  "She was very quiet," comments Thekla of Catherine.

"She's sleepy. And when she's not sleepy she's hungry." Pet pet.

"My cousins had to be carried outside at least once a service when they were her size.  So did I, I've been told."

"Well, maybe she will another time."

"Do you think there'll be a lot of 'another time's for you here?"

"...I guess I kind of have no idea what my next, like, week, will look like."

She nods.  "The main thing I'd think about when deciding whether you want to stay at a convent or someone's house is how hard you expect to find not being able to speak the same language as everyone around you."  She gathers her jacket and bag from the pew's seat.  "Let's go get some pastries."

"Ugh, I stayed in a convent in England for a while." She swaps Catherine onto the other breast. "I liked the singing and everything else about it was awful. My parents had my baby the whole time."

"That sucks.  Someone will help you find a place that isn't awful, and if it turns out to be awful anyway you can go to a different one."

"That's good... I don't know how good I am at learning languages."

"When Christ Sernes comes to town you could prevail upon her to make you better at it."

"She just comes to town every so often like a circus?"

"She's scheduled to in a month but it's her first time coming here.  There are a lot of places and only one of her."