"You mean what format do I get the thoughts in, or in a broader sense?"

"Either - both. I don't know. Maybe you shouldn't tell me in case the answer is no and I have to refuse the offer."

"Why not talk to the closer-by one?" asks Micaiah. "She seemed okay with the weird question you already asked her."

"That was a less strange question. It was only one step away from something some oracle has to answer once a generation anyway," demurs Angela. "I really don't think Alleluia likes me. Why else would she send me all the way to Mount Sudan when I'm from Bethel? If she thought I was - I don't know, evil or irresponsible or something, then I assume she'd have felt comfortable telling Delilah that I oughtn't be spending a year with an oracle at all, since they're old friends, but it was clear that she didn't like my company - or something. I'm certainly not sure why. We had a long conversation when I was first asking to study with her that seemed to go fine."

"...She likes you!" says Micaiah. "From what I saw, anyway. She didn't act like somebody who doesn't like you."

"Then why did I wind up with Peninnah instead of her, when she had right of first refusal?"

"...Actually," he says, thinking back, "she acted like somebody who likes you but doesn't want you to know it. Maybe she had a crush on you," he hypothesizes. "Or maybe she doesn't take students she likes right away in case she starts playing favourites."

"...A crush on me? Alleluia is famously devoted to her husband... though I guess I should stop making assumptions about what that means. I know she takes students she likes. There's several acolytes from the village she grew up in who she's known a long time."

"That doesn't mean she wouldn't tell Delilah that I'm suffering from dangerous flights of fancy if I fly to Sinai and ask her if there were such a thing as magic, would Jovah forbid it?," says Angela.

"What, and this other guy likes you so much that he wouldn't either?"

"Peninnah's a woman. And it would take her much longer to get to Monteverde, let alone the Eyrie, and she's known me for a solid year and knows that I'm not - insane."

"So tell the closer one I made you ask," he retorts. "If she's gonna think one of us is insane, might as well be the one who broke down crying in the middle of her oracle room and had to be carried out."

"...If you don't mind Alleluia thinking you're insane, then that would work. She saw the glowing Kisses and it won't seem odd if I'm willing to ask weird things on your behalf," acknowledges Angela slowly. She kisses his hair. "You're sure that's okay with you?"

"I could disguise myself and ask, or Sherlock could even without a disguise beyond the rock in the arm thing," offers Shell Bell. "We have no longer-term reputation to worry about."

"That's kind, but I'm a little concerned that Jovah's answer will differ depending on whether the petitioner's an angel, or already has magic, or something, so if the answer is supposed to be something I'm going to rely on I think I'd better ask as myself, even if blaming Micaiah for the idea is safer than claiming the question as my own."

"I don't mind at all!" he says cheerfully.

Angela's wing pulls him a little closer so she can lean her head against him. "Thank you," she says.

He leans into her with a soft smile.

[zzz,] says Tony's busy message.

Shell Bell goes back upstairs. "He's asleep," she reports.

"Oh well."

"...Do you want to come back to my world now? I'm afraid once we're there, I won't be able to show you around right away; I was on my way to a harmonics slot I'm supposed to sing."

"I would not mind hearing you sing."