<div class="floatleft">(http://i66.tinypic.com/15o8l02.jpg)</div>Well, that went well. Sort of. It took considerable effort to keep from rolling her eyes and yawning, and Ember found herself wanting to slit the man's throat and be done with the whole stealth business.<br/><br/>That wouldn't sit well with the paladin, however, so she shelved the idea. For now.<br/><br/>Plunging headfirst into an unknown cult of shaved heads and prescribed attire, where one had to hand over all of one's belongings for a vague and insubstantial promise of future enlightenment? It never ceased to amaze her how these cults got any victims at all. Anyone with an ounce of common sense would give these a wide berth. No, it was probably mere desperation that motivated the usual converts - choosing between two evils, and so on. The poor fools. An uncharacteristic pang of compassion shimmered in Ember's eyes. Hopefully, the idiot priests would interpret it as something appropriate for a new convert.<br/><br/>Ember signed the paper with her left hand, clumsily drawing a big "X" where the man pointed. "I am Alyss." The unsteadiness of her voice having an altogether different source than the two men could guess at. Also, she hoped the other women would take her cue and not use their real names. Schooled in caution by her past, that behavior had both mundane and magical reasons. "How far out of the city will we have to travel? Do I need to take provisions for the journey?" She bit her lower lip, trying to think of a disarming question. After all, it's always beneficial to appear stupid to one's enemies. "We won't have to shave our heads, will we?"<br/><br/>Other than that, Ember had only rest in mind, to get herself back into working order. She did plan to be at the sermon the cultist hinted at, to get more information.