InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "Brian Kinney for President!"

Hans Ernst Varner (heil_hans) wrote in la_vie_rpg,
@ 2008-07-19 20:54:00

Current mood:

nostalgic

Notre Dame
Who: Hans, Michel, anyone else who might be there
Where: the theater, then traveling, then Notre Dame
When: Saturday

Hans slept fitfully all night, and thus was more tired than he would have liked when he woke in the morning. Still, he had the day off, and he was going for a tour of Notre Dame with Michel so he was in fairly good spirits. He only hoped that all the walking did not agrivate his injuries. He'd been recovering fairly well, but still this terrible weakness that siezed him at the most inoportune moments was worrysome. After bathing, he dressed his injury. The wound itself was still red, the scab starting to turn to scar now that the stitches were out, and he had to resist the urge to pick at it.

He dressed himself after - in something causal but nice, and tried not to think about how he would feel setting foot in a church (however tourist attraction it was) after so many years. More than that, he tried not to think about the first tour of the city he had taken - the one where Marie-Pierre had shown him sights not found on any map. There was no sense thinking of any of that now. He was going on a proper tour, to see the sights that every tourist should see.

After a brisk walk, he wound up standing at the theater door five minutes early. He headed inside to find Michel, anxious to begin their tour. "Are you ready?" he called. "We must go before they run out of holy water and little statues..."

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heil_hans
2008-07-19 08:43 pm UTC (link)

"How do they make more? There must be some complicated ritual, yes? The cannot take it right from the faucet and pass a hand over and make it holy, can they? There must be prayers, maybe a little dance, the shaking of a cross?"

A bit irreverent yes, but it was a funny mental image. Hans chuckled, picturing a priest doing the holy water dance. He leaned in to Michel and added conspiratorially "Unless priests are so holy that when they make water it is blessed."

He hoped that phrase had the same meaning in French.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

bonjour_benoit
2008-07-19 08:49 pm UTC (link)

Michel rolled his eyes. German humor was strange.

"There is an incantation, a prayer said, and a rosary dropped in the water. No dance, though. Living at a convent teaches you many things."

He smiled, and stuck his hands in his pocket. They were nearly to the station.

"Once, a fellow ward told a story of demons that scared me so badly, I made one of the sisters make and bottle a small amount of Holy Water that I could slip under my pillow before I would go to sleep."

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	heil_hans 2008-07-19 08:51 pm UTC (link)
	Hans stopped joking. "What have you heard about demons?" he asked, the subject of interest to him. "What was the story- does it still scare you?" (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

bonjour_benoit
2008-07-19 08:59 pm UTC (link)

Michel shrugged.

"I was four years old, I don't remember the story itself. The Sister told me that they couldn't walk on Holy Ground like the convent anyway, but she still made me the Holy Water. All the Sisters believed in them, and would teach you an exorcism if you asked."

They walked into the station, and each bought their ticket.

"If you're so interested in the subject, I can take you to their library. They have a number of books on the subject," he said as they walked to the platform.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	heil_hans 2008-07-20 03:26 pm UTC (link)
	"Perhaps," Hans said. Something he'd read in one of the reports was bothering him, and that reminded him of it. But he didn't want to think about work now, and certainly not about demons. "So where do we take this train to again?" he asked, both to change the subject and because he'd honestly forgotten. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	bonjour_benoit 2008-07-20 03:30 pm UTC (link)
	"We will take this line six stops, get off at Réaumur—Sébastopol, and transfer to the 4, which will take us to Île de la Cité," he replied. He stuck his hands in his pockets and looked down the tracks. "If I'm not mistaken, there should be one soon." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	heil_hans 2008-07-20 03:53 pm UTC (link)
	"Ah good," Hans said. He paced a little while they waited - a bit impatient to start the journey. "Perhaps I should get a gift for my sister from the cathedral - I think she would like such. She is more religious than I am." He would have to take Gretchen to see this place, if he could remember how to get there. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	bonjour_benoit 2008-07-20 04:12 pm UTC (link)
	Michel nodded slightly. "I've never been very religious myself, convent childhood notwithstanding. The organized nature of it, the mortal interpretation of immortal words... it never sat well with me." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	heil_hans 2008-07-20 04:17 pm UTC (link)
	"I just realize there is no place for me in Heaven," Hans said, shrugging. "I have committed enough sins to know that I will burn. When you know that, what else do you need of religion?" (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	bonjour_benoit 2008-07-20 04:22 pm UTC (link)
	Michel looked at him sideways with a raised eyebrow. "All I know is that if God loves me only half as much as my mother does, he will not send me to Hell. That is a final fact of my inner consciousness, and for no religion could I deny its truth. Lin Yutang. American writer. I do believe he's quite right on the matter." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	heil_hans 2008-07-20 04:29 pm UTC (link)
	Hans contemplated that, looking down. "I am sure the American writer did not do half the things I have," he said quietly. He glanced up when he heard the sound of an approaching train. "Is that ours?" (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	bonjour_benoit 2008-07-20 04:32 pm UTC (link)
	Michel pondered Hans' words for a moment, then replied. "Yes, that's ours." He waited until it arrived, then stepped quickly towards the opening doors. The Metro was always crowded, and one had be assertive to get in before the doors closed. He managed to find two seats open, and waved Hans over. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	heil_hans 2008-07-20 05:01 pm UTC (link)
	Hans followed Michel, and settled into his seat. "How do they manage to fit so many people in?" he asked. "I always wonder that. It is often like a sardine can in here..." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	bonjour_benoit 2008-07-20 05:03 pm UTC (link)
	"You can fit a lot of people in if they stand. That's why there's so few seats," he gestured around. "Leaves more room for standing people." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	heil_hans 2008-07-20 05:07 pm UTC (link)
	"Bah, if I wanted to stand I would walk," Hans said. Which lately had been more of an imposition than it once had. He relaxed against the seat back as they traveled. "Still, it is an efficient system of transportation." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	bonjour_benoit 2008-07-20 05:13 pm UTC (link)
	Michel chuckled. "Speed tends to override comfort in a lot of cases." He glanced up as they pulled into a station and the doors opened. "Three more stops." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	heil_hans 2008-07-21 07:41 pm UTC (link)
	"Ah good," Hans said, and counted the stations - one, two, three. When they reached the appropriate one, he stood up and headed towards the door. "So many people in such a hurry... I wonder where they are all going?" (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	bonjour_benoit 2008-07-21 10:05 pm UTC (link)
	Michel gestured towards the hall they had to go down to reach line 4. "Who knows? Everyone is different, everyone rushes for different things." He stopped near the edge of the platform, and cocked his head. "Sounds like we're lucky. I do believe one is coming." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	heil_hans 2008-07-21 10:48 pm UTC (link)
	Hans glanced down the tracks, where sure enough another train was coming. He got aboard with Michel when it pulled up, and settled into his seat again with a somewhat heavy sigh. "Ah, not much further now, right?" (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	bonjour_benoit 2008-07-21 10:53 pm UTC (link)
	Michel stood and leaned against a post near Hans. "Four stops, but they're close together. It'll only be a few minutes." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	heil_hans 2008-07-21 11:01 pm UTC (link)
	Hans closed his eyes when the train started to move. "This terrible weakness," he muttered quietly. "I need for this to go away." He wanted to regain his full strength right now - it had been enough time, after all. When was he going to feel like his old self again? (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	bonjour_benoit 2008-07-21 11:03 pm UTC (link)
	Michel furrowed his brow, concerned. "Are you sure you're up for this?" (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	heil_hans 2008-07-21 11:06 pm UTC (link)
	"I will be fine," Hans said. "Just taking a few moments to rest between the stops." He was too proud to admit otherwise- besides, he wanted to see Notre Dame now and would struggle through if needs be. "Maybe the holy water will cure me, anyhow." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	bonjour_benoit 2008-07-21 11:13 pm UTC (link)
	He smiled. "We will take it slow. No need to rush things. Perhaps we'll stop at a crêperie, there's an excellent one close to the cathedral." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	heil_hans 2008-07-22 03:01 pm UTC (link)
	"I am very much in favor of that plan," said Hans. He loved sweets. "You will have to pick out a good one for me." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

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bonjour_benoit, 2008-07-22 06:19 pm UTC

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heil_hans, 2008-07-24 05:28 pm UTC

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bonjour_benoit, 2008-07-24 05:41 pm UTC

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