RP: I hear Jerusalem bells a ringing, Roman Cavalry choirs are singing Date: December 24, 2000 Characters: Vlad & Gellert Location: Vatican, Vatican City, Rome Public/Private: Private Summary: So a vampire and wizard walk into the Vatican... and burst into flames... no, not really. Vlad takes Gellert to midnight mass on Christmas eve to the holy of holiest of places. He honestly hopes they can make it through the ceremony without getting kicked out. Status: Complete
Vlad and Gellert stood towards the front, on the inside row of the grand St. Peter's Basilica chapel. The holiest Catholic sites. The greatest of all churches of Christendom. It was crowded, holding 60,000 people to standing room only on a holy night such as Christmas Eve. It was easy to slip by unnoticed by the Vatican guards. They didn’t seem to recognize Gellert there amongst the crowd, nor a vampire amongst them.
Vlad’s eyes wondered upwards, admiring the four huge columns of bronze, twisted and decorated with olive leaves over the alter. Everywhere he looked was beauty. Gold and bronze, murals adoring the domed ceiling. He couldn’t believe he was standing here, inside. He was mesmerized, awe-struck. He had come to countless outdoor masses in the square to hear the Pope speak, but never had he dared step inside. He had gone to many other cathedral’s, even been kicked out of a few. But he just couldn’t bare the thought of being rejected by the Holy Papal. It was the Pope himself who had funded the Order of the Dragon in which Vlad was still loyal to. Of course the current Pope would have no knowledge of it, would he? Would he give Vlad the time of day if he did?
The Cardinals began to form around the alter in their red robes as the choir sang, waiting for the Pope to enter. “So. What do you think?” Vlad whispered to Gellert, giving his shoulder a nudge. It meant so much to Vlad to have Gellert come with him tonight. It was important to him. Something he wanted to do for so long. Once it was over, they could go back to their hotel suite and spend a nice quiet Christmas together in Italy. It was a strange thing to have someone to do that with again and a wizard at that.