InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "HAMMER DOWN!"

Thessalonike | Θεσσαλονίκη (inpassingseas) wrote in nevermore_logs,
@ 2017-02-20 18:58:00

Entry tags:

papa ghede, thessalonike

Who: Papa Ghede, Thessalonike
When: Monday afternoon
What:: Event planning, getting lost
Where: Maman Brigitte's shop
Warnings: Likely none

It was a day like most other days for Thessalonike, except that instead of working in her office at the aquarium she was out advertising for an event scheduled for the following month. She had walked around a lot that day, chatting up people here and there, mostly leaving flyers in the shops she stopped by. Her only breaks consisted of lunch and the occasional pit stop. By mid-afternoon she realized it was time to call it a day, only to realize she didn't really have any idea which way to go from there. She looked around at the street signs and attempted to maneuver google maps on her phone while holding a large pile of flyers. That was not going to cut it, so she stepped into the nearest shop to see if it was alright to use their counter space for a few minutes.

She looked around as she stepped inside, hearing a little tinkling bell overhead. She walked to the counter and set her pile of flyers onto, "Hello?" she called out, hoping to speak with someone before getting to business on her phone. She would rather make sure it was alright before unintentionally soliciting the place. As she waited, she couldn't help noticing the pull of others like her. She just hoped they were friendly enough to allow her to find her way.

(Post a new comment)

laughatdeath
2017-02-21 01:36 am UTC (link)

Papa Ghede heard the bell from his office at the back of the funeral parlor, and since Brigitte was out presiding over a service, it was up to him to greet anyone who happened to stop in.

He made his way down the hall, and smiled at the young woman in the lobby. She was like him, that much he knew, but nothing beyond that. Still, it never hurt to be polite. "Afternoon, miss," he said. "How can I help you today?"

(Reply to this) (Thread)

inpassingseas
2017-02-21 01:46 am UTC (link)

As Thessalonike looked around she realized she had happened upon a funeral parlor. She felt strange thinking of possibly leaving one of the flyers. It didn't seem appropriate. She would gauge a response before she asked. It was the polite thing to do. She turned when she heard footsteps and smiled when he greeted her. "I seem to have gotten myself turned around. Would it be alright if I borrowed a small portion of your counter to set my things on, so I can look at maps on my phone?"

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	laughatdeath 2017-02-21 01:55 am UTC (link)
	"Course you can," he replied. "You're welcome to use the desk in my office, if you'd rather. Sit a spell if you want to, since as you can see, we're rather quiet today. Though we do tend to be pretty quiet most of the time." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

inpassingseas
2017-02-21 02:06 am UTC (link)

Thessalonike shook her head, "Oh, that's not necessary. Thank you very much," she said with a smile. She set her pile of flyers and purse on an empty space on the counter. She rummaged through her purse for her phone then glanced around. "I imagine that's not ideal for business," she remarked. She pulled her phone out and searched for her work location. She walked to the door and muttered to herself about which way she needed to go. "Okay," she said as she turned around. "I think I've got it." She walked back to the counter and tucked her phone away in her purse. "I can navigate a sea, but put me in a new city and I'm completely lost," she laughed.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	laughatdeath 2017-02-21 02:44 am UTC (link)
	"As you wish," he said, gesturing to the counter with a flourish. He stepped behind the desk to check the calendar briefly, then looked up when she spoke again. "I felt like that when I first arrived here," he agreed. "The sea was never my forte, but I followed my family here on a boat. And truthfully I hope to never do it again." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

inpassingseas
2017-02-21 02:52 am UTC (link)

Of course, Thessalonike's way of navigating the sea wasn't on a boat. But that was neither here nor there, and she didn't make it a habit of telling people that. She chuckled, "Not one for the waves, eh?" She thought fondly of her time in the ocean, "It's not so bad once you get used to it." She began picking her things back up, then asked curiously, "Where is your family from?"

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

laughatdeath
2017-02-21 03:19 am UTC (link)

"Not so much," he replied, smiling wryly. "But I'll leave that to you."

"Haiti," he told her. "We all came over from Haiti...well, it's been a long time. I've stopped counting the years at this point, because no one really agrees when we came. It was our job to leave when our faithful did, however much we might not want to."

He paused, as if deep in thought, and his top hat and glasses appeared on his head. Then he bowed with a flourish and said, "Papa Ghede. Nan sèvis ou."

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

inpassingseas
2017-02-21 01:56 pm UTC (link)

She grinned, "There's nothing like the smell of rain on the open sea, the waves crashing down on you, and the uncertainty of whether you'll make it out alive."

Thessalonike listened curiously, then blinked with surprise when his top hat and glasses appeared out of nowhere. "Oh!" she exclaimed with surprise. She had a trick of her own but so few knew about it, and even fewer had seen it. She smiled after the initial shock, "Lovely to meet you, Papa Ghede." She hesitated before saying, "My father is Philip the Second, and my brother is Alexander the Great. I am Thessalonike of Macedon," she said, complete with a curtsy. She felt his introduction warranted at least that.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	laughatdeath 2017-02-23 01:58 pm UTC (link)
	"Enchante," he replied. "I'm afraid I'm not too familiar with you, so you'll have to forgive me. Your brother, though...feels like the whole world knows who he is. He's not knocking around here too, is he?" (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

inpassingseas
2017-02-23 09:18 pm UTC (link)

Thessalonike shook her head, "It's not matter. I don't think many people remember the little sister of the greatest king who ever lived." She hesitated, not sure if it was her place to go around telling people her brother was there as well, and in the city no less. "Well, if I'm here..." she said, possibly suggesting her brother was walking around alive and well. She diverted the conversation elsewhere because she didn't want to get Alexander into any trouble, "So you're from Haiti... I'm afraid I know nothing of the faith there."

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

laughatdeath
2017-02-25 11:11 am UTC (link)

"True, true," he agreed. "We get brought back because we're needed, I think. Something keeps up tied to this world."

"Ah, you're not the first to say that, doubtless not the last," he replied. He wasn't angry, he was too used to it by now. "It's called voodoo, or vodou, or vodun. Seen it spelled all kinds of ways, but it's mostly the same thing. The loa are spirits invoked to do all sorts of things. Vengeance, protection, you name it. And after death, they are made into loa Ghede." He winked. "I pop in here and there. It's my job to help the souls cross over into the next life."

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

~tagging so much today~

inpassingseas
2017-03-10 12:11 pm UTC (link)

Thessaly smiled and nodded, happy that he left it at that. She was not interested in getting her brother into any trouble, even if that may not be the case here. She had only recently found him again, she wasn't about to let anything rip them apart again.

She listened intently, nodding here and there. She seemed genuinely interested, and she was. She knew the term voodoo, but apart from the name she knew nothing before he briefly educated her on his faith. She repeated the words loa Ghede thoughtfully. "That's very interesting. It's a common theme for various faiths to have gods or spirits of death. Of anything, really. Is there a spirit world, like Hell or Hades?"

(Reply to this) (Parent)