InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "i like the way you work it."

_brimstone_ (_brimstone_) wrote in nomadspast,
@ 2013-03-02 16:02:00

Entry tags:

priest, saga

Who: Priest & Saga
When: October 2013
What: First meeting

The day was chilly for October, and Malcolm shook rain off of his hat as he stepped over the marshy ground. It had been raining since they'd set out that morning, and he could hear the sniffles and mutters behind him as the remnants of his flock tried to follow his footsteps. It had been a long trek from New York, over two months of walking thanks to traffic pileups in the cities and having to avoid wandering bands of outlaws in the more rural area, but he felt certain they'd come upon their destination soon.

God would give him a sign.

"Father?" It was Brother Daniel, and the taller man turned to look down as a drop of rain slipped past the brim of his hat and wandered down the left lens of his glasses. "The women are getting tired, they'd like to stop and rest." "Soon, Brother. I feel certain that we're almost home."

"I'm not one to question, Father Malcolm, but..." "Then don't question," Malcolm said imperiously. "God will provide, as He has provided for us all of this long trek here. We're nearly there, believe me."

The shorter man faded back to join the others, and the priest peered into the distance. Would they find people here. Had all of civilization collapsed. Certainly not.

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lost_saga
2013-03-03 07:32 pm UTC (link)

Saga had been aware of a fairly large party passing through the area, who seemed to be slowing down. Saga didn’t just have her own tribe keeping an eye on the area, but the Cano and the Lawu also held eyes on the border. A group this large couldn’t be trusted to move unchecked throughout the locks.

Saga had taken a horse and set out to meet the group, backed by a few of her fellow Chet’s. She met the group as they moved onwards, looking them over. Many of them were flagging and exhausted, far less of a threat than expected.

“Who leads?” Saga called over the sound of the rain, her face hidden deep within a black waxed hood.

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_brimstone_
2013-03-03 08:04 pm UTC (link)

"I do."

He'd seen the horse and it's rider approaching, at he'd paused the group in their progress to the sound of groans of relief from those who were tiring out. It was a woman's voice, and the priest removed his hat to let the rain trickle down over his head and wander down the back of his tailored shirt. It was unpleasant, but he'd been dealing with unpleasant things for a while now.

"I am called Priest," he added, because rumor said that everyone here had taken on a different name than the one they'd been given at birth. He didn't understand that, but he'd learned to blend in. "To whom am I speaking?"

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lost_saga
2013-03-03 08:56 pm UTC (link)

Saga looked the man over, tailoring, hat, and an air of authority, possibly difficult to squash, but still controllable if they were taken to staying. She’d just have to manage him and those with him right. The tailoring made her want to curl her lip, but she kept in check.

“I am Saga, I lead and run the area and my people passed word of your coming” Saga replied throwing back the hood, her dark hair damp with rain and the black horse she rode steaming from the ride. “What are your plans here?”

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_brimstone_
2013-03-03 10:26 pm UTC (link)

Saga. Priest marked her name in his mental file, having already decided that he and his band would make their home with her if they could. He'd have to be careful around this one, at least until he'd built up support in the area, but what was man if not a political animal? He could adapt.

"We seek shelter from the storm," he said aloud, his posture straight despite the weather. No one would follow him if he hadn't borne up rather than broken beneath the strain of the past couple of months, and that included watching the way he carried himself. He imagined that this Saga often felt the same.

Perhaps he could truly work with her. They'd see.

"What do we do, Father?" It was Brother Daniel again, and Priest silenced the shorter man with a chopping motion of his hand. "We go with them, if they'll allow it," he answered in a sharp voice. "They have shelter and probably food, we should treat them with respect." At least until we know what we're dealing with.

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lost_saga
2013-03-04 09:30 pm UTC (link)

“Then you may follow us down, we’ll discuss payment when I’ve figured out how much they eat.” Saga said dryly. A lot of them looked worn out, half dead and if any had useful talents she might even be able to peel a mutineer or two from the herd, or even take them as payment for services rendered, she wasn’t above either tactic, and both had bought her valuable tribal members in the past.

The unfortunate thing was that number of them were unlikely to fit in the tollhouse without some of the others being turfed out into the driving rain, and while anyone was unlikely to complain, people who were ill couldn’t work so well, it might require a conversation with the insufferable ‘leader’ of the new Oma, Buck...it might be time to send one of the others for that as both were very obvious in their mutual distaste.

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_brimstone_
2013-03-05 01:32 am UTC (link)

"We thank you for your generosity, Sister," Priest told Saga in a careful voice. Payment. That meant she wasn't doing it out of the kindness of her heart, but he supposed it was to be expected. The woman was a leader, not a charity organizer. He would have to watch out for his flock if they were to take shelter here. Just so she didn't steal all the good ones away from him.

"If there's anything you require of us, please don't hesitate to let me know," he added, knowing he'd have to make certain sacrifices if he was to get along here. He didn't have any choice, at least not right now. But he would keep his favorites among the Brothers and Sisters close, guard them against outside influences.

Just like they guarded him.

"What payment do you need, Sister?"

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lost_saga
2013-03-07 09:17 pm UTC (link)

Saga watched him, her focus on his eyes to see if she could see what was going on behind them. Part of what made her a good leader was an awareness of not only the spoken word but of the unspoken. The shifting of weight, or clenching of a fist, the level of sincerity in a smile or laugh and there was very little that was completely trustworthy, but perhaps that was due to her complete lack of trust in anything even slightly religious.

“I’ll have to see how much they eat, drink, use and I won’t hesitate. Any attempts to convert any of my Tribesmen and women will result in removal and I don’t feel pushed to be gentle.” Saga murmured, irritated by the use of the word ‘sister’, she was no one’s sister but Abbie’s and someone making assumptions annoyed her.

“Come, I’ll take you to the Tollhouse.” Saga replied, turning the horse and flipping her black hood back into place.

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_brimstone_
2013-03-09 08:31 pm UTC (link)

Priest exposed some teeth with his next smile, but his brain was calculating. "We have eaten very little on our journey here," he said, keeping his posture straight. "Both to conserve our resources and to better hear the voice of the Lord as He guides us along our path."

He would have to be careful here, at least until he'd ingratiated himself. Open conversion was frowned upon, then, which meant he'd have to be discreet. Saga was coming off as very high-handed to him, which meant she had to have some followers who were dissatisfied with the way she did things. He would pry at the matter later.

He left instructions with Brother Daniel to see to the hungriest and most tired of their lot, followed a select group along to the Tollhouse. He would get the lay of the land, then calculate his next move. After he had had a full meal and a good night's sleep, that was. He was a man of God, not a pack mule.

"Tell us of your settlement, Sis...Saga."

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lost_saga
2013-03-11 07:24 pm UTC (link)

“Starving your people is not always the best way to conserve resources, ill people burn far more energy and move far more slowly and the voice of the lord is quite possibly happening because they’re raving due to exhaustion.” Saga replied in a slightly hard voice.

“My settlement is become home to quite a number of people by now, I keep those who work hard or hold a useful skill and I keep them in a good and comfortable state. They know not to mess with me, and in return they live well.” Saga replied. “We can get your people fed and dried out and then see what they need from there.” The long and the short of it was ‘it’s my settlement and that’s all you need to worry about’.

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_brimstone_
2013-03-12 05:09 pm UTC (link)

This was a hard woman he was dealing with, and on some level Priest could respect that. He had never dealt with many of the nuns back in New York, but the ones he had were soft-spoken and self-effacing. Saga had nothing in common with them.

"We have many hard workers among our number," he told her as he worked to keep pace with her horse. "Bricklayers, seamstresses, the salt of the earth types. Ours was a working-class parish, and we hope to bring our skills into this new world. All of us."

They'd need guidance, of course, someone with steel in their spine to shepherd them along the path. Priest would simply have to bide his time. "I am certain that once we are fed and rested we can make ourselves useful to you."

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lost_saga
2013-03-12 08:59 pm UTC (link)

“Good to know, we need people to help build in particular. Parts of the old world seem to fall faster than people working with what’s left in the new.” Saga replied. She arched an eyebrow at him as he spoke about all of them. “I’m not a lion among wildebeest, if there are those that are weak, eventually your own people will either protect them or weed them out themselves...and I’m sure you will be.”

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_brimstone_
2013-03-17 08:43 pm UTC (link)

"The weaklings are no longer among us," Priest said, his voice hardening a touch. Several of their number had fallen on the hard trip to Oregon, whether from disease or fatigue, and he had given Last Rites to each of them when they could no longer go on. This new world was promising to be a trial, and those who couldn't make it would have to be sacrificed.

"Those who remain are the faithful and the hardy," he added in a more normal tone. "But we can speak further of them when we get out of this rain. Is the weather always this wet in the fall?"

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lost_saga
2013-03-19 08:13 pm UTC (link)

"The weather is always a trail here, high winds and a lot of rain and snow, but it has plenty of usable space here so it works for us." Saga replied, proud of their conversion of the space into something more usable in this new world, particularly turning the airfield into arable space.

"I'm sorry, people think that I'm hard, but I understand how hard it is to lose people close to you when there are so few left." Saga replied.

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	_brimstone_ 2013-03-25 05:37 pm UTC (link)
	"It isn't easy to lead," Priest responded, his posture relaxing a single notch. "I've had my trials getting here, but God helps those who seek His guidance. I've been extremely fortunate." They had nearly reached the Toll House now, and he asked, "How do you feed your people here? Is there farmland or do you raise animals for food?" (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	lost_saga 2013-03-25 05:57 pm UTC (link)
	"There are a few different tribes in the area, one of them has farmland on which they grow food and keep animals, we hold the area and keep it safe so they pay us a tithe for us to keep them safe." Saga murmured (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

_brimstone_
2013-03-31 08:38 pm UTC (link)

"A return to the way things were?" Priest asked, then decided he liked the sound of it. It would be a form of government people could relate to, and with a recognizable leader in place the refugees from the Pulse would be more likely to fall in line. He wondered if Saga was a woman alone doing this sort of thing. Women had had prominent positions in his church, but never as singular leaders. Perhaps she needed a man to help guide her, at least spiritually. He would have to be careful, though, lest it result in his expulsion before he could get started.

"The paying of taxes is something that people haven't lost their taste, for, I take it? You are most fortunate."

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	lost_saga 2013-04-01 07:17 pm UTC (link)
	"As close as we can get, we even have power every now and then." Saga gave no more information, the generators were more than any jewel now and the ability to occasionally and singularly light up the sky seemed to give those around them even more reason to fear them. "And I have enforcers to make it a little more palatable than to pay than not to." Saga replied (Reply to this) (Parent)