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Vesper (Ava Janeczko) ([info]ofvesper) wrote in [info]nomadspast,
@ 2013-03-09 15:29:00

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Entry tags:priest, vesper

Who: Vesper and Priest
Where: The Church, neutral territory
When: November 2013
What: There's a new priest in town, Ava (soon to be Vesper) might not be impressed.
Rating: TBD, but guessing to be PG

November had crept over Ava with a suddenness she wasn't used to. It only seemed like it was late August a few days ago with the sun still shining and the air still steamy when she began to gather and hunt to prepare for this winter along with her father and his hunting partner. This season had lasted from August to mid November, and not once was Ava able to make it into town.

And that part hurt, it was her home and there were people she knew who needed help in adjusting to their new world and new leaders. But she barely had time during the last three months to even sit down and pray save for the last few minutes of the day where sleep and exhaustion washed over her. Between skinning, trapping, salting, smoking, preserving, harvesting, and drying, Ava wondered if her fingers and toes were going to fall off due to use. However, this year her family had a surplus of food not including the canned stuff they scrimped and saved on during the winter.

So it was a pleasure that she was able to go to the Trading Post one Saturday morning and heard not rumors but facts. There was a priest. Five months after Father Jim had died, there was a priest and he was conducting Sunday masses. She barely had time to fly back home to inform her parents of the news. For various reasons (Mom was sick, Dad was exhausted) Ava found herself the only one in her family slipping into a back pew right before mass with a welcoming basket in her arms.

To say the priest was no Father Jim was putting it mildly. Father Jim had been a gentle Irish man, thin and frail with a kind smile and hair snow white. He had been incredibly kind to her when she returned from Portland as a failure and when it was time for sermons he would speak of compassion -- a fairly liberal man of the cloth though center would be the best term in secular society. This man -- what was his name? Father Malcolm? This man was a bit... different. Still, a first impression is nothing to judge on and as her family -- and her Tribe's -- representative it was best to be polite.

So after the sermon and mass itself she waded through the crowd to introduce herself to the new priest. He was hard not to spot and Ava waited before she stepped up to him and spoke, "Good morning Father, I'm Ava Janeckzo, welcome to Casacade Locks." Her smile was warm as she offered her hand to shake.


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[info]_brimstone_
2013-03-09 08:54 pm UTC (link)
"Hmm? Oh, yes..."

The tone was distracted, and Priest's much larger hand engulfed the girl's for a shake. He was getting used to hearing himself called by the new name, so doubtless this must be a newcomer to the church. His church, if he had anything to say about it.

The sermon that day had been about the evils of the flesh, and his voice was a bit hoarse from all the shouting. One of his old scars itched beneath the heavy fabric of his cassock, but there was no way he could scratch it that wouldn't be obvious. He would have to wait until later, to practice forbearance.

"I trust you enjoyed the sermon?" he asked the girl, realizing he was nearly a foot taller than she was. "It wasn't one of my best, but I'm just getting started in the area."

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[info]ofvesper
2013-03-10 04:41 am UTC (link)
She never quite liked the 'new name' thing, though Ava supposed it was due to the fact she couldn't figure out a name for herself. People fell into them so easily but Ava simply could not, even if a name change would have been expected for her if things had gone differently... but she had failed and the world literally ended.

Besides, Father it was a title that she had grown up with and garnered respect.

Despite his distracted tone, Ava warmly shook his hand before drawing her hand away, her palms rough but warm. Of course the new priest would be distracted, there were so many people and he was new and this was such an odd place. Still something about it disappointed her but it was ridiculous to assume all priests had the same mentality. Perhaps she should have saved the introduction for Monday...

At the mention of the sermon, Vesper turned red as she shouldered her basket, her eyes darting to the side for a moment. The weakness of flesh had been a ... different topic, even if she never indulged nor really expected to.

And it felt odd when a man of the cloth lectured to people about that with such ... anger? Father Jim, when he approached a subject similar, spoke about love and betrayal of love and God's intention with marriage. That sermon was also worthy of turning red but the late priest was much more gentle. "It was new and different, Father, I'll give it that." But then Ava turned her gaze back on Priest and her smile was encouraging and she was not quite so pink, "But I'm sure you'll get used to the area here. You'll figure out what people need to hear and who to help since it's a small community. Has it been welcoming?"

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[info]_brimstone_
2013-03-10 02:29 pm UTC (link)
"I find the new location to be much to my liking," Priest said, glancing around to make sure no fellow Chets could overhear. He believed that Saga's spies could be everywhere, and he wasn't enough of a fool to badmouth his supposed leader. "Saga has most graciously allowed myself and the remainder of my flock to take refuge with her and her band of followers. The weather this time of year is not that much different than New York."

He'd embarrassed her somehow, possibly by bringing up the subject of his sermon. Sin was, as they said, big business in his line of work, and the topic of the desires of men was one he warmed to with little provocation. What one person saw as anger he thought of merely as proper religious fervor. He brushed aside his concerns about her pink cheeks and brought himself back to the subject at hand.

"You've lived in this area a while?" He knew there were still a few natives of the Locks left over from the before time, but because he wasn't familiar with anyone except the people he'd come from the city with he wasn't sure who was who yet. "Or have you come from elsewhere, as I have?"

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[info]ofvesper
2013-03-10 06:08 pm UTC (link)
"Casacade Locks is a very pretty place," The young woman agreed, wrapping the shawl tighter around her and looking just like any resident that chose to stay in town. It was the first time she broke out 'Sunday best' since the Sunday prior the Pulse. Ava's only reaction to the mention of Saga and her kindness was something of a small smile. "People are really, really wanted these days." She ... knew it was a sin to hate. But she was incredibly frustrated by Saga and her policies made on a town Saga didn't even know about.

The only sign of relief that the sermon was dropped was a return to normal coloring of tanned skin. That subject just simply made her uncomfortable no matter who spoke it but a priest? It made her want to bury her head in the sand. Of course the subject was probably the most messy of the Seven Deadly sins because of it's connection to Love. And perhaps that's why it was so very, very dangerous. People get lost in the muck and mire of it all.

"Most of my life, Father. Save for vacations and college, I never really left this place," And there weren't many left. A handful or two in nearly every Tribe save the Enks. Ava supposed there were some of the natives among the Chet, and she understood why. "My father's family moved here when he was a teenager and he fell in love with the area."

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[info]_brimstone_
2013-03-10 07:36 pm UTC (link)
"Please, call me Priest," the cleric said officiously, tugging at his white collar. "I'm making an attempt to acclimate myself to my new surroundings and the name is part of that." He might have let the honorific slide if she had known him before, but it felt wrong somehow to allow her to go on calling him Father. He was certainly old enough to have sired her, although his life's path had led him in the opposite direction from marriage and children.

"And it is beautiful country. I had never been this far west before, but the trek to get here offered wondrous sights to behold." Never mind that the journey had also been treacherous, but how could you explain such things to a child? She looked as though she were barely out of school.

"Has your family come with you today?"

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[info]ofvesper
2013-03-10 07:57 pm UTC (link)
"Priest, then," Ava's tone was uncommitted and she wasn't exactly sure how to feel by calling a man by his calling. But then again, all the other priests were dead and all the other reverends. It wasn't as if he could be mistaken for someone else. "I'm glad you trying Fa- Priest. You'll have to forgive me, I would have called you by the title and your given name, I just wasn't sure of it. My apologizes, I'm just used to the late pastor's title. Father Jim."

There's a glance, but this glance is one of admiration for the scenery of the river, the firey leaves, and the mountains as utter beauty and one of God's best works. "It's hard not to fall in love with a place like this. Though, to be very fair, the furthest East I got was Washington DC as apart of a study. How far East did you come from?" She couldn't quite place the accent.

It was the mention of family that drew a curious look and she somehow managed to stuff down her expression of annoyance. Though she did mention her family, didn't she? "Not today. Mom's sick and since the doctor takes a bit of payment, she's trying to stay home and rest. Dad's spent the last week preparing for winter." She decided not to mention Livy, Olivia would never show up in a church though there would be another pale eyed, full lipped brunette running around among the Tawa. "They should be in attendance next week."

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[info]_brimstone_
2013-03-10 09:19 pm UTC (link)
"God is very important during times like these," Priest said in a pious tone. His large hands came together as the fingers steepled, and he added, "He can't make the lights come back on, but he can make the darkness a little easier to bear, yes?"

He was annoying her somehow, and he wasn't sure of why. He was a good reader of people, had had to be to get along in his home diocese, and this young lady found him either tiring or tedious or both. It was common among the young to find religion boring, which was why he always tried to give lively sermons - if for no other reason than to keep them from falling asleep in the pews - but something had gone amiss here.

"Now that the cold months are almost upon us I've no doubt that I'll lose a few souls on Sunday," he told her with a faintly reproving expression. Not directed at her, per se, just as the general idea that the church wouldn't be as full. "People will be preparing for harsh weather, laying in supplies and battening down the hatches at their homes. Does this place see as much snow as New York during winter?"

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[info]ofvesper
2013-03-10 11:05 pm UTC (link)
"Oh, he really is," Her tone becomes earnest now, the annoyance of being mistaken for a child forgotten with eyes bright. Now this was the sort of thing she missed, even if the tone wasn't quite what she was used to. But then there were some arrogant types at Angel Mount, "I think that's what we're meant to do with God the Father in these times. To remind people during this hard period he's not forgotten us or abandoned us -- and to remind us we're apart of something of a whole."

There's a warmth in her tone again and that bubbling joy she heard about someone returning to Cascade Locks was renewed. She didn't find religion boring, she found it deep and unfathomable. Her attempts to make it tangible to herself and others often met with failure, but she tried so very hard.

And the smile fades with that and she nods quietly, "Less than we last last year, I don't tend in allowing anyone to die if I can help it." She gestures around before pushing back her hair from her face before she turns back to Priest with wide eyes, "New York? You traveled all the way from New York? Goodness. You ought to be exhausted." Ava's expression becomes kind as she allows the basket to slide to the crook of her elbow and the shawl slides from her shoulders as she looks through it, "And no, it doesn't snow nearly as much as it does in New York in this area. We get... a half a foot at most over the year?"

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[info]_brimstone_
2013-03-12 04:54 pm UTC (link)
"It took us a long time to find sanctuary," Priest said gravely. "We had to avoid groups of outlaws as well as army patrols run amok, but God eventually guided us to safety. We were weary but resolute."

He decided not to tell her that some of their number had died on the trek to Oregon, that he should uplift rather than depress. At least she was still listening to him. "It sounds as if I'll be seeing less of the white stuff this year, in that case. Perhaps it will snow for Christmas, though."

One of his fellow Chets approached to congratulate him on giving such a good sermon, and the cleric dealt with him politely before turning back to the girl. She was comely in her own way, and he wondered if this would cause problems if she continued to come to his services. He knew there were loose women in Cascade Locks, and he'd have petitioned Saga to see to their removal if he didn't believe it would cause a mass protest, but surely this was a good Christian girl.

"Will you be here next week?"

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[info]ofvesper
2013-03-12 09:29 pm UTC (link)
"I'm very sorry. I didn't... I can't imagine how long it must of taken to get over here. I'm so sorry you couldn't find somewhere safer or closer to where you use to live. The trip must have been so hard for you, even if that's the path God intended." She meant this kindly as she looked up from pawing through items. The smile and her expression is sweet and compassionate.

Oh, she had a good idea many died from East to Oregon. It seemed to be imprinted on the Oregon psyche of the struggles people went through to find freedom and safety. "January is usually the snowiest time, but I wouldn't mind a soft blanket of the stuff for Christmas. It hides and nourishes at the same time."

Ava took that moment to dig through the basket again, finding the intrusion half rude from the other man. But then again, complimenting took a briefer amount of time than welcoming the new priest. What she did not catch was the look of contempt from the other Chet, that someone who obviously wasn't a Chet was speaking to their priest. She wasn't even aware of the troubles that might be going through Priest's mind.

"Oh, of course, I should be here at the least." Ah ha, she found it. She pulled out a red jar of strawberry preserves. "Not quite from me, but my family to welcome you."

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[info]_brimstone_
2013-03-12 11:49 pm UTC (link)
"Well...thank you."

He hadn't expected a gift, and that combined with the sweet smile she gave him was enough to leave him discomfited. Being untouched, being pure, at his age meant that he had no experience with women, and he was just barely able to tell the difference between a friendly gesture and flirtatiousness. He dearly hoped this was not one of the latter instances. She would find herself sorely disappointed if she developed a crush on him.

"I haven't had preserves in a long time," Priest informed her, smiling self-consciously. "My mother used to make them when I was a boy, but I grew out of the habit of having them when I first entered the priesthood." He wondered if these would be as good as Oona's. His mother's jams had always been the exact right combination of sweet and tart, and he supposed it would give him a pang of nostalgia to taste these.

"Do you often make these?"

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[info]ofvesper
2013-03-13 12:29 am UTC (link)
"You're welcome!" Back when the world still had electronics and refrigeration, there had been gifts from the Janeckzo family for years for others in the community. Baking, cooking, flowers and very few of these things were something that Ava could do well, but she could do enough. The gesture for the most part was friendly and welcoming. Her family was a good Catholic family -- life just made it a little harder to go where they should on Sunday.

"They're about as natural as you can get. We made them when the berries were ripe and that was summer. It takes a little work, Bridget probably would fuss about it, but we picked the berries, we prepared them. They're a little on the stronger side of tart because we ran out of sugar and used honey instead." So there was a human side to him. Maybe 'Priest' wouldn't be such a bad fit for the community. "So it's really a spring and summer thing. I'll let Mom know if you enjoy them if she doesn't come next week."

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[info]_brimstone_
2013-03-13 12:50 am UTC (link)
Being in his cassock meant he had no pockets to put the jar, so Priest was obliged to continue holding it when he said, "It's very kind of you to welcome me. Being a native to the Locks I'm sure you're unused to my preaching style, but I hope that in time you'll become accustomed to seeing me in the pulpit."

It was as human as he could allow himself to be for her, and behind his polite facade he was dimly pleased to have made an acquaintance. Despite his position in the community he was not a naturally friendly man, which meant he had never made friends easily. His subconscious wish to remove himself from everyday people contributed to it.

"I hope to meet your mother in the near future that I may congratulate her on having raised such a conscientious daughter."

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[info]ofvesper
2013-03-14 12:26 am UTC (link)
"I'm sure I'll adjust to the style in a few weeks. Our late Pastor was a very gentleman, but very old." Vesper explained, though she would never get used to many of the words he would say. A different belief and a different path.

In contrast, despite the place she was going to train to become a nun, Ava had made the idea -- the hope really -- of joining the Third Order of St. Francis. As such her duty would be to the common people and she wanted to immerse herself.

Something she was trying desperately to do now.

"That you Fa-, Priest. She'll be very glad to hear that." A small smile, polite and pleased. At the least Mom would be happy to hear that, considering her issues with her other daughter.

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[info]_brimstone_
2013-03-16 04:09 pm UTC (link)
He'd decided he liked her, as much as he was capable of liking anyone, and he inclined his head in her direction when she thanked him. He hoped to begin an outreach of sorts to the lost souls here, to guide them on the path of righteousness, and he should start with the young people before they became set in their ways.

"A younger priest will revitalize the church here," he said, because that was his goal. As antiquated as some of his beliefs might seem, he was faithful to the Lord's idea of a good life and wanted to assist others. "When I was still in New York my mentor seemed ancient, but he taught me everything he knew about sermonizing. I was very grateful for his guidance and support."

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[info]ofvesper
2013-03-16 09:27 pm UTC (link)
For now, Ava would give him a benefit of another chance. True, there were things that rang so wrongly in her head but perhaps she was reacting poorly to what she was used to. Father Jim was a Jesuit and she was more of a Franciscan in her beliefs (maybe that's where it went wrong in Angel Mount, they were Benedictine). It was her who needed to adjust.

He hoped to begin an outreach of sorts to the lost souls here, to guide them on the path of righteousness, and he should start with the young people before they became set in their ways.

"A priest is welcomed," She held her tongue though about revitalizing, there were devoured people but it was hard to keep the faith when there was simply no priest. Not even a deacon and a deacon couldn't preform all the duties that priests could.

A few of her parish members had gone to her for emergency last rites, despite her protests that she couldn't do it. Some had no clue that she couldn't, others simply didn't care. Ava, despite her protests, went along with it. Better to give peace of mind and the hope that the intention of wanting to follow God's church would be enough of an act of contrition. "I'm sure he did." There was a mild look of surprise but then she reminded herself the state wasn't New York City. "Did he pass before the Pulse then, Priest?"

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[info]_brimstone_
2013-03-17 11:01 pm UTC (link)
"He died in his sleep about eight months before the disaster," Priest said, his head bowing slightly as he thought of old Father Calvin. The man had had a hand in bringing him up since he'd been the parish priest when he was a child, and he still revered and respected his name. "He hadn't preached in a few years before that as his health wasn't the best, but he managed to give my younger self some wonderful advice in how to lead a flock."

He wondered if the young lady had a suitor, if the young's devotion to their peers would affect her ability to come to church in the future. He'd seen it many times in the past, but perhaps her dedication to religion was stronger than the average person's. If she agreed that God was vital in times like these, surely she'd not abandon attending services.

"I am glad to hear that I'm welcome here. I had some concerns at first, but it seems that my fears were baseless."

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[info]ofvesper
2013-03-19 11:07 pm UTC (link)
There's a pause to consider, though there was sorrow in the words. Life was precious, it was a gift, and it didn't matter if it was a young baby or an old man. Life was a life. But surely it was better to die peacefully without doubt than suffer through these troubled times when so much of your life is already over. "I'm sorry for your loss," She finally said plainly. "His advice would still be treasured even now." Oh, he could possibly be Traditionalist. That made some sense in her mind.

There was. None. Her ultimate choice rejected her and she really hadn't the time to recover from the said rejection. And yet she'd return to the home where she first met this presence. She would attend services.

"There is ... some who won't want help. No reason to force it. Sometimes it only drives a larger wound into the soul. They need time to adjust."

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[info]_brimstone_
2013-03-25 05:48 pm UTC (link)
"I imagine that some feel abandoned by God," the cleric said, gesturing around them where the crowd had dispersed after services. "But the Lord has patience even when humanity loses their way. It simply takes time to find the right path again."

He was aware that there were lost souls in Cascade Locks, but all he could do was offer advice and counsel if he was sought out. Especially the whores in the Lawu tribe. They would be his toughest sell, provided that they would even come to him for help. They should, of course, but would they?

"I hope to see you in the near future."

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