Gavin Lucas (viciouscircle) wrote in shadows_rpg, @ 2023-01-19 23:36:00 |
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Entry tags: | #july 2018, gavin, gavin x kat, kat |
Who: Gavin & Kat
Where: St. Benedict's
When: Late morning Sunday 7/8
Gavin wasn't there for the first sermon in the newly built church, but he showed up for the second and was glad he opted for the later one. The weather had cleared up, no more gloomy fog clinging to everything and reminding everyone of doom, just sunshine with some refreshing wind which made it nice to stand outside when they arrived early. People were mingling and he left Charlie to talk to her mother when he spotted Kat arrive. She looked smaller than usual, as haunted as he felt, and that made his little spark of hope even more painful, like it was a foreign object burning a hole in his chest. He caught her gently by the arm, looking her over for any new bruises or telltale signs of violence, relieved when he didn't see any. He wasn't at all surprised to see her here, they both needed all the help they could get. "You okay?" he asked quietly, though he knew the answer was no.
After a fitful night of barely sleeping, Kat had decided to go to church. She hadn’t been in what felt like forever, but was hoping that it might give her a sense of peace, or at least decrease the load of dread she was currently lugging around. Going to the tunnel had been a bad idea, but she hadn’t realized it until after she was already there. The fear that the Dark Man would visit her again had kept her up until almost dawn, causing her to miss the first service completely. Kat felt rushed in her attempts to make it on time to the second service, but somehow arrived with time to spare. Her footsteps slowed as she reached the crowd waiting outside and she was about to pull out her phone as a distraction when she saw Gavin making his way over to her. His question earned a small smile and a shrug. “It’s been a rough week,” she said. “Not as bad as it could be, but… you know. What about you?” He looked okay, but she knew he was good at hiding injuries when he wanted to.
She didn't look more terrified than she had the last time he met her so Gavin decided to assume that the dark man hadn't come back. Yet. No doubt he would take his time because it was torturous to wait, not knowing when he'd strike or how bad it would be. And wasn't the bowler hat asshole all about torture? Psychological as well as physical? Gavin kind of hoped so, it would give them some time to try to fight back. "Eh, you know," he replied with a faint tilt of his head. "I've had worse." The physical pain was something that didn't faze him too badly, he'd learned pretty early to handle pain. The waiting however, the uncertainty... "Now, don't be mad. I told Caden what's going on... did you know the rumors about Max's family are most likely true?" He kept his voice low, thankful that Kat had kept away from the people when she first got here so he didn't have to drag her aside and get people gossiping.
That Gavin had had worse was worrisome to Kat. She didn’t like the idea that he’d been suffering—not physically, emotionally, or psychologically. This was only her second run in with the Dark Man, but she was still hoping it wouldn’t become a thing, that she could go years and years without worrying about him before having to cope with the trauma again. But that was the thing—knowing it was in her future really fucked with her head. She wanted the bastard gone. Dead. Out of her life. That that wasn’t a possibility rattled her. “I can’t be mad at you for telling Caden ‘cause I told Shan. And I have words for Caden at this point. Do you know he’s told her nothing? Like, she was under the impression this town is normal weird, not… whatever the f—“ Kat shut her mouth, remembering that she was standing outside the church before someone could shoot her an ugly look. “The O’Reillys? That live out in the woods?” she asked, raising a brow. “I’ve heard things, but… What’d Caden say?”
Gavin honestly wasn't very bothered by the fact that Caden had kept Shan in the dark, no doubt he - like the rest of them - expected her to ditch town soon enough and was hoping nothing crazy would happen before then. He shrugged faintly at her words, then nodded at her question. "They may be witches," he said, lowering his voice to a near whisper. "He never asked Max but, maybe they can help if it's true. We want to find a way to kill that thing." He wasn't super optimistic that this was possible, but if there was even a sliver of hope it was worth investigating. The O'Reillys were weird, maybe they had contacts even if the rumors weren't true. "Didn't ever think I'd be putting my life in Max O'Reilly's hands but here we are."
Kat’s brows rose, though she couldn’t say she was totally shocked. If anyone around there were witches it would be the O’Reilly’s. She couldn’t imagine why you would want to live out in the woods otherwise. It was clearly a dangerous place. But even if they were witches, could they really do anything about the Dark Man? She wanted to believe that they could, but she was still skeptical. “I’ll take all the help we can get,” Kat said. “Even from Max O’Reilly. Just… hope it doesn’t require a blood sacrifice or something.” Knowing nothing about witchcraft, her mind leaned more towards horror movies and devil worship. She didn’t want to end up trading one demon for another.
All Gavin knew about witches wasn't exactly wholesome but he'd be willing to kill someone or chop off a few of his own fingers if it meant his little sister was safe and that Charlie wouldn't have to wake up smack dab in the middle of a gruesome murder scene. But Kat was closer to the truth of it than she might even realize; his dabbling with witches had either had no effect at all or made things a lot worse indeed trading one demon out for another. Yet he had to have faith that the O'Reillys were different. Where D'Onofrio and his wife were rich and snobby, Max's family at least seemed like working class people and Max had been Caden's friend for years, though it was debatable whether they were close or not. "I'm gonna see what our new priest is like too, maybe talk to him," he muttered. "We'll be off to a great start with him."
“It’s impossible to hide much from the man who hears everyone’s secrets,” Kat said with a shrug. She liked the idea of someone new coming in, someone who didn’t already know the Lucas name and all the baggage that came with it, but it was impossible to keep it that way. People were going to talk, their reputation was going to get sullied once more, and any help that might need was going to make things worse. Or better. She had to remind herself that she was there in hopes of getting God on her side. If she wanted help from above, she had to be willing to ask for it and trust that it might be given, if she deserved it. Seeing as how it had been years since she’d been to mass, she was sure she had a lot of penance to provide before she could even hope for help. Still, it didn’t hurt to ask. “Have you heard much about him?” she asked, referring to the priest.
"Only his name," Gavin replied. "Mom gushed a little, you just missed her, she's over the fucking moon with the new church." So was he, if he was being honest. He'd missed Saint Dismas, missed having some sort of refuge even if it was just an hour a week where he could convince himself he was safe. Nothing bad had ever happened at church, whatever that might or might not mean, so it was easy to cling to that little hope. "But you know mom, she likes everybody." He had a fair bit of penance to do himself but he didn't feel particularly guilty for that. It wasn't his fault the church had burned down and that they didn't have another catholic church in town. Could he have made the trip out of town? Sure. But he worked late hours most nights and - well, those were excuses, weren't they?
“I don’t really blame her,” Kat said, glancing over the building itself. “I hate that Saint Dismas burnt down, but this is a nice upgrade.” Kat was glad to have the church to fall back on, even if she didn’t make it in as often as she should. Like Gavin, she felt safe there, like the evil of Point Pleasant couldn’t reach her when she was in its pews. She didn’t know if that was actually true, but if the Dark Man started visiting her dreams again, she might just start sleeping there just to find out. “I kinda wonder where the funds came from to build this place, but then I don’t want to look a gift horse in the mouth. It’s here and that’s what matters.” Maybe this new priest would rope her in and she’d find herself coming more often as a result. It seemed unlikely, but she had to hope.
"Maybe some of the assholes up in Overlook missed it," Gavin muttered and that was really the only explanation he wanted to consider. "Someone wants a church wedding." He snorted softly. He'd been fine with St. Dismas, didn't need anything fancier than that. He missed the old priest and the memories of the place more than he was willing to admit. It had been one of very few safe spaces for him as a kid. Everyone was well behaved at church, even Joseph Lucas, bless his soul. He didn't think there were a lot of catholics up in Overlook but those people cared about status and aesthetics so it was entirely possible they'd had a hand in getting the church built.
“I could totally see that,” Kat muttered with a sour twist of her lips. While she hadn’t been super attached to the old church, it had been familiar and she missed that. She’d known she was welcome there, that her confidences would stay secret, that it was a safe place no matter what. That should all apply to the new church as well, but it didn’t feel that way quite yet. It felt foreign and she suspected she’d have to attend more before any sort of warmth developed. It was gorgeous though, and she was glad there was money to build it, no matter where it came from. “I’d rather have something than nothing,” she said. “I think I just need to warm up to it a bit. Gonna try and get here a bit more often.”
"That'd be good," Gavin said with a slow nod, reaching out to touch her arm again in something akin to a comforting manner. He'd never been great with his little sister, or any of his female relatives, but with Charlie in his life and Amelia all grown up, it felt like maybe that was changing. At least he was trying and that had to count for something. The mere idea that he might lose his little sister before he even got to know her properly lay heavy on his mind, amping up that keen helplessness already gnawing at him. "I'm glad you're back," he said quietly. "But at the same time I wish you'd stayed away, then maybe... maybe he wouldn't have gotten to you."
It was a thought that had occurred to Kat, but she tried not to entertain, since she was already there and there was nothing she could do to change it. She’d known there were risks in coming back to Point Pleasant, but there were risks in living anywhere. The ones in Point Pleasant were just weirder. It had been years since she’d seen the Dark Man, so he hadn’t even been on her radar. Now she just hoped she’d never see him again. “Maybe not,” Kat said. “But it was a dream. If he can get me in my sleep, it’s possible he can get me anywhere. I think I’d rather be home where there are people who might understand, then elsewhere where I just look crazy.”
Gavin absolutely understood that. He'd never left Point Pleasant for more than a day, felt rooted to the place in ways he couldn't begin to explain. "If I-" he started, looking around with a heavy sigh to make sure none of the church's busybodies were within earshot. "If he gets me in my sleep, maybe you should leave town. We don't know if he's stuck here but it's worth a try, right?" And if he got Kat first? Gavin wouldn't leave, so he supposed he couldn't expect any promises from her on the front. "I just want you safe," he added almost apologetically and that was true for his whole family. He'd want everyone to leave if he died, maybe burn this damn place down behind them but that was never going to happen.
“I don’t want to run,” Kat argued, almost affronted, except that she could sense the sentiment behind it. “This is my home. It’s your home. And I won’t let some fu— monster scare me out of it. There has to be something more we can do than pray and hope for the best.” She knew she was in a place of God and that that was exactly what she should be doing, but Kat couldn’t sit and do nothing. Maybe it was stupid of her, that she hadn’t been around for some of the worst things that had gone down with their family and somehow thought she could do more, but she had to try. “If it got me, you wouldn’t run,” she said, as if reading his mind, though it was an easy jump. His whole life was there. She couldn’t imagine Gavin leaving unless the whole thing burned to the ground. “Don’t ask me to.”
"It was worth a try," Gavin sighed and nodded. "I won't ask again." If things got worse he probably would, but he never said he promised. "We'll see if the O'Reillys can help, or if our new priest has some tricks up his sleeve." Maybe the solution would end up being something dumb like sleeping pills or dream catchers, Gavin didn't really care as long as it worked - anything was worth looking into. "Have you slept at all? You know you can come over, I can keep an eye on you if you just want to nap." He might not be able to help her in the waking world, but he knew it helped not to be alone.
“Not much, and not well when I do,” Kat admitted. Even when she wanted to, Kat found it hard to go to sleep with the threat of the Dark Man hanging over her. She might feel better if there was someone else around, even if they couldn’t do anything to prevent it. Maybe they’d hear her scream and would wake her before it got too bad. It was a downside of living alone that she hadn’t counted on, but she also didn’t want to impose on her brothers. They had their own lives and didn’t need her crashing into them. “I might take you up on the nap. Just this once.”
Gavin's household was the opposite of lonely. He would have thought it would drive him insane that there was always someone around, but he liked it. Maybe because none of the people around were causing drama, fighting, shoving each other down the stairs or bringing home annoying drinking buddies. "You can come over anytime, we can watch something on TV and if you fall asleep on the couch, I can keep an eye on you." He liked the fact that sometimes Charlie would curl up in bed with a book while he got to veg out and watch a dumb crime show on TV and that they held onto their old rituals somewhat even if they now lived together but he'd give up some of that brief solitude for his little sister.
While there was quite the crowd at Gavin’s place, with the dogs and the kids and Charlie, Kat thought she might sleep better on their couch in the middle of the day than she’d ever sleep back at home in her own bed. It was for that reason that she found herself nodding, willing to take him up on the offer. “Thanks,” she said. “Might even drop by after church.” So long as the timing was right. She really didn’t want to make things difficult. Suddenly the church doors opened and people began to push towards them, eager to get inside. She didn’t quite understand the rush; they’d have a good hour to look around once they found their place in the pews. “Mind if I sit with you?”
Of course not," Gavin said and patted her shoulder as they headed towards Charlie so that they could go inside. "I'll be at the bar for a bit today, but I'm sure Amelia and Charlie won't mind. Unless you wanna crash on the cot in my office, that's also an option. I'd keep an eye on you." The idea that he might watch his sister get her throat slit by some invisible force right in front of him crossed his mind and sent a cold shiver up his back so he wrapped his arm around her narrow shoulders without thinking much about it. "We're gonna figure this out."
“Whatever’s easiest. I don’t want to be in the way,” Kat said with a small smile. The offer to crash at the bar shouldn’t have been appealing, but her brothers weren’t the only ones who’d spent a good chunk of their lives working at one. Until she’d gotten her photography business up and running, Kat had served drinks and waited tables every night of the week. Unless a fight broke out, the noise was familiar, almost soothing. It was hard to believe anything otherworldly would attack her there, whereas a nice, quiet home in a warm, cozy bed seemed like a threat. Sleep was sleep and she’d get it where she could. “We’ve gotta do something. I don’t know about you, but I’m running on fumes. It’s gonna catch up with me eventually.” And crashing at her brother’s place, or at his bar, wasn’t a permanent solution, no matter how kind the offer.
"We will," Gavin said and he really hoped Max would come through, that it wasn't all just rumor that his family had magic at their disposal. Kat was right, he was running on fumes too and the physical exhaustion was only rivaled by the pit of hopelessness that was making its home in his chest again. It was a familiar feeling, but not one that he could get used to so easily. He plastered on a smile for Charlie but she had for sure picked up on something being wrong now so he knew they'd have to talk after church. He just hoped he'd have something to tell her that wasn't bad news, some plan or anything that held any hope for them. He also hoped the new priest was okay, a good service could - despite all - make him feel a little better, no matter how temporary it might be.