Bring Back the Sun (open)

[josephalexandre]

While on a normal day enough people would frequent the House of Ansgar to make their faith known and their eternal devotion to Him very much a part of their routine, the climate on this particular afternoon did nothing at all to assist local parishioners find their way inside the tall doors of the church; lest they might get carried away by the strong current upon leaving their homes.

Father Joseph listened to the sound of the howling wind outside, and the heavy downpour transforming gradually the streets of Reajh into something potentially dangerous. The murky masses of water ran quickly around one's feet and, albeit it could be argued that the stream was no more than just some inches deep at most, a careless wandererer might still be ripped of his boot - as well as his dignity, if he valued such.

Whether it was simply to signify the truth behind this idea, or to mock him on top of it, the priest noticed as he turned around to look at something behind his back, that he was being undeniably followed by a set of muddy footprints. Upon seeing them, he allowed a deep sigh escape his throat. There was indeed a small detail missing from his usual dress-up as he made himself busy between sermons, and for the people who were already present it would not be too hard to figure out what was different about him - though he suspected he was not the only one experiencing this particular sort of problem. Or at the very least he hoped so.
The cobblers were likely to become delighted in any case, and so would he be once the weather wore off.

Joseph was just about to kneel down in prayer; adressing with compassion and his utmost sympathy those poor unfortunate souls whose duties demanded they stay outside during the storm, when he became aware of a noise...

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It had been a while since she had prayed, and a good while that she dare enter a church. Ironically, it was the safest place of harbor, even in this storm. It wasn't that she feared the rain, quite the opposite, so when she hadn't a cloak to shield her, she could have cared less. Let the rain pelt her, let her warm flesh feel the pulse of the storm. She always felt a deep connection to it- and the water it brought.  But the church.... She had always tried to be good to the church. Some of what she had learned growing up had sunk in with her-
But perhaps it had been the way he had described it.

But they had been so young, so naive...
She had snuck in through the back, looking nothing short of a drowned rat. Not that it mattered. From her tattered skirts, to her leaking boots and messy dark hair now plastered to her form- no one would recognize at all the once beaming beauty that had been Attalia Arrant.

Darker days had come and gone, and she knew more were yet to come. The pulse in the rain... there was much unease there. And though a rumble of thunder would have startled many, it did nothing here to deter her. But upon realizing she wasn't the only one inside the church, she was cautious and noted there was a priest.

Afraid it might be any of the number of the priests scarred into her memory, she was quick to think of a swift exit, but the sudden snap of a tree out back made her turn with a gasp. She soon pressed herself against the cold, hallway wall, a hand over her lips in fear-
Surely someone heard her. But perhaps...

Perhaps it could be ignored? Now was not the time for her to be found by them. And the dread that sunk down to her bones sent an involuntary shiver up her spine, and a sparkle of fresh tears to her eyes.

[josephalexandre]

The moisture from his clothes clung uncomfortably to his body while he prayed, ultimately causing a distraction far more prevalent to his mind than the roaring thunder outside. Still, Joseph pushed ahead of him his desire to tend to his personal needs for the time being, arguing that somebody might yet make an entrance in time for the sermon; or they might just come here to seek shelter from the storm
In such a case he would do well to remain present, showing them that neither God nor his messengers had abandoned his most devout followers - but stood steadfast by their side, ready to fight their battles alongside them. Those who made it so far deserved as well Ansgar's praise for their victory; as by design they had shown a great measure of vitality and endurance, and not to mention faith - by turning up on the doorstep to the church.
A grand victory, indeed, to have overcome such obstacles laid on your path. Not only for your own sake, but also for Him.
Father Joseph felt certain that Ansgar looked down at those people and smiled; After all, He had the heart of a warrior himself,  no doubt were He able to see and appreciate that quality where it could be found in the hearts of his people, too.

The priest collected his mind, allowing the sounds of the storm to pass through his ear without lingering, while he attempted one more time to focus on the content of his prayer. His body shivered, however; and hadn't it been for the fact he would have to return to the armageddon washing about on the outside to get there, the walls of his own home or a nice tavern's would have been a lot more desirable to him at this point. Better to stay here, he told himself. He would feel a lot more comfortable once he'd changed into one of the ceremonial garments stored in the sacristy. At least those would be dry.

His attention snapped into a wholly different focus, and his head jerked upward as he'd heard someone - a person other than himself, make a sudden noise. Joseph let his gaze wander into the direction where he believed he had heard the noise, and offered a smile to the woman he could now detect standing there.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Madamoiselle. I didn't realize there was anyone here.  Please do come in!"

He gave her an inviting gesture while he got back onto his feet, abandoning for now his spot beneath the altar in favor of human company. It was then Joseph noticed the frightened look upon the woman's face, and the tears brimming in her eyes.
"You will be safe here," he assured her gently, offering her another, gentle smile.

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Despite his soft, welcoming demeanor, Attalia dare not move. Though she couldn't move if she wanted to. And along with the fear in her eyes would flash anger, and frustration. Too many times did she enter and trust such sanctuary, but all it got her were scars and a worse 'curse'.

"I was just stepping in from the rain." And the rain of which still was still falling from her clothes, her hair- and just about anything on her person. "It.. makes travel slow."
And she gave an awkward sniff and looked away towards the dark hall in which she had come.
"I won't stay long."

She didn't want to.

[josephalexandre]

He kept that benevolent smile on his face, but upon seeing the raw emotions being reflected so prominently in her eyes, Joseph allowed the distance between them to remain so while he listened quietly to her words.
"I understand," he replied softly. "The rain is a bit too much presently."
He made the statement with a sheepish grin, pointing to the wet stains on his own robes; indicating that he had been no better off than she was right now, when he arrived to perform his daily routine at the church - and he still wasn't.

"I will let you have a moment alone, if you wish. I can get you some dry clothes while I'm off to fetch something for myself, if you think you'll still be here when I come back. It won't be long."
He left his companion a moment to process the question. Then - as he figured he would know soon enough whether or not she'd choose to stay a while, the priest retreated to the small chamber in which all extra materiel were kept in close proximity to the altar.
Of course he hoped he'd get the chance to talk to her a bit more, but if he didn't... Well, he hoped Ansgar had not grown tired of hearing from him just yet.

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When the priest left, she made no comment whether she was to accept his offer or not. She knew he was just being generous- most church types did. And this place hardly seemed like the radical ones that had once had her in chains. Even still, her body lurched as if to run, but upon hearing a ghastly gust rattle the door, she thought better of it and gave an awkward fluff to her rain soaked hair.

It was only then she dared to step in deeper towards the church, foot steps light as she made her way to stand between the small set of pews. The church was at least small- nothing like the grand labyrinth's she had once been imprisoned. It seemed this place might even lack a basement-
Which she hoped meant the secrets here were as thin as it's walls.

She peered over at the candles, arms stiffly wrapped around herself. A wet trail of foot prints were in her wake, and another gust of wind rattled the few windows within the room. Again,s he wondered if this little building would even survive such weather-
But it was better than nothing...

And she just prayed to whoever was out there her choice did not seal her fate back to the bowels of the church and its wretched experiments that no one dare speak of or believe outside its walls.

[josephalexandre]

"That storm sounds worse by the minute," Joseph uttered as he returned to the main hall of the church; more comfortably dressed in a dry set of robes he had found in the sacristy. The new clothing were perhaps a tad more elaborate than the soaked lump he left hanging above the oven to dry - adorned with fine details sewn into the fabric, as if the robes themselves were not speaking clearly enough of the owner's Holy status without help of such glitter and glamour. One might wonder whether the tailor or his initial costumer had this inquisitive taste to begin with; perhaps could both men tend their profession with a little more humility.

"I am glad to see you're still here, after all; as it would be all too easy getting sick or injured walking outside in this dreadful weather. Speaking of which, I do hope you are well?"

The young lady still seemed a bit tense, he noticed; though he couldn't say whether it was because of the howling wind rattling the windows, or the sharp thwack most likely caused by a loose stick ramming into the stained glass. Or even something else, entirely. If she was hurt physically, he could apply his knowledge of herbal medicine to help cure her wounds, if she would let him.

"You are of course free to leave any time you wish once the storm calms down, but for now we'll both be much safer staying inside." Indeed the church was quite small when compared to some of its relatives - larger churches and even cathedrals located in central ares all over Connlaoth - but its walls were made of solid stone, and even the stained glass windows, while reasonably the weakest point, were rather thick and sturdy for a glass construction.
Father Joseph trusted its ability to keep the worst of the storm at bay - for the moment, unless the wind grew so strong as to.... No, Ansgar would not allow the storm to come to such catastrophic proportions, and start tearing apart the homes of his followers. Would he?

"I found some dry clothes you might want to wear while we're waiting," he offered, turning around to point out the room he'd just left. "You'll find them there, on the counter, if you want a look. There's also a rack where you can leave your wet clothes to dry. Let me know if you need something else."
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Upon his return, her hands instinctively clutched tightly against her soaked wardrobe, and she eyed him over with mild scrutiny. Then her green eyes followed to where he had gone and she hesitated as she looked back at him again.

Dropping her gaze, she muttered a , "Thank you, father." And rather mousy like, she moved past him to disappear into the room. She wasted no time in closing the door behind her- not trusting, as a man, he would dare peak. Though such shame was not normally thought upon a man of God, Attalia knew better than to be tricked, and tricked again.

Hurriedly, she undressed, hands shaking as a pool of water formed beneath her. Clothing began to pile up in a pile as she used some of the dry clothing to briskly dry her naked form off. But just as she was doing so, a moving shadow caught her attention, and something else brushed her leg.

The two mice caught her off guard as she screamed, and leaped away from them, and found herself pressed against the cold wall, long dark hair hanging ove rher nude form and barely keeping her modest as she watched the pair of mice scurry towards the door.