(Untitled)

[holyhedonist]

[ You find yourself in a church, dimly lit with sputtering candles covering every available tabletop. It's quiet -- eerily so -- and the air is stale. You're standing in the middle of the aisle facing the front door. You could walk out if you wanted, something in the back of your mind assuring you it's not locked, but you feel compelled to stay for

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[tom_hanniger]

[Well just for the record, Tom has no idea how he got into a church, but at this point he's pretty used to strange things jerking him around and has decided to roll with it.

But still. A church? Really? When was the last time he even stepped foot in one of these? It must have been...years ago. He can't say he was ever really into the whole thing. His parents were, especially his mom, but the Hanniger men had slowly stopped attending after her death.

He looks around cautiously, half expecting to find some kind of communication device ready and waiting to drag him into another world full of monsters and bullshittery, but there isn't one. Instead, there's only the confession booth.

A sinking feeling begins to settle in his gut as he recognizes the small structure. Confession? Him? Where would he even start? And although he's hesitant, and doesn't really want to go, he does anyway - closing the small door behind him.]

Forgive me Father, for I have sinned. It has been fifteen years since my last confession.

[holyhedonist]

[ Vincent drummed his fingers on the armrest of his chair as he waited for what felt like years for the first guilt-ridden parishioner of the day, sighing as the only company he had were his own thoughts and the sound of candle flame sputtering out in a pool of wax.

This was his least favorite responsibility as a priest. He'd much rather be pacing back and forth in front of the collective, hot blood racing through his veins as he promised eternal Hellfire and pain everlasting to those who turned away from God. It was mostly an act, he had no illusions about that, but driving the crowd into an impassioned frenzy gave him a thrill like nothing else. He could ignore the sneers of Claudia and her ilk as long as the church was filled with shrieks of spiritual ecstasy.

Just as he was losing himself in that indulgent feeling, someone stepped into the booth with heavy shoes. Vincent sat up a little straighter and listened as the young man spoke. ]

Fifteen years? Why so long?

[tom_hanniger]

[Tom takes a long moment to decide his answer, head bowed.]

I guess I...got lost.

[Confession feels alien to Tom, a man so fiercely protective of his privacy, but he doesn't have to anything he doesn't want to, right? God, if he did exist (or cared), would know anyway. He's done so many horrible things over the years, it seems comic in a sick sense.]

I'm sorry.

[holyhedonist]

[ Based on those few words, Vincent felt he got a good read on Tom's character. It was an all too familiar scenario: he was young and confused, possibly at a major crossroads in his life with nothing left to guide him but his shaky faith.

Somewhere beneath his dark ambition and lust for power, Vincent pitied him. Pitied them. To feel so out of control in a world that was chaotic to begin with... ]

Are you sorry for your lapse in faith, or something else?

[tom_hanniger]

[Tom can't help but bite back a half snort. It's really not funny. Really.

Still, Vincent's got him dead on. For such a closed off man, he sure is an easy book to read.

Through the screen, Vincent can see Tom shift slightly, hands tightly clasped.]

I'm sorry for lots of things.

[That half bitter laugh again]

There's not much I'm not sorry for, to be honest. But I can't say I didn't try.

[holyhedonist]

[ For all his disdain of hearing confession, Vincent effortlessly slips into the role of the sympathetic priest. He can't tell now if it's become a habit through gaining the confidence of sect members or simply a natural gift. It's highly valuable either way.

He attempts to goad Tom into saying more. ]

It must be satisfying enough to just try.

[tom_hanniger]

Not really.

[And that's because it's not quite true. He had to try, but only after running away didn't work anymore. He's nothing but a coward, really.

If he had never left Harmony- But if Sarah hadn't left him at the mine- If his father had never turned his back- If the accident had never happened-

It was a fantastic round of the blame game, and in the end he was still a coward. A crazy coward. Definitely two highly sought after characteristics.]

Have you ever abandoned someone, Father?

[holyhedonist]

[ The question gives him pause. Vincent abandoned a great many things in his pursuit of power and adulation, not least of all his family.

He wasn't born into The Order, but graduated from an outsider to one of the pillars of the Holy Woman sect thanks to his charisma and smooth-talking. In his heart, Vincent is a weakling who could never fight for himself in the real world. Here, he never has to. He has the protection of the church and a dreary little resort town called Silent Hill.

An image flickers briefly through his mind of the kind of person he'd be if the tables were turned -- if he were on the other side of that partition, weary and lost. His stomach clenches at the notion.

Vincent exhales heavily through his nose and gives an answer he thinks Tom wants to hear. ]

I have, but not carelessly. Every choice I've made was with the greater good in mind, even if it meant tearing me away from those I was closest to.

[tom_hanniger]

[The greater good. Yeah. Sure. But that was the case for him as well. Everyone that had left him did it to serve the greater good.

If Sarah and Axel had come back for him, all of them could have died. He should have been able to let go of it by now, but no matter how he rationalized it, that bitter knot in his stomach wouldn't pass. It was selfish. Self destructive.

He mulls Vincent's words over for a moment before speaking again.]

What did it do to the people you left?

[holyhedonist]

[ He doesn't care for this line of questioning and brusquely changes the subject. ]

Have you left someone behind? Is that what's causing you grief?

[tom_hanniger]

They left me.

[He answers frankly.]

[holyhedonist]

I see.

[ This little revelation changes things a bit and Vincent switches tactics. He now consoles instead of counsels. His voice softens around the edges, but the tinge of intrigue remains. ]

To what purpose?

[tom_hanniger]

[To serve the greater good. Vincent had said it himself not a minute before.]

To protect themselves. I'm- [He pauses for lack of words] -cursed.

[holyhedonist]

[ Now things have truly gotten interesting. Vincent pushes his glasses up the bridge of his nose and smiles wolfishly. "Cursed" is a word he's quite fond of. The town of Silent Hill is "cursed", and that kept the residents in constant vigilance and fear, turning to Vincent in their time of need. It kept his position secure and his word unopposed.

However, he kept the smile out of his voice and furrowed his brow in mock concern, even though Tom couldn't make out his face. ]

Go on. Unburden yourself.

[tom_hanniger]

I-

[A reluctant sigh. He's never said these things out loud before. Sure, bits and pieces to people who already knew, or a story or two in group therapy, but hospitals hardly count. They had always told him opening up would speed up the process, that facing his past was the only way to move on, but he had never really managed

[holyhedonist]

[ Vincent drinks it all in like a man dying of thirst, eyes wide behind his glasses. It's fascinating, Tom's story. This is beyond marginally insane zealots or misshapen shadows skulking down the streets after dark. It's far more palatable in its uniqueness. In his wildest dreams, Vincent couldn't make up a better tale.

Not that he doubts the validity of what Tom is saying. In a place like Silent Hill, you either accept the impossible or suffer for your disbelief; and Vincent's mind is wide open to suggestion of all kinds.

The pity he felt earlier morphs into a perverse kind of admiration, and he can't keep the giddiness out of his voice anymore. ]

What happened next? Were you caught, or did you slip through their fingers?