[He has the stripped Archbishop dangling in the makeshift shelter of his embrace for only a short interval before the consideration of cold becomes a factor, aware that to expose him for much longer than would be necessary was foolish given his sickly condition.
He couldn't verily lower him into the baptistry without getting wet himself, and as he wasn't keen on removing any articles lest his intentions seem less than what his Office called for, he would simply roll up his sleeves as far as they went, getting ready to immerse that battered body into the soothing bath waters.
The reference wasn't lost on him however and the Priest's lips quiver slightly though the rest of him gives no outward sign, eyes downcast.]
Ah'm goin' tae lower ye entae thae bath, nae. Et migh' bae ae bit o' ae shock on ye, sae..
[Gripping firmly onto him to offer a stable support he slowly brought him down, down to the very edge of stone, setting him in as gently as he could.
First, legs, then torso, and finally up to a long, and graceful neck, the hot water penetrating every pore.
He runs a hand over the base of Enrico's skull, squeezing only just enough to release pressure should the tension peak, kneeling as far down as he could to keep himself outstretched without pitching forward.
His stature gave him the length he needed to reach, though there was a level of discomfort in having to position in such a way..]
[A fae-like frame, delicate as glass, hardly disturbed the mirror of the steaming waters as Maxwell was descent into them. Every tendon and knotted sinew seemed to unfurl and allay till he was fully submerged up to his neck. Long yet thinning locks of white-golds spilled into the waters, nearly dying it in the pale yellow color. The shock did come in the form of his pangs soothing away in the assuaging heat, his back arching as a desperate sound gasped past his lips and was wrenched down between his stubborn teeth.]
A-ahhaa! I.. An..derson..
[Time spent here in this cesspit of despair and desolation has nearly wiped the princely man's mind of what it was like to feel the comforts of home. Nothing here was familiar or placating, only more forestalling and foul the longer he walked this false Purgatory. he had tried... once. With all his might to integrate and find his way to survive. Staking pains upon himself by unwillingly mingling with the unclean, and choking down the poisons he wished to spit at them like a cobra.
Drinking his own venom he had caused himself to become sick time and again; migraines and ulcers forming. The more he distanced himself from the populace, severing himself from the world, the more inflicted he became. Without a guide to this treacherous world and the safeguard to trek it, he stubbornly took the coward's way of survival and hid himself away, finding himself punished for it day after day.
Dreary vermilion eyes peered up at the overseeing Father who held him upright, a sense of protection falling over him as the waters drained him of toxicity.]
Father.. per favore..
[The significance of his placement in these cleansing waters was not lost on that man. For he himself was one with the Gospel, no matter much he refused to evangelize.]
Renew me? This new earth has left me.. so tainted.
[The vigilant shepherd, ever-watchful, trained his eye on the blossoming baptismal waters, his earthen hands dipping beneath blessed heat on either side of frail shoulders. He did not know the extent to which the man had suffered, did not realize how far the other had come to perishing in this hellish dimension...No, he couldn't possibly.
And he worried. He worried that what he had to give to his ward was not enough. Would never be enough. Except now that they had found each other again..Now that they'd come so close to bridging that which divided..The good Father knew there would come a time when he'd have to tell him..Have to say the words that stuck to his tongue, bitter and broken.
Mea culpa. Mea maxima culpa.
Yet, as he laid his hand upon Maxwell, offered him benevolence, he couldn't help but feel . . . Content. This was his duty: To Guide and Protect. This was his charge, his creed. And so his balmy fingers spread over the top of Enrico's scalp, a gentle smile spreading across his lips.
The Baptismal Rites: Usually an extensive ceremony, yet would have to be somewhat minimized according to bare-essentials, though the Man of the Cross would've never normally denied his ward the full extent of remitting his sins. This Vigil, meant to cleanse and imprint an indelible mark on the soul of the baptized which marks him as God's..]
Jesus answered ahn saed tae him: Amen, amen, ah say tae thee, unless ae man be born again, he cannae see thae Kingdom o' God. Nicodemus saith tae him: How can ae man bae born when he es auld? Can 'e enter ae second time entae his mothers' womb ahn bae born again? Jesus answered: Amen, amen, ah sae tae thee, unless ae man bae born again o' water ahn thon Holy Ghost, he cannae enter entae thae Kingdom o' God.
[He keeps his hand steady, leaving his shoes behind as long legs wash beneath the current. The rest of him follows suit, and he's there, head haloed in gold from the reflective window panes, the water shimmering as though surreal. The Priest's palm anoints the fallen Catholic's brow, that simper still in place.]
Ego te baptizo in nomine Patris..
[ "I baptize you in the name of the Father", he declares in the ancient tongue, trickles of water pouring from his fingertips onto already dripping golden locks.]
Et Filii..
[ "And the son..", another cascade of sprinkling droplets..]
Et Spiritus Sancti..
[ "And the Holy Spirit", and thrice, his head is anointed, as in accordance with the Trinity, that which is Holy in Three Persons. Finally, he allows the man a moment to take a breath before he slowly lowers him down, head and all, into the waters, holding him there no longer than a moment before his righteous hands fish him from the waters again.]
Aeternam, ac iustissimam pietatem tuam deprecor, Domine, sancte Pater omnipotens, aeterne Deus, auctor luminis et veritatis, super hunc famulum tuum Enrico Maxwell, ut digneris eum illuminare lumine intelligentiae tuae: munda eum, et sanctifica: da ei scientiam veram, ut, dignus gratia Baptismi tui effectus , teneat firmam spem, consilium rectum, doctrinam sanctam.
Per Christum Dominum nostrum.
Amen.
[O Holy Lord, Father Almighty, Eternal God, Author of light and truth, I implore Thine everlasting and most just goodness upon this Thy servant Enrico Maxwell, that Thou wouldst vouchsafe to enlighten him with the light of Thy wisdom: cleanse him and sanctify him, give unto him true knowledge; that, being made worthy of the grace of Thy Baptism, he may hold firm hope, right counsel and holy doctrine.
He couldn't verily lower him into the baptistry without getting wet himself, and as he wasn't keen on removing any articles lest his intentions seem less than what his Office called for, he would simply roll up his sleeves as far as they went, getting ready to immerse that battered body into the soothing bath waters.
The reference wasn't lost on him however and the Priest's lips quiver slightly though the rest of him gives no outward sign, eyes downcast.]
Ah'm goin' tae lower ye entae thae bath, nae. Et migh' bae ae bit o' ae shock on ye, sae..
[Gripping firmly onto him to offer a stable support he slowly brought him down, down to the very edge of stone, setting him in as gently as he could.
First, legs, then torso, and finally up to a long, and graceful neck, the hot water penetrating every pore.
He runs a hand over the base of Enrico's skull, squeezing only just enough to release pressure should the tension peak, kneeling as far down as he could to keep himself outstretched without pitching forward.
His stature gave him the length he needed to reach, though there was a level of discomfort in having to position in such a way..]
Reply
A-ahhaa! I.. An..derson..
[Time spent here in this cesspit of despair and desolation has nearly wiped the princely man's mind of what it was like to feel the comforts of home. Nothing here was familiar or placating, only more forestalling and foul the longer he walked this false Purgatory. he had tried... once. With all his might to integrate and find his way to survive. Staking pains upon himself by unwillingly mingling with the unclean, and choking down the poisons he wished to spit at them like a cobra.
Drinking his own venom he had caused himself to become sick time and again; migraines and ulcers forming. The more he distanced himself from the populace, severing himself from the world, the more inflicted he became. Without a guide to this treacherous world and the safeguard to trek it, he stubbornly took the coward's way of survival and hid himself away, finding himself punished for it day after day.
Dreary vermilion eyes peered up at the overseeing Father who held him upright, a sense of protection falling over him as the waters drained him of toxicity.]
Father.. per favore..
[The significance of his placement in these cleansing waters was not lost on that man. For he himself was one with the Gospel, no matter much he refused to evangelize.]
Renew me? This new earth has left me.. so tainted.
Reply
And he worried. He worried that what he had to give to his ward was not enough. Would never be enough. Except now that they had found each other again..Now that they'd come so close to bridging that which divided..The good Father knew there would come a time when he'd have to tell him..Have to say the words that stuck to his tongue, bitter and broken.
Mea culpa. Mea maxima culpa.
Yet, as he laid his hand upon Maxwell, offered him benevolence, he couldn't help but feel . . . Content. This was his duty: To Guide and Protect. This was his charge, his creed. And so his balmy fingers spread over the top of Enrico's scalp, a gentle smile spreading across his lips.
The Baptismal Rites: Usually an extensive ceremony, yet would have to be somewhat minimized according to bare-essentials, though the Man of the Cross would've never normally denied his ward the full extent of remitting his sins. This Vigil, meant to cleanse and imprint an indelible mark on the soul of the baptized which marks him as God's..]
Jesus answered ahn saed tae him: Amen, amen, ah say tae thee, unless ae man be born again, he cannae see thae Kingdom o' God. Nicodemus saith tae him: How can ae man bae born when he es auld? Can 'e enter ae second time entae his mothers' womb ahn bae born again? Jesus answered: Amen, amen, ah sae tae thee, unless ae man bae born again o' water ahn thon Holy Ghost, he cannae enter entae thae Kingdom o' God.
[He keeps his hand steady, leaving his shoes behind as long legs wash beneath the current. The rest of him follows suit, and he's there, head haloed in gold from the reflective window panes, the water shimmering as though surreal. The Priest's palm anoints the fallen Catholic's brow, that simper still in place.]
Ego te baptizo in nomine Patris..
[ "I baptize you in the name of the Father", he declares in the ancient tongue, trickles of water pouring from his fingertips onto already dripping golden locks.]
Et Filii..
[ "And the son..", another cascade of sprinkling droplets..]
Et Spiritus Sancti..
[ "And the Holy Spirit", and thrice, his head is anointed, as in accordance with the Trinity, that which is Holy in Three Persons. Finally, he allows the man a moment to take a breath before he slowly lowers him down, head and all, into the waters, holding him there no longer than a moment before his righteous hands fish him from the waters again.]
Aeternam, ac iustissimam pietatem tuam deprecor, Domine, sancte Pater omnipotens, aeterne Deus, auctor luminis et veritatis, super hunc famulum tuum Enrico Maxwell, ut digneris eum illuminare lumine intelligentiae tuae: munda eum, et sanctifica: da ei scientiam veram, ut, dignus gratia Baptismi tui effectus , teneat firmam spem, consilium rectum, doctrinam sanctam.
Per Christum Dominum nostrum.
Amen.
[O Holy Lord, Father Almighty, Eternal God, Author of light and truth, I implore Thine everlasting and most just goodness upon this Thy servant Enrico Maxwell, that Thou wouldst vouchsafe to enlighten him with the light of Thy wisdom: cleanse him and sanctify him, give unto him true knowledge; that, being made worthy of the grace of Thy Baptism, he may hold firm hope, right counsel and holy doctrine.
Through Christ our Lord.
Amen.]
Reply
Leave a comment