Christmas Mass!! (backdated to the 24th)

[trageteas]

Characters: Jules de Ferrier and OPEN
Location: the church
Rating: G, unless something crazy happens
Time: backdated to the night of December 24th!
Description: On Christmas Eve, good little boys and girls go to church.

Comments

[socialinking]

[Souji wasn't a particularly religious person. His parents weren't very religious, and while he didn't know his grandparents that well, they never brought religion into his life, either.

But he'd promised he would go to mass with Jules. And a promise was a promise, especially to someone who was a part of his family no matter what. He had taken the time when they got to the church to go and look at the decorations, and when he finished seeing them he got to the pew, sliding into the row next to Jules.]

This is really nice. Thanks for inviting me.

[trageteas]

[Jules beams at Souji, quite pleased that he's enjoying himself. The thought of growing up without some form of religion is incomprehensible to him, something from history books and stories. (Not everyone at home is religious, of course, but those who aren't have chosen to reject God.)]

I'm glad you think so. It hasn't always been so pleasant here, so I'm actually a bit glad it's taken this long for me to invite you. Is it anything like what you expected so far?

[socialinking]

I didn't really expect much, so yeah, it's already exceeding my expectations. [Souji smiles back, leaning back in the pew.]

Do you go to church a lot, back home?

[trageteas]

Mass is eery Sunday, and on special days like this one. I also go once or twice most weeks for confession or prayer. That's probably a lot by your standards, but I've got friends who are there nearly every day.

[open]

[want_the_world]

Mello had stopped believing a long time ago, but it felt right, somehow, to come to Christmas mass here. It wasn't like the small, crowded church in Ljubljana, full of faces he knew, and his mum hadn't been there to hold his hand in a long time. There was something comforting about the familiar words all the same

[trageteas]

It was odd to see an unfamiliar face at the church. From the moment he arrived in Death City, Jules had made a point of coming there at least every Sunday, just as he always did at home. It was something normal, comforting even, and it meant that he was used to seeing most of the people who had interest in any sort of remotely Catholic worship.

Thanks to that, every new face intrigued him -- and this one even more so, considering Mello's rather aggressive appearance. And so, after the mass, it was only natural for Jules to wander over to introduce himself and find out more about this man.

"Good evening, sir, I don't think we've met."

[want_the_world]

"I'm Morgan." He held out his hand, sizing up the stranger instinctively as he did. Mello was perfectly aware he didn't look the part of the usual worshiper, what with the leather and the scar. The other man blended in better, seemed to fit here, as Mello knew he didn't. But he was used to being the anomaly.

"Old habits die hard, hm?"

The cosmology of Death City was something Mello didn't quite buy, having a deep-seated aversion to the idea that souls could exist as something tangible, a commodity, almost. He'd never quite got over the idea that a soul was what separated humans from everything else, and he still felt unsettled by the thought that his had gone on after he'd died in his world.

Not that he objected to more life.

[trageteas]

Jules wasn't sure if he ought to be suspicious of this man. He'd always fancied himself as someone who was good at reading people, at least enough to know who to be cautious of, but that instinct had proven unreliable in Death City. Here, some of the people he cared about the most might normally read to him as better to avoid, and vice versa -- a result of the huge variety of cultures here, he assumed. It was unsettling.

But this was a church and if there was one thing he was sure of, it was that nobody could do anything horrible in a church and get away with it; for now, Mello would be mentally filed under "odd, but probably safe". "Jules de Ferrier," he responded, giving Mello's hand a small but firm shake. "You're used to attending Mass at home, then?" That was the obvious interpretation of his words.

[trageteas]

Jules knew that Alucard was Christian, but they'd not spoken about it much yet; now, it seemed, was the perfect opportunity to get to know him better. After excusing himself from talking with his roommates, he quietly seated himself next to the other man, not wanting to disrupt his prayer.

[trageteas]

"I'm sure He'll understand; you certainly have a good reason. Thank you for going on those missions, by the by. I'm normally against violence, but unfortunately it's sometimes necessary in a world like this one."

[Open]

[timelessummoner]

[Raidou is here mostly because of Alucard; he's not completely happy about having his partner walk around with an injured leg, but it doesn't take a genius to understand this is an important occasion. At least by coming along, he can make sure Alucard is fine.

Besides, it's as good time as any to visit the church, which he has been meaning to do ever since Jules invited him. Not so much for religious reasons (although he has a feeling Jules would like for that to be the case) as just general interest. He's staying near the back, not wanting to appear disrespectful for being here despite not being a Christian at all. Seeing the reverent worshippers makes him wonder whether he should be here...]

[trageteas]

Good evening, Raidou, and Merry Christmas.

[He sincerely hopes that Raidou isn't uncomfortable being there; everyone is welcome, of course, but it must be awkward to be one of the few people in a church who aren't believers.]

You're free to sit with the rest of us, you know.

[timelessummoner]

Merry Christmas, Jules-san. And thank you.

[He moves to sit next to Jules.]

[trageteas]

How are you fairing here, thus far? [He would ask if Raidou was enjoying himself, but church isn't always fun.]

open

[laulaalinnut]

[Even though Cinderella never had been the most religious person, it had always been a tradition for her family to visit church on the Christmas eve. And she definitely wasn't one to break such an old family tradition, especially now that both of her parents were living in the heaven as an angels.]

[trageteas]

[Excellent, someone else he knows!]

Cinderella! What a pleasant surprise.

[laulaalinnut]

Oh, Jules! Isn't this a pleasing surprise. I didn't know you'd be here too.

[trageteas]

I'm here every Sunday, at the very least. We must tend to miss each other if you also come often.