Deiniol
Human
Church Secretary
Life's a show and we all play a part
Posts: 112
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Post by Deiniol on Jan 12, 2007 20:55:47 GMT
Continued from: Main Entrance.
Denny moved though the main room of the church, fingers brushing against the wooden pews in a loving gesture as he passed. The young man knew every knot and twist in the wood of the pews, knew every stone that passed by underfoot. He knew and loved every inch of the Church of Our Lady and couldn’t imagine life without it.
Father MacKenzie looked up as he reached the front of the room, finger dipping into the font and letting the holy water coat the tip of his finger before pulling it back and making the sign of the cross. Denny smiled at the Father and the two began to talk softly, the elder man telling Denny what needed to be done tonight.
“Before we begin Father…” Denny began hopefully, nodding towards the confessional box. MacKenzie nodded in understanding and led the way, Denny trailing after him. He never took part in confession at the usual times for the simple reason that he could not bring himself to close the door to the box fully. It reminded him too much of being trapped in the dark and the enclosed space of a mine. So he left the door open a crack, something that he could not do in the presence of other people. Confession was a private affair and with an open door, there was the possibility of someone overhearing. Which was why he did this during the late night.
He sat in the small box like room, watching the grate as it opened, creating a passage between the two men.
“Forgive me Father, for I have sinned… it has been five days since my last confession…” Denny recited the required words softly, grasping the rosary tightly in both hands, feeling the cool metal against his skin.
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Deiniol
Human
Church Secretary
Life's a show and we all play a part
Posts: 112
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Post by Deiniol on Jan 12, 2007 22:08:14 GMT
As always, Deiniol felt much better after confessional. He felt lighter inside, cleansed of all his wrong doings. Even if they were only tiny slip-ups, things most people would not have even considered crimes or even mild misdemeanours. Even with a gap of five days though, his list had been relatively short – a sign of the way Denny tried to live his life, by being as kind and as well behaved as possible. The way in which he believed God would want his followers to behave.
He moved silently and gracefully out of the confessional box, grabbing the clipboard that was located next the confessional box. Denny walked though the church, head bowed as he ran his finger down the words on the clipboard, muttering quietly to himself. Lots to do and little time to do it in.
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Iris
Human
Photographer: LA Sun
Posts: 126
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Post by Iris on Jan 12, 2007 22:22:38 GMT
Continued from: Main Entrance with Poppy
All Iris could think about was that Poppy was a brat and how she desperately hoped that they weren’t going to be interrupting anything by going inside. As she moved through the church, she tried to keep her footsteps as silent as possible, not wanting to disturb anything that might be going on, looking around and thinking that she would definitely have to return during the day sometime and get some photos of the interior.
She made sure to keep Poppy in sight; she knew that Poppy was perfectly capable of going off on her own without getting into any trouble- especially considering they were in a church- but it was a comfort thing for her.
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Poppy
Human
Student/Librarian
I've got soul, but I'm not a soldier
Posts: 119
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Post by Poppy on Jan 12, 2007 23:03:15 GMT
Poppy moved to one of the pews near the back of the church, sitting down quietly and staring ahead at the grand interior of the church. It really did look impressive with the artificial light creating pools of warmth that bled into each other. She found it strange how relaxing the place looked, even with the generations of guilt and oppression that it must have seen. Ever since there had been a God, there had been fighting and changes after all.
She could see Denny at the front of the church, slinking in and out of the shadows, apparently engrossed in the clipboard he was holding but other than that the place seemed deserted, the Father he had pervious mentioned nowhere in sight.
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Deiniol
Human
Church Secretary
Life's a show and we all play a part
Posts: 112
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Post by Deiniol on Jan 12, 2007 23:04:05 GMT
Denny looked up from his work as Iris moved towards him, her shoes making a soft clicking sound on the flagstones of the church. He gave her a welcoming smile, a faint blush tingling his cheeks at the sight of the young woman. The Welsh man could just see her sister in the background and briefly wondered if they were one of those siblings who never went anywhere without each other before shaking his head and dismissing the thought as silly.
“Iris,” he said in greeting, the smile becoming broader as he spoke. He kept a firm hold of the clipboard although Denny did lower his arms, letting the item rest against the edge of his jacket so it was clear that he could spare the time to talk to her. No matter how many things he had to do, he could always spare the time to talk. Plus, they would still be waiting after he was finished.
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Iris
Human
Photographer: LA Sun
Posts: 126
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Post by Iris on Jan 12, 2007 23:13:12 GMT
Iris returned the smile wholeheartedly, telling herself that she was in a church and therefore would not get overly excited or giddy by his smile, no matter how hard that was actually going to be. Besides, she really was supposed to be working. “Denny,” she said in order to return the greeting.
She forced herself to glance around the church, though her eyes went back to him quickly. “I couldn’t resist coming in while we were here.” And that was definitely true enough. Though she knew how to read the signal that was being sent by the way he was holding the clipboard, she couldn’t help but say, “We’ll try not to stay too long so we don’t keep you from your work. Or if you want to go ahead and do what you’re here to do, we’ll understand.” Oh, I hope he stays to talk…
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Deiniol
Human
Church Secretary
Life's a show and we all play a part
Posts: 112
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Post by Deiniol on Jan 12, 2007 23:23:11 GMT
“Well the church does have its own charm by night that isn’t visible in the daylight.” Denny could quite happily talk about the church for as long as Iris wanted. Not only was it a safe topic, being concerned with his job – if somewhat dull because of that – but it was also one of his ruling passions. He adored the church and his faith as a whole and was always pleased when people took even a passing interest in it.
“It was only a bit of filing, paperwork, the odd bit of stocktaking. You would be amazed at the amount of bibles we run though. Out of all the things to take from a church, they always seem to go for the Good Book. I expect they simply put them in their bags, forgetting that they don’t belong to them,” Denny said, giving people as usual the benefit of the doubt. “I could show you around if you like,” he added, a hint of youthful enthusiasm and hopefulness in his tone.
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Iris
Human
Photographer: LA Sun
Posts: 126
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Post by Iris on Jan 12, 2007 23:31:05 GMT
“That would be wonderful,” Iris said, still smiling. Personal tour with… Bad thoughts. Church. Remember? Though she had been in the church before, she hadn’t actually seen very much of it and, in all honesty, even if she had, she didn’t think she would have ever been able to turn down the chance of a personal tour given by Denny. “I’ve never really gotten to see much of the church, so seeing whatever you can show me would be great.” That really didn’t come out right…
To cover the slight embarrassment she was now experiencing, she adjusted the strap of her purse and took a quick glance to where Poppy was. It was habit. She couldn’t help it. It didn’t matter what she was doing- or how cute of a guy she was talking to- she wanted to know where her little sister was and that she was safe.
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Deiniol
Human
Church Secretary
Life's a show and we all play a part
Posts: 112
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Post by Deiniol on Jan 12, 2007 23:44:10 GMT
His smile grew almost blinding at Iris’s agreement and he blushed for a moment at his clearly obvious reaction to her words. “Then this way,” he held out his hand, gesturing towards the font at the front and centre of the room. “What about your sister?” Denny suddenly asked, conscious of the other young woman. Even if part of him didn’t really want her to come too – he was quite happy to spent time alone with Iris and that thought alone meant he was going to have to pray for forgiveness later.
“Would she like to come to or is she happy sitting back there? She has picked the best pew out of the church, there is some wonderful engraving at the end of that one, done by the original craftsman. Pagan images hidden within Church accepted items. Very sneaky.” He could appreciate such sneakiness as well as the aesthetic value of the images, so long as he did not approve of them.
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Iris
Human
Photographer: LA Sun
Posts: 126
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Post by Iris on Jan 12, 2007 23:54:03 GMT
“That really is sneaky,” Iris agreed, feeling her heart skip a beat at his smile before making herself look to Poppy and catching her eye, motioning that she and Denny were going to walk around while also asking silently if she was going to stay or tag along with them. Iris supposed that if Poppy wanted to stay behind it would be okay. They were in a church and if a church wasn’t a safe place, then there just wasn’t one. “I won’t be surprised whatever Poppy actually decides on. Sometimes, it’s hard for even me to figure out what she might want to do at any given time and I’ve gotten to know her pretty well these past few years.” She would explain that if he asked. After all, it wasn’t that she tried to hide how she and Poppy had been in their younger years. It just never came up.
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Poppy
Human
Student/Librarian
I've got soul, but I'm not a soldier
Posts: 119
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Post by Poppy on Jan 13, 2007 0:12:50 GMT
Poppy may be the typical irritating brat younger sister, but she wasn’t heartless, cruel or particularly evil. Tagging along with Iris and Denny could be considered cruel, since she felt that her sister at least would want to be alone with Mr. Tall dark and handsome. It really isn’t fair… she mused, giving a small shake of her head to indicate that she was perfectly content to remain where she was for the time being. She just wished there was someone for her to talk to, to flirt with even if it didn’t go anywhere. It would be fun.
The young student turned her attention away from the couple standing a short distance away from her and instead turned her attention to the pew she was sitting in itself. Poppy had heard a few fragments of Denny’s explanation and she found herself curious to discover these images herself and see if she could work out which were the ‘hidden’ images.
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Iris
Human
Photographer: LA Sun
Posts: 126
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Post by Iris on Jan 13, 2007 0:20:24 GMT
Thanks, Pop, Iris couldn’t help but think. I owe you for this. Turning to Denny, she gave another smile and a little shrug. “I guess she’s happy where she is for the time being.” Yes, she was a protective older sister and she liked having Poppy in view, but she couldn’t seem to resist the opportunity to be alone with the handsome Welshman, even if they were in a church and would likely be just discussing the building and such. Not that she was going to complain, of course. She’d get to talk with him and that was more than enough for the time being. “Please, lead the way.”
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Deiniol
Human
Church Secretary
Life's a show and we all play a part
Posts: 112
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Post by Deiniol on Jan 13, 2007 0:49:46 GMT
If Denny felt relief and pleasure at the knowledge that Poppy was going to stay where she was and leave him alone with Iris then it was buried so deeply that he wasn’t even aware of it, let alone the emotion registering on his face. He nodded and started to move along the church floor, keeping a slow and steady pace so that he could talk and walk with Iris and still be diverted should the need arise.
The night was really looking up as he led her to the ornate font, pausing in front of it with a shy little smile. “It used to be in the centre of the building,” Denny explained, pointing at the large stone basin. “You can still see the axe marks where it was chopped away from the original base. Violence seems to be the bane of Churches… and I am ashamed to say it is as much the fault of my own faith’s actions as well as anyone else’s.”
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Iris
Human
Photographer: LA Sun
Posts: 126
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Post by Iris on Jan 13, 2007 1:01:18 GMT
“Violence is one of those things that seems to be found everywhere, no matter how much people claim to want nothing but peace.” She wasn’t exactly sure where that had come from, but it was the truth, wasn’t it?” She tilted her head slightly, studying the basin for a moment. Iris thought that she was managing to keep her happiness at getting a chance to speak with Denny alone under the surface, but she couldn’t be entirely sure.
She occasionally thought that perhaps she should choose a religion to follow. Iris wasn’t atheist, she knew that much for certain, but she had never actually chosen a religion that she could follow comfortably. Did one actually need a religion? Was thinking that blasphemy? She supposed that if she and Denny started speaking on a regular basis she might eventually voice those questions and see what he thought. For now, though, she was more than content to simply enjoy the tour of the church.
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Deiniol
Human
Church Secretary
Life's a show and we all play a part
Posts: 112
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Post by Deiniol on Jan 13, 2007 1:36:56 GMT
Iris certainly seemed happy even if they were talking about such a depressing image. It was hard to judge her mood correctly, but Denny was skilled at picking up on the tiniest signals and hints. It was necessary in his job, let him predict what Father MacKenzie wanted or needed sometimes even before the elder man himself knew. The only thing Denny wasn’t sure on was why she was happy but the important thing was she was feeling that positive emotion.
“One of the first acts by man in the Bible is a violent one. It could even be said that Original Sin is violence… we are just a violent species. We just have to practice what we preach if we want to rise above that and be a peaceful people.” Denny shrugged, slightly embarrassed with himself for getting off topic like that. He believed that everyone had the right to think and believe what they wanted and the fact that Iris wasn’t Catholic wasn’t off-putting.
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