12872/Brand New Day

Brand New Day
Date of Scene:	21 March 2021
Location:	Saint Patrick's Cathedral, Midtown Manhattan
Synopsis:	A lot of questions are raised. And Henri and Nick share a pew during mass.
Cast of Characters:	Phantasm (Drago), Hellequin

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Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
After spending most of the sleeping hours patrolling dreams in his phantasm form. Nick's search for a missing kid has once again proven fruitless. With the impending fatigue the biggest sign he should stop for the time being, the raven returned to the land of the waking shifting back to his real self in the safety of a dark alleyway before heading to church.

In the wee hours of the morning, St. Patrick's Cathedral is mostly empty. The strongest reason being most sane persons are in bed sleeping. But then again, not many people pull all nighters like Nick.

There's still a bit of time left before the first mass. So he makes his way to one of the pews not currently being used as a bed by a homeless person to quietly sit down.

Hellequin has posed:
The main attraction - the High Altar - of Saint Patrick's Cathedral welcomes the visitors and worshippers starting early in the morning. Later in the day, tours are offered for anyone who wants to admire the Cathedral, its statues, stain glass and side altars for individual saints.

At 7am, every morning, the first mass of the day is held. At that early hour of the day, very few people can be found in the church. Such are the ways of this century, worshippers have found other things to worship than their God.

Among the few people slowly gathering for the matines - the first mass of the day - one stands slightly apart from the usual parishioners. The man, in his thirties, wearing nondescript clothes, is kneeling down before the altar decicated to St. Michaels and St. Louis, right knee against the hard floor, right hand on his heart, head bowed in humility. The mostly empty church helps to propagate his prayer in a low echo, a prayer obviously pronounced with devotion, in a quite strange accent which sounds like a mix of old English and French.

Fader oure that art in heven
halwed be thi name;
come thi kyngdom
fulfild by thi wil
in heven as in erthe;
oure ech-day bred
yef us to day,
and foryeve us oure dettes
as we foryeveth to our detoures;
and ne led us nought in temptacion,
bote delivere us of evel.
So be it.

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
Nick, who is probably one of those ususal parishoners is simply in a pew. Quietly he reaches down, to take grasp of the kneeling bench, taking awhile to lower it gently to the floor. Unfortunately his efforts not to disturb the tired is a failed endeavor as the bench creaks in its descent.

There's a sudden silence.

Another creak. And a tap.

"...sorry."

Hellequin has posed:
The lone worshipper by St. Louis' altar being done with his prayer, slowly stands, crossing himself before turning around, and starts towards the entrance of the Cathedral. A few feet from Nick, he stops, right there, staring at Nick. Was he annoyed by the cracking sound of the kneeling bench? Frowning lightly, the man then speaks.

"Why do you seek comfort for your limb, when Christ died on a cross for your soul? What kind of penance is this?"

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
Oh gosh. One of THOSE parishoners. Nick tilts his head down for a few moments before turning his head to look over towards the inquiring man. "If you think the bench is comfortable, you are mistaken." Nick replies, voice low. "And with the spacing between pews, the bench is the only way you'll be able to kneel properly during mass."

Hellequin has posed:
The man also keeps his voice to a low level, after all, this is a church, even if mass didn't start already.

"You find excuses," the man replies, his large hand motioning around, over the vast ground of the cathedral. "Go on, kneel like a man, on the hard floor." And then the man steps just a bit closer to Nick, adding, "Repent for your sins, pray God properly, that your soul be saved. Or else, someone might come at night and bring it where it belongs. A Christian must always be ready for the visitor of the Night."

The man then steps back, large arms now crossed over his chest, as if waiting to see if Nick will heed the admonition.

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
Even if Nick wasn't already kneeling on a bench. The man's shorter height would come up a bit short on Henri. Thoughts of a less than plesant childhood come to mind. His shoulder shifts, sliding away from Henri as he comes closer.

Eyes narrow, looking to Henri, "And you use religion to excuse your bullying." Nick responds back. "Perhaps you should reflect more upon yourself before you start to judge others?"

Hellequin has posed:
Strangely, Henri remains silent for a moment. There are many reasons why he doesn't seek unneeded contact with the mortals, one of them being that they do ask questions! When he speaks again, his voice carries less of the admonishing tone, and turns to more conversational as he looks, almost studies, Nick.

"God be my witness," he says, "If I do ill by helping save your soul, I'll gladly respond for it."
He pauses once again, looking at the few people still gathering for the mass to start in a few minutes.

"People of this century..." he starts, then correcting himself, "Of /our/ times, do not care about their souls. They live and sin, expecting to be saved for free. They commerce with the Devil. They forget what happens to the soul of the sinners."

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
As Henry continues to loom, although quietly, Nick keeps a steady eye on the man, uncertain to how the reaction will turn out. When the tone lessens. Nick relaxes a little, sliding over a bit on the bench to offer a space for Henri. Bench or chair. His call.

Nick is quiet, listening to the lament. A brow arching to the word choice. He glances down in thought. "In the grand scheme of things, is kneeling on the floor instead of a bench that the church itself asks us to use going to be the dealbreaker?"

Hellequin has posed:
Henri seems to hesitate for a moment, as if he's considering leaving, or sitting down. For some reason, he opts to sit down by Nick's side. Always keeping his voice low - although it's clear that his voice could be a booming one at times by the tone of it - he sighs.

"Please pardon me, good sir," he starts, "You see, I'm was reading the Song of Roland lately, and well, I guess my manners are tainted a bit by this excellent Medieval litterature. And no, not a /dealbreaker/, but one should seeks all the opportunities presented to them to atone for their mistakes. Adding a little pain to a prayer, gives it more weight."

He then turns slightly towards Nick, offering his large calloused hand, not the hand of a man of letters. "I am Henri. And an antiquarian, which explains my sounding like living in a different era." Does it?

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
Nick listens to the apology. The slight frown that had formed at the begining of the encounter fades. "Sacrifices come in different forms." Nick replies, "And I've had my share of pain."

He looks to the offered hand, considering for a moment before he takes the offered hand. "I am Michael." He replies, figuring the man to be more of a real name type, "Hmm. antiques. That does explain a lot, actually."

Hellequin has posed:
The hand is shaken in return. Henri's larger hand almost gripping Nick's for more than a polite moment. As if realizing it, Henri quickly releases Nick's hand. A large smile appears on Henri's face, as he apologies, "Sorry, muscular cramp."

Henri leans back on the seat, silent for a moment, maybe thinking that sinners and evil spwans can also be found in churches. Abomination.

But it is daytime, many hours before the sun goes down. The Hellequin might have added someone to his list for the night shift. Might as well get to know Nick a bit more, since dispatching him to the afterlife right here and now is impossible.

"So many crates to handle to finally get the store open. And a very nice variety of Medieval literature, mostly of a religious nature."

Henri glances at Nick, a slightly puzzled look on his face. Devil's spawns don't pray in cathedrals. More information is needed.

"But pray tell, what do you do for a living?"

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
Nick's eyes look down to the hand as the time where letting go is common would be customary has long passed. He tugs his hand, finding it in the grip a bit longer. He looks up to the larger man questionably even after the hand is released. Not quite buying the excuse provided. Something is definitely off about this Henri fellow. But he's not sure just yet what it could be. He moves his hand away, resting his hand on his lap.

The mention of religious literature does draw his attention. "Oh Books? That sounds interesting. Do you have a card for your store?"

Hellequin has posed:
"But of course," Henri replies with that French accent, quickly finding in his pocket a visit card he oh so thoughfully had printed a few days ago. The card is handed to Nick.

"In the part of the city called /Yonkers/," he adds. "The best assortments of antique books and prints. And jewelry, and weapons. All 100% authentic. By presenting this card, as an acquaintance, you will even receive a discount. I will pass the word to my employees."

Well, this sales pitch should be good enough to alleviate any doubts Nick might have about him. The Hellequin is no telepath, but he can sense that someone is harboring doubts. And if Nick finds out right here and now... Words spread quickly, and for some reason, the Hellequin is still too curious about Nick to kill him tonight. More time is needed to understand why this miscreant sinner attends mass.

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
Nick looks to the card, nodding before sliding it into the pocket of his dresspants. "Thank you." He glances over to Henri once more, but the glimpse of movement indicating the start of mass is enough to stop any further speech. He gives a nod, and turns to focus on the mass.

Hellequin has posed:
And then mass is starting. Automatically, Henri drops to his knee, head lowered. If he notices that Nick was right about the almost impracticallity of kneeling between the pews, he's not mentioning it. Distracted before mass started, he had no time to move out of the pew.

There is something of a religious mystical aura about the man - nothing that can be seen by the eye - but rather by how he's totally focused on the prayer and nothing seems to be able to distract him. In a deep low voice, he can be heard murmuring a prayer.

"Pater noster qui es in coelis
Sanctificetur nomen tuum
Adveniat regnum tuum
Fiat voluntas tua
et in terra sicut in coelo
Panem nostrum quotidianum
da nobis hodie
Et dimitte nobis debita nostra
sicut et dimittemus debitoribus nostris
Et ne nos inducas in tentationem
sed libera nos a malo."

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
"Amen."

Eventually those inside will arise and leave. For a new day has risen.