Winter\'s Rites

[Generalissimo]

Gabriel sat in quiet contemplation alongside the altar, as one of the clerics performed a ritual of placation, asking for Adora’s loving care through the winter. Many commoners had come to sit in the pews and pray during the rite, some having lost their loved ones due to starvation, some from illness, some from age. This winter was turning out to be unusually difficult. The homeless were frozen in the streets, and many of the poor had taken shelter under Adora’s wing. It was disheartening to see them; the faces of the starving and cold, sometimes children, and knowing that at this rate the food stores set carefully aside for these people would be extinguished long before winter’s end.

Still, The Acolyte did as he always did. Most of his days were now monopolized by prayer and visits to the shelters. He had sent clerics to care for the sick, and pleaded with any owning sympathetic ears to donate what they could spare; clothes, food, medicine. A handful of merchants had lent their support, but the nobles had predictably turned away from the plight of the poor. Expected, but still Gabriel felt resentment stir in him.

And now, to further attempt to help the ones he could, he had opened up extra days to enter the sanctuary, so that any who wanted to could witness the ceremonies usually performed in private. These were at night, but still, many came to see and listen and entreat Adora’s famed mercy and love. Hope and trust still remained in the hearts of Her people.

The service closed simply, with the clerics blowing out the large candle in the center of the altar, and the people who had gathered stood and shuffled to the exits. A few lingered to speak with Gabriel, offering words of praise or bringing his attention to other plights. His approval amongst the farmers and their ilk had been raised with his recent empathetic actions, and even those who would call him a demon or a fraud had held their tongues for the past month. And, of course, as they grew to trust him more, they also placed more of their lives in his care.

[Shimizu]

A worshiper of Talon, however, lingered amongst the small crowds though she did not state this fact aloud. She was curious, as curious as one can be who had never seen the inside of Adora\'s Sanctuary. Being brought up under Talons influsence this experience were something new to her.

A green and blue traveling suit she wore, the hood drapped over her head, her short black hair falling over her eye, the right eye to be presise, the eye coloured a forest green, the eye that was in sight was blue. These strange eyes seemed to entrance people though as of now they were covered from veiw.

Her breathing was quiet as she listened into conversations, she was here for a reason, to find something worth stealing though she couldn\'t help but look around in amazement, the only time she prayed at Talons Temple was when no one else was there, it seems strange that this Sanctuary was full, it would make it harder to steal something, though intregued her.

[Cricket]

::Uninterested in the exact inhabitants of the Sanctuary that evening, the gentle healer was far more interested in seeing to it that wounds and illnesses were treated. He often came to the Temple of Adora, he was likely a recognizable if often unwelcomed sight. Despite his clear devotion to the Goddess... the Healer known as Lee had the strange and utterly ridiculous idea in his head that both the God and the Goddess could be worshipped.

Nevertheless, he would likely be tolerated that particularly cold evening as he brought with him salves and bandages, balms for cold-blistered hands and even a small amount of food with him. He worked among his fellow peasants without regard of who knew him or not, rarely speaking if at all.

Lee was respectful of the service that went on and lingered near the back of the Temple in quiet prayer and contemplation when he was not approached by pure word of mouth about the services he offered. In cases such as these he never charged for the care he gave. He never charged at all... still people had the propensity for giving him things. And, like so often, he made them forswear their so called \'obligations\' until the spring or summer where there was more to spare.

When the alter candle was extinguished, Lee looked up from the bandaging he was doing on a pair of frostbitten feet. With great care he finished and tied off the clean bandage with strong and calloused hands. The woman thanked him and clasped his arm. His smile was sure and mild as she got up and after putting her damp shoes back on, limped away. Pushing one of the thin, decorative braids he wore over his shoulder he began to collect his things with no particular haste. It was a Temple, honestly, it was unlikely they\'d throw even a known \'enemy\' of the Goddess (although inexplicably he was blessed with fiery hair) out on his face in the dead of winter.

Rising to his feet he slung his bag of things over his shoulder and lingered back a while to allow many of his fellow peasants to leave before him. Theoretically he wasn\'t supposed to go to the Temple... he had been spoken to by the religious leaders, he was unwelcomed for the teachings he maintained about the unity between God and Goddess. He thought it permissable, though, he was doing a noble deed. He took a step towards the exit and assumed it would be just another evening of trudging through the snow back to his house beyond the outerkeep.::

[Generalissimo]

As Gabriel drifted closer to the exit, shaking hands and whispering words of comfort and encouragement with those he knew personally, he spied a figure he had seen many times recently. He couldn’t be exactly sure; not in this light and surely not when the man was farther away than his arm-span. He slipped from the crowd and walked towards the healer Lee Jhinn, placing a spidery, snow-white hand on the man’s shoulder briefly to draw his attention.

Now he could see that it was the same man who had been generously helping tend to those who could not help themselves, the man who many of his clerics distrusted because of his somewhat… unusual religious beliefs. It was not in the Acolyte’s nature, however, to judge too harshly. He was no zealot, by far.

“Lee Jhinn.” He began, no longer a question, simply an address. “ It is a pleasure to see you here. I have heard of your generous dealings with the people from many who come here. It seems you have quite a following. Though some might wish otherwise, I wished to thank you personally.” His tone was quiet and respectful, mild, as always, and he bowed his head slightly. This level of humility seemed odd coming from one dressed as he was, in clothes of rich weave and color. A high-collared hunter-green tunic, lined with gold embroidery and fastened up to his adam\'s apple, a pair of fallow-fawn leather leggings, soft and warm, with matching boots lined with sable fur, and a broad golden-yellow ribbon hanging to his knees.

[censor]

She had always wondered why she went to the ceremonies. Outside of the Temple she hardly gave a thought to any form of higher power, unless she needed or wanted something, or happened to experiance some sort of luck.
During the ritual she had hardly paid attention, giving more focus to the ends of her red hair, thinking about how the highlights from the summer sun had disappeared. Watching the other people listen and pray, glancing at them in thier concentration.
She had always believed there to be a Goddess, but she had never made religion a major part of her life.
Yet she came to almost service. It was odd in a way, to Violette at least.
As the service ended, she stood up with the others, but did not leave. She had come in from the cold and was in no hurry to return to it.
Just thinking about the outside weather caused her to pull her shawl closer aroudn her shoulders and wish she had worn a dress other than the dark green one she had on, a warmer one. Maybe she should have listened to her mother.
The peopel cleared and she was able to leave the pew she had been sitting in and go to the aisle, still watching everything. Seeing who was here and might be worth speakign with before going back into the cold.

[Cricket]

::Lee turned his head up as the acolyte placed a hand on his shoulder. For a moment he was concerned that the other would have him thrown out and ban him from ever coming to another service. Although he knew he was unwelcome and that his own beliefs rarely meshed with those taught in this or any temple, he still enjoyed the services. So when he failed to see an angered or otherwise irritated expression on the acolyte\'s features he was greatly surprised.

A gentle smile came to his lips and he pushed back a piece of his red hair over his shoulder somewhat sheepishly. He was a modest and terribly quiet person. Even when he had been accused of being a heretic he had been strangely quiet (though not silent). But kindness had always wrung more syllables from him than cruelty, therefore he felt inclined to set words to the gentle gleam of his smile.

He shifted his bag upon his shoulder lightly.:: "It is no trouble... I\'m a healer and many o\' these people cannae make it t\'my home in the winter." ::Although he was educated in the ways of a healer his grammar left something to desire for. Still, there was some clever degree to his humble eyes.:: "Thank ye, though," ::He bowed his head, his smile still faint upon his lips but present nevertheless.

Gently he pursed his lips, thoughts climbing up from the coils of his mind and forming themselves into intelligable questions.:: "You are... cert\'inly different from the others." ::His voice was rough from disuse, but still lulling to a degree in it\'s pleasant growl.::

"For that, I shall thank you." ::Bowing slightly to someone of a higher caste of him with silent laughter in his eyes he glanced over the others that were leaving the temple. So many in need... he had long come to terms with the fact that he couldn\'t help them all... it didn\'t keep him from desiring the ability to do so. This was the stuff of his prayers to the Gods.::

[censor]

The Acolyte, nothing odd there. He was always at services. Who was he talking to though?
A healer. Violette had heard the healer wasn\'t welcome by most religious people. Then again, it could have been another healer. It wasn\'t as if there was only one in the world.
She slowed her steps and watched the two men speakingwith one another, as if doing so would reveal some great secret.
"I need to find better uses of my time, maybe I should go back to work." she mumbled. She didn\'t feel liek working though, so she had to find something else to do.
"Maybe they\'ll do something interesting."

[Generalissimo]

Gabriel\'s ears turned a soft pink, though it was difficult to tell in the lighting of the sanctuary. Indeed, he was of a much different opinion than many who served Adora. A handful of clerics had pressured him to send out an official ban, so that anyone they labeled a heretic (with Lee at the forefront of their minds) could not enter the temple or partake in any dealings with the church. Only the ingrained need for justice had saved the Acolyte from giving in, as malleable as he usually was to the wants of others.

So long as anyone lives the way of life promoted by the teachings of Adora, they shall be welcome in her house.

His ghostly face was carefully expressionless as he replied, "There is no need. In times like these- with the winter hitting harder than expected for the season- any help is greatly appreciated. Only a fool would turn away a healer in the sanctuary of Adora. Our supplies are... running lower than I would like, and I fear we will lose more good people this year than in the few years past." A dark look passed fleetingly over his face as he thought once more of the general apathy of the upper classes, but it was gone quickly. He noticed the few people that lingered, farmers he knew, though some faces he didn\'t.

[Cricket]

::Perhaps Lee recognized the willingness in the Acolyte to render mercy and tolerance in the stead of cruelty and ignorance... perhaps Lee, in all of his years as a healer had discovered modes of silent speech. Whatever the method the redhead nevertheless seemed to understand the Acolyte\'s almost acceptance and was grateful for it.

He smiled slightly at the other\'s words, more or less understanding the plight of his fellow peasants, although he was in a position that granted some manner of protection from such things. He worked terribly hard to keep himself well over the span of the winter, even one as harsh as this. Tireless effort over the warm and cool months ensured that he would have enough stalked in his pantry for his lonesome household as well as as many others as could be afforded by his supplies.::

"I\'m always willin\' to do what I c\'n," ::Lee murmured gingerly, softly. There was a suggestion in his voice that spoke to his sincerity in all forms o the word.::

"If ye get a few people that are real bad off... send them my way, enough folks known about me to lend them direction. I can look after a few," ::His gentle, quiet expresson lingered as he shifted his bag once more. The hour was getting late and the trudging through the snow would take time.::

[Generalissimo]

Noticing this action, the Acolyte became aware that no everyone had the luxury of room and board so near the Sanctuary. "Forgive me, you must return home, I expect. As far as your offer, know that I just might take you up on it. Perhaps you should visit one of the shelters, we run many, as you know, to see if there are any you deem to require personal care on your part. The clerics mean well, but some lack the... well, the proper bedside manner." He closed his eyes and inclined his head as a sort of informal bow, and then turned to the side to look more closely at those who remained.


(Blegh, writer\'s block, short post... X( )

[Cricket]

(( Not to fret about \'shortness\', I\'m simply long-winded. Err.. not much else to say, for he will indeed go home without any further delay... Hn. I\'m fond of the Acolyte. Delightful. ^^ ))