002 ♥

[thenewnancydrew]

A. Action | The Church of Salvation

Forgive me, Lord, for I have really screwed up, and I'm not even sure how it happened.

[ The words are said softly

She's sitting on a pew near the front of the church, hands clasped tightly in her lap, her head bowed. She finishes the rest of the prayer in her head, asking for forgiveness for the past week. She doesn't know why, or what came over her, but she spent the last week not being very... Christian-like. She remembers doing a lot of swearing and a lot of inappropriate flirting. She figures it's probably one of the terrible things their captors do that she was warned about, but she still feels the need to come ask God to forgive her of all this.

So she'll just be sitting in the church for quite a while. A heart-to-heart with God will do her good. ]



B. Action | Bodine Fashion

[ Maybe a little bit of shopping will cheer her up. It usually does.

Except all the clothes in Mayfield are way outdated, and on top of that, they're knock-offs.

She's looking anyway, though, biting her lip and wincing at each article of clothing she pulls off the rack. Occasionally, she'll pause to hold a dress or a sweater up in front of her and look in the mirror. ]

Comments

A

[splitthebaby]

[One second here, Merem's coming out of a back room. Despite his young appearance, he is wearing the clothes of a father.]

If you feel like confessing to something, I'm all ears.

[thenewnancydrew]

I'm not Catholic.

[ For whatever reason, those are the first words out of her mouth, and she wishes she can take them back the moment she says them. She grimaces, looking apologetic. ]

I mean... aren't you a little young to be a priest?

[splitthebaby]

You don't have to be anything. Sometimes simply talking is enough. But am I too young? I wasn't aware there was an age limit.

[thenewnancydrew]

[ She spends a minute chewing on her lower lip. She's never tried this confessing thing before, at least not to a priest. She's always just confessed to God, and usually in her head. ]

Fine.

[ Maybe talking to another person will help. ]

[splitthebaby]

[Grabbing a seat on a pew]

I'm listening.

[thenewnancydrew]

[ She lets out a long sigh and drops her eyes to her lap again. ]

It's just... this last week, I've done... bad things. Like, way inappropriate flirting and a lot of swearing. [ She's not easily embarrassed, but now a blush spreads across her cheeks. ] But I'm not usually like that, I swear. I don't even know why I did it, I just... did.

[splitthebaby]

I can't say I know much about human displays of affection but I do recall Jesus commanding all his follows to love everyone. Isn't that simply the same thing?

[thenewnancydrew]

[ She makes a face at that. ]

I don't think he meant for me to flirt with anything that's breathing. And besides, that's not love. It's... something else.

[splitthebaby]

If you say so. Like I said, I don't quite understand these things fully.

wow, I'm sorry this is so ungodly late. ;;

[thenewnancydrew]

It's fine.

[ She pulls her feet up onto the pew and rests her chin on her knees. ]

I think I'm mostly just complaining at this point, anyway.

A

[kinship]

[There's a little boy in the church with her, he had been thumbing through a hymn book, but he looks up when she talks out loud.]

Do you want a priest to talk to, ma'am?

[thenewnancydrew]

I don't know. [ She honestly doesn't know what she wants right now. ] Do you know any priests?

[kinship]

My brother is a priest, and two of my best friends are nuns. But... none of them seem to be here right now.

[Honestly, the church crew are so lazy.]

[thenewnancydrew]

That's real helpful. [ Rolling her eyes. ] It's okay, though. I'll be okay.

[kinship]

Can I help you at all? I may not be a priest, but I'm here enough to be honorary clergy.

[thenewnancydrew]

[ She's quiet for a moment, looking down at her lap. When she finally speaks, she does so without looking up. ]

The last week... when everyone was acting different, and it was all weird. Did it happen to you, too?

[kinship]

[He draws his knees up to his chest where he's sat on the pew, watching her seriously as she talks.]

No, but I knew people it did happen to.

[thenewnancydrew]

It happened to me.

[ She shifts a little, slouching down in the pew. ]

I did things God would not be happy about.

[kinship]

God is forgiveness, isn't he? He loves you and He knows in your heart, you want to obey Him and please Him.

[He feels a little foolish talking like this, but it's obviously what she needs to hear.]

[thenewnancydrew]

I know. [ It's more of a groan than actual speech, but whatever. She tilts her head back to look at the ceiling. ]

I just feel like God has a lot more to forgive me for than He should. Everything I did are things I wouldn't normally do.

[kinship]

God is omnipotent, right? And He never gives you more than you can handle, or so I've heard.

Maybe it seems hard now, but you've come back to Him right away to ask for forgiveness, so you should trust in Him to do just that.

[thenewnancydrew]

[ She nods. Though it's kind of an awkward nod, since her head is still tilted back. ]

I thought things were pretty messed up before I got here. I never thought I'd have to face anything worse than getting shot or getting trapped in a burning building or almost getting blown up. And now all of... this happens.

[ Now she's just complaining. ]

[kinship]

[He feels a little sorry for her, that she could think what had just happened was a test of endurance at all.]

I'm not saying your time here could be easy, but it will be easier with friends to help you through.

[thenewnancydrew]

[ She sits up straight, nodding. ]

Right. I mean, I've gotten through so much crap, it's unreal. I can do this, too. Especially if I have my friends and God at my side.

[kinship]

[He gives her a brilliant smile, warm and enthusiastic.]

That's the spirit. Just trust in the Lord, and He will never forsake you or let you down.

[It's almost like he's been listening to the clergy too much, except Mayfield clergy is fail.]