Log: Complete.

[gentlehearted.livejournal.com]

When; Wednesday afternoon.
Rating; PG
Characters; Esther [gentlehearted] and Abel [deo_favente]
Summary; Tea, talking and discovering the city’s cathedral.
Log;


Esther had been staying with Ion for the past few days and hadn’t seen much of Abel. She missed him dearly, but at the same time, everything that Dietrich had told her had been a lot to handle, and she wasn’t sure that she could have faced the priest following their conversations. She had had a hard enough time holding her composure around Ion, who admittedly, had been a great comfort.

She had no idea where she stood with him. As far as Esther knew, Abel had no idea about the rest of the details Dietrich has shared with her. Nor did he know about any feelings she might have harbored for him. Or so she hoped. She didn’t think she had been too obvious about anything, even though Dietrich had seen right through her. Unfortunately, Dietrich had a knack for doing that. For someone she disliked so much now, he certainly did understand her.

But still, she was a member of AX and Abel was her friend. She had to face him someday. With that in mind, she arranged to meet him at the café for afternoon tea, with the intentions of discussing AX business. Esther hadn’t seen Lady Caterina for some time either, and while the Cardinal was still giving out somewhat vague orders, she had a feeling that something else was going on with her.

Arriving first, the young nun found an empty table in the corner and ordered the tea, propping her chin up on her fist thoughtfully as she waited for her companion to arrive.

Since his arrival in the city, things had... started to change for Abel.

While he still remained loyal to Lady Caterina and AX, he found himself loosening the bonds that tied him to those two. Lilith was here, and a large chunk of his attention now rested on her. At first, he had felt rather guilty about the whole matter, but as more time passed, it seemed almost right that he spend time with her. It had been 900 years after all, and this was such an extraordinary event that he wasn't just going to pass things up.

But then Esther called upon him to have tea together to discuss AX.

It was like a wake-up call for him. Abel suddenly remembered everything that he had to do in regards to the Orden, Lady Caterina's seeming "disappearance" from AX, and... Esther's avoidance of him. No, it didn't matter whether or not he only wanted to spend time with Lilith; Abel could not ignore the past that he had created by himself or the bonds that still remained.

With this in mind, he set out to meet with Esther. Priestly robes gone for the moment, the only marks that still linked him to the Vatican were the black gloves on his hand and the heavy cross that hung around his neck. Coat swishing gently around him, Abel pushed open the door of the cafe and spotted Esther. He walked over and took a seat in front of her, casting the nun a warm smile. "Good to see you again, Esther."

Abel looked so much different without his Vatican robes on, and Esther couldn't help but blink in surprise as he sat down in front of her. It was always strange to see him dressed in anything but his priest's uniform, and she had only seen him out of it a few times, mostly when they were on their mission in Byzantium.

"Hello, Father," she greeted softly, smiling at him, her cheeks tinted with the lightest of blushes. "It's good to see you again, too. I mis-" she began, but cut herself off midsentence, averting her gaze. "Have you been well?" she asked instead, forcing her eyes back up to Abel's face and smiling again. This was harder than she expected. She knew that she had been avoiding him on purpose, but at the same time, Esther couldn't help but feel a little abandoned.

Since she had left Istavan, AX and Abel were the two most constant things in her life. She was still young, after all, and she needed some of that security. But now, in this city that she probably should never have come to, it seemed to be falling apart. What else could she expect? The woman that Abel had loved long before Esther had even existed had returned, and he seemed to have no need of her anymore. Either way she looked it, rationally, logically, it still hurt.

"I hope you haven't been too bothered by all the strange things that have been happening here," she commented, making small talk. "It definitely isn't a typical city."

If Esther was cutting off her own sentences, there had to be something amiss. On top of that, the smile on her face seemed a bit off, and it didn't reach into her eyes in the slightest. Abel wasn't entirely sure what was the matter, but he gave her a sympathetic smile. Though, he quietly wondered if it had anything to do with why she had been avoiding him recently. Perhaps the topic would rear its head later on, and he could try and help.

"Ah, yes, I've been doing quite well. Thank you," he replied. Abel glanced down at the table for a moment before his eyes slid shut, a smile in place. "Lilith and I have been talking a good deal. I've been trying to fill her in on what has happened these last 900 years.

"As for the strange things happening in the city, we have taken note of them, but we've tried not to let them bother us too much," he said, chuckling softly. Abel raised his eyes and cast the nun another warm smile. "And what of yourself? Have you been doing well? Where have you been? I've been..." He paused for a second. "I've been a bit worried about you."

The server arrived with the tea then, and Abel thanked him with a slight nod of the head. He poured a cup for Esther and then one for himself. He nudged the sugar toward her first, knowing full well that he'd be spooning the stuff into his own cup for a while; it'd be best to let her go first, lest she wait.

Esther dropped her gaze as soon as Abel mentioned Lilith, something clenching inside her at seeing that happy and contented smile on his face as he spoke of her. Even worse that he kept referring to them as 'we.' Swallowing hard and steeling herself and her emotions, she raised her eyes again and smiled. "Oh, well, that's... good, then, Father. I'm... I'm very happy for you... both," she managed to say, with at least some degree of sincerity, but not much. Why was it so hard? She had had days to try and get over this, to accept it, but apparently, it hadn't been enough for her.

Esther was never meant to be an actress. She wore her heart on her sleeve, and pretending to be something she wasn't or acting in a way that she didn't feel had always been difficult for her. Nevertheless, this was Abel, one of the people she cared most about, regardless of the new circumstances, and she owed it to him.

Blinking again, an expression of surprise crossed her face. "You were worried about me?" she repeated, eyebrows raised, blue eyes wide. Did he mean that? Or was he simply trying to be kind, and to cover up the fact that he had been distracted by Lilith the whole time? "I'm... alright. I've been staying with Ion," she explained, distracted once the tea arrived. She took only two spoonfuls of sugar and then knowingly passed the bowl over to Abel. She knew how much he liked sugar. "And we've been safe," she added. She felt genuinely safe with Ion. He was a Methuselah, after all.

No, no... Something was definitely wrong with the picture now. The way Esther had said that didn't flow as well as it should have normally, and the way she seemed so very distracted while she spooned her sugar into her cup and spoke. His brow creased slightly in worry as he took the bowl from Esther. He quietly spooned his usual thirteen teaspoons of sugar into his tea before turning back to the nun.

"Thank you, Esther. We appreciate your thoughts," he answered, voice soft. Did this have something to do with Lilith? Abel hadn't actually said anything to Esther about his past relationship with the other woman, so surely that wasn't the problem. Surely, it wasn't! He took a sip of his tea, eyes glancing over his cup to look at the nun seated in front of him. After a moment, he lowered it and smiled once more. "I am glad to hear that you have been staying with Ion though."

The Methuselah was a wise choice for company, Abel had to admit. Not only was he a capable fighter, but it seemed to be that Ion held some unmentioned affections toward Esther. He quietly wondered if the nun knew about that. They should be happy together, but...

Something was still troubling the nun. Abel reached over the table, gently covering Esther's hand with his own. He gave her a sympathetic smile. "Esther, what's wrong?" he asked softly. Abel gave her hand a gentle squeeze. "You don't quite seem to be yourself. Is there... something I can help with?"

Swallowing hard again, Esther looked down at Abel's hand covering her own. It was hard to believe the priest wished her any ill will with that kind tone in his voice and the gentle expression on his face. Dietrich's words had seriously gotten to her. She might as well come clean. Maybe she would feel better afterwards, as it would at least be off her chest. And besides, Abel was asking.

"Father, I... I talked to Dietrich again a little while ago. He told me some things... again. I probably should have just come to you right away to ask you in person, but I... it was hard to hear, and I didn't know what to do," she replied softly, still not looking Abel in the eye. She was blushing again, she realized, much to her annoyance. Taking a deep breath, she forced herself to look up at him, a determined expression on her face.

"He told me that you were in love with Lilith, and still are," she continued, pausing for a moment. "And that while she was... gone, I was just a replacement for her. We both... we both have red hair, Father," she trailed off, that burst of determination fading and the hurt evidenced on her face.

"Worst of all, is that I have to hear all of this from someone else. You never said anything to me... even when Lilith came back," she whispered, her hand twitching beneath his for a moment as if she was going to pull it away, but it stilled and she simply looked down at her lap and waited.

Oh. So... that was the problem.

Abel closed his eyes for a moment and sighed quietly. It seemed to be that, once again, he was the cause of Esther's sadness. He shifted his chair closer to hers and placed a consoling hand on her shoulder, leaving his other hand where it was. "I'm sorry," he whispered. "I'm very sorry for not saying anything, Esther."

Admittedly, it was that Dietrich character who was to blame, but Abel was as much at fault for not saying anything to start off with. He had let the enemy get to her, and he could only consider himself lucky that Esther had not completely lost faith in him. She had still called him out to have tea, so there was still a chance to repair everything that had been done wrong.

"What Dietrich said, I will admit, is true once again. For the last 900 years and even before that, I have held her close to my heart, and..." Abel paused, an apologetic smile on his face. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you, Esther. My past is not something I speak openly about very often, but I am at fault for not... trusting you enough to let you know.

"My apologies. You are a very good friend of mine, Esther, and I..." Again, he fell silent, a bit unsure of how to answer the question regarding the replacements. Had he used Esther as a replacement? True, he had taken to being her friend very quickly and very easily, but surely, he hadn't done it because he thought she could be a new Lilith for him. Abel looked away for a moment, a slightly displeased look on his face.

No, he didn't have a good answer for that question. "I'm very sorry, Esther. I have wronged you many times during our friendship. It would be unfair of me to ask for your forgiveness now."

Annoyed at the hot tears that were filling her eyes, Esther rubbed at them with her free hand quickly. Abel's hand on her shoulder was comforting, and she was grateful that at least he still cared about her. She wasn't really angry with him. Just confused and hurt.

Turning her palm up beneath his hand, she hesitantly laced their fingers together and squeezed Abel's hand back, letting out a quiet sigh and still looking down at her lap. "It's alright, Father. I suppose it wasn't any of my business anyway, but I let it bother me," she replied softly, nervously twisting a lock of red hair around her fingers.

Hearing that Abel did indeed care greatly for Lilith out loud didn't hurt as much as she thought it would, but considering the feelings she seemed to have for the priest, it was still rather unpleasant to hear. But Abel didn't deny that she was a replacement. He only apologized and asked for her forgiveness. Did that mean she had been a replacement for Lilith?

"Please don't say that," she murmured, shaking her head slowly. "You've been a good friend to me, Father. I... understand you needing to spend time with her," she replied. "Of course I forgive you, because there isn't anything to forgive. I just..." Esther hesitated, feeling her breathing quicken. A part of her didn't want to say what she was about to say, but it needed to be said.

"I just have... or had, I don't know, feelings for you. Um... more than friendly feelings. Maybe a little, and it hurt a lot to think that even our friendship was based off of something that had nothing to do with me... that you only liked me because of my resemblance to someone you lost, and not because I am me, just Esther," she spoke quickly before she could lose her nerve, her cheeks feeling like they were on fire.

"And now that she's back, I thought you would be... finished with me," she sighed. "With our friendship."

Abel's eyes grew wide in surprise. He looked at Esther as she spoke those words, and he had to admit that he truly was not expecting that. The nun had... She had feelings toward him? Abel mentally berated himself for allowing Esther to continue down that path without his notice; no doubt his own actions and behaviors had not helped in the matter.

"I'm so sorry, Esther," he murmured, moving now to pull her into an embrace. Abel gently pet her head for a moment before releasing her. What had he done to her? What in God's name had he done to this poor girl? His own feelings had tampered with hers, and now that a lost part of him had returned, everything was coming undone. 900 hundreds years of history was changing with just the appearance of a single city.

"Esther, the first time we met, I told you that I would always stand by your side," he started, not entirely sure if she would believe him now. "Even if I am no longer a member of AX, even if I am no longer a man of God, I will always stand by your side as a friend.

"Should Lilith have never returned to my side, I... I doubt that I would have made an active moves to win your heart or anything, and... I apologize for my previous actions." Abel still didn't know how he had considered Esther. No doubt a part of his sub-conscious had thought that, but really, he didn't want to think that he had thought of the nun as a replacement. "I didn't mean to mislead you, and I'm sorry for what damage I've done to you."

Sighing quietly, Esther let her eyes fall shut and allowed Abel to hold her, resting the palm of her hand on his chest, fingers idly playing with the fabric. She wasn't surprised to hear that Abel didn't reciprocate her feelings. She expected it, in fact, and was prepared. It still twinged a bit, but the words that he was continuing to say, promising to stand by her regardless of whether he was a priest or not, were more than comforting enough.

Above anything else, Esther was afraid of losing Abel. True, he hadn't exactly been shadowing her every footstep since they had arrived in the city, but Lilith's reappearance explained that, and as much as she didn't want to, she understood that. "I know, Father," she replied quietly. "I didn't expect you would," she opened her eyes, leaning back a little to look up into Abel's face again, finally. "I wasn't even going to tell you, ever, but it just sort of slipped out," she blushed again, chewing on her bottom lip.

"And it wasn't anything you did on purpose," she added, looking thoughtful now. "You were just being yourself. I care about you. I just wanted things to be the way they were," she admitted. She liked getting to spend time with Abel on missions, or at the Vatican. Truthfully, there was no romance involved there, but she was fine with that. But now, Abel would have to divide his time, and everything would be different. It already was, but there was nothing anyone could do about it now.

"I am glad for you, Father," Esther looked up into Abel's blue eyes sincerely. "I'm glad you got Lilith back," she smiled wistfully, letting it reach her eyes this time. She wanted him to be happy.

Just wanting things to stay the way they were, hm? Abel chuckled softly and brushed aside a stray lock of hair out of Esther's face. In his mind, he knew that a part of him would always be stuck in the far past before Lilith was killed, but slowly, the priest was going to have to make a change and try to live more of his life in the present. Somehow, he'd figure it out, and all would straighten out eventually.

"I'm sure we will all find our own niches in the future," he said quietly, giving Esther a warm smile. His hand move to gently rub against her arms, as if the action would warm her somehow. "And thank you, Esther. I am..." He paused, his smile becoming more thankful in nature. "...I am overjoyed to hear you say that. I... I am sure Lilith would like to hear it as well."

It was almost as if Esther was setting him free then, allowing him to follow whom he wished. Abel felt then that finally, he understood the mistake he had almost committed. Even though he loved Lilith with all of his heart, that did not mean that he should have been that quick to abandon his friends. He had been reminded that the bonds of friendship still remained, even with the return of a loved one.

"Thank you, Esther. I am eternally grateful for your friendship, and you shall always have a special place in my heart."

Abel's smile was infectious and Esther couldn't help but smile back. It felt like a weight had been lifted off her chest, and she let out a quiet sigh of relief. Even if they weren't literally side by side, Abel would always be there for her. She knew that for sure now, and anything otherwise, from Dietrich or anyone else, wouldn't convince her that that wasn't true.

He looked happy as well, and that brought her some comfort. She could tell that this conversation had bothered him and that he had felt a degree of guilt, but it seemed as if everything was alright now. "And thank you, Father," she replied with a genuine smile. "For this talk. I've been really bothered by this for awhile now, and I'm sure poor Ion is tired of me moping around," she laughed softly.

"But, you're welcome," she added. A curious expression crossed her face, followed by another determined look, and Esther sat up straight in her seat. Briefly, she wondered if she would regret what she was about to do, but her heart wasn't rational and was over beating out the logical part of her mind. Leaning up, Esther placed her hand on Abel's jaw and before he could say anything, she sweetly pressed her lips to his. It was gentle, chaste and very short, before the now bright red nun returned to her seat, hands folded demurely in her lap, looking completely embarrassed but still smiling shyly.

"Just one," she murmured. "And that's that." Esther and Abel were dear friends, and would stay that way.

Abel was more than happy to see that Esther seemed to have returned to normal. She looked far better with a smile on her face than a frown, and her happiness went on only to make him feel even better. Hopefully, Ion too would appreciate the change when she went back to stay with him.

The priest was actually just about to say something when he saw the rather determined look on Esther's face, and he blinked, wondering what she was thinking exactly. However, before he even had time to do that, her lips were pressed to his and then they were gone. It was over so quickly that Abel didn't even register it for another second or two after the event had occurred. And then...

"E--Esther!" he squeaked, a hand moving to cover his mouth as a blush spread across his cheeks. Abel stayed that way for a moment longer before lowering his hand and laughing quietly. So perhaps that was a bit of a parting gift then? He gave Esther a silly smile, cheeks still tinged pink. "I ah... I guess I should thank the lovely lady for the kiss, hm?" He looked away for a moment in embarrassment before turning back to the nun. "Ah... thank you.

"But... you do realize that this will have to remain as our secret, yes?" he asked, winking at her. Abel chuckled softly. "We can't have news of a nun and a priest kissing over tea spreading, now can we?"

The priest reached over and gave Esther's shoulder reassuring squeeze. He was so very lucky to have her as a friend.

Abel's reaction was enough to dispel most of Esther's embarrassment. She stared at him for a moment before bursting into laughter, looking highly amused, both at herself and at Abel. He was techically something like one thousand years older than her, and Abel still blushed after receiving one kiss from a little nun. She was still a little shocked the she had had the courage to actually do that, and in public, no less, but somehow, she was still glad she had done it. If anything, it would help her move on. Pining over Abel forever would do her no good.

"Sorry," she giggled bashfully, cheeks still rosy and pink. "You're welcome. I think," she beamed sideways at him, taking a hasty sip of her tea, still smiling over the brim of her cup. His next remark, however, made Esther's eyes widen and she almost dropped her tea cup.

"Oh my! Hopefully we don't get in trouble!" she glanced around a little nervously. Obviously, it wasn't exactly protocal for nuns to be smooching priests, regardless of the special circumstances the two of them had found themselves in. Abel's silly wink and squeeze made her feel a little better, and she relaxed her tensed shoulders. "Yes. Our secret," she laughed quietly. It was very reassuring to know that they could so easily return to being friends, even after a rather bumpy period and a silly kiss.

Abel too reached for his cup of tea and took a sip, enjoying all-too sugary taste that probably he alone liked. He made a contented sound before setting it back down, settling his hands in his lap. "I'm sure we'll be fine," he answered, giving her a reassuring smile. "After all, I don't think anyone noticed, and..." He gestured down at himself. "...I'm not exactly dressed up like a priest today.

"Though, while we're on that note, have you seen any churches here?" he asked, turning to give Esther a curious look. He had wandered the streets a good deal already (partially because he got lost many times and partially because he had been running about buying things recently), and during all of his travels, the priest had yet to find anything that looked remotely like a church. It wasn't wasn't like he was expecting a huge cathedral, but still, there wasn't even a tiny wooden shack for the Lord here.

Admittedly, he hadn't explored every corner of this strange new world, but he had been to most of the major places already.

"Would you be interested in looking for one with me?" Abel gave her a warm smile. It wasn't that he found the need to find a church especially important, but it would be a nice way to spend a little time with Esther exploring the city. He had told Lilith that he would be out for the majority of the day anyways, so he had plenty of time to spare. "Have you had a proper chance to explore the city yet? Perhaps we could look around together?"

The priest finished up his tea and fished out a few coins, dropping them onto the table before rising. He then offered a hand to Esther and smiled. "I would be honored if you would accompany me."

"A church? No, I haven't. I hadn't even thought of it that much, really," Esther looked surprise. Well, some nun she was, not even looking for a church when she arrived. Still, her main priority had been to find her friends and acquaintances and secure a place to stay. It wasn't exactly as if they were under any ordinary circumstances here. On top of that, Lilith's return and Esther's conversation with Dietrich had distracted her a great deal more.

"I haven't been out much though, either," she admitted. "With all of the strange things happening, Ion and I have been staying in. That, and..." she trailed off, looking at Abel meaningfully. That, and she hadn't been feeling much up to running around the city lately.

"Oh! Of course," Esther smiled, looking a little surprised once more, but happy. Obviously she hadn't spent very much time with Abel since the two of them had arrived, at separate times, to the city, and Esther had to admit that she looked forward to at least having a casual, lighthearted chat with the priest, especially after such a heavy discussion.

Happily taking Abel's offered hand, Esther rose to her feet, thanking him for paying for the tea before heading out to the street. Once they were walking side by side, however, no lighthearted topics came to mind. Instead, another serious question popped into Esther's head, something she had been meaning to ask all along.

"Father... do you know what's going on with Lady Caterina?" she inquired curiously, looking up at him as they walked along.

Abel smiled as Esther took his hand, and he led them out of the small cafe, pushing the door open for the two of them. He turned his eyes skyward and let out a contented sigh. It was nice like this, and he had to admit that he felt like a heavy weight had been lifted off his shoulders. Perhaps it was a good thing that Dietrich had, in a way, forced Esther to approach him like this. God knew how long it would have taken would have taken for Abel to tell Esther on his own.

Walking along the busy streets, they remained silent for a moment, but then Esther asked another question that had been nagging at him recently. In all truth, he wasn't entirely sure what the Cardinal was thinking. She was a brilliant woman, he knew that well, but this decision of hers just seemed... strange. It didn't make sense. She still passed messages to AX on the occasion, but they never made mention of what she was doing or really... where she was.

Why, Lady Caterina might as well have vanished off the face of the planet for all Abel knew.

"I'm afraid I know no more than you do, Esther," he said finally. Abel sighed quietly and shook his head. Tres was probably still with Her Holiness, but that didn't help him feel all that much better. The other was quite competent at taking care of the Duchess, but to separate herself from AX like this... It just didn't add up. Abel could only hope that there would be an explanation or at least a notice as to where she had gone. "She has told me nothing in regards to her whereabouts or plans."

"She hasn't even told you?" Esther asked, completely taken aback by that. She had figured that if Lady Caterina had informed anyone of what she was up to, it would be Abel, but apparently that was not the case this time. "That's so strange, Father. I realize that there probably isn't much AX can do here, unless the Orden decides to stir up trouble, but really, they're at as much of a disadvantage as we are. But still."

Esther paused, looking thoughtful. "You would think Her Holiness would have us more organized, or more informed, or something," she frowned lightly. "I don't want to overstep my authority or anything, Father, but don't you think... it's a little bit... suspicious?" she asked, concern in her voice as she raised her eyebrows at the priest.

Not that she suspected Lady Caterina of any sort of betrayal, but she had to admit, it was more than a little odd that the stalwart, firm leader of AX was letting her organization idle just because they had been chucked into a strange city.

"Maybe someone should check on her or something. Have you even seen Father Tres lately?" she asked curiously, realizing that she was probably asking way too many questions, but asking them anyways.

"I have not heard from Tres either, so I can only assume that he is in the same situation as Lady Caterina," he answered, with a sad shrug of the shoulders. Abel lifted a hand to fuss with his glasses for a second before turning slightly to look at Esther. "While I know we're not getting the full picture here, I'm sure that Her Holiness knows what she's doing.

"She treasures her mind above all else, and I believe that she has a plan hatched. It... may simply not be wise to tell us at this time." He gave the nun what he hoped was a reassuring smile. Perhaps he was being too optimistic here, but what was he to do in this situation? Aside from Tres and the Duchess, he and Esther were the only members of AX here in this city. "However, it would probably be wise to see if we can at least get a hint or two as to what is going on. We'll see what we can do, yes?"

He stopped walking then and blinked, raising a hand to point at the large structure behind Esther. "Is that... what I think it is?" he asked, blinking. "It's huge... I don't see how I could have missed it all of these other times."

Stretching out behind Esther was a large, grassy lawn that led up to a huge cathedral. The front of the edifice was shaped like a wide "u" that was lined with beautiful pillars. Abel placed a hand on the nun's shoulder and took a few steps toward the building, eyes wide with surprise. It was... perfect.

Abel knew Caterina better and had known her for far longer than Esther had, so at his reassuring smile, she nodded in return and smiled back. Surely, there was a logical explanation for everything that would be shared in due time. Abel trusted Caterina and Esther trusted Abel, so for the moment, she let the matter settle and forced herself to stop worrying so much about it.

"I'm sure you're right," she replied. "But I'll keep my eyes and ears open anyways," she added. Her attention was once again redirected when Abel stared and pointed behind her, and she whirled around to find herself in the shadow of a giant cathedral. How had they missed that?

"How...?" she stuttered, very much in awe of the building. She turned back to look at Abel and then laughed softly. "This city is really strange. It's probably completely unexplainable as to why we didn't see it before," she shook her head, turning back around to look at the building, glancing back up at Abel as he walked by her. It was a church, which meant it was like a little piece of home.

"Shall we go explore it then?" he asked, extending a hand toward the nun. Abel smiled at her and when she had taken his hand, he moved down one of the pathway. He looked all around him as he walked along, taking in the fountain at the end of the grass lawn, and once again at the beautiful cathedral itself. It wasn't as large as the Vatican complex, but that certainly didn't mean that it wasn't nearly as beautiful.

Walking up the extremely short flight of stairs, he found himself staring at a pair of heavy doors, and he pushed against them. If this was anything like a real church, the doors would be open, unlocked. For a second, the doors didn't budge, but then they gave way with a groan. Abel winced slightly at the sound and made a mental note that they needed to be oiled.

Once both doors had opened to their fullest, Abel stepped inside, noting how the place seemed to have fallen into disuse a while ago. From what he could see from the light outside, cobwebs had built up in the corners of the room.The floor was rather dirty, but underneath the film of dust, one could just make out the beautiful designs on the ground.

"Ah, Esther? Wait here for a second, will you? I'm going to see if there are any lights or candles for this place," he said before disappearing into the gloom. There was some shuffling noises, a small yelp followed by some clattering sounds, before a small glowing ball appeared in the middle of the darkness. Slowly, several more tiny orbs of light appeared as Abel walked around lighting the various candles in the cathedral.

"Esther! I think it's okay to come in now!" Abel called from within. He waved at her, though, he was unsure whether or not she could actually see him or not.

Waiting outside with her hands clasped patiently in front of her, Esther peered through the darkness, waiting for some light to appear. She started but was not surprised to hear the sounds of Abel banging around, probably tripping over his own feet and bumping into things, as usual. Giggling, she waited for a moment and when she didn't hear any "Esther??? Some help, please?!" she relaxed again and continued waiting.

A few moments later, the light of a candle appeared and she smiled, following it with her eyes, just barely making out the shape that was obviously Abel as he continued lighting the other candles. The room had a hazy glow now, and when Abel called to her, she could see the candlelight glinting off of his glasses. Her heels clipped softly along the ornate ground as she followed in after him, looking around as she walked.

"It's kind of spooky, but still, it's a church," she smiled brightly once she had reached the priest. "And very pretty," she commented, walking up to an old table near the front and running a finger along it. She brought it up close to her nose in examination and then blew on it. "A little dusty, though. I don't think anyone's been in here in a long time," she added.

"I miss the Vatican," Esther said a moment later, turning back around and brushing off her white uniform. "This doesn't really look that much like it, but still. It reminds me of Rome, a little," she sighed wistfully.

"Still, I'm glad you're here, Father," she added with a brighter smile. "Shall we look around some more, then?"

"It is rather dusty, isn't it?" Abel commented, dusting himself off a bit from where he had bumped into something earlier on. He plucked a three-pronged candle holder off a nearby table and held it aloft. The priest slowly moved it back and forth to get a better look at their surroundings before turning to Esther, a sympathetic smile on his lips. "Yes, it reminds me a bit of the Vatican myself. Perhaps we'll be able to find some way home from here. Just maybe.

"And I am glad you're here as well, Esther. Together, I'm sure we'll find a way."

He offered the nun his hand once more before moving down what he assumed was the longer wing of the cross-shaped cathedral. As they walked along, Abel would light whatever candles they found along the way, and by the time they reached the door at the end of the room, much of the darkness had been dispelled. Breaking away from Esther for a moment, the priest went to poke at something dark and heavy that hung on the walls.

Running a finger along the material, it came away with a thick layer of dust, and Abel wrinkled his nose at it. Tugging at it, he soon found himself pulling away a curtain and revealing a large, floor to ceiling window. Light poured in, and suddenly, Abel felt rather silly lighting all those candles. He chuckled softly and waved Esther over. "Would you mind helping me pull these curtains apart? I think we could get a lot more light in here, if we could just get these out of the way," he said. "For that matter, would you mind helping me clean this place up?

"As we are members of the church, perhaps we could make this our temporary home while we're here. It would probably feel a little more natural than staying at those apartments around the carousel." Abel laughed and shrugged his shoulders. "However, I leave the decision up to you."

"We will," Esther nodded happily in agreement, very glad once again that the two of them had reconciled. She really had missed Abel, he reassuring smile and optimism and she gladly too his hand and let him lead her along through the rest of the cathedral, mostly remaining silent as he continued lighting candles, looking around and taken in the sight.

The cloud of dust that appeared once able had pulled the curtains down made Esther cough and laugh at the same time, waving her hand through the hair in front of her face to try and dispel it. She nodded and moved to help him pull down the rest of the curtains, but paused at what Abel asked next.

"Stay here? All of us?" she blinked, taken aback. That would mean... spending time with Lilith, most likely. Esther doubted that Abel would separate from her now. Could she handle that? True, she was alright with everything between her and Abel, but seeing Lilith every single day...

Still, it was a tempting offer, and she had really missed Abel. The church, while dirty and in need of some maintenence, would be a good place to stay. "Alright!" she agreed. "Sticking together is probably a smart idea anyway," she nodded, smiling brightly at Abel again. "Ion can come as well, right?" she added curiously.

"Yes, all of you, including Ion," he answered, giving her another smile before sneezing. He waved at the clouds of dust floating through the air and wandered over to the set of doors at this end of the hall. Abel pushed them open, allowing more light to flood the room and for fresh air to flow in. He glanced down at himself, and he had to admit that he was rather glad that he hadn't worn his black priest's uniform today; it would've been grey by now.

Peeling off his gloves, he bat his gloves about to clean off some of the dust before putting them back on again and brushing off his coat. Afterwards, he turned back toward the cathedral and set about opening the curtains once more. It would take a while to get this place all polished up, but it didn't seem like they were in much of a hurry either. They were still in the city's trap, and until they found out how to get out, they might as well make the best of it.

"All allies and friends are welcome," he said as he continued working. Abel sneezed every now and then, and the layer of dust on his clothing started piling up again. A good bath and a change of clothes would be rather nice after this, but for now, he might as well do everything he could lest he get ridiculously dirty again later on. Taking a moment to move away from the windows, he glanced over his shoulder at Esther and shot her a bright smile. "This is a church after all. Our doors should always be open to those who need sanctuary.

"Once we're done clearing this area out, we should go take a look at the living quarters. Who knows what sort of supplies we're going to need to make that area livable again," he called. Abel finished up his side of the hall before moving on to one of the shorter wings. "I think this place will look pretty nice once it's been cleaned out."

If would be interesting, to say the least, if the four of them ended up staying together in the church. But as Esther preferred to have both Ion and Abel around her, especially in this strange of a city, she certainly didn't mind. What she did mind was all the dust! It was everywhere, and getting in her eyes, and more than a little annoying, but Esther did her best to ignore it as she continued working, pulling aside more curtains and letting in more light.

The cathedral lost a lot of its dreary feeling once the light shone in, though it showed it to be even dirtier than Esther had imagined. She took off her white and blue headpiece and set it aside, slipping her gloves off as well and pulling her sleeves up so as not to completely ruin her uniform.

"I think it will look nice too!" she agreed, smiling back at Abel as she continued to work. "It might take a little while, but I suppose we have time," she added. It didn't seem like they were leaving this city anytime soon, unfortunately. Esther wasn't sure how she felt about that. It was nice not to have to constantly be worried about the Orden attacking Rome or assassination attempts on Empresses and what not, and seeing Ion and spending time with Abel was always something she enjoyed. They were stuck here, but stuck with people they cared about. An interesting dilemma.

"Alright!" Esther called back, finishing up where she was and walking over to help Abel. "I hope they're not too run down," she cringed. She was still a girl, after all, and living in any less than habitable areas was not something she looked forward to.

The last two sections were shorter than the first one they worked, so it didn't take them nearly as long to go through. Once all of the curtains had been thrown open, they went to the wing directly opposite the door they first entered. Near the end, there was single, unobstrusive-looking door; these slightly easier to move than the others. Even then, though, they swung open with a loud creak.

With the door open, Abel found himself looking at what appeared to be a small room with a narrow stairwell spiraling upwards. The priest went ahead of Esther and marched up the steps to encounter an ornately decorated metal door. Again, it swung open with ease, and for once, without a sound. There on the second floor, they found a small living area with a kitchen and dining area to the left and several individual rooms to the left; he assumed that those were the bedrooms.

The entire area was just as dusty as the floor below, and Abel sighed quietly. He moved to the opposite wall and opened the curtains there so that they could have some light. "I suppose we should work on cleaning this area before the downstairs one, hm?" he said with a soft chuckle. Abel peered into the kitchen for a second before moving on the peek into one of the bedrooms. "It seems to be that we have eight bedrooms, each with two queen beds.

"The... linens, however, seem to be in pretty bad shape." Abel laughed and shrugged his shoulders. He gave Esther a warm smile before moving into the kitchen. "I wonder if there are any cleaning supplies in here or if we're going to have to buy anything... The Vatican is going to start wondering what all these charges are for!"

Wrinkling her nose a bit at the sight that met them, Esther resisted sighing. The apartment she had with Ion was clean, at least, and had fresh sheets on the beds and a relatively nice kitchen. Still, she supposed it could be the same here in the church, and that working on it would be worth it. Or so she hoped. And really, what better things did she have to do? Not only would it be a place for them to stay, but for others as well. It was a good thing.

"Either way, Father, I think we're going to have to go shopping," Esther replied, looking up at him thoughtfully and nodding. "New linens, food for the kitchen, dishes to eat off of. Ion and I have some things back at the apartment we're staying at, but it's probably not enough," she tapped her chin.

"And I think the Vatican will be too harsh on us. It's kind of an emergency situation. Besides, with Lady Caterina here as well, I think it's understandable. She'll know why, at least," Esther smiled cheerfully, moving to check under the sink in the kitchen for any cleaning supplies. All she found was some rusty pipes and a few old cobwebs. "Hmm maybe there's a storage closet around here or something," she dusted off her hands as she stood up, glancing around.

"Ah, yes... I suppose we could bring what things we have from our rooms and then go shopping for what we still lack," Abel replied as Esther joined him in the kitchen. At the mention of the Vatican and Lady Caterina understanding, he chuckled before moving out of the kitchen to search for a supply closet. "Though, if it's just me spending money, I doubt anyone would notice. I always spend too much anyways."

He cast a smile in Esther's direction before going to poke around in areas he hadn't looked yet. The priest went into each individual bedroom and while he didn't find any supply closets, he was rather happy to see that each room had its own small bathroom. He could only imagine the havoc that would've been created should there have been only one for everyone to share.

It was in one of these bathrooms that Abel found a rather musty mop, and after picking it up and looking at it, he decided that they might as well get a new one of those, too. He sighed and rubbed at his forehead, not realizing that he had left a grey streak there in the process. "Esther, I didn't find anything," he called as he re-entered the living area. "It seems like we won't have much luck cleaning any of this up if we don't have anything to clean it with."

Abel looked down at himself then, and a look of displeasure crossed his features. His new coat, once a fine looking green-grey in color, was now smeared with dust, a few cobwebs, and some things the priest would rather not think about. He sighed and slipped it off before shaking it out for a second and pulling it back on; there was no point in getting the clothes he wore underneath dirty as well.

"Should we leave for now to get some cleaning supplies and some clothes we can actually work in?" he asked, laughing softly. Abel once again touched a gloved hand to his forehead, and this time, he realized the mistake he was making. "Ah~! Esther, do I have a grey spot on my forehead?!"

When Abel came back into the room, Esther was kneeling down, looking through the cupboards of the kitchen. Like everything else, they were dusty and bare and utterly unhelpful. When she heard him come in, she stood and turned around and promptly had to hold back a giggle at the priest's appearance. A shame, that his handsome outfit had gotten so dirty, but it was surely cleanable.

"Yes, I think that'd be a good idea," she giggled softly, covering her mouth with her hand as she watched Abel dust off his coat, before he finally realized that he was also getting dust all of himself in the process. "Well yes, actually, you do," she laughed outright now, walking over and stopping in front of him. Standing up on her tiptoes, she gently brushed her hand across his forehead with her bare hand, quickly swiping away most of the dust that Abel's gloves had left there.

Realizing her close proximity and suddenly remembering that kiss from early, Esther flushed but continued smiling, going back down on her heels and looking a little shy. "There you go," she replied. "Good as new. Well, mostly," she laughed, looking down at her own uniform, once crisp and white, and now gray and covered in dust.

"I should probably buy some regular clothes myself. I don't want to ruin my uniform," she commented thoughtfully, tucking her dusty gloves into her pocket and setting her headpiece on the counter. "But! Shall we go out then?" she smiled inquisitively, looking back up at Abel once more.

Abel smiled when Esther came and dusted off his forehead, and he continued to do so when he caught the blush on her face. It was still surprising, he had to admit, that she had given him a kiss just a little while ago, but what did it hurt? The priest was about to reach out and try and dust off the nun's uniform when he realized that him doing so wouldn't help in the slightest. He laughed softly and withdrew his hand before removing his gloves and tucking them into one of his pockets.

Taking hold of his pocket watch, he took a quick glance at the time. Despite everything that they had already done, there was still plenty of time to shop and clean before he had to meet with Lilith once more. Upon stowing it, he turned his attention to Esther once more, a bright smile on his face. He took her hand in his own, regardless of the dust there and led her down the stairwell.

"Let us be off then! We've got a lot of shopping and cleaning ahead of us if we intend on sleeping here tonight!" Abel looked over his shoulder at Esther and gave her hand a squeeze. "Together, I'm sure we can make this place as good as new, this new home of ours."