009 mar a bhí ar dtúis, mar atá fós

[shepherdsveritas]

[It may have taken longer on foot since being relieved at the Outpost but the MacManus brothers have finally made it back to City Royale. Connor gratefully sheds his bag and takes a look around the church before pulling his journal out and throwing up a couple of filters.]

[Saints filter]

Murph an' I're back from th'Dead Zone. Safe an'sound as we were when we left. [He chuckles]Any more news on th'murder? We've been followin' on th'journals but I haven't seen anythin' of anyone figurin' out who did it, yet.

[/Saints]

[Steve Rogers]

Still interested in makin' that chest? I'm back from th'Dead Zone an' could give you a hand if you'd like.

[/Steve]

[Some time after the filters, particularly after he doesn't hear a word from the Cardinal or Tres, Connor gives his brother a worried look, cursing before the pair rush out the door and up to the castle to take a look for themselves.

Gone. Both gone. Welcome fucking home. He sighs, resting his hand against the empty door that had formerly belonged to the Cardinal. Pulling his journal out of his pocket he softly dictates.]

Cardinal Caterina Sforza an' Father Tres Iqus have gone home. [He pauses before murmuring, partially to himself, partially to the journal and partially to Caterina and Tres wherever they are:] I'm sorry...

[Stuffing the journal back in his pocket he gives his brother a meaningful look. Silently, they head for the chapel. Their strongest allies are gone. Their generosity and faith remain as constant reminders but right now they need guidance and to pray for the souls of their friends and that they remain safe wherever they are.]

((OOC: Open over the journal or find the pair in person either in the hallway or the chapel.))

Comments

[spongetastic]

Damn. Not again.

[shepherdsveritas]

Again? [He sighs.] 'm sorry.

[spongetastic]

Yeah, it's the second time she left.

[shepherdsveritas]

[He let's out a breath, shaking his head.] 's a fuckin' wonder how folk come an' go here innit? No warnin', no... nothin'. Jus' gone.

dictated;

[encryptedlock]

Aw, shit. They're gone again?

[York's going to miss them. Caterina actually gave half a crap about him, and Tres was a real bro.]

dictated

[shepherdsveritas]

Aye. We jus' checked their rooms...

[encryptedlock]

Dammit.

[He sighs. Two more allies down.]

Maybe they'll be back some time.

Dictated forever

[onlyanapple]

They went together, that's something, at least.

[spiritusaequitas]

Aye... [Murphy sighs] Be hard t' think've one without the other.

[shepherdsveritas]

[lays his hand on Murph's shoulder. Goes for more than one duo in this castle, aye?]

Not t'mention how Tres'd react if she left 'im here alone.

[abelard]

There was [another] a Cardinal here? A Cardinal named Caterina Sforza?

[spiritusaequitas]

Aye. She an' Father Tres ran th' chapel here in the castle. Dunno who's gonna now she's gone - prob'ly Sister Esther...

[abelard]

[Cesare pauses -- he doesn't want to assume Cardinal duties here unless forced. He has no interest, and he should ignore the subject entirely. But there's no way this makes sense.]

I wish the Sister my best. But are you sure that it was Caterina, and perhaps not Ascanio Sforza? Everyone knows that Caterina reigns in Forli, and her cousin Ascanio sits at the Holy Father's side in Rome.

[spiritusaequitas]

[Murphy kneels beside his brother, crossing himself before bowing his head in prayer ... though it takes him a moment to get his mind right for it. his first thoughts are disparaging ones - what will they do with the church, now, with their project only partly finished? who'll help stand with them once their work begins - especially now that it's so much nearer on the horizon? where will the residents go for guidance, now? his heart grieves for the loss of two dear friends - two great allies - two sources of strength, pillars to support their faith when they needed it. and now, in so many ways, the four of them who remain will need to stand on their own. it isn't that it seems impossible - they'd done it before, after all, back home, for years - but it just seems ... emptier. darker. sadder. he knows he'll always be aware of their absence, now, no matter how much time passes.

but then, those are selfish thoughts. those are not the thoughts of someone meant to walk the Lord's path and serve His will. he can almost hear Caterina's gentle but stern voice reminding him, guiding him back to the right course. his hand lifts to touch the rosary around his neck, and he sighs softly, the ghost of a smile coming to the corner of his mouth.

finally, he sets in to pray, silently: for the safety of their friends, their success in whatever works await them ... and above all, for their happiness.]

[sixguns]

[Gone. Noah hadn't even known them well, but he had known Caterina's well, though they'd never spoken much at all. Noah hasn't grown as vociferous as many in the castle, keeping to his own thoughts and his own work. Not only are there leathers galore now in his wee shop, he's also been carving again. He knows now what his next subject will be, though now is not the time to attend to it. He has other concerns.

[The church itself is quiet. He can feel their presence even now, but it's a ghost, a hole in their world. He stops to wonder how it would feel if anyone closer to him were to disappear without warning, and diverts his thoughts. Such things could make a man crazy. One foot before the other, and the rest will always follow. How could it not?

[He knows they are there before he sees them, partly because of the word over the journal, but moreso because he knows his own heart as he does their own. Without a word he joins them, bowing his head and praying not only for the ones they have lost, but for the ones he keeps within his heart as well.]

[spiritusaequitas]

[once a sufficient time has passed, Murphy doesn't even bother to lift his head. he knew their father was there the moment he joined them - a MacManus Just Knows These Things. quietly, he lifts up a hand and places it on his father's shoulder, for his own comfort as much as a show of support.

he figures it goes without saying: this wasn't how we wanted to come home to you, Da. it's so plain and so thick in the air that it probably just hangs over them like the remnants of ceremonial incense]

[starhipped]

Are you ... are you sure?

[Esther .. doesn't sound like herself. Nothing remotely resembling herself.]

[shepherdsveritas]

[Connor's voice is soft as he replies. He hates.being the bearer of.bad news... Especially to someone like Sister Esther]

Aye, Sister. Murph an' I checked their rooms ourselves. [A pause] 'm sorry.

[starhipped]

B-But .. But they can't--

[She's not taking this very well.]

I'm not .. I'm not able.. How can they be gone?

filter;

[valuedstrength]

Still interested. [He sees what comes after however.] Whenever you're up for it.

Steve

[shepherdsveritas]

[He takes a slow breath, looking at the wooden cross laying in his hand, beads pooled around it. As much as he wants to tell Steve to fuck off and just hole himself up in the church he knows that's wrong. He's said his prayers. He's had his moment of silence and consolation from friends. As loathe as he is to admit it life moves on in the castle... Even if it's a few kind souls lighter.

He closes his hand around the cross and murmurs.]

"Though you have made me see troubles, many and bitter, you will restore my life again"

[he shakes his head.]

No, s'arrite. Doin' somethin' with my hands's not a bad idea right now.

Connor

[valuedstrength]

[Steve nods. He wasn't going to impose, but if the man needed a distraction Steve is happy to provide it.]

Alright. Where should I meet you?

Connor and Murphy MacManus

[atadiscoverer]

[Uh-oh, Carson knows that type of tone when he hears it... He hesitantly clears his throat over his journal before speaking, filtering to the both of them.]

I take it you were close to them, aye?

Carson, to end

[spiritusaequitas]

Aye. They were good people.

[knowing that one of their other close friends is still around, though, that helps ease the burn of it] ... Still trapped inna clinic, are y'?

Forever~

[atadiscoverer]

Trapped in the--?

[Oh, yes. He remembers the stuff going on with Dr. House. Luckily, Carson has mostly been keeping to his room for the past month.]

Not me. I've been keeping to myself, mostly.