Old Soldiers, New Friends (Travis and Galilei)

[Thomas Galilei]

It's his church, he knows, but he'd agreed the man could stay there. So it only seems appropriate that Thomas should knock on the office door. The sound echoes through the empty Sanctuary.

LORD, make your countenance shine upon me and establish the work of my hands, yes establish the work of my hands.

It's fitting, isn't it, that he should get to know the man he's sharing space with? He'd been wondering about the man's personal desires, beyond the fulfillment of his duty; about his spiritual beliefs. Bringing up such things could cause argument, but it seems the only way to know someone truly. God had brought this man into Thomas life for a purpose. Best not abuse grace, lest it be withheld in the future.

He thinks he hears movement on the other side. Perhaps a Deacon stirs?

LORD, make me a faithful steward of all that you've entrusted to me, of this--your church; of him--your child. Amen.

Michael Travis

[Michael Travis]

Michael is pensive. Frustrated. He paces when he's frustrated. One month gone by and nothing to show for it! At the very least, he had this place. Whatever solace it offered felt diminished by Michael's perceived lack of progress. He is the kind of man who turns desires into actions and actions into results. I hate this city. He is distracted from his internal turmoil by the knock on the door. That would be Thomas, he assumed. Then again, it would behoove Michael to be prepared. He picks up his gun off the desk and readies it, but keeps it pointed low. He edges his shoulder up near the door and cracks it open.

"Thomas. Good evening." he says, with practiced calm. He makes no apology or attempt to conceal the gun in his hand. He simply opens the door, walks back to the desk and sets it down again. "Is there something I can do for you?"

[Thomas Galilei]

"Good"--he pauses a moment, noticing the gun--"evening," he finishes.

Thomas sees that Michael is frustrated.

59954 2014-10-03 23:18:13 Thomas Galilei rolls 4 to Empathize: 2 (WIT) + 2 (EMP) = 4 DP (10 Again) 7, 5, 9, 9 2 successes

"Or I wish you one where you don't seem to be having one. Perhaps, I could ask the same question: Is there something I can do for you?" Maybe he should come back at a better time. Conversation is of no immediate importance.

[Michael Travis]

"Probably not. Unless, by some miracle, you can identify one of my estranged employer's other phone lines. I haven't heard from him in almost three weeks." Michael doesn't know why he bothers with duality around Thomas; the man already knew Michael's role in the city could become that of a double agent on short notice. "My sire, that is. It is a bit nerve wracking. I've been here long enough to feel like a resident and can't leave until the job is done. It's not the first time I've had to 'hurry up and wait', I suppose." Michael offers a small smile with his military reference.

"I wouldn't mind company, though. I assume you don't have a particularly busy evening?"

[Thomas Galilei]

"I don't know any miracles involving phone lines, but I suppose I could check the scriptures." He smiles. "Hurry up and wait, yes. I'm dreadfully familiar. I imagine we've both learned, though, that there are far worse things to be doing than nothing. Perhaps this time of 'nothing' is what God intends for you this season, your employer too. Perhaps it's to see what you choose to for yourself given the freedom of movement, the freedom of choice. I have often wondered if that's why God leaves us with long silences."

He coughs, wondering if he's over-spoken. It seems prudent for a Priest to be cautious about his prying and speech-ing. "No plans on my end that can't wait. I've learned through failure that if I'd treated my relationships so well as I did my tasks, I'd have more friends. A question, Erim: Have you wondered what you would want for yourself in a vacuum of duty?"

[Michael Travis]

Michael's brow furrows at the thought. Doing nothing? Michael considers explaining why that wouldn't work for him, but does not interrupt him. His patience is rewarded, it would seem, with the opportunity to explain just that.

"The two are so deeply intertwined, Thomas. I don't know if I could make you understand... Abgal rewards me with what I desire most. Knowledge, power and wealth that will, in turn, give me more freedom to gain even more of each. For example: I wish to uncover the secrets and mysteries of our origins." He gives Thomas a sympathetic look. I know you, undoubtedly, have your own explanations for how we Kindred came to be. I don't think you could argue, however, that our kind can't agree on much of anything - particularly where we come from. One of my greatest desires and conquests is to unravel that mystery. Abgal is over 2000 years old, and lived in a city of great historical significance for the Damned. The knowledge he gives me and the opportunities he presents bring me ever closer to that ultimate goal." Michael worries, briefly, that the priest would be offended by Michael's ambiguous talk of origins. If Thomas took offense, Michael could always apologize and change the subject.

[Thomas Galilei]

"You make Napoleon seem unambitious." Thomas laughs, not meaning mockery in the least, but as an expression of his affection. "I hazard to say that one needs the help of God for a God-sized goal such as that." He considers the man. "A promise: as long as you keep trying to answer the question of origin, I will keep trying to help you. Believe me, this is more interesting than the standard confessions about women envying one another's calves or boobs, or even the seventeen I've taken from men, this week alone, who lust after after Velma Star ."

He rubs at his chin hair, an indication either of thinking or itching. "I do hope you'll make appropriate expectations for yourself with regard to how much time such a task could take, or you're bound to a torpor full of frustration and disappointment. In light of the centuries in which teams of experts have devoted themselves wholly to this pursuit, I think your three weeks laid up is forgivable--one must be merciful and gracious to oneself before they can learn to be so to others." He realizes he's been preaching, but then takes his own advice and forgives himself--it's to be expected in the company of a Priest.

[Michael Travis]

Michael smiles at the joke. I am ambitious. No doubt about that. He politely waits for the man to finish, taking note of the unsubtle way in which the priest brings the conversation back to his God. It wasn't surprising. The Second Estate had their values and traditions and, Michael supposes, he should ask the man more about them.

"Thank you, Thomas. Your patience and understanding do not go without notice. I think I am doing you a disservice, however, in not being more straightforward with you. So, without further pretense, I would like to ask you why you chose the Lancea Sanctum. Why, in this dark world full of monsters, do you still cling to the idea of God? I was Christian in life, don't get me wrong... I've just seen too much to reconcile what I know now with what I once believed."

[Thomas Galilei]

"To suggest that I chose God, or even the Lancea Sanctum, I fear, credits me too much." Thomas laughs, finding it easy in Erim's presence. Perhaps it reveals his naivety or his trusting nature, to so enjoy the presence of a veritable hit man. God does have a fondness for fools. "No, he chose me---I think, maybe, I amuse Him--for some purpose unknown to me. To spare you the gruesome details, He sent my Sire to rescue me when I was in the Middle East." Plenty implicit there that a military veteran would pick up on. "Since then, it's he who's clung to me--His love persevering beyond my folly. Maybe I'm a simple man, maybe a coward . . . but I don't long for truth in the way that you and Ms. Sterling do. I enjoy a good mystery. Rather, God has placed it upon my heart to love the unlovable, the Damned, parasites by all counts. It's no virtue since I can't help it. But answers aren't in the realm of my concern, so much as getting one small virtue down, that Kindred might otherwise never see." It seems a swell way to lose respect with a man of action, of utility. But truth has its own utility. "In life, when you were a Christian, did you ever experience the love of God? Did you know any joy?"

[Michael Travis]

Michael nods. Few of us really get to choose a sire, I suppose. Thomas belongs, in a sense, to his Sire's whims as much as Michael does to Abgal. Neither would be who they were without the influence of the one who brought him into the night. Thomas's easy laugh and openness to share his feelings and beliefs makes Michael think. He certainly is trusting - maybe to a fault. It won't be a pleasant night for me if I ever have to betray that trust. Thomas mentions being 'rescued', which feels to Michael much like his own embrace - if perhaps more noble.

"Ms. Sterling..." Michael says, thinking aloud. She's seeking answers as well? Michael makes a mental note to follow up on that. He listens to the rest in relative silence.

"Altruistic of you. It isn't a bad thing to stand out and above the rest of the monsters. I hope it doesn't lend a hand in your own undoing." He remarks, grimly. Still, there is something to be said for the man's principle. Knowing what to expect from a Kindred with unshakable character is rarer than gold.

"I'll confess to not having much joy in that department. No more so than any other church-on-Sunday type. Faith inevitably took a backseat to first my studies, then my budding military career - a much needed way to 'even me out', as my father would say." Michael pauses, for a moment, considering how far to extend this mutual trust. He decides that he will leave a note for him some time before the night was over, telling the man as much about Michael's past as he was comfortable with.

"I'm assuming, then, that you've found this joy in your work as a man of the cloth?" Michael asks, pointedly.