Lancea et Sanctum Midnight Mass

Aug 15th, 2012 11:10 AM

The doors of the Moore House were unlocked, and the way to the chapel was open. As always, one single candle lit the whitewashed room, stood on the altar. The flickering light threw odd black shadows on the walls. The altar itself was covered with a simple white cloth, and a blindfolded and cuffed man knelt before it, his wrists chained to the table. He didn't make a sound.

Sidor had been extremely clear about what would happen if he made a sound.

Sidor's herd were all volunteers, too. He was perfectly happy to donate them to the purposes of a Mass. It was amazing how they lined up.

The Bishop of the Sanctified was stood in the sanctuary, his clerical collar worn at his throat. He didn't bother with any of the other trappings that some churches did. In everything, he followed a very simple, pragmatic view. If a mortal had walked into the Moore House, they might have considered it a rather disturbing funeral parlour with an odd library in the basement, but they would not have thought it the Headquarters of a group of very religious vampires.

The First Tradition was essential. And Sidor, besides, was an ascetic. He did not indulge in pointless trappings of authority that he did not need. Anyone who had to wear a hat to call themselves a Bishop was no Bishop.

He waited for them, his congregation- and any others who wanted to drop in and see if the occasional rumour about the Spear enjoying human sacrifices was true.

It wasn't, but Sidor did appreciate the value of morale.

Aug 15th, 2012 02:21 PM

Paladin Powell slipped through the open doors of the Moore House, as she had done on numerous occasions. She always found a different sense of feeling coursing through her though, when entering the headquarters of her chosen Covenant.

But then that was as it should be: When entering Mass, Josephine could simply not act as casual as when coming to the Moore House to erect bookcases for the library, for example. It was an entirely different scenario in action; formal, emotive, with no silly little jokes or retorts.

She walked directly toward the head of the room, her heels clipped very slightly on the wooden flooring, announcing her presence. A gentle but polite smile of greeting to Bishop Grigoriev appearing on her face.

For the Mass, her attire was formal and without any silly little ostentatious frills that a loud party might dictate one should wear: Black pinstripe pants, and a dark green shirt; her hair was pulled back into a simple plait.

"Bishop Grigoriev."

**Alice Brown** · Aug 15th, 2012 05:13 PM

Despite her, what she thinks that are differences with the Lancea Sanctum Alice feels obliged to show up at the Open Mass. Not just because she's the Harpy, but that is indeed the main reason. As soon as she sees the blindfolded man she knows that she won't regret coming here.

This looks like what is about to become an exciting show. That Sidor Grigoriev fits the image perfectly doesn't surprise the Daeva. Some things are easy to get used to.

Upon entering the Moore House she curtsies to the Bishop and Dr. Powell to greet them silently, almost afraid to speak in the tense atmosphere. Things automatically get tense when you chain someone to a table, aside from that, Alice is not entirely sure what kind of greeting would be customary.

Tonight, she is dressed in loose and almost simple clothes, not tight and sexy but still undeniably beautiful.

Aug 15th, 2012 05:27 PM

Ariana arrived at the Moore House in ample time as usual. She had worn a simple black suit skirt as she often wore with a gentle necklace and ring on her right hand. The last time she attended Mass, there were things that Ariana thought tied into another event. This was quickly dispelled by Sidor in conversation at a later time.

As the Lordess entered the main room where Mass would take place, she gave a soft smile those who were already there. “Good evening Bishop Grigoriev and Paladin Powell.” Addressing them both properly considering the setting for the evening. No matter how many times she said the name it still had an interesting ring to it. Alice was there too and Ariana softly grinned upon seeing her as well. "Good evening Madam Harpy Brown." She took her usual seat toward the back to observe as the Seneschal had done in the past.

She had gazed to how the setting presented itself. It was only a mere curiosity the Lordess held inwardly. So many things could be learned through watching. The last time Ariana attended there had been another Daeva who had attended.

**Benji** · Aug 16th, 2012 01:12 AM

Blake enters More House for his first Mass in Sacremento and even if he had been disinclined to compare this to the Masses he'd seen in Los Angeles, he would be unable to stop himself. Every Mass he had attended showed the touch of the Bishop in it's trappings and message, but Blake had not yet decided what this austerity that the Bishop kept the building in meant.

As he steps into the chapel, dressed in a shirt and slacks of a very dark blue, he notes that there are already visitors from outside the Covenant. The lack of private Mass for none but the faithful had come as a strange and disconcerting change to Blake. He could not deny the fact that a congregation of three was not a terribly awe-inspiring sight for the faithful. It made sense to open up to the Domain at large, especially when the Domain was so secular.

"Bishop Grigoriev. Paladin Powell." Blake says, hands clasped before him with a respectful nod of his head to both of them by way of greetings. He then turns to the guests and gives them both a similar bow of the head, acknowledging them as well. "Seneschal Donovan, Harpy Brown. It is good to see you here tonight."

Aug 16th, 2012 07:48 AM

Poking around the city when you're unacknowledged is never really easy to accomplish, especially considering how prior opinions of you run, but the couple of functioning brain cells between Abby's ears had decided that it would be more dangerous not to use the time to become acknowledged. Or something approaching it, at least, or something that was a notch above whatever she was at.
And thus the Haunt found herself following the Harpy's request, based on the couple of rumors and notices she'd heard. Not only could she make a nice appearance, but the Lance and Invictus were totally the First and Second Estates, or something like that, and the Bishop was her own Priscus! Beyond that, from what she'd heard of Midnight Masses, they were an ideal opportunity for catch-up on the goings-on of the Domain.

And thus the Haunt had quietly trudged over, making sure to wash her face up of any excessive make-up. She'd donned a cheap black dress, untied her hair from its piggy tails, and if you ignored the disturbingly sharp teeth and dead skin, she could almost be mistaken for a legal secretary, or, at least, someone nice and responsible. Almost.
Quietly slipping through and waiting by the door for a moment, the Haunt paused, stumbling on her own feet, before quietly following in the footsteps of her betters, politely curtseying to each of them in turn, exactly like she'd practiced, the names falling off her tongue despite the mild cloud of panic in the back of her mind. Most were based on the example of her betters, unfortunately.
"Paladin Powell. Bishop Gregorreev." Wow, she managed to get that right. Finally. Wait, was it still Bishop if they were also your Priscus? "Madam Harpy, and Madam Seneschal." Four down. One left. Turning to Blake, she attempted her final curtsey.

When the words refused to come, when the final title required to make this greeting acceptable, if not perfect, abandoned her... well, the expression on the Haunt's face was hard to place, considering the holy surroundings of the area. If you had to put a word on it, 'Oh, shit' would probably have come close.

Not that she'd ever think such words in a holy place.

**Velma** · Aug 16th, 2012 05:49 PM

Velma Star and religion had a curious relationship. The Daeva was not downright secular nor downright devoted to god… being the incestuous fruit of spoon fed catechism from the orphanage and the amoral society of the early 20’s had never mixed up well during the early years of Velma’s Dickensian past and childhood… and to this day the mixture was not yet fully harmonious.

Despite such convoluted feelings about coming to Mass, today the young girl from the orphanage would have her time, even if this Mass was not a regular Mass and even if she would not be singing and praising God in the church’s choir.

Velma arrived the Moore House and followed inside. Today her trappings were demure and less evident. She had covered her cherry colored hair under a white and light brown shawl, the colors of her clothes were dark, the make-up almost nonexistent and there was nothing excessively extravagant about her except for the intense blue eyes that seemed to try to encompass everything at once.

Outlook

As the Daeva entered the Mass properly she was assailed by a wave of fear, the assembled predators were salivating in anticipation, and her own beast could feel the hotness of the saliva and stench of rotten meat in their breath… it was an advice to proceed with caution. When she reassured herself Velma smiled politely to the tall man with the white collar, somehow his face seemed to be covered by the shadows.

When she decided his eyes were upon her she saluted him with a respectful nod. After which followed both Arianna and Alice.

“Good evening Madam Seneschal Donovan” and a polite nod “It’s a pleasure to meet you here today.” Velma offers as a smile effortlessly escapes her lips.

“and you to Madam Harpy Brown, always a pleasure.” And another respectful nod.

“Mr. Reese.” The third nod.

And after that she turns to the other two unknown kindred that she hadn’t yet had the pleasure to meet.

“Good evening.” She offered with simplicity to J. Powell and to Abby.

Aug 17th, 2012 03:59 PM

"Good evening, Paladin Powell. Seneschal Donovan. Brother Reese," the Bishop said politely and calmly, his voice carefully moderated. He did not verbally greet Alice or Velma, because neither of them had verbally greeted him. Instead, they were simply given a controlled nod, which seemed stark and overt.

He was faintly curious what exactly drew some of them there, but it was not important. The Moore House, at this time, was a place of welcome for anyone who desired to come to his Mass, and see what they might see there.

His shrouded gaze moved briefly to Abby as she talked to someone called Gregorev, who apparently only she could see.

"I'm sorry, were you talking to me?"

Aug 17th, 2012 07:09 PM

The Paladin was pleased to see the sudden influx of people; and though she did not know a couple of them enough in order to determine how they may react to the Mass, that other Kindred were interested enough to come was uplifting enough. There may have been some cities where outsiders were shunned or persecuted for their lack of belief, but the Domain of Sacramento was not one of them. Simon's lies about the covenant could be dispelled by her own firsthand account, and that was a good thing.

"Welcome back... to the Moore... House," the Haunt greeted the Seneschal and the Harpy in kind, acknowledging their previous appearance at Mass.

The small but welcoming smile was turned to Blake as he arrived, and her face reflected the passing familiarity with the man she had spoken to a Court some time ago. "Mr. Blake, it's a... pleasure to see... you again," the Haunt greeted him quite sincerely. Her attention fell momentarily on the relatively unfamiliar Daeva; though they had not yet had the chance to speak, the Haunt recognised her from Court. To her, Josephine greeted with a simple but perfectly congenial, "Good evening."

And then the Nosferatu newcomer arrived; and while it was pleasant to see a member of her own Clan visiting the place of her Covenant, she could not quite help but arch an eyebrow at the massacring of pronunciation. Surely it was not the first time she was attempting to speak her Priscus' name? Sidor did always take such care to pronounce his name very slowly and carefully to those who made a mistake, so as to avoid confusion in the future.

As Sidor posed his question to Abby, the Haunt responded to the woman in a manner that was entirely reflexive in correcting the mistake: "It... is Gri-gor-ee-yev." The name was reiterated firmly, but not rudely. It was a gentle reminder that in front of your Priscus, and in an Invictus Domain, a Kindred should ensure they did not incorrectly state names or titles.

**Alice Brown** · Aug 18th, 2012 11:24 AM

When more Kindred enter the Moore House and greet everyone Alice realizes this is not the kind of meeting where Kindred upon entering have to be silent and pray to God, until they can do whatever they have to do in a mass. Which is actually the same situation as the last Open Mass, now I look impolite...

'Good evening everyone. Thank you.' She looks through the room and nods to Blake and Velma. Then she sits down somewhere in the middle. Maybe she should for a moment stop thinking about all the social rules and etiquette, just relax. This is a meeting of the Second Estate, not the First. It doesn't matter where she sits.

Although... Abigail proves that social mistakes are quite awful to make. The newest Haunt must have heard the name Grigoriev before. People that know Alice might see that her polite smile suddenly becomes sincere. How could she not enjoy this?

Lancea et Sanctum Midnight Mass

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