| Small Blessings |
| Summary: | Gaelan searches for Greje and finds Kalypso instead. Kaly talks with the priest about faith. |
| Date: | 57 ACH |
| Related Logs: | Worth Four Psychologists |
| Players: |
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Battlestar Genesis, Deck 9, Chapel, 57 ACH
A simple military Chapel, octagonal in shape and of uniform dark grey hue with slab lighting up above. Four walls of the room have four large steps along them for continuous seating in an angular stadium form, the other side of the room largely devoted to a raised platform with a plain altar of pantheatic consecration. On the Altar are figurines set in their traditional places, of the gods and goddesses, with simple sacrament incense burning in holders on each side of the line of figurines.
The chapel is quiet at present, but not empty. Seated in the octagonal chapel is a blonde woman with her head dipped slightly forward. Her lips move soundlessly as her hands are clasped in her lap. Kalypso Leto was never terribly religious back home, but recent events have changed perspectives for a lot of people. Some have turned away from their faith, assuming the Lords abandoned them… others, such as Kalypso, have sought out that peace that the Lords offer.
Gaelan steps into the Chapel quietly, free of his special edition tag-a-long Marine guard the Major is definitely on the move. The room is obviously quiet as he steps into it, the boots quiet but noticeable as he starts to head up one of the aisleways casually glancing down the seats for occupants. Gaelan is definitely out looking for someone.
The sound of the hatch and of boots moving down the aisleways does not go unnoticed. Kalypso finishes her silent prayer. She looks a little bit more at peace with herself than she did when she first entered the chapel, but there are still lines of tension creasing the corners of her eyes. Breath drawn and her head lifted, Kalypso turns in her seat to see who has entered and that breath hangs in her throat.
Gaelan noticing the person who just finished their prayer he walks towards her. A brief glance around he looks to the young woman and tilts his head curiously not recognizing her he is trying to figure out why she looks so dumbfounded the Major comments in his rasped tone of a voice, "Excuse me, have you seen the Sister around?"
"I'm afraid I haven't," Kalypso says, once she's found her voice. Belatedly she tacks on a, "Sir." Kalypso's bi-colored eyes continue to look at the man as though looking at a ghost, or a memory of a ghost. Her fingers wind through the prayer beads she holds, toying with them. "I'm sure she'll be along soon, however."
Gaelan nods slowly as he looks back to the woman, "If you see her, let her know that Major Gaelan is looking for her." Patting the back of the seat he watches the woman a moment and is forced to ask, "Everything ok?"
Kalypso nods, stilling her hands. "I… yes, sir. I will." She moistens her lips and opens her mouth to start to say something, but closes it again. "You don't remember me, do you?" she asks quietly. Or maybe she has him confused with someone else, but, really, Gaelan is sort of recognizeable. One of those hard to forget types.
Gaelan blinks a few times as he looks to her. Watching her a moment he turns his head slightly casting a quick glance around then looking back to her, "I really hope this doesn't bite me in the ass, but no.. I don't remember you. Should I?" Sweet christ. You should be able to remember a girl like this if she woke up to you. No wait maybe she left before morning. Yea, that's it. Too old to be a kid, so can't be that. Eyes shift slightly back and forth before looking back to Kalypso with a feigned smile and nod.
Kalypso and Gaelan are the only two people presently in the quiet chapel. The pair of them partway down one of the aisles with Kalypso seated and turned so that she's looking at the Major. She smiles weakly, but the expression doesn't reach all the way to her eyes. "It's okay, sir. I wouldn't expect you to, really. Your brother…" Kaly clears her throat, fingers winding in her beads again, "Dion and I dated. Back home, on Caprica. Went to art school together…?" She moistens her lips, a question unasked threatening, but she can't quite give voice to it yet.
Karan enters the chapel quietly, dressed in simple robes of a dark linen, and modestly ornamented with silver. He's here perhaps to tend to the altar and the incense, as he offers only a smile to those in attendance as he steps past.
Gaelan looks to Kalypso a moment. Staring now as he finally forms the words from his rasped voice, "Dion and you dated.. dated.. on Caprica.. Dion…" He is obviously searching for something as he stares at her and continues, "Kerry.. Kelly.. KALY! You are Kaly, aren't you?!" The finger juts up and points at her as hopes that was the right connection.
"All my life," the woman says in subdued tones, "Kalypso Leto." Her eyes drift away from the Marine Major when someone else enters the chapel. Bi-colored eyes drift after the passage of the Chaplain and she inclines her head to him respectfully. And then it is back to the man with whom she was speaking. "Do… do you know if he…?" she can't quite finish the question, or the irony that it was partially thoughts of Gaelan's younger brother that drew her to the chapel to begin with this eve.
Gaelan watches her a moment and shakes his head. The tone is almost solemn, "I haven't heard word from anyone. I couldn't tell you for sure." Looking to her he steps up and completely against all regulations he wraps Kalypso in a tight hug, lifting her slightly from the ground as he leans in and comments in her ear, "You and I need to catch up. I need to learn about him and them while I was away."
Karan doesn't seem to have any designs on interrupting the pair. He returns the young woman's nod with a dip of his chin, and then slips off to relight a few votives. One at a time, pools of light creating inky, flickering shadows.
Kalypso suspected as much and her eyes drop slightly at the lack of news. When the man wraps her in a hug, the woman is caught completely off-guard. At first she stiffens, and then, just as unexpectedly wraps her arms back around him accepting the embrace. A mute nod is offered into Gaelan's shoulder in response to his quiet comment. Thank goodness no one in the Air Wing is around to see her like this. She has a reputation to protect amongst the flyboys… but then… the Major probably has a reputation to protect himself. Ahem.
Gaelan sets the pilot down and nods to her, "Good. I have stuff to attend to but it's good to see you here…" Smiling to her briefly he pats her shoulder and glances towards Karan. Casting a nod he takes a step back and starts to head towards the hatch he came in.
Nope, nobody but a priest to see them embracing. He does glance over briefly, smiles a little to the departing Gaelan, and kneels by the altar to begin preparing the day's offering.
"It's good to see you too," Kalypso says, returning the smile with a more genuine one of her own. The woman watches him make his exit and then quietly turns back around to return to her seat. She lifts her prayer beads up, looking at them, and then with another soft smile her eyes go to the statuette of Apollo and the priest attending to the altar. "…small blessings."
Karan finishes preparing the devotional, a few sticks of cinnamon and a sprig of what looks like holly. It's lit, and he turns away to regard the young woman once more. "Those are the ones that often count for the most, at times like these," he offers gently.
Kalypso nods, "Indeed they are." She quietly tucks her beads into a pocket and lets her smile fade back to a ghost. "His younger brother and I were close, back home… Dion was always more religious than I was."
Karan steps closer, and settles onto a nearby bench. There's an attempt not to intrude upon her personal space, clearly. "I'm glad to see people reuiniting with old friends." He pauses, considering a moment. "You don't consider yourself very religious?"
"I wasn't," Kalypso says, "I was just going through the motions before. I never really had all that much faith… Now? Now, I don't know. I'm trying to fix that. Those of us that survived, well, it helps me to think that maybe there was a reason. There's comfort in having something to believe in." She leans forward so that her arms rest on the back of the bench in front of her and rests her chin on folded arms.
Karan seems considerably heartened by her response. A smile blossoms on his lips, and he gives her a quiet nod. "Is there a god you prefer? I can pray with you, if you like, or lead you in one of the rites. I'm familiar with Ares, Apollo and Aphrodite mostly, though depending on what's on your mind.." He leaves the question there, open-ended.
"I used to go with Dion to rituals of Apollo, I liked the singing," Kalypso says, running her fingers through her hair. "I could never really carry a proper tune, but it was nice listening to him. He liked to think himself a musician. It's just been… until today, I hadn't really let any of it sink in. And then this afternoon, there was just this moment and, it reminded me of the last morning I saw him… before I left for the Hera. And now I don't know if I'll ever be able to apologize for some of the things I said." She shakes her head, looking at the priest, "I guess you've heard this kind of thing a lot. I've kind of been in here since… and then the Major walked in… I'd… if you would? I'd like that."
Karan tilts his head slightly. He meets her eyes easily, pale grey to mismatched, and the smile's still lingering in his own. "I have, yes. But.. it doesn't diminish the fact that leaving things unsaid, tends to cause.. regrets. If only we'd done this, or said that. Do you believe that he knew you cared for him?" The prayer, for now, is left aside.
Kalypso moistens her lips, looking back. "I think he did," she says, "but I said some pretty nasty things. I was mad, but I wasn't really mad at him." Her eyes drift to the front of the chapel again. "Maybe a little bit jealous," she admits, "because his family didn't push him to be something that he didn't want to be." What is it about chapels or priests and priestesses that makes people comfortable enough to talk about things that they would normally keep to themselves. "And because the one thing that I actually wanted to do, my father did everything in his power to see that I couldn't."
"What was it that you wanted to do?" The question's asked with a genuine curiosity, though it's clear he'll back off at any time if she doesn't wish to speak of certain things. There's a smile, too, if she should look over at him, otherwise he keeps his gaze lowered.
Kalypso's smile returns with a bit of an ironic twist, and her right hand lightly wraps around the dog tags hanging at her neck. "I wanted to be a pilot," she says, "It took the world ending for me to get out from under his thumb."
Karan flashes a sudden grin. "It does, for some of us, yes. And yet others, live an entire life in the shadow of their parents. So you're fulfilling your dream, now?" He tilts his head a little, grin having faded to a subtle warmth about his eyes.
The irony fades, leaving only a subdued smile. "Yeah, I guess I am," Kalypso says, "Or at least I'm on my way there again. It's been a while and now I'm not sure if I can do it or not. I did fine the other night, but what if I don't do so well the next time and someone gets hurt or…" She shakes her head, "I guess that's another reason I came in here. To try and stop doubting myself and have a little faith."
"Faith, I find, comes from understanding our own strengths and shortcomings. Both, in equanimity." He considers again a moment. "Perhaps what you need more, is a prayer to Ares. For fortitude, courage. Will you..?" All he requires, it seems, is a yes or a no.
"Appropriate," Kalypso says with another small smile and a nod of acceptence. Appropriate since it's Ares Squadron that she has so recently joined. She looks to the priest, accepting his lead and superior knowledge in things spiritual.
Karan probably doesn't pick up on the significance. He does touch her shoulder lightly though as he rises. The tools and implements for rituals are kept behind the altar, which he circles on his way to procuring a few objects: a sharp knife, a bowl, a few strips of linen and a pinch apiece of a few dried herbs. Kneeling in front of the altar, with the figurine of Ares prominent, he directs for Kalypso to do the same.
Kalypso rises, hands clasped in front of her, and follows the priest. She stops next to him in front of the altar where Ares' symbolic representation looks down upon them, and lowers to a knealing position.
Karan begins to speak softly while he works. The knife's set aside for the time being, and the dried herbs are crumbled into the bowl, and crushed with his knuckles. His hands are long-fingered, nimble. "We are humble servants of Ares, we seek your strength. Your guidance. We seek the fortitude to forge our own paths and weather our mistakes with grace and insight. We seek to relinquish our regrets, and conquer our doubts…" The bowl is placed atop a simple burner, and lit, and the knife brandished. The left sleeve of his robe is drawn up to the elbow, and the tip of the blade sliced quickly across his forearm. If she happens to glance, she may notice that he has many similar such cuts, many healed long ago, some newer. The blood is allowed to pool into the bowl, mingling with the scent of burning herbs. It can hardly be called pleasant.
Kalypso does indeed notice the evidence of past cuts, but such is the life of a priest one would assume. Much like the scars that soldiers may earn in the line of duty. She watches his work, taking it in with quiet reverence and the alert eyes that aid her while flying. Her nose wrinkles slightly at the scent coming from the bowl, but she keeps her head bowed slightly foward so that her gaze is coming from beneath the sweep of blonde hair. Ares is not a God she has prayed to before, but the God of War is one that is more than relevant to their present situation.
Karan withdraws his arm after a few moments, and wraps it with the linen. It's soaked in something, probably to help the cut heal more quickly. Once it's snug, he lowers his head and drifts into a lyrical, flowing language for a few words. Certainly not Colonial. When he's finished, the cup is taken from its little stand, and the flame blown out. He dips two fingers into it and turns toward her. "May Ares lend you strength." Whispered, as he sketches two 'marks' just beneath her breastbone and above the layered shirts, one atop the other. It's done slowly, so as not to startle.
The woman's head dips forward, eyes closing during the soft lyrical words. Kalypso doesn't know the meaning of the words he speaks, but the feeling behind them is enough. As the priest draws the symbol upon her she raises her eyes back to meet his face. "Thank you," words quiet.
Karan lifts his eyes, and offers a smile. "You're quite welcome." The mark, as it turns out, will dry and crumble before too long, leaving only a very faint impression when it's gone. Jerome, meanwhile, turns to picking up and putting things away. The rite, it seems, is complete.
Feeling more at peace than she has all day, Kalypso slowly rises to her feet. There's still a smile on the woman's face as she inclines her head to the priest and quietly starts to drift out of the chapel. She doesn't need to say that she'll see him again, she's certain she will as she intends to make coming to this part of the ship a regular thing.
