Be Cleansed in the Waters (Kiara)

[Father Stanley Cupper]

It was early in the morning when Father Cupper got to the River Jordan, eager to finish a few last minuet touches to the church before its grand opening the following day, though thanks to the efforts of young Mr. Reeves and the friends he had managed to round up, there was rather little left to do. Well... presentation wise, there was little left to do... there was still a good deal of dust in the air, and the smell of fresh paint and new stucco, so he opened the doors to the chapel wide, hoping to bring in fresh air, and any passing folks who might not have gotten the fliers he hoped were getting to willing eyes. That done, he started ambling about, getting the candles lit, and the fonts filled and blessed.

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Kiara tended to get out of bed early lately. It seemed to be what remained from taking care of baby Gabe. She had, however, awoken an hour earlier than usual. Not certain what to do with that time, the blonde had settled for going for a morning walk in the park and to go to the supermarket after that. That first goal was a success, but the second was interrupted by the sudden realization that the chapel’s doors were opened. While the curiosity of some might not be stirred by this, Ki passed this place often enough and had never seen them open. At first there was some hesitation, but eventually the young woman ascended the couple of steps and carefully peeked inside before emerging further.

With a hand holding onto her right upper arm, Ki slowly moved down the aisle while looking around. It was quiet at first and Kiara had shuffled into one of the lines, sitting down on the bench, yet it did not take long before some footsteps could be heard. Within that same second, Father Cupper appeared in sight and Kiara immediately began to question if it was alright for her to have randomly entered like this. It felt alright because it gave her a chance to escape into a peaceful place, but at the same time open doors weren’t always a wordless sign of permission.

It made her rise… Wanting to apologize. She wasn’t sure if the man had seen her though, so perhaps she could sneak out unnoticed again.

[Father Stanley Cupper]

Father Cupper started at the sight of the blonde woman, not really expecting anyone in the chruch on a weekday, but he recovers quickly, "Ach, sorry, weren't anticipating no one today. Did you need something, or were you just trying to get some quiet time with the Lord?"

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When Father Cupper spoke, Kiara hesitated for a second. It would be rude to just leave now though, hence the reason lips soon parted to speak."Oh, um, kind of just thinking." With a little nervous chuckle, the girl rubbed her upper arm. "It's... well, peaceful in here. It makes it easier to think things through. And I guess that maybe He could be listening." In case the Father was no clue who she was referring at (even though he probably did), a finger faintly pointed up, though she didn't raise the hand higher than her abdomen. Ki pretty much never spoke about God though, so it was weird to refer to him now.

[Father Stanley Cupper]

Father Cupper looks in the direction of her point, then gives a soft smile and a nod, "He's always listening, lass, wherever His children speak to Him." He waves his hands to indicate the pews, "I'll just be puttering about, if you decide you'd rather chat than keep to yourself. Place got cleaned up nicely, but there are still quite a few little chores about." He chuckles, moving back to start lighting the candles. Being the social bee that he is, he really, REALLY wants to ask more of the girl, but not wanting to scare her off... Somethings troubling her, Lord.  He thinks to himself as he moves to his tasks, If I can help, I pray you give her the courage to share it, or me the wisdom to know how to ask.

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Kiara gave the man a lighthearted smile. Normally she was not one to expose her troubles to random people, but he was not pushy and clearly wanted her to be ready to open up. At first the girl didn’t consider it and blue eyes simply lingered as he lit the candles. The thoughtful look on her face eventually softened though, and in addition the blonde reluctantly stepped over to where Father Cupper had moved. “Even if He’s listening… How will I ever know what His answer or solution is?” Because surely she could talk all she wanted, but it was not going to give her any ideas on how to deal with it down the road.

[Father Stanley Cupper]

"The eternal tide eroding faith." Cupper said, stepping back from the candles and turning his attention to her, "God speaks all the time, lass, sometime through feelings, sometimes through neighbors. Saint Luke teaches that the Kingdom of Heaven is in all men, after all." He looked up to the large image of Christ as it gazed over the pews, "He's watching now, my dear. Listening too. I'd not be so bold as to say that I speak with his lips, but I know his lessons, and would be glad to share them with you. You have but to ask." He gave a soft smile, "Weather you do or not though, that's between you and Him. I don't pry into others affairs, I just take whats shown to me and do my best to treat it in a way that I'll be proud to talk of when I get to the Pearly Gates. What you tell me, here, in the confessional, or anywhere else, shan't be spoken to another being on this earth without your permission."

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In all honesty, Kiara felt intimidated by the way Father Cupper addressed her concerns. The words he spoke gave off a different vibe than any of her normal conversations did. It made the blonde bring up a hand, awkwardly rubbing at her upper arm for a second. She did, however take in consideration what was being said. The man wouldn’t judge nor would he be aware who it was that she might end up talking about. For another second, hesitation arose, but then the blonde took a seat on the nearby bench. “If the Kingdom of Heaven is in all men, should not everyone have the same opinion on the matter?” Her logic might be wrong, mainly because her knowledge about the context of religion was barely existent. Either way, might as well try to talk about it now. First she opted to just give Father Cupper a clue what it was about though, just in case he had no idea how to handle it. “It’s… about a guy.” The young woman mumbled.

[Father Stanley Cupper]

"All men are in earth, but all see it differently, downside of free will." Cuppers says, taking a seat on another pew, giving the nervous woman plenty of personal space. It was clear to the old man she was waffling with cold feet, something he wholly blamed himself for, Really do need to learn how to be comforting one day. He muses to himself.

At her confession, he gives a nod, "What is this man to you? Whats he done, lass?"

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What was that man to Kiara? It made her give a small shrug, actually no clue how to reply to that. Her feelings were so incredibly mixed. “He… used to be my boyfriend.” That was a good start, right? Hand palms rested against one another as they got squeezed between her knees as the girl just barely rested her back against the bench. “And then he left without a word. Returned eight months later… He left for a good reason, but not the way he did it…” She didn’t want to justify it, because it was not alright.

“And I don’t know how or what to feel right now.” Part of the blonde expected father Cupper to tell her to follow her heart. That was the most typical answer, right?

[Father Stanley Cupper]

"Hard question that." Cupper says, mulling what little was told over, "Most sods in my field would say to just trust the Lord or your heart, but sad to say I've seen that lead to many abusive relations being ignored." He raises a hand at that, "Not to be making assumptions or disparaging remarks, mind, I just like knowing all things before saying my mind proper." He folds his hands over his belly as he considers a tapestry, "Ye say he left for a good reason and without a word... don't speak well of him to my ears, but then I don't know the lad. Regardless of that, its clear to me that even if you accept it was a good reason, it hurt you deep and still. Have you addressed that with him?"

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Father Cupper’s first words brought a frown to the blonde’s face and she was quick to shake her head. “Oh, no no no. He isn’t abusive.” While Kiara hardly knew any luck when it came to love, she at least managed to pick out decent and sweet guys. The priest was right though. She should probably provide more details before he would be able to speak his mind. First, however, the blonde nodded to the question asked. “He knows and he apologized.” Ki wasn’t sure what else to expect. It possibly would be better if she knew what she wanted herself. “Anyway, he has a son. And he left to gain custody over him.” Jackson wasn’t a bad guy; he just made a lot of awful decisions. “He didn’t tell me because he wanted me to live my life and to follow my dreams – not give it all up for him."

[Father Stanley Cupper]

Cupper frowns, rubbing his chin, "Hurn... well... good on him to at least apologize, but..." He shakes his head, "Again, this is just me going off whats being told, so kind take it with a grain of salt and your own eyes... Firstly, I'd be leery of any man whats left a relationship that brought a child into the world, though in fairness, I know less of the former wife than I do of the lad here. Secondly, all good and well for him to be talking about letting you live your own life, but that is a maddeningly cruel thing to do. You care for this man, that much is very plain, you chose to give some of yourself to him, and he's trying to take the reigns. Love is not a thing of dominance, one side doesnt get to tell the other 'I know whats best', its supposed to be the two working together for the benefit of the other." He pauses, "Sorry, off the soapbox now, but... that does bring me to a question, if he left because he wanted you to move on without him, why'd he come back?"

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Kiara couldn’t explain why, but the more Father Cupper spoke, the more her own opinion on the matter began to push itself forward. She hadn’t known what to think anymore, hence the reason the blonde had stepped into the church to begin with, but clearly some sort of opinion had formed under the surface already. “He didn’t leave the relationship,” Ki sighed softly while gazing down at her hands as they rested upon her lap, fumbling with one another. “He was not aware of the child’s existence until a year ago, when the mother showed up and simply left the kid with him.” It clearly had been complicated since the start, yet it hadn’t kept her from falling and loving Jackson. If anything, Gabriel had intensified their relationship at that point.

“I think he reasoned that it would give me control over my own life. He didn’t have the intention for it to come across like that, to be interpreted like this…” Father Cupper’s words made it sound so… bad. Of course Jackson had not thought it through to say the least, but his intentions had been pure. “It would have been simpler had he spoken about it with me though… That is true.” With a soft bitter chuckle at herself, the girl stared ahead for a second at nothing in particular. Only when the man asked the question did she turn her head to him again. “Because he couldn’t move on without me… Because he began to realize what he left behind?” She didn’t intend for it to sound like a question; she was positive of that answer. “He came back for me…”