As I Went Down By the River to Pray.

[Father Stanley Cupper]

Taking a break form his works restoring the Church, Father Cupper decided it might be best to hunt down some good relaxing spots around town, which led him, with some degree of joy and his tackle box, to the Lake just a little ways outside Pilot Ridge. He parked his car in a quiet spot under a tree, and strolled out into the summer day, Mort and Bert fast on his heels, sniffing at all the lovely new plants. After a good fifteen to twenty minuets of limping along, Cupper spotted a weeping willow by the waters edge and realized he had found his spot, settling in under the shading boughs and getting his bait ready as he listened to the sounds of distant people and the wind dancing by the leaves. As he cast his first line, Mort settles in next to him, the little porker soon snoring, as Bart starts chasing off nearby pigeons and rabbits. Ah, thank you for the day, Lord. Cupper thinks contentedly as he relaxes.

[Kaylee Thomas]

Kaylee should have known by now not to go swimming in public areas and lose herself in the part where she can breathe underwater. Adaptation was a tricky power to have, and generally useless, but sometimes when it worked it really worked. And she was so content, so relaxed, so happy to be in the rippling silence of under the lake that she paid no mind to small shiny fish that brushed against her arms or anything that swam away from her.

That was her first mistake.

Turns out one of the shiny little fish brushing against her was, in fact, a fisherman's hook. A fisherman's hook which caught on her skin just right and dug in, tugging at her arm with a painful drawing of blood. It took her a moment to react, stunned by this entire situation, and by the time she realized she could surface and ask whoever was fishing to please not reel in she was already pulling at the hook to try and guide it out. That was her second mistake, as all it accomplished was widening the wound and making the line tug like she was a fish on the end.

Before too much pain could be inflicted, her instincts kicked in and she made her way to the surface. It took a disorienting moment to make the adjustment to breathing oxygen again, and she choked a little on some of the water left in her lungs. Clearing her throat, she located the man who had cast the line and called out to him. "Hello! Sir? I'm so sorry, I've caught myself in your line." She made her way in his direction as she spoke, careful to hold the arm the hook was embedded in as still as possible until there was enough slack in the line. She stood and made her way to him, taking note of his appearance and sending a silent thanks to God for not letting her choose the bikini today, but rather a modest one-piece with shorts over the top.

[Father Stanley Cupper]

Father Cupper was on the edge of a summer doze when he felt the line tug and lurched to life, sleepily grabbing his rod and starting to reel his catch in. It was in this half aware, blurry eyed state that he decided it was probably a dream when something much bigger and darker than any fish he'd ever seen was not so much reeled in, as walked up to the shore, and made a complaint about his hook. The old priest went slack jawed for a moment as his brain sorted dream from reality, and he realized that he had accidentally snagged a swimmer. Eyes going from groggy to dinner plate so fast one might be excused for wondering how they stayed in his head at all, the old man hauled to his feet, sending Mort and Bert dashing away in an effort not to be caught underfoot, "Dia Thuas, tá tú ceart go leor?" He asks, worry plain in his voice as he pulls a knife from his pocket and promptly cuts the line, "Ach, blast it... are you alright?" He asks, moving to help her to shore, "Come here, I can dig that out and get ya bandaged, drive ye to a hospital if you'd like."

[Kaylee Thomas]

Confused by the man's use of words clearly not in the English language, Kaylee forgot her pain for a moment and tried to puzzle where he could be from. The concern in his voice heartened her, though, and as he spoke again she understood what he meant.

Kaylee smiled as best she could manage, because while it did hurt there was no reason to make a fuss about it. "I'll be fine, thank you." She was grateful once her feet touched on dry land, adjusting fairly quickly from water to solid ground. She was beginning to feel an ache set in from using her abilities, though. "I just need the hook out. There's no need for a hospital."

She felt a twinge of guilt for interrupting this kind man's afternoon, seeing his setup. He seemed to have been settled in for a relaxing time. And on top of that, she was pretty sure he was a priest. She'd have to add a few things to her prayers tonight. "So," She hesitated, deciding whether to apologize again. In the end, she resolved to try and return his day to some degree of normalcy. "Have you caught anything yet today?" Fishing. Something Kaylee could definitely be okay with talking about.

[Father Stanley Cupper]

"If ye say so, lass." He says, getting her to his little picnic spot and sitting her down, pulling the string off the hook and looping it around the curve of the hook, "This aught be painless, just look over there, but this is gonna leave a titch of a scar..." He takes the loop, pushes down on the back of the hook, and pulls straight out, causing it to slide out of the woman's skin with nary a wave to her nerves. He gives a soft chuckle at her question as he puts the hook aside and starts digging through his tackle box for bandages, "Sadly, naught but your own self." he says, as his hound and hog return, quizzically sniffing at their new guest, "Ach, I always forget me manners... I'm Stanley Cupper, Pastor of the River Jordan Church, just moved in a bit ago, these here are me friends, Bert..." The bulldog sits as his name is mentioned, panting in the hot summer day and looking like he's about to flop over into a nap, "And Mort." Cupper concludes, as the pig nuzzles into the strange guests side. Cupper reaches over and swats the pig on the snout, "I've told ye afore not to be snuggling when its not warranted." he grumps.