I'll Send You Some Prayers and a Blessing

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"There there, it's alright," Tenshi said as she sprinkled some holy water onto the old woman and drew a cross on her forehead, "This should bring you luck. Does it set your mind at ease?" The old woman smiled as she got up from her kneeling position.

"Thank you so much, young angel," she said with a slight creak in her voice. Her hollowed face lit up.

"It's no trouble at all. If you need anything more, come to me. I will always be here." The woman kept thanking her as she went on her merry way. The priestess waved goodbye as she left before slumping her shoulders with a happy sigh. It always made her happy to see someone else happy, especially if they needed help. She was always willing to lend an ear and a hand should the need arise, which was often. People came here for blessings and wards, after all. With that in mind, she turned towards the altar at the back and made her way towards it.

Once she was there, she knelt down and took off the rosary bead necklace around her neck before clasping her hands together, the beads between her hands. "Dear Akari, thank you for letting me help another soul. I am ever grateful for your ever gracious presence as the people here in Lorsette go about there daily lives." She paused for a moment to collect her thoughts. "I wish that I am able to discern your messages, but I'm thankful for all that you have given me. Even if..." She took in a shuddery breath. "Even if...I was hurt. I-I'm doing this to help people by helping myself. It's not sinful doing it, mortifying the flesh. Even if I don't talk about it...right?"

Her face flashed with a hint of hurt before settling back down to neutral. "Oh great Akari, grant us peace in this time of t-t-terrors. Ergh, please find a way to protect everyone from t-terrors that-that seek to swallow the world whole in darkness. Please help us find a way to-" She paused before shaking her head. "No...sending them to Hell would be no good. I am sorry for almost saying that." She opened her eyes. "May you watch over us for all time. Thank you, Akari." Tenshi got up from her kneeling position and turned around. Were there others visiting the cathedral? She had to know, in case they needed help of some kind.

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Filled with a various assortment of caned goods, old clothes, and other fashion accessories the boxes that Vala carried clanked softly with each stride she took. For most people lugging five boxes with such weight would be a tiring effort on their behalf. Had it not been for her innate super strength Vala wasn't sure she could have made the trip to the church alone. Still in college and without any way to finance a vehicle she really didn't have any other way to transport her goods. Sure, she could have run the distance in a few minutes but it wasn't likely that her donations would make the trip.

For all purposes Vala wasn't well off when it came to her wealth. Outside of college payments, and food she rarely spent a dime on anything else. Well... aside from coffee... and cigarettes; everyone has their vices after all. Regardless of lacking much wealth Vala found that she could give what little that she could to those in need. Homelessness or poverty wasn't rampant across the city but those who had been struck by misfortune still existed. Once every six months or so after saving a small portion from her checks Vala would scrap up some donations for the church. Clothes that she rarely worn or that had been a bit to much. Then she would go down to the supermarket and with her superior coupon skills she would get as much as possible within her budget in the form of caned goods. The foods might not have been the most sought but she knew that if someone was truly hungry they would eat anything.

Arriving at the steps which led up to the church Vala paused for a moment and placed the boxes upon the ground. Opening the first box in the stack she took a moment to look the items over. Aside from a plain black T-shirt that had been folded on top there was quiet the collection of goodies. Beans, corn, pea, squash, water chestnuts, carrots, and pineapples. For a moment a lingering temptation to dig into one of the cans passed through her mind. Before her inner demons could over take her Vala closed the box with a sigh. Her hunger seemed ever lasting when she relied on her strength for a long period of time. Having walked half way through the city at such a slow pace had taken a chuck of time and the evidence was clear now.

"Guess I'll get a bite to eat afterwards." Sighing once more to herself Vala resigned herself to her fate.

Glancing upwards Vala viewed the beautifully crafted architecture of the building. First glance alone could see the amount of care and love that went into crafting the cities wonder. Years of the elements had stripped away much of its godly glow but its clean surfaces, and well trimmed gardens shown the building had not been forgotten. Vala always wondered just how much money had been poured into constructing this link to the goddess above. Perhaps it would have been better spent on building homes for the improvised or something else. At the thought Vala shrugged her shoulder as if there was anything she could have done about it.

Bending her knees Vala gripped the sides of the bottom box before coming to stand erect once more. Having to inch her vision around the towering stack in her hand Vala carefully climbed the flight of stairs before her. Coming before the its grand, golden etched doors Vala stepped out of the way as an elder lady exited the church. Mumbling a soft gritting with the nod of her head Vala watched the woman for a moment as slowly made her way down the stairs. Turning back around Vala slipped through the door before it closed behind her with a deep thud.

The interior lighting of the church was similar to that of the grey skies of the outside. A few candles lit the entrance giving the building a welcoming aura while not overwhelming a person. Being that it was the middle of the week the building was far more quite than it would have been later in the week. Right now the sinners were out in the bars but come Sunday they would here on their knees.

Even treading lightly upon the carpeted floors Vala stepped echoed out in every direction for all to hear. Built for acoustics churches picked up on every slight noise a person could make. This made for songs to sound haunting beautiful but didn't help when one wanted to go unnoticed by others. While Vala was more than willing to give to those in need she didn't care much for the attention that it brought.  The satisfaction of having done something good was more than enough for Vala. She didn't need people thanking her for her deeds. It wasn't as though she was saving the world or anything.

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@vala

Tenshi was hardly in the middle of the room when she spotted a black haired girl in pigtails coming through, carrying a bunch of boxes. She seemed to be moving quietly, despite all the things she was carrying. She broke into a smile as she hurried towards the girl, whipping out her giant white wings before using them to glide over to her. "Welcome to the Cathedral of Akari!" she chirped as she showed a big grin, "Is there anything you need? I can give blessings and items with wards if you want- oh!" She shook her head. "I'm sorry, I should be helping you. Would it be alright if I take one of these boxes?"

She looked up, her smile fading away somewhat. "...Um..." She tugged the back of her white bow with a hand. "Are these...heavy by any chance? I'm sorry, I'm not exactly a heavy lifter," she said with a sigh as she dropped her hands down in defeat, "But I am willing to help if you do so need it. Would...that be alright?" She eyed Vala, a soft look on her hollowed face. The poor girl was probably tired carrying all those boxes, especially since she seemed to be doing it all by herself. How on earth was she doing that? She kept her curiosity in check as her eyes flickered back to the boxes.

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"Hey...." Muttering the word out Vala stood awkwardly with the packages clasped in her hands. Having come in the middle of the day she had hopped not to run into anyone. Now peering from behind the wall of cardboard there stood a young woman whose body wasn't to much different than her own. Though not nearly as distinctive when it came to her curvy shape she was still rather beautiful. Through the brown strands of hair that partly covered her face Vala could make out the ruby orbs that composed the woman's eyes. From the simple, yet elegant attire the woman wore Vala assumed that this woman was a maiden of the church or something of the sort.

"Er...." Vala stumbled upon her words at the woman's questions that bombarded her.

"It's fine." Clinging the boxes a tad closer to her chest Vala swayed slightly. While not apposed to the idea of a helping hand Vala's first glance over the woman didn't give her the best impression of her strength. To Vala the boxes could have been feathers for all she knew. It was easy enough for her to carry around without the slightest exertion. The woman on the other hand didn't appear the type who worked on a daily bases or ever at all for that matter.

"I'm just here to drop a few things off for donations. Food, old clothes and whatever else that I could scrap up." Again she muttered the words softly as she just wished to get on with her day.

"You can show me where to drop them off though... if you want to help." Not the one to disappoint those willing to help Vala offered the suggestion to the woman. Given how she devoted her life to the church Vala had a good idea that giving aid in any fashion would lift the woman's spirits. Having come to the church quiet a few times over the years to drop off goods Vala knew already where to drops the boxes off. Doing it this way would hopefully feel as though the woman's offer of help wouldn't go unnoticed.

"Come to think of it... I've been here a few times before. Are you new here? Can't recall seeing you before." Vala questioned in her light mono tone voice.

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@vala

"Oh. I see." Tenshi didn't really deflate, but a hint of disappointment flashed across her face for a moment. The girl could probably handle it compared to her, she was practically a thin twig that could break easily. However, she tried not to let it show and kept her face serene as she listened.

"Oh, it's always a pleasure to get donations," she chirped, "I'm glad you're helping the people out with your generosity. In any case, I should lead you to where we keep the donations. It's in the back, follow me." With that, she beckoned for the girl to come forward and began to walk towards the back of the cathedral. She sort of knew where the donations were at, though she hadn't really helped anyone take the donations to their proper place before. It was still a little new to her, but she felt she could at least be able to find a place for Vala to put down the boxes.

"I've been here for...not very long," she admitted, "It's a little confusing at first, but I'm managing. So much to do, so many people to help." She sighed wistfully as she turned her head to look at the gifted. "To be fair, I haven't seen you either, though I feel as if we hadn't had a chance to meet until now. Strange, isn't it?" She paused, thinking about something. "My name is Tenshi, by the way. What is your name?" she asked as they continued to walk.

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The hint of disapproval from the angelic woman hadn't gone unnoticed by Vala. The expression was a phantom that glazed across the woman's eyes for no more than a second but she'd seen it. Always one to make eye contact Vala might not have picked up on the woman's disappointment if her eyes had been else where. Regardless Vala felt as though there was little she could do to consul the maiden other than giving a light shrug of her shoulders. After all, the boxes Vala carried probably weighed a good thirty pounds a piece. Fitting all the items into their cardboard containers had been a game of Tetris as she squeezed as much as possible into each box. With that in mind she highly doubted that the woman would be able to carry single box without issues. The last thing Vala wanted at this point was to shove everything back into a box after the woman would most likely drop it. While the woman might not have been very pleased with the arrangement in the end it was best for every one.

"Right...." Muttering softly so that her words could barley be heard Vala followed in the woman's wake.

Passing through the cathedral the building Vala noted that it was rather empty just as she'd guessed. Aside from a few patrons half hidden among the pews the wide arches of the building made the space seen even more desolate. The nearly silent prayers that came from muttering lips were over shadowed by the traveling pair as their feet clacked on the hard flooring. Without turning her head to check Vala felt certain that a few irritated eyes were upon her. The deafening noise that her hard leather boots made upon the sacred earth probably wasn't something heard often here. With a sigh Vala kept her eyes peering around the boxes and onto the backside of the woman. Having dropped off goods many times before she knew they would eventually dip through a side door and be out of sight from on lookers.

"Makes sense. It's a big place." Vala replied as quietly as she could manage but still felt as though she was shouting in the echoing chamber.

"Not so strange really. Only come here twice a year or so." Vala noted in a factual mater that might have come off as rather blunt.

Aside from her bi-yearly donations Vala never ventured into any type of religious structure. In all honesty she wasn't religious at least not any more. Like many others that had come before her Vala's religious ideas had gone out the window with the murder of her mother. Death had that affect on some people and Vala was one of them. While her belief in a heavenly figure was non-existent Vala wasn't against the idea of helping others through a religious center. Churches had an image among the general population. People went there to find forgiveness and aid. So it made sense to give whatever she could to the church as those seeking help would eventually wind up at one.

"Er... Alyson." Vala replied as she gave Tenshi her middle name. This was often something she did when talking with strangers as it was a learned behavior from her grandmother. Apparently Vala's linage was filled with many who possessed magical abilities. Back then it was generally considered that names held powerful magic. If you knew a persons full name you could cast all sorts of wicked curses upon them. By giving strangers a middle name it made it difficult to do such things. This wasn't to say that Vala suspected Tenshi; a care taker of a church, would put a curse on her but she really didn't know this woman.

"First time I've been here in six months... so it's why we've never met before." Explaining as they walked Vala spotted the side door which led to a storage area. She was tempted to bolt for the door as to finally be out of the cathedrals main chamber but she steadied herself. After all it was Tenshi that was escorting Vala to the room and not the other way around.

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@vala

The noise was deafening within the near silent rooms of the cathedral as people eyed the pair before going back to their business. It was a little annoying, true, but at least it was footsteps and not...something more unpleasant. Tenshi immediately pushed that thought away, not wanting to have it interrupt helping out Alyson. She'll have more time to do that when she came home and practiced her prayers.

"Oh, bi-yearly? Hm, that might be why I haven't seen you as well," she mused as they headed through a side door. Soon they wouldn't have to worry about bothering anyone from their daily prayers. "It's nice to meet you, Alyson. Hm, not much further. We're almost there, though you probably know where it is by now since you've been here many times. Whereas I..." She let out a small sigh before looking back. "Those boxes look heavy, how do you manage to carry them all?"

They continued to walk towards the back of the cathedral where there would be another inconspicuous door. Upon opening it, they were greeted with many boxes filled with food and clothing and goodness knows what else that made up the donations. "Here it is. Um, put the boxes right next to the desk, there's more room over there. We've been getting a lot of donations this winter, which is good." She flashed Alyson a smile as she stepped to the side.

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"Er...." Having been caught by Tenshi in her little white lie Vala felt a moment of discomfort. Pausing in her train of thought she searched for the right words to use.

"Yeah... I guess I do know where it's at." Meekly Vala spoke thankful in that moment the boxes were blocking most of her vision. There was always the option of continuing with her fabricated ignorance but she really didn't see much point to it. Lies only lead to more lies unless they were stopped at the source. Not one to lie very often she found it only necessary in this case to make Tenshi feel better. Now it appeared Vala had fallen into her own web.

Following Tenshi through the door way greeted Vala with a washing sense of relief through out her body. By no means was Vala a shy person being able to speak her mind regardless of who she faced. No, what really caused her to tense up were all eyes upon her person. Now as they stepped out of sight from lingering eyes Vala felt as though she could breathe easily once more.

Standing in the all to familiar Vala took to moment to gaze about at the various boxes about the room. Some were empty. Their contents having been taken out and organized among the shelves while others were lazily stacked against the walls. Given the chilly season they faced it was well stacked with thick winter gear and food. Whatever unfortunate soul that came here would leave much better off.

"Huh.... Oh. Just the way I am." Vala replied to Tenshi's question as she placed her donations were Tenshi had pointed out to her.

"Some people fly. Others can control fire. And I... I can... lift things." The lackluster tone in her voice showed that Vala wasn't really excited about the subject. Having lived with her elevated strength through out most of her life the ability was just another part of her daily existence. Lingering at the fringes of her mind Vala didn't think often about her powers until she needed them. The strength she possessed was little different than another persons arms. Sure, she knew it was there but she didn't think about it when using it.

"Nothing special." Noting with the slightest shrug of her shoulders Vala turned about to look at Tenshi.

Of course being gifted with such unnatural abilities was special but Vala really didn't see it as such. People like here were a dime a dozen now a days with so many beings coexisting in this city. With angles, demons and werewolves wandering the streets were those with special gifts so special after all? Then again few possessed the pure level of strength that Vala did. Long ago Vala noticed that her strength grew as she did. Where lifting something like a car would have been impossible when she was eleven now she could carry a plane without breaking a sweat. Now the only thing left to be wondered; was there a limit to her power?

"And... from the wings... you are an angel, right? Or do you really like cosplay?" Vala gestured towards Tenshi's silken wings that flowed from her backside like fresh snow.

Vala studied the woman for the moment as she took in her being. Vala knew the answer to her question already but she found that this was a slightly better way of phase it. This was a church after all. It should have been expected that an angel would have been her. She did find it a tad odd however. Given her spotty attendance through out the years Vala lacked a full picture of the church but she'd never a angel there before.

"Maybe she lost a bet?" Vala thought to herself dryly. 

As curiosity drill deeper into her soul Vala couldn't help wonder more about Tenshi.

"I'm wondering.... Why are you here?" Again, Vala found herself being rather blunt as she often was.

"What I mean-" Trying to correct herself Vala gathered her thoughts once more in attempt to be more diplomatic.

"- you're new here. This isn't exactly the nicest city, nor the safest. Where did you come from? Why here?" Feeling a tad better with her wording this time about Vala allowed for Tenshi to answer this time.