Outside, Sunday afternoon

[witchfinder_general]

Father Harman had come in to read mass today, as he does on any given Milliways Sunday, whether there is a large congregation or just one or two. He promised.

Later, he takes a walk outside, just to wander by Javert's church building site and perhaps sit and think there; but when he gets there, he finds that the church now has a floor, and a new cross in the spot where the altar is going to be.

Oddly, he finds this very reassuring and hopeful, almost like a pointer from God that things are going forward in all worlds.

He sits on a tree stump and contemplates the building-to-be.

Comments

[street_sparrow]

"He's been back, then", Gavroche observes, stopping at the church site on his regular visit to renew his agreement with the plants.

[witchfinder_general]

"Good afternoon, Gavroche," Father Harman says, getting up and walking towards him.

"He's been back, yes. I've talked to him before and knew he'd survived, but this time, he has taken up his work again."

[street_sparrow]

"I knew he was alive", he says with a nod. "And working somewhere, outside the city. It's good to see he felt able to take it back up."

[witchfinder_general]

"Very much so," Father Harman says. "And if I look at the floor, I think he can't have been alone."

[street_sparrow]

"True enough." He studies it. "Unless he worked for days on end, which isn't impossible, but... I wonder if it was Valjean."

[witchfinder_general]

"It must have been," Father Harman says. "I doubt he'd let anybody else help, even now. And you need two pairs of hands to smooth out a floor like that."

[street_sparrow]

"He'd only let Valjean help if he had no other choice", Gavroche says wryly. "Such as for that, if you're right."

[52_dropoff]

Charlie is jogging by when he spots the priest and the cross.

"That's new."

[witchfinder_general]

"It's been here since early spring," the priest says. "But there's new progress, that's right."

[52_dropoff]

"Never noticed the cross before. Guess my route took me elsewhere." Or he just ignored it in his usual way. "How long till there's a building here?"

[witchfinder_general]

"This particular cross is new," the priest says. "The people building the church seem to have been back."

[52_dropoff]

"Who's building it? Can't be a very large construction crew here." Not unless there are contractors he never heard about.

[witchfinder_general]

"Two Frenchmen from the 19th century," Father Harman says.

[pullsneedles]

It's really coming along, isn't it?

One of the gardeners looks it over, coming close to keep an eye on the area where the plants used to be before their negotiations with Gavroche and himself. He examines the cross there, not entirely sure what it means, and wonders what everything will look like when it's finished.

Then Lucas notices Father Harman. He roots himself to the spot, unsure if he should say anything or heed the Dark Dragon's likely wise words to ignore him.

[witchfinder_general]

Father Harman turns, and sees the boy. He nods politely but doesn't say anything.

[pullsneedles]

The gesture echoes through Lucas with familiar hollowness. He lets himself breathe and simply feel it and the memories it brings. Red, orange, yellow...

He can be here. They can both be here. And Lucas can carry on with his work.

When his daily chores bring him closer, he gives the most sincere smile he can manage, small though it may be. He greets, "Good day, Father Harman."

No expectation for anything else. Just as Tazmily was, just as this will probably be.

[witchfinder_general]

"Good afternoon," Father Harman says. He remembers the boy; he was possessed by some evil entity, wasn't he?

[pullsneedles]

Sure, why not? Would anything Lucas or the Dark Dragon say or do change his mind anyway?

Lucas walks on to water and weed the plants, no artificial lingering. He only stops when he comes to his sunflowers, some already bowing their heavy heads as the summer grows late.

[witchfinder_general]

Father Harman looks at the new cross, and thinks, fading out most other sights and sounds around him.-

[equal_of_any_man]

Olivier is at mass, quiet and devout. He thanks Father Harman afterwards with a respectful nod and heads outside himself. He crosses paths with the Father later, a basket of bright poppies and other herbs handing from his arm. "It will be a beautiful place." He comments with warmth.

[witchfinder_general]

"It will be," Father Harman says. "A place for the very varied people of Milliways to connect with God, in whichever form they see Him."

[equal_of_any_man]

"You believe that God has many forms and faces?" He is curious, sometimes worried at his own near heretical beliefs.

[witchfinder_general]

"God will show Himself differently to different people," Father Harman says. "It's not His reality but their perception that changes."

[equal_of_any_man]

"I often wonder if we fight over a difference of name for the same One." He muses sadly. "May I confess something to you, Father?"

[witchfinder_general]

Father Harman nods. "Formally, or simply in conversation?" he asks.

In either case, whatever Oliver will tell him afterwards will go off the record and be completely confidential.