(no subject)

[witchfinder_general]

After his Sunday mass, Father Harman is sitting in the bar, drinking tea and reading a book that has, for once, nothing whatsoever to do with vampires.

Instead, it's about werewolves.-

Comments

[gredya]

Did somebody say werewolves? Okay, no, they didn't, but it's Sunday, and Gredya has brought her book and a bag with some food. Her system of barter for reading lessons is erratic but she feels that she's holding up her end of things.

"Tea again?"

[witchfinder_general]

"Hello, Gredya," Father Harman says. "Yes, I always drink tea at this time of day."

[gredya]

She shakes her head a little and puts her bag down. "Today I bring bread, apples, cheese. Good?"

[witchfinder_general]

"Yes, very good," Father Harman says, smiling. "Do sit down. How are your children?"

[gredya]

She smiles. "They are good. They are outside, with that foot ball. I tell them, come inside in a little while. See how the reading goes." She pauses, and asks carefully, "How are you?"

Humans talk so much. But Gredya's willing to attempt some of their social niceties.

[witchfinder_general]

"I am well, thank you," Father Harman says. "Do they play football in human shape, or play with the ball in wolf shape?"

[gredya]

"Both. Right now, all of them on two feet. They say the grass, the short grass, is good."

It had been refreshing to switch back to Russian, talking with Lecter. But she can appreciate the practice in English.

[witchfinder_general]

"Do they know the rules for football?" Father Harman asks.

[gredya]

"There are rules? They make rules, yes. Kick it to this tree, take it from who has it, throw it over someone's head and he tries to catch. Like that. But there are special rules?"

[witchfinder_general]

"For a game called football, yes," Father Harman says.

[gredya]

Sigh. "Maybe some time you can tell them. Or someone can." It's a good thing she's unfamiliar with the expression soccer mom or she'd be a lot grumpier about the whole business.

Something occurs to her, and she grins suddenly. "I meet another vampire here. Silly pretty shoes. How does it go, you and your vampires?"

[witchfinder_general]

"Silly pretty shoes?" Father Harman says. "A female vampire?"

[gredya]

"Yes. Light hair. Face like this." She produces a pretty good impression of Pam's scowly-face. "A dress, color on her face. She has blood from those bottles, not real blood. You know that one?"

[athelstanthescribe]

"Father", Athelstan says, looking worried and a little harassed. "Do you know anything about dealing with angry children?"

[witchfinder_general]

"A little," Father Harman says. "Depending on how old they are. The ones that I taught when I worked at schools during Formation were always older than ten, and the once I later tutored were older teens very eager to learn and work with me."

[athelstanthescribe]

"He's twelve." He waits for an invitation to sit down. "Although I begged him not to, Ragnar Lothbrok has left for England and taken his wife with him."

[witchfinder_general]

"Do sit down," Father Harman says. "This could take a while -- would you like some tea?"

[athelstanthescribe]

"Yes, please." He sits obediently. "The boy resents being left in my care. He sees himself as a man."

[witchfinder_general]

"And won't listen to you, because you're just a monk and a slave?" Father Harman says.

[athelstanthescribe]

"A slave, more than anything. I wouldn't give his sister ale, because she's too young. He poured it for her himself."

And threatened to sacrifice Athelstan, but he's reasonably sure that wasn't serious.

[witchfinder_general]

"And their parents left them in your charge?" Father Harman says.

[athelstanthescribe]

"Yes", he says unhappily. "Bjorn objected, but they took Gyda's opinion into account instead."

[witchfinder_general]

"And now Bjorn is fighting you every step of the way?" Father Harman guesses.

[athelstanthescribe]

"I just don't know how to make him happy."

[witchfinder_general]

"Making him happy is not your job," Father Harman says. "Keeping him safe is."