By the church, Sunday morning

[witchfinder_general]

 The church is finished now, and in Father Harman's keeping.

For that, he's going to hold a special dedication service, never mind who comes and who doesn't. The church is finished, can now properly be dedicated to St. Melchior as intended, and that needs ceremony. If necessary, that can be between Harman and God.

At the moment, he's outside the church, preparing flowers in vases to carry inside. He will be glad for any help, but can do this by himself without any trouble, either.



[[OOC: Some people needed / wanted to meet Father Harman: this is your chance!]]

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[road_to_calvary]

Valjean had no idea the church was finished already. He only knows it's Sunday when he comes in here, which means finding a place to worship. After his last conversation with Javert, he doesn't think the man will object to him going near the place, so he approaches without caution.

'Good afternoon, Father.'

Flowers? Well, they are very pleasant.

'You look busy, monsieur. May I help?'

[witchfinder_general]

"Thank you, that would be very kind," Harman says. "We don't seem to have accreted flower ladies yet, but then, the church is only going to be properly dedicated today."

Pause.

"What do the Americans say? If you build it, they will come?"

[road_to_calvary]

Um. Do they? Very well.

'It is to be dedicated? I did not realise.'

He feels...that is good. Yes, very good.

'So it is finished.'

[witchfinder_general]

"Yes," Harman says. "Javert sent me a note; but I fear he will not be here today."

[road_to_calvary]

'...no.'

Well, he suspected as much. It is a shame, and he does not understand it, but it is his choice.

Valjean takes up some flowers, and begins arranging them in a vase with an air of quiet confidence. Arranging them decoratively is more Cosette's area of expertise, but he knows plants and it is not so hard to make them pleasing to the eye.

'Did he leave it a name, at least?'

[witchfinder_general]

"No," Father Harman says, "but given what is known about your shared history, I have opted for St. Melchior, as that was one of the many, many names of the Bishop of Digne, as we knew him in our own universe. François Melchior Charles Bienvenu de Miollis, as opposed to Charles François Bienvenu Myriel in your world."

[road_to_calvary]

His hands still. His head stays bowed.

Eventually, he says, 'I did not know there was another, in another universe. But I am very happy to hear it.'

Every universe needs a Myriel. A thousand, a hundred thousand.

'...thank you, Father. It is a good choice.'

He would say more, but words are rarely his strong suit and he would not trust himself to adequately voice what he feels in any case.

[witchfinder_general]

Harman puts a hand on Valjean's shoulder.

"Calling the church St. Bienvenu would have begged the question a little too much."

[road_to_calvary]

'Yes.'

He lets out a small, pained, chuckle.

'And I do not think he would want to be likened so closely to a saint, either. Though it is what he was.'

He cannot say for sure. He did not know him for long, and only learned the details of him by later enquiry. But everyone said he was a saint, and Valjean knows it for sure. Only such a being could have so thoroughly saved a soul as wrecked as his own, and in such a short time.

[7twistedwishes]

She arrives just as the service ends, a lovely woman dressed in a provocative black leather suit; she was mostly well-behaved despite the attire, looking around curiously, stepping past the threshold after a moment.

The Devil took a deep breath and smiled. "Lovely place."

[witchfinder_general]

"Thank you," the priest says. "You are not Miss Emma Peel, are you?"

He smiles.

A perfectly valid question, in Milliways.

[7twistedwishes]

"...as much fun as it might be saying that I am... no, I am not" The woman grinned some, walking towards Father Harman with a perfect 'catwalk' step, oozing confidence.

The catsuit is very snug in the right ways, made to show off her lovely forms; add to it how she is far from just a beautiful woman, but the very incarnation of sin, The Devil's walk across the church floor goes several notches above 'showing off', while the act also kept itself wrapped in a casual demeanor that doubled as subtlety.

"Hello, Father; I'm Lucifer" and punctuating her walk with such a declaration might push the priest off his guard, if she did not lose her touch.

[witchfinder_general]

"One of the devils," Father Harman says. "I am delighted to finally meet you."

He offers his hand.

[7twistedwishes]

She accepts it; her hand is warm and soft, and a pleasure to hold, as long as one wishes to. "You may call me Eshara, just to not mix me with the others? A very kind princeling decided I should have a name, since all the others are titles, and lets be honest..." she lowered her voice to a conspirator's whisper, leaning closer "...not-even-thinly-disguised insults made up by silly men who never studied history."

And she was not trying to flash cleavage, that was just a bonus.

[witchfinder_general]

He lets go of her hand after a perfectly polite interval of holding it.

"Eshara," he says. "I am Father Pearse Harman. SJ."

[7twistedwishes]

"A pleasure to meet you, Father" she gave a bright smile, turning gracefully on her heels to look around the church again. "As Isaid before, a lovely place... I missed the recently-dedicated scent, it's something so rare nowadays."

The Devil completed the turn, facing the man again. "I think you are the very first priest of the Big Guy to arrive here... while there are so many versions of, well, me, around."

"I'd say it reveals a lot about the nature of Milliways, hm?" a brow rose, while she stood with a hand on her hip.

[witchfinder_general]

"No, our faith isn't exactly growing in the late 20th and early 21st century," Harman says. "I am glad you like it."

Pause.

"And I'm not the first -- there was a Father Mulcahy, at the very least."

[man_without_fear]

In Matt's world everything is set. Jury selections have been done, opening statements begin in the morning.

Nervous doesn't really describe what Matt feels. It's a great deal more complicated than that.

He and Foggy have closed the books and while his partner works on what he'll be saying tomorrow, Matt is taking a break from all of it.

When he arrives in Milliways Matt bypasses his usual spot at the counter and decides it's about time he investigate this place a little more. He hasn't explored out back very much and so that's where he finds himself. His original intention is to walk through the gardens Rae has told him about, but instead he's drawn to the church.

He's hardly dressed for it, today finds him in blue jeans and a plain black t-shirt, but in his defense he hadn't planned on going to church today.

Of course, considering that it's Sunday that might not hold very well.

When he arrives at the building he stands on the outside a short distance away, trying to decide if he should go in or not.



[ooc: I hope this isn't too late, I wasn't around Milliways yesterday. <3]

[witchfinder_general]

"Good morning!" Father Harman says, friendly and polite as he keeps putting the flowers in the vases.

[man_without_fear]

Matt turns his head towards the voice and nods. "Good morning."

His hands rest at the top of his cane, not quite wringing, but there's reluctance in the line of his body to move from his spot.

Still, he's friendly enough when he asks, "Could you tell me, does this church have a name?"

[witchfinder_general]

"It is going to have, after today's service," Father Harman says. "It's St. Melchior's."

If the blind man wandered out all the way from the bar to the church, then he won't need anybody's condescension at the end of his walk.

[man_without_fear]

He nods to that bit of information, noting that he hasn't missed the service yet.

He needs no help navigating the rest of the way, his hesitation is something else, something he's been doing in his own world as well. It's shameful how long it's been since he's attended service, and while he's managed to make confession once he turned down the priest's hospitality shortly after that.

Still, he's here, and for whatever reason this being Milliways makes it easier for him to finally step forward and approach.

"My name is Matt Murdock," he offers.

[witchfinder_general]

"I'm Father Pearse Harman," he says. "I'm acting a parish priest here, but at home, I lead a team that hunts vampires."

[man_without_fear]

That's unexpected, and Matt tilts his head curiously.

"Father," he says in greeting and respect, then asks, "You hunt vampires?"

It isn't even the vampire part so much as the hunting that Matt is surprised with.

[witchfinder_general]

"Rarely in person," Father Harman says, smiling. "I mostly coordinate and sift intelligence and listen to what the people around me have to say. But yes, I'm in charge of what you might call a vague but menacing joint venture by the Vatican and the British government."