The Lead Crown: Ch 3c, Making Friends (pt 4)
Tranquil Waters: The Lead Crown Ch 3-4, Making Friends
Brother Jessen hummed softly to himself as he brought the tin serving tray of full of breakfast down the corridor. Although he was reluctant at first when he heard that the temple was getting visitors, he had come to peace with it, as he had with so many other things in his life. By the end of the second day he'd had the opportunity to hear about Sister Sada's companions directly from the otter and assured that they wouldn't cause any problems. By the end of the third he'd been assigned to one of the newly awakened casualties... his name was Alvis.
Despite being such a similar species to Jessen, the mutt was, at the same time, dramatically different. The young priest had embarrassed himself horribly the first time they'd spent an hour together... mostly just staring; when the scholar pointed it out, Brother Jessen excused himself immediately and didn't return for the rest of the day-- he ended up being chastised for it seeing as that left Alvis free run of the temple.
It wasn't that the sect had anything to hide... well... aside from itself. It was a church... and a very pious one, and its only downfall was that it was not part of THE Church. Brother Jessen still remembered when he was in service to THAT Church, and lamented that he was forced to serve God in a less visible way. The coyote wasn't interested in fame or acknowledgement, per se, but being hidden away from prying eyes meant that he couldn't exactly preach the holy word, which meant that he wasn't as much of a priest as he could be.
The coyote pushed his own brooding thoughts from his mind as he carefully balanced the tray on one paw, giving the third door down the hall on the left a gentle knock, "Good morning, Mr. Lazarus... are you receiving visitors?"
The scholar's voice came from within, "Visitors? Um... yea... hold on..."
Brother Jessen patiently waited as he heard the rustling sound of fabric followed by the fleshy sound of bare paws on the stone floor. The coyote frowned, ears dropping slightly, "Were you sleeping? I'm sorry... I brought breakfast, but I can come back later if you--"
The door opened and Alvis stood there, robe tied off tightly around his waist, fur disheveled, further reinforcing the thought that the scholar had probably just awoken. The mutt offered a half-awake smile accompanied by a friendly wag, "No... I'm good, thanks... it's never too early for breakfast."
The coyote attempted to mimic both, holding the tray out toward the dog, "Oh... very well then... I have eggs and ham and toast and cheese today... with a porridge."
Alvis stepped aside, motioning Jessen into the room; the coyote did as suggested, and moved over to the small night stand next to the bed before setting the tray down before quickly adding, "I also have a jar of water here... I'm sorry, but we do not have any juice, and milk is not easy to come by in this part of the city."
The scholar returned to the bed and took a seat on it right next to the night stand, offering in a friendly tone, "It's better than what we ate half the time at University."
Brother Jessen looked around the room before locating what he was seeking; the coyote brought the chair over to set in front of Alvis, and took a seat as the mutt began serving himself some breakfast. The young priest observed the mutt, studying his otherworldly mixed-colored eyes-- Jesssen had never seen anyone with one blue eye and one hazel eye before. He managed to realize he was staring and looked aside just in time to avoid Alvis catching him. Regardless, the coyote added a quick, "Sorry."
The scholar cleared his throat and glanced back to the tray, "There's a lot of food here... have you eaten anything yet?"
The coyote smiled sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head uncomfortably, "Uh, no... I don't usually eat until after my morning chores are complete and I still have to make sure you're settled in before I'm done."
Alvis took a bite of toast and chewed it slowly, then swallowed before speaking up, "So once you're done with me you're gonna go eat?"
Brother Jessen nodded, "Yes."
The mutt cleared his throat again and began serving up a second dish, "Then you're all set to have breakfast." and he pushed the plate into Jessen's paws, tail wagging, "I don't like eating alone anyway."
The coyote smiled despite himself, and the two sat quietly eating. The young priest did as well as he could to avoid staring at Alvis, and, for the most part, succeeded. Every now and again, when he couldn't resist examining his guest his mind was alight with comparing and contrasting the differences between the two of them. The dog was larger, and had much thicker, fuller fur. Jessen had slightly longer legs while Alvis was stockier. If the priest were to guess, he would have assumed they were likely near the same age.
Alvis' next words caught Jessen by surprise, "Everything alright?"
Flustered, the coyote stood up, and the plate on his lap tumbled to the ground, "Oh... drat!" and he knelt, immediately trying to pick everything up, only to bump heads with the mutt, who had leaned forward, obviously in the thought of doing the same thing. Jessen paused, seeing stars for a moment, and offered a very succinct, "Ow."
His antics got a chuckle out of Alvis, "That's usually my line."
The coyote's tail wagged faintly for just a moment, and he finished gathering the rest of the food before stacking it back on the plate, "I'm sorry... we don't get a lot of visitors, and I guess I don't have much experience playing host."
Alvis smirked, "Doing better than I would probably."
Brother Jessen took a seat on the chair once again, "Do you get a lot of people visiting the University?"
The shepherd/husky nodded, "All the time... but I'm an apprentice, so I don't usually get to see them."
The coyote also nodded, mimicking the action, "That's a lot what it was like when I was a priest in training at the Church in Graddin."
Alvis' ears raised, "You mean there's another one of these places in--"
The young priest shook his head, "No... just here I think... I used to be part of the clergy of the Mehnzilian Church."
The mutt paused at that, glancing around the room, everywhere but at the coyote, "So... why did you leave?"
Jessen shrugged, quickly figuring out the best way to dodge the question's full significance, "The Church didn't want me."
Whether Alvis was curious or tenacious in seeking the truth, the coyote didn't know, but the scholar asked a follow-up question, "Is it common for the Church to dismiss priests, or is that not a normal--"
The young priest's ears flattened and he closed his eyes as the words came out, "The Church didn't want me to like men."
The mutt was quiet for many long moments, and when he did speak it was a rather obscure, single word, "...what?"
Jessen stood, his face feeling flush with embarrassment, and he turned to leave, berating himself for the stupidity of choosing to be honest, "Never mind."
Alvis' paw reached out to grab his wrist and the coyote pulled back in anticipation of being struck... but not attack came. instead, the mutt let go of him and spoke softly, "The priests here know you like men?"
Brother Jessen remained standing, no less ill-at-ease, but he slowly nodded, "This temple is in service to the Divine Trait of Love."
The mutt's response would have been comical if not for the fact that it was so blunt, "The wha?"
The coyote shifted his stance uncomfortably, "Love..." he repeated, "The original religious sects were each created in service to the Divine Traits... The Church of Mehnzil serves the Trait of Pride, and our temple serves Love."
Alvis blinked with a vacant stare, and shrugged, "Well... uh... then I guess that makes sense... I mean... as long as you love SOMEONE, right?"
Brother Jessen let out a sigh, shaking his head as any positive association he might have had with the mutt went out the window. In the end, it was always the same. "You wouldn't understand unless you had to deal with it."
The scholar stood up immediately, "Yes I would! I mean... no, I probably wouldn't, but I am... so... I mean... I do!"
The coyote paused, staring at the flustered mutt. Cocking his head to the side, the young priest raised one ear and an eyebrow and provided a very eloquent, "...huh?"
Alvis cleared his throat and smoothed out his robe, "The... uh... University isn't so strict about that stuff as the Church is... and, uh... as long as you don't go around rubbing it in everyone's face they really don't care."
Jessen's ears lowered, "You're saying I should join the University? I don't understand... What does the UPU have to do with--"
The scholar covered his face in frustration, "That's not what I meant... I mean... about the love thing... and about people... y'know... not understanding... and... and..." the mutt kept tripping over his words before loudly blurting out, "I like men too!"
The coyote paused, and the shepherd/husky quickly straightened up, ears pulled flat against his skull sheepishly as his voice echoed around the room and, as one, they both began to laugh. It had been a long time since Jessen had found a reason to be so mirthful over a topic that had caused him so much pain... and it felt good.
Their association became much more relaxed after that, and the priest spent another hour with the scholar as the two talked about anything and everything. They discussed their respective differences in their professions, they talked about their families, about each of their pasts, and about where they each hoped the future would bring them. What really caught Jessen off guard was that, when it was time to leave, they parted with a kiss.
It was a short one-- innocent and quick... but it felt nice... very nice. The priest didn't know if he had instigated it or if Alvis had, but he was glad they had shared it. While the day had started with trepidation about having to serve food to a near-stranger, the young coyote hoped fondly that it would be added to his list of regular chores. He spent the rest of the day with a spring in his step and wag in his tail.