Henry X Lance

==Character==
Henry Alvi (c) Windwarrior234
R.L. “Lance” Hawk (c) Zilver_Hawk
==Support==
===Support Level C ===
Henry: *flipping a coin* Hehe, that was way too easy!
Lance: *huffs* They call THAT quality food. It was barely hot... I won't be going back there.
Henry: *without looking, bumps into him* OOF! *falls on his backside*
Lance: Hm? Excuse me young man...are you alright?
Henry: *shakes his head for a moment* Yeah...hehe, sorry! I wasn't payin' attention
Lance: I can see that much. *laughs and extends his hand* Come on. Get up.
Henry: *takes his hand and stands up* Thanks. I'm Henry!
Lance: Henry. Right. I'm Reverend Hawk. Pleasure to meet you, Son.
Henry: *nods and grins* A reverend, eh? I've never been too religious, but it must be an interesting occupation.
Lance: Interesting...yes. You wouldn't believe some of the things I've seen!
Henry: *interested* Really? Like what?
Lance: Weddings, funerals, just some people in general... I've done a lot of counseling in my time. You wouldn't believe how many strange people there are in this world. But...I have had to perform a few exorcisms in my time. That's what really gets me.
Henry: Exorcisms? Like, demons and stuff?
Lance: *nods* It's serious business. Those...things aren't to be trifled with. They're very dangerous.
Henry: I've never had an encounter with demons....I hope I never do.
Lance: It's not a pleasant experience. But all the same, it comes with the occupation. It's better that I face them then someone else.
Henry: You're a bishop; you've got the advantage over monsters with that holy magic of yours.
Lance: Very true. But all the same, there are some very dark forces at work in this world. Hm...say, you look a bit familiar. I haven't seen you before, have I?
Henry: *cocks his head* I don't think so...I used to be in an orphanage, so maybe you've seen me there.
Lance: Perhaps...perhaps... Maybe I'm just having another senior moment. *grins* Wait a minute...you wouldn't happen to know anything about the missing offertory would you?
Henry: *blinks* Offertory? Let's pretend that I don't know what that is....
Lance: Just a collection made on Sunday. Lately, I've noticed some of the money keeps going missing... Just wondering where it might have been going.
Henry: Maybe someone's helpin' themselves to a little extra cash?
Lance: Hm...perhaps you're right. It might be one of the elders after all. I'll have to investigate further.
Henry: That's still pretty low, stealing from the needy. *scowls* I can't stand people like that.
Lance: For years I've had to deal with people like that. It might be Parker... He's the ex-pastor of my church and as my daughter puts it, "a bitter old geezer."
Henry: I see....how do you do it?
Lance: Deal with him? Well...I've learned that ear plugs work, but usually I just let the old man rant. He can complain about my preaching all he wants but it won't change a thing or re-instate him.
Henry: Well, yeah, but I just meant dealing with people in general. You have to deal with people that you really don't like.
Lance: I pray for strength first of all. That does wonders. Second of all, I have to put myself in their place, try to see if from their point of view. If I can't, I just have to cope with it. There are always going to be hateful people in the world. I can't change that; I have to adapt.
Henry: I wish I could have that kind of strength...I'm not sure I'm capable of doing that.
Lance: Not everyone can. But we're all given different gifts after all.
Henry: I guess you've got a point; I've got a talent for stealin' *catches his slip*..the hearts of my audience.
Lance: *his grin widens* You're an actor then?
Henry: A bit, I suppose...people tell me all the time that I've got the charisma that a politician would kill for. *grins* I chalk it up to my dashing good looks, but whatever works.
Lance: *chuckles* Humble too...You'd probably clean up nicely. You could probably make yourself a lord yet.
Henry: Me? A lord? *scoffs* When pigs sprout wings and fly!
Lance: You say that now. I said the same thing when I was your age. "A reverend? Me? Never!" Look at me now!
Henry: The day a nobody orphan like me becomes noblilty will be the day that the Goddess calls Judgment upon us all.
Lance: I said that too! Give it some time. You'll see. *smiles* But I best be off. I need to visit some shut-ins before the day's done.
Henry: Alright then; good day to you, Reverand *takes off*
Lance: Actor my foot. How old does that boy think I am? Oh well...
End of Support C 
===Support Level B ===
Henry: *holding his cloak over a little girl's head in the rain* Don't worry, I'll make sure you get home safely.
Lance: *running* Gracious...It's like the heavens burst open...
Henry: We're almost there....*spies someone about to duck into the church* Hey! Hold the door, mister!
Lance: *smiles* Hurry hurry! It's dreadful out here!
Henry: *ushers the young girl inside, following after her* Good...oh, it's you, Reverand!
Lance: And it's young Henry the actor. *smiles and shuts the door behind him*
Henry: *lets out a sigh of relief* Thanks for holdin' the door there; can't have little girls like this out in the rain *the little girl is still hugging to his leg, shivering due to the cold*
Lance: No. We can't have that now, can we? Come on. I should have something for you two to dry off in my office.
Henry: *nods and looks to the girl* Now, let's get you dried off so we can find your Mommy and Daddy, okay?
Girl: *smiles, giggles a bit and nods* Okay!
Lance: *smiles* Wait here in the sanctuary. It gets rather dark in the other parts of the church at night. I'll be back in a minute or two.
Henry: *nods* Alright then.
Girl: *turns to Henry* Thank you, mister cloak guy!
Henry: *grins* You're welcome!
Lance: *returns a few minutes later* Great...another leak. *hands them some towels* For you. It's never fun getting caught out in a storm.
Henry: *takes the towels and grins* Thanks! *hands the largest towel to the little girl* Here, use this.
Girl: *takes the towel and begins to dry herself off*
Lance: *takes a seat in one of the pews* Phew...I've been praying for rain, but not this much...
Henry: Last time I trust the weather almanac...
Lance: *sighs* I sure hope my daughter had the sense to get inside...
Henry: You'd have to be nuts to stay out there in this rain!
Lance: *chuckles* Nuts does run in the Hawk family genes.
Henry: Then your daughter must be a very interesting person, to say the least.
Lance: Sure is. *chuckles and rubs his nose* A bit too adventurous if you ask me.
Henry: *grins* Sounds like my kind of girl!
Lance: *narrows his eyes a bit* She's spoken for.
Henry: Really? *sincerely* He must be a lucky man; if she was raised by a kind man like you, I'm sure she's got a good head on her shoulders!
Lance: *sighs* She's too much like her mother.
Henry: Is that a bad thing?
Lance: Yes and...no. She's sweet enough, but goddess help me, she's a handful.
Henry: Don't all parents think that about their children, though?
Lance: I suppose you're right. *chuckles* All the same...I'm just a man and I don't handle teenage drama very well.
Henry: *laughs* Yeah, drama really does suck! I can't TELL you how many times I've gotten into stupid fights over nothing!
Lance: Back when I was a boy, we settled drama the old fashioned way!
Henry: You mean by beating the stuffing out of each other?
Lance: Yep. With a cricket bat. Of course...as a reverend, I have to say that's immoral though. *winks* I still have plenty of scars from those days.
Henry: *cocks his head* I can see killing someone as immoral, but how would beating someone with a cricket bat be immoral?
Lance: We're supposed to love our enemies of course. Tough love works just as well though. *grins*
Henry: I love my enemies...in a morbid sort of way *grins cheekily*
Lance: *laughs again* Now...don't let the elders here you talking like that.
Henry: *grins* What they don't know won't hurt 'em!
Lance: I don't know about that... They always seem to have eyes and ears everywhere. All the same-...Wait...*grins* Do you hear that?
Henry: You mean the rain outside? Yeah, it's going pretty hard out there....
Lance: Exactly. I need to make sure that leak's not getting worse... *sighs*
Henry: You need any help with that? We're not going anywhere anytime soon, and I'm pretty good at climbing.
Lance: Some help might be nice. As much as I "love" climbing ladders...I don't want to have to go to the dungeon for it in the dark.
Henry: Just tell me what you'd like me to do!
Lance: Excellent. *stands up and starts to walk off* Now...we just have to find that-*drop of water falls on his glasses* Leak...here. *sighs* I guess some buckets will have to do for now...
Henry: *chuckles* Whatever works, right, Reverend?
Lance: Right! ...Now...let me find those buckets. Hopefully the rain will stop before this gets too bad...
End of Support B 
===Support Level A ===
*a few days later*
Henry: *protecting a trio of young children from bandits* Back off, you ugly gorilla! *cuts one of them down*
Lance: *on his way to a second church* Hm...what's that racket?
Henry: *sees a bandit about to attack one of the children* NO! *takes the axe instead* AAAHHH! *falls to the ground, bleeding profusely*
Lance: What in the...Ruffians! *digs around for a tome* Great Absalom...Father of my People...I call upon the power of the Eshbonites! Behold your servant! *fires a light spell of great power* Mark of Truth!!
Henry: *watches as the bandits are decimated by the spell* *grins a bit* Looks like...they lose anyway....
Lance: *kneels down next to him* ...You don't look too good...My congregation will have to wait. Hold still.
Henry: *is starting to loose consciousness*
Boy: *scared* H-Hewry!
Henry: *to himself, but loud enough for Lance to hear* Aw, man...do I have to die here? The kids'll see it....*thinks for a moment* Life's never been fair....why should death?
Lance: *pulls out a healing tome* You'll be fine... I've seen worse. *bites his lip and starts to heal him* Abbas servo is parvulus...
Henry: *feels the healing light come over him* *allows a small smile* Ahh....that feels nice....
Lance: Hm...that'll have to do for now...But I can't keep ya' here. *picks him up* Nng...Come on children. Follow me.
*the children follow obediently*
Henry: *from over Lance's shoulder* Thanks for the save...I got in over my head....
Lance: You're just lucky I forgot my Bible and had to come back. Otherwise...*tappers off*
Henry: Yeah...I get the deal. To Hell I go.
Lance: I was just going to say you would have bled to death.
Henry: I know; I was just guessing at where I would end up.
Lance: I see...is that where you want to end up?
Henry: Of course not....I don't know any sane person who would. But let's face it; I've killed, I've robbed, I've lied, cheated, given into lust and temptation....I'm no saint. Where else am I going to end up? The Goddess isn't going to smile kindly to a boy like me....
Lance: Well...no one's a saint. I've done several of those things myself.
Henry: *looks down forlornly* I've just been told I'll amount to nothing my entire life...after a while, you begin to believe it. Would the Goddess find favor of me, even when I've done so many things people call "sins?"
Lance: Everyone has sinned, Henry. It's apart of life, but as far as I see it, you've done plenty of good yourself. The goddess loves a good heart, someone who can love. I've seen people who have done "good" things, but their heart is rotten to the core. She can look beyond the things you have down into your heart and see what is really in there.
Henry:....The Goddess is the sole being incapable of hating someone, right? She looks for the good in people, despite what they've done or how they are...that's what you mean?
Lance: Well...that's how I see it. It's not possible for someone to be perfect. If she damned us for every little thing...Hell would be full by now. As much as many priests like to think they're pure and holy, they're really not.
Henry:....I think I'm overdue for a confession session.
Lance: I'm not heading back to the church for a while. It's supposed to be my day off, but if you want to talk, my doors are always open.
Henry: *smiles a bit* Alright...but be prepared for a long list and, probably, a few moral clashes. I have a feeling that I'm going to bring up some very....debatable topics....
Lance: My wife used to say I could argue with a post. You've come to the right man, Henry. Whatever you've done, I've probably done it too.
Henry: *tentatively thinks for a moment*....Does that include being romantically involved with a member of the same gender?
Lance: *blinks* Well...probably not that. But I've tussled with the worst of them.
Henry: *half-hears his statement* I-I mean, I know that a lot of people frown upon those types of relationships...It was a one-time thing. I was with him for about two months, and we never did anything beyond kiss, but...but the affection was genuine. *bites his lip* I have to wonder why people say the Goddess condones such things, but then turn around and say She is all-loving and all-forgiving. Can that kind of feeling between two men or two women really be that wrong? I just...I don't know....
Lance: I can't force anything upon you, I know that's true. I wouldn't want anyone to force anything on me, but I'd be glad to listen to everything and hopefully help you understand. Things like this...I've found, there's usually a lesson to be learned behind it all.
Henry: *smiles*...Thank you, Reverand Hawk. You're the first priest to hear that without condemning me. You have no idea what's it like when people tell you that you'll burn in Hell for falling in love....I guess I'm just searching for hope.
Lance: I'm unorthodox. Sue me. *shrugs* If the goddess can forgive me, I'm sure she can forgive you too. I became a priest because I feel I can help others in a way others can't. She called me to do this. There's already enough condemning in this world.
Henry: *wipes a tear from his eye, even though he can't see it* Y-Yeah...being unorthodox is a good thing in that case *chuckles*
Lance: But first...*smiles* I think you need some rest. I've gotta' a sofa with your name on it.
Henry: *beginning to slip away into dreamland* That sounds....nice right about now....*closes his eyes*
Lance: *pats him on the back* You sound like you deserve some rest... *chuckles*
Henry: *already asleep* ZzZzZzZz.....
Lance: *chuckles* Zilver's gonna' be surprised. I never bring friends home...
End of Support A 
Henry, the "Condemned" Thief and Lance, the Loquacious Reverend
After several discussions with Reverend Hawk, Henry started to understand more and more about the world around him. The thief found the forgiveness he had long looked for in the pastor as well as new hope for the world. He continued on living his life often helping the pastor around in the church should he need it whether it involved fixing leaks or dealing with a certain unpleasant ex-pastor. Henry felt like a new man, no longer fearful of death.