(Untitled)

[izzyevans]

[Timed to Saturday, May 3.]She hadn't been to church in a long time. Isabel had never gone on the island, though she'd long known about the existence of the building. Back in Roswell, the last time she'd been inside a church had been for Alex's funeral. Poor, dear Alex. Whenever she'd had enough out here, Isabel would have to pick a few flowers

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[texas_forever]

If asked, Tim couldn't have said what brought him to the church that day. He'd never really been very religious back home, at least no more than anyone really had to be having lived in Texas their whole life. If pressed, he'd say he believed in God, but he can't remember the last time he ever actually read the Bible or stepped foot in a church aside from going to someone's wedding or funeral and, even counting those, he still has a hard time

[izzyevans]

She saw him out of the corner of her eye, just when he moved to sit down. Isabel inhaled sharply, suddenly both anxious and ashamed. It took her a blessed long while to tip her head in his direction.

The bruises on his neck weren't as garish as they'd been the last time Isabel had laid eyes on him. That was the first thing she noticed. The second thing she noticed was just how much space he'd pointedly left between them. Though she tried to shrug it off, it did sting. More than a little.

"Hey," she returned evenly. Before she could shift and resume staring off into space like she'd been doing before he came in, she heard herself say, "I didn't think I'd see you again." Isabel frowned, unsettled, but not so much by him as by herself.

[texas_forever]

"Small island," he points out with a very faint, bittersweet smile, his head tipped just a little, watching her carefully. She looks... well, she's not in the red dress anymore, but she still looks good. If kinda sad.

Probably a church thing, he figures.

Or maybe a Fido thing or whatever that guy's name had been. Her friend. She'd been upset before he'd left that night, but Tim's not quite presumptuous enough to think it'd been because of him.

His brow furrows just a little, concern tugging at them before he speaks again. "You alrigh'? Look kinda... not real happy." Understatement. Huge understatement. But words have never been Tim's specialty.

[izzyevans]

"Yeah, it is," she agreed, her tone lighter than she felt. Shifting in her seat, Isabel's foot nudged the bag that had been discarded on the floor. Directing her gaze downward, she stared at an errant thread sticking out of the side.

That was her. Breaking the seam, unraveling. That's how she'd been feeling all month, but it had not been so clear, so all-consuming until Pullo had given her the cold shoulder the other day.

"No, I'm not all right at all," she said, speaking to her lap. Isabel had this weird urge to just keep talking -- about what, she had no clue -- but bit down on her lip, eyes never budging from that stupid thread.

[sortofaman]

The Doctor didn't go to church much. Christmas, that was it, and only because he was with Chase. His beliefs were nebulous at best, but that didn't mean he didn't think about things, every once in a while.

I believe I haven't seen everything...

Little did he know.

He had expected the church to be empty at this time, but it wasn't, and it wasn't with someone who didn't care to see him. Always pleasant.

"Sorry," he said softly, and turned to go.

[izzyevans]

She wasn't alone anymore.

It wasn't so much that Isabel heard someone else in the church but more like she sensed them. There was a cool, prickling sensation on the back of her neck. Her stomach flipped slowly, though she willed it to stop as she turned around to see just who had entered the church unexpectedly.

Perfect.

"What are you sorry for?" she said. "It's not like this place belongs to me." What had compelled her to stalk to him and not just let him leave was beyond Isabel at the moment.

[sortofaman]

"Seeing as the last time we spoke, you basically told me to get out of your sight and not talk to you," the Doctor said, turning and looking over his shoulder, "I thought that'd be the best reaction."

Except she was clearly talking. He paused in his stride and turned.

[izzyevans]

It had been so long since they'd spoken that Isabel couldn't remember exactly what she'd said. That seemed appropriate, though.

"Do you always do what someone tells you to do?" she asked, a brow quirking with interest.

[15_words]

Churches were, well, weird in Jaye's opinion. She'd never been 100% convinced about the GOD thing, even when she was a kid. But she'd never been 100% convinced that there WAS NO GOD at the same time. So she just tended to avoid 'holy places' with all their rules and requirements. Faith was an illogical thing, so why should she go anywhere near it?

But, then again, she'd done G-O-D or whoever the hell was up there and aligned himself with the Catholic Church a few favors. Lots, actually, if it turned out the Christians were right. Or a lot of disservice if it was really Satan calling the shots. Either way, there was something going on there, and after eight months, Jaye was not above investigating ALL her options. No matter how nonsensical they were

[izzyevans]

The loud curse made Isabel jump with a start. She hadn't been expecting anyone else to wander in here, much less announce their presence in a decidedly un-holy way. There was little surprise in her expression when she turned round to see just who the intruder had been.

"If you're wanting a one-way ticket straight to Hell, that oughta do it in a pinch," she said, giving Jaye a pointed, unimpressed look.

[15_words]

Jaye rolled her eyes and immediately fell into the reassuring habit of scoffing. "Please. There's no such thing as hell," she said, taking Isabel's words as an invitation to walk further inside.

"And even if there was, I didn't take anyone's name in vain. Unless you're here to worship your god Fuck?"

[izzyevans]

"You don't know that for sure," Isabel said automatically, though her heart wasn't quite into being a smartass in return.

"And I don't worship a god named Fuck. Or any god at all, maybe." The last bit made her frown. What the hell did she even know about herself at the end of the day? Not too damned much, that was for sure.

[luciusvorenus]

Vorenus had not been to the church in a very long time. His gods were not to be found inside, nor anywhere else on the island that Vorenus might find them, were his moping to be believed, and yet when he lifted his eyes from the path he was not twenty paces away from its walls.

The walk had been long, and at the thought of the pews inside Vorenus ventured onward, eager for a rest in the shade. What he found inside was quite the opposite.

Though her head was bent, Isabel's fair locks were unmistakeable the moment he crossed the stone threshold, too large a man to be quiet about it, and therefore without a stealthy escape.

"Forgive me," he said, finding his voice uncomfortably loud in the close space. "I did not know you were here."

[izzyevans]

There was a distinct crunching of stones coming from the entryway. Instinctively Isabel craned her neck toward the sound. When her eyes settled upon Vorenus, she felt the very real desire to sink into the ground or flee.

Isabel, however, did neither of those things. Instead, she stared over at him, her eyes drinking in his form as though they had been dying of thirst. She could not remember how long it had been since they had last spoken at the market, but she did know she had missed the sight of him.

"How could you have?" she said after taking a moment to find her voice.

[luciusvorenus]

"I..." Vorenus began, doing his best not to feel simple when he realised he had no answer. "Do not know."

He also did not know what he was meant to do now, but he held his position at the door, if only because Vorenus was not a man who ran away. At least, not physically.

"Do you wish me to leave you?"

[izzyevans]

Despite the whirlwind of emotions vying for dominance inside of her, and all of them on the rather negative side of the fence, Isabel felt herself smile. Her question had been more rhetorical than anything.

His question coaxed a frown out of her then, the smile dissolving quickly as she thought of the last time they had spoken. The right thing would be to tell him to leave, that she wanted him to go. She needed to do that, for his sake as well as her own.

"I want you to stay," she said instead, livelihoods be damned.

She hadn't meant to say that.

[octavia_minor]

Octavia, as a rule, tried to steer clear of the temple that people called a church. As much as she wanted to learn about things from her future, their strange religion was not something she was remotely interested. The deities she'd worshipped her entire life sufficed for her. Passing by, though, she happened to glance inside, where she noticed Isabel in one of the bench-like structures that filled the room.

With a good deal of uncertainty, she stepped inside, hardly able to walk in a straight line as she looked around at the walls and ceiling before she slid into the same row as Isabel, careful to leave enough space. "I'm not interrupting anything, am I?" she asked hesitantly. She knew better than to disturb someone at prayer, after all, and if Isabel was busy, she'd have no problem leaving.

[izzyevans]

Isabel had heard the footfalls but hadn't turned around to see to whom they belonged, thinking that probably someone else had come to sit inside quietly and reflect or pray.

She was pleased, however, to discover the person was Octavia. Shaking her head, fair hair spilling into her eyes, Isabel said, "No, you're not interrupting anything. I was just...thinking. That's all." Brushing the stray hair out of her eyes, she added, "I'm kind of surprised to see you here, actually." An impish smile curved her mouth. "Are you hiding from your mother?"

[octavia_minor]

The laugh Octavia let out was quiet, but her grin mirrored Isabel's, and she shook her head. "No, actually, I wasn't," she replied. "Now that you mention it, though, that doesn't sound like a bad idea. I doubt she'd ever think to look for me here, let alone set foot remotely near it." If she was uncomfortable with this more modern religion, her mother would be even moreso by far, she was certain. Pausing, she shrugged. "But how've you been?"

[izzyevans]

Isabel laughed, thinking of Octavia's mother. She had only met her briefly but didn't think she was as bad as Octavia seemed to think she was, though Isabel knew that things probably went on that she wasn't aware of. Atia seemed confident and maybe a little overbearing, though it hadn't bothered Isabel much at all.

"I've been--" Fine is what she intended to say. But that wasn't what came out. "--Confused. Miserable. How about you?"