Dirge nos Domine|{Sodapop} INACTIVE

[JANE EYRE]

It had been too long since Jane had been to church. Since she arrived in Brooklyn, she hadn't even opened her Bible or given thanks. Having been raised in a very religious private school, Jane felt guilty for not praying or tithing like she should have been. Of course there were excused that she told herself; Jane had been busy working, Jane had been busy trying to get her feet beneath her.

None of the excuses worked because Jane had enough time to paint and go to museums and chat online. She had lost her faith. And, for someone who at a young age had very few options, either teaching, becoming a housewife, waitressing, or becoming a nun, Jane was disgraced. When she was locked in the red room by her aunt, telling herself stories and praying was all she had to pull herself through the experience.

This whole time Jane knew that she should have been praying instead of complaining. But she didn't, she ignored the Lord Father and forged her own way.

Now, she was ready to change that. Jane was dressed as simply as she could, with a small, light yellow hat covering her head and she was kneeling in a back pew. She had crossed herself when she came and she knelt on the velvet cushion of the bench and began praying.

Jane recited the Lord's Prayer silently, her lips mimicking the words, before launching into the prayer that needed to be sent.

Forgive me Lord, for ignoring you like I have. I was foolish not to turn to you when things were getting out of my control. You had helped me through the hardest times in my life before and I know that you will help me through this.

Give me strength to overcome my past in England and start anew. Help me to forgive all those at home who had hurt me for I still cling to the bad memories. Help me to remember them in a fond light instead of blaming them wrongly. And watch over them, oh Lord. Even though they aren't part of my life anymore they still deserve much happiness and security. I never wanted to hurt them or be hurt by them, please heal all the wounds that have been inflicted by either of us.

Give me strength to endure the hardship that has been placed on my shoulders. I know that you have some plan for me, some divine vision that I cannot see. Living a pious life is not something I dislike. I've always lived simply, sparsely, but I haven't lived in fear for a long time. I fear not having enough money to buy food or pay rent, I fear ending up on the street. Take away my fear, Lord, and replace with the comfort of knowing that you are here beside me. I give my life up to you, for you to control and for you to decide.

But most of all Lord, please help me to remember your divine love and endless grace for I fear that I have forgotten it.

[sodapop]

Soda was walking down the sidewalk, once again he'd found myself in Brooklyn, he seemed to be visiting that city a lot. He guessed it was 'cause he hadn't seen it all yet, it wasn't boring to just walk down the street. Like in Windrixville where all there was to see had already been seen over the course of eighteen years. He liked the feeling of not knowing where he was going, and currently that's how he felt. Soda was taking in the sights, not paying any mind to the people, he could people-watch later if he wanted to, even if that did sound boring.

Sodapop passed by a church not exactly planning on stopping by and saying hi to a guy he really didn't have much faith in, that's when he noticed the small brunette kneeling down and praying. Sodapop peered inside the doors a little more, he used to go to this church as a real little kid, then once when Soda was around 15, after Ponyboy and Johnny had dragged him there, but with in minutes he got bored and started goofing off, as he recalled he dropped a bible on the wooden pew and it hit it with a loud THUD! Soda smiled at the memory, then slipped inside the church. Walking up directly behind the girl as she prayed he waited for her to lift up her head and finish before poking her in the shoulder, "So your not a nun are you?"

Okay so he was starting off sounding like a huge flirt, but hell, well heck, not like it mattered. This girl would either like the fact that Sodapop was playfully asking if she was datable or she would absolutely hate him and take his little comment as an insult. He was really hoping it wasn't the second.

[JANE EYRE]

So help me lord. Help me to overcome this obstacle in life and help me to remember that you're always with me. Amen.

Jane hadn't been expecting anyone to sneek up behind her, much less poke her and talk to her. It startled a squeak from her, causing the few other patrons to turn around and give her dirty looks. Jane to look apologetically at them and sent one more to the heavens before turning to look at the man who had disturbed her.

"So your not a nun are you?"

"No, I am not a nun," Jane answered quite plainly since she wasn't all to sure what to make of the question. It seemed so simple but something in his tone suggested a totally different meaning. But, Jane didn't know what that meaning was.

She was useless at sarcasm and flirting. She couldn't recognize either one in real life. And Jane couldn't tell which one the question posed was.

[sodapop]

So the brunette had taken neither of the options he thought she would, and quiet frankly, ignored the fact that he was flirting altogether. He let out a very low frustrated sigh, hoping the girl wouldn't catch it and take him as a jerk. He bit his lips and looked the girl in the eyes the edges of his lips turning up into a small smile.

He would introduce the fact that he was flirting with her very simply and maybe then the brunette would catch on, "Your cute." He said bluntly.

Okay, to simply, a few old folks behind him were staring, watching with wide eyes. He glanced at them they were smiling and giggling, something about how young love was so adorable, someone needed a life. He rolled his eyes back toward Jane and motioned to the couple with his head, "Anyways..."

[JANE EYRE]

"Your cute." The boy had blurted out. Jane wasn't expecting him to say that, at all. Her face flushed a bright and sudden red and Jane couldn't help but glance at the elderly people who were watching; they were suddenly much more interested in Jane and the boy than in God. And that really wasn't a good thing considering that they were in a church. Jane shyly tucked her hair behind her ear and looked forward again, a little uncomfortable.

"Um, thank you,"She said quickly. Jane looked at the boy again. He looked like he was about her age but he was certainly a lot rougher around the edges than she was. Jane could tell by the way he wore his clothes and the way he stood that he came from a drastically different background than her and, while she had no problem with that, she had no idea how to react.

It wasn't every day swarthy young men came up to her in a church and called her cute.

[sodapop]

God this girl was literally going to wait for him to die before she even came slightly close to flirting with him. That and she was making him feel more then stupid just standing there thinking of a way to continue a conversation with this girl, he hated it when he ran into this sort of problem. Which was rare because most girls he ran into caught on to the fact that he was flirting playfully right away. Then again most of those girls were greasers, and Jane clearly wasn't, nor did she even come close, to being a greaser.

As she so politely said thank you, Sodapop gazed around the church before sitting on the pew and pointing at the altar. "So, uh," He began gazing back at Jane, "How long have you been going here?"

Mainly he wanted to figure out if the two had run into each other three years ago when he had disrupted the whole ceremony. Soda often liked to brag about his little pranks, it didn't really occur to him that this girl might not like the fact that he had totally ruined a moment of pray. She did seem like the really religious type...

[JANE EYRE]

"This is my first time here, actually," Jane answered, once again polite as possible. Her knees were starting to ache dully from kneeling for so long so Jane stood up quietly. She crossed herself and bent at the knee just a little before turning to the boy.

"I don't think it's the best idea to continue talking in a place of worship. Some people may find it aggravating," Jane felt uncomfortable herself chatting away inside a church. It wasn't how things were done in her mind. As a child at school, time spent in a church was spent in silence. The only time they were allowed to talk was in reply to the preacher's words or when singing a hymm. They also did confession every day after the main sermon. The involved talking for many but Jane lived a very simple and pious life and never had much to confess. She was the nuns favorite because of that.

"I'd like to apologize too, for annoying you. I'm not exactly sure what I've done but I can see that you are frustrated with me,"

[sodapop]

He chuckled and began talking in a low mumble, partially to himself and partially to Jane, "Then you obviously wouldn't know of my-"


"I don't think it's the best idea to continue talking in a place of worship. Some people may find it aggravating."

His eyes widened in surprise, that sounded like a get lost to him, a very polite get lost but a get lost none the less. What was the deal? He was laying on the charm thicker then when Two-bit put peanut butter on his bread and that was a mound of peanut butter, and she wasn't even taking the slightest bit of a hint. "Well the only person I see getting pissed is you, so let's continue this lovely conversation outside!"

"I'd like to apologize too, for annoying you. I'm not exactly sure what I've done but I can see that you are frustrated with me."

"My go-odness your polite! Honestly your not annoying me," Soda said kicking his feet up on the pew in front of him, "Just kinda bugged your not paying attention to me that's all. You don't got a boyfriend do you?"

[JANE EYRE]

Not paying attention? Jane was confused again. Then the question about the boyfriend...add that to the "You're pretty" comment. It finally clicked for Jane that the boy was trying his best to flirt with her and she had been oblivious the whole time. Jane blushed bright red and covered her mouth in embarrassment.

"Oh, I am so sorry. I didn't even realize...I'm not good at recognizing flirting at all," Jane rambled. Someone was flirting with her, in the most obvious manner ever, and she didn't even know it until he spelled it out for her. It was times like this that she didn't like the fact that she was raised in such a sheltered environment. It made her so socially unaware that it was sometimes painful. Like this moment, Jane didn't know that there was a flirtation in progress.

"I'm sorry," Jane repeated for good measure and pressed her hands against her cheeks to try and cool them down. Goodness this was embarrassing. But now, thinking back, Jane realized that in the museum, she had been flirting with Ichabod too but neither had realized it. "But, no, I don't have a...boyfriend," Such an odd term, boyfriend. Jane didn't really like it, it seemed childish to an extent.

[sodapop]

Wasn't good at recognizing flirting? Well that was clear as day now, he raised an eyebrow getting a kick out of how flustered she looked. She apologized to him at least three times, which proved to him Jane was indeed a good little church girl. He gave her his award winning smile."Honestly it's fine," He assured, "I don't really care."

"But, no, I don't have a...boyfriend,"

Once again, that was something that was clear as day now. If she couldn't even recognize flirting when it was right under her nose there was no way she'd have a boyfriend, and wasn't it against some religious laws not to have a romantic relationship with someone if you were under the age of twenty? Sodapop shook his head, he hated trying to make sense of something he didn't get, he liked it better when someone tried to explain it to him. "So uh," He began, "Whos the guy on the plus sign?"
He nodded his head to the cross that hung over the alter, of course he wasn't stupid, he knew who the guy was but he figured he'd just act clueless. He was to tried to do any straight thinking at the moment anyhow.

[JANE EYRE]

Plus sign...? Jane was confused by the question but she turned her head and saw the crucifix hanging in the middle of the alter. Now, the question made sense. "Jesus," Jane answered bluntly. She was certain that the boy actually did know who the man was, and that he was just trying to get a conversation going.

"We haven't properly introduced ourselves yet, so allow me. I'm Jane," Jane offered her hand to a handshake. Something about the boy was eerily familiar, like Jane had already met him even though she hadn't. She recognized his speech but she couldn't place where from. The unrefined edge and the blunt phrases were all things she had experienced somewhere before but....it was annoying for Jane not to know. She was usually so good at placing faces and other such identifying traits to a name but she was struggling today. "I feel like we've met, somewhere, before but I can't quite remember where,"