Southern Charm
folder
+. to F › FAKE
Rating:
Adult ++
Chapters:
18
Views:
4,854
Reviews:
13
Recommended:
0
Currently Reading:
0
Category:
+. to F › FAKE
Rating:
Adult ++
Chapters:
18
Views:
4,854
Reviews:
13
Recommended:
0
Currently Reading:
0
Disclaimer:
I do not own FAKE, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.
Chapter Three: The Empress
Chapter 3: The Empress
Date Written: 9/14/05
Rating: K+
Characters/Pairings: Dee/Ryo
Warnings: Homosexuality, Murder, Hoodoo use
Disclaimer: Same as Chapter Zero
Spoilers: All the way through Book 7
Notes: St. Louis Cathedral was the church that was in the background last night during Bush\'s address to the nation. And parts of New Orleans should be reopening for what business they can do next week!
----------
Saint Louis Cathedral is the cathedral in the French Quarter of New Orleans, Louisiana. Three Roman Catholic churches have been on this spot since 1727. The first version of the current Cathedral was constructed in the 1790s; the building was extensively renovated into its current appearance in the 1850s. While not one of the largest or grandest of the city\'s Catholic churches, this historic Cathedral remains an important religious and social center and a landmark for tourism.
While Hurricane Katrina did not affect the French Quarter as profoundly as other parts of New Orleans, the high winds managed to displace two large oak trees by the Cathedral. In the process, thirty feet of ornamental gate was dislodged, while the marble statue of Jesus Christ lost a thumb and a forefinger.
--from Wikipedia, the online encyclopedia
----------
At breakfast the next morning, all everyone could talk about was the murder on St. Anne\'s, just a block down the street from the hotel. The hotel manager actually came into the breakfast room and spoke personally with all the patrons to let them know they were perfectly safe.
Dee momentarily wished he had brought his gun.
Instead, while Ryo went back to the room to call Mother and check in on Bikky, Dee went across the street to the Cathedral.
He wasn\'t a practicing Catholic, although Mother had baptized him as a baby and he had gone through the confirmation rites, but he always felt drawn to holy ground when he was worried about something. He assumed it was from growing up in a Church, familiar surroundings and whatnot.
The holy water was surprisingly cool on his fingers as he crossed himself, walking down the long aisle that lead to the altar. St. Louis Cathedral had long rows of hard wooden pews and high, vaulted ceilings. Prayer candles flickered in front of statues of Mary and Jesus and other saints, and Dee stood in the middle of the church aisle, staring up at the crucifix hanging on the wall behind the altar, his mind blissfully blank.
\"Is there a problem, my child?\"
Dee turned to see a dark-skinned priest standing behind him, short curly white hair adorning his head. He was carrying an armful of hymnals, and looked concerned.
\"No, Father. I\'m going to Hell anyway, so it\'s not worth your time,\" the detective laughed at his own joke.
The priest, however, wasn\'t amused. \"If you\'d like, I\'m free to hear your confession.\"
\"Thank you, but no. Being with the one I love may be considered a sin by some, but never to me.\"
To Dee\'s surprise, the holy man chuckled at that statement. He placed a friendly hand on the detective\'s shoulder, smiling up at him. \"What the world--and what this religion--needs is nore people like you.\"
At Dee\'s puzzled look, he explained. \"In today\'s time, with people running planes into buildings and praying for others to die and doing a plethora of hateful things to one another all in the name of God, for Chrissakes, what we need are people like you who love unashamedly and unapologetically.\"
Dee was slightly taken aback by the outpouring of emotion from the shorter man before him. The priest, however, chuckled at the shocked look and patted his cheek like a fond uncle.
\"Faith, hope and love, my son, faith, hope and love.\"
---
Dee lit a cigarette the moment his feet hit the marble steps of the cathedral. The nicotine hits his lungs and flooded his veins, calming his frazzled nerves. Such emotion from a stranger was slightly unnerving.
\"Father DuBois can be quite observant at times,\" a soft voice floated into his ears. He looked down at the source of the voice and saw the same woman he and Ryo had encountered in Café du Monde sitting on the wide, shallow steps. Her arms were hugging her knees to her chest, a long brown peasant skirt rising to her mid-shin. She stood, brushing off her rear and smiled winningly at the detective.
\"What are you doing here, stalking me?\" Dee half-joked, raising an eyebrow.
The woman scoffed. \"Please don\' tease me. If I was to stalk someone, it would be that trés magnifique lover of yours.\"
\"How did you--\" Dee\'s question was cut off when the coffee colored woman reached into her pocket and withdrew a card, flashing him the face. A naked man and woman were holding hands in the foreground of a meadow scene, and the label The Lovers jumped at him from the bottom of the card. He frowned, looking over the top of the card into her eyes. Her eyes were dark brown, almost black, and Dee was instantly reminded of Ryo. \"Who are you?\"
The girl dropped a polite curtsy. \"You may call me Marie, Monsieur. I often read tarot cards here in the Square. Maybe one day I will read your fortune, oui?\"
\"We\'ll see,\" Dee replied, looking at Marie with a weary eye. Something about the tarot cards set him on edge, but he couldn\'t explain why.
\"Dee! There you are!\"
Jade eyes lifted upwards where Ryo was leaning on the balcony railing, waving at him. \"Hey, Mother says hello, and Bikky\'s fine. What are you doing down there?\"
\"I\'m just talking to--\"
Dee\'s reply cut short as he looked at the air around him. Marie had--seemingly--vanished into thin air.
\"--No one\"
Date Written: 9/14/05
Rating: K+
Characters/Pairings: Dee/Ryo
Warnings: Homosexuality, Murder, Hoodoo use
Disclaimer: Same as Chapter Zero
Spoilers: All the way through Book 7
Notes: St. Louis Cathedral was the church that was in the background last night during Bush\'s address to the nation. And parts of New Orleans should be reopening for what business they can do next week!
----------
Saint Louis Cathedral is the cathedral in the French Quarter of New Orleans, Louisiana. Three Roman Catholic churches have been on this spot since 1727. The first version of the current Cathedral was constructed in the 1790s; the building was extensively renovated into its current appearance in the 1850s. While not one of the largest or grandest of the city\'s Catholic churches, this historic Cathedral remains an important religious and social center and a landmark for tourism.
While Hurricane Katrina did not affect the French Quarter as profoundly as other parts of New Orleans, the high winds managed to displace two large oak trees by the Cathedral. In the process, thirty feet of ornamental gate was dislodged, while the marble statue of Jesus Christ lost a thumb and a forefinger.
--from Wikipedia, the online encyclopedia
----------
At breakfast the next morning, all everyone could talk about was the murder on St. Anne\'s, just a block down the street from the hotel. The hotel manager actually came into the breakfast room and spoke personally with all the patrons to let them know they were perfectly safe.
Dee momentarily wished he had brought his gun.
Instead, while Ryo went back to the room to call Mother and check in on Bikky, Dee went across the street to the Cathedral.
He wasn\'t a practicing Catholic, although Mother had baptized him as a baby and he had gone through the confirmation rites, but he always felt drawn to holy ground when he was worried about something. He assumed it was from growing up in a Church, familiar surroundings and whatnot.
The holy water was surprisingly cool on his fingers as he crossed himself, walking down the long aisle that lead to the altar. St. Louis Cathedral had long rows of hard wooden pews and high, vaulted ceilings. Prayer candles flickered in front of statues of Mary and Jesus and other saints, and Dee stood in the middle of the church aisle, staring up at the crucifix hanging on the wall behind the altar, his mind blissfully blank.
\"Is there a problem, my child?\"
Dee turned to see a dark-skinned priest standing behind him, short curly white hair adorning his head. He was carrying an armful of hymnals, and looked concerned.
\"No, Father. I\'m going to Hell anyway, so it\'s not worth your time,\" the detective laughed at his own joke.
The priest, however, wasn\'t amused. \"If you\'d like, I\'m free to hear your confession.\"
\"Thank you, but no. Being with the one I love may be considered a sin by some, but never to me.\"
To Dee\'s surprise, the holy man chuckled at that statement. He placed a friendly hand on the detective\'s shoulder, smiling up at him. \"What the world--and what this religion--needs is nore people like you.\"
At Dee\'s puzzled look, he explained. \"In today\'s time, with people running planes into buildings and praying for others to die and doing a plethora of hateful things to one another all in the name of God, for Chrissakes, what we need are people like you who love unashamedly and unapologetically.\"
Dee was slightly taken aback by the outpouring of emotion from the shorter man before him. The priest, however, chuckled at the shocked look and patted his cheek like a fond uncle.
\"Faith, hope and love, my son, faith, hope and love.\"
---
Dee lit a cigarette the moment his feet hit the marble steps of the cathedral. The nicotine hits his lungs and flooded his veins, calming his frazzled nerves. Such emotion from a stranger was slightly unnerving.
\"Father DuBois can be quite observant at times,\" a soft voice floated into his ears. He looked down at the source of the voice and saw the same woman he and Ryo had encountered in Café du Monde sitting on the wide, shallow steps. Her arms were hugging her knees to her chest, a long brown peasant skirt rising to her mid-shin. She stood, brushing off her rear and smiled winningly at the detective.
\"What are you doing here, stalking me?\" Dee half-joked, raising an eyebrow.
The woman scoffed. \"Please don\' tease me. If I was to stalk someone, it would be that trés magnifique lover of yours.\"
\"How did you--\" Dee\'s question was cut off when the coffee colored woman reached into her pocket and withdrew a card, flashing him the face. A naked man and woman were holding hands in the foreground of a meadow scene, and the label The Lovers jumped at him from the bottom of the card. He frowned, looking over the top of the card into her eyes. Her eyes were dark brown, almost black, and Dee was instantly reminded of Ryo. \"Who are you?\"
The girl dropped a polite curtsy. \"You may call me Marie, Monsieur. I often read tarot cards here in the Square. Maybe one day I will read your fortune, oui?\"
\"We\'ll see,\" Dee replied, looking at Marie with a weary eye. Something about the tarot cards set him on edge, but he couldn\'t explain why.
\"Dee! There you are!\"
Jade eyes lifted upwards where Ryo was leaning on the balcony railing, waving at him. \"Hey, Mother says hello, and Bikky\'s fine. What are you doing down there?\"
\"I\'m just talking to--\"
Dee\'s reply cut short as he looked at the air around him. Marie had--seemingly--vanished into thin air.
\"--No one\"