Running Water

[Aquarius Aziel Feng]

A couple of days ago, he had met a couple of really interesting people; the twins. They had adopted him as their little brother instantly, and he had even spent that following night with them. Of course, when morning came, he had to bid farewell to them and return to his usual routine, which would consist of delivering water to the clearing. He usually had the weekends off since he would’ve delivered the water very early on Saturday morning, and Sunday, at least for the boy, was a time to rest. Since the shirt was now officially too small for him, he had tucked it away into his torn shorts’ pocket, even tighter than the shorts themselves. The shirt was sticking out, like a mechanic would do with their oily washcloth.

He was carrying a pail full of water in one hand, as the other was still in the sling. Normally, he carried two to four pails of water, full to the rim, on a pole supported by his shoulders, but because of his broken wrist he couldn’t use the pole nor could he carry more than one pail at a time. But he was indeed in a rush, not wanting to upset anyone. Being careful not to spill too much water, he made his way through the rows of cornstalks headed for the clearing, where he would then pour the water into a large metal basin where their drinking water was stored, and boiled from time to time. But then his arm got tired, for he had been walking through the cornfield for half an hour, and so he paused to rest quickly, rubbing his sore arm. At least the basin was almost full.

[Bunny]

Isaac Chroner had never been one to act on impulse. Nor had he ever been one to act without reason. Every step was planned and filled with purpose; he didn't so much as twitch without the goal of shifting into a more comfortable position or to swat away a fly.

So if someone truly knew him (and, despite having a flock of "adoring" followers around him, the ones that could honestly claim to be one of their preacher's 'friends' were few and far between) they likely would have raised their eyebrows at his decision to leave his dwelling and go to the cornfield. He felt no calling from his Lord to go there for a more intimate prayer, nor did he have any inclination to summon the fold for some sort of sermon. He didn't even want to overlook the work done in the rows.

Frankly, even the ones who didn't know him might have been mildly curious by his abrupt leaving of his home when he didn't have any of the above callings. Because, frankly, he wasn't ever much inclined to leave his home too often. Though some of the more rebellious children laughed in their fists and whispered to one another that it was because he was guilty of Sloth, the truth was far more practical: it was best to stay in the place where people knew where to find him. He didn't want someone seeking him out only to discover that their leader had decided to explore some of the decrepid old buildings of Gatlin. He was the Lord's voice, and anyone who needed his guidance (or reprimand) had to be able to find them or he wouldn't be able to do his job.

But, hey.

Even the voice of God needed lunch breaks.

Or, in this case, a breakfast break. He told himself that it was just going to be a quick excursion, a chance to eat in relative privacy, and that he wasn't purposely eschewing his duties as the Lord's preacher by running away by what was, for lack of a better term, his batshit crazy flock of teenagers who thought that spoiled milk with corn kernles could somehow be called a 'pie'.

Ultimately, he sought refuge alongside the water basin for convenience sake. Earlier one of the younger children (not Ruth. Clearly that one couldn't be counted on to give an offering to anyone, as her nervous breakdown the day of Malachai's rebellion proved) had brought him a vegetable basket as offering. He had taken that and made his escape - er, excursion. For breakfast. He had earned that much, yes?

This train of thought was interrupted when he heard some of the corns rustle, which was either an indication of an ensuing prophecy of the Lord, or a hint that he had been discovered.

Unfortunately (or fortunately since the prophecies were usually that of 'death death death') it was the latter. It was the water-boy, Feng. He was rather indecent, his shirt off and jammed into one of his tattered short-pockets. But he was still relatively modest in comparison with Mary, who had taken to dressing like a harlot.

It was, after all, a hot day. Isaac himself had actually discarded the dark suit jacket he favored, and was just left in his dark button up shirt and burgundy pants.

"Greetings," he said awkwardly, well-aware that he hadn't been found at his most dignified, sneaking through the cornfield to hide from the flock entrusted to him (excursion! Excursion!), wielding a cumbersome basket and without his normal high standard of dress. But he collected himself and went on, as smoothly as if he was behind the pulpit, "You're filling the water bin up, then?"

OOC: My Isaac has become very bitter and sarcastic. At least inwardly. xD

[Aquarius Aziel Feng]

OOC - Well, could be interesting if Feng offered him the chance to go swimming with him, xD.

Feng nearly dropped the water upon being acknowledged, for he wasn’t really expecting anyone to see him at the clearing. Usually, when the boy worked, they didn’t pay any heed to him except to thank him when his task was done. As he looked up, he suddenly came to recognize the voice that these words belonged to, and would’ve gulped had it not been for the lump in his throat. He felt that he wasn’t very decent, what with the lack of a shirt and not being clean. After all, he was pretty much drenched in sweat from hair to ankles.

However, he saw that the preacher wasn’t dressed in his usual attire, and so felt a little relief, just a little. But Isaac was still older than Feng, possibly by four years. The boy never thought to ask the preacher about his age in fear of being shunned by the town, or even worse. But, even though the boy knew some martial arts, probably more than Isaac would, the child knew that if a fight was to emerge the town would turn against him and thus he would’ve ended up losing the match and probably even more, his life.

Feng nodded, timidly at first, and then bravely bowed out of respect for the preacher, before continuing to the water bin, where he would add to the water. He glanced across at Isaac, greatly concerned for his own safety but also for the preacher’s. It wasn’t normal for the young man to be out walking about unless they had a meeting or something just as important. So calmly, he picked up the pail, but glanced awkwardly at Isaac. “Are you okay, sir?”

[Bunny]

The moment Feng spoke, the boy preacher's mood lightened considerably. The bow and clear reverence were something he had been finding surely lacking in his recent communications with his fold, and despite an obvious, and pungent, emotion radiating off of these actions (contempt? fear? sarcasm) they were at the surface satisfying, which was certainly enough for now.


Isaac's lips twisted into a wry smile both at the question and the boy's apparent shock at being addressed. "I have seen better days," he said by way of answer, "but I am quite fine, thank you."

He regarded the other boy for a moment. He vaguely recalled first meeting Feng while Feng had been biking with a few companions. It had been three years ago, and started to mark the purging of all the sinful elders that lurked in Gatlin. But beyond that, he had never truly fostered any sort of relationship with this one beyond the one of spiritual leader. And lax one, as he couldn't recall summoning Feng for any individual guidance.

Because of this gap, as well as the boy's apparent reluctance to engage in conversation with him, he was compelled to prompt, "Are you alright?" Obviously, the boy's presence in the cornfield in broad daylight performing his duties couldn't be questioned, but Feng's demeanor was vaguely alarming.

[Aquarius Aziel Feng]

OOC - I don't always write long posts, but they are fun to read. =)

Feng was definitely nervous. The boy had never thought to see Isaac or even to be addressed by the preacher in such a situation like today’s, always having thought and presumed that he would see the young man only at meetings and during weekly sermons. The boy hadn’t really been attending the sermons lately, since he would often find himself either being too busy to sit still, or sleeping away the rest of the morning in a lovely nap. Now the preacher had answered his question, and the boy was slightly happier now that the young man hadn’t snapped at him or anything.

But he stood still, with the pail hanging from his good hand, while he watched Isaac. Now he was looking at Feng in such a way that felt rather awkward but normal, in a sense, and the boy would’ve gulped if he could. He knew he wasn’t wearing a shirt, but it was pretty hot that day, and he had been working since dawn to deliver the water. Now, the preacher had asked the boy if he was all right, and quickly, without hesitation, he nodded back in response. That was when he started to think. Could Isaac be a good friend for him, like with the twins? Probably not, but he had to try. “Well… I… I’m going back to the creek… Maybe you can come with, I mean, if you want,” he said as he shrugged, before turning on his bare heel and headed for the cornfield again. But quickly, he stopped, bowed to the other, and then started walking again.

[Bunny]

OOC: xD You weren't upset about my comment in the c-box, were you? I just remembered that you preferred longer replies. I don't mind, and usually write more for Isaac anyhow. He has more going on in his head than say, Rebekah does. >.>

IC:

Isaac offered a reassuring smile at the boy's assertion of being without immediate troubles, and had no intention of pressing further. But then his eyes fluttered in a series of confused blinks as Feng made an offer that, for lack of a better term, threw the preacher for a loop.

And that was not an easy feat to achieve. Being able to drink from the pool of God's wisdom through verbal contact oftentimes gave him the aura and feeling that, at the very least, he knew people, especially the flock that He Who Walks Behind the Rows marked as his own. Despite the recent flaws that the children had been displaying to him recently in the forms of rebellions, rancid pies and kidnappings, there had been at least a stream of predictability in all of these: Malachai had always been arrogant, and Rebekah had always been a fool and Damon's spirit had always been weak.

Coming from another tongue, Feng's remark could have bordered on disrespectful, degrading the Lord's human avatar to a station of normality. But Feng had clearly meant no harm, instead splashing in the childish innocence that was so enduring and loved.

Suddenly, Isaac came to the realization that his mouth had fallen open in a rather unflattering way. He closed it, blinked this time quite deliberately as a mask to his earlier parade of flutters, and finally nodded his assent, thinking that the following excursion could be both one of recreation and duty. It had been some time since he had indulged himself in the chiseled beauty of the land , and it had been quite some time longer since he had managed to judge Feng's fealty to his God. And regardless of both of those, the sheer innocence and naivety of the request touched him.

"That could be enjoyable," he mused, smiling a little, and following after the other boy from a respectable distance away at a steady pace. "Is there any particular reason you wish to go there?"

[Aquarius Aziel Feng]

OOC - No problem. I'm used to short posts if I can reply to them. =) Really short posts, like with one or two sentences, I'm not a big fan of, xD.

Feng was now uncomfortable, because it seemed that other than just staring Isaac had basically let his jaw drop. It was becoming rather awkward, especially with the boy preacher. But Feng shook it off quickly when he saw the other getting his mouth shut, and would’ve smirked had it not been for the respect, and fear, he had for this young man. He lifted the pail with a slight shrug, eyeing the water bin and seeing that it was just about full, and then glanced at the preacher before starting for the rows of cornstalks. “Well… I might decide to go swimming. I mean… I don’t know.” He tried to be calm, but he certainly didn’t want to get in trouble.

“If you would like to come, I don’t mind… I mean, I’m not sure if we’re even allowed to swim, so if not, then I will just go back there and get out of your hair, sir,” He babbled nervously, wanting to get out bad. He waited momentarily before turning away again and this time inching slowly towards the cornstalks. He didn’t want the boy preacher yelling at him or whipping his behind, anything like that. He wasn’t even sure if the young man knew of the boy’s practice of nudism, and felt for certain that he really didn’t want to know just what would happen if the preacher did know indeed.

[Bunny]

OOC: Yes. Unfortunately Rebekah is so slow not much goes on in her head beyond two sentences. xD And I would describe the scenery or the other person, but she's so introverted she wouldn't notice. XD But I love her.

IC:

Feng had begun to stutter in a near incoherent fashion. Normally, this would have indicated some sort of sin was going on, and momentarily sent up a red flag. But then Isaac realized that the boy was concerned about his swimming.

He refrained from giggling, but he did smile. "Why would swimming be a sin, child?" He continued to trail after the fleeing Feng, but he did slow his step. Although Feng had invited him along, it was growing very clear that he had stiff reservations with Isaac joining him. "We are meant to enjoy the life the Lord has given to us. Swimming harms no one, and in fact honors the Lord, for you are indulging in the beauty of his creation."

OOC: meh post! xD

[Aquarius Aziel Feng]

OOC - No problem. =)

Now the boy was truly confused, and so he stopped and turned to look at Isaac. He had tilted his head, his eyes were wide, and his mouth was open, indicating that the boy was somewhat shocked. “But… But… Malachai said… we weren’t allowed to have fun… Like play games, laugh, sing, or whatever…” He hadn’t heard it straight from Malachai, but he had been hearing what seemed now to be rumors. He noticed the smile, and although it made him slightly more comfortable, he was still confused and nervous. Without warning, the boy put the pail down and approached the other, reaching for his hand so that he could pretty much pull him towards the creek. He didn’t want their conversation to continue in the cornfield in case Malachai was listening, and so the creek was really a secluded spot, only a few of the children would ever bother coming here. He knew that Isaac had a point, of course, but it was better to be safe and alive than sorry and dying.

[Bunny]

At the mere mention of Malachai, Isaac's previously jovial mood soured.
"Mala-chai," he drawled, as though testing the word, "is not the giver of the Lord's laws, now is he?" He fixed Feng with a glare, for a moment half-expecting the other boy to reply 'Um, yes, yes he is.'

But Isaac shook himself, and tilted his head into a polite smile. The boy obviously had not heard the word of Malachai. "He is not," he answered for him. "He has grown very prideful as of late, and has elevated himself to such a position in his mind alone. But he will be surely punished for it. Fear him no longer." As they spoke Malachai was tucked away, bound in the dark, and would either be taken directly by the Lord if He was merciful, or left to starve if he was not.

Shifting back to Feng's original quary he added, "Games are sinful if they do not compliment the Lord. The old board games were sinful," he said by way of answer. "But tag makes use of the muscles you have been given, and swimming allows you to relish the world He Who Walks Behind the Rows has gifted to you."

OOC: yay dialogue?

[Aquarius Aziel Feng]

OOC It's a short post, but I hope it's good. =)

Feng blinked, realizing that the preacher had a point. In a way, Isaac was the one who would give such laws, and not Malachai. He did understand that the young man had gone crazy with power, so to speak, and decided that he would trust Isaac. After all, he had no choice. He had managed to lead Isaac towards the creek, and then the preacher had continued to speak. First of Malachai and then of the games being sinful and whatnot. He listened carefully so that he wouldn’t make such mistakes, at least in public. He started to understand that if he used his body the way he was meant to, and counted on the world the way he was supposed to, then he wouldn’t be sinful. But it was still better to be careful, so he simply watched Isaac as he edged closer to the water. “Well, the water bin’s full…” He said calmly, but proudly, as he started to unfasten his shorts, not thinking carefully. But a moment later, having pushed it just about an inch down his hips, he immediately thought against it, and blushing pink in the face, fastened his shorts back together. "Sorry... I usually go sk... I mean, I..." He chuckled nervously and reached up to scratch the back of his head.

[Bunny]

OOC: Always, Feng. stop rubbing your epic RPing skills in people's faces. xD

IC:
Oh, He Who Walks Behind the Rows...

And he had thought he had finally been speaking to someone reasonably sane when he began to drop his pant. Wonderful. The week just kept getting better and better, didn't it?

But the sin that Feng had been implying was far graver than baking a moldy pie. Blushing, displaying so much pride, and then dropping his pants...

Feng had been about to attempt buggery! Is that what he thought was approprate under Malachai's rule beneath Isaac's inattentive eyes?

No, no, no, no, no. If buggery was being rampantly committed, surely at least once it would happen in the cornfield. And if it happened in the cornfield, Isaac was certain that it would have caught his Lord's watchful gaze, and He would have certainly have informed his seer of the flourishing sin. Whatever Feng had done, he would have to assume (for now) that it hadn't been that unnatural heresy.

"Sk?" he echoed, keeping his voice conversational. "Would you finish that word? What were you about to say?"

[Aquarius Aziel Feng]

He gulped, mostly out of fear, but feeling little shame as well. Hesitantly, he would reply to Isaac’s question, although the words came out rather stretched. “Skinny dipping…” He looked away quickly, not wanting to feel guilty but it was already too late. However, his mind started working, opening up passages to hidden words and then forming a reasonable sentence that he hoped would go well. “I’m… I’m a…” He hesitated, but then took in a deep breath and let out a heavy sigh, before starting to ramble.

“I’m a nudist,” said the child, fidgeting with his thumbs, “I, um… I was raised in a family of nudists, and I learned that if God created my body then I should be proud of it and not be ashamed to show it, or maybe to share it with His creations,” he couldn’t really find the right words unless they would just pop up randomly in his head. “I… I mean some people know of it,” he reached up to scratch his head, trying to make this conversation less awkward. “But… I didn’t really mean to, do that just now… It’s just habit, I guess. I’m sorry if I made you mad.” He looked down to the ground.

[Bunny]

And then the boy, the apparent nudest Feng began to spout some complicated lie. But instead of just straight and narrow lies to be plucked through and demolished, he was spinning in some grains of truth: God created his body so he should be proud of it.

He was corrupting the very word of God in order to skinny dip!

"Your nudist family were sinners," Isaac reminded him, a little tightly. "That is why they were purged from our Happy Place." He tilted his head to the side, hoping that the threat would hold true. He decided to explain. "Do not, child, bastardize the very word of God to suit your own needs. You should be proud of what the Lord gave you, but you are using it to corrupt others and entice them towards sin.

"You say that you did it without thinking. Does that mean that you look at sin as a habit, and not a most grievous burden, something of which to be ashamed? And -- " he broke off here, and blinked, just suddenly understanding the entirety of what Feng said. "Did you say someone else knows of it?"

Oh Lord.

What now?

[Aquarius Aziel Feng]

Feng tensed up when the preacher had pretty much scolded him. He wanted to shake his head, deny that he wasn’t really trying to do anything bad just by being naked, but right now, his fear wouldn’t let him. He wished he hadn’t said anything at all, nor did anything. He wished he hadn’t bothered to invite the preacher over, but it would’ve been rude to just look and nod and then walk away. By now, he was trying not to cry, but with quivering lips he would answer. “No… No, I’m ashamed of sins, but, but…” He couldn’t reason, he was sure of it, and now he wished he hadn’t mentioned anyone else knowing of it. He hesitated.