The Fellowship of the Sun
A triangular mass of windows and modern side-panels of an off white, the church the Fellowship of the Sun congregate in is nothing short of welcoming. Its doors are comprised of transparent glass, allowing the world outside a glimpse into a richly carpeted and lavish lobby area. This is the heart of the church's information network; a place where tables filled with pamphlets and educational materials can be found as well as the corkboard holding up all the flyers and notices of recent events that might interest the congregation. Attached is a coat room, and the pair of handsome doors leading into the main chapel of the building, as well as a staircase that leads downstairs, where independent study rooms, the kitchen, and function rooms can be found.
In the room of worship, the walls are lined with magnificent, large windows. Large, fairly spacious, the altar stands proud and elevated like a stage in front of the masses of wooden pews standing sentinel. An elaborate wall of organ pipes make up the back wall, and above that is a golden cross, proclaiming its status as a holy place. The room always seems extraordinarily bright and sunny, a combination of the light colors used to decorate the room and the towering glass walls put into effect.
Waking up with the sun glinting through the windows and into your eyes is generally considered a good thing. Unless you are one Hailee Rose, who managed to stumble into the building and pass out under a pew before the doors were locked, woke up in the middle of the night to realize you were locked into some creepy church, and then fell back asleep behind the altar.
Bright rays of light now warm upon her face, the model (ex!) rolls over and winds up knocking down a candelabra and bumping into a chair. "FUCK."
It's no real surprise that Sean is around the church, it being a place of refuge and comfort to him. It's also no real surprise that the loud exclamation draws his attention. Blinking, and with clear surprise, the man ducks his head into the supposedly empty room, looking around at all the empty pews. "H-hello? Is anyone here?" And then, a softer, shyer and more tentative "…God?"
Hailee grumbles, kicks the damned candelabra, and reaches into her pocket for a small vial. It's extracted, a glare is given to the sun, and she opens it carefully. Only a drop of the viscous red liquid is permitted to come from the vial onto her tongue. Then it's capped and placed back. She shuts her eyes briefly, inhaling and exhaling slowly. Then she runs her fingers through her messy hair, stands up and leans against the altar. A teasing grin is on her face, though her eyes look a little glazed. "Only if God is suddenly female and likes to throw around the word fuck."
The usage of the curse word in the house of the Lord prompts a flush of red to appear on Sean's cheeks. Uncomfortably, he slide into the room entirely, glancing around in a squint until he finally catches sight of Hailee. "Who are you, exactly? I don't…think you're supposed to say that word in here. Were you praying? I didn't know there was…" Beat. "Uhh. Sorry for the third degree…"
"There's you here, and there's me here, and there's no services going on." Hailee lifts her shoulders up, hands going to the side. "Hailee Rose," she answers, quite honestly, not giving a shit if anyone knows who she is. What tends to irk her is when someone doesn't recognize her. Rather than get mad, she yawns, stretches, then slips around the altar. "Some idiot locked the doors with me still in here last night. Stupid fucking sun — oops, sorry. Woke me up. So who the Hell are you and what are you doing in here so early?"
"Sean Miller. I have a meeting with the reverend and…" His blue eyes widen dramatically as she, once again, allows her vulgarity to cut loose. It prompts him to shuffle on his feet uncomfortably, shooting the occasional fearful glance to the ceiling as if expecting to see a bolt of lightening shooting down to strike Hailee dead. "It's, uhm…a pleasure to meet…you? What were you doing here last night? And you shouldn't be wearing at the alter, Miss…"
"Rose. Hailee Rose." Hails dramatically rolls her eyes, and then grins right at him. "Shit, shit, fuck, damn." Wink. "I forget why I came in, since I've just hit my head on that accursed thing," she says, wafting a hand at the candelabra. "Point is, I've never seen a church lock its doors like that. So in lieu of breaking a window, I decided to sleep."
Sean flushes once again brightly, although this time he scratches the back of his short hair. "I'm…not exactly comfortable with that kind of language here, could you maybe please…?" But the request is never vocalized, though Sean grants Hailee a pleading sort of look. "Uhm. Well, the doors are unlocked now? There's some coffee in the kitchen too, if you'd like some?"
"Whatever," Hailee mutters. She stalks off the podium, heading toward the pew she was sleeping under the night before. A bag is grabbed; really a rather oversized purse. "Great. Bright and sunshiny early in the morning and the doors magically unlock." A piece of gum is yanked out of the purse, unwrapped and popped into her mouth. It'll have to do since she's not carrying a toothbrush with her at the moment. "Don't do caffeine. Know what that stuff can do to your complexion?" Since coffee is the absolute worst drug she can consider at the moment. Right. "So, Sean Miller, you a bible thumper or somethin'?"
"Really? No, I don't really know. I mean, I know it's not exactly wonderful for you but…eheh? I've got to have my coffee, I guess. I can't wake up properly without it, which I guess isn't the best thing to…" Sean watches her as she walks over, eyes blinking in a decidedly innocent fashion. "Bible thumper? What's that mean? I mean, I'm a believer, if that's what you're trying to say…"
"Awful things. Ages you before your time. It's a drug you know." Hailee smirks, as though she's not packing a purse and pocket full of various drugs. "Bible thumper. As in, you're not going to go all churchy on me, and expect me to convert or anything. I don't do church. Never have, never will. Ain't my thing. Guess the question here is why the hell you got all embroiled with this one."
Sean shakes his head solemnly, lifting a hand in a 'I surrender' sort of gesture as she begins speaking. "I'm not here to preach. I'm the last person to ever preach. I don't have the right to do that, or judge. I just believe what I believe. So…you wont have to worry about that when you're here." And he attempts to offer his fellow blonde a shy smile. "Why do you say this church with such emphasis? It's…really not as bad or as radical as people believe. Just another congregation of like-minded people. The services are actually really standard, like at any other church. I mean…I'd suggest you look it over, but you just said you didn't do church so…yeah."
"A congregation of like-minded haters," Hailee points out. A bubble is blown, which pops quite loudly in the open area. "Totally don't do church. Cuts into my me time." Said as the gum is sucked back in between her lips. "Nothing standard about hating vampires just for existing. It would be like me hating bars for existing, since they cause drunkeness and drunkeness causes drunk drivers, and drunk drivers kill people."
Sean quirks his head to the side curiously, his expression turning thoughtfully determined. It's clear that the man is attempting to formulate his argument. "I don't hate people. Not exactly. Not the ones that have this forced upon them. But disliking a condition that breeds parasitism and inhuman behavior is fairly standard all around. Your analogy doesn't quite work. Everyone who goes to the bars do so voluntarily, which isn't the case with vampires. You're also subject to the 'slippery slope' effect, which is a logic fallacy. Also? You're discounting the accountability of the drunk drivers, just because of their condition. I absolutely dislike them for what they do."
"Silly, silly church. If you weren't all so terrified of what they might do, and took a look at what they can offer to you in various different ways, you'd be less filled with hatred." Hailee eyes him, reaches into her pocket, and extracts the near-empty vial of red liquid. It's waved back and forth a few times, enticingly. "And it is hatred, as you're blaming them for an affliction, just like you would be blaming a drunk driver for being an alcoholic. Some things are just diseases, and having a disease is no reason to hate someone."
Sean shakes his head once more, pursing his lips as his eyes become hollow. "I don't blame anyone for their afflictions. It's not who they are that bothers me, it's what they do. By that logic, we shouldn't blame seriel killers for their murder, because they're sociopaths, and sociopathy is a disease. I don't fear what they might do. I dislike what they have done." When he sees the vial of blood, he freezes. Then, his lips contort into a wry smile. "I see. Are you on it right now?"
"Wouldn't you like to know?" A sly, almost evil grin settles upon her lips, and she peers at him. "Tut. I didn't say you either, I said the church feels that way. I've seen the commercials. I've seen the fliers. Hatred because a vampire is immoral. Silly, because there's just as many immoral humans, and we don't try to kill all of them." Hailee waggles her eyebrows out at him and holds the vial out.
"In the church's defense, we do actively pursue organizations that produce immoral actions." Sean points out logically, his hands then sliding into his pockets as he counters her points. "Like…gangs. Mobs. Are all mobsters and gang-members evil and immoral and cruel? Probably not. But we do try to systematically eradicate the system because by and large, they are destructive to the community. Vampires have proven by and large to be destructive to the community as well." It's almost mild, the way with which he refutes her argument as though it's nothing to him, and when his eyes fix on the vial, there's no attraction, no curiosity to the substance. Just…nothing.
Hailee licks her lips, then flips the vial around and tucks it back into her pocket. "So organizations that pursue immoral actions? Against homosexuals too? Going to eradicate them based on their sexual preference? How very close-minded of the church." Churches in general though, which is why she'll never be part of them. "Funny, since I was pretty sure the group that attacked that parade a few months ago was human, and they killed a little boy."
Sean shrugs his shoulders, offering Hailee a faint smile. "And you don't think your refusal to even consider the positives of the church isn't close-mindedness? It goes both ways, Miss Rose. But, I'm not here to try and convince you of anything. I can't, and I'm the wrong person to do so. So there's no point in this conversation, really. Especially since the church had nothing to do with the attack on the parade."
Yawn. "The positives of what? Enlightenment by a bunch of crazy people who believe in a non-existent God?" Hailee watches him, yawns again, then stalks over while smacking her gum. Then she pokes his shoulder gently. "Listen, bible-thumper, you're damned cute, I'll give you that. You want to extol the virtues of your church on me, we can do it over drinks some time. Holy Water. That's the non-vamp bar in this city, right? I'll even buy."
"The positives of community. Of being accepted, despite your flaws. Of being safe, and of having your sins forgiven." Sean extols now instead, mildly and in a non-intrusive manner. "It's what drives me to the church, at least. It changes for every person. I can't tell you what you'd find here, which is why I don't even try. I can only give you my personal experience and…" Beat. Wait, did she just call him cute? Blushing furiously, the man takes an automatic step back from Hailee. "Uhm - what? I don't…wanna…" But he's flustered, at this point. Almost cutely bewildered.
With his step back, she steps forward. "You don't wanna what? Go get a drink? Have a pleasant conversation in a safe atmosphere? C'mon, bible-thumper. You can have soda even. I'm sure they sell it there. What's the harm in having a little fun, and getting your religion on at the same time." Licking her lips, Hailee laughs a little. "S'matter? No one ever tell you that you were cute before?"
"What? No, no, it's not that! I drink. I'm not like…I'm a normal guy. I don't want to try and convince you of anything, really. I'm not…a preacher, or a theologist, or…" But then, she's licking her lips and laughing, and his blush intensifies for the moment. Slowly, he shakes his head. "I…I wouldn't mind going. There with you. I just, don't want to come off like I'm trying to convert you, is all. If you're serious…I'd love to discuss my religion with you." Notice how he pointedly avoids the 'cute' question.
"Then it's a date. Tomorrow night at seven? I'll be the pretty blonde with the rose." Hailee's smile is teasing, and bright. "You'll be the guy in the…" she gives him a slow up and down look. "Tight jeans and tee-shirt." Blowing another bubble, she tears her eyes from him. "I wouldn't have invited you, cutie, if I wasn't serious. You go on and get to meeting with your reverend now, and let's keep this little locked-in thing between us, hmm?"
"T-Tomorrow? I uhh…" Sean pauses to think, fighting past his faint mortification. "I…okay. Okay. I'll be there, I think. I mean, I know I'll be there. I'll…" Uncomfortably, he rubs at his head. "I'll catch you there, right? Oh - don't worry! I can keep a secret. Really well. I'll…I'll see you later, Miss Rose, then." And with a faint smile, the man moves to excuse himself from the room.
Another one that's fun to tease, and that blushes furiously. Hailee blows a kiss, then waves, then gets the hell out of the church, because it's seriously starting to creep her out a little bit. "See you then, cutie."