{OPEN} ♔ they call her the black crow

[ensorceler]

( september 1st ; outside the temple )

It's the first, and yet another month beginning with the confusion and alarm of those kidnapped and brought to be judged.

Despite the sun being rather unforgiving in its heat, with no nights to cool the ground and the air, Anne is dressed head to toe in black; a state of mourning for those brought here and forced away from lives they once knew. She has few jewels owned here, so she herself has seen to the gown with ornate embroidery of silver thread, especially along the belled sleeves and the breast of the bodice. Her hair is gathered up in a coif, wrapped beneath a french hood. Other than her rings, the only jewelry she wears today is her silver crucifix pendant.

But even with the dress of mourning, the young woman's smile is as bright and inviting as the sun, as she remains near a large table set up and arranged just outside the temple, beside the bottom of the steps.

With help from those in the kitchen and others with kind hearts, the table has been brought out and covered with inviting things, such as food and drink. There is a tray holding biscuits and fruit jam, another tray with fruit pies, and yet another with smaller mincemeat pies. At the other end there are a couple silver coffeepots with an arrangement of condiments beside: sugar, honey, milk (before it curdles), chocolate shavings, and ginger shavings. There is also a pitcher of ale, since it's a proper daytime drink, and water beside that.

There isn't only food and drink on this table, but also a pile of First-Aid Kits put together by Anne and Beverly Crusher and handed to anyone who wants them; something Anne had learned to do in Exsilium. Truthfully, this welcoming table is not her idea, but also one brought from her former life. It's the only way she feels she can contribute just now.

Strangest yet is beside the First-Aid Kits, there rests an open Bible written in Latin. Perfectly normal presentation, right? Well, it is to her Reformist mind. She would have it in English if she could.

She strives to greet any who might come down the temple steps this day, to show them that this is all free and welcome to them. If there should be any penalty for the abuse of supplies and food, it should be on Anne Boleyn's head. The Bible is the only thing to personally belong to her.

[ ooc; OPEN and backdated to the arrivals on the first! Anne would have been vocal about requesting help for moving the table and setting everything up, so feel free to handwave that your character helped if you like. I just didn't want to spam the Arrival Log with a top-level. ]

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[pelvic_sorcery]

​

"Mistress." He repeated the word, unable to help himself. Definitely a cultural thing, but he just couldn't help but smile, though it's not at her. Not mocking. Just it does put a man's mind to thoughts. Bad thoughts. He could behave though, even if he wasn't going to call her Mistress. Nope. He would end up getting himself in trouble. Of that he was certain.

"Is this your job then?" He asked, having spoken to a few inside about assigned jobs. "I mean, pretty sweet set up if you can get it. I guess they have been working on farming? Yeah, going to be looking into other options pretty damn quick, let me tell you." Even if you didn't want to hear about it! "So how long they had you locked up here?" He wouldn't insult her by insinuating she was too pretty for the place. One of the prettiest ladies he knew probably would be paying off her debt until the next millenia, after all.

[insignis]

'Christendom' gets an eyebrow raised in confusion, but the question makes her shrug. "I work in construction, with Shirtless Hunks Building Stuff," Johanna offers. Beyond that, and at home, she's not really sure. Does trying to train a fellow victor count as a role? Does playing nicely in the hopes of making allies count?

"I do pretty much the same stuff as the guys, though," she adds, figuring her lack of direction in life is a pretty poor first impression.

[ex_bloodcakedarmor707]

Derek Morgan has been told he has a serious hero complex. It's true. He also knows that he can be fiercely loyal and protective over people when the situation warrants it. He honestly can't imagine someone purposefully hurting Anne. It rubs him the wrong way.

He's now looking her over a little more intently, searching for injuries. "No, bad people aren't bound to the night." He knew all too well that they walked about in daylight, wore kind faces, were pillars of communities and had families and lives of their own. Evil didn't always look evil.

"What happened?" He asks again, when he finally looks up into her eyes again.

[ensorceler]

Anne must promptly cluck her tongue and shake her head at Eponine's first, at least the foremost. The poor child must suffer the brutality of Catholicism, she surmises, and no one is happier than Anne to crush any hold the papacy might have on this soul. The longer she's away from England, and the more she is surrounded by atheists, the fiercer she feels she must hold her ground.

"I believe, I know, and I trust. Once you understand, and are given proper learning, you will feel the same. Those who turned you away are fools, blinded to the needs of the many by their corrupt greed and pride. They are not men of God. Any who open their hearts, who believe in Christ's sacrifice and know that it is only He that can judge and no earthly man, will be welcomed by Him."

Dipping a rag into some of the ice water, she rings it out before reaching, slowly this time, to take one of Eponine's hands and begin wiping, as she would for any of the poor she once helped with. It's only recently been so hands-on, but she has quickly adjusted, despite her finery.

"My name is Anne Boleyn, and I am certain it be God's plan for me to teach you."

[gardienne]

Eponine is less impressed at her hands being cleaned, especially with water so cold. She would have much preferred a roll. She tries not to flinch though.

"Men judge... are they not paid to? They put me in prison, and my sister, and my Mama and my Pa - my Mama died in prison. Maybe Azelma too, for I have not seen her since the day she were arrested. Me, I hid longer than her. She is stupid. But they were priests, Mademoiselle Anne. Not the men who sentenced us. They are judges. The men who would not let me in Notre Dame or nothing. I think it is stupid, if such a God will not look after me. I am sure I remember the story where he made a criminal to God when he died. But the church says no. Well, I don't care. I am the very devil himself. It don't matter to me."

[ensorceler]

Shirtless? She hopes that's merely a misnomer, because the prospect of people working shirtless completely boggles her, but then the word 'hunks' might also be lost on her. Still, it might not matter, as proudly as this one proclaims she's one of the boys. Words of a pauper, she'd originally say, but women seem proud of it in other times.

"Do you enjoy such work? I could not suffer such heat at all hours. The sun does not seem to forgive in this realm. All the more reason to be securely stocked with medical supplies."

[insignis]

Johanna nods to the question of whether she enjoys construction work, then, as the woman goes on, she pats the first aid kit she's claimed. In this world, it's hard to tell whether she's just very safety conscious, a pampered wuss like the Capitol cowards who cringed at a hint of inclement weather, or simply from somewhere cold.

"Would've been easier at home," she agrees. "But I always thought I'd end up in either construction or timber, and I'd rather have the sun on my face than have no sun at all. Winter here's awful: Forget forgiveness; the sun just goes away." It's rather like being in 13 again.

[ensorceler]

This girl really is not from anywhere Anne can name. Even the peasants don't expect the girls to undertake such work, not in a way that would have her expecting to grow up to do so. Of course, Anne has had many brushed with feminism since leaving her time, but there are so many different aspects, she can still be surprised or confused.

Perhaps the most confusing thing of all is that there are men who allow it. It isn't a woman's drive that limits her.

Of course, the mention of the cruel winter is a good distraction, so that Anne doesn't over-dissect her embarrassingly poor way of life. But then how can she critique one who wants to be in the sun all the time, as even that is preferable to what's not being suggested.

"Goes away?"

She looks fairly horrified, but not as surprised as she might be.

"Say this is not to be... Already I have known such frigid winters. I had hoped the experience here to differ, with no war to constantly cloud the skies."

[insignis]

"Sorry for the bad news," Johanna says, with a touch of sympathy. "The temple's heated, but it's too dark and cold to go outside." As boring as the Arena had gotten, at least they'd seen the outdoors there.

This talk of Teleios's winter is almost enough to make her feel cold, and she moves for the coffee, pouring herself a cup and adding a generous amount of chocolate and ginger.

"Is that what home's like for you?" she adds, a little more seriously now. With all she heard in 13 of the air assaults throughout Panem, she expects life in the Districts similarly had hovercraft in the sky instead of sunshine. "Wars and gray skies..."

[ensorceler]

Such frankness can make Anne fond, but she is not so overly sweet on having to repeat herself. Still, she is accustomed to it when with those she deems of simpler minds and values. It doesn't make her cause any less sincere.

"Many priests are corrupt, Mademoiselle Eponine." She knows it's a courtesy higher than what Eponine deserves, but in some cases instilling pride can be good and useful. It only takes time. "The church under the thrall of the papacy is corrupt, and all the bishops could care for most is what fills their coffers."

Reaching for her other hand, she continues wiping, dipping the cloth a few more times to rinse it off.

"You do not need their permission to know and love God, and feel His love returned. The God they preach is not the true God Almighty, I promise you. Do you believe me?"

[ensorceler]

"England? No. It is prone to being fickle in mood wherein the clouds tease, but it is nothing of which you speak, or that I recall. No, I think of Exsilium, a force of reckoning on par with Teleios, mayhap."

Lips pursing, Anne stops rearranging things so that she can give this one her full attention. That doesn't mean she feels like disclosing all, but there's no harm in sharing some. It's what gets them to open up about their own experiences, most of the time.

"Where I learned to use those medical packages. They used time as a defense, and a weapon."

[ensorceler]

Anne keeps her expression very careful, subdued but not frightened. She's more concerned with how it might have her sound, and then how it might compromise her own plans. Honorable men have their place, but only when she deems to summon them. Which details she picks are important.

"A man who seemed but a servant, with a smile like yours, but beneath that he was a beast for true. One who thought to entrap, use, and kill me. Another came from the shadows to break his spell over my will, and I have not seen either since. Praise God."

[gardienne]

"I suppose, Madame." Eponine doesn't really care in the slightest, if she's honest. She is fully convinced that God has abandoned her and all men and women like her, and she's made her peace with that. She doesn't care. Or, at least, she hadn't cared. Not before she came to Teleios. How could hell be worse than Paris?

But here... here, life is well. And she hates the thought of eventually ending up somewhere like Paris. She should probably be more enthusiastic in the hope that this God will forgive her and not send her back to life as a street rat.

She lets Anne manipulate her hands. "It's just... I cannot imagine a man on a cloud looking after rats like me. Even if I wanted it... People like me are bad, Madame. I'm bad. God should like good people like you."