This panicked shaking was so far opposite of everything Father O'Reilly had believed Solomon to be. The man had been understandably nervous and teetering on the edge of something yesterday, but through it all, he'd stayed composed. Through the tears and the near-collapse due to exhaustion, he'd still managed to put up an unfaltering front of control - whether for his own benefit or the priest's, it didn't matter. He managed it. Talked about his own death the way some people talked about an unpleasant result from gambling.
Now, there wasn't even an attempt at that facade anymore. Something about Father O'Reilly's simple question broke apart what fragile control Solomon had.
"Gabriel?" he asked, brow furrowed. But no; that couldn't be it. Solomon wasn't comfortable with the idea of Saint Gabriel, but he'd accepted it by the time he sought out Father O'Reilly. Saint Gabriel wouldn't be giving him a panic attack like this. Then again, a simple teddy bear shouldn't be putting him in such a state, either.
What was the name of the man Solomon mentioned? "Pleasant?" he asked. "Someone else I don't..."
No. That wasn't it, either. Part of the reason Solomon had broken off so sharply was because he expected Father O'Reilly to know whoever he was talking about, and so he didn't think he had to finish. Pleasant might have been the man he mentioned who saved his life last night, since Solomon obviously didn't expect Father O'Reilly to know whoever that was. But the teddy bear...
Father O'Reilly glanced down at it, and his face - quite without his permission - grew ashen.
He wanted to finish Solomon's sentence. As a servant of the Lord, he should have been able to. But something about it still struck him dumb, and so he tried something different. "Saint Gabriel's Father?"
He stuttered, still, and had to take a deep breath afterwards, but this was not the time. Solomon was handling the news badly enough for both of them. "How do you know?"
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Now, there wasn't even an attempt at that facade anymore. Something about Father O'Reilly's simple question broke apart what fragile control Solomon had.
"Gabriel?" he asked, brow furrowed. But no; that couldn't be it. Solomon wasn't comfortable with the idea of Saint Gabriel, but he'd accepted it by the time he sought out Father O'Reilly. Saint Gabriel wouldn't be giving him a panic attack like this. Then again, a simple teddy bear shouldn't be putting him in such a state, either.
What was the name of the man Solomon mentioned? "Pleasant?" he asked. "Someone else I don't..."
No. That wasn't it, either. Part of the reason Solomon had broken off so sharply was because he expected Father O'Reilly to know whoever he was talking about, and so he didn't think he had to finish. Pleasant might have been the man he mentioned who saved his life last night, since Solomon obviously didn't expect Father O'Reilly to know whoever that was. But the teddy bear...
Father O'Reilly glanced down at it, and his face - quite without his permission - grew ashen.
He wanted to finish Solomon's sentence. As a servant of the Lord, he should have been able to. But something about it still struck him dumb, and so he tried something different. "Saint Gabriel's Father?"
He stuttered, still, and had to take a deep breath afterwards, but this was not the time. Solomon was handling the news badly enough for both of them. "How do you know?"