Seven Days
The people still hopes for a little respite before the Tetrad comes to a bloody climax and the upcoming Festival of the Last Harvest in two days time seems to be the last reason to party before a long year of mourning. Many have made preparation for their departure the very day after and for the crafty where are good deals to be made buying the supplies of the people that will soon go through self imposed exiles. Some only for a few days, others forever. Still, no one thinks of buying property yet, they expect the offer to increase dramatically and lower the prices after this blood moon.
Still, some are re-thinking their plans, the local constables and the hunters are focusing on preparing for the upcoming night, even the Executioners have been ordered to station in their barracks for an indefinite amount of time, despite their protest. Rumors spread by many who have turned back just after leaving the city tell of abandoned carriages, entire families slaughtered by wanton beasts in the country side that no one care to deal with as the hunters have been 'suggested' by the clergy to focus on the city. A good Samaritan will indeed cross in Old Yharnam where the sickness made many turn their backs on before wandering outside the city. People are trapped here. Still, stranger still are the tales of disappearance, the carts left with all their supplies but not a body to be found.
Our Lady of Misery Church, Annex of the Workshop
Many hunters find refuge in faith to keep their humanity and sanity, as the church encourages them to do, though certainly not all of them. The church built for the express use of the hunters however was today extremely crowded as many non-hunters also went to attend a private mass held by the Vicar himself. It was a little more than that however as with the presence of the fighting forces of the church (Well, most of them), this would also be a briefing. Well, as soon as the platitudes stopped however. The mass had been followed by a moment of self introspection accompanied by chanting by the choir. Little boys and girls donning white robes, accompanied by 4 of their 'Older Brothers', adults donning a slightly more intricate designs as well as hats equipped with a visor, hiding away their eyes.
Ludwig looked at them with an air of suspicion. They were hardly very church-like, he personally knew that the visor came by respect from the teaching of Provost Wilhelm and the need for eyes... Did the visor have holes for these people to see? Or was the fact that they could still orient themselves perfectly despite them born of the mystical? No matter. What Ludwig did know was how little appreciation he had for them. They never speak to anyone unless under order of their superior, which meant higher ranking choir officials or Vicar Laurence, at the very top. And then a 16 year old little Choir member strolled up to him, or anyone in fact, and told him to do something, they had to do it. From the corner of his eyes, the captain of the hunt noticed the Vicar along with Caryll, but to his surprise found Maria abscent. The Vicar seemed dissatisfied and looking where his sight was on, Ludwig understood why.
The church was packed, especially with the executioners and their conic helms who occupied an entire side of the rows of benches, everyone to the right from the front. On the other side the hunters, almost all of them but... there were still free seats. Not everyone would have been able to sit of course, but many had taken the opportunity to stay up, so they wouldn't have to prostrate themselves in front of the altar, a great too many. This didn't look good on them or on himself, Ludwig thought. If almost all agreed to follow him in the hunt, this trust didn't extend to other matters of life it seemed.
Among the ranks of the hunters were some bored whispers, but one thing caught on. A hunter tapping on the shoulder of another and a few words. "Psst. Word from Archibald and his crew. The dark beast hiding out in the countryside. Its too elusive. Top of the list for bolt paper if someone can locate it. Pass the word." The message slowly spread to people of varying interest. Bolt paper was nothing to spit at as while fire paper was certainly much more effective against beasts, it was also a rarity tightly controlled and distributed by the church. Bolt paper gave people an edge, but it was still controlled by Archibald, who had spent the last week crawling around outside the city to find another dark beast to mount on his wall rather than produce any, even while being so crucially close to the big day.
The whispers stopped however as the chanting of the choir orphans died down and Vicar Laurence stepped on the state in his slow and elegant walk to then face the crowd. He gave a piercing look to the assistance, especially sending a chill down the spine of those who had decided to stand rather than sit on a pew. "...Hunters... Executioners... guardians of the church and of the blood. I thank you all for assisting to this mass in such great number and I would like to give you a brief address." He took a pause, for dramatic effect. "I am sure all of our minds are focused on how seven days from now on, the Tetrad will reach its end and with the sun that will rise on the horizon after this terrible night, we will be able to finally rest after this terrible and bloody year."
"Know, each and everyone of you, that the gods shall watch over us and with their grace, we will be able to do as good on this night as we did on those before." It was small, but it did lift the moral of most hunters in the room. After all everything was going 'relatively' well this year... in comparison to seven years ago. Surely the magnitude of the event expected in one week will not compare to the direness of the situation, seven years ago. "Until then however, there is much to be done. The kettle is boiling but we cannot let the lid pop. As you know, in two days there shall be the Festival of the Last Harvest. Many have suggested we cancel it, but we will do no such things. There will be a curfew in place but during the evening, as darkness settle, I expect each and everyone of you to stay sharp and be ready to intervene. There is no need to tell what damage a beast could to in a public square filled with people, even should there be anyone of us present, before it is stopped. Captain Ludwig will insure the security of the festivities in the center while Grand Master Logarius will man check points with his men. Finally, Lady Maria, while currently attending to important matters, shall insure the security of the Cathedral Ward along with those she chooses to help her do so, as well as the choir."
Some looked at each other with confusion. The priest boys? No one had ever seen or heard of them in action before. No one dared to question the Vicar though. "It is my hope that the joy of this festivity shall bring courage in the heart of men and serve as a little reminder of why we must never lose hope." And that was that. It seemed Laurence's speeches got shorter as the years went by, to many's satisfaction. As he turned however, there was one hunter who stepped forward and raised his voice. Djura. "Your Holiness!" Laurence stopped in his tracks and slowly turned toward the assistance, the shadow of a (fake) smile on this face. "Yes, good hunter?" Djura took off his hat, but that did little to appease the tension in the room. "If I might ask, who shall be in charge of Old Yharnam during this event?" Indeed, the festival wouldn't stop the quarantine from being in effect. Not much of the poor and afflicted residing there would see any festivities. "Your priority shall be Central Yharnam for the population will concentrate there. Our brave constabularies will maintain order in our lesser populated sectors." In short, that meant no one. No one protested about this however, Djura had already came under the gaze of the Vicar and no one was in a hurry to land in the same space. "Thank you all for being here today."
Blood Ministration Center, Lower Cathedral Ward
"Ladies!" It was the aging voice of Mother Superior Augustine calling for the saints and nuns present, some comfortably sitting on chairs as their blood flowed in containers but most of them up or sitting on the ground. It seemed an important notice for them all to be here and everyone feared a common thing: Further increase in blood quotas as the Tetrad reached its peak. Gathering the attention of all the women present, the old lady joined her hands together. "I'm afraid I have a bad news." There were groans and sigh in the assembly as everyone knew this was coming, but yet Augustine kept a rather joyous smile. "But also a very good one!" This however raised some surprise in the assistence. "I'll get it out of the way, as I'm sure everyone of you expected, the quotas will be raised further more to increase our reserves but... I just got confirmation that the Vicar, praised and sanctified may he be, has authorized the Ward to take part in the Festival, and that we're not all under lock and key."
Cheers received this news! For outsiders it would be comedic, little girls all excited about partaking in festivities, getting out of their daily lives inside these walls, kind of sad, really. Augustine raised her hands to calm down the assembly to no avail. A few seconds later however, she clapped her hands twice and took an authoritative look as the sound echoed in the room which went silent. The girls conditioned to hear that sound as a menace of punishment since they were young. Her smile came back, as if nothing had happened. "Now. You won't be allowed to leave the ward and few will enter but... I think its a good moment to mingle a little, if only with the people living in the ward and the... hunters that will be present."
It was weird. While this should serve as the reminder of danger, for a lot in this group it only provoked girlish giggles and enthusiastic looks at each other. Augustine rolled her eyes: She was speaking to a bunch of sheltered young virginal girls about the presence of testosterone filled men that braved death and all odds. She knew she had more to worry about the blood stopping to flow on that particular time of the month for women than anyone doing anything else truly dangerous. For the most of them at least. "So here it is. I however want to see all dignified, this means that it is not an excuse to wear makeup like a... like a whore or to let yourselves be-" No one was listening however at this point and Augustine just threw her hands in the air, in resignation. Girls will be girls.
