2022-12-23: An Old Hope Fulfilled
- Cutscene: An Old Hope Fulfilled
- Cast: Eight York, Licia Chovan
- Where: The House of St. Frances, Zeon
- Date: December 23, 2022.
- Summary: Eight York, with her colleague Licia Chovan, visits Zeon to find the orphanage her early childhood was traced to. What results is a lot of memories and a decision.
Though there's a few stories in the old building, the centerpiece remains the sanctuary at its heart; the House of St. Frances is an orphanage, and is also a place of faith. Run by an order of nuns who have long resided in this part of Zeon, the House has primarily taken in orphans and lost children whose parents and families were lost in the many wars that have taken place in the last few decades. It avoids political entanglements, focusing on its mission, and gets by largely on donations.
It is a beautiful building, at least, largely brown-gray stone with stained glass windows in the sanctuary, and broad halls to the left and right–towards the living areas, and elsewhere. It does not include a school of its own, but there are schools nearby. Most of its residents are the Sisters themselves or small children. But visitors are a broader lot. Today, two of those visitors are Federation officers, though neither Captain York nor Lieutenant Chovan are in uniform. Eight and Licia are dressed in civilian attire as befits the sort of visit this is, and to avoid drawing too much attention. Eight, the tall blonde, glances at her co-worker as they approach.
Licia, shorter with black hair, looks up at her Captain. "Looks like the place," she says. She's usually a bubbly sort of woman, but she's more serious at the moment, even if Eight can feel the excitement she feels for helping her Captain uncover her past. "You okay, Captain?"
"I'm fine," Eight answers, smiling once. She's excited, and nervous, but not upset. "But call me Eight while we're out like this, remember?"
"Ah, right right. Sorry!" Licia dips her head but smiles anyway.
"It's fine. I guess we should go in, huh?" Eight shifts her purse strap on her arm, and is dressed in a brown coat and red dress, with boots. Licia's a little more casual, but even then has a dressy blouse and slacks under her coat.
It's an OK look, for visiting a church.
-=-=-
"Yes?" the Sister answers, as Eight approaches the desk in the hall. The sanctuary is just beyond. Her habit is black and white, and she is an older woman, with kind eyes.
"..." Eight is silent for a moment, looking at her; she thinks she remembers… but Licia nudges her. "Eight?" she inquires, and Eight blinks, shaking her head.
"Sorry. Big day," she starts to explain, "You see, I… I used to live here. When I was really little. You might not remember, but I wanted to visit anyway, I'm… Dimara Kadun." She uses the name they'd know, and the older woman's eyes light up.
"Little Dimara!" She smiles widely. "You've grown so much! Yes, I remember you. I remember all our children. Someone was around here looking for you the other day; I hope you don't mind that we gave them a bit of information. We never expected…"
"Oh, they were asking for me," Eight says. "I mean, on my behalf. So it's fine! It's not a problem."
Licia stays mostly quiet here, but Eight gestures to her, "This is Licia Chovan; she didn't live here, she's just… my emotional support."
"That's just fine," the older woman says. "I'm Sister Adana. Let me find someone to cover the desk, and I'll get you some tea! Your friend can come, too, of course." Eight hesitates, but then smiles. "...Sure."
-=-=-
"There you go," Sister Adana says, setting down the teacups before Licia and Eight and her own place at the table before she takes a seat with them. They're already seated, at her insistence. The sitting-room is nice; warm wallpapered walls, a carpet, a comfy table and chairs. There are cabinets and the like; it might double as an office.
"Thanks!" Licia says first, and Eight nods right after. But mostly the shorter woman keeps herself quiet for the moment, staying near her Captain for support. Eight, on the other hand, picks up her teacup and inhales the scent. It seems the polite thing to do.
"So the last time I saw you, you were on your way out with that nice young couple," Adana says. "How have you been? You seem healthy, at least!"
"I've–I'm good," Eight decides to say, focusing on the now. "I ended up with another family in the end, but they took good care of me once I did. I went to school and everything. I played hockey!"
"Hockey! My, my. You were such a gentle girl…" She laughs faintly, and smiles at both of them.
"It's all a long story," she admits, "There's too much to say. But I wanted to come and see where I came from."
"Well, you're very welcome to look around; I'll give you the tour when you finish your tea."
"Thanks. I've got a career now; I'm with Londo Bell. Trying to protect the colonies."
"Mmm, I see…" She seems to consider, "Many of our charges come from military families, as you know. I hope that your work can see us having fewer children." She says it seriously.
"Me, too. But…" Eight smiles. "Since I'm here, I wanted… Well, I wanted one of you at least to know."
"To know that things turned out okay. It wasn't always easy getting here, and a lot happened, but… I'm okay."
Adana reaches out a wrinkled hand across the table, for Eight's. "...That's a greater reward than you realize, I think. So often we don't get to see those who leave us ever again…"
Eight knows there's more to her story. But she decides, right in that moment, that the nuns don't need to know what happened just after she left. They don't need to know about Rhella Kan Zeitun, or the labs, or…
"Well, here I am. And I want that tour! …Do you remember much about me?" she asks. "I want to hear how things are here, but… I was so young. Anything you could tell me…"
Adana's smile widens. "Yes, dear," she says. "I do. You were only with us for a while, but first, I can tell you about your mother. She was actually going to join our order…"
-=-=-
Eight ends up there all day. She meets a few other nuns, has a lot more tea, remembers some things, and meets some of the current children.
The tour is… nice. If a little bittersweet.