Luck (almost)

[Patricus I]

NPC ~ Fr. Ando

Father Ando seemed to be staring into space, but it wasn’t a ruse to hide a calculating mind. He legitimately was staring at the wall. The paper was peeling there. It needed replaced: twenty-five years ago.

After clearing his throat, he mumbled upon her name with all the sophistication of a tree trunk. “Hmm, yes, Thalia Milton. That’s the one.” He asked that she accompany him to the church’s offices. It wasn’t a long walk, the church wasn’t that sprawling.

“I’ve been told you do a portrait of the Holy Father.” He waved a hand at a faded space on the wall. Clearly it once occupied a large frame that had been removed. A rectangle of wallpaper behind the former frame was rather clean and bright, whereas the surroundings was dull and dingy. “The Holy Father does not allow us to display his image, which is why this is such a curious request. My dear, the Holy See has learned of your portraitures, and apparently caught the attention of the Pope.”

He eased himself into a chair with a bit of grumbling about his back along the way. “I’ll tell the Vatican I found you. They’re all in a stir over it. A beehive that has been kicked from the tree. May I see your masterpiece?”