Silvānus (Estonia)

[Patricus I]

Her offer of a portrait curled little tendrils of mischievousness within. He paused to look her over as though seriously considering the option. Finally, with an air of dramatic rejection, Philip decreed, “I know I am handsome, but you must try to move on from that. If I desired to look at myself, all I must do is find a mirror,” he concluded with a wince of the eye that may have been mistaken for the wink in her sketch. It was nothing of the sort, certainly, and they entered the building.

The church was small and completely without privacy. Therefore, he did not elaborate upon her insightful statement, despite side-stepping an answer on a technicality. The tongue almost slipped his other name, and he was curious to know if any moths escaped from her pencil. Thalia was more connected to Nimeda than she realized, which he already knew to be true, but also begged of himself the same query. How much was he connected to the facets of himself? Much like that crystal shard, the angles and planes of it locking into place, distinct and individual, they were yet pieces of a larger whole. The same could be said of the Church, himself at the center.

A Diet Vanilla Coke awaited his return, crisp and chill to the touch. He drank of the can with excruciating appreciation. A happy gasp escaped as he finished the concoction. Someone brought a quiet beverage before Thalia, water or whatever she desired. Their stock was minimal, excluding the aforementioned vanilla coke.

As offered, he rifled through some of the sketches, turning them this way and that. The pastoral image of a creek winding through a forest he pivoted until it was upside down, peering at it from new angles. He hadn’t complimented her skill, such that it was. ”You’re no master that’s for certain. I have lived surrounded by the works of man honoring God and themselves into the infinite everlasting. The Sistine Chapel is truly exquisite.” He was aware of the inherent contradiction in himself. On one breath judging the pride of man and on the other acknowledging their work.

“Despite the declaration of your religious affiliations, you are welcome to remain for mass. The children will likely find you more entertaining than me.” He continued to study the work as he spoke, entranced as fully as he was while studying the legendary works of century’s past.