[Cw: will update as it comes up]

Madeline had been living the sweet life just a little but here she'd been, back on the streets. She knew it would happen but what was there to do? She found a new place to 'sell her wares' but then she'd heard about them mentioning a priest and caught his name. 

So here she was. At the catholic st. Hilda's. It was a quiet Tuesday so it was the best of times for her to finally at least put a little into getting the revenge her mother had pushed on her for all that time. She walked into the church, ignoring some eyes from those who didn't recognize her, and worse the ones that did. She stood awkwardly and tried to bear the shame at their looks before walking forward and taking a seat in a pew to stare around looking for the man in question. She knew her troubles weren't his fault, so if he could get her in contact with his father, that would be splendid. Or maybe she would feel a little better yelling at him. 

She just had to wait for the place to get a little emptier before her confrontation.

Gabriel had just finished Mass and he was still clearing the altar, helped by the altar server. Some people stayed behind to pray. It wasn't too busy, but for a week day there had been a good number, and he was happy to see such devotion. It was some small encouragement in these dark days.

The continuous absence of a certain constable immediately overshadowed that encouragement every time he got too cheerful.

Had he chased Mr. Crane away? Had he destroyed the poor man's faith. Trampled the meekest of them all? Should he go talk to him? He felt a little more in control these days. His latest confession had reminded him of the alternative. Perhaps...

"Is everything alright, father?"

Pulled out of his pondering, Gabriel realized he was putting the chalice in the wrong cupboard. He took it out, turned to the boy and smiled tiredly. "Yes, Thomas. I was a little lost in thought, I'm afraid. Good thing I have you. Thanks for your help; you better be on your way now, or you'll be late for school."

By the time the sacristy was in order and Gabriel made his way back into the church, most congregants had left. He normally stuck around for a bit if he did the main Mass, in case people wanted to speak to him. And so he caught sight of a woman he recognized, yet couldn't immediately identify. He did not remember seeing her in Mass, or perhaps she had been there but had not come forward for communion. He nodded at her as a greeting and invitation, should she need it, and made his way to one of the pews and sat down. Then he remembered the holy unction given at the brothel. He turned his head to her again, to see if she approached of if he needed to approach her.

Maddie watched the priest intently as he finished after service. He seemed distracted and she squinted a bit trying to hide her frown as he went about his day. How easy his life probably was. Everyone looking up to you for just reading out of a book. If she could read she probably could do his job just as good. Course, they didn't have such a thing as female priests.

When he sat, she took her chance and sat beside him. "Father Richards, i'nt it? Son of a good doctor, are you?" She mused and put her hands on her crossed legs trying to appear as decent and lady like as possible. "How's your day goin'? I hope you been having a fine mornin? Sorry I didn't see the whole thing. Not a godly sort myself."

She glared at a boy who was getting ready to leave and gave her a weird look. She frowned and looked forward again.

"I've somethin' to say, and there's no need ta take it to heart. My grief i'nt with you."

He turned to her when she sat down beside him and addressed him, but her next words startled him. How did she know? He remembered briefly talking to her, but he didn't recall telling her anything about his father's profession. Must have heard it somewhere else, he dismissed for his own comfort.

Her strange almost provoking style did not bother him. She was a prostitute and yet she had come to church. That was enough to work with. And so he didn't think he would take to heart whatever she was going to say, assuming her grief was with God.

"You needn't worry about offending or upsetting me. I'm here to listen," he offered quietly in return.

"Good. Will you tell me where ta find yer father? I've been wanting to see him for a while. Bet you've no idea who I am. But I came from Hull too."

She said as she stared up at Jesus. He was such a self righteous know it all to her. But then she barely knew region. It wasn't for people like her.

She decided to look away from it to look back at him. Looking at him closer up, he looked worn down and tired. Something she certainly related to, but doubted it was from the same reason. He wasn't meeting men to fill his pockets.

"My...?" His eyebrows knitted together. What business did she have with his father? Was she... not all there? He chuckled uncomfortably. "If you mean our heavenly Father, he doesn't dwell in Hull. Well, not only..."

He prayed she meant that.

Maddie rose a brow. "Are you sayin.saying.. your dad is dead? Or you don't see him? You don't look like him." She gestured to the figure stretched on the cross. "So you must have a father, right? I don't mean God. I mean the doctor, Mr. Richards who was sleeping with a Ms. Alfonsi in secret." She finally said, her fists clenched a but in frustration. "And promised her a lot of things."

Her words confused him and he began to think she really was mad.

And then the truth was out. Well, her truth. Because it was so vulgar, so offensive, it couldn't be the truth. Everything he had learned about human nature in the countless confessions he had heard, was still carefully shelved and covered whenever he thought of his family.

He sat very still. Then let out a nervous half laugh. "With... all due respect, madam, there are so many Mr. Richards out there. I'm afraid you have the wrong one."

Gabriel had had his issues with his father. His father had never been the kind of father he had wanted, and Gabriel had certainly disappointed his father as a son, most of all by joining the priesthood. But he had loved the man and respected him, and for all his flaws, his father had been good. He wouldn't... no, he wouldn't.

Maddie sighed and stretched her arms before her before sitting back. She described the man as her mother had brought her to see him from a distance when she was so little. Denied the happy family her mother thought she had earned.

"That isn't you? I'm certain it is. I honestly never thought I'd see you. But you came to me. Maybe it's a message from God." She said with a smirk. "He's finally saying 'you've suffered so much, Sylvia. Here is a chance to make things right.'" It was a joke, of course. There was noting his father could do to fix her life and past, and a far less chance that he would.

"I'm not gonna kill him, if that's what yer scared of."

Gabriel wanted to leave as she began to describe the way his father looked. If he just walked away, it wasn't there.

Worked well so far with the other stuff he was trying to walk away from.

It was fear of causing a scene that kept him in his spot. "I don't..."

It was a trick! Of course that was it! She had gotten the information somewhere and now she was trying to trick him for money. Hadn't he recently heard stories about someone going around town trying something like that?

"My father is dead."