And of the Broken Pieces [Invite Only]

Wonderess · Jan 24, 2021

And of the Broken Pieces
A chronicle of Chorum Mitreas

The thread wove up and around the needle like an excited snake, just the way mom had taught her. There was something about the act of sew crafting which reduced the complexities of life to pure bliss and simplicity. All there was in this world right here and now was this needle and thread along with the gown that they were becoming. All of the fuss with school, expectations, those chores she had been putting off, and everything else that could bring on the stress headaches were just a distant memory. That wasn't the good suffering servant attitude the world had come to expect from her, but sometimes a break from that difficult frame of mind was warranted. She paused to look out the window of the train which was carrying her family back from vacation in southern Iteria. It would be good to spend a short time at home before she was whisked away into some other part of Chorum Mitreas to administer to a people.

"That gown is coming along quite beautifully, Cupola. At this point, you might as well call yourself the master sewer of the family!" Her mother, Dagna Dufour, smiled at her from across the train compartment. She was a sweet short woman with piercing green eyes and an unbreakable cordiality. This is probably what made her an impeccable Master Servant.

"Thanks, Mom. I learn from the best of course. Maybe Chileas will be so kind to thank me for the gown when it makes her the catch of the city one day." That scored the set of eye rolls she was looking for: one from mom and one from her younger sister Chileas.

"Well you won't be needing any thanks when you are the next best Master Servant. Just think that in a few days time, your very first mission of service will begin! I had to wait until I was 23 to get my first one, but you were granted yours at only 19! What a time to be alive!"

"Calm down, dear, before you hurt yourself." Regisald Dufour looked at his wife concerned. He always had to watch out for when she got overly excited either from something positive or negative. He was a diplomatic and mellow man which made him a great speaker for the Theological Congress of Miter's West End. The rest of the trip proved uneventful. They arrived back in their home city of Miter, the capital of Chorum Mitreas, and the organizational center of all of its service and generosity efforts for the various and diverse territories of the nation.

There was so much riding on this first tour for Cupola. Chorum Mitreas as a culture strongly emphasized service and the welcoming of the stranger for the sake of thriving. She had to be understanding, empathetic, and listening at all times so that she could be the best representative of her government to those who were protected by it, and if she did not match the criteria, then she would be stuck in Miter or the surrounding Mitrean State her whole career serving only her own people who were not as in need as the refugees who had taken refuge in the other territories of Chorum Mitreas. Cupola had to give it her all to be certified as a Servant Common and then eventually she could be like her mom some day and be a full blown Master Servant tending to the needs of all people and managing the national efforts to bring about great change. She was not allowed to know ahead of time where the tour was heading as she had to be able to adapt to the situations she was dealt to show her raw skills as a caregiver. Her mom would act as her official overseer while the official Territory Servants would assess her efforts firsthand and report back to Miter about her progress. She knew her family loved her no matter what, but in her mind, failure was not an option.

After 2 days of overthinking the tour, the time had finally come to go to Caritas Hall which was where the assignment would be given to her mom and they would set off. Cupola's legs were trembling, but her mom was placid. They entered the Office of Institution on the west side of Caritas Hall where Dagna Dufour presented her identification and obtained an official Mitreas Service tablet computer with all the info they needed to get started. She opened the tour filed out of view of Cupola and scanned through it for what felt like hours. She finally nodded and turned her attention back to Cupola.

"We are headed to the South End train terminal to board the Valley Territories Line, and that will get us to where we need to go." Cupola nodded and they subwayed to the terminal. In no time just as a few days ago, Cupola was sitting in a train compartment, this time heading west towards one of the most important deciding points of her life. The needle in her hand was moving swifter than ever before. Maybe if she sewed fast enough the high stakes would cease to be real and be as painless as a summer dream.

Wonderess · Feb 4, 2021

The train after six hours of trekking east towards the interior highlands came to its fourth stop along the Valley Territory corridor. Cupola waited in anticipation to see if her mother would move to exit the train and finally begin this pilgrimage of theirs. To her dismay there was no movement and so the train trekked on. There were fifteen stops in all on the line so sooner or later they would reach their destination. There was an equal amount of anxiety and relief to each passing stop as Cupola knew that there were fewer stops left that it could be, but also her anticipation mounted with each passing moment. Mystery was often a beautiful thing, but that didn't stop it from also being insufferable. Another two hours passed when the train slowed to take its thirteenth stop. Her mother smiled and began collecting her things. This was it, the moment of truth. Cupola began doing the same starting with her sewing kit which she put in her satchel so she could access it at a moments notice. The announcer came over the intercom to announce the destination.

"For those of you leaving us, we hope you had a pleasant trip along the gorgeous Valley Line! This is our thirteenth stop here in what the natives call Novum Archcentrum. For you Mitreans that's New ArchCentre."

That sounded very familiar to Cupola. This was one of the newer refuge territories in Chorum Mitreas. There was some major dispute down in southern Meterra that ended in the migration of these people here as part of a greater diaspora. Mitrean students usually learn about all refuge communities in the Chorum throughout their schooling, but this one was created after she had graduated so her knowledge of the culture was limited . . . which was exactly why she was chosen for this assignment she was sure. These first tours are never easy for prospect Servants. They were taxied from the train station to the Mitrean Hall of the territory. Every territory had a hall where officials aiding and administrating the region worked and lived if they did not have a residence elsewhere in the area. Much of New Arch Centre's mid and outer areas were still under construction, but the town center was completed. At the center of the town was a Courantist church surrounded by government and entertainment venues. It was a charming town but definitely foreign to her. Her mother and her were strolling through the central square taking in the sights.

"These people have been through something very very difficult, Cupola. Imagine fighting for your home to be free from occupation for the first time in an eternity and then suddenly that dream is crushed and everything goes back to the way it was if not worse. That in short is the recent story of this people. They are not merely rebuilding their lives but their hope as well. We can offer them all the material aid in the world, but it is that sense of hope which we can provide as the greatest gift. That is lesson one for any Servant in training. Our aid is always a mere means to an ultimate end which is reconciliation, healing, and our prevalent ecclesial virtue of hope. See through the facades and find what it is these souls need from you, not just what you want to give them."

Cupola had often heard her mom speak like this, but it somehow hit different now. She wasn't tucker away at home in Miter listening to the stories about far away territories. This was now very real and her people were trusting her to take part in their most sacred mission. Her mom led them to the front of the church building.

"Cupola, now comes your first assignment. Welcome to the Sutherland Refuge Territory. The Territory has designated a delegate to prep you on its history and generally get acquainted with the people. Listen carefully, and remember that as a Servant you are here to listen and care for them. Keep your own struggles and needs out of it. The representative is waiting for you here inside Our Lady of Ransom Church." Her mom paused and stared at her grown daughter. She caressed her daughter's face as tears came to her eyes. "May God bless you and keep you, my love." Then, she was gone.

The nave and sanctuary of the church were dark, save for the natural light that came in from the stain glass windows. There was a single figure in the front pew kneeling before the tabernacle. Cupola approached slowly as to not startle the person. When she was about ten feet away the figure turned, did the sign of the cross, and rose to meet her.

"Hello there. You must be Cupola Dufour. Here let's go to the narthex so we can properly see one another. Speaking to ghosts is never any fun."

The two moved to the lobby area at the back of the inner church where there was more light. They sat on a bench near its center. Cupola noticed that he was in his early twenties, tall, and had a pleasant cologne on. She began the conversation so she could get on top of he mission as she was taught.

"I am very honored to be meeting with you. I want to serve you and your community in any way I can." He smiled at these words as if he knew something that she didn't.

"I have no doubt in my mind that you do just as every Mitrean I've met both has and has told me. I feel impolite that I have yet to introduce myself. I am the former Prime Inspirator of Sutherland, the so called future of our people, and in many ways the Judas of our story. My name is Andrew Buschini, a pleasure."

Cupola stared at him for a moment. He was quite the theatrical type. She could tell he liked to say the unexpected to keep control of the conversation and probably to entertain himself. He was probably also skilled at keeping people out of the parts of himself he did not want to be seen . . . in other words, this was going to be both difficult and fun.

"Well, Andrew, apparently you aren't fully like Judas or you wouldn't be sitting here breathing." He smiled at the remark but didn't look away.

"Perhaps you are right, dear girl. I was not pushed so far as to commit that particular act. I do have some limits unlike what some of my kinsmen wish to believe. Regardless, I am now your guide into the wonderful world of the Sutherlan people and culture. That if anything is God's penance to me."

"I feel welcomed already. You must really be popular with all the Mitreans." He smiled yet again.

"Wow, you are quite something. I didn't know Mitreans were capable of sustained sarcasm. Perhaps we both of something to teach the other. For my part, I will have the burden of revealing overtime the tragedies of Sutherland and how we got here. In some ways it mirrors that personal tragedy of mine: desiring something desperately, almost getting it, and then having it destroy you."

Cupola began to see the cracks in the armor. There was something going on behind that poise of his. He just admitted that he analogized Sutherland and himself which means that her service would be two fold on his count. First, she would help him to heal the people as one. Secondly, she would help him to heal as a man who fell and is now clawing his way back. Cupola had heard many different understandings of service in her lifetime. Everyone had different gifts and talents that geared them towards a particular brand of that service. It just turns out that the soul happened to be hers. Andrew had a big storm coming.

And of the Broken Pieces [Invite Only]

Wonderess

"I will be true to you whatever comes."

Wonderess

"I will be true to you whatever comes."