AWD #001: I Was Drowning
I Was Drowning
Summary: Phin takes his concerns about his imminent demise to the chaplain.
Date: 06/01/2012 (OOC Date)
Related Logs: And I Alone Escaped to Warn Thee
Iphigenia Phin 
Chapel — Deck 3 — Battlestar Orion
The chapel is one of the few quiet places to be found on a battlestar. Even rarer still, it's one of the few places that doesn't look like it's part of a battlestar. Heavy blue curtains have been hung from the walls, obscuring the bulkheads. The lights are kept low, adding a certain mystery and gravitas to the space. The central altar is made of a pale grey wood, as are the several rows of pews which extend from it. Laid against the far right wall is a long, low table with several rows of simple white votive candles to be used as vigil lights. Centered among them is a brass plate for burnt offerings from supplicants. Several cushions rest on the floor before the table, where the faithful may kneel to offer their prayers to the Lords and Ladies of Kobol. On the left wall are several compartments which have been sectioned off for private use.
Sun Jan 06

Phin has not made an appearance in chapel since coming aboard. And is tendency to get twitchy at proximity to spiritual matters isn't particularly subtle, polite as the young man tries to be. But, when the place is somewhat cleared out (and the chaplain may be taking some needed breathing room, poor girl), he sticks his nose in. He's out of his flight gear and in off-duties, tank top leaving his arms bear so his Ares scripture tattoo is visible.

See, here's the thing - Gen has never, not once, intimated that Phin should come to chapel. Or pray. Or do anything else religious. Sure, she talks about things she's doing, and when other people want to engage her about faith she doesn't hesitate, but she doesn't, and has never, imposed. Or for that matter, blushed when someone said frak.

Phin does appear in chapel now, however, and from the way she smiles tiredly at him, she's not really surprised. "Ensign," she greets as she moves over to him. "How may I be of service?"

Phin has his issues. And he has a decidedly edgy look about him right now, though that could be for any number of reasons. "Lieutenant. Hey." He just watches her a moment, like he has no idea where to start. "Umm…are you busy? Because if you are, I can come back later. That's totally fine." He asks it like he might be searching for an excuse to flee.

"If I weren't, then I assure you, I'd be sleeping." She cocks her head. "Would you rather speak to someone else? I know he's not here at the moment, but perhaps Brother Hook?"

"No," Phin says, firmly. "I mean…Bear and I talked about maybe going to see him later. There was an Ares brother back at the Fist who talked about people who'd…but…I mean, I don't practice anymore. A lot of what they want people to be is…not what I wanted to be. Besides, I wanted to talk to somebody without my brother around."

"Alright." she says, amicably enough. She gestures over to one of the pews with enough space to allow them to talk privately. "What can I do for you?" she offers. "I'm glad to hear that your brother is well."

Phin goes to take a seat, awkwardly. He folds his hands in his lap, then unfolds them, fingers fidgeting. "Yeah. He got back all right. He got shot in the leg but Medical doesn't seem to think it's like a long-term thing. Thanks." He looks down at his hands for a long beat. Then, finally, like he's making himself, back up at Iphigenia. "Do you…do you think that sometimes people can see things…before they actually happen?"

"Let me guess." she says, her voice soft. "You had a dream."

"I…yeah." Phin's own voice is so soft it's almost inaudible. He nods, ever so slight. "My brother and I both did. The same one. Like…three days or so ago." Deep breath. "Look. The stuff people tell you…that's private, right? I mean, unless I'm planning to blow up the ship or something, you can't talk about it to anyone else?" He quickly adds. "It's not anything like that, I promise."

"That's correct, to a point." Gen says. "If you're telling me this as your counselor, then you have privilege. If you're telling me as your confessor, then you have privilege."

"Counselor?" Phin considers that. "Yeah. That's about right, I think. I don't think I have anything to confess I just…you study dreams, right? They can mean a lot of things other than what they might seem to mean?" A pause. "How'd you know? That this was about that, I mean."

"Because many people have had dreams." Gen admits. "I'm not an expert in dream interpretation, but I've worked with dreams before. If you want my opinion - you can call it the gods sending messages, or the collective unconciousness. Whatever suits."

Phin takes that in, blue eyes widening a notch. He clearly has no idea what to do with it. "OK…" The two syllables are breathed out. "Did any of them…I mean, are they people're who're still…around?" But he seems to regret asking it as soon as he does. "In mine - in ours - we started out on the surface of Piraeus and then we were suddenly…somewhere else. I didn't know where. And there were these people, two of them dressed priests. Or initiates, maybe. They were arguing. One of them wanted to do…something. I'm not sure what. And the other one kept saying 'This doesn't concern us' or something. And then there were other voices, but I couldn't make out everything. And then I heard the sound of waves, like on a beach, and we started following them and…" He trails off for a moment, like he doesn't want to say what comes next.

"I can't discuss specifics, but of the people who've spoken to me, they're all still alive. Did you dream of a holocaust?" asks Gen with quiet buntness. "Did you see the river?"

"I don't know. Maybe I did…" Phin inhales deep and exhales long. "There was a river. That's where we ended up. And a man in a boat…maybe a ferry…the ferryman…he kept striking at people with his oar. At first it looked like he was being attacked, but then we saw he was putting people on the boat. And none of them wanted to go. They were fighting but, he was stronger than they were. So we tried…Bear had a gun. Just, out of thin air. And he shot at the man in the boat, and then I ran, to try and grab his oar and…I drowned. He hit me with it, in the chest, and pushed me under. Into the river and…I…I died."

Iphigenia sighs gently. "Phinn…in your education at the Fist, didn't they teach you about where we go after we die? The river, and the boat that takes you to the Fields of Elysium?"

"The River Styx. Yeah…" Phin nods. "All I could think about when I loaded into that Viper, when they said there'd been an attack was how…it's not that much different from drowning. Dying in space. If your life support fails or you eject and you run out of oxygen. That's what happens. And, I mean, I didn't that night but…it's not like this is done yet. It's not like we won anything and they aren't going to send us back out and…do you think that's what I was dreaming about? How I was going to die?"

"You're a viper pilot in a time of war. It is entirely possible that you will die in space. That being said…when we dream that we die ourselves, it's usually an indication or forewarning of change, or transition." Iphigenia offers. "Can I tell you with certainty that you did not dream of your death? No. But I can't tell you that you did, either."

"Transition." Phin lets out a low "Heh," though there's no real humor in the sound. "It's definitely that, I guess." The uncertainty of the answer doesn't seem to trouble him. If anything, he might find it easier to accept. "If the other people who had dreams like this are still alive then…I mean. I guess it wasn't that for everyone. Right away." He nods. "I should get back to…I don't know. I'm off right now, but nobody's really 'off' as far as I can tell. I…thanks, Sister."

"You're welcome, Phin. You know if you need someone to talk to - we can do that without the Lords of Kobol being involved." Iphigenia assures him.

"I'll keep that in mind." And when Phin says it this time, it doesn't sound like just a brush-off. "Later." He still does not look entirely comforted - and still likely has thoughts of his impending death bouncing around in his head - but he's less edgy as he departs the chapel. So that's something.

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