A Strange Coin (Three Trinities Haven Church)

[Tatyana]

Tatyana looked at the odd coin in her hand with its strange grinning face. She’s never seen anything like it. The first thought that went through her head was she could sell it. It had to be worth something. Tatyana pulled out her stash, a metal container that held her pills in it. Opening it she could see she was running low. She’d had to ration them until she could find more cash. This coin might be enough to get her more though. 

The more she looked at it, however, the more she didn’t want to sell it. Tatyana wanted to know what it was and why it was here. It had been the clinking sound that drew her to it. Someone had dropped it - or possibly thrown it. Why - she didn’t know. Still she looked around. No one was around or they were hiding. It didn’t matter. The coin was hers now. She put it in her stash with her pills. 

She had originally come here for solitude, but now that her high was wearing down she was more amiable to company. Not that she wanted to talk, but she didn’t want to freeze and the church housed refugees. She wasn’t one, but she doubted they would turn her away because of that.  She went back to the church, passing by the unconscious bodies of the men that had tried to steal her food. She thought about the fight. Tatyana was strong, but not so strong that she should have been able to kick one man across the entire alley. Today was a day for strange occurrences. 

Tatyana arrived back at the church and going to the area were the refugees stayed she found a place to sit alone. She then felt a tear begin to fall, a sign the numbness was going away.

Fuck! she thought. 

She was supposed to ration, but she figured one more wouldn’t hurt today. The high might even ease her into sleep later. She opened her stash and took out the coin and one pill, which she took with a sip of water from her canteen. It would take time for the high to take effect, but the knowledge it was coming kept the demons at bay. She held on to the coin and contemplated it.

[Nox]

Morgan & Mackenzie

Morgan missed Nox.  He'd been gone so long, but his home was her home and Kallisti was warm when they needed a place to stay away from the crowd.  And now Kenzie was happy here, with him gone. but she liked the others.  And recently there were more of them, more kids. And they seemed happy.  Morgan wanted to visit more often. Kenzie didn't so today they played at the chruch.

A woman who just started hanging around had a shiny coin in her hand.  Morgan went up to the stranger. Kenzie grabbing on to her and keeping here away. "That's pretty. It looks like something I've seen around here before."  Morgan didn't remember where, but she'd seen it while she was playing.

[Tatyana]

Two little girls approached Tatyana. One excited and the other trying to pull her away. They had dirty faces, but Tatyana could tell they were clearly twin sisters. Tatyana usually didn’t smile, but seeing these girls for some reason reminded her of better times. When she was that age, he dad had been teaching her how to fight. She missed those sessions.

”It really is pretty, isn’t it?” Tatyana said, giving the girls an encouraging smile. ”You say you’ve seen something like this before? Do you know what it means?”

The coin really intrigued her. Why was it thrown into that alley? No one else had been around. Tatyana was sure it was for her. All things had a price. What was the price of this coin?

”My name is Tatyana. What is yours?” she asked, the friendliness surprising her.

[Legione Sumus]

Morgan & Mackenzie

There stickers all over the church. "On stickers." Morgan pointed to a small paper sticker stuck to one of the pillars. "Zeke might now better." She pointed to the dias where Zeke always lounged, but from where they were you couldn't see if he was there or not.

"I'm Morgan. This is Kenzie." Kenzie grabbed Morgan's arm and hissed "Morgan. Stop telling people our names."

[Tatyana]

Tatyana looked at the sticker Morgan pointed out, and Tatyana flinched, the sticker giving her a sense of unease. Unlike the grinning face on the coin, this face seemed more fearful. The sticker itself seemed odd in a church, and Tatyana also got the feeling this was more than a church. Of course she knew that - dealers were sometimes here. The soup kitchen here just made it easier to get food and pills in one trip.

Tatyana looked at the coin, and this time turned it over, and for the first time she realized the back side of the coin had a different face on it. This one, had a look of terror on it. Looking at it, Tatyana felt a little afraid herself, but deep down she knew, she’d been feeling fear since that bitch Sofia framed her. Tatyana had no proof, and it wouldn’t matter if she had. Regardless of proof, Tatyana hadn’t had a prayer after Konstantin’s perfect little angel had decided she needed to go.

Tatyana looked at the two girls - Morgan with her seemingly cheerful exterior and trusting and Kenzie - more cautious and wary. Tatyana wasn’t someone who wanted kids herself, but despite her anger at the world, she couldn’t bring herself to dash the girls’ hopes by saying it would get better. It probably wouldn’t. But they were young, perhaps things would change for the better for them. It was too late for Tatyana - too late to do anything but survive until she didn’t. Still, Tatyana was glad that Morgan had Kenzie. The poor girl probably wouldn’t make it on her own without the guidance of one jaded enough to be cautious.

”Don’t worry,” Tatyana said, putting the coin in her pocket. ”Your name is safe with me. Can you tell me anything about Zeke?” she looked towards the dias where Morgan indicated he liked to sit. She wondered if he was there now, but couldn’t bring herself to stand. The face of terror had unsettled her.

[Legione Sumus]

Morgan & Mackenzie

Kenzie tried to pull her away but she tugged free. "Zeke is the Angel. He keeps us all safe."

Kenie laughed. "You think everyone is here to keep us safe. Don't make a deal with Zeke. He's keeps us dry, there is always food and warmth. But it's not free. Nothing is free."

Kenzie was always so half-empty. "He's not that bad."

[Tatyana]

The Angel. A fitting name for a man who made a church his base of operations. Tatyana’s eyes went to Kenzie. That one would do good on the streets. She had already learned that nothing is free.

”You’re right. Nothing is free,” Tatyana said, looking at Kenzie as she did and grabbed her pack. She pulled out a piece of bread, wrapped that she had saved for later. Ripping it in half, she gave one half to each of the girls. For your information.”

Whether they took it or not didn’t matter. It was bread she had got here this night, so it was still good. It was all she had besides pills and those were too valuable and even she wouldn’t give drugs to a kid. Tatyana stood, and for a moment felt dizzy. She caught herself and shook her head. The pill she had taken was beginning to take effect.

”I guess I will see if the Angel is in,” she said, pulling out the coin and moving toward the dias the girls had pointed out to her before unaware if the girls decided to follow.

Tatyana moved slower, going into the walking gait she used when high. She doubted she would fall or anything; she hadn’t taken much. She looked at the coin again and seeing the face of terror, felt an urge to go back as fear began to take hold, the image having a weird reaction with the beginning of her high. She worked her way to the front of the church where the dias was to find that it was indeed occupied. A man stood there and as she approached, she could see the tattoos on his hand. A rose on one and on the other, an open mouthed skull.

He certainly didn’t look like an angel anyways. ”Im…I’m…looking for Zeke,” she said, her head beginning to swim a little as she approached the man, the strange coin held visibly in her hand.

[Ezekiel]

Zeke watched the girl wobble through the church. Sleeping bags and temporary partitions marked the way, a colourful jumble of displaced lives. She was clearly high, or well on the way, and he saw the coin clutched in her fingers but didn’t linger on it. Fear misted what remained of faculties presently eked away by the drugs. She seemed hesitant. He only watched, sinking his chin in his fist and raising his brows. “Are you now,” he said, amused. The corners of his lips quirked a smile. Anyone here could have told her who he was.

[Tatyana]

Tatyana looked at the man, then at the coin in her hand, at the strange sticker, the man’s skull tattoo, and then back at the man, an amused smile on his face. His answer had been full of mirth. Tatyana’s drug addled mind slowly put the pieces together. She had gone to this place because Morgan had told her this was where Zeke sat. She was talking to Zeke.

Tatyana looked at the coin, turning it over in her hand. Two sides bearing opposite expressions. A grin, that Tatyana wasn’t sure meant joy or happiness, and the other bearing a look of abject terror. Everything in her gut told her that the coin had meaning, and that it had been given to her for a reason. She had nothing to back this up, but she trusted her instincts on this.

Tatyana took a step closer. Holding out the coin towards Zeke fear side up, Tatyana spoke. ”I found this coin. It means something. I…I want to find out. I think Zeke knows…I think you know.” she paused, slowly gathering thoughts. ”I found it for a reason.”