Chapter Text
The man can’t say he’s lonely. His soul ended up somewhere more hidden, but it isn’t as though he’s stuck. Throughout his years, he has communicated with the other dead beings. His speech changed with them-at least, it did for the most part. But then new owners of the hotel came and he retreated back into his hole where he took on a new way to cope: maladaptive daydreaming.
He’s seen Abaddon multiple times. Despite popular belief, Abaddon doesn’t despise him, it seems. Although Abaddon holds a heavy grudge, he appears to tolerate the man, though he can see how irked Abaddon gets. He thinks that if people could touch him, Abaddon would jump him. The man, however…he can’t forgive.
It’s an odd feeling. He believed in only Heaven and Hell while he was alive. Sure, the Bible spoke of demons coming up, but he didn’t believe people could become ghosts. And now…he isn’t so sure about the Bible. He feels guilty for it, especially since he still finds some truth in the book, but there are moments that he wonders just how much it must’ve changed. If he could, he would look into other religions and learn from their teachings. He tells himself it’s not sinful, because it really isn’t. All he’s liooking for are lessons and teachings, not a God.
The man shuts his eyes and breaths slowly, attempting to imagine the 1700s, but it morphs into the 1900s. He furrows his eyebrows, trying to forget the man who owned the hotel during that time. He should be glad that the man moved on instead of staying behind, but instead he feels…nothing. It feels more like a cat died. Like when people tell themselves, “Don’t be sad! Your pet had a great life because you were there.” He doesn’t know how to feel about it, so he goes back to dreaming.
He’s walking, fast at first, but then slows when he notices his past wife. She didn’t stay behind like he had because she had died before seeing what her son had become. The man recalls people feeling negative about him as a single father because priests aren’t meant to have distractions, Some branches of priests didn’t even marry, but the town always made exceptions for him and no one else. He knows he should’ve spoken up about it, but why would he? Humanity is selfish, so of course he is as well.
His jointness suddenly appears to be confused, a sweet look on her face as she smiles, knitting her brows and tilting her head at him. He slowly opens his eyes, squinting. He’s no longer where he was before. The hotel is ahead. He feels…still nothing, oddly. He goes up to the hotel and opens the door. He hasn’t ever met a ghost that can interact with objects like him, but then again he hasn’t met very many ghosts at all. He’s seen the ghosts in the woods, sure, but he can only assume that they’ve moved on. He wouldn’t recognize those who he used to talk to daily, unfortunately. He hates it, especially when they were a massive part of his life- or, life after death.
The priest looks around, biting his lip as he realizes how much different, yet similar, it appears. He didn't know it was possible to change so much over…Wait, how many years has it been?
Feeling as though he’s wasted his time, he heads back outside. Unexpectedly, behind him he hears someone call out, “Wait!” He turns around, the door opens, though he’s already outside. A man with a surprisingly nice mustache and a big, happy smile is now face to face with him. The priest looks at where his right shoulder is clipping through one of the pillars on the porch, then back up at him, wondering if he notices.
“Are you staying?” he excitedly asks. For the first time in a while, the priest immediately feels bad. While thinking of what to say, he realizes that the man in front of him must not know he’s a ghost residing here. The priest opens his mouth, but chokes on his words. He clears his throat and proceeds to apologize, “I was merely wandering the woods.” Despite the man’s clear eagerness for the priest to stay, he doesn’t seem disappointed. Rather, he remains optimistic.
“Well, stop by anytime you’d like!” he welcomes the priest. “Hey, is there a church near here?” The priest panics for a moment, though he doesn’t know why. Something about the man being suspicious and finding out he’s a ghost makes him upset. He doesn’t deserve to be less-than-human like that demon- No, he shouldn’t be cursing the demon, no matter that he’s a demon, because it still has hints of his boy inside. He’s never leaving his boy, and that’s final.
The priest is quick to fib, “I am traveling and…I…what is the word? ‘Hiking’?” The priest can’t imagine walking around and staying days in the woods for fun. Everything back then could kill everyone, but he supposes that it must not be that way anymore based off of what the girl with the axe to the head told him. She was very rude.
“I’m Nathan!” the hotel owner lets him know. “Man, this hotel keeps surprising me day after day, am I right?”
“...Yes. I suppose that it does.”
“I know you won’t be staying, but it gets a little lonely around here sometimes. You can come anytime.”
The priest hesitates before firmly nodding. Nathan looks over him, a hand on his chin. He’s still smiling as he looks the priest over. Before the priest can ask, Nathan suddenly says, “Your hair curls at the ends. It kind of reminds me of someone I know. I should go get him for you!”
Swiftly, the priest objects, “No! I-I mean to say that I’ve already seen him.” Nathan doesn't even question it, making note of how shy and awkward the priest seems to be. He simply shrugs and says, “Well, if you ever change your mind!” He then walks through the door. He is…astonishingly bad at hiding that he’s a ghost.
This time, the priest has to force himself to go back. He tosses and turns, already ready to go back. That’s when he realizes that ghosts don’t sleep. He hurries over during night where nobody actually alive can see him. He hasn’t met the living people of this hotel, which he presumes are here due to the acceptable condition the hotel is in.
The priest heads up the stairs. He’s determined, but he unfortunately has no clue where Nathan is. He walks down the hallway , then down the other end once more. When he turns around this time, Nathan is standing right there. Nathan is quick to apologize, “Sorry! I didn’t mean to startle you.” It’s nice how kind Nathan is. If he were still alive, the priest would like to be more like him.
Shaking off his surprise, the priest responds with his hands neatly in front of him, “How do you fare?” The man wishes to smack himself for the slip up, but Nathan clearly doesn’t mind as he answers, “I’m great! Aren’t you tired?”
“No, I…I just wished to see you again and couldn’t wait?”
This time, Nathan seems surprised. “Well, I’m glad you came!” he says, still wearing that same smile. After a moment of silence, the priest clears his throat and looks away for a moment. He asks Nathan, “What is it you do?”
“Like, for fun? I play guitar! Actually, I used to play guitar.”
Nathan suddenly looks nervous, though the priest can’t quite tell why. Nathan shows the priest around the hotel. The priest wants to tell him that he’s seen this before, but the introduction feels…oddly nice. Nathan has a way of making it feel like he hasn’t been trapped here for years.
When they enter a room, a strange noise comes out of a box. The priest recalls seeing them throughout the 1900s, but he never asked what they were. He heard them called something once, though, the name on the tip of his tongue.
Nathan stops and announces, “This is ‘Black Hole Sun’ by Soundgarden! We used to listen to this all the time while I was growing up!” He unexpectedly begins mimicking the lyrics. It shouldn’t make the priest laugh, but it does. Nathan smiles and jokes, “You making fun of my singing?”
“Is that what you call it?”
For a second, the priest is concerned that Nathan will find him rude. He’s about to ask for forgiveness, something he knows how to do all too well, but Nathan chuckles, completely unbothered. In the priest’s town, back in 1700, people would often get offended. It irked the priest, but here Nathan appears carefree. It is…warming.
“What songs do you like?” Nathan suddenly asks. The priest wants to shut him down, perhaps by saying something akin to, “I hear what the box always plays.” However, Nathan’s expression makes it strangely impossible to want to avoid questions.
“If you insist,” the priest gives in, taking his hat off from his head. “There was a hymn I knew well.” The priest wishes that he heard other music than church music sooner than 1850. He recalls a sing he heard after his death and decides it will do. He repeats the words as monotone as he can because he doesn’t wish to embarrass himself, but even so, a slight rhythm can be heard behind the words, “Come thou fount of ev’ry bleffing-” Nathan snorts. The priest stops and stares blankly at him. Tentatively, Nathan questions, “Those are the actual lyrics?” The persist finds him sounding judgments, causing him to cross his arms and scoff. Nathan is swift to try clarifying, “I didn’t mean it in a rude way! Honestly, I should’ve realized you were amish sooner.” The priest has no clue what an amish person is. When Nathan notices his confusion, he explains, “They live like they did back in ‘the old days’. Pretty much, it’s no internet.”
“I…did use to live like that. But not anymore.”
“Why’s that?”
“One could say I have different beliefs now.”
“There’s no shame in that! Live how you want.”
Sarcastically, he asks, “And what would thou do if what I want is to set fire to the curtains?” Nathan blinks, seeming to take him seriously. Nervous, the priest thinks about whether or not he should say it’s merely a joke. However, Nathan decides, “Well…We’ve had worse happen here.”
“You’d…allow me to set fire to your curtains? That is…quite foolish.”
Nathan chuckles, then agrees, “I guess I am a fool.” The priest smiles. He looks back at the box, turning the dial. Every now and then Nathan will start loudly saying the lyrics and the priest will chuckle again.
The priest comes at night for the most part, helping Nathan do small things even though Nathan never asks for the help and the priest isn’t all that strong when it comes to carrying something. Nathan told the priest about Ben and the talent show. The priest is aware that Nathan’s lying when he says he stayed home due to a fever, but he finds that he doesn’t mind even the slightest.
Esther has seen throughout his time here, but she must’ve assumed it was another of Nathan’s ghostly friends. She’s not wrong.
Despite not needing an explanation, Nathan has told him all about the ghost situation. “Aren’t priests meant to hate ghosts?” Nathan questioned, half joking. The priest shook his head, once again removing his hat. The priest responded. “I do not hate those who cannot help themselves, no.”
Currently, they’re in the laundry room and watching the clothes tumble. “What is so interesting about this?” the priest inquires, only having come here because Nathan requested it. Nathan rolls his eyes, though it’s clear to the priest that he is only joking.
Suddenly, there’s a noise in the vents. Abaddon pops out, his hair matted. The priest suddenly feels more nervous than before.
Abaddon curtly nods, his eyes narrowed. “Father,” he speaks. Then, he gets distracted by a mouse in the hall and chases after it. THe priest stammers for a moment, trying to explain, but then he notices how Nathan’s face is beaming and shuts his mouth, “Did you hear what he just called me?!” he excitedly says. Nathan jumps up, celebrating. The priest abruptly feels a heavy guilt…but the warmth of Nathan’s presence overcomes it. If a lie is keeping them together for now, a lie it shall stay.