This chapter is a filler chapter. The Joker drama will be in the next chapter i promise. Aside from this being a filler chapter this is also a "Laces gets to practice trying to write deep english-y things" chapter.
Whatever you gather from this chapter is up to your interpretation. There is no right or wrong answer.
L.L.A.P
~Laces
Chpt.29
Damian woke up with the sun on his face. He sat up in his bed, stretching while doing so, then walked down the hallway to see if Livy was awake.
Maybe I can apologize for what I said yesterday. Maybe we could continue what was about to happen the last time we had a private conversation. Damian thought with some hope.
However, once he entered Livy's room, he noticed that it was empty.
Did she run away in the middle of the night? He thought. Did she hear father talking about Joker and went to take matters into her own hands?
Alfred was walking by in the hall and Damian looked at the man with a flicker o f panic in his eyes.
"Alfred, have you seen Livy?"
"Indeed I have, Master Damian." Alfred informed calmly. "She told me that she promised an old friend that she would visit Saint George's Church."
"A church?" Damian almost laughed.
He knew Livy well enough that she didn't have the utmost faith in organized religion and God. "I will go and escort her back here afterwards. She will most likely be too uncomfortable in the church to move. I don't think the girl said a single prayer in her life."
"Don't be too sure of yourself Master Damian." Alfred warned. "Faith has its own way of presenting itself."
~*~*~*~*~Elsewhere~*~*~*~*~
Livy stared up at the building in front of her, then looked down at her floral dress that she picked up from a thrift store on the way to the place, hoping it was alright.
People were filing into the building, and Livy shuffled her feet with them.
This was the first time Livy had ever stepped into a church and she didn't know how she should feel.
She sat on a pew located toward the back of the building and sat quietly, unsure of what to do as people continued to file in.
"I've never seen you before." Livy looked over to see a little girl, maybe about seven years old, with curly blond hair and brown eyes, wearing a yellow dress . She was staring up at her with questioning eyes.
"Well, I've never been here before." Livy shrugged. The girl sat next to Livy, scooting her small body closer to the teen.
"Why'd you come here?" The little girl inquired.
"My friend wanted me to come here."
"Where's your friend?"
"Jail." The words left Livy's mouth before she could think. However, the little girl didn't seem scared or worried at all.
"My friend's in jail too." She beamed happily, delighted that she had something in common with a teenager. "He was selling things called drugs." The little girl informed. "What did your friend do?"
"He... Uh... He kidnapped people. But they're okay."
Before the girl could say anything, the man that Livy assumed was a priest started talking.
He spoke of the bible and of life. Livy felt strange, like an outsider that didn't belong. However at the same time, she felt... good. That was the only word Livy could describe the feeling as.
"Now, let us say the Lord's Prayer." The man stated and everyone started to kneel down on something that Livy didn't know the name for located in front of her, and Livy looked around in confusion .
She then felt a small hand grasp her own. It was the little girl, pulling Livy down, showing her how to kneel.
"Like this." She whispered as she clasped her hands together and Livy copied.
Livy felt awkward when the entire building started to say the prayer and she remained kneeling with her hands clasped together, not saying a word.
When the prayer was over and everyone started to sit back on the pews, the little girl whispered,
"You don't know the Lord's Prayer?"
Livy shook her head, embarrassed.
I must look like a complete fool, walking into a church and not knowing a single thing to do. Not even a prayer that apparently everyone knows. However, instead of scorning her, the girl gave her gave a gentle smile.
"It's okay. It took me awhile to get it too. Just keep practicing."
Livy smiled a bit and then something was passed their way. It was a tray with coins on it.
The little girl dug into the small pocket on the yellow dress and pulled out a quarter, then placed it with the rest of the coins. The tray was then in front of Livy.
She reached into her pocket, where she only had a twenty dollar bill, and pulled out the bill, placing it on the tray, then passed it over.
"That was a lot of money." The little girl stated in shock.
"Was that a bad thing?" Livy inquired, her voice on the verge of panic. She didn't want to offend anyone.
"No." the girl giggled. "That was a good thing."
They finished the service, and the two were walking out the door together. The girl seemed to have came on her own. As Livy looked at the girl, she couldn't help but feel like she looked a bit familiar.
Before she could ask what the little girl's name was, she heard her own name being called.
"Livy!"
Livy looked over where the voice originated and saw Damian standing several yards away with his arms crossed.
Livy turned her head back to where the girl was, but she was gone.
"Why did you come here?" Damian inquired as Livy's eyes scanned the crowd for the little girl, but to no avail.
"A friend told me a should." Livy whispered. "Did you see that girl that I was walking out with?" she inquired, and Damian gave her a confused look.
"What girl."
Livy opened her mouth, but then closed it, shaking her head.
Livy walked back to the Manor with Damian, not speaking a word to him, listening to him scolding her about leaving the manor without telling anyone but Alfred . He then started to taunt her how he was surprised that a girl with little belief in God actually went to a church.
Livy never told Damian, but she would admit, if someone were to ask, that she had gone to several more services at that church.
However, she never saw that little girl with blonde hair, brown eyes, and yellow dress again.