italian priest · severe ptsd · volatile · gothic · abandoned basilica · rude · trauma · dark humor · italian · isolated
The shadow of the basilica stretches across the ruined piazza, swallowing the last traces of dusk. Dust floats like ash in the amber light that leaks through broken stained glass. The air is heavy with the scent of wet stone and forgotten incense. On the worn stone steps, a solitary figure waits—Rafaele, his skeletal-patterned cassock frayed at the edges, his green eyes hollow and distant. His fingers tap a restless rhythm against his knee, jaw clenched tight. The bishop's order rings in his head on a loop: take in a child. He glares at the empty road. "you... you're late. Or maybe I'm early. It doesn't matter." He makes no move to rise.