“So, what’s the topic for first meeting tonight, everyone?”
The most depressed looking bunch sat in a circle in the most uncomfortable chairs in all of Yharnam. Most weren’t looking at each other, how can they? It's not everyday some members of the Healing Church and some Hunters meet for a...bald sympathy group.
The one who spoke, Vicar Laurence, sighs at the rest of the others’ silence. The gold and white mask that covers the top part of his head with the top part of the end horns had gold hoops that connected to black cloak that hung on the white outer coat that covers a black silk dress under. Befitting for the Vicar of the Healing Church and leader of the Choir. But his voice and tone held exasperation at the group here as he states, “I know this is hard, everyone. The topic is revealing of our problem.” He crosses his arms in front of his body, before letting them fall to his sides, trying to calm himself of his seemly growing irritation.
“What’s there to reveal?” A refined but angry voice cuts through the air, making all six heads turn to the lone Cainhurst woman in the meeting and among the Hunters. Lady Maria sat with her whole body tense, both her arms and legs crossed, and nothing short of the worst scowl most of them has ever seen. She keeps going, “We all know why we’re here. No reason why to do this.” Lady Maria huffs and looks towards the exit with a longing gaze.
The man to her left, the elderly man with a top hat, the First Hunter, Gehrman, made a sorrowful face at his fellow hunter. Anyone with eyes could tell they came as a couple, hard to miss when they come in holding hands. The oldest member of the group turns to the annoyed noble and starts, “Maria, I understand why you’re upset…”
But before he can finish, Maria’s head snapped at him and she hissed out, “Gehrman, do you have any idea what it is like growing up as a noble lady with fucking bald spot in Cainhurst?!” Almost everyone in the room cringed at the idea of showing their bald spots to anyone from Cainhurst. The nobles there wouldn’t even need the bald spots to mock them, most can’t even imagine what cruel words the nobles would have if they did see the spots.
The room was silent, though Gehrman looked that he wanted to defend himself but the other tall man in the room, the one to Lady Maria’s right, spoke up in a foreign accent that doesn’t belong to anyone native to Yharnam. “Ah, Lady Maria, my apologies but I don’t think that’s what Master Gehrman had meant.” The man being a former priest named Gascoigne, who had joined the hunters in their war against the local furry population after being healed, like so many other foreign hunters.
Gehrman looks to his younger lover, with large sorrowful eyes, like that of a kicked Wandering Nightmare, gently takes her hand into one of his, and pleads, “Maria, you know I wasn’t trying to be insulting towards you.”
The sour look on the noblewoman’s face lasted but a second after looking at her lover before it falls apart into a regretful expression. All knows she doesn’t mean to be snappy towards her mentor and lover, this was hard for all of them. “I...I know, I’m sorry. It's just hard to talk about.” Maria says as she looks to Gehrman, who gives her a small smile and gives her hand a squeeze.
Everyone look at the touching moment in front of them, it is so hard for a group like them to find this kind of gentle nature. Laurence clears his throat, bring everyone’s attention to back to him, and he comments, “That is why we need to do this, so I will start.”
Standing tall as he can, the Vicar removes the mask that covers his face and more importantly, the gleaming dome that sits on the ring of red hair. “As you know, I am Vicar Laurence and I have been balding since I was 10 years old.” He says as he bows slightly in his chair, before looking to the woman to his left, who had been quiet this whole time.
The Pthumerian woman who wore a lace hood on the top of her head, her long and boney fingers hooks the hood and lets it fall to show a smaller shiny dome than Laurence’s but a bit more noticeable due to her being a woman. She states with a clear and unflichable voice, “I’m Amelia, apostle of Laurence and I have been balding since I was 16.” Once she was done she looked to the young hunter to her left.
The young man, barely 17, almost jumped when Amelia had looked at him, and he quickly grabs his hat off of his head, showing the best head of hair the group has, with only a deep widow peak growing worse. “Ah, I am junior hunter Djura, I...um, have started balding since last year.” The boy stutters out while not looking at anyone. The older Hunters knows how hard some of the Old Hunters can tease.
Gascoigne smiles at Djura in support, knowing how harsh it can be. He turns his head towards the group and removes his large brimmed hat, showing off yet another dome with a ring of hair, grey this time. He gives the group a smile and says, “I am Father Gascoigne, well just Gascoigne now, and I have been balding since I was 6 years.” He turns to the noblewoman to his left, with a warm smile.
Lady Maria, even though she has downed beast after beast, bested most other hunters she has fought, and now holds the hand of her lover, still looks like she was facing the death march. With a shaking hand and a deep breath, she removes her prized hat and shows off to the supporting group among her peers. Her pale dome sits perfectly under her cap, and her pale blond hair makes it look even larger than it should be. “I am Lady Maria of Cainhurst, and my hair started to fall out when I was 12 years old.” She says with only a slightly shaky voice before she turns to her smiling lover.
Almost as feeling no need, the Master Hunter just pops off his top hat, showing the smooth dome with thin white hair around it to the group, and simply states, “Name is Gehrman, had the spot on top of my head since I was 14.” Though, given his age and how long the he has to deal with it, his lack of fear for judgment was justified.
As if a breath of fresh air hits the group, they have struggled to find acceptance for their problem, and here they have found it. Laurence smiles wide at the group, this ragtag team of balding folk. Standing up, he grabs everyone’s attention and says with a warm voice, “I thank everyone for revealing themselves and their problem to the group. I know how hard it is and I just want everyone to know that we are here for each other.” The group looks at each other with a growing affection, new friendships and old will bloom and grow here. And that’s all the First Vicar could hope for as he keeps going, “We’ll have another meeting in a week’s time, same place. The next topic will be first reactions.” As he finishes, the Vicar knows this will be an uphill battle given everyone’s faces. But that is for next week’s Laurence to deal with.