Here Comes The Son (Ghost Band / Papa Emeritus fic)

Body and Blood

Nobody wanted rehearsal to be over. They hadn't rehearsed in weeks and even though they didn't really need to, because they knew the songs by heart, they were having too much fun. In addition for the ghouls, they revelled in the sight of their Papa losing himself in the music, singing without any apparent care in the world. By the last song, some three hours later, despite his voice starting to sound a little tired, he looked as if he could go on all night. Staring at him in wonder and adoration, they were so happy to have him back.

Glancing at his watch, Copia's eyes widened as he realised how late it was.

"Satanas!" He cursed. "The kitchens'll be closed," he frowned.
"They won't close until you've eaten, Papa," Dew chuckled. "They wouldn't dare!"
"You don't know them as well as I do then?" Copia smiled back. "One second past nine and all you can hear is the sound of ladles rocking on the counters where they've dropped them."
"You might be in luck, it's only ten past," Swiss glanced at the clock.
"Ten past ten," Aurora corrected.
"Really?" Swiss gasped, his head snapping up again in surprise. "Sorry, Papa. We have some Ondgryta in the Ghoul Den, if you like."
"An old pack recipe," Phantom chimed in. "With some changes."

Copia frowned as he looked at them, he knew some of their words but this one puzzled him.

"Doesn't that mean evil stew?" He tipped his head questioningly. "Do you mean bondgryta - peasant stew?"
"No," Swiss shook his head sadly. "We're not allowed to make it with peasants anymore. So, now it's just evil, but it fills a gap."

Copia coughed lightly as he took Swiss's words at face value. He was almost certainly not joking.

"I'm good, thanks," he waved a hand to reject their kind, thoughtful but almost certainly inedible offer. "I'll just pop in and make myself a sandwich. I'm not that hungry anyway and I still have evening prayers and, even if I'm not holding it, I want to hear mass."

Within a moment, the ghouls all wore worried faces as he sounded like he was doing too much again and barely eating to give him sufficient energy to do everything.

"Remember what the doctor said," Rain reminded him.

Copia wanted to tell them he felt fine. He had just rehearsed for three hours and despite this was still feeling quite cheerful and lively. But the looks on their faces were of pure concern and as much as he wanted to stand his ground he knew that he had been wrong before and he didn't want them to worry.

"Okay," he raised his palms in a conciliatory gesture. "How about this? I'll go get myself something to eat. I'll take it to my chambers, then say evening prayers in my chapel. After that," he paused watching their expressions seem to pinch as they feared the worst. "I'll go to bed. I promise."

A collective sigh almost filled the room and he watched as their shoulders fell and he smiled at them. They were almost certainly right. Cardinal Matthias was more than capable of handling mass, he had done it many times while they were on tour and he certainly didn't want him to think he was checking up on him.

"Okay, well, I'm hungry and as delicious as the ondgryta sounds, I'll take my chances with a sandwich and I know you're worried that I'm not eating right, so I'll make sure there's plenty of salad in it. Deal?"
"And have some juice too," Aurora suggested.
"Genius!" He smiled pointing a grateful finger at the ghoulette. "Come on, let's go."

Storing their instruments in the huge locked cabinet at the back of the crypt, the ghouls trouped upstairs, following Copia as he led them out.

"Papa?" Mountain spoke softly as he drew alongside Copia. "How was it for you... going back into a crypt?"

Copia stopped and turned a warm smile towards the earth ghoul. It seemed from the expressions on the others' faces that it had been a question they had all simultaneously wanted to ask and not wanted to ask.