[[CW: Gonna put a content warning here for spiritual/mind control and all related shit, just to be sure]]


Gabriel did notice the overfamiliarity or her using his first name, even though she called him 'father', but he did nothing to correct her or display unease. Father Kemble would probably have corrected her, since the man seemed obsessed with formality, but Gabriel had just spent considerable time in a convent where there had been bitter little familiarity of any kind. Friendships were forbidden. All interactions had to be for the greater glory of God. He hadn't spoken to the sisters he had ministered to, had even been forbidden from hearing their confessions; he had been alone with his thoughts and God and the counsel of his spiritual director. It had been a desert. But it was in the desert that one repented, found God, and found vocation, and Gabriel had been renewed.

Still, hearing someone call him by his name felt like a warm blanket being put over him.

"It is good to see you too, Mrs. Calloway. You recovered well, I trust? How are the children?"