Mercy would be a kindness

[Marjorie]

Arnel was walking threw the temple garden in the back courtyard, there were Initiates and Novice's tending the plants with such care and attention. It seemed a lifetime ago, now, that he had been a Squire. He remembered those early days of his devotion and all the trials that went with it. He smiled faintly. He had had some of the best days of his life within the temple walls, and out on the training grounds as a Squire. 

Now, he was the Knight - no, Knight Commander. He was often tasked with teaching small groups of Squires in swordsmanship, grooming horses, riding them. He lead them in prayer and reminded them not to be over prideful, ensured they remained humble before man and Ekjin. He loved working with and teaching those boys. It almost, but never quite, eased his own regrets over never having had children of his own. He still longed to hear the sound of little feet running threw the rooms of the Brotherhood's married quarters. To know that he had helped to make those tiny feet. It was not meant to be though. He frowned softly, at himself. It was his fault, after all. He was the sinner that Ekjin had believed needed be punished --- a sinner that wore his symbol and claimed to the his sword and shield, an element of Him manifest on Le'raana.

He took in a deep breath and let it out slowly, then settled on a bench. He pulled the book in his hands open to a well warn page. It was a prayer and a lesson for lost souls - for guidance and protection. For the wisdom to see their failures and shortcomings, and the strength to fix them, to do right the next time. It gave him little solace.

[Incandesa]

Lillith chuckled as she put on the new mask Molk had given her. Finally, she would be able to fool Arnel. Molk's mask allowed her to enter Ekjin's Temple without being harmed or noticed, and best of all it hid her presence from even those with with a bit of angel blood. It was truly a mastery of trickery. Just for her own amusement, she decided to disguise herself as a traveling nun, and as an added bonus she chose the form of the girl she had taken when she and Arnel first met. Not that he would remember anyway. Without the mask, none of her disguises worked on him.

Naturally, she made her way over to the Temple, as a young, beautiful, and perfectly pious nun. She wandered around for a bit until she found her target- Arnel, looking down at his little book again. Lillith smiled and made her way over. "Excuse me, Sir," she said meekly, tapping him on the shoulder, "Do you think you could help me out? I seem to be a bit lost around here." She batted her eyes just a bit. The cut of her gown was that of a nun, but Lillith had enchanted it so that the light would catch it at just the right angle to accentuate her "good parts." This would be her most hilarious trick yet.

[Marjorie]

"Of course," he said as he looked up from his book, closing it,"I would glad-" his breath cought in his throat, had he ever seen a woman so beautiful before? It was only a moment, a fraction of a second at most, and he caught himself, "to help you." He bit the inside of his cheek to scold himself. The girl was much too young, and a nun on top of that. He wouldn't think of her like a woman. She was a Sister and she didn't deserve his dirty mind or deviant thoughts. A wave of well hidden shame washed over him as he stood, straitening the jacket of his uniform as he did so, and throwing the blue cloak of his station over his left shoulder so his right shoulder was free from it. He offered her his right arm like a proper gentlemen, if she would have it, and held the book in his left hand, now hidden under his cloak.

"It would please me to escort you anywhere you wish or need to go, Sister," he said with perfect manners. "I'm Brother Arnel Swrgkin. Where is it that I can help you to find?" 

[Incandesa]

Having known him for so long, of course Lillith spotted Arnel's little pause, and it made her heart laugh with glee. For once he had absolutely no idea; he had absolute confidence she was a nun! After all these years, she was finally going to have the upper hand, and she was going to exploit it to her every advantage.

Like a happy girl too innocent to understand the implications of her actions, she grabbed his arm and pulled it between her breasts. "Oh you needn't be so formal, Brother Arnel's. We are all children of Ekjin, aren't we? I am Sister Mercy. I'm supposed to be delivering a few letters and packages to the orphanage here, but I seem to be all turned around." She giggled a bit, but it was more profitable than happy. A soft soul like Arnel was far more likely to pick it up.

[Marjorie]

Arnel purposefully did not follow the path she pulled his arm toward her to, and, though he did not pull it away from her, he did attempt to turn his hand so that he did not touch her breasts with his fingers even threw the fabric of her habit. One of his fingertips accidentally brushed up against the soft warmth seeping out of the skin under the layered fabric anyway. He instantly tightened his fingers into a fist to stop them from toughing her again.

"I do apologize, Sister Mercy," he said giving her a faint, but genuinely warm smile, "I'm afraid I don't know how else to be." He let her keep his arm, though he probably shouldn't have. It would have been rude to pull it back though, and he absolutely loathed the idea of explaining if it hurt her feelings for him to do so. The warmth of her body and the soft press of her breasts against his arm was starting to affect him. His body knew the touch and feel of a woman in his hands even if he resisted doing anything about her proximity. It had been a very long time sense the last time he had lain with his long dead wife.

A couple of the young Initiates and Novices were watching then, and snickering. A sharp look from him down at them silenced them, but it couldn't wipe whatever thoughts they were having from their minds. "It's a pleasure to meet you Sister."

Ekijn above, and devils below. He was going to hell and there were children standing there laughing at him.

Arnel cleared his throat. "The orphanage, yes," he should deliver her there quickly so that she could give him back his arm. "It's just across the courtyard, I can show you the way." He glanced past the garden off to their right to a squat building in the distance, then back at her - at her face only, before looking ahead again and taking a step in the indicated direction.

[Incandesa]

Internally, Lillith snickered. It was clear to everyone just how uncomfortable "Sister Mercy" was making the great Arnel. While she didn't do anything to encourage his touch, least she break the illusion that she was indeed a nun, she did take special note of his reactions towards her. She was going to have such fun with him in his dream that night, teasing him with "Sister Mercy" at his beck and call. Oh my, how scandalous indeed! She doubted he would be able to face his reflection in the mirror for a week.

"Have you been in service long here, Brother Arnel?" she asked with a chipper tone. "You seem as though you are highly respected around here." Of course, Lillith knew exactly how long Arnel had been there, but "Mercy" did not know that. "Personally, I've only begun my service rather recently, so I would very much appreciate it if there was someone like you around to correct me." Then pretending to be flustered, she said, "Not-not that I'm saying that it would have to be you specifically, not that there's anything wrong with you of course, I'm sure you're perfectly wonderful in everything! Oh dear, you know what, maybe just forget everything I said." And thus was set  the trap for great knight Arnel- a young, beautiful, devoted, nun, desperate for a bit of help. He would be a fool to fall for it, and heartless if he did not.

[Marjorie]

"A very long time," Arnel answered as he escorted her threw the garden and across a courtyard toward the building in the not too far distance.

"A very long time," he said glancing to the side at her, and then back ahead, "I started my training in this Temple almost two hundred years ago. I've been a knight for over a century now."

"Allow me to welcome you then, as a new sister of ours," that was how he should think of her - as a sister. That was proper and appropriate. She was nervous. It was sweet how she rambled on and got flustered. He glanced at her and smiled faintly. "It's alright, Sister Mercy," he said gently, kindly, "there's no need to be concerned, and I would be happy to help you in any way I can."

[Incandesa]

The seductress chuckled a little to herself in her head. She knew exactly how long he had been working in the temple; she had been there since the very beginning. And worse yet for him, she could tell when there was a trace of lust lingering in his eyes, even as he tried to fight it. Oh, this would be marvelous fun to tease him tonight with this body! She wondered how best to do so. Perhaps a tantalizing experience with a wardrobe accident- water on a white habit, or perhaps an unfortunate trip down a flight of stairs leading to an unexpected kiss. With "Sister Mercy" being so clumsy, anything was possible.

Out of the corner of her eye, Lillith could see a few young apprentices eyeing her. Oh yes, that was right, now that she had access to the temple, she would have far more targets to approach than just Arnel. This was just getting better and better.

When they reached their destination, Sister Mercy tucked a loose strand behind her ear and looked up at Arnel adoringly. "Thank you so much, I'll just be in shortly to drop this off and then I'll be out of your hair!" Then she darted in like a rabbit.

[Marjorie]

A tiny bit of lust was not really an issue. He hadn't had terribly unclean thoughts about the woman, just a sense that she was beautiful, the subtle beginnings of attraction. It was just enough though, to make himself exercise caution, he was mortal (after a fashion), after-all, and there fore as flawed as anyone else. 

He smiled faintly when the young sister dashed off inside, and waited patiently for her to return.

[Incandesa]

Once inside the building, the tiefling quickly dropped off a little money pouch on a table with a rather distracted looking monk who was attempting to care for the orphan children. A sly smile crossed her face. In a few minutes, the pouch of money would vanish, just as anything created by Molk would. She doubted with all the commotion the old geezer would realize the true, and would instead embark on a fruitless hunt for the missing coin. It would be fairly entertaining, to say the least.

However, as she was leaving one of the books on the table caught her eye. It seemed that once upon a time it was beautiful- red leather with gold leafed edges and elegant writing on the cover. But it was old now, and clearly well-used several times over to the point where the binding was beginning to fall off. Lillith found herself inexplicably drawn to it, despite the very glaring fact that she couldn't even read. It felt like a compulsion or a need.

She reached to pick the book up, but the moment her fingers touched the cover there was a spark of pain and she recoiled with a yelp. Clearly, Molk's mask would not shield her from whatever power this lump of paper had. Still, it only served to increase her desire for it. Glancing around one more time, she wrapped her hand in fabric and hid the book in her robes, careful not to let it touch her skin. Then she headed back out to meet Arnel.

[Marjorie]

When the young nun reappeared, Arnel smiled at her politely. "Do you need direction to anywhere else," he asked, "or is there anything else I can help you with?"

As they walked in their new direction, Arnel glanced at Mercy, and then back ahead. "How long ago did you take your vows?" he asked out of genuine curiosity. "If it is not too personal to ask," he added, "what lead you to the calling?" Some of the reasons women became men became Knights were inspirational, others were trails of sorrow that lead them eventually to Ekijn's as they sought healing threw faith.

"I was born here," he offered in exchange, his own story, or at least a small part of it, "I was raised in the House of Ekijn." 

[Incandesa]

Caught off guard, Lillith shifted rather nervously. Improvised acting was never quite her forte compared to elaborate planning. "Oh, um, you-you don't really want to hear that story," she insisted. "It's not particularly pleasant." Down casting her gaze and self-consciously tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, she made a sad face. Hopefully, this would stop any more questions, or at least give her some time to weave a convincing backstory.

Then, an idea struck her, one that would likely draw Arnel's attention away from her history. "Actually, there is one thing I was hoping you could help me with, Brother Arnel," she said. Gingerly, she pulled out the book she had found earlier, careful not to touch it with her bare skin. "I found this book earlier, but I seem to have difficulty reading it. Do you think you could help me decipher it?" If he could help her, that would be another tool in her arsenal.

[Marjorie]

"It's alright, sister," Arnel said gently touching her arm with his palm for comfort, "you don't have to tell me if it is uncomfortable for you. I would hear you without judgment though," he said with a warm and reassuring tone, "if you ever wished to speak of it." He smiled at her faintly, but let it go.

At sight of the book, Arnel's smile deepened and became brighter. He did not recognize the particular copy of the book, but he knew it for what it was. "It's  the Book of Swrgkin," Arnel said with fondness, "the original was written by my great grandfather, five times removed." Swrgkin was the Angel that founded the order they belonged to. He brushed his fingers across the book's cover with reverence. It was a peace of himself, the words of his God, direct from his most loyal servant.

"I would be happy to help you read it." Arnel gestured for her to follow him. She couldn't go into the barracks where he lived just as much as he couldn't enter the nun's convent, but bot could visit the temple together, and in there find a comfortable place where they could sit and poor over the book. This book which he knew nearly by heart.

[Incandesa]

The name of the book was vaguely known to her, along with a few passages, mainly because they were sometimes used to as curses against demons. However, while she knew the basic function of the book, she had very little knowledge on what the book truly discussed. Being a tiefling and thus part human, the words themselves would not harm Lillith, but clearly handling the object itself was another matter. Perhaps, if she could find out what the book discussed in detail, she would be able to find a way to counter its effects.

The disguised tiefling left Arnel take the book from her and cheerfully sat down on the edge of a fountain once they reached their destination. Looking mildly excited, she asked "Alright, where do we start first?"

[Marjorie]

"We start with the letters," Arnel said with a smile, "we'll tackle the book later." He set the book aside and pulled his journal back into his lap. He flipped to a blank page, and then removed a charcoal stick from his pocket.

"The letters have names, and they represent sounds," Arnel said as he started to write out the alphabet in capital/lowercase pairs, "and the sounds together formed words. Most people don't remember how they learned to speak, but surely you've heard a baby's babble turn into words over time? The concept is the same." 

He pointed at the first letter pair, "This is the letter 'a' it makes the ah sound like in alive or the A sound like in ate." He went threw all the letters in this way with her, having her repeat the sounds and names for each of the letters.

[Incandesa]

Having little to no experience with written human language, Lillith could only remember only the basics of word structure. She grit her teeth in frustration. G-grace be to-to Ek-Ekji-AHH! The demoness tried to say the basic prayer greeting to Arnel's god- Ekjin, but as soon as the word began to form on her lips, she yelped. It was as if someone had attempted to dip her tongue in burning oil. Quickly, she stood up, eyeing the strange book. What power did it have that even speaking the words from it could harm her? And why was Arnel unaffected?

Perhaps we should continue this another time, she said quickly. She used her sleeve to grab the book and dashed away. What a stupid thing for a devil to do, and yet for some unknown reason she was continually drawn back to it. As though it were calling to her.

[Marjorie]

For his part, Arnel didn't realize ti was the words or the book harming her. He just thought she was struggling to master a new skill. He hadn't always been literate, and though it was a long, long time ago he had learned to read in this language, he could still remember a time he struggled at it.

"It's ok..." he was rather puzzled by her sudden exit, "another time, sure..." he said to her retreating figure. She had learned the letters quickly, but sounding out the words was always the hard part. He was thoroughly confused as to why she had run off though.

[Incandesa]

That night, Lillith couldn't help but stare at the miracuous book. It had clearly harmed her, and yet she was drawn to it. Was this what temptation felt like for mortals? She didn't know, but whatever it was, it was irresistable. And so, she returned to learned the next day, and the day after that and the day after that...

[Marjorie]

Days turned into weeks, and weeks turned into months and still Mercy sought out Arnel for more lessons in reading, and more repetitions of scripture. They did more than just read from the book though, Arnel offered practical and theoretical lessons on the meanings of the words held within.

Of course he wasn't available every day, and neither was she. There were times his duties would take him away for days or weeks. Still, this temple was his home for countless years now, and a new home to her. He always returned to it, and somehow, she was always there again, to read another passage with him when he was back. 

[Incandesa]

Lillith was a quick study and easily learned the human written language. However, she feared the pain of speaking the words from Arnel's sacred book, so instead she intentionally mispronounced at least one word in any given sentence. This seemed to keep divine punishment at bay.

In her master's lair, she did well to hide her studies in quiet corners, away from prying eyes. The succubus couldn't tell if it was something in the psalms or the stories, but when she read that book, it was as if an emptiness she had never known existed in her soul was filled. Was the work of this god, her lifelong enemy, so powerful that he could touch her through mere written word in the midst of Molk's dominion?

She began to long to meet this deity, to know him as the scripture writers did, merciful and loving. "No longer an orphan, but a child of the Everlasting," the scripture said. But no, it would never be. Lillith was a demon, a possession and slave to Molk, the enemy of Ekjin. She couldn't even enter Ekjin's temple or read his scripture without physical pain. Even a god of wayward souls would not accept the hand of his enemy. So in her despair, after each of Arnel's lessons, she would move to a secluded corner and cry in front of a long forgotten statue of Ekjin. Perhaps someday, he would take pity on her.