A New Way of Life [Marjorie]

[Incandesa]

It was a beautiful sunny morning when Sister Gale asked Lilith to deliver a pile of old scriptures to the Temple Director. There were enough manuscripts that Lilith almost couldn't see over them when she carried them, but she was grateful for the task all the same. At least now, the temple staff was trusting her to participate rather than ignoring her, even if it was menial work. There were even a few souls brave enough to casually greet her as they passed. It had been a few weeks since Lilith joined the temple and for the first time she felt they the people were actually starting to accept her. Of course, she didn't blame them for their mistrust; after all, she had been their enemy for centuries.

As she rounded the corner and made her way past the old training grounds where she had first met Arnel, Lilith saw something that chilled her to the bones, and she dropped the manuscripts she had been holding. There, where she herself had once leaned against the fence, just out of reach of the temple's barrier, was the incubus: Cain. He was leaning casually against a tree, looking at his nails, as if he had been waiting for her. In her former life, he and Lilith had shared more than one extremely pleasurable night together, and he was just as handsome as she remembered. Windswept hair, high cheekbones, chiseled abs, and a sinfully gorgeous face. When he looked up at her, he gave a wry smile.

"What the hell do you think you're doing here?!" she screamed, before quickly covering her mouth with both hands. She hoped no one had heard that particular little curse. Cain cocked his head a bit, as if it were perfectly natural for him. "What? I can't come to see the little traitor swim around in her little fish bowl?" he asked.

Lilith didn't know whether or not to be angry or terrified. So they knew. Her demon clan knew she was here, and they had sent Cain as a treat. She would never be able to step outside the temple again.

[Marjorie]

Arnel was out on the training grounds, teaching a group of very young boys (the oldest it which was maybe 10), how to properly hold a sword and how to stand with one in hand. They hadn't even been taught how to swing them at one another yet, and the swords they held were made of wood. He grinned, toeing one of the boy's feet over so he had a better stance and turned his shoulders just a bit. "Better," he said, "you hold that sword well, but keep your feet a shoulder's width apart."

Lilith's exclamation drew the eyes of the boys faster than it garnered Arnel's attention. An arrest swear word wasn't enough to make him gawk, though some of the boys did. Arnel snapped his fingers bring their attention back to him. "Practice sheathing and drawing your swords, and mind yourselves," he said, then stepped away to investigate what had upset Lilith.

Perhaps the only being who could cause the incubus to be dimmed by comparison was an honest to the Gods Angel, though Arnel wasn't thinking of that. He knelt down and started to pick up the papers Lilith had dropped. "Is everything alright?" He asked her gently, just to remind her she wasn't one here, that she was safe here.

[Incandesa]

"Hardly..." Lilith growled as she glared daggers at her former college.

Cain gave a look of mock hurt. "You wound me, dear sister!" He gave a dramatic swoon with his hand over his forehead, though even when teasing her, he was still devastatingly gorgeous. Perhaps it was that hint of genuine betrayal that danced on the edge of his eye. "You would so casually throw me away for a cheap boytoy like him?"

A battle of emotions raged in the former Sucubus' heart. Hurt. Anger. Frustration. Pity. "No, I left because I saw the truth."

"Ooh. Look at Miss High and Mighty with her pretty bird boy toy. Thinks she's so much better than the rest of us when really  she's probably just f*cking her way up the temple folk now. So much for "Love" and "Self-Control." " Finally, Lilith snapped and she began to lunge at Cain

[Marjorie]

Arnel ignored the words - they were not much different than the sorts of words that Lilith used to fling at him when they were at odds with one another. However, when Lilith went to lunge at Cain, he stopped between them, even though there was also a fence there.

"Lies are not worth being hurt again," he said gently, "let the truth heal you. He is not worth hurting over."

Arnel held his hand out to Lilith. "Let us be away from here," he offered, and if she accepted his hand he would ignore the papers she'd dropped and lead her away back toward the temple.

[Incandesa]

Lilith grit her teeth, but her new better nature took Arnel's hand has she took long, deep, strained breaths. Cain was continuing his taunts has Arnel led her away. Her anger made her want to strangle him. It didn't help that she could still smell the incubus' pharamones, and they were stirring up the forgotten cravings of her demonic self. Her body temperature rose, and her blood burned as if acid were coursing through her veins. Her loins were the worst of it. They were slightly wet, in pain, and felt like there was an itch that desperately needed to be scratched. She was probably emitting her own pharamones, which would attract the majority of young men at the temple, not to mention more demons. What a disaster.

Now that she had been delivered, Lilith wasn't sure if having sex was a requirement to live anymore or if this was simply a process of wining her body off of a life long addiction. She hoped it was the latter. The former situation would likely mean either committing suicide to keep true to her new god, or finding a suitable husband; and she doubted there were many respectable men willing to marry a (former) sex demon.

When they were far enough away, she gripped Arnel's shoulder. "Quick, throw me into the river," she demanded. She hoped the cold water would calm down her body and wash away the pharamones.

[Marjorie]

The Pheromones emitted by Cain and Lilith didn't discriminate. They wouldn't just attract the young men in the temple, but the older ones, and likely the women too. Luckily for the both of them, Arnel had literal centuries denying their power over him.

He wasn't unaffected, but he didn't show it, and certainly wasn't going to act on the urge currently coursing threw him and causing his body temperature to rise by a degree. He ignored it.

"I think we could start with something less drastic first." Arnel was leading her toward the nunnery where Lilith had been given a modest room to stay in sense her injuries had recovered. "A cool bath and a quiet moment alone might do you better," he said gently, pausing before the threshold. Men were not allowed within the convent's walls, just as women were not permitted inside the Knight's barracks. "Peace be with you," he said gently, letting go of her hand, "and doesn't worry about those peppers I'll retrieve them for you."

[Incandesa]

When Lilith felt Arnel's hand slip away, she went to grab it again as if it were a lifeline. She was feeling physical pain now, her head was swimming and her breathing was becoming heavy. Even her lips felt like they were pulsing with the heavy beat of her heart. It was becoming unbarable. Worse yet, she knew that giving in to her physical temptations would end it all. There was no benefit to enduring this misery than out of sheer loyalty.  She wanted to say something, anything, but she couldn't seem to think of what she wanted to say- "stay"? "leave"?

One of the nuns who had come to answer the door had a confused, but desiring look on her face, her cheeks bright red. She too was breathing heavily, and her eyes were staring quite intently at Lilith.

But something in Lilith seemed to reject the nun's advances. Instead she moved closer still to Arnel, as if he were her shield. On instinct, her hands moved to his chest to feel the toned muscles beneath. She managed to stop herself just shy from opening his shirt, but it took quite a bit of self control.

[Marjorie]

Arnel took her hands away from his chest as soon as they touched him, but the action wasn't chiding or harsh - frankly it was as much to remove some of her own temptation as his own. "Lilith requires a fresh Chang rod clothes and a towel," Arnel said to the nun who answered the door, but she was still looking at Lilith, seeming not to have noticed Arnel at all.

"Sister," Arnel said a little sharper, causing her to turn and look at him dumbly.

"A fresh change of clothes and a towel for Lilith, quickly now," he said again. The sister nodded obediently and gave one last longing look toward Lilith before disappearing behind the door. She returned with the requested items shortly and Arnel took them before leading Lilith away. He was taking her toward the back of the temple grounds, where they could access the river threw the privacy of some trees.

Once they were at their destination, Arnel did a quick check to be sure there were no prying eyes about then he pointed to the water. He cleared his throat and tugged at his collar but didn't look directly at her.  "Go bathe or meditate or whatever you need to do. I'll be here, keeping watch." Then he turned his back to her.

[Incandesa]

Very slowly and carefully, Lilith turned around and removed her clothes. The curves of her body were still as luxerious as ever, but the scars from her ordeal had yet to fade. Jagged marks cut across her back, legs, and chest. She decided not to look at them for too long as she stepped into the water. The cold stabbed her like needles, and she gave a pained hiss. Even as a minute or two passed, her teeth were still chattering. Every once and a while, she would sneak a glance over her shoulder at Arnel, which certainly didn't help matters.

[Marjorie]

Arnel didn't look, not even once. He kept his back to her and kept his eyes and ears pealed incase anyone approached. His keen sense of hearing meant that he could literally hear her peal out of her layers of clothing. He swallowed, his mouth was dry. He was grateful for the layer of chain hanging down to his knees that hid his own interest which he was staunchly ignoring, even as a fresh wave of pheromones hit him unencumbered by her clothing.

He could do with a cold bath himself.

[Incandesa]

Attempting very much to concentrate on the cold water, was making it very difficult to concentrate on NOT doing other things. Like peaking where she wasn't supposed to. Arnel's desire was just barely showing under his armor, something she wouldn't have noticed without her years of experience. A guilty part of her was just a little bit proud that she could still elicite that kind of reaction from him. If there was any time to take advantage, now would be the time to do it. But no, she was a different person now. A better person. And she wasn't about to cause trouble for an unmarried man who had done so much for her since her reformation. She took a deep breath and tried to think of something, anything to keep herself distracted.

"Arnel, do you think, maybe sometimes, in another life, if you know, I wasn't me and you weren't you," she didn't know where she was going with this. The words were just tumbling out of her mouth now. "Maybe somehow, we could've gotten along, or" been a pair... No, that was a childish fantasy. But she couldn't help but wonder. How exactly did he see her now? They were certainly allies, perhaps more than that after everything, but did that constitute the potential for romance. Or was she nothing more than a sister to him?

For her part, he was a friend in a sense, but there still lingered longings from her previous life, both as a temptress and a false devotee. Feelings of desire, but also genuine affection. Perhaps she should be happy simply for the chance to be near him. Though, she was sure if there was ever a point where he would remarry another woman, her heart would certainly be shattered.

[Marjorie]

For his part, Arnel didn't think of himself as unmarried, but widowed. He might not have had a fairytale romance, or the kind of passion and spice fantasies were made of, but he had been quite affectionate for his wife. She was a good woman and he had been a devoted husband.   

Arnel took a slow, measured breath. Resisting the waves of pharones coming off of her was difficult, but he had practice, and he made no complaint. "We get along now," Arnel said gently, "I would count you among  my friends, even - and you are you and I am me." He didn't think of her as a sister. They were a little too intimately familiar with one another for that. All the things, the centuries of animosity, the way she had haired herself to him in her confession... knowing what she had suffered while he searched for her before he could rescue her... they were closer than friends or brother and sister... but he could think of a better word than friend.

He wished he could forgive her for Beth... he still mourned his lack of children more than the loss of his wife - which was another source of guilt for him.

[Incandesa]

Lilith wasn't quite sure how to respond to that. "But don't you think that-" her words dried up on her tongue and she thankfully thought better of it before ending her sentence. "Never mind, she said quickly. But her mind kept whirling around the topic. She was a friend?  Just a friend? Most humans she knew rarely became involved romantically with people they deemed only friends. In fact, she had preyed upon that same fear herself numerous times in her former life. The whole situation felt like an unexpected slash to her heart.

Of course he would feel that way about her. Any chance at a romantic thought towards her would have been squelched by the dark memories of their centuries long history. She felt so much shame she wanted to curse herself. Maybe sinking lower and drowning herself would make things easier. At least then she wouldn't have to face her moronic unrequited affection.

[Marjorie]

The disappointment... or was that pain...? in her voice cut right threw Arnel. He shifted slightly, as if he would turn to look at her, before but stoped himself before it even became a real gesture, remembering where they were and what they were doing.

"I have always found that 'what if's...' are a waste of time. What might have been can never come to pass. The past shapes up and teaches us, but it does not define us or hold us captive unless we allow it to. There is only the here and now. To live in the moment and try to make the future better by being and doing the best we can with every breath is the most anyone can do.

"I cannot tell you what the future might hold, but... I hope that it will bring you happiness."

[Incandesa]

Lilith nodded, more to herself, since Arnel couldn't see her. She stood up, to get her clothes only to remember that her clothes were still wet and not fit for wearing at the moment. The former demoness was about to ask the knight if he might lend her his jacket, when she thought she heard the sound of a few branches breaking, as if they were not completely alone.

Gasping, she quickly ducked back into the water and behind a medium sized rock that didn't quite do its job to cover her. She did her best to cover herself with her hands, but that was about as effective as the rock. "Who's there?!" she shouted, half afraid she was becoming paranoid after the incident this morning with Cain. It was a strange feeling to attempt modesty now after being so shameless in her former life. There were very few men (and some women) left in the area who had NOT seen her naked, and Arnel was certainly not one of them. But things were different now. Now, she was a daughter of Ekjin, and her body was considered sacred, accessible only by her husband. It was certainly not for public display to any lustful young buck.

[Marjorie]

[[They got her clothes and towels before they headed to the water.]]

Arnel turned toward the sound of snapping branches. "Stay where you are," he said, his tone was gentle but unrelenting, if there was a person there and not an animal. "Come away from the water there's a woman bathing here." He moved toward the sound as he smoke, while making very sure to keep his line of sight well away from Lilith.

[Incandesa]

When Lilith looked over at the sound, she noticed her dry clothes seemed to be moving oddly. She peered as close as she dared and could just barely see what appeared to be a small red fox, thoroughly tangled amidst the fabric, unable to get out. It had the biggest eyes and the fluffiest fur. He or she was rather small, possibly a youngling. She couldn't help but coo at it.

"Why hello there," she said in the same voice she knew people talked to babies with. "Aren't you a cutie pie, huh? Do you like my clothes?" It was close enough to the bank for her to touch, and she inched her hand closer. It was difficult to decide if something so adorable would bite her at first chance if she seemed harmless. Demons had natural command over ravens and wolves, but did foxes fall into that category? And now that she was no longer strictly a follower of demons, would the principle be the same?

[Marjorie]

At the realization that the noise had just been a harmless animal, Arnel turned his back to Lilith once again and returned to his previous spot. "Perhaps you should get dressed now," he said gently, no sense of actual urgency in his tone, but a very faint husk had entered his voice... drawing nearer to Lilith, however briefly, had sent him deeper into the wash of her pharamones. He shifted slightly, uncomfortable in his own skin.

"We should get back." Before anyone thought the two of them were missing.

[Incandesa]

Lilith noticed the odd tone in Arnel's voice? "Are you alright?", she asked as she attempted to retrieve her clothes. The animal was small and very frightened, and not exactly in the mood to give up its prize. Lilith, lunged for it, only for the creature to dodge and swipe at her with it's claws. She yelped and withdrew her hand. "Now see here, you little rascal! Give me back my clothes!" She lunged at the fox again, expecting a fight, but the fox seemed to calm down at the command. He came up to her, as gentle as a puppy, though seeming to be ashamed. Gingerly, Lilith touched its head; it was just as soft as she imagined it.

[Marjorie]

Arnel cleared his throat, returning his voice to normal. "Yes, I'm fine," he said, which was not a lie, but.. he was also not ok. He half turned at the sound of Lilith's yelp, but didn't turn so far as to be able to look at her before the situation seemed to calm and he turned back to face his original direction.