Spirit

Feeling sad? Join a cult!

It was the weekend. High Priests didn't have weekends off, they were supposed to be high priest at any time of day, in any place of the world. But sometimes that obligation could be avoided when one would just... not wear their mask. And that was what Alpha was exactly doing tonight. It had been too long where he could just be himself. And with that he meant returning to the introverted nature he actually had.

With the simple announcement that the High Priest of Renestrae was not seeing anyone, or speaking to anyone the coming two days due to intensive prayer and dedication to his faith, Alpha had simply put off his mask. He stared at it momentarily before letting it stay there on the desk. Strange how one could be so attached to a piece of metal. How it could become a part of yourself. With a deep sigh he closed the door of his office behind him and wandered out of the priest quarters of the church. Only the pews of the main part of the church were between him and a few days of silence. Just a few more steps.

@Callum Alastair

FROM MITZI WITH LOVE

your knive, my back
my gun, your head

While he sure wasn't a stranger within the city's highest ring, he never felt comfortable visitng. With both Ketiga and possibly the HIgh Priest on his side worries of getting caught were close to unnecessary, but still. Back in the lower ring he had a name, a repuation among some, even. Up here he was nothing more than a pest. A lowlife. The coin he made had little to no value here.

But still he dragged himself to the temple, using one of the less known entrances he was shown previously. This place both disgusted and unnerved him. The silence and serenity in between these walls held nothing but false hope, something he had given up on many, many years ago. Still, his newfound, early alliance with the High Priest could grant him opportunities and privelleges he'd never dared to dream of. While his life within the lower ring was the most comfortable one could possibly get in there, he strived for more. He deserved more.

His footsteps had been the only prescense within these holy walls, until an unfamiliar figure appeared within the corner of his eye as he stepped towards the private quarters of the temple. Callum halted his step as he inspected the stranger, furrowing his brows. Company wasn't something he could use today, with the masked priest counting as an exception, obviously. Speaking of, the ciry's HIgh Priest was nowhere to be found.

"You,"' he started, barely making eye contact as he sat himself down on one of the wooden benches. He had to consiously stop himself from saying anything stupid or out of place in order not to stand out. "Do you happen to know where I can find the holy father?" Disgusting, truly, the way he had to present himself among these.. believers.

@ Alpha Alphelion

Feeling sad? Join a cult!

He expected the next few days to fly by as if they hadn't even existed in the first place. Things like that always happened when he wished for them to go slow. As if Renestrae was taunting him, asking more of him than he had already given her. He had paid for his position in blood, offered a soul to her, how could that still not be enough?

The answer would elude him for some time as suddenly a strange, redheaded person demanded his attention. He halted, slowly moving his head to look at the other. With one gaze he knew that this was nothing more than a streetrat. Nobody would want to look like that willingly. And then it hit him that he should know this person. He was the one that had come to him, asking for an alliance. He had only accepted because then he could just simply hand the man over to the city guard when he was done with him. One less pest to worry about. But Callum didn't recognise him. Of course he didn't. Alpha wasn't wearing his mask. And truth be told, he wasn't all that in the mood to talk to the other. "Our High Priest isn't welcoming visits in the next few days," he answered softly. "He is renewing his devotion to our Lady Renestrae," he continued, looking at the redheaded streetrat. "Perhaps you should return in a few days time, I am sure he would welcome you then with open arms." He knew he wouldn't, but that wasn't for Callum to know.

@Callum Alastair

FROM MITZI WITH LOVE

your knive, my back
my gun, your head

He needed this alliance to work out, desperately. For him to show his face here was big enough of a risk already, but if the High Priest truly wanted to, he could have him behind bars with a snap of his fingers. He would have to navigate this.. relationship like a rat thrown into a maze, careful not to run into any walls or traps while doing so. In the end, once he'd make himself an irreplacable unit of the Priest's inner circle, though, all of it would be worth it. While the church didn't officially rule the city, it could be considered the most influencial force second to the Winter's.

As the stranger began to speak, Callum turned his head for a quick glance over his shoulder, finally looking the other in the eye. Dressed within fancy, upper-ring-appropriate clothing, he announced that the High Priest wouldn't be able to see him today. The red haired man stared at him with raised eyebrow. A few days? After all of this effort to get here? 'Renewing his devotion to Renestrae', bet. What was that even supposed to mean? Locking himself up within his quarters for days?

"Returning within a few days won't be possible," he simply stated, turning his head away from the stranger once again, staring within the depths of the main hall in front of him. "This matter is of great importance." To him it was, at least, but this dark haired stranger wouldn't understand. Why did he even bother talking to him. It wasn't like this man could magically make the High Priest appear.

@ Alpha Alphelion

Feeling sad? Join a cult!

It was strange to talk about himself in third person. It felt like he was standing next to himself, observing this conversation as if he was both there and also not. But deep down he enjoyed Callum's unknowing of who he had in front of him. It almost made him smile. Almost.

And of course the street rat didn't take no for an answer. Of course it was of the utmost importance. For a moment Alpha thought of going back, putting on his mask and returning to Callum. But then he reminded himself that he was High Priest and that no criminal could demand his attention. So instead of turning around and pretending to get 'himself', he stood his ground. "I'm sorry," he said with a bow of his head. "Perhaps I can relay the message, so that you don't have to wait." And also skip a boring, long conversation with a person he didn't even want to talk to in the first place.

@Callum Alastair

FROM MITZI WITH LOVE

your knive, my back
my gun, your head

Feelings of frustration built up inside of him, shortly digging his nails into the wooden backrest as his arms rested upon it. Even his lower ring comrades were more reliable, the ones he had to temporarily abandon in order to make this upper ring visit happen. Priests or not, all of the wealthy folks turned out to be the same.

The red haired man rolled his eyes as the stranger apologized. He didn't even want to waste his time on this man anymore. He didn't come all the way to this hellhole of a church for nothing. Especially not to have a chit-chat with the wealthy followers of the 'allmighty Renestrae'. What made these people even believe in such cheap fairytales? The so called goddess had never once looked out for him. "No need to," he replied. He certainly wouldn't want other people come in between him and his attempt to bribe the Priest into an alliance. "I'll await his holyness' return right here." With those words he leaned back into the wooden bench. He wouldn't be going anywhere.

@ Alpha Alphelion

Feeling sad? Join a cult!

Alpha just wanted to go home, enjoy a few days of anonimity. Then he would return and slip back into his guise as High Priest and continue on with his duties. But of course someone had to spoil that for him. And of course that someone needed to be a criminal. He was mingling into those circles way too much as of late. First Crawford, now Callum. The latter even made him worried about his own brother. What was Ketiga up to?

For a moment he thought of just walking away, ignoring Callum's childish temper tantrum with it. But Renestrae's vows were deep ingrained in his brain. When one sought help, they needen't be left alone, as that fate was already awaiting them upon death. He hesitated, looking at how the redhead just sat there like a child. He then took a seat on the bench on the other side of the walkway, simply staring in front of him. He didn't say anything. Even if he didn't want to do this, it did do him good to know that Callum was probably heavily annoyed by this.

@Callum Alastair

FROM MITZI WITH LOVE

your knive, my back
my gun, your head

The silence within the church was a painful one, making him uneasy. He kept staring into the main hall before him, occasionally twitching his fingers or legs. The redhaired man wasn't used to silence. The bustling streets of the lower ring of which the sound couldn't be blocked out by closed windows had become like static noise for him. Within this building there was no such thing. Just him and his own thoughts. Thoughts he'd rather drown with whatever substance available.

To his surprise, the strange figure didn't leave. Callum's gaze followed him as he stepped towards the benches, taking place on one of them at the other side of the walkway. The man remained silent as the redhead observed him. Wasn't he just about to leave before their meeting? After a few seconds Callum averted his gaze back to the main hall, remaining silent for a few seconds. As much as the silence taunted him, the prescence of another person unnerved him. Especially when they remained silent. "I'm not in need of a babysitter while I wait," he sneered, forgetting for a moment that he was supposed to blend in with these people. "Renestrae's company alone is what I seek." It was an attempt at preserving his upper-ring persona, but the words itself disgusted him. If only he were able to cleanse his mouth with anything alcoholic right now.

@ Alpha Alphelion

Feeling sad? Join a cult!

The redhead was annoying, no matter what he would do, it would not sit right with the priest. And yet he knew that he needed the young idiot. Without him there was no good way for him to get a grip of the worst parts of Alderath, of the poor and the sick and the worst of them; the mages. The idea of those wretched people alone already made him feel sick.

There was a soft smile of irony on his lips when the other threw more words at him. Oh, how unknown of the world this poor boy was. Alpha looked down at his hands, which lay intertwined in his lap. “If that were true,” he started, looking up at the stained glass windows above them, “Then you would know that our Lady Renestrae would never let anyone be alone in solitude in her home.” With those words he looked sideways to the man, gauging his reaction, hoping just a little bit to have riled him up further. It was funny to see how much Callum struggled with simply being here. And somewhere it saddened him. A sheep astray from the path. It was up to Alpha to guide them back. And that he would.

@Callum Alastair

FROM MITZI WITH LOVE

your knive, my back
my gun, your head

Removing his arms from the backrest of the wooden bench, the redhead broke the silence by cracking his fingers one by one, each leaving the room with a short echoing of the sound it caused. It had been a while since he felt so uneasy. The lower ring was his playground. It truly didn't matter whatever he did down there, knowing that it was hard to fuck up within a free for all area like that. Up here, it was different. One misstep and he'd rot away within the dungeons for the rest of his days. It angered him.

The attitude of the man beside him didn't help. It was as if he was purposely trying to add fuel to the fire, acting all high and mighty like he was the High Priest himself ~~lol~~. Callum quietly gritted his teeth, trying his best not to ruin this opportunity by letting himself be kicked out of the church. "That's exactly why I sought out the Holy Father's prescence," he replied, trying to match the stranger's calm but nonchalant attitude. His absence remained to frustrate him.

@ Alpha Alphelion