The Abbey

[Outisakanobody]

"Hmm. Would you like a drink? Calm your nerves a bit? Or at least clear your throat." Grace asked, thinking something like that would help him maybe get through this time.

[relentless]

"Y-yeah sure. You got red? O-or white. I'm fine with either."
He anxiously asked, closing his eyes and leanning back in his chair, placing his hand on his face as he tried to regain composure.
"Sorry for being a mess... So much bullshit happened so fast... couldn't do anything."
Duval admitted as he brushed his brow hard with his hand, before pinching his eyes and dragging his thumb and index finger to the bridge of his nose, tears warming his skin as he did so.
"Then again, with what happened, drinking like George won't help. At least it didn't... might as well try, well, this!"
Duval admitted as he opened his eyes to look at Grace straight on, the effects seemingly reduced from the intensity of his emotions leaking out. Though he focused on her face rather than other parts like he used to. He was too afraid to.

[Outisakanobody]

Grace walked around to the back of her desk and rummaged around in a drawer before pulling out a wineskin and a glass. She poured the glass full and handed it over to Duvall. "Take it slow. It is only to steady your nerves, after all." she says with a pat to his shoulder. Afterwards she steps back to her desk and takes a long drink directly from the wineskin before looking at Duvall again.

"You should start from the beginning, Nick. From the beginning of this attack. Then just take it one step at a time." she offers, trying to be reasonable about the whole affair.

[relentless]

Duval sipped the white generously, the bitterness playing with his tongue. Despite the severity of the situation, he was glad he asked for red in that dream... who knows how bitter it would've been... or what he would've drank.

Leaning forward in his chair, he shuffled a bit, gripping his hands together as he stared into the desk.
"Well, it... erm.."
Duval stumbled and croaked,sniffing and blinking before he looked up at Grace.

"Cultists managed to get the better of us... three of us in fact. We were gonna go protect the guard post down the path of the sanatorium, though they managed to get to it first."
He explained, a sense of bitterness washing over him as the memories of that night came into light, though mostly blurred. A sense of sickness bloated in his body, and he put the glass down on the desk and leaned back, crossing his arms, avoiding eye contact.
"They used magic to knock us out."
He quickly added in without looking toward her, trying to keep a straight face, though his eyelids quivered shut, seemingly on the verge of shedding tears.

[Outisakanobody]

"I see. And then what?" Grace asked. She didn't want to seem unkind, but as yet she had not heard anything too terrible from the babbling, blubbering man. Though she suspected the story may be far from over.

[Outisakanobody]

Ignis walked beside Tod, slightly behind him, and looked around at all the architecture of the Abbey. She had never spent much time in churches so it was a new experience for her. "I will have to find a way to pay you back for this. It is very kind." she says as they walk together.

[Kidney]

Tod smiled, radiating his positive emotions, as he was taught. He thought for a few moments as he led her down the hallways, making his way back to his slightly messy room. Before they arrived, he responded, beginning the sentence with a semi-loud Pfff!

"Please, it's fine! I'm doing my job, keeping people safe and demon-free!"
He was glowing, almost, but behind the smile, a bit of anxiety lingered. But, how could he help it?

[Outisakanobody]

"Demon free...yes. Remind me to ask about that later. But I am a bit tired after my trip..." Ignis says as she very gingerly took off the box she had been wearing and set it down in a corner. She then began to disrobe, removing her hat, then cloak, then going about taking off her mask. It was a long process with many buckles and straps, but eventually she freed her head, running a hand through her matted hair.

[Kidney]

There was period of time where Tod stared at Ignis, he watched her undress for a selection of moments before sucking the air through his teeth and tossing some pillows onto the rug of which she stood near. The pillows made soft thuds as Tod grabbed a final pillow and fluffed it for himself. He placed it down before taking a deep breath.

He slowly took off his coat, folding it and placing it under his pillow along with his sphere and crucifix. He turned, making sure Ignis wasn't looking before taking off his tunic, revealing his entire torso and mid-forearm up to be densely tattooed. Each word integrated into another, his body a zealous canvas as he removed his pants. He looked at the bed, refusing to check to see if Ignis could see him as he folded and placed his pants. He breathed through his teeth again as he took off his socks. His boots had already been removed as he walked in, so taking off his tough socks again revealed more tattooed skin. Ignis would see that every part of his body, even the bottoms of his feet, were densely tattooed, minus mid-forearm down, his neck up, and probably his nether regions. 

He breathed out, clearly uncomfortable as he spent the next few seconds getting into bed without looking at the undressing woman near him.

[Outisakanobody]

Ignis had not been undressing herself, curiosity forcing her to look toward Tod. She held in her emotions as much as she could, not wanting to make her host uncomfortable. Shedecided to ask more about him later and went about taking off the rest of her cloths down to her undershirt and smallclothes. She then moved her pillows around and used her own cloak as a blanket. With a sigh she let her eyes close and quickly fell asleep.

[Kidney]

Tod sat there, listening as he heard the woman near him slowly fall into sleep. 

Although he could not find himself doing the same. He slowly rose, pulling forth his crucifix, hunched over, staring at it. He blinked, praying internally before he turned the crucifix towards her. 
His eyes grew solid as he focused intently, once again warding a woman's sleep. "Praesidium."

He watched as she slowly shifted, and he also watched as the light shimmer surrounded her. He smiled, placing the crucifix back beneath his pillow as he slipped back into bed. He closed his eyes, and braved his own mind again.

[relentless]

"And then-"
He paused to kick his leg up on the other, gripping his jaw tight with one hand as he continued.
"They made us dream. Not just... any dream. Dreams of what we wanted, or at least that's what it was for me."
Duval laughed quietly, a tinge of a smile growing in his face, though falling as he rubbed at his eye. This was it. He was veering on the end of the truth. How could he trust her not to smite him? The church held many offences, even mini ones to their hammers.

He had stopped himself during this thought, breathing in shakily as he ran his hands down the length of the arm rests slowly until he gripped both ends.
"I had a dream about lust, it seemed. They offered white wine, I said no..."
Duval motioned reluctantly toward the glass of white in front of him, before sniffing and looking back at Grace, a growing sense of dread seeming to form on his face.
"And of course they slept with me and all that. But..."
Duvals emerald eyes reflected back at him through the white wine that sat there on her desk, sitting there still, making him nauseous again. Abruptly would he stand from his chair, and walk to the other end of the room and lean his right forearm against the door post, his back facing Grace.

His head would cock to the left, and to grace, she could see a fearful glow, though almost malicious passing through his iris.
"Can I trust you, Grace? Not to kill me, or to spread the word on what happened?"
Duval asked, his tone a quaking cold, as he looked back at her with a single, silent tear running down his cheeks.
"I don't know, what happened seems like it would get me pinned to a feckin cross or run down by horses in most countries."
Duval rambled on, turning around to lean against the door post, and brushing against way the tears with the cuff of his overcoat as he beated the bush.

[Outisakanobody]

Grace frowned for a moment before changing her expression to a soft smile. "Nick, I put my sword down, you know. I am a healer, now morethen ever. You came with me, spoke to me in confidence, and I will not violate that trust. Now talk to me. Let me help you heal." she says, slowly and calmly approaching him.

[relentless]

Great. He felt all the butterflies building inside now that he wasn't being rejected. He couldnt help but shy away from her, crossing his arms as he stared at the ground.
"I woke up."
Duval said to her with the same iron in his voice, starting at her momentarily, before looking away in shame. He took a deep breath as his stomach audibly turned over on itself at the thought, before shaking his head and gritting his teeth.

"Whilst I was unconscious... they made me fuck a... co-corpse."
Duval said in a very bitter tone. The bomb had been dropped, and the weight on his shoulders seemed to grow heavier than anything else. He couldn't draw anymore breath it seemed, and he grew smaller in himself as any result, refusing the look at Grace nor any part of the real world. He just felt sick.

"I didn't-... I didn't want this."
Duval hissed quietly under his breath, and despite his best efforts, another quiet tear rolled down his cheeks from his reddened eyes. His mask was gone, it seemed. The cocky womaniser perished.

[Outisakanobody]

"Mmm. I see." Grace said in a soft hum. That was...well, not new, but surprising, certainly. "How terrible for you. Dark magic can be a horrible thing." she says, trying to reach out and brush away his tears.