The Abbey

[relentless]

Duval blushed, his finger paused and he froze as he locked eyes with Courcy, only to look down and hiss under his breath. For a moment, he cringed and avoided eye contact, hoping see would disappear like the vulture woman that had recently plagued hin. Should he? Should he delve back into the pit of desire once more?

"Well..."

Or should he flee? To run from the horrors of memory.

"I... well... erm, sort of? You caught my eye when I was being my usual, dumbass self with George. The hair, the eyes... they made you stick out from the common folk."

He bit his lip, before glancing back up at Courcy.
"I... I want to. But-"
He looked over his shoulder, pin prickles on his neck told him thete was something, or someone behind him, but all the would remain was air.
"-But I guess I'm... nervous? I don't know if I'm honest,with the raid, cultists and kidnappings, I don't really know what to make of- any of this!"
Duval rambled on, before he sighed heavily, before looking at her neck, brushing his perfume covered finger across her skin.

"Long story short: Kinda? Just a nervous git I guess. Don't really want to... look like I'm being one of those oddballs at the pub y'know?"

[black379]

She breathed in, slowly and deeply, but failed to exhale. Duval may have been as conflicted as she was. But what did it matter if they shared lusts and dilemmas? She could easily fall into his arms, indulge in desires of the flesh, for all of an afternoon. To what end?

"We shouldn't." Courcy replied decidedly, with an emphatic nod. She continued to avoid his gaze, so as not to bear down on him, nor to pity him. "I didn't mean to catch your eye. Just because I was naked, that doesn't mean I want to..."

She didn't really blame the man. If she was convincing him that it would be inappropriate to lay with each other, then it was only a side effect of convincing herself.

As Duval put his fingers to her throat, she gently took his hand and held it there for a moment. It would be so easy.

"I should go."

[relentless]

There was no sign of sadness apparent in Duvals face. He sighed with relief, before he nodded slow, taking a singular step back as he flush formed on his face.
"-Sorry, Courcy. I... I'm just confused, that's all. It's been a whirl of events, and its all gone to the dogs if I'm honest. Didn't mean to ruin your event with me being a... plonk."
Duval posed a sense of sadness through a embarrassed huff, mainly due to the truth of his words. His desires, inevitably led them to be this close, yet so apart from the willingly of such intimacy. So he sighed, putting his hands to his hips, before glancing up at her.

"Yeah. You should... go, before George opens another bottle of gin."
He tried to jest, even as they remained so close. It was a choking closeness, an awkward one at that, finger curling in her grasp, slowly. For a moment, he remained silent, eyes closed as he was thankful to be stopped by her similar dilemma of caging her desire.

Briefly, he felt the thin glass of the perfume in his grasp, looking down at it, before he tossed it in the air briefly with a forced smile, before catching it again and holding it out to her.
"Sorry for troubling you, here,take it. I'll pay off Blood with free labour for a bit, shouldn't hurt too bad. 'Sides! I don't want bad blood running because of my... accident. So please! By all means, it's now yours for you to use whenever!"
Duval promised, managing a weak, emphatic smile as he wiggled the peruse from left to right, the soft balloon used to pump air into the perfume bottle and release its scent wobbled inbetween them, along with the slosh of exotic liquids. Though he would pause with his waggling of the perfume bottle, holding up a singular index finger, before drooping his free hand back down to his side.
"You don't owe me squat, think of it as a 'physical apology'!- ...Wait, does that sound bad? Sounds bad don't it?"
He rambled on with a finger to his lip, squinting down, before he looked back at her with mild seriousness.

"Nuff' of that, I'm sure you got better places to be than being around me. So please..."
Duval ushered on, readjusting the perfume bottle in his palm as he eyed her, almost as if he were proposing to her.

[Kidney]

Tod sat down in the pew, drinking savory broth and eating the small bits of floating sweet pork that littered the soup. He looked at the warbled mirror-like watery image of himself in the broth and cringed. He looked away, cracking his neck to the side, "Damnit, damnit, damnit," he said, self-directed malice ripping into his own mind. "You apologize for it to Blood, but you did it again to Blood's friend," he spoke again, an angered sigh leaving him. He deflated into the wooden seat, "Lekalis."

He spoke the name again, aloud, "Lekalis." The name was alien to him, a foreign, macabre name, many syllables. Tod found it elegant but knew none of the parts in-depth. He got up, slurping soup while looking around the room. He began to walk, taking his small, half partook bowl of soup, and began to move towards the archives. He moved quickly, walking between halls, smiling with the hunger for knowledge in his belly. 

He found himself within the archives pretty quickly, "Lekalis, Lekalis, Lekalis..." he repeated to himself, again and again, nearly running to a desk, setting the bowl down before diving into the shelves of books. He searched and searched, the hunger for knowledge growing, a greed for it. The sound of clinking change began to change into the sound of the correct book, the sound of pages sliding against others, the smell of old leather-bound foundations for the endless nations of knowledge within. 

He grabbed a book, and then another, and then another. Slowly building a tower of flowering knowledge in this garden of words. He slammed the stack down, pulling the first book open, looking into a book, a book of history. A book of names, a book of meanings. Tod intended to find the meaning behind Lekalis'. 

Quirk Gained - Curious

[black379]

Courcy took a retreating step. Even a slight distance allowed her to compose herself and subdue her impulse. She took Duval's other hand, clutching the perfume, and pushed the gift back to his chest.

"No. You didn't do anything wrong. It's just... not a good time for it." The redhead shrugged and looked down to the floor. Her gaze kept from looking Duval in the face by moving to her bag and weapon near the door instead.

"You were good to me. Keep the bottle. If I need it again, I'll come back." Her face finally rose so that her eyes locked with his own. A smile grew on her lips and she crossed her arms under her chest. Courcy chuckled softly.

"Maybe just... learn to keep it in your pants."

[relentless]

Duval scoffed again, feeling his blush that had burned on his cheek as he looked away to hide it, biting his tongue before he chuckled in embarrassment. The smile was genuine, and he was glad the woman didn't outright push her away. Looking back, he let out another chuckle and stuffed his hands into his own pockets.
"Pah! First time doing this shite, ain't like I expected me jimmy to say hello, hehehe."
Duval lightened the mood, hopefully, with his jest and he pushed his pants out as his hands remained locked into his pockets, then pulling it back which seemed to effectively hide his arousal.

"Na nah... being serious, I wouldn't want to get on the bad side of George if he were interested in yeh. You seems like a nice gal, well, unless you're waiting for me to finish so you can bollock me? Hehehe, I hopes not. But cracks aside-"
Duval performed a short bow with hands coming out of pockets, forearm pressed across his chest as he performed the bow, before he straightened up with a smirk.
"I appreciate ye not thinkin' ill of me."

"Don't give me that look! You's told me to 'treat you like a princess', hehehe. But anyways... want me to get the door for ye, Co- my queen?"
The rogue cackled witfully, before he took off to the door as he didn't wait for a reply, and held the door open for her to make her exit.

[twostepsback]

Sister Charissa, having split off from Breton and Edward at some point, enters the Abbey while carrying a large wooden crate in both hands, with a white chested crow sitting on her right shoulder. Charissa ends up taking a wrong turn into the archives due to inattentiveness.

[Kidney]

Tod had been spending his time clinging to the books like a mother, holding the words close and reading feverishly. But, for a few moments, he spent his time with his head in his hand, reading a chapter of a storybook. He had given up on the history books of old, not finding anything on "Lekalis". He read slowly and sleepily, a candle lighting the darkened space he currently dwelled in. 

He turned as he heard another person enter the room, as he had been doing to mostly disappointing results. But, he saw a good acquaintance! "Oh! Hello there, Charis!"

[twostepsback]

"Hmm? Oh, hello Tod." Charis replies as she sets down the crate on an empty table for a moment. "Ah, pardon the state of my habit." Charis requests as she indicates her missing left sleeve. "I was caught up in a Cultist raid earlier, and I ended up sacrificing a sleeve when I ran out of bandages." Glove then lets out an indignant sounding croak, as if to remind Charissa that he's still here. "Whoops, sorry Glovy. And the crow on my right shoulder is Glove." She then adds.

[Kidney]

Tod laughed, "Well isn't he just a cute little guy!" He said, while slowly pulling a history book over the storybook he currently was reading. He smiled, staring over her shoulder, "I would get that sewed up, just to let you know." He spoke, shrugging as he got up, grabbing a chair and scooting it towards the table before sitting back down. "Please, sit down!"

He said, intentionally leaving out the mention of the raid. smiling wide.

[black379]

Courcy's smile grew even as the man continued to flatter her. She was unused to the soothing physical treatment, and dolling up with fragrant soaps and perfumes, let alone the honeyed words Duval offered. It would be different if the man had expected some intimate recompense, but she was thankful to have a choice. She was pleasantly surprised with herself for restraining her impulse.

"Please, I'm no queen. And... between you and me, you shouldn't worry about upsetting George. I'm not his either." She moved to gather her things. She felt refreshed and clean, so much that her clothes felt gritty. The bandages on her wrists were still damp from the bath water. She wondered when she might be able to afford a new outfit.

"I can manage a door." The ginger chuckled and sidled toward the exit. "Maybe you oughta straighten up in here, like it's your job. I'll... see ya around."

[twostepsback]

Glove wings up to a high bookshelf, as Charis sits down. "I met an interesting pair while exploring the Hamlet. Dr. Breton and his..." Charis' face screws up in an expression of disgust as she utters the next phrase. "'Experimental subject', to use Dr. Breton's words, Edgar." Charis then gains a downcast expression as she makes her next comment. "Edgar is... way too quiet."

[Kidney]

Tod looked at Charis, a confused face taking hold as he adjusted himself and turned a page of the history book nervously. He cocked his head to the side slightly at the phrase involving the two, "Hmm. I would say that perhaps another human being should not be a text subject." He said, casting a look of concern at Charis, "If you see them again, tell Quiet Edgar I said 'Hi Quiet Edgar!'"

He smiled, waving away his own joke as he looked again at Glove, "Where did he come from? Did you just get him or something?"

[twostepsback]

"Glove belongs to a friend of mine back in Karnaka. He's a messenger crow, in fact, he brought me this letter from Bernard." Charis explains as she takes said note out of the hidden pocket of her habit. Charissa unfolds the letter and gives it a second, more thorough reading, not like the brief skimming she did while she was with Breton. It is in this second reading that she finds a nasty little tidbit that had evaded her notice earlier. "N-no way... Th-there has to be s-some kind of mistake..." Charis stammers weakly, "Brother Paul... Suicide?" She then mutters as she puts a hand to her head.

[Kidney]

Tod stammered, "B-brother Paul? Who's this?" He said, hands flipping the pages of the history page in a bit of a panicked state. He raised his hands in surrender to the conversation, "I wasn't apart of it!" 

He looked at her again, her letter as well, "Well, how did Paul pass? What did he do to himself?" He thought out loud, staring strangely at her, then back to the letter, then back to her.