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Post by Adelaide nó Nicodeme on Aug 24, 2011 0:53:30 GMT -5
My lessons with Shona had given me something to look forward to when my work was done at the temple. I think it must have been apparent by my demeanor, because I had overheard one of the senior priestesses remark on how I seemed to have recovered my cheerfulness. I was not aware that I had ever lost it.
Today, I had come bearing loaves of bread that had been freshly baked in the early morning hours. It seemed like the sort of offering that Anael would appreciate. After the loaves had been divided between the god and his servants, there was one left for the two of us, a treat after the lesson had concluded.
"Then I went through all the rooms of the temple and removed all the drooping flowers from the smaller effigies," I was saying. I often liked to recount what I had done in the temple that day, even though I was certain it was not the most engaging topic of conversation. "I was tired by the time I was finished. The smaller rooms are for more private penances, or so I understand. I think they might be arranged with a priest or priestess prior to visiting the temple." Were I a little older, perhaps my mind would have wandered in less wholesome directions, but I could not imagine anything like that happening anywhere in the temple that was not a bedchamber.
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Shona Tertignan
Priestess
Priestess of Anael; Fully Marqued Bryony Adept
Prosperity tries the fortunate: adversity the great.
Posts: 2,009
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Post by Shona Tertignan on Aug 24, 2011 23:09:20 GMT -5
We'd been working well together – I found that I liked Adelaide's joyful demeanor and dedication, which made up for what discipline she lacked. It wasn't something I could fault her for: I'd never been the most disciplined person myself, even at Bryony. To each their own style, I reckoned.
“That was well done,” I replied approvingly. And as the lesson was concluded, I leaned back a touch in my chair, rolling my shoulders. “I do wonder what manner of penance is given in the private chambers,” I mused to myself, as much as to her. “I will confess to having never had further knowledge than that of the whipping pole, as many do.”
I'd nigh gone, once, after a night of stolen pleasure with Troy – I knew I would have, had he been punished for it, when I was not. It would have been only fair.
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Post by Adelaide nó Nicodeme on Aug 25, 2011 21:13:45 GMT -5
I thought about it for a moment. "There is one particular penance that involves holding a kneeling position for an extended period of time. I have seen such penitents scattered throughout the temple. Perhaps the rooms are set aside for that purpose." I shrugged. "I suppose it's one of those things that will be revealed in time, as Papa is fond of saying. 'All things in their time, Adelaide," I wish it was time now."
I took another bite of bread, chewing thoughtfully. "Sometimes I wonder if I will ever miss being an acolyte when I become a priestess. My elders seem to be enjoying themselves immensely..."
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Shona Tertignan
Priestess
Priestess of Anael; Fully Marqued Bryony Adept
Prosperity tries the fortunate: adversity the great.
Posts: 2,009
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Post by Shona Tertignan on Aug 28, 2011 12:06:44 GMT -5
I tilted my head, thinking about this particular penance, and trying to followe Adelaide's train of thought. “Is that so? Why do you wonder such a thing?”
I could understand – there were moments when I missed Bryony and the carefree life of an adept. They were only fleeting, though – and quickly forgotten, in favor of the peace I'd found at the temple.
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Shona Tertignan
Priestess
Priestess of Anael; Fully Marqued Bryony Adept
Prosperity tries the fortunate: adversity the great.
Posts: 2,009
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Post by Shona Tertignan on Aug 28, 2011 12:08:46 GMT -5
I tilted my head, thinking about this particular penance, and trying to followe Adelaide's train of thought. “Is that so? Why do you wonder such a thing?”
I could understand – there were moments when I missed Bryony and the carefree life of an adept. They were only fleeting, though – and quickly forgotten, in favor of the peace I'd found at the temple.
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Post by Adelaide nó Nicodeme on Aug 28, 2011 20:21:00 GMT -5
"It just...seems like the priests and priestesses are busy all the time." I shrugged. "I suppose that's...not a bad thing...but I wonder if I'll still have time to pick apples and bake bread and work in the garden in between...flogging people..." I grinned at her. "It probably sounds a little absurd, but I enjoy doing those things...er...not flogging people...I'm not permitted to flog anything that isn't a pig carcass..."
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Shona Tertignan
Priestess
Priestess of Anael; Fully Marqued Bryony Adept
Prosperity tries the fortunate: adversity the great.
Posts: 2,009
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Post by Shona Tertignan on Aug 29, 2011 0:39:08 GMT -5
I looked at Adelaide, my brow furrowing in concern. “Sweetling,” I asked gently, “are you telling me that you are... uncomfortable at the thought of inflicting punishment?”
There was no judgment in my voice, only concern – if she needed to reconsider her options, best it be now than later.
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Post by Adelaide nó Nicodeme on Aug 29, 2011 15:07:05 GMT -5
I was so flabbergasted by her words that for a moment all I did was blink up at her. "What? No, of course not! I just...I'm not allowed to...not yet, that's why I'm still training. Unless you meant I enjoy it like, like, a pervert!" I huffed, folding my arms across my chest.
"I'm not a pervert." I clarified, in case it wasn't abundantly clear by how I had reacted to that statement.
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Shona Tertignan
Priestess
Priestess of Anael; Fully Marqued Bryony Adept
Prosperity tries the fortunate: adversity the great.
Posts: 2,009
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Post by Shona Tertignan on Sept 3, 2011 16:56:12 GMT -5
I laughed lightly, reassuringly. “Or rather, like a Shahrizai,” I teased. “I would not judge your proclivities, sweetling,” I said soothingly. “I was rather asking if you had a discomfort at the thought of inflicting pain in the course of your upcoming priesthood.”
In truth, I was trying to assess if she thought she was at the wrong temple – it could happen, betimes, and I knew well the woes of being in an unsuitable environment. It had taken me a while to find mine.
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Post by Adelaide nó Nicodeme on Sept 3, 2011 19:12:51 GMT -5
I blushed hotly. "My Papa says I am not to associate with the Shahrizai..." I stated. "Besides, it's not just about inflicting pain. It's about...freeing people from their sins, and...punishy things..." I bit my lip, Papa was better at explaining such things than I was.
"Papa says that every acolyte feels the kiss of the lash themselves at some point during their training," I continued. "Papa says your mind makes it seem as if the pain is more intense, but we're never hit for very long, or very hard. Papa says too many strokes can kill someone, so we must be careful."
My blush deepened. "I'm sorry, it probably sounds like they torture us daily!" I exclaimed. "Sometimes they simply make us do extra cleaning..."
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Shona Tertignan
Priestess
Priestess of Anael; Fully Marqued Bryony Adept
Prosperity tries the fortunate: adversity the great.
Posts: 2,009
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Post by Shona Tertignan on Sept 7, 2011 9:07:23 GMT -5
Interesting, that Auberon would be trying to keep Adelaide from the Shahrizai, when they, of all the scions of Terre d'Ange, were those closest to Kushiel. I tilted my head, examining her, listening, trying to make out the untold out of what she was telling me.
“And how do you feel, when you receive the kiss of the lash, Adelaide? Does it foster greater understanding, or....” I reached across the table to touch her hand, and said, gently, “there's no need to worry – what passes here in Anael's haven will not be retold.”
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Post by Adelaide nó Nicodeme on Sept 9, 2011 16:18:05 GMT -5
I looked down at my feet. "Sometimes I curse and spit like an angry cat, and I say hurtful things that I would never say otherwise, but sometimes...sometimes I feel like..." I looked up at her, into her eyes. "Papa's usually the one who disciplines me, and sometimes it feels like...like he isn't there...like he's not really my Papa, and it scares me."
My attention was drawn to a butterfly that was perched on a nearby flower. "Oh!" I exclaimed. "What a pretty butterfly! I read that one of the old names for a butterfly was 'Naamah's hens'. They aren't very much like hens though, aren't they?"
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Shona Tertignan
Priestess
Priestess of Anael; Fully Marqued Bryony Adept
Prosperity tries the fortunate: adversity the great.
Posts: 2,009
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Post by Shona Tertignan on Sept 15, 2011 21:44:11 GMT -5
Although I kept my tone light in response to Adelaide's abrupt subject change, I took good note of what she'd told me, and resolved to pay attention to any other sign of discomfort which she may give me. I didn't want, so early in our collaboration, to scare her off with my conjectures. Regardless, I was concerned by what I was hearing, and resolved to meditate on the matter when I would resume the solitude of my quarters later that night.
“Well,” I replied, smiling, “not in appearance, I don't expect. And yet,” I added, pausing and tilting my head with a sweet, fond smile, “they are perhaps in their function, aye?”
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Post by Adelaide nó Nicodeme on Sept 19, 2011 22:58:51 GMT -5
I thought about it for a moment. "I suppose, although, no one eats butterflies, I don't think." I would look back on this comment and realize that I was completely missing the point of Shona's explanation.
I watched the butterfly flit from flower to flower before sighing. "I will miss summer," I said. "Master Auberon says that winter is necessary to give the plants a chance to rest, but why must it snow? Why must that snow be so cold?"
I rested my hands in my lap. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't be using our time together to complain. I like it here, the priests and priestesses are so...kind..." Or at least, not severe as the priests and priestesses of Kushiel were wont to be.
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Shona Tertignan
Priestess
Priestess of Anael; Fully Marqued Bryony Adept
Prosperity tries the fortunate: adversity the great.
Posts: 2,009
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Post by Shona Tertignan on Sept 21, 2011 22:26:57 GMT -5
I let go the explanation about butterflies and the role they played in plant reproduction that I was about to give Adelaide, in favor of listening to her question.
“There is no need to apologize,” I said gently. “Besides, that is a fair question – do you not think that just as rain is necessary for crops to grow, that winter must exist, in order for the soil to rest and grow richer with the decay of the previous seasons, so as to better blossom in spring?”
A small chuckle, and I added, “I should think that if we were living in constant summer, we would find our lives drab indeed, and wish for winter to come and divert us from the heat.”
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Post by Adelaide nó Nicodeme on Sept 21, 2011 22:38:09 GMT -5
"I suppose that's fair," I grumbled, staring down at my feet. "But if it didn't snow, perhaps it would rain instead..." I realized what that statement entailed a moment later. "Oh, but then I suppose I would be complaining about the rain, yes? I like the rain, actually, although Papa says I am not allowed to splash in puddles...or...very many puddles..." I felt my cheeks heat at the admission. "It's hard to resist the temptation."
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Shona Tertignan
Priestess
Priestess of Anael; Fully Marqued Bryony Adept
Prosperity tries the fortunate: adversity the great.
Posts: 2,009
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Post by Shona Tertignan on Sept 22, 2011 13:34:35 GMT -5
I grinned a little. “It is, isn't it? Well, I don't mind puddle jumping, sweetling. When it rains, you'll be welcome to come, indulge, and help me collect snails, if you wish.” I gave her a small impish smile, and added on the tone of someone who was merely musing aloud and utterly undecided (I wasn't): “I might even send for you, and ask that you be loaned for assistance...”
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Post by Adelaide nó Nicodeme on Sept 23, 2011 22:08:11 GMT -5
"Truly?" I asked, trying in vain to hide my sudden excitement. "I mean, I would be happy to assist, so long as it does not conflict with my duties. You..." I bit my lip. "The snails are for the gardens, yes? Not...eating?" I had heard the rich dined on snails, but I could not fathom why anyone would find them tasty, or, indeed, a delicacy! The ways of my elders would ever be a mystery to me.
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Shona Tertignan
Priestess
Priestess of Anael; Fully Marqued Bryony Adept
Prosperity tries the fortunate: adversity the great.
Posts: 2,009
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Post by Shona Tertignan on Sept 25, 2011 16:12:58 GMT -5
“There are snails for all usages,” I said patiently. “Of course, one does not eat a snail raw – do you know that a snail's untreated flesh is poisonous, and could be deadly in some cases? It's an unsavoury practise, and I always avoid the casts where they are left to seep their drool into salt. But of course, some enjoy it.”
Including, though I did not mention it, the higher authorities of this place, who claimed snails were close to Anael. I discarded these thoughts as superstition, though I would never admit it aloud.
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Post by Adelaide nó Nicodeme on Sept 27, 2011 23:55:52 GMT -5
I grimaced in disgust at the thought of anyone enjoying cooked snails. "If you say so," I said, trying to keep my tone neutral, although I doubted that even Papa, with his bottomless pit of a stomach, would elect to eat them were he given the opportunity.
Silence reigned for a moment before I decided to break it. "Do you think...Lord Anael would mind if I gave him an offering?" Perhaps I should have asked whether she thought that Lord Kushiel would be jealous that I was spending my time elsewhere, but he had not seemed to mind my visiting Naamah's temple.
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Shona Tertignan
Priestess
Priestess of Anael; Fully Marqued Bryony Adept
Prosperity tries the fortunate: adversity the great.
Posts: 2,009
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Post by Shona Tertignan on Sept 28, 2011 10:46:09 GMT -5
I would have lied if I hadn't been resisting the temptation to beckon more perturbed looks from Adelaide with further tales of gastronomic oddities – in truth, I could feel my lips quirking up and the temptation to laugh was hard to resist.
Adelaide however reverted to a more serious topic, and so I smiled instead of chuckling, and gave her a curious look. “Why would you think he should mind, sweetling? On the contrary – it is fair that you would follow your inclinations. The angels know to share, I assure you. I would not be here otherwise.”
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Post by Adelaide nó Nicodeme on Oct 4, 2011 0:15:47 GMT -5
I was about to respond in the affirmative when a messenger boy arrived. I recognized him as one of Kushiel's Temple's own, although I did not know him personally.
"Your pardon, m'lady Tertignan," he said, inclining his head to Shona. "Brother Auberon of Kushiel's Temple requests that his daughter assist with the preparation of the incense to cleanse the inner sanctum this 'eve, and bids that she return to the temple immediately."
I scowled. "The resins always get up my nasal passages!" I suppose I should have been honoured that I had even been asked to help with the incense, but I failed to see how accomplishing such a menial task would help me become a better priestess.
Still, I sighed, resigned to my fate. "I suppose I will see you next week, Shona." Even the most menial of tasks could be endured if it meant I would see her again in seven days.
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