[Orryn]: Bibles and Bribes

Mercy's Incentive

It was another event filled at the church of sulfur as Orryn walked through the courtyard and towards the main building, grumbling about how annoyingly early the clergy tended to start their day. Attending these silly sermons was such a pain in the ass sometimes. Still, he couldn’t afford to be late this time around as he was already previously late in the last session… And the last. And the last one as well. So if he wanted to avoid being scolded and berated by the lovely Mercy, he would have to come early this time, for once. 

He steps through the side entrance and immediately realizes that something is definitely wrong. He looks left and right and sees that there was not a soul in sight. Which was odd, given that Oleander loved a full house whenever he gave out those horridly long sermons. He looked at his watch quickly, confusion washing over his face. 8 AM was the start of the sermons and it was currently 7:30 in the morning. Odd. He was 30 minutes early and usually Mercy and the other nuns were already preparing the place, lighting up the candles and putting the fresh flowers into the vases. But now, there was just him and the empty pews… Or so he thought.

He shrugs, and is about to leave and call it a day when suddenly he hears a door opening from the other end of the church. Curiosity got the better of him and he walked forward, something in his gut telling him to be silent. Finally he gets to the other end, his heart racing wildly in his chest. He peeks through the door that was left ajar and his eyes widen in surprise. There was Mercy, unlocking the tithes box. Instead of transferring the contents into the larger donation box, she counted a few carats and put them into a little satchel. Orryn smiles a sly smile. Oh. This was a very interesting turn of events. He had never imagined for the head nun herself to be lining her pockets with carats. Greed was a very hard thing to overcome, after all. He himself would know.

He clears his throat, resting his shoulder on the door frame which causes Mercy to fumble around with the pouch. “Well, well, well-” he muses, folding his arms. “What do we have here.”

Mercy turns around in surprise, realizing they had been caught. “Orryn…..???” they ask in surprise. “You’re… early??” Orryn puts his hands to his sides. “Seriously?! You were caught red handed and that’s what you’re worried about? Where is everyone anyway?”

Mercy blinks. “Orryn.” they say seriously, hiding the satchel behind them. “There is no service today. We literally announced it yesterday.”

They both stare at each other for a bit before Orryn points an accusatory finger at Mercy. “Don’t try to change the subject!!!!” he exclaims. “I see what you’re doing and I’m ready to relay it to the whole church if I have to.” he says with a huff.

Mercy swallows. “But….?” they ask, waiting for Orryn to continue. “But.” Orryn says slowly, “I’m no snitch… For the right price, that is.” Mercy looks towards the door nervously, which Orryn closes with his foot. 

“I want a 5% cut.” he says simply with a nod. Before Mercy could reply, Orryn holds out a hand. “And. I want you to do penances. Privately, with me.” Orryn puts out his hand, offering for Mercy to shake. “Do we have a deal…?”

Mercy sighs, looking hesitant. Finally she looks up at him and takes his hand.

“Deal.”