Sermons and Sins

The Church of Sulfur. It was not a place that Tsubaki often found herself. She wasn’t a very religious person, and she didn’t see any way to make a profit off the church, only ways to lose money by offering to the donation box. Given that she wasn’t a nun like Mercy, she couldn’t even reliably swipe from the box. 

The reason Tsubaki was here now was for confession. She had heard that others feel better after confessing their sins, and she wanted to test if the same would hold true for her. There was no harm in at least trying it… if she didn’t like it or if it didn’t work, she never had to do it again. 

Bracing herself, Tsubaki finally stepped through the doors and sought out the priest Oleander. “Ah, welcome.” The priest greeted her, and she didn’t miss the way his eyes roamed over her. Thankfully Tsubaki had heard of his, er… sleazy reputation, so she was prepared to reject him should he make any advances. She also made sure to dress overly modest, and given that that was unusual in Burrowgatory, she was hoping that that by itself would be enough to dissuade any attempts. “What can I help you with today?”

“I am here for confession.” Tsubaki shifted her weight awkwardly on her feet, clearly feeling out of her element.

“Confession, of course. Right this way,” Oleander led the way to a confession booth where they could speak more privately. “Now then, what would you like to confess today?” 

Tsubaki took a seat and tapped her finger against her leg, debating on what she wanted to confess and where she wanted to begin. “I think… I may be an overly selfish person, and that will be my own downfall someday.” 

Something heavier right off the bat; Oleander was certainly surprised. “Please elaborate. Why do you say that?”

Tsubaki began to fidget once more, wondering how anyone could be comfortable doing this. “It’s just… all my friends are more selfless than me. They’ll give each other gifts and pick up the tab every now and then. They’ll even do the same for me despite knowing that I will never return the favor. I don’t get how they still want to be friends with me.”

“Your friends,” Oleander spoke. “I take it that they do not have greed horns like you do?”

“Correct.” Tsubaki lifted one hand to run along one of her horns. 

“Then personally, I don’t think you have anything to worry about.” Oleander continued to comfort. “Your friends have different vices than you, and they understand your vice. They work around yours just as you do theirs. Tell me, hasn’t any of their vices ever inconvenienced you?”

Tsubaki didn’t have to think hard about it. “Well, yeah. Amelia often sleeps during the most inopportune times, and sometimes shops run out of the food I want to order if my sister got to them first…”

“Sloth and gluttony.” Oleander correctly guessed their horn types. “See? I daresay your friends might even feel the same way that you do about themselves. You don’t need to change to keep them around.”

Tsubaki was quiet for several moments, thoughtful, before finally nodding. “You’re right… thank you.” Perhaps this whole confession thing wasn’t so bad after all.