"Okay, Bell, c'mon, what's this all about?" Chris demanded as
they filed into the cool dryness of the temple after breakfast.
Whatever it was, Belldandy had not taken the time to wash the
dishes first before leading them in here, and in his experience
any break that Belldandy made from her familiar routine was
something to worry about.
"And what's *he* doing here?" Chris added after his eyes had
adapted to the dim candlelight, and he realized that Doug was
kneeling at the far end of the temple, facing the door.
Belldandy shushed him and he winced; that had come out a bit more
sharply than he'd intended.
"Thank you for coming, all of you," Doug said in a firm but calm
voice, loud enough to carry through the entire temple. "Before
we can start the ritual later this morning, there's something I
need to do, if only to calm my mind before we start." One corner
of his mouth twitched almost into a half-smile, as though he were
amused at the thought. "I've always been something of an anti-
theist," he continued. "But three of my grandparents were French
Catholics, and as Chris already knows, my maternal grandmother
was a German Jew."
This time he did smile, and it was a smirking, self-deprecating
one. "So believe me when I tell you, I'm *quite* familiar with
guilt." The smirk disappeared. "Now, while I'd like to think
that I'm a good person, I know for a fact that I'm not
necessarily a *nice* one."
"Oh, Doug," Belldandy interjected, "I've told you that's not so."
He held up a hand. "No, no, hear me out, okay? You haven't seen
me in a real battle, or doing something distasteful because it's
my duty. I try my best to be ethical, but I can't always afford
to be *moral*." He chewed on his lower lip for a moment. "The
important thing is, I'm thinking I need to address that before I
get involved in something as inherently... well, *holy,* as what
we've got planned. Therefore, I believe it's absolutely
necessary that I do this."
He took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and then very clearly
enunciated, "Bless me, Lord and Ladies, for I have sinned. It
has been over thirty years since my last confession."
-- Bob
---------
Then the horns kicked in...
...and my shoes began to squeak.
they filed into the cool dryness of the temple after breakfast.
Whatever it was, Belldandy had not taken the time to wash the
dishes first before leading them in here, and in his experience
any break that Belldandy made from her familiar routine was
something to worry about.
"And what's *he* doing here?" Chris added after his eyes had
adapted to the dim candlelight, and he realized that Doug was
kneeling at the far end of the temple, facing the door.
Belldandy shushed him and he winced; that had come out a bit more
sharply than he'd intended.
"Thank you for coming, all of you," Doug said in a firm but calm
voice, loud enough to carry through the entire temple. "Before
we can start the ritual later this morning, there's something I
need to do, if only to calm my mind before we start." One corner
of his mouth twitched almost into a half-smile, as though he were
amused at the thought. "I've always been something of an anti-
theist," he continued. "But three of my grandparents were French
Catholics, and as Chris already knows, my maternal grandmother
was a German Jew."
This time he did smile, and it was a smirking, self-deprecating
one. "So believe me when I tell you, I'm *quite* familiar with
guilt." The smirk disappeared. "Now, while I'd like to think
that I'm a good person, I know for a fact that I'm not
necessarily a *nice* one."
"Oh, Doug," Belldandy interjected, "I've told you that's not so."
He held up a hand. "No, no, hear me out, okay? You haven't seen
me in a real battle, or doing something distasteful because it's
my duty. I try my best to be ethical, but I can't always afford
to be *moral*." He chewed on his lower lip for a moment. "The
important thing is, I'm thinking I need to address that before I
get involved in something as inherently... well, *holy,* as what
we've got planned. Therefore, I believe it's absolutely
necessary that I do this."
He took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and then very clearly
enunciated, "Bless me, Lord and Ladies, for I have sinned. It
has been over thirty years since my last confession."
-- Bob
---------
Then the horns kicked in...
...and my shoes began to squeak.