Teaser #3 for Chapter 6

[Bob Schroeck]

"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.

[Kokuten]

"Bless me, Lord and Ladies, for I have sinned. It
has been over thirty years since my last confession."

Oh.

Oh _MY_.

Got a couple dozen hours to set aside?Wire Geek - Burning the weak and trampling the dead since 1979

[Black Aeronaut]

Kokuten wrote:

---

"Bless me, Lord and Ladies, for I have sinned. It


has been over thirty years since my last confession."

Oh.




Oh _MY_.






Got a couple dozen hours to set aside?

Yeah, what he said. O_O;;

[Bob Schroeck]

It might help that he's only going to enumerate the things that he feels bad about...
-- Bob
---------
Then the horns kicked in...
...and my shoes began to squeak.

[Kokuten]

oh.

30 minutes, then, if they already have big chunks of the backstory.

Still, as a character development bit, this has the potential to be earth-shattering. One of the things I've always felt that was holding Doug back was
Moral Quandaries - the man's got a conscience, and it bugs him. A good Confession (Belldandy is involved, that == good) will help him center and focus,
morally speaking..

Which makes the fight scene(s) following this bit VERY interesting. Looney Toons Unleashed!Wire Geek - Burning the weak and trampling the dead since 1979

[Dragonflight]

The thing I'd like to see is the look on Chris' face when Doug starts in on the things he's done in his steps. While Paradox has had the truth
explained to him by the girls, he's still going to need either a will of iron to not give away his first automatic reaction to hearing someone talk about
doing unspeakable things to a character from an anime or a series he's read, or occasional jumps into no-time to steady himself. And Doug's a little
too good at reading what people are trying to hide not to pick up on it, even if Chris *did* agree not to confront Doug on it.
---
Those who fear the darkness have never seen what the light can do.

[katreus]

Heh. Seems the Fates always drive -someone- to confession. Last time they meddled, Madigan ended up going to confession and now Doug! I bet it's something
about Belldandy's nice-fu...

Seriously though, I'm looking forward to how you handle that scene. Should be fun!

[DHBirr]

I've been holding back from commenting on this, especially since everyone else is so positive about it, but I have to admit -- or confess --
that I had an almost completely negative reaction to this scene. I think it's largely because I was raised in the Lutheran religion, where
"confession" is a matter of taking time during the church service to silently admit your sins to God. But it's also because
Belldandy is the only one there who strikes me as being anything like what I feel clergy should be. If it'd just been a private session
with her, I don't think it would've bothered me half so much. Confessing your sins to Urd?! Paradox and Skuld aren't nearly as
bad, but still....

Sorry about the rant, but there's how I feel. Regardless, the authors gotta do what feels right to them. (But if I were in Paradox's
shoes, I'd probably hastily excuse myself, and drag Urd and Skuld out by the scruffs of their necks if need be. Of course, my personality
is so unlike his that I never would be in Paradox's shoes.)

Changing the subject slightly, I'm looking forward to finding out precisely what Mara's degree of relationship is to them. Is she Urd's full
sister, Bell and Skuld's full sister, or a half sister by yet another mother (Dad really got around!)? The thought has crossed my mind a few times,
although it's totally implausible, that it'd be hysterically funny if she was revealed to be Belldandy's twin.
-----
Big Brother is watching you.  And damn, you are so bloody BORING.