Where the Heart Is, Part 3

You pull back the hood of your cloak to reveal a woman's face, with long black hair that frames a beautiful, olive-skinned face before running down your back in a ponytail. A small scar accentuates the left side of your face, and you do your best to project a knowing, worldly attitude.

Not that the cleric behind the confessional screen can appreciate your handiwork yet, of course. But if and when that eventuality arises, you're prepared to make an impression.

"My name is Kavia," you say, pitching your voice to further that worldly image... while throwing in just a hint of vulnerability as well. "I... can't remember the right words to say for this. Goddesses, it's been... a long time since I last went to confession. Not since I was a kid. It isn't something that fits well with my... usual line of work."

You pause, letting that line settle a bit before continuing. "But... now of all times, I really need the goddess's wisdom. I... might have done something bad. Really bad. Even worse than the things I usually do."

"The arms of our goddess are always open to those who are truly penitent, if they are willing to make amends," says the comforting voice from behind the screen. "What sins have you committed, child?"

"I didn't realize who I was working for when I took the job," you explain, putting even more conflicted emotions into your voice. "Not at first. He just wanted me to investigate someone. A famous thief who goes by 'Mockingbird'."

Already you can hear Elianna tense behind the screen. You continue to build your story. "My client... at first he just wanted to know who Mockingbird really was, behind her mask. I assumed he was representing some rich noble she'd stolen something from. But... then he asked me to investigate other things about her, and her connection to the heroines. And I started to get suspicious. So after one of our meetings... I followed him in secret."

Now you let out a shuddering breath. "He was a demon, holy mother! An actual demon, from the very depths of Hell! And... from the report I overheard him making... he was summoned here to serve Kovora!" You shake your head. "And I helped him!"

Even with the barrier between you, it's obvious now have Elianna's rapt attention. "You could not have known, child," she says comfortingly. "Whatever wrongs you may have done in your past, I believe you when you say that you had no intention of betraying our homeland to the Kovoran horde. More importantly... what you have done can still be made right."

"Can it?" you say, perfectly blending worry and guilt in your voice. "My soul won't be damned just for consorting with him?"

"Of course not," the cleric reassures you, correcting your feigned superstition. "Your soul will always receive a fair judgment from Oriva. Unless you choose to sign it away, willingly and with full knowledge. Did he try to convince you to agree to any contracts? Or did he do anything else to... influence you?"

"He... did try to lay on the charm a few times..." you admit. "But I make a point not to mix business and pleasure, so I kept my distance. And he didn't push very hard. I think... he was distracted by other things. Aside from giving me the job, we didn't speak for very long. He seemed pressed for time... and I suppose I wasn't important enough for him to pay me that much attention."

"Then you are fortunate," says Elianna. "He is an extremely dangerous being. Even among demons."

"You... know about this demon, holy mother?" you ask, feigning confusion.

"I do," she says gravely. "He is, perhaps, the most serious threat that our nation has faced in generations. An insidious tempter, with terrifying powers of corruption. If he is not stopped, then this entire continent may soon be crushed under Kovora's iron heel... and turned into a lust-filled reflection of Hell brought to earth."

You make sure to shudder at the "horrible" thought. "Oh goddesses. I... I didn't know. I didn't know! I'm so sorry, holy mother!"

"It is not your fault, my child," she says. "The blame in this lies with him, not with you. But... this is very important. You must tell me everything you remember. What exactly did he ask you to do for him?"

And here is your opening. You have a chance to throw this wise, motherly heroine off-balance, aiming to create an emotional chink in her armor using the secrets that Rysanial so carefully investigated for you.

"Like I said, at first all he wanted to know was Mockingbird's name," you say. "But once I learned that, he asked me to search for any secret connections she had to the other heroines. He was convinced that there was something between them that Mockingbird didn't want anyone to know about. That she was hiding the true reason she joined their group from everyone."

"How much did you tell him?" asks the cleric. And even though she doesn't know the full truth yet, you can still here the concern in her voice over what this vile demon might do. Even to the wayward, lawless member of their group.

"I... didn't tell him anything after that," you say. "That was when I started to get suspicious and followed him. But... I think he was right. Mockingbird already went to extreme lengths to hide her old name, and she took even more precautions before she joined them. I think she does have something that she's ashamed of. I think... I think for some reason she's terrified of the other heroines learning who she used to be."

You pause. "But I never figured out what her secret was. And the only thing I told him was her old name. Polly."

For several seconds there is dead silence from within the confessional. Then, almost imperceptibly, you hear a ragged breath, like someone fighting back tears. The realization of Mockingbird's true motives all this time—and the shame that had made her hide them—strikes home with devastating force, to the woman who was her mother in all but blood.

When, after several more seconds, Elianna is finally able to speak, it is in barely-audible elvish. Clearly not meant for you to hear or understand. "Oh my poor, dear child..." she whispers brokenly. "You should have told me. You should not have suffered alone."

"Holy mother?" you ask, feigning confusion. "Holy mother, is everything alright?"

It takes a few more moments, but the ancient cleric does regain most of her composure. At least... outwardly. "Yes," she says, and you can hear the urgency in her voice. "But it is imperative that this demon is not allowed to take advantage of... of anything he has learned. Polly must be protected."

You've made her desperate with this revelation. And if she's this frantic to save the daughter who she thought she'd lost all those years ago, then you expect that you will find it far easier to trick her into making mistakes that neglect her own safety.

Even as you consider this, she continues to speak. "If you truly wish to make amends, Kavia... then I charge you with this penance: meet with me again, in secret. Outside the confessional. I am bound by sacred oath to not reveal anything you have told me here. But if you cooperate, then we can lay a trap for this fiend that he will not expect. We can stop him before he corrupts any more innocent souls."

You frown. "But... how would I find you outside? I don't even know who you are."

"I am High Cleric Elianna Imfiel," she says, and you make sure to react with the appropriate stunned shock of someone who had no idea who she was truly talking to behind that screen. "Rest assured, my child. If you cooperate with us in ending this threat, then my friends and I can protect you from any repercussions of your mistake."

She hesitates, thinking for a few moments before speaking again. "You said you followed this demon in secret to learn of his true identity. Does that mean he still thinks you are working for him?"

You consider your options. If you tell Elianna that "the demon" realized you were spying on him, and that you only escaped by the skin of your teeth, then that will make this particular "Kavia" identity much less valuable to her. Whether that's good or bad depends on how you want to make your primary approach.

On the other hand, if you tell the cleric that you were able to stay hidden—thus preventing "the demon" from learning that "Kavia" had discovered his true demonic nature—then you could play both sides, tempting her as Kavia, and also as your demonic form during whatever traps you and Elianna decide to lay for yourself. It would entail working very closely with the heroine, making it a higher-risk, higher-reward situation.

There's also the question of how to handle her request for a meeting outside of the confessional. If you wanted to continue with the Kavia identity as a focus, then you'll need to decide how to handle that. You could arrange the secret meeting with her right now. If you did, it would probably take place tonight, given how desperate Elianna is.

On the other hand, if you wanted to keep more control over events, you could tell her that you'll meet her on your own terms, without telling her when or where. That would likely make it more difficult, since you'd have to infiltrate wherever you decide to meet her, without the benefit of a pre-arranged secret rendezvous. But it would leave the initiative and timing in your hands, not hers.

What do you tell Elianna about Kavia's relationship to the incubus?

How do you respond to Elianna's request for a meeting outside the confessional?

Current Lust: 190/240