"Don't look at me like that. How you always do."

The words are said like a bubbling laugh, but beneath that sweetness was the bitterness of something far, far worse. It felt like you were the only one who noticed it. The only one not blinded by the light that Cecil doused himself with and masked with charisma. Maybe it was because everyone else believed him to be their guiding hand towards God, but you... You never cared about pleasing God, if he existed.

"You always side eye me like I insulted your mother, why is that?"

His words came through the divider in the confessional with scorn. He always made ways to jab at your clarity with the same tone as one would scold a child. Cecil seemed to take pleasure in how you'd grit your teeth and try to keep up those pretty appearances.

"Everyone has a phase in their life where they push the lines with the Father. See if they can piss off the omnibenevolant. Hah— As if they're that special..."

He always made it seem like he knew more than you. Now that it was just you two, that mocking tone became more and more palpable. He was practically laughing at you between syllables. There certainly wasn't a normal priest on the other side.

"I used to mess around and glance his way for even a twitch in the eyebrow."

He always talked about God like he knew him, as if reminiscing of a friend rather than speaking in metaphors.

"But those heretics from years ago didn't realise their mistakes until a flood swept them up, hm?"