You had stumbled upon a place of worship in Akhelios’ palace, a cathedral centred around the dedication to Akhelios himself, and purely out of curiosity you decide to explore. While exploring, you find yourself before a large, soundproof structure with two doors and a seat inside. A confession booth.

‘What harm could it do?’ You ponder internally, entering the confessional and climbing up onto a tall wooden seat, settling against the backrest with a sigh. You turn your gaze to the divider between both sides of the confessional, a mesh screen in the centre of the wall to both conceal identity and allow for conversation.

“…Is anyone there?” You call, nimble hands taking hold of a cool metal zip connected to the leather jacket GW had leant you, anxiously moving it up and down the zipper as silence rang through the confessional.

“I am.” A voice called, deep and smooth, like a knife gliding through butter. It makes you sigh, at least knowing you weren’t alone in the booth. “…I’ve not done this before, you’ll have to excuse my ignorance of how it works.” You respond.

“I find confession is good for the soul. Let me know what is bothering you and be freed from your burden.” The voice sent a shiver down your spine. It seemed familiar, yet you couldn’t quite place your finger on it. On why if was bugging you, a constant thought in the back of your mind.

“Right.” You manage to respond, ignoring the voice in your head screaming the sense of recognition. ‘What should I say?’ You ponder once more.

“Bless me, for I have sinned.” You begin after composing yourself with a hesitant inhale and exhale of air with Rhin’s borrowed shirt pressed against your nose, the scent soothing you.

“I… have been intimate with...” You hesitate once more, lowering Rhin’s shirt from your nose and tipping your head back against the seat’s tall backrest. “Tiggy.”

“Most have. Worry not, it is hardly a sin.” The voice assured you, yet the gentle tone does little to quell your nerves.

“And Lee…” This seems to surprise the person on the other side. “The scribe?” He asks.

“And GW…” The man’s previous thoughts are disrupted as you continue once more, leading to further questioning.

“The Lord Commander was intimate with-?” He attempted to voice, but you cut him off once more. “And Rhin…”

“I see…” He mutters, clearing his throat. An uncomfortable silence rings through the booth once you finished speaking, and you have to fight back the warmth that floods your cheeks, a mix of embarrassment and worry crossing your mind.

“You are worried that being with each of them is a sin?” He asks After what felt like forever, and you have to swallow back the lump in your throat.

“Yes. Where I am from, acts like this makes us appear unfaithful.” You admit sheepishly, tucking a loose section of hair behind your ear.

“Are they aware?” He asks, to which you hum a noise of confirmation.

“Then I wouldn’t worry about it being a sin unless they are hurt by it. You enjoy it too, correct? You have not been coerced?”

“Not at all. If anything, it’s very fun… GW has this hot and cold approach about him and likes to dominate, but he’s still cautious as to not push my boundaries. It’s a beautiful counter to Rhin’s calmness as he lets me take things at my own pace. Tiggy is playful and flirty and likes to go with the flow. I also enjoy seeing how much Lee can take with how he lets me-” Before you had realised you were rambling on and on excessively, there is audible movement on the other side as the mesh screen slider between each side of the booth is hurriedly slid open.

“-You… have an interesting definition of ‘sin’, Cupcake.” The man now revealed to be Nebulaeus murmurs, unable to lift his gaze. His face has gone as pink as his hair, and you are unsure whether it’s due to his haste in revealing himself or from the topic of discussion.

“I don’t think you want to share stuff like that with me or anyone from this church, eh, Cupcake?” He asks in an attempt to tease despite his clear discomfort.