[center][h2]Sin & Sanctity[/h2][/center]
[i]Before Dawn, 24th of Last Seed, 4E208
Chapel of Dibella, Anvil[/i]
[sub]ft. [@Stormflyx][/sub]

Gregor stared up at the chapel towering over him in the twilight with an inscrutable look on his face. During his time in Anvil the chapel’s unavoidable spire, its height far exceeding any of the other buildings inside the city walls, had been a constant source of irritation. It was a stark reminder of Gregor’s strained relationship with the Divines and of the precarious state of his soul. Undeserved, Gregor thought grimly. Once he had achieved his goals and attained immortality for himself and his family, the deaths of the innocents he had slain by mistake and the Vigilants that had threatened to destroy everything would not be in vain. He would have an eternity to set things right. 

But while the gods condemned him and his actions, Gregor’s family was innocent of his crimes. He worried for their safety now that the Dwemer had invaded Cyrodiil but returning home to try to save them wasn’t an option. He was afraid that if he saw them now, he would not have the strength to leave them again while his task was not yet complete. And besides, the path back to Bravil was not one Gregor believed he would survive. So, after a mostly sleepless night, Gregor had decided to follow Calen’s advice after all and found himself on his way to pray for their safety. He wasn’t sure if the Divines would hear him but he had to try, even if it was only for his own peace of mind. He took a deep breath, pushed open the massive door slightly and slipped inside. 

It was even cooler inside the chapel than the crisp morning air outside, but instead of enjoying it Gregor just felt uncomfortable. The air had that stuffy quality one only ever found inside old cathedrals and libraries. His eyes adjusted to the gloom and he looked around warily for a few seconds before he caught himself doing so. What was he afraid of? It wasn’t like Arkay himself was going to lunge at him from behind a pillar and drag him down to the underworld, and the chapel was empty this early in the morning. Even so he could feel judging eyes stare at him from the shadows between the pillars and the pews. Ridiculous. The Imperial muttered a quiet admonishment under his breath and walked over to the shrines, the [i]clink-clank[/i] of his steel boots echoing in the sacred silence. 

Raelynn walked quietly, her hands placed in front of her in a relaxed fashion, resting against her abdomen and brushing against the silk like fabric of her dress. She couldn't sleep well and had found herself awake at such an early time in the morning. The sun barely even rising yet. It was unusual for her to be unable to find sleep. She thought to finally visit the Chapel of Dibella and place an offering there - in her mind hoping it would help to bring her some clarity as to how to move forward and which path to choose. To stay with the current company and assist them. [i]To stay with Alim[/i], or to return to High Rock. She imagined that the Chapel would be all but empty at this frightfully early hour. She wanted to slip in, leave her offering and just take a contemplative walk around the grounds. 

She rarely took moments to just breathe and appreciate everything around her. To take a moment to stop and be present without having to think of how to act, what to say or what to do. The moment that Raelynn had shared with Alim just days prior confused her still, and lay lingering in her mind and resting on her conscience. She partly wished she hadn’t bothered tending to him. The way that he had reacted to her. He barely knew her. How could he call her a friend with such sincerity? 

She had already exchanged some coin for a bunch of magenta peonies earlier in the week, knowing that she would come to the Chapel finally. They smelled exquisite and fresh, and it brought a smile to her face to inhale their scent. She felt very unlike herself in moments like this, in private moments. Maybe she would take one or two of the flowers and dry them out later as a keepsake. As she grew nearer to the chapel, she saw that it was indeed quiet, she could hear only faint sounds of ocean waves lapping against a still and quiet shore and the birdsong over head. As she breezed by, she noticed someone kneeling in front of the shrine inside. A figure she instantly recognised. It was Gregor. 

All of a sudden she felt her heart race in her chest, unsure of what to do and how to act. Maybe she could wait a moment or two and allow him to do whatever it was he was doing. Would that not make it more awkward? Would that not in some way be more disruptive? [i]No[/i]. She wasn’t going to wait, and instead she crept quietly through the door that he had left ajar, the flowers stacked in their bouquet in her arms she took quiet footsteps towards the shrine herself. Words already forming in her mind for when he inevitably noticed her presence. 

“Dibella, I come not for myself today but for my family,” Gregor whispered as he knelt by the altar, his face cast down and his eyes closed. “I implore you to provide them with a happy life full of love in these times of conflict. Gaia, Marcus and Julia are their names. Should the Dwemer attack Bravil… please. I know you won’t help [i]me[/i], but please help them. That’s all.” He remained where he was for a minute longer, motionless until his hand reached out to touch the stone edifice. It was cold and unyielding. No answer or warmth of a blessing came. His hand balled into a fist and he was about to say something decidedly heretical when he heard footsteps behind him and looked over his shoulder to see the last person he expected inside the chapel: Raelynn. 

Gregor got to his feet and turned his back to the altar. “Raelynn… what brings you here?” he asked. His tone was not entirely welcoming. 

She was taken slightly aback at his obvious tone as she came upon the altar herself, choosing not to stop and greet him with her eyes because of it. “Well, I’m doing the same thing that you are perhaps. In this public space…” If she had not been so tangled up in her own thoughts, she may have had a more biting response for him. The best she could do was ignore him in the way of sidelining him entirely. “I could ask you the same question, I remember you telling me that your relationship with the Gods is less than favourable.” She hadn’t really meant to say it, but it felt right -- to give him a sharp reminder of what he had told her. 

With her back to him, she began placing her flowers down across the altar methodically, one-by-one posing them and brushing their soft petals with her fingers to arrange them as neatly as possible. She bit her lip as a slightly frustrated sigh slipped out and she stopped moving momentarily. “I’m sorry,” she realised that her comment was harsh and that she needed to smooth it over with something else to turn his attention from it, “I… gather that you thought you could go without seeing me again after our night together then?”

“That is usually what happens, yes,” Gregor admitted, but the hard edge in his voice had disappeared. He moved closer to Raelynn and leaned forward a little, lowering his voice so that they couldn’t be overheard in case anyone decided to enter the chapel at that moment for their own early-morning prayers. “You’re right. I don’t enjoy being here. I came here to pray for my family’s safety. The Divines have no love for me anymore but my family has done nothing wrong, so I hope that Stendarr will keep an eye out for them all the same. I didn’t mean to be so rude. I’m the one that should apologize.” He almost reached up to touch Raelynn’s shoulder but thought better of it. The sight of her now, seemingly so innocent, wearing a dress and laying down flowers, was such a far cry from the depraved temptress of before that Gregor’s trepidation melted away. 

[i]That's more like it…[/i] she thought to herself, feeling him draw closer to her with his apology. Instantly she found herself warming to him again, she could sense his intensity behind her. As she finished with the flowers she turned around to face him, lured immediately to his eyes. She gave him an enticing smile, “I must confess, if I had been the first to wake, I might have done the same to you... “ She eyed him up and down, knowing what was under his clothes quite well. “It was a shame we didn't wake together. I don't think I was done having fun with you,” admitting that to him almost brought a blush to her cheeks. She stopped smiling and returned to a serious composure once more, not allowing herself to slip straight to tempting him like that. She allowed her eyes to fall to the floor, “I think it's very honourable of you to do such a thing for your family Gregor.” Her voice was quiet, a gentle whisper in the cold marble hall.

He laughed, but there was no mirth to it. “Everything I do is for my family. This is nothing by comparison.” Gregor looked at her, even when she averted her gaze, and he wondered what she wanted from him now. It had seemed like she was trying to woo him back to bed for a moment but now he wasn’t sure. He had left her because he thought that, while their night together had been extraordinarily enjoyable, it was a distraction that he didn’t need, and it had brought out a side of him that Gregor tried to suppress and hide as much as possible. But was it really right to dismiss Raelynn as entirely unvirtuous based on one encounter? Maybe that had simply been what they both needed to unwind after the danger and tension of the last few weeks. Perhaps someone like Raelynn, who did not judge him immediately when the veil was slightly lifted, wasn’t so bad. The long years on the road had been so lonely...

Nobody was as good at manipulating Gregor as Gregor himself.

“Look at me,” he said softly and stepped in even closer. His eyes glanced around quickly, ensuring that the place was still empty. “I’m sorry I left. It’s… complicated.” 

“You don’t need to explain,” she began, pulling her hair to one side - revealing her neck to Gregor in a casual manner as she lifted her eyes back to him now. He was not going to be so easy to crack this time, [i]she would have to take a step back in order to step forwards with him[/i]. She slowly sunk down to sit on the steps of the altar below him. “I’m here for my family too, in a way. I had hoped being here would bring me some clarity and help me make a decision on something.” As she spoke, she twisted lengths of her hair around her fingers and looked up to him from her position. “I was unsure of whether or not to return to High Rock, or stay with the company. This war…” she took a breath in through her teeth, releasing her hair and wrapping her arms around herself, “it scares me.” 

She sat pensively for a moment, before smiling, “you must think me foolish and cowardly,” once more she looked up to him, beckoning him with her eyes to sit down beside her, inviting him to be near her. 

This was a side of her that Gregor had not seen before. He did as her eyes requested and sat down, taking care not to sit on his cloak (as always), and thought about her words for a bit. His gaze went around the chapel again and he smiled faintly. It was a fitting environment for such confessions. Was she a coward? He had thought Daro’Vasora was a coward when she expressed her lack of enthusiasm to stay engaged with the war. But the Khajiit was a different type of person with a different set of skills. Raelynn was a healer, not a warrior. Gregor wouldn’t expect Julia to march to war either. 

“No,” he replied, his voice warm and comforting. He draped his arm across her back, his hand resting on her hips, and playfully pulled her a little closer. “It is far from foolish to fear war. If you wish to go back to High Rock, I don’t blame you. I just don’t think this is something any of us can run from. If the Dwemer overran the Imperial City like that, imagine what they’ll do with the rest of Tamriel. Sooner or later we will have to stand our ground. And if you care about this company, maybe you should do it with us.” He looked her in the eyes and almost added [i]with me[/i] but caught himself in time. 

Raelynn indulged in being closer to him, and thought about placing her head on his shoulder. Not yet. Instead she just listened to him. His argument was much like Alim’s, but she found herself more swayed by Gregor, especially as he ran his hand over one of her souvenir bruises. She smirked a little, before placing her hand on his comfortingly. “You make a solid case for it, and I can't argue that you're right about it. I know that I would be… [i]needed[/i] by the company…” she looked back into his eyes, almost drowning in them. He was as hypnotizing to her as she was trying to be to him.  

She found herself preparing to strike, like a coiled snake ready to pounce on its prey. She ran her hand across his again, moving it to his thigh and squeezed it gently, not wanting it to come across as overly sexual, but more a touch of acknowledgement and appreciation. “Thank you Gregor…”

The sensation of Raelynn’s hand on his thigh was enough to make his heartbeat quicken.. “You’re welcome,” he murmured. Her presence so close to him and her gaze locked into his were as enchanting as always, and her vulnerability and openness had surprised and disarmed him. She wasn’t just the succubus he had thought her to be. There was a real, endearing woman sitting next to him now. And now that he had relaxed… even if her touch was not improper, there was something about her that he just couldn’t resist. 

She felt the energy around them was palpable, it was as it had been just a night ago. She sidled closer to him, pressing her body to his, she was now drawing out circles on his leg, looking him in the eye again, she bit her lip flirtatiously, fluttering her lashes ever so and lowering her gaze. “How do you suppose I stay and help the company when I…” she paused for a second, tempted to turn her face away. But she wanted him to watch her mouth when she said her last words. She was ready to strike, and so she leant in closer, the location spurring her on. It was an unholy statement to make, but she had worn him down enough to soften him up - to reach the point of no return once more. “How can I be of any help to anyone when I haven’t been able to stop thinking about your--” she spoke in a hushed and honeyed tone, a sultry purr, under Dibella’s altar, leaving the end of her words to Gregor’s ears only. It was like making an offer to a darker God. 

Gregor bit his lip and closed his eyes when Raelynn whispered the last few words in his ear. It was such a heady feeling to have her say these things to him [i]here,[/i] of all places, and an intense surge of lust felt like it was going to burst out of his chest as something electric singed through his limbs. He could feel the sinful heat of her rosy cheeks as his face brushed against hers until his lips found her mouth. He kissed her and pulled her close, his hands pressing roughly on her body through the fabric of her dress, resisting the desire to rip off her clothes and desecrate her there and then inside the empty chapel.

“Not here,” she moaned while pulling out of his kiss as she enjoyed the sensation of his hands grabbing at her body desperately, “I have a room at the Inn. I bet that we can sneak in unseen at this hour...” Her head was filled with all manner of images of lust and longing, the various things they could do, although as insatiable as she felt, this place was wrong. She took him by the hands and got herself to her feet to begin leading him away from the Sanctuary of the Chapel and to her bed. 

The short walk back to the Inn would feel excruciatingly long, she was thinking of ways to make it longer - to draw out the tension and prolong their craving for each other. As she lead him away from the altar, she turned back to look at him over her shoulder -- her eyes wide and innocent, but the smile that began to creep over her lips was anything but. She would have him begging for her by the time they made it to their private space. 

Gregor slowly rose to his feet and followed Raelynn at a languid pace. He knew what she was getting at -- well, two could play that game. They left the chapel looking the very picture of proper decorum: a gallant knight with a fair lady on his arm, taking a leisurely stroll through the streets. It was just as quiet outside as inside as the eastern sky began to colour orange with the impending dawn, leaving Gregor free to cast glances of undiluted desire at Raelynn. “I wonder if you look perfectly innocent again underneath that dress, or if it's still evident that I had my way with you,” he said to her softly, as two lovers might whisper and giggle in public.

“I may have left something to remember you by,” she said with a smug smile as she continued to walk with him. It was just in the same manner as they had walked together towards the Tavern for their first encounter, only this time they of course had their secret. “If I recall, I may have left some marks of my own on you… I can see that my favourites are gone.” She licked her lower lip as she brought up her hand to stroke his neck ever so, using the opportunity to tuck back his rogue strands of hair behind his ear. She liked people thinking that she was just straightening his appearance like that. She wondered what they would think if they could hear her thoughts. [i]She wondered what Gregor would think if he could hear them too.[/i]

“Sorry about that,” Gregor replied with a wry smile. A delightful chill ran down his spine when her fingers touched the skin where she'd bitten down on and clawed him. The wounds might be gone but his body hadn't forgotten. “I don't normally come back for more. You're the first woman in ten years to achieve that.” He said it casually but the implication was much stronger than his tone suggested. Was it a good idea to admit that to her? Gregor didn't care anymore. There was something special about her and she deserved to know. He, too, raised his hand and gently touched her cheek with his fingers. It would look sweet to anyone who saw it, but Raelynn could see in Gregor's eyes that it belied a far more ferocious hunger. 

She didn't know whether to feel honoured by such a statement. It had been by pure chance that their paths had crossed again, there was always that Gregor just never saw his past lovers - like he had tried to do with her, for what reason? She gave him a smile regardless, and placed her head against his arm, clinging tightly. “Well I don't ever really happen to act in such a manner in the first place…” she knew there was a good chance he wouldn't believe her. But it was true, she could count on one hand the lovers she had taken - including Gregor - it had never been all that interesting, truth be told. But the chemistry was undeniable between the two of them, it had outweighed anything else and now she was hooked on it. They approached the [i]Flowing Bowl[/i] and Raelynn gave him a flirtatious look, stepping ahead just ever so. Not wanting to wait much longer. 

That elicited a chuckle from him. “In a hurry, are we?” Gregor asked laconically, but he hastened his pace to follow her inside all the same. If there was anyone else from their party inside the Flowing Bowl Gregor didn't notice them, nor did he care. His eyes were fixed on Raelynn’s back, on the nape of her neck, on the movement of her hips. He followed her upstairs without another word and as soon as they stepped inside her room, Gregor closing the door behind them more quietly this time (as he was determined to cause no further structural damage to the inns of Anvil), he picked up Raelynn and threw her on the bed, a fervent look of desire on his face. He undid himself of his cloak and gear, letting it drop to the ground around him, until he was bare-chested, his tattoos on full display in the blossoming daylight that filtered in through the curtains.

She landed softly on the spread, and immediately positioned herself on her side, propping up her head with her hand, her long hair falling around her. In the dark of the room, the amber waves of dawn sunlight that did spill through made her usually ash toned hair shine like strands of gold. As she watched Gregor strip down in front of her, she placed her free forefinger into her mouth and bit down seductively. The Breton watched the muscles of his chest, paying attention to his tattoos - drawing herself free from the atmosphere -- unable to stop herself from making a comment about it. “Is that a statement, or purely an accident…?”

She had learned very early on that he was quite reserved when it came to matters of his past. She didn't know whether she wanted him to stay in this mood - the mood where he seemed genuinely happy and smitten, or flick the switch to his primal other self. The one she had met only nights ago. At the moment, she herself was smitten with both.

Gregor looked down at his chest, following Raelynn’s gaze, and quietly mouthed ‘oh’ when he realized what she was referring to. [i]That[/i]. Arkay, his head crossed out by two diagonal scars across Gregor’s sternum, was artfully etched into his skin with black ink. It must have been a pretty bad look, combined with the Daedric symbol for Oblivion on his upper arm, if Raelynn was a devout and pious woman. Fortunately, she wasn’t. “Yes, it’s a statement,” he said in a low voice and slowly crawled on the bed with her on all fours. His face was austere and there was iron in his eyes. Despite that, he gently ran a finger across Raelynn’s bare arm as he contemplated his next words. How could he explain that he was a man who had betrayed allies and murdered innocents in a blind rage, all in the name of a cure for himself and his family? He knew what people were like. Nobody would understand that he was justified. The things that happened were… regrettable. But good men make mistakes and his intentions had always been noble. The Divines couldn’t see that, rigid and devoid of compassion as they were. 

“I have done terrible things for a noble cause,” Gregor said at last, his voice now barely more than a whisper. “Some lives were lost for the sake of others. The gods condemn me for it, they withhold their blessings and are dismissive of my prayers. They don’t understand that my intentions are good, and I know that Arkay will not be kind on my soul if my time should come.” His nostrils flared as he exhaled sharply and his fingers dug into Raelynn’s arm. “Fuck him. I won’t submit to his judgement.”

[i]Terrible things?[/i] she wondered as he began to get closer to her. The same look in his eye that she recognised from their first night together. She was slowly learning more about him, and to many, this would be a red flag to get away, to run. That, and the grip that he had on her arm. It was an enjoyable feeling that unnerved and prompted a soft whimper of pleasure from her. [i]It turned her on.[/i] The thought of escaping crossed her mind, some part of her was telling her to ask him to leave -- but that was a small and insignificant voice. Nothing but a timid whisper, drowned out by the incredible lust and attraction to him she felt. It was crossing a line to be with him, but that made it so much more satisfying. He had such a darkness around him, he was the perfect storm and all she could think about was taming him for herself. She let him wait in silence and drew out the tension while he obviously waited for her to respond to his confession. Whether or not she would accept him as he was, or judge him. 

It came to her -- once again she found herself in the position to pounce, smiling provocatively, she leant up to whisper into his ear, “I wouldn't expect someone like you to submit to anyone, Gregor. Fuck Arkay indeed.” She sat up and lifted her dress over her shoulders, tossing it to the floor on top of his clothes.This was it, she knew that she was now more involved with him than she thought she would have been, but knowing his secrets and seducing them out of him was a high she was now addicted to.

Her words were like moon sugar to him. The validation, however ill-informed, satisfied an aching and bruised part of Gregor’s soul that had been tormented by his conscience for years. His grim expression was replaced by a terribly insidious smile, fueled in equal parts by redoubled lust and relief. A part of him knew that he shouldn’t have said what he did and that her reaction wasn’t [i]right,[/i] but his mind was so clouded by desire that he put those thoughts aside and moved on top of her. It was then that he noticed two bruises on her hips in the shape of his hands and he laughed, grabbing her there where she would still be awfully sore and pulling her body against his. “So that’s what you kept,” he purred as his fingers pressed hard into her flesh, his eyes staring into hers, their faces a mere inch away from one another. He wanted to see her pain, and her delight.

As his hands once again found their way to her hips, the sensation she felt was like nothing else. A mixture of pleasure and pain that excited her and gave her a rush. She felt it throughout her small frame as Gregor towered over her. But yet, she relaxed into him and into the moment, placing her lips against his, saying nothing. The quiet voice of concern muted entirely as his dominating presence gazed intensely into her eyes. She knew he would once again have his way with her body.