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The Only Rules That Matter: Bloodlines (Corsair&Madam Mim)

May saw Jack stalk off, leaving Rayne and Nate on the couch, and frowned. There seemed to be some sort of trouble between them, but she hadn't finished serving the congregation yet and so couldn't abandon her post yet. By the time everyone else was fed and she had eaten, people were getting ready to load up into their cars to go to the soup kitchen. Jesse, as her Guardian, dug through her bag with her to help her pick out clothes most likely to compel the Disconnected to donate. Before he clipped on the leash, a requirement before she could leave the chapel, she came to find Jack working on the shower.

"Hey," she greeted with a small smile, watching him work. "We're gettin' ready to leave here soon. Everything alright? You looked upset earlier."
 
Jack lost himself in the intracies of plumbing. Not that he was especially skilled at it, mind, but he understood it well enough from growing up in a farm in the middle of nowhere that he wasn’t afraid of it. So he traced the pipes, and rapidly discovered the reason the hot water ran out so quickly. The heater wasn’t big enough for the number of people that were using it. Hell, it would barely have been big enough for the apartment he’d rented with May for, what? Two days? “So,” he said, thinking out loud, “I’ve got two options. Make it hotter, or get a bigger one.”

Getting a bigger one probably wasn’t an option. So, he needed to make it hotter. But that was a problem, wasn’t it? Stupid thing was kerosene heater, and they probably didn’t have a bunch of money for fuel either. As he wracked his brain, an idea slowly began to form. So h went off in search of a pencil and some paper. A few minutes later, he was scribbling away on a diagram.

“Hey.”

Looking up, he found May watching him, dressed to show off that fine body of hers. The collar glinted on her throat. “Hey yourself,” he replied.

“We're gettin' ready to leave here soon. Everything alright? You looked upset earlier."

“Hm? Oh, that.” He sighed, stretching out his maimed leg. “Yeah, I guess. I just, Well, found out you got in trouble for talking to someone that left this church.” He gestured Howard’s at her. “Which means you have to wear a dog collar and go panhandle. It’s just, I dunno. It doesn’t sit right, you know.” He shook his head. “I don’t see why any god would eat her back up about friends.”
 
May frowned at Jack's assessment of her penance. "It isn't a dog collar," she corrected gently, being mindful to practice loving kindness and to have patience with him. He was new to all of this, and it was all new to him, but she knew what she had seen last night. He was going to bring them all to the light of the All, it was his destiny...which meant it was her job to guide him toward the truth. She took a deep breath and ran a hand through her hair.

"I understand why you see it the way you do," she said after some thought. "But this isn't a punishment; it's an apology to the Universal God Soul for my transgressions. We work very hard to seek oneness with the Universe. The Fallen are a corrupting influence, and I knew that when Esther came into the deli and I served her. I failed in my duty as a guardian of the souls of this congregation, Jack, and I endangered them all by allowing my former relationship with her to blind me to the danger of allowing her back into the fold." May shifted her weight and indicated the collar. "This is an open apology, to the congregation and to the All, for endangering all of us. It's an acceptance of responsibility. Wouldn't you want to do the same thing, to make things right between you and someone you wronged, when you knew you were in the wrong?" She chewed lightly on the inside of her lip, looking for understanding in his expression. "I just want to make things right, Jack. Between me and Max, between me and the congregation...between you and me." She laid a hand on his shoulder. "Just trust in the All, hon."
 
“I’d think,” Jack said, “that it would be more important to associate with people that left the church.” He shrugged, but not hard enough to push Nay’s hand away. “Help them find their way back, right?” He decided to let the collar drop - it still felt weird and uncomfortable, but he wasn’t sure he could articulate why. “But what’s with the panhandling? I’d think you’d be expected to go do missionary work or...”

“May?” Jesse was approaching, calling out to get her attention. He gave Jack a wave and a curious little grin. “Come on, May. It’s time we were going.”

“We?” Jack echoed, checking Jesse’s neck. No collar on him. “Are you... no, no, forget it.” He waved the question off. “I got the impression from Rayne that I wasn’t supposed to ask.”

Jesse looked confused for a moment, then realization dawned. “No, no. See, when a Penitent goes out to minister to the Disconnected, one of the Asvenders goes as well. To make sure they’re safe.” He shrugged. “Love is the law, but not all of the Disconnected practice that law.”

“Hm.” Jack considered that. “Makes sense. Panhandling’s a way to get mugged, or worse.” With that, he shifted a little and started to get up. “Want me to come along? I may be working on this whole ‘Love is the law’ thing still, but I can sure as hell deal with any would-be tough guys...”
 
"They made their choice," May said simply, echoing Jack's shrug. "They knew the holy Truth and they denied it anyway. There's not really much coming back from that." She personally didn't like the idea, but Max had made it clear to her that the All had made it clear to him that lost sheep were not accepted back into the fold. Not lightly, anyway, and certainly not after a betrayal the magnitude of Esther's. Jack asked what the 'panhandling' was for and May shook her head. "Collecting contributions from the Disconnected isn't focused on the Disconnected, but on the church. I made a decision which put the church in jeopardy, so I make the decision to do something to support the church and reinforce our security. We're not about earthly goods, and we do what we can for ourselves as much as possible, but toilet paper and other basic necessities aren't really something we can produce ourselves." She smiled sheepishly. Some of their supplies they went dumpster diving for, and when they absolutely had to buy from the Disconnected they went for second- and third-hand as much as possible...but even Max had drawn a line at toilet paper and other such goods.

"May?" Jesse was approaching, calling out to get her attention. He gave Jack a wave and a curious little grin. "Come on, May. It's time we were going."

"Yeah, sorry," she apologized with another nervous smile. "I was just making sure Jack was settling in alright."

Jesse looked him over. "Looks fine to me," he said cheerfully, "and I saw you with Rayne this morning. Seems like you're gonna fit in just fine, brother." His smile was a little too cheerful, his tone a little too optimistic. "C'mon, let's go." He took May's hand, but stopped when Jack almost asked his question, then didn't. He puzzled over it, then, understanding, shook his head. "No, no. See, when a Penitent goes out to minister to the Disconnected, one of the Guardians goes as well. To make sure they're safe." He shrugged. "Love is the law, but not all of the Disconnected practice that law."

"Hm." Jack considered that. "Makes sense. Panhandling's a way to get mugged, or worse." With that, he shifted a little and started to get up. "Want me to come along? I may be working on this whole 'Love is the law' thing still, but I can sure as hell deal with any would-be tough guys..."

"Thanks man," Jesse said with that too-friendly smile, "but we're alright." He shifted his body so that May couldn't see the knife he pulled partway out of his pocket to show Jack. "Nobody really bothers us too much."

"The All protects us," May put in cheerfully with a genuine smile.

"That's right," Jesse agreed as though affirming the beliefs of an enthusiastic but ill-informed child, "the All protects us. Besides, they're gonna need all hands on deck at the soup kitchen especially with us gone. There's a lot of hungry folks in the world who don't need to be, Jack, and we're starting right here in our own community first." He wrapped his arm around May's shoulder and steered her away, making it clear that the conversation was over. Her eyes flicked to Jack's heart momentarily, but she came away without a word of protest.

"Some savior you've got there, Mayflower," Jesse teased with a smile as he led her down the street, leash clipped to her collar as they headed to the same corner as yesterday. It had been profitable, after all; surely the Universal God-Soul would continue to provide. He looked over at her and nudged her gently. "C'mon, you don't actually believe your vision, do you? A Disconnected the savior?" He scoffed.

"I know what I saw," May said quietly, eyes downcast, "I know what I heard. And he's not Disconnected anymore. He's taken his first communion, he's taken the oath."

"Yeah, well...we'll see," Jesse said, unclipping the leash as they reached the corner. "Some people think they hear the call, but not always. Now, if anybody gives you any trouble, I'll be right over there." He pointed to a bus stop a few hundred feet away. "Do good work, May." With a kiss he strolled off, leaving her to lean against the building, looking as enticing as she could.

~*~

"Any luck with that plumbing problem?" Rayne asked as she donned her hairnet. The same ramshackle caravan had made their way to the soup kitchen and the congregation was preparing to go to work. "You disappeared, I figured that's probably what you were working on."

"He could've been working on his connection to the All," Raven teased, grinning at him over Rayne's shoulder as she passed.
 
Jack grunted as he climbed to his feet, replaying the conversation with May and then Jesse even as he absently replied to the two women. “Hey. Not yet. Getting there.”

He still didn’t like the dog collar, really. And Jesse with a knife? Well, sure. Precautions. But that was a disturbing precaution for a hippy free love cult. And what was up with the way May had looked at him as Jesse led her off?

A finger snapped in front of his nose. “You know,” Raven said, pouting playfully as she arched her back a little to show off her tits. “I’m used to more attention when I talk to men.”

Jack laughed and shook his head. “All right, all right. I hear you. Where we going?”

“Oh, I know where I’d like to go,” Raven purred.

Rayne shook her head, now. “Nope. We have responsibilities. The God-Soul expects all of us to care for our fellow souls, Disconnected and faithful alike.” Gesturing, she led them both out into the alley. A motley collection of vehicles, including a psychedelic can and several mopeds, waited. “Load up,” she said, throwing a leg over the seat of a moped.

With a moment’s hesitation, Jack crowded into the van. People shifted around to make room, and he gave up any idea of putting on s seatbelt after a moment. With the crush of people in the van, he wasn’t going anywhere. “Hey, man,” he called up to Max. “We cooking, or serving, or what?”

-*-

“Good morning.”

The man who’d approached May had caught Jesse’s guarded attention, because he looked out of place here. He’d deliberately chosen a better part of Baltimore in hopes of increasing the contributions May earned in her penance, but he was still much better dressed than this part of town saw. A businessman, probably. One of the Disconnected who had rejected the God-Soul in pursuit of worldly things for certain.

“I was hoping you might be open to a rather unusual proposition,” he said, looking May over. “I need someone to pose as my wife, just for the day. I could afford to pay...” he thought for a moment. “Eight hundred dollars?”
 
May had seen him approaching, of course; he stuck out like a sore thumb with his Dior suit and his Rolex, his Otto Lucas hat, his Gucci shoes. People around this part of town dressed nicely, but were often able to afford one of those things, usually the Rolex or the hat, but not all of it. She wouldn't be surprised if he drove an Aston Martin like her father, or a Cadillac. She knew his type and had exchanged a look with Jesse as she pretended not to notice him approaching her; she didn't trust him as far as she could throw him. She had been expecting it, but her heart still jumped when he addressed her.

"Good morning," she returned, surprised that he had greeted her so politely.

"I was hoping you might be open to a rather unusual proposition," he said looking May over. She prepared to tell him no, that she didn't do 'unusual,' that she was just collecting donations for her church. Unusual for his type usually ended in bruises, broken bones, and infections. "I need someone to pose as my wife, just for the day. I could afford to pay..." he thought for a moment. "Eight hundred dollars?"

"Your wife?" May repeated, surprised. She blinked for a moment, thrown off-guard not only by his manners but by the idea that he was willing to donate for her to pretend to be his wife. "I um...that is...I mean, my church, I uh, I'm collecting donations and..." To her relief Jesse was near enough to be able to pull him into the conversation. "You should talk to my friend," she insisted with a nervous smile. "He knows more about the needs of our church than I do."

Seamlessly Jesse pulled the man aside with an arm around his shoulder, putting himself between the stranger and May while telling her over his shoulder to wait a while. "Eight hundred for the day? Are you fucking kiddin' me man?" he demanded, keeping a friendly smile but preparing for some haggling. "I get back-alley bums paying a hundred an hour for her, and you wanna give me eight hundred for twenty-four hours?" He knew that the man probably hadn't meant for an entire day, but the longer he was with May the more he could jack up the price. "Because not only are we looking at clothes, food, and whatever function you need to impress people for, but you can't fuckin' tell me you're not gonna seal the deal. Five thousand; usual rate plus some extra for trying to gyp my woman and wasting our time, and lost profits on group rates." Max only needed three for the piece of land he had been looking at in Texas, but if Jesse could swing more than that he would be able to pocket some for himself that the self-righteous, sanctimonious hypocrite never need know about. "We got a deal?"

~*~

The van was packed tight. In the spring morning it wasn't too terrible with the front windows down and the back ones cracked as far as they could go, but in the warmer afternoon it would be stifling. Raven wound up sprawled across several people, with her hips in Jack's lap, while they all kept her from falling by holding onto her various parts. Jack called up to the front to ask what they were doing and Max laughed.

"All of it, man," he called back. "The All's work is all the work!"

With a jerk and a rumble they were off, everyone chatting, laughing, occasionally singing. Someone produced a small baggy of white powder which was passed around, some partaking and others not. After taking a bump Raven carefully spread a little on the side of her hand and offered it to Jack.

"Want some?" she asked with a grin.

The soup kitchen was hot and humid, particularly back in the kitchen where the cooking was going on. The church donned their hairnets and split into three teams: cooking, serving, and cleaning. After a few hours they would switch, then switch again toward the end of the day so that everyone had some time doing everything. Fair was fair, after all. Jack was put first on the cleaning crew, which in the beginning since there was nothing to clean would help with prep, then clear away the vegetable trimmings and whatnot left behind before starting to wash up the first dishes.

"It's hard work, but it's good work," Rayne said, standing at the sink beside him and wiping some sweat from her forehead. "And good work is what we're all about, man."
 
"It's hard work, but it's good work," Rayne said, standing at the sink beside him and wiping some sweat from her forehead. "And good work is what we're all about, man."

That and the drugs, Jack thought, but kept it to himself. He wasn’t adverse to a little weed himself, from time to time. But he’d seen guys who got on the hard stuff, some of them in his own unit, and it had fucked them up bad. And the acid he’d had last night had been, well, not unpleasant. But it had been a weird-ass trip, although fucking while tripping had made it a fun kill Nd of weird. “Sounds good,” he said. “Kinda reminds me of KP in boot.”

“Oh?” Rayne replied, dumping the vegetable pieces into a paper bag. “Who’s that? And don’t throw those away! We’ll compost them!”

“Oh, yeah.” He threw his own collection of carrot tops and onion peels in the bag. “Who’s Who?”

“You know,” Rayne huffed, gesturing. “KP.” She grinned at Jack’s expression. “You got a girl back home.” Her grin became a pout as he started laughing. “What? What’s so funny?”

“Naw, naw,” he managed. “It ain’t like that. KP’s when you pull kitchen duty, usually because you done fucked up. You mop and scrub and peel and chop.” He lifted an eyebrow. “Whole lotta prep, when you’re feeding a coupla thousand GIs.”

“So you did a lot of that in the army?” she asked.

“I... wasn’t the most disciplined soldier,” Jack replied dryly.

“Good,” Rayne replied with an impish little smile.

“Good?”

She shoved a mop into his hands. “Then you know how to use this.”

-*-

“A deal?” The man regarded Jesse with a guarded, neutral expression. “You have, as you said, back alley bums paying a hundred dollars an hour and you want me to pay two and a half days worth for half a day of work?” He looked past Jesse, checking May out. “I can go,” he thought a moment, “three thousand. And that’s a premium to her usual rate.”

“Are you fucking kidding me?” Jesse snapped. “Yeah, sure, maybe five large is a bit high. But we need some capital to make her look the part.” He made a show of hesitating. “Forty-five hundred.”

The man snorted. “I’ll be taking care of her wardrobe and the like.” He looked over May again. “Four grand, for a full twenty-four hours. Take it or leave it.”

After a moment, Jesse nodded. “All right, man. Four grand. Half now, half tomorrow.”

“One thousand now,” the man countered. “The rest tomorrow.”

Jesse considered that, checking out the man’s car as he did. Sweet ride, and he could see the license. So, if he got burned, he could go to the DMV and see where this Disconnected lived. And then pay him a little visit. “All right.”

Money changed hands, and Jesse gestured for May to join them. The man looked her over once more, clearly enjoying what he saw. “Thomas Abel,” he said. “And your name?”
 
May saw a wad of cash change hands but wasn't able to tell just how much it was. It was probably better that Jesse handled large sums like this anyway. It wasn't a temptation for her to shortchange the church, but as a Penitent she hadn't yet earned back the privilege of being trusted with the church's well-being. Instead she rejoined them without question, knowing it was tacky to talk about money in front of outsiders and that even if they were alone Jesse probably wouldn't have answered her if she'd asked. She smiled and shook Thomas's hand when he introduced himself.

"Nice to meet you. I'm May," she said. "May...Abel, I guess, if I'm gonna be your wife for the day." She giggled a little and crinkled her nose, but that quickly turned to a confused frown when Jesse unlocked the collar and handed it to her. Certainly it was only for the Penitent, but after a day she felt suddenly naked without it.

"Just in case," Jesse assured her. Just in case she didn't know whether she had permission to take it off for whatever event he was bringing her to, and just in case this Abel preferred her with it on. "I'll see you right here tomorrow morning, alright Mayflower? 10am sharp."

"Alright..." May still looked confused. She had never spent the night with the Disconnected as a Penitent before, but Jesse was giving her hand a gentle squeeze and kissing her before turning and walking back toward the chapel, maybe hoping to catch the others before they left for the soup kitchen. Swallowing the confusion and what was starting to feel suspiciously like hurt and betrayal, she turned a smile back to Thomas. "So Mr. Abel," she said, thanking him as he held the car door open for her and she slid in, "what's this thing you need a wife for?"

~*~

Work in the kitchen was hard and sweaty. Max had put Jack on the middle shift to serve, when the homeless of the area were coming in for lunch and were all jockeying for a place in line before the food ran out. Several fights broke out but were quickly quelled, and still it seemed that they were coming faster than they could be served. Some thanked him, others stared, and still others shouted racial epithets at him before accepting their chow and moving on. The racial slurs were few and far between, though, considering many of the homeless were black, dropped into homelessness through segregation-driven poverty. Many were stereotypical old men, or middle-aged men to whom life had been unkind and made old before their time, but a few--and few too many--were young, still wearing the service jackets they had been discharged with when they'd come home from the jungle. A number of them seemed to have something wrong in the head. The heroes America had forgotten and called baby killers, as though the war heroes of wars past had never done the things Average Joe now saw on his television set.

"Sparrow?" A young man Jack's age, maybe a little older, squinted at him. "Sergeant Sparrow?" Lieutenant Joshua Gibbs had been discharged a year into Jack's first tour, but the two had known one another passingly well. His weathered face, far too old for his years, cracked into a grin revealing several missing teeth. "The Hell you doin' in Batimore, man? I thought you was goin' home to Texas?"

"C'mon man hurry the fuck up!" Came a voice down the line. "We're hungry!"

"Jack!" Max put a hand on his shoulder and squeezed. "Shift change. You're cookin'."

There wasn't really much cooking left to do. Mostly it was scraping the remaining food into the serving pans which would go behind the counter where the last shift of servers were standing. Then the kitchen was excessively hot and humid once more as the washing up of the pots, pans, and utensils started.
 
“That will do,” Thomas said, leaning back in his chair and looking at May appraisingly. “Yes, you’ll do quite nicely.”

He didn’t own any women’s clothing, so his 24 hours had started with a shopping trip. And now she was wearing the results: a black cocktail dress and a faux pearl necklace, with her hair done up. She looked just a little young, but not so much so now that she was out of those hippy clothes. And besides, he wouldn’t be the first successful businessman to marry a bit of fluff.

Not that they were really married, mind. But the way her dress hugged her body made his cock hard, and he had her for 24 hours. He was really beginning to look forward to bringing her back home after dinner. “Right,” he said, standing up and draping a black shawl over her shoulders and stroking her bare arm as he did. “It’s probably best to say we’re newlyweds. I’ll be concentrating on keeping the conversation about them, though.” With a smile, he offered her his arm. “Shall we, my dear?”

-*-

Jack was greasy and tired by the time the cleaning up was done, which took him back. Both to summers on his grammas’ farm, and to KP in Boot. He’d gotten to wash a lot of dishes, often for similar reasons. Beside him Rayne, who seemed to have taken an interest in him, stretched enticingly. “Looks like that’s the last one.”

“Yep,” he agreed, drying his hands. “Be back in a minute, though. Gotta see if a man’s still here.”

“A man?” she asked, before her eyes widened slightly. “One of the Disconnected?”

“Nah,” Jack laughed. “Gibbs. An El-tee in my unit, before he rotated stateside. I’m gonna...”

“Jack,” Rayne said seriously, touching his arm. “You’re not ready to minister to the Disconnected. Not on your own...”

“Minister?” Jack shook his head. “Naw, I’m gonna see how he’s doing.”

“Jack!” Rayne sounded worried now. “Max won’t like...”

“Then Max can kiss my black ass,” Jack retorted, heading for the kitchen door. “Because Gibbs saved my ass three times over in Nam, and I ain’t gonna ignore him when he needs my help now.” Ignoring her response, he pushed open the door and stepped out into the dining area. Gibbs sat at one of the tables, back to the wall, space owning soup into his mouth.

“Hey, Lieutenant,” he said, sitting down next to him. “What you doing here? You swore you’d be living the high life, once you got back to the world.”
 
Lieutenant Gibbs gave Jack that gap-toothed grip again when he sat down next to him. "Hey sergeant," he said casually. He hadn't known that Jack had earned a field promotion while he was still in Vietnam. "Yeah well...the high life didn't work out like I planned. Job fell through when my old man went outta business, couldn't make the rent, got evicted...you know how it goes." He shrugged. The lines in Gibbs's face and premature greys at his temples told a different story, or at least a more detailed one, but he didn't seem too keen on sharing.

"So what about you, sarge?" Gibbs spooned more soup into his mouth, eyes occasionally coming to rest on Jack but mostly darting about the room. "How you been? Better'n me, if you're on the other side of that counter there." He chuckled and shook his head. "How long you been back?"

In the kitchen Rayne tapped Max on the shoulder. She twisted the hem of her shirt in her fingers, looking nervous as he gave her his attention. "It's Jack," she said shyly. "He's out there, talking to a Disconnected. He said--"

"Yeah, I heard what he said," Max sneered, glancing at the door. "If that's the way he feels, he can walk home. Let's finish up here and move out."

~*~

May's heart pounded as Thomas helped her out of the car and up the steps. It wasn't because she didn't know what she was doing, but because she hadn't done it in years. She had never wanted to go back to this life. In spite of all of Grandmere's protests she had been nonetheless understanding about that, but had insisted upon teaching her how to act and dress anyway. The eyeliner and eyeshadow, perfectly tweezed eyebrows, the lipstick, the false eyelashes...Max had called it "war paint," for waging war upon the true purpose of man and the will of the All, defying that will for the sake of vanity. If the All had meant for women to look like this, he'd reasoned, then it would have created them to do so. What wasn't natural was defiance of the Will. It frightened her how quickly and easily that defiance had come back. It had felt just as natural as it had before.

Still, she held her chin up, shoulders back, walking just as Grandmere and Granddad had taught her. The others would never realize that May wasn't a part of their world because she was. Or, rather, she had been. At the door she slid the shawl off of her shoulders for Thomas to check along with his coat, then took his arm again and followed him in with her plastered-on smile. That had been another thing Grandmere always said: smile and don't let them see you're afraid. Gently she squeezed her companion's arm and leaned in a little.

"So Thomas," she said quietly in his ear, "just what sort of wife am I this evening? Have I married you for your money as some--" she stopped just shy of the generalization of "Disconnected," since the Disconnected often didn't like being called that; they thought it was condescending, "as some women do, or am I the doting wife who just cannot wait to leave for other reasons?" May gave him a secretive little smile. "Or somewhere in between?"
 
“Been back six months,” Jack said, “two of ‘em in a VA hispital getting physical therapy.” At Gibbs’ questioning glance he stomped his right boot. “Punji pit, man. By the time they got the chopper in, gangrene set in. They had to cut it off three inches above the ankle.”

“Shit if that don’t suck,” Gibbs sympathized. “Hurt much, now?”

Jack shrugged. “Only if the weather changes or I walk too much.” A grin. “Still, I got off easy.”

“Amen to that, Sarge,” Gibbs replied, offering a mock toast with his water cup.

“There’s a ‘Captain’ in front of that,” Jack laughed. “Breveted ne six months after you left. So I rank you now, Lieutenant.”

Gibbs sniggered. “God. They musta been hard up.”

Jack sniggered in turn. “You have no idea.”

-*-

“Somewhere in between,” Thomas decided. “I’m clearly older than you, after all, so some of it was a chance to improve your circumstances. But, well, I like to think I’m a decent husband.” He grinned at that, then nodded as the doorman opened the door for them.

The Charleston was, in his opinion, the perfect restaurant for impressing clients and potential clients. New enough to be trendy but old enough to be established, with excellent food and a delightful wine list that was expensive enough to impress without being ostentatious. “Abel,” he told the Maitre’d. “Party of four. I have two guests joining us.”

“Of course, sir,” the man said. “Right this way.”

Thomas took May’s arm and followed the waiter to the table, pausing to pull out May’s chair befor sitting himself. “Now,” he said, resting a hand on her knee and stroking her leg, “are there any other details I’ve missed?”
 
May sat, stiff and straight-backed as she had been taught. She didn't jump when Thomas rested his hand on her leg but instead spread her knees ever so slightly and scooted her chair a little closer. There was a world of information he had missed, but she wasn't about to pester him with details. This was his fantasy, what the God Soul had deemed appropriate recompense for his generous donation to the church; she was certain he would fill in most of the blanks as they came up. Still, a few details could never hurt.

"Well, I suppose it would be important for me to know what my husband does," she suggested, sliding her hand over his thigh in return, her fingers brushing his inseam. "How we met may also come up. If whoever we're meeting has a wife, that's what wives like to talk about at things like these. It's small talk, but it's what we've got. And I think it's safe to assume that whatever I did before, I'm a typical stay-at-home trophy wife now? Organizing the staff who cares for the manor, that sort of thing?" She smiled and leaned in to kiss him slowly, the way she had seen wives do at these sorts of things. May was more certain now than ever before that the slow, sensuous nature of these kisses had been for show, to boast about just how in love they were. She had seen her own mother do the same, after all, and even at such a young age she had known it was just for show. Their kisses at home were quicker, more impersonal, like a matter of course and habit than an intentional act.

More and more she was reminded tonight of why she had joined Max's church in the first place, and more and more she felt homesick.

"Also," she added smoothly, sliding her hand to his crotch, "I'm a vegetarian, and allergic to raspberries. So if you planned on ordering for me I would suggest..." May glanced down at the menu, "The artichoke risotto, heirloom tomato salad, or the vichyssoise." She was relieved and proud to hear that her French was still flawless; she was terrified of disappointing Grandmere whenever she came to visit with flawed French. "Unless you would like for me to break out in blotches and swollen clown lips. It could be our exit strategy if things start going poorly?" She smiled that charming, fake smile she hated so much but was still so practiced at and gently rubbed his dick. "Then by all means, order the watermelon salad." She leaned in to kiss him again, squeezing gently.

"Tell me more about yourself while we wait for your guests, Thomas," she suggested. "A handsome man like you could certainly land a wife like me but, well...not like me. Too busy?" On some level, however deep she had buried it, she knew what this was and that it was more than a simple church donation. But did the particulars matter if by the end of the evening he was a believer too?

~*~

At the Chapel Max helped unload before calling Jesse into his office, alone. Nate frowned as they passed, but said nothing. It wasn't up to him to butt into the High Ascender's business. He may not recognize the Savior yet, but when it came to the day-to-day operations of the Church he trusted him implicitly. If the rest of the council thought he didn't need to be burdened with certain knowledge then he didn't. His was to obey the will of the Universal God Soul as conducted through Max.

"Where'd that 'savior' get to?" Jesse asked conversationally before kneeling on a pouf and touching his forehead to the floor in front of Max, then sitting up and adjusting to a more comfortable position. "Out saving souls?" He snickered.

"Decided to talk to a Disconnected he knew before," Max said tersely, "and said I could kiss his black ass. He chose to stay behind, so he got left behind."

Jesse whistled low. "Two Penitents in two days. Clearly there need to be some changes around here, doncha think?" A grunt of agreement. "So what's his punishment?"

"I'm communing with the All about it," Max assured him, "and I think perhaps he needs to spend more time here at the Chapel to learn loyalty to the Church, but the details haven't been made clear to me yet. He needs to know that just because the Material sent the All-Goddess a false prophecy making him her pet savior doesn't mean he can get away with disrespect and impugning his soul by continued communication with the Disconnected. Speaking of, where is May? That's what I wanted to talk to you about, since penance is private."

Jesse grinned. "She's gone, man."

"Gone?! What--?"

He shook his head and held up his hands. "Rented her out for a whole day to some rich dude who needed a fake wife. Three grand in the morning when I pick her up, man!" When Max's immediate reaction wasn't jubilation, he frowned. "What's wrong man? That's all you were missing for that land in Texas!"

"I know," Max said slowly, still frowning contemplatively, "and it's a good work you've done, J. But you took a risk, allowing her alone with a Disconnected for that long. Her own soul is at risk now, as well as her body if he isn't as honorable as he may have seemed." He took a deep breath and shook his head. "Still, if she comes back safe and sound in the morning and he's good for it, no harm done."

"Oh he'll be good for it," Jesse insisted. "If he's not I'm sure the God Soul will ensure destruction upon him."
 
Walking back to the warehouse-turned-church wasn’t particularly hard, even with only one foot, but it was annoying. They’d just up and left him, all because he’d talked to someone. What the hell was wrong with that? You’d think a church would want people talking to nonmembers, to the Disconnected as they called them. Spread the good word and all that.

Not that Gibbs had been all that interested, mind. Although, to be honest, Jack knew he hadn’t done a very good job of selling the church. Mostly because what little he knew of the faith boiled down to “weed, acid, and lots of fucking”.

“Not my scene, Sarge,” Gibbs had laughed. “Though they do got them some hot chicks, don’t they?”

They’d parted ways soon thereafter, with Gibbs letting him know he usually came by this particular soup kitchen most days. Which was when Jack found he was hoofing it home. Just a few miles, but the stump of his leg was aching a little by the time he finally pushed open the door.

“This blows,” he grumbled, dripping into a battered old chair and unlacing his boot. “Used to be I could hike 20 miles with a full pack.” He unstrapped his artificial foot and began massaging the stump. “Course, I hated that too.”

Silence. Looking up, he found several people watching him warily. “What? I don’t bite.”

-*-

Thomas tried not to let his head roll back as May squeezed his dick through his pants. Between this and the way she’d encouraged him to stroke up her thigh under her dress, he was beginning to think he’d made a mistake. Not in hiring her, but in hiring her and then taking her to dinner first. “Well,” he managed, “I’m in finance. Real estate, mostly. My prospect is looking to develop a shopping center, and he’s looking for capital.”

She squeezed, and he throbbed against her hand. “As for why?” A shrug. “Just got busy, I guess. There’s rewards to working for yourself, but having a social life isn’t one of them.” Biting his lower lip, he tried to think. “So, for how we met?” An imp of the perverse hit him. “Tell them we just ran into each other in the street and started talking, and one thing led to another.”

Fuck, she was this good with just her hand? This was going to be a good 24 hours. But just as he was hoping - and dreading, just a little - that she’d open his fly, he saw his client and his wife approaching the table. “That’s them,” he hissed, shifting a little to try and hide his hard-on. Then he rise, extending his hand. “Mr. Stokes! And you lovely wife! So good to see you both! He shook hands, then gestured towards his own companion. “May I introduce my wife May?”
 
There it was. As she rose when Thomas introduce her it took only a few seconds for May to recognize the all-too-familiar play before her, though she had never expected to be a part of it herself. Mr. Stokes's eyes flicked over her appreciatively and the instant narrowing of Mrs. Stokes's eyes, the disappointment and envy in her glance, were all too familiar. She had seen it in her own parents. Helen had been beautiful until the day she died, but that hadn't kept Leland from appraising other men's wives, sneaking off with them when possible, and what she saw in Mrs. Stokes was the same thing May had seen at the endless parties, dinners, and mixers she had been dragged to as a child. Mrs. Stokes had been hoping Thomas's wife would be plain and dumpy, like her, and knew exactly where her husband's mind had gone when she saw that she wasn't. Not that she hadn't been determined to be kind and polite before, but pity moved May to ensure she didn't give Mrs. Stokes a reason to cry when she got home tonight. She was only here to fake a marriage, not to destroy one.

"Mr. and Mrs. Stokes!" she said enthusiastically, standing and greeting them with a warm smile in an imitation of what she had watched her mother do countless times before, focusing more on the wife. "It's such a pleasure to finally meet you. We've been looking forward to this evening all week." They shook hands and she and the wife pressed their cheeks together, making soft kissing noises in a way that Americans thought was French but, as Grandmere had noted irritably on a number of occasions, was just another attempt by Yankees at "a cheap imitation of true class." She shook Mrs. Stokes's hand a little more gently than Granddad had taught her she ought, noticing that the older woman had a rather shy grip, and clasped her free hand around hers briefly. The candlelight glinted off of the wedding ring they had bought that afternoon to complete the illusion.

If she were honest with herself, and she wasn't, May would admit that the manicure and the ring shopping had actually been nice. She didn't believe that a person had to be married to prove that they loved their partner; Granddad and Grandmere had been proof of that. Though she had never managed to pull the entire story out of them, she gathered that it had been a complicated situation, but Grandmere had always made it clear that May didn't have to marry the person she loved if she didn't want to, and it wouldn't mean she loved him any less. Although she vastly preferred the ring Granddad had given Grandmere upon the death of his first wife--which Grandmere had never worn on the traditional left ring finger but upon her right, and insisted would pass to her--May had to admit that the ring shopping and fake proposal Thomas had jokingly staged on the sidewalk outside the shop had been...fun. She knew she ought to reject the Material, but it was fun and easy...and that was the crux of it, wasn't it? The Material, the world of the Disconnected, was easy, and nothing worth having was ever easy.

As they sat in the dimly lit, curved booth across from the Stokeses, May slid her left had back into Thomas's lap under the table. Her face betrayed nothing of her actions as she leaned in as though to get a better look. "That pendant is absolutely stunning," she complimented the wife across from her, attempting the same sort of small talk she had heard all her life. "Nothing in comparison to you, of course, but still just gorgeous. Wherever did you get it? If you don't mind my asking, that is."

~*~

Jack came tromping back into the Chapel, bitching about the walk. Raven knelt next to his chair to help massage the stump of his leg, but Rayne kept her distance, staring. Most of the others were staring, too. You didn't just talk to the Disconnected then waltz back in like nothing had ever happened! What was his deal? There had been some mutterings earlier that perhaps May had made a mistake bringing Jack into the fold, but Nate put down that thought quickly.

"The All-Goddess doesn't make mistakes in who she brings in," he had insisted, "and knows a lot more than you guys about the intent of the God-Soul." Coming from an Ascender, that was that; no arguments. Still, Nate thought, he may have to take the Savior aside and have a bit of a chat; people doubting May meant doubting Max, which meant doubting the will of the God-Soul. That could put them all in danger. Jack may not understand their ways yet, but tearing down the entire system through open rebellion was dangerous and he needed to learn to reign himself in.

"What?" Jack asked, finally looking up from massaging his leg. "I don't bite."

"Maybe not, but your actions do." The crowd parted for Max like the Red Sea before Moses. He folded his arms across his chest, looking down at Jack, as though pondering. "We let you into our home," he said, "into our church, we let you take part in our communion. Piss poor way of showing thanks." Max's voice was that paternal not-mad-just-disappointed tone which made it sound as though he were gently reprimanding a child in need of a life lesson. "You're new around here, Jack, and I can understand the urge to reach out to the Disconnected, especially when you're as...enthusiastic as you were during communion. But you haven't been with us long enough to minister to them without succumbing to the temptations of the Material, and when one person is tempted that puts the entire congregation in danger." There were nods and murmurs of agreement, particularly from Jesse and Nate.

"Jack, I think maybe it's best if you don't enter the world of the Disconnected for a while," Max announced after a minute or two of contemplation, ignoring any sort of arguments Jack may put up. "The Material can be really tempting for a new initiate like you, but it's important to learn the value of community and really connect to the Universal God-Soul's plan for each of us. What'dya say to...a two week fast?" It was clear this was more order than question. "You can help out around the Chapel, meditate more on the path you've been called on to walk down with us, really learn the ropes without being distracted by the world of the Disconnected. As a penitent, Nate will have to go with you if you absolutely cannot avoid the Material world, and he can guide you through this time of penance. We all slip up, man, and it's cool. I just don't wanna see you lose your footing and fall alone back into the Material." This last was a fairly clear threat: keep in line or find another place to live. Max knew, of course, that Jack had intended to sign up for college courses next week...but college was far more contact with the Disconnected than he was comfortable with, especially at this stage. He patted Jack's shoulder before turning away. "Good talk, man."

Nate, as a newly appointed Guardian of the Penitent, rushed to Jack's side. "I know what you're thinkin', man," he said, clapping him on the shoulder, "but think of this as a growth opportunity. A chance to get more in sync with the All!" He smiled, genuine in his enthusiasm. "May believes in you, dude, and so do I. We're just trying to help you become the Savior we know you can be." He patted his back in a friendly matter. "Anyway, hungry? It was a long day at the soup kitchen and some of the girls were just getting dinner started."
 
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Are you out of your fucking mind? The response was right in the tip of Jack’s tongue, but he swallowed it. Barely, and only because he didn’t really have a place to go. Not unless he wanted to sleep at the Y. “Right,” he managed with ill grace, managing not to cold-cock Max when the man patted him on the shoulder.

“I know what you're thinkin', man," Nate said, clapping him on the shoulder, "but think of this as a growth opportunity. A chance to get more in sync with the All!"

“Right, yeah,” Jack mumbled absently, strapping his foot back on. “Gonna make college a bitch, though.”

Nate kept going, though, chattering away like a cheerleader. “May believes in you, dude, and so do I. We're just trying to help you become the Savior we know you can be."

“That’s really great,” Jack replied absently. “It don’t change the-what?” Words caught up with his brain. “Savior? What the hell you talking about, savior?”

The only forth on big response was a friendly pat on the back. “Anyway, hungry? It was a long day at the soup kitchen and some of the girls were just getting dinner started."

“Yeah, I could eat,” he admitted, climbing back to his feet. “But you need to tell me what you mean by savior, man.”

-*-

Thomas relaxed a little as May made small talk with Mrs. Stokes. He’d been braced to come up with excuses for her behavior, since he didn’t really expect a hooker to fit well in polite society. But she was doing well, really. Well enough that he could focus on his client, and almost well enough to keep from thinking about how much he want d to fuck her. But a little healthy lust would help sell the newlywed story, right?

“So,” Mr. Stokes said, still checking May out in a manner he clearly believed was surreptitious, “this is the little woman? How long have you been married?”

“Not long,” Thomas replied. “Just about three months, really. It all still feels new.”

“The honeymoon period? Well, enjoy! It all goes downhill from here!” Mr. Stokes’ laugh clearly showed that he thought he was funny, and Thomas laughed dutifully. “How did you meet her?”

Sliding back into the seat, Thomas half-listened to the two women chatting as he answered. “On the street, believe it or not,@ he chuckled, enjoying the joke. “We very nearly collided while I was gone by yo lunch and she was heading for work after class.” He smiled a little, imagining the scene and enjoying the feel of May’s hand warm in his thigh. “I offered to buy her dinner as an apology, and one thing led to another.”

The hand gently squeezed his half-hard cock, and he had to fight to keep his expression neutral. “How about you?” he asked, sounding a little hoarse. Grabbing his water, he took a sip as cover. “I’m sure you have a remarkable story.”
 
"Remarkable story?" Mr. Stokes laughed. "Well, let's just say that leaving the wife for the secretary is never the end of the whole story." He winked conspiratorially.

"--and the Eiffel Tower was just breathtaking." May's smile faltered only a little when she overheard the client's back-handed comment about his wife. "There's a romantic restaurant, Lapérouse, near Rue Dauphine right on the Seine. It was a mansion once upon a time, back in the seventeen hundreds, and their lemon tart and le saint pierre are to die for, not to mention the wine. The original owner of the mansion was a wine merchant. You really must go, if ever you're in Paris."

"It sounds like a wonderful honeymoon," Mrs. Stokes said faintly, smiling that polite smile which May knew marked a distinct lack of interest.

"Absolutely beautiful," May confirmed with a grin. "Of course, Thomas says that a husband ought to cherish his wife and make her feel like every day is her honeymoon." She leaned in to kiss his cheek, taking the opportunity to sneak his zipper halfway down and tease his head with the tips of her fingers. "I know we've just met, but you seem a lovely, formidable woman, Mrs. Stokes. Someone like you deserves a man who will treat you like the queen you are. Would you agree, Mr. Stokes?" She turned her bubbly if somewhat vacant smile to the client, pretending as though she was unaware of the challenge she had just put forth. Her fingers curled around Thomas's shaft gently, through his zipper but over the cloth of his underwear.

"Of course he does," Mrs. Stokes came to her husband's rescue, though May could have sworn she caught a slight look of gratitude in her eyes. "I'm not all that sure about a queen, but thank you, Mrs. Abel. You're quite a complimentary young woman."

"Why thank you," May returned. "My mother always told me that telling people about the good I see in them will ensure that they know that no matter what, they'll always have a friend. In that way I've got many, many friends. And please you must call me May." One finger found the part in Thomas's boxers but she didn't press her advantage yet. She often found that the best way to bring someone into the fold, to make them realize their connection to the God-Soul, was for them to literally beg for their enlightenment.

~*~

Nate didn't realize what he'd let slip until Jack did. "Anyway, hungry?" he asked, patting him on the back and hoping he knew better than to press the topic. "It was a long day at the soup kitchen and some of the girls were just getting dinner started." He began steering the taller man toward the chow line.

"Yeah I could eat," he admitted, climbing back to his feet. "But you need to tell me what you mean by savior, man."

Nate didn't say anything, but simply made idle chatter while they stood in line for food. Dinner was some sort of vegetarian burger, a black bean patty, on home-made bread cooked in the solar oven on the roof instead of buns. They hadn't managed to figure out how to make their own vinegar yet, so that was storebought, but with that and the produce and eggs from the rooftop garden they had managed to make mayonnaise and ketchup. Potatoes had been grown in plastic five gallon buckets scavenged from dumpsters behind paint stores and scrubbed out until they were sure they had been safe to use. By and large nearly every ingredient used for their vegetarian burger and fries had been produced somewhere in the warehouse, mostly on the roof. Nate praised the women serving dinner for the bountiful spread, cupping one behind the head and bringing her forward to kiss her forehead tenderly before moving along. After the standard toppings--lettuce, onion, tomato--there was an array of side vegetables and fruits to choose from. These had been mostly bought, since the growing season was only just now in full swing and the Chapel had been unheated through the winter, but the peas were raw and fresh from the garden. Nate piled his plate with peas, an arugula salad, and pineapple before inclining his head to a far wall, away from where most of the others were sitting to eat. He sat cross-legged on a pouf and gestured for Jack to do the same, taking is time to savor the first few bites of his meal and gather his thoughts before explaining.

"The Universal God-Soul sent May a vision last night during communion," he said at last. "The rest of the council thinks it was a vision from the Material, but I know it was straight from the All. The All would never allow the Great Person-Mover All-Goddess to be corrupted by false prophecy." He chewed to give himself a little more time to think how he wanted to phrase the prophecy. "She said your chakras opened more quickly than a regular Seeker," he said, "and that you opened her meridians. That in itself is unusual, but she said that you opened her chakras." Nate gave him a significant look but, seeing Jack's confusion, shook his head. "That isn't the way it works," he informed him. "You see, men and women need each other. Women, person-movers, open men's chakras and purify their energy. Women need to purify this energy in order to open their own third eye and become one with the all. For a Seeker to open a woman's chakras--the All-Goddess, no less--is highly unusual to say the least. If it hadn't been May saying it I would've seriously doubted it to be the truth, but she never lies. Even if she did, she wouldn't about this."

He gave it some time to sink in before continuing. "She said that the sign of the All appeared over your heart, and that you felt one of the Aspects watching over your holy union." Nate licked some of the salt off of his fingers as he finished his fries before moving on to the peas. "You need guidance, Jack; we're not expecting you to know everything immediately. But you are chosen, you are our savior. May believes it, I believe it. We're kinda...keeping it under wraps until the rest of the council has seen proof, but we believe in you." He gave Jack an encouraging smile and squeezed his shoulder in a friendly manner. "We want you to succeed, brother. We want to help you. Which is why I'm really glad I've got the opportunity to be your Guardian. I think together we can really focus your intention, get you set on the right path."
 
“She said your chakras opened more quickly than a regular Seeker," Nate said, "and that you opened her meridians. That in itself is unusual, but she said that you opened her chakras.”

Jack chewed down his refried bean burger, which wasn’t bad but sure as hell wasn’t actual beef. “Man, my chakras lasted plenty long,” he pushed back. “Ain’t no woman ever complained about them opening quick, you dig?”

Nate stared blankly for a moment, then snorted laughter. “No, no. Chakras are the energy centers of the body. They’re what let the love of the God-Soul flow through us.”

“Oh.” Jack took another bite, chewed and swallowed. “So, it’s... good, is it, that my chakras opened quick?” Whatever the hell that means. “I mean, if I followed what May told me, that’s what all the fucking is for, right? To help clean each other’s chakras our?”

“That isn't the way it works,” Nate replied.

“Okay.” Jack frowned. “Then how does it work?”

Nate explained, and Jack tried to follow along. Women fucked men, apparently, to cleanse their chakras? And the act of being ducked made them closer to God, and apparently he’d done a role reversal and fucked May’s chakras open instead. Which was unheard of. “So,” he asked, “does that mean I... became one with the All? Is that why she thinks I’m...”

“She said that the sign of the All appeared over your heart,” Nate replied, “and that you felt one of the Aspects watching over your holy union.”

“That tells me fuck all,” was Jack’s reply. “What’s the sign of the All, man? Or an Aspect, for that matter? Should I be taking notes?”

“You need guidance, Jack; we're not expecting you to know everything immediately. But you are chosen, you are our savior. May believes it, I believe it. We're kinda...keeping it under wraps until the rest of the council has seen proof, but we believe in you." He gave Jack an encouraging smile and squeezed his shoulder in a friendly manner. "We want you to succeed, brother. We want to help you. Which is why I'm really glad I've got the opportunity to be your Guardian. I think together we can really focus your intention, get you set on the right path."

Deliberately, Jack ate the rest of the burger. “I dunno, man,” he replied. “I ain’t no savior. Hell, half the reason I’m here is I needed a place to crash. What the hell am I even saving you from? Cold showers?”

“From the corruption of the Material,” Nate responded immediately. “So that we will be found pure when the God-Soul manifests through the Fair One Crowned In Crimson to judge the world.”

So many questions were raised by that last statement, and Jack decided against most of them. He still needed a place to sleep, after all. “Sounds like you need a holy man, then,” he replied carefully. “Not a crippled ex-soldier.”

-*-

“I... Yes, of course,” Mrs. Stokes replied, responding to the kindness in May’s voice. “But only if you call me Cathy.”

“Nothing like seeing the little women getting along, eh Thomas?” Mr. Stokes chuckled. “But that Paris honeymoon is making me look bad! We haven’t gone further than Myrtle Beach in years”

“Hm?” He knew he should be paying attention, but he’d lost the thread around the time May had slowly unzipped him and started stroking a cock made rock hard by her actions. “Oh, yes. No, not, not my intent.”

“Of course not,” Mr. Stokes agreed expansively. “No harm in showing off a little, though.” He grinned as the waiter arrived. “Speaking of which, I’ll have the ribeye and potatoes, and my wife will have the Caesar salad.” He chuckled and Cathy flushed, just a little. “She’s gotta watch her figure, after all.”

Fuck you. Thomas swallowed the response. He needed this contract, after all, even if his client was clearly a selfish prat. “I’ll have the, uhm, grilled chicken and asparagus. And Ma-my wife, I believe you wanted the artichoke risotto?” He shifted a little, pushing his reaction against her teasing hand. “Or would you prefer the heirloom tomato salad?”
 
"Hmm..." May pretended to consider the menu for a moment, allowing him to push his dick against her hand for just a moment before drawing back slightly. There was still contact, but not enough to satisfy the yearning for another's touch that she knew he craved. "I know I said the risotto earlier, but I do think I'll be having the tomato salad after all." She handed the menu to the waiter with her free hand before looking at Mrs. Stokes. "I find salads more enjoyable; it makes me feel closer to the earth, more nurtured by the food our bodies were designed to eat without having to murder an innocent, harmless living being. Wouldn't you agree Cathy?"

"I um...I suppose," Cathy agreed hesitantly.

"Besides, I don't know about you but I've always been more of a red sort of girl anyway," May continued with a conspiratorial wink. "Mother was always so disappointed that she had no one to share her sauvignon with." The women shared a chuckle and May slid the rest of her hand into the gap of cloth, curling her fingers around Thomas's shaft. Slowly she stroked him from base to tip, sliding the pad of her thumb over his tip at each pass, two...three...four times...And then she was gone. Gently she pulled up his zipper and returned her hand to her own lap before leaning in to continue her conversation with Cathy, certain he would be praying for salvation by dessert.

"Well I'm afraid I might have to agree with your mother on this one," Cathy admitted. "I would be absolutely ashamed to raise a daughter who drinks anything darker than a blush!" They shared another laugh and May scooted slightly closer to Cathy's side of the half-circle booth, a gesture reciprocated by the older woman. "Your mother sounds like a wise woman, and formidable to have raised such an elegant and clever young lady. What did she think of ah...?" At this she leaned in and lowered her voice, gesturing with her chin to Thomas to avoid drawing the men's attention. "I couldn't help but notice that, well...he's not exactly in college, is he?"

"Oh um..." May cast her eyes down for a moment and smiled in an embarrassed manner. "Mum ah...she died, when I was twelve. Cancer."

Cathy's face fell. "Oh, I'm so sorry. It's just you were talking about the wine and...I mean, I didn't mean--"

"Oh it's alright," she said quickly, regaining her smile. "I just didn't want to bring down the mood, you know? She was raised in Italy, where a lot of places the children are raised drinking wine, so that's how she raised me. Much to my father's consternation." Another chuckle was shared as the mood began to recover. "But my grandmother had as much hand in raising me as she reasonably could, being an ocean away, and she doesn't have a problem with it. Granddad is some twenty years or more older than her, after all, so I guess attraction to older men runs in the family." She leaned over and, with the hand which had a minute ago been in his lap, squeezed Thomas's shoulder affectionately. "They're just so much more mature and stable. All of my friends have a different boyfriend every month, or they're on-again off-again with the same guy for years and it's nothing but drama. I was looking for love, real love, and Thomas was just so perfect and charming."

~*~

"Sounds like you need a holy man then," Jack replied carefully. "Not a crippled ex-soldier."

"Oh sure, sure," Nate agreed lightly. "And the Christians needed a Messiah, not an Israeli carpenter. The Jews needed a deliverer, not the son of the man who had murdered and oppressed their people." He shrugged and smiled. "Holiness is not created, my brother, it's made. It's chosen. You'll notice, throughout time and history not a single savior worth his salt was a priest or a monk or any sort of holy man: he was of the people, to save the people. And even Jesus and Moses struggled with their destinies, and it's okay to question it. But there's no use in denying it, Jack. May said that the All whispered High Holy Seeker into her ear while you were inside her, and that her meridians opened and danced. Max has been the only one, as High Ascender, capable of opening the meridians of someone as holy as the All-Goddess, and the Universe has never sent her any prophecy about him."

Nate leaned back and finished off his pineapple, giving Jack time to digest everything they had talked about. "Judgement is coming, brother," he said, popping the last chunk of fruit into his mouth. "We don't know when, we don't know how, but it is. May says the All has told her that you're the key to the saving purity, the freedom from corruption. And Mayflower's never been wrong before." He smiled. "But you'll need to trust us, her and me, and allow us to teach you. That can begin with following my guardianship down the path of penance. It's gonna be hard, but it'll be worth it. And does May seem to you like the sort to lie?"
 
“No, she doesn’t,” Jack admitted, chewing thoughtfully. “But, and I feel like this needs to be said, she was tripping balls when she had that ‘revelation’. Both of us were, man. I mean, I thought she was glowing. And...” His voice trailed off as he remembered, faintly, the other sensation. Like something old and powerful and frightening was watching him fuck her through her eyes.

He shook his head, trying to clear the thought away. “What I mean is, well, hell. I don’t know. But I guess if I’m going by to be here I may as well learn what’s good by on, right?” He shrugged. “So, here do we start? Meditation, bible study, what?”

Then he snickered. “Probably should write home, too. Let my folks know I’ve changed plans, so they aren’t shocked when they come out to visit.”

-*-

“You make me sound so much better than I am,” Thomas laughed, shifting to try and get his erection into a less uncomfortable position. “I mean, I just saw a cute young woman when I asked you to lunch.”

“Trying to get a little, hm?” Mr. Stokes laughed, making Cathy look away in discomfort.

Asshole. “Well... yes,” Thomas agreed, hiding his private thought and trying to sound a little embarrassed. It wasn’t hard, not with Cathy’s discomfort clear. “But we ended up talking for six or seven hours about al sorts of things - philosophy, politics, books, even yoga.”

“Yoga?” Cathy repeated, looking curious.

“Yes,” Thomas said. “I took it up a few years back, for exercise and stress relief. You have to go slow, and focus on your movements, so it takes your mind off everything else.” He grinned. “You don’t need and special equipment, either. Just some room,”

“Really?” Cathy was starting to look interested. “And May does yoga as well?”

“Yes,” Thomas stated, not at all sure that she did.

“Fascinating,” Mr. Stokes yawned, clearly bored. “But tell me about your proposal, Thomas. I’m curious.”
 
May chatted amicably with Cathy as the men discussed their business. The subject turned from yoga and the eastern philosophies to travel, to food and wine, and to books. She had always been rather well-read and, thanks to her parents and grandparents, well-traveled and was able to talk easily on the subject. When it came to her education, though, she found herself a little out of her depth. Pulling desperately at what she knew, she concluded that she must have majored in French with the intention of teaching it or maybe translating. She tutored a little now, but mostly kept the household running and supported her husband in all of his endeavors to give them a comfortable life. And it was a very comfortable life.

Soup came, and then the entrees, but the Stokeses declined dessert with a comment from Mr. Stokes about his wife's figure. The men shook hands in what appeared to be an agreement, but May wasn't entirely certain, and the women parted rather more warmly than they had met. There were promises to call and an invitation to bridge at the club, and at the end of the night everybody had bidden a fond farewell. In the car on the way back to the hotel, May slid her hand back into Thomas's lap.

"Did I do alright?" she asked, smiling hopefully before leaning in to kiss his cheek affectionately. "Was I sufficiently doting?" She giggled and squeezed his thigh gently before retracting her hand back into her own lap and looking out the windshield. "Where are we going now?"

~*~

"Glowing?" Nate sounded alarmed and curious at the same time. He sat forward, staring hard at Jack. "You saw her aura? What was it like? Was she--?" He cut himself off and shook his head. "I think you misunderstand the function of communion, Jack. It doesn't make you see things that aren't there; it helps you see things which are already there that are only visible to the naked eye through true enlightenment. We take that communion to bring us closer to that permanent state of enlightenment. Whatever you saw...that's the truth, brother. And it can be scary sometimes, but that's because it can be scary to let go of the illusion."

Jack, however, shook his head. “What I mean is, well, hell. I don’t know. But I guess if I’m going by to be here I may as well learn what’s good by on, right?” He shrugged. “So, here do we start? Meditation, bible study, what?”

"Meditation might be a good place to start," Nate said after a little thought. "And service to the church. Once you're familiar with the sacrifice of service to the church, maybe then Max will feel more comfortable with you out serving the Disconnected unfortunates. But it's late now, so maybe some meditation before bed." He produced a small plastic baggie of weed. "And relaxation. In time you can earn back the right to communion but for now I'm afraid you're gonna have to abstain from all of it."

"Probably should write home too," Jack added casually. "Let my folks know I’ve changed plans, so they aren’t shocked when they come out to visit.”

"Visit?" Nate frowned and leaned forward again, pausing in the joint he was rolling. "Jack...they're Disconnected. That's the whole point of this penance. The Material will tempt you away from the truth path of enlightenment and salvation, and you have to resist. I'm sorry brother, but you can't communicate with the Disconnected, especially not at this stage when you're still so vulnerable."
 
“Tempted by the material?” Jack laughed at that. “Man, you don’t know my folks. Mom and dad move a lot for work, so my grannies raised me on a little dirt farm in Texas. An’ Granny Sam’s a hoodoo doctor. Watched her drive evil spirits outta house once by walking in and yelling at them.” He grinned. “Well, I mean, I didn’t see any evil spirits mind you. But the folk who owned the place swore it was haunted, and they never did have any problems after that.”

He studied Nate’s expression, then shrugged. “Right, that ain’t doing it for you. It’s cool, I can hold off a bit. So talk to me about meditation, man. And,” he gestured at the dime bag, “you telling me I should smoke that up, or that I can’t until I get myself right with God... or the God-Soul, I guess?”

-*-

May’s hand on his thigh was an unbearable heat, making him want to pull the car over and have her right here and now. And he could, he knew. He’d paid for her services for the whole night, so she’d have to say yes. But he wanted to enjoy this, and while he wasn’t old he sure wasn’t young enough to desperately fuck in an uncomfortable position in a car.

“Did I do alright?" she asked, smiling hopefully before leaning in to kiss his cheek affectionately. "Was I sufficiently doting?"

“You were great,” he assured her. “And it seems like Mrs. Stokes took quite a liking to you. Mr. Stokes as well, which helped me seal the deal.”

She giggled and squeezed his thigh gently before retracting her hand back into her own lap and looking out the windshield. "Where are we going now?"

“We’re almost there,” he replied, making a turn. “I, uhm, I’m a little new at all of this.” Suddenly he was glad of the need to watch traffic, because he felt awkward and embarrassed now. “I mean, I’ve never hired a, a orostitute before. So, well...”

He bit off his stammering, wondering what was wrong with him. It wasn’t like he hadn’t gotten laid before. And he’d had an easy enough time talked by to her before and during dinner. “I rented a room at the Inner Harbor Hyatt Regency,” he finally said. “I figured I should take you somewhere nice.”

-*-

The check-in went smoothly, even though the front desk gave him a knowing look when the two of them arrived with a single night’s reservation and no luggage. But the reservations - made humorously under “Stokes, two” - were confirmed, and soon enough they were in a suite on the 10th floor with a magnificent view of the harbor.

“I’ll be honest,” Thimas said as he locked the door. “I’m a little, well, I mean... I’ve never done this. Never hired someone to do this, I mean.” He stared atMay, aching to strip her dress off but feeling unsure. “Do I kiss you, or..?”
 
"A prostitute?" May raised her eyebrows. "Is that what you think I am?"

May mulled over this as they drove, wondering how to explain it to him. Of course, deep, deep, very deep down she knew that this was exactly what she was doing...but she had buried that sort of awareness and now only wondered if this was how the other disconnected had seen her. It felt almost like a waste of time if they did, if for them it wasn't enlightenment but a quick fuck in a back alley. But maybe, just maybe, if they did think of it like this...maybe she had shown them a way to the Truth instead. Maybe they would come back, seek her out, chasing that high that only communion with the God Soul and knowledge of the truth could provide. And in any case, she was here, now, and Thomas seemed like a receptive man. He seemed...lonely, and like he could do with a healthy dose of truth. The rest of the way to the hotel she held his hand, playing with his fingertips, thinking of ways to explain to him just what they were doing there.

"I'll be honest," Thomas said as he locked the door. "I'm a little, well, I mean...I've never done this. Never hired someone to do this, I mean." He stared at her, and even with her back to him while she looked out at the harbor through the sliding glass door she could feel him undressing her with his eyes. "Do I kiss you, or...?"

"You can do anything you want." May kicked off her shoes and unzipped her dress, sliding it slowly over her shoulders and down her body until it pooled on the floor at her feet. She turned to him in her underwear, garter, and stockings--all sexy lingerie he had picked out carefully so she assumed it was probably something he cared about, and some men like unwrapping women--and smiled gently before walking past him to sit on the edge of the bed. "You didn't hire me, Thomas. You seem very confused about why I'm here, but I think I can provide some insight."

She waited until he had joined her at the foot of the bed and slowly slid his jacket off before explaining. "You didn't hire me," she said again, "as that would imply that you've bought my body, and we don't believe in that. Prostitution is not empowering to women, and it isn't what I am. You made a donation--a very generous donation--to my church, of which I'm the Person Mover All-Goddess. It's sort of like a high priestess. And the laws of the All declare that a person who is unaware of his connection to his fellow man--a Disconnected--but who chooses to make a donation to the cause anyway is to be rewarded with an opportunity for enlightenment and oneness with the God Soul, for he has recognized the call even if he doesn't yet know it." She moved across the room to hang his jacket on the back of a chair before returning to him. "And honestly, Thomas? I think the Universe brought us together for a reason. There's an emptiness in you." May straddled his lap and started working on undoing the knot in his tie.

"You have all the money you could ever want," she continued, a lilt of sadness in her voice, "enough riches to make Solomon blush. And yet you're alone: no friends, only associates; no wife, only a stranger you could find on a street corner, soliciting donations. And you haven't felt lonely today, have you?" May tenderly brushed back a bit of hair before her hands continued down to his buttons, slowly undoing them one by one. She wished she had the sacred papers so that she could show him a full communion, show him what true enlightenment and oneness could feel like...but Max was the only one who had those, so this would have to do. Perhaps if nothing else it could induce Thomas to at least visit. "It's because you feel the connection," she insisted, moving her hips against him, "you feel the call, which is strong through me, to become one with everything."

Slowly she slid Thomas's shirt down his arms and tossed it aside before pulling his undershirt off over his head. "You didn't hire a prostitute today, Thomas," May whispered as she kissed behind his ear and down his neck. "Your soul made a desperate bid to seek out the truth. You can seek the truth in me. This is a safe place, Thomas, and I will never let you fall." She guided his hands to her breasts, over her bra, grinding against his dick still confined by his pants.

~*~

Nate's frown gradually grew deeper as Jack described his granny's "exorcism" of evil spirits. She sounded like a con woman to him, but Jack had clearly been gullible enough to believe, so he wouldn't say anything for now. A woman like that would surely perform these "exorcisms" in exchange for money, giving people false hope and preying on their vulnerabilities. Hoodoo doctor indeed!

His thoughts must have been plain on his face, because Jack shrugged. "Right, that ain't doing it for you. It's cool, I can hold off a bit." He asked about meditation, and whether he couldn't smoke the joint Nate was rolling, and Nate smiled.

"You only need abstain from communion," he said, handing the doobie to Jack and producing a lighter. "That involves the holy papers and connection with a person-mover. You might still call it sex." He waited for Jack to take a hit before passing it and taking one himself. "Basically, what you and May did last night...you can't do it with anyone. Not yet. Mental clarity has to come before spiritual and physical enlightenment, and that's what we're gonna work on. The weed's just to relax." He passed it back again. "One more hit and we can get started on meditation, then finish this up after."

After "one more hit..." and then one more after that, Nate pulled over a couple of large, squashy cushions. He sat down cross-legged, barefoot, and indicated that Jack should do the same. He glanced a little uncertainly at the plastic foot, thinking.

"You can take that off if it's easier, but you don't have to," he said, inclining his head toward Jack's foot. "But you should be barefoot."

Through Nate's instruction, they closed their eyes and took three quick, sharp breaths in before letting out one long, slow breath. They repeated this over and over until, with their eyes closed, they were light headed and a sense of direction was difficult to establish. Nate, himself, felt as though he were slowly rotating, leading with his head. This was the door to mental clarity, but not the key.

"Now empty your mind," he instructed. "It can be hard at first, but it gets easier--whoa." He rotated a little too quickly and got dizzy, but didn't open his eyes; he only concentrated on slowing his rotation again. "If you're having a hard time, picture a blackboard in your mind. Any time you have a thought write it on the blackboard, but try to erase it before you've finished writing. Eventually you won't have to erase anymore."
 
Thomas groaned st May’s touch, shuddering with pleasure as she slowly stripped off his shirt. Shivering at the soft, sultry tones of her words. He tried to tell himself that it was just a game she was playing, just a kink to explore, no different than if she’d dressed up as a nun. But her words struck a chord, piercing deep. It felt almost as if it were his soul being laid bare before her, not his body.

“I have felt lonely,” he husked, caressing her breasts through the satin of her bra. “Felt like there was something... something missing.” Taking her at her word he slid his hands around her back, fumbling with the tiny hooks that clasped the bra. “But not tonight.”

He tried to tell himself that he was just playing along. Tried to believe that he was just playing a game as he cupped the firm weight of her bare breasts. “Tonight,” he whispered, kissing the top of her head, “I felt...”. His lips brushed over her forehead, and then found hers. “Felt, I don’t know. Connected.”

He kissed her throat, and then the skin above her heart. Slowly he fell to his knees, kissing her navel as he slid her panties over her hips and down her long legs. He tried to tell himself it was just lust as he paused to breath le is n the scent off her arousal, but he knew it was more than that. He was in his knees in an act of supplication as his mouth found her mound. Her taste as his tongue parted her folds was sweeter than any sacramental wine.

“I’m lost,” he whispered, his hands caressing her thighs as his tongue slid over her clit. Staring upwards, he found her living eyes looking down at him. “Please... what do I do? How do I find my way?”

-*-

The weed was good shit, and Jack felt pleasantly light-headed by the time they killed the Jon by. “Whish,” he said, sinking into the beanbag chair Nate pointed out. “Now what?”

You can take that off if it's easier, but you don't have to," he said, inclining his head toward Jack's foot. "But you should be barefoot."

“Good thing I only got the one, then,” Jack said. “Otherwise I’d be barefeet.” He laughed at athat for a moment, then fumbled with the laces and socks. “Gonna, gonna leave it on, though,” he decided. “Hard to put back on, when you’re fucked up.”

Now empty your mind," Nate instructed. "It can be hard at first, but it gets easier--whoa." He wobbled, and then Jack closed his eyes. It didn’t sound like Nate fell to ver, though. "If you're having a hard time, picture a blackboard in your mind. Any time you have a thought write it on the blackboard, but try to erase it before you've finished writing. Eventually you won't have to erase anymore."

“Right. Blackboard.” Jack concentrated, trying to visualize it. “Right, man. I see the blackboard. And the writing. And... SHIT!” With that he jerked, staring wildly around and scrambling backwards out of the beanbag chair as if trying to escape. “Shit, man,” he gasped, eyes wide as he pressed up against the wall. “What the fuck was in that weed, man?”
 
Nate giggled uncontrollably at Jack's joke about his bare feet, and more about how difficult it would be to put it back on, before instructing him to empty his mind. Slowly he rotated as he sat, as though his back were against the face of a clock and he was the hands. Jack said something vaguely in the background. He didn't pay much attention to it; he was fairly adept by this point a sinking into a meditative state.

"And...SHIT!"

His eyes flew open in time to see Jack flinging himself backwards out of the beanbag (filled with real dry beans). He frowned, confused, as he pressed himself up against the wall as though trying to make himself as narrow a target as possible. His eyes were wide and bloodshot as he looked around. "It's just weed, man," Nate protested. Slowly, not making any sudden moves, he stood and tried to pry Jack away from the wall. "C'mon brother, sit back down. You're in a safe place here, man. What did you see? What did the All show you?"

~*~

May smiled as Thomas slowly knelt before her. She didn't want to interrupt him in the middle of his revelation, and as he kissed each of her chakras probably without knowing what he was doing, she took it as a sign from the Universal God Soul. Here was a man who truly wished to know his place and his part among his fellow man, and her heart ached to save him from his suffering. A small sound escaped from her lips as his tongue caressed her clit, and it took a tremendous amount of effort to remember that she was a penitent and not deserving of having her third eye opened to the truths of the universe.

“I’m lost,” he whispered, his hands caressing her thighs as his tongue slid over her clit. Staring upwards, he found her loving eyes looking down at him. “Please... what do I do? How do I find my way?”

She ran her fingers through his hair before tugging gently, indicating that he should stand. "Divest yourself of everything material," she murmured, unbuckling his belt and deftly undoing his pants, "connect yourself to what's real, and love me as I love you." Once they were both completely naked she took his hand and turned away, leading him to the sliding glass door. Certain points on the tattoo that adorned her back seemed to sparkle and glitter with points of light in all the colors of the rainbow, even in the darkness when she turned off all of the lights. With a bit of effort she unlocked the door and led him out onto the balcony.

"Don't be afraid," she advised with a smile, squeezing his hand when she felt Thomas's hesitation. The balcony wasn't covered, after all, and anyone could look up and see them if they were close enough or had keen enough eyesight. "The All provides. I promise." May turned and kissed him deeply, taking both hands and gently pulling him out onto the balcony into the night air. It was late enough that no one was on their balconies, and the boardwalk below was mostly empty. Those who were out and about were either distracted by their own companions or intent on getting home. Slowly she let go of his hand and leaned against the low railing for a few moments, contemplating how best to proceed, before tilting her head back and putting her arms out wide. It reminded her of all of the crucifixes she'd seen growing up, at home and in church, but this wasn't a gesture of surrender but of a joyful embrace.

"Close your eyes," she instructed, "and feel the wind caress your body. Feel the love of the moon as she shines her light on your skin. Listen to the beat of the waves on the shore. These were all here long before us, and they'll be here long after, and we're fools to fight against them. Listen to their harmony. Feel their interconnectedness. Listen to the Universal God Soul as it sings to you of your place in its grand design, in its perfect universe. It loves you more than anyone else ever could, more than you could ever know...if only you listen so that you may hear it."

May gave him a few minutes to do as she instructed, to listen to the song of the Universe. It was a sign that even the chilly evening wind did nothing to dampen Thomas's enthusiasm for her body as he stood there, arms out, his naked erection insistent and needy. Her nipples ached a little in the chill, but she still yearned to cleanse this poor, aching soul in view of the All, what little of it could be seen through the corruption of the heart of the city. His skin was still warm as she moved in front of him, wrapped her arms around his waist, and pressed their bodies together, undulating against him and swaying gently side to side.

"Do you feel it?" she murmured, still moving against his body, reveling in the feeling of his flesh against hers. "Do you feel the rhythm of the ocean? The tempo of the wind? Do you hear the beautiful music of the Universe singing to your soul?" Slowly she moved him back toward a wide Adirondack chair against one of the side railings, allowing him to get comfortable before crawling up his body and straddling him. "I love you, Thomas," she groaned as she slowly lowered her aching cunt down onto his cock, "do you love me? Do you love your All-Goddess? Do you love the Universal God Soul?" May kissed him again, deeply and tenderly, as she rode him slowly. "Let me cleanse you, Thomas. All you have to do to rid yourself of your past life, of your doubt and guilt and pain, is to empty your seed into me and allow me to cleanse your soul."
 
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