The closest any man has been to Kyrie is the sweet scent that came from his body as he walks by. Those men watch their desired lady walk past the door with another man, and their gazes remain there for some time before they could calm their own desires.
Once outside, Kyrie lets out a sigh. The atmosphere is suffocating with so many eyes coming at him with unspoken desires. Those gazes have been trying to get a hold of him, but Kyrie knows that those eyes only saw the heart's mirror. Those noblemen have fallen for their own desires. It is not wrong to have desires, only wrong when those are the only thing attached to a person.
Kyrie walks quietly on the corridor with Ian by his side.
"Where are you going?" Ian asks as he takes hold of Kyrie's hand since Kyrie has been wandering off by himself.
His cheeks blush a little bit when he remembers Papa Rowan getting the wrong impression and warning Kyrie to go easy on him. However, he feels like the message was directed at him. Ian tries to clear out the misunderstanding in his mind.
"I saw a priest walk by when that nobleman with the attendant walked in," says Kyrie as his head turns side by side in search of the priest, for any indication where that man might have gone.
The temple regards this place as immoral and ungodly, so to see a priest walking into such gathering is odd. In the end, 'righteous' words could end up as only just words - free to go, hard to take back.
That controversy aside, seeing a priest here spells trouble ahead.
[This might be the place they gather to distribute the gold.]
Both of them continue to walk around the empty halls. They come across rows and rows of private rooms as they go deeper into the building.
Kyrie quickly steps back when the sounds of steps from a group of people clomp closer towards their direction. Before hiding himself in a corridor perpendicular to the one that the group is walking, he catches a quick glimpse of the group. Kyrie confirms that it is a group of priests.
He quickly surveys his surroundings but finds no good place to hide.
"Ky-"
Kyrie covers Ian's mouth while putting a finger to his lips, telling Ian to keep quiet. He quickly walks towards some doors and twists the knobs. All the doors are locked.
With nowhere to conceal themselves, Kyrie ends up locking his eyes with Ian's mischievously. He quickly closes in on Ian with a sweet smile.
"Your lips look lonely," Kyrie whispers, looking at Ian with a playful smile, "I don't mind letting mine meet yours."
Quickly, Kyrie presses Ian to the wall, snatching his collar and burying their lips together after lifting his veil.
[If there is no place to hide, then the opposite could do the same thing.]
Just like how Kyrie has planned, the priests click their tongue once they see the display of affection. They all turn their gaze away and pretend they have not seen the couple kissing at all.
"Ugh! Get a room!" One of the priests frowns in disgust and jealousy.
Kyrie takes his lips away and watches them enter into a room. He lets go of Ian's cheek that he caressed while kissing and steps away, leaving Ian completely silent. When he thinks of moving close to the room to eavesdrop, he feels Ian's hand run through his long hair.
Ian pulls him back into their kiss. Kyrie's eyes shake when Ian reaches deeper with his tongue, making him frown as Ian explores. Ian's tongue invades smoothly, diving in almost as if the matter is of urgency, leaving Kyrie with little time to gasp for air.
He slowly lets go of Kyrie's hair, and his hands start to trail down the spine. Kyrie becomes drawn to the kiss, his feelings fluttering like butterflies in his stomach. His body trembles as he experiences the sensations of being touched and being taken - the thrill ravaging inside him as he slowly loses control.
[Was Ian always like this?]
Kyrie has yet to recall all the memories. Still, in the memories he recovered, Ian has been quite shy, and most of the time, Kyrie would be the one showing his affection. He has always had himself under control, yet Ian would test him from time to time. He has yet to win a single battle.
Kyrie might have just wished to tease him, but in the end, he is the one getting teased. It's new. He would have never expected Ian to guide. He would have loved to admire Ian's expression, but he is too close. He could only see Ian's trembling eyelashes.
He feels Ian's hands stop once they reach towards the arch of his waist. When Ian turns his tongue, his thumbs also press onto Kyrie's waist, causing Kyrie to let go of Ian's lips with a moan escaping.
The veil falls when they part their lips, but it lifts every time Kyrie exhales his short breaths. Every time it lifts, Ian catches a glimpse of Kyrie's smudged lipstick.
Kyrie chuckles as he watches Ian blush, almost as if he is the victim of such invasion. Surprised by the manifestations of his own desires, Ian lets out a breathy groan as if his vocal cords fail to voice out his excuse for such a raiding kiss.
Kyrie puts his arms on Ian's shoulder, one hand playing with Ian's hair, rolling the strands with his fingers.
He draws toward Ian's ear, despite all the nerves in his body telling him that he is playing a dangerous game.
"This is not the right place to do what you might be thinking…"
Ian turns Kyrie around, and Kyrie's back hits the wall, making him gasp.
When they hear footsteps near, Ian breaks a smile, as if the people coming near give him an excuse to kiss. Ian draws in again, leaving Kyrie almost helpless, as another wave of warmth surges into him.
For the first time, Kyrie feels unable to keep up. His hands slide back to grab onto Ian's arms as Ian takes his lips again. Wearing high heels as well, his legs are giving up. Before Kyrie slides down from the wall, Ian grabs one of his thighs through the slit of the dress.
"I-ia… Ian!" Kyrie's mouth gets blocked again.
Kyrie couldn't even protest. His words drown into the lips of another man that even his gasps of air are cut short every time their lips meet again. His eyes blur as he tries to grab tighter onto Ian's coat. His body trembles uncontrollably.
A scream comes out of the man who was guiding the guests to a room. The poor man's soul has slipped out for a second before bonding back to his physical body.
Ian finally breaks away from their kiss and turns his head slightly to look at the group of people who turn stiff, watching them kiss. Kyrie puts his head on Ian's shoulder as he grasps for air and calms his tremors.
One of the men, who seem to be managing the place, quickly turns to an old man, bowing and apologizing to him for witnessing such a thing. The old man receiving the apologies maintains his calm bearing. The folds of time that carves into his skin show that the man spent his years in laughter and smiles. Yet, at this moment, his calm demeanor bears no warmth, rather a coldness that penetrates to the bones as if it came from years of possessing a hardened heart.
"Get them a room." The old man sneers.
The people following him have been sweating since they expected him to get angry. They let out a sigh of relief when the man remains calm.
Seeing that the old man must have had a good day, the manager quickly complies seriously at the half-joking remark, "Yes, Vicar Fagan! I will… I will…"
He quickly stares at one of the servants, "What are you waiting for?"
The servant quickly bows to Ian and Kyrie and lifts his arms to signal, "Please this way…"
The group starts to move again, and they enter the same room that the priests entered.
Kyrie takes his time, slowly wiping the lipstick off Ian's lips with his thumb.
"Please, dear guests…" The servant starts to become impatient, "There are some guests who are sensitive to these public displays… I hope you could understand us."
What the servant does not know is that Kyrie's legs are currently like jelly. This man is trying to regain some strength!
Ian draws near to Kyrie's ears, "Can you walk?"
For some reason, those words make Kyrie feel unsettled.
[Walking is indeed essential…]
Kyrie nods, so Ian slowly releases his hold on Kyrie's thigh. At first, Kyrie wobbles, trying to find back balance on heels.
They go exactly where the servant led them. Of course, the servant leads them to nowhere near the room that the Vicar and the priests entered.
However, they don't need to be anywhere near to hear. Ian's shadow animates, and the head peaks out off the ground.
In the room where the Vicar and priests are, an animated shadow that has been hidden with the Vicar Fagan's shadow moves underneath the sofa. Its head peaks up.
Ian has separated part of his shadow to follow the group, so they don't have to be near or in the room to eavesdrop on the conversation.
"I apologize again about that. I did not expect some vulgar people in the corridor."
Kyrie lifts an eyebrow, seemingly annoyed that people call them vulgar.
"Youngsters are pretty wild nowadays."
"Yes, yes! They are!" The manager replies to the Vicar enthusiastically.
"Well… Have you guys been able to gain more members?"
"Oh! Yes! We have! We also got the news that Marquis Rowan came to hear about the gold tradings!"
"Make sure to get him into the circle. He will be of great use."
"Yes, yes! We also think so!"
Then, there is silence.
"What is it? Say it, don't hold it in!" The Vicar asks.
The manager's voice starts to shake, "Well… You see… There have been some odd illnesses happening to our newest members and also the followers that joined. They seem like they have…. Ehhh."
"What?" The Vicar's voice starts to sound impatient.
"Please don't take my words that seriously, but they seem like they have lost their souls," The manager quickly blurts the words out just to get them out.
"Oh!" The Vicar softens his voice, "You have misunderstood, manager…It's not that they have lost their souls. It is that they have received salvation. They have joined the goddess and returned to her, leaving their sinful body behind."
Kyrie and Ian frown in complete disgust. Joined the goddess? Received salvation?
"What should I tell the affected?"
"Tell them? Why do you need to tell them? It's a silent grace." The Vicar says without stuttering.