Post by Amanda Young on Jan 7, 2021 16:01:51 GMT -6
started Dec 18th, 2020.
An extension of her. If that was told to her by anyone else, Amanda might have picked a fight considering... It was a meat packing plant, and that couldn't mean anything good about her. The Entity could have given her anything to have as a haunting ground, and yet it was there. The warehouse where she was first tested, John's apartment block.
Amanda watched the Priestess's hands. Even with the jewelry, she still had most of a full range of motion. Amanda had seen cheap jewelry that mimicked what Adiris wore now. Claw rings that turned your fingers green, and fell apart. Most of Amanda's jewelry was like that.
"Thank you, I think," Amanda finally offered, it was a distant gesture still. She'd gotten caught up in thoughts of jewelry, and the meat packing plant being an extension of her now. Amanda's thoughts are brushed aside with the woman's sympathetic smile, and the way she watches her hands, not looking up for Amanda's reaction.
"Still a Priestess, just one in waiting now." Amanda offered. It wasn't much help, probably. She didn't know what it was like, to lose something that felt like it was your purpose. She never felt like she had one, and even when she pretended she did while working with Jigsaw, it faded as soon as it came. Considering the fact that she was a murderer, and John didn't believe in her. It wasn't the first time she'd been let down by a paternal figure, but it would be the last.
A congregation. She didn't quite know what to say to that — was it a compliment? Probably intended to be. Adiris' most beloved people would be there, and now she was the closest. It made her chest hurt a little to think about all that the woman before her had lost. "I appreciate that, Adiris. I'll never be too busy for you, either." There was no comment towards the congregation. What could Amanda say? Anything felt... Too flat, too uncaring. Not ways she wanted to come off to someone that she'd steadily began to care about.
Amanda wasn't a woman to seek out company. She'd made herself believe she didn't need it. That was painfully untrue, though. For as much as she played at being a lone wolf there had always been someone to talk to. John, Hoffman, Adam... Lawrence, even. People that Jigsaw tested that she stayed with. Danny was the first to come to mind.
Shaking that thought out of her head, she let herself seek comfort. Adiris was nice, she didn't take a lot out of Amanda to talk to. The Temple was pretty, as well. Its a nice escape from the meat plant.
With a small exhale, she stepped out of the Fog, and into the Temple grounds. She could guess where the Priestess was, so she didn't rush to get there. She took a moment to sit and look around. It was an image out of textbooks, and it was something she'd never quite get past. That the Entity could just put people like her, and Adiris in the same situation. That they'd fallen for the same thing, or simply had the misfortune of dying.
That sparked the realization that she didn't know quite why Adiris had ended up here, it wasn't as if she was evil intentionally. She always sounded like she cared for people in life, despite being a plaguebearer.
Adiris tittered around her Temple as usual, compulsively polishing censers and floors to a sparkle.
She knew it was a fruitless task, that the endless grime that permeated her god's realm would eventually seep back into the stone and metal, that inevitably she would find herself curled on the same smooth floor, clutching her stomach as she dirtied it herself.
Still. It was something to do. She didn't have much that filled that category now.
Present company excluded, she thought as she exited her Temple and laid eyes on Amanda.
The Pig, which Adiris always despised as a title once she understood it, (Didn't it seem cruel? To label her with the name of a sacrificial animal? A creature slaughtered for meat, with little thought to it's own agency?) was someone she always took special care with. Not because she was exceedingly volatile like some of her... co-horts, for lack of a better term, or that she was especially sheepish around her like some of their "prey," but simply because... well...
It seemed Amanda had been played with enough in her time. She didn't need any more of that now, of all times.
Adiris walked to her with a bit more weight than her usual step, attempting to announce her presence, before placing a clawed hand on Amanda's shoulder.
She offered a small smile, and a hand to stand with.
When the clawed hand touched her shoulder, she looked up to see Adiris. A smile crossed her face, the Priestess was always truly a sight to see. Cherishing the moment for only a second, she took the hand that was offered to her to stand upright. The height gap between her and Adiris felt like it didn't close that much, the other woman towered over her still.
"Adiris." Amanda signed, "Sorry for dropping in, I..." Fumbling with her words for a moment, she made meaningless gestures 'ums', and 'ahs' in space of not wanting to sound vulnerable. Adiris, of anyone, wouldn't take advantage of her for that but it was hard to take walls that had been built up for years down. "needed some company." She gave in, her shoulders slumping at the admission. There was no point to beating around the bush. Adiris would ask eventually, and she was good at getting people to confide in her. Being a Priestess probably had something to do with that, Amanda thought.
"Is it a bad time?" Maybe. Then again, what else would either of them have to do? It wasn't as if the Entity let them believe that they still had lives left to live. Amanda had her tools, and Adiris got her Temple but... What good did those do without people? In both respects, people to put through trials(kill), and people for worship.
Perhaps she was just cynical, and tired of the Entity's games.
The priestess shook her head, brown hair loosing from her headpiece. There was always time, here, in her home, for a friend. Distantly, she blessed her goddess for sending someone who would never mock her vile appearance, wouldn’t stare.
Adiris had other friends, granted, and they had never given her cause for malaise, but she always had a lingering fear. What if she disgusted them? What if they could all hear her vile retching, the sound echoing across the realm?
There were precious few Adiris had no fear of judgement from, in this regard. Thank the gods, Amanda was one such person.
“It is never a bad time, Amanda.” She signed her name special, the sign for a mouse trap snapping down to a letter A. “I appreciate your company greatly. This temple is too large to live alone.” Adiris smiled again.
Idly, Adiris was happy for Amanda. The small woman struggled with admitting when she needed help, that much was apparent from a great distance. Whenever she opened up, allowed herself to ask, Adiris was happy.
She paused for a moment, putting the motions together in her mind for what to say. “Is there something that has happened?” When she finished, she placed her hand back on Amanda’s shoulder, a warm, guiding, force.
Amanda sniffed softly, a grin crossing her face at her name sign. It was cute, and she'd been glad for Adiris to give it to her. The person she had learned ASL for in life, she'd drifted away from once she got addicted to drugs. She never formally got a sign name from them because of that, since they couldn't stand to see her how she was, and she'd never accept help. It was how she got into the situation she was in now. She didn't blame her friend at all.
With an uncomfortable feeling in her stomach, she shook the thought off. That's why she was here. A distraction. Someone who could never remind her of anyone she knew, a comforting quiet presence. Adiris. A Babylonian Priestess. A short laugh. "It is. I don't know how you do it. I'd offer for you to stay at the meat plant but... " The smell, though perhaps Adiris would feel less bad about vomiting there. It was already vile. "It's gross there. No place for a Priestess."
Not that the woman in her company was, it was just less sacred. Actually, it wasn't sacred at all.
"I'm glad that I'm not intruding on anything, though." She signed politely.
"No," Pointer and middle finger gently tapped her thumb for the sign, repeating that motion a few more times thoughtlessly before her hands dropped as she thought about how to word what she was feeling. She got caught up in thinking about the past, things that Adiris wouldn't be able to empathize with. There was no point putting that burden on her (for now).
"Just needed to get some fresh air. It's pretty here." She blatantly lied to the Priestess, adding a smile for the flair. Maybe the other woman would believe her with that addition.
Adiris paid keen attention to the little things of an expression. A hint of a smile, a furrowed brow hiding an unpleasant thought. Things she now had difficulty showcasing herself, for fear of the wrong move causing her to fall sick again.
Namely, she felt a warm joy when Amanda recognized her name sign, and a deep pit in her cold stomach when she lost herself in her thoughts. No one here was happy. They weren't before they arrived, and they certainly weren't now. That much was clear without asking, and Adiris knew better than to pry for those painful memories, even when to her they were clear as day on Amanda's face.
Still. It hurt to see her hurt. Knowing she can't help in any way that matters.
She tucked the thought aside. A conversation for a less light hearted meeting, perhaps.
"Your realm is not wholly unpleasant, Amanda. It is an extension of you, for better or worse." She offered a sympathetic smile. "You forget I have lost my people," she's trying to joke, but her eyes follow the motions of her hands too closely, unable to look up. "What is a priestess without her people?"
She seems to realize it's not quite so funny. Brushes hair past her headpiece, behind an ear. An old nervous tic, something she'd been chided for, too vain. "But, you must know, I can never be too busy for you. You are the closest we have now to a congregation." She smiles, like it's a shining complement.
Shaking that thought out of her head, she let herself seek comfort. Adiris was nice, she didn't take a lot out of Amanda to talk to. The Temple was pretty, as well. Its a nice escape from the meat plant.
With a small exhale, she stepped out of the Fog, and into the Temple grounds. She could guess where the Priestess was, so she didn't rush to get there. She took a moment to sit and look around. It was an image out of textbooks, and it was something she'd never quite get past. That the Entity could just put people like her, and Adiris in the same situation. That they'd fallen for the same thing, or simply had the misfortune of dying.
That sparked the realization that she didn't know quite why Adiris had ended up here, it wasn't as if she was evil intentionally. She always sounded like she cared for people in life, despite being a plaguebearer.
Adiris tittered around her Temple as usual, compulsively polishing censers and floors to a sparkle.
She knew it was a fruitless task, that the endless grime that permeated her god's realm would eventually seep back into the stone and metal, that inevitably she would find herself curled on the same smooth floor, clutching her stomach as she dirtied it herself.
Still. It was something to do. She didn't have much that filled that category now.
Present company excluded, she thought as she exited her Temple and laid eyes on Amanda.
The Pig, which Adiris always despised as a title once she understood it, (Didn't it seem cruel? To label her with the name of a sacrificial animal? A creature slaughtered for meat, with little thought to it's own agency?) was someone she always took special care with. Not because she was exceedingly volatile like some of her... co-horts, for lack of a better term, or that she was especially sheepish around her like some of their "prey," but simply because... well...
It seemed Amanda had been played with enough in her time. She didn't need any more of that now, of all times.
Adiris walked to her with a bit more weight than her usual step, attempting to announce her presence, before placing a clawed hand on Amanda's shoulder.
She offered a small smile, and a hand to stand with.
When the clawed hand touched her shoulder, she looked up to see Adiris. A smile crossed her face, the Priestess was always truly a sight to see. Cherishing the moment for only a second, she took the hand that was offered to her to stand upright. The height gap between her and Adiris felt like it didn't close that much, the other woman towered over her still.
"Adiris." Amanda signed, "Sorry for dropping in, I..." Fumbling with her words for a moment, she made meaningless gestures 'ums', and 'ahs' in space of not wanting to sound vulnerable. Adiris, of anyone, wouldn't take advantage of her for that but it was hard to take walls that had been built up for years down. "needed some company." She gave in, her shoulders slumping at the admission. There was no point to beating around the bush. Adiris would ask eventually, and she was good at getting people to confide in her. Being a Priestess probably had something to do with that, Amanda thought.
"Is it a bad time?" Maybe. Then again, what else would either of them have to do? It wasn't as if the Entity let them believe that they still had lives left to live. Amanda had her tools, and Adiris got her Temple but... What good did those do without people? In both respects, people to put through trials
Perhaps she was just cynical, and tired of the Entity's games.
The priestess shook her head, brown hair loosing from her headpiece. There was always time, here, in her home, for a friend. Distantly, she blessed her goddess for sending someone who would never mock her vile appearance, wouldn’t stare.
Adiris had other friends, granted, and they had never given her cause for malaise, but she always had a lingering fear. What if she disgusted them? What if they could all hear her vile retching, the sound echoing across the realm?
There were precious few Adiris had no fear of judgement from, in this regard. Thank the gods, Amanda was one such person.
“It is never a bad time, Amanda.” She signed her name special, the sign for a mouse trap snapping down to a letter A. “I appreciate your company greatly. This temple is too large to live alone.” Adiris smiled again.
Idly, Adiris was happy for Amanda. The small woman struggled with admitting when she needed help, that much was apparent from a great distance. Whenever she opened up, allowed herself to ask, Adiris was happy.
She paused for a moment, putting the motions together in her mind for what to say. “Is there something that has happened?” When she finished, she placed her hand back on Amanda’s shoulder, a warm, guiding, force.
Amanda sniffed softly, a grin crossing her face at her name sign. It was cute, and she'd been glad for Adiris to give it to her. The person she had learned ASL for in life, she'd drifted away from once she got addicted to drugs. She never formally got a sign name from them because of that, since they couldn't stand to see her how she was, and she'd never accept help. It was how she got into the situation she was in now. She didn't blame her friend at all.
With an uncomfortable feeling in her stomach, she shook the thought off. That's why she was here. A distraction. Someone who could never remind her of anyone she knew, a comforting quiet presence. Adiris. A Babylonian Priestess. A short laugh. "It is. I don't know how you do it. I'd offer for you to stay at the meat plant but... " The smell, though perhaps Adiris would feel less bad about vomiting there. It was already vile. "It's gross there. No place for a Priestess."
Not that the woman in her company was, it was just less sacred. Actually, it wasn't sacred at all.
"I'm glad that I'm not intruding on anything, though." She signed politely.
"No," Pointer and middle finger gently tapped her thumb for the sign, repeating that motion a few more times thoughtlessly before her hands dropped as she thought about how to word what she was feeling. She got caught up in thinking about the past, things that Adiris wouldn't be able to empathize with. There was no point putting that burden on her (for now).
"Just needed to get some fresh air. It's pretty here." She blatantly lied to the Priestess, adding a smile for the flair. Maybe the other woman would believe her with that addition.
Adiris paid keen attention to the little things of an expression. A hint of a smile, a furrowed brow hiding an unpleasant thought. Things she now had difficulty showcasing herself, for fear of the wrong move causing her to fall sick again.
Namely, she felt a warm joy when Amanda recognized her name sign, and a deep pit in her cold stomach when she lost herself in her thoughts. No one here was happy. They weren't before they arrived, and they certainly weren't now. That much was clear without asking, and Adiris knew better than to pry for those painful memories, even when to her they were clear as day on Amanda's face.
Still. It hurt to see her hurt. Knowing she can't help in any way that matters.
She tucked the thought aside. A conversation for a less light hearted meeting, perhaps.
"Your realm is not wholly unpleasant, Amanda. It is an extension of you, for better or worse." She offered a sympathetic smile. "You forget I have lost my people," she's trying to joke, but her eyes follow the motions of her hands too closely, unable to look up. "What is a priestess without her people?"
She seems to realize it's not quite so funny. Brushes hair past her headpiece, behind an ear. An old nervous tic, something she'd been chided for, too vain. "But, you must know, I can never be too busy for you. You are the closest we have now to a congregation." She smiles, like it's a shining complement.
An extension of her. If that was told to her by anyone else, Amanda might have picked a fight considering... It was a meat packing plant, and that couldn't mean anything good about her. The Entity could have given her anything to have as a haunting ground, and yet it was there. The warehouse where she was first tested, John's apartment block.
Amanda watched the Priestess's hands. Even with the jewelry, she still had most of a full range of motion. Amanda had seen cheap jewelry that mimicked what Adiris wore now. Claw rings that turned your fingers green, and fell apart. Most of Amanda's jewelry was like that.
"Thank you, I think," Amanda finally offered, it was a distant gesture still. She'd gotten caught up in thoughts of jewelry, and the meat packing plant being an extension of her now. Amanda's thoughts are brushed aside with the woman's sympathetic smile, and the way she watches her hands, not looking up for Amanda's reaction.
"Still a Priestess, just one in waiting now." Amanda offered. It wasn't much help, probably. She didn't know what it was like, to lose something that felt like it was your purpose. She never felt like she had one, and even when she pretended she did while working with Jigsaw, it faded as soon as it came. Considering the fact that she was a murderer, and John didn't believe in her. It wasn't the first time she'd been let down by a paternal figure, but it would be the last.
A congregation. She didn't quite know what to say to that — was it a compliment? Probably intended to be. Adiris' most beloved people would be there, and now she was the closest. It made her chest hurt a little to think about all that the woman before her had lost. "I appreciate that, Adiris. I'll never be too busy for you, either." There was no comment towards the congregation. What could Amanda say? Anything felt... Too flat, too uncaring. Not ways she wanted to come off to someone that she'd steadily began to care about.
