sinner & saint -- emeris x heather

[suds]

please do not post unless you are me or elf_of_the_hollow.


emeris hears something go bump in the night.
heather decides to flee to the one place she knows; the church.

[suds]

xxxx12:01 am, the clock read. heather sniffled as she sat in her dingy apartment, thin hands clasped around the cold mug.
she had made coffee, but couldn't bring herself to drink any of it. her insides churned as anxiety tickled the inside of her
stomach in the worst of ways. why cant i sleep? she pitied herself, she really did. the countless hours she's spent worrying
about the impossible hung over her like strings on a puppet. heather's mind traveled down the rabbit hole once again. she
decided her bed would be better than the metal folding chair she was currently hunched in.

the blonde rubbed her face with her hands, feeling the wet tears already begin to pour. her head raced through countless
thoughts, creating whirlwinds of emotions. heather carefully peeled the sheets up and climbed inside. they were cool and
helped with suppressing her nervous breakdown. but it was a quick fix, and soon she flung the covers off herself, hugging
her nightgown close. she let out a sob as she bolted, her brown eyes focused on unlocking the doorknob. she wasn't aware
of how loud her footsteps might be whilst she stomped down the hallway.

[elf_of_the_hollow]

|||||emeris stood in front of her apartment door, her shoulders stiffening before slumping into a defeated pose. she searched her pocket for her keys; it was difficult to find them with what little light there was, but she was an expert by now. a light breeze grated against her side as she unlocked the door. once she finished, she swung the door open and trudged into the small apartment. taking her jacket off she slumped into bed, her face pressed into the mattress as she sighed. she didn't have the energy to right herself, so she just laid there for a moment. long day.. longer night. tomorrow's gonna come too soon.

her mind went fuzzy for a few moments; so close to sleep it was almost in her grasp, but she never fell asleep that easy. abruptly, though, he was jerked out of her daze by a sound she couldn't identify but seemed loud enough to wake up the whole complex. she was instantly up like a shot; the noise awakening a fight-or-flight reflex in her that she was too embarrassed to admit she had. walking over to a window blocked by a heavy curtain she pushed aside with little trouble, she looked outside with fire in her eyes trying to find the source. she locked onto something quickly, a figure headed towards the nearby church that she could barely make out through blurry eyes. she pulled back from the curtain, sighed, and walked over to pick up her jacket. pulling it over herself defeatedly, she headed outside to follow the stranger. whatever was happening, she wanted to know.

[suds]

xxxxthe moment heather stepped outside, she calmed down a little bit. getting out of that apartment wasn't a priority,
but it did help. she felt for the keys to the church around her neck. the moon lit a path for her on the smooth pavement,
lighting her way. the pastor had given her a special set once he found out about her condition. the doors are always open
for those who search for salvation, he told her. in reality he pitied the poor girl; she was just a harmless soul.

she tripped on the steps leading to the rich mahogany doors, falling flat on her face. she snorted the blood back into her
nose, wiping the excess off with the back of her hand. a cloud wandered over the moon which blocked her only light
source. she fumbled and ran her hands over the door, feeling for the lock with trembling fingers. once she found the key
hole, she plunged the key inside and opened the doors just enough for her to get inside. since she was in such a rush she
forgot to take the key back out. shutting the doors behind her, she leaned against the wood and let out a deep breath.
blood ran freely down her chin and dripped onto her gown.

the church was dark except for the moonlight that filtered through the large window. the beam landed directly to the
middle of the back wall, where a large cross was laid out. matches were set on the bottom of the offering table, and
heather carefully took them. she quietly began to light the candles that adorned the end of each pew, her breath shaky.

[elf_of_the_hollow]

|||||emeris didn't bother locking her door as she stepped outside again. too tired to run, she walked at an almost leisurely pace; just barely catching a glimpse of the figure pulling open the church door before it closed again. a heavy sigh escaped her lips, her eyes half open as she continued towards what felt to her like the threatening silhouette of the church. it was hardly a place she would visit often, and not one she would go to willingly, but her curiosity really was getting the better of her. she paused on the steps for a moment, just barely spotting a tiny blood stain speckled on them in the strained moonlight. it incited a small bit of panic in her for a moment before she shrugged it off. for a gang leader you sure are a baby, huh. she couldn't help the intrusive thoughts that bubbled up in her mind, so she simply kept walking forward.

placing a hand on the door she felt a shiver go up her spine. she felt so out of place in this moment, but it was too late to just head back to her apartment now. she couldn't just shrug this off or it would eat at her. with a deep breath in she pulled back on the heavy door before stopping herself quickly. dammit, em, think things through before you do them. what if they ask what you're doing here? she took a second to compose herself, grabbing the key out of the lock clumsily, before opening the door.

pushing her way inside timidly and spotting the figure again -- who she could now see a little more clearly -- she held the key up in her right hand. "uh, I think you.. forgot this." her voice didn't waver but she still felt nervous. good job em, you're a real linguist, huh.