Safe Haven

Lyra was on her way home from another night of drinking at the Rabbit Hole when suddenly, she heard a crack of thunder and saw lightning strike down nearby before it started to pour. Lyra quickly raised her hands up above her head to try and shield herself from the onslaught of rain. She ran forward, looking for any shelter from the sudden storm and managed to find her way to a door. It was unlocked so she opened it and took a step inside before closing it after herself. She leaned back against the door and panted softly, trying to catch her breath. She wasn’t built for running.

When she finally took a moment to take in her surroundings, she realized she was in the quiet, darkened holy halls of the Church of Sulfur. Ahead of her lay the large double doors to the nave. She could see candlelight leaking out from underneath it and she wondered if Oleander was still here at this late hour. She stepped forward and placed a gentle hand on one of the wooden doors before she pushed it open slowly.

There was someone kneeling down at the altar, clearly in prayer that Lyra had now interrupted as the door creaked open before halting. Even in the low candlelight, however, Lyra could tell it was Mercy praying and not Oleander. They raised their head and looked back towards the door. Their eyes landed on Lyra and they smiled, standing slowly and stopping their prayer immediately.

“Lyra, this is a pleasant surprise,” they said as they began to make their way down the aisle towards her. “You don’t visit the church very often.” As they approached, they were able to more easily take in the state that Lyra was in and just how soaked her hair and fur were on her ears. “Oh dear, you’re soaking wet. Come with me, let’s get you dried off.”

“I’m sorry for interrupting,” she said as she followed them out of the main part of the church. “It just suddenly started pouring and I was hoping to find some shelter until it lets up.”

Mercy nodded as they led them through the halls towards a small living area for the other nuns and priests. “Well you’re welcome to stay as long as you like. For once, I don’t have a pile of work that needs to be done,” they said with a smile over their shoulder. “I’ll get you a towel, make yourself at home.” They opened the door and let Lyra in before leaving her alone for just a few minutes to fetch a towel.

Lyra walked into the small lounge and sat down on the plush couch. She felt a little bad for getting it wet, but it was unavoidable. Mercy rejoined her soon after, carrying a few towels in their arms. They set them down on the couch near Lyra before they sat down in one of the chairs nearby. Lyra picked up one of the fluffy black towels and started toweling off her hair first.

“Sorry to come to the Church a little bit tipsy, I just came from the Rabbit Hole,” she apologized as she started to work on drying off her ears. “Though I think the storm might have sobered me up a little bit,” she said with a soft laugh.

“Oh don’t worry, you don’t have to apologize for being inebriated at the Church of Sulfur. We are all about indulgence after all,” Mercy replied with a coy smile.

Lyra tilted her head as she looked over the head nun with a curious expression. “Admittedly, I don’t know much about the Church of Sulfur,” she admitted with a guilty expression. “Could you tell me a little more?”

“Oh Oleander was always better at this than me,” they said softly as they sighed. “But Murmur knows where he is now,” they waved their hand and shook their head. “I’ll do my best, but if you want the full experience you should come to one of Oleander’s sermons. They may be one of the only things he does around here, but he’s talented.”

They cleared their throat and sat up a bit straighter, clearly going over a rehearsed spiel in their head before their mouth even opened. “The Church of Sulfur believes that all of us should indulge ourselves and embrace the things that make us happiest. A perfect and shining example of these beliefs is Oleander and his lecherous ways. Yes, he tends to think with his dick more than his brain, but he’s a naturally lustful person and he accepts himself and loves himself for who he is.” Despite any grievances the two of them had, it was clear Mercy still greatly respected Oleander for his work in the church and the way he could captivate people with his words.

“We believe every bun is perfect just the way they are and they should embrace the things that truly make them who they are instead of hiding them away or feeling ashamed.” They nodded slowly and smiled at Lyra who was listening intently. “Again, Oleander is much better at getting these points across. You should come to one of his sermons.”

Lyra nodded and gave Mercy a smile. “I think I will, but I never would have if you weren’t so earnest and honest with me about the church’s beliefs. I still haven’t made up my mind as a whole to join as a parishioner or not, but I hope I can at least attend a sermon or two. Can you tell me more about Lord Murmur? He’s who the church worships right?”

“Primarily, yes,” they answered with a nod. “Of course, Lord Murmur isn’t the only one helping to raise succubuns but we see him as our primary protector. He cares for all of us and all we can hope is that our prayers and worship reach him. He wants to see every succubun happy and carefree. It’s only because of him we can live the life we have and indulge the way we do. And we believe indulging in our vices is the best way to honor him.”

The two continued to speak at length about the church’s beliefs and how the church encourages indulgence through different vices while also respecting each individual succubun.