Religious Pride

Sariel stood in the middle of her room, looking around as her tail idly swayed behind her, humming softly as she placed her fingers together to make a square and looked between them, scanning the room, tilting her head from side to side, stepping back and forth every now and then and restarting the process.

“Where do you think the shrine should go, Calibri?” Sariel asked, humming softly as she placed her paws on her hips. 

“Should I put it over there or in that corner?” She added, crossing her arms.  

“Honestly, I kind of want it to be seen from the doorway either when you pass by or when you poke your head into the room.” She says, sighing heavily as she closes her eyes. 

Her melantistic Guyst stares at Sariel with it’s one eye as it floats above her, turning to look at the door, then at the walls of the room, then at the door again, tilting it’s whole body as if it were thinking.

Slowly Calibri floats over to a corner of the room that looks like it would be the perfect place to put the shrine and wiggles.

Sariel blinks a few times then makes her way over to where her Guyst had stopped, “Hmm, you think this is a good place to put the shrine?” She asked, stepping back a bit then making her way towards the door, heading out of the room and walking past it a few times, stopping in the doorway and poking her head into the room.

“You know, I think you’re right!” Sariel exclaimed, smiling widely as she nodded and made her way over to where Calibri was then reaching up and petting his head. “Good job, Calibri. I knew I could count on you.” She complimented, giggling softly.

The melantistic Guyst cackled and gently bumped his head against Sariel’s paw, its wispy tail seeming to wag happily behind it, chittering softly.

Sariel cooed at Calibri and gently scritched under his chin before petting his head again. 

“Okay, now that that’s settled, I think it would be a good idea to start setting everything up!” Sariel says, continuing to pet and scritch Calibri.

Calibri cackled and chittered, rubbing his head against Sariel’s paw, its wispy tail wagging happily before floating around her head and nuzzling her.

Sariel giggled and nuzzled Calibri back before making her way over to a few boxes and opening them, removing their contents and setting them aside. 

Inside the boxes were a small floor shelf, a medium sized obsidian shrine cabinet, an obsidian table that matched the shrine, a bronze statue shaped like a demon, and a bronze censer shaped like a knotted cock.

A wide grin spread across Sariel’s face as she held the censer in her paws and gently rubbed it, giggling like a schoolgirl as she held it up to the light. 

“I think this was the best purchase I have ever made in my life. Look at how pretty it is. It’ll look silly with an incense stick poking out of it but I think it’ll be so worth it, don’t you, Calibri?” She says, examining it for any imperfections.

The melantistic Guyst cackled then floated around the censer, staring at it before nodding his whole body and chittering in agreement, even though he had no idea what it was or why Sariel had it, he figured it would be best to be supportive since she asked.

Sariel laughs softly then reaches out and pet Calibri again before setting the censer down, beginning to set up the shrine.

Once she was finished, Sariel stepped back a few feet and placed her fingers together to create a square again, looking through them and tilting her head from side to side once more, a soft smile spreading across her face as she nodded firmly, her paws on her hips.

“I think it looks perfect! I just have to add one more thing.” She says, picking up a leather bound book with the symbol of the Church of Sulfur on the front and placing it on top of the shrine.

“There, even better.” Sariel says, nodding firmly as she sets a small, pastel pink and pastel blue pillow with pastel green frills on the red floor mat in front of it. 

“My own dedicated shrine to Lord Murmur. Do you think he’d like it if he could see it?” She asked, looking at Calibri curiously.

Calibri blinked then stared at the shrine, tilting his body until he did a barrel roll, now staring at it upside down with his stomach showing, cackling softly and wiggling.

Sariel chuckled softly and shook her head, picking the melanistic Guyst up and cuddling it, gently rubbing his tummy. 

“I’ll take that as a yes.” She said, staring at her handiwork proudly, tail wagging behind her. 

With a satisfied sigh, Sariel made her over to shrine and sat on the pillow, opening one of the drawers and taking out a stick of incense and a lighter, setting it into the censer and opening the Words of Murmur to a random page and reading the text out loud before grasping her necklace and closing her eyes to pray.