little accident...

Smith is far from religious, but on rare occasion, he pays the Church of Sulfur a visit to confess his worries to Oleander, which always seems to put his mind at least a little at ease.

 

Feeling somewhat refreshed now, Smith takes his leave only to realize he forgot his coffee! Sighing under his breath, wondering how he could be so careless, he slips back inside the church only to discover Mercy... uh... pocketing a couple carats from the tithe? Maybe they're counting them? Yeah! They're counting them. Whatever, none of Smith's business. After all, Mercy does work here. Perhaps, they're taking care of the clerical work...

 

Just as Smith's about to ignore the nun and pick up his coffee, Mercy stops him before he can leave. "Wait!" they exclaim, mildly frazzled, "Stop, you caught me. I know it isn't right, but... I work hard and... well, just tell me what you want."

 

Smith pauses, confused because he was honestly just going to go about his business. He wasn't expecting bribery. "Oh, no, it's hardly any trouble," he explains, brow arched, "it's alright, I'm not interested in -"

 

Before Smith can put the other bun's mind at ease, Mercy interrupts him, "Please, there must be something that you want. something I can give you to silence you - I mean, handsomely reward you so that you might forget about this little incident?"

 

Sure didn't look like an accidental incident to him. and judging by their tone, it seems like they do this quite often...

 

With a soft, coy smile, Mercy places their slim hand on Smith's chest, slowly stepping into his space and while this act might appeal to others, Smith really would just like to retrieve his coffee and be on his way. Gently, Smith removes the nun's hand much to their disappointment, opening his mouth to explain that he has no interest in exposing Mercy's secret only to be quickly interrupted with the offer of a fruit muffin dangled right in front of his nose. Seriously, where and when the hell did they even get this pastry?

 

"Ah, thank you," Smith remarks politely, once again pushing away the nun's hand with care, "but I'd just like to retrieve my coffee and take my leave. I need to get to my next appointment..."

 

"Oh," answers Mercy, blinking, "well, why didn't you say so?"

 

With a sigh, Smith doesn't bother answering their question and simply takes his coffee, shooting Mercy a curt nod as he turns to leave. All is good. If he leaves now, he should still be several minutes early.

 

"You really don't need anything?" Mercy inquires, "and you won't tell anybody?"

 

"Not a soul, Mercy," Smith reassures, finally heading out the door, "though I suggest being more careful in the future. Take care now."

 

Mercy smiles, "Oh, I will, Mr. Smith, I will!" This will not be the last time they get caught, but they'll find a way to bribe their way out of trouble — after all, they always do. "You too now, take care."

 

As Smith finally heads to his next appointment, he can't help but think about if Mercy wasn't already a nun... they might've excelled in the cutthroat business of marketing.