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Hair and Nails
At the front of the concession, the Cardinal walked. Behind him, his retinue followed; bishops, priests, monks, and nuns. The Cardinal was chanting a prayer quietly, and his slow, methodical walk kept the group's pace to a crawl. Occasionally, he would steal a glance back at the tortured novices, bearing their crosses through the cathedral. The Cardinal could not hide his desire, but he dared not do anything in public. He would have his private time later. The members of the congregation that would not see the crucifixion, though, we're a touch more brash. They accompanied the novices on all sides, and only the fear of an accidental whip-strike kept them at any sort of distance.
The young nun, however, was not nearly this bold. As she broke off quietly from the procession, she clung to the walls on the sides of the cathedral's door, the door to the cloister, content to watch the torturous march from a slight distance, and not reveal her wicked desires. And perhaps hear the agonized screams of the women as the nails go in? From where she stood, she could watch all of the victims of this torture procession pass her. The first was Messaline, a picture of beauty; a young woman, wearing only a white blood-stained loincloth, struggling to bear an enormous cross, yet still moving along consistently. Her teeth were gritted. She had golden blonde hair that was capped with a band of rose thorns, letting dark red streaks down her pale face. The nun began to imagine her reaction to nails being driven into her. Her screams...
But those thoughts were interrupted by a cheer from the crowd. The nun swiveled her head towards the noise, and saw Eulalia striding with her x-cross hoisted up on her back, supported by a thin leather strap and her tied arms, which were already extended in their final pose. It was a wonderful display. Her head was not bowed. She was proud of the thorny crown she wore, but her face still showed a hidden expression of pained effort even in her moment of small triumph. Eulalia took her spot at the front of the procession. She would now be nailed first, ahead of the rest of the novices, too her special x-cross Her legs would be spread out, then nailed. Not very historically accurate to the sufferings of Christ, but certainly very alluring to the Cardinal nonetheless, and that was the ultimate goal, it seemed. As the two novices in the front passed the door, the young nun scanned for the other two.
Being followed by the remaining crowd, Barbaria and Thessala were stumbling towards the door, knees nearly buckling, bowed down by their cruel crosses, and bleed deeply by their Christly crowns. Barbaria seemed more than dazed, she seemed to be regressing further and further into shock with every step she took. She only barely managed to make it into the door of the next, private phase, before the stress and pain overcame her. Barbaria's knees gave way. Her cross tumbled to the side, dragging her down to the floor again. She was whipped. She didn't move. The whipping continued.
Desperate to not be the last person, and potentially loose points, Thessala continued her march past Barbaria as fast as she could manage. It was starting to look bad. Barbaria wasn't getting up. She wasn't even responding to the whipping anymore. Had she expired before even arriving to the Gogatha? Had she lost the will to move? The young nun decided that she could just watch as Barbaria was whipped to death. She needed to see that she was crucified, too. And she had a way to ensure that it happened.
The young nun, having stripped off the outer layer of her habit for this sudden duty. picked up the cross that Barbaria was tied to, and slung it over her shoulder, mirroring Barbaria's hold. With an effort, she managed to pull the cross forward, helping Barbaria drag herslef to her feet. Barbaria shot a confused look at the nun.
"Who are you? Why are you helping me? This is my cross the bear."
"This has to be finished, I don't think you can carry this on your own. I'm Emily." the strain of the heavy wood was already weighing itself down on Emily's voice.
Barbaria, eager to finish, as weak as she was, grasped the edges of the wood and helped as much as she could as they both continued with their burden through the doors. With Emily helping her carry her cross, the last novice had entered, and the doors were shut to the crowd.
The young nun, however, was not nearly this bold. As she broke off quietly from the procession, she clung to the walls on the sides of the cathedral's door, the door to the cloister, content to watch the torturous march from a slight distance, and not reveal her wicked desires. And perhaps hear the agonized screams of the women as the nails go in? From where she stood, she could watch all of the victims of this torture procession pass her. The first was Messaline, a picture of beauty; a young woman, wearing only a white blood-stained loincloth, struggling to bear an enormous cross, yet still moving along consistently. Her teeth were gritted. She had golden blonde hair that was capped with a band of rose thorns, letting dark red streaks down her pale face. The nun began to imagine her reaction to nails being driven into her. Her screams...
But those thoughts were interrupted by a cheer from the crowd. The nun swiveled her head towards the noise, and saw Eulalia striding with her x-cross hoisted up on her back, supported by a thin leather strap and her tied arms, which were already extended in their final pose. It was a wonderful display. Her head was not bowed. She was proud of the thorny crown she wore, but her face still showed a hidden expression of pained effort even in her moment of small triumph. Eulalia took her spot at the front of the procession. She would now be nailed first, ahead of the rest of the novices, too her special x-cross Her legs would be spread out, then nailed. Not very historically accurate to the sufferings of Christ, but certainly very alluring to the Cardinal nonetheless, and that was the ultimate goal, it seemed. As the two novices in the front passed the door, the young nun scanned for the other two.
Being followed by the remaining crowd, Barbaria and Thessala were stumbling towards the door, knees nearly buckling, bowed down by their cruel crosses, and bleed deeply by their Christly crowns. Barbaria seemed more than dazed, she seemed to be regressing further and further into shock with every step she took. She only barely managed to make it into the door of the next, private phase, before the stress and pain overcame her. Barbaria's knees gave way. Her cross tumbled to the side, dragging her down to the floor again. She was whipped. She didn't move. The whipping continued.
Desperate to not be the last person, and potentially loose points, Thessala continued her march past Barbaria as fast as she could manage. It was starting to look bad. Barbaria wasn't getting up. She wasn't even responding to the whipping anymore. Had she expired before even arriving to the Gogatha? Had she lost the will to move? The young nun decided that she could just watch as Barbaria was whipped to death. She needed to see that she was crucified, too. And she had a way to ensure that it happened.
The young nun, having stripped off the outer layer of her habit for this sudden duty. picked up the cross that Barbaria was tied to, and slung it over her shoulder, mirroring Barbaria's hold. With an effort, she managed to pull the cross forward, helping Barbaria drag herslef to her feet. Barbaria shot a confused look at the nun.
"Who are you? Why are you helping me? This is my cross the bear."
"This has to be finished, I don't think you can carry this on your own. I'm Emily." the strain of the heavy wood was already weighing itself down on Emily's voice.
Barbaria, eager to finish, as weak as she was, grasped the edges of the wood and helped as much as she could as they both continued with their burden through the doors. With Emily helping her carry her cross, the last novice had entered, and the doors were shut to the crowd.