[Citadel, Eighth Street Temple] Finding our Religion

The Eighth Street Temple was not a traditional space. It was two storefronts with black fabric taped over the windows and a wall knocked out. Like everything on the Citadel, it had been rebuilt in haste. It existed to serve Citadel drell who followed 'the old ways'-a broad, difficult to define group- and was always disappointing someone.

Flat pack folding chairs were arranged around the various idols, who had seen better days. The arms of several statues had been reattached with wood glue.

Sitting in one of those folding chairs (near the statue of Arashu) was a brown-skinned teenager, known for being a bit of a troublemaker. The priests might have attempted to advise her-but she had such a deep scowl on her face that they, displaying the wisdom that one would desire from a priest, stayed clear.

"Hey," a red drell whispered while he sat down next to Kayana, Hadas was dressed conservable and plainly.

He looked around for second the temple was a sad display, fitting for the gods of a doomed race "sorry I'm a bit late, I preferred the old temple... it was more private."

"Yeah, well that whole block got levelled." Kayana reached into her bag, pulling out a flyer and shoving it at Hadas. "They have a couple back rooms here. They're starting renovations on the kitchen next week."

If he unfolded the flyer, he would see it was for a protest-the writing was a mixture of drell script and primacy standard. Drell, Protect Your Children. Suspend all underage compacts.

"I haven't been here too long."

Hadas looked towards the back, "hmm, I think that might be too dangerous, they would notice us sneaking in there... and the sound." He was about to give a hug when he got a flyer instead, and shrugged.

"Well fighting against the compact will be easy compared to your battle against the Reapers. What if you stay here to long the shush you out? Yeah I can see why they would do that this place is so strapped for space."

"I have been to SDU protests. I have done...so many AI law things." She rolled her eyes, flopping over the back of her chair. "So I was trying to hand them out at the meeting today."

Kayana waved his concern off. "Pfft, the priest knows me. Anyway, they can't spend too much time on a such a 'niche issue'. Like, none of them are coming."

She muttered under her breath, pulling her knees up against her chest. "If you ever want to sleep with me again, you'll come."

Hadas somehow managed to get face to face with her and smiled "Why can't you hand it out here? This is a drell issue and I would expect this is the ideal place to leave a stack of them."

He gave a kiss before he sat back down and closed his eyes for a second, "anyway when is this thing taking place, I might show-up, you know the lend my support, not to so see if there are pockets to pick..." He grinned at her, "so are you going to use sex as bargaining chip often or is this a onetime deal?"

"Any drell who comes in gets one." Kayana glanced up at him. "It's not the same thing though. It means more when there's a diverse crowd. Harder to brush off."

"Damn right, you won't steal at my protest. She made a soft humth in her throat, blushing a little. "I'm not planning on making a habit of it."

"Good, because I would have to start to flex my muscles..." He put an arm around her shoulder, those backrooms started to sound more appealing.

"I've seen you looking, anyway the trouble is that... well most people ask themselves why they should care. AIs the can understand, there's all kind of wrongs that happened to them that leads to the current situation. But drell... it comes all down to us messing up and the hanar saving us. The fact that most compactees go around telling they volunteered for it makes it even harder."

"It's just so damn hard."

"Those goddamn muscles." Kayana leaned into Hadas with a smile. "I am weak."

"They're kids. We know they don't want to care so we're focusing on the kids." She turned her head against his shoulder. "The only thing that pisses me off worse is the hardliners who insist on picking fights on every adult compactee who won't quit their job on the spot. Or that bring up my ex. They also suck."

"Fucking drell."

"Well hardliners are always going to be just that hardliners..." he shrugged, "they go about it all wrong... they should spend their efforts on other things like rebuilding this damn place."

"this isn't worthy of being called a temple." it came out louder than he would expected but he didn't really care, "and if they talk about you ex again just ask if I'm drell enough for them."

He suddenly stops talking realizing the possible implication of what he just said. 'Fuck I'm an idiot' the thinks.

"Eh... yeah."

'A real big idiot' he concludes

That earned him a few dirty looks. Kayana laughed, still pressed against him. "You're drell enough for me."

"They offer language lessons. Here, I mean." She rubbed her scalp. "I'm going to start a martial arts class, next month, but the insurance is a nightmare. Don't...be too mean."

"I promise, but I'm telling the truth," he glanced toward the ones who kept looking at him, he offered them a quick biotic flare, a flash of red surrounded him and died as quickly as it appeared.

"Maybe I should come to those classes, could help you tidying up afterwards, help you stretch..."

"Adults I can handle. But imagine 12 screaming children practicing high kicks." She elbowed him in the ribs when he flared up. "Come'on."

She sighed. "...If this place doesn't meet your standards, at least it meets mine. They turned down money from the DLF, you know."

He sat back on his chair... "I'm just grumpy... this reminds me of how much we've lost."

"At least it's good to hear that they have some backbone. I was afraid they hadn't any left after all the bending backwards they traditionally do."

"Sometimes, it's a relief that everyone got hurt, you know? That at least it wasn't us fucking up, this time."

She looked up at the statue of Arashu. "I mean it though, don't be an ass. Put up or shut up. And don't diss that statue." She gestured towards the mended idol. "She got pulled out of a ruin and she's she stands up and... anyway. That's the goddess I know..."

Suddenly Kayana seemed very embarrassed, blinking and adjusting her shirt.

"and what exactly do you want me to put-up? Creds? My time? I've got very few things to offer... and what I have I prefer to the gods not the... this place"

He grunts, waving at the statue, "and that isn't the Goddess that's an idol we give the goddess to inhabit so she is in the focus of our worship, and after a year we're still giving her the same broken one. Doesn't she deserve better?" He turned to a close by drell who was hard pretending not to listen. "well doesn't she?"

"Maybe? Because how could you serve a god of motherhood and protection out on your own?"

"Excuse me?" Said the passing drell, who was just trying to light some incense and recite some prayers for his children during his lunch break. Kayana groaned, snapping her fingers.

"Leave the guy alone, Hadas, I'm over here. Yeah, so we focus our worship on something she actually is. If you gave Arashu a fancy statue instead of giving some poor kid a scholarship-like so they could avoid compact-she'd kick your ass." She crossed her arms, looking away. "I like this statue. When I saw...When she..." Her voice got smaller and smaller. "....anyway I think it fits."

Hadas sighed, "I'm going... I'm not in the mood for this conversation Kay... not here, a temple isn't the palace to butt heads about religion."

He looked again towards the statue, "I just want that one day we don't have to choose, between the two."

"I'm sorry." She reached out to take his hand. "At least you care. We need people who care."

He stays seated and ends-up putting his head on her shoulder.

"I'm sorry... Rakhana it got in my head, to see what we once were and then to see this... it feels wrong. Like we somehow cheated ourselves from..."

He stayed close, "I'm lucky you don't toss my sorry ass outside."