played by
Norski
POSTS
23
awards
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Inactive
call me The Zealot
He/him
25 YEARS OLD
Saggitarius
Hetero(?)sexual
Priest
TAG WITH @nathaniel
Nathaniel Zellot
in nomine dei violentiam
 Nathaniel hadn't been set out on this mission, he had spotted this case himself. A man with green hair, wearing upon his chest badges and symbols of bisexuality, and various other things he knew Ilmartir would frown so heavily upon, it may well bring about the end of the world in few short hours. Obviously, that wasn't to be stood for, and so he moved in. [break][break] "Hello! Apologies for appearing out of the blue, but I couldn't help but notice the, ah, symbolism." The priest gestured at the badges on the stranger's sweater. "While I'm very glad you've found a sense of self expression, you need to know that you're dooming the world to destruction by clinging to such concepts. You don't need to hold heresy to be special or an individual, you know." His voice held traces of bitterness, but overall he was appearing as cheery as he could. "If you need guidance, I and my organization would be more than happy to provide it?"{/b][break][break]
He began reaching into his pocket for a brochure, a very subtle one with vague information, anything more sensitive would be provided on a case-by-case basis. If said brochure was dropped, it would reveal very little, for safety's sake. As he did this, he took the seat across from the green haired stranger, not bothering to ask if he could sit.
MADE BY NOVA
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played by
Spencer
POSTS
31
awards
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Revolutionist
call me Cotton
he/him or it/its
29 YEARS OLD
July
10
Cancer
Seattle
biromantic demisexual
Therapist, Farmer
TAG WITH @cotton
Cotton Abernathy
no one wants to see the way society keeps spreading the disease.
Today had been an uneventful day. That in itself was decidedly unusual for Cotton, as between his little rooftop farm and his work with his patients at the Operation, there was almost always something decidedly unique to the day. So far though, it had all be paperwork and phone calls; the few appointments he'd had going along without a hitch. It was kind of nice to have things be so quiet, if a little dull. Even lunch was lining up to be a simple affair, as Cotton had come to the cute little diner down the street and picked up a burger and fries to eat at one of the outside tables, flipping through some novel or other while he ate.
Of course, no day would be complete without some form of strangeness going on.
He caught sight of the blonde stranger as they approached and lifted his head, offering a curious and expectant smile. Clearly this person wanted something from him, not that he really minded. Hell, when he first mentioned his bisexual pins, Cotton even half wondered if this guy was bi himself and looking for some support. The true nature of his approach was quickly made clear though, and the therapist couldn't help but blink in surprise at the blatant homophobia; not getting any chance to reply before the other sat down across the table. Oh boy, this was gonna be interesting.
"Uh..." He started, still a little surprised and putting his thoughts together. "Well, that's a lot to toss on a person at once there, stranger. You haven't even told me your name yet. Mine's Cotton, nice to meet you."
He was careful to keep his tone light, almost friendly. It wasn't difficult to pinpoint what kind of person this man was, and getting aggressive wouldn't be especially useful. He'd need to play it better than that, and a little conversation would help him suss out enough to do so.
He picked up his burger, taking a bite and gulping it down before he went on.
"I don't think I'm big on any new organizations at the moment, though I appreciate the offer. I've got quite a bit going on, and besides, I've been wearing these pins for years, and the world hasn't ended over them yet."
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played by
Norski
POSTS
23
awards
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Inactive
call me The Zealot
He/him
25 YEARS OLD
Saggitarius
Hetero(?)sexual
Priest
TAG WITH @nathaniel
Nathaniel Zellot
in nomine dei violentiam
"Years." Nathaniel balked a little at that, feeling the wrath of Ilmartir biting at his heels already. He shook his head. "How rude of me - my name is Nathaniel. I encourage you to consider my offer, Cotton, you seem like a reasonable man, you don't need heresy."[break][break] Ilmartir wouldn't be angry at Cotton, after all, he had been misguided all these years, they all had been once! "We don't ask for money, we aren't out to profit. We can help you any way you need, but you need to understand that this display of rebellion is going to affect more than just yourself." MADE BY NOVA
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played by
Spencer
POSTS
31
awards
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Revolutionist
call me Cotton
he/him or it/its
29 YEARS OLD
July
10
Cancer
Seattle
biromantic demisexual
Therapist, Farmer
TAG WITH @cotton
Cotton Abernathy
no one wants to see the way society keeps spreading the disease.
Nathaniel. What a fitting name for a guy like this, it sounded like it could have come directly out of someone's holy book. Cotton had no direct quarrels with other people's beliefs, provided they were respectful about it; but just walking over and calling a stranger a heretic wasn't exactly all that respectful. Still, Cotton wasn't known for his lack of patience. Nathaniel here deserved at least one more shot at just walking away, or at least being a little less rude with his tactics.
Keeping his easy tone, the therapist took another bite of his burger, pushing the basked of fries closer to the other in a wordless offer to share.
"You don't seem like a terrible guy, Nathaniel," That wasn't a lie, he seemed like a completely brainwashed guy, not a bad one. "I'm not here to insult your organization, I'm just not keen on joining anything else as it stands. I'm content the way I am, I've accepted myself and I've got a pretty good thing going. I even like my job. So really, I don't think I need the assistance. Thank you for the offer, but since I don't share your belief system, I don't consider my self-acceptance heresy."
He really hoped the blond would bow out gracefully here, or at least resign to talking about something else. Cotton had managed to gather a rather insightful read on the other, and he'd use it if he needed to.
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played by
Norski
POSTS
23
awards
|
Inactive
call me The Zealot
He/him
25 YEARS OLD
Saggitarius
Hetero(?)sexual
Priest
TAG WITH @nathaniel
Nathaniel Zellot
in nomine dei violentiam
Cotton was going to be difficult to deal with, especially since he was being so patient. Nathaniel was somewhat tempted by the offer of fries, looking at them for a moment before drawing hs eyes back to Cotton. If he ate one of those he may as well be selling his soul to the homosexuals, so none of that, he could buy his own fries thank you very much! He may do so after this. "Your self acceptance is beautiful, it is, but you've gone about it in the wrong way. You are still attracted to women, yes? The process wont be as rigorous as it is for some, and no doubt you'll find a wonderful wife." Not that that had won many over before.[break][break] "I know it sounds scary, or even inconvenient, but even if you don't believe in God, I'm very real, and I can tell you that the process has brought great relief to those who have undergone it." Cotton's refusal was starting to piss Nathaniel off, actually. "If you decide that it isn't for you, then you can walk away. We're only offering it, not forcing it, but you will feel much better."MADE BY NOVA
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played by
Spencer
POSTS
31
awards
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Revolutionist
call me Cotton
he/him or it/its
29 YEARS OLD
July
10
Cancer
Seattle
biromantic demisexual
Therapist, Farmer
TAG WITH @cotton
Cotton Abernathy
no one wants to see the way society keeps spreading the disease.
Oof, Nathaniel should have absolutely chosen his words more wisely there. The implication that others, bisexuals and gays alike, had been put through whatever this organization was offering sent a shiver down Cotton's spine. The longer the priest went on, the more this began to sound like some form of conversion therapy; and as patient as Cotton could be, that was not a belief system he was willing to humor for any longer than he already had. Still, he was careful to keep his expression smooth and not give away his disgust. He already had more than enough on Nathaniel to end this with a bang if he needed, but part of the beauty came from keeping himself calm through the whole thing.
So, he let the little blond talk, eating his fries and keeping cool amber eyes trained on him, giving nothing away.
But the second Nathaniel was done, he chimed up; voice still chipper and easy, speaking between bites of his food.
"Well, first off I could find myself a lovely wife on my own if I wanted, or a lovely husband, or a different partner even. I'm not in any particular need of relief. But, since you're so insistent, here's what I think. I think you are intending to force people, because I've gently turned you down twice and you're still pushing. More than that, you're getting irritated by my disinterest, and I'd bet my bottom dollar that if you had the ability to force me to join you'd use it. I think that the fact that you can't is part of what's starting to piss you off, because I'm confident in myself enough without you swooping in and saving me to lead me to enlightenment."
With that said, he leaned back a bit, looking nonplussed as he ate another fry. There. If that didn't do it, he'd have to bring out the big guns.
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played by
Norski
POSTS
23
awards
|
Inactive
call me The Zealot
He/him
25 YEARS OLD
Saggitarius
Hetero(?)sexual
Priest
TAG WITH @nathaniel
Nathaniel Zellot
in nomine dei violentiam
Frustration began to build, and Nathaniel was definitely not far off snapping. He was tense, it was obvious there was a lot of anger rising, but to his credit he was keeping it under control for now. "You're confident in carrying stones to weigh into the end of the world, the destruction of everything. How would you find yourself a husband if everything had been destroyed?" He'd hope Cotton chose wife anyway, it just made more sense, but heretics always liked to choose against logic.[break][break] "You have to understand I have used only words, not force. I would not manhandle, threaten or otherwise force you, I'd be willing the end myself in doing so." A lie, of course. "Is it not worth trying? It would cost you nothing, we're very willing to cover any travel or temporary housing expenses for anyone on the program." He should give up, he knew that, but if he stood now he'd be storming out and that would draw far too much attention to him. He decided then was a good time for the brochure, sliding it across the table. MADE BY NOVA
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played by
Spencer
POSTS
31
awards
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Revolutionist
call me Cotton
he/him or it/its
29 YEARS OLD
July
10
Cancer
Seattle
biromantic demisexual
Therapist, Farmer
TAG WITH @cotton
Cotton Abernathy
no one wants to see the way society keeps spreading the disease.
Cotton sighed internally at the clear persistent anger that flashed through Nathaniel's eyes; quickly progressing into an outward sigh as the brochure was pushed toward him. Morbidly curious and biding his time, the therapist quickly flipped through it. It wasn't difficult to catch the purposefully vague language and overuse of buzzwords, promising salvation and joy to anybody who deigned to give them a chance. The whole thing was creepy, and offputting in a way that made Cotton uneasy. All in all it snapped the final straw in his patience for this, and he closed the little leaflet and placed it on the table before speaking.
"I know you have not used force, but I also know that the primary reason you have not used force has less to do with your goodwill and more to do with your desire to maintain an image. Is that why you haven't left, because you know that as aggravated as you are you'd undoubtedly cause a scene and you can't let something like that damage your sparkling reputation?"
His voice betrayed no anger and no coldness, each word still laced with polite easiness and delivered through a peaceful smile.
"I'd imagine that's also why you deny your own homosexual tendencies and instead gun for a more hypocritical approach, trying to condemn people like me. You're just not confident enough or secure enough to actually embrace yourself and do what would make you happy, and maybe at one point you were just a misled kid, but now you're so sunk into this ideology that you're actually angry with people who don't agree with you. That's a bit of a small-minded approach, don't you think?"
Satisfied with that for the time being, though his arsenal was nowhere near empty, Cotton took another bite of his lunch and calmly awaited whatever response could possibly come back to that.
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played by
Norski
POSTS
23
awards
|
Inactive
call me The Zealot
He/him
25 YEARS OLD
Saggitarius
Hetero(?)sexual
Priest
TAG WITH @nathaniel
Nathaniel Zellot
in nomine dei violentiam
Nathaniel decided he didn't like Cotton at all. This wasn't how the conversation was supposed to go, but Cotton was correct; he was stuck there for now. The priest opened his mouth to retort, but was cut off. He expected the next string of words to be the usual 'God isn't real' and 'you're an idiot' nonsense he'd get faced with after such a ready rejection. Instead? He was accused!{/i] Accused of going against Ilmartir, of all things! He scoffed, patience fading from him as he glared daggers.[break][break]
"How dare you accuse me of that - I do not have homosexual tendencies!" It took a lot of strength to not raise his voice, anger clearly starting to break his resolve. Cotton may be correct, but Nathaniel was going to lie and seethe, he had been improving drastically in the name of Ilmartir, who no doubt forgave him for human error! "You want to claim I'm small minded, and yet all you can do is throw wild accusations around. Who do you think you are?" See, the thing was, there was also some anxiety starting to build. Did Cotton know? Or was he taking a wild stab in the dark?
@tag // Notes: MADE BY NOVA
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played by
Spencer
POSTS
31
awards
|
Revolutionist
call me Cotton
he/him or it/its
29 YEARS OLD
July
10
Cancer
Seattle
biromantic demisexual
Therapist, Farmer
TAG WITH @cotton
Cotton Abernathy
no one wants to see the way society keeps spreading the disease.
If there had been any doubt in Cotton's mind about his read of Nathaniel, it was decimated in the wake of the priest's aggressive protests. That little rant gave the therapist every last thing he could need to know, and he nodded slightly, organizing this information in his head. By the time Nathaniel had finished speaking, the next nail in his coffin was prepared and ready to go.
Still, he did not let his smile fail, or his kind tone falter. He wasn't the kind of man to scream, he found the calm approach to be so much more effective.
"Let me guess, you sleep with guys from time to time, but that's not on you. It's not your fault you're attracted to them, it's theirs. So once you're done you shove them off and throw them under the bus and pretend the whole thing never happened until it happens again, right? There's probably been some who you even almost cared about, but your fear got in the way and you turned on them in a heartbeat. You let your fear control you, Nathaniel. Maybe you didn't always, but it lords over you now. That's the real god you answer to."
He ate the last bite of his burger, sighing gently. Lunch break was almost over, he'd probably need to be getting back to work soon; there were only a few more minutes he could spare for this. Prepping to leave, he put his novel back into the little satchel he'd carried here, lifting his head to meet Nathaniel's eyes as he got things ready.
"To answer your question, it's actually my job to be able to read people quickly, and I'm very good at what I do. You've been an open book since you sat down across from me, but don't worry. Your disguise works just fine on most folks, lad."
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