Tied As One Eternally

Chapter 1: A Simple Charlatan

The office was cold and quiet, with only the hum of the Abbey muddling the static in the background. That cazzo, this is maddening! he thought to himself, drumming his fingers on the desk. It had been almost an hour, and he was still sitting, waiting...impatiently, the unwelcome visit of his father. Papa Emeritus III, or Terzo as those close to him called him, was not happy to be kept waiting, especially for the old man.

He had just come back from another successful ritual tour and felt drained. The last place he wanted to be was in his stuffy office, bringing his mood down. Wasn't it enough that he already dread the upcoming responsibility he now held since he returned to the Abbey. He sighed heavily in reservation, it would be over with soon , he hoped. His frustration was nothing that the company of a few sisters of sin or even a brother perhaps couldn't fix, but clearly his relaxation would have to wait for whatever ridiculous nonsense Papa Nihil was about to lay on him.

He could hear the slow heavy footsteps approaching the door and he rose from his chair. Pushing his hair back from his face and straightening his untucked shirt before Nihil entered. Which he did without so much as a knock.

"My son! I see you are looking well!" Papa Nihil exclaimed, while taking a puff from his oxygen mask. The walk all the way to Terzo's office was quite taxing at times for the old man. Since he spent most of his time with Sister Imperator, whose office was down one floor and located on the complete other side of the Abbey. Terzo appreciated the distance since that meant he rarely unintentionally ran into the two of them.

"Yes, and honestly I am tired from my travels...I don't understand why this little interlude couldn't wait. What is it that you need from me Nihil?" He asked, ready to get whatever this was over with and fast.

"Well my son, is it too much to ask that I spend time with you upon your return. Why does there always need to be a reason-" Nihil started but Terzo quickly shut him down.

"Taglia le cazzate, Papa what is it you want?" Terzo hissed, sitting back down in his chair and pulling his legs up to rest on the desk.

"Well now that you mention it there is something that the Sister and I have been discussing. We have been thinking of how to approach you with this for some time now and since you are back from the tour, it is the perfect time to get to work on things." Papa Nihil said, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.

"What kind of trouble is it that the two of you are trying to cause for me so soon after my return?" Terzo was skeptical, nothing Nihil came up with was ever a good idea.

"We need you to select a Prime Mover. I know what you are thinking and I understand you want to live your life as some sort of immortal bachelor but we need an heir to the Emeritus bloodline. I have no choice, you are my last hope for this and we figure now that you are home you could easily have the time to focus on it" Nihil explained, making an obscene gesture with his hips. Terzo sat in silence for a moment, a flat affect upon his face. Nihil was visibly confused and leaned his himself towards Terzo. "Terzo?"

"You have got to be fucking kidding me? This is a joke, yes?" Terzo laughed robustly at the thought. Papa Nihil furrowed his brows at him, clearly irritated that Terzo found the idea so ridiculous.

"I am serious. Primo and Secondo are lost causes at this point...you are my youngest and last son." Nihil explained. Terzo had his palm firmly planted on his face. Of all things this was something unexpected. Terzo wondered what the sudden urge for grandkids from his old man was about.

"Yes...well I supposed after Secondo's vasectomy, there isn't much hope for you to hang on to. I think the idea is absolutely crazy to be honest. What do I want with a kid anyways?"

"It is your responsibility as Papa... you owe it to this church and to the ministry to produce an heir. Stop your childishness, there are plenty of sisters that I am sure would be willing to give you a child." Terzo knew this was true but who would he choose had he entertained the idea. All of the sisters of sin had a thing for him at one point or another. He had even had most of them-and when new ones would trickle in from other Abbey's, he was more than happy to initiate them into their new found abode with a good fuck. All of them fawned over him... well, all except one. He didn't know why but in that moment, with Nihil trying to talk him into things, his mind went straight to Sister Alessandra.

Now she was a subject, he thought, worth exploring. Such a force to be reckoned with. A sharp wit and an even sharper tongue. Sister Alessandra or Alé, as most of the siblings and ghouls called her, was hardier than most and not one to keep her opinion to herself. Her fiery nature, accentuated by her appearance. Terzo thought she had the most incredible eyes, deep green with flecks of gold laced within them. Her hair was raven black with a slight wave to it at the ends. Her tresses hitting her mid back when not concealed by her habit. She was full bodied, like a fine wine, slightly over average weight but curves bestowed to her in all the right places. The sight of her hips alone made Terzo's pants tighter. Despite his charismatic presence that seemed to lull all the others like moths to a flame, she seemed completely unfazed.

"Are you even listening to me?" Papa Nihil grumbled as Terzo brought his attention back to him.

"I am, sorry...I just- I do not understand why this is so important all of a sudden."

"It is important because you are not getting any younger, it is important that we have someone to carry on the bloodline. You owe it to this church and the ministry to fulfill your duties as Papa and that, my son, includes this. A new generation will be needed to keep the word of our dark lord on the lips of the many. If you do not do this we will be forced to remove you as Papa. It is not what I want. Personally I would rather not have our family name die with us."

"This was her idea wasn't it?" Terzo guessed knowing that Nihil was more than likely put up to his by Sister Imperator. She was chomping at the bit to get her one of her own in the Papal vestments and gown. Clearly Papa Nihil was desperate at this point and Terzo knew he had only the illusion of choice if the Emeritus family was to remain in power.

"The Sister did mention that there are others who could take your place if you are unwilling to fulfill your obligations, yes." Nihil's eyes fixed down at the ground. He was always eating out of the palm of Sister's hand, giving her more power than she had any right to take. Terzo took in a deep breath, preparing himself to embark on things he could never take back, giving himself over to the will and whim of the ministry for their own gain. He would do it, only because he had to but not without getting something in return.

"I will do this. Under one condition." Terzo proclaimed. Nihil smiled, a sight that was mildly unsettling. He was more than ready to accommodate his youngest son's terms. "I chose the girl, I will only try with her and no one else. My decision is final. If children come of it then so be it."

"Of course... I would not deprive you of choosing whom you wanted. That is part of the fun...and just who is the lucky sister?" Nihil asked, elated that Terzo was accepting his proposal.

"Alessandra." Terzo spouted without a second thought.

Notes:

Taglia le cazzate- Cut the bullshit