This Sinful Virtue

Hey! Rimaryllis here! This is the first chapter, which we'll probably lengthen soon. We'll also put up a picture of a map of Helvetti, and later on, some official character designs. A shoutout to amethystwolf for the cover :). Dedicated to clevercynic for being an awesome friend!

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The filthy streets were deserted but for a tall girl who walked towards the tanning salon. The condition of the roads didn't surprise her, or anyone else in Greed for that matter. Nevertheless, it was annoying to have to walk through the dirty town, especially with all the beggars who attempted to rob her of her possessions. They were practically indistinguishable from the filth, so constant vigilance was required at all times. It was something she learned when she was quite young, whenever the shriveled hands of a beggar came close she would whip out her dagger. The unfortunate greedy soul would have his or her hand cut off before they could realize she had taken out a weapon. She always carried it with her, in case such a situation arose, but she was lucky today, and got to the salon with little inconvenience. 

"Avaritia, how are you? Your regular?" A highly made-up lady with platinum blonde hair asked as she slowly made her way out from behind the steel bars of the counter. It was a mutual sign of understanding that neither would rob the other of every worldly possession they had. 

"Of course, Chamtivost, the ceremony of Paraalan is coming up, and they'll be making the decision on who will go. I'll need to look my best. I would like my usual room, and I'll use my own lock again. Security has been rather lax even in the best establishments." 

The two women looked at each other for a moment, then Chamtivost walked away to prepare the room, as ordered. The money she would earn from the deal would be a greater reward than ripping off the insolent girl's head. 

Avaritia slowly made her way to her room, in the back. The other women made themselves scarce so the dead-bolt on the door would offer her some amount of security. Happy with the security of the box she had been given, she remover her clothes and locked them in with the lock and key that she always kept by her side. After ensuring that it was secure, she entered the tanning area to give herself the orange glow that was envied by all. She made sure that her key never left her sight. It sat on her hip, leaving a white tattoo on her artificial skin, showing the world the lengths to which she would go to make sure her belongings stayed her belongings. 

Once she was satisfied, she dressed and exited the room. She made her way to the front desk, where Chamtivost was sitting behind the bars viewing the live feed from the many cameras in the store. When she saw Avaritia, she quickly covered them and headed towards the girl with a fake smile plastered on her face. 

"I hope you enjoyed your tan. It's the perfect shade, it complements your hair," she said, as she gestured towards Avaritia's spiky red hair, accented with streaks of black, blue, and pink. 

"It really is a lovely shade, but I think we both know that the price is the only thing on our minds right now. I still have to go shopping, so how much do you expect me to pay?" A smirk crept onto her slim face, causing many of the women in the room to back away in fear. 

Chamtivost snickered, "500 Lobha is the regular price, but since you're such a great customer, I think I can make it 450." 

"Really?" Avaritia's smile widened, "I was thinking more along the lines of a lower number, say, 300." They continued to barter until Chamtivost was horrified at the small amount of money she was paid. Avaritia walked out of the salon feeling contented with the lady's discomfort. Smirking, she walked towards the packed streets of downtown Avaritia, the capital of greed, which she, like many others, was named after.