Lou awoke the next morning with his rough, simple blanket clutched in a death grip in his hands.

He sat up in the quiet of his home in the early blue hours of dawn, and struggled to form a coherent thought through his anger, frustration, and hopelessness.

The wind in the trees around his house sent leftover raindrops from a night shower that must’ve happened while Lou slept, scattering in plips along the leaves and his roof.

Reckish isn’t ever going to change his mind. I’m trapped… and the temple will never allow me to live a peaceful life…

Lou slowly slipped his legs over the edge of his bed, and braced his elbows on his knees. He needed a new plan. Some way to live as peacefully as possible. He needed to convince the temple that he was better off in a monastery with his fellow monks, gardening, cooking, praying, singing, transcribing texts…

Something clattered downstairs in the kitchen.

Lou’s head snapped up.

He looked toward the foot of his bed where Meow still slept soundly.

Then pinching his nose and slumping his shoulders, he took a guess as to who was once again in his house…

Rising and trudging toward the stairs, Lou did his best to mentally prepare for dealing with Oliver Kelly.

He reached the bottom of his steps, and with a yawn, stared at the broad back of the young man who was in the process of cracking several eggs into a large mustard colored porcelain bowl. A basket full of eggs and hay sat on the table that Lou knew he hadn’t bought, meaning Oliver had brought it with him.

“Mr. Kelly-”

“Call me Oliver, and I’m surprised you're awake Brother Lou!”

The monk closed his eyes and rubbed them. “Why… are you in my house… again?”

“Heard Lieutenant Crimmins spent a lot of time with you yesterday.”

Lou’s hand dropped away from his face as he stared at Oliver flatly, while the young man turned around with a cream colored tea towel already thrown over his shoulder as he beat the eggs together with a fork.

“What business is it of yours?”

“What did he have to say?” Oliver asked before Lou had even finished speaking.

Lou strode over to the young man; thankfully that morning he at least had a sleep shirt and his trousers on.

“Are you a gossipmonger, Mr. Kelly?”

“I told you to call me Oliver, and I’m no gabber! I just like to know what the new residents are up to… I thought I made it clear I don’t trust them.”

The eldest Kelly son turned around the kitchen space, squinting his eyes as he searched for something. His eyes snapped wide again as he located the cast iron frying pan and seized it from where it sat on the kitchen counter.

Lou watched as the man turned over to the hearth that he’d already lit and placed the grate over, then set the pan over the gentle flickering flames that brought a cozy warmth to the kitchen.

“So you decided cooking me breakfast again was a good way to interrogate me without getting me angry?” Lou mused aloud while folding his arms and watching as Oliver proceeded to then reach over to a fresh loaf of bread that the monk guessed he’d brought with him.

“Amongst other reasons,” Oliver answered ambiguously.

“Such as?”

“Your house is quiet in the mornings. I’ll cook if it means I get a couple hours to myself. I have six other siblings; quiet is worth more to me than salt or gold.”

Lou blinked, caught off guard. “You came here for alone time? You know you really are a-”

The monk stopped himself.

He watched as Oliver proceeded to slice thick pieces of brown bread riddled with nuts and oats on the table.

Was a monk not supposed to help wayward souls help find a place of peace to rest? Perhaps while Lieutenant Crimmins needed something to occupy his mind with his men, maybe a few hours of solitude was the bit of peace Oliver Kelly needed.

“So what are you making me, Mr. Kelly?”

“Nothing if you keep calling me Mr. Kelly,” the young man called over his shoulder as he plucked up the small dish of covered butter Lou had set on the cooking table and added a generous dollop to the frying pan.

Lou closed his eyes while trying to remain calm. “Oliver.”

“Yes, Lou?”

“I’m still Brother Lou to you.”

“If you say so.” Using the tea towel over his shoulder, Oliver grasped the handle of the frying pan and sent the golden butter skating around the bottom of the pan, its aromas wafting over to Lou, making his mouth water.

“Lieutenant Crimmins came to tell me none of his men would be attending my sermons, and that I should not be offended.”

Oliver laughed derisively.

“I told him they did not need to follow the gods to attend. My sermons are a time to sit with one’s own thoughts and meditate as much as it is to guide believers through the tales and teachings of the gods.”

The Oxby local reached for the bowl of eggs and started mixing them together again.

“How did the lieutenant take that?”

“At first, not well…” Lou sighed as he recalled the conversation that led to him unlocking yet another one of Reckish’s abilities. “I told him about how lost souls that used to come to my old abbey wouldn’t necessarily believe in the gods, but they found music to be healing.”

Oliver looked at Lou with a half smile and a raised eyebrow.

“Long story short, Lieutenant Crimmins is now a part of my choir and will be inviting the men he commands to join as well.”

Stunned, Oliver’s good humored (albeit skeptical) expression fell. “You got the militia men to join your choir?”

Lou nodded, his expression bleak.

The Kelly son opened and closed his mouth, and placed down his bowl of eggs once more.

“How did you-”

“Apparently I uncovered a new ability of Reckish,” Lou remarked glibly.

Oliver straightened his shoulders and stared in open awe. “You brainwashed the lieutenant?”

“Of course not! Zeviras would never allow such an atrocity!” While the monk blustered, his cheeks flamed red. He would never admit he had asked a very similar question when he’d discovered what he’d done. “No, I uncovered the ability of rallying the troops. The lieutenant and I shared the same goal, and so he more or less was… encouraged to follow my orders.”

“Wait. You ordered him to join the choir? I must say, Brother Lou, you are far too pushy to be a regular monk. Maybe you’re more cut out to be a priest for Reckish than you know.”

“Bite your tongue. He was being argumentative and I only wished to test his vocals and hoped he’d enjoy the experience enough to consider joining the choir. I didn’t mean to- will you stop laughing?”

Oliver’s shoulders had begun trembling as he listened to the monk try to explain himself and refute his suitability for being a representative of a war god. He didn’t stop laughing, even when Lou stalked over to the bowl of scrambled eggs and snatched it up, taking over the breakfast preparation irritably.

When the young man finally regained his composure, he wiped his eyes that had begun to water.

“Gods, Brother Lou. How are you intending to convince the temple you aren’t well suited to be a priest at this rate?”

The monk proceeded to pour the egg batter into the frying pan, then reaching over into his two small clay pots he kept above the hearth, sprinkled in some salt and pepper.

“I haven’t a clue,” he confessed with a sigh. “If this continues, I’ll be sent to an active military unit before the year is up.”

Oliver folded his arms and leaned against the table thoughtfully. “Can’t you lie?”

“They’ll check my marking.”

Lou explained while reaching over and snatching the tea towel from Oliver’s shoulder in order to lift the pan out of the fire as he slowly stirred the eggs that were beginning to solidify and emit their enticing aromas.

“I should purchase some garlic powder,” the monk muttered to himself as he took in a deep inhale.

Behind him, Oliver plucked up the slices of bread, then stepped around Lou to place them on the grill.

“So the marking on your back becomes more detailed with each new ability you discover, right?”

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Lou was just finishing turning the eggs into fluffy deliciousness, when Oliver asked his question, prompting him to furrow his brow as he carefully turned and placed the hot pan on the table with the tea towel catching its bottom.

“I noticed this the other day, but Mr. Kel- Oliver, you seem very knowledgeable about the temple and religion.”

“Ah,” Oliver snapped his hand back as he had been in the middle of turning over the bread that was toasting with his fingers and accidentally grazed the grill.

Giving him a look of disapproval, Lou then wordlessly passed the young man a fork to help him in the future.

“I’ve read from The Sacred Book for almost two decades to my siblings,” Oliver explained. “One or two things stuck.”

“Aah, and here I was thinking you’d be my most devout follower.”

“You’ll be disappointed if you think that’s how it will be with you and I.”

“Mm,” Lou stared at Oliver as he successfully managed to transfer the toast from the grill over to the table, and began looking for the plates. “Oh, I don’t know. You already seem to be following me plenty as is. You show up at my home… you know who comes and goes from the chapel…”

It was then Lou noticed the young man’s ears were turning bright red, even though his expression was as calm and cool as ever.

Lou couldn’t help but smile. Who would’ve thought the thug was capable of blushing?

“I’m here to make sure you don’t get swindled by the new residents. That’s all. It doesn’t do either of us any favors if word gets out about you being Reckish’s priest and brings even more military dogs here,” Oliver responded with a huff.

“Mhm. Sure, sure. If you say so.”

Oliver rolled his eyes and handed the monk a plate. “When is your first sermon taking place anyway?”

Lou divided the eggs between their dishes, while Oliver buttered their toast. “I had been hoping in a few days, but now I’m worried it’s not enough notice.

“Does Reckish care what kind of war you’re a part of?” Oliver asked suddenly after setting the bread on both of their plates.

The abrupt change of topic had Lou blinking at Oliver blankly.

“Because if his selected priest is simply supposed to go offer help in battles… whose to say the scale of them? Wouldn’t that be up to the priest’s judgment?”

The two men made their way over to the table while Lou listened thoughtfully.

“The temple would have a say in the matter as-”

“As a priest of Reckish, you have the highest authority aside from the priestess of Zeviras, right?”

“W-Well, often the priest or priestess of Berra is tied with the one of Reckish.”

“Still. Second in command more or less. Why wouldn’t you be able to say where your skills are needed as the authority? You could pick a battle between two families for idiotic matters like whose cow shit in whose field, and declare that as the war worth fighting.” Oliver sat down and stared expectantly across the table at Lou.

“It isn’t that simple. Just like if a king is the head of a kingdom, they still have a council, advisors, the public opinion…”

“You’re the representative of a god. Your children are considered candidates to the princes or princesses,” Oliver pointed out dryly.

At this, Lou winced. “I’d still have to navigate politics and then there is the… er… matter about how priests are expected to get married. T-They pass along their gifts to some degree to said children that then become heroes, as you mentioned, yes. However that isn’t something I… really wanted for myself, and… erm… there would be a significant amount of pressure and people needling into my business about-”

“You don’t want kids? Is that it?” Oliver asked, cutting off the monk’s prattling while taking a large bite into his toast.

“It’s not… so… so simple… it’s... Mind your own business! How is it you don’t have farm chores at this hour?”

Oliver eyed the monk with a sly grin on his face that Lou didn’t like one bit.

“Your gods awful with women, aren’t you?”

Lou looked to the ceiling exasperated. “You know, I have half a mind to go to this farm of yours and talk with your mother.”

Oliver laughed and resumed eating his food.

Fortunately, he became more interested in his breakfast than antagonizing the monk any further, which gave Lou time to mull over the Oxby local’s compelling argument…

Acting like an authority figure had never come naturally to Lou. As opinionated as he was– and he had been told that he most definitely was more times than he cared to count– he never liked dealing with people in large groups. Issuing orders and constantly having to divide his attention was a nightmare…

He often preferred to be off in his own head, but if he were dealing with someone, it was best conducted in a one on one interaction.

So, what if Oliver was right?

Reckish had chosen him. No one else could speak to Reckish… didn’t this mean that the god had placed his trust in his judgment and wishes?

Lou started to smile.

“It’s off putting when you do that,” Oliver interrupted the monk’s thoughts, making him scowl.

“You know, Mr. Kelly-”

“Oliver.”

“Yes, yes, Oliver. You raised an excellent point… maybe… the battles I am to lead don’t have to be bloody or aggravating… perhaps they can be of the peaceful kind. The everyday battles everyone faces. Like battling with sandy soil to have your garden, or with cloudy thoughts, or-”

Oliver let out a lengthy belch.

“-Unwelcome guests who break in while you’re sleeping.”

The two men locked eyes, and after a beat of silence Oliver cracked his neck. “Sounds like a plan. Though you did have a point that the temple could still try to exile you if they summon you to something they deem more worthwhile.”

“It’s possible… but… I have a year to try out this new strategy. Time will tell!” Lou grinned happily.

Nodding along, Oliver then shrugged. “Well, good luck to you Brother Lou. Does this mean you’re going to stop being depressed everytime you unlock an ability?”

“How did you know I’d get depressed?”

Oliver raised an eyebrow. “I took a guess. It was either that, or for a monk you are in an awful mood when you first wake up in the morning.”

“Again, I’m going to remind you that it’s normal for people to be upset when they discover that someone who previously assaulted them has broken into their home.”

Oliver snorted and shook his head. “You were perfectly calm when my brothers and father harassed you.”

“Everyone has limits that can be exceeded.”

“I was here to make peace, there was no reason for you to be upset.”

Lou let out an aggravated grumble that had Oliver smirking again.

The young man knew he was being irritating.

“You need to work on boundaries and controlling yourself, Oliver.”

“Says the monk who supposedly unlocked war abilities while trying to be peaceful.”

“Will. You. Shut. Up.”

“Ah, you’re right, Brother Lou. You’ve convinced me. You’re as calm as an old dog in front of a hearth with a meaty bone.”

The two men continued to bicker and argue back and forth for another hour before Oliver at last left Brother Lou’s home, but despite his annoying qualities…

The monk was forced to admit, the Kelly son had definitely helped him feel better, and to craft a brand new plan.

When he left his home that day with the intention of finally writing out his sermon, he punched his fist into the air with renewed vigor.

“Alright! Let’s conquer life’s battles one day at a time!”

He beamed.

War could be what he declared it to be! If Reckish had chosen him, then the battles he was willing to fight, were the right ones.

Letting out an exhilarated breath, Lou set about his day.

Only he didn’t know Reckish wasn’t exactly in agreement with his new priest….