Page 132
Story: Till Death and Daisies Bloom
I felt his sincerity—and beneath it, a depth I hadn't anticipated.
"So you were meditating," I said.
He nodded. "Helps me think, witchy poo.” He glanced at me. "Might help you too, given what you're diving into later."
"I've never been good at sitting still," I admitted.
"Meditation isn't about emptying your mind. It's about finding the quiet beneath the noise."
I thought about that.
"Like finding the seedling under the weeds?"
"Exactly like that." He seemed pleased by the comparison. "Want to give it a shot?"
"Why not? My other option is pacing anxiously until sunset."
"That's the spirit," he said dryly. "Close your eyes. Focus on your breath."
I followed his instructions, expecting my mind to immediately start its usual circus act. Instead, the garden sounds washed over me—birds calling, leaves rustling, water trickling. My breathing slowed naturally, matching the rhythm of the fountain.
"You're a natural," Sloth said softly after several minutes. "Most people take a lot longer to settle."
"Must be all that quality time with temperamental tomato plants," I murmured, keeping my eyes closed.
"There's wisdom in growing things," he agreed. "Patience. Acceptance of what you can and can't control."
"I've been so busy being angry, I forgot I'm allowed to feel other things too."
"Anger's just the loudest emotion. Doesn't mean it's the only one."
We sat in comfortable silence for a while. Gradually, I became aware of the bond between us. A calm, steady presence unlike my more volatile connection with Lust or the structured precision of Pride's bond.
"I can feel it," I said. "Our connection. It's..."
"Blue," he supplied. "Like still water on a clear day."
I opened my eyes, surprised. "You see it that way too?"
"We all experience the bonds slightly differently, but the essence is the same." He stretched lazily. "Mine tends toward thecalmer end of the spectrum. Lust's is all passion and fire. Pride's is structure and precision."
"And what happens when all seven are active at once?" The question that had been nagging at me.
He considered this. "Honestly? No one knows. This kind of network hasn't existed before, not with our particular...configuration."
"You mean the deadly sins and their long-lost member?"
"Something like that." His lips quirked. "Though 'long-lost' implies you were missing. Maybe we were the ones who didn't know we were incomplete."
The sentiment caught me off guard. "That's...strangely poetic coming from you."
"I contain multitudes," he said with exaggerated mysteriousness, then grinned. "Actually, I read a lot of poetry. One of the benefits of appearing to nap constantly. People leave you alone with books."
I laughed, genuinely delighted by this revelation. "So Sloth has hidden depths. What other secrets are you all keeping from me?"
"Fishing for information about all of us?" he teased. "Planning your approach?"
"Just trying to understand who I'm connecting with," I said, though heat rose to my cheeks. "You're all more than your sin aspects, obviously."
Table of Contents
- Page 1
- Page 2
- Page 3
- Page 4
- Page 5
- Page 6
- Page 7
- Page 8
- Page 9
- Page 10
- Page 11
- Page 12
- Page 13
- Page 14
- Page 15
- Page 16
- Page 17
- Page 18
- Page 19
- Page 20
- Page 21
- Page 22
- Page 23
- Page 24
- Page 25
- Page 26
- Page 27
- Page 28
- Page 29
- Page 30
- Page 31
- Page 32
- Page 33
- Page 34
- Page 35
- Page 36
- Page 37
- Page 38
- Page 39
- Page 40
- Page 41
- Page 42
- Page 43
- Page 44
- Page 45
- Page 46
- Page 47
- Page 48
- Page 49
- Page 50
- Page 51
- Page 52
- Page 53
- Page 54
- Page 55
- Page 56
- Page 57
- Page 58
- Page 59
- Page 60
- Page 61
- Page 62
- Page 63
- Page 64
- Page 65
- Page 66
- Page 67
- Page 68
- Page 69
- Page 70
- Page 71
- Page 72
- Page 73
- Page 74
- Page 75
- Page 76
- Page 77
- Page 78
- Page 79
- Page 80
- Page 81
- Page 82
- Page 83
- Page 84
- Page 85
- Page 86
- Page 87
- Page 88
- Page 89
- Page 90
- Page 91
- Page 92
- Page 93
- Page 94
- Page 95
- Page 96
- Page 97
- Page 98
- Page 99
- Page 100
- Page 101
- Page 102
- Page 103
- Page 104
- Page 105
- Page 106
- Page 107
- Page 108
- Page 109
- Page 110
- Page 111
- Page 112
- Page 113
- Page 114
- Page 115
- Page 116
- Page 117
- Page 118
- Page 119
- Page 120
- Page 121
- Page 122
- Page 123
- Page 124
- Page 125
- Page 126
- Page 127
- Page 128
- Page 129
- Page 130
- Page 131
- Page 132 (Reading here)
- Page 133
- Page 134
- Page 135
- Page 136
- Page 137
- Page 138
- Page 139
- Page 140
- Page 141
- Page 142
- Page 143
- Page 144
- Page 145
- Page 146
- Page 147
- Page 148
- Page 149
- Page 150