Summoned
Who: Samson and Epiphany Setting: The Temple
Samson wasn’t sure why he was keeping things from Epiphany or even more so, why she was so desperate to know what he’d been up to. She’d never asked about other partners before. She had to have seen him with the few women he’d been with since leaving the Temple’s hideout. It wasn’t like he hid that he occasionally slept with women.
But she was hung up on Wren and for some reason he was desperate to keep Wren a secret.
Not that he could get her out of his head. Even as the train trundled down the track to the Temple, moving faster than the subways would have in the past, he was pouring through the code he’d pulled from her neuro implant, looking for the errors.
When the train stopped at the Temple, he put the tablet away, steadying himself. There were a few weird looks, then ones of concern. He didn’t come down here unless it was on the schedule and that he headed straight for Epiphany was likely to raise some questions. Not that she wouldn’t clear the air once he was gone, but still. The people knew his role.
He let himself into her sanctuary, knowing full well she’d seen him coming. “You summoned me?” he said, staying near the entrance, arms crossed over his chest.
Epiphany had spent the morning assuaging her followers’ worries, again, over Vaughn’s recent stay with them. She’d hoped that by the third time she’d explained to the group that he was not a threat, that they would understand. But she could understand their apprehension. To them, Vaughn had been a tolerated outsider; someone who they’d welcomed into their home out of necessity, but this was the second time he’d been back into the inner sanctum of their Temple and surely at least a few of the members had heard her with Vaughn in the bathtub. So she’d spent a good deal of the morning preaching to them, reminding them that everyone here came from the same dark matter, that they were all connected and that perhaps they were judging Vaughn a bit too prematurely.
The energy in the Temple had shifted, quelled but not quashed, but it was enough that Epiphany excused herself to go back to her space. Mentally, she felt more drained than she’d hoped. She’d wanted to hold onto the feeling Vaughn had given her for at least longer than this. She’d need to reach out to him again.
She was so tired that she didn’t even truly clean her space before Samson arrived. The blankets in her pillow den were still wrinkled, obviously showing that more than just Epiphany had spent the night there. When Samson did arrive, she was kneeling in front of her altar, the monitor flickering static as she prayed. Slowly, she let her attempt at meditation drop and turned to stand with the help of her staff. “You make me sound awful when you say it that way.”
Her space was...wrong. Samson wasn’t looking at her, but it, then glancing behind him again. He’d thought the apprehension was him being there off-cycle, but now that he looked at her space, he had to wonder if he had anything to do with it at all. Or if he was just piling on an already stressful situation. Because she hadn’t been alone. And the Temple professed a shared sort of love, one so open that while Samson’s mother’s partner was his ‘father’ there was a chance he hadn’t ever shared any DNA with the man. But Epiphany was different. She was their prophet. And this...this spoke of something else entirely. Someone stayed here. That wasn’t part of the ritual.
He shrugged at her comment, watching her movements. “Are you feeling alright?” he asked first, focusing on that.
“Today has required more energy than I thought it would. I need to recharge, but I’m finding it harder than usual to do so,” She explained, walking carefully over to her nest of pillows and settling down into them with less grace than she typically had. They still smelled a little like Vaughn, though, and that made her smile just enough that she could feel a little bit of her own battery fueling up again. “I am much more interested in how you are feeling.”
That made Samson frown, immediately shifting over to his normal role and going to kneel near her, grabbing his tablet. It was still set to the output of Wren’s neurotransmitter, but he swiped away from that to his information on Epiphany. “Do you think something’s wrong?” he asked. Kneeling though, brought out the different scent, something that was distinctly not Epiphany. Or familiar.
They were a group that grew up in the dark. Not completely, but Samson’s sight, while good, was not his only strong sense like those raised up top. He knew smells, knew sounds, could pick them up faster. It helped with survival in the tunnels, underground. And that was different. Enough that he arched a brow at her.
“I’m fine. I’m...good.” Really good. Well, if he saw her again. He didn’t know if he would. He hoped he would, but it wasn’t like she could find him. Still, just being with Wren had lifted a weight on him.
Epiphany took another long breath and exhaled, closing her eyes even though it didn’t much matter. It wasn’t like she could see anything here anyway. She forced herself to keep her vision dark and not look up to the streets, thinking that if she could block out all light that she might be able to fully charge herself back up again. “I think the only thing that is wrong is how quick to worry everyone seems to be.”
She could hear his breathing change. The way he sniffed meant he caught something and she thought about telling him it was Vaughn, but she wanted to focus on his news first. “Is that due to your new friend?”
“Well, the Temple has always functioned better with stability,” Samson said. “They got in the habit of doing things the same way every time and the moment you throw that out of whack…” And he definitely meant her throwing things out of whack. He knew it.
At her question he tilted his head back and forth, even though she couldn’t see it. “I think. I hope. We’ll see what happens.”
Epiphany tried not to roll her eyes. She didn’t want to. She never did with Samson, but right now she was tired and that didn’t make her feel any better. She was torn, stuck between the highs she felt with Vaughn and the consistency she needed to provide The Temple. “Maybe it is time for a ritual cleansing,” She mused. A bloodletting ceremony, perhaps. Out with the bad blood, in with the new.
“Tell me more about her,” Epiphany said, settling further down into her nest of pillows as she listened to the sounds from Samson’s tablet. “She seemed beautiful.”
Despite what she said, Samson ran his fingers over his tablet, then dug out his scanner and ran it over her to see if there was something wrong. “You don’t need to do that,” he said. “Just, be consistent for a bit and they’ll come back. I’ll talk to them if I need to.” He looked at her, wondering what she was asking before nodding. “She is,” he said, unable to deny that. “She’s different from us.” The opposite of the woman across from him. “But it’s a nice different.”
“They should not have strayed. They are meant to trust me.” Everything she had done had been for them. Always for them. And now she had found another person, perhaps another member of their temple, and she’d welcomed him into their home and they were resisting. Perhaps she did need to do a cleansing. Perhaps everyone needed a bit of a cleanse.
“Different how?” Epiphany pressed, wanting to hear about this woman who had so easily ensnared her friend. Wanting to know exactly how concerned she needed to be.
“They trust you,” he corrected. “They do. Which is what...what makes them anxious. They can’t handle seeing you as a human. I know you don’t want to be, but you are. So, drop the cleanse and just...be weird you for a bit and they’ll come back.” He hesitated, then shook his head. “And tell your friend to stay away for a bit.”
He tapped a few things on the tablet and shook his head. She was generally fine, just stressed. “She’s...old fashioned,” he said. “And. Real.” Human where Epiphany wasn’t. But at the same time, as distant from the rest of the world as she was.
Samson had a point but Epiphany didn’t want it to be true. She felt strongly that Vaughn belonged there with them. That he fit into a place at her side that no one else had. But perhaps she needed him to win the Temple over first. How could they ever accept him if they continued to see him as an outsider?
She exhaled again and focused in on Samson. It was an easier line of thought for her to process, especially because Epiphany had forgone the concept that she was totally human many years ago. “Is she breakable?”
“Breakable?” he asked, arching a brow. “How so? I mean, she’s human. We are all breakable.” He wasn’t sure what she was asking.
“Breakable, for you to fix. You like fixing,” Epiphany said simply, slinking further down until she was curled up in her pillow nest. “Does she need fixing?”
Oh. Well, that was weirdly astute. “Not entirely,” he said softly. “She’s…” his fingers slid over to the code he’d been looking over on his tablet. “She could be. But it’s a different kind of broken.”
“All broken things can be fixed,” Epiphany mused. “Perhaps you were meant to find her, to help fix her. You are so very good at fixing.”
He blinked up from the code, looking at her. “You sound okay with this,” he said, unable to keep the surprise out of his voice. “You brought me down here and...you’re okay with it?”
“I requested that you come and share details with me regarding your new friend. Anyone that is close to you is someone I want to keep my eyes on.” Samson was of the utmost importance to her and she needed to understand how this Wren factored into that. Of course, she wasn’t going to explain to Samson just how heavily she wanted to investigate Wren. Not yet, anyway. “I worry about you up there.”
Samson wondered just how easily she’d be able to keep her eyes on Wren. The girl lived almost completely off the grid. Actually, Epiphany would see her was when she was with him. He frowned a touch, but nodded. “I’m not sure we’re that close.” Yes, they’d slept together and all, but he wasn’t sure that would be something that mattered. If he’d see her again. “I’ve been up there a while,” he added.
“Do you think I haven’t worried about you every day since you left?” Epiphany asked, turning her face toward Samson but not quite leveling with his eyes. Hers danced around the general area of his jaw, steadying there as she fought to win the war with her own mind and go searching for Wren on the streets.
“I didn’t belong down here,” Samson said softly, not looking at her, but away. He couldn’t handle her gaze even if she couldn’t quite see him. He still remembered what her eyes looked like before. When she was younger and used to look at him with those big eyes. He still didn’t understand why she’d chosen to give those up. “I don’t belong up there though either.”
“You choose where you belong, Samson.” Epiphany’s voice was soft; it always was with him, but it felt heavier to her than usual. “But you cannot choose who cares for you. Who worries when you are away. That, unfortunately, is something you do not have control over. All you can do is be less loveable,” She said, a light tease coming back just enough to filter into her tone.
He made a face, not sure how to take that. “Maybe I should work on that fact then.” He shrugged, biting at his lip for a moment. “I know you care about me, Piph,” he said softly. “I just...I don’t think you need to worry about me. I’m...I’m more worried about you.”
“You also don’t get to decide who worries over you. Some things are, sadly, out of your control, Samson. I thought we’d always known that here. Maybe I am not doing a good enough job explaining that to the Temple,” She mused. Reaching out for him, Epiphany took hold of Samson’s arm and let her fingers slip down until she found his hand. “What worries you?”
Samson squeezed her fingers. “You do a wonderful job,” he said shaking his head. “Don’t do that. You work really hard.” He didn’t want her to hurt herself doing more when he was probably the hardest of the flock to draw in. “All these changes you’ve made. What they demand of you. All of it.”
It was nice to hear someone say that, objectively. Often the members of the Temple looked to her for guidance, but feedback wasn’t given and she didn’t readily offer it as an option to them. She wondered if she should, or if they’d even accept the chance. “The demands are from Atia, not them,” She said, squeezing his fingers back. “And I am happy to obey them. Everything brings me closer to Atia.”
Samson made an irritated noise. “But are they? I can’t see how they are. I know...I know I’m the worst at this, but I don’t always feel like you’re hearing from Atia. You’re just...a figurehead for them to lean on and toss stones at.” He got up, unable to keep from pacing.
“Now who worries too much?” She countered, leaning back into her nest of pillows when he got up. She could feel him pacing, the air he created, the sound his footsteps made. “This is the life I was chosen for, Samson. It is my honor to live it. You’ve always known that. What makes now so different?”
“Chosen by who?” He thought of Wren, a young woman married to a man twice her age. A man who drove his followers to death. He shook his head. “Of course you feel honored. When was the last time you did something for yourself?”
“Chosen by Atia,” She explained calmly, but she did think Samson knew that already. She wondered if he felt he just needed to hear it again. At his question, she couldn’t help but smile and this time it was true. Even tinged with the dark aftermath that Vaughn’s visit had instilled in the Temple, Epiphany wouldn’t have traded those moments with him for anything. “Last night.”
Just what he’d thought. One, she still believed the lies. Two, she hadn’t been alone. She’d been with someone. “And where’d that get Piph?” he asked. “Where? What do they care about what makes you happy? What makes you smile?”
“I saw stars last night, Samson,” She said, her voice dreamlike and hopeful again. Awestruck. “For the first time, I was up among the stars, up where Atia is. I was at one with the entire universe and we were all boiled down into one glorious spark of incomparable energy and bliss. So I would say that it got me very far. And that last night made me so happy I could not hope but smile. Though...our Temple seems to disagree. They were not happy this morning.”
He shook his head. “It’s called an orgasm, Epiphany. They happen when sex is more than ritual and something you have a chance to actually agree to.” He rolled his eyes at her even if it rang true of his moment with Wren. “And yes, exactly. They don’t understand. You’re just a tool to them Epiphany. Not a person.”
Epiphany shifted her head, looking toward Samson with an unamused expression even if she didn’t connect to his eyes again. “I do know what an orgasm is, but this was more than that. This was spiritual on an entirely different level.” She exhaled and it sounded like an exasperated sigh even if she didn’t want it to. “What do you propose I do, then?”
“Alright, so a good orgasm,” Samson said, shaking his head. And she was exasperated with him. Good. She needed that. “I propose you tell them to fuck off.” He ran his hand through his hair, then shook his head. “Depends on what you want to do,” he said with a less aggressive done. “How much you really believe you’re their prophet.”
“Have you ever known me to question my destiny?” Epiphany asked, now sounding a little strained. Why was today such a hard day? Between the Temple and Samson, she felt like every bit of optimism she tried to bring was getting slapped down right in front of her.
That had him nodding, biting back a sigh. “Then you tell your friend to stay away for a little while. Keep things in the normal order. Then invite him back when things settle down. And don’t lock him in your space the whole time. Share him with them.”
“They already know him,” Epiphany said. “He has been one of the few from above that have come here without further intention of joining the Temple. They should feel safe around him,” Epiphany countered, feeling drained again. She didn’t want to ask Vaughn to stay away, but maybe Samson was right. Maybe the Temple needed to be reminded that they were her calling. It felt so counterintuitive to what he’d been saying earlier, though. That she needed to do something for herself. “How is asking him to stay away not doing the opposite of considering what needs I may have?”
“The delivery boy coming by is one thing. Him sleeping with their prophet is something else entirely,” Samson clarified. At her question he stopped pacing, tucking his hands into his pockets. “It’s exactly that. But I asked you, are you their prophet or a person. You chose prophet.”
Epiphany let her head drop to the pillows and she closed her eyes again. She was their prophet, before she was anything else. “...And I always will,” She said, feeling like she needed to remind both herself and Samson that this was her life.
“Then ask him to stay away and consider convincing him to convert,” Samson said. That was all he had. He was quiet for a long moment. “I’m sorry, Piph,” he told her softly.
She was quiet for a moment and it stunned her that she was. Typically, she would answer immediately but now, she was just too quiet. “...There is nothing to be sorry about,” She said. She tried for a happy, light tone, even just her normal dreamy tone, but neither came through. “This is my path.”
His silence said everything. He knew she’d know. “I should go back up. It’s getting late.” And he didn’t want to be there. Not overnight. It would make things worse. “Rest. I’ll tell them that you need it on the way out.”
Epiphany inhaled slowly and exhaled in a calm, controlled manner. Then, she reached for a nearby tapestry, something ancient and passed down through generations of the Temple, to wrap around her body. “Thank you for coming to see me. I will see you again in three days.”
“You know I always come when you call.” He watched her, then ducked to make sure her feet were covered too. “Message me if you don’t recharge by morning. That’s a problem.” He patted her leg then grabbed his things, packing them up again.