"Promises are only as strong as the person who gives them ..."
― Stephen Richards

The Church of Prime is very large and spacious, though that isn't a surprise considering the borough it is located in is named after the religion. Although there is an office space for members of the church and confessional booths for the congregation, a majority of the church is dedicated to the nave. Long pews form three separate sections. All the pews face the pulpit. There is a section hidden behind the pulpit with a bronze brazier, the flames carefully cultivated to honor the goddess. Her figure is inscribed both in a tall statue behind the pulpit and in the panes of colored glass allowing natural light to filter into the nave. Since it is so late, the other side of the glass is dark. The only source is the fire inside the brazier and other smaller candles kept lit by the priests hanging on the walls. There is an overhead chandelier, but it is also brought to life during special ceremonies that happen so infrequently Tommy doesn't believe he's ever been alive for one.

Tommy sits in one of the pews. He is in the right-most section of pews. He is a few pews away from the stairs leading up to the pulpit. He is slid near the aisle that separates the middle and right sections. His hands are folded in his lap and his legs are pressed together. His toes touch the ground, but his heels rise above the dark purple carpet. He does not bow his head in prayer or contemplation. He instead cranes his neck to stare at the face of the goddess.

Because of where he is sitting, he's looking at her from an unflattering angle, but the statue doesn't look ugly even when Tommy's neck starts to hurt. The statue doesn't make the goddess look divine, though. She wears her hair in a low ponytail, and her eyes are closed. She wears flowing robes, a hood hanging over her head. She holds a sickle in one hand to represent the harvest and the bridle of a horse in the other to represent her favored animal.

He has never really understood people who worshiped the gods. Tommy knows people who can move faster than bullets, control other people's minds, and tear through solid Netherite. He knows of monsters outside the city that can explode when angered enough and animated skeletons strong enough to pull back a bowstring. The gods might have all these powers, too, but they don't do anything with them. Tommy has never experienced a miracle. He knows his luck is so terrible that he probably never will, but he's never witnessed one happening to another person, either. He only knows the secondhand account of Dyscardia, and Tommy isn't keen on completely trusting every word that comes out of her mouth, especially when she was in a dangerous situation at the time she believed the miracle happened to her.

Philza tried explaining it, but Tommy is still on the fence about the whole ordeal. Nevertheless, he sits in the church as someone who doesn't worship the goddess. He might start believing in her, though, because he can feel her stare upon him. At least, he thinks he feels the statue's stare. It could very well be a priest who has stopped their sacred duties to check in with the random man wearing clothes too big for him watching the statue. They haven't kicked him out yet. The church is generally kind, but he knows it is only a matter of time before he's booted from the premises. Until that moment comes, he will continue his staring contest with the goddess of hard work and perseverance.

The longer Tommy stares, the more he thinks she's familiar. The statue was probably based on a real person some hundred years ago, so Tommy could have seen a painting of the model. It could have been in one of the books Red Dragon and Sleepy tried to get him to read.

Tommy reaches further back into his past, and he realizes with a start why he recognizes her. He's seen a miniature version of this statue before. It was on the dresser. It was standing next to a vase. Although the flowers changed in the vase, they were always purple to match the goddess. There was a crack at the bottom of her robes, supposedly from an argument about the merits of having faith.

The person who owned the statue?

Reverie. Even a notorious villain turned to religion, and Tommy almost laughs at that idea. The only reason he doesn't is because the thought of Reverie makes his blood boil. Tommy grits his teeth, forcing his eyes away from the goddess' face. He stares, instead, at the brazier behind the pulpit and in front of the statue. The warm colors of the flames dance inside their bronze cage. It is the church's duty to keep the flame burning until the end of time. Tommy doesn't care about religious significance when he compares the anger inside of him to the unceasing flame. He usually feels cold and stoney when he thinks about his revenge against Azrael and Inchling, but Tommy will always harbor a tumultuous storm of riptides and brimstone for Reverie and his goons.

The sound of footsteps fills the nave. Tommy glances over his shoulder, expecting to see a priest hesitantly approaching him to inform him that the church is about to close to the public. Instead, he is met with the unwelcome sight of Techno languidly walking between the pews. Techno stares straight ahead, not sparing a glance towards the person he is obviously walking towards. Tommy scowls. He faces forward again. He came to the church because he was sure Techno wouldn't. Tommy barks out, "Why haven't you been smited yet?"

Techno does not respond verbally. He instead turns into the pew right in front of Tommy. He moves in further than Tommy, sitting down. He is diagonal from Tommy. He shifts his body to lean toward Tommy without facing him. Techno instead faces the other side of the pulpit, eying the doorway mostly hidden behind the staircase leading up to the pastor's stage. Tommy's nose scrunches up in a mix of anger and annoyance. He turns back to the flame in the brazier. If he pretends that Techno isn't affecting him, the villain might give up and leave.

"You ran off," Techno reminds Tommy as if the blonde wasn't sure what he had been doing when he stole Techno's clothes and left the cabin. Tommy didn't steal anything else except a bone to throw to the dogs, keeping them silent as he walked up the road. It would have been a long walk, but Tommy used his powers to speed up the process. He managed to get to the closest bus stop in time to get on the bus. And by that, Tommy means he landed on the roof of the bus and preserved his energy as it drove into the city. Tommy laid on the bus, watching the height of the buildings lining the street rise and fall. When the bus stopped for the third time, Tommy got off and came to the church. He would have gone to one of his usual haunts, but he suspected Techno knew them all. He went somewhere new specifically to avoid the villain, and he chose a church because he knows that Techno inherited his powers from someone known as the Blood God. Tommy thought the god of whatever church he went to would smite Techno. He chose the Church of Prime specifically because he knew the priests here would have some strength and skill in order to protect their hallowed grounds. It was the perfect situation, but Tommy underestimated Techno. A mistake he hopes never to make again.

"I was sent away, remember?" Tommy replies. He notices Techno now staring at him. Tommy sets his jaw, avoiding those brown eyes. (Of course, Techno had to have brown eyes. Tommy forgets how common that eye color is, and he always ruins him.)

"I don't remember that," Techno says with a frown on his face.

"Don't tell me you've already fucking forgotten about your conversation with Reverie?" Tommy hisses. He turns his glare onto Techno. The villain doesn't flinch, and that pisses Tommy off even more. It doesn't matter what he does- Techno will never feel threatened. He will never back off. He will continue to push and push, and it will always be Tommy who breaks. Tommy wishes desperately for the kind of cool Techno has. He would love to be more in control of his emotions. But he isn't, so he deals with his emotions, usually not in the best way he can but in the only way he knows works, if inefficiently.

"I remember that conversation. It happened earlier," Techno points out. Tommy rolls his eyes. Techno waits until Tommy's eyes are back on him to continue. "I don't know how you inferred 'go away' from the conversation."

"Fucking shit, Techno, you were going to hand me off to Reverie!" Tommy says through gritted teeth, throwing his hands up to emphasize his point. He pushes his body forward, his heels pressing against the floor. He adjusts himself to face Techno, leveling him with a seething look.

Techno tilts his head to the side curiously, reminding Tommy, "I was only going to do that if Reverie called in a favor."

"Is that supposed to make me feel better?" Tommy snaps, wondering not for the first time if Techno is literally, clinically insane.

"Theseus," Techno starts. Tommy flushes with heat at the nickname. He doesn't want Techno calling him that. Nicknames have always been a form of endearment for Tommy. His family would call him by nicknames. He allowed it with Ravager for purely selfish reasons because it made him feel closer to those old days. He liked it even more when he learned it was in some ways a symbol of respect. Ravager was acknowledging Tommy's hard-earned victory over Minotaur. Ravager's approval made Tommy feel strong. Now, it makes him feel patronized. It makes him feel like Techno believes they are closer than they are. He has half a mind to tell Techno to shut up, but the villain keeps plowing through. "Favors, often referred to as debts, have been in place for a very long time. They are one of the barriers between humanity and complete annihilation. If we can no longer put value to our words, we are failing as a society. I-"

"That is such fucking bullshit," Tommy mutters, interupting Techno. Tommy expects Techno to ignore him and keep on trucking, but the villain hesitates. He glances over at Tommy with a slight frown on his face. Tommy sneers at him, quickly shaking his jaw. Techno raises an eyebrow at Tommy's antics.

"The entire city came to be because of a favor-"

"I don't give a shit about old men from hundreds of years ago striking deals with one another," Tommy interrupts once again, putting his forearms on the pew in front of him. He starts leaning towards Techno. His stare remains narrow and rageful.

"One should never dismiss the academic pursuit of history," Techno enforces as if they are arguing about the value of getting an education. They aren't.

Tommy slams his hands against the pew's back. He stands up, trying to make himself bigger. Techno looks up at Tommy, but he doesn't look particularly little. Tommy's anger grows hotter, and his fingers close around the back of the pew as if he's going to break it. He just might, honestly. "Shut the fuck up! We are not talking about old men from the past or my damn education! We are talking about how you would have fucking handed me over to Reverie!"

Techno sighs, looking too unbothered for Tommy's liking. "I understand that you and Reverie have a bad history-"

"It was so much worse than that. You will never fucking understand the shit Reverie put me through," Tommy nearly screams. He feels so angry that tears are starting to build in his eyes. Or maybe they are forming because he's thinking about the things Reverie did to him. Either way, it makes Tommy feel weak. Techno isn't expressing any emotions, and Tommy is about to collapse underneath the weight of his.

"You're right. I will never be able to understand," Techno concedes placatingly. "But you escaped from him once, and now you have allies that are willing to rescue you, myself included."

"For a fucking favor, right?" Tommy asks, forcing a laugh out of his lips to hide the bubbling sob that is steadily climbing up his gullet. Tommy shakes his head, looking away. He takes a deep breath. It is an attempt to compose himself. The one breath does very little. Even a couple of them doesn't make Tommy feel much better. It does make the tightness in his chest ease up. When he turns back to Techno, he is able to restrain his voice. "If I go back to Reverie, I will never fucking leave. The only reason I left the first damn time is because of Monochrome- Enderwalk. Reverie... has a way of getting under people's skin, staying there and making them dependent."

Tommy releases his grip on the back of the pew. He walks down the end of his pew, turning into Techno's. The villain's body language shifts, but his expression is calculative and docile. Tommy stops right in front of Techno. Tommy reaches out for Techno, and he is offended that Techno doesn't even have the decency to lean away. Tommy is easily able to grab Techno's wrists. He pulls Techno's arms up. Tommy leans down. Eventually, the two meet. Tommy cups Techno's hands around his own neck. He presses tightly, forcing his life into Techno's hands. He stares right into Techno's warm brown eyes. "If you want to hand me over to Reverie, you should just kill me now and save everyone the trouble."

Finally, finally, Techno is showing emotion. His lips pull down into a frown. There isn't fear in his eyes, but there is worry and Tommy thinks that is a kind of fear. Techno is scared Tommy is going to do something to himself, or he doesn't like Tommy forcing his life into Techno's hands. Techno has probably never had someone give up so willingly and completely. There must also be surprise in his expression, though Tommy can't exactly pinpoint it. He can see other emotions, fleeting and light like butterfly wings dancing through the breeze. Tommy is the reason for these emotions. He caused this. He feels oddly validated.

Techno maintains eye contact. Tommy has gotten himself into another staring contest. Techno also doesn't pull his hands away. Surely, Techno could rip his hands away if he wants to, even with Tommy's hands folded on top of his. Instead of doing this, Techno squeezes. Tommy's hands drop away. He closes his eyes. He takes a shallow breath. He wonders if he will struggle. It won't matter. Techno is far stronger and more durable than Tommy. A hit from Tommy wouldn't do anything. But would reason dictate Tommy's actions? Or will his body's insistence of continuing his own existence defy logic? Tommy guesses he will find out in a few seconds.

"You have to stop," Techno whispers, and his voice carries so much more emotion than his face does. Tommy's eyes snap open. Techno looks downright distraught. Tommy's earlier validation fades away. Instead, he feels uncomfortable and upset. He was the one to cause this. He doesn't like that fact anymore.

"Stop what?" Tommy murmurs. Instead of answering, Techno pulls. Tommy trips forward. Techno releases his throat, wrapping his arms around Tommy's waist. Belatedly, Tommy realizes he's being hugged. Techno is hugging him. Ravager is hugging him. It is so unbelievable that an ugly sounding chuckle comes from Tommy. It doesn't end with that chuckle. Instead, it gets uglier until Tommy realizes he's crying. He would wipe his eyes, but Techno is pinning his arms to his side. Tommy tries pulling at his arms. Techno moves one arm. Before Tommy can get rid of his tears, Techno's hand is pressed against the back of his head. He pushes down, and Tommy's forehead falls against his shoulder. The simple gesture completely breaks Tommy. A sob escapes him, and his knees buckle. He would fall to the ground if Techno didn't catch him, keeping him in a half-standing, half-kneeling position. It is uncomfortable, but Tommy doesn't want to pull away from the hug just yet.

"I promise you that I will not let Reverie keep you even if I have to give you away," Techno promises. It isn't nearly as comforting as he wants it to be, but Tommy derives comfort from this. It is the assurance that Techno isn't going to abandon him. Tommy didn't know how much he wanted someone to swear not to leave him until now. He has lost everyone else important to him. Even if he's a villain, even if he's part of the organization Tommy hates, even if Techno will probably be the one to kill Tommy when he decides to enact his revenge, Tommy holds just as tightly onto the promise as he does Techno right now.

Tommy hears another pair of footsteps, louder and faster than Techno's earlier. Tommy peeks above Techno's shoulder to see a priest running towards them with all the strength in his body. He gets near their pews. He stops, leaning down on his knees with heavy breaths. The minute his voice isn't too raspy to be understood, he says, "There's some villains fighting the Red Army nearby. Some people were even saying the Syndicate was there."

The priest runs off to warn other people about a nearby battle so that they might evacuate before collateral damage strikes them. Tommy and Techno remain rooted in their spots. They share a look. Techno's gaze tells Tommy everything he was going to ask. There wasn't an operation going on tonight.

Something is wrong.