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She tottered away and Anver looked at me, lifting a brow. "Is this normal?"
"It's Ati," I said, not even trying to keep my voice down. "The Priests of Obligation are too good to the rest of us."
"Because we don't have an option," Polst snapped as he pushed out of his chair and headed for the dry goods cabinet. Then he called back, "Get tired of the last guy, Nari?"
"Hey!" Anver barked.
I waved him down. "It's ok. Polst has a point. I'm coming into his course, interrupting things, and getting treated differently than everyone else down here. Let him have it, Anver."
With a huff, he sat back down, so my normal partner, Odette, and I went to get the other ingredients. The last guy at our table, Norris, turned for the supply cabinet, where the mixing bowls, measuring cups, and other cooking utensils were kept. It didn't take long - Obligation wasn't allowed to be lazy - and we were all back at our table, quickly starting to make one more version of this pie.
Yet Polst kept eyeing me. "That much nice can't be real," he muttered.
I just pushed out a sigh. "It's not, Polst. It's called manners, and that's what I get to study in my other classes. How to say the right bullshit to make people feel better. Look, I can't stop Ati from having a minor fit every time someone from another Path shows up, so I go with it. Takes less time."
"You know, she gets kinda excited about making those cookies," Odette said. "She always makes too many, and then the rest of us get some too. That's why there's cookies in the morning, Polst."
"It's not fair," Polst told her. "We're the ones busting our asses."
"Because we weren't the ones busting them in primary," Odette reminded him.
I just waved her down. "He's right. It's not fair. The whole system of the temple is broken. Everyone gets stuck on their own Path and never really sees how the others operate. Each Path assumes they have it harder than everyone else, but it's because they only see their own hard parts, not the benefits they take for granted."
"So who has it the worst?" Norris asked.
I looked up and met his eyes. "Obligation. They treat you like livestock, not even giving you your own space. They punish you for things that aren't your fault, and basically take you for granted. But here's the thing that we don't think about topside. This temple really couldn't run without the priests on that Path. My partner and I often joke about how one night of cum-stained sheets would make the rest of the temple appreciate all of you."
"Oh, so you appreciate us just so much, huh?" Polst all but sneered.
"No," I admitted. "Most times, I don't even think about it."
"Maybe because you're too worried about that bruise on the side of your neck?" Odette asked.
"Mm, battery lessons," I explained. "I have to learn how to get abused so that I can have a session with some other initiate who is going to abuse me. I won't even get the option of being the abuser because my instructor hates me."
"They just... hit you?" Norris asked.
I nodded. "Pretty much. There's some yelling, a bit of shaming, and possible fucking as well. It all depends on the initiator."
"And you just... have to go along?" He sounded shocked.
"That's the Path of the Body," I told him. "They're the priests who work in Zeal's place, directly influencing the base emotions of his patrons."
"Why would anyone want that?" Odette asked.
I grabbed the spoon and began mashing the butter into the flour. "Well, for some, it's the fancy clothes and fine food. That makes up for a lot. For others, it's the fame. And there is a bit of fame to be had on that Path. Still others want to help. My mentor has a patron who screams and slaps her around about once a month. It keeps him from abusing his wife, and our price is always less."
"Bullshit," Polst said. "Maybe for the higher Paths, but not down here."
"How much sleep do you get?" I asked him.
His brow furrowed. "I dunno. Why?"
"Because I'm betting that all of you are worked far too long and don't get nearly enough rest. I also have a feeling that you work better on that little amount of sleep than anyone else would. The price is less. It's always little things, but once you start looking for it and comparing it to people outside the temple, you can see it."
Odette leaned over to pour in a little water while I stirred what would become the dough. "We don't really get to go outside."
"You will," I promised. "After initiate training is over, you'll have the chance, and they can't stop you."
