Thread by @_centrists_

@Simon_Henry27 @misskeelahrose @PoemsbyCheyenne The last thing she noticed before blacking out was there were no witnesses around. As she came to, ears still ringing from the blow she received in return, she noticed that she was naked and bound.

"You'll have to forgive me," he said, producing a scalpel. "Eventually, I mean."

@Simon_Henry27 @misskeelahrose @PoemsbyCheyenne He drew a long, thin red line along the side of her rib cage. She would have told him to stop, but there was a gag in her mouth.

"People are funny that way, you know. Think themselves so full of passion that their rage could last forever. I help them learn that's not true."

@Simon_Henry27 @misskeelahrose @PoemsbyCheyenne As he crossed the first line with another at right angles to it, going from one side to another, she found enough strength to start struggling against her bonds, but not enough to free herself.

"Oh, dear, this won't do," he said. "I can't have you asphyxiating before I'm done."

@Simon_Henry27 @misskeelahrose @PoemsbyCheyenne He took off her gag, and then ignored the ten minutes of profanity that came flooding out of his subject's mouth, except for the last three minutes, which he had to admit were highly creative.

"Are you quite done?," he asked.

@Simon_Henry27 @misskeelahrose @PoemsbyCheyenne She did not disappoint. Another five minutes followed before she was too winded to continue.

"Now are you done?'

The sound of her wheezing was the only answer he got.

"I'll take that as a yes."

@Simon_Henry27 @misskeelahrose @PoemsbyCheyenne He drew another line along her other side, slowly, carefully, un-distracted by her screaming and then stepped back to admire his work.

"It won't do you any good," he told her. "Nobody is going to hear you but me, and I'm hardly likely to call the police on myself, now am I?"

@Simon_Henry27 @misskeelahrose @PoemsbyCheyenne "Why?", she asked.

"Why what?"

"Why are you doing this to me?"

"I'm just trying to help," he said, drawing a second crosswise line parallel to the first. "Ah!", he said. "Now we can start playing tic-tac-toe. Which square do you want?"

"What?"

@Simon_Henry27 @misskeelahrose @PoemsbyCheyenne "You need to choose a square. Haven't you ever played tic-tac-toe before?"

"How is this helping? Are you insane?"

"We're all insane. That's the problem, isn't it? I do what I can to be part of the solution. Now which square?"

"I'm not a masochist. I'm not choosing a square."

@Simon_Henry27 @misskeelahrose @PoemsbyCheyenne "Some people are so difficult," he muttered to himself. "Fine, I'll go get some dice, and randomize the selection. You just aren't going to make this easy, are you?"

Walking off in a huff, he left her to a few minutes of relief.

@Simon_Henry27 @misskeelahrose @PoemsbyCheyenne "I'm back!," he cried out cheerfully. "Did you miss me?"

"Why would I miss you?," she asked.

"Because you know your soul is in danger?"

"Not as much as one I can think of."

"Perhaps so, but I do try to think of others."

@Simon_Henry27 @misskeelahrose @PoemsbyCheyenne "How are thinking of others?," she asked. "I punched you in the face and now you're torturing me."

"And you think that's revenge?"

"Yes, you crazy bastard, I think it's revenge."

"Did you see any anger in my face as I knocked you out?"

@Simon_Henry27 @misskeelahrose @PoemsbyCheyenne That stopped her. She had seen no emotion at all, which made him a ...

"As I said, I'm trying to help. I'm trying to share my enlightenment with you. You don't appreciate it, yet, but you will. Have faith. Excuse me, I have to roll some dice."

He pulled out a small metal box.

@Simon_Henry27 @misskeelahrose @PoemsbyCheyenne "Here mom was, saying that I'd never get anything out of playing D&D. If she could see me now, right?"

"I'm sure she'd be proud."

"I'll bet she would ... Cheyenne? That's your name, right? I'm Simon. I'd like us to be close before you move on."

@Simon_Henry27 @misskeelahrose @PoemsbyCheyenne "This is a kink thing, isn't it?"

"Oh, good heavens, no? I'd never non-consensually strip and mutilate a woman on the first date. What sort of man do you think I am?"

"What?"

@Simon_Henry27 @misskeelahrose @PoemsbyCheyenne "No, no, no, no. This isn't about sex. It's about religion.

I'm sorry, you probably thought you were about to get raped. My bad. That was so counterproductive, not helpful at all. Can you forgive me?"

"What? Sure, let me go and we'll call it even."

@Simon_Henry27 @misskeelahrose @PoemsbyCheyenne "You ARE funny. I like that about you. Maybe that's why I'm so eager to help you out."

"This isn't help. Please let me go."

"Sure it is. I'm helping you achieve salvation. You think I should use a twelve sided or a twenty sided?" he asked, opening the box.

@Simon_Henry27 @misskeelahrose @PoemsbyCheyenne "What?"

"Dice, silly. You didn't think I'd use a pair of six sided, did you? The odds aren't evenly distributed that way."

"Could we get back to you not doing this?"

"20 = 2 mod 9, 12 = 3 mod 9 - a twenty-sided it is. Less re-rolling."

"Yeah, that's what I was worried about."

@Simon_Henry27 @misskeelahrose @PoemsbyCheyenne "See, our lord Buddha taught us that our attachment to anger and other unworthy worldly attachments is what keeps us out of Nirvana."

"I don't think Buddha wants you to torture anybody."

@Simon_Henry27 @misskeelahrose @PoemsbyCheyenne "Funny. That's exactly what Sensei said to me, shortly before I helped him find enlightenment."

"Huh?"

"He had done so much for me, that I felt I owed him something in return. Took me three months. More karma to work off there than I thought there would be."

@Simon_Henry27 @misskeelahrose @PoemsbyCheyenne "You killed your own teacher?"

"He seemed so wise and all, and he really did help me, but I suppose the fact that I was taking the course in a shopping mall should have sent up a flag. We live and learn."

He rolled the die. "Oh! Sorry, Cheyenne, tough break. Center square."

@Simon_Henry27 @misskeelahrose @PoemsbyCheyenne More screaming, as he sliced a shallow x into her.

"As I said, anger exhausts itself. Set free of it, you will enter into Paradise. That's all I'm trying to do. Is that so bad?"

"Yes?"

"And that just goes to show how much work we have to do. My turn."

@Simon_Henry27 @misskeelahrose @PoemsbyCheyenne Upper left square. She screamed some more and for the first time, really started to cry.

"There, there. See, you've let go of a little bit of pride. The healing has begun. I don't think it will take more than a week. I believe in you."

@Simon_Henry27 @misskeelahrose @PoemsbyCheyenne "Thank you?"

"You're welcome."

He reached for some saline to clean out her wounds, and the screaming began anew. This was going to be hard work, he knew, but he sensed that it would all be worth it in the end.

@Simon_Henry27 @misskeelahrose @PoemsbyCheyenne unroll @threadreaderapp