The confessions that came forth from Arthur's lips began like quiet droplets in the ocean, eventually turning into a torrent: not only did the avatar engage in these conducts that had been shunned by her worship, but the man also had enjoyed it. Melissa listened to him rather than searching for the memories herself - there was a point to the goddess asking him to convey it all in words, honeyed eyes attuned to the miniature changes to Arthur's facial expressions and the way his body responded to that soul-baring exercise.
Not once did she interrupt - instead, Melissa's hands gradually moved up, trailing the flesh over his ribcage, then closing inwards to palm over the man's chest. There was a moment of pause then, where the goddess pressed against his pulsing heart - the beating rhythm of the organ was tangible, like an agitated butterfly before being captured by a net. That was not, however, a reaction born out of fear - instead, it was blissful rapture that ran through Arthur's veins.
It was obvious in his eyes, the curled lips, the open vulnerability of a bare, carved body surrendered to Melissa's control: Arthur Harrow had committed one unspeakable sin after another, cognizant of what it meant for his soul and damning himself to save his goddess and her people. That type of devotion ignited something fierce in the brunette's eyes - unblinking, unflinching and so inhuman in that moment where the avatar offered no excuse to escape whatever punishment the goddess saw fit to demand.
"You would die for me and my people," Melissa said at length, right hand leaving its prior placement over Arthur's ribcage and instead softly gripping his chin. The goddess in human form was not taller than him - that impression came solely from the divinity that was so evidently contained in flesh and his genuine subservience, but they two figures had been at eye level for quite some time now. The deity's tone carried no question either - it had been merely an affirmation.
She had seen into his soul - Melissa knew he would have traded his existence for the safety of her flock and the goddess' undying glory.
"Which is precisely why I am not granting you that fate, Arthur."
Melissa's hand dropped from his face, only because she required some minimal help to remove her own garments. They were lighter than feathers, the delicate fabric being nothing more than wisps of clothing that seemed to shift color depending on the angle adopted by the observer: pearly white, pale yellow, soft rosé - it was a pastel kaleidoscope covering the immortal figure, kept in place by stone-encrusted pins and a belt, all of these efficiently removed in a single sweep of the goddess' hand.
The vestments pooled around Melissa in a reflection of Arthur's own. With nothing but the cane coming to stand between them, the goddess moved forward, linking her gaze with the avatar's before pressing her mouth to his. It was tender, soft and almost chaste, but surely the man could sense how different it all felt to him - it heralded something much more intense, as if the curtains to a hidden stage were being pulled back and the avatar was being granted the chance to see beyond the veil.
"Denying violence - that is not the answer," the brunette whispered against her follower's lips, words issued at a leisurely pace so he had the time to absorb them all, "Nothing is as powerful as loving something so fiercely you would kill for it; die for it. We are connected," Melissa's left hand moved to find the avatar's shoulder, warm digits following the path of his clavicle until the neck, then upwards and into the hair that had been tousled by the hasty removal of his tunic, a moment earlier.
"All this time locked away has taught me something - and we will reform our people, my darling Arthur. We will help them see the truth, but you shall be the first one I welcome into this new era," the goddess' voice was colored by elation then, Melissa's other arm slithering over marred flesh to pull him closer, towards her, "I absolve you for your sins and ask you to turn them into something else for me. Harness that violence within, Arthur - love me with it."
The kiss that followed was the polar opposite of the first one - hungry, feral and almost painful. The digits in his hair gripped the avatar's scalp, the palm sitting over his back dug into his old wounds and his cane vanished into thin air. Arthur was trapped by his goddess- but it wasn't the Melissa he had known before. Darkness had transformed his mistress and somehow made her light shine even brighter.