Doubles learns her first assignment as the new Clara

"Now, you know that I would never wish to dampen your spirit. The way you spread mirth and joy; Geod and I both are very fond of it. But you must adopt a bit of the high priestess' grace and melancholy, lest we expose the change in regime." Cherubin and Doubles stood together in the priestess' office, now redressed, with Clara having left on her voyage some time ago.

"Hmmmm... I don't think I even know what melancholy is... and I'm not ready to adopt!" Doubles stuck her tongue out as her friend returned a sour frown.

"Take this seriously, Doubles... We must, for Clara's sake." The bald, dark gentleman moved to the back of the room and picked up a half-tended schedule that Clara had filled out, detailing the week's activities. "You're going to have a busy schedule, just as she did. In terms of public appearances, we'll cut back on everything but the necessities so as not to expose our ruse. In terms of internal management of the church, I will assume a more active role. You'll have to sleep at Clara's home until she returns. You'll need to maintain your guise during all daylight hours; don't drop it for anything. Make sure you are in the house with all windows covered before night falls..."

Suddenly, this assignment was sounding like a lot less fun. "Booo... This is sort of sounding like a drag. Can't I just be like... a more fun Clara Fauxbright? When she comes back, she can settle back into the life I made for her, and she'll have a lot of fun too! I'm gonna be a pioneer of a new church culture!!" Doubles threw both arms into the air excitedly, a look that didn't suit the reserved and contemplative head of the church at all. Her new breasts bounced ridiculously with the motion. "Eh he he he... I still haven't gotten used to these."

Cherubin lowered his eyebrows with an impatient frown. "You must get used to them. And as much as that sounds like fun, my friend, we cannot afford to act like mavericks. If your behavior and the high priestess' are too disparate, others will come to investigate. They... cannot find out that you are a demon."

Doubles tilted her head curiously, her put-on blond hair falling attractively across one shoulder with the motion. "Hm? But you and Clara were fine when you found out..."

"We are more in tune with Geod's wishes than most. There are still those out there who wish for open warfare with demon-kind... just as there are demons who have not rejected the orders of the demon lord. If you were found to be a demon, you may face personal consequences more dire even than the dissolution of the church. I do not wish that for you. You must try, Doubles..." He placed both hands onto his friend's shoulders and stared at her seriously with white, Geod-enlightened eyes.

"O-Okay... Okay, I'll be extra careful. I'll be the kind of Clara that everybody loves! But um... Not the kind they love too much." She pressed one finger to her lip thoughtfully and raised an eyebrow, wondering if she'd really be able to establish that kind of nuance... Plus, in her eyes, being Clara was a great chance to pull the stick out of Clara's ass and turn her into someone Geod would like even more! That couldn't be a bad thing in the long run, right? If Geod really liked what she was doing, he'd probably protect her. She didn't ask Cherubin these questions, perhaps afraid he'd just shut her down again. "So what's first on Clara's schedule for today?"

"The first item on your schedule, Clara, is to visit the college. We've heard rumblings that college freshmen are being inundated with fundamentals that are rather... secular. You're going to catch them on the way in, remind them of the protection of Geod, and finally, convince them of the ongoing importance of alms to Geod."

Doubles was already feeling over-pressured; she clutched both hands to her head and shook her new blond hair. "Aaaah! That sounds really hard! W-What should I do?!"

Cherubin laughed into one fist, then crossed his hands behind his back, beaming. "For this one, I give the situation fully to your own discretion. The truth of the matter is, Clara would have been just as uncertain as you are of what to do, facing a bunch of fresh-faced students who are all thinking about the church's new rules of sexual gratification. I'm sure you will come up with something that is worth their time..." He allowed himself a mischievous grin. "But do not let them discover your identity, Doubles. Oh, and do not forget to take that map of the university with you... You do not want to interrupt the wrong class."

"Roger!" The fake Clara snapped a sharp salute, then finished changing back into all of her fancy-pants high priestess robes and accessories. "You'll see: I'm going to make Geod wish he'd thought to make me instead of the demon lord, because I'm such a great idea!"

"... Be careful of heretical statements while under the guise of Clara, Doubles..."

Smiling, singing to herself, and swinging her arms like a giddy schoolgirl, the doppelganger left the office and the church, on the path to the college.

"... Geod... You have gifted me with your sight, and yet, I cannot clearly see the outcome of this venture. Can you...?" Talking to either the holy being or himself, Cherubin watched the girl go with a nervous frown.