The sisterhood of the Red Band

Her whole demeanor seemed so very calm, John noticed. She was not radiating the nervous energy he was used to when meeting women. Maybe... Yeah, it would make sense, right? Maybe nuns were excluded from this free-use society? But then again she did sound so subservient too. It was all very confusing...

Still, John did not feel like angering her. He did not want to pull the wrath of her god on him after all. Not that he believed in such things. But then again, nothing that had happened to him those last weeks was something he believed in and yet it had happened. Better to be careful.

"Hello" he greeted her. His voice echoed from the back to him from the high ceiling that was richly ordained with paintings.

She smiled politely back at him, completely calm. "I... Well, how do I say this..." John stuttered, more nervous than in a long time. "Are you.. I mean do you have one of those oaths of... How is it called... Oh right. Chastity?"

She looked at him, politely puzzled. "My sisters and I have sworn several oaths, that is true. Not I am sorry, what is that chastity you speak of?"

She did not understand the word. What did that mean? Did they simply not have it here? Was she no different than any other woman in that regard? Or did they simply use a different word for it?

Before John could make further inquiries however, he heard the clunking sound of footsteps again. They sounded odd though. Irregular. When John looked over he saw why. An old, wrinkled nun with a cane laboriously walked over to them.

"She is too young to know that word ." The old lady began in a raspy keckling voice. "Or rather she does not pay proper attention in my history lessons" she added with a stern look at the young nun. Still, there was an amused twinkle in her eyes, taking a lot of the sharpness out of her scolding.

"The concept of Chastity has not existed for millennia. I am curious, how does a young man like yourself, who surely has better things to do than dig through dusty old books, even know of it?"

"I..well I..." John began but he was at a loss "... It is hard to explain" he concluded lamely. The old woman fixed him with a piercing look. "Hmm... Is that so? In any case, you seem interested in these topics at the very least. If you like, you can come to my study and learn more about the topic. I am always happy to talk about history. To someone who actually listens that is." She adds with a sharp look at the young sister.

"In fact" she went on "it is probably best if sister Isabella comes with us, as this is a part of her schooling she should have known by now!" And so, John and the two nuns slowly walked along a narrow side hallway of the church towards the aforementioned study.

They came into a small chamber the walls lined with bookshelves that were filled to the ceiling. Some of the books looked not simply old but ancient. Even more so than their owner. The old nun indicated John to take the seat opposite of her. Sister Isabella had to make due with a tiny stool by the door. As John saw her sit down on it, he could not help but notice her black dress, or cloak or whatever the right term for this thing was, outlining the curves of a rather appealing butt.

"So..." the old nun began "Before I go on, who do I have the pleasure of addressing?" John was taken aback by this formal address. He was used to women swooning over him, but this was a different kind of respect. It bordered on reverence.

"My name is John" he replied. It felt very inadequate. It felt like the type of moment where he should give several first names, a last name, and a couple of royal titles. He shortly considered to amend his last name, but that seemed even lamer. So he left it at that. "John" she tried his name and nodded "Classical name of the scripture. Good."

Her voice took on a lecturing quality now "Be that as it may... Ah yes, history. I..." she glanced up at him with an apologetic smile "Before I start, I have a tendency to... drone on as my students say" she glanced over at Isabella who did not quite manage to hide a grin "So if you feel overwhelmed by information or want to know something more specific, just interrupt me. Alright? Good."

John leaned back in the uncomfortable chair and listened. "In ancient times, that is to say roughly two thousand years ago, the world was very different. A paradise in many ways. And yet so very sad and triste. Men, there were in abundance, or so the scripture claims, men in equal numbers to women. But then again, this did not lead to the paradisic world one would make out in one's head. No, there were no free frivolities, no all-encompassing feasts of the flesh, no... erm anyway. None of that. You may ask yourself why. Well, the concept of morals in that time was... strange to us living today."

John kept listening as she explained pretty much the moral standards of the world he came from, a bit old-fashioned even for him maybe, but essentially the concept he grew up with. No free use, obviously. Fixed partners. No public display of sexuality, and so on. "... and then there were those who took it to a whole new level. Those, who had called themselves nuns, sisters like us, back in those times. They were living in Chastity. No men whatsoever. Even though they could have had them, albeit in a limited capacity. It is hard to understand from out point of view of course. But of course, you seem to know all this."

She said and looked John in the face with interest. "I... I do, yes. I think I do. But... how did it change?" John prompted her. Her eyebrows raised a bit "Well... You seem unfamiliar with our beliefs. That surprises me for a scholar like I took you to be. But alright, let me enlighten you." The raised eyebrows were one thing, but when he told her he did not know what changed afterward, sister Isabella gasped audibly, even clasped her hand over her mouth.

The historian nun kept going as if nothing happened "Some details are lost to us, of course, but after the coming of the prophet, our sisterhood, the sisterhood of the Red Band had formed. Since ancient times we have worn the red band as a sign of protest against those old ways. Though many of us" she glared at Isabella "may have forgotten why."

As John kept looking at her quizzically, she went on "In the days of the first coming of the prophet, men were still plentiful in the world. We did not want to waste that potential. The red band..." but John knew it before she told him. The parts finally clicked together in his brain. Red band. Red stripes. Red bracelets! "...showed our everlasting and utter availability and compete willingness to make the most of every opportunity with the men, whose numbers were beginning to dwindle even in those days. Of course, many forms of knockoffs of our ways have spread across the world. Not that this is a bad thing as such, every act that gives to the male gender is a holy thing, but still, some of them seem to wear it as nothing but jewelry these days... But be that as it may, for us, the red band is a holy thing."

John could not believe it. A group of nuns were the ones that started this whole thing in the first place? Was that true? Or just some religious nonsense they claimed to believe for two thousand years? And in the end, did it really even matter? John looked over to Isabella who, other than usual, listened intently to her teachers lecture. John noticed that the cross she had dangling from her neck had a somewhat different shape than he was used to. It almost looked like... but yes it had to be. A long shaft, to balls to the side. The nun was wearing a stylized cock around her neck!

And then something else clicked in his head. The red band around her head. John turned back to the older nun who seemed to be reading his thoughts and grinned at him in a cheeky way, much to cheeky for such an old lady.