>And just like that, the boy exited the church faster than the masses of people leaving church after a sermon.
Geez, the boys these days...
>>41243289 >Meanwhile, evil incarnate himself let out a low chuckle that would have shaken fear into any naive members of the church, if there were any. Soon after, the man finally explained why the boy is training under him, and of course it's to prove himself to a woman. It always is in these matters.
>Though, what Riest had to say afterwards only managed to tick her off even more. She pointed the top end of her broom right towards Riest and threateningly voiced her opinion on the matter.
Don't lump me into your age group, old man. I'm still young and I can settle down anytime I wanted to. It's just that right now, this church is my top priority.
>Another deep rumbling chuckle escaped him, Caella's age was always a sore spot, which is of course why he kept jabbing at it. Still, he'd said his piece, and she was clearly doing fine, if perhaps a little more dour than usual.
>Riest makes his way towards the door, the smile on his face growing wider
Well then, I'm sure when you get to my age and have retired, you will have found love just as I have, no? Ah, I suppose we'll find that out in due time. For now, I have a wayward charge to relocate. Look after yourself, Caella. If you ever fall ill, my doors are always open.
>With scarcely another word, Riest goes through the ludicrously large doors of the Kingsmeet Church of the Holy Flame and he bolts out into the town, in search of his patient. While his eagerness to get fit was appreciated, his rudeness was not, and he would pay dearly for that.
>>41244139 >And again, the man chuckled, having poked her sore spot once again. She had half a mind to wipe that ever growing grin on his face clean off with one of the pews surrounding them, but what good would that do? It'd only serve to stain her already growing reputation as an ever-growing spinster priestess. But as far as she knows, the men who linger around the church were nothing but trouble. Countless times she's had to fend them off from stealing or breaking anything.
<If you ever fall ill, my doors are always open.
>She couldn't help but shudder at the thought of being taken care of by that man. She'd much prefer the comfort of a big, lonely church, than whatever home he is in. But before she could say anything, he'd already open the doors and left after the young boy.
Tch. As if I would ever come to you for help. I'm not a young boy, you know.
>She sighs and then looks over at the empty donation box. Just how long has that been gathering dust for?
Tch. The least those two could have done was left a donation.
>>41245274 >If mankind where to describe the the experience of being alive, one would be hard pressed to find a universal answer all could agree on. After all, the mere act of asking someone to define their life is a foolhardy thing to do bound to be answered only with a trifling answer based in the current moment of said person's life rather than an all encompassing one that summarizes their existence. But then, who could blame these people for being unable to define their lives when being alive is all they've ever known?
>From an outsider's perspective, life rested on a thousand and one intricacies that all meshed together to form a cohesive tapestry of one's life. Love, hate, faith, hardship... single strands of a cloth that colored the pathways of one's mind. Ritual, much like faith, also had its place life for the framework and support it gave the people who experience it. And for one particular girl, things that could offer support and grant her answers where needed now more than ever.
>Pushing open the doors to the church, a beautiful young girl with long black hair and bright red eyes walked through the arch, the summer dress she wore flickering too and fro in the breeze that followed her.
>>41252934 >First it was Riest and the boy that other day, and now it's another person that has come to the church to do God knows what. This was the most amount of visitors she's had this week than in any other week for a while now. Hell, not even any of the male visitors ever come to try and hit on her. Her reputation had really grown and stretched far and wide. But it appears that this girl had heard neither a rumor or a warning about this branch of the Holy Church of Flame.
>The new visitor to the church had just caught its Priestess in the middle of cleaning out the cobwebs from the empty donation box. Anyone could tell that no one but the priestess only ever cared for this place. It's almost surprising just how dedicated said priestess was to keeping this place alive. Looking around she could see all the cracks and broken pieces of the walls that looked like they were just mashed together to fit and somehow stayed stable. Any normal person would have abandoned this church in an instant and gone on to another profession, but not her. However, one could clearly tell that the time she's spent is taking a huge toll on her.
>Caella looked up towards the door of the church and saw with her own dead-fish eyes the new visitor with, suspiciously enough, red eyes, and a summer dress more fitting for a shopping district than a dreary old church. She assumed the worst and figured the girl was lost looking for said shopping district. Though her red eyes remain suspicious, as long as she doesn't destroy her church then anything this girl does is not her problem.
>She stood up and brushed down her clothes of any dirt or dust or cobwebs that made themselves onto her uniform. She had to at least look professional while she was on the job.
Welcome to the Church of the Holy Flame. I am its priestess, Caella Itra. I cant imagine why anyone would come to Church at this time of day. If you are looking for shops, then you must search for the next town from here.
>Tilting her head to the side to take in the priestess's unique composure and the church's dilapidated state, Rebecca's smile never faltered even as the holy woman's overwhelming pessimism hit her with the blunt force trauma of a sledgehammer. Looking about herself, she saw that the church was in a state that would make most believers think twice before coming here, yet the idea that the building's condition was why the faithful stayed away seemed off to her. No, if anything the building was a symptom of the real problem.
>Ah well, some people had it harder than others and it would be supremely rude of her to bring up the subject. Taking a few steps in the woman's direction, Rebecca redoubled her smile before speaking again.
No no, I was looking for the church's service.
My faith has been tested and I was wondering when the next service would be.
>Her voice echoed all throughout the broken church. It had been so long since anyone had asked for such a thing. She was so surprised, she very nearly lost her balance as she yelled it out.
>She then realized just how loud she had said that. She could have scared off this person! This was her chance to make a comeback! Money might be tight but soon her donation box could be full! Once the echo had ended, she straightened herself out and cleared her throat, acting as if her previous outburst never existed at all. With an obviously forced smile on her face she replied,
Oh! Well, um.. services are usually... uh...
>It.. had been a while since she last gave one. In fact, it's been a really long while. So long, in fact, she even forgot what day they were on! How could that happen, especially for a priestess!? But.. wait. Why would anyone come and ask for service now? Why did this woman decide to burst through the doors of her church on this day and ask for something she hasn't done in so long? Unless...
>And just like that her pessimism had overtook her thoughts. All hopes of reviving this church were lost as memories of watching the pillars and walls being destroyed by rowdy "patrons" flowed back into her mind. Her smile disappeared and was replaced with the natural furrowed brow that she'd give to anyone that looked for trouble from her.
Alright, cut the crap, lady. No one ever comes to this place to pray or serve under the Lord anymore. If anything, all anyone's ever looking for in this place is either a piece of me or a piece of this broken church to take home. Now, either you turn around and go tell your little friends to leave this place or...
>She then suddenly pulled out what looked like a rod right out of her sleeves and began rolling them up, showing off her surprisingly thin arms. How could this church stand still when the priestess is that thin in muscle?
>>41253071 >Taken aback with the sudden outburst of the priestess, Rebecca just stood there staring blankly at the woman's exposed rod, not knowing quite what to say in the face of her bold faced conviction that she had been sent of behalf of someone else to cause trouble.
. . .
>Feeling completely non-threatened with the threat of violence given that she could feel no pain in her current state, Rebecca stared at the angry priestess and let her head slowly tilt to the other side, her wide dark eyes looking at her with ever growing confusion.
>>41253084 >...Either this girl was very dense or very brave. Either way, both served to just make the priestess even more agitated. Even the way this girl keeps tilting her head from right to left like she were a lost dog annoys her even more.
You heard me! This dumb prank is over, alright?!
>Caella then started to walk towards Rebecca, every stomp of her boots echoing across the church while she adorned a look of annoyance on her face.
I've already had enough of people coming in here and wrecking everything I work my ass off to keep standing and the last thing I need now are a couple of kids thinking it'd be fun to take a jab at the bear living in her cave!
>Once she was close enough, she took hold of the girl's hand, ready to drag her out and find out who else is responsible for bothering her time. But, something felt.. unnatural. So much so that Caella stopped in her tracks and stared at the girl, holding onto her hand and double checking, triple checking, to make sure she was feeling what she thought. Usually hands were supposed to be warm when held, and this girl's was the exact opposite. It felt.. cold. Cold like a dead body's. Was today a cold day today? No, she could feel the sun's rays shining on the back of her head.
>She then realized just how long she was holding onto this stranger's hand. She quickly let go and pulled her arm back before the situation could get any more awkward. But without a moment's hesitation, she then confronted the girl, still cautious about her.
You... what are you? Normally one would be as warm as the Holy Flame, but its feeling is lost on you.
>>41253187 >Watching the woman grow more and more agitated by the moment, Rebecca could only watch dumbfounded as the priestess stamped forward, her voice reaching new heights of volume and aggravation. The threat of violence really didn't mean anything to her given her unique physiology but the moment the priestess grabbed her hand and jerked away in horror, Jessica felt her guts twisting into a knot as her dead heart filled with apprehension with what was to come.
>Taking a step away from the shocked priestess, Rebecca smiled wider still, her expression beaming with honest joy as she held the hand Caella had held close to her chest.
Ahahaha I'm not sure what you mean, I've always had naturally cold hands but to say I've been abandoned by the Lord...
>Taking a second step back, the dead woman prepared herself for the worst as the woman might run off screaming her head off about the dead rising from their graves. In a city full of strange sights and sounds, she had thought to confuse herself in the masses and live a normal life but if she had been found out within the first day, maybe it was time to go on the run again.
I'm sorry for agitating you the way I did, maybe I can come back later when you're feeling a little better...
>>41253508 >Normally at this point, she would have let anyone else go so she can finally be alone again, but this is a rare and strange case for her.She's already suspicious that there's something else going on with this stranger. Who knows what this girl is even capable of if she just let her go like this. Worst case scenario, everyone would find out she was the one that let her go. She can't risk putting the reputation of the church on the line like this.
>As Rebecca took a step back, Caella took a step forward, and another step forward, and another one. She continued until the girl was just at the entrance of the church. And before she could even attempt to leave, Caella pushed her arm out to the side of Rebecca's head and slammed the door of the church shut. The force of the door becoming shut caused dust to fly everywhere and another echo resounded around the hollow church.
Hey, hey, you haven't answered my question yet.
>She could see the brown, lifeless eyes of the priestess glaring right back at her, watching, waiting, anticipating anything that this girl could do now that she was pinned to the door.
So, let me repeat myself: What are you? Additionally, why did you come to this Church?
>>41256368 >Feeling her back get pressed against the shut door of the church, Rebecca felt her dead heart pound away with fear and terror. What was going to happen to her now that a representative of the church had figured her out so quickly? Could she even live in the city anymore if Termina's most important institution turned its gaze on her? Would she need to find a new place to stay? After all this time trying to find a new home, would she be forced out into the wilds again after having just settled here?
You want to know... what I am?
And why I came here...?
>Rebecca asked the maiden priestess, her expression darkening with the weight of the question she was asking. She had nowhere to run, nowhere to hide either. Being cornered like a rat, what could she do now? What options where left for her to explore in a situation that had suddenly grown so desperate?
>>41257226 >Caella was starting to become impatient with this girl. She was getting no where really fast and she doesn't have the time to stand around and wait for this girl to repeat her questions back to her.
>She slammed her hand at the door of the church again, creating another sound wave that spread throughout the church. Her hand actually hurt from doing that, but that didn't matter. Right now, she needed to focus on getting answers out of this mysterious girl, even if it meant by force.
Don't make me repeat myself again. Just answer my questions and don't cause me trouble. Follow all of that and then I'll judge you from there. Otherwise..
>She raised her hand and with a flick of her wrist, several slips of paper appeared in her hand. On these pieces of paper were strange symbols, one that wasn't found anywhere in the world, and one that only the priestess was taught to be able to read.
I will exact divine punishment, just as I have for every other troublemaker that crossed me.
>>41257985 >Not reacting to the display of force and the promise of violence despite being trapped in a way she couldn't escape.
>Turning her head to the side and smiling to herself, a ray of sunlight passed through one of the church's high windows to bathe her pale body in a pool of soft light.
Truth is, I'm just a girl to live out her life to the fullest.
And I guess I came here because I thought the church could help me do that.
>>41258176 >Caella bore witness to the entire thing. The light poured through the window right onto the girl, illuminating her already pale body in the light and making the girl shine a lot brighter compared to earlier. With this scene before her, coupled with what the girl answered, made this girl a lot more.. annoying.
...That's it? That's all?
...One moment.
>Finally, Caella moved herself away from the door, releasing Rebecca from her confrontation. She turned and walked further into the church, almost like she was in a hurry. Then she turned right back around and walked an even brisker pace back to where Rebecca was until she stopped just a couple of feet away from her. And with a deep breath, the priestess finally responded:
...Are you stupid or what?!
>Without a moment's hesitation, Caella pulled out what looked like an overly long stick and bonked Rebecca right on her head.
That was for wasting my time!
If you wanted to live your life to the fullest, you don't go to a boring church way out here! That's the exact opposite of living your life! Don't you have any friends?! Dates?! Family?! Why'd you decide to go and bother me out of all those people?!