Empty Wallets, Empty Purses (Brittany)

Maria hoped she wasn't late. This morning and the afternoon had been so hectic that it almost made her head spin. But talking with Shiina and Lisa allowed her to gain some level of stability. She never forgot her arrangement with Brittany. As usual, the Cadet looked incredibly out of place with her massive coffin and her nun attire. She never came to this area of the Backlight often, and that was only due to the amount of errands the Church gave her to stock up supplies.

She waited as she sat on a bench with her cargo leaning near her. Hopefully Brittany would be around. Or not, who knows?

As she waited for her, Maria looked down at her feet as if pondering something as she grimaced. Hectic as these previous events were, there was something out of all of them that made her begin to think about more. It bothered her, significantly. She was satisfied with just following orders and her own training. While the Cadet had misgivings about her place within Julius' own personal army, there was even more reason to feel ill at ease.


In the end, what really was her justice? Wanting to protect the innocent and helpless was good and all. But something as simple as that didn't seem like it would cut it for much longer. For all this time, Maria was taught to be efficient as possible. But for all the efficiency that was given to her, it didn't answer these moral dilemmas for her.


She blinked out of her reverie when someone touched her shoulder. Looking to her right, she saw nobody noticeable trying to attract her attention. But feeling the bench depress to her left, Maria turned to the other side to be greeted with a sight no other than Brittany.


Maria stammered sheepishly while glowing a faint pink in her cheeks. It was the oldest trick in the book, and yet she fell for it. Being mentally preoccupied tended to happen, but it didn't make it any less embarrassing. Father Jorge used to do trivial pranks like this when she was younger. But now he was too busy working the administrative side of the organization.

She noticed how lovely Brittany appeared, as if she was basking in all her youthful glory. There was something enticing about her that Maria couldn't quite put her finger on. Perhaps it was part of her charm as a cheerleader and a model. That would probably do it.

"I-it's fine! Um, sometimes we do, I think? Maybe in other Churches, not mine. I've never seen anyone play games or anything like that. We're usually just busy and all. Ha ha... Don't worry about it, it's alright," Maria hurriedly responded with a nervous laugh. Why would the Black Scriptures divulge themselves in such slothful activities? Maria never had that kind of privilege as a member of their Order. She was so removed from normal society for so long. And speaking of normal society, Maria forgot that she lied earlier about it being a guitar as she felt a nervous cold sweat tracing down her back.


She tried to stay as composed as she could, trying to be nonchalant about the whole thing. But at the same time she was feeling rather sorry for Brittany for having to spend time with someone like her who stood out like a sore thumb. "Sorry, Brit. I had to. It's... It's not too much of a problem, right?"

She was feeling lightly heartened by the very fact her friend didn't mind her eccentric appearance. Even when nuns weren't exactly too common, they didn't tote around massive coffins holding an equally massive mix of a gun and a metallic stake. In this regard, Maria's guilt grew despite her strained smile spread on her lips. But she strictly wanted to keep her Cadet side and her visible side separate. Even so, it made her ask the question... did she deserve to have a life like this? "Heh. Thanks, Brit. Um, what's Dungeons and Dragons... Level 20 Mage? Is it one of those video games I keep hearing about?"

She remembered little kids playing their handheld devices during Church. Maria had to sneak near the pews to remind them to turn them off. Most parents usually addressed that issue themselves, but it was the Sunday School children that were accompanied by the understaffed teachers. But in another memory, she remembered someone claiming the tabletop game being less than benign.


She was ultimately concerned for her friend. After having to deal with demons in the last few nights, it made her very cautious of anything regarding the supernatural. Especially when it came to the well-being of her friend.

At first she blinked before allowing herself to attempt to digest the entirety of the information that Brittany loaded onto her brain. The more she listened and digested, the more her expression slowly grew to a confused visage. Roleplaying? Heroes? Evildoers? It certainly sounded the kind of stuff those stuffy fedora-wearing nerds, who only come on Sundays because of their parents, would do with their video games. But writing down? That was new.


For all of her life, Maria didn't exactly have the kind of free time most people did throughout these five years. Even now, there were days when she couldn't waste too much time dillydallying about. But having an awkward moment is something that Maria wasn't quite here for at all, no matter how stuck they were in this topic regarding this "Dungeon and Dragons." But it wasn't like she was completely convinced by what Brittany was saying either. Though there was some doubts she began to throw over what Father Jorge claimed.

"So! Uh... We're here to shop, right? So are there any places you have in mind, Brit?" she quickly changed the conversation as tactfully she could. For all of her efforts from last night, the Mother Superior found it suitable enough to gift her with more pocket change as far as salaries goes. Hopefully there won't be anything too pricey.

"I... I think I get why it's a past time," Maria slowly began with a pensive expression on her face. She was still ultimately unsure about the hobby, but the Cadet was beginning to understand it little by little, "I've never tried anything like this before. So I guess I can't really judge."

So it was a lot like playing a video game in a way, but more interactive with other people. She wasn't quite sure what to make of the idea of escaping from mundane life. Maybe since she was so busy working as a Cadet and as an Executor, Maria didn't exactly have that kind of freedom or thought to occupy any free time for such a thing. At least, until recently for cases when hanging out with people like Brittany. And speaking of which...


No matter how much of a step forward Maria was making from being a boring old nun, she was still stepping out of her comfort zone and it was making her innately anxious about walking around in a place like this. Sleeveless shirts and short skirts? It was stuff like this that gained a lot of priests' ire from time to time. Something among the lines of dressing formally and appropriately in the house of the Lord. Did Maria really want to make that first step?

"How about that one?" she pointed a finger at what looked like to be a very modest choice. Looking at the displayed mannequins, they seem to have a "safer" style of actual patterned sleeves and rugged jeans. It probably didn't really fit Brittany's definition of stylish, obviously with Maria being so isolated for some time, but the Cadet was hoping they could start out small before moving into more... risque places.

Young and pretty. Maria could agree with the former part, but the latter? Not so much in her opinion despite Brittany's assurances. Though that is why they were here, to find something new to freshen her look, right? She wasn't quite sure what to make out of Brittany's admission, except to smile awkwardly. This was a topic she definitely wasn't going to touch. Instead she nodded towards the shop as she began to open its door.

The low chime of their entrance heralded their arrival as the bell rang. It was a modest shop suitably air-conditioned and a number of customers were eying the wares hung on the racks. Maria began to survey around, attempting to find what caught her eye the most. Some of them were kind of tacky, even for her admittedly. But eventually her eye found something of interest. "Um, how about these?"

She picked out the according articles and held them near her person so that Brittany could have a better idea what she'd look like. It was a sleeveless shirt, like the model suggested earlier, and a red pair of slim pants. She wasn't quite sure about this whole set up, but that's what Brittany was here for, right?

At first Maria was taken back at how vibrant and enthused her response was. But then again, she couldn't ever get used to her enthusiasm. Though there was something about it that seemed so precious about it. It made her feel a little more confident of herself and it was actually fun. Something that she rarely experienced ever since her induction into the Church.

"Well, alright. Give me a minute..." she began meekly before strolling off to the fitting room. At least before finding herself noticing that the coffin could hardly fit through the entrance. All of a sudden it felt claustrophobic, but at the same time, embarrassing to have this huge thing stuck with her. She was loathe to depart from it despite giving her so much daily problems, but left it leaning against a nearby wall before entering.

The space was far tighter than she expected. Yet there was more than enough room to move around between stalls. After occupying one, Maria hesitated as she undressed. Pondering if any of this was okay. Sure, it was just hanging out with Brittany and enjoying themselves trying out new clothes. As a Cadet, and most importantly as an Executor, was this okay? The teachings didn't really have such tight regulations on clothing or liberty these days. It just felt... awkward, as a new experience.


The pants didn't feel as tight as she expected. The amount of freedom she felt from her arms felt a tiny bit chilly for once, but somehow liberating. Looking at the mirror, she couldn't help, but marvel at her new look. It was so different from what she was familiar with. The wonder lasted for a bit until noticing her posterior, causing her to blush and try to pull down the hem of her shirt to cover it up as much as she could. Maybe this was a bad idea and she should find a coat or something among those lines soon.

Yet this stall lacked any other articles like the rest nearby. Brittany was waiting and there was no way to come up with the excuse that they didn't fit her since it looked like a perfect fit. Maria bit her lip in anxiety and frustration, but she had something to show to Brittany. They came all this way, after all.

"H-how do I look...?" she murmured nervously as she finally presented herself in front of the model. She bit her lip shyly while still lightly trying to pull down the hem of the back of her shirt. Maria waited for her reply and was expectant of what she had to say. Was this a worthwhile choice?