God really does love the little children (Day 13 - Morning - Work)

Isaac was officially on her shit list, Tamsin decided, as she spooned chili into the next person's paper bowl. This man's elderly face was marred by a rather nasty scar, and the eye that divided the scar was patched with an eye patch. An injury he no doubt had acquired thanks to the divide. Looking at him, and the next person who came through the line, who seemed to be missing most of their right arm, softened her ire. He was supposed to be here for this though. He said he would be here. But last minute he cancelled for some kind of cadet business. Well...it felt last minute to her, but in reality it was something the church had known about. In fact, it sounded like another one of their common helpers, Maria, had gone on the same mission.

The idea of Isaac out on some dangerous or exciting mission while she served slop to the poor and destitute was maddening. But, she had volunteered for it as well. It wasn't as though she didn't believe in the cause - she absolutely did. But now her and all the others' work loads had increased. She sighed audibly, as she took a break from what she was doing to run back into the kitchen to grab some more bowls and plastic utensils. As the small girl came back out, arms laden, one of the nuns noticed her. "Let me take some of those from you, dear. My, you're working so hard today." the older woman's voice reflected a familiar tone that Tamsin heard whenever someone was 'marveling at how grown-up' she was. Whatever.

"I'm just working, Ma'am. I grabbed a few extra so we won't need to run back as often." Tamsin replied shortly, looking up at the woman.

"How thoughtful. Just slide them there under the table, on top of the box there." The old nun replied, demonstrating with one of the stacks of bowls she'd lifted from Tamsin's arms. Tamsin did as she was told, and rejoined the line, spooning more food into the next person's bowl.

"You know, I don't think I've seen you around the church. Are you from the Orphanage?" The woman next to Tamsin in the line was not a nun. She was dressed nicely, and wore a cross necklace. She was probably someone from the church who had volunteered for this. "Do you attend Mass?"

Tamsin looked up at the woman between guests. "Yes I am. ...and no, I don't." She turned back to her task. "I think God's made it pretty clear where I am on his priority list."

The woman looked calm considering what Tamsin had just said in the middle of a church. Tamsin had considered the conversation would end there, but to her surprise, the woman countered. "God loves us all unconditionally, and those who love him in return find peace."

Tamsin shrugged, not moved by the woman's faith. It was blind faith like that that kept Isaac and the other cadets chasing their tails when things like Giddy were destroying lives on the streets. She didn't need it. All she needed to believe in was her own power and determination. Even without a response, however, the woman continued. "Haven't you ever received a gift - something you weren't expecting but that turned out to be exactly what you needed when you needed it?" She glanced down at Tamsin with bright eyes. "Destruction is brought by man, but the will to overcome it comes from the divine."

Tamsin's grip on the laddel in her hand tightened. She thought of her Persona. A gift from God? please. It wasn't even what she-- something you weren't expecting but that turned out to be exactly what you needed when you needed it. Her grip loosened, and her eyes widened a little. If she had gotten her way she'd be a Cadet like Isaac, slaving away under the rule of a government that couldn't even see the poison in their own drinking water. Instead she'd met Patty, Archie, and the others. She'd gotten strong working with them, and she felt more purposeful than she ever had in her life beforehand. A gift from God...huh?

"Does Satan give gifts?" Tamsin asked after a moment.

"You can tell the devil's gifts by the prices you pay for them. Nothing he gives is free, and most are empty promises." There was something in the woman's voice that promised experience in the subject, but Tamsin decided not to push that point.

Instead, she took a few moments to think. Was her Persona a gift from God or from Satan. And if it was from the latter...what price had she paid? What price was she yet to pay? Her brow furrowed, as she considered. Then, she opened her mouth, and spoke, more to herself than to the woman. "My will isn't from God or Satan. It's just mine. And I do what I like with it." Her tone wasn't particularly defiant, or surly. It was plain and matter-of-fact, like she had come to the decision as a simple matter of course.

The woman just smiled. "Yet you are here, doing his work. Sometimes we receive gifts without even realizing it, and we use them for the good of his plan without even recognizing we have."

"If you're about to tell me that the Lord works in mysterious ways..." Tamsin smiled a little.

"Oh? had you heard that one before?" The woman smiled. Tamsin smiled back, a tiny, easy smile. They may have differing opinions, but she reminded Tamsin of Isaac, and the steadfast part of him that always believed no matter what. Tamsin had always pulled strength from that powerful presence. Now, with him moving on more and more, she had to be that presence. Perhaps that was why she was so upset that he wasn't here. It was just another nail in the coffin of the past. Another page turned. The daring prince was gone, and now it was her turn to be the prince. But this prince didn't ride a horse. No, she rode a train.


The sun was rising in the sky, almost noon now, and Tamsin was cleaning dishes from the Kitchen, which had now ended. Many of the chores were done, and a few of the other nuns and ladies had wandered off to do work elsewhere. Always working these nuns. Doing the Lord's work or whatever. She sighed again, stepping away from the water and drying her hands off. Finally finished.

Near the door to the kitchen was a hook for aprons and mits and things. Tamsin's bag with the baseball bat strapped to it was hanging there. Retreiving the bag from the wall and slinging it over one shoulder, the young girl moved to leave church. As she was leaving, a voice called out from behind her. "Excuse me young lady!"

Tamsin turned around to see the woman she'd been speaking with earlier coming toward her, to Tamsin's surprised, the woman held out a small bundle of folded bills toward her.

Tamsin blinked. "This was charity work, Ma'am. I can't..."

"Sometimes, the work we do for the Lord's will comes with rewards we don't expect. Those are rewards we cherish ever the more because we weren't expecting them. You worked hard today, and I wanted to show my appreciation for that. Treat yourself to something, my dear, you've earned it."

Hesitantly, eyeing the lady with a look of suspicion, Tamsin accepted the money. "...Okay, then. Thank you." She offered in quiet reply.

For a second, Tamsin thought the woman was about to pat her on the head. Don't hit the lady who just gave you free money, Tamsin She thought to herself. But the hand landed on her shoulder. "My name is Elizabeth, and I volunteer here a lot. If you ever have questions, or want to talk more about what we talked about today, I can make myself available to you okay? Take care, hon."

The woman turned to leave, but Tamsin opened her mouth. "...It's Tamsin." She said. And her voice seemed to carry in the open entryway of the church.

"Well, it was very nice to meet you, Tamsin." the woman replied as she walked away.

Tamsin stood bewildered for a moment before finally turning to leave. As she went, she counted the money she'd received from the woman. "Holy shi--" She covered her mouth, and her eyes darted to the nearest depiction of the church's cross-mounted patron. That was almost like a hail mary or something.

She looked back down at the money in her hand. Who randomly gave a kid 50 bucks? "Maybe there really *is* a God." She passed a smile to Jesus on her way out of the church.