Chapter Text
Walking through the busy hallways of her church, Rosaria was set on getting her chores today from the office. She hurried down the hallway of siblings who were set on getting their breakfast. Rosaria was a morning person and had been up since 6 am. She had zoned out to the constant talk around her - using it as white noise - until she reached the church office in no time. She hastily knocked on the door and entered upon hearing a ‘come in’ from the head sister.
She politely entered, bowing her head in respect to the sister.
“Good morning Sister Angelina. I’ve come for my daily chores.” Rosaria told the blonde sister in front of her.
“Good Morning to you too, Sister Rosaria. Any specific tasks you want for today? We have quite an assortment for Christmas next month.” Sister Angelina responded, looking through the papers of tasks sent to her by the higher clergy.
“If it wouldn’t be a hassle - may I have a task that could have me working outside the church? I’ve been feeling a little off lately and I feel some fresh air and walking might help me.” Rosaria asked politely.
“Yes of course. The medical ward has been low on resources recently, and we have gotten a message from the apothecary that they have gotten a restock in one of their newer locations. If it would be alright with you do you mind going to get them?”
“That would be perfect, Sister. Thank you. Would you mind giving me directions if it’s a new location?”
“Not at all. Here, this is the map I was given. The location is circled in red and the church in blue. If I may ask you, be hasty about it as it’s getting rather cold and we need the resources as soon as possible? Thank you Sister, you are dismissed.”
“Of course Sister. Thank you.” Rosaria finished, and she left with a bow. She returned to her room to dress properly as her habit wasn’t enough to keep her warm in the cold winter weather. Wrapping herself in her coat and putting on fluffy leggings beneath her habit, she left once wrapping a scarf around her neck. She stepped outside the church and instantly felt the cold biting at her nose, with her cheeks tinting red. She could see her breath turn frosty through the scarf and the ground glistened frozen over ice. She’d have to tell Sister Angelina to have salt put over the pavements.
She slowly began leaving the church following the map given to her by the head sister. It was definitely much closer than the previous location, and she estimated it to take 10 minutes to walk there. She was glad it wasn’t further as she underestimated the temperature. As she walked through the desolate streets, she looked at the dead sky. Everything looked so dead under the white glaze of winter. It was like this every year for the last 20 years she was allowed outside the church.
According to the head sister, she was left outside the church as a baby. They didn’t know who left her, but they took her in as an orphan. She grew up around priests and bishops, and once she understood how to speak, she was taught the way of christ. She was baptized and was known by all who worked at the church. She was highly loved as one of the most devoted people there. She always felt out of place though, and she didn’t know why. It was probably because she was never told a proper story of the first few years of her life, only that she was found on the doorstep.
Blinking back to reality after realizing she spaced out, she looked back at the dull map to realize she was close. She began looking around for the familiar store logo, but only saw a small corner store. Rosaria didn’t know if it was the apothecary or not, but she decided to check, because if it wasn’t she could just leave with an apology. So, she walked up to the corner store and pushed open the door.
The inside was definitely unusual. It wasn’t your usual store, that’s for sure. There were pendants, crystals, charms, and insignias everywhere. Rosaria instantly felt uneasy. She looked around and noticed a counter where an old lady sat. She slowly walked over, eyes skirting around the strange store. As she reached the counter, she cleared her throat and the old woman looked up at her. She had a symbol around her neck. A star in a circle, whatever that meant. Rosaria realized she was staring and looked up at the woman's face.
“Hello ma’am, do you know where the apothecary is? I’m a bit lost as the location is new.” Rosaria asked the lady. The woman said nothing as she stared at Rosaria, furrowing her eyebrows. She reached over the counter and took her hand into hers. She felt a warmth throughout her body, and then snatched her hand away.
“I’m sorry ma’am, do you know or not? I am in a bit of a rush, I’m sorry if I’m being improper.” Rosaria pushed, the uneasiness building in her stomach. She wanted to leave instantly, but something was telling her to stay.
“What’s your name dear? You seem familiar.” The lady finally spoke up.
“My name is Sister Rosaria Eterna. Please ma’am, if you could answer my question I truly am in a hurry to return to the church.” She answered. She really just wanted to get back to the church, she had enough fresh air for the day.
“Yes, the apothecary is down the street to the right. May I interest you in this pendant? I’m sure it would suit you very well.” She asked Rosaria, holding up a pendant much like hers but with a crystal.
“I’m sorry ma’am, but it is against the church rules to use their money for personal reasons. I also may not take things for free, it is a very beautiful necklace though.” Rosaria said, eager to leave.
“Please, you may pay me back another day. I am just an old woman eager to show people my talent of craft. Please, take the pendant and go on with your day.”
Conflicted between taking the necklace and leaving or plain leaving, she decided to take it. She didn’t want to be rude or disrespectful after all.
“Thank you ma’am, I will come back another day to repay you. May I ask your name?” She asked, slipping the charm around her neck and under her scarf.
“Of course, my name is Elizabeth.”
“Well, thank you Elizabeth. I will be back soon to repay you for this kind gesture.” Rosaria responded and turned to leave. As she was exiting the store she hardly heard the lady whisper ‘Sathanas, is it truly her? Has she returned?’ But thinking nothing of it, she hurriedly followed the lady’s direction and ended up in front of the apothecary. She entered and asked for the needed supplies and herbs and paid for them. She swiftly put everything into a bag and began her way back to the church. It was definitely more than she expected, and she was struggling to carry it all but she would manage.
The entire way back, she couldn’t stop thinking about what the lady said as she left. She racked her brain for any memories of a short old lady that smelled like burning candles and incense. When nothing appeared in her head, she just continued thinking. How would a random lady know me? I mean, she gave me a free pendant. I still don't know what the symbol means but it has a pretty crystal on it. It looks like obsidian, not sure though. Agh, I’ll check the library to see if I can find anything. I should probably tell Sister Angelina about this.
Clearing her thoughts when she recognized the bushes that lined the church gardens, she walked up the pathway to the door and finally entered. She let out a sigh at the warmth of the church. Surprisingly, it wasn’t that cold considering it's a massive church with massive windows. It was actually well built with heating all around. It got incredibly cold when the heating broke though, and Rosaria had to suffer that situation many times.
She began her ascent up the stairs to the medical bay to drop off the herbs and solutions she bought from the apothecary. She knocked on the door and entered, seeing a few familiar faces.
“Good morning Sister Mathilda, Brother Mathew. Good to see you two are better now.” Rosaria greeted the twins who were busy treating people. They had been unfortunate souls who caught the winter cold, and being the church's head nurse, it was a bit unfortunate.
“Ah, good morning Sister Rosaria. Sister Angelina had told me you were sent to the apothecary to retrieve the things we need? We were in dire need of it.” Sister Mathilda asked Rosaria, not looking at her as she continued asking a brother laying on one of the beds if he felt pain anywhere.
“Yes, I did. They were out of dried ginger, but they had fresh ginger so I got that for you. But everything is here.” Rosaria told her, handing Brother Mathew the bag once he finished up with his patient.
“Thank you Sister, fresh ginger is always better, I’m just surprised they had some during winter.” Mathew said, placing the bag by the shelves and beginning to restock everything.
“I’m glad to help in that case. I hope this dreadful sickness goes away. It’s truly plaguing our sacred lands.” Rosaria said with a sigh of relief. She looked around at the half full medical ward. Most people were laying on beds, coughing, sneezing, and groaning in pain. Except for another Sister. She was further in the back reading a very large book. It looked incredibly old, with tattered leather, but she looked engrossed in it as she hadn’t even noticed sister Rosaria there. Deciding not to bother the busy Sister, she bid her goodbyes to the twin and said her prayers to the sick siblings and went on her way back to the office to meet Sister Angelina.
Arriving there, she went through the same process to enter and said her hello’s to the siblings around her.
“Greetings, Sister Angelina. I have given the needed materials to the siblings in the medical ward and am here to return the change. Thank you for letting me go out today, I definitely needed it.” Rosaria told the sister.
“No need to thank me Sister, I am simply doing what my dear pupils ask of me. If you wouldn’t mind, after lunch could you help the group of siblings setting up the evening mass? We are celebrating the month of Christ today.” Sister Angelina asked Rosaria.
“Of course not, thank you sister.” And with that, Rosaria left to do as she was told. That was the last thing she did that day as it took her the rest of the evening to do. She thanked the siblings for their help, and went off to dinner. She ate quickly, wanting to stop by the library before it closed. She had around 20 minutes to loiter there anyways.
Entering the library, it was empty. Not surprising as everyone went to dinner, but she was glad. The library was amazingly massive, and it was definitely one of her favorite spots. She didn’t know what type of book she was looking for so she just wandered around the library looking for anything. She didn’t find much until one book caught her eye. It wasn’t related to what she was looking for, but it looked like the one the sister was reading in the medical ward. It was old and tattered with no title on it. She took it from the shelf and flicked through the first few pages.
The first page said only the words: “F.E Diary.” It was rather peculiar, but she decided to indulge and take it back. There was no labeling on the book, so it was impossible to check out. Considering the librarian wasn’t there, she decided it was okay to borrow it and give it back in a few days as she was just indulging her fascination. It wasn’t a sin to borrow it, right? She slipped the book into her book bag and returned to her room.