This was one of the worst storms Prospit had seen this season. Even so, the work of the temple was never done. Maidens walked around, setting up spare chambers for the unfortunate carapaces and trolls that were living out in the streets and had nowhere else to turn. They were given some of the chambers below the main floor of the temple, while the others that arrived later were shown to the rooms on the main level.

Many of the maidens had been relieved of their prayers to help get the refugees into the temple. The younger ones were told to get them towels and blankets to dry off, while the others prepared the rooms and the hot meals. This was a busy evening, and everyone had a job.

Only a small handful of people weren't rushing to prepare things, and that included Jane Crocker, next in line for Head Priestess. She was busy with her own duties, and as she healed an elderly carapace, she couldn't think about the faithful encounter that would happen in mere hours.

Roxy wasn’t one to complain about the weather. For as far as she could remember, she had been travelling on Skaia with her father, living in the wild, sleeping in grottos and up in trees. She had no problem with mud and bug stings; she was used to being dirty and sticky but what she was experiencing now was just too much. Water. Water everywhere. There were a few thunderstorms on Skaia during which she had to hide with her guardian until it stopped. She still remembered that time they were caught off guard by the rain, how their clothes were soaked after only a few seconds standing outside. But this... THIS was not a storm! This was madness! Everything around them was pure water. It was like someone above Prospit was pouring gallons of water on their head...

A few minutes ago, they were simply walking one of Prospit’s cheerful streets. They were on the market place, looking for something to eat after the trip from Skaia. The trip in itself wasn’t that long, about an hour and a half. But Roxy was a growing teenage girl and she was always hungry. Wayward Vagabond was paying for the bread he found when the sky started to darken. Most of the Prospitians started running in different directions, the merchants quickly gathered their goods and started leaving as well. Roxy was kind of perplexed by this sudden turn of events. She opened her mouth to question her guardian when she felt something cold and wet fall on her shoulder. Looking at her feet, she saw big raindrops crash on the golden pavement. “Rain. Pff. I don’t see why they all ran for just a little rain...”

But then all hell broke loose and the already respectable sized raindrops were torrents of water falling from the sky. It wasn’t long before the street became a pool. Roxy stood there in astonishment. Her outfit was already drenched. She felt the damp fabric on her skin and her hood getting heavier with all the water it absorbed. Even though she couldn’t see it, she knew her hair was sticking lamely to her face. Her mask wasn’t a protection, her face was wet as well and she couldn’t wipe the water from her eyes... But she was under the impression that even if she didn’t wear a mask, she wouldn’t have been to do anything against all that water.

She waded toward her guardian who was standing under a canopy which was already bending under the weight of the water. “We have to move!” He shouted, his voice drowned in the loud rain. “We have to find a place to stay!” Roxy nodded, took her father’s hand and they made their way towards the nearest door, a little flower shop. She knocked on the door but no one came. She knocked again when a voice was heard from the other side of the door. “I’m not opening that door! I don’t want the water to run inside!! This shop is all I have! Come back when the rain calmed down!” The blonde glanced to the ground and saw that indeed, it was raining so hard that the water was already to her calf. Opening the door would mean flooding the store. Still, she winced. “Please miss, we need a place to stay, at least until this storm is over!” “I’m sorry, I can’t! Go to the Temple!” “The Temple?” she asked, quizzically. “Temple of Life!” the voice replied. “Take the shuttle!” Roxy sighed and looked at her father. “Do you know where the shuttles are?”

Wayward Vagabond nodded and they started their journey. It took a while to get to the shuttles and by the time they did, they had water to their knees and it was about night. The shuttle operator greeted them with a sorry smile. “Bad time to travel, don’t you think?” While they were flying towards the moon, he explained to them how Prospit had this kind of rain on a yearly basis; how this was one of the worst storms they had in a while and how it could still rain for days, even weeks. But he cheered them up saying that usually, when they had a big storm like this, the season was pretty much over.

Once they landed on the moon, the operator directed them to the Temple. It was raining on the moon as well but at that point, they didn’t feel the water anymore. Even though she was literally exhausted, Roxy could only stare at the Temple with admiration. But the desire to hide from the rain was stronger and she ran to the solid gold doors with her father, knocking on them with all the strength she had left. After a while, the door opened from the inside. Two young women welcomed them in the Temple of Life and without hesitation, they let them inside. They didn’t seem to mind about the puddle of water they were leaving on the golden floor. Roxy wasn’t tired anymore; she felt excitement grow inside of her. Humans. She didn’t remember the last time she saw one... As one of the maiden led them to a room, Roxy glanced around her, marvelling at everything she saw. The Temple was absolutely gorgeous and she would have loved to explore it. She noticed a few human girls walking around and all she wanted to do was remove her mask and run after them to talk... But her glance stopped on her father, her dear father who took care of her all his life. She let out an imperceptible sigh. She would keep pretending she was a carapace... even though all she really wanted to be now was a human girl.

The maiden pushed a wooden door and let them inside a small but cozy room. The room looked like a dormitory: there were a few beds all lined up against the wall but they were alone in there for now. The room smelled nice and Wayward Vagabond thanked the maiden for the hospitality. She left, mentioning someone would be there soon to bring them food and towels. Roxy was hungry but was she wanted more than food was something to dry herself. Her carapace disguise wasn’t the most comfortable thing in the world, but when completely soaked, it was a real pain.

She gave her father a mischievous look. “Don’t you wish we could run around naked, no need to wear these soaked clothes anymore?” She giggled as she saw the expression on his face. “Relax daddy! I won’t do anything reckless!” That didn’t seem to put him at rest.

Jane sighed and wiped the sweat from her brow. She had finally managed to heal the most serious of the injury. After getting an approving nod from the head priestess, she began to bandage up the rest of the wound, smiling at the elderly carapace. When he was wrapped up, she helped him sit as one of the other maidens came in.

She said that they were short in hands, and needed someone to take towels and a change of clothing to the newest people. Jane pet the carapaces hand and turned to the priestess.

"I will go, Priestess. I haven't helped at all during this storm, so please grant me this responsibility." The woman nodded and allowed her to leave. Jane bowed as she left and began her work, taking a small stack of towels and a few Prospitan tunics to the room specified.

She gave a small knock at the door and waited until they opened the door to step inside with a warm smile.

“Hello. I’ve brought you towels and a change of clothes. If you need anything else, please do not hesitate to let us know. If you’d like, I can leave and let you change, then take your clothes to dry them by the fire pit in the Main Hall.” She told them, her kind smile hopefully telling them that they were in good hands in the temple

Roxy was sitting on the floor to avoid drenching the bed with water; sleeping in a warm bed would be something she would appreciate after such a wet evening. She was wringing out her tunic to squeeze some water out of it when someone knocked on the door; knowing it was probably a human with towels and food, the girl swiftly stood up, reaching the door before her guardian could do so. She was just so excited to be so close to another human being! On the other side was a girl around her own age.

The girl took a step back, letting the maiden inside the room. Behind her mask, Roxy was avidly taking in every detail about her physiognomy: short black hair, a pair of glasses over bright blue eyes, and a warm smile which Roxy instinctively wanted to return. Something about that girl was calling her, it was a strange feeling and she brushed it away, putting it on the fact she was human and she wanted to talk to one for so long.

When the maiden spoke, her voice was as warm as her smile. Roxy reached for the towels and the change of clothes, two yellow prospitian tunics. She wanted to thank her but she couldn’t talk with her mask on: at such a distance, the maiden would notice the mouth wasn’t moving. She simply bowed a little, playing her role.

Wayward Vagabond, who was standing next to his adoptive daughter, told the maiden the usual lie about his daughter being “quite shy”, and then proceeded to thank her properly for the clothes and towel, also agreeing on the offer of being alone so they can change.

Roxy pursed her lips under the mask. The reason was obviously she could not change in front of other people or she would reveal that she as much of a carapace as the maidens of the Temple.

She held her arms out with the items when the taller carapace took it and blinked. Strange. She didn't... No, she was just imagining things, right? When the girl bowed, Jane turned to the shorter one, smiling and waving off the fact that she didn't speak.

"It's quite alright. I often meet people whom are shy around us. It's nothing too unusual." She gave him what was left and gave them a tip of her head.

"I'll step out and let you change while I go and bring up some food. You can place your wet clothing in the basket," She motioned to a woven basket near the door, "And I'll take it down to dry." She turned, and was about to say something to the girl next to her. She offered her a smile.

"It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Miss. Although... I do wonder what your real name is." She bowed out with a silent swish of her dress. She was curious as to why that girl was wearing a carapace disguise but knew better than to ask. After all, the temple took in all who seek shelter and protection from the outside world.

Maybe she'd warm up enough to her to have a conversation with her and share her name. But for now she headed down the steps to the kitchen to give them something to warm their bones with.

“Real name”. The words echoed inside Roxy’s head. And the look the maiden gave her... “She knows.” she thought, unable to shake off this feeling. "How did she know??" Maybe her disguise wasn’t as clever as she thought... it was strange though because it had worked for all her life and no carapace ever questioned it. But now, only by looking at her, that girl was able to tell she wasn’t a carapace... Maybe human were truly more intelligent then carapaces....

Roxy stood there, not replying anything even if she felt the urge to do so. She didn’t want to embarrass her father or even worst, to put him in danger. He was standing next to her, shifting uncomfortably. It had been bothering her for a while now, ever since she saw another human for the first time. At first, the carapace disguise made her feel better about herself, she felt great walking side by side with her father and being able to step in a village of Skaia without everyone looking at her. But now that she was older and she discovered other humans did exists, it sort of felt like she was hiding who she really was... Most of the time, she didn’t thought about that... but on that night, the disguise made her feel like she was ashamed of herself.

When the maiden was out, Roxy shamelessly removed her clothes and dried herself with the towel while Wayward Vagabond did the same. Roxy looked at her disguise, kind of perplexed.

“What am I gonna do?” she said, holding out he black tunic, pants and gloves. “I can’t give that to dry, it’s supposed to be my fucking skin!”

The carapace shrugged nervously, he didn’t know what to do either. Roxy’s hands flew to her face, holding it so her father couldn’t see the mix of annoyance and sadness on her traits.

“Alright. We don’t have a lot of options here...” she said, slipping on her pants and the black tunic. “I’ll go to the fire pit the girl mentioned and dry my outfit while I have it on!” She took the golden tunic in her hands. It felt warm and different from the purple one she wore on a daily basis... She brought it to her face, taking in the scent. It smelt of flowers and something she couldn’t identify. She put the tunic on, over the black one, then the boots and the gloves. When she was done, she faced her father. He was really quiet and was looking at her with fear in his eyes.

“Don’t worry Daddy... I will be careful... But I have to dry these clothes or I will catch a cold!” The carapace nodded. She pulled the hood on her head and then put the mask on.

“I’ll be back really soon, I won’t make a detour, I won’t get into trouble!” She laughed, dropping her purple tunic in the basket. And then she was gone, her footsteps echoing on the golden tills. A few maidens holding wet clothes and towels led her to the fire pit. The room was warm and comfortable. She sat by the fire, as close as she could. She hoped no one would tell her she wasn’t allowed to be there.

"Here." Jane sat down beside her, a decent length away from her as she held out a bowl of hot soup and bread on a small tray. She placed the tray besides the girl and hugged her knees.

"I'm not sure why it is you're hiding behind a carapace disguise, but you shouldn't worry. The maidens here and myself wouldn't wish any harm on you. We take in those who seek refuge, and we do not question your choices. However, I think you might be a little warmer without that outfit you have on Miss." She tried to make a joke, giving her a kind smile.

It was strange. She wanted so much to be this young girls friend. She seemed...so terribly lonely. Like there wasn't anyone but her father to talk to, to share a laugh with. True, this wasn't the best of times for something like that, but that is why she herself took to smile. There had to be a little light in everyone's life, and if that was something she could do, she openly welcomed the task.

But as she sat there, her eyes on the fire, she wondered if she was up to the task of making ithers life just a little brighter. Their world was, after all, in the midst of war. There were days when she felt that the war would come and take over their temple, and with it, some of the last hope they had of a peaceful time before...and after the turmoil. She closed her eyes and let out a sigh, the first one in a long time.

Shaking her head out of those negative thoughts, she waited to see if the girl would speak to her. She'd wait all night, if only to provide her with the company she thought she might like.

Roxy was startled by the maiden’s voice. She was lost deep in thought, staring at the fire as if it held some mysterious secrets. She glanced at the other girl as the delicious scent of soup and bread made its way to her nose. Her stomach growled unpleasantly, reminding her she didn’t eat anything since the morning.

She couldn’t help but giggle at the comment about how she would be better without her disguise. The laugh was easily audible, even through the mask. But Roxy didn’t say a word and she kept looking at the fire, avoiding the maiden’s eyes.

She was quiet for a while, meditating on what the maiden just said and on her kindness. The blond girl didn’t know why but having someone other than her father caring for her made her feel like crying. She shook her head to get rid of those distressful feelings.

“I should go back to my room.” She said, swallowing the lump in her throat. “My dad is going to be wondering where I am...”

Her eyes stopped on the tray then slowly rose to the maiden’s face. She was staring at her, and her eyes were full of kindness... but there was something else that looked like sadness. “I’m doing this to her” she thought, feeling a pang of guilt even though she didn’t do anything bad.

Roxy shifted her weight, sitting on her feet and facing the maiden. One of her hands dropped on the one the maiden was holding her legs with, softly resting on it. With her other hand, she lifted her mask slightly, only revealing her mouth. The combined gesture was a sign of trust.

“I can’t talk here... but come to our room in an hour, daddy will be asleep.” A sharp and ironic smile spread on her lips. "Exhausting day and good food, really the worse mix!”

Somehow, even with all the negative feeling, it all felt like a game. Like she was daring the girl to follow her... It was a scream for help from a girl who truly felt alone as no one else. Staying there with a smile on her lips, still holding the maiden’s hand, she waited for a sign of approval.

The girl remained quiet as she waited for a reply, a small smile on her lips when she heard the laugh. It was a nice laugh. Upon hearing it, she wondered just how often it was that she laughed.

She glanced up at the feeling of a cold hand on her own and turned to face her, catching her words. Blinking, she nodded, unable to stop the grin on her own face. Her buck teeth showed as she moved her hands to the girls, hoping they’d warm up a little before she had to leave.

“I think you might want to eat before anything else though. The soup wont remain warm forever.” She motioned to the tray as she slowly stood. She heard the sound of some of the other maidens, and one of them telling her that she had to resume her duties. She waved her off and nodded as she turned to the carapace-girl.

“My name is Jane.” She left her with that and hurried to her duties, making sure to keep tabs on the time so that she wouldn’t miss having a chance to talk to her.

The maiden’s hands were warm and comforting; Roxy could have stayed like that forever... It was weird how drawn she was to that girl... but she didn’t think about it for now. She was happy to see a grin spread on the maiden’s face and the nod saying she agreed to meet her later. Upon hearing the footsteps of the other maidens, Roxy brought the mask back on her face, making sure to hide her features. Her eyes followed the one who gained her trust until she was gone.

The blonde picked up the tray and got on her feet, going back from where she came. “Jane”. The name sounded nice and Roxy couldn’t help but repeat it in her head while she made her way to the room where her father waited. She made it there without meeting anyone else. Wayward Vagabond was there, finishing his soup and bread. He seemed relieved to see she was back.

“Told you everything would be fine!” She said playfully. She placed the tray on the bed next to the one her dad chose and proceeded to change once again, following Jane’s advice: it was true she would be better without the black clothes. Wayward Vagabond looked at her, wondering what she was doing.

“The clothes are mostly dry now but since I don’t plan to leave the room anymore, I’m just going to remove them for the night... Wrapped up in the blanket, no one will notice!! I’ll keep the mask on!” Once they agreed it was safe, Roxy placed her black clothes under the bed and got in the golden tunic. She felt the fabric earlier but having it against her skin was a whole new experience. She wasn’t used to wear so little clothes... but it felt nice. She sat on the bed and, ignoring the spoon placed on the tray, she grabbed the bowl and gulped down the soup.

“Woah, this soup is DELICIOUS!!” The bread disappeared as fast as the soup did. On the other bed, Wayward Vagabond was already dozing off. Roxy smiled. It happened faster than she thought. She stood up, placed the tray on the floor, walked to the bed and hugged her dad. “Good night Daddy...”

She went back to her bed, wrapping herself in the warm blanket. The bed felt so nice she could have slept instantly. But she wasn’t tired anymore. She was just too excited to have a real talk with another human. She waited in silence for Jane to come back, observing her guardian’s peaceful sleeping face.

Jane was running around for the next hour, getting more newcomers settled in and fed, trying to avoid the other girls running around and doing the same. With all the action, she almost missed the time. Eventually things settled down enough for her to get going, being just a little late to their rendevouz.

Heading up the steps with the dry Dersite tunics, she knocked on the door. She couldn't hear anything, so she waited for a few moments, wondering if the girl had fallen asleep. Her face dropped a bit at the thought, hoping that wasn't the case.

She knocked once more, in case she couldn't hear it the first time.

Roxy was lost in thought. She was anticipating her conversation with Jane with such excitement she barely paid attention to anything else, imagining what they would talk about and how amazing it would be. She snapped out of it when she heard the first knock on the door. Rushing out of bed, her feet got tangled in the blanket and she painfully crashed on the floor.

She swore under her breath, getting up again and bringing the blanket on her head, like a little kid. She took her mask and attached it on her face, in case it was someone other than Jane. She looked like a silly carapace wrapped in a blanket. The person on the other side of the door knocked once again. Roxy ran to the door and opened it only a little to see who it was.

“Oh it’s you!” she squealed in a high pitched, excited voice, which added to the overall silliness of the situation. “Come in!” But she didn’t leave her the option; she grabbed her arm and pulled her inside, then shut the door.

The blond girl then faced the maiden. She was still wearing the blanket as a cape and the mask on her face. She was so excited to see Jane actually came that she was slightly bouncing up and down, forgetting she was wearing this stupid getup to hide herself. Under her mask, she wore the happiest smile she ever had.

Her eyes widened as he heard something crash onto the floor, then the sound of footsteps after her second knock. She could hardly suppress a giggle as she saw the girl's mask.

"Hell--ooooooooooo!!" She tried not to be too loud as she was dragged inside. When she was released, she turned to her and giggled happily at her liveliness. She must not have gotten the opportunity to talk to many other girls in her life.

She placed her hands on what she thought where her shoulders to calm her down a bit. Hesitating slightly, she placed her hands on the mask, but then moved them behind her back, her cheeks tinted a little pink from her actions.

"S-Sorry. I should probably not do that." She rocked on her heels. Despite working with people constantly, she was still a little shy when it came to others. That, and she really didn't want to upset her new friend. It wasn't every day that she'd meet someone like her, and she hoped to have a friend who wouldn't exactly be working with her. That, and many of the other maidens didn't know much about going out into the city or enjoying the sunlight.

She shyly glanced up at her. "I'm sorry. I never caught your name, Miss." She gave her a grin.

Roxy felt no shame about being excited like that, she even thought it was funny how the maiden tried to calm her down.

“Oh, the mask! I’m so dumb!” she shouted, laughing at her own mistake. She was in no way offended by the fact the maiden touched her mask and the tone of her voice, still playful, would reassure the maiden about ti. She loosened the blanket, making the part that was on her head fall on her shoulder and proceeded to untie the mask behind her head. She took it off, revealing her short and messy blond hair. Her pink eyes reflected her excitation and she still wore that happy smile.

“It’s because I didn’t get the chance to say it! The name’s Roxy!” she said, beaming at her new friend. "It's not nearly as pretty as "Jane", but that's the name I go by!" she added with a genuine laugh.

Minutes ago, thousands of interesting things to say were spinning in her head. But now that she was facing the maiden, her they all wanted to come out at the same time, resulting in the impression she had no idea what to say or do. It was like her head was empty. Roxy stood there, staring at the maiden with the same happy smile. It was weird how intimidating the moment was. True, she trusted the maiden without hesitation and that she was drawn to her by an unknown force. But now that she had the occasion to talk to her, alone, she felt a little insecure. What if she said the wrong thing? What is Jane thought she was stupid? After a second, her carefree self banished that thought. What was there to worry about? She just had to be herself! It wasn’t a coincidence if she felt the irresistible urge to talk to that girl. It must have been fate.

“Told you my dad would be sleeping!” She finally said, breaking the ice.

Jane watched as the mask fell and her eyes widened a bit. She was really pretty under that mask! Her eyes were a bright pink, and with her pretty blonde hair, she was quite a sight. A light blush dusted her cheeks as she realized that she was staring at her and her sight immediately dropped down to her gown.

"Roxy..?" She spoke out her name, a small smile on her lips. Her name was just as pretty as she was. She shook her and returned the smile. "It's a nice name. And really pretty." She needed to stop. Her mind and mouth were saying pretty too much. Sure it was true but she needed to stop before she started blabbering on and on and--

Whoops, there she went. Her mind rambled on and on, and all she could do was just stare. Bad brain. No rambling! What did I tell you last time you rambled on by yourself and didn't pay attentino to your work? That poor cat ran off scared because you touched the wrong part of the injury. So shoosh. No more rambling on while being with a new friend.

Speaking of friend, she jumped a little at the sound of her voice and turned her head a bit, noticing the asleep carapace in the other bed. She smiled a bit and tugged the man's blanket a little higher to make sure he remained warm. Storms always made these rooms a little cold.

After that, she glanced around and noticed the stool in the corner of the room. She brought it over and sank onto it, tilting her head to Roxy's bed, inviting her to sit if she wanted to. Judging by how excited she was however, that might be a bit of a stretch. She laced her fingers together and looked at her lap.

"You were right about that." She replied, back to the comment of her father, smiling a little.

Roxy was smiling when she heard Jane speak her name out loud. It felt somewhat odd to hear the name from someone else than her father. But at the same time, there was this overwhelming feeling of relief, like she had just shared a secret that was so big it weighted on her heart, without her noticing. Only when the weight was gone did she knew it was there to begin with. A name hold such incredible powers yet, one barely take care of their own. Roxy, for one, was used to stay quiet and talk only to her dad. Having someone else in the secret was something exceptional: for once, she had someone to share a little piece of herself with. That someone would be hers and hers only.

“Barely!” She laughed. “Don’t try to steal my compliment!” she added teasingly.

The brief moment of unease she had a minute ago was now long gone. She felt as confident as if she had known Jane forever. That was the kind of person Roxy was. Not bothered by social conventions at all since she barely knew them.

She observed her new friend adjust the blanket on her dad and the urge to hug the maiden flooded her mind. She was just so kind and generous, how could someone like her exist? Even if she considered herself a good person, Roxy often had to manipulate people, steal and lie... And that wasn’t a problem for her. That was common business for travellers. They preferred to be honest but sometimes, when they were very hungry, they had to be a little sneaky. It was hard for her to grasp the fact someone like Jane could exist.

Roxy noticed the maiden moving a stool to sit near the bed and the gesture she made, inviting her to sit in front of her. The blonde skipped to the bed and sat on it, crossing her legs. She was still smiling as she gazed at her new friend.

“He’s acting all tough but really, he’s a big baby!” she said, then was quiet for a split second. “Don’t tell him I said that!” She added with a wink. “No really, he’s a good dad! He takes care of me and all. We travel together, you know. Just the two of us. It’s been like that forever. Not that I mind. But sometimes a girl gets sick of always talking to daddy!” She laughed but there was something behind, something sad. That fleeting moment was gone as soon as it came and Roxy kept blabbing. “Girls have problem dads don’t understand! Sometimes I invent some just to make him worry a little. Nothing big, just things he never heard of since well... I’m a human and he’s not. You would see him go crazy! He’s so funny when he doesn’t know what to do!” She chuckled. “But I always end up feeling bad so I tell him I was joking. That’s kind of bad isn’t it?”

Valuable information was hidden in this monologue, but for someone who didn’t know Roxy, it could seem a little incoherent and confusing. Roxy looked at Jane, taking a deep breath after all that talking.

“How’s your dad?” She asked, not realizing the maiden might want to ask a few questions about her strange life.

She couldn't help but grin at her words. Her eyes and mind perked up at the sound of travel. She couldn't be much older than her. How long had they been together? True, the better question would be why she was calling the carapace behind them ‘dad’ but for some reason that question didn't feel like it really mattered, so much as knowing that she was growing up decently. She couldn't say that about many, if not any dersites, so she was curious about her.

On the monologue (seemed more like word vomit in all honestly, but hey), she took note of a couple of things, mostly having to do with the loneliness part. Glancing over at the pile of now-clean laundry, she had to wonder how often the girl actually had something close to a real meal or a warm bed. If they travel a lot, then maybe this was the first time in a while? Getting her mind out of those kinds of negative thoughts, she turned to the question she had been asked.

“My dad? …I’m not entirely sure. I haven’t seen him in a while. When you are taken by the Temple of Life, we don’t exactly see our parents all that often, if at all.” She didn't feel all that sad about revealing this part of her back story however. While others may be attached to their parents, given that she had been brought to the Temple as an infant, she wouldn't really know. The Head Priestess was her ‘mother’, and all the maidens were her sisters. That was enough for her. She would pay them the occasional visits, joining them for tea or maybe dinner, but nothing more than that. Thank her stars for visitation privilege; she at least knew who it was that brought her to the world.

“How long have you been travelling?” She asked. She figured they could trade a question for a question, to be fair for both girls.

Roxy wasn’t really surprised by Jane’s answer. She didn’t know much about human families, therefore she didn’t have any expectations. She wasn’t someone to judge others either, growing up outside of standards herself. But the answer, as short as it was, made her realise that Jane too had a different life. Reflecting on the time she passed in the Temple, she realised she saw nothing but girls and woman of various ages.

“At least you have all those people around you, it’s like you have a big family instead of parents!”

She wanted to ask more questions. Jane’s life seemed so interesting... The more she thought about it, the more the Temple of Life intrigued her. What was the purpose of this place? However, Jane asked a question first. Roxy smiled, instinctively getting the thought process: they would take turns at asking questions, that way, both of them would be happy.

“Well for as long as I can remember, we have been travelling around Skaia. Sometime we venture on Derse or Prospit, like we did today. I don’t know for sure how long it has been, but I would say thirteen or fourteen years.”

Since Wayward Vagabond had found her when she was a baby, he was exactly certain of how old she was. Therefore, Roxy only had a vague idea of her own age. Her thoughts went back to Jane’s answer.

“I’m wondering, you said you don’t see your parents often when you are taken by the Temple of Life. Does that mean you never go out? Now that I think about it, I should have started by asking what the Temple was! Can I ask double questions?” She giggled.

She couldn't help but smile. Roxy seemed to have such a positive outlook on things. Sure, she herself had to try and keep her hope up for the war to end, and to be able to do something for the wonderful people in her life, but there were times where she thought that things would never change and that they'd remain the same forever.

Her ears perked up at the answer she was given for her question. 'Thirteen?' She took off her glasses, cleaning them to make sure her eyes weren't deceiving her. She couldn't be much older than that. So she had been travelling all her life? And on Skaia of all places. She found that a bit difficult to swallow, but didn't really question it. Whether it was true or not, she was sure they had their reasons.

"Well, seeing as one of the questions leads to the other and in a way answers it, I suppose I'll let it slide this time hoo hoo hoo!" Jane giggled a little and pushed her glasses back onto her nose. "The Temple of Life is a small group of women whom work to try and bring balance to the world with prayers and community services. It's a little hard to explain, now that I think about it."

"Girls are usually brought here when they're young to start learning and practicing healing arts, if their parents feel that they are suited for this type of commitment. After that, they aren't usually allowed to leave the temple. I suppose I'm a bit of a special case." She shrugged.

"Do you two take care of yourselves?" She spewed before she could stop herself. It was in her nature to worry a bit about the well-being of others, but after hearing that they were travelling for so long, she had to wonder if they at least had the chance to visit healers or something of the sort for any kind of health problems.

As open minded as Roxy was, she had trouble understanding such an organisation. Taking young girls away from their families? But why? And what was the point of forbidding them to leave? The blond girl frowned. Such a long life it must be for the maidens of the Temple. For someone who has been travelling since the youngest of age, being stuck in a temple, as gorgeous as it was, sounded like an atrocity. To be stuck somewhere for your entire life? What sort of life was that! Ironically, that would have been the kind of life she would have lived as well, growing up as Derse’s princess. She would have been allowed out, of course, to go on Prospit for diplomatic purposes, for example. But her freedom would have been fake, unlike the one she actually had. She would have been a bird in a beautiful cage, unaware of the futility of her life.

“They never go out? Wow, that’s kind of lame, really!” She couldn’t help it, and the rudeness of her comment didn’t even occur to her.

The idea of a spiritual community somewhat seemed weird to her as well. She didn’t have any concept of religion that would help her understand it. At least, she was able to appreciate the fact that all those girls were helping people around, and that struck her as a wonderful thing.

“Well at least Prospitians have people like you to that care of them!”

She mentally noted the fact Jane said she was an exception, meaning to use that as her next question. It was quite intriguing.

Roxy chuckled at Jane’s question. “What do you mean, take care of ourselves? Like if we eat properly and all? Don’t worry, my dad take care of both of us pretty well! The only thing is that most of the time, we sleep outside so if I compare to your Temple, I guess it’s kind of bad! Then again, Skaia has everything you need! Shelters, plants, water, animals...” She paused. “I don’t know if you ever been to Skaia but it’s the most beautiful place.”

“Anyway, what does that mean, you’re a “special case”?” she asked, barely hiding her eagerness to know more.

"Oh, no, don't misunderstand!" Jane tried to explain, but sometimes she put her foot in her mouth, much like right now. "It's not that the others aren't allowed to leave, (well, maybe a little?) But there's always quite a lot to do. And they should still have regular contact with their families..." She said in a soft voice, but this did bring up an interesting question. Why did the priestesses not let the others out to see their families? There was less for them to do than for her, seeing as she had to be ready for when the Heir's destiny came to fruition... That and all they really did was prayer work before heading off the nearest charity... Hum. It gave her something to ponder and perhaps one day ask the Head Priestess.

She blushed a little at the compliment that Roxy gave them. Praise always did feel nice, even if it wasn't directed at her exactly.

"I've...I've heard stories of Skaia, but I've never really been anywhere but to Prospit. What is it-- Oh drat, I've gone and avoided the question!" She let out a giggle and smoothed out a fold in her dress.

"Well... I was brought here really early. Earlier than anyone else, actually. But, and please don't tell anyone this --the Head Priestess is hoping that I wont have to take over until...many years from now-- But I've been chosen to be the Head Priestess, and due to some..." She bit her lip, part of her mind wondering if she should give Roxy the full story or not. Looking at the earnest gleam in her eyes, and just how excited she was, she would have to make her swear or something that she wouldn't tell anyone about what she was going to tell her.

"Before I continue, I have to know. If you're a Derse agent, please be honest. We wont ask you to leave or anything like that.... I just want to know if you are or not. I realize that you wont say a peep if you were, but...well, I guess I'm asking you to indulge me..." She glanced down at her lap, blinking away tears. She wanted to completely and utterly trust her with the secrets of her mission here but she knew that if told to the wrong person, this could potentially destroy Prospit as they knew it.

But what she really wanted...She didn't quite know what it was that she felt a need for. But sitting there, with Roxy --a girl who literally walked into her life and already affected her so much within a few hours--, she wanted to know if she could trust her with her life.

Roxy nodded, acknowledging Jane’s explanations. It still felt wrong to her but she kept that for herself, thinking of how mad her father would be if he heard her being rude to their host. She noticed the faint blush but didn’t comment, even though she wondered about what caused it.

Roxy was so eager to hear what Jane had to say about herself that she was unconsciously leaning forward. When the priestess stopped, Roxy frowned. She studied her new friend’s behavior and she noticed she was quite nervous. She was about to ask her to keep going but was cut short by her question.

Her frown disappeared, leaving a perplexed expression on her face. A Derse agent? The idea sounded quite silly. During her visits on Derse, she learned that the agents were carapaces working for the King and Queen. How could someone like her be a Derse agent? And why was Jane linking her to Derse when she told her she was from Skaia?

“I don’t know what you mean, Janey.” she said with a genuine clueless expression. The pet name came naturally, without Roxy even noticing she used it. She felt a deep bond with Jane already and it was showing. “I told you I’m from Skaia... I’ve been to Derse ten times, top. How could I be a Derse agent? That’s silly!”

The girl’s knowledge of her own world was pretty limited. The simple fact humans were always born nobles was unknown to her, so the rest was pretty sketchy as well. She had no idea of the political situation of Prospit and Derse, therefore she could not see the fact that “Derse agent” could simply mean a spy.

“You’re right about something though! I won’t say anything! What you have to say seems to be a big secret... If you decide to tell me, I will die protecting that secret!” she said proudly.

Jane gripped her dressed as she heard Roxy's reply. So it was possible she was telling the truth. But her skepticism kept her from fully giving in at the moment. She would tell her…enough to dilute her interest in her, at least for now. If indeed it turned out that she wasn't an agent, either now or in the future, she’d tell her all of it.

She noted the pet name and a small smile tugged at her lips. Nobody called her that, and to be honest it was a nice change to just being called by her name.

“Sorry, I tend to not really believe many things. I've been told I’m pretty skeptic about everything.” She smoothed out a wrinkle on her dress before she spoke again.

“Well… There’s something that’s going to happen. And I’m supposed to be involved in it, from what I've been told. I’m not too sure what I will do though…” She shrugged and then somewhat abruptly changed the subject.

“So you've spent most of your time on Skaia? What’s it like there?” She asked, her face lighting up. She may have free reign on leaving the temple, but she wasn't allowed anywhere else. Anything she knew about Skaia was from texts and folklore, and honestly she was quite curious.

Roxy looked at Jane in disbelief. That answer was far from satisfying. In fact, it only raised more questions: what was the “something” Jane was going to be involved into? And how was she going to be involved. Curious as she was, a vague statement like that only increased her desire to know more.

Jane was now changing the subject, asking a new question to Roxy. It was obvious that her new friend didn’t trust her enough to tell her the whole story. She was as skeptic, alright!

Roxy pursed her lips, looking down at the floor. She felt sad, for an unknown reason. The fact her new friend didn’t trust her hurt more than it should have. The blond girl had opened fully to her: it wasn’t hard to see that everything she was saying was true and she was genuinely interested in knowing her. It was true that she was used to lie, and that she intended to lie to Jane at first, too. But all of this was gone now. All was left was an innocent desire to make a friend. The only person she could bond with. The only friend she would probably have, ever. And she didn’t trust her as much as Roxy trusted her. Because as strange as it was, Roxy already trusted Jane with her life.

“Skaia...” she trailed of absent-mindedly.

She was silent for about half a minute, lost in thought. Then she looked up at Jane and she was smiling again, like nothing happened. Lying about your feelings was necessary, sometimes. She did it to hide her doubts to her father. If she had to hide other things, she would lie. As many times as she would have to. She was used to it.

“You wouldn’t believe how beautiful Skaia is, Janey!” she said happily, as if nothing happened. “The sky is so blue! You think the Prospit’s sky is blue? It’s nothing compared to Skaia’s! And the scenery! There a rivers, waterfalls, mountains, valleys and forests... But you know what the most amazing thing is? And I mean “amazing” in a “oh wow this is so weird” kind of way. The ground! It’s a checker board! Black and white squares all over the planet. I don’t know how but plants grow everywhere! All sort of plants! Tree, bushes, flowers... My favorite flowers have these huuuuge leaves (she formed the shape of the leaves in the air with her hands) you can almost sit on and are perfect to hide under if you get caught in a rainstorm! The flowers are various shades of purple and they smell so good!” She paused. “Let’s see, what else... Ah! The carapaces! Most of them live in small villages where they work to produce food for Prospit and Derse. Some of them work in fields, others cut trees or raise livestock... They all are happy folks, I like to go in these villages with my dad. They are so nice and cosy... and the carapaces are always so friendly with us!”

She took a deep breath, wondering for a split second if she would reveal her secret to Jane. Only a second though. She wanted to make sure Jane trusted her and for that, she had to be a hundred percent honest with her.

“But even though Skaia is so beautiful, my favorite place is still Derse. I don’t know why though. I didn’t go there often but I always felt a deep connexion with the place!”

She stopped talking so Jane could process all the information and for herself to find a new question.

“So, do you have any friends outside the Temple? If you’re lucky enough to go out, what do you do with your free time?” she finally asked with a smile, eager to learn more about what human kids did for fun.

Jane felt horrible. She did want to tell her, honest. But... The reality was that she wasn't too sure herself of what she would be doing. The priestess had told her what her general role in the Heir's destiny, but all she really knew what to do was be a nurse. She wasn't as learned in the art of fighting like the Page was, she couldn't do magic like the Witch... Even the Heir himself could fight. She was just...Jane. Just Jane, a maiden at this temple, and nothing too spectacular to see.

Her bright blue eyes stayed on her new friend, a smile on her face as she heard about the scenery of Skaia. A bluer sky than Prospit, the checkered land, the carapaces! It all sounded so beautiful and lovely. Oh she'd give almost anything to go see that planet. The one thing she couldn't and wouldn't give up was her privilege of being allowed to see her friends.

And on that thought, she heard the next question. Thoughtfully, she fiddled with a button on her dress as she thought about her friends. She didn't have very many, so to speak. Well, at least not many that she could really call friends.

"I have a few friends outside these walls. John, Jake, and Jade. We've been friends for years now, and while I can’t see them very often, I still try to make time to visit whomever is available." She sighed, a small smile on her lips. She hadn't seen them recently either, maybe she should try and pay a visit to Jake and John in the near future?

"As for fun... I like seeing a good play. Mysteries and comedies are my favorites. Sometimes I wonder if there is a need for a detective or the like here on Prospit, and the idea of becoming one is always a wonderful daydream. I also really like cooking. Particularly cakes and other treats hoo hoo!" Her smile changed to a full on grin, her teeth poking out of her mouth a bit. She was starting to get excited at the thought of confectionary delights.

"Cakes, cookies, pies, fudge, anything that falls in the desert category is such a joy to try and make! I usually go down to the markets when I have a bit of spending money and taste the food the Prospitians make. There's even been an occasion or two when some of them ask me to taste test the latest batch and it just makes me so giddy!" She was about to ramble on even longer when she remembered her manners and turned back to face her friend, only now realizing that she had stood up and walked away in her desert-induced daze. Blushing, she giggled a bit and sat back down in her chair, mumbling something about getting carried away with things on occasion.

After the little moment, she thought about her next question. A million things were pushing in her mind, trying to be voiced. But she found the one she needed to ask. Hesitantly, she reached up to tuck her hair behind her ear.

"Rox, I was wondering..." She bit her lip and adjusted her glasses, the question disappearing from her mind. Things like that happened she supposed? Shaking her head, she instead changed her question.

"I think I'll feel even more guilty about this if I don't tell you, because you're honestly very nice to me. I can't exactly say that about some people. Not that I'm calling anyone out!!" She raised her hand in alarm. She didn't want to seem like she was complaining, honest. But she also wanted to show her the amount of trust she had in her, even if they'd only been talking for a short while. She was just...special, for lack of a better term. She could definately trust her with anything.

"But when I said that theres something I need to do, unfortunately that was true. I'm not sure what I'm meant for. I'm nothing special. I don't have fighting skills, I cant do magic, I can barely read the clouds... I'm not really good for anything, so knowing that I have such an important job... I honestly dont understand how and why me." She clutched at her skirt.

Jane Crocker wasn't all that special, at least in her own opinion. She felt like there wasn't anything she would amount to, even if there was a prediction that said so. Even though she was kind, she had problems with her self esteem, and only having a few friends didn't really help in that matter.