Day 1: Year C – 009.

...

Oh, how Deity Capital shimmered with joy and sky-blue decor during the winter months. People from multiple streets across the Island held festivals of food and gathered around fires. Many of the women performed approved plays of the beloved Goddesses and famous members of the Royal family, to which momentarily brought a smile to Lady Zanna’s radiant visage. Many young children, all dressed in blue and white, approached the Priestess with numerous curious questions.

“Miss, did the Goddesses of Life really have a love who was a lady?”

“Lady Priestess, did the Goddesses have any helpers or did they take down all the demons of the old Island by themselves?”

“Why is our Island shaped like the crescent moon?”

Lady Zanna emitted a gentle laugh and smiled at all the questions. She raised her hand and allowed her eyes to glow gold to gather attention.

“Now, now, kind children of Life, one at a time, please! There are so many lovely questions here that I simply cannot answer with so many voices at once,” Zanna calmly demanded with a graceful smile, “Now then, to answer your questions-”

“O-Oh are you sure, Priestess? You seem incredibly busy,” An elderly woman adorning a black fur coat and matching hat asked with concern.

“Not at all, I would adore to answer the questions of these children... Yes, the Goddess of Life did fall in love with a woman who was the very first user of magic... Our Goddesses instructed the newly purified humans to face the demons who refused to repent...Our Island’s crescent shape resembles the moon’s shape when the Goddesses first stepped foot upon our lands...” Zanna answered every question with a bright, patient smile.

“Now children, what do you say to our important, beloved Priestess?” The elderly woman questioned, encouraging manners among the small children.

“Thank you Lady Priestess for your time!” The children recited in unison.

“You’re very welcome young ones. Never be afraid to ask questions from scholars and preachers of our beautiful Goddesses!”

As Zanna turned a final left Street corner, her genuine smile faded into a lonely expression. Now she was upon Verde Street and was face to face with her small, grey temple at the end of the road. An establishment rarely visited, except for obligatory afternoon sermons and nothing more. No one ever visited despite Zanna’s desperate attempts to encourage small gatherings and festivals like other Streets. But the disheartened people of Verde were too focused on pottery and nothing more.

Zanna sombrely floated down the quiet street filled with quiet pottery markets and pulled her white winter coat closer to her chest as she felt the winter chills push her back. The frostiness of winter's season always had a grip on the Priestess.

As she drew closer to her temple, she spotted the Temple's only Guard standing at the end of the small marble staircase. A muscular individual, with long lilac hair, dressed in silk-white robes like the staff and with odd purple and yellow heterochromatic eyes. The Temple Guard was discreetly chewing on dried tobacco leaves with a blank stare before immediately noticing the Priestess.

“Good afternoon, Chenille!” Zanna politely greeted as she floated up the staircase, “Isn't the 

winter weather charming today?”

The Priestess gently sat beside her recently hired Guard, ignoring her saddened state to be mannerly. Chenille put their hand over their mouth and quickly discarded the leaves.

“Uh, it'd be better if those kids didn't throw those snowballs at the door we just painted after months of saving money. But don't you worry, I taught them a lesson,”

Zanna's emerald-coloured eyes flashed with worry.

“Chenille, what transpired here in my absence?”

“I grew myself multiple yarn arms to throw snow and showed those ill-mannered kids what happens when they throw rocks at an important Temple of worship.”

“Oh, dearest Heavens above...” Zanna covered her face from embarrassment, “W-While I am very thankful for your diligent service, I truly am... perhaps throwing snow back is a little too childish? I’d rather not have their parents complain,”

“They have not, but I made sure to apologize on your behalf anyway, despite those children being at fault. I understand you deeply care about Verde Street Temple’s reputation, so I made sure to bow and lower my tone when apologizing. The children did not end up reporting the Temple, so all is well.”

Zanna’s worries did not completely wash away, but she formed a small smile anyway.

“...Thank you, Chenille for your service. Please join us for lunch at the usual time of 12:30,”

“Of course, Lady Zanna. I’ll continue to keep our Temple safe on your behalf,”

Zanna lifted herself back up and floated to the front door, still feeling uneasy despite the Temple Guard’s sincerity. Before she opened the entrance, A new thought had plagued her mind.

‘The new Guard is a genuinely dedicated worker, and I hate they face the brunt of complaining parents with uncaring children on a weekly. Preparing their favourite meal for noon’s menu shall suffice! Blue carrot rice and rabbit tail sounds lovely...’

The Priestess was greeted by freshly mopped wooden walnut floors, polished egg-shell white walls, and small paintings of Grand Island's famous Royalty throughout the centuries. At the rear of the main entrance’s hallway, Zanna eyed the door leading toward the main Chapel with a rusted piano and two small-glass stained windows of the twin Goddesses were present.

The Priestess was itching to play a heavenly tune and allowed herself inside. As she opened the creaky white door, she was met with the only choir boy assigned to the temple, a 14-year-old Michealstopholis, scrubbing the wooden floors and chairs, not noticing the Priestess was even there. The ends of his long, white robes were covered with lavender-scented soap bubbles, which puzzled the floating Priestess.

“Mikey?” She calmly called out with the tone of a concerned mother.

The choir boy yelped and quickly turned his head. His large, white, woolly hat with a symbol of Grand Island’s crescent shape had momentarily twitched. But the boy calmly smiled as his crimson-red eyes sparkled with innocence.

“Lady Zanna! I didn't think you'd be, uh, here so soon! How was your annual Priestess meeting at the Temple of Obsidian?”

“Oh, as usual, the entire event was incredibly tiresome... One more word out of my mouth and I would have been sent to the guillotine...”

"Have they not banned death by guillotine a year ago?"

“Ah, y-yes. Thank goodness we live under Head Priest Lucian’s reign, I suppose." Zanna turned to leave for her piano, but she turned around again out of suspicion, “Ah, just a moment, Mikey, I sense something peculiar...”

“You do?! Surely, it must be our pet foxes from Fennec Street spilling the guts of rats again. They're quite messy, and I always clean up after them... How come Billiam never helps clean up the messes they make? He was the one who suggested the fennec foxes be our anti-rat Guards.”

“Um, I am very certain he has cleaned after them before... Mikey, are you hiding something? You appear more pale than usual.”

“Hiding? N-No. I just slipped earlier and nearly hit my head. Just, um, feeling nervous, right now.” Mikey stuttered as he placed his mop into the bucket.

“... As her former Grace, Lady Allucia had preached, reciting lies will only create disharmony and evil within our lives. It is like a snake devouring itself and left with nothing in the end...” Zanna attempted to smile. “Please display honesty with me when you are ready.”

The choir boy looked down with tired eyes and continued to scrub the floors in silence.

‘So long as that woman’s name remains in your mouth, I’ll never trust the likes of you...’ Mikey bitterly thought to himself.

Meanwhile, Zanna shut the Chapel’s door behind her and floated to the Temple's cramped dining room. It was a little untidy, with scattered spice racks and slightly stained floors. Luckily, the medic of the temple made sure his favourite room appeared decent enough.

As the Priestess closed the door behind her, Billiam politely waved as he ate his favourite snack, melted golden cheese on plain toast.

“Oh, Lady Zanna! Welcome back, your Grace. Please dine with me.” The medic brushed his blonde hair to the sides and adjusted his shoddy glasses, “That meeting went poorly, didn't it? I sense nothing but dread in this room...”

The medic's one operating orange eye gleamed with intrigue under the dull lighting of the room.

“Unfortunately, you are correct. I dared to speak ill of Lucian's feelings regarding Dearest Lady Allucia’s death and he made an utter fool of me in front of our Island’s Priestess...”

Zanna sat herself in the opposite seat to Billiam and raised her hand to pour a glass of lemonade. The lemons, water, and white sugar levitated and gently floated into one glass. The medic smiled at the Priestess' magic, hoping she would smile along, but all she could accomplish was an anxious sigh.

“...Billiam, this sensation is incredibly nerve-wracking. Truly, I am afraid that one day, Lucian will throw us in jail because of his bias against me... and for my poor choice of words,”

“Need not worry, Lady Zanna. While I can't say much regarding his unkind opinion of your status, the best option in any social situation is to speak only if spoken to. That's, unfortunately, how those wretched Royals are-”

“But that is exactly how I got into trouble. My attention was not on Lucian, thus calling me out for my obliviousness, then I panicked and had spoken too much,”

“Does Lepiota not have magic which could alert-”

“I refuse to allow her sticky mushrooms rest upon my head.”

“Ah, very well, my Lady. Then I suppose being scolded by His Excellence, the Head Priest, is your priority?” Billiam sassily remarked while finishing his toast. “Humility wouldn't kill you,”

“May the Goddesses forgive her, but... My psyche still refuses to trust her after our companionship went south before we graduated as Priestesses.”

“Ah, yes, the typical drama between women who thought they would have a strong romance like the Goddess of Life and her feminine knight. Tragic indeed,” Billiam sighed as he put away his plate in the nearby sink, “In your case, your grudge should matter less than angering our superior. He quite literally has the right to imprison you as he pleases and I would hate for you and I to suffer such a cruel fate, your Grace...”

Zanna grumbled but slowly nodded in agreement. She was about to make another snarky comment towards Lepiota, but Chenille and Mikey opened the door and joined for lunch.

“Have room for two more?” Chenille took off their matte white hat and placed it on the wooden coat rack.

“Please don't tell me we're having more cheese on toast!” Mikey sighed with clear displeasure, “Billiam, I already told you my stomach is sensitive to any dairy!”

“Now, now, Mikey, a little expensive cheese won’t hurt you-”

“I swear on our Deities it will, you Airhead,” Chenille cracked an annoyed grin at the medic “Stop tellin' the little guy your dumb reasoning and season your food with the winter spices I gathered.”

“You just won't let me eat in peace, will you, Lone Wolf?” Billiam grinned back. “Leave me and my precious golden cheese alone!”

Zanna shook her head, unimpressed, Billiam lost his graceful composure and became a jokester whenever Chenille joined in. However, she gained her composure once Mikey, Zanna, and Chenille silently agreed to work to make a proper lunch for the four staff members.

“Any who, even spreading little lies is horrible, Billiam! As the Goddess of Death preached in Scripture 86, it is like overeating confections. Such an action of consequences will rot your very soul.” The Priestess lectured while washing blue carrots and rice.

“Well, call me a candy shop, 'cause I'm pretty rotten,” Chenille half-halfheartedly joked as they stirred chicken eggs in an old cooking pan.

“Chenille, you're not so bad!” Mikey stated as he fried thin strips of common rabbit tail, “You're pretty scary looking with your constant frown and posture, and you sometimes throw snow at children. But it’s comforting that you're around and keep us safe! Now I don’t have to worry about evil intruders in the night.”

Chenille was ready to crack a joke at Mikey but smiled at the boy’s sincerity.

“Heh, you're pretty alright yourself, kiddo. You at least help around the Temple, unlike the blonde bottom-feeder sitting behind us who only pays attention to half-cleaning the kitchen,”

Mikey’s warm smile immediately faded as he caught on to an odd smell. He innocently tilted his head and pointed to the Temple Guard.

“Thanks! But. Um, Chenille, were you chewing tobacco leaves earlier?”

“Oh, he snitched on you, Lone Wolf!!” Billiam cackled as he watched the trio finish cooking.

"Chenille, I’d highly advise to refrain from chewing tobacco leaves near the Temple's property. Our Goddesses advised against indulging in vices within Temple walls, and it would simply be dishonourable if you chewed leaves indoors by mistake one day,” Zanna sternly but lovingly lectured, holding Chenille’s face before elegantly pulling away. The Guard blushed, but remained focused on 

finishing cooking lunch.

“...Mikey, next time, please don't tell in front of our Lady,” Chenille whispered as the Guard plated the food on the table. "Alright everyone, let's quickly eat so we can hold the afternoon sermon."

"Ah, yes! Let us hope this sermon goes smoothly, without fail." Zanna shakily sighed as she seated herself with the rest of the staff, “Chenille, I hope you enjoy your favourite meal,”

The Guard silently nodded and smiled, their eyes shone with subtle compassion.

”Ooh, someone’s in love,” Billiam teased, eyeing both the Priestess and Guard who were avoiding eye contact.

“Ugh, stop the childishness and let’s eat,” Mikey grumbled.

“And someone’s cranky. Eat your vegetables so you grow more in height and not in attitude,”

The choir boy’s eyes twitched in irritation, before he silently prayed, and then began eating with the rest of the members of Verde Street’s Temple.