#start of thread

Mercedes was settling in for the night, later than she had expected due to a series of mishaps involving spices in the kitchen while she was on cooking duty that she had to correct for and fix after dinner had been served, which honestly took longer than expected, though that in part could be attributed to her noticing how dusty the cabinets were and deciding to dust them since she was already tidying....

But that was besides the point. She double checked to make sure her door was open, and she made sure to put out a few more biscuits and cookies on the tray she had set up for them to make up for the ones Sylvain had eaten during their commiseration over crests that afternoon. Once she was satisfied with the number of baked goodies, she checked to make sure the teapot was still set up, and smiled. Everything was perfect. She changed into her night clothes and was about to settle into bed when she heard a knock at her door.

‘Oh,’ She thought. ‘Good timing, I suppose!’

Mercedes stood by the entrance of the monastery, kindly greeting the travelers who were steadily pouring in and directing them to the cathedral. When the stream of people finally came to a lull for a time, she glanced at the other clergy  near her with a soft, but tired smile. This work was easy, but still tiring, especially when some travel-weary individuals would be snappy, rude, impatient, and more. But she knew it was no fault of her own, nor theirs’, truly. She knew full well how extended travel could wear down on one’s patience and morale, so she just blamed the circumstances of the travel.

But the slight exhaustion she felt was nothing in face of the joy and peace that came with knowing her actions were actively helping the Church for once. Growing up, she relied on the Church, and though she always helped where she could, it never felt like enough some days for the respite they provided her, for the food, and bed, and hope they provided her over the years. But she was drawn out of her thoughts when someone approached.

“Hello, traveler! You’ve finally reached the Church of Seiros-”

“Shut it. Just point me to the cathedral so I can repent again for useless things this year and move on with my life.” She blinked owlishly at the harshness of the stranger’s words before shaking her head and regaining her composure.

“My deepest apologies if your travel has been harsh, sir, and I pray that the Goddess makes your return easier-”

“I said shut it, girl! Just point me to the cathedral, dammit!” Mercedes flinched at the mild cruelty in the man’s tone, and the way it reminded her of... She forced her smile back into place.

“My apologies, sir. The cathedral is straight through here, just follow the other clergymen and women stationed throughout the monastery.” The man scoffed.

“Good riddance. Thanks for nothing, girl.” The man briskly walked forwards, clipping her on the shoulder as he went, and Mercedes held her lips taut as her mind rushed back to the past for a moment. The clergyman near her looked concerned, but she weakly waved a hand.

“I’m- I’m going to take a break, I’ll be sure to send someone to replace me,” she said, wincing at how mechanical her voice sounded. “Don’t worry about me, I’m just tired.” The clergyman nodded slowly, and got back to work as she walked towards the Cathedral after informing Tomas of her break. She rounded a corner to the side of the cathedral proper where people stayed less often-

And ran head first into someone.

20. Someone is trying kidnap your muse!

hey can i get a menu?