Heartthrob

The rest of dinner was handled, as it often is, with little akin to self-restraint. As more and more of the nuns became annoyed with their entrees, they began to follow in Esper James's footsteps and simply attack their dinner with bared teeth. Nearly none of them had the sort of steely fangs that Zofia or Esthrielle had, and so there was a great deal of crunching, and chomping, and grinding... and the dried, salt-grilled exterior of the fish was not so amenable to that. It was only with great difficulty that the nuns who followed this path found their sustenance.

Even before most women had begun their fish, much less finished it, the dessert course was brought out - those nuns on kitchen duty drifting through the rows with push-carts and great silver platters. As if a saccharine juxtaposition against the salt-crust exterior of the whitefish, dessert came in the form of dozens and dozens of pale, delicate ramekins. Within those ramekins, of course, sat crème brûlée - these came with their own sugar-crust pre-prepared, glassily made and of gentle amber sheen.

However, some nuns preferred theirs darker - for this, the kitchen sisters had brought butane torches direct from the kitchen. The smell of darkened and burnt sugar quickly filled the air alongside that of fish and chili sauce, forming a sweet yet salty aroma underlined with the tang of lime and vinegar. In some ways, it was good! In others? Not so much.

Esper James had all but devoured her entire plate of fish by time the ramekin cart made its way over to their quartet - she had taken to furtively drinking down her sauce, and sneaking tails, bones, and heads off of nearby plates whenever they were made available to her. Her dessert was placed before her, the nun who had put it there - wearing an extra apron and long white gloves, to mark her as kitchen staff - then looking down directly to the ghoulette.

The nun said nothing. Black hair in a sleek modern bob... pale skin that spoke of the temperate climes which many in the ERFS enjoyed... LED eyes of deepest amethyst, which flashed and flickered like the tongue of an unattended candl- oh. Duh. Esper James gave the woman an awkward smile as she was practically glared at, the Wayward's eyes boring a hole through her head with their insistent observation.

"...ah, m-miss, haha... Sister, I... I can't see, or... parse? I can't understand whatever you're saying. I only have ears, not... a, uh..." What had Est called it the other night? A communications suite? Comms suite? Something like that, Esper James was sure; she had no idea how it worked, not other than the fact that it allowed the Waywards to speak without speaking. She figured it was a lot like texting, except you used your brain, not your fingers.

"I don't have a comms suite. Sorry, haha." The words sunk into the other woman's ears after what felt like forever, and when they did, the nun's placid expression broke into shy amusement. She laughed aloud, twinkling and light and demure, her eyes shutting as the mirth of her mistake took her. She raised up the butane torch she carried with her, giving it a few flick-and-lights for added dramatic effect.

"Sorry, sister EJ! I forgot... you've become such a normal sight around here, I sort of forgot you were different. Haha, ha... Sorry, sorry. My mistake. Erm, your crème brûlée... is the sugar coating dark enough for you? Would you like me to darken it? I promise, the butane won't interfere with the flavor." She smiled still as her words met their end, a soft expression of contentment mixed with apology having taken over her lips and eyes. Great purple irises no longer flashed nor flared; instead, they were locked directly with EJ's own emeralds. Good. That sort of attention and respect... they were nice.

It was also bittersweet to hear that this woman, whom EJ had never met, had such a kind and thoughtful outlook towards the ghoulette. She had been there for a few weeks, sure, but her interaction with the other nuns had been minimal. In spite of that, this woman not only knew - and respected - that the ghoulish guest preferred to be called EJ, she also thought that EJ was such a normal and expected sight in the convent that the blonde would, of course, have had the same alterations. She was one of the nuns at this point.

That caused a pang of doubt, and of reluctant pain, to make itself known within EJ's chest. The nuns only continued to prove that they were anything but the awful, murderous fanatics she'd been told they were... they continued to be kind to her at every turn, and humanize her at every given opportunity. They seemed to even, in their own way, care for her. That made EJ nauseous.

It was a thing she had longed for for so very long - the sense of community, of being part of a singular caring body, that she had gone for decades without. Tsang had never been more than a job to her; they had never given her any opportunities to feel like part of a group, outside of her badge and the occasional pizza party. Hell, she couldn't even eat the pizza, and the second-living pizza approximate (it had been given the uninspired moniker of 'meatzza') always upset her stomach. She was pretty sure they laced it with FixAte.

But here, these women who were supposed to hate her had only taken her in with open arms and made her feel accepted. She felt like part of the convent, and that felt awful - not because she didn't want the kinship, but because she knew she would be betraying them by leaving. To have their hearts, arms, and minds opened to her... and then to reject them? To say that this place, and this life, weren't for her? That their companionship and acceptance weren't enough?

It turned EJ's gut. A reaction that was more physical than metaphorical, she found, as her tummy grumbled with the tone of one that had been filled too greedily and rapidly. The nun giggled softly, ebon arches descending a centimeter or two further to display her concern. "Ah, sorry, are you sick? You don't need to eat the crem-"

"No, no, I-! I do want it, sorry! Ah, erm, y-yes, a little darker please! I like the burnt taste of the sugar with the vanilla of the custard...!" Esper James's frantic interjection drew a further giggle from the woman serving her - and another from Purity, who had turned her head to tune into the conversation. The pinkette watched as the nun with the torch flicked a new flame into being, holding it then to the sugar-glass top of the ramekin confined dessert.

"So, ah... sister...?" Purity began, going to fill what would have otherwise been an awkward void with small talk instead. "Ah! Sister Lucretia. Back home, I was... I went by 'Lu' or 'Lulu' a lot, haha." There was no follow-up to the moment of unprompted familiarity, her eyes focused on the crème brûlée she was giving a heat-treatment. Purity's smile widened then, only just; but it was enough that EJ noticed it, and wondered at Purity's purpose.

"So, Lulu, haha... You work field team, then? I noticed you've got black lipstick on, and a cute haircut. Not really 'nun'-like, you know - but you've gotta blend in, right?" Purity didn't press any harder, but Esper James could tell almost immediately what her lover's goal was. Esthrielle was listening in now, too, though she was silent - just waiting, but with her head turned ever so slightly so that her right ear was aimed directly at the conversation. She wanted to ensure she got everything that they were discussing, of course.

Lucretia nodded, her smile now showing teeth as white as her lips were black, shocking ivory seeming even more pale against the ebon backdrop. EJ noticed, too, that it wasn't just the lipstick - Lucretia also had on eyeliner and mascara, and if the ghoulette really squinted, she could see remnants of hastily-removed eyeshadow. Lu had been out on the town, or something of the sort. Fuck, now Esper James felt a little dumb - she would never have noticed had Purity not said anything, but in retrospect, it was obvious. Some of the nuns wore a little makeup, it was true, but nothing nearly so severe as ink-toned lipstick.

"Yeah, guilty as charged. I mostly do reconnaissance. I've... I've got the right 'look' to go to some of the seedier establishments here, haha. Plus, back home, I... Err. Let's just say I'm used to that sort of scene, okay? I've got other cremes to brûlée, haha!" She let out that bouncy, sugary giggle, like gumdrops on piano keys, once more. Purity joined her, the buxom beauty's own amusement taking the form of a breathier, more dulcet orchestra that swelled for but a moment before disappearing. She waited until Lucretia had finished her own giggling before offering a response, coming across measured and playful - but yet, respectful.

"Oh, of course. No, haha, I get it... The modern wolf's life, you know? Walking the streets looking for meat, in a sense? Haha... Yeah, sorry, won't pry. But, could we talk after dinner? I'd really like to get to know more about what sort of recon the Knights need." Purity held to her smirk as she spoke, eyes wide and attentive, focused solely on Lucretia - paying no mind to the crème she was currently, and thoroughly, brûlée-ing. Lulu's eyes flickered for a moment, not in that LED way that the Waywards' irises often did, but in the way of a prey animal who has been trapped.

Purity leaned forward surreptitiously, getting ever so slightly closer to Lucretia - and by consequence, Esper James. The blonde had been engrossed in watching Purity to her work - now, however, that Puri's chest was resting against her shoulder, EJ couldn't help but re-examine the situation. What was Purity's angle? EJ had figured it was just to get some support within the Knights, to ease their escape, but...

EJ could smell that perfume again, dripping from Purity's pores. It was as intoxicating as ever.

Lucretia opened her mouth to reply, expression having taken a nearly imperceptible stitch that seemed to indicate she was afraid of just how much she should say. Purity leapt in before the other woman could respond, however - her intonation just as insistent and comforting as always, practically begging all who could hear it to trust her implicitly, and to find delight in her presence.

"I've been thinking, you know, EJ and Est have their own duties here... but I've been kinda just hanging around, you know? So, maybe someone with honest experience in Vitus, and its clubs and... less-than-reputable places... maybe I could help out? I'd need to know what I'm getting myself into, though." The smirk became, then, a smile. EJ felt her own walls coming down, much to a distant sense of dismay - she knew that Purity had been trained to do this, but that didn't make it easier to accept how easily it was working.

Purity had, of course, been not only trained, but augmented at a biological level for this sort of deception. It was easy to forget that Tsang wasn't just the place that recycled the dead into the second-living - to do so took immense knowledge of the human body at a level so intimate it could be considered mastery by most. Surely, one didn't need to be dead to have pheromone glands like vampires did... The subtle scent of perfume now making more sense to Esper James the more she thought about it.

For the second time this evening, her stomach did a triple backflip - it would have won an Olympic gold, had it been competing.

It took all of EJ's strength to keep her jaw locked and prevent it from falling to the floor as she began to put the pieces together, those seemingly coincidental - though still appealing - aspects of Purity's anatomy, and countenance, and overall presence, having their explanations revealed one by one. There was a reason she always smelled good. There was a reason she always tasted, and sometimes smelled, ever-so-slightly of diesel. There was a reason that Purity's voice always seemed to be breathy and sultry, to resonate in a lower frequency than most women her size and build. There was a reason it was so hard to say no to her.

EJ felt her hands ball into fists, knuckles growing whiter than usual as she struggled to suppress an exclamation at these revelations. She could have screamed. There was, of course, no concrete proof, but... She and Puri would be talking about this later. That much was certain. There was no way that EJ could simply let it lie. EJ briefly wondered why Purity's eyes had been done with LED... though that, too, was for deception, of course. Jewel-irises on a first-living wouldn't make sense.

Lucretia's apprehension melted like ice in the summer sun, eyes closing up as she giggled again. Relief drizzled like warm summer rain from every individual giggle she released, and though it wrapped up quickly, that relief had soaked into the woman's entire countenance. "Oh! Yeah, that would... That would be excellent, sister Purity. We can talk about it, keep it, ah... hush-hush, so the mother abbess doesn't press you into it without your consent, and..." The rest went without saying. If Purity found that it seemed to be a thing she'd enjoy, she'd be welcome to do it. Everyone would win.

In this moment, though, Purity seemed to be the only one who was truly winning. She nodded emphatically, her expression turning even more thankful to the sister - rosy cheeks rose up, with plump pink lips spread across immaculate teeth in a smile that would pierce a heart of ice. Purity even reached forward and took Lucretia's free hand in both of her own, squeezing it appreciatively, and giving it a quick shake.

"Oh, thank you, Lulu! Thank you so much! Here, after dinner... do you know where we're staying? Just, ah, just swing on by, if you can manage. We can go for a walk, find somewhere discreet..." Purity had locked eyes with the other woman, moving the gothic nun into checkmate without any further effort. Lucretia gestured with her pupils to Esper James and Esthrielle, nearly saying something - before Purity, again, tamped down her fears.

"Oh, don't worry about them. The less of us all walking around together, the more... discreet, I figure. And it's so easy to bug a bedroom. We wouldn't want our whole conversation leaked, right?" The concern was anything but misplaced, even though Purity didn't truly seem to believe it was a potential danger. Lucretia paled as she considered the possibility, her Knight façade snapping in twain for a moment as she jerked her head to look across the dining hall. Purple-lined pupils locked upon the mother abbess for a split second.

Lulu turned back without a moment to spare, clearing her throat and offering a brief, hurried nod. "Y-Yes, sister Purity, you are... you are absolutely correct. I will meet you later this evening to... discuss. Here is your creme brûlée, and Est's. I... I fear I spent too long burning sister EJ's, so I can't really burn yours any darker. I hope you enjoy, though, we... w-we put a lot of work into it." That visage of fear blinked to one of false joy, apologetic in the extreme. Lucretia pushed her dessert cart on without delay once she had passed Purity and Est their desserts.

Once Lucretia was out of earshot, Est turned to face Purity directly. She had a single brow cocked, and a conflicted expression on her face - caught somewhere between intrigue and disapproval, though the latter was withheld until further evidence presented itself. "So. Puri. Hey. What, uhhh, what the fuck was that? You gonna screw Lulu or somethi-"

Est was cut off by a single index finger, the one on Purity's right hand, being pressed tenderly to the Wayward's lips. Est nearly bit the finger instinctively, but held herself back - also resigning herself to shut up, and allowed Purity to interrupt her. Purity's smile warped itself, going from the face of a friend to the mask of a Machiavellian mastermind whose machinations were unfolding exactly as planned. She narrowed her eyes to near slits, leaning down to plant a kiss on Esthrielle's forehead before responding - a kiss that made Est shudder with delight, despite her current mood.

"Ha-ha-ha...~ No, no, I doubt I'll get the chance to tongue a nun other than you, Est - and besides. I'm not gonna cheat on you girlies. I love you, and we're committed, yeah? But... Well, I figure doing some information gathering... Places, routes, contacts... Well, it'll be helpful to us. Really a huge boon, you know? If we're gonna... well, you know. Besides. Lulu's got a cute sort of innocent thing going on. I wanna give her some pointers." Purity made no effort to elaborate on what she meant by giving the other woman some pointers.

The explanation seemed to assuage Est's concerns, at least in the capacity that she now decided simply to pout like a brat who had been reprimanded. The kiss had, seemingly, taken all of the wind out of Esthrielle's sails... and that, paired with the logic of Purity's actions, had completely debased any displeasure Est could muster up. The Italian crossed her arms in a performative way and turned to address her crème brûlée.

Purity snickered, giving Est a one-armed squeeze about the shoulders. She offered the same affection to Esper James without hesitation, and without indication - simply showing her smallest lover how she felt with deeds, not words. Then, she began to tuck into the burnt sugar treat before her. Est did the same, and EJ would have followed suit as well... but her stomach was still turning itself into knots, knots which were not soothed by Purity giving her a hug.

Purity was acting weird. Like, truly, notably weird. She had been in a slump for so long recently that, for EJ, seeing Purity now take such an initiative towards the trio's future was bewildering. It was like she was an entirely new person... or rather, that she had always been this person, but had been keeping it under wraps. Either option frightened, and deeply saddened, the ghoulette. Was it her fault? Was Purity like this now because of EJ's actions - because of how Esper James had, admittedly, really fucked over Puri's trust in her?

God, she felt so fucking sick. Maybe a little bit of sugar would help. EJ made to enjoy her dessert - with such haste that she nearly just bit the ceramic and custard both, spoon entirely done away with. Nearly. There would be plenty of time to use her teeth later, though...