VOX

Ch 4

Back in her unit, Davina had paced for so long she was surprised a path hadn't been worn into the floor. She had done exactly as Sister Zinnia asked, she'd gone to the kitchen, gathered as much food as she could without anyone realizing something was missing. Spare toiletries from the bathhouse were currently lying on her bed, which her panicky hands had made to keep themselves busy. A sheet of paper, a pen, and one large spare set of bedsheets were sitting on the floor. Anxious to know what the plan was, Davina was growing more and more stressed with each passing minute. Having to scamper about the complex in the dead of night like a rat did nothing to quell her fears.

The handle to her unit softly clicked and Sister Zinnia slipped in, armes ladened with clothing and a dark piece of cloth.

"I thought you said you'd be right back!" Davina would have shouted had it not been for the years of practiced whisper-reading in her room. "I-I thought..." she trailed off, mind playing endless possibilities.

Dropping the bundle in her arms so she could speak, the sister did her best to try and soothe the frazzled girl before her. "I'm fine, I'm fine. Just kept dropping things on my way here but didn't want to make two trips," she gestured to the pile of colorful clothing.

"What is all of that?"

"These my dear are bits from the clothing drive we're having. This was everything I could find that may fit you. I was inspired by a certain someone" The satisfied smirk on the sister's face was contagious, she gestured to the girl's lumpy bed with a raised brow.

"You knew about that?" She had been under the impression that no one but Viola knew of her secret books. Possibly Scaevola if the girl was curious enough to go digging under her bed, but even if she did find the books she wouldn't have said so. That child was a walking pile of chaos, but she was a good secret keeper.

If Sister Zinnia could have laughed she probably would have.

"Child, you tried  to hide a rectangle under your tunic all through breakfast when you were fourteen, it was kind of obvious. I always knew." Smug with having revealed her news, the sister sat down smiling, and began folding the clothes she'd dumped onto the floor. "Now we can't have you walking around in that" she eyed the brown tunic Davina was still wearing, "it'll be an immediate give away."

She hadn't really thought about it before but of course the outside world would know what a Sister of New Light looked like. They were covered from chin to ankle in clothing that screamed 'I love Soldeus'. "So what am I to wear?"

"Here try this," a white long sleeve shirt and a thick bundle of dark green were pushed towards her. "They're plain enough to not draw attention to yourself, the skirt is pretty warm, and quite frankly I don't think I could make it fit in the bag." The dark piece of cloth she had been carrying before looked oddly familiar.

"Is that-?"

She glanced at what the girl was pointing at. "One of the Notrose sister's bags? Why yes. Yes it is." That smug grin was back. "You'll be needing it more than they will. Now come on, you don't have a lot of time." She resumed folding and began stuffing things into the bag.

Davina rubbed the new clothing between her fingers. It was wonderfully soft. The brown tunics, not meant to be lavish, often scratched at her skin and chaffed her legs and inner arms during hot days. She didn't give it another thought or second glance as she yanked it over her head, balled it up, and threw it in the corner. The white shirt both fit and didn't fit. It was a perfect fit across her shoulders and chest, but the sleeves dangled past her fingers. Sister Zinnia was right about the skirt, it would certainly keep her warm. Feeling a little childish she twirled twice, liking how the fabric swirled and flared around her ankles.