A week later, Tommy was dressed in a nice white button-up shirt that he borrowed from Jack as Niki led him up the marble steps of the temple. He fiddled with the cuff of the sleeve, trying to calm his nerves as he glanced up at Niki. Honestly, he was almost hoping she'd look a little nervous- if only for his sake. Seeing her be nervous for him might've helped soothe his own nerves. But instead, she had a bright, confident smile on her face as she guided him up the stairs. Her hair was tied back in a low bun on the base of her skull; a gold ribbon tied in it. He wasn't sure what it was meant to represent, but it seemed important. To the point where that was the first thing she did that morning when they were getting ready to leave.
She glanced down at him, pride radiating off her expression even as her eyebrows furrowed. "You ok, Tommy?"
He nodded a bit, clearing his throat a bit and shaking out his hands to try and get rid of his nervous fiddling. "Yeah, I'm fine. I'm just.." He eyed the dark double-doors ahead of them. "Nervous..I've never been in a temple before."
"Never?" She questioned. Tommy shook his head as they approached the doors. "Don't worry," She squeezed his shoulder. "They'll show you around when they hire you." She sounded so confident- and Tommy wished he could have the same amount of confidence.
She went to open up the doors, but just as she did, a woman with thick, curly brown hair with streaks of white in it opened up the doors. The woman was in a long cloak made of dark feathers and tied with a gold ribbon around her shoulders. Silver jewelry dripped from her ears, and the woman beamed. "Niki! There you are!"
"Puffy!" Niki smiled and gave the woman- Puffy, apparently -a half-hug with the arm that wasn't holding onto the basket of offerings she'd brought. "How are you?"
"I'm wonderful! Thank you for asking." Then her warm brown eyes landed on Tommy, standing awkwardly behind Niki with his hands folded behind his back. "Who's this?" Her voice was kind, seeming to sense Tommy's nervousness.
"This is Tommy." She put her hand back on his shoulder, giving him a reassuring squeeze.
"I'm uh-" Tommy started, pulling the ad out of his pocket and unfolding it hastily before then holding it out to Puffy. "Niki said you're looking for new temple hands?"
Puffy rose her eyebrows a bit, taking the wrinkled paper to skim it. "I am." She flicked her gaze back over to him. "Are you interested?"
He nodded. "Yes, ma'am." He had to resist the urge to squirm under her gaze. She didn't seem all that intimidating honestly. She seemed kind- and with the way she and Niki had greeted each other, he doubted Puffy was anything but kind. But there was something about her that just screamed authority. Maybe it was the way she carried herself- a puffed up chest and a chin held up high with posture so perfect it seemed engrained in her skin. It all just screamed authority; and Tommy couldn't help but feel at least a little intimidated.
"Oh, you can just call me Puffy. Ma'am is way too formal." She laughed a hearty kind of laugh, and a bit of tension leaked from his shoulders as he laughed with her. Then, she stepped aside and held the door open for them. "Well, come on in you two." She waved them forward.
Niki and Tommy slipped in through the doors, and he was instantly hit with a wave of refreshing cool air. It was a bit startling at first since they were in the middle of a stupidly dry summer; but it wasn't entirely unheard of. Especially in a building as important as a temple to the gods. It just meant they probably had runes carved into the walls to keep the temperature pleasant indoors. Tommy was just thankful to escape the heat for a bit.
