They see the Big Five.
Truthfully, neither of them knows what that even means until they're on an early morning game drive in the middle of the Kruger National Park and their guide explains it to them. There are five great, big animals to be on the lookout for, the most popular in Africa, and the two of them get to see all of them.
Lions, elephants, rhinos, leopards, and buffalos. And giraffes, if one considers it a Big Six. It's terrifying and exciting, and Ava sits far too close to her, seeking warmth in the cold air, the two of them marvelling at the world around them.
There is a family from Germany on the same safari as them, speaking in German occasionally, and Beatrice and Ava exchange amused glances whenever they understand what's being said.
"How safe is it, really?" Ava asks their guide, Johnny, when they've basically driven to within mere metres of a pride of lions. There are seven in total: three older lionesses and four rambunctious cubs. "We're basically in an open vehicle here. What's stopping them from attacking?"
"As long as you remain within the vehicle, you're safe," he explains. "Lions don't see things the way we do. They see a vehicle, and only a vehicle. They know it can't hurt them, so we're just part of the vehicle. The second they see a person as a person, separate from the vehicle, is when there will be a problem."
It's new information for Beatrice, who takes it all in with a calmness that contrasts to Ava's eagerness, asking questions at every opportunity. She wants to hear about the national animal, the springbok, and she wants to know why there's such a large elephant population but the rhinos are becoming more and more endangered.
"We have a very big poaching problem," Johnny explains. "Tusks and horns, they just kill these precious animals for the ivory. It happens far too often to have any kind of control."
The thought makes Beatrice inexplicably sad, and Ava scoots in closer to her, fingers linking with hers. She's a bit more subdued for the remainder of the drive, Johnny dropping them off back at their lodge in time for breakfast. Beatrice has learned that they tend to subscribe to a full English here, and she almost did a little dance when she spotted the baked beans on the menu.
Ava, of course, thinks she's lost the plot, which is really rich coming from her.
She's made friends already, which isn't a surprise. The lodge boasts a great mix of nationalities, from overseas and just within Africa. Ava just fits in so easily, always just speaking so proudly about the fact she's with Beatrice. People are largely friendly and accepting here, which is really nice, but even Beatrice notices when Ava picks and chooses the people she continues to interact with after she's made it clear that she and Ava are together.
It's just the world they're living in.
Which is the same one where she and Ava get caught in an interesting debate about religion around a bonfire. It's something they've avoided, really, indulging in conversation about the most recent events - or even the past explosion at the Vatican, but they meet a reverend at their second lodge who says, "Sometimes, people just need something to believe in."
It's why Adriel was able to convince so many. Even without the plague tricks or the demons, people of the world were looking for something - some tangible proof that there is something else. Something bigger. Something that can be seen.
"Do you believe, dear?" the man asks Beatrice. Reverend Thomas, she's learned, rarely asks questions he doesn't already know the answer to.
"Yes," Beatrice tells him, because that hasn't changed, even if she's essentially left the convent in search of - with the intention of -
