Clara meets Ursula on the way up

It was hard to miss the figure of Ursula... Even though she was wearing a strange, black veil and long-sleeved, frilled dress that made her look a bit like a mourner, with white pearl earrings and a matching necklace, the long braid of her purple hair was still the same. Perhaps she wasn't so concerned about remaining anonymous after all? Or maybe, Clara thought, she was just too stuck in her ways. At any rate... that dress still had a weird way of hugging to her hips, so... that part also made her pretty identifiable.

"Sister Ursula. I'm glad to run into you," Clara greeted her comrade, allowing a small smile onto her face. "Our impending challenge has me too nervous to face it alone..."

Ursula cocked one eyebrow, then pushed her glasses up upon the bridge of her nose. "Hmph. The foes of Geod and demons are far more fearsome than this challenge. Please remind yourself what a petty, trivial thing it is," the spiritual counselor spoke coldly. "You may think that this is an affront to Geod, but I see it as a trial. To fail here is no less than to fail our Lord. Do not forget that."

Clara's smile grew more awkward. "Yes... Same old Ursula..." she thought to herself irritably.

The chapel was only slightly less decrepit than she imagined. She couldn't see the inside... it looked as though the doors had been recently replaced, but the stained glass windows were mostly broken and the spots that were once covered with resplendent red wall-hangings were now bare with peeling white paint. The wooden walls were broken at places. She wasn't looking forward to seeing how it looked inside. Clara told Ursula as much, as tactfully as she could manage.

"Well, luckily, you won't have to. We are going to be on the outside."

Ah... Were they doing something in the forest? "Oh dear... That's rather public," Clara thought to herself, dabbing her sweating forehead with a small, white, lace handkerchief that was far too dainty for the night's festivities. There was only a little further to go around the outer wall of the church... once they rounded the corner, Clara saw a few other nuns waiting. For a moment, she thought of hiding her face, but it was too late... she simply smiled and gave them a gentle wave instead. The young nuns seemed to light up with delight, seeing that two of their admired authority figures had come to join them. "Let us strive together for the common good," Clara encouraged the two of them, feeling the extra burden of expectation weighing heavily upon her shoulders... "Now, Miss Ursula... what is this?"

Ursula took a deep breath...