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[sub][color=c0c0c0]"Act, and God will act." -Joan of Arc[/color][/sub]
[hr] [color=c0c0c0][b]Location:[/b][/color] Chapel Undercroft -> Carriage House (and parts beyond)[/center] [hr][hr]

	Sister Mary smiled a quiet thanks to Bishop Mansfield for his permission to leave the Ely Palace. It was a burden at times, being subject to one's Oaths before God, but it was a burden taken willingly. This is how the Church operated. It kept them well-ordered and strong, even in a place like London where their influence was decidedly less than the rest of Europe. 

	She took up her halberd and received Elizaveta's hand as it was presented. [color=c0c0c0]"I accept your offer, and believe that a carriage would be a fine idea."[/color] With some formality, she led the Russian noblewoman from the candlelit Undercroft and into the brighter Chapel above. [color=c0c0c0]"If it please My Lady, I must acquire some tools of my profession and provisioning set aside for the evening. If you would be as kind as to escort me to my rooms, I shan't be but a moment."[/color] 

	If it were a simple matter of getting geared for a fight, Mary was already set. Quite the resplendent image in gilded cassock with halberd, brace of short blades, and almost comically oversized howdah pistol. But simple combat was not the entirety of her world. Plus, the invitation was very clear about maintaining a sense of [i]propriety[/i]. It was likely most unseemly for a young lady like herself to be openly heavily armed, despite the nature of her summons. When she reached her quarters within St. Etheldreda's, she quickly donned one of the few trappings of official finery she possessed; a long, black cloak with silver edging and arm slits, the equidistant cross of St. Sylvester stitched into the back and over her heart in white and silver. She might have preferred her white robe for comfort's sake, but this was official business of the Order. They must be represented accordingly. 

	The short journey down to the carriage house in the more village-like section of Ely was spent in relative quiet. Mary herself was happy to have someone along that had a greater understanding of the job she needed to do at Almack's. Of course, the same could be said of Elizaveta. Mary was not certain precisely what business brought her to that same locale; only that it involved a meeting of representatives from the peoples that had taken responsibility to train individuals like herself and the noblewoman. She imagined her role to be more diplomatic, more eye-appealing and conversational than Mary's own. Still, it was good to be in the company of someone in the know, so to speak. 

	When they arrived at the carriage house, Mary assisted Elizaveta into her conveyance and tucked her halberd into the interior forequarter. Respectfully, she bid the Lady Romanova give her a minute's time, and darted into the stables, one door over. She returned in less time than what was required, carrying laden saddlebags and wearing a warm smile. [color=c0c0c0]"Thank you so much for your patience, Lady Romanova. I am ready to depart at your convenience."[/color] 
 
	All in all, it was a good day, threat of Soulless attack notwithstanding. A child's life was saved and brought into the protection of the Church, a woman's soul was eased in a dramatic and powerful way, and Mary had made a new friend and ally in Elizaveta. There was reason to be positive. Guarded, but positive. And now, finally, she could tend to her duties as a Dame, arriving with the company of someone that would likely be taken more seriously than herself, no less. [color=c0c0c0]"My Lady, have you the opportunity yet to sample some of St. Ethedreda's fine strawberries? They are quite noteworthy."[/color]