It was the answer she expected, but not the one she had been hoping for. With eyes downcast partly from disappointment, partly from an unyielding need to avoid meeting his gaze, Adelicia gave an acknowledging nod. At the very least, she thought, her escorting hunters would not remain with her for the entire night; sometime soon they would be on their way to wherever it was hunters went to quench their inhuman thirst. There was comfort in knowing that much, at least. Perhaps they could find a quaint chapel somewhere in this part of town, or maybe there would be a civilian shelter in the area. Surely the people would benefit from having a saint in their midst to bless and comfort them, and if she was lucky there would even be some children amongst them. Yharnam’s youngest inhabitants often found her easy to like and enjoyed a special bond to her on their interactions; and Adelicia, for her part, had to be reprimanded more than once for giving out blood treats to children without a Vicar’s permission.

“It would be unwise for you to remain out in the open for much longer,” a voice came from behind and above her head – so close that she startled and half turned, half stumbled a step away from Provostus. He was a quiet fellow, in spite of his commanding height, and she had almost forgotten he was there at all. Staring up at him with wide eyes, she remembered only after a second or two to close her mouth. Her gazed did not remain fixed for long, not because his face was so high up from where she stood, but because she felt a wave of shame wash over her. Why was she of all saints sent out to deliver these blessings? Many of her fellow sisters were far less prone to fright than she was, and the Vicar knew it too. Had the treatment really resonated this well with her blood? Was it really better than the others? No one ever told her anything, but she’d heard the rumors of course. A part of her enjoyed the thought of being special somehow.

The other hated it.

“I suppose you are right,” she lamented, first turned towards Provostus, then towards Victor – ever careful never to look him in the eye. The chill from the first time they did was still in her spine. “Y-you needn’t be mindful of me. I can keep up; let us make haste, yes?”