A barn where livestock belonging to the convent reside over winter, but it is empty for now.

::Andrea enters with Chloe and pushes her away.::

"Why did you do this to me? I am already under Mother Superior's eye with my interactions!"

"I came to you for help, Sister! And you offered me it! That's all!"

::Chloe's eyes glaze over with anger now.::

"Everybody else has shunned me. Why must you? You don't know me at all and yet you're judging me for one little thing I cannot help!"

::Andrea paces in a short circle then sighs.::

"You're right. You're right, I did."

(It's my duty to help.)

::She closes her mouth and tries to calm herself.::

"I'm sorry. I'll help you."

::Her eyes move to meet Chloe's and she finds herself staring into them.::

::Chloe sniffs.::

"Thank you. Thank you so much. I do not know what I would have done."

"That's... that's okay."

::Andrea rubs her face with her hand, tearing her eyes away.::

(Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee...)

"Wait here. I'll go and bring you some bread."

::She quickly leaves to the convent.::

::Looking around, Chloe explores the barn but there's really not much to see. She rubs her hands together to warm them up, then goes to clamber up on top of a hay bale to wait for Andrea to return.::

"I forgot to ask her name..."

(Sister? Sister Mary Something?)

::She sighs, then stands up on the bale, balancing well, and does a handstand.::

::Sister Mary Andrea returns with the bread she'd taken out of her pockets now and a cup of water she'd managed to snatch as well. She freezes when she sees the upside-down girl balanced precariously on a stack of hey.::

"My..."

::Hearing a voice, Chloe looks over and then flips herself down and lands on her feet on the floor. She smiles at Andrea.::

"You were swift."

::She approaches the nun and takes the bread, then ravenously swallows it with the water.::

"I have not eaten in days... thank you. You are very kind."

::Andrea blushes slightly, unsure how to accept these compliments.::

"Oh, it's..."

::Chloe looks equally as embarrassed and gives Andrea an awkward hug, which then turns into a proper one.::

"Thank you."

::Sharon opens the door and gasps quietly when she sees the two women embracing.::

(No... she swore she'd stop all that...)

::The nun peeks around the door behind Sharon, then shoves the Sister out of the way.::

"Old habits die harm, hmm Sister Mary Andrea?"

::Andrea gasps and leaps away from Chloe, her eyes shifting to-

"Sharon!?"

::Sharon looks just as shocked as Andrea does.::

"No! I didn't know she was following me!"

"Mother Superior will love this."

::Andrea panics and steps towards the nun.::

"Mary Catherine, if you tell, may God smite you down and burn your ashes into ashes, and then into further ashes and piss all over them before sending you to deal with His Darkness himself!"

"She didn't do anything! It's me!"

"Shut up, heathen."

::Sister Mary Catherine grins.::

"And cursing me, how very blasphemous of you to use the Lord's name in such a hex. I've waited a long time to get rid of you two sinners. Our convent is a pure one."

::She turns and runs away.::

::Sharon stares at Andrea for a moment before putting the heel of her palm to her forehead, feeling quite faint.::

::Andrea hurries over to her.::

"Oh, Sharon, I'm so sorry. This is all my fault."

"I don't know what they're going to do..."

::Andrea falls silent.::

"I don't think..."

::Sharon gathers her smock around her and sits down on the dirty floor.::

"Why did you have to do this, Andrea? Why is it so hard to resist temptation?"

::Andrea looks from Sharon to Chloe, about to defend herself, but she doesn't speak. The fact was that it felt good to hold another woman again, and she can't hide from herself that she's had impure thoughts already.::

"But she didn't do anything. We were embracing innocently. I swear it."

"Even if that were the case, they won't believe you now."

::Sharon looks up at Chloe.::

"I know who you are; what you were cast from the village for. Why did you have to come here?"

::Tears drip from Chloe's eyes and she diverts her attention to playing with her fingers.::

"I did not know where else to come. I thought you could help me. I thought that... that if Sister Andrea, who I now suppose is like me, could become a nun and be saved..."

::Sharon spits angrily.::

"She is only one of us because they don't know what she i-was! Only I and Mother Superior, who knows all of our sins..."

::She gets up.::

"She knows them and gives us 'one chance'. If we sin again.... then that is it. And now Sister Mary Catherine has told her. Now it's the gallows, or worse. Perhaps for all of us."

"No! I cannot be responsible for that!"

::Chloe grabs Andrea's arm.::

"I won't let them!"

::Sharon grabs Andrea's other arm and jerks her away, glaring at Chloe.::

"Haven't you done enough damage?"

::Andrea pulls away from both women, her face blank.::

"She did not mean harm by her actions."

::She lets her eyes move to meet Chloe's.::

"Let us blame no one for this. If anyone, it should be me."

::Now she looks at Sharon.::

"And I will not be responsible for anything happening to you. We must stop it. For you, at least. And you."

::Her shy eyes slip over Chloe again.::

::Tears rolling down her cheeks, Sharon embraces Andrea tightly.::

"I am not letting you die, Andrea."

::Andrea shuts her eyes and hugs her friend back.::

"Nor I you, Sister."

::Voices and footsteps can be heard outside, approaching the barn.::

::They suddenly silence and Chloe stops moving as Aurellia appears before the two nuns.::

"Hello. I am here to help."

"Holy... Mother of God."

::Sharon crosses herself and quickly drops onto one knee. Then hauls Andrea down too.::

(Hmm...)

"Stand, please, for I am not God; merely a humble servant of His."

::Sharon gets to her feet and crosses herself again. This time she doesn't help Andrea up. Silly girl can do it herself.::

"Our Lord has sent me with an offer to make to you, Sister Mary Sharon and Sister Mary Andrea of His service. An offer that will save your lives."