Chapter Text
Ava lives her life thoroughly. After not being able to move for the past 12 years she’s determined not to let anything get in her way. She bounces off the walls of Cat’s Cradle, phasing through anything and skipping, jumping, cartwheeling (still a work in progress) her way to everything. She breathes life. She, Beatrice remarks, can also not be quiet. She’s humming her way through breakfast, complaining her way through running, talking while eating lunch (the Sisters do judge her for this, but Beatrice can’t help but give her a fond smile when she goes on yet another hushed ramble). She’s blabbering nonsense to Lilith while fighting to try and aggravate her, singing when in a quiet part of the monastery doing weapons training with Camila and reading out loud while doing research with Beatrice.
It’s no wonder she at some point also starts discovering new music genres. At first it was just hits on the radio – and if said radio is forbidden in Cat’s Cradle, well, Ava wouldn’t say who her secret source was (even if said Secret Source was the prettiest woman nun she’d ever seen). (Beatrice has a soft spot for her okay).
Ava’s current favourite is country. She’s just cycling her way through a playlist writing her most recent mission report (there might also be some doodles in the corner) when the song switches to a soft one. She’s unconsciously tapping her foot along to the beat when she finally starts listening to the music. “In case you didn’t know. Baby I’m crazy about you and I would be lying if I said that I could live this life without you” and her thoughts, stupid traitorous thoughts, find her way to Beatrice again. She’s not sure if she can call this a crush or just, I’ve-been-without-friends-for-so-long-and-I-don’t-know-how-friendships-work thing, but she’s painfully aware of how often her thoughts drift to Beatrice. She’s shaken out of her thoughts by a knock on the door.
“Ava?” Beatrice asks as she comes to stand near the desk.
“Hmm?”
“How far along on your report are you? Lillith is growing quite agitated and would like to check your spelling before sending it in,” she says with her hands clasped together in front of her, fondly smiling down to where Ava is sitting at her desk. “It would also be in your best interest to turn down the music a little bit, seeing as it’s officially not allowed to have this music playing.” She finishes off with a soft smile and a wink reserved only for Ava, pointing at the radio with her thumb.
She moves to stand behind Ava to peek at the mission report, who lets out a groan and drops her head down onto her arm on the desk. Later Beatrice will ask herself why she did that, but without thinking she reaches out and starts carding her fingers through Ava’s hair while reaching over and reading the report. She’s so deep into thought she doesn’t realize the young warrior nun has fallen asleep right at her desk until she hears a light snore.
With another fond smile, she reaches over and grabs the spare blanket from the foot of Ava’s bed. She drapes it over her shoulders and without thinking kisses the top of her head, before quietly walking out of the room to finish and polish off the report herself. It’s gonna be another long night, she thinks. In the room she just left Ava smiles and sighs and, in the morning, she’s going to question if she just dreamt Beatrice kissing her head. She only barely notices the radio still playing “you had my heart a long, long time ago. In case you didn’t know”.