The next day (Saturday), every operative that had been on duty throughout the week assembled in the Hall of Remission, a small basilica used exclusively for rites of forgiveness and penance.
Jin stood along with his close comrades, Mia, Ken, Akito, and Akio, and assembled with Zaraki and the several operatives that were on duty throughout the week.
They all stood there, earnestly waiting for the priest to come to initiate the Remission Ceremony, a ritual that would end with the declaration by the priest, which would somehow make them "righteous and forgiven."
This ritual would make them clean and qualify them to enjoy the festivities of the memorial week; it was a big deal as it was believed that participation in the sacred rituals would bring favor from their supreme god, Dominus.
The squads of operatives had assembled, waiting for over an hour, yet for some reason, the priest had not shown up.
This long period of waiting caused the whole assembly to turn complacent, though a few of them were anxious as they believed they still carried the weight of their sin and would face eternal damnation if they by any chance died now.
To alleviate boredom, some began to chat among themselves, humming and laughing, albeit in a silent manner.
Mia took note of this and couldn't help noticing a fellow young operative right beside her.
Perhaps it was because he looked too quiet and serious, or because he was naturally gorgeous, but for some reason she felt the urge to pester him.
"You've been quiet since we assembled. "Are you one of those devout people trembling with fear at the thought of the priest not showing up?" She asked, believing he'd be the guy to turn defensive at any moment now to keep a good outlook.
He simply ignored her, facing forward like she did not exist, and she slowly began to tick.
"I take it you are then?" She remarked, to no response, but still pressed on—this guy felt mysterious to her, and she did not like it.
"You know I'm not going to stop asking, right?"
The young man sighed and finally gave her the attention she was fighting for, looking straight at her.
"You talk a lot, don't you, woman?" He asked with a smile that made her feel warm.
She maintained her mischievous composure and answered,
"Seems you are not that slow on the uptake, huh?"
"Is that what you think, woman?" he asked.
"It's what I know."
He chuckled slightly, ticking her off.
"Was that funny?" she asked with a slight scowl.
"Sorry about that. "I'm Drey...Drey Matsumoto."
Mia simply folded her hands, teasing him,
"Seems you are cheaper than I gave you credit for."
Drey arched a brow, bummed at her somewhat childish behavior, but kept the conversation going.
"What were you expecting, then?" he asked.
She ignored the question but responded by introducing herself as well.
"Mia Kaori," she said, "have I seen you around before?" "You don't seem familiar in any way to me."
Drey nodded his head and responded,
"I know you're curious, but am I that mysterious to you?"
Mia sighed, hating to admit it.
"Of course, I'm not sure I've seen you before, nor heard your name from anyone."
Drey cleared his throat, bringing his head closer to hers.
"That's not what I meant, woman."
Mia stood frozen for a few seconds, not knowing what to say, especially with his face so close to hers.
"Oh, I've made you speechless; turns out I'm not so cheap after all."
Mia reddened and immediately turned away from him, trying very hard to resist the urge to punch him. He was so arrogant, but she admired him for that without even admitting it to herself.
"We should leave after the ceremony if you're willing to satisfy your curiosity—if you think you can handle being alone with me over lunch."
She took a deep breath, staring at him in the face with all the dignity she could muster.
"Bring it on, runt," she replied with the defiance that made him smile.
"It's a date then," he stated...
The dialogue between Mia and the stranger occurred right in front of Jin, who was standing right behind her, scowling in obvious jealousy.
Ken, who was standing right next to him, noticed this and calmly put a hand on his shoulder to comfort him.
"Calm down, Romeo; don't do something stupid."
Jin slapped off his hand,
"Shut up, Ken! "What do you take me for?"
Then in came the priest, adorned in expensive clothes with large phylacteries and a staff with a swollen hollow top burning with wood and incense.
Two other clergymen flanked him, right and left, with their arms stretched towards the heavens. They gave the sign, and everyone began chanting scriptures on forgiveness from the Holy Canon, as they knew it by heart.
He stood right before the group of about a hundred operatives and stretched out his hands once they were done with all the recitations.
"In the name of Kristos, the way to Dominus, I hereby absolve you of all your sins, and by the power vested in me as Preist Vicar, I declare you all righteous and forgiven!"
In response, operatives cheered, thanking Dominus for his undeserved grace. The religious enthusiasts even went so far as to jump with glee upon the declaration by the Preist.
To some degree everyone cheered, including Jin and Akio, who cheered only by clapping formally, oblivious to the joyous state of the room.
Mia and Drey were also oblivious to the state of the room and soon motioned to each other that it was time to leave.
Jin looked at Ken, who was right beside him and seemed to be one of the joyful enthusiasts in the hall, and then looked before him to discover Mia was gone, along with the stranger he envied.
He knew he was jealous but couldn't help justifying himself. Deep down, he felt that guy was bad news.
He looked new to him, which was strange, as every operative was recognizable at least by their facial features, but this guy seemed to be the exception.
Every current teenage operative was at least recognizably familiar since they had all gone through several hardships together as children and survived. But that young fellow seemed too young to be part of the group before that, who were now in their late twenties.
Because of this, he couldn't help but worry about Mia.