"So, she's a priestess? But I didn't sense any wolf aura on her. Did she deliberately hide it from our senses? Is she… Hmmm" one of the people sitting near my table exclaimed in surprise, but the person sitting next to him reacted quickly by covering his mouth.
"Shhh… lower your voice, she might hear us," the second man said. "But there's one thing I don't quite understand… The priestess that's supposed to start this ritual is priestess katana, from the moon palace. I wonder where she is."
"maybe she's priestess katana's apprentice."
"No it can't be. The staff on her hand looks more powerful than 'Katana's moon's voice staff'..."
"Do you want to be struck by lightning by gossiping about the moon priestess?" another person reprimanded the two busy bodies.
"Can you please ask the moon goddess why I've not been able to find a mate ever since I clocked 18?" Mike asked.
The question got me stumped. I didn't even know how to answer him or what to say. i looked at the wooden staff in my hand and smiled. It was nothing but a toy I used to play with when my parents were still alive. But this people revered it as if it was some kind of holy treasure.
"Hmmm!" I cleared my throat before speaking.
"The moon goddess has seen through your pains and has known all that you've gone through. So, she has sent your mate to you."
"Priestess, please where can I find her?" he held my hand strongly with the pair of iron clamps he called hands. He quickly released his hands when he saw the pained look on my face.
"She's here at this gathering," I said, then sat back and watched him look round the hall looking for what was not lost.
"You'll see a sign when the time is right." after punishing him for two minutes, I finally told him another lie (who told him to disturb a starving woman when she's about to start eating).
"Now, I'll appreciate it if you can excuse me. I have to start eating."
As soon as I took the first spoonful of rice to my mouth, I felt a thousand pairs of eyes were watching me.
I lifted my face and saw the surprised look on everyone in the room, and all of their eyes were set on the plate of rice on my table.
"Priestess… Hmmm… It seems like you forgot to pray to the moon goddess before we started the mating ritual." Mike explained when he saw the confused look on my face.
Wow! You guys' pretense is getting out of hand. I'm scared!
I used the cloak's hoodie to cover my head, to prevent this group of weirdos from reading my expression.
"May the moon goddess bless us all with the perfect mate we desired!" I stood up to give the prayer they wanted from me and I started digging in my plate without caring about what they might think. I just want to finish the mission I came here for, then make a run for it.
Who cares about face? They won't see me here tomorrow.
…
30 minutes later, I'm already done eating the plates of food on my table. Collected about 5 takeaways.
Ready to leave this weird place at any given opportunity. As I was about to leave to receive a phone call, I saw someone rush in. He went straight to the person who seemed to be the leader of this gathering, and whispered something to his ears.
"What!!??" the young man exclaimed. "Quick! Bring her in!!"
Well, that's none of my concern. Curiosity wouldn't kill my cat a second time. I scrolled through my phone, looking for some random song to play and pretending as if my phone was ringing.
As I was about to press the play button, the man who rushed in before, entered. This time, he was with seven other people. They were all female in black cloaks.
The women in cloaks formed a formation of seven people, with one person in the lead and two others walking at each side, all carrying a bloodied woman on their shoulder.
The lights in the room were immediately switched off, replaced by the light from the burning candles in the hands of these female "undertakers".
They then placed her down on the ground and lit the seven candles around her while chanting in a strange language. They danced round the bloodied corpse for a few minutes… they only stopped when the bloodied corpse on the ground sneezed.
"Greetings to the seven custodians of the moon Palace." The leader of this gathering bowed his head to greet the seven newcomers. "What happened to the high priestess?"
"She was attacked on her way here, though she sent for reinforcements, but it was too late before we got there." The woman in the lead answered. "We met her like this."
"How much time did she have left?" The gathering leader asked.
"Ten minutes", one of the custodians answered.
Hope I didn't land myself in trouble like this?
Is this some kind of occult meeting? Did I just barged in an occultic ritual?
I only came here for a plate of rice!!
Diana!!! Stay calm and look for the perfect time to escape!
I was about to sneak out when the party host called me by my new-found title. "Priestess Diana, please we'll need you to consult the moon goddess to know the cause of her accident." The young man looked at me with a pleading gaze.
I took pity on him and was about to give him a positive answer when I remembered that I don't know anything about divination, and I'm not even the moon priestess.
"Finally!! The moon goddess has answered our prayers! Hahaha!!" The battered corpse on the ground, who had been presumed dead, laughed out loud like a mad woman. Then she struggled to get on one knee as she bowed before me.