Disclaimer: I don't own Bravely Default, all rights to the owners.

A vestal must be pure of mind, and utterly devoted to their holy crystal. Her focus must be absolute, and her confidence unshakable. A sliver of doubt in her own ability and the holy crystals will not pay heed to her call, and she will be of no more use than any other devotee.

It isn't obvious to many why vestalings must be raised mostly in isolation, with such a hyper-fixation on religious doctrine in their education, and with no knowledge of their parents or most of the outside world. Most people are technically correct when they guess the reason to be 'so they can be pure', but they don't understand the extent of it.

Religion is based on belief. Belief, and not fact, not inquiry, not intelligence, not any of those things. Pure, unbridled, unquestioning belief.

Emphasis on 'unquestioning', because it is exactly that which allows a vestal to perform her duty. The outside world, and indeed other forms of education, could introduce doubt into a vestal's mind as to how they perform their duties. They might question how, exactly, the mechanics of calming and purifying a crystal work. They might question how, exactly, they are expected to control something they have no experience with.

But with isolation, and being surrounded by religion, those questions are easily answered. The mother vestal will say "you will know when the time comes, the crystal will guide you", and in their religious fervor the vestalings will nod as if this is a perfectly acceptable explanation. Their belief will keep their confidence unbroken, no matter how unreasonable the task before them.

It is only with the benefit of hindsight, and the more critical minds surrounding her, that Agnès ever learned this truth at all.

"It's quite ingenious, really." Ringabel says, paging through the notes he's made in his notebook. "How else could you ensure someone is utterly confident? Any rational person would acknowledge the possibility that they could fail, and that acknowledgement would render them unable to interact with the crystal. So someone came up with a system to keep vestalings… innocent, and utterly confident when the time comes."

Agnès is fairly sure Ringabel is using the term 'innocent' to be polite. She can clearly see the writing in his notebook, and there he has written: 'A deprivation of proper education keeps vestalings dumb, and religion keeps them confident, and the combination of those two things makes for a perfectly devoted vestal who doesn't question how she is tot perform her duties, and therefore remains capable of performing them. One of the few cases where science doesn't prevail it seems.'

So as to not cause a stir, Agnès deigns to overlook the rude phrasing of Ringabel's notebook in favor of the more diplomatic sentences coming out of his mouth.

"What intrigues me, dear Vestal," Ringabel says, pointing the fluffy end of his quill at her. "Is how you can still purify the crystals. Pardon if I say so, but you don't seem an unshakable, unquestioning devotee anymore."

"That would be… correct." Agnès admits reluctantly. The last few months of travel have brought about a lot of questions about crystalism and it's followers, and even Agnès can't deny that some of those questions have unsavory or outright appalling answers. On top of that, they've encountered multiple people at this point who think awakening the crystals is the wrong thing to do, and in even considering their viewpoint for a second she introduces doubt into formerly absolute faith and conviction. "But that is not who I am when I commune with the crystals."

"You aren't? Do you have some alternate personality?" Ringabel asks, leaning in. "Is she interested in a handsome white-haired gentleman by any chance?"

"No." Agnès says flatly. "To both questions."

"Ah, what a shame…"

"I meant that I don't think when I commune." Agnès says. "It's like meditation, I suppose."

"Is that what you've always done?" Ringabel asks.

"Not at all." Agnès says with a shake of her head. "I figured it out when trying to awaken the Water Crystal, very much by accident. I realized… I realized my faith wasn't enough anymore, so I decided if I couldn't use faith, I could use focus, so I blocked out any thoughts other than the Crystal and my intended goal."

"And it worked." Ringabel murmurs.

"And it worked." Agnès repeats. "But it doesn't feel right at all. A vestal is supposed to be the very picture of faith, not a pretender to it."

"Ah, but you are the picture of faith dear Vestal." Ringabel says. "A picture of nuanced faith, rather than a picture of blindness. A shepherd, rather than the most exemplary sheep."

"That sounds like something Tiz would say."

"Well yes." Ringabel says, then seems to think of something, grins, and adds. "You always seem to respond best to his words, after all."

Agnès turns her nose up a bit. "His words tend to be far less ridiculous."

"You wound me, lady Vestal." Ringabel says, not looking or sounding wounded at all. In fact, he looks quite amused. "I shall endeavor to talk about farming more."

"That's not what I meant at all."

"Shall I offer to mend your clothes then, like Tiz does?"

"That's quite unnecessary." Agnès says while standing up and brushing off her dress.

"Or perhaps I should-"

"I'm leaving, Ringabel."

"Or I could-"

Agnès firmly closes the door behind her to block out Ringabel's grinning, teasing face. Maybe later she'll ask Ringabel about what else he's learned on the subject of vestalings and vestals, when she's had time to digest what he's told her so far.

For now though, she needs to consult with Airy and then self-reflect. Something she's been doing far, far more often as of late…

Don't really know where this chapter came from, but hey, it's something.