Notes

This is my first Warrior Nun fanfic. Crossposting it from another forum. This story is more fluffy than I usually write and there will be NO character deaths. I've

rated it Mature for now.

Character: Ava Silva, Sister Beatrice (Warrior Nun), Shotgun Mary (Warrior Nun), Sister Lilith (Warrior Nun), Original Characters, Sister Camila (Warrior

Nun)

Morning wake up

Ch 1

"Beatrice." The voice was above her but it was dreamlike… until it wasn't. A soft kick to her foot and a sharper "Beatrice!" forced her eyes awake. She sat up, blinking. Mary's face comes into focus. "Again? We talked about this."

"What?" She replied as she tried wiping the sleep from her eyes. She saw the burgundy-painted wall and had a moment of clarity. "I fell asleep…"

"No shit." Mary was walking away from her to a desk in front of a large one-way mirror. "You're making this a habit."

"I'm not." She stretched. The couch was not uncomfortable by her standards. It was better than her too-soft mattress in her own apartment. "I was doing inventory… and the monthly reports needed to be compiled." Mary shook her head as she looked at the paperwork neatly placed on the desk. She sat down and put her bag on the floor.

"Yeah… I can see you did all this… but it could have waited." Mary gave Beatrice a look.

"It's no problem." As she spoke, Lilith walked into the office with a tray of coffee cups. She let out a mostly unintelligible growl and placed the coffee on the desk. Mary looked at the cups and chose one. Lilith took out a bill from her wallet and handed it over to Mary who was smiling wickedly.

"You cost me money," Lilith growled louder as she took two cups and handed one to Beatrice who was frowning.

"Me? How? What did I do?" She moved so the taller woman could sit on the couch. "I was sleeping."

"Precisely." Lilith sat and took the top off her cup, immediately sipping her drink.

"Don't mind her. She's a sore loser." Mary drank from her own coffee. "I told her to get four coffees and she said you wouldn't be here." She waved the bill and put it in her shirt pocket. "She was wrong."

"You bet on…" Beatrice blinked at the two of them. The sleepiness was clearing.

"Your lonely ass falling asleep while working even though your apartment is literally upstairs.

"Yup." Lilith stared at Beatrice and shook her head.

"My lonely… I'm not lonely."

"Right… so you enjoy inventory in the wee hours of the morning… after a full shift in the club… and falling asleep on this… couch… which who knows how many questionable things have…" Lilith took a sip from her cup.

"Once," Mary shouted. "It was one time… And Shannon and I never finished since you barged in."

"I didn't barge in. I was bringing in the new filing cabinet. How was I supposed to know you were… celebrating?" Beatrice had managed to fully wake up during this exchange between her closest friends and was smiling. She drank from her cup and her smile was even more heartfelt. Lilith had gotten her tea and not coffee. They heard the downstairs door creak and knew Camila was there. Mary put her feet up while leafing through the reports. Camila bounded in through the door and went directly to the remaining coffee. "Don't make me regret that." Lilith admonished.

"Good morning!" Camila smiled and sat on the desk. "Thank you and no you won't regret it."

"You get hyper and…" The smaller woman acted outraged.

"I would never." She stuck her tongue out and laughed.

"Not to put a dampener on the mood… but why are you here all so early?" Beatrice sat back on the couch.

"Why are you? Did you sleep here again?" Camila asked. Beatrice groaned as the other two laughed.

"Yes, she did. But she swears it was in the name of efficiency and not because her bed is empty and lacking…" Beatrice started to protest as Camila burst out laughing and Lilith grinned. "Girl… we are doing new hires today. That's why we are here this early. We have five people coming in for the bartender position, seven for the barback positions and we have that one chick who is moving into the empty apartment. See…. Your brain is failing you… You need to get laid."

"Maybe one of the new hires…" Camila said with a mischievous grin to a chorus of no's from the three other women. "I didn't mean for me…"

"Right… you're the reason we lost Becky…" Mary shook her head at the memory.

"And Todd…" Beatrice added.

"And then there was that one chick who was here for what… three hours?" Lilith added.

"I'm not that bad." Mary gave Camila a look. "I'm just… exploring…"

"That is not what I would call it." Lilith piped up.

"Hey, no shaming! I'm a free-spirited woman of the 21st century and I'm exercising my natural ability to connect with people."

"Ok, all jokin' aside... No sleeping with new hires." Mary spoke while pointing at Camila.

"It was all consensual." Camila pouted.

"Regardless… We need employees that stick around. I would like to go on vacation and not worry about drama."

"It's a queer bar, Mary. Drama is unfortunately bound to happen." Lilith piped up.

"What she said." Camila took a deep drink and moaned. "Oh, that's good. You had them add the caramel." Lilith shrugged.

Mary looked at her watch. "I think the first interview is in about a half hour. Lil - why don't you and Cam get a couple of tables set up? Not too close… that way if anyone shows up early they can sit away from the ongoing interview." She looked at the calendar on the desk. "There's a delivery late afternoon too. It's going to be a busy day."

"I can…" Beatrice started and Mary stared at her.

"No. You can't." She gave the other two a look and Lilith got up and headed out the door. Camila jumped off the desk went over to Beatrice and gave her a kiss on the forehead.

"Puppy dog eyes and she won't yell at you that bad." She offered with a smile as she bounded out, closing the office door as she went.

"Mary…" Beatrice began.

"Nope." She shook her head. "You can just not give me bullshit… or puppy dog eyes… that shit don't work. You know the rules."

"It's not a rule." Beatrice protested.

"Oh no?" Mary took her feet off the desk and walked to the couch, taking a seat next to Beatrice who was finding her drink intensely interesting. "When we got this place… two years ago… What was the deal?" Beatrice's cheeks turned a shade of pink. She remembered it all too well.

They had found the building – her, Mary, and Suzanne – one afternoon. They had been looking for something to invest in. Mary wanted to settle down. Suzanne wanted something more structured and personal than her other ventures. And Beatrice was looking for freedom. She had finally broken free of her parents and the future they had planned out. She had some savings and a small inheritance her grandmother had left her that only came to fruition when she turned 25. The building sat empty in a slightly forgotten industrial part of town. It had ample parking and character. It had been a small printing company in another lifetime. The floors were heavy wood and well-worn. The walls were brick and mortar and looked like they had stories just embedded into the seams. It quite literally had been love at first sight for all three of them. Once their offer (a somewhat low one but advantageous for them) had been accepted, they hired a contractor and went about giving their futures a clean start.

The first floor became Salvation, their club/bar. It was large enough to hold 250 people comfortably, but they generally kept the nightly crowds to just over 170. It was a manageable size while bringing in profits. It was only on special nights that the club was at capacity. They'd started out with a literal handful of employees. But now they employ a dozen full-timers and another 8 part-timers. It had been an evolving business model. They opened the club Thursday through Sunday for music and dancing or special queer community events like drag shows. Monday the place was a tomb really. Everyone was exhausted by then. But Tuesday and Wednesday, they generally rented out the local for private events. Sometimes the events were catered corporate events that wanted a little more character than some bland hotel conference room. Sometimes the events were of the adult variety and very private.

The second floor had been split into four apartments and heavily soundproofed. None of them wanted the club to interfere with the living quarters. One of the apartments was owned outright by Beatrice as part of the business agreement. One was used for long-term leasing and the other two were for Airbnb or other short-term use. The three rentals brought in enough money to cover property taxes and upkeep while the club/bar brought in enough money to pay salaries and earn profits.

The third floor had been turned into another living quarter but it was more of an empty area. No one stayed there save for Suzanne on the occasions that she was in town more than a couple of days at a time. She was always traveling. Her family had investments in a number of countries, and she was the very active CEO of the family company. She was the reason Mary was having the 'chat' with Beatrice. She and Beatrice each owned 20% of the company and Suzanne owned the remaining 60%. When they began this undertaking, it had been under explicit agreement that Beatrice would be involved but could not dedicate her entire time to it.

Beatrice had been groomed to be a success in everything. She had excelled in school to the point of graduating from boarding school at 15 and university at 18. Since graduating, she had worked at her family's company. She had taken some courses to prepare her for a Master's but her parents were less than enthusiastic. She had achieved what they needed her to. She was in the family business to secure their legacy. Eventually, they might want her to marry and give them a longer legacy but for at the time, they were content to have her focus on creating a corporate dynasty.

They were a slightly odd group the three of them – Suzanne, Mary, and Beatrice. She had been the uniting factor though. Suzanne had met her at a corporate fundraising for some charity. It hadn't been Beatrice's choice to attend so much as had been ordered. Everyone seemed so much older than her 22 years. Even Mary, who had agreed to go as her plus 1, was a few years older. They'd met in university. Mary had started school after being medically discharged from the military. Suzanne had watched the dynamics between Beatrice, her parents, and other attendees and realized how stifled and manipulated the younger woman was. She decided that could not continue. It took three years, and unfortunately, the grandmother's passing, but Suzanne managed to get Beatrice out on her own.

"I'm still waiting for an answer." Mary kept her eyes on Beatrice who felt sheepish.

"I'm…" Beatrice let out a frustrated sigh. "I know… I'm supposed to do things for me… outside of business… and I do." She looked at Mary then. "I go to the gym, I rock climb, I…" Mary raised her eyebrow knowing the list of things Beatrice did outside of the club was short. "I've dated…"

"One." Mary raised her finger. "You had one date… two months ago… Before that, it was three dates a couple months prior…"

"That is defined as dating."

"That is defined as ticking off a checklist." Mary scratched at the back of her head and then tugged on her right ear. "You need to do more for you."

"I'm content."

"And that's the problem. Suzanne isn't here all the time so you push off the living part of the arrangement cause you can. Cause I won't be your keeper. But if she finds out how much time you spend here…" She waved her hand to signify the business as a whole. "She'll enact the silent partner clause. You know she will." Beatrice bit her lip. It had been a small sticking point in the negotiations. Suzanne, ever the mastermind, had the wherewithal to add a stipulation that if

Beatrice focused her sole purpose on making the business her priority, she would be shut out of the every day and be forced to be a silent partner.

"It's an unfair clause."

"No, it's not."

"It is. I've made friends… I am sociable… I don't hide away." She wondered if she sounded like a child explaining herself.

"No. You don't hide away. But you also don't push your boundaries. You've found a comfortable spot and nestled in. You're meant for more than that."

"Says who? And I'm doing the best that I can." Beatrice met her eyes. She was being sincere. And she also knew Mary was right. It was easier to do work stuff because she was good at it. She hadn't lied when referring to making friends and changes to her life but it was still sheltered on a few fronts.

"I know kid. But… look… I don't want Suzanne to be the hammer here. And I certainly don't want to be it either. So you have to take the initiative. No more sleeping here… I don't care how often it doesn't happen. Sleep in your bed… or someone else's…" Mary smiled and bumped her shoulder with Beatrice's. "Shit… sleep on Lilith's couch… even that would make me happier."

"I don't think it would Lilith."

"No. It wouldn't but that alone makes it a two-for-one situation." They both chuckled. "Take today and tomorrow off."

"But…"

"Nah… not but's. Think of it as attrition for the sleeping here. Go do something… I don't know… unexpected. Hell… go to the movies… I don't care as long as you're not here." Beatrice smiled and nodded. Her gaze wandered to the one-way mirror and her eyes focused on something.

"Are we hiring a Viking?"

"What?" Mary wasn't sure what Beatrice was talking about given the topic change.

"There's a very tall… and rugged man down there." Beatrice pointed to the club. "He's talking to Camila… who is… handsy…"

"Shit!" Mary jumped off the couch and started yelling as she left the office.

Beatrice had gone to her apartment and changed into running clothes. Being told to take the day… no, two days off was not something she ever planned for so she had nothing to really do. She went on a run to the gym where she did some core work and then walked back to her apartment. She did stop for a bite to eat as she needed some protein to help maximize her calorie burn. She'd made it up the stairs when she noticed the boxes in the hallway. Maybe half a dozen of them placed haphazardly and possibly on the verge of toppling over. She sidestepped them only to come across a young woman lying on the ground. At first, she was startled then concerned though the woman looked to be sleeping on her back.

"Are you alright?" The woman opened her eyes and sat up.

"Hi!" She smiled and met Beatrice's eyes. "Sorry… yes.. yes.. I.. ok so I'm moving in today and…" She stood up and was immediately in Beatrice's space. "Well, I didn't realize the door automatically locked. So yeah I opened the door, put down my bag… and keys… turned around to go to the car and get the rest of my boxes and… oops. Got locked out." Her smile was having an effect on Beatrice and she couldn't tell if it was good or bad.

"So your solution was to take a nap? In the hallway?"

"Well no.. not at first… I figured since I was already locked out, I might as well get the rest of the boxes.. as you can see.." As she spoke, she continued to almost bounce on the balls of her feet. "Then I was going to call the super or manager or what have you but I remembered that my bag was in the apartment." She talked with her hands too, pointing at the boxes and the door as she spoke. "And that my phone is in that bag." She nodded.

"And then you decided on the nap?"

"Well no… not exactly. Then I figured I'd knock on the apartment door across from mine but no one answered. Then I decided to go downstairs cause you know bar… but funny enough my wallet…"

"Is in your bag?"

"Yes! Exactly. But I did meet a bunch of new people and as I got to talking about my predicament, Cam… well she said her name was Camila but she's so adorable and yeah… definitely a Cam... well she said I should wait for Beatrice who lived across from me… that she would have a key to my place, which I couldn't understand why… like maybe she was ex's with the previous renter and there was some dark and twisted tale there… but then she told me Beatrice was one of the owners. Which... then I thought great she's going to think I'm an idiot… But the ship has sailed on that front so…phpt!" She was still smiling throughout the long-winded explanation. All of a sudden, she stuck out her hand. "You must be Beatrice. I'm Ava." Beatrice was transfixed for a moment, not sure what to make of the entire encounter. She shook herself out of it and took Ava's hand.

"Yes, I'm Beatrice. Hi. Sorry I wasn't here…" She let go of Ava's hand and started looking for her own keys to open her apartment. "I was out…"

"Training to be a ninja?" Ava piped up.

"What? No. That's no… why would…"

"The outfit. Looks very sporty and form-fitting. If it was nighttime, you'd blend into the shadows. Really nice shadows." Ava commented.

"I… uh… I went running… then the gym." Beatrice had stopped looking for her keys and was merely looking at Ava. "Your first thought was ninja training?"

"Or jewel thief…" She nodded and gave her a huge smile. "I have an overactive imagination… at least that's what I've been told. Also… they're in your hand."

"What is?"

"Your keys. You were searching your pockets… which I don't know how you can carry anything in them… but you already had them in your hand."

"Right." Beatrice still didn't move.

"So… can you let me into my apartment? Or at least let me use your bathroom cause I really need to pee."