Even though she had just greeted him in such a way she slowly turned back to him and lowered her head. As she did so she slowly closed her eyes and offered a small smile along with the words that followed.

"Welcome to the Cloudcrest Sanctum and thank you for accepting our request. Please do come in."

She then pushed the door open a bit more and stepped to the side to allow him to enter. Needless to say he was confused by the sudden change in her demeanor but quickly remembered his manners and lowered his head in response.

"Thank you very much and it is my honor to be able to help."

In truth the honor part of his response was of his own making and perhaps a bit extreme but that was Ethan for you. He definitely took pride in his work, regardless of what it may be. Stepping over the threshold he allowed his gaze to wander the interior of the lobby he now stood within. While the interior wasn't as weathered looking as the outside it was still clearly old, though Ethan could immediately tell that it was carefully, and lovingly, cared for. On the walls, which consisted of wood and stone, similar to the guild hall and Lazy Badger Inn, hung many paintings of various religious rites and depictions.

The fact that the inside, let alone the outside, of the sanctum could hardly be considered fortified escaped Ethan completely. The orphanage's focus on history was mostly during and after the great war, thus the geopolitical nature of the old world was merely glossed over. For Ethan it was almost a complete lack of acknowledgement as he always found the topic politics and the rules of war unnerving thus he tended to not pay attention, even when it usually meant a good smack to his thigh by one of the teachers.

While the boy silently looked around Katarina watched him silently, still holding the door open as closing it would force Ethan to move. While the thought of hitting him with the door in a sudden, and unforeseen, attack brought a small smile to her mouth and a tiny glint to her blank stare, there were two reasons she held herself back. The first was that while she was, arguably, a devious little thing, she still had the utmost respect for the Keepers, their Messengers, and the Sanctum she called home. The second, and probably most influential, reason was that right as her fingers gripped the door more firmly she could hear the footsteps the head cleric making their way from the back. Relaxing her grip on the door she turned and offered a respectful bow as the head cleric rounded the corner with a curious look upon her elderly face.

"Madam, this boy is here to complete our request from the guild hall. His name is..." She paused and gave Ethan a sneaky half grin and side eye before continuing, "Ethan."

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Despite the large framed glasses set upon the bridge of nose her eyesight, nor her mind, weren't so old that she was obviously to Katarina's... habit. As such she frowned after realizing the girl had paused for a less than pleasant reason but remained silent on the matter. Instead she placed her hands, one before the other, at her waist and offered a deep bow as well as a very pleasant and sweet smile.

"Welcome to the Sanctum of Cloudcrest and may the Keepers keep you safe. My name is Velna and as Katarina mentioned, I am the head cleric here."

She straightened before continuing and was a little surprised to see the boy bowing as well, though she simply continued instead of making a big deal out of it.

"Thank you so much for accepting our request. We know that there wasn't much incentive."

"Thank you very much mam, and it is my honor to be of assistance." Ethan had also straightened his posture before responding and was still smiling earnestly.

"My, so respectful for one so young," Velna said with genuine approval, though the comment about his age did cause a small urge to retort to swell up within his chest though he quickly pushed it back down.

The head cleric motioned for Ethan to follow her and he nodded with a smile before doing just that. However, his smile faltered slightly when he passed Katarina and she whispered something to him. She was closing the door and when their shoulders were barely touching she let the words slither into his ear.

"Next time stay longer so I can hit you with the door."

He let out an exasperated sigh after her statement registered and whispered back before he could stop himself.

"Or be faster."

"Tch!"

This time that offensive sound brought a smile to the boy's face and there was a visible upbeat in his steps as he moved to catch up to the head cleric. Behind him the door shut with a solid click and a blank gaze was directed at the two walking away. What he would never have imagined was that paired with that blank gaze was a small smile that reflected a mixture of pleasure and approval. He wouldn't know it for some time but it would seem that Katarina was a game player and very much enjoyed it when someone met her at the game board. Katarina watched the pair until they rounded a corner at the end of the hallway before turning herself and making her way back to the various jobs she was working on before his arrival.

As Ethan walked with the head cleric he continued to look around while she spoke about various things. The main topic was on how several members of the sanctum and a few volunteer craftsman had been able to pull down the rotten wood and broken stone for the repairs. However, the craftsman didn't donate time to remove the debris and the sanctum members weren't strong enough. It was that last fact that caused Ethan to speak up.

"You aren't surprised that a boy like me came to do a job several couldn't?"

It was a genuine question of curiosity and thankfully Velna took it as such. She offered a smile and nod down from over her shoulder.

"Normally I wouldn't have believed you for a second, but even the weakest adventurer is much stronger than a common individual. So regardless of your rank, if the adventurers guild has accepted you then I have no concern about your ability to complete our task."

"I see..." He grew silent as he considered her words and they continued their short walk to where the debris currently waited.