“Mystic Maya?” Pearl’s voice was quiet and shy, but she could see her eyes, burning with curiosity and sadness, reflected through Mystic Maya’s own eyes.
With the murder of Mystic Misty, everyone had been tiptoeing around her, treating her delicately, like she was a porcelain doll. She understood that her mother was a bad person, and had that written that letter to have Pearl kill Mystic Maya through her own hands through the mysterious spirit, Dahlia Hawthorne, but their behavior was so particularly eccentric, especially when it came to Sister Iris.
It had all started when she had asked Mr. Nick and Mystic Maya about visiting the beautiful Sister Iris from Hazakura Temple. She wanted to know Sister Iris’s relation to Mr. Nick, her mother, and the mysterious Dahlia that Pearl was to channel. But to her immense surprise, Mr. Nick spluttered out an immediate “N-n-n-no, not now!” and Mystic Maya explained that they would have to wait at least a few more days, since Sister Iris’s trial for being an accomplice to murder was underway, and Mr. Nick had been working hard to help her. But that wasn’t fair, Mr. Nick would always visit her.
After that, no one had spoken a word about Sister Iris to her -- not even Sister Bikini! When Pearl would ask about her, the topic would be immediately changed or diverted somehow. It was like they were trying to hide something, especially Mystic Maya and Mr. Nick, who still refused to let her, or Mystic Maya, for that matter, visit Sister Iris with him, which angered and saddened Pearl more.
Pearl felt her eyes clouded over by moisture -- with the events happening only a few days prior, Pearl tried her best not to show weakness to and in front of everyone. She couldn’t allow anyone to see her act so ill-mannerly, and had to stay strong for Mystic Maya’s sake.
“Mr. Nick isn’t leaving you, is he? Please, tell me, he isn’t leaving us for Sister Iris!” she cried softly, wrapping her arms around Mystic Maya. Her tears streamed down her cheeks freely now, without any forethought. She couldn’t possibly hold it in any longer, no matter how unruly or unrefined she was behaving -- Mother wasn’t even here to rebuke her anyway. She was gone, jailed away for her evil deeds.
Mr. Nick’s visits alone to Sister Iris, his insistence on Pearl not coming with Maya to see Sister Iris with him, his intense stares directed towards the nun that Pearl had to slap him for on more than one occasion, it all made sense to Pearl, who was fearful for her and Mystic Maya.