“That would require that we possess some form of divine magic to prevent our worst case scenario of becoming a woefully onesided encounter”

Liaena studied the wooden panelling of Sharons desk as she avoided the high elfs eyes carefully. The simple fact that he was right did not make her feel the slightest bit better about him pointing it out. “mmh”

"So... shall we get Captain Serphia now then? Before the hangover of tomorrow will be too great?"

“No” Liaena muttered distantly. Glancing back, she shook her head at the Night Elf who was now giving her a odd look. “I mean yes. You should do that. I need to go speak to a different asshole”

“I’m sorry?”

Rising out of her chair, Liaena merely gave Sharon a faint smile with no explanation, before heading for the door. “Where’s Marshall staying now, anyway?”

“…I gave Father Marshall the guest room in the east extension, Lady Rune” Frederick explained smoothly from right outside the door, the butler sliding it open a fraction to bow slightly to those inside. “…he felt more comfortable distancing himself from, ahem, our other guests. I believe he has barricaded the door shut”

“Oh, wonderful. Well I’m an expert with barricades. I expect we’ve got a lot to talk about” Liaena remarked acerbically. Waving the butler aside, she started down the corridor towards the eastern side of the house. “Just help Rithrynn with Serphia, Sharon. I’ve got this”

*

Reaching the guest room specified by Frederick in a quiet, mostly unused area of the house, Liaena rattled the doorknob, before hammering on the door as hard as she could. “MARSHALL? We need TO TALK! IT’S…uh, important!” 

“……”

Stepping back for a moment, Liaena produced a small jar to scrape some of the greyish paste inside it onto her fingers and then into the keyhole of the door. Digging out a flint stone, she struck them together to send a spark flying onto the lock. 

[b]-BAM-[/b]

Swinging the door open, Liaena stepped into a dark room, curtains drawn, lit only by the lamp over the desk which was piled high with weighty tomes and papers. Behind the desk sat the old priest, poring over one of the largest and most boring-looking. 

Stepping closer, Liaena coughed loudly. Upon receiving no response, she stepped forward to pick up a pencil and tap it on the book he was reading. 

At this, the old man finally looked up. Initially gaining a look of surprise, it was immediately replaced by fury as he looked between her, and the door with the door handle hanging off it. “YOU! How dare you trespass in here! I will have you evicted from this Cathedral, you little brat!”

“…Sorry, but we’re not in the Cathedral, Father” Liaena explained extremely frostily to the glaring bushy eyebrows. “You agreed to help Sharon Dal’dieb with the threat from the scourge, remember?”

“Are you accusing me of senility, girl!?”

“….No”

The priests brows contracted together still further, as he tried to figure out whether she was being genuine or not. Rather than allow him to form the inevitable negative conclusion, Liaena moved to hurry the conversation on to a more profitable subject. “…Marshall, I think something’s happened to Kitty. She’s in danger –“

“Who?”

Liaena ground her teeth together as she steadily lost more and more of her temper. “[b]Kathlin Lennox.[/b] YOUR ASSISTANT.”

“What? Assistant? I don’t have an assistant. They get under my feet, always trying to tidy my office up, it’s a miracle from the Light I can ever find anything…” Marshall mused, glaring around the small bedroom he had appropriated. It was indeed, a tip. “Although I did have this girl that was supposed to be my assistant. Was that you?” 

“…Yes”

Marshall paused a moment, as his eyes narrowed further to the point it was wonder he could see at all. “…You’re lying. I would have remembered if they had sent me you. And I would have [b]complained[/b]”