Inside Thea’s office, Liaena had been talking on and on for several minutes before she finally paused for breath. The older priestess looked down at her desk, on which was a sheet of paper with a crudely drawn ‘battle plan’ scrawled on it depicting the keep, the ringing wall and various arrows dotted about on the sketch. 

“Well it’s not the [i]most[/i] foolhardy thing I’ve ever heard out of you, apprentice”

“…Thanks?”

“That hardly ranks as a compliment, Rune.” 

Thea gave the girl an extremely severe look, to which Liaena hastily rearranged her features into appearing as amenable and contrite as possible as the woman went back to studying the rough map. “….and I couldn’t help but notice you have placed [b]yourself[/b] directly into the line of fire.”

“Yes. If the Night Elves are going to get in without fighting a whole battalion, we need a distraction” Liaena said carefully. Eying Thea carefully to try and detect any tells for her mood, she tried for an ingratiating smile“…I’m, uh, rather good at distractions”

“Yes, yes I suppose you are” Thea said dourly to the parchment, before giving the girl a sharp look. “And if you are caught in this ‘distraction’?”

“I won’t be” Liaena said confidently. Thea shot her a look that clearly stated she felt no such assurances, before sighing and pointing a finger at the door to the room. “…Invite your companions back in here, Rune. There is no reason they should sit out from this…and your Night Elf friend should have some input into this so-called plan of yours, as you appear to have signed her for a crucial role in it”
[i]
“Hmph.”[/i]

Everything that had happened since they had arrived at the Cathedral seemed to have occurred at a tortuously slow pace, but Liaena manfully resisted the urge to snap at the other woman as she slipped off her chair and hurried towards the door, pulling it open. 

“Guys, come back in…”

“Oh, hai Li”

“Someone’s been kidnapped?”

“……”

Liaena froze as she looked over at Bella who had turned slowly to face her, eyes wide open with shock. “Is that true, Li!?”

“…….”

Taking half a glance up at down the corridor to spot other apprentices that were slowly drifting closer to find out what was going on, that was all Liaena needed to grab Bella by the front of her robes and haul her into Thea’s office. Rithrynn and Fran entered behind her at a much more sedate pace, the latter closing the door behind them once all had entered. 

“Could you just – not – say anything – stupid!? Just for once? Would that be so hard!?” Liaena seethed at Rithrynn furiously. Having let go of Bella’s robes, that girl raised her hands defensively as she backed away from the pair, before giving Thea an imploring look. “I didn’t do anything, priestess. I just[i] asked[/i] –“

“Sit down, Apprentice Silva, Apprentice Rune. Apprentice Rune, I suggest you [b]calm yourself[/b]” Thea’s voice cracked like a calm, very monotonous whip. Liaena sunk back into the only chair available in the room, still very clearly fuming, while Bella perched nervously on the edge of the bed. Thea gave the latter another one of her exceptionally severe looks. 

“Apprentice Silva. There are times that allowing information to become public knowledge would be highly counterproductive to this church, detrimental to others welfare -- and would displease me [i]greatly[/i]. Do you understand?”

“…Yeeess priestess. Sorry priestess. So….uh…” Bella said tentatively. “Has someone been kidnapped then?”

“…..”

Thea sighed, gazing into the empty air in front of her desk in a manner that clearly bemoaned her lot in life as she chewed over that question. “Apprentice Lennox”

“Kathlin!?” Bella emitted in shock, before a slight frown creased her forehead dubiously. “…Light, who’d ever want to kidnap [i]her[/i]?”

“By all accounts, she had the exceptionally poor judgement to expose a city wide conspiracy” Thea said dryly as she pulled Liaena’s poorly drawn battle map towards her again, glanced at it and placed it to one side as she looked up at Rithrynn. “Apprentice Rune was speaking to me about her plans to infiltrate this fort of yours. I’d be interested in hearing your thoughts on the matter”