“What’s that you’ve got there!?”

Marshall snapped out the moment he saw the old, knobbled staff that Sharon was holding. Immediately losing all interest in the Night Elves the man grabbed the staff from the High Elf, studying it closely all over before holding it gingerly at arms length as though the plain wood contained some form of contagious disease. “Yes. A relic of the damned, their work is clear on this. And you say you have more? …”

Staring at the satchel that Lord Graymoon held up for inspection for a moment, the old man shook his head before turning to march towards the staircase, carrying the staff with him as he stabbed his own ferociously into the marble floor and motioning for Sharon to follow. “You must tell me everything that happened Dal’dieb, where it was you found this and the nature of your encounter. If there is wickedness of this sort occurring in my city, I will not allow it to continue!”

---

“…plan?”

Liaena finally dragged her eyes away from Shani’s departing backside to look up at Rithrynn. A moments pause followed, before she switched her gaze over sharply to look at the butler. “Hey Frederick. Where are they all going, do you think?”

“….I imagine they will join their companions in the drawing room, Lady Rune. The majority of Master Sharons guests have settled there”

“Huh.” Liaena mumbled quietly to herself, before she seemed to remember that Rithrynn was still staring at her impatiently. Liaena gave her a blank look in return. “My [i]plan[/i] is to clean off, and get into some fresh clothes sooner rather than later. I’ll be going up to my room as insofar as I can tell, your friends have taken over the bathroom…” 

“If you desire it Lady Rune, I can arrange for some hot water and towels to be sent up to your room –“

“…that would be great, thanks” Liaena smiled wanly at the butler. Looking up at Rithrynn, she chewed on her lip as though she was thinking about saying something else, before thinking better of it. Patting the elf on the arm, she gave Rithrynn a light push towards the corridor. “Just…just go and join the others, would you Rithrynn? I’ll be down in a bit. And Rithrynn…”

Backing away from the Night Elf to head towards the stairs, Liaena turned back to give Rithrynn one final pointed stare before running up them. “…don’t question too much”

*

Running up the stairs and taking several sharp turnings down corridors, Liaena paused when she judged she had made sufficient distance between herself and the atrium. Listening keenly for any noise of pursuit, she looked carefully around the empty corridor to assure herself of the absence of any Night Elves, Sharon, or Marshal before she pushed a tapestry hanging on a wall back and eased open the door behind. Closing it carefully behind her, she let the tapestry fall back to where it had been as she disappeared into the hidden passage.