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As Carmen and Carnatia tried to 'negotiate' with the commander, Amaris took her time to take a good look around the fort. Interestingly enough, at least superficially, it seemed like the commander's words weren't lies at all. While it was a bit strange how they seemed to have a decent amount of equipment, the soldiers themselves didn't seem to be in the best condition. Their total contingent seemed to be no more than sixty soldiers, among whom only a few seemed to be ready for combat and decently trained. To make things worse, none of them seemed to be particularly well organized or ready to act in an emergency... Which was quite fortunate for them.

[color=silver]"No wonder they are furious for the... 'incident' with the sergeant and the other musketeers earlier... There are only a few people in the fort and even fewer 'soldiers'."[/color] Amaris whispered, glancing towards Mirielle and silently nodding her head towards the soldiers gathering near the logs where the lashing were taking place.

[color=silver]"It honestly wouldn't be hard to deal with them if we're quick and don't give them time to organize themselves."[/color] Amaris said with a smirk as Mirielle said for her to get behind her should things get ugly.

Strangely enough, despite the strange tension between Carnatia, Carmen and the garrison commander, it didn't take long until he ordered a table and some chairs to be brought to where they were, offering them somewhere to sit and some beer for them to drink, which Amaris politely declined by nodding her head and raising her hand. Not only she didn't really trust the red stripes, but she wasn't exactly a fan of beer. Plus, drinking alcohol in the middle of a mission sounded like a terrible idea for her.

Normally, Amaris would have chosen to stay up instead of sitting down, but since the negotiation seemed to at least be progressing enough for them to exchange information, she thought it was a good idea to show her good will by at least pretending to being a bit more comfortable. Especially since she had already declined the beer.

After Amaris sat down nearby Mirielle, Carmen and Carnatia, she listened as the commander accused the 'rebels' for the execution of the members of the order. In the end, it was just as the commander himself said. There was no way to prove the rebels were indeed guilty, since the only thing they had was the commander's words. Regardless, she was inclined to at least give him the benefit of the doubt, since he gave them much more information than what he got from his questions as he explained more about the witch, the rebels, their story and origins.

Amaris was about to suggest for Carmen and Carnatia to ask about the witch or the rebels' whereabouts. Since now that they decided to take the diplomatic approach, hearing the other side of the story seemed to be a good idea, even if it was dangerous. The moment the commander brought a shield with a familiar emblem, bringing the news that Paladin Thomas was likely already dead, Amaris felt the heavy silence in the air as their group took a moment to let the news sink in.

Gently putting her hand on Mirielle's shoulder, both to comfort and to try and calm her down, Amaris looked towards Carnatia and Carmen, trying to gauge their reaction to the terrible news and offer them a bit of solace, even if only with a kind glance. After a moment of respectful silence, Amaris looked to the commander with a serious expression. 

[color=silver]"We are very grateful for the valuable information you have provided us, commander. I am sure you are aware that the death of a paladin, especially one that came to offer help and relief is a very grave matter. If you don't mind, we would like to know how exactly you came to possess such shield and how are you sure Paladin Thomas is already dead. Any information would be of great help. Where did you find it, in which state it was... Anything."[/color] Amaris asked. While her voice wasn't exactly hostile nor her eyes or tone were particularly accusatory, the commander would definitely be aware that she was closely watching his words and reaction as he replied to her.

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