“I don’t even know why I bothered. Of all the people to send, why HIM?”
Liaena breathed in heavily through her nose as she glowered at Marshall. The old man proceeded to give her a narrow stare in return through his spectacles, then return to inspecting the book as he made a shooing gesture with one hand. “Now go away. I’m extremely busy, girl”
Standing in the doorway, Liaena debated the ethics and/or practicalities of leaving at that point and tossing in a grenade over her shoulder. Instead, she walked forward to stand in front of the priests desk, Marshall very pointedly ignoring her. “Father, there is a death knight in this city. He has his own army, with ghosts and undead and Light knows what else”
“….”
“Does it say what a death knight is in your book, father?” Liaena enquired nastily, temper rising again in the petulant silence that followed. Marshall turned a page. “It’s only a servant of the scourge, enemy of the –“
“I know what a death knight is, brat” Marshall snapped out. The old man had looked up this, glaring up at Liaena. “Enough of this foolishness! You mean to tell me that a relic of a defeated enemy, the crawling scum of this world, could infiltrate the finest of our cities, the bastion of our Light, under the very nose of our church and nobody would even notice!?”
“Yes”
Raising an eyebrow, Marshall gave her a long speculative look, before snorting. “Hmph. Well, they are blind idiots. But you’re also a nasty manipulative brat. So you’re probably lying”
“THAT’S WHY YOU’RE HERE! THEY SENT YOU!” Liaena screamed back. Having lost every fraction of her temper, she could easily have strangled the old man in front of her. “To HELP US! Now Kitty’s MISSING, and you won’t even get off your useless ass to go help her! You’re a relic! A has been! A – STOP READING THAT BOOK!”
Sweeping out with an arm, book, papers, quill and ink went flying off the desk to scatter all over the floor.
There was a very long silence. Then, Marshall slowly climbed to his feet to loom to his full height, which was in this case about half Liaena’s height again. The man might be old, but he was naturally broad of shoulder. “Pick that up”
“You—“
“Pick. That. Up.”
Liaena picked that up, as Marshall seated himself again still glaring at the girl the entire time. “Can you prove any of this, girl?”
“…..No”
“…..”
Having received his book back, Marshall inspected it for damage and ink stains. Finding several, he gave Liaena a long, nasty glare as he pointed at a stool in the corner. “Sit. Explain to me all of your ridiculous claims, and then I’ll decide how much trouble you’re in”
“But we don’t have the—“
“SIT!”
Liaena sat, as Marshall returned to attending to his book as if a parent to their first born child. Glancing back at the girl, he stabbed a stiff finger at her. “And no lies. The Light guides me to sniffing out the deceit in your soul!”
Having just opened her mouth to begin, Liaena stared dubiously at the ceiling as she avoided Marshalls gaze. “Uhhhh sure. Anyway…”
Liaena breathed in heavily through her nose as she glowered at Marshall. The old man proceeded to give her a narrow stare in return through his spectacles, then return to inspecting the book as he made a shooing gesture with one hand. “Now go away. I’m extremely busy, girl”
Standing in the doorway, Liaena debated the ethics and/or practicalities of leaving at that point and tossing in a grenade over her shoulder. Instead, she walked forward to stand in front of the priests desk, Marshall very pointedly ignoring her. “Father, there is a death knight in this city. He has his own army, with ghosts and undead and Light knows what else”
“….”
“Does it say what a death knight is in your book, father?” Liaena enquired nastily, temper rising again in the petulant silence that followed. Marshall turned a page. “It’s only a servant of the scourge, enemy of the –“
“I know what a death knight is, brat” Marshall snapped out. The old man had looked up this, glaring up at Liaena. “Enough of this foolishness! You mean to tell me that a relic of a defeated enemy, the crawling scum of this world, could infiltrate the finest of our cities, the bastion of our Light, under the very nose of our church and nobody would even notice!?”
“Yes”
Raising an eyebrow, Marshall gave her a long speculative look, before snorting. “Hmph. Well, they are blind idiots. But you’re also a nasty manipulative brat. So you’re probably lying”
“THAT’S WHY YOU’RE HERE! THEY SENT YOU!” Liaena screamed back. Having lost every fraction of her temper, she could easily have strangled the old man in front of her. “To HELP US! Now Kitty’s MISSING, and you won’t even get off your useless ass to go help her! You’re a relic! A has been! A – STOP READING THAT BOOK!”
Sweeping out with an arm, book, papers, quill and ink went flying off the desk to scatter all over the floor.
There was a very long silence. Then, Marshall slowly climbed to his feet to loom to his full height, which was in this case about half Liaena’s height again. The man might be old, but he was naturally broad of shoulder. “Pick that up”
“You—“
“Pick. That. Up.”
Liaena picked that up, as Marshall seated himself again still glaring at the girl the entire time. “Can you prove any of this, girl?”
“…..No”
“…..”
Having received his book back, Marshall inspected it for damage and ink stains. Finding several, he gave Liaena a long, nasty glare as he pointed at a stool in the corner. “Sit. Explain to me all of your ridiculous claims, and then I’ll decide how much trouble you’re in”
“But we don’t have the—“
“SIT!”
Liaena sat, as Marshall returned to attending to his book as if a parent to their first born child. Glancing back at the girl, he stabbed a stiff finger at her. “And no lies. The Light guides me to sniffing out the deceit in your soul!”
Having just opened her mouth to begin, Liaena stared dubiously at the ceiling as she avoided Marshalls gaze. “Uhhhh sure. Anyway…”