Loud enough to wake the dead

[adris]

Michelle tried to look as peaceful as possible. Though she was travelling with sword she made a point to never put her hand on the hilt. She also made sure to clean herself up just before making it to the steps of the temple. She looked for the first priest or priestess she could find, being admittedly unfamiliar with how one could get the kind of meeting she was looking for. Sadly, the place seemed as empty as the Force that they worship.

"Greetings! I am Michelle! Is anyone here? I have some grave buisiness to discuss with whoever is in charge of this temple!"

She kept reminding herself that these people are innocent until they showed themselves to be guilty. She prays to Efil that they will happily oust the ones who committed the heinous crime and they could move forward with no incident.

[Kender Bard]

After what seemed like a rather long span of moments, Thessa made her appearance, hastily cinching her robes around herself. Judging from her sopped appearance, she had been bathing when Michelle called.

Glaring at the templar, she asked, "What in Taed's name do you want?"

[adris]

Michelle scratched her head nervously seeing the other woman in such a state. She would have giggled a little right now if it weren't for how grave her mission actually was. Clearing her throat she went straight to her explination.

"Well, it isn't in Taed's name that I have come here for ma'am. I have grave matters to discuss for the church of Efil. May I assume you are head priestess here?"

The utter lack of other people made that pretty clear, but it was best to be sure instead of exchanging this information with everyone. Keeping a straight, almost perfect posture, she awaited the response of Thessa.

[Kender Bard]

Lip curling in a sneer, Thessa nearly snarled, "No I am the scullery maid. These robes are just to keep me warm." Frustratedly, she made a slashing motion with her hand and hissed, "Yes, I am the High Priestess. I must tell you, that the last thing I wanted dragging me from my ablutions was one of YOU people. So what in all the Force's names are you doing in the land of death?"

[adris]

Michelle took the forceful words of the woman, with a nod in simple agreement to show that she was listening. It took a lot of will power to not show the anger that such an attack caused for her.

"I apologize, I just wanted to be sure milady. The reason I am here is because recently the head priestess of Efil was assassinated by men that were very clearly followers of Taed. I'm sure you understand the implications of such an event."

She gave the woman a very stern look, as though to say that further sarcasm has no place in this conversation. She was still a Templar after all, and could only take so much with war hanging in the balance.

[Kender Bard]

Thessa glared at Michelle. Water dripped unceremoniously out of her hair and onto her nose. She swiped the offending droplet away and snapped, "I take it she died then. Well, I guess that makes us even then." She cast a baleful eye towards a small patched of scorched ground where they'd burned the body of the assassin that'd come after her. "I did not dispatch anyone to kill your precious pampered priestess. Furthermore, I'm a little insulted they sent you instead of their replacement to speak with me."

[adris]

Michelle looked at Thessa, a little confused at first. She wasn't really sure what she meant by even at first, last she head the head priestess of Taed was fine, as could be seen with Thessa standing before her now.

"Make sense milady, I didn't say you sent anyone to kill her. I actually am here because I suspect you didn't, and as a way of making peace my temple demands you oust those that committed this terrible act. I was sent just in case I was wrong in my suspicions, and you were intent on continuing the muderous trend against those in high ranks of our order."

She prayed to Efil that the woman would make this easy, but her sword hand was also itching to find her hilt at this point. She didn't expect to be accepted but this treatment for such a dire matter was also something that caught the woman off guard.

[Kender Bard]

Thessa snorted at the notion that she 'oust' the assassins. "First, if I even had that kind of power, I probably wouldn't use it. We have a number of assassins in our order. If someone decided that it was your high priestess's time to go, and they were successful, then I say it was their time to go. Your beef is with whoever hired them, not us. And secondly, I haven't the faintest idea who it was that killed your precious priestess, nor am I inclined to find out."

[adris]

Michelle's worst fears were coming to form here. If she can make no headway here it means that war is on the horizon. She thought to give it one last chance, perhaps the priestess thought this to simply be somewhat of a police inspection.

"I don't think you grasp the full gravity of this situation ma'am. Our factions are on the cusp of war and I am doing all I can to sort it out before it comes to that. All I need is your insurance that you will do all you can to make sure that justice is served and you can prevent a catastrophe."

She said a quick prayer in her heart, perhaps this appeal would work. It had to, she was running short on ideas, enough so to actually imply that war was on the horizon.

[Kender Bard]

Thessa gave an irritated sigh. The air grew very chilled as her anger permeated it, became tangible. "There is nothing I can do. I am a high priestess but that is an empty title. Every single priest of Taed out there could suddenly go on a mass murdering spree, and nothing I say or do would stop it. And given how quick your people are to pounce on the excuse to declare war on us, I will shed very few tears if they all die in their stupid effort to extract vengeance on someone who Taed decided needed an eternal rest." She snorted, and softly muttered, "Given how the priests of Efil act, in my experience, I'd say death was a welcome rest to threshing any sense into your heads."

[adris]

Michelle took some steps back, shaking her head and holding a fierce look in her eyes. The woman had no heart in the eyes of the templar. She didn't hesitate anymore to put her hand on her sword hilt, refusing to let herself be pushed as far as to actually draw it though.

"It was not her time, you sent her to your master early then should have happened. It is war you want? Then you can explain the huberous you display as you choose who lives and who dies. I'm sure he will be pleased as his followers clog his divine plan."

Taking some more steps back to make sure she was well out of range of any sneak attack the priestess might have. Turning on her she hastily went to the door to report the failure that negotiations have brought her. With a heavy heart she already starts trying to come up with ways to break the news.