Judgment Day|Athrug

[Kender Bard]

Gilda nudged her horse into a trot, grinning brightly. Her mood was much improved since they'd crossed into the desert. She was glad to be home.

Renlo was as well but he wasn't quite so obvious in the fact. "When we get there," he was telling Amann, "we'll be putting you in a room near the Reaper compound. We don't really have any cells or jail or anything like that. This is a holy home after all. So you'll be put into room arrest while we rouse the high priest. Then when he's ready to speak with you, you'll be taken to him to request forgiveness."

[Darastrix]

Amann gave a slight nod. Since Ilyamen, he'd withdrawn to better keep the loss of his sign to himself. He didn't want to deal with what he was sure would be Gilda's smug remarks about Taed meting out punishment. He felt bad enough as it was; he didn't need her help. And Renlo was the one who'd put the manacles on him every day. Amann didn't want to see him feeling guilty or blaming himself for what had happened. It wasn't Renlo's fault. If anything, it was his own fault.

And he still wasn't sure what would happen to him. He was sorry. He wasn't sure about Taed, but he'd gotten to like Renlo a good deal. He wouldn't con a friend, and he wouldn't con a friend's family. That was the area his regret had settled in, and he didn't know whether that would be acceptable. He'd even...well, "pray" was too strong a word, but he'd hoped (loudly) that if Taed did actually pay attention to nobodies like him, he might get to see some example of Taed's mercy or some other thing that might give some sort of clue as to why people like Renlo loved him so much. It wouldn't even have to be mercy for him, just something.

"What's the worst that could happen to me?" he murmured.

[Kender Bard]

"That's well and truly hard to say," Renlo said. "I personally think the worst is the high priest denounces your repentance. In which case, you leave here unabsolved. He could also levy a hefty fine against you too, I suppose. Gilda would say that the angel of Taed could reappear and say, 'Off with his head,' but I really doubt that'll happen. You didn't desecrate any bodies or anything."

[Darastrix]

Amann nodded again. A fine, he supposed he could handle. "Well," he said, "whatever happens...I'm glad I met you."

[Kender Bard]

Renlo smiled brightly. "I'm glad I met you too," he said.

At the temple proper, Amann was escorted to a room, just as Renlo suspected he would be. The door was closed and that was that--a Reaper (not Gilda or Renlo) stood guard outside his door. Before closing him in, Renlo told him, "If you need anything, go ahead and ask whoever's going to be put on guard duty. I'm not the only considerate Reaper here."

Shortly after, both Reapers went to report to Liana who made a beeline for Christian. "High Priest?" she called out, knocking at his chamber door. "It's Liana. May I speak with you? It's important."

[Devon]

Christian put down his quill, he had been working on a sermon for the next service at Athrug. Straightening out his desk he called out, "You may enter Liana."

[Kender Bard]

Liana stepped in, put her fist against her chest and bowed deeply. "High Priest," she greeted. "Two of my Reapers have just returned from the mission I set them upon; we've captured and brought back the graverobber. He's being held near the Reaper compound at the moment. When would you be ready to receive him?"

[Devon]

Christian nodded his head to her in greeting. "Good work catching him Liana," he said to her. Looking over his paperwork quickly he replied, "I'm ready to receive him now. Let's go ahead and take care of this."

[Kender Bard]

Liana bowed, leaving to fetch Amann.

Thessa appeared then, near Christian, lifelike in appearance. "The young man has had a very interesting journey," Thessa quipped. "Renlo did a very good job in how he handled the man. When this is all over, you should grant the Reaper a boon." She gave Christian a half smile.

[Devon]

Christian smiled softly when Thessa appeared next to him. "Did he now? So has the thief learned a lesson during his time with the Reapers?" he asked her.

[Kender Bard]

"That is the question, isn't it?" Thessa answered. "My lord cannot see into the hearts and minds of the mortals who do not revere him. Or at least, not easily," she said. "But he has been watching closely; this entire thing has been quite a diversion. It is his opinion that the thief remains skeptical of our lord's interest, but his regret is genuine, even if it isn't born out of fear of the lord. And he has suffered already. He's lost a sign on his wrist; it's been damaged by the manacles he wore on the way here."

[Devon]

Christian nodded thinking deeply on what he would do for the man when he arrived. "Since his regret is genuine I won't be too harsh with him, but I think I have an appropriate punishment for the young man. Now as for the Reapers, I must think of an adequate reward."

[Darastrix]

Amann was brought in then, escorted by Liana. His eyes darted around the room as he sought some hint as to what the verdict and possible sentence for him might be. Finding none, he looked to the other people in the room. When he saw Thessa, his eyes widened in surprise and confusion. He recognised her from his first night in Athrug, but he didn't understand why she was there. What did a foreign head priestess have to do with the matter at hand?

He was a little surprised, too, that Gilda and Renlo weren't there. He'd just assumed that they'd be there to report on his behaviour to the high priest. Maybe they already had; Amann wasn't quite sure how long it had been since he'd been shut up in that room. He kept his questions to himself, though. All things considered, he figured it was best to just keep quiet until they wanted him to say something.

[Devon]

Christian stared at Amann for a few moments calmly thinking out what he was going to say to the man. Folding his hands in front of him he finally began to speak. "Amann, tell me what you've learned on your journey back to Athrug."

[Darastrix]

Amann's confusion only grew at Christian's question. From what he'd been told, he'd just been expecting the high priest to ask for his apology, accept or reject it, and levy a fine or other punishment if it was rejected. This was more what he'd expect from a Thuothan, and hell if he knew how to answer it.

He felt sure that he could weave a line of bullshit that he could sell convincingly and would be what the priest wanted to hear, but for all Amann knew, Christian or the priestess with him was a Mind. And it would be a bad idea anyway to try the same sort of thing (minus the theft) that had gotten him dragged back here in the first place.

"I don't know," he mumbled.