Concerning Matters

JP with Winteroak and White_Caribou

There was an undeniable awkwardness to the early part of the dinner with pleasantries exchanged but little else, servants came and went to top up glasses until Tamazzalt called for the jugs of fresh water and wine to be left on the table.
"You must excuse us, my dear, I fear I misjudged the mood of my companions." He said apologetically. "Pressing matters are to fresh in their minds it seems."

"They should be on yours too." Came the snarky replies from Amastan. "Only one penitent has emerged from the Pilgrimage. One!!!!" She said visibly upset.

Agizul looked at his companion and nodded but is tone was one of trying to calm down the situation.

"And the Brotherhood has been seen in the city in numbers larger than for a generation." He added.

Shalia’s eyes flicked between the three as they spoke, slowly reaching her hand out to pluck a berry and pop it into her mouth. She was clearly the only one with an eagerness to dine.

"Brotherhood?" She said after a short moment of silence, cutting into a slice of the roast fowl.
She felt this meeting was going to be more geared toward listening and observing the others, inquiring where needed.

"The Brotherhood of the Ebony Hand." Explained Agizul. "A group outlawed until very recently."

"Did Sister Locust not make it clear that it was her wish that the past be left in the past and that they be welcomed into the fold once again?" Tamazzalt questioned the two. The priests begrudgingly nodded but Shalia could see they were not happy.

"Something is not right. One penitent after all this time? And rumors about dead woman found in the desert?" Amastan asked. "Surely we most send the priests out to investigate what is happening." She urged.

Shalia wished to press them about this Ebony Hand, but she would take what they gave her for now. A group with some unsavory past that was making waves again. She was a little more concerned about the other issue at hand.

She ate a few bites as they conversed. A sip of water to clear her throat.

"Were these deaths abnormal? Not just heat strokes and dehydration?" Shalia questioned.

"Some arriving in the city are speaking of murder." Amastan replied darkly.

Tamazzalt shook his head. "The coming of the Septs to the city is always a time of rumours and wife tales." He said dismissively. "You would do better to heed the reports from the guard, of the sudden influx of Helians into the city..." He admonished Amastan and gave a small nod to Shalia as if to say 'present company excluded'.

At the mention of foreigner arrivals, Shalia stopped mid chew. She took a moment to recognize the stern tone toward a frustrated Amastan, to gather her own thoughts before they ran too wild, and notice how the focal topic was redirected promptly. She slowly finished chewing and her jaw tensed.

"Well, have you ever had rumors of this scale come up before? The timing does beg some concern..."
She looked to the Ascendant. Tamazzalt respected her, but seemed vehement in his decision. Taking the discussion back there felt rather pointless. She hadn't seen the more sharpened side of him until this eve.

Before any of them could respond though, her brow furrowed and her tone lowered significantly. "But why are Helians coming here?"