02-18-2015, 03:02 PM
Quickly dropping her tome back into its pouch for now, Renata took the hand she was offered and yanked herself up. "We're to fight outside, then?" she replied callously. The position of the guards had shifted a little, allowing her to sidle behind Roland against the wall so she was no longer backed up against the stairs.
"My child, you are quite lacking in decency for what you claim to be," the priest pointed out rather obviously, still meekly perched by the stairs. "I know not what made your heart so turbulent, but I pray—"
"Shut up!" Renata snapped at him. "I don't want your damned prayers!" What would a prayer do? It was a poor excuse to do nothing, she decided; the spurning of actual action in favor of divine freeloading.
"Leave this holy place, all of you," the priest said, anger entering his own voice now. "Please, guards, if you are to arrest them then allow them an arrest outside."
"There's no escape for them anyway," one of the guards observed as he made a small bow and waved the other guards off, the ones who were remaining starting on a comical route that snaked around the pews so as to give Ambrose and Cosette a wide berth. There was only one exit to the cathedral, after all, and that was the same as the entrance. "Come. You'll have your audience with the mayor," he said toward Renata at Roland's shoulder rather snidely before turning to Ambrose. "And who do you think you—"
"Watch out!" Renata cried, pointing toward the exit. Another town guard, rising up from behind a pew, loosed an arrow from a bow.
As the projectile flew precariously between Ambrose and the other guard, now dumbfounded, all hell broke loose inside the cathedral for a second time as the line of guards collapsed into a rioting mass. As it turned out, Iste's guards were just as conflicted as its citizenry. Another soldier revealed himself from the pew behind Cosette to throw an armored fist at her only to be caught around the neck by the guard behind him. One of the several unruly townsfolk who remained launched himself at that guard, making an echoing thump as the pew was knocked over.
The priest slunk up the stairs, muttering a prayer as Renata took in the sight of the brawl unfolding: a proverbial castle of cards that her shouting just a minute ago had blown into utter disarray. The guards with their reddish shoulder pads all blending in with one another, it wasn't even clear who was on whose side anymore. Placing herself between Roland and Ambrose, Renata scanned the crowd frantically for an opening that they might escape through, or another figure who would present their self as a clear enemy or ally.
"My child, you are quite lacking in decency for what you claim to be," the priest pointed out rather obviously, still meekly perched by the stairs. "I know not what made your heart so turbulent, but I pray—"
"Shut up!" Renata snapped at him. "I don't want your damned prayers!" What would a prayer do? It was a poor excuse to do nothing, she decided; the spurning of actual action in favor of divine freeloading.
"Leave this holy place, all of you," the priest said, anger entering his own voice now. "Please, guards, if you are to arrest them then allow them an arrest outside."
"There's no escape for them anyway," one of the guards observed as he made a small bow and waved the other guards off, the ones who were remaining starting on a comical route that snaked around the pews so as to give Ambrose and Cosette a wide berth. There was only one exit to the cathedral, after all, and that was the same as the entrance. "Come. You'll have your audience with the mayor," he said toward Renata at Roland's shoulder rather snidely before turning to Ambrose. "And who do you think you—"
"Watch out!" Renata cried, pointing toward the exit. Another town guard, rising up from behind a pew, loosed an arrow from a bow.
As the projectile flew precariously between Ambrose and the other guard, now dumbfounded, all hell broke loose inside the cathedral for a second time as the line of guards collapsed into a rioting mass. As it turned out, Iste's guards were just as conflicted as its citizenry. Another soldier revealed himself from the pew behind Cosette to throw an armored fist at her only to be caught around the neck by the guard behind him. One of the several unruly townsfolk who remained launched himself at that guard, making an echoing thump as the pew was knocked over.
The priest slunk up the stairs, muttering a prayer as Renata took in the sight of the brawl unfolding: a proverbial castle of cards that her shouting just a minute ago had blown into utter disarray. The guards with their reddish shoulder pads all blending in with one another, it wasn't even clear who was on whose side anymore. Placing herself between Roland and Ambrose, Renata scanned the crowd frantically for an opening that they might escape through, or another figure who would present their self as a clear enemy or ally.