Mister Lamar had wondered briefly what the Ilmatari priestess wanted. Still he wasn't worried - it was not uncommon that the Ilmatari visited just to see the place or ask for help with an orphan. The glaring giant of a man with the angular face and golden eyes unnerved him more than the lady herself. Still, there was something off in the smile of the priestess, Jelena, her name was. Something Lamar could not quite put his finger on. Well, charming her should pose no problem.
- "Mister Lamar. Can you give me one reason why I don't kill you where you stand?" she asked, in a serene, calm, pleasant voice.
- "What?" The man uttered a short, dry laugh. She didn't seem to be joking. The eyes were alight with rage. How could she know? How much could she know?
- "Don't waste your time by lying to me. I know that you use this orphanage as a means to smuggle children for pleasure slaves for yourself and other scumbags like you. You are using the name of the Crying God, MY LORD'S reputation to get your paws on them! You must get an extra kick out of that. The gentle god who suffers for others and whom people love, and they actually think you are acting in his name."
Her face was frightening, the lips tight in a beastly snarl. Lamar swallowed in fear.
- "Now, I must have been slandered by someone! I assure you, lady..."
- "Quiet! We have proof. Your good friend, lord Marshwall of Westgate who was so worried about men like you being deprived from the freedom to choose this... lifestyle, is dead. And before his death we got all the information we needed. You know, my son here strangled him and ran his sword through his intestines. I dissolved his body with acid." Her voice was dreamy, enchanting. Her smile was softer now.
- "I could never do such a thing! This man must have something against me to..." Lamar was pale and sweating.
- "Don't bother lying," Jelena said in a bored voice. "I am a divine agent of some power and can detect lies. Question is, what will happen to you if we bring this up in court. I am afraid that nothing bad enough. If you must live, I don't want you to see another free day in your life."
- "Well, sanctimonious one. You think you can judge me, do you? You think you can claim the moral higher ground? How do you know the children suffer? What I give them here is far better than what they would have in the streets! And the other men are rich, they take good care of them. The children are probably happy to get safety, gentleness and love."
- "Oh yes. They must be positively thrilled to be kidnapped from their homes, traveling for months chained in caravans and boats! Did you know that in your latest... shipment of children many of them died of dehydration and diarrhea?"
- "I don't know anything about that." Lamar seemed defensive.
- "No, you probably don't. You just know that you are delivered children with chocolate skin because you have informed your friend that you would like to try other shades for change," Jelena snarled. "You are the kind of man who gains the illusion of morality by paying others for doing the dirty work for you. That, I'm afraid, does nothing to lessen your guilt. And while the children may materially be better off than in the streets, what you are doing to them destroys their soul. I have admired the handiwork of people like you for too many times. They are children, so they try to please their own abusers. They say what you want to hear. I wonder if you know this. Do you care? CAN you care?"
Lamar was quiet, trying to rapidly think how to weasel himself out of the situation. He had no hope of attacking these people. But the woman was a priestess, perhaps he could talk her into something... the court would be a nuisance, but nothing his relationships and money couldn't handle.
- "Well? Tell me! Do you realize what suffering you cause?"
- "That is just one way to think about it. I am afraid you are too conventional to understand children's sensuality..."
He was slammed against the wall, and the priestess was holding his larynx in between her thumb and index finger. She tightened their hold a little. It hurt tremendously.
- "It's called Baatezu chokehold. Very handy. Githzerai martial technique. But that is beside the point," she explained, smiling that dreamy, spooky smile again. "I was asking you if you understand the suffering you cause. You didn't even consider it. That answers my question. You don't care. Other people are just means to your ends to you."
- "...p...please... release me..."
She loosened the chokehold just a little in order to allow him speak. The talk about children's sensuality was a mistake. He would have to make her think he is sorry...
- "I... never realized it could be that way... poor children. I love children and I only want the best for them," he hurriedly explained. "If you give me a chance I will...
She shook her head.
- "You will do nothing where you get close to children again. And you are sorry only about that we found out about you. I can sense it. You seek to manipulate me."
- "You are a priestess of Ilmater, woman! You are supposed to be merciful and forgiving!" There was some genuine despair in his voice.
- "Possibly. But you, who don't even repent, weigh less in my judgement than the children you have already hurt and the ones you no doubt would in future."
- "At least you can't go on dealing vigilante justice!"
Jelena was faltering. He WAS right... but she had been a Sembian in her previous life. She knew all about the justice and lack thereof in the country.
Lamar could see her face faltering. Oh yes, he was winning. She was the sort who could be manipulated by the tenets of her faith. Yes, he would prevail... he almost dared to smile.
And suddenly he sensed movement, and then there was pain, so horrible ripping pain, and then he was somewhere unpleasant, not a part of the material world anymore.
- "Peri? You killed him," Jelena said. She sounded pleased.
- "Yep. You would feel bad for doing it, but I don't," Peri said. "And as I am not the goody-goody guy, one more body in my tally won't make much difference. He would have just weaseled himself out of all trouble." She was calm, wiping blood out of the blade of her sword.
Everyone was quiet for a moment.
- "Er. I guess it is time for corpse removal service. Then figure out what to do about the orphanage and so," Winski said.
He walked next to Peri and touched her fingers lightly.
- "You did it for her, didn't you?" he asked in a low voice. "Thank you."
- "Mostly," Peri admitted. "But not quite."
