Down to the courtyard...

Just as Claudia was beginning to settle down and take stock of her divine mission - and equally importantly, to enjoy the amenities of her sumptuous guest room, and to get out of her rather uncomfortable "armored" raiment - a trumpeter in the manor's courtyard blew a single short note, jolting her off of the smooth, comfortable velour sheets. "Ah!" she gasped, looking for her discarded heel as she hobbled on one shoe towards the narrow window. "It is no more than an hour past noon, I would have sworn! How is it that the guests can be arriving already? I had hoped to have a bit more time to investigate before..."

Squinting in the bright sun suddenly splashing across her face, Claudia saw that it was a lone, slender figure trotting along upon a swaybacked donkey, nonetheless being welcomed into the gates without question, with a large dog trotting along behind, wagging its tail excitably. Making out any details was impossible, because there was a heavy hooded robe draped over the rider completely. "What...? That's no knight." Claudia said to herself, resting a hand upon her supple hip and leaning upon the windowsill with one forearm. Ah! Perhaps that's this naughty Sterling that mi'lord mentioned, back from one of her adventures or tournaments. Perhaps I should go and introduce myself to her sternly - after all, that's no way for a young lady to behave, especially on the very day that a living icon of Jaris is to be her family's guest!"

Clicking heel-steps echoed rapidly through the halls as Claudia raced down toward the courtyard as quickly as her awkward, divinely-mandated footwear would allow. The halls were lined with hanging tapestries depicting great scenes out of human history, providing a muffling effect - aside from the sharp noise of Claudia's heels, the interior of Lord Matthias's manor was as silent as a tomb.

"May I help-" a voice came to Claudia from just a few feet away from out of a blind alcove. Whirling to look, Claudia saw a female figure in full armor, covering every inch except for her face... a face which was distinctively vivid purple. Long chalk-white hair was parted in the forehead by a single, curving horn that glowed faintly. Clutching in the woman's hands was an ENORMOUS morning star, of such a size that even a large human man would have difficulty swinging it.

"AHHH! GET AWAY!" Claudia shrieked impulsively as she staggered back, hand straying down to her sword hilt.

The daeva household guardian looked just as horrified when she saw Claudia's reaction. "Oh no, no!! I have spoken out of turn to a holy woman! I am unclean, UNCLEAN! I beg a thousand pardons, Jaris!" she wailed in dismay in a surprisingly high pitched, girlish voice considering her armored bulk. Claudia was about to apologize, but the daeva thundered down the hallway in the opposite direction like a charging Northalkin war-bear, rounding a corner before Claudia could say a thing.

Claudia clenched her hands and sighed with frustration. It couldn't be helped, here in St. Marmelise, more daeva "pilgrims" arrived every month, petitioning for entry to the city... unlike the ones who traveled the lands performing inquisitions, these unearthly women didn't come to punish any sin, but to praise and serve the human inhabitants. They were so dedicated and indefatigable in pursuing whatever task the local religious orders put them to that many commoners actually believed the daeva to be nonliving beings of "pure magic". In fact, they weren't quite so fantastical as that - they did require food, water, and rest in the same proportions a human did. But most of them had such alien willpower that they would stand stock-still for hours at a time, their attention never wandering for a second. It wasn't that doing so was comfortable or desirable for them - they experienced boredom and impulsive urges, too - but they policed their own ranks so harshly that seldom were any orders questioned. Gods knew how long that guard had been standing silently in that dim little alcove, apparently serving as a living tripwire for any intruders...

Shaking her head to clear such troublesome thoughts away, Claudia finished descending the stairs and paused at the threshhold of a servant's entrance, just as the donkey-riding figure of mystery was coming closer. Looking closely, she could see that the robed figure was riding 'side-saddle' with both of her legs hanging over one of the beast's sides.

Still feeling a bit nervous herself, Claudia strove to redirect her ire at that sneaky, spooky daeva towards 'Sterling' here. After all, wasn't it true that her antics had risen to the level of being a matter of concern for a cardinal of the cloth? She waited for a minute, hearing soft footsteps dismounting and then coming up to the door.

"Sterling, I presume!" Claudia spoke from where she was standing at the opposite end of the disused kitchen which the visitor was slipping into. "It is an honor to meet you - I hope you won't mind explaining why you're returning-"

"VERY GOOD TO MEET YOU, MISS STERLING!" the newcomer said in a loud, high-pitched feminine fog horn of a voice. "I COME FROM - ohhh uhhh inside voice, inside voice - you truly are as beYUUtiful as they said." Whoever she was, her words were a little bit too loud, said a little too slowly, in a squeaky monotone.

Confused, Claudia blinked a few times and cleared her throat. "Um... thank you, but I'm not Sterling..."

"NOTE. OH YES, THE NOTE." the newcomer squealed loudly and proudly. "I have the note, oh yes I do! But I can't give it to you, it is for the eyes of Claw-dee-uh the Sin-Taker only! I will gladly talk some more with you after I deliver it to her, Miss Sterling! I do indeed have some important matters to discuss with you and I already know your cousin Yvonne quite well!"

"Hold on a minute..." Claudia was getting rather flustered, not sure if whoever this was was mocking her, putting a gloved hand to her forehead in exasparation.

"You're right!" the newcomer said in a chipper voice. "It IS very hot in here, I'll take this off! I'll need to anyway so I can secure accommodations like the abbess explained to me!"

Before Claudia could protest, the robe fell to the ground, allowing the paladin to get a good look at this confused girl, and the large yellow dog dutifully trotted deeper into the servants' kitchen behind her. Claudia could see that she was definitely quite cute... a rather slender and petite girl who would've stood almost the same height as Claudia if not for the latter's heels. The newcomer was wearing the distinctive garments of one of the religious orders of Norvaskr... Claudia didn't know their name off the top of her head, but she'd often seen them hanging around silently in the practice rings where she'd learned the sword, ready to provide healing and care whenever someone got injured. She wore a cutesy blue and white sleeved minidress which covered her arms and upper body completely, but only descended halfway down her thigh... and it had a wide, flared hem which allowed it to flap and flutter in the slightest breeze... below it were a pair of white thigh-high stockings. Her blonde hair was trimmed short in the back but had long bangs framing an adorable face defined by a tiny nose, dainty chin and wide blue eyes. Atop her head was a distinctive "healer's cap", a marker that she was capable of tending the injured or ill. She carried a staff with a solid gold holy symbol of Norvaskr that marked her as being entrusted with no small degree of privilege, however - the orders didn't just hand those out to everybody. A red ribbon set with a blue stone was set upon her breastbone marking her as among those who'd sworn a so-called "vow of temperence". Even before the fateful night of destruction, you remember priestesses coming by once or twice wearing those ribbons preaching to the girls of Prudence's about the evils of rum.

Donna

"MY name is Donna!" she added cheerfully with a wave, "And I'm here to help evaluate and prepare you and your cousin for joining the priesthood, or one of the many orders! But only if you truly feel the call to it!"

Claudia pursed her lips and tilted her head to the side, vexed. "Have you been hearing a word I am saying, you silly girl?" she said, forgetting her sense of decorum for a second.

"No," a rich, baritone male voice said suddenly. "She cannot hear what you are saying. Speak slowly so she can read your lips, and point to what you are talking about, it helps her to understand."

"Nnngh!" Claudia cringed, surprised, and looked suddenly over her shoulder, then back to Sister Donna, who was still smiling waifishly at her. Leaning to one side, she looked past the skinny girl but saw no one behind her. "Who said that?!"

"I did." Looking down, Claudia could see the big, golden, floppy-eared dog staring up at her meaningfully... and as she stared, the animal spoke again. "Please do not be alarmed. Explain the confusion to my companion. I know who you are, and we have been sent to aid you, as well - as well as to solicit your guidance, in turn, for Donna's sake. You may call me 'Angelo', just as she does."

Claudia just blinked. Was there something in theology that explained this...? Donna tried to walk past her but Claudia grabbed the (apparently stone-deaf) young woman by the shoulders and directed her gaze to her face. "Listen - erm, watch - I mean... I am not Sterling, okay? I", Claudia poked herself in the chest with a finger, which unavoidably meant giving her cleavage a tiny jiggle, "am Claudia, Sin-Tax Taker of Jaris. Please, give me these messages you speak of so I can make some sense of this."