[@Ermine] [@Ms Ravenwinter]

Ceria watched as the bizarre tiefling turned on HER rather than Yvah, a gentle reprimand that stung almost as much as the couple of thorns poking out of the tiefling's homemade, she hesitated to call it hair in her mind at first, floral crown.  Daisy's "hair" reminded Ceria more of the vines she had had outside her bedroom window in her family's tree in the elvish home forest.  Chip immediately scampered from her shoulder up atop her head and began to sniff curiously at the crown and bat at it with his tiny paws.  The squirrel's expression regarded the tiefling with something akin to newfound respect and joy.  

Afterward, Ceria re-approached Araerys and Yvah who had gone back inside the church, forcing a somewhat pleasant smile on her face.  [color=00a651]"Oh, I'm sorry.  I didn't mean to hurt your feelings.   That was the last thing I wanted to do.  I've just - hic-  been nearly burned to a crisp by that scaly bastard and am in a - hic -  VERY bad mood right now! Now if you'll - hic - excuse me, I have something to attend to."[/color]  Ceria marched, rigid and stiff as a board despite her stress-induced hiccups, up to the front of the cathedral where the acolyte's remains lay.  Her arrow had turned into a flower sprouting in the center of the poor girl's breastbone, a bright yellow daffodil that Ceria recognized instantly as she knelt to examine the body. [color=00a651] "I'm sorry," [/color]she whispered hoarsely, eyes wet and voice catching.  [color=00a651]"I didn't want it to be like this.  I just wanted to....wanted to t-talk."[/color]  She swallowed the formidable lump in her throat and, as gently as possible, patted the girl down, even rolling her over slowly, to see if there was anything of value to their party's quest. 

When the elf was done, she rolled the fallen acolyte girl back over, repositioned the flower so it lay between the girl's hands, and closed the girl's eyes while simultaneously ripping away the remaining vines from around the pale white column of her throat. After a moment's hesitation, she unstuck the pretty floral crown from her tangled, singed locks and placed it even more gently on the acolyte's mane of brown hair, still shiny and full of luster despite belonging to someone who had been dead for several minutes now.  Ceria sniffled and Chip hopped back down onto her right shoulder and batted solemnly at a tear just below her eye.  Upon finding a strange amulet, the elf lifted it up and stowed it in her travel pouch.  She then stood and bowed her head over the girl, intoning a quiet elven farewell.  

Slowly, Ceria backed away all the way down the cathedral's main aisle until she backed into Daisy, eyes still gazing up to the front of the church.  For a moment, her mind was far far away and she didn't realize that she'd started leaning on the poor tiefling like a wall.  Doing a quick, embarrassed about-face, she muttered, [color=00a651]"Th-thank you for the gift.  It h-h-helped s-s-someone at least. It was p-p-pretty." [/color] She viciously swiped at both eyes, then flung a few singed locks of stray hair back over one shoulder with equal force. She inwardly cursed herself for being a stammering idiot, but she half-stamped a foot to berate herself.  She would NOT cry in front of this bunch. She refused! [i]Murderer....[/i] a dark sounding voice that was not her own whispered in her head.  [i]Murderer, murderer, murderer....[/i]  



[hider=Mechanical Roly-Poleys]
Investigation:  [url=https://www.roleplayerguild.com/rolls/3704]16[/url]
Effect:   Ceria's investigation of the body has turned up a mysterious amulet (Religion check required by DM) that she picks up to stow away for later as a possible clue.  ).  

[/hider]