But he didn't. Well, at least Clark had managed to warn him of the danger in general.

Oh, what a mess. Delia wasn't paying much attention to the bodyguards, busy with calculating whether Chief's claims had any basis in reality, and what counteroffer she would be able to get away with. ([i]None![/i] Clark thought, distraught. [i]You're not getting away with anything at all if they have their way![/i]) Edgar was silently staring at the chief, careful to not let anything out.

Chief seemed to be getting a bit nervous. He must have noticed the vacant, resolute expression on Geoff's face. The lad was staring straight ahead, determined to do a good job of guarding the chief.

"And do you remember," Chief continued his boasting, "what a striking sight was this year's Lighthouse Ceremony? Rows of [b]guards[/b], standing at [b]attention[/b], their [b]weapons[/b] rising as the Lightstone was carried in? Why, that certainly helped the prestige of our city, if I say so myself. We [b]guards[/b] must always stand at the [b]ready[/b], to protect our citizens and [b]eliminate[/b] any [b]threats[/b]!"

The Chief was adding extra emphasis to certain words in his speech, like a bad actor. It must have been for the benefit of Geoff, who finally caught on and started drawing his own weapon midway through the speech. Clark caught determination in his mind. "Duty", "protection". Whether true or not, Geoff must have been convinced that attacking Delia was for the good of the city.

Then, a lot of things happened very quickly.

Arthur squinted at the suspicious wording of Chief's speech. His stance subtly shifted, becoming more balanced. He watched the pair of city guards, since those were on his flank.

As Geoff was drawing his short sword with an off hand, it wobbled, caught on a metal loop that held his purse on his belt, and let out a loud, distinctive [i]clink[/i].

Delia drew a short breath, pieces falling into place in her head. Her hand shot towards her pearl earring, which was apparently not a pearl earring at all, because she pried the "stone" open with a flick of her fingers and swallowed it down. Immediately, the air around her took on a semi-transparent, opalesque sheen. Clark had no idea how it was supposed to work but apparently, it was for her protection.

Good, since he had no idea how to protect her otherwise.

Edgar let out an irritated grunt and banked a fist on the table, sending it off balance. It started to topple, its legs going up and towards Delia. "Now!" he grunted curtly.

The guards erupted into motion.