Alana smiles, her supple demonic lips turning into what she couldn't help but reflect a wicked and hungry smile.<strong>"A trial by fire, as I believe it's said. But... this is more towards the extreme nature of my business. Not the most extreme certainly, but sometimes you get someone looking for one last opportunity to talk to his wife, another might be someone seeking an artifact in someone else's posession... rarely am I asked to solve a crime. However, in this case we either find the holy symbol and earn the Protector's favor, or fail and earn her dis-favor. Which is not something I wish for..."</strong>she remarks with a slight bit of unease.<br/><br/><strong>"The commander seems uneasy, but I'm beginning to doubt she has been manipulated. I could well be wrong, but last I heard Paladins are quite resistant, if not outright immune to magical manipulation. However, we must speak with these guardsmen before it's too late... whomever took the symbol no doubt intends to use it in some fashion. Whether that be to embarrass the Lord Protector, or for something else entirely."</strong>she pauses, stepping up to Jian and tracing a line down the side of her jaw and across her lips with her long nearly claw-like fingernails, she lets slip a purr before continuing...<br/><br/><strong>"You're specialized in the primal arts more than I, perhaps you can tell me what spell might leave a signature like we saw in the Lord Protector's office? Teleportation isn't in our portfolio last I checked. It almost looked like someone cast a ritual there perhaps?"</strong>she questions, her fingertip and nail no doubt deliberately trying to send shivers down Jian's spine.