"He pushed her, he pushed her - by all the gods!", yelled the incensed acolyte, white vestments and prayer charms rattling.
Full equinox, city bustling with pilgrims and travelers. Some meant well, others became my problem.
The Diurnal Priestess of Terra lay sprawled on the ceremonial mat, colored petals and folded prayer-psalms rudely disturbed by her small feet. She rolled upright, brushing the petals from her silken sleeves.
"Who pushed? I see no one.", keep calm, I told myself. This could be a sham.
"Lo, witness the sacred portrait!", the acolyte shoved a screen in my view, a single picture taken moments before.
Limbs and arms hung in space, the curves meeting a small tripod-like chair, now toppled on the mat among the scraps of prayers and tributes. It was the pose of alignment, meant to point to the holy city.
"And you say she was pushed? I see the holy pose, but not the perpetrator."
The acolyte considered this for a second, then began shouting - "It is not for ye to doubt the word of the sacred priestess! Lo, you shall be thrown into the void where all souls lie in torment!"
I ramped down my audio gain, looking past the acolyte to the priestess. She was serene, back in the pose, perched on the stool like a sculpture. Limbs aligned, head tucked low. A small movement, I could swear that she smiled at me.
"Do you propose to solve this!", the acolyte disturbed my gaze with frantic hands.
"Look, I'll take another sweep, but you can't be disturbing people here. Its almost call for prayer and I have duties to perform."
He reluctantly nodded, and went back to sweeping up the scattered offerings, muttering dark oaths under his breath.
I sighed, pinged the CrimeRep map and logged the disturbance. Suspicion of religious interference. A gentle tone registered the complaint, systems tasked with correlating possible suspects.
Never a dull day in holy city of Trinity.
