"—Huh, I think it's pretty different even for diabolists but I see why it'd sound like the same thing."

"Aren't there witches on the western border, anyway?"

 "No, that's a myth. There are witches in the northwest but they're not protecting the border, there was some kind of miracle to make smaller forts that can walk around and defend themselves without needing any people."

None of that was directed at her or obviously wrong. (Which is a shame, the distraction was actually kind of nice,)

"Man, I wish someone would do a miracle like that here."

 "It's because we're braver and stronger than whoever lives out west, so we don't need as much help. ...I guess maybe that's why Cheliax is willing to put up with having wizards?"

"Someone being a wizard doesn't have to be a bad thing."

 "Then why are there so many wizard cultists, huh? Or do you think they're all witches or wicked sorcerers?"

Muvaki sighs. "Anyone can become a wizard if they aren't stupid and can afford to learn. Cheliax has more wizards because we check everyone for aptitude and pay for schooling when people do." She doesn't know why there are so many wizard cultists, since it's a stupid fucking thing to do.

"How do they even pay for all that?"

 "They're Evil, so more of them are rich."

"—what, all of them? No way that's true, you've got to do something really bad to be Evil. Murder or being a demon cultist or torture or something."

She frowns. "No? Most people are Evil. Cheliax is more Lawful than average."

"I don't know a single person who's Evil who isn't in the Condemned."

 "Didn't Prelate Shappok used to burn people alive?"

"It's like executions, it's Evil and illegal if you just do it yourself for fun but it's not Evil if it's part of a criminal sentence."

She snorts. "You wouldn't know if most of your friends were Evil. If mortals aren't touched by a God they don't show up to Detect Evil unless they're strong."

"I have eyes, I'd notice if they were doing anything terrible!"

 "Are we allowed to talk about that with the Chelish guys?"

"Come on, we both know there's a good chance we'll show up at the depot and they'll tell us 'sounds like a cultist, take her away.'"

 "Sure, but we've got to follow the rules just in case."

Her head snaps in his direction, snarling. "I am not a cultist!"  Her fingers twitch - How dare he -

He sees her fingers start to move and reaches for her hands—

And suddenly she sees Snare's face instead of his, reaching out for her, and she's still in the cell, because of course it was all a dream, she's still trapped trapped trapped and he's going to - "Don't touch me!" she shrieks, springing back, eyes darting around wildly, looking for any chance of escape,

They're in a town; the street is fairly open, or she could veer off into a narrow alleyway about ten paces away, or a larger side street further back.

...She'll have to be quick about it, though, because her escorts seem to be treating this as a sign that she really is a cultist after all.

she runs through the open street out the jail cell door into the narrow corridor alleyway in a burst of sheer terror and desperation, looking out for obstacles to make doors to close in Snare's terrible face, she needs to not be here 

They pound after her, slowed by their armor.

There are plenty of doors in this alleyway but they're all attached to people's houses and shops. Or she could try to tip over that barrel, or pull down that clothesline, or squeeze between those two houses with a tiny gap between them...

She tips over a barrel slams a door shut and takes the chance to slides between the two houses into the tiny crack in the walls of the fort (they don't feed her enough, and she was small to begin with) and keeps going, moving deeper and deeper into Kenabres the natural cave formation.

They are not small enough to follow her! Their shouts recede into the distance as she runs.

She keeps going for a while, but eventually she runs out of breath, and then her tired mind snaps back to the present.

Fuck. Fuck. She's - she's so stupid - why did she - 

she sinks to her knees.

Here's an elf girl, coming around another corner with a large black bird on her shoulder. 

"Are you hurt?"

(Her tone is purely concerned, with no hint of mockery.)

She flinches, pushing herself up into a crouch. "What do you want", she says, exhaustion and pain and bitterness dripping from her words. (She's wearing stolen clothes too big for her. She has a small bag. She's Chelish, she's underfed, and she's got an alarming variety of bruises on her neck, face, and arms.)

"I want you to be okay! I have a little healing magic, is it okay if I cast it?"

(The elf is young for an elf, though it's hard to pinpoint her exact age. She's wearing a tattered brown dress, and her arms are covered in burn scars.)

What? "....why?" She looks and sounds so confused.

"I like it when people are happy! It makes me happy too."

Her crow makes a pipping sound.

"Soot says that if you don't want me to get too close, my healing spell will still work if I stay here and she flies over to you."

This is confusing and she doesn't like it and it's probably a trick and she can't see the trick and also she's out of spells and out of breath and out of her depth.

"i-if you really want heal me, I-I won't stop you. Doesn't have to be the bird."

She walks over to Muvaki and smiles gently. "Cure Light Wounds."

(She is not, if Muvaki is looking, wearing any sort of visible holy symbol.)