Waldemar said something about Elliot not understanding something or other. That wasn't too surprising. The old coot didn't think Elliot understood anything. Senility was obviously kicking in. There was some further disturbance from the cave. That was vaguely horrifying, though by this point one horror was just piled upon the next. It wasn't desensitizing, not really, but it didn't change anything. Elliot and Cat were going to get away. He had one eye on Jirai as he left the circle. If she chased after, he wasn't sure what he'd do, take to the trees with the kid and try to find cover for all the good it'd do them. They HAD to go, though. They just had to. Every ounce of his being screamed it so when she said that it was over for now, even if not in those exact words, he was relieved.
"Come on," softly but with a confidence he hadn't possessed a moment before. Cat was hoisted over a shoulder still and they were able to move at a fairly good pace for a while like that, the teenaged rogue's strength and stamina bolstered by months working with blacksmiths. After about two minutes, he'd let Cat, hopefully more clearheaded now, start to run beside him.
It was another minute still before there were signs of people approaching. Elliot had been turned around somewhat by everything but he still was fairly certain they weren't back to the carnival yet. Maybe Catch had convinced others to help. "Oi!" he shouted, fairly out of breath. "A monster was eating the kids in town. Old Man Waldemar and ..." and what? Suede and Jirai? They had been a tight little group for a few minutes there, but he couldn't just outright say that. "and me and a few others went to help them but it got nasty in there! The old bastard's protecting the remaining kids and i think the worst is over but he sent me... us back for help. They're hurt and..."
It wasn't a bad lie. In fact, it was the best sort, one full of lots and lots of truth, the sort that would almost always work. This was the almost, though, for coming through the tree line and surrounded by a gaggle of Constables were Glenn Burnie and Rhaena Olwak. "Elliot, Cat" this from the Governor with a fairly dangerous tone, the sort that would brook very little in the way of well... anything at all. The two young men, one either a few years or a thousand older than the other, had not seen each other for quite a while. They did not travel in the same sort of circles. The rogue started going to the Dagger more and more only after the once-mapmaker had left it for the needs and necessities of politics, after Underdark had left him forever changed. Years ago, however, they had once toiled a field together. It was not the sort of bond that lasted through all things, not after the way the youth acted around the Governor's Lady.
"I'm taking Cat back to town. Go on." This was all the thief would say and he started to move past them, just like that.
Glenn's sword was still drawn, and it seemed, for a moment, that he'd run the teenager through for expediency's sake. Any number of the Constables would have applauded such a decision. It seemed, for a moment, that he would have the fool and his little friend clapped in irons as the instrument of all of this had been and brought in for questioning, perhaps to never see the light of day again. There was, however, a little look to Rhaena, a curious thing, an almost suspicious thing, but then she had hastened him with the Storyteller just a few minutes before. Still, mercy? In the face of this? In the face of the lingering questions and uncertainty? After what the boy had done both to her and others? It would be a tussle. It would delay things. It would use up resources. "Elliot," he finally relented, not convinced, not mollified, a bit disquieted by his bethrothed's insistence but no longer willing to argue the point. "Go. Take," the slight of hesitation, "the child back to town. If you lied to us, you'll learn the consequence to your action, all of your actions, sooner than you think. We know, Elliot Brown, we always see and we always know."
The youths had been walking on past them in the midst of this tense little affair and while Elliot wanted to shout out what GOOD he did today, he wanted to get to safety with Cat even more. Adrenaline was wearing off and he knew how close the child had been to death, how close he, himself, might had been. "Come on," he whispered once again to his charge, taking three broad steps away from all of them, offering a lewd and defiant single fingered salute to the Governor and his Lady, and then running with Cat, once again, as if their lives depended on it.
Burnie and his entourage continued on the other way. There was, perhaps a light shake of his head at the begowned woman. "Too soft, this once. No matter, though. Come along. Let's see to our people." They moved forward steadily allowing the Constables forward towards the cave.