[Flashback:Nanithel, Syllke Skyglow]Blood in the Snow

[Antar]

Cursing his inability to glean a closer look at the body with all the icewatch and the bears muddling around, Noth's own mind propelled itself along to find a means to gain more information. If he stayed they'd probably just usher him away with sharp pointy sticks, or claws and fangs. Whichever came first. He might get a chance to come back to the scene tomorrow though, but by then the body would be gone. What could he do? He was just one man in a town full of vantha hotheads who seemed to think any outsider wasn't any good at all?

Not for the first time Antar wondered why he was here in Avanthal at all. If this murder had happened by the symenestra he was here to hunt he needed more details... or at least proof it wasn't done by him. Damn it all!
Scanning the crowd of passerbys slowly dispersing, his eyes fell upon the boy who had been arguing with the older man, and the girl who had brought the message to the Hold. They had been the first on the scene... and most likely the first to get a close look at the bodies. He'd have to try to speak with them both.

'But.' A small thought nagged at the back of his mind. 'Would the children be the same as Darren and Cara? Both incapable of speaking more then a simple sentence of Common. Would his inquiries be barred further by the inability to exchange thoughts and ideas upon the subject? He didn't know. But he rationalized there was only one way to find out; he needed to find a means to ask them away from the prying eyes and ears of the other vantha.

As the progression began to leave back towards the hold, Noth began to circle the crowd. Seeking some opening in the throng to approach he boy and the girl and ask to speak to them separately about this matter. He only hoped he'd get his chance before everyone returned to Frostfawn Hold.

[Syllke Skyglow]

Syllke had paused to watch the bears and their riders do their work, but he was ready to leave. Nanithel had dismounted and already she had said something that indicated that she knew the dead woman. Turning to her, he said simply, “While you were gone getting the others, I had a bit of a look – but mostly at the body. I figured it wasn’t really my place to look further – and I didn’t really want to run into whatever it was that did this. So, no, I didn’t see anything much, beyond the . . . beyond Nayayik.” He had been going to say ‘the body’, but he felt it would show more respect to use the poor woman’s name. The Icewatch guards were now shooing people away, telling them to go home. Syllke was more than ready to go. Without further comment, Syllke fell into step beside Nanithel, who was leading her horse. “You knew the woman?” he asked, quietly. “Was she in the habit of coming out this far away from your hold – to gather herbs or mushrooms or whatever? Or . . . could it be she had a secret lover?” With a last look back over his shoulder at the lonely place where the young woman had met her death – or which at least served as her last resting place – Syllke noted the stranger, who seemed to be heading in their direction. He nudged Nanithel in the side, getting her to look back as well. “Do you know that guy?” He asked suspiciously.

[Nanithel]

"I knew her though not very well," Nanithel answered to Syllke's question and cast a glance at the Ice Watch members ushering the still remaining people away from the site, Nanithel held no wish to see too much and quickly looked ahead again. Trying to remember if Nayayik had been behaving strangely lately or if she had been outside the hold alone, but as far as Nan could recall the Vantha girl had been just as cautious about the wilds as any other person and knew as well as anyone how quick death could come if you became ignorant. "From what I know she didn't usually wander alone, though it may not be impossible. But if she had a lover then maybe she could have gone out alone. But then where is he in that case, or do you think she could've been secretly been seeing an outsider and been on the way to him?" Nan added as the thought hit her, but it was anyway too soon to be sure of anything. She wondered if even the Ice Watch could find anything in the quickly approaching dark and even if they did the tracks could be blown over by the wind. "I hope they find the one who did this," Nan added in a lower voice. She wondered if the person murdered just for the pleasure, if there was such a thing to be found in robbing someone of their life, or if he or she had some reason that they deemed a good enough cause, of course Nan saw on all killings with dislike, even the hunting of animals though she knew that they provided food that the Vantha's needed to survive.

Urged by Syllke she looked back to look at the same stranger that had been behaving so oddly at the scene, even at this distance did he look to be very tall, though compared to herself and other Vantha almost every visitor was taller than them. "No," Nan answered trying to remember if she could've seen him in Avanthal earlier. "I have not seen him before but he seems very interested in the murder and more skilled, and odd, than certain people we have seen this evening." Referring to Fenryn's rash and angry behaviour earlier when the people of the Frostfawn hold first had come to the murder scene. To think that an outsider would be needed to start making sense, not that Nanithel in any way deemed the stranger as less capable than a Vantha but to need his help to keep the hold calm was embarrassing.

[Antar]

As the group began to stagger their numbers, many walking the horses and sled dogs back to the Frostfawn Hold, Noth began to slip through them, steadily bridging the distance between the two children who had found the body and the rest. For a moment, he seemed concerned he wouldn't have a chance to speak to either of them as a large horse interposed itself in the way, it's tail swishing in a manner that almost whipped his face. But a quick halt allowed the creature and its Vanthan owner to go past him, only to stop and glare at the non-vanthan with barely veiled hostility.

'What the petch was wrong with all these vantha?'

When the horse had passed, he darted forwards, coming to a light jog to catch up beside the two kids and for a moment he struggled to find words to speak. So he lapsed into silence for a few moments, sometimes opening his mouth like a gaped fish before snapping it shut as he tried to speak but couldn't. Finally he blurted out a string of simple sentences in common. Keeping them concise in case the children did not understand common that well. "It's hard to see a dead body. It's something not good. Not something good at all. I have some questions though, First question: You two alright?"

It was a horrible start to an interrogation , being hindered by a language barrier. But it was an avenue of investigation he had to try. He'd have to feel the pair out, and figure if they were capable of giving him their side of things... and if it was safe to coax them to remember a few details of the body while it was still fresh in their minds.

[Syllke Skyglow]

Syllke wasn’t surprised when the stranger finally caught them up and blurted out his question. The man didn’t seem so much concerned with their welfare as he was using the solicitous inquiry as an entrée to something else. But, perhaps as Syllke wasn’t from the Frostfawn Hold and so was something of an outsider himself – and thus had no skeletons to hide – he answered easily enough in fairly good common with a question of his own. “Yeah, it was pretty disgusting. Any idea what did that to her?” He wondered just what this guy was up to, and why he was so interested in this death. Maybe somebody ought to be asking him some questions.

[Nanithel]

When the man caught up with them and spoke in common and Nanithel wondered how much of the man's question was genuine concern and how much of it was an opening to get them to talk to him. Feeling she had met enough new people today to continue being so social, Nan just nodded in answer to the man's inquiery and he could take that nod however he wanted. Listening to Syllke she pulled back lightly on Windy's reins as the mare tried to walk towards the hold and stroke Windy's grey neck before settling her hand in Windy's mane to steal some courage from the horse.

[Antar]

Well at the very least the children could communicate with him, even if it seemed from their inflections they were more fluent in vani then common. That was a start at least.

At Syllke's comment, Noth nodded once and figured being honest would be the best way to continue. He spoke in common trying to break down his thoughts into simple sentences so the Vantha boy might understand them. "Ideas yes, Many in fact. Too many. I cannot narrow them down without information. To say such broad things would only create rumors. Rumors and hearsay are bad because they might cause fear. Fear may lead to panic. Panic is bad for a city."

He knew this of course, but not usually from the perspective of being a conservative. It was a simple means of using the local populace he had practiced in the past, spreading false rumors to flush out targets. But he was in Avanthal for a different reason now. He was here to hunt down a murderer. But in order to do that, he had to have proof the murderer he was here to hunt had actually committed the act.

Noth paused a moment to let out a short sigh as he continued on, "It's best to have proof before speaking, especially in a new place like this. I didn't get a good look at the body, but to tell my thoughts without proof on what it might have been is like trying to shout to be heard over a monsoon. Pointless to utter till one has information to back it up. I did not see the place first, nor the body, you two did before the bears scuffed up the area around it. To tell you what I think would only cloud your ability to remember details clearly. It seemed like the body was partially melted from the distance I saw it. But I could be wrong. Worse: even saying such a thing might influence another's ability to recall how things look. I'll get to the point of what I want here: It may be hard, but do you two feel okay enough to give me more of a description?"

oocFeel free to describe the scene of the body in anyways you wish to 'fluff it up' from your character's perspective. Use your imagination ^-^ I'll just roll with it.

[Syllke Skyglow]

Syllke raised one eyebrow at the man’s reply. He spoke as if he had experience with such grisly occurrences. He also spoke like one well used to poking his nose into matters – but whether with authority to do so or not wasn’t clear. In Avanthal, the ultimate authority was Morwen, and under her, the Icewatch. It was clear from the man’s accent and the interactions of a while ago with the watch, that he had no official standing here. Still, being of a somewhat independent frame of mind himself, Syllke didn’t necessarily hold that against the stranger. He was just beginning to think that he and Nanithel might do best to be cautious around this guy, until they knew why he was so set on learning what they knew. Giving the man a pointed look, Syllke replied evenly. “I don’t mind in the least, but I’m curious. What has you so interested in her death?” He paused a moment, before asking casually, “Did you know her? The dead woman?” OOCSorry to take so long replying. I've been really sick this past week.

[Nanithel]

Nanithel remembered the snow spotted with dark blood and the caved in body of Nayayik, thankfully she had not so much detail in her mental picture but it was bad enough and this stranger who'd been up close to the girls dead body did not seem bothered in the least over seeing that horrible view. If he was used to dead bodies and seemed used to have authority Nan wondered what this man did for a living, a lot of things came to her mind both good and bad, some smaller criminal, assassin or just a very law abiding citizen taking justice in his own hands were just a few things Nan could mention but she had no right to judge someone without first hearing their side. Still she preferred to not just ramble on, this man was a stranger in Avanthal and while that wouldn't be so bad he was very interested in the death of Nayayik, as Syllke said straight out to him, she got the impression that the Vantha boy too was cautious as he answered the man with questions. Believing caution to be a wise move so far Nan kept silent to see how the man would react to the questions.

[Antar]

Smiling slightly, Noth blithely replied to the boy's question as easily as he would answer the fact that snow was white... usually."Nope, didn't know the girl. I'm just interested as any bounty hunter would be. There's bound to be a reward offered later for clues, or maybe to track down whatever did this and send them to Hai. Haven't been in Avanthal long, only came here on a tip of sorts, but still trying to feel my way around the city. I'm still new to the bounty hunting game, only got two successful tracks and captures so far. Wouldn't mind picking up a third success to increase the reputation."

He winked at Nanithel,and began using a backstory very similar to the reason he was in avanthal. "No need to be shy lass, I don't bite people unless they do something heinously wrong or comit a crime against someone who wants them caught. Like my first case which dealt with down south, a nobleman's daughter was brutally beaten and then drowned. Took me ten months to find the one who did it, turned out to be a woman of some reknown who was jealous of her looks. Absolutely battier then anyone else I've ever met too. Outright, off her rocker if you know what I mean. Anyways, I'm just always on the lookout for new jobs to do. If I complete them right, then I might get a reputation and be paid more up front that way if I get good enough. Sometimes forces me to ask the locals if I can tag along to help if something catches my interest."

The only thing he really had shrouded the truth on was that he had actually was a bounty hunter, though technically it was close enough to the truth. His first job had involved an assassination in return for the death of the nobleman's daughter, the perpatrator had never lived to make it to any form of trial. But such were the ways of things in the dirty games of politics.

He turned his head towards Syllke, "Of course, don't think for a moment that I failed to notice you didn't answer my question young man. Perhaps that's because you're being cautious. That's alright, you have a right to be after seeing such ghastly things. Perhaps I should introduce myself fully? My name's Anthony, or Ant for short. I assume you'll tell me your names too, so now I'd ask if you would please tell me a bit more about what you saw? I can't hazard even a shred of an opinion if I don't have more details."

oocThis was all spoken rather quickly in common. I don't know if you two would have caught all that