Spiritual Damage

by **Estrellir Konrath** on December 29th, 2013, 11:21 am

“Estrellir Konrath, yes,” she offered as he obviously didn't recognize her. As was almost second nature, she doubted everything visible and audible, but it'd do him no good to pretend he didn't know her, quite the contrary.

So that was shelved and attention returned to more important matters. The way he offered her a seat wasn't the most refined, hinting at manners far from polished, but Estrellir ignored that. That one was a rule learned early: Never criticize if you come with a request. “Thank you.” So she sat, straightening her grey blouse and stretching her legs hugged by simple black pants. Nothing but the quality of the clothing suggested the Dynasty wearing it, just the way she liked it. As Reno clarified, she folded her hands on the table, revealing the translucent webbing between fingers. “I understand. Do not worry, the matters I deal with are hardly ever pretty.”

Straightening a little, she took a moment to gather the next words. “I already spoke to Lorana Lorak about the incident. She said there were drag marks on the corpse and a blood trail leading away. She also claimed my father and you followed the trail and suggested I should ask you as to whether further hints were found in the process. Is she correct? If so, what can you tell me about the search?” If he hadn't already guessed it, by now he knew exactly who she was. Estrellir hoped to get him to talk with that method, spilling details about herself while asking for confidential knowledge. Trading one for the other. Lorenzo had probably ordered Reno to keep quiet, but she was immediate family, after all. Moreover, she could be considered colleague to the bodyguard!

by **Kalesserimamoru** on January 2nd, 2014, 11:29 pm

Estrellir Konrath, he would have to be sure to remember that name. If or when she became Magistrate he might seek to gain her favor..in more than one way if needed. She seemed like the ambitious type and was already snooping around in business that he was sure was supposed to be closed case. "What's this about?" he asked with a serious look. "The Magistrate didn't want this getting out, and I'm sure I heard him tell Miss. Lorak to keep this quiet."

He asked the question, but he didn't expect much back. It also made him wonder if the one Lorak was so talkative, why didn't she ask questions of the one who was in the interrogation room with him. All in all, he guessed it didn't matter much and from what he'd been hearing those like him didn't have the rights that the Dynasty had, which meant in a way, he didn't have much choice but to tell her. At least, that would be his story of this whole thing went poorly. "Fine, have it your way." he said finally while looking her over again.

"There were a set of drag marks that led all the way into the deep swamps. We followed the trail and found a slave, your..Rujaro, hiding out there. He was in trouble, must have gotten into a brawl with that slave before he was able to take him down." He paused then, watching the girl's expression to see how she was taking what he was saying. "I took the guy down and dragged him back to the Magistrate for questioning."

by **Estrellir Konrath** on January 3rd, 2014, 3:58 pm

A hint of a smile lingered at the corners of her mouth as Estrellir straightened in her chair. “But it is not getting out. It stays in the family. Miss Lorak kept quiet which is why I'm coming to you.” As a freelance detective, she was always concerned to not harm the reputation of her clients. One never knew what came back to them if they turned their back on a detail. At the same time, she tried to stay close to the official policy of her family which proved to be difficult at the moment.

Finally he consented to follow her questions. She nodded in silent gratitude, trying not to disturb his flow. The way he was looking at her told quite a bit of what he thought of her and how he worked. Before her wasn't a man of muscle, not exclusively, but also a player of the game they were so fond of in Kenash. Apparently he hadn't been around for long, but he'd come to the right place. As he told the story, Estrellir's violet eyes narrowed. Lorana's personal slave surely hadn't been an easy victim, so the fight was to be expected. “You mean the Rujaro was already hurt and exhausted when you found him, correct?” Perhaps it was a superfluous question, but she needed to catch and understand even the tiniest details.

For a moment, she let Reno's words sink in. Her expression didn't change much, but the subtle gleam in her eyes revealed her passion for the mystery. Estrellir was neither Dhani nor Kelvic, but she certainly possessed, in her own way, some sense of the hunt and its thrill. “I suppose you were present at the questioning to keep the Rujaro in check? What did it reveal, if anything?” Her fingers, still folded, were twitching. On the one hand, she needed the knowledge spilled by the Rujaro desperately, but on the other hand, she doubted a group so highly organized and effective would allow one of their members to give in to the enemy. She hoped the bodyguard's loyalty to the family – or her display of political influence – was strong enough for him to answer truthfully.

by **Kalesserimamoru** on January 6th, 2014, 1:48 am

Reno studied the woman's face for a moment, he wondered what she planned to do with the information. If he, and her father hadn't closed the case yet, what did she think she could do? This was serious business, not something for a lady to go prancing around with asking everyone questions about. "Right, the guy was already hurt. A broken arm and probably more." Just looking at the woman caused his muscles to stretch into what was known as a smile, but he had to fight it.

In front of him sat a woman, who probably had never even had dirt under her nails or even a scar on her body. One might chance the bet that if she were to walk with her bare feet on the ground, she would be instantly cut from even the smallest of uneven ground. It was odd and unthinkable for someone who had lived the life that he had, but as he was learning..Kenash was a completely different world. But one thing he did know was that he wanted to play to with her..in more ways than one.

Of course he would have to be careful in what he did and said, this was the Magistrate's daughter after all. "Look...I wasn't going to tell you this but..there was a second pair of tracks. We thought they were made by an animal, and once we found the Rujaro, we didn't bother to recheck." He paused for a moment, green eyes wandering to the cup where his finger gently tapped the rim. "I'm only saying this because the more I think about it, I wonder if there was another.."He stopped there, thinking he had given her enough to lure her in more.

To her question about the interrogation, the trickster put on his best acting. He pretended to look worried, and even lowered his voice as if he didn't want the words to leave the room. He didn't in fact, but he really wanted the konti to move closer. It was a small table, but with such a lovely girl he wanted to admire her up close."Yea, I was there to question him. He didn't give us much, but there was something." He paused again, waiting to see if she would press him to go on before adding to what he had said. "He mentioned a cave, a location of the Rujaro."

by **Estrellir Konrath** on January 8th, 2014, 6:45 pm

Estrellir nodded. A personal slave wasn't just an everyday person, they were selected among the best, strongest and most intelligent, so it made sense that the Rujaro would have a hard time at least. How Reno kept his description vague irritated her though. Just a little.

He wasn't going to tell her? Estrellir's eyes narrowed. So he was clever enough to hold back information he had gathered with Lorenzo. Perhaps he thought keeping secrets would do him good or he could trade the information for more valuable favors later. Perhaps he was simply making fun of her, a tiny voice in her head whispered. Estrellir pushed it aside and focused on his words. “I guess there is a possibility,” she admitted. “Thank you for telling me.”

Then he lowered his voice. Suddenly she had trouble understanding him, so she leaned forward just a bit to catch every word. Locks of white hair fell over her shoulder and came to rest on the table. Features calm, she listened to what appeared to be dangerous knowledge. Her lips tightened at the thought of a cave, a place of shelter or storage, perhaps even a hide-out. “Did he reveal where it was located and what it contained? I assume you were looking for it after the interrogation. Did you find and explore it?” Something tangible at last!

So intent was Estrellir on solving the core riddle that she neglected paying attention to the bodyguard and his motives, although she did notice he answered slowly and in less detail than she'd have liked. Was he trying to hold her up... but for what reason?

by **Vice** on June 9th, 2014, 10:08 pm

Estrellir Konrath :

If you have questions, comments, or concerns, please send me a PM, and we'll discuss my reasoning behind why the grade given was received. Please make sure to edit any posts in the grading queue to 'graded' and update your CS as soon as possible. Enjoy! ^.^

Closed Spiritual Damage