Event Act One: The Crime Scene

[Avela]

Avela had certainly not intended to catch anyone's attention with her outburst, least of all the attention of one of the Speakers. At the Seamstress's address, Avela swallowed down her nervousness and the churning in her gut, looking over her shoulder at the woman. Any Speaker would have been difficult to speak to, but the Seamstress had a harsh air around her that immediately set Avela's nerves on edge. It reminded her almost of her stepmother, if her stepmother could be deadly.

"He..." She wet dry lips with her tongue, trying again. "He was one of the people who accompanied us, when we went on an expedition to find water last season. He accompanied me and..." Her eyes slid past the Seamstress for just a moment, landing on Madara Craven. What a time for Madeira to be out of the city! "...Madeira Craven. He was supposed to report back to the Speak--to you when we returned. He had an accent...he didn't seem like he was from around here."

Her mind raced, trying to dredge up memories of that encounter, anything that could have been significant. "He...um...seemed afraid. We found some strange things in a clearing. He didn't want to investigate. He wanted to keep moving. The other man that was with us, Mogens, was more interested."

Interested? No, Avela wasn't sure that was the right word. It had been Mogens that had wanted to investigate the clearing in the first place, hadn't it? Mogens, who had taken the strange scrap of paper from her hands, who had found the rune-marked coin. But surely Mogens couldn't be involved in this, could he?

Template by Sevaan
"Common" "Kontinese"
(•̀o•́)ง

~Avela~

[Chameleon]

The Seamstress looked unimpressed by Avela's answer, considering she was well aware that he had gone with them - the Speakers had chosen him, to say the very least. But she decided to quiz her anyway, because it seemed like an interesting sort of thing to do.

"Madeira... Where can we find her? How about this Mogens? Bring them on the 67th, we can see what they know there. You come, too. Perhaps you'll have something else to add then." Her thin lips smacked together, glancing down to where the kakapo was bouncing. He was examining Avela closer, trying to subtly gauge her honesty. Noticing how the Seamstress watched him, he bounced away, this time settling closer to the other two women.

"A report would be helpful. From you, not what he received from Tobin. Please write one, about what you found. After all, from what I am aware, you had the opportunity to venture into the cave, is that right?"

She was rather enjoying Avela's nervousness, how she bristled at the harsh words she spat out. The Seamstress was ready to terrorise the girl more, but Madara spoke up, not in response, but in simple musing. "If you would please finish whatever it is you're doing," came her rather bored tone to the group within the crime scene, "It is time for the next lot."

A few moments were left to grab or examine whatever was most important, before they were forced out like some of the investigators had been before. Better make it quick.

[Asterope]

Aster swallowed the disappointment that rose up when the other Ethaefal immediately reacted by leaning away from her; she suppose she couldn't blame the woman. Underneath her own awe and excitement was a sense of trepidation. As she looked over the body, the Ethaefal spoke in a familiar language.

Aster raised her head sharply, blinking owlishly at the woman, golden eyes wide. It took her a moment to put together what the woman was saying, since she didn't recognize all of the words used, but Aster finally realized the woman didn't understand her. She likely didn't speak Common.

However, despite the language barrier, the Ethaefal caught on and helped Aster roll the body over. She examined the man closely; she didn't recognize him, though judging by Avela's reaction, the Konti seemed to.

The other Eth seemed intent on removing the man's costume, so Aster helped her do so, making note of the orange hairs stuck in the costume's fur as she did so. Beneath, the man wore simple black clothes. His necklace caught her eye, but more importantly, Aster noticed that one of his hands was clenched tightly into a fist.

Letting the other Ethaefal examine the man as she pleased, Aster carefully pried the man's fist open to see if there was anything clenched in his hand; if there was, she would examine it more closely. One of the women surveying the scene spoke up, seeming somewhat impatient; their time there was coming to an end, it seemed.

She glanced at the other Ethaefal, hesitating before speaking in rough, broken Pavi. "See thing?" She asked, motioning to the man. Her hands waved in the air as she tried to recall any sort of Grassland sign that might make her meaning more clear, and finally she moved her fingers clumsily in the sign for 'bad', tilting her head and hoping the Eth would get the gist of what she was asking.

[Avela]

"Um..."

The last thing--the very last thing--Avela wanted to do was disagree with the Seamstress, but there was sort of a problem with what she was asking. Two problems, in fact. The first, and probably the most pressing, was what she was supposed to do if she had to bring Madeira. "M-Madeira isn't in the city," she said. "She left town for the season." She also wanted to mention that she didn't know where to even start looking for Mogens, but looking at the Seamstress and the kakapo bird that was eyeing her, Avela decided to keep that to herself.

She had time, right? To find Mogens before the 67th. In 22 days, Ionu willing, she might be able to find him. In a city like Alvadas, where he could be anywhere.

Oh, she really wasn't liking where this was going. But at the Seamstress and Madara's harsh words, she jumped, quickly turning back towards the pile she had made of Tobin's things. It was too late for her to do anything--she'd already taken everything out of the bag, and there was just no way she was going to be able to start on the letters, not with as little time as she had left.

Feeling rushed and starting to feel a little desperate, Avela grabbed the first letter off the top of the pile and tore it open, reading quickly. It might be nothing, but it might be something, and at the moment, Avela felt very much like she needed to be doing something.

Template by Sevaan
"Common" "Kontinese"
(•̀o•́)ง

~Avela~

[Chameleon]

There was nothing in the palm of his hand. But there had been. There was a red mark where something had pressed into it for a long time. Only a line remained though, so it was hard to tell what it could have been. Someone had taken it though, although it was also impossible to tell whether the murderer had or just an irresponsible investigator. Something to ask around for, if she really wanted to know.

Which she'd get plenty of chance to afterwards. The two Ethaefal were quickly ushered out of the area, sent off with warning smiles not to get too interested and decide they would prefer to stay. Whatever they had found, it was bound to be useful. Or at least, it would have to be.

Meanwhile, the Seamstress was getting annoyed with Avela's hesitation. While previously, she had seen it as awe and fear for standing so close to such a great Speaker, she was sensing something else with the silence of Avela's words. Inadequacy was the word she found for it, although she didn't state it out loud. The Seamstress had plenty of questions. Why had Madeira left, for one - that seemed suspicious enough. Why was that the only thing she replied to, as another.

But Madara was trying to force them all out, so perhaps the questions could wait.

And the letter. The letter was certainly... interesting. It had been a sealed letter - the recipient had never received it. It was addressed simply to the Divine Legacy - not Karash, but the scribbled words on the outside seemed more like a note so the courier would know who it was for than a formal address, as the handwriting was different inside.

If you are truly dedicated to our father Uldr, we must meet. Return a message with this courier and name a time and place. Together, we will make him victorious. But be careful, do not speak this to anyone. The lack of details about us in this letter must show you that there are those who know too much already, those who we must hide from. Trust no one, but the marked.

And Avela was pushed out of the circle. She had the chance to drop the letter and to take it. But the investigation was over. Another group had taken their place. And they were left to the peaceful day to contemplate death and all to do with it.

~Continued in Act Two