Blackburn's Crossing Chapter 4: Snake Eater

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Bernard waited for Simon to finish. "It can be difficult to trust people. I spent the last few years on my own, no one to lean on but myself. I get back to my home to find the town a mess, discover corruption in the head of the church, learn that everyone I trusted lied to me for years, and now almost my entire family is dead and Merris is missing. So, yes, I find it difficult to know who to trust." Bernard sighed, "I'm willing to try to trust you and I wouldn't ask you to look the other way in the face of a crime, but I could always use more friends."

After Dmitri answered his questions he shook his head. "You really knew nothing except get the device and study it. Lets discuss the Falkovnians. They're all dead. Did they have a place they were storing their things that we might be able to go through and find some more clues? Was the night of her death the only time that Vlakovich had spoken with Maria since arriving in town? Were the others surprised when she did not return with him? Did Vlakovich seem any different when he returned from the smithy? Did he have anything from Maria? Did Violette say anything to Vlakovich or yourself before killing him and turning you over to James? Did Violette enter the vault? Did it seem Violette knew the Flakovnians before engaging them yesterday? Did you see what Jonathan took?" Bernard rattled off questions as he thought of them, giving Dmitri time to answer.
 
Constabulary:

Dmitri tried to keep up with Bernards questions as much as possible. "They traveled with their weapons on them at all times, and there still might be a healing potion or two between their things. I had grabbed what I thought was the Helle Welle from the vault based off the description I was given. I came out to hopefully rummage through and use a potion on Vlakovich before fleeing but instead I came out to Violette pulling her Rapier from Vlakovich. From what I remember of the night he spoke to Maria he came back confident I assume he had made arrangements with her to leave. Only thing I remember him saying is that it was done. Violette's attention turned to me the only thing she spoke to me with were commands. Give her the device, move, and don't many any funny moves or I'd end up like him. She did not enter the vault. It didn't seem Violette knew the Falkovnian's personally yesterday, but they easily recognized her." At the last question he thought back carefully to the moment. "From what I think I saw... some sort of card?"
 
"Thank you Dmitri. I appreciate you honoring the deal." He turnes to Simon, "I have no further questions, but would love to get your insight on the murder. I think we should also go through their things and take another look at the murder weapon."

Bernard paused a moment then continued, trying to smooth things over, "This case is important to Arissa, she's trying to help her friend and now that Dmitri's part is done, she should be included in the rest. I also think we should let Dmitri go, if he's going to be killed and we can't protect him then he should die a free man, not be murdered in a cage, and if these Kangatane are truly that ruthless, how many guards would die trying to protect him? The theft was a failure and he did not put up a fight."
 
Blackburn Manor:

Marcel shrugs, and then his shoulders fall back into their slightly slouched position as he smiles a bit shyly. “I-I don’t know… maybe,” he says seemingly nervous once more. Elise watched him a critical eye for a moment as if judging and evaluating his performance before looking back to James and Leone. “We will be, possibly tonight, maybe tomorrow morning if at all possible. The two ports here are a bit of a mess so hopefully we can wait for that to die down a bit before leaving. Thank you again James, and I know you two much have other guests to see off or need time to talk with each other. I suspect you’ll be spending a lot of time doing that here in the near future. Someone has to give me grand babies.”

“I uh…” starts James but Elise only laughs playfully at his seeming embarrassment. James recovers quickly however. “That will be among one of the things we discuss I’m sure. Thank you for your honesty Elise. I hope next time we meet it will be under better circumstances.”

With that James took Leone’s hand in his and started slowly towards the door. The next place they ended up was towards the front of one of the house exits. Where Lord Balfour was waiting with a warm smile.

“Ah just the two I wanted to see,” he says looking between them. “I’m afraid duty calls me away once more. The university can hardly handle itself with my absence and my young wife gets very lonely when I am away.”

“I understand, perhaps you will consider sending a professor or two down once in awhile to discuss ideas and applications of technology? I know you’re more on the Arcane side of studies but I think one day we’ll find that technology will be able to make greater use of the Arcane energies that exist all around us. We just need to peel back the layers that make up the laws of our world,” says James shaking Balfour’s hand.

Balfour grins a bit widely at his enthusiasm. “Perhaps people from Il Aluk University aren’t so bad, only time will tell, Mr. Blackburn. I should also congratulating you for managing to find your way into the heart of one of my brightest students. Careful or she might outshine even you,” he said amused at the thought.
 
Marsh House:

Van Richten turns to meet Kallisto and offers a hand from his seated position smiling. “It is good to meet you, I assume you are the friend that Peri wished to help? Well I am glad town’s folk are so willing to band together and help each other,” says Van Richten. “I am Rudolph Van Richten but most people just know me by Van Richten.”

After Kallisto explains a bit and pulls out a picture he produces spectacles from a pocket and examines the sheet carefully studying it. “This is rather good, do you mind if I keep this?” he asked curiously before setting it down on the table. “From the look of it, it seems to resemble more of a Guardian Naga, a bit more dangerous than the Spirit Naga. Both you have to worry about spell casting though there is something odd here…”

Van Richten looks at the picture again closely. “It almost seems to be a sort of Hybrid. It would be the first I’ve heard of if that were true,” says Van Richten as he considers what the bird Aluc had told Kallisto. “Animals can indeed be rather… unreliable witnesses but that seemed fairly specific. It was mentioned this creature has already killed?”

He sat there thinking for a while. “I have suspicions but those assumptions can easily be as deadly as the creature itself. I would start by trying to find witnesses or survivors that may have seen the creature. From there you might gain a bit of insight into the creatures capabilities and potentially even its motivation. Any knowledge you obtain could be the key in defeating such a creature. I can tell you that the Naga I personally fought to spit poison up to about thirty feet away,” says Van Richten, who then looks to Kallisto with a bit of a weary stare. "I'm not sure awakening your bird friend is a good idea, many creatures that gain sentience can be broken from the experience. That is not to say that I forbid you from doing so but merely a word of caution. Think carefully, for it will change the bird's life forever."
 
Constabulary:

Simon gave it a moment before summarizing what they knew and possibilities. “From what we know, I believe the Falkovnians really where here to steal the device as intended, it sounds like whatever happened between Maria and Vlakovich wasn’t directly the cause of her death. Derek could potentially have a motive if he found out about the deal, or grew tired of Maria’s abrasive personality. Money could potentially be a factor as well, though most of this is all circumstantial. There is also the possibility that a rival found out about this deal and moved against Maria. Many people have reasons to try and pin it on the visiting Falkovnians. That of I’m at least sure is false,” says Simon pausing to think about Bernards request.

“Dmitri you are a foreign prisoner of war, and as such I will be releasing you to head straight back to the country you were under the protection of, we don’t want a war with Falkovnia nor do we want the heat from Darkon. You will be free to go shortly,” says Simon nodding to Bernard and motioning for him to follow. “Of course Arissa can accompany us to the back.” Simon opens the door as he says this and waves her in before leading them to the back where the evidence was normally kept. A guard there looked up and nodded to Simon.

“What can I help you with Si—Sheriff?” asked the man before looking at Bernard and Arissa curiously. “We’re here to look through the Falkovnian’s belongings and the blade that killed Maria Einhorn,” says Simon before the man quickly scrambled out to obtain all of the requested items. He came back with a box, and three swords. “Here’s the items you requested. A box full of Falkovnian armor, a weird set of gauntlets, two potions of some sort, and two falkovnian swords and the murder weapon.”

“Wasn’t there three Falkovnians?” asked Simon of the man and he nodded quickly. “Yes, one of the bodies we transported was missing a sword.”
 
Arissa uncrossed her arms and legs and stood up from her chair, walking over to the pair. She glared at Simon, simmering silently in anger at his nonchalant attitude. As she passed by Dmitri’s cell, she stared at him, daring him to do anything at all to provoke her before following after Simon and Bernard into the back room. She watched as the guard brought out the items that Simon had requested, and then glared at him icily. “Leave us.”

After the guard quickly took his leave, she turned her glare to Simon. “I will not hear another word out of you before you tell me what you have learned. It better be good if you were willing to side with criminals over proven saviors of the town to obtain it.” She crosses her arms and waited for a response.
 
Bernard cringed as Arissa's words lashed out at the guard. As Arissa crossed her arms at the end of her demand Bernard stepped in between the two. He didn't raise his voice, instead speaking in a tired but level tone, "Enough of this." He first set his gaze on Arissa, "Arissa, please, no one is sided against you. Dmitri was under your skin, mine too, but sometimes you have to be the better person. We got plenty of information from Dmitri, and I am certain that the Falkovnians had no direct hand in the murder." He looks to Simon, "Whatever reservations you have about her, she is here to help. Not just to help you, but to help her friend. She may put on a hard mask, but underneath, she cares. Just like you and I. You want trust? Here it is, make this right." He looked back and forth between the two. "You owe each other a sincere apology. Once that's done we can get back to business."

He deflated slightly as he looked on Arissa one more time, meeting her eyes, she could see his disappointment - not in her, but in himself. "Whatever ire or resentment I have just brought on myself can be settled later. Do not lose sight of the goal. We are all here to find justice for Maria."
 
Constabulary:

Simon audibly sighs at the dismissal of one of the guards. If she continued to treat authority this way it was going to be not only a problem for her but probably Bernard. "Look you had to do what you had to do and thought was right. I don't hold that against you Arissa, I don't hold grudges nor do I want any 'hot heads' on my team. I've asked you once, and I'm even willing to try again. We both are to leave our emotions out of this so that clear minds can prevail here. Thomas is the one who ironically taught me this. Ironic because he hardly ever listens to his own advice. If you ever see a guard doing anything similar you report them to me as well alright? There will be changes in that regard here around the Crossing," says Simon looking back to Bernard. "Take an example from Bernard here. I'm sure he wanted to punch Dmitri in the face when he called you a demon, but he held onto his reason and did not act out. Dmitri then opened up far more than he had before with me and Thomas. From his point of view you killed one or two of his friends, and I am the lawman holding the keys so he wasn't too keen on talking to me. Bernard presented himself as a neutral party, and I thank you both for trying to assist me in this matter. I apologize for calling out your powers, I'm unaware if that is a grave insult within the magic community. If I offended you there I am sorry, ignorance is no excuse. If there were more people willing to step up like you both to help with things like this I think the world would be safer."

He then turned his attention to the items. "I think those two potions would be of greater help to the church don't you think?" he said taking them out and pushing them to one side of the pile as he pulled out the Falkovnian uniforms, the gauntlet, and then looked at the blades. "Are you thinking one of these is the weapon in question?"
 
The Dancing Lady:

As Ludwig arrives at the Dancing Lady he sees people going about their business, some eating a late breakfast or inquiring of the inn keep about lodging. Some people from the party are filtering out of the place. A young man next to a notice board seems to have just finished with a young woman who takes her leave out the front door. As you approach the blonde haired youth he smiles widely greeting an unfamiliar face. "Hello, how may I be of assistance today? Are you looking for anything in particular? Our town can be a little tricky since it is split in three but I'm sure I can help you find what you're looking for."
 
While Van Richten spoke, Kallisto listened as much as she could, trying to keep in mind everything he said, though she couldn't help the faint smile as he complimented her drawing. "I ... maybe would like to make a copy before letting someone take it -- since I could give it to James Blackburn or Leon to aid in the research they were managing in his library. Leon told me what they found, if I recall what I was told correctly ..." Kallisto looked away for a moment as she thought, "Something ... about an ancient race in the swamp -- and a giant snake was their 'servant'?"

"A day or two ago, Aluc told me she found a grouping of recently dead bodies out in the swamps where she and others had been trying to scout for the serpent ... even if it did not kill them, I ... know it killed at least one person more recently." Picking at her beaded bracer for a moment she continued, "Perian's brother, Bernard was there when it happened. He might know more, but I'm unsure where he is currently. What would it being a ... 'hybrid' mean? What is typically the difference between a 'guardian' and a 'spirit' one?"

As he mentioned Aluc and awakening her, she leaned her head into Aluc again, "I have discussed it with her as best I can, to try and make her understand. We would not force it on her -- she's decided she wants to go through with it. However it goes, I know I will take care of her if she needs me to. I owe her too much to merely abandon her if it becomes overwhelming."
 
Arissa watched Bernard as he spoke with an expressionless stare that only faltered when he mentioned her masking her feelings. She then turned to listen to Simon as well before pausing to consider her response. Arissa sighs and looks to Simon with a considerably softer expression. “I apologize for ordering around your man, he had done nothing wrong and did not deserve my anger. Allow me to get several things straight. First, I did not kill anyone, not yesterday not any other in my life. One of the Falkovnian’s was already dead when I had arrived, and the other slot his throat rather than face the justice I intended him to, at your hand. Violette Reiner it sounds saw to the end of the third... rather suspect that she would slaughter a defenseless man, ja? It is rather stranger that Jonathan and I never saw her on that night... not even to attend the event.”

Arissa pauses and frowns, as if considering what she had just said before shaking her head and continuing. “Second, I had no intent to use magic to get answers from the man. I think you would find that I am far more than capable enough without it. The only reason I had performed an enchantment upon you before was because of the prior influence of those strange plants.”

Arissa looks away before continuing on to her final point. “I did not ask to serve on your ‘team’, Simon. I am here to avenge my friend’s mother. I owe Jonathan that much...” Arissa looks over to Bernard briefly before looking back to Simon with an apologetic expression. “If playing by your rules is what it will take to do so, then I suppose I will have to. I am sorry for being difficult, Simon. I am letting my emotions get the best of me once again, and for that I sincerely apologize. I should not be disrespecting the new landrechter of Blackburn’s Crossing.”

Arissa curtsied respectfully to Simon, before looking over to Bernard apologetically. “I am sorry for being a burden on your investigation... please, continue.” Arissa then pauses for a moment, considering Simon’s question. “I believe that Jonathan had been using one of the Falkovnian’s blades in the fight against Isaiah’s forces. If he has not returned it, that would be the missing blade.”
 
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Bernard let out his breath, he had not realized he was holding it, but he was worried how his intervention would be received by both parties. He wanted to reach out to Arissa, thank her for finding balance, but it was not the time. Not when they'd made progress toward working together to solve this case. Bernard looked at the potions. "Depending on what they do these potions could be useful to the church. I think Leone or Reginauld might be able to identify them." He did not pick them up, but focused on the task at hand. He carefully inspected each blade. "I recognize this one, the one that was found in Maria's back. I had wondered if we would find another sword of the same make among the Flakovnian's blades." Bernard shrugged, tired from his early morning and his expending of his divine gifts. His hand was still red, the holy symbol still burned into his flesh. The stronger the spell the longer it took for him to recover. A small price to pay for the truth.

"Arissa, the third blade, was it like these others? Or did it match the murder weapon? I feel that Derek would be a strong suspect should there be two of this unique blade around. Derek had knowledge of the blade, reason to dislike the Falkovnians and Maria, opportunity, and motive. He had access to the adaptive weapon as well." He placed a hand on the bridge of his nose, pinching hard while he thought.

"Violette seems to be mixed up in this as well. She was caught arguing with the Falkovnians in the morning and later killed Vlakovich in cold blood after he'd been disabled. She doesn't have direct motive or access to the adaptive weapon, but she seems to be popping up in some strange places for odd reasons and her absence from James' ball is perturbing." Bernard looked down at his hand, flexing it some and wincing lightly at the residual pain. "I could always try to detect magic, but I'd rather wait until all four blades were gathered in case the weapon was used to replace this one used as a message. It always draws on my strength and I've exerted much today."

He looks over the rest of the items. "It could be any of these things." He sighed. "How would you like to proceed?"
 
Léone watches as Marcel casually throws on his persona again, noting that her mother almost seemed to be evaluating him. "Hmm. Wonder if they've talked?" Shrugging, she turns to her mother and chuckles at her suggestion. "Always planning ahead, huh? I'm sure we'll... consider it." She winks, before smiling with a hint of resignation. This was her family, and she had to accept that fate. "Either way, it was good to see you both. Tell the others I said hello." With one final nod, she turns and leaves the room after James without fanfare.

Heading down to the front, she waves at Lord Balfour when they happen upon him. "Ah, professeur. I'm glad we got to see you before you left." She grins jokingly. "The university can't handle you being gone for just a couple days? You'd think someone would step up and take the lead, they can't rely on you forever."

At his compliments, she lets out a hearty laugh and shakes her head. "Ha! I didn't realize you thought so highly of me. I hope you're not saying that just to get on James's good side." She smirks, leading into a genuine smile. "I have to say - I didn't expect to have to exercise my skills so often, all the way out here. Even my reading and note taking," she chuckles. "I was never too fond of that during class."
 
Arissa frowns as she thinks back to the previous night. “No, the blade was nearly identical to the other two standard ones wielded by the warriors last night. I would hate to think that Jonathan’s own father would be the culprit... but I suppose if we are being objectief, it is certainly possible. I cannot say I know the man well... Jonathan had not spoken of him often, and I met him only once. It is odd, he had confused me for Heather Blackwell. Apparently there are many people he has not met.”

Arissa then thinks for a moment about Violette. “I am glad that you believe it is odd as well. I was concerned I had let my own personal feelings of the woman and her family get in the way. I am almost certain that she is up to no good, but I am not so certain that this is the type of no good she would be dealing in. I do not believe she had shown interest in the Einhorn family before, the Reiners seemed to be far more focused on the Blackburns.”

Arissa thinks for a moment before shaking her head. “I am not certain where to begin. I know it may be difficult, but I believe it may be worth utilizing your magical senses here, Bernard.” She then turns to Simon. “I wish to hear your opinion as well, landrechter. What do you believe to be the most promising lead?”
 
Constabulary:

"Thank you for understanding," says Simon bowing his head slightly towards Arissa and then looking back to Bernard. When he asked how he would like to proceed he opened his mouth but the skittish man came back. "Uhh... sorry to interrupt but someone at the front desk was here to drop something off for you from Jonathan. Heather Blackstone I believe he name was?"

Simon looks over and the man offers out the third sword. Simon looks a bit surprised. "Huh, the timing on that, she said she came from Jonathan's? Is he really that ill he couldn't walk a sword over here for himself?" asked Simon frowning deeply. There was something more to that look than confusion.

"Yes Sir, she said Jonathan asked her to bring it since it belonged to the Falkovnian he stole from. I asked her to wait in case you had any questions, should I let her go?" asked the guard. Simon looked to Bernard and Arissa for moment to see if they had any questions before making a decision. He takes the blade and sets it on the table next to the rest.
 
Arriving at The Dancing Lady, Ludwig curiously looks around the inside of the building until he spots a noticeboard. Giving it a brief moment of attention, he sees that it's filled with people who give jobs, not want jobs. He sighs slightly before deciding to make his own notification on the noticeboard.

He spots a young blond haired man close to the noticeboard and figures it must be someone from the staff. Making his way towards the young man, he gets greeted, confirming his previous statement. "Hello, my friend. You can certainly assist me today! You see, I'm in need for some employees. You might have heard about it, but I've opened up the new apothecary that's been built here." He gives a proud smirk before resuming his talk. "So, naturally. I need people to fill some positions! I can do a lot, but I don't have 6 hands. Though that might come in handy..." Giving the young man a wide eyed look, Ludwig casually plays it off. "Oh dear! Did I say that out loud? Silly me, I've been so enthousiastic since the opening that I can't seem to stop myself from rambling on!
 
Bernard looked up from the blades, "Yes... She was there with Jonathan. We should take the chance to speak with her. I missed the opportunity yesterday. I'll, uh, look over all of this quickly." As the blade is placed on the table along with the rest of the items, Bernard clutches his amulet again, pain already starting in his hand from the touch. As he closed his eyes and prayed for the gift of magical sight, he felt the amulet warm. Opening his eyes several items on the table glowed with magical auras. Tired and drained, he removed his pack placing it on the ground. Curiously, a strong aura of necromancy spilled forth, flowed, from urn currently stored in his pack, overflowing and bubbling on the floor. Shaking his head, not sure what to do about this development, he pushed it aside to focus on the task in front of him.

Bernard studied the items carefully, "The sword, this one that Jonathan claimed was of his make, has an aura of transmutation, however when I spoke with Maria just two days ago she'd mentioned not beginning Jonathan's training in enchanting yet. The gloves have an aura of enchanting, not that I think it's of much consequence, but good to know. Both the potions appear to be evocation, they're likely healing but at least they're not simple poisons." Bernard blinked as the looked over the items. "We should get these items identified, starting with this sword. It may be the weapon we're looking for." He rubbed his eyes, "Let's speak with Ms.Blackstone. She was with Jonathan the last time that he saw Maria alive. They were leaving the shop as Vlakovich entered, perhaps she can remember something more." Bernard took his injured hand with his uninjured one and rubbed his thumb deep into the wound, wincing as he did, though the toll of his assistance seemed to fade faster the more he rubbed.
 
Marsh House:

“It’s fine, I’m a bit of collector for scraps like this for informational guides,” says Van Richten smiling for a moment and pulling his hand back onto his lap. “As for the difference between Spirit and Guardian Naga’s there often a change in size. Guardian’s being larger, but Spirit Naga’s being aggressive and sometimes even actively seeking out things to kill. Guardian as their name implies usually are only territorial and protect what they consider to be their land or sometimes a particular item,” says Van Richten as he listened to Kallisto about a potential survivor. “I would definitely ask him to recall everything he could remember, any abilities it might have had, if anyone managed to damage it, did it talk? All these things could be important.”

“As for what a hybrid could mean…” he says lifting his hands into a shrug. “I’ve never seen the like nor heard of one like this before. It could be a different species that isn’t documented or one that I haven’t read about. It could be weaker than either of them or have the strengths of both.“

“It is interesting that there is a mention of a race that came before. Perhaps this snake is simply stuck in a cycle of trying to protect the land or something that originally belonged to the ‘Master’ race they served,” says Van Richten attempting to form a hypothesis.
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Constabulary:

"It is possible that he finished the blade, and Maria enchanted it for him," suggested Simon but he seemed to be thinking none the less. "Alright lets go talk to Ms. Blackstone. Antonio could you put the rest of this away? Thanks."

Coming back to the front room Heather waited there in a light blue dress sitting off to the far side. Upon seeing them she stands walking half way towards them and does a curtsy. "Father, Sherrif, and Arissa. It is good to see you all well, why are there grim expressions on you're face? Have you found the killer to Mrs. Einhorn yet?" she seemed to grow suddenly concerned. "You don't think they'll come back after me for being a witness do you?" Her voice trembles a little bit as if she had just thought about that.

"We have a few questions about the night you saw Mrs. Einhorn last, we've heard you and Jonathan were the last to see her with a Falkovnian entering?" asked Simon. Heather nods in response to this. "Yes, he was rather large and brutish. Jonathan joked after we left that a Falkovnian's brutish nature was only matched by their ugliness. I think he may have been trying to lighten the mood."

She turns to Father Bernard. "Is there anything you can do for him? He seems to be in great pain all of a sudden despite the face he puts on about it. I've only just met him a day or two ago but I would be grateful if you could help. I do have coin if that would help smooth things over for supplies." There was an innocent pleaing in her face.
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The Dancing Lady:

The young man laughs at your jest. "I think having six hands would be far too confusing, and you might stumble all over yourself. Especially if you might have the tendency to ramble. I can definitely suggest new people that might suit the profession to come seek you out, and there might also be a few people down on their luck also looking for another job as well. Do you know what type of skills the workers should have?" asked the young man smiling a friendly smile. "Also should they ask how much would you be paying them?"
 
Blackburn Manor:

“You’d be surprised at how some of the simplest lessons in life are sometimes the most important ones you’ll ever learn,” says Lord Balfour knowingly. “I am glad to be leaving on a happy note as opposed to a funeral. You should hire more security to keep things like that from happening.”

“Thank you, I’m already considering options and looking for people to take up some of those positions,” says James nodding his head and smiling. Lord Balfour gives his old pleasant smile back to you and then proceeds away before stopping as if he remembered something.

“Ah I almost forgot, I’ll be keeping my eye on you from a distance. Maybe in time, I might invite you into an exclusive club. I sincerely hope you manage to impress us,” says Lord Balfour as he turns and continues to walk. His owl does the one hundred and eighty head spin and watches with wide owl eyes until they fade in the distance.

“I wonder what kind of club he’s talking about,” says James musing out loud before looking to Leone. “Alright well that about wraps up who I absolutely needed to say goodbye to. Is there anything in particular that you wanted to do? Now that we had a free moment?”
 
Arissa approaches Heather, trying to gauge her expression. Odd... she seems to be more afraid of us than she is of the Falkovnians... that is rather interesting. She smiles comfortingly to Heather and put a hand on her shoulder. “Do not worry about the Falkovnians. No harm will befall you so long as you are under our protection. We only wished to speak with you in hopes that there was something you had seen that had possibly escaped your thoughts. No detail would be too small.”

Arissa’s smile slips as she thinks of Jonathan’s ever worsening condition. I would give anything to save him if it did not mean suffering on the part of those who care about me... No. Dealing with Legba is what caused this mess. I doubt it would help us to fix anything...
 
When the man laughs, Ludwig follows suit with a laugh of his own. "I see what you're getting at, six hands might not be as innovative as I thought. Though I doubt I'll stumble much over myself, more likely over the newcomers. Speaking of the 'new people' who might be looking for something within the medical world.. I'd like for them to have atleast the basics mastered in herbal science, as well as some dabbling in some alchemy for potions. I'm looking for people who have some.. stomach for the job. They might come across some unpleasant sights, but that's part of dealing with injuries, no?"

Ludwig chuckles as he gives the man a pat on his shoulder. "As far as the pay goes... It's under the funding of the Blackburn family for the time being, so I assume it's standard pay with perhaps some increase in pay that goes linear with increase in efficiency."
 
Bernard pulled up a chair and took a seat, regarding Heather. He smiled warmly at her. "Of course I will do whatever I can for Jonathan. Archibald is already doing his best on the healing front, and I am trying to bring him peace in the wake of tragedy." Bernard massaged the last of the indentation out of his palm with a grimace, as he watched Heather, Hmm, a ring, abjuration. Something for protection. A necklace, evocation... she keeps it hidden. "Durendal, a woman is going to leave the constabulary. Heather Blackstone. Could you watch her - discretely, please."

Bernard leaned in, offering her his hands. "Heather, we need to discuss the night before last. What did you witness? Please start with leaving the smithy. Anything might be significant."
 
Yelcan had been moving around cleaning up the last few remains of breakfast when Van Richten showed up, and he greeted him with a simple nod and "Morning." As Peri and Van Richten began discussing the Naga, Yelcan reclaimed his chair at the table, listening to the discussion intently. As Peri left to get the newest knock on the door, Yelcan and Van Richten engaged in a bit of small talk until she returned, with Kallisto and her bird in tow.

Yelcan smiled and waved at Kallisto, but otherwise did not greet her as they began to speak about the Naga once more. He rubbed the stretch of scales just above Hyde's back hips, causing him to rumble quietly with delight. Yelcan took the moment following Van Richten's hypothesis to sigh heavily, then say "Well I think it's fairly safe to assume that this 'hybrid' Naga will most likely have the strengths of both species, as life and the evolution of species hardly favors any hybrid that is weaker then its predecessors. But you mentioned before that it can die, but will come back: Is there any way to prevent that from happening? Also, I think at some point soon I should go offer the pair of them my aid in researching this 'master race,' we don't want those two love birds getting 'distracted' while alone in the library."
 
Constabulary:

When Arissa puts a hand on Heather's shoulder she relaxes almost visibly. "As they said Ms. Blackstone anything you could remember might put us on the right track," says Simon also trying to encourage her to share. Heather straightens up and starts digging through her bag. "Right, I took notes just incase I was needed for this!"

From her bag falls a few books that she quickly scoops back her bag grabbing the journal that fell. "Sorry!" she says embarrassed as she flips through to the latest pages in her journal hiding her face for a moment in the pages. "We were talking about Jonathan's future and he mentioned not really having the heart for smithing any more to which his mother seemed concerned about. She really was a caring woman to have loved her son so much. She suggested that Jonathan walk me home, and as we were leaving a Falkovnian man with an eagle on his head walked in. I have noted he was tall, at least taller than me, had brown hair and a rough beard. A sword, and some armor. He seemed familiar with Jonathan's mother at least his sentence seemed familiar. I have here that he said 'Hello Maria,' before she even spoke to him," says Heather as she ran her finger through her journal. "Jonathan thought it was weird that I keep a journal of what happens ever day... Just like..."

She shakes herself from that train of thought. "I'm sorry, I space out a lot," she says apologetically scratching the back of her head.
 
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