Feytower - Gwynnestri's Bedroom

Oh no. Oh no. How was she supposed to answer that? "N-no?"



The fact that her voice went up nearly a full octave was probably not as convincing as she had hoped. Perhaps it would at least be convincing that she was completely incapable of cloak and dagger-ing anything and that while she had seen it through maybe less than legal means she certainly had no means to be malicious.

She held up the basket again, sweating, "Muffin?" she asked, her voice going even higher.

Blissfully ignorant of the scene on which he closes the door behind him, Jarek slips out of the bedroom as quietly as he can--that is, without making it look like he's trying to be sneaky, because he has done that and it's always worse.  He spots Glen, seated silently, but doesn't approach.

"He could have warned us about that thing before we got there," Jarek remarks, ostensibly to the room at large, though there's just the two of them present.  "I'm sure Thimb thinks it's fascinating, but that sort of stuff just makes me twitchy.  Glad they didn't bring me back as a big candle."  Jarek pauses and frowns.  "At least I don't think they did," he adds, more quietly.  He still has the extensive collection of marks and scars that a rancher builds up in even a short career with chimeras, and surely it'd be a lot of work to sculpt all of those into a new body just for the continuity.

Ka'Ri steps forward, deliberately taking the attention off of Thimb.

"Yes. At my insistence, I'm afraid. I'm sorry, I'm not used to courtly manners and I fear I may have pushed too hard between asking to see the ransom letter and my demands to see this room. No doubt I am somewhat to blame for her current agitation. If you would do me a great favor in going and asking her if we can see the letter again, that would be fantastic. She seemed to go into a state last time and refused to speak of it afterwards and I'm worried that if I were to ask again, it might cause great harm to her mental state."

Deception:

Luther nods very slowly, then idly reaches to take one of the offered muffins. "It's just so odd, because one of the reasons she came to find me after taking care of an incident with the bear-pens was so I could help locate her keys so she could show you said ransom note." He draws a key from the pocket of his vest, then replaces it with a gentle pat. "Luckily, I had it on my person already, so the search was rather brief."

"This is a lovely muffin," he adds in the silence that follows, studying the pastry with quiet approval. "Cranberry-orange, I think?"

Ka'Ri doesn't skip a beat, doubling down on her lie. After all, Captain Caroline didn't raise her to be a quitter.

"Yes, poor thing. Her memory is really a shambles. Forgot her own spare key. We elves get so... erratic when we haven't tranced for awhile."

Deception:

When Jarek comes out the door, Glen flinches a little. He listens to Jarek talk to no one in particular, but appreciates the company. He realizes that Jarek thinks he was just disturbed by the way doll. He keeps relatively still while listening, sort of nodding along. Before he answers, he takes a deep breath and lets it out in one quick exhale.

“Yeah-” his voice comes dangerously close to cracking, but holds. “-I don't know. Something about it just really bothered me. But you!” He looks over at Jarek, whose muscles seem to have muscles. “I don't think you were made of wax, Jarek. You look like the real thing to me.”

Glen doesn't quite trust himself to get up yet, but the faintest hint of a smile does creep across his face. “Do you think they found anything in there?”

"Oh!" said Thimb, lighting up a bit, "They said they were out of the orange cranberry, they must have had a fresh batch come out before I left!" she peered into her basket, realizing she had been missing an entire flavor this whole time. "It's the Halfling bakery to the west of here that I went to, everything there is quite good."

Ok, less fear, this was good. Still thinking about those books so a little uncomfortably horny, but less scared!

[TW: continuance of the warning for rape]

Luther nods, looking thoughtful. "Well. That is certainly a thing that could happen," he deadpans to Ka'Ri in a dry tone, still enjoying his muffin. "And, yes, these are excellent muffins," he adds to Thimb in a more droll tone.

"Let me offer a hypothetical," he says a moment later when he's finished eating. "It's possible that someone in this group knows how to pick a lock, and decided while Laerdya was out of the room dealing with trivialities that there was no time to waste on the matter for which you've been hired. We have a missing girl who, for all we know, is being tortured this very moment for the amusement of some orcish sadist. That indicates some urgency."

"Because of this urgency, it would be ridiculous for someone--even the law-abiding commissioner of the Feytower--to slap someone's hands for going through Laerdya's stationary drawers. Priorities matter. However, I would take this moment to mention that most of the locks around the Feytower are not flimsy second-rate antiques like the ones in her desk, and that it would be unwise to make a habit of breaking and entering within these walls."

He looks over the group, locking eyes with Ka'Ri, looking directly at Rik, and ending with a candid stare at Sunrise. "Time is limited and my priorities are Gwyn's safety and Laerdya's peace of mind so she can return to work on a cure. I urge you not to lie to me. By omission or otherwise."

This is allowed to hang in the air for a time, then he nods and the thick silence seems less fraught. "I will make the letter available to you for study. I do not believe the handwriting is Gwyn's, though I do think a woman may have been the writer. The Redfang family has no shortage of those, however, and I believe a few of them are even educated."

"How forward-thinking of them," Sunrise murmurs dryly. "Ka'Ri, do you know any forgers? Anyone who recreates the handwriting of the upper class for a living might be able to recognize who wrote the note."

Ka'Ri narrows her eyes back at the intimidating man who could have her killed and disappeared with barely a thought. Sure, that wasn't her best work. After all, she had to think quick to rescue Thimb, but still, this understanding but smug act hit just at the right intersection of pride and mistrust.

As such, she was about to make the worst mistake of what might end up being her short life.

"Well, excuse me, but given your shitty handling of everything so far, you might forgive a girl for not trusting you right off the bat, you smug prick. Hypothetically speaking of course."

A tiny internal voice was screaming at her to shut up, go small, save some dignity before she woke up arm deep in permanent iguanas, but she had had about as much of Luther's smug knowingness for a lifetime.

"Since you probably saw me palm it anyways, I might as well take this out."

Ka'Ri rumbles in her coat pockets for a long time, checking multiple pockets she swore she placed it in, before going bright red and shifting something hidden under the strap of her bra which was far less filled than she would have preferred.

Great, now she had a spike of dysphoria on top of her already life-ending ill-advised rant.

"Apparently, princess had a diary but it's all scramblified. I was going to have Thimb take a crack at it, but seeing as how you're so fucking smart, why don't you fucking fix it."

She hurls the book at him before turning on her heels and letting out a frustrated scream.

A half-minute later, she curls into a ball and starts muttering to herself. "Oh Osprem, what did I do? He's going to kill me. He's going to kill me and I'm never going to see my crew again. Osprem, I know I don't deserve it, but please save me."

Sighing, Luther bends to pick up the journal where it landed at his feet, not having the heft or weight to travel quite as far as its intended target. He looks at it briefly, then adds it to his vest pocket before looking at Ka'Ri with an oddly tired expression on his dignified face.

"Young lady." He sighs and rubs at his forehead. "Do you require the services of a healer?"

Sunrise moves to sit next to Ka'Ri, her body language protective. She doesn't quite put her arms around the other girl, but the offer is clear. "She's not wrong," she says quietly. "We don't know you well, and a lot of what we know comes from Laerdya. You're right that we need trust and a free exchange of information, but that doesn't come easily to everyone." Her voice is gentle and placating, a hidden plea in it for those listening to set anger aside. "Maybe we can start over?"

Persuasion:

Ka'Ri leans heavily into the hug, almost hiding behind Sunrise. She doesn't trust her words given her recent outburst, so she goes mute.

With a small expression she nods her head at Sunrise and shakes her head no at Luther before rethinking how that might look and extending her hand in a sign of offered friendship instead.

But only for a second lest he change his mind and iguanify her after all.

As Sunrise holds her and she feels herself calming down as the anxiety and dysphoric anger settles down under the soft perfume of the famous performer and orator, Ka'Ri begins to slowly trust her words again.

"I..." she begins as small as a budgie. "I think I know a guy, yeah."

Even smaller, she squeaks at Luther, "And I'm sorry for my outburst."

To DM:

Great, thinks Sithani. People needing comfort inside and outside the room.

She's not sure what caused Ka'Ri to snap like this - she's seen that sort of thing before from bratty nobles upset over trifles but Ka'Ri is a pirate and as such in Sithani's mind a competent professional with her shit together - but she knows that she probably should offer comfort to someone. Briefly wondering if she can get away with petting Hamish again, she moves over to Ka'Ri and Sunrise and rests a hand on her shoulder. "It's fine. I'm pretty sure you're not in trouble - everyone seems to be stressed right now. And if nothing else, you've certainly proven you can outthief anyone we'll be up against - for all anyone here knows, I'm just a random woman who talks convincingly about alien things and the arbitrary chaos that is existence." She looks around at the rest of the party. "I'm not, by the way."

Persuasion:

Thimb considered rushing over to Ka'Ri but she didn't want to crowd her. Hamish raised their feathers at Luther but begrudgingly lowered them a little when Thimb wearily said "Hamish, manners." and instead trotted over to Ka'Ri themselves and flopped against her leg, letting out a noise akin to a purr.

"Sorry," she said to Luther, lowering her head respectfully, "I... I was nervous and didn't want to get anyone into trouble, but there's already plenty trouble going on," she said looking over at Gwen's prepared back up body to make her point, "so you're right, we should focus on that."

Her eyes drifted to the trashy novel that had been passed around, and a thought seemed to strike her as she drifted back to the shelf where she presumed it to be found, starting to look through the books (and with the help of her mage hand for the ones on higher shelves), pulling out the ones she could find and starting to flip through them. Were they all about women with other women? That wasn't hard evidence, but it would suggest that perhaps Gwen hadn't run away.

Jarek manages a mostly earnest grin at Glen's observation. "Well, no, I wouldn't be wax now either way, they would, ah, transmute me as part of the ritual, right?" He looks uncertainly to the closed door. "Even in the worst case, that girl's not going to come back as a wax sculpture, I hope. On a hot day she'd just be everywhere. Though... I suppose that could be relaxing?"

He sighs and focuses on Glen again. "They were looking through books and talking about codes, I think. I suppose in Miss Siannodel's plan you're the one leading our caravan into the wild? I wish I knew what to be doing with myself right now. Scrabbling for clues? I get along all right with people. If Thimb or someone points me at a cagey suspect, I can be the secret spy. No one would ever suspect me at a glance, and everyone likes you if you show up with food. ...Except copperscale vultures."

Jarek shakes off the memories and casts his eyes around the chamber, plain by Feytower standards but still gleaming with elegance and luxury. "You know, if I wanted to catch a beast, the last place I'd want to venture inside--"

And then a furious tirade erupts even though the sturdy door of Gwen's room, and Jarek is lunging instinctively for the door, trying to think of which creature might need to be put back in its pen to calm down, but even in the seconds it takes him to open the way--why are their doors so delicate but so heavy, I'm afraid I'm going to snap the knob off if I push or pull the wrong way--the scene within is already returned to a frosty calm. Jarek doesn't interrupt as Ka'Ri and Luther settle their hackles, but he's beginning to wonder if he should chime in on the whole job, just to tug things back to a more professional atmosphere. Most chimeras can smell fear. Jarek would bet that Commissioners can too.

Ellwoyn enters the room and is taken aback at how stifling it all is.

Like a doll in a dollhouse. It was unnaturally clean but that isn't what bothered Ellowyn, it wasn't even the weird looking wax effegy of the missing girl.

It was how despite this was obviously a room designed for someone to spend large amounts of time here in the greatest of comforts that it didn't feel like a person lived here ever. It felt like a mask to Ellowyn eerie in its exactness. Exactly the right books you would expect the daughter of someone of Laerdyas reputation and class to have. Where was the unexpected? People are random, chaotic and secretive in their own spaces, even the neatest because everyone's chaos is different it's like flavours. This room was like gold covered food bland and all for show.

Ellowyns begins looking around for things that look like they could disguise mechanisms like secret doors or draws.

(Not sure what check you want wether that's perception or investigation so I'll do both just to cover bases.

Investigation 5+1 = 6

Or

Perception 15+2 = 17)

When suddenly Ellowyn is dragged back into the here and now by Ka'ri's outburst they have no context but in their gut is sure that Luther deserved it. They realise their number has shrunk also huh where did those handsome orc and elf go? Jared? Gen? Something like that. They knew as soon as they could they needed to right everyone's and pronouns down.

They quietly continue their visual search looking for something that didn't look quite right. Perhaps a trinket that looked off a hinge that didn't line up like it should.

Glen smiles, nodding sympathetically at Jarek wondering just how he fits into this whole thing. He, too, isn't super sure, given that he failed to fulfill his clearly-defined role at this exact juncture. Before he can respond, Glen hears the commotion as well and Jarek is yanking the door open. Seeing that Jarek doesn't bound into action, Glen cautiously stands in the doorway and takes in the scene inside. He sympathetically eyes a clearly distraught Ka'Ri, who was so kind to him back in the lab, but thinks better of crossing the room to join Sunrise at her side, thinking it will only serve to draw more attention and create a potentially even more uncomfortable atmosphere.

Seeing that the situation seems rather under control, he pats Jarek affectionately on the shoulder and steps back from the door to sit down once again - extra sets of eyes were not going to help this get less awkward after all. The fog of his emotions burned off in the sudden commotion, Glen firmly resolves that he will not let himself be so distracted or emotional again. Twice - once in Dolores' office, and once before the Commissioner of the Feytower - is already twice too many.

[TW: Torture]

Luther holds up a hand as Glen moves to exit again. "No, please stay," he says, the command clear under his polite voice. "There are things which should be said to the lot of you."

Turning to Ka'Ri, he nods at her apology but his expression is drawn and tired. "Young lady. I've no interest whatsoever in harming you or yours. Nor am I offended by your opinion of me; you are not, pardon me, politically important enough for your opinion to be a threat. I am, in fact, trying to keep you alive. Believe me to be a liar if you wish, but know that I am a practical man and you are worth more to me alive."

Leaning against the wall by the window, he looks them all over with a cool gaze that doesn't try to hide his judgment. "I do not deny that I have made mistakes in the handling of this affair, mistakes which I regret deeply. Those mistakes are my own, for reasons I don't care to share with you at this time. They are also all the more reason not to rush and create more mistakes now."

He takes a deep breath and sighs. "I have profound doubts whether some of you are suited for this job. I may not be able to prevent Laerdya from hiring seasoned professional investigators with her money, but I can absolutely stop her from sending highly-emotional, easily-distractible amateurs to their deaths. A young woman has been kidnapped and may right now be a victim of brutal torture; I hope that can remain the center of focus over the location of pastry shops, the care and feeding of magical familiars, and various sundry opinions on my person and character." His gaze lingers over each of them again.

"I do not require your mutual trust or good opinion. Whether any of us like it or not, Laerdya is paying the piper and as long as she is trancing I call the tune. The only reason I have been and am continuing to be candid with you is because I want Gwyn back alive." His voice rises half an octave on this last statement, betraying some deeper emotion. "If I ask you not to lie to me, the request comes not from a place of vanity, but rather because I care about the outcome of this investigation and I believe that withholding information from me may result in irreparable harm to one or more young people." His gaze finds Sunrise and lingers there, cool and frustrated.

Taking another deep breath, he controls his tone and continues in a softer voice. "I do recognize that some of you are recently resurrected and may have some... strong lingering feelings surrounding this situation and your own trauma. If you are not emotionally suited for this mission, I would rather not send you to your death. So I am asking each of you to seriously evaluate whether you feel capable of taking this job? There is no shame in walking away now, and you will be paid for your time today. No one needs to throw their lives away on a mission they are unprepared or unsuited for."

Perception 10:

Perception 15:

Perception 20:

(OOC: Perception: 16+4=20)

Sunrise blinks once, her eyes widening very slightly. She doesn't say anything, but she returns Luther's gaze with a barely perceptible nod.

Ka'Ri takes a deep and nervous breath.

Despite his assurances and good intentions (she is especially thrilled to be called politically unimportant), it is still hard for her to separate the worried old man in front of her from the mythology he so carefully crafted. Nonetheless, her near brush with death and his good nature about her terrible error has given her some level of comfort and calm.

She looked inside. Am I too messed up for this mission? Something of this importance? The question taunts herself for an extended second, before she sets it aside. She feels something clear as day within herself and gathers the truest words she can find. Perhaps there is a sort of freedom in honesty after all.

"I am… not good at this,” Ka’Ri points between herself and Luther. “Talking to nobs, playacting like a well-behaved law-abiding respectful citizen, trusting political law and order types right off the bat, making a non-disastrous first impression? I’m downright awful at all of it."


Ka’Ri swallows. “But that’s not why Laerdys reached out to me and it’s not what Gwynnestri needs. They need someone who knows pirates, who knows how to bend the law, who knows how to infiltrate a mark’s fortress without being seen, who can pick a lock in under 5 seconds, and who knows folks who know folks that don’t talk to jack- er… officers of the law. That? That I know. And I’m, pardon my elvish, damn good at it.”

Ka’Ri’s hand trembles slightly. “I’m in no position to ask that you believe that, given how much you have already kindly overlooked from me today, but for Gwynnestri... for Gwyn’s sake, let me prove myself with the skills I am actually good at instead of the skills I am worst at.”

"Oh, very well done," Sithani murmurs, before addressing Luther. "As the lady said - and I know I can only really speak for myself here - I am a woman who pushed her mind to interact with the world in a way people just aren't meant to, and I am damn good at the side-effects of that. I'm doing this job." After all, it's something worthwhile to do with my position.

(ooc perception 18+2= 20 fuck yes! At least something is going right for me today also I love my dice)

Ellowyn stops what they were doing failing miserably to notice anything past the loudness of the frills to listen to Luther they don't want to miss anything else.

letting his words wash over them they had a strange sense that there was a lot he wasn't saying. He called her gwen.

This man had as much of their air of mask about him as the room.

Ellowyn studied him then truly looked.

He sounded so tired and sad. He looked like the air of grief hung on him like drapery. This man was hurting.

"I'm fine to continue, I was overwhelmed but im sure you can understand as an outsider the rules and opulence and pressure of the feytower is alot.

Why don't you sit a moment while we finish our investigations? We will bring her back if we can"

They look him in the eye for a moment. Before looking away and carrying on trying to think of anything they could do specifically why would Marta have recommended them specifically.

"Someone mentioned having spoken to some animals who saw it all happen? Has anyone asked them to keep a look out for krogur and report back?"

Glen steps into the room as ordered, standing still and listening carefully as Luther speaks. Having had a few moments to himself and the kind encouragement of Jarek, he may not be his usually cheerful self, but his emotions are under control.

When Luther mentions the pastry shops, and the emotion of resurrection, Glen immediately knows Luther is talking about him, among others. His face doesn’t reveal the frustration he feels with himself.

He glances down at his ring, bearing Pelor’s holy symbol. He is unlikely to have a second chance to make a good impression. He steps out from behind Jarek and takes a few short steps towards Luther.

“Commissioner Rivvers.” Glen is collected and his emotions have been quieted. His voice is measured and cool, much more what one would expect from an elf. “I apologize for my actions. It will not happen again. You and Ms. Siannodell have my full commitment to completing the mission and bringing Gwynnestri home. I’m good at finding people, and that’s what I intend to do for you. Thank you for the opportunity.”

Thimb watched Luther as he spoke, stopping her mission of thumbing through the books. She sighed, "I admit I don't... do... this..?" she said, waving around them, "cloak and dagger and intrigue. I'm a rancher and a wizard. I take things and I figure them out. Usually that's animal mating patterns or finding alternative spell components to make certain spells more accessible- although yet to find something to replace diamonds in resurrection," she was bitter about that.

"I guess what I'm trying to say," she said, standing up to her full height of (almost) three feet, "on my own I might not be some hero- I mean, not might not be, I'm not, but, I can be valuable to a team. And I want to be..." her gaze shifted to the replica of the girl, "no one should have to go through that..." she set the books back on the shelf, "I was hoping these might slant towards all women to prove or disprove Sunrise's idea, but there seems to be a mix, so no luck," she explained, a bit shyly.