[IC] Trios

[Dartbored Fairy]

@Hokum (and @Zyngard? You technically haven't left the shop yet but eh.)

The girl looks at Boris as he approaches, silenty watching and slowly continuing to eat her cookie as he chats on.

"Whaddya mean, not safe?" The girl asks, looking up at Boris with a mix of curiosity and amusement. "I'm certain I'm safe around here, you know?"

Grinning, the girl takes a second look at the sketches. "And based on what you're saying you've met Her and seen It's handywork" She says, as she grabs another cookie from her bag and taking a bite out of it. "But you're saying you want to help Her, right? Well, I could tell you some things, but..."

The girl seems lost for a few moments as the storm intensifies, the rain now being accompanied by thunder.

"If you want information, you must first complete a grand task for me! Something to show me I can trust you!" The girl says, as she attempts to stand up but then decides against that since it would leave her cookies unprotected against the rain.

"I want you, Mr. Boris..." The girl pauses for a moment, either because she's thinking about something, or in an attempt to create drama.

"I want you to bring that cart of here." The girl says, pointing at a small handcart just down the road. On the cart appear to be several bags and some boxes.

---

@Quote5

"Ah, well, a coin is a coin, is it not? They should be worth roughly the same here as it was where you got them, just slightly less because, well, they're not from here." The man says, taking a look at the coin Karter shows him.

"That being said, I'm willing to accept these coins if you want to buy something. I deal in magic-related items, and I can guarantee you that it'll come in handy if you intend to stay in town." The man says, grinning as the black cat wakes up and looks at Karter with it's green eyes, before meowing as it jumps off the desk and onto one of the shelves behind the man, next to what appears to be a silver Looking Glass.

[Quote5]

@Dartbored Fairy
"I didn't intend to stay, but I don't have nearly enough money to leave this town." Karter said. "Even if I did I have nowhere to go. What do you have for me, my good sir?"

Karter leans in slightly to look over what goods he can see, just in case he finds something he think's he'll need.

[Lumiere]

Ahnciel's sunny disposition was immediately quashed as the word reflected on their mirror-sheen armor sank in. Behind them, their hand slipped off of the knob of the door which would have closed if the knight hadn't then caught the side to ease it back open enough to look back into their room. Had they just not noticed the writing on their door? Was it even there?
Whomever was responsible for the sick prank must be mistaken, however, as the name failed to ring any bells. Who was this 'Agartha' and why was it imperative for the swordsman to be made so acutely aware of their existence through such macabre means?
Curiously, Ahnciel hazarded an examination of the letters, smearing the right leg of the 'h' with the tip of a gauntlet to verify it wasn't simply paint. Lo, and it was just as fresh and viscous as the like the knight had endeavored to grow accustomed to. Thankfully, the qualities of mithril made flicking the substance cleanly from their hand an easy task, though something else stuck, instead.

The blood was fresh.

Coming back to reality after a contemplative moment, the sounds of banging and shouting eased their way back into Ahnciel's senses. It was funny that he hadn't noticed the commotion which was taking place maybe two doors down in the same hall, though any comedy was drained along with the blood seeping from under the door along the grains of the floorboards.

While mystery was hardly their forte, it shouldn't be a coincidence that the two occurrences were taking place. The foul ink had to come from somewhere, and Ahnciel hoped they looked capable and resolute enough not to be shoo'd away by the guards. He couldn't help but be a bit more than curious what was going on around town...and if there was a chance there was money involved in undoing such wickedness. Regardless, they steeled themselves for what was playing up to be quite the massacre on the other side of the door if the pooling blood was any indication.

"Zee guard iz certainly punctual in zeis town. Zeh blood iz still flowink ehn vee are to knockink down doors?" Ahnciel speculated in an authoritative tone clearly directed at the guards. Their accent was thick and paced as though english wasn't their first language, though it came in at a close second what with their vocabulary. While he made no effort to stop them, hands on his hips made it apparent that he had no intention of leaving so soon. He jerked a thumb over his shoulder to where he remembered the writing on the wall being before continuing, "Vould zeis, by chance, have anyszink to do vith Agartha?"

[citrouille]

Allysse waved goodbye to Vesania with a warm smile. She was sad to see her go, but thankful that she took time out of her day to help her in the first place. Refocusing on getting settled in to her room, Allysse scanned the lobby of the inn, taking in the unfamiliar decor. Suddenly, the realization hit that she was in another country and had a chance at a fresh start, and this filled her with excitement.

Imagining her hopes for the future, she walked towards the stairs. She then heard sounds of commotion from upstairs - someone knocking ridiculously loudly, some thuds, and then a giant crash. And then, like clockwork, a group of guards entered the inn and stormed their way upstairs. Allysse pressed her back to the wall to give them room, and to avoid the watery mess they were tracking into the building. Allysse followed up the stairs behind the last guard quickly, already dreading what she might find. At her new vantage point, she could see and smell pools of blood, and a character in armour that began speaking to the guards in a thick, almost unintelligible accent.

Feelings of fear began to overcome her body, her heart beating quickly as she took in the scene. Although she knew she was overstepping boundaries by poking her nose in business that didn't concern her, the fear had her locked in place. Only her eyes could dart rapidly from place to place, and with her imagination kicking in about what caused the loud sounds and why so many guards were required, sweat dripped from her forehead.

[Metatrooper]

@Prima Luce

Kaldalis let out a breath of relief as the adrenaline started to ebb. His attack was successful, as the now further mutilated corpse lay before him, now entirely lifeless. He looked at Kuy'val Dar, now stained with the blood of the innkeeper, then to the cat, who seemed to be cleaning itself.

Suddenly, he heard the sounds of men assembling outside. At first he thought that it was a mob of civilians drawn to the sounds inside, unfortunately it was something much worse, as three loud knocks were heard and then a voice confirming that it was the town guard. It took a moment for Kaldalis to think of how to address this new situation. If he refused, they would just knock down the door and arrest him, if he ran, somebody would see him and he'd probably be reported to the authorities as a fugitive. His only choice was to cooperate and hopefully reason with the guards, he didn't want to spill any more blood for today. He takes a few steps forward, sheathing his sword before opening the door for the guards.

[Hokum]

@Dartbored Fairy

Boris

Boris puts away his notebook while the little miss is chatting and munching on cookies. She sure did seem weird, but Boris didn't mind at all, he'd seen lots and lots of weirdo's in his life.

A clap of thunder shook the town as Boris then looked down the road to the cart the girl was pointing at, then swiping a big wad of water fall from his face he agreed to do fetch her cart with a big nod.

"I sure will get your cart, little miss, no problem there. Boris once rolled a whole boulder off a flat a man..." He thinks for a moment, wondering if that was the best example he could have used. "That man isn't alive anymore, though. But don't you worry," He assured her as he walked off down the road; "You will soon see that you can trust Boris a lot."

Boris had no problem with the cart. Most men would have struggled at least a little with the weight of the sacks and boxes on board, but not Boris. He lifted the arms of that cart like it were nothing more than child's toy cart and wheeled it right on up the road for her. He even used one hand at one point, just so he could wipe some more rain from his face and give the little miss a smile as he approached.

Letting the cart down in front of her, Boris looked chuffed as a pig in all sorts of mud, smiling broad and happy with his effort, saying, "Well little miss, as you can very well see, I sure can be trusted, so if you don't mind at all I sure would like some help finding the bad people who hurt that little invisible Miss's private parts." Boris thought really hard for another moment, biting his lip and even giving his wet head a good scratch before adding; "And if it's okay with you at all, I sure would like to know your name. I like to know the name of all the people who help Boris." He holds out his hand for her to greet him formally. "My name is Boris... Some people used to call me The Bonecrusher, but that was a long time ago...." He rolled his eyes thoughtfully, not sure if he had told her his name already.

[Prima Luce]

@Metatrooper@citrouille@Lumiere

Prior to Kaldalis answering the door, one guard extends a well-polished sword and places its cold steel against the exposed upper thigh of Ahnciel.

“You are interfering with the order of the mayor and town guard, a crime punishable by death in Trios.” His voice is crisp and clean, unfitting for a man of his rugged, unshaven features. “You’re new here, so consider this a warning. Step back and let us conduct our business.”

This particular guard then takes the time to turn his eyes down the hall and read the bloody word smeared on the wall. Looking back to Ahnciel, he lowers the tip of his sword and finishes in a cloyed tone:

“If you know what’s good for you, best you stay clear of Agartha Mine. Now back away, we have a murderer to apprehend.”

As then Kaldalis opens the door, the five guards pause before entering, in which moment they observe the mutilated corpse on the floor of the room… though their reaction does lack surprise. Two of the guards, armed like the others with short swords, use their free hands to seize Kaldalis by each arm. The guard that had been speaking with Ahnciel moves in quickly to take Kaldalis's sword before retreating to the hallway once more. Another guard then steps forth to confront their captive, extending one arm to present a parchment that unravels for Kaldalis to read. The notice on the parchment is written carelessly, as though printed by the hands of a child in black paint:

The Singing Fish Inn.
Room 13.
The innkeeper shall be slain this day

It is after reading the message that Kaldalis would have noticed something especially peculiar about this guard, as the limbus of his irises did flash a vibrant shade of gold while he began his conceited speech:

“We were warned about you. Everything we need to know but your name. But there’s time for the unimportant details.” The guard now proceeds to roll up the parchment. Shoving the rolled parchments behind his metal tasset and drawing his own sword, he completes his speech: “By order of Jake Steele and the Town Guard, you will accompany us down to Trios Hold. Come peacefully or by force. These are your only choices. Probably best you don't argue.”

While Kaldalis was being spoken to, another of the five guards turned their attention back to Allysse. He observed the clear and present fear on her face before speaking. As he speaks, the outer rim of his irises did flare a vibrant hue of gold for her to witness:

“The innkeeper to this establishment is dead. There’s no free rides in Trios. If you haven’t already paid, best you be leaving this Inn and find another. There’s plenty of others in town. This isn’t open for discussion. Go now if you know what's good for you.”

Meanwhile, a reinforcement of five more guards are gathering outside the entrance to the Inn.

[Lumiere]

Confidence emanated from the armored figure whose upper expression was faintly obscured by a thin shadowy veil from their helmet as the guard's sword touched their leg. Tiny coarse clicks resonated from the inferior metal of the man's sword as it grazed the streaks of mithril fibers woven into the form-fitting fencer's mail, earning little more than an unimpressed raised eyebrow from the knight who'd yet to even establish a threatening stance.
It was a set of armor intended to protect the lineage, and while the mail offered less protection than the plating, itself, the paranoid gesture on the part of the guard was taken as stressed ignorance.

"Excuse you, but I am a knight ouf zee Isparian Inquisition ehn I vill not be intimidated by zeh uncouth temperament ouf some backvahter bandit-town militia." The words dryly barked from Ahnciel's smooth lips in spite of a bead of nervous sweat being wicked away by their brow. They were out of their element, but the situation hardly added up to any measure of sense. They'd cut down bandits and marauding knights the same, though defying a foreign authority was different beast, and the young paladin hoped their silver tongue could cut truer than any needed sword. "I haf done nohszink but ask a question ehn have a sword drawn on me; an offense zeht vould cost any ohzer peasant zehr verkink hand," they stalwartly continued with a challengingly arrogant snarl with their inflection. Forced venom, it was woefully unbecoming of their expectations for themselves, but their emotions got the better of them with the tone they were warned with against the notion of investigating the mine.
Whoever had dressed up the animal of a so-called 'guard' and taught it how to speak in its disgusting yet thankfully concise accent hadn't taught it how to deflect a question, making a burden of the knight in the process as they knew their first destination for the day. Something wanted them there, and a gentleman was loathe to disappoint such an invitation.

Ahnciel made to cross their arms, holding an elbow which the hand it belonged to thoughtfully held their chin between their index and thumb as they watched the scene quickly unfold. Shifting their weight onto the side of their folded arm, he couldn't help but survey the scene inside the room before guards swarmed the surrendering, fully armored man. They were disarmed without resistance and it seemed awfully quaint how neatly the scene seemed to be painted. Although, It hardly added up how they would have the foresight to arm and painstakingly don a set of platemail by themselves before murdering the innkeep in their own room, but it was made clear that Ahnciel's input wasn't wanted, so they shifted their approach. They had all the information they needed, and the bandit town guard didn't seem to harbor much hospitality for errant knights.

"Regardless, I vill excuse such disrespect zeis time as you all seem capable ouf handling one human. Now paerdon...I haf business beyond you" Ahnciel snorted as if suppressing a cocky snicker in the steps it took for them to step past the collection of guards and continue their way down the hall. They chose their words with the hope their flashy demeanor reeked enough of elven pomp and circumstance for human disdain to fill the gaps and explain their behavior.

'Who would want to incite the ire of a faction of elven aristocrats, right? Just let them walk away, theres no changing that bird, anyway' Ahnciel nervously thought to themselves as they articulated the grace of every step they took to and down the stairs to imply a natural element. 'Arrogant dismissal rather than retreat, head held high, you're too much trouble to be worth their busy busy time, right now...' The idea of being a hero was easier when the dream was of monsters in the woods rather than the monsters in men. Hopefully, the attention guards paid its inhabitant was a reflection of how little care they had for more supernatural threats and the warning about the mine was mere underestimation of their capabilities...yeah, just stay optimistic.
It pained Ahnci to imagine the child they passed along the way being thrown out, but they didn't know their situation and already committed to leaving the inn before the humanis swill's eyes uncrossed long enough to look at them a bit too closely and find something else to have a problem with.

[Dartbored Fairy]

@Quote5

The man grins at Karter's question. "I have many things, but it depends on what you seek. Do you seek items to help you fight, or protect you when being fought against? Or, perhaps, do you seek something less combat-oriented?"

The man turns around and starts rummaging through some boxes, before pulling out a small green bag of cloth, placing it on the counter and pulling out a few green-purple gemstones.
"How about some of these? These are Luck Stones, and I can guarantee you that they will be useful to you. If you eat one - and don't worry, they're safe to eat - it will certainly make you more lucky for up to 6 hours. The more you eat, the luckier you get."

@Hokum

The girl grins widely as Boris walks off and soon comes back with the cart, tying her cookie bag closed and carrying it over her shoulder, putting it in the cart next to one of the crates.

"Well, Mr. Boris, you certainly seem capable enough, so I'll let you in on something interesting. The Trios Hold holds a person you should seek out... I think his name was Ovarin or something. Anyway, it's underneath the Town Hall and stuff, so you'll need to find a way in yourself."
The girl smiles and opens one of the crates, pulling out a simple wooden figure, pulling the top of the reveal another smaller figure inside. Nodding, the girl puts the top back and turns her attention back to Boris.

"You want to know my name?" The girl asks, frowning. "I don't really have one... I mean, everyone calls me Whiteleaf, but there's another me who's also called Whiteleaf..."
After thinking for a few moments, the girl simply shrugs. "So you decide what to call me, but to me I'll always be Whiteleaf, even if she's Whiteleaf too."

@Lumiere

Once outside, the heavy rain batters Ahnciel's armour. The streets outside are nearly empty, except for the Guards arriving at the Inn and a girl, wearing a long black dress, watching the commotion from across the street.

Though, the girl does not seem to watch the commotion like a civilian would watch a police action with curiosity. Instead, she seems to be mildly amused at the events currently ongoing in the Inn.

The girl's attention soon falls upon Ahnciel though, and her smile turns into a frown for a moment, before her smile returns and widens. She gestures to Ahnciel for a moment as if wanting for Ahnciel to follow her, before turning around and turning a corner. If Ahnciel wants to follow her, she'll need to be quick.

[Lumiere]

@Dartbored Fairy

Shaking their head as they turned the corner while descending the stairs to the lobby, Ahnciel took note of the empty desk which once held the self-asserted employ of the innkeep. The events had transpired just as the eviscerated corpse in the armored man's room hinted. The terminology for referring to the person now likely in the guard's custody sat poorly with the Ahnciel. Any other day and any other place, and Ahnci would think of them as a knight from nowhere. Unknown but at least with their dignity implied.

They wore their armor well, and it was unfortunately the only compliment the Isparian knight was able to offer, knowing so little of the situation.
Kaitra's thoughts kept flickering back to the innkeeper and she soon found herself breathing shallow half-breaths, their mind echoing with speculations and frustration. She was thankful that they'd yet to pick up breakfast as a sudden wave of nausea drove them out into the rain to escape the stale earthy stench of old planks of wood and a faint metallic tinge of blood somewhere in the memory of the scene.

Ahnciel wasn't sure why it bothered them so badly to believe their eyes, but something was disgustingly off about the whole affair that it took Keepa breaking from her usual torpor to protest to being rained on.
The beast's coat bristled in the cold rain, gekkering softly and squirming in annoyance until its ride pulled the hood of their cloak over the two to shield from the elements. Oil treated fabrics chased water down their form like off a duck's back as Ahnciel steadied themselves with another hand on the outside wall out the inn just beside the door.
"Shut up, iz not that bad" they hissed at the both of them, rolling their shoulders as they forced themselves back on the heel they turned on before starting off down the sidewalk. They conveniently relished in the fresh but thick air of the rainy day, however, they had only made it five steps and half way into a thought about who to ask about the Agartha Mine without arousing too much suspicion when their own was confirmed by a set of eyes watching them.

At first, Ahnci had assumed they were simply an onlooker, getting their jollies off on the idea of the 'handsome' town guard bringing a murderer to justice, before noticing how their eyes followed them as they departed from the scene. It was a poor choice of interest, as the young knight was hardly in the mood to entertain commoners until noticing their expression. The cross of the visor and thin veil made it easier than imagined to watch the girl without turning their head, and Ahnci stopped in his tracks the instant he was sure they were being watched.
Returning the stare as they beckoned, Ahnciel doubled their pace to cross the cobblestone road and follow around the corner with a wide enough berth that they wouldn't be in range for a sucker-punch the moment they turned down the way the girl had disappeared down.

Interesting as it was to have already gained the interest of a supposed local, they were hardly eager enough to let their sensibilities leave them in favor of answers...or perhaps...at least?...better questions.
With a pace a step below a jog, the girl was getting what they wanted from the paladin who casually rested a hand on the pommel of their broad rapier to steady it through the skipped steps before turning the corner on their own terms.

[Quote5]

@Dartbored Fairy
Karter looked at the luck stones. Seemed suspicious. Maybe he'll take one anyway?

"I already have some things to defend myself. I do however, have a revolver that strangely doesn't have any ammo. You don't look to be the sort of man to sell revolver bullets. I guess I will take one of those Luck Stones... just one for now, though." He said. Wouldn't want to waste all his money on a scam now, would he?

He gets some money out to pay for the luck stone.

[Zyngard]

Kura skips outside, munching happily on her pair of cookies, skipping over to the girl with the umbrella, tilting her head to the side as she glances up at the big man, having just missed their conservatio- convertisaion... conversation. There we go. After a moment of munching, and a swallow, she grins widely at the girl "I heard you bought all the cookies out!" She pouts briefly, considering something mentally. "Have you seen anybody else buying out some cookies an' stuff? She was probably here right before you! Or fairly soon beforehand, anyways..."

[Hokum]

@Dartbored Fairy

Boris

Boris sure did like the helpful cookie girl, and since she liked cookies she was even more betterer. He listen to every little thing she told him and repeated the name of the man he was going to see about five to ten times before he was certain he would remember the name, Ovarin. He also found it confusing that there were two Whiteleave’s around, so Boris decided to call this Whiteleaf Miss Leaf, and if he ever met the other Whiteleaf, he could just go ahead and call her Whiteleaf. Both of those names were easy to remember anyway.

After repeating the name Ovarin so, so many times, the other little miss from the candy store turned up eating cookies too. She seemed very happy about eating cookies as well, but who wouldn’t be happy about that?

Gosh, so many cookies in this town. Trios seemed very likeable. Plus, now he had a chance to help someone, so that made everything even more and more betterer.

Boris smiled wide when Kura talked about cookies, she sure was very cute. He gave her a pat on the head and ruffled her hair a little bit, saying;

“I think Boris might have changed his mind. I sure don’t think you should follow me to where I’m going, a jail isn’t any place for a little miss like you. Plus, your school now has a program that will prevent you from posting a lot, so we might not be able to play very much at all.” Boris didn’t really have a clue what that last part meant, but he said things even he didn’t understand sometimes. Shrugging it off, he thanked the helpful Miss Leaf once more for her help and headed on off in direction of the Town Hall. He could have probably seen it from there, and even if he couldn’t he started headed in the right direction anyway.

……

While Boris was walking he stuck out his tongue a lot, lapping up the rain. It sure did taste fresh and it sure did save him spending his coins on a drink from a shop or something like that. Eventually he arrived at town hall and let himself in. That part was easy. It wasn't raining inside, though, and that was a shame. From there he asked some nice people where the Trios Hold was, and they pointed him promptly in the right direction. He had to go down some stairs, because apparently the Trios people liked to keep their bad people beneath the ground.

Once Boris arrived at the hold he was met by two guards who stood at the main entrance.

“My name is Boris.” He told the guards. “But I’m not here to see you. Nuh-uh! I’ve come to see a naughty person called….” He thought hard for a moment, trying to recall the name as he bit his lip hard. But then he remembered it. “Ovarin. Yes, that’s is name for sure. I’d like very much to see Ovarin, if you two nice guards would like very much to point Boris in the right direction, I sure would be thankful a lot.”

---

Madison

Is drinking Ale in the Tavern until the rain stops.

[Metatrooper]

@Prima Luce

As he allows the guards to enter, he notices them pausing to stare at the mutilated corpse he had dispatched. While they were still watching, he speaks up:

Kaldalis: He attacked me, I fought back in self-defense.

Two of the guards then approach and attempt to subdue him. His first instinct is to defend himself, but he supresses it and allows them to sieze him. Another guard then takes his sword and leaves as another one enters, holding up a parchment for him to read. As he finishes reading, he notices a golden glint in the guard's eyes. Peculiar... he thought, all of the other guards seemed like normal people, perhaps this was a non-human species, or something else was going on. Said guard then starts speaking, before rolling up the parchment and drawing his sword. The guard then tells him to accompany them to town hall, to which Kaldalis replies:

Kaldalis: I mean you no harm, my name is Kaldalis Vau, and as I said before this man attacked me, this I was forced to defend myself in the process. I will accompany you to town hall in peace, but I only ask for you to unhand me and return my weapon to me.

[Dartbored Fairy]

@Lumiere

As Ahnciel turns the corner they find the girl waiting for them, sitting on a stack of wooden crates. The crates are lying on their side with an arrow pointing down towards the ground accompanied by some text, next to which is a word in large letters written in red. Both are upside-down however, so it's hard to read.

The girl grins as she sees Ahnciel turn the corner, and puts something into a bag to her left, though Ahnciel can't really see what it is.

"I see that you followed me as I'd hoped, I didn't actually expect you to do that." She says, eyeing Ahnciel's sword for a moment. "Relax, I won't attack you. Unless you attack me that is, which I'm hoping you don't do."

"You're a newcomer to town, right? I'm assuming you... didn't quite expect the... incident at the Inn, did you?"

---

@Quote5

"Just one? Well, suit yourself." The man says, taking some coins from Karter and giving him a Luck Stone in return. The stone feels pleasantly warm to the touch.

After putting the coins away, the man turns his attention back to Karter. "And, unfortunately I do not have any bullets, I'd rather work with fire spells than firearms really. Granted, there's no real legal way to easily obtain bullets anyway, the guys in charge would rather people not run around with guns you see."

Sighing, the man briefly turns his attention to the cat, who looks up at him and meows. Sighing again as the man likely realises the futility in attempting to communicate with a cat or something, he turns his attention back to Karter.

"Well, do you wish to buy more, or not?"

---

@Zyngard (and @Hokum a bit)

Whiteleaf waves as Boris heads off towards the Town Hall, and then turns her attention to Kura, someone with who she could actually compete regarding height.

"Yes! I did!" She says, grinning as she opens her cookie bag to show Kura. "I did buy all the cookies! Want one?" She says, grinning as she takes out another cookie of her own.

"And... I don't actually remember if I saw someone else... I mean I'm sure I saw people but it might not be the people you are looking for!" Smiling, Whiteleaf sits down on one of the crates. "Tell me what they look like, maybe I remember. And if not, I might be able to help you search anyway!"

[Quote5]

@Dartbored Fairy
"Well, it's a darn shame about the bullets, my gun is kinda useless without any... which is probably exactly why it's so hard to get bullets. Didn't expect a guy like you to have any anyway."

Karter looked around. "That's all for now, I should familiar myself with the town. I might come here again though. Thank's for the luck stone."

As Karter turns away, he looks at the stone he got. He gulps it down and goes on his way.

[Prima Luce]

@Metatrooper

The head guard does glare at Kaldalis in a way to portray both amazement and suppressed amusement. Perhaps he is taken aback by the warrior’s claims and audacity of requests. Concluding a moments silence, he does reply to Kaldalis:

“Darmanious?” He says, though his voice sounds rather choked. “You say Darmanious attacked you? The unarmed innkeeper? The same man that has never even hurt so much as an insect in all his years in Trios? Perhaps he threw his keys at you?” The guards tone changes to that of mocking sarcasm. “Or perhaps he poked you with his pinkie finger? How horrifying for a man such as yourself, yes?”

The guard now chuckles while the two guards handling Kaldalis start laughing and those in the hallway follow suit. Soon their laughter is so entirely loud it would likely be heard out in the streets.

“So let’s do it, shall we?” Another of the guards suggest between laughs. “Let us give him back his sword. We should ignore the mangled corps of the innocent and take him at his word. What else do we need to hear?”

"No-no!" Yet another guard jests; "It is clear who is actually responsible for this horrendous crime - It was that cat over there, the one licking its ass on the table!"

The laughter becomes louder at this comment, and continues on for some time before it abruptly stops when the head guard raises one hand with a snap of his fingers. Now serious, he steps forth to Kaldalis.

“How about no?” He grins auspiciously. “Relax, convict. You will get your chance to state your case to the magistrate and at that time you may plead your innocence. For now you will come with us. Perhaps you can share some more funny tales of your wildly innocent adventures along the way, yes?”

Assuming Kaldalis does not put up a fight, the guards now escort him from his room and out into the street where the other five guards surround their position. The group of ten guards with Kaldalis at their center move on towards Town Hall.

---

@Hokum

The two guards seem rather bored at their posts, and less than perturbed when Boris approaches them. One could say they appear somewhat amused by the monstrosity of a man standing before them. Perhaps the amusement derived from Boris’s obvious childlike demeanor. It was clear his mind was... lacking common intellect.

“You have come to see Ovarin, have you stranger?” The guard on the left asks, though it is obvious by his tone that he is making ill of Boris’s disability. “Ovarin has been a very naughty boy, has he not?”

The guard to the right does smirk, though refrains from laughter, and concurs; “A very naughty boy, indeed.”

“So how about it?” The one on the left suggests; “Should we allow this highly intelligent gentlemen entry to the Holds cell block? Should we simply wave him through for the sake of very special circumstances? Should we inform the other guards that a giant baby wishes to visit one of our detained thieves?”

The two guards are having difficulty not breaking into heavier laughter. Yet, despite their jesting, they do give the matter some thought. In the end, the guard on the left appears to be humorously intrigued by the prospect.

“You know, Nessen,” He refers to the guard on the right, “Perhaps it could be fun, no? We are all in need of a little entertainment around here, are we not?”

The Guard, Nessen, replied with a nod and does agree; “I believe you are right, my friend.”

The left guard now steps forward to Boris, looking curiously up into the large, simple mans eyes to propose a question:

“But first I must ask you, Boris, what reason do you have to visit Ovarin? Are you one of his naughty friends?”

[Harlequ]

The message on the wall doesn’t shake Ilyssa, her having witnessed much worse that very day. Ignoring the ruckus outside her door, she adresses her next question to the bloody appendage.

“What can I do to help?”

@Prima Luce

[Lumiere]

@Dartbored Fairy

Rounding the corner, Ahnciel hesitated on one foot, not entirely certain what they'd find but still surprised on some level to have seen the girl still there. Curiously, the paladin expected the figure to have ran off with the hope of getting a chase which the bemused knight would hardly be tempted to follow.
Having read enough mystery novellas, Ahnci was acutely aware of the repercussions involving the adherence to tropes and was loathe to be made a fool of so simply by someone they scantly knew how to refer to. In all likelihood, the world did not function with such predictability, and it was for this reason that Sir Ahnciel was taken slightly aback by the choice of seat the girl took.

"Iz interestink vehn interest iz placed..." Ahnciel stated as a matter of fact before following up once the girl finished her comments about offences, "...Paerdon, Iz difficult to tell vaht to expect in zeis town." Their eyes flick from the girl's to the destination of their gaze, and, in response, he turns the opposite hip to face her with a half-pace of their right leg forward. While it was not meant to infer an attempt at intimidation, the awareness behind the gesture had been intended to imply an awareness on the knight's part.
They were not a fan of curious eyes.

Ahnciel felt no reason to explain themselves to the extent of answering questions, since being watched in such a manner meant there was something...wanted...from this very engagement. While the knight had his own agenda for the day, at the moment, he was merely entertaining a curious passerby. Truly a marvel, yes? To behold mirror-steel many around this town presumably would hope to steal and mash down into crude bars or coins.

At the moment, paranoia ran rampant in Kaitra's mind and she played it off with a stellar performance.
"Heh, I suppose you caught me. Yes, eit iz my first day in town ehn eit vould seem I already have...a fan?" Ahnciel's smooth lips curving to an intrigued smirk while making no other effort to even entertain the idea of hostility. Such as that notion would adversely convey, their hand remained perched on the pommel of their rapier.
Weapons were a tool that should only be brandished if they were intended to be used, though the idea of a tool can cut deep into the imagination of those anticipating its use. While Ahnciel had no intention of drawing their weapon on an unthreatening and seemingly unarmed opponent, the stranger had already wounded themselves with such assumptions. For this, the knight sympathized for them; the town must truly be a hostile hovel if simply seeing a weapon could cause such concern to be verbalized.

"Ehn...vaht incident~?" Ahnciel coyly chirped, tilting a head to the side as their mouth's expression faded back to neutrality from its previously warming section of a smile. Judging from how smoothly blood ran from the fresh corpse Kaite fought to blink the images out of their mind in reference to, the event had transpired shortly before they exited the room. How could someone on the other side of the street have known of such an 'incident'? Also...how could they have known Ahnciel was even there to see the aftermath?
It was a curious question to ask the wrong person, as anyone else would have ignored what piqued the Isparian Guard-Captain's interest. "If I may...vaht iz your name?" Ahnci asked, the smile softly returning as they took a step closer.
"I vould not suppose zee verd 'agartha' means anyszink to you, ah?" If it had to be an investigation, then Ahnciel hardly cared if word got out that they were looking into the mine. Maybe it was misplaced arrogance or the hope there was inconsistencies, but the way the girl talked asserted a hunch that they were from around here and were likely in the know if they were already proven to be so perceptive.

[Metatrooper]

@Prima Luce

Kaldalis does not say anything as the guards burst into laughter. He was irritated but he could understand why they would laugh after talking about the innkeeper. He kept his mouth shut the entire time, only glaring at the guards through the dark visor of his helmet before following his escort downstairs and into the street.