[IC] When the Flames Die

[ravenDivinity]

Wallace commented on the Order's modus operandi, and Gareth cringed a little bit on the inside. He knew exactly how they liked to do things, and he didn't like it at all. Wallace and Gareth would be looking for the postmaster Sir Hoyt, who should've been around the palace. If Sir Hoyt was gone, then he'd immediately be a suspect. But if Sir Hoyt was there, and they could learn something about the nature of the package, then they'd have their first lead. "Ah, yes, sir." Gareth stood and pushed the chair back in. "Where are we going? The Tower?" He assumed so, given Hoyt's position as the Order's postmaster, but he didn't actually know where the postmaster could be found—he never met the man.

[Epsir]

"The Tower is the only place to start. I don't expect them to have a receptionist but," Wallace stopped and fished around inside of his jacket for a moment, producing a plain looking key that represented the whole sum of trust between the Order and his part of the council. It was one of many keys to the Tower and its surrounding buildings. In all honesty, they probably left the front doors unlocked most of the day anyway. "We'll find our way in and ask around for Sir Hoyt." He pocketed the key, and with a beckoning wave of his hand walked off towards the exit of the Great Hall. The Tower of the Thistle was a short walk across the courtyard, and the front door proved to be easily opened. Next came the searching. "I suppose he'd be in one of the studies," Wallace opined, as he cruised the halls looking for a particularly inspiring door or the first Thistle Knight to cross their path.

[ravenDivinity]

Gareth agreed. He didn't vocalize it, but he acknowledged it with a quick nod. The necessity of the key was in doubt, for Harker knew they left the doors open all day given that he could go in and out of them as he pleased that morning and that he saw people enter it before in the evening. "Yes, he should be." Sir Hoyt wasn't a member of the normal guard, since he was the postmaster and partook in neither the guard duty nor the Order's oath. Assuming that, the half-elf suspected Hoyt would be in the Tower of the Thistle, in one of its many administrative studies not unlike the one where he met with Sir Walden or the one where he met with Sir Redwyne, albeit likely smaller and containing more postal items. Wallace seemed to Gareth to not have much to do with the Order, Canti looking as though he had no idea where he was going and outright stating they'd be asking around, not something someone who interacted with the Order much would have to do.

[Sightles]

As the pair scoured the ways of the Tower of the Thistle, one door stood out. A door with a silver plated 'Sir Jason Hoyt' on it's wooden frame. The door was already open, and inside sat a neat study, fairly cramped, where one huge leather chair sat, and various neatly order piles of packages and letters were sat on a wooden desk. A man sat in the leather chair. He did not wear the armor of the normal member of the Order, but he did bear a white cloak, and a sword with a sheath similar to Gareth's sat besides the chair. The man in the chair was a lanky, and very pale man. The man wore loose fitting clothing and appeared to almost looked malnourished. Black hair hung from the man's head, long and stringy, definitely unkept. The man was busy with a quill and inkpot writing a letter, almost entirely engrossed in it.

[Epsir]

Wallace strode on down the halls, idly looking over the interior and comparing the place to what he'd already known about the Tower. They were less ornate than the palace hallways, and though the difference was subtle, it conveyed the shift from royal quarters to those of a martial order. He stopped as a silver glint in the corner of his vision caught his eye. Jason Hoyt, the name he'd been looking for. A small smirk crossed his face as he realized their success. Ever the image of procedure and politeness, when the situation called for it, he stopped in the doorway and rapped his knuckle against the open door to signal their arrival. "Sir Jason, the regency would seek to pose a few questions, if you would cooperate," He said slowly, standing just beyond the threshold of the room and in no small way anticipating an invitation to come in. This would be simple, easy, and convincing. They'd find their answers and more importantly, he'd have his.

[MicahTheRogue]

Lyok sounded like a much better, and extoic, place to live than Cressen. As Sophia described the various amounts of things Lyok was known for, Noah desperately searched his mind for what Cressen was famous for. Warriors and snow. That was it. Noah was jolted from his absentminded thinking by Sophia's question about his being in Mullen. "My father is bedridden, and has been for years now. So, he sent me as goodwill between the nations of Cressen and Keilaudrin, to congratulate the new king!" Noah replied, with an obviously trained court smile. Once Aripert had been declared dead, Noah's father made sure to train Noah in the small details of court, so that'd he be able to act like a proper prince once he arrived in Keilaudrin, but he had failed to truly adopt the art. "Temple of the Snake?" Noah asked, quizzically, tilting his head to one side. "You worship snakes in Lyok?

[DrowsyPangolin]

"Oh, that was what I was sent for as well." Sophia smiled, but she felt a tugging at her heart. She hadn't really done what she had set out to do. Sure, she had delivered the gift, but that was all, and now she was leaving, without even having a proper conversation with the new king. She mulled over the thought for a moment. What would Keilaudrin think of Lyok if she left? They would likely be viewed as fair weather allies at best, and cowards at worst. Was that really the image she wanted the Empire to have? No, Lyok did not flee. Abandoning her duty would be a betrayal of her new friends in Keilaudrin, few though they might be, as well as her personal duty as a Lyoki and an Octavia. Her small hand curled into a fist. No, she was her mother's daughter. She would not flee because of a few mishaps. She'd need to talk to Thomas again, as quickly as possible, and hopefully catch him in time to rewrite her letter. Jezin would be displeased, but he would stay. Her servants though, were a different matter. Perhaps Thomas' plan could get them away, this was not something they had chosen. She was shaken from her internal musings by Noah's question. He looked quite confused. It wasn't surprising. The Lyoki religion had long been viewed as an oddity by the outside world. The princess smiled and pulled at the golden medallion around her neck, bearing the insignia of the Eternal Serpent, showing it to Noah.

"Well, snakes of all kinds are revered, but we don't particularly worship all of them." She laughed. "We worship the Eternal Serpent, a great creature from beyond the world, a god, in common terms. We believe the Serpent is the mother of all life, and that the Lyoki are protected by it." She watched the boy's eyes. To outsiders, the idea had to sound a bit ludicrous, but the Lyoki wholeheartedly believed in it. "In our oldest legends, they say the Eternal Serpent appeared in the sky to the First Queen. It told her that it would bless her people, and mark her children with the light of the heavens." Sophia tousled the white strand of her hair. "And so it did. The Lyoki were given immunity to the venom of snakes, and the Pale Children ruled Lyok, and the empire that soon expanded from it." Her story didn't take into account that not every generation had a Pale Child, or that some died before they took the throne.

[DrowsyPangolin]

Double post because my internet is 2Gud

[ravenDivinity]

Gareth waited patiently for an invitation to enter, and he peeked through the open doorway timidly to see what this Jason Hoyt person looked like. Hoyt didn't look particularly intimidating to Harker as much as he looked like an unfed stray dog. No comment came from him, however, not wanting to be rude, and intending to let Wallace direct things. The young man stood behind Wallace in the doorway, and in the background he pretended to have his eyes occupied analyzing other things in the hallway. Mentally he complimented the 'uh... well-designed, structurally-sound walls' of the Tower of the Thistle.

[Sightles]

"I'm sure you would like to ask me a few questions, Wallace." Jason replied, setting down his quill, but not turning his head to look at his new guests, nor was he indicating them to come inside the study, "I see you brought a friend with you. Hired muscle to make sure I cooperate?" Jason mused, as he cocked his head to the side, to see Wallace and Gareth. Jason scanned over the two of them for a moment, putting more attention on Gareth than Wallace, considering he had never seen Gareth before, "Or just a small boy playing solider?" Jason's word held no contempt, or even venom. It was much like he was simply stating a fact. The man brushed his stringy hair out of his face, while staring down Gareth, after another moment, he turned back towards Wallace.

[MicahTheRogue]

Noah looked at Sophia, obviously very interested, as she went on to explain, in depth, the religion of Lyok. "I've never heard of the Eternal Serpent, before." Noah replied, as he grabbed his glass, and drank from it, pondering it as he did so. The people of Cressen practiced the art of animism, but it seemed like a very foreign concept to all of Cressen's southern neighbors that Noah had came in conduct with. "I'm definitely going to have to take a trip to Lyok when I'm older." Noah added, with a sincere grin. The country sounded like quite the place, much more exciting than the land of Cressen. Most of the days in Cressen, Noah would simply learn about the intricacies of diplomacy, or even study the details of commanding an army. Since Noah could not fight, his father wanted him to become a brilliant general, a concept Noah didn't exactly like.

[Epsir]

Wallace stepped inside as he was acknowledged, smiling through the man's accusation. No, it would have been nice to have hired muscle but the blood from the last mishap was still staining the interrogation a short walk away. "I'm heartened to see that we're both in a questioning mood. Perhaps you'd be more inclined to trade." He took a quick look around the room, as was his custom. Satisfactorily, they appeared to be alone. "I believe in civility so I am going to ask your word before I declare this an investigation." He had no intention of doing so, turning this into a high profile incident would no doubt expose the holes that Thomas had inadvertently shot through his machinations. A fatal mistake, if it happened before he could get a handle on more helping hands. Just a layer of gloss. "The parcel that killed Redwyne Cole came through this office. In that event, I would like to request all of the documentation and ledgers surrounding the incident be turned over to the public court." His face was drawn as he proposed the action, although the expression was betrayed by the man's froggy voice.

[DrowsyPangolin]

Sophia smiled, finishing her bread. "Most people outside of Lyok haven't. It often shocks a few people when they visit." She laughed, remembering a few dignitaries being a bit nervous when they arrived in her mother's throne room and saw massive constrictors lounging about. Her smile widened when Noah mentioned visiting. "You should! We're quite hospitable to foreign visitors, especially royalty." She looked around, wondering for a moment where Thomas might be. As long as she could find him before the day's end she imagined all would be well. "I would love to visit Cressen someday, it'd be wonderful to see the snow." She was amazed how much of the world she still hadn't seen. Hopefully in the future she would be able to see more. She looked back towards Noah. "So, did anyone come with you to Mullen? Or are you here alone?" She imagined a prince, especially a young one, would have brought an entourage.

[ravenDivinity]

Gareth frowned at the comment. He was no 'small boy playing soldier', no, he was a man coming of age, a sharpshooter who could aim an arrow through Hoyt's head like a deer in the wild, and those words Hoyt uttered were a little diminutive to the true nature of his being. It was likely that Hoyt was unaware of the new squire. Harker took mental notes while Wallace spoke, remembering to tell Walden that they inquired with the postmaster about the package. It was of great necessity that the details about the package be known, as otherwise the investigation would be stumped. Still though, the half-elf thought it particularly incriminating that Hoyt acted so hostile to the idea of interrogation. It was not to blame him for the murder, it was to gather information about it. Of course, that didn't nullify the postmaster's status as a possible suspect.

[Sightles]

Hoyt frowned, as if disappointed with Wallace, before standing and riffling through another desk that sat beside him, "I handled Sir Redwyne's package personally, and knew a snake was inside it." Jason revealed, allowing the room to feel with whatever emotion came next, "And then I handed it off to Sir Walden, who made sure it made it's way to Sir Redwyne." Jason explained, before pulling out multiple ledgers, and handing them towards Wallace, "The knight in shining armor had developed a taste for snakes, it seems, because this wasn't the first one he ordered." Jason further went on. The ledgers detailed the purchase and deliverance of nearly 20 snakes that had been sent to Sir Redwyne's office, "A taste he no doubt picked up from his extensive time spent in Lyok. It appears this snake happened to arrive alive, rather than dead, this time." Jason stated, matter of a factually, before calmly taking his seat.

[Epsir]

He hardly moved with the revelation, in fact froze. Of course the man would never confess his guilt, to the incredibly paranoid, all this tidbit proved was that this killing was heavily concealed and planned for. Either Redwyne had been killed in an accident, or the killer was so involved that Redwyne himself was part of the cover. He still didn't care much about the dead, but no matter how impossible the alternative explanation was it meant his job might just be that much easier. Wallace graciously accepted the records, gently plucking them from the man's hands flipping through them with an increasingly perturbed look as Jason continued his explanation of events. The books did not lie, the man had purchased snake from several locations on Estovet and even a few from Lyok. It was convenient, very convenient. He could not, however, simply accept it and walk away even if it would have been for the better. He stood there for a silent moment, stroking his chin and wondering. Finally, he turned and offered the ledger to Gareth in case the other man felt the need to confirm the new findings. "That is most troubling. I find it unlikely that a snake would survive shipping conditions especially when it was destined for the dinner table. The very possibility that this was an assassination is why I must continue to investigate, Sir Jason. What prompted you to ignore the inspection of potentially dangerous, or diseased, livestock cargo?"

[Sightles]

"I have no idea how the snakes survive the shipping conditions, Wallace." Jason replied, with a tone that suggested he was fed up with the dumb questions, "You wanna know why I allowed it? Once the first one arrived, I took it straight to Sir Redwyne and asked him what it was. He explained it, and asked me to keep the secret in good faith. So, whenever I found a package that contained a small wooden container, that was addressed to Redwyne, I let it pass." Jason explained, placing his hand under his chin, clearly wanting the investigation to end, "I'm the postmaster, Canti. Not the answer to every question you have." Jason pointed out with his other hand, indicating to all the letters and ledgers neatly stacked, "I'm a librarian, not a schemer."

[Epsir]

"The Order has had a particularly troubling record of erasing evidence recently. At the moment, everyone with secrets is an opponent of the Court. As long as I am regent I will hunt for the truth, Sir Jason," He bowed his head, realizing that they really wouldn't get much further with Hoyt regardless of his actual involvement. That was good enough for Wallace, but he doubted any audience would agree. Wallace simply stood by and waited for an idea to come to him. A faint whistling outside pulled him from his thoughts, some jaunty sea-tune passing through the halls. Strange, that it reminded him of something he'd forgotten to take care of. He then turned fully towards Gareth, the second part of the equation, and the one who, no matter how little, knew more than he did of the order's internal workings and especially more about the incident at hand. "What do you make of this, Harker? Is it consistent with what you've seen?"

[ravenDivinity]

Gareth inspected the ledger himself, and it was true, according to the ledger, that Redwyne had in fact ordered a multitude of snakes. He handed the ledger back to Wallace for the regent to do with it what he willed while he pondered the meaning of the evidence, doubting the veracity of it just in case the records were forged. "But who else would know of Redwyne's secret that could slip it through?" whispered Harker outside of Hoyt's earshot, standing behind and to the right side of Wallace. It still struck Gareth as suspicious to some degree. That part of things just didn't make any sense to his intuition. Someone either overheard Hoyt and Redwyne talking one time or saw Redwyne opening one of the packages. And beyond that, it was either someone else who knew the secret or Jason. The postmaster didn't help his case, for Gareth still approached with close scrutiny to the words the malnourished vampire of a man said and caught the plea of innocence through Sir Hoyt's rhetoric. Hoyt was obviously trying to persuade Canti to retract from investigating the postmaster further, and Harker wasn't buying it, him whispering again: "This is very consistent to what I've noticed about the Order in only a day's time."

[Sightles]

"One instance doesn't make a record, Wallace. I'm horrified that a man so based on conjecture and willing to accuse anyone of a crime is our acting regent." Jason replied, narrowing his eyes as he did so, "If I wanted kill Sir Redwyne, I wouldn't of done it with a snake." Jason added, as he brought his hands to his temples and rubbed them slightly. Jason once again had a pounding headache, something that had been plaguing him for years. He would have to visit the sweat houses again, "The ledger states the snake is from Lyok, that's where it's was sent from. Once the wooden box is opened, it can't be closed, from what I've seen. It's a precise contraption. The snake obviously didn't die for whatever reason it might be." Jason stated, as he continued to rub his temples, "If you're looking for something hidden here, there isn't. All that's here is a old man hiding a secret pleasure, which happened to backfire on him. It's all written in the ledgers." Jason added, pointing at the sheafs of papers.