The man groaned audibly, tossing his head to the side. "Well, I had some strange tasting venison a couple weeks ago..." he mumbled.
"Too soon. He's been in here for more than a week and a half." Lugurix commented, shouting without turning over his shoulder.
The man continued twisting in his agony, gritting his teeth with sweat soaking his skin. "Well... I took a trip into the woods about a month ago... to hunt."
"Nope." Lugurix shouted. "Most of our plagued patients spend their time inside the village." Lugurix continued to stare out the window with his strangely aligned eyes and warped fish face. He continued to mutter and make remarks until he grew suspiciously quiet.
The man continued to writhe like a worm in the dirt. He began to lose his breath as he spoke, "I can't.... imagine what it could be. Although, my dog... bit me a while back." Lugurix was silent.
The man's breathing weakened; he clearly needed to rest. It was best to start searching his body for the bite while he rested.
"Very well."
The Piper was unshaken (sorry) by Morgan's forceful gesture. "I'm fully aware that a person of your status has treated royalty before, but the circumstances of this case are special. My priority is domestic security, and if word that this person was ill were to escape into the great, wide open, there could be... consequences."
The Piper reached again into his draping sleeves and retrieved an envelope. "Eyes are everywhere, and if anyone does happen to see this, all they'll see is I gave you an envelope. Precaution, really."
He gave her the envelope and looked back out over the balcony. "We cannot speak much longer; I'm glad we got to speak when we did. There are many who would have caught you and not handled this with the same tact that I did." The Piper began to pace, just mulling around in a circle, something bubbling in his bald head, his cauldron of chaos. He approached Morgan again with a cheery smile, taking her hand and shaking it, without her permission. "I'm glad I got to meet you personally. It was a pleasure."
Like a flash of lightning, his cordial, toothy grin became the harrowing face of dread. His grip on the woman's hand lasted became longer and more forceful, squeezing her palm in his. He glared at her--into her--with his blank eyes, eyes that can and have frozen many hardened men. "Be careful who you grab; you may grab someone with a stronger grip." he whispered as he released her from his dastardly claw and returning to his perch on the balcony; the band came back from downstairs, filling the seats behind them. The Piper looked out into the crowd, his gangly arms behind his back; before the medicine woman leaves, he flashes her his sly, joking grin.
After all, he was just joking.
Catullus snapped back into reality. "With the old king dead, we lack representation from the island in the Senate. You are the most qualified islander to take a Senate position; I have all of your records of your education with the Magisters." he explained. He then took his staff, the dark iron cage rattling, and waved it around threateningly in Augustus' face. "Further, I choose Senate members. Don't question it."
Catullus then reached into his robes and pulled out a thin piece of board, folded in three pieces. "This is a contract. In it, your powers and privileges as a Senate member are detailed in full. You will be able to propose state motions to the floor, give hearings on the affairs of your constituency, and, as chief (and sole) representative from Rhode Island, you will be able to assemble committees, which will be approved by me."
Catullus continued as he paced around the room, "You will live in the city, beyond the riff raff of course, and you'll have all of your needs cared for. Finally, if you aren't already committed, don't associate with any of the few female representatives, or any woman you meet in politics for that matter. That is merely good sense, not law."
At last, he turned to Augustus, and looked him in the eyes. He approached him, approached further, and approached further, until his head was practically under Augustus' chin. He surveyed the young man, looked him up and down, and spat, "We'll get to know each other quite well while working together. So far, I like you; don't fuck that up. It's really not hard."
Catullus then started back towards the party and turned around. "Have it signed next I see you tomorrow, hopefully at the tournament. Any questions?"
The young queen smiled warmly, "I'm glad you enjoyed. If only you could enjoy more of it." The queen loosened up a bit, now hardly unlike the noble patrons that surrounded them: charming, witty, and high brow. She had seen it all her life, and she learned how to emulate it quite well. "I'm glad we could talk before your bout, I wish you luck tomorrow." she commented. She strangely no longer seemed concerned with Eli's life; instead, she just batted her youthful eyelids as she spoke. Her voice was still weak and frail, like the rest of her, but she had a youthful, cutesy charm with her wide, puppy dog eyes.
She waved him goodbye, "You have quite a struggle ahead; you'll need the luck, Sir...?"