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Vale of the White Horse
Topic Started: 5 Jan 2010, 13:03 (19,353 Views)
Sonja
Red & dangerous! Rawr!
'It's not,' he reassured her, 'but a common brawl wouldn't account for the injuries inflicted upon him. His face was torn to shreds, and his throat slit so far as to nearly decapitate him - if you'll pardon me the rather graphic picture. No, whoever killed him did so with a sense of dreadful purpose,' he said grimly.
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Marieke
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
Dreadful purpose...Did that exclude Tudwrig then? She begged for it in a silent prayer, forgetting to breathe for a moment. 'It does...sound gruesome,' she could admit then. 'Our house has never been fond of Marcus Iulius, but none of us are killers...We are Dobunni after all, not like our neighbours the Silurii.' Her skin felt so tight that it was impossible to smile even a little. 'I am still....sorry to hear it.'
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Sonja
Red & dangerous! Rawr!
'Oh, I do not really believe the murderer is someone from your household. In fact, I'm pretty sure whoever did it already made good his escape. But on the off-chance that a servant or cook has seen anything, I should like to question them. By your leave, of course.' Rufus didn't smile, because a murder wasn't reason to smile at all (though in all honestly, he really felt like it).
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Marieke
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
'I can't refuse you that,' she answered, her eyes still large. 'I'll have to discuss it with my husband. It's unfortunate that he isn't around now. I know that he would be in the better position for this sort of thing.'
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Sonja
Red & dangerous! Rawr!
Now that would be a little inconvenient, really. 'I couldn't agree more,' he said, 'but I should like to have this over with as soon as possible. It has to be reported to the Senate.'
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Marieke
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
She rose to her feet, spreading her arms helplessly. 'I'm giving you free rein. Do what you must do, my lord.' She did not like it, especially not with Tudwrig crawling somewhere behind his bolted doors, but matters such as these were serious. Marcus Iulius, murdered and maimed. Who would have done that - who could have? She needed to speak with Tudwrig. Immediately, really. Her heart felt sick from worry.
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Sonja
Red & dangerous! Rawr!
'I promise not to burden you or your husband with this if I can help it, my lady,' he said and came to his feet as well. Free rein was like music to his ears.
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Marieke
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
'I'll leave you to it, my lord.' There were things that did not wait, not even for murder. Briallen moistened her lips. No, it was no use. Tudwrig was still a monster and she should not try to enter, unless she had a desire to end up quite like the unfortunate Roman. Suddenly, she felt overpoweringly lonely. Not even Gwenllian, who knew what it meant to be in charge of a caer. Briallen retreated to her room, asking Braegne to make her a bath. It was the middle of the day and she hardly needed one, but her body had run out of warmth.
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Sonja
Red & dangerous! Rawr!
Rufus walked around the caer, sticking his head into the various rooms. Most of them were empty, though all kept clean and tidy. In a hallway on the second floor Gwenllian drifted past, scarcely noticing him. She had a dreamy, satisfied sort of look on her face he knew only too well: many a woman had left his chambers with exactly that attitude. He really regretted that it wasn't by his virtue that she looked so radiant, but then he realized something else. He'd been here quite a number of days, and so far he had not once seen Briallen in that particular state. It made him wonder... Did her husband's illness mean he couldn't fullfill his matrimonial duties? He'd have to see if he could figure it out, and the free reign she'd given him was eminently suited for that goal. Rufus's thin lips curled into a smile as he quickened his pace, walking down the stairs - and nearly colliding with the servantgirl he knew was Briallen's... ah, favourite, so to say.
'Oh, I'm terribly sorry,' he said glibly.
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Marieke
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
'Oh! Ah- not at all, my lord,' Braegne hastily said. Briallen had just returned to her bed chambers, which was unusual for her to do during daytime. Her lady had very nearly cried, but Braegne realized very well that it was not out of sorrow for the murdered Roman. 'Let me not hold you up, my lord. I've just spoked to lady Briallen. She said you had right to walk around freely.'
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Sonja
Red & dangerous! Rawr!
Rufus waved his hand and smiled charmingly. 'Hold me up? Hardly, dear. In fact, you might be able to save me a lot of time. There are a couple of things I need to know that I cannot learn from simply walking around. Would you perhaps be so kind as to answer some questions I have?'
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Marieke
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
'I, uh...Yes. Of course.' Braegne put down her basket with clean linen, intended for Briallen's room. Briallen herself had looked like she had needed some thinking time, so it would be alright to linger a bit longer. She looked at the man, who must be quite a bit older than herself and her lady, though he was still young. Unlike Marcus Iulius, she rather liked his appearance and manners. She thought Briallen did, too. 'Anything at all.'
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Sonja
Red & dangerous! Rawr!
'Let's make ourselves a bit more comfortable,' Rufus suggested. 'I've never been one for talking in the hall,... Braegne, isn't it?' He led her to one of the empty rooms he'd discovered earlier and sat himself down on a bench covered in a cloth, motioning the girl to do the same. 'First of all I would like to know if you've seen or heard anything suspicious or out of the ordinary last night?'
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Marieke
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
'When Marcus Iulius was killed?' She shook her head. 'I'm very sorry to say this my lord. I'm lady Briallen's own maid, I came with her when she left Shadow Well. My duties are mainly around her...Yesterday I cleaned her private chambers, made her bed. She went to sleep early, and I sleep in the antechamber close to her. That's all, really.'
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Sonja
Red & dangerous! Rawr!
'Don't worry about it,' he said. He hadn't really expected anyone in this caer to have heard or seen anything, but the question was a great opening to gather more information. If he was going to have to investigate a death he couldn't care less about, he might as well make the best of it. 'But do you mean to say that lady Briallen has her own bedchamber and doesn't share it with her husband?' he added idly.
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Marieke
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
'Yes, my lord.' Braegne frowned lightly. 'That's not so uncommon with our people. And with our chieftain's illness...' Her voice trailed off for a bit. 'It's hard on both of them, my lord. Bria - my lady tries her best, but I see her face in the evenings. It is not how she used to look back home, in Shadow Well.'
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Sonja
Red & dangerous! Rawr!
Rufus nodded politely, his mind racing. 'I imagine it is difficult, to be married without being able to spend the night with your spouse,' he said. 'Your lady is to be praised for her loyalty to her husband, even without the pleasures of marriage.'
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Marieke
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
'I have not heard her complain ever since the first...Ah.' Braegne got up suddenly, grabbing the basket with linen. 'I have probably said too much. My lord, forgive me, I have duties to do.'
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Sonja
Red & dangerous! Rawr!
'I'm sorry for keeping you that long, Braegne,' he said with a smile and got up. 'Thank you for your time.' He watched as she quickly retreated from the room, then leant against the wall. So it was not just a lack of, it was complete abscene: the lady of this household was still a virgin. A slow smile spread across his features. No wonder she'd twitched at his delicate touch a couple of days earlier; she was strung as toutly as a bowstring, with only worries and duties, and no outlet whatsoever. Rufus rubbed his hands together and got up. He could use this. Oh, yes he could.
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Marieke
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
Essylt sat in front of the cave with her legs crossed. Even the pretty blue tunic she had been given in the camp was soiled around the hem now. She leaned with her head against the rock, feeling the sunlight dance over her face, warming her, making her think that she was somehow in a world of her own, where everything was safe and light and warm.
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Sonja
Red & dangerous! Rawr!
He'd woken from a brief doze that morning with a splitting headache. Not even a dip in the cool brook that ran near the cave had helped. The lack of sleep was starting to tell on him, he knew. Well, just a little longer. This had to be done. Morcant walked up to where Essylt sat - so peaceful he regretted having to disturb her. 'Are you rested?'
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Marieke
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
She opened her eyes, turning her head up to face him. Her eyelids and cheeks felt warm like sleep. 'I think so.'
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Sonja
Red & dangerous! Rawr!
'All right, come with me.' He held out his hand to help her get up, if she wanted to accept it.
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Marieke
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
'What is it?' she asked, afraid that he had thought up another plan. He had not done anything to deserve her trust, or her like, but he had rocked her and held her during the first frightening confusion of the nightmares. She allowed him to pull her up, but then quickly slipped her hand back, looking at him wearily.
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Sonja
Red & dangerous! Rawr!
'We're going to take a walk,' he said and shrugged his shoulders. It was the only thing his dip in the water had been good for: he'd found a spot where she could practice controlling her powers.
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Marieke
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
'A walk,' she repeated. His stride was hard to keep up with. She followed him past ash and oak trees, down a slope with slender birches. A streamlet wound along with them. 'What kind of walk? Just...wait-' She looked about. Was he dragging her off into another wild and dangerous scheme of his own?
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Sonja
Red & dangerous! Rawr!
'We're nearly there,' Morcant told her, stopping in his tracks and turning around. He saw the worry written on her face. 'I'm not going to do anything to you, if you thought that.'
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Marieke
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
'I wasn't.' She hadn't even thought about that. On her mind were only legions of Romans, and one man with the mad idea that he could use her to scare them all off. Essylt swallowed hard but made her legs walk forward, catching up with him. 'If you just told be straightly what it is you want of me...'
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Sonja
Red & dangerous! Rawr!
He stopped again. Perhaps he should be honest with her, but he didn't know how he had to bring it up. 'I told you I'd help you try to control your powers, didn't I,' he said. 'That's where we're headed, I found us a spot where we can do exactly that.' The spot in question was a small glade; a near perfect circle of thick grass, surrounded by trees and bushes.
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Marieke
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
She stood in the middle of the glade, looking around, eying the trees and undergrowth. She didn't understand. 'What am I supposed to do here?'
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