When Birds Refuse to Sing

[DragonSong]

Tears of frustration pricked at her eyes and the raven keeper dropped her hands with a weary sigh, shuffling back a step.

But then ink and paper were being held in front of her face and she nodded. She'd never been a particularly good artist, so she set about carefully trying to render the attacker's face as best she could.

She paused a moment, considering, then took a sheet from beneath the one where she was attempting to draw the portrait and sketched out a rough outline of a bird. She looked up at Diamond and pointed to it, then at the half-completed face she'd drawn on the other page, then to herself.

He, she signed and mouthed, pointing emphatically at the drawing. Called me- here she pointed to her mouth and moved her lips dramatically to mime talking, then pointed to herself. Little bird. She pointed to the bird sketch again, then her chest. Back and forth.

[emeraldknight]

Diamond had to focus hard, drawing upon every bit of logic in his brain to decipher the cryptic signals. It shouldn't have been so hard, not with all the repetition and exaggerated movement, but it was just so difficult to understand! He almost felt like an idiot. However, as h began to piece things together, he realized roughly what she'd been trying to tell her, and jolted.

"He said 'Little bird'. He called you 'Little Bird'! And you don't know anyone who has called you that before?" Relieved, Blood Diamond wiped his brow and smiled. He didn't know what significance this would have, if any at all, but at least he was one step further along in communication.

[DragonSong]

Shae nodded quickly in response to his first realization, then shook her head for the question. She didn't know anyone who might use that pet name for her- if it could be called that- but it had felt significant.

With a little shudder at the memory, she returned to sketching the attacker's face as best she could, highlighting the scar that had marked his eye.

[emeraldknight]

Blood Diamond sighed. His theory had to be true, it would just be too contrived if it wasn't. Still, if Shae had no idea where the name came from, or of who the attacker may be, then what could the answer be? Pacing around the room once again wasn't enough, and the vigilante soon found his head getting cloudy. Deciding to distract himself while Shae finished her sketch, he walked to the far side of the room and drew his sword, swinging it at an invisible opponent in a series of over-the-top swings and parries. "Oh, Shae, would you mind if I showed your sketch to the master?"

[DragonSong]

The raven keeper started slightly- it was rare that anyone addressed her by name. Then shook her head. She held the finished sketch out to him warily, knowing it wasn't all that good, but at least it was something.

[emeraldknight]

Recieving the sketch, Diamond scanned over it quickly. While lacking any strong artistic talent, it certainly showed the key features well enough. "Thank you. This should be of aid." Walking back over to where the master of the manor sat, he felt nervous, not only because of the tension from earlier, but also because if the drawing and the pet name bore no significance to him, then there was nothing else to go on, at least not at the moment. "Um, i'm sorry, I don't think you ever told me your name? Shae sketched this, and said- well, communicated through many means, that he called her 'Little Bird'. Do either of these clues ring a bell?"

[DragonSong]

Lord Barkus- still not bothering to introduce himself- took the sketch and looked it over. He shook his head with a sigh. "No, I don't recognize this. Or the name. Perhaps..."

He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Almost everyone who may have been able to help you was killed in the attack. Perhaps talk to the kennel master." He shrugged. "He doesn't understand Shae's hand waving any better than I do, but he was the one who found the girl on our doorstep."

[emeraldknight]

"On your doorstep?"

Diamond was quite surprised by this. It wasn't that he'd assumed anything different, but still, the revelation was quite interesting. "If I may, what exactly happened to Shae? The scar, the speech, all that?"

[DragonSong]

Barkus shook his head again. "We don't know. Even when there were enough people in the manor who understood her signs, we never knew. She doesn't remember."

He shrugged and glanced at the birdlike young woman, already shrinking back into her corner. "She was maybe...eight? A bit of a thing." He frowned. "Can't believe someone would do that to a child..."

His words were rather at odds with his treatment of the girl over the last few hours.

[emeraldknight]

"Doesn't remember? That's strange". Diamond thought about the evidence. None of it added up! It had seemed as though there was a reason for not killing Shae, and to have that reason, they'd have to know her, right? It wasn't like she was famous. But if this was the case, then how could no-one have any idea? The killing of all the servants who understood the signs couldn't be coincidental, could it? And if it indeed was not, then the perpetrator would have to know the servants, know exactly who each of them were to Shae, and so they would have to have been to the manor, after Shae's memory was lost, so why didn't she remember?

Clutching at any way to prove his theory, to not have to start back at square one, he rushed to Shae and inquired, "Were any of the birds harmed?" If they were, then the criminal would definitely have wanted to deliberately make Shae suffer. Well, maybe.

[DragonSong]

Jumping skittishly, Shae blinked up at him in silence for a few movements before nervously shaking her head. Hastily, she raised three fingers, then signed, Missing.

She frowned, knowing he wouldn't understand, and tried again, mouthing the word. Gone.

[emeraldknight]

"Gone?" Diamond felt on the verge of a breakdown, and he wasn't really sure why. He just wanted things to add up for once! At least it wasn't that nothing had happened to them. "Wait, what am I saying? That's horrible!"

"Calm down. I need the list. Once I get that, I'll be able to sort out everything. All will be well" Still, it was no use just waiting around. He needed to ask the kennel master a few questions, maybe that would help. "Shae, would you mind showing me where I could find the kennel master?"

[DragonSong]

The raven keeper nodded quickly and turned on her heel, beckoning for him to follow her through the halls of the manor and out onto the grounds.

[emeraldknight]

Diamond followed, rethinking all the evidence thus far. The amnesia issues complicated everything incredibly. No matter how many times he turned everything over in his mind, he always came to the same conclusion: It must have been a personal attack on Shae. He sighed.

"Maybe this kennel master may be able to fill in the blanks..."

[DragonSong]

Shae led Diamond out of the manor proper and onto the grounds, guiding him toward the long, low building on the opposite end of the courtyard from the stables, where the happy barking of at least some dozen canines could already be heard.

[emeraldknight]

Really, Blood Diamond should have known what to expect when he heard the term 'Kennel Master'. Still, the barking was surprising. He wasn't too good at recognizing animal signals, so he couldn't exactly tell if the dogs were happy, or very angry. "I suppose I'll find out". He approached the building and stared, a bit nervous about the animals inside. Nervously, he gestured for Shae to go first, hoping maybe it would pass for politeness.

[DragonSong]

Shae nodded and stepped up into the threshold of the kennel, knocking lightly.

"Whossat then?" Dorran, the kennel master, stuck his head out of one of the cages, smiling a bit when he noticed Shae, then pausing when he caught sight of Blood Diamond.

"Who's your friend, little bird?" he asked, tilting his head. Shae smiled and signed the two words that made up his name-- slowly, and she repeated it several times. Dorran blinked, then snorted. "Sorry lass; Bleeding Stone?" He shook his head. "That can't be right, I'm not understandin' ya."

[emeraldknight]

The vigilante snickered to himself a bit when he heard the man's translation. He'd received many reactions to his name over the course of his career, but this had to be one of the best. Stepping gingerly forwards to introduce himself, he extended a hand. "Blood Diamond, at your service. I am here to investigate the theft and massacre that occurred here."

"Bleeding Stone!", he thought, triggering another bout of barely-contained laughter. "That's the best thing I've heard all day!"

[DragonSong]

"Ah." The kennel master shook his hand, though it was clear "Blood Diamond" didn't make a whole lot more sense to him than "Bleeding Stone". "Name's Ivan. So. What can I go for you two, exactly?" he asked warily, glancing between the two of them.

[emeraldknight]

"I'm glad you asked. I have been investigating the tragic incident that you no doubt are aware of, and, well, the leads are rather sparse. However, the owner of the manor said that you might be able to tell me about Shae. We believe the incident may have something to do with her past."

He grimaced as he said it, feeling once again overwhelmingly sorry for the girl.