“Oh, what a tangled web we weave...when first we practice to deceive.” [Nephero]

[kathieblueyes85]

Davie couldn't believe that it was happening again. She must have the worst luck ever. She always managed to stumble across things that she really didn't want to know. Hazards of pretending to be other people, I guess. On the outskirts of Arca, Davie was resting against a wall of a tavern disguised as a poor vagrant man in his late 60's with scraggly white hair and with tattered clothes. She was chewing on a long piece of grass she had picked from the side of the road. From her perch she could see a far off cluster of buildings, some stables, and several people training. Davie had been here before a long time ago but really didn't want to remember her time here.

People were coming and going around her and for the most part ignoring her vagrant persona. Davie found that pretending to be old and homeless was the best way to be invisible to town's people who would avert their eyes or not even see her when they walked past. She had been relaxing for around an hour after lunch figuring out where she was going next. Then she heard a couple of young men jockeying back and forth, "I can't believe you got this job! Are you really going to do it?"

Davie's ears perked up and she started to listen to their conversation though she had to be careful to play dumb so her illusion didn't show a reaction.

"Don't be dumb. What do you think we have been training for? Of course I am going to do it."

" But killing someone? And making it look like an accident. That's a rush."

" I know but I was thinking that......"

Davie couldn't hear anymore. She was faced with a choice follow them and see what would happen or just move along. This might be the adventure she was looking for and she might be able to make some money off it.

She proceeded to slowly get up as if she was infirm and needed help walking. Placing her imaginary cane into the dirt Davie walked after them all hobbled over towards them but couldn't get close enough to here them talk, when she saw them disappear into the nearest tavern. Davie knew this building and wasn't sure if she should change her disguise and follow the more wait them out. Ultimately here desire to nap won out and she closed her eyes. Illusions were exhausting to maintain. So she hobbled to the alleyway across the way from the tavern so she would have a good view of the front door. Relaxing against the wall she started to drift off to sleep.

"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEKKK!" Davie startled awake hours later looking around for the screaming woman and realized it was coming from one of the rooms upstairs from the tavern.

[nephero]

As one could only expect, the sounds of a woman shrieking instantly drew more than just nearby vagrants' attention. Shutters in other buildings swung open to admit curious heads, and quite a few of the people still on the streets amassed together in concerned groups. It said something about the evolution of their species, one might have supposed, in that they didn't run to investigate immediately, instead hanging back within the safety of their numbers.

After all, those who rushed headlong into danger didn't really often live to see the next generation. Keeping back had its survival rating. Leave it to the town guards, and all that. A pair of them rushed through the crowd that had begun to form at the entrance to the tavern, yelling all the while for people to get back for God's sake and let them through.

Quick on their heels was another man, though he wasn't dressed in the garb of the local law enforcement, but rather a smart uniform of an altogether foreign sort. Adelan, some whispered, gesturing to the badge over his right shoulder, a black dragon over a field of deep red.

Still, despite his foreigner status, he seemed to have already established some manner of rapport with the guards, as he was allowed to follow them in, his hand at his hip and ready to draw the short sword there.

The muttering of the gathered crowd only increased when a woman was led down and away from the tavern's porch, now completely in hysterics and unable to be consoled. The lights in the upstairs rooms lit one by one, growing brighter with every added candle and lantern, and it didn't take long for news to travel down to the milling crowd below.

Someone had been killed. Murder, really, in this part of town? With all the patrols? Had anyone seen anything? Where could the perpetrator have gone? Was anyone safe?

After a moment, the stranger reappeared on the tavern porch, his thick brows knit severely over tired green eyes.

"Attention! All residents of this inn are to step inside and wait to be called on by Sergeant Loren via the guest ledger. Anyone who has heard or seen anything up until this moment, also step inside, we will need as much information as you can give us, any little thing will be of use." He shifted his weight, and slipped a hand into one pouch, as if to fidget with the contents. "Also, we ask that if you do not have any information, to please clear the area. Go to your homes, and keep safe."

[kathieblueyes85]

As you would expect a crowd gathered largely ignoring her aging form. They guards rushed to the scene, there was a murder everyone was whispering. Davie wanted a closer look and to find out if those men really had killed someone or if it was some insane coincidence. There was no way that she was going to get in looking like this.

She took off further into the alleyway and turned her ring counter clockwise feeling herself relax. It always surprised her how tense she actually was while taking on new personas. She creeped in her natural form towards that entrance to the alley and peeked out. She wanted to get an idea of what was going on and what disguise would suit her needs. As the glow from the street shadowed her face an idea struck her. Ahh! Why hadn't she thought of this before.

She slipped back into the shadows and prepared herself to take on a new identity. This one would actually have a name. It looked like they were investigating so they would be suspicious of anyone who didn't belong. She had to imagine this was a real person. Miles Katona new recruit, father was in the guard, natural curiosity. Hmmm. She thought about making him generic so that he would blend in with the others but decided against it. He is six foot one, muscular build, in soldiers garb, confident, sure of himself, and knows that he is going places. She would keep her natural black hair and teal eyes since it was easier to keep up illusions that were more similar to herself. The scar on her face would obviously have to go. That should be enough to begin with and give her a good enough idea to form her illusion. She wanted to know what was going on. Needed to know so that she could find a way to turn her insider information around to her benefit.

Imagining Miles in all his glory Davie grasped her ring and turned it clockwise twice, just in case this took longer then she thought. Right away she felt the shiver of electricity run through her and felt the slight drain of her energy required by this. She moved toward to the entrance of the alley and confidently strode out into the night heading toward the tavern.

[nephero]

The passing of a guard, and a terribly imposing one, immediately broke a path through the crowd before the tavern. The stranger didn't even give Davie half of a glance, simply nodding in her direction to allow her passing. Soon enough, the people gathered began to somewhat disperse, more concerned now for their own safety with a potential killer on the loose.

The patrons of the inn, at the least, seemed to be all gathered, if the large amount of people waiting inside were any indication. The stranger took a deep breath, and rubbed at the bridge of his nose as if to alleviate some kind of impending (or, judging by the state of him, well-in-place) headache. No other witnesses, though.

It was disheartening, and after weeks, months of work, here he was again with the barest whisper of an idea and nothing else. The fires set into the braziers along the tavern walls flickered wildly, and he reached into his side pouch again as if on command. Later, he thought, hoping that much sentiment was conveyed without him looking like he was making faces at nothing. The fires ceased their flickering, and he let out a small breath of relief for that.

He looked over at Davie, frowning a bit as he tried to place the tall guard's name. He was so sure that he had seen him before... hadn't he? But with all the travel, all the talks, all the rapid-fire introductions, it was hard to be sure. Still, he gestured at the newcomer, even as he began walking towards the stairs, now flanked by two alternate guards to prevent anyone unofficial from passing.

"Sir, if you'll join me upstairs. I could use fresh eyes." He took the stairs two at a time, in a very real hurry to get to the bottom of this. Rest could wait.

[kathieblueyes85]

Wel that was easier then I thought, though there was a moment where Davie was unsure if the stranger would except here false identity. She tried not to notice as a guilty look would translate to her disguise. Then he appeared to except the illusion and asked her to follow him to the scene of the crime. Miles/Davie grunted in acquiescence.

Miles/Davie climbed the stairs after the stranger and followed him to the scene and upon was struck with the incompetence with which this crime was committed, he/she sure wouldn't have had this problem. Loitering just inside the door of the tiny space, the corpse was splayed in an awkward position in the small room. There was a wardrobe which was partially open, a fire still burning in the grate though it was dwindling, and a large roughly made bed with the corpse on it. The victim was a portly man with a protruding belly and his corpse sunk deeply into the roughly made mattress probably stuffed with straw. The sheets and blanket were rumpled and mostly torn off the bed falling to the wooden floor and the body was turned slightly so his naked form was splayed and his feet were hanging off the long side of the mattress.

Miles/Davie tried not to blush upon seeing the body's state of undress. She was unused to naked men and took a moment to collect her thoughts and calm the betraying redness in her and her Miles's cheeks. The stranger looked above her head toward Miles's eyes and gave him/her a weird look.

[nephero]

The stranger, at the very least, seemed far less disturbed by the scene. Which was a problem in and of itself, one might argue, in just how... used to these sorts of things he had gotten. He sighed, pulled a handkerchief from his pocket, and stepped closer to the body, the red fabric pressed over his mouth and nose.

"Soldier, if you'll have a look at this..." he turned to regard Miles/Davie, and his brows pressed together to create a deep wrinkle between them that never quite went away when he relaxed. Miles' face was turning an odd sort of pink, and he seemed to be struggling with his own discomfort. Which was more than a little odd. "...Are you feeling all right?"

A light breeze gusted through the room, thankfully in the direction of the window and not to push any odors towards the room's occupants. The stranger seemed to deflate a little bit, however, and he let out a soft sigh as he kneeled down by the bed. He took a hold of the corpse's hand, and turned it over, leaning in close to observe the recently deceased's fingers.

"I understand that in this city, crimes of this nature are typically unheard of, but I'll need you to gather yourself, sir. Look, blood, under the nails. Someone's running around with fresh scratches."

[kathieblueyes85]

Miles/Davie gathered herself and managed to suppress the blush. In a gruff voice she said," I am fine sir. Can you tell what happened? There must be struggle if there's blood under his nails."

Davie stepped closer and leaned down to look at the corpses hands. upon doing so he noticed a small vial that appeared to have rolled under the bed and was mostly obscured by the blankets and sheets.
She wondered if the young assassin's had planned to poison the man and had been interrupted. Wan't it supposed to look like an accident? This was most definitely not and accident.

"Sir, I wonder if any of the witnesses or staff knew who this man was? Maybe that will help us with who could have committed this crime? Maybe they witnessed this man in some sort of altercation earlier in the day?"

"Also, sir, mind if I ask your name so I don't have to keep calling you sir? I can see you have experience with these types of situations. I would appreciate any of your expertise."

[nephero]

The stranger had at least enough decency to look mildly abashed, and he grimaced behind his kerchief. He stepped away from the body, and pocketed the bit of cloth quickly afterwards.

"My apologies... I... wasn't sure if we had already been introduced. It's Eco, Remigio Eco. But you're right, perhaps we should inquire as to just where our... recently deceased friend here has been."

He stepped over towards the door, his boots clacking smartly against the wooden floorboards. He murmured something to the guards stationed outside the room, and one of them quickly descended the stairs in order to fulfill the order Remi had given him. He turned back towards the room and the body, then, his green eyes narrowed against sleep and whatever tiny details that might try to escape him.

"Too much experience, chasing an infection." He stepped around the room, taking in the state of things, and he circled around the bed more than once. "There was a struggle here, to be certain. Look, there's bruising just under, ah... just under the chin, here. But just the chin."

He held out his hand, the leather of his glove creaking just a bit as he stretched his fingers as wide as they would go. It didn't quite meet the extent of the bruising, even when he added a second hand as if to mimic strangulation. He clicked his tongue as if in apparent understanding.

"I imagine this is what woke our friend up... started him kicking and clawing. Though it's odd, here the sheets seem almost... re-tucked. Hastily. Why bother trying to clean up?"

[kathieblueyes85]

While Eco had his back turned and was talking to the guard Davie quickly snatched the small vial and placed it in her pocket. She would ask a Apothecary to see if they knew the origin of the contents in the vial.

Eco returned and made some observations about the scene and tried to mimic the bruise on the corpse by placing his hand around his throat staying, "I imagine this is what woke our friend up... started him kicking and clawing. Though it's odd, here the sheets seem almost... re-tucked. Hastily. Why bother trying to clean up?"

Davie replied,"It seems a bit like overkill, pardon the pun, to tuck in the sheets after having killed a man. Especially when it's pretty obvious that it wasn't accidental. "

Davie stood up and went to the door to check to see if there was any information about this man from the witnesses. Just as she opened her mouth to ask the the guard the question the other guard came pounding up the stairs.

Davie went to open her mouth again when Eco stepped in a took over, irritating Davie.

[nephero]

"A bit obvious..." Remi frowned a bit, and stared down at a point in the floor as if it were the most interesting thing in the world. His mouth moved, but no words came out, the man seemingly muttering to himself in thought.

"It... is a bit obvious this wasn't an accident, isn't it. So why even pretend?" He looked up at the thundering of armored boots, and didn't even seem to notice the aggravated look on Miles' face. The guard at the door reached out, and Remi took the torn paper from him. He unfolded it with a frown, noticing the ledger marks and the signed names. "The late Mr. Bonot, it seems. Merchant middle man on business. Hardly a huge assassination target..."

Remi frowned again, and looked back at the body, and then back to the sheet. He strode back over to the bed, stared down at it, before something finally seemed to click.

"A bit obvious... the killer mucked it up... this was intended to be an accident. You, I want every bit of information about Mr. Bonot. What he sells, where he lives, who he trades with." The guard at the door saluted, and immediately departed back down the stairs. Remi looked over at Miles, and seemed to consider him for a long moment.

"Good eye," he finally decided on, though the compliment was largely awkward, as if Remi wasn't sure just how to give one properly.

[kathieblueyes85]

Miles/ Davie considered the other objects in the room walking around to get a feel for what was going on. A table with no drawers, the wardrobe, the carpet. He/she approached the wardrobe and opened it. Most of the clothes appeared to have been rifled through but nothing appeared unusual. Then something caught his/her eye. One of the garments was caught under the bottom edge of the the wood covering the bottom of the wardrobe. That is strange how did the fabric get caught underneath? It was as if....aha!

Miles/Davie pulled the edge and revealed a false bottom. Lifting the thin wood he notice a leather pouch with documents, money, and were several items that Miles/Davie could feel through the bottom of the bag.

"Eco look what I have found here! There seems to be something hidden in the bottom of this wardrobe. I think our upstanding merchant was hiding something...."