A little disappointed, yet understanding, Olive doesn't request what he planned to, as Arren guessed. Curious, and since the soldiers didn't dismiss him, he stays in the kitchen to see what will happen.

Bryn's third rapping is finally answered, and Zaba opens the door. "Did your investigation bear any fruits?" He asks hopefully once he recognises 'Tace'. "Or do you have anything else you need my help with?"

He sounds ready to help, but also a little tired. Behind him, Bryn (and Arren) can see a small, empty dining room. By the looks of it, Zaba was just cleaning the dining table. Although nobody else is in the room at the moment, the table - and the entire room - looks too large to occupy just one person regularly.

"Our investigation has been productive, but it is alas still ongoing", 'Tace' replies.

Assuming he notices Olive loitering in the kitchen, he will ask, "Would it be possible for the Sergeant and I to come in for a moment and speak in private?".

In truth, he only has one question, but he certainly doesn't want to ask it in front of Olive. And he is a little curious as to Zaba's living area as well, so it doesn't hurt having an excuse.

Arren silently approves of Tace's request, then smiles faintly to himself, thinking Olive is in for a second disappointment in a few seconds. If Zaba doesn't let them in, he'll make sure Olive is sent away so they can speak freely about the matter at hand.

To Zaba, the Sergeant offers a small nod as he waits for his response, quietly hoping he'll permit them entry.

He does add, though, "Your stew was delicious, by the way."

"Umm, sure." Zaba answers hesitantly after peeking over Bryn's shoulders to see who could disturb their privacy in the kitchen, and seeing Olive who made no special effort to hide. "Thank you." He adds following Arren's compliment, while he steps back to allow Arren and 'Tace' in.

He motions for the two soldiers to sit by the table, which is still a little damp from its recent cleaning. "Just a moment, please." Zaba asks of them while he takes a the used dinnerware into the kitchen (the same one Bryn and Arren just left). After sending Olive away from the kitchen despite to the boy's dissatisfaction, he returns to join the two soldiers at the table and closes the door leading to the kitchen behind him.

"I'd offer you tea, but I assume you're not here to stay for long." Zaba opens. "So, how may I be of assistance?"

The room looks simple yet cozy. It appears that the kitchen used for The Three Frogs is also used for private needs here, as neither of Bryn or Arren sees a second kitchen. 

An open archway leads to the living room where a small fireplace keeps the whole house warm, and a carpet covers the floor. There are three doors there. One, you can assume, leads outside.

There is one simple drawing hanging in the living room, but it can also be seen through the archway. In it, there are four people: A man that looks like Zaba when he was younger, a woman about his age and two children - a boy and a girl.

'Tace' does as asked and moves int the room and sits at the table whilst Zaba tidies.

As he notices the picture he can't help but wonder what happened to what he assumes is Zaba's family. The children likely moved out to live their own lives, but what became of the mother.

Zaba's return refocusses him on why they are there.

"Our investigation has determined that we are dealing with more than the mundane, which is obviously concerning. There are different accounts and rumours swirling, but certain things are becoming clearer. And yet there is a niggle in my mind that I want to lay to rest. You mentioned you were one of the ones that buried Hector after he was killed. I would like to know exactly where. I want to confirm that nothing has disturbed his rest", he says tentatively but seriously.

He waits to see the reaction of Zaba and the Sergeant to his request, and the connotation that is behind it.

As Zaba expected, the Sergeant declines the offer of tea with a quick motion of his hand, accompanied by a grateful nod. He settles into his seat, eyes quickly scanning the room as he does so. His gaze lingers on the family portrait, and quiet questions begin to form in his mind—questions he might have asked, with tact, if not for the Corporal's unexpected request and the surprise it brought.

Arren's head, previously fixed on Zaba, turns toward Tace. He blinks once, lips parting slightly in surprise—a brief break in his usual demeanor, yet one unmistakable to anyone familiar with the Sergeant.

For a few instants, the Half-Elf considers the implications, and even though he doesn't really know what could be gleaned from investigating Hector's grave—or even his body, if that's how far the Corporal intends to go—he finally agrees that it might be helpful, and that it doesn't lie beyond the scope of murder investigations. So he closes his lips and turns to look again at Zaba, as if conveying the question himself. It is clear that he himself now wants to know where Hector is buried as well.

What he doesn't say is that, once they know the location, no further steps will be taken without the Commandant's consent. But that is a conversation for later.

Zaba looks at 'Tace' in disbelief. "You don't mean to say...?" He trails off, but then recollects and resumes. "We buried him in the cemetery. It lies northwest of town, but not too far. We haven't had a proper headstone made yet, but it is the newest grave there, and therefore the one farthest from the gate."

He then clears his throat, but continues in a hushed, sceptical voice. "But, when you say 'more than mundane', what do you mean exactly? And what does it have to do with Hector's grave? You don't think the 'monster' came back for a 'second course', do you? What is it that you've learned that makes you think that?"

Zaba looks at Arren for a moment, as if saying: 'Can you believe what he says?' But, seeing Arren's straight face, he realises 'Tace' must be serious. "I'd say the dead wouldn't wander off, so perhaps you'd rather wait until tomorrow, but anyway... If you follow the main road crossing Ersta northwards, after about two minutes of walking beyond Ersta, you'll come to a small wooden sign indicating a trail heading westwards. It will bear the writing 'Cemetery', so you shouldn't mistake it. Follow the trail for a bit and you'll arrive at the cemetery."

Noticing the look on Zaba's face, 'Tace' is not surprised. In truth, he is not ruling anything out, but he doesn't expect the grave to have been disturbed. In fact he hopes it hasn't been.

"Only that it does seem likely that Hector was killed by some kind of unnatural monster, and that we don't yet understand the nature of it. Unnatural makes me think supernatural, and that brings up all manner of fanciful childhood stories. But regardless, Hector's body is the one physical piece of evidence that exists, and it would perhaps be remiss of us not to acknowledge that. And if there is another party interested in the monster, s Olive suggests, they may well have come to the same conclusion", he explains.

He looks to the Sergeant, "I don't know whether exhuming the body is within our remit here, but I at least want to make sure it has not been disturbed".

"As for whether we go this evening, or in the morning, I am not adverse to waiting. Perhaps I could go after my trance", he suggests.

Arren considers Tace's words, and he can't help but agree. In a case like this, leaving any stone unturned—even one that might seem far-fetched—would amount to poor attention to detail. And as that thought crosses his mind, he almost smirks at his own choice of words. Stone unturned, indeed.

"I'd say it is within the scope of this kind of investigation. That said, I've never dealt with a case like this before. We'll need to check first", he replies, not bothering to indicate who they need to check with, since it is clear enough.

He also considers the Corporal’s offer to do this after his trance. The Sergeant doesn't initially like the idea, since he's used to the rule that they should work in pairs whenever possible. But by the looks of it, the longer they stay in Ersta, the more tasks pile up before morning, and he'll still need a full night's rest. Same as the Commandant, and unlike the Lieutenant and Corporal. "Damn," he curses inwardly. "And this was supposed to be the easy part of the trip back to Pyorre."

Arren doesn't answer, but Tace can see he's weighing his options. Instead, Arren stands and addresses Zaba. "I think we've disturbed you enough for today. Thank you again." He pauses. "Please, keep all this to yourself. We wouldn't want what we've told you to reach anyone else in town. At least, not while we are investigating."

With that, and if the Corporal has no further questions, Arren turns to leave.

Once they've left Zaba, and after making sure there's no one near the kitchen who could be listening, Arren halts and lowers his voice. "I'd rather we return to the Commandant and Walnuts with a plan. Are we heading back to Emma right away, with the manacles as the only protection to bring her back? Or should we check the grave first? I think it might be best to do that first. That way, we'd return to Emma with all our questions answered. But, of course, it will take longer."

OOC: Two questions. First, how long would it take us to dig a fresh grave, if we end up doing that? Would we have the proper tools? Second, how much time has passed since this estimate was made?

Zaba nods along slowly, but Bryn (and Arren) doubts he agrees with him. Without seeing all that he had, he probably wouldn't have believed himself either. Or, he'd at least be sceptical. After all, this all sounds like a tale spun by someone with a rich imagination. The only reason Zaba doesn't outright say it is impossible is, well, the uniforms worn by both Arren and 'Tace'. Surely, the soldiers don't walk around making things up like so?

When Arren stands up to leave, Zaba stands as well to see the pair out. "Of course, no problem. Oh, but, I imagine we'll be sleeping the next time you come around, so unless it's urgent, I'd appreciate it if you could wait until morning. As much as I'd like to know the truth, and see Emma safe again if still possible, tomorrow comes all the same, and there's breakfast to prepare for everyone in this inn." Although said kindly, the message should be clear.

Digging a grave, with expert hands and proper tools, takes several hours. Searching the net suggests around 6 hours for a real-life grave digger. Perhaps a little less than usual with the ground softened by the rain, and Arren is stronger than the average person, and if you dig together... but still, within the same order of magnitude. On top of that, the crew doesn't normally carry a shovel with them, so there isn't any lying ready in the carriage.

I'm not certain which estimate you refer to (best link/mention the specific comment next time), but I'd say, roughly, somewhere between 60-90 minutes since you've returned to Ersta.

I also want to say that, while any in-game arguments are to your consideration, I want you to know that Bryn may act while Arren is asleep, and above table, maybe even encouraged to. For some time now, I've been thinking of how I can have Arren play a dream sequence (perhaps a semi-lucid one) without having Bryn waiting (since, as an Elf who doesn't dream, I cannot give him such a sequence in parallel). I've had some ideas I've been messing with, but if Bryn ever wants to do something at night, it could give me a good time to do this. There are other solutions, but all I'm saying is that having the other person wait shouldn't be a consideration in this case.

(ooc: leaving the proper link here, for future reference.)

'Tace' is also ready to leave, and thanks Zaba for his time before stepping back into the kitchen and making sure he and the Sergeant are alone.

"I am less certain than before after speaking to Fir and Olive, truth be told", he says to the Sergeant quietly in case there are any trying to listen in from the next room. "When we were speaking with Emma, I was more confident in bringing her back to town. That if we could avoid her feeling threatened that she would remain harmless. But having spoken of a hunter, and of the other reported incidents that Emma did not seem aware of, it is less clear that she remembers everything as she believes", he confesses.

"I don't think it is right to leave her in the wilderness either though. I think we need to speak to her again before we decide. We need to ask her about the person who came to help her, and what they did. That is the missing piece of the puzzle right now. We could quickly check the state of the grave on the way. And if we take the manacles we have the option to bring her back to town", he suggests.

"Understood," is the Sergeant's reply to Zaba. The tavern keeper is well within his rights to set that boundary.

Moments later, in the kitchen, Arren rubs his chin, pensive, as Tace speaks. When the Elf finishes, he nods a couple of times, then replies, still keeping his voice low, "I wasn't that confident myself about bringing her back, but at least I felt somewhat certain that she hadn't killed anyone else. But now…" He shakes his head and lowers his voice further. "If she has indeed murdered more people, well, you heard what the Commandant said. That might mean taking her out ourselves, or asking for backup in case we think that won't be possible."

He falls silent. After a moment, he seems to shake the thought away and continues, "All right. So—carriage first, then grave. And back to the forest after that."

At this point, Arren proposes stepping out of the kitchen to give a quick update to the Lieutenant and the Commandant. Unless the Corporal interjects for some reason, he'll approach their table without sitting long—just enough to quietly relay the essentials. They now suspect there may be other victims. There are reports of a hunter who might have been tracking the creature, and rumors of additional deaths that Emma doesn't seem aware of. The culprits could be bandits—but then again, bandits don't usually leave their victims' belongings behind.

"These may be connected to Emma, or they may not," he says, "but regardless, we need to ask her about 'BS'. "

He points out that the hunter could be Etanan. And that they plan to take the manacles, check Hector's grave—just in case—and then likely head back to the forest after that.

Unless the Commandant or Lieutenant raises an objection, Arren will get back his weapons and gear, intending to leave as soon as possible.

Quote from FairIthilien >>

"Unless the Corporal interjects for some reason..."

Does he?

"They now suspect there may be other victims.  [...] and rumors of additional deaths that Emma doesn't seem aware of."

I'd like to know how exactly Arren phrases this part about deaths Emma isn't aware of, to avoid any misunderstandings.

"And that they plan to take the manacles, check Hector's grave..."

Again, to clear any misunderstandings, I'd like you to phrase exactly what Arren says regarding the grave.

 

 Please refer to my questions above. I feel like I need to make a few assumptions to respond to this post and I'd rather know what you meant.

It might be difficult to tell behind the mask, but 'Tace' does not look happy when the Sergeant mentions taking Emma out themselves. She is a victim! I hope those manacles hold and she will accept wearing them.

He doesn't object to the course of action proposed by the Sergeant though, nor does he interject when the Sergeant goes over to speak to the Commandant and Lieutenant, not knowing exactly what he is going to say. He expects at least a request for the carriage key so he can collect the manacles.

At this point, Arren proposes stepping out of the kitchen to give a quick update to the Lieutenant and the Commandant. Unless the Corporal interjects for some reason, he'll approach their table without sitting long—just enough to quietly relay the essentials.

They now suspect there may be other victims. There are reports of a hunter who might have been tracking the creature, and rumors of additional deaths that Emma doesn't seem aware of. 

"Unfortunately, Fir couldn't give us much information to explain Hector's behavior that we didn't already know. She also wasn't aware of Emma having received help from an outsider so they could conceive, and was skeptical that anything like that had actually happened. All she knew was that Emma had been trying different foods and remedies. While she admitted Emma could have confided in someone else, she thought that would've been unlikely—Emma didn't have many close friends, nor was open to speak about this issue."

"Olive, on the other hand, told us about other deaths along the road. He mentioned five or six cases where travelers had been attacked in the area. Looks like the bodies were found in a similar condition to Hector's. No known survivors—at least, none that Olive had heard of. Still, I'm not sure we can say for certain that these were caused by 'the monster.' It's possible bandits were responsible and were just covering their tracks. But the rumors also claim the bodies were found with their valuables still on them" (ooc: I hope I'm not making this part up, I can't find this specific part right now it right now), "and that's not something bandits usually do."

"Olive also mentioned a hunter who passed through Ersta about eight days ago. Possibly Etanan, possibly a halfling—but he could have just been a shorter individual from another race. He was asking questions about the monster and seemed interested in venturing deeper into the forest to investigate. In fact, Olive met him near the border of the forest. Olive hasn't heard from him since. Could he be dead? Maybe. Or maybe he just gave up the search. He did give Olive a strange root, by the way." He proceeds to describe it.

"All in all," he concludes, "we're no longer sure Emma only killed her husband. But we're also not certain she's behind everything that's happened. Not yet. We need to keep looking into it—and fortunately, we still have time."

And that they plan to take the manacles, check Hector's grave—just in case—and then likely head back to the forest after that.

"Regarding Hector's grave, the Corporal thought - soundly in my opinion - that we should investigate it. First because, well, this whole situation is very strange in general. Bordering the supernatural, even. Out of the ordinary, at the very least. Also, as the Corporal said, if there is a hunter involved, it could be good to check if Hector's grave has been disturbed because that person has been investigating by himself." He doesn't mention they were even thinking of exhuming the body, since they do not have the means to do it quickly.

(ooc: Hope this is better! Please correct me as you see fit!

Regarding Arren's feelings towards dealing with Emma, I thought of explaining myself OOC in this post. Then I thought it might be better if 'Tace' rolls for insight if he wishes. Or that we all just see what happens next. I'm good with both options.

Regarding the key, we have it. )

Commandant Nattensbarn listens attentively, all the way through Arren's report. "And despite all that, you'd still like to go?" She finally asks once Arren is done. "I won't stop you now, after you've gone so far, but please, value your safety over hers. It pains me to say it, as we soldiers are usually supposed to put our lives on the line to protect the defenceless. However, from your reports, it sounds like Emma is far from defenceless, and in this case, we must consider the greater good. That is, if things do not turn out as we may hope."

Since Arren didn't mention exhuming the body, the Commandant doesn't say a word on the matter, and Arren can interpret it as her having no objections. Why would she?

"Regardless, if she is the reason behind those extra deaths," she continues, "then we cannot leave her be. I'll trust your judgement if you choose to go now, but if you cannot solve this issue, find a way to return safely, and I'll send word of it to someone appropriate. Also," she pauses to emphasize, "if you think there's any danger she'll... 'turn', do not bring her into town with you. If she is as dangerous as you say she might be, we cannot risk such a person in town."

As mentioned, you have the key.

Regarding insight rolls, it could - at best - give Bryn a hint of how Arren feels in regards to certain aspects. Interpreting reactions/changes in tone and body language when certain topics are raised. You can roll if you'd like, but what I mean to say is, a good insight roll doesn't turn the other person into an open book.

However, while I expect you to keep that in mind, if you choose to go that way, I won't limit you in what you write. Up to you.

'Tace' had remained silent until now, happy that the Sergeant was representing them both adequately enough. In truth, more than adequately.

When the Commandant replies though, he feels he should add his voice.

"By all accounts, the situation Emma finds herself in is not of her direct doing, Sir. She appears to be the victim of some kind of accident, or the machinations of this BS person", he interjects respectfully. "It may be the case that she is dangerous and beyond any help we can provide, but I do not believe we have reached the point where we need to make that decision as of yet".

"Of course if we do reach that point we will follow your direction regarding putting our duty first, as well as the safety of the populace of Ersta", he adds.

He looks across at the Sergeant, and motions to the door with a flick of his eyes, out of sight of the Commandant and Lieutenant.

The sooner we leave, the sooner we get answers. Or at the least the sooner we return.

(OOC: Bryn does not insight the Sergeant at this time. He is also happy to got and retrieve the manacles whilst the Sergeant gets ready)

Arren opens his mouth to answer the moment the Commandant asks if they'd like to go despite everything, but finds that Tace is quicker, and so he simply nods along to the Corporal's general words. Well, except perhaps one of them. He does give him a pointed look when he calls her Sir instead of Ma'am.

Much the same, he agrees with what the Commandant has said. Arren still has no idea how they'll manage to solve the matter—but at the very least, he knows he'll do everything he can to keep anyone else from getting hurt.

"We'll do the best we can, given the situation. I think the issue isn't whether she caused all these deaths, but whether there's something we can do to prevent more." He speaks quietly, so as not to be overheard, then adds, "Even if she'd only killed Hector, I still wouldn't bring her into town if that meant, for example, that Olive could end up hurt." He pauses briefly. "But as was said, we haven't reached any critical point just yet."

He stands up, gives both the Commandant and the Lieutenant a respectful nod, and adds, "We'll do our best so no one gets hurt. And I sincerely wish that includes Emma herself."

Arren notices the flick of Tace's eyes toward the door and can't help a faint smile. He tries to recall, when did he start sharing looks like that with Walnuts? And what were they even supposed to call Tace, anyway? He was Sand, the Lieutenant was Walnuts—but Tace? Arren still didn't have the slightest idea. Either way, he walks up to him and hands him the carriage key. "I'm going to take a bit longer than you to get ready," he says. "If you want, you can go grab the manacles and I'll meet you at the door."

 (ooc: with this he won't really do anything else, other than prepare to leave. If I don't forget, Arren is going to tell "Tace" before heading to the graveyard that he has a Healing Kit on his backpack. Just so he knows. Hope we won't need to use it)

Perhaps to his surprise (but maybe not), "Tace's" response is met with an understanding, even grateful look from the Commandant. He feels that what he said is exactly what she hoped to hear. Perhaps even what she hoped she could say.

When followed by a similar statement by Arren, Commandant Nattensbarn turns her head back to her papers, but you can see a faint smile, which she probably tried to hide. "I'm glad to hear my subordinates are temperate men. Just don't let your compassion blind you. Now then, please, I need to resume my work."

If you look back at Lieutenant Tireur, you find that his expression is that of pleasant surprise. Arren, too, knows (and Bryn probably picked up by now) the Commandant isn't one to hand out compliments often.

Bryn can make it to the carriage and back while picking up the manacles (and more?) from it, while Arren spends a few minutes getting ready while taking care not to disturb the Commandant nor the people in the adjacent room.

Arren knows people get nicknames in one of two ways: Either they present themselves with one, or their brothers-in-arms make one for them (as Walnust had told Arren that someone did for him). That said, some are just referred to by their name, as sometimes there is no better nickname. 

In some places in the world, they use 'sir' (or whichever equivalent) for both genders when addressing higher-ranking officers. In English, it is a little strange since the word is also used as a respectful way to address any man (male), but I hear that it is also done sometimes. I remember searching the net and seeing many people claim it isn't so, though, mostly in the States. As far as I'm concerned, use whichever you find more comfortable, the Commandant wouldn't won't mind as long as it sounds respectful.