“Just black, please. I’ve grown quite fond of the taste, and learned to love it without any distractions,” Midian answers. He also habitually smells any food or drink for suspect odors of poison or drugs, and less distractions make that easier. He is able to sip gingerly while doing so, using the heat as an excuse in this case. 

“I’ll beg your forgiveness in advance, Hercule, as I suspect this may be the part where my questions are a bit redundant with those who came before me. This magus, Sarina, how long did she stay here, and when did she check out? Or did she? I’m also told she hand a handmaiden?”

"We haven't seen her, or her maid since the morning of the day Seeker Harlan was killed," says Damass, shaking his head.

"Yes," agrees Lucinda, pouring Midian his caf. "And I am beginning to think that she, in fact, might be the true victim here."

“The true victim,” Midian repeats, sounding thoughtful. “What do you mean by that? Harlan, the Seeker, he was the only victim killed in the incident, correct?” 

"How do we know?" replies the woman with a shrug. "We haven't seen them since they left here, and that was well before your Seeker turned up and demanded access to their room. For all we know, they were the first victims of whoever killed your man."

Midian brings the mug to his lips, staring at the two over the edge of the mug as he takes a deeper drink.  "Perhaps we had best go right to the incident, then.  When did it take place?  Any witnesses among you or your staff, or did anyone hear the struggle? From what you're describing, Sarina was not found among the dead, but was never seen since the incident, correct?  I am assuming someone investigated after the fact, found Harlan - the Seeker's - body, and reported it from there?  What else did they find?"  Midian resumes drinking while allowing them to catch up with the flurry of questions, all things he is curious, but again, partially designed to throw off their composure in case they had any rehearsed answers planned.  

"I found the body," replies the woman coldly. "At his insistence, I let him into the woman's room and he told me to leave. I went back a little later and he was methodically going through their things inspecting them closely. He said he was looking at the evidence with his mage sight, but... well... it made my skin creep actually, so I left him to it again."

She then shifts uncomfortably before adding, "Things got busy and I didn't get back up to the room for a few candles, and when I did he was dead... There was lots of blood, and his head... It was horrible."

At this, Heracles gets up and put his arm around his wife's shoulders. He then says, "The crime was immediately reported to the Town guards, who I presume were the ones who contacted the Temple of Donai when they saw it was one of your people involved."

“Had you ever met the man from our order, Harlan, before he came and asked to search Sarina’s room? I assume she was gone at the time, to the best of your knowledge?”

"Yes," they both reply in unison. "He comes in here often as a customer." They both then look at each other and Heracles makes a grimace, and adds, "Came."

"The woman," says Lucinda, "Sarina, left after breakfast and went to the School of Occult Studies... At least I assume that was where she went. She did tell me she was in Constantine for that reason. The maid servant was in and out a couple of times that morning on errands and the last time I saw her she was going out carrying a large bag, but that was well before Seeker Harlan arrived."

Midian sets the cup down, and dabs at his mouth with a napkin, as if to indicate discretion and propriety.  "Had Halec ever paid a visit on Sarina's room before?  Perhaps while she was present?"

"Not that I am aware," answers Lucinda. "I didn't even know they were connected until he came in and demanded I let him into her room."

"I think that might have seen each other before, at least," says Heracles thoughtfully to his wife. "I believe she might have been in the dining room when Harlan had his run-in with Simad Moonson the other night." He then turns to Simad and adds, "But you'd have to talk to the night staff about that. I was in here playing cards."

"Now there's a suspect for you," says Lucinda. "Not that I'm saying he did it, but if anyone is going to have any animosity to you Donai followers, it is a follower of Arion."

"A follower of Arion-" Midian very nearly does a spit take with the coffee.

Quote from phillberrie >>

"Not that I am aware," answers Lucinda. "I didn't even know they were connected until he came in and demanded I let him into her room."

"I think that might have seen each other before, at least," says Heracles thoughtfully to his wife. "I believe she might have been in the dining room when Harlan had his run-in with Simad Moonson the other night." He then turns to Simad and adds, "But you'd have to talk to the night staff about that. I was in here playing cards."

"Now there's a suspect for you," says Lucinda. "Not that I'm saying he did it, but if anyone is going to have any animosity to you Donai followers, it is a follower of Arion."

 OOC: Two things - I assume the reaction above is appropriate, someone openly known to be a follower of Arion is a bit taboo?   I also assume you did not mean "He turns to Simad," but "turns to Lucinda," correct?  Just clarifying on both.

Quote from Izraal1 >>

Quote from phillberrie >>

"Not that I am aware," answers Lucinda. "I didn't even know they were connected until he came in and demanded I let him into her room."

"I think that might have seen each other before, at least," says Heracles thoughtfully to his wife. "I believe she might have been in the dining room when Harlan had his run-in with Simad Moonson the other night." He then turns to Simad and adds, "But you'd have to talk to the night staff about that. I was in here playing cards."

"Now there's a suspect for you," says Lucinda. "Not that I'm saying he did it, but if anyone is going to have any animosity to you Donai followers, it is a follower of Arion."

 OOC: Two things - I assume the reaction above is appropriate, someone openly known to be a follower of Arion is a bit taboo?   I also assume you did not mean "He turns to Simad," but "turns to Lucinda," correct?  Just clarifying on both.

[OOC: My bad about the name, yes, it should be 'Lucinda'. Followers of Aaron are officially frowned upon by the Temple (i.e., the religion of the state) and Midian would also know that being involved with the cult of Arion is a crime worthy of expulsion at the School of Occult Studies, but that doesn't mean the followers of Arion aren't active in trying to increase their numbers, which means they probably have members who aren't so secret about their relationship with the sect. In fact, Midian has probably met this Moonstone person before. An unsavoury fellow who was expelled from the School of Occult Studies because of his involvement with the Arion Sect.]

"I may have met Simad Moonson.  A rabble rouser, with certainty, I didn't know he was openly known as an Arionite.  That it is indeed a person of interest," Midian says.  "Did you tell the prior investigator from the church about Simad?" 

Lucinda looks at her husband who just shrugs and say, "Wasn't the first time those two have had a theological disagreement in here, and I only just realised it was the last... We normally don't care what religious persuasion our customers have, just that they don't annoy the other patrons."

"Have you seen Simad return here again since the murder," Midian asks.  "And is there anything else about this whole scenario that has felt wrong, felt off, to you?  Even people not trained to think the worst in others have a sense for things that shouldn't be.  If there is anything that seems odd about any of the people involved, the manner of the killing, anything you saw or heard, big or small, you could provide the church a vital clue to solving this mystery."  

"No," says Heracles. "I haven't seen Moonson recently." He then turns to his wife who shakes her head.

"Er," begins Lucinda as though looking for the right words. "I don't know how you go about your investigations, but Seeker Harlan's actions on the day he was killed... Well they just seemed wrong. As I said before, the way he was slowly and methodically going through those two women's belongings... It just really gave me the creeps. And, shouldn't he have asked their permission, or them already been apprehended for some crime before he came looking for evidence."

“His behavior does sound unusual,” Midian says. He described behaviors associated with several possibilities that come to mind. “Did he seem to have a personal obsession with the woman (personal), did he seem overly single minded and almost mechanical in his behavior (charmed or dominated), or did he appear to be afraid (acting under duress), when he went through her things very slowly and deliberately, as you noticed?”

Lucinda thinks for a moment and then says, "When I saw him going through their things he didn't seem to be acting under any form of coercion... Sorry, but I didn't think to use mage sight at the time, so I don't know if he was acting under a spell or not. As to whether they had any previous connection? I wouldn't think so, Sarina mentioned that she new in town."

"Perhaps you should talk to the night staff," add Heracles. "They might have seen something we didn't. As I said before, I was in here playing cards with some of my regulars and Lucinda was upstairs."

“I may do not,” Midian says. “I assume the night staff is not scheduled to arrive until much later? If you know their home addresses I may pay a call on them while I am out and about following up on other leads. Otherwise I will return this evening.”