Tattered Souls - Part 7 (part 2)
(continued from part 1)
Rastellion hesitates as they approach the mayor's office in Bree. "I don't know, Zandrianna. If Immalaine really is ... if there really is a license ..." He breaks off, gnawing on his lower lip.
Zandrianna glances at Rastellion, worry and confusion clashing in her green eyes. Still, the hand she rests on his shoulder remains steady as she replies,"Rastellion, there has to be an answer. I'll not believe that Immalaine would willingly return to this monster, much less wed him."
Rastellion takes a deep breath, then shrugs. "Well, we've come this far." He starts forward, then pauses again. "Would you talk to Bonnie? I think ... just ... would you ask her? About the papers?"
"Of course I will. I'll find out whatever I can from her, one way or another." Squaring her shoulders, she motions to the door and heads into the town hall.
Rastellion holds the door open for her then, after a brief hesitation, follows.
Zandrianna steps inside, looking around the crowded offices before making her way past a couple oblivious to any but each other. She steps up to Bonnie’s desk, noting the harried look on the woman's face and the pile of paperwork waiting to be done. "Mrs. Bonnie?" she asks.
The other woman looks up, pushing a lock of hair off her forehead. "Yes? What is i..." She breaks off, taking in Zandrianna's respectable appearance and somber expression. "What can I help you with, ma'am?" she asks more politely, if no less distractedly.
Behind Zandrianna, Rastellion hovers at the door to Bonnie's office, reluctant to step in. He looks back down the hall, and his eyes linger on the couple for a long moment before his attention returns to the conversation at hand.
"Paperwork is such a bear," Zandrianna comments sympathetically as she steps forward and takes a seat in one of the chairs across from Bonnie. "I'm quite fortunate to have someone to help out with my daughter, and still it seem to take days to get a stack done. By then there's usually a new stack. But Rossiath always tells me to do what needs doing." Zandrianna settles into chair, leaning forward. "If you've a moment, I need to check up on a matter."
Bonnie seems to relax slightly. "Oh you know Rossiath?" She peers at Zandrianna more closely. "Wait, I recognize you ... you're Komatsu's wife, aren't you? The one who's running that Bree Adventuring group." She leans forward. "Is it true that Rossiath was" - her voice drops even lower, her eyes go wide, and she almost looks eager as she plies Zandrianna for gossip - "was molested just outside the north gate?"
With a brief nod, Zandrianna replies. "Molested? No. But she was attacked a couple of days ago. She's home recovering with a broken arm now. Unacceptable that we can't walk our own streets safely." Zandrianna shakes her head ruefully, before turning her attention back to the matter. "But, yes, I am Zandrianna Zetsu. And not just the wife of Komatsu, but also guardian of a young lady by the name of Immalaine Tattersoll.”
Bonnie's eyes go even rounder and she nods a few times. "Why, I was speaking to Rossiath about that girl just a few days ago, the same day she was attacked. You sure it wasn’t more than that? See, the way I heard it, there was four ruffians who ambushed her just outside the walls..." She trails off, looking at Zandrianna eagerly, hoping for more details.
Zandrianna gives a nod. "I'm not sure of the number, but even one ruffian is one too many, don't you think?" she says, lifting her eyebrow. "Rossiath mentioned coming to visit you for lunch before the attack. Said you had a nice talk over seed cakes?"
Bonnie nods. "We did, though interrupted when one of her young friends came and..." Her hand flies to her mouth. "Oh! That must have been.. they must have gone right out to the gate after talking to me!"
"I wasn't there, and I'm afraid the story got a bit jumbled in the telling," Zandrianna replies, shortly, trying to move the conversation along. "But I did hear something that has me rather concerned. Something that belongs to Immalaine was stolen from my house recently. A deed."
Bonnie nods slowly. "The deed to her property, you mean? The one that Rastellion helped with?" Hearing his name, Rastellion steps fully into the office. Bonnie glances up at the motion, then stares across the room at him, her mouth shaping an 'O' of surprise.
"That would be the one," Zandrianna replies, a bit baffled by Bonnie’s response to Rastellion.
Bonnie keeps staring up at Rastellion who shifts his feet uncomfortably. After several long moments, Bonnie seems to remember Zandrianna's question and looks back at her and gives a slight shrug. "Stolen? I wouldn’t say that. It is hers after all, to do with as she pleases, yes?" She darts another glance at Rastellion.
"And it is my duty to see to her affairs, as she is my charge,” Zandrianna retorts. “The only thing that could change that would be my death or her marriage ..." She lets the sentence trail off, tightening her grip on the chair's arm.
Bonnie nods. "Her upcoming marriage, yes. Don’t worry; that's all in order. I.." She looks up at a motion in the doorway; Rastellion has just stepped back out into the hallway again. Bonnie frowns. "And I really oughtn't be discussing this with you. She may be staying with you, but that doesn't grant you any legal standing and..." She looks up at the empty doorway. "And I’m really quite busy." She grabs a piece of paper, seemingly at random, from the stack on her desk and stares down at it. "Perhaps if you come back later this week?..."
Zandrianna opens her mouth to speak but, seeing that Bonnie is intent on dismissing her, she closes it again as her mind reels from the statement. 'Upcoming marriage ..' she thinks, "to whom?" she asks, not realizing she'd said it out loud. Turning to where Rastellion had been standing moments ago, her eyes fill with distress. She stands up to follow him. Behind her, Bonnie places the piece of paper back down on the stack and watches her leave.
Zandrianna finds Rastellion out in the main hallway, looking grim. "You heard? All in order." He scuffs at the worn red carpet underfoot.
"I heard," Zandrianna replies, rubbing her forehead, "and I don't believe it. Something isn't right here. Some marriages are arranged ... I should know that, my first marriage was. If they can be arranged, they can be forced." Zandrianna shoots a glance to the room before turning back to Rastellion. "I ... no, I don't accept that she'd go willingly and marry this man."
Rastellion starts toward the door outside. "Maybe.”
Zandrianna hurries after him, throwing a glare at the young couple, now entwined around each other. "Get a room," she snarls. "Damn Pony's down the road!" The startled couple stares at the angry woman for a moment, before shrugging and resuming their activities.
Rastellion reaches the door and says, in a brittle tone, " I always intended to come back here and put things in order, before...” He straightens. “Well, I can still do that. I should stop by the trading hall for any messages or tickets, then head over to the Association's offices. See what sort of mess folks have gotten the books into while I was away. Put them in order." He holds the door open for Zandrianna, then strides after.
Zandrianna sighs. "I'll come with you to the trading hall, then go home to tend Althessia before I meet you back at the offi .." her sentence is cut short as she hears a pair of running feet on the cobblestones, and turns toward the glimpse of a head of bouncing red curls approaching at speed.
"Miss Zandrianna! We found you!" Merry exclaims. "We've got .... we've got to tell you. The man said we had to come find you and mister Rastellion!"
Behind Merry, Emrabeth approaches, seemingly unfazed by their run. Placing her hand on Merry's shoulder, she shakes her head. "Slow down sweet, you're not making a bit of sense." She chuckles, though the sound is hollow and humorless.
Rastellion glances up at the two young women and gives them a curt nod, but then steps away another pace to lean against the low wall and watch the pedestrians hurrying by, his shoulders slumped.
Zandrianna looks at the two young women. "Tell us what?" Zandrianna says, lowering her voice. "The man - Rastellion's uncle you mean? What did Ceolfred say to tell us?"
"Yes," Merry replies, still catching her breath. "Him. He said ... well, we waited and waited and then we saw some men come out of that house, and one of them was the one that I saw last time. So I told him so, and he said …"
Emrabeth cuts Merry off with a squeeze of her shoulder. "Take a breath sweet.” Her eyes shift to Zandrianna. “We saw a couple of lumbering goons going into the house. Merry confirmed that one of them was the guy that gave the widow that broken arm. I would have dealt with it then," she sneers, "but the old guy said no, he wanted to keep watching for a while.”
"So you did see one of the men from last time?” Zandrianna asks. “And you're sure it was one of the ones that came to my home?" Merry nods emphatically. “And Ceolfred is going to continue watching them?" Once again, Merry nods. Zandrianna sighs. “Well, then that's something at least. It's the best chance we have ... the only one."
Rastellion has drifted back toward the trio and catches Zandrianna's last words. "But a chance for what?" he murmurs. His eyes take in the fading bruises that discolor Merry’s fair skin. "You told me Immalaine went eagerly with him," he blurts, suddenly. "You're sure?"
Merry looks at Rastellion, starts to nod her head and then starts to shake it. "I ... I thought I was. But ... I saw her leave with him, and it seemed like she wanted to go. But after those men attacked miss Rossiath and me ... I ... I just don't know!" The young redhead blurts out last words, then turns and buries her face in Emrabeth's shoulder. Emrabeth pats Merry on the back, looking over her head to glare at Rastellion.
Rastellion scowls back at her briefly, then drops his eyes and turns away. "Damn," he mutters, and starts down the cobbled walk. "I'm going to the trading hall. At least things there make some kind of sense."
Zandrianna says a few quick words to the girls, passing them a couple of silver each to get something to eat at the Pony, before turning and running after Rastellion. "Wait!" she calls out to him. "I'll go with you!"
Rastellion turns back at her cry and jerks a nod, but doesn't slow his pace as he continues on down the street.
Zandrianna catches up and falls into step with him. "If there's any way to find her, we will. And then we'll find out what's going on. But Rastellion," she adds, "The last time I saw someone look the way Immalaine looks at you? It was Komatsu looking at me ... that isn't faked. I know she loves you."
Rastellion shoots a miserable look back. "And the last time I saw someone look at me like that, it was Giselle, and she..." He turns away, his fists clenching. "And there's not a damn thing I can do about any of it."
(...to be continued...)
(Credits and love go to Rastellion, who provided the voice various characters in this story. *Blows kisses to Rastellion and grins widely*)
