Jenn lay the quill down upon the table as she heard the sound of footsteps on the stone flags behind her. The wet ink gathered at the tip of the nib, coalescing into a small drip before falling down to splatter atop the wooden surface but she paid it no mind, instead turning to see who had come to disturb her writing this time.
The scene to greet her was most definately a pleasing one. Seaver stood just inside the hall, his hood up and a scarf about the lower half of his face. Standing so shrouded, he reminded her terribly of her late husband just before or after one of his business trips. It was not he who drew her attention, however, but the one standing behind him.
There she was, the diminutive raven-haired girl. The one Jenn had been waiting for. Her short hair was as unkempt as her monochrome dress. Her left hand was tightly wrapped in bandages, her right one without nails, the fingertips torn and ravaged as if she had been rubbing them against a cheese grater. Black eyes stared wildly out of a pale face covered in old scars, darting to and fro like she was unable to keep her attention upon anything for more than a fraction of a second.
Jenn smiled approvingly to Seaver, then softened the expression into a kindly one as she stepped closer to the pair. She noted the way the girl twitched and shook and inwardly grinned.
"Welcome home, Ilaru," she spoke softly, comfortingly. "Your friends are waiting."
It took a moment, but Ilaru managed to turn her gaze to Jenn. Her eyes looked unfocused, her expression mildly confused.
"They are here?" she asked quietly. "Are they safe? Will the voices go away now? Please.... please... help me..."
Jenn forced herself to swallow a peal of laughter. Oh, this was better than she had hoped for! Voices in her head? It was almost too perfect. The girl was clearly half-mad, or almost completely there.
"Of course we will help you," Jenn replied, winking to Seaver who smirked in response. "Soon, I promise, you will never have to hear them again."
The girl smiled gratefuly, then obediently followed as Seaver took her hand. Jenn watched as he knocked the arm of the bear statue, waited a moment for it to slide aside and led Ilaru down into the darkness below. Less than a moment later, he returned for a candle then once more continued down into the black depths of the basement.
Jenn turned away, finally letting her grin surface as she broke out into quiet laughter. To think only a few short days before, she had almost worried that she might not be able to salvage the situation and now the girl had just strolled in and asked for aid! Everything was beginning to come together, the pieces slotting neatly into place like a well-made jigsaw.
In just a few days the fun would truly begin, but right now there was another waiting game to play. Some time in a cell alone with naught but the darkness and the steady drip of the moisture from the walls for company would aid in pushing the girl that little bit further over the edge. Then, and only then, would Jenn let Rab and Seaver loose on the other guests, both to whet their appetite for blood and to complete the process of mentally breaking the skinny little wretch.
