Eduwiges moved for the door, 'You sure seem to know a lot, and then you don’t...' She looked at Lif meaningfully and walked out into the main room to listen to Therendil.
Edu strode out just in time to see the barkeep shrug...and sign a paper.
An officious looking man put a coin down for his drink and rolled up the paper and tucked it in his belt.
Eduwiges leaned up against the bar, 'Barkeep, when you are done politicking, how about a grog.' she slid more than enough silver to cover the grog on the bar.
The barkeep filled a tankard, sliding it down the bar to Edu. "Ain’t my politicing...but no point in being the one naysayer. Gondor is about unity, after all...'
Eduwiges snorted, 'Don't seem too unified with all the orcs and corsairs running around... Trying to out your leader using dead girls is pretty despicable don’t you think?'
Nethrida glanced over to the door with a hardened look on her face. She only just managed to keep herself seated and not simply barge in after Edu while Addiela cringed at Edu's words.
Finchley stood and gestured to Faye to take her seat feeling bad for the drunk girl.
In the main bar, Therendil bristled. "That is bordering on slander, Miss...but as you are an outsider and a guest of a Councilman, we will let that slide'
Eduwiges eyed Therendil and cracked her knuckles loudly enough to be heard in the private room. Ryn sighed and Addiela whispered 'By the stars, someone go get her.'
Nethrida glanced at Ryn and Addie and smiled, this was Eduwiges being herself... but did stand up and make her way over to Edu and put an arm on her shoulder. "I do believe that's enough bravado, Eduwiges" She spoke with a stern tone.
Carneryn smiled just a tad before calling out to the pair "No need to make us more enemies yet Edu!"
Unimpressed, Eduwiges hmphed, “Bema thanks you Therendil for blessing me with letting it slide.' The sarcasm rolled off her tongue...
Nethrida sighed a bit more. She pinched the bridge of her nose but continued with her stern tone "Over here in Lebennin we resort not to violence to settle matters."
Eduwiges looked increduloulsy at Neth, 'You have two dead girls and a dog, who beg to disagree with you Nethrida...'
"CORRECT…” Nethrida inclined her head. “But we -investigate- these matters. I would greatly appreciate if you did not imply that the folk who reside in these lands are innate murderers" she replied with an oddly sharp tone. "Now why don’t we return to our table and have another round of drinks?"
Eduwiges rolled her eyes at Therendil and gave a surly salute with two finger,. allowing Neth to lead her back inside the private room.
As everyone fussed, Addie noticed a large dog lingering in the bar waiting for scraps. She whistled to it softly and the dog padded up to her obediently. Cupping the dog’s face tenderly in her hands, Addie began quietly whispering to the beast, focusing her arts.
Finchley looked to Lif in concern. "We've been hearin' Roric's name a lot lately..."
Carneryn turned her gaze to Finch as the drama seemed to ease in the main bar. "He was the one who started blaming elves before there was any evidence..."
Eduwiges sipped on her grog as she sat back down in satisfaction. 'Well, that will certainly set the cat among the pigeons dont you think?'
Nethrida nodded slowly but wasn’t entirely happy with what had happened. "I will have to mention this to father... Have him keep an eye out for this... I do not think it will bode well if allowed to go on unchecked" she muttered to herself in a lowered tone.
'Something stinks like month old Rohirric horse cheese Neth.” Edu slammed her mug down. “Being nice is not going to get you the answers.'
Carneryn raised a brow, coming to Neth’s defense. "But getting us kicked out of town won't either Edu..."
Nethrida nodded slowly. "Correct. Threatening officials like that only paints a bigger target on your back…Especially as an outsider like that...'
'They won't kick us out of town.” Edu leaned back in her chair. “They do not have the balls. They will try to ambush and kill us. That Roric, now, he needs a good talking to. And it should be you Neth. You’re from here.'
Nethrida's nod was much sharper this time. "Agreed. However…killing, or even attempting to do so doesn’t seem wise.”
Outside the open door in the main room, Therndil was now in a temper. "You see, people from outside come into our town and tell us how things should be done. This is JUST the sort of nonsense that Mayor Ordan has allowed for years...and look where it has gotten us?'
As he grumped...a large great dane quietly slipped up beside Therendil and gently took the paper out of his belt with its mouth without the man even noticing, even absently patting the dog’s head, and then trotted up to Addie, as Xandilif stared.
Addiela bent down to give the dog a big hug and plenty of scratches for a job well done as she took the petition and discreetly stuffed it down the front of her shirt.
The barkeep filled another pitcher of ale. "I will say one thing for the outsiders, Therendil....they like ta drink...and as for the rest...that big, scarred lass may have a mouth on her, but she does have a point....as I recall just a couple months back you and your pals were in here getting drunk and sayin what you needed was a good scandal to push Ordan out....Well looks like ya got one...'
Addie stood back up now that the paper was safely tucked away and gave the dog a treat before letting him go back to the other room. She winked at Xandilif who was still staring at her, open mouthed.
Finchley also gave the doggo a pat because... doggo.
Carneryn looked to the group, oblivious to the dog. "Roric will be a problem... Whether or not he's the culprit..."
Addiela looked over to Ryn and murmured. "An Opportunist."
Carneryn nodded. "Or worse..."
Nethrida shook her head a bit "Unlikely that he is our murderer... Sleazy as he might be... These sorts of vile acts seem beyond him, even if they would gain him power and influence"
Addiela considered for a moment, "I don't see him jeopardizing his desired position in such a way.. If he were a killer, he would just have killed the mayor…no?"
Carneryn shrugged a little "Why kill the mayor when you can have him removed for inaction..."
Addiela patted the dog again, 'No reason, if you have the means to have someone else do it for you.'
Nethrida frowned at them both. "I've known Roric for many years... and would never suspect him of such a thing, he wouldn’t dare..."
Therendil was feeling the effects of his ale, and stood directly in the open doorway, having heard the murmured voices and knowing full well he was being discussed. He shook his fist dramatically. "There is no reason for the one eyed blowhard and his band to come into town and start giving orders, especially over something this delicate....why I have half a mind ta...'
The sharp hiss of metal on metal suddenly filled the room, stopping conversation.
Caine slowly drew one long knife, the steel edge rasping against the scabbard. The metal gleaming evilly in the torchlight, he slowly cut two inches off the sausage on the platter in front of him. "Sounds like you ain’t as popular as you thought you were, Capn....listen ta him. He has half a mind ta…do something, ya one eyed blowhard.'
Kraddock nodded, focusing his one good eye on Therendil...."This continues...I may cry…'
Turning a bit pale, and confidant he had what he came for, Therendil huffed out of the bar. '
Addiela chuckled quietly to herself as she heard the man leaving the tavern, still hidden behind the wall of the private room. The petition the man had worked so hard to get signed was securely tucked into her bosom.
As silence descended, Faye suddenly giggled and finished another half pint, looking at Caine."That's....a big knife....you...umm...all your knives big?" She put a fingertip in her mouth, then she giggled again.
Eduwiges moved back to the bar and eyed the the Bartender, setting her mug down. 'Quite a man you have there. Linhir should be proud.' She slid a generous tip to the bartender.
The barkeep shrugged."Linhir used ta be a quiet little town...we have our local types, sure...but they don’t do no harm...until now maybe.'
Eduwiges watched him refill her mug. 'This Roric, what does he have to gain for all of this? Being the mayor cannot be that rewarding...'
The barkeep shrugged again. "Like I said, it's a little town. Boats come in, boats go out, fish get sold, soldiers go through...anyway, Roric and his bunch figure they want to unite all the towns hereabouts..Lebennin Loyalists is what their party is called...figure they can form a power base to compete with the big cities. They might not be wrong.”
Nethrida raised her eyebrows, coming out to the bar and putting a hand on Edu’s shoulder. "The what...? Why? Pelargir is but a day's ride away... And no matter how many of these... "Loyalists" he may attempt to court there is no way Linhir could match Pelargir..."
Eduwiges snorted, 'They are fools. When the war is over Prince Imrahil and the Princess will squash them like a bug. You think they would murder somebody for power? Like those girls?'
Finchley frowned, listening in. "Surely it won't come to that. The squashin' bit I mean."
The Barkeep shook his head violently, raising his voice. "I didn’t say ANYTHING about murder, don’t go putting words in my mouth or you can take your coin elsewhere...they just figure they are stronger together then separate is all...maybe they are right.'
Carneryn joined Neth and furrowed her brows "Is it possible that one of these 'loyalists' has gone rogue to cause a scene?"
The barkeep sighed. "A month ago I’d of said absolutely not…but now? Anything is possible I suppose. I don’t like ta think it, these are my neighbors...but as my old gran used ta say, you don’t know what goes on in nobody’s head, or nobody’s bed, no matter what they say…and that is best for everybody.'
Faye finished the half pint, now mostly forgotten by all but Finchley and Addie and mumbled to herself as the sets her head on the table. "Whose sorry now, Vario....bastard...."'
In the main room, as the two knights joined them Nethrida nodded slowly. "'tis best to focus on a single suspect, or a single suspect at a time. We know little of these loyalists, certainly not enough to be making any kind of conclusions or assumptions about their involvement"
Eduwiges snorted and nodded her head. 'There was a lot of local backstabbing for power in Rohan. Politicians. I despise men like that. Wait until people like Neth are risking life and limb and dying and then trying to storm in and take charge with sheer numbers when no one can stand up to them. The mobs and thugs works that way...'
As if to answer Eduwiges there were cries from outside the bar....and the sound of running footsteps and catcalls. A man shouted hoarsely followed by another voice raised in pain and fear. “We have the murderer!!!! Corsair SCUM…we HAVE HIM!!!”
Nethrida sighed and pushed herself away from the bar. Calmly rolling her shoulders she made her way outside to see what the commotion was, the others following.
Septimal Caine tossed a few coins on the bar..and tossed the rest of the sausage to Finch as he walked past her. "Quiet little town, ya said?'
