Salticiel and beyond

[Drannin]

Showtime.

Argus ran up, features etched in concern. Kneeling over Lillith, he glanced up at Rose. "How is she? What happened?"

...And why do I see genuine worry in your eyes?

[Graybeard]

This seemed like such a good idea in the abstract, Sister Rose thought to herself. But now, with Lillith conked out, it doesn't seem so abstract any more. I really hope we did the right thing... but the show must go on. "I -- I don't know," she told Argus, watching her cousin do everything but give the girl mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. (Actually, why hadn't he?) "She was just walking along, started to stagger, passed out. We better get her back to the inn."

As soon as Brad wasn't looking -- it looked like he was going to try to carry Lillith all by himself -- Rose took a deep breath and gave Argus a very conspicuous wink, one which, however, she was by no means sure she felt.

[Drusia]

I run up, pretending to be concerned. While I kneel beside Lillith, I give her a quick check - perfect. Too bad she didn't walk a little faster. I thought being nervous would quicken her step, not slow it. Oh well, our fuss is attracting enough attention. Now to spice it up.

"I don't think she's breathing," I lie. I meet Rose's gaze, just to make sure she knows I'm full of shit. "We should get her inside," I insist, nodding towards the bar across the way.

-- Drusia

OOC:
Happy New Year!

[Graybeard]

Sister Rose breathed a conspicuous sigh of relief at Drusia's expression, hoping it wasn't too obvious. It certainly wasn't obvious to Brad, at least. "Rose, we've got to do something!" he practically screamed as he hoisted the girl's body. Rose moved to "help" him, making sure that Lillith's half-elven ears were exposed in the process; anything that helped a witness understand what had happened here would be a good thing.

It was still morning, and the bar wasn't nearly as full as it had been the night before when Drusia and Rose walked by. There was plenty of room to install Lillith's "body" gently on a long table and start to fuss over it. Brad was near hysteria, and Rose was starting to worry about him. No time to remind him now of the plan, though; events were starting to attract the attention of the few other people in the bar. There, at another table, were two blond, blue-eyed, military-looking men, barely glancing at events over their drinks. They should serve as good witnesses to what was happening, Rose thought, then caught herself. No, these men probably were a problem rather than a solution. They looked exactly like what she'd seen in Provatiel, and like the one head that had poked out of the Millenarian temple. Harker (speaking of whom, where was he?) had said the Millenarians called the compromised travel platform and environs the "Southern Test Region" or something like that. Might these men have come visiting Salticiel for some inscrutable Millenarian reason, rather than living here? It seemed likely. If so, they might be very different, and far less desirable, "witnesses" to proceedings than what was needed.

Rose filed the thought away for examination later and continued to scan the bar. At another table, over in the corner, sat what looked like a young farmer and his lady friend/wife. They were taking an interest in what was going on; that was good. She might have a word with them shortly, to reinforce their "memory" of what they were seeing. And in another corner, a scruffy man was drinking by himself, watching, and muttering under his breath ...

... And with a start, Rose noticed that the solitary man had slightly pointed ears, not to match Drusia's elven ones, but more like what Lillith had.

Uh, oh, she thought.

[OOC: And Happy New Year to you, too!]

[Drannin]

Argus looked Lillith over. It was a convincing ruse, he had to admit. ALmost too convincing. But he had resolved to trust Drusia, and he wasn't about to go back on that trust now. At the very least, there was a large supply of witnesses who could attest that Lillith had keeled over. So far, so good...

Where's Harker? He's been gone for a while now. I haven't seen him since last night...

Argus shook his head. Harker could take care of himself, and he probably didn't want to know what his familiar was up to.

[Graybeard]

Time to start acting, Sister Rose thought. (Brad didn't look like he was acting at all.) She put a worried expression on her face and went over to the young couple. "Excuse me," she said. "My -- niece is very unwell. Is there a healer anywhere nearby? We're not from around here, and it looks urgent. I've never seen her like this before."

The man got wide-eyed. "No, ma'am," he said. "You who follow Our Lord Luminosita have the only healing magic we use in Salticiel." (Rose wished she'd had time to get out of the nun's robes and into traveling garb before things started.) "For more serious problems we must go to Lorenzel. There is --"

The man at the other table interrupted. "H-h-healer?" he stuttered. "I-I-I can h-h-help." He smiled madly, stood up ... and drew a knife.

[Drusia]

"H-h-healer?" he stuttered. "I-I-I can h-h-help." He smiled madly, stood up ... and drew a knife.

I don't wait. Before he finishes his first step towards Lillith, I have drawn my knife and started casting. By the time he has finished that step, I'm standing behind him.

I reach out and grab his shoulder, pulling him backwards, off balance. With a small force of will, I cause the crystal at the end of a hilt to grow to its full size, becoming a vibrating blade; a blade which cuts neatly through his ribcage, several of his major internal organs, and his spine. Instead of withdrawing the blade, I cut my concentraion, shrinking it back to its portable size. I take two steps backwards, deftly dodging gout of blood. I wait another three seconds for him to fall over, then step around the puddle and wipe my knife on his shirt.

"Well," I say, turning back towards Rose, Argus, and Brad, "That was awkward."

I send a thought to Argus. <"That is how you know I mean your daughter no harm. Because that is what I do to Errants.">

-- Drusia

[Graybeard]

"That was awkward."

"I'll give you that," Sister Rose said tightly, as several things happened, more or less at once.

Brad had somehow managed to draw his own dagger, and was on his way to interposing himself between Lillith and the threatening half elf, when it became clear that his decidedly limited combat skills weren't going to be needed. He sheathed his weapon and stood looking wide-eyed at Drusia.

A barmaid who'd just entered the room, and had taken no more than half a step toward Lillith, pivoted toward the half elf, screamed, and fainted.

The farmer's wife/girlfriend/whatever likewise screamed and fainted.

The farmer himself rose to his feet, staring not at the bleeding body but at Drusia, and started to crab backward, making the Sign of Luminosita in front of him.

And the two blond, blue-eyed men rolled out from behind their own table as though choreographed, and sprinted for the door without saying a word.

Rose's own combat training came back to her, and she was on the body a moment later. There was nothing for her to do with her own healing skills, even if she wanted to use them; the Durus Flamma blade had done its work too well. As she checked the body, she became aware that it had certain ... deformities.

The barmaid had wakened and retreated to the kitchen, sobbing, and the farmer was trying to rouse his lady friend, as Rose took a deep breath, exhaled noisily. "So now what?" she said, not having anything approaching an answer.

[Drusia]

"So now what?" she said, not having anything approaching an answer.

I smile.

<"Now,"> I think to her and Argus, <"Both of you 'realize' that I'm an evil Elf, and that I've just 'killed' Lillith. You react - pretend to attack me or whatever - and I vanish back to the Inn, at which point Maudin and I put together a better disguise for me. Meanwhile, we have a whole group of witnesses who saw me kill two half-elves in that many minutes. Mission acomplished - part one anyway. Now we just need to smuggle the girl out of here in a pine box.">

I let all my illusions fall. I stand in the middle of the room, in full Peregin equipment, looking the part. I'll change when I get back to the room.

"I guess we stop playing games," I say aloud. Which is ironic, really, since the games have just begun.

-- Drusia

[Graybeard]

<"It's not quite so simple,"> Sister Rose thought back, as she let her mouth gape open; might as well go for some theatrics, in case the farmer was still able to function. "<Those two that left create a complication that we'll have to deal with. But that can come later."> "An elf," she gasped, hoping it sounded authentic. The real question was: how would Brad react?

For the moment, the only possible answer to Rose's mental question was "with complete confusion." Brad's own mouth gaped open and he dropped the dagger with a clatter. He looked from Lillith to Drusia, back to Lillith, to Rose, to Argus, to Lillith again, complete bewilderment etched on his features ... and then he finally remembered what he'd been told. Bewilderment gave way to a quick moment of pure relief, before he succeeded in banishing it from his face and adopting the closest he could come to a look of horror. No two ways about it: the man was not a born actor.

"You monster!" Rose hissed at Drusia, and followed with mind-talk: <"We don't have much time. Better get going before my idiot cousin completely blows the charade. We'll catch up with you at the inn -- but there's some more acting to be done first.">