Private Tales Problems to Solve

[Djana Mahin]

"Hush." Djanas voice was strong, as strong as that of a squad leader on the battlefield.

The tone was one she had learned in the sands, when she had still lived with her people. It was how the Elders had always spoken, how they had managed to convey things when absolutely necessary.

This situation could still be rescued.

"Poison here." Djana began as she kneeled and cupped Ana's cheek. "Of all places."

She doubted the girl was actually poisoned. More likely nerves had gotten to her. "Won't somebody get the doctor?

Djana cried, hoping the girl was smart enough to catch on.

 

[Anastasia]

Ana stiffened to the tone, like a solider falling in line, and stopped talking. She laid for a long moment in tension, realizing at once the part she needed to play ... and nearly possessing too much pride to play it. Reason won out and she slumped weakly into the couch, her hand falling away from the hidden dagger. Leane shoved through the door, eyes blazing as they made eye contact.

Ana grimaced apologetically, finding security in the moment to pretend another faint. Better than getting caught out as impostors and hanged for her antics.

She heard another body shove through, the voice of an older, impatient man making space for himself by her side. His hands skimmed her throat and forehead, and then a wretchedly strong smell reached her. She sputtered, gasping as she jerked up and away from it.

Smelling salts.

His quick hands brought a pot to her face as she surrendered to another abrupt wave of vomit. Thankfully, there wasn't much left to spare.

 

[Djana Mahin]

Unsurprisingly Djana knew the doctor from the times she had visited the Keep before. The man was reliable, intelligent but not too smart for his own good. At one point she had thought of bringing him in to the Great Lord's arms, but the idea had been rejected upon learning he was a worshipper of the Greater Divines.

Turning him would have been More trouble than it was worth. "Thank goodness you're here doctor. She must have been poisoned."

For a second the doctor simply stared At Ana then glanced at Djana. For a moment his eyes narrowed, then recognition dawned on his face as he realized who she was.

"Lady Mahin! Yes yes I'm sure you're right."

The doctor nodded vigorously, apparently eager to agree with her diagnoses. It was something she was thankful for. Had she been a stranger the man must have argued, but because he knew that she was learned there was not even a peep. Djana was happy when someone knew their place.

It made things so much easier.

Of Course the moment he agreed with her a clamor began to rise through the crowd. Dozens of whispers and hushed conversations as the nobles began to speculate about who had been trying to poison who and how the northerners must have just ended up in the middle of it.

"Guards!"

The doctor called.

"Help me. We need to get her to my chamber."

 

[Anastasia]

There was great humiliation in being carried out. The only respite Ana found from the situation was that once the smelling salts left her senses, all sense of nausea left her again. In fact, even before she was laid on the bed she felt perfectly fine. That was not the narrative they were clinging to though, so Ana forced herself to half thrash and even cry out in protest.

If they were caught, they were never leaving this keep in one peace.

"I don't want to die," she said, and that was true enough not to leave her feeling foolish. "Oh can't we just go?" She asked with a bit of intention.

"Djana, I want to go home."

 

[Djana Mahin]

"No no. You must be treated, plus the Count will insist on seeing you off himself after such an ordeal."

Dana's features tightened at the mention of the Count, her lips thinning for just a brief moment before she managed to return to a Visage of pure serenity.

"I imagine so." The cultist said with all the haughtiness she could muster. "This poor girl just drank a cup of poison meant for him."

Again the notion was entirely untrue, but the doctor only nodded solemnly in response and greeting.

It was amusing in its own way. Long ago when she'd first met him Djana had used the weaving on the man's mind. Even now that sought touch of compulsion still remained. That was why the man felt so compliant, why he seemed to agree with everything she said.

The Great Lord's touched lingered.

It only took them a few more minutes to arrive at the doctor's chambers, a room which was basically an infirmary. The man went straight to work creating a potion of some sort, frantically working.

As he did so Djana glanced at Ana. Urging her with a look to keep up with the charade.

 

[Anastasia]

Ana funneled out her frustration into groans and pointless thrashings. She wasn't sure what had sent her into such a fit previously, she had never in her life entered one before, but she took a small comfort in the fact that she definitely wasn't poisoned. She just couldn't breathe- oh.

"My corset," she pleaded at Leane, fumbling herself at her back to try and rip it off. Her friend's strong fingers had the strings undone in quick tugs, and what was more her experienced hand helped Ana remove the daggers from her person and into Leane's possession before they would be noticed by the doctor. He approached with a steaming tankard.

Ana did not have to fake the wary fear as she stared down the liquid being leveled briskly to her lips. "Will it hurt me?" Her gaze skipped over the doctor, to Djana herself.

 

[Djana Mahin]

"No but it will taste horrible."

The doctor sounded as patient as he could be, something that was perhaps surprising in this sea of nobles who cared only for themselves. Djana watched him for a moment, then nodded to Ana.

The concoction would no doubt be vile, but it wouldn't harm the Templar.

Probably.

As the doctor administered the medicine Djana glanced towards the door. Two guards stood there, each waiting patiently to be told what to do. The cultists remained silent for a moment, and then slowly took a step back as she addressed the two Templar.

"I shall go and find your servant." And avoid The Count while she was at it. "I suspect our host will tend to you soon, ensure that you are not harmed."

She gave the two women a Pointed look behind the doctors back. It was part warning, and part urging.

It was a good opportunity for them to dig.

 

[Anastasia]

Ana could not keep the concoction down. She thanked her lucky stars the doctor seemed pleased to see the potion go down if even for a moment. Through her throws of convulsing and groans of real discomfort, he soothed her back and claimed it was a sign of the poisons being driven from her. He didn't insist to administer it again.

The whole ideal left her shaky and visibly pale. Fabric stuck to her body in a thick layer of damp and even a small fever graced her forehead.

She no longer had to act the part when the dreaded knock came at the door. She shuddered into the mattress, shaking in head in disbelief as she heard a conversation occur beyond the room.

"I don't know what happen-" she finally managed to utter to Leane, the first bit of reprieve given to them as the doctor slipped out to address the visitor.

Leane only gave a tight nod, her hand fluttering out in a small display of concern before falling limp at her side. "We will--"

"Yes. Poison, yes, viscous stuff- I believe she got what was meant for you. --- Horrible, yes. Oh yes, she's survived. Tonic administered quickly enough I- yes, yes, she can speak."

 

[Djana Mahin]

The man that entered the room was tall, standing well over six feet.

He was lithe, though well-built and wearing nothing but black. There was an oddity to his eyes, almost as if the pupils had bled over into his iris'. The sight of them were monstrous in a way, as though they were not quite human.

For a moment the Count stayed quiet, looking between the two women before he spoke.

"I am Count Niall."

His voice was a low rumble, deep yet rasping for some strange reason.

"I must apologize for what has happened to you. I fear the poison you ingested was meant for me, and thus you were but a victim of circumstance."

The Count spoke with quick eloquence, his eyes flicking Between Ana and Leane before he settled on the former.

"You must allow me to make up for this travesty. Please take rooms here in the Keep until you are well, and I will ensure your utmost comfort."

 

[Anastasia]

Ana found herself feeling deeply vulnerable laid out on the bed while such a man stood over her. Her skin prickled at the very energy that seemed to radiate off of him (though perhaps the a deliriousness from the concoction talking, she could also swear for a moment he grew in size). She tried to remember her training and pull up words, but Leane surprised her by taking the reigns.

"Someone tried to kill my sister, in your household, who- why- how could they, and at a party! Tell me you'll do something about this- " A bit much, but... Ana had to admit Leane had done a fair representation of distressed nobles they had helped in the past.

 

[Djana Mahin]

"I assure you I will do my utmost to find out what happened."

The man's expression did not sour in the least, as though he'd expected the question. Nor did he seem perturbed by the tone Leane took with him. He was oddly calm, almost to the point of being off putting. One would think that the situation called for more outrage. Particularly given that if Ana had not been the victim, he would have been.

"Servants will be questioned. No one Will leave this fortress until the perpetrators are found."

There was a razor in his voice there.

It was clear what he intended. He would find out who had done this, where this plot had come from

The method did not matter. Only the result.

 

[Anastasia]

No one, not even them.

Ana let herself fall back into the pillows, unable to help a groan. "I've ruined everything," she uttered. She felt Leane's hand rest on her as she thrashed in place, trying to still the honest display. Ana did not cease, finding it rather worked for this moment.

"This isn't your fault," Leane reminded her, truthfully unsure where Ana was acting and wasn't anymore. Her hand pressed to the woman's head. She did not have to force her concern as she looked back to the count, nodding slightly.

"Thank you, for aid and hospitality. I am glad you did not fall ill too. Do you know who might want to harm you here tonight? Maybe she'll recall something in the morning that can help you."

 

[Djana Mahin]

"I have made many enemies over the years. Some who would not hesitate to kill me at any cost."

If that bothered him at all the Count did not show even an ounce of such an emotion. In fact he hardly seemed to be showing any emotion at all during this interaction. It was as if he couldn't quite be bothered feeling threatened. As if none of it really mattered to someone like him.

Perhaps that was true.

"Please, do not concern yourselves. This will be seen to and I will ensure that you are safe."

His words were no less stern than before,yet there was A hard edge. Not towards them, no, just to whomever had done this. The Count apparently believed this was truly a case of poisoning, and he intended to get to the bottom of it.

For better or worse.

"Now, if you'll excuse me."

He gave a deep bow and turned towards the door.

 

[Anastasia]

The room fell silent as they were left alone for the first time.

Ana stopped thrashing, falling still and calming to a heavy pant. "I'm fine, I'm fine," she reassured, wiping at her face and sitting up with more presence of mind than she had showed the others. "Water, please." She coughed, trying to will the taste of the concoction out of her mouth.

 

[Djana Mahin]

The doctor nodded his head and went to fetch some water, leaving the room and allowing the girls a brief minute alone with one another.

"There was something wrong." Leane said quietly.

Unlike Ana she had no gift at all in Anti-magic, but she'd been a Templar for her entire life. She'd fought every kind of monster and creature imaginable. Including some that had been thought merely legend by even elder Templar. It was one thing she was proud of.

That being said, he'd never quite seen something like Count Niall.

"Demon possession maybe." It was pure conjecture. "He...he's something."

Definitely not human. At least not anymore, that much she was sure of

 

[Anastasia]

Ana shook her head, having no answer herself. "Djana knows more than she is letting on." She pulled at the ruined fabric of the dress, no remorse to be found over its state. Not while they remained confined in this dangerous mystery.

"I've drawn attention to us, I've put us at risk- Owin, where's Owin?" She threw her legs over the bed, trying to stand. "We need to find him. We need to get Myrella here and- and-" regather.

"I'm so sorry Leane." She had no explanation.

 

[Djana Mahin]

Leane motioned for Ana to sit down.

"We haven't lost yet." The Templar said with a small bit of edge go her voice, trying to calm Ana down.

She glanced towards the door for a moment then looked back at her friend.

"The Lady Mahin knows something." She nodded. "And clearly wants to avoid the Count, but as far as I can tell she isn't against us either."

An important note. "Owin can take care of himself, and we can still do this."

She was sure of that at least. In fact their position was quite good as far as their plan went. The Count had invited them to stay here, the very center of everything that was going. It was dangerous, but it was also an opportunity for them to investigate Into what was happening.

"We just have to be smart." Leane insisted.

 

[Anastasia]

Ana gave a soft blink, not having seen that side of the coin until Leane pointed it out.

"Oh. I guess-... I guess you're right." She slumped back into the bed, entering a bit of a daze. Her cheeks grew red as she recounted events, embarrassed to say the least.

"....Please don't tell back home about this. Gods, Edwin would have a field day." She rubbed at her face, groaning at the prospect.

 

[Djana Mahin]

Leane nodded in Confirmation.

There was no need for anyone back home to hear about any of this. Well, save for the part where they got the monster anyway.

Still, there was a threat looking over them. They had just met the owner of this Keep, the source of all their problems, and he was most definitely not human. He had once been, that she was sure of, but no more. Whatever was going on in this Castle centered around him, and now they had a clear path to investigate.

Though it would get dangerous. "We wait here for Mahin."

As much as she hated to admit it they needed the woman still.

"She said she was going to find Owin." Though Leane had no idea if that was the truth or just a way of getting out of the infirmary before the Count showed up.

 

[Anastasia]

“Enough of these games, we will get the truth from her,” Ana vowed, glancing towards the door.

She smacked her lips a few times, the unpleasant taste still present, and mulled. What would happen if she were to use anti magic on the count? Could she get close enough to find out? The questions weighed heavily on her. In the quiet, she found herself laying back ... and closing her eyes, drifting.

 

[Djana Mahin]

Leane paused for a moment, frowning and nodding but quietly adding. "Perhaps once we're out of the castle?"

She agreed that the mysterious woman who had called them here was most definitely hiding something, but she also knew that they still needed her. There was a certain distaste to working with someone who was clearly lying, but... Well what else were they to do.

They were strangers in a strange land.

"If we have to work within the Keep..." Leane trailed off for a moment. "We'll need the help."

She doubted Owin could learn everything alone.

 

[Anastasia]

Ana hmmed in agreement, pulling herself back up as the door opened and the doctor returned with a pitcher. She drank with eager eager quietness as he inspected her, though she wasn’t entirely sure what he was looking for. After affects from the poison? She knew there would be none.

Well, minus the flu like response she felt herself having to the potion he gave her. She half suspected it was poison itself.

“I’m fine now,” she reassured him. “Thanks to your skills. I just want to rest, can my sister and I retire to our own chambers? It’s been a long night.” And she was uncomfortably aware that she was in the doctors own room.

 

[Djana Mahin]

"You will have to wait until the Count sends his own servant to bring you there."

The Doctor explained, though his words sounded half cut off as Djana appeared behind him in the doorway. Besides her, or rather just in step with her was Owin.

Somehow the other Templar had managed to blend into his own role much better than one might have expected. His face was haggard, his clothes which were clean earlier now had the shine of dirt, and there was something about his hobbled walk that made him appear almost...weak.

Djana motioned to the doctor as she stepped inside. "Do you mind if I have a minute with my Wards, Doctor?"

Her voice was soft, though the suggestion was clear.

"I believe a soft word might be as helpful as your potions." The Doctor nodded eagerly, slipping free of the infirmary and leaving her and the Templar alone.

As soon as he did Owin pulled himself upright, a confident smirk pulling at his lips.

 

[Anastasia]

Ana grimaced apologetically at them both, sitting up once more with no issue once the doctor was gone. "The Count believes I took poison that was meant for him. He's given us his hospitality. He's probably going to spend the next few days searching for the source."

She didn't say more, afraid of ears, but the insinuation laid clear as she gave Djana their silver lining. They were in the belly of the beast now. They should make use of it.

"I'm so sorry," she added softly. Yanno. For all the rest.

 

[Djana Mahin]

Djana frowned, though did not immediately say anything. In truth the Count believing that lie was not the worst thing. Making the best of a bad situation was often half the battle when working with things like this, particularly when they were surrounded by enemies.

"They will put Servants to the Question first." She frowned, they would have to create a scapegoat.

No. She would have to do it

There was no way these Templar would allow her to twist the situation so someone else was blamed. Annoying having to work with something like that, but she would manage well enough when the time came. That much Djana was sure of at least.

"It gives us time." She said softly. "Not much, but enough."

Her lips thinned and then she nodded. "Your man, Owin seems to have a knack for not being seen."

The male Templar smiled at the conplement, though was was typical for him stayed quiet. "You will all need that skill now."