The servant's eyes lift to Dima's and his brow furrows as he listens. At the mention of who will hear what they say, the man's brows knit further and his eyes dart to the other servants.
It's clear he's not worried who will hear outside the room, but rather inside it.
The others begin to offer mundane observations about Gower - hard worker, always smiling, no one saw this coming at all, and certainly Lord Calabra never invited it.
The only one not speaking is the human, who has folded his arms and is now rubbing a hand at his forehead. The others don't seem to notice this behavior; their attention is almost exclusively on Dima, or on following Faza's lead.
<.>
Dima takes in this mostly non-information with an appearance of intense interest, nodding, then asks for clarification regarding duties, including whether Payl Gower typically worked with Lord Calabra's meals.
After posing this question, he Messages the silent human servant, not focusing outward attention on him or any one servant for long. [ You know something; you are concerned.
You need not worry. Speak to me this way; respond within thought.
What do you know of Payl Gower? ]
[PERS: 17]
<.>
The man darts a look around the room; he's aware of what Dima's doing but terrified of saying anything in front of the others.
[ Please, I don't want any trouble with Lord Calabra. You swear to me no one will know. No one can know I know about any of this or he'll get rid of me the way he got rid of Payl. ]
<.>
If Dima's surprised by this information - and he is - he keeps his expression schooled; keeps his eyes on whichever servant has taken to responding about Gower's household duties.
[ No one will know.
Whatever you tell me stays in its specifics between you and I; the subcommittee will hear what you say in summary, but the details will be in my mind alone. No one else will know a thing. No one in this room will ever know.
And, know this: In dire straits, the Council will protect you.
Please. Tell me what you know. ]
Meanwhile, when the account of Gower's duties has completed, Dima will ask the group, "How and when did you learn of the attempted assassination?"
<.>
"We were all there serving dinner; Torrio did it right in front of all of us," Faza is saying.
The man swallows hard and seems to be having a conversation with himself to screw up his courage. Finally: [ Thing is, Sir, there's something weird about it all, to my mind. Not - about Payl, mind you, but everything around him.
He didn't like nobility much. Doesn't surprise me even a little, him trying to murder Lord Calabra. If someone hired him for it, probably it just hurried him along some. He hated cooking all those meals with spiced Arboreal Quail egg or whatever else his lordship got it in his head to eat. Said it was a rancid shame for him to eat like that while others starved, and he wasn't any kind of wrong about that much. Murder's a little far. He had a daughter and all - ]
He wrings his hands, then steadies himself to continue, [ No, you don't need to keep chasing down that mystery. But the thing about it is, before we came to Awich, I heard his Lordship shouting at Visento to find Payl's girl, Manon. Torrio - that's his guard, begging your pardon. Torrio, he's a superstitious one, but he's smart, you see, and it was him that suggested the Nightmare Market and finding Payl's spirit. ]
<.>
...Shit.
Dima shakes his head (he's worried) (of course he's worried) (there's no telling what Faolan might find, which was the case from the start, and yes Liviana is with Fae, and no, worrying around the question now won't help anything) (but Faolan, Faolan; please be safe), and again clears his throat. "'Torrio' would be Lord Calabra's guard, correct? It is fortunate that your master keeps such a swift agent at his side.
"I commend each of you for maintaining your heads in the wake of such a harrowing scene.
"How did your master fare in that moment? And who discovered that the food had been poisoned?"
And, [ Breathe steady. Breathe.
You are not alone in finding the incident strange. Given the evidence, I find - and the subcommittee finds - Payl Gower an unlikely choice of assassins.
Was the daughter found? ] And, [ Has Torrio mentioned this Nightmare Market before? ]
<.>
There are some uncomfortable glances exchanged and the half-elf who first spoke admits, "I saw him put something strange in the food. He thought he was alone, and he acted so oddly when he saw me that I thought - maybe I ought to tell someone."
From the human: [ Torrio? Yes. If anyone believes in a thing, it'll be him. He loves to tell stories in his down-time about the Nightmare Market, the Feywild, the Midnight Carnival, and about things the Gillmen say they saw. He's always on about something.
The girl, though - I don't know if they found her. Visento came back yesterday while I was serving his Lordship's afternoon medicinal and said he might've found the Market. Some folk were at a tavern by the docks and he saw a likely group. Motley, with a too-clever raven, he said. ]
Rubbing his eyes, he breathes out a slow, heavy breath. [ Torrio, Visento, Loras, Indir, and Bly went and followed them through the woods and right into the Market. They came back early this morning and I could hear them talking - it's thin walls here and I'm a light sleeper. They were talking about how they posed as this group of necromancers and that fucking - Pardon my language, I'm only quoting. 'That fucking Voronin dog' tried chasing them out, but they still overheard most of what Payl's ghost had to say. They all packed it up right quick and were gone before the sun came up. It was Bly that came back and told us his Lordship and them would come back tomorrow, then he took himself off again and hasn't been back. ]
<.>
In this moment - in this series of moments, unfolding like minor explosions - Dmitri is glad of the years spent enduring ridiculous tales, tantrums, and revelations from others among the nobility, all of which have taught him how to appear impassive, no matter what he might be feeling.
No matter how sharply the gears in his head, the tickings in his nerves have turned. (No matter how he hates to think that any fuck of Calabra's witness Liviana or Faolan, let alone fucking trailed them.)
(He needs more information.) (He also needs to share this information with Faolan, with Liviana, with Sen and Rin.) (Well— Well—) Breathe; he needs to breathe, and does, calmly, evenly.
To the group, Dima offers a small sweep of his palm. "You acted well. No small measure of catastrophe was averted owing to your actions.
"Our trouble remains that the subcommittee has discerned no identification for the responsible party. It is clear Payl Gower did not act without encouragement. Nor is it likely that he lived in knowledge of his plan for long.
"Next questions, then: Was Payl Gower witnessed speaking with any suspicious characters?
"And were you or any of your fellow servants approached by an unknown figure, who may or may not have proposed illicit deeds?"
Then, to the human: [ The Nightmare Market has been located? If this is true, it is a—
Remarkable, and all that you have told me is invaluable. It is an invaluable service you are doing for the Alliance, and for your household.
A few further questions. Did this Bly give any sense of where Lord Calabra might have gone? Does Lord Calabra often disappear so suddenly?
And. Have you seen, or do you know of, a man with several scars - patterned very much like a claw's swipe - upon his jaw? ]
<.>
There's a shaking of heads all around; no one knows the answer to any of Dima's questions.
The human looks distinctly uncomfortable, because he, as well, must answer 'no' to all of these questions except for one: [ If they went to find Payl's girl, I don't know where they'd go after that. I don't think they'd do her any harm, though. She's only a child; what would she matter to his Lordship? ]
<.>
Dima entertains a brief expression of frustration at the lack of response from the servants, sighs and shakes his head. "At times, there simply are no answers.
"Perhaps this, then: I understand that this will be a fraught question: Has Lord Calabra recently received death threats, or expressed some manner of fear for his life?
"What can you tell me of the household's mood following the assassination attempt?
"And do you have any notion of where your master has gone for the day? I hope, at the least, that he is safely guarded in his travels."
[ It seems she matters a good deal, if he sent a party seeking information on her whereabouts. Do you know anything about this girl?
And these names you have mentioned: Loras, Indir, Bly. Who are they? ]
<.>
Again, there's some uncomfortable shifting and glances exchanged, though this time, the nature is decidedly more of a desire not to speak poorly of Calabra.
It's Faza who speaks, carefully selecting his words. "Lord Calabra...often expresses fear for his life. I suppose if someone were to want to assassinate him, Gower would have been the likeliest choice. No one else could get close, and we are loyal to him, you understand. It's a mark of honor to be in his employ, or that of any other Merchant Lord of Mysos."
He clears his throat. "That..said. How should I put this, to be delicate? Lord Calabra is cautious to an extreme. Not without cause, mind you - obviously. But at times it proves, ah, rigorous for his household. The security measures."
The human listens carefully to Faza before responding to his own questions. [ I don't know anything at all about the girl; only that she exists and likes tarts. He mentioned that once, Payl did.
Those three have seniority over us. They've been with his Lordship since before Zara and Nephala were born. Eh - those are Lord Calabra's daughters. They're marrying age now. But what I mean is, he trusts them. Visento and Torrio most. Like his friends, they are. The other three are kept in confidence with him in ways we aren’t. ]
And after a beat: [ What Faza's saying-not-saying is his Lordship is paranoid. He sees assassins everywhere. Sometimes he's right. Sometimes it's just a delivery boy. ]
no subject
It's clear he's not worried who will hear outside the room, but rather inside it.
The others begin to offer mundane observations about Gower - hard worker, always smiling, no one saw this coming at all, and certainly Lord Calabra never invited it.
The only one not speaking is the human, who has folded his arms and is now rubbing a hand at his forehead. The others don't seem to notice this behavior; their attention is almost exclusively on Dima, or on following Faza's lead.
<.>
Dima takes in this mostly non-information with an appearance of intense interest, nodding, then asks for clarification regarding duties, including whether Payl Gower typically worked with Lord Calabra's meals.
After posing this question, he Messages the silent human servant, not focusing outward attention on him or any one servant for long. [ You know something; you are concerned.
You need not worry. Speak to me this way; respond within thought.
What do you know of Payl Gower? ]
[PERS: 17]
<.>
The man darts a look around the room; he's aware of what Dima's doing but terrified of saying anything in front of the others.
[ Please, I don't want any trouble with Lord Calabra. You swear to me no one will know. No one can know I know about any of this or he'll get rid of me the way he got rid of Payl. ]
<.>
If Dima's surprised by this information - and he is - he keeps his expression schooled; keeps his eyes on whichever servant has taken to responding about Gower's household duties.
[ No one will know.
Whatever you tell me stays in its specifics between you and I; the subcommittee will hear what you say in summary, but the details will be in my mind alone. No one else will know a thing. No one in this room will ever know.
And, know this: In dire straits, the Council will protect you.
Please. Tell me what you know. ]
Meanwhile, when the account of Gower's duties has completed, Dima will ask the group, "How and when did you learn of the attempted assassination?"
<.>
"We were all there serving dinner; Torrio did it right in front of all of us," Faza is saying.
The man swallows hard and seems to be having a conversation with himself to screw up his courage. Finally: [ Thing is, Sir, there's something weird about it all, to my mind. Not - about Payl, mind you, but everything around him.
He didn't like nobility much. Doesn't surprise me even a little, him trying to murder Lord Calabra. If someone hired him for it, probably it just hurried him along some. He hated cooking all those meals with spiced Arboreal Quail egg or whatever else his lordship got it in his head to eat. Said it was a rancid shame for him to eat like that while others starved, and he wasn't any kind of wrong about that much. Murder's a little far. He had a daughter and all - ]
He wrings his hands, then steadies himself to continue, [ No, you don't need to keep chasing down that mystery. But the thing about it is, before we came to Awich, I heard his Lordship shouting at Visento to find Payl's girl, Manon. Torrio - that's his guard, begging your pardon. Torrio, he's a superstitious one, but he's smart, you see, and it was him that suggested the Nightmare Market and finding Payl's spirit. ]
<.>
...Shit.
Dima shakes his head (he's worried) (of course he's worried) (there's no telling what Faolan might find, which was the case from the start, and yes Liviana is with Fae, and no, worrying around the question now won't help anything) (but Faolan, Faolan; please be safe), and again clears his throat. "'Torrio' would be Lord Calabra's guard, correct? It is fortunate that your master keeps such a swift agent at his side.
"I commend each of you for maintaining your heads in the wake of such a harrowing scene.
"How did your master fare in that moment? And who discovered that the food had been poisoned?"
And, [ Breathe steady. Breathe.
You are not alone in finding the incident strange. Given the evidence, I find - and the subcommittee finds - Payl Gower an unlikely choice of assassins.
Was the daughter found? ] And, [ Has Torrio mentioned this Nightmare Market before? ]
<.>
There are some uncomfortable glances exchanged and the half-elf who first spoke admits, "I saw him put something strange in the food. He thought he was alone, and he acted so oddly when he saw me that I thought - maybe I ought to tell someone."
From the human: [ Torrio? Yes. If anyone believes in a thing, it'll be him. He loves to tell stories in his down-time about the Nightmare Market, the Feywild, the Midnight Carnival, and about things the Gillmen say they saw. He's always on about something.
The girl, though - I don't know if they found her. Visento came back yesterday while I was serving his Lordship's afternoon medicinal and said he might've found the Market. Some folk were at a tavern by the docks and he saw a likely group. Motley, with a too-clever raven, he said. ]
Rubbing his eyes, he breathes out a slow, heavy breath. [ Torrio, Visento, Loras, Indir, and Bly went and followed them through the woods and right into the Market. They came back early this morning and I could hear them talking - it's thin walls here and I'm a light sleeper. They were talking about how they posed as this group of necromancers and that fucking - Pardon my language, I'm only quoting. 'That fucking Voronin dog' tried chasing them out, but they still overheard most of what Payl's ghost had to say. They all packed it up right quick and were gone before the sun came up. It was Bly that came back and told us his Lordship and them would come back tomorrow, then he took himself off again and hasn't been back. ]
<.>
In this moment - in this series of moments, unfolding like minor explosions - Dmitri is glad of the years spent enduring ridiculous tales, tantrums, and revelations from others among the nobility, all of which have taught him how to appear impassive, no matter what he might be feeling.
No matter how sharply the gears in his head, the tickings in his nerves have turned. (No matter how he hates to think that any fuck of Calabra's witness Liviana or Faolan, let alone fucking trailed them.)
(He needs more information.) (He also needs to share this information with Faolan, with Liviana, with Sen and Rin.) (Well— Well—) Breathe; he needs to breathe, and does, calmly, evenly.
To the group, Dima offers a small sweep of his palm. "You acted well. No small measure of catastrophe was averted owing to your actions.
"Our trouble remains that the subcommittee has discerned no identification for the responsible party. It is clear Payl Gower did not act without encouragement. Nor is it likely that he lived in knowledge of his plan for long.
"Next questions, then: Was Payl Gower witnessed speaking with any suspicious characters?
"And were you or any of your fellow servants approached by an unknown figure, who may or may not have proposed illicit deeds?"
Then, to the human: [ The Nightmare Market has been located? If this is true, it is a—
Remarkable, and all that you have told me is invaluable. It is an invaluable service you are doing for the Alliance, and for your household.
A few further questions. Did this Bly give any sense of where Lord Calabra might have gone? Does Lord Calabra often disappear so suddenly?
And. Have you seen, or do you know of, a man with several scars - patterned very much like a claw's swipe - upon his jaw? ]
<.>
There's a shaking of heads all around; no one knows the answer to any of Dima's questions.
The human looks distinctly uncomfortable, because he, as well, must answer 'no' to all of these questions except for one: [ If they went to find Payl's girl, I don't know where they'd go after that. I don't think they'd do her any harm, though. She's only a child; what would she matter to his Lordship? ]
<.>
Dima entertains a brief expression of frustration at the lack of response from the servants, sighs and shakes his head. "At times, there simply are no answers.
"Perhaps this, then: I understand that this will be a fraught question: Has Lord Calabra recently received death threats, or expressed some manner of fear for his life?
"What can you tell me of the household's mood following the assassination attempt?
"And do you have any notion of where your master has gone for the day? I hope, at the least, that he is safely guarded in his travels."
[ It seems she matters a good deal, if he sent a party seeking information on her whereabouts. Do you know anything about this girl?
And these names you have mentioned: Loras, Indir, Bly. Who are they? ]
<.>
Again, there's some uncomfortable shifting and glances exchanged, though this time, the nature is decidedly more of a desire not to speak poorly of Calabra.
It's Faza who speaks, carefully selecting his words. "Lord Calabra...often expresses fear for his life. I suppose if someone were to want to assassinate him, Gower would have been the likeliest choice. No one else could get close, and we are loyal to him, you understand. It's a mark of honor to be in his employ, or that of any other Merchant Lord of Mysos."
He clears his throat. "That..said. How should I put this, to be delicate? Lord Calabra is cautious to an extreme. Not without cause, mind you - obviously. But at times it proves, ah, rigorous for his household. The security measures."
The human listens carefully to Faza before responding to his own questions. [ I don't know anything at all about the girl; only that she exists and likes tarts. He mentioned that once, Payl did.
Those three have seniority over us. They've been with his Lordship since before Zara and Nephala were born. Eh - those are Lord Calabra's daughters. They're marrying age now. But what I mean is, he trusts them. Visento and Torrio most. Like his friends, they are. The other three are kept in confidence with him in ways we aren’t. ]
And after a beat: [ What Faza's saying-not-saying is his Lordship is paranoid. He sees assassins everywhere. Sometimes he's right. Sometimes it's just a delivery boy. ]
<.>