Sekathral's eyes start to glitter dangerously.
"Less of that.", he whispers, after Kyson slaps him. "Much less of that. If praying means that I get cured, I'll pray, but I don't like getting smacked across the chops. At all. If anyone else'd done what you just did, I'd've sliced 'em up proper, but since it's you, I'll leave it. This time. Don't do it again"
He grips the front of Kyson's shirt in a feeble grip, stares into his eyes for a few seconds, then flops back into a prone position, exhausted by the effort.
Kyson smiles as Seka's anger gets him to move and show life again.
"That's the spirit, Seka. Get better so you can make sure I never do that again. Now, do you need help getting up?" If so, Kyson will help the man up.
"Let's get you to bed. Dargon, a bit of help please. Maybe you could guard him while I go help the rest track down the poisoner."
"Very well. Silvio wishes to appoligize for his brisk demenour but surely you understand the situation warranted it", Silvio says and lowers his accusatory finger, bows nimbly at the mwangi cook and moves to interrogate the servants.
"As you already know Silvio is man of action", Silvio starts as he enters the sleeping quaters, "but Silvio is also a man of justice. There for Silvio will give you a chance to speak before the situation escalates. There is tretchery afoot aboard this vessel. This evening Silvio's good friend Sekathral was poisoned. You had access to the food as it was prepared. What do you have to say about that?" he adresses both servants.
The two men look baffled at Silvio's words. "What? We haven't been near the food other than what we're eating ourselves, sir."
They seem genuinely baffled.
"Ya thinking someone might come finish the job, huh?" Dargon asks.
"Aye, I'll stand guard, but when he's up to it, he's repaying the favor with a good game of dice. Dargon says for Sekathral to over hear, in hopes of bringing up the elf's spirits.
"Do not play games with Silvio!" the chelaxian says raising his voice and gesturing with his accusatory finger. "You heard Silvio's good friend Zstelian. There are witnesses that put you close to the food. What do you have to say about that?" he finishes triumphantly.
"Ya thinking someone might come finish the job, huh?" Dargon asks.
"Aye, I'll stand guard, but when he's up to it, he's repaying the favor with a good game of dice. Dargon says for Sekathral to over hear, in hopes of bringing up the elf's spirits.
"Mate, you won't have so much as a speck of copper dust on you by the time I'm done. Stop stalling and get them robber bones out.", replies Sekathral, his voice so faint it can barely be heard.
"What the f*** am I going to eat, though? Mind you, these are safe - they're sealed", he says, pointing at his stash of spirits.
"I'll just have to live on whisky 'til I'm better"
This last sentence is delivered with a certain amount of satisfied glee.
"Then the cook is lying to you," Banaby replies. "Master Meravanchi didn't ask us to add any spice to his food."
Seeing Seka and Dargon beginning to play nicely, Kyson goes to help hunt down the poisoner. Kyson goes down to the kitchen and tries to help Zstelian.
Oooh...biscuits...
Louly looks irritated as she is brought into the bunk cabin, followed by Kyson, who was in the galley when Khazmia went to fetch the cook.
"Yes, dat is de one I told you about, who brought de spices," Louly says, pointing to Banaby.
The two servants look stunned by her accusation.
"She's LYING," Banaby says, his voice raised and cheeks flushed. "I've never been in her kitchen!"
"I can't tell. They both sound believable, but someone had to do it." Khazmia eyes both of them warily, but comes up empty. Finally, she turns to Kyson, "Do you think The Everlight could give you anything to ahhh encourage them to tell the truth? Maybe some fiery vengeance that only strikes liars or something?"
Kyson enters and listens, looking at Zstelian hoping he can ferret out the truth. Or maybe his ferret can.
Kyson nods to Khaz, agreeing.
"Oh yeah, we can force out the truth. All is revealed in the Sun's light." Kyson looks at the two talkers. "The sun reveals all.". Kyson looks deadly serious.
Silvio needs no more evidence than the word of a woman. He reaches the accused servant with a pair of determined strides, grabs hold of the man and slams him into the galley wall. "Enough lies!" he roars. "You will tell Silvio why you poisoned Silvio's good friend Sekathral, and who ordered you to do it!"
Zstelian, you think both are telling the truth.
"Ahh," the man lets out a high-pitched scream as Silvio grabs him. "I didn't poison you friend! I swear it by all that I hold holy!"
Kyson look at Zstelian and shrugs. "We should search them now...or Detect Poison. If that doesn't work, then we should search their bunks, huh?"
Kyson leans close to Khaz.
"What did I miss?"
"Uh...if the poisoning happened in the kitchen, wouldn't more of us be sick? Lots of us?"
Kyson goes to inspect whatever food is left in the kitchen.
Kyson look at Zstelian and shrugs. "We should search them now...or Detect Poison. If that doesn't work, then we should search their bunks, huh?"
Kyson leans close to Khaz.
"What did I miss?"
Khaz leans closer, whispering right back, I'm not sure. Just more people swearing they didn't do it, I think. I'm not sure. It's odd, because just as the cook swears he did it, that one says he was never in the kitchen.
Tavey looks excited as he's brought into the quarters.
"Did you need me? Do we know who poisoned Sekathral?" he asks, eyes gleaming with anticipation.
"Uh-huh?"
The boy clearly doesn't get what you're intimating, but seems to be hanging on your every word.
Silvio releases the servant. "Silvio is watching you. Do not even dream of trying something", the chelaxian warns him.
Without saying a word Dargon pulls a crate up to Sekathral's bedside and rolls some dice upon it.
"Looks like 'ur luck is coming back already." Dargon says as he starts their game with a particularly bad combination.
"Well, if there is poison in here, Zstelian should find it. And if both of these two are telling the truth, then something really weird is going on. Someone must have poisoned the food after it left the kitchen AND might have been targeting Seka...because he's the only one showing symptoms," Kyson says out loud while scratching his non-existent beard.
Kyson goes to check on Dargon and Seka...just in case.
Zstelian does detect poison coming from Banaby's sea chest; an investigation reveals a powdery gray substance.
"That's not mine!" Banaby protests. "I've never seen it before!"
Kyson looks at Banaby and shakes his head
"You know how this looks, right? But tomorrow we'll get our answers. Lock him up, I say."
Silvio turns back to Banaby as Zstelian reveals the toxins. "Would you care to enlighten Silvio and his good friends on how they came to reside in your sea chest then? We have one witness to you acting suspiciously in the kitchen and now we find the remains of your deeds in your possession. The evidence is stacked against you."
Kyson will insist that Banaby is locked up...it's the only way to both be safe and prove Banaby's innocence (if something else happens while he's locked up, we can eliminate him as a suspect) or guilt.
Sekathral, meanwhile, is playing dice with Dargon and grumbling.
"My first sea voyage for ages, and here I am stuck in f***ing bed. What a load of balls! Anyway, how d'you reckon they're getting on, mate? If I were them, I'd be staking out the kitchen. You know, hide in a bloody cupboard or something, then, when the scrote wanders in with his bottle with the skull and crossbones on, leap out and scrag 'im. What do you think?"
Kyson seeks help in dragging Banaby before the Captain.
"Lets go, you! Before the Captain! C'mon!"
Kyson tries to seem big and tough.
The group remaining at the remains of the meal, which appears mostly uneaten after Sekathral's poisoning, looks up as you haul Banaby into the cabin.
"Is this the poisoner then?" Capt. Amella asks coldly, her glance looking sideways at Avner.
The haughty noble looks shocked at the apparent betrayal. "Banaby?! How dare you?!"
"But, I din't do it, sir. I never had no poison and have no reason to poison the elf!"
Amella scowls as Banaby continues to protest.
"If you shamed me by trying to commit murder, you little worm..." Avner growls.
He continues to seem sincere today, and you don't see anyone looking especially pleased.
Khaz, unable to find any way to be useful paces outside of Seka's room. "I shouldn't have turned him blue. Maybe the poisoner hates blue! Barnaby is so convincing! But the poison is in his things, and the cook saw him. I wish I could read his mind, see what he's reallly thinking!"
Amella scowls as Banaby continues to protest.
"If you shamed me by trying to commit murder, you little worm..." Avner growls.
Silvio places himself between Avner and Banaby and sinks his eyes into the nobleman. "Then man has been caught in the act poisoning Silvio's good friend Sekathral(isn't it amazing how fast events are warped in the mind of Silvio?), but a calculated killer he is not. Somewhere on board there is the brains behind this trechery, and Silvio will find it", the chelaxian promises. "You shall stay away and have no contact with the servant. Silvio is watching you."
Zstelian stays silent as the captain passes her judgement, keeping an eye out for anyone that looks to be a bit too pleased with the outcome.
Kyson nods worriedly as the Captain is informed and the group rallies around him.
Yep...perfect.
Kyson, after the discussion is over, wanders out of the Captain's presence and looks to Khaz, seeking to speak quietly.
"Uhm...so...I can fix Sekathral pretty easily tomorrow, right? And the poisoner or the head brains is going to learn that I can fix those things somewhat easily, right? Yeah...and..." Kyson sputters.
Kyson takes a deep breath before continuing.
"Well, don't you think that instead of going after Sekathral, they might need to come after me first? I mean...I can fix lots of things. So they might need to take me out, right?"
Kyson clutches his holy symbol, looking left and right suspiciously.
"I'M NEXT! KHAZ, I'M NEXT!"
Kyson tries to recover his composure.
"The only people we can trust are our friends, right? And Sekathral. I mean, Silvio, Dargon, and Zstelian have all had chances to see me dead, but they are friends. Even Sekathral. I mean...he wouldn't poison himself near to death, would he? Everyone else could be out to get me!"
Kyson nods worriedly as the Captain is informed and the group rallies around him.
Yep...perfect.
Kyson, after the discussion is over, wanders out of the Captain's presence and looks to Khaz, seeking to speak quietly.
** spoiler omitted **
Khaz's turns, pulled from her revery by the young scribe's angst. She puts an arm around his shoulders and leans in confidentially to keep the poisoner from hearing.
"I promise!" She says loudly, scowling around at any would-be assassins.
Amella listens to Zstelian's whispered comment and gives him a quick, piercing glance. Then she sighs quietly.
"So be it. Let's see if it a little time in the goat-kissed goal puts the fear of the flaming gods into your sorry backside. I need a bloody weasel on my ship like I need a crow-bitten extra hole twixt my nethers," she curses.
"Someone get rid of this thrice-damned food and get me a real meal that's not going to send me to Besmara's bosom, damn it!" she yells, slamming one of the plates to the floor and making Tavey jump in fright.
"Don't test me, my friend," Avner says to Silvio. "I should hate for Lavinia to have another of her friends so close to death. I care not for this man any further!"
With Banaby in custody, Khaz hovering protectively, Kyson goes to find Sekathral and Dargon, a night's sleep will do him well.
Kyson will set a tight night's watch schedule before sleeping...not trusting no one except his 6 friends.
Kyson plans to wake early (as usual) and wake Seka early (probably less usual) for morning prayers.
"Don't test me, my friend," Avner says to Silvio. "I should hate for Lavinia to have another of her friends so close to death. I care not for this man any further!"
"Silvio is sailing in familiar waters, it is you who are out of your depth. Silvio advices caution."