"She's still holding that wand.", Gristav reasoned aloud, in mathish tones Braddon might recognize but had never honored. Gristav ascended the bit of stairs and closed on his target. "Remember, she killed your gran; we can't trust her. Take the wand from her, or knock her out, or I'll feather her again." Gristav's dwarf-grey eyes were hard as flint.
Alighting on Gristav's shoulder, the butterfly almost had an aura of menace.
Lil gets to her feet. "Why is everyone being so mean?"she asks, her eyes welling with tears as she turns from Braddon to Phillip.
Gristav looses an ensorcelled and enfortuned arrow as Lil rises, her trick-twig twitching toward Phillip...
"...What are You trying to tell me...?", Gristav asks softly, reaching for another arrow...
Unlike Gristav's last arrow, this one hits, but, just as with Tendal's staff, Lil neither flinches nor bleeds.
The thrush? It was not about... but also maybe... "Phillip, kill Bojasc." Gristav said, drawing a mental vinculum.
Snake draws from within and brings about more magic to aid him in this cause before making his way toward Scarlet...
...before stopping right next to Braddon. He then cuts his eyes toward the ranger. What are you gonna do, Pretty boy? I'm banking on nothing seeing how I'm not threatening your girlfriend right now. But, I'm not the best gambler so I'll guess we'll see.
Turning to face Gristav at his words, Phillip muses a moment before shaking his head slightly "No reason to be so swift, he's out of the fight and could prove useful... that is if he isn't dead already" before narrowing eyes at Braddon and Lil in turn "As to the rest... are we fair to put away the steel and use our tongues now?"
Braddon takes a step back, keeping between Snake and Lil and shakes his head.
"Nothing to discuss. Bojasc is dead. He used Lil and she's obviously very upset. Now stop being mean to her and tell them to back off!"
Braddon glares at Gristav and Tendal, before sheathing his short sword and smoothly drawing a dagger.
"And don't try any wacky woojoo either. I don't want to hurt you, but I won't let you attack this poor girl. She's been through enough already."
Braddon kicks the body on the ground none too softly.
"You can take dead boy if you want."
Tendal stumbled to his feet, head still ringing slightly from the clout that Braddon struck across his brow.
"Braddon, you struck me? What on earth possessed..." Tendal trailed off for the barest moment. "...you to strike me? You can see that she has magical protection upon her, I wasn't striking to harm her, merely to let her know that she is in our power. I can't believe that you, my companion whom I have been through so much with, and never crossed, would strike me in such a manner."
Tendal moved forward, cane tucked under his arm, a handkerchief produced from a sleeve and pressed to his brow against the blood oozing profusely from his split brow.
"I think its a terrible idea for you to stay behind, Braddon. But if you are adamant about this, then I will give you what protection I can before I depart and see to my head. You know the spell, I have used it before...it will keep you protected if some other agent attacks you with spells while you guard her." he finished, gesturing at Braddon and Lil with the now blood soaked hankerchief.
Braddon looks to Tendal and lowers his dagger uncertainly.
"I didn't know she had magic protection. You didn't know. I can see now that she has magic... has magic..."
Braddon frowns.
Sensing an easing in Braddon's aggression, Phillip looks to secure a spot by the hell-mistress's side...
Tendal follows Braddon and gives his comrade another chance to reject Lil's influence.
Phillip takes the opportunity to get closer to Lil.
"...has magic..."
Braddon rounds on Lil suddenly.
"You WITCH! You put a spell on me!! I will have your bloody hands off no matter what Sam says you lousy, stinking, filthy piece of..."
Braddon continues his profanities while hammering at Lil with his Bastard Sword and magical short sword.
Braddon's fury makes his first swing sloppy; he would swear that his second blade hit, but Lil shows no sign of injury or discomfort.
"Seize her, bind her, gag and hoodwink her! Whatever blocks a blade might still let gain a grapple. Deny her eyes and voice. And take away that wand!"
"Miss, your defense fades with every strike. Surrender, and you might help us puzzle out your disposition against the conflicting demands your plots have brought upon us. Resist, and...", Gristav shrugs into the ellipsis, and jumps down onto the couch, moving South into the room and up the stairs next to Tendal. As he mounts into view, his staff shimmers in his hand.
Gristav retrieves his wonted weapon.
"'Resist?'" Lil demands indignantly. "Have I raised a hand to harm any of you?" She offers Phillip the wand in her hand. "Darling, you're hurt," she tells Braddon. "Check Bojasc's pockets; he had a healing potion."
Seeing no way to reach the woman, Snake concentrates upon her as a red gleam in his eye shines.
Tendal glanced over the assembled group, the cooling corpse on the floor, and the woman cowering in the corner.
"I find it interesting Lil, that we started our acquaintance sitting across from one another, drinking wine. But instead of looking to build something new, as I was attempting to do, you continued to be fixated on revenge, on hatred, on being wronged. You had the whole city under your spell, and yet you squandered it." Tendal said, his voice cold and flat.
"You, my dear, with your petty revenge, your prosaic rage, you are simply disappointing, and now I am bored with you."
"If you have poison on your personage, and I assume you do, now would be the time to take your exit."
Braddon raises his swords again.
"You're never getting a chance to harm anyone ever again!"
Phil considers the position that all are in and the newly unlimbered mind of Braddon set to strike. He pauses, motionless for a moment, before taking a defensive guard and noting "Do as you will Braddon... but unconscious would be better than dead."
Braddon doesn't relent.
"... killer of little old ladies... and dwarves... I'll teach you to mess with my head... stealer of girl's jewellery... I'll take your head to Mescher..."
Warily regarding Lil's offer, Phillip shakes his head and doesn't take the bait wand.
Gristav, staff in hand, moves toward the gathered persons and up the stairs. He's still just behind Tendal, on the stairs, when the events of recent days all refresh their burdens, and Gristav stops there, on the stairs, steeping in the recent bitterness, just in sight of its author.
Lil smiles tightly. "Don't wear yourself out, darling," she advises Braddon. "I've surrendered. Besides, there's a great deal of money at stake. My investment partners have had an unfortunate run of dying; there's still a chance for the lot of you to claim their shares of the spoils. Aren't you the slightest bit curious what this has all been about?" Having been rebuffed by Phillip, she sets the wand carefully down on the sofa to her right.
Snake looks to her curiously a moment before speaking up. "Hold up, bubs. That goes for you especially, Braddon. Don't nobody kill her just yet. Not gonna lie, she had me at 'great deal of money'. Plus, I am curious as to what in the Nine Hells this is all about. Plus, she might have information I need. And if she does... then I need it. So all I'm asking is for you all to hold a moment until we've heard what she's got to say." Snake sheathes his weapon, completely unconcerned about the woman any longer. "Besides, she's no longer a threat. And I'm not about to kill a defenseless woman... guilty or not. I just can't do it. I'm no saint for sure but I'm definitely not a murderer." He looks around at the others, curious if they are hell-bent on killing her no matter what.
"And if Braddon's freedom of mind, of heart, were at stake?", Gristav growled. "Because it is. With insufficient time to gentle and wheedle. And what can you offer her? Will you let her go, to plot more murder? Are Zaiome and Larur not enough? 'Murder' is the wrong word, if she ends here, even if 'Justice' need be writ with shaking hand."
Narrowing his eyes at the magus, he shrugs. "I got nothing to offer her. But while all these claims are being made that she killed everyone... did she? How do you know it wasn't Zincher? Maybe that's the guy pulling the trigger on all these murders. Would any of you put it past him? I wouldn't. Are you absolutely sure it was her? I'm not. Could she be guilty? Of course. Won't argue that. But I'm not about to up and kill someone who's just going to stand there. Even if it was the big fella there," he motions to the fallen Bojasc. "And I would be fairly certain he's done his share of senseless killing. They want to fight to the end? Then so be it. But like I said: not here to kill to just be killing. And with you saying 'murder' is the wrong word... I would say that's just you convincing yourself it's the wrong word just to appease your own conscience. The truth is what it is no matter how much you sugarcoat it. It's got to stop somewhere, bub."
"Proceed."
Nodding at the magus, he then turns to Lil. "Unless anyone else objects, the floor is all yours, sweetheart," he says, staring right at her with that well-known stone cold look that tells nothing as he readies to listen with his arms folded.
With Lil seemingly subdued for the moment, Phil leaves the words to the longshanks as he goes to check on Bojasc... testing to see if the ex-bodyguard still draws breath or not.
Tendal looked on the proceedings coldly.
"As long as that woman draws breath, she cannot be considered defenseless." Tendal said dismissively with a slight rise in his eyebrow.
"I doubt that anything that she says will be worth the breath she spills to utter it, but I will cede the floor to you Snake, lead the inquisition." he finished with a flourish towards Snake, belied by his rigid mien.
"Well, I heard you got poor Weatherby arrested," Lil begins, "so I presume you know something about the investment. Skymetal. I was approached by a party who needed a contact in Riddleport to do business with the Gas Forges. After all, raw skymetal isn't worth much before it's worked. I arranged to handle the transactions, discreetly, and in exchange I was given the opportunity to buy into the deal. The more money I could put up, the larger the share of the profits I could claim. I and my partners, I should say."
Snake looks at the tiefling through narrowed eyes as if studying her. He then looks around to the others questioningly before turning back to her with a raised eyebrow. "And? Names? Who are these 'partners' of yours?"
"Weatherby," she shrugs. "Saul. A few ship-captain friends of mine. Anyone with a bit of coin laid by and an eye for the main chance. But you're in luck. The skymetal's already in place now and only has to be transported discreetly. You can have Weatherby's and Saul's shares of the profits; you only have to keep quiet and wait for the pay-off."
Braddon pokes Lil experimentally with his magical short sword and glares at Snake before lowering his weapons. Both weapons remain in hand.
His head turns at the mention of large amounts of wealth but he furrows his brow at the business details.
"How's this fit with Mescher's daughter? And why kill her maid? And what's with all these tidal waves?"
"How's this fit with Mescher's daughter? And why kill her maid?"
Lil's eyes flash back toward Braddon. "Saul was getting cold feet," she explains. "The plan was for his casino's first night to be its last. The bandits would attack, the crowd would scatter, the money would go into the skymetal investment. It was a good plan, but Saul ... was a showman at heart. He loved the attention, the adulation. The little Mescher girl was Plan B. He couldn't afford trouble with Maskyr's Island; he would have to leave Riddleport ahead of the Gendarmes."
"And what's with all these tidal waves?"
Lil smirks. "Skymetal comes from the sky. If enough of it falls into the sea, it makes a splash. Such a splash, think how big a fortune we're talking about."
"The fat man, huh? Not surprised. No Zincher though? Or the prostitute queen Shorafa? They both have got to know something, right? On top of that, 'where' is this skymetal? And 'who' are we suppose to be waiting for to get this pay-off?"
Braddon looks more confused.
"Plan B? But her name starts with 'A'. Does she control Maskyr's Island? Is that why you needed her necklace? Does it control the island? Or does it pull skymetal into the sea? Is that how you get the metal from the sky?"