Alicia nods at Marikel. "As far as I can tell, it's just one set of footprints. I can't tell much more than that, though. They could've jumped, or been shot by someone on the roof of the Longhouse and tumbled off. I guess they could've been stumbling along, but I kind of doubt it somehow."
She gestures toward the front of the Longhouse. "Trail gets lost in the beaten path at the front of the Longhouse, though. Didn't see anything else," she continues.
Her gaze settles on the handcart, her frown deepening. "Something's fishy about this, any way you look at it."
Banny looks sidelong at the human girl, impressed with all she gleaned from the tracks.
"You got good eyes," she murmurs, before returning her gaze to the sad passage of the cart. Damn shame, whoever it was. Because whoever it was was... one of them, and any loss is too much. She frowns, and kicks at a bit of pebble on the ledge to send it tumbling off (though well away from the searchers below).
The crowd loitering around the Longhouse in the morning light continues to grow, as word spreads through town. The consensus is that the procession will end up there, to inform the Patrol Captain or the Chief Defender before the identity of the deceased is disclosed. While everyone is appropriately respectful, there's also morbid curiosity in the air: the possibility that the tarp will slip or a whisper will be overheard. To be among the first to know would be a coup few are willing to forfeit.
Finally the searchers arrive at the gate from the inner quarter, more straggling rubberneckers in tow. Canaday runs into the front door of the Longhouse and comes back out with Halgra Blackblade and Jagrin Grath, who move down the steps to meet the procession. The pair look somber and composed.
"Well," Halgra greets them with an air of grim resignation, "I thank you folks for your service. When Rabus opens up today, go in and tell him to give you a stiff one on me. Captain, you'll take a look?" She gestures Jagrin Grath toward the motionless tarp.
"Ma'am, wait!" one of the searchers bursts out, stepping between Grath and the cart. "The Patrol Captain shouldn't...!"
Brinya looks from the Captain to the heavy body in the handcart, the limp fingers of one large hand visible dangling beneath the edge of the tarp, and makes the connection. "Oh gods!" she cries out in distress. "It's Rodrick!"
"Rodrick?" one of the search party answers. "No, it's Kerst." He catches himself, too late to unsay what's been said, and drops his eyes to the ground.
From his vantage within the crowd Vhailor listens in on the words before Brinya's cry chills his blood... momentarilly before the search party's refrain warms it somewhat. His heart still grows heavy as his thoughts fill with a half-finished maquette and ghost-rats that will remain unslain. Carb picks up on his companion's unease and pushes his neck and shoulder into Vhailor's neck by way of emotive support.
Stirred to forthright action, Vhailor begins to try and slip / force his way through the rubberneckers and get closer to the handcart... still not sure there was much he could tangibly offer, but wanting to be present all the same.
What?
Banny stands, staring, unsure she heard what she heard. Kerst? ....Kerst?
No, that's...
She feels a like a breeze is whistling past her ears, that same breeze that caresses her face when she sits on the cliff-edge, passing the time, gazing out at the open air before her and feeling that bridge-edge sensation, the knowledge of all that empty open space before you...
Except she's standing on solid ground, surrounded by buildings. There is no wind. Just that soft rushing noise in her ears.
It's a terrible thing, she thinks, to pray that the brother of a friend is dead... yet that unworthy thought creeps into her head all the same. Let it be a case of mistaken identity, let it be Rodrick, not-- not Kerst.
Gods, she sat and talked with him only yesterday.
Externally, Banny betrays no emotional response; only the unfocused quality of her gaze speaks at all to her mental state.
Marikel watches sombrely but cannot hide a quick look of surprise at Brinya's response. He turns a guilty look to Banny when the final news is pronounced but regains his composure immediately.
He gives Banny's shoulder a squeeze and leaves her to her thoughts.
Instead, he approaches Halgra and stands off to the side. He doesn't say anything, but catches her eye.
He is ready if called upon, and while his powers of healing are no longer required, his knowledge of anatomy and his standing with the holy church of Iomedae may both be useful.
Banny doesn't respond to Marikel's hand on her shoulder, still staring fixedly at the tarp, her breathing shallow.
Alicia didn't know Kerst well. Even so, she feels her stomach knot up a little. Why would he kill himself? she wonders silently.
The blond rogue slips over to Ruby and whispers, "Stay with Marikel. I'll be back soon." With that, Ali attempts to quietly slip away and heads toward Kerst's house, intending to see if there was a suicide note or evidence of foul play at the residence.
"Rodrick?" one of the search party answers. "No, it's Kerst."
Jagrin Grath freezes in place, and Halgra takes advantage of the moment to step quickly past him and twitch back the edge of the tarp just enough to reveal the dead man's face. The twin brothers are like enough that the uncanny veil of death might make identification difficult ... except that at that moment, Rodrick comes out the front door of the Longhouse. The palpable tension of the moment almost immediately checks his advance. "Who...? Dad? What is it?"
"No, it's Rodrick," Brinya whispers in a small voice. "There's been some confusion." She turns to the newly-arrived Grath brother, reaching her hands out tentatively in appeal.
Vhailor slips his way to the fore... but doesn't intervene in the unfolding of Grath-ic grief.
Marikel tilts his head towards Brinya with furrowed brow but remains still and quiet. Although he's always been good at reading people, Brinya Kelver has never been an open book.
He takes a deep breath to calm himself and watches everyone.
Alicia takes advantage of the open door to slip up the steps and inside the Longhouse. She can't claim to be unseen, but the focus on the tragedy unfolding outside means no one steps away to ask where she's going and why.
Inside, an open door on the right reveals an empty office; the first door on the left she knows to hold supplies. Farther down the hallway are the doors leading to the barracks. There are separate sleeping quarters so those on the night shift aren't disturbed by their fellows coming and going during the day; Alicia isn't sure in which room Kerst's footlocker might be.
"Who...? Dad? What is it?"
Halgra quickly re-covers the corpse and turns back to the other Graths. She meets Jagrin's eye challengingly, and he manages a dazed nod. Moving past him, Halgra grips Rodrick by the upper arm. "Come inside, Rodrick. When did you last see your brother?" Not waiting for an answer, she firmly starts to guide him back into the Longhouse.
Rodrick looks back over his shoulder at Brinya, helpless bewilderment in his eyes.
The color drains from the school teacher's face, and she staggers, her knees threatening to give way.
Jagrin Grath doesn't seem to notice, wordlessly motioning to the Patrolmen with their cart to follow as he turns to enter the Longhouse behind Halgra and Rodrick.
Alicia quickly, quietly hustles toward the door leading into the day-shift barracks. Moving confidently and with purpose, she tries to project the image that she belongs there in the hopes of forestalling people's curiosity as she looks for a nameplate with Kerst's name on it.
"No, it's Rodrick," Brinya whispers in a small voice. "There's been some confusion." She turns to the newly-arrived Grath brother, reaching her hands out tentatively in appeal.
The faint murmur from the schoolteacher so closely mirrors Banny's own thoughts-- her half-conscious plea to the gods for it to be the other brother-- that her gaze reluctantly tears from the tarp-covered body, the revelation of Kerst's face, to look at the human woman instead.
She recalls clear enough yesterday's exchange, no matter how many drinks she'd had in her. Brinya so obviously seeking Kerst's company, in the guise of a work favor; Kerst, for his part, doing all he could within the bounds of courtesy to refuse.
Banny takes a breath and lets it out. She feels old and tired, of a sudden. Simple as a lover unlooked for? She wishes Kerst had told her. She wishes she had asked him. Not her way, and not the dwarven way, to pry into the concerns of others, but... he was her friend.
Her eyes feel dry and gritty. Banny forces her feet forward, skirting around the edge of the half-circle of gawkers to reach the schoolteacher's side.
"Steady on," she mutters, a strong forearm going to brace the frail-looking woman, before she can keel over on the stones right by Kerst's dead-wagon. She wonders if Kerst would have wanted her to, or whether he'd have tried to keep distance even so. Well. Don't matter none, do it. Because he's dead.
Banny cranes her head back to look at the body. One thing, she's sure of down in her gut, as sure as stone and blood alike:
Her friend didn't kill himself.
She won't believe that of him.
But on the off chance that he did.... damn if she won't find out the truth of whatever that business between him and Brinya was. She swears it silently to herself, even as she offers Brinya an arm to lean on.
Unsure if the procession of importance implies an invitation to himself or not, Vhailor is frozen in place. His brow furrows and mouth works silently and wordlessly open and shut a couple of times as words evade him for one of the few times in his life.
Marikel looks to Brinya and takes a few steps towards her before stopping himself.
Instead, he makes his way towards Jagrin Grath and lays a steady hand on his shoulder.
"Would you like us to take him to the sanctuary? For now? We can look after him, until you're ready."
Alicia quickly, quietly hustles toward the door leading into the day-shift barracks. Moving confidently and with purpose, she tries to project the image that she belongs there in the hopes of forestalling people's curiosity as she looks for a nameplate with Kerst's name on it.
Both barracks are sparsely occupied, as both night and day shifts were called out by the alarm bell. Alicia slips into the day barrack and begins moving from bunk to bunk quickly. Each set of bunk beds has a footlocker on both sides, one for the top bunk and one for the bottom. It doesn't take her long before she spies "Grath, K." on one of the chests, just as a patrol member approaches her shoulder.
"Looking for someone?" the woman asks politely.
Banny forces her feet forward, skirting around the edge of the half-circle of gawkers to reach the schoolteacher's side.
"Steady on," she mutters, a strong forearm going to brace the frail-looking woman, before she can keel over on the stones right by Kerst's dead-wagon.
Banny feels the woman trembling as she supports her. Brinya shoots her a look that is both distraught and oddly conspiratorial before she turns her gaze back to the cart as it trundles toward the Longhouse.
Like a forgotten child at the market... Vhailor is left standing as others mill around with intent.
"Would you like us to take him to the sanctuary? For now? We can look after him, until you're ready."
The Patrol Captain stiffens as Marikel touches him, stopping in his tracks. "I thank you for your concern, padre," he answers deliberately, without actually meeting the other man's eyes, "but Trunau takes care of its own." His refusal delivered, he continues into the Longhouse, his back straight and pace deliberate, not looking back at the cart carrying his son's body.
Marikel takes a few steps back and watches the cart to see where it ends up. He looks around for Ruby and Alicia. Then Alicia again and rolls his eyes.
He follows the cart reverently.
"Found him," Alicia says levelly, her gaze not leaving the bed and footlocker as she answers the woman. She looks the bed over, sparing a look under the bed as well before attempting to open Kerst's footlocker. "Has Kerst been acting strangely lately? Received any unusual visitors, maybe?" she asks the patrolwoman confidently, still projecting an aura like she belongs here. If the footlocker turns out to be locked, she attempts to pick it.
"What? No. What is this all about?" As Alicia kneels down to examine the footlocker, the woman intercedes again, "Hey, those are Kerst's things, and if he'd sent you to get something for him, he'd have given you the key. What's going on?"
Marikel takes a few steps back and watches the cart to see where it ends up. He looks around for Ruby and Alicia. Then Alicia again and rolls his eyes.
He follows the cart reverently.
The returned search party take up a position as pallbearers, respectfully lifting the corners of the cart and carrying it up the few steps to the Longhouse so as not to jostle the corpse, then wheel Kerst Grath's earthly remains into the building. Halgra has just escorted Rodrick to a chair in the front office and waits at the door for Jagrin Grath to enter as well before taking a seat herself, pulling the chair around to sit with the two men rather than in a position of authority across the desk.
The Patrol members keep their vigil with the cart. Recognizing Marikel's position as clergy, even if he is an outsider, they don't begrudge him a place by the body as well.
Halgra doesn't close the door, so her voice carries out to those standing vigil over the body in the hall. Her tone is businesslike but gentle. "We already knew the evidence suggested we were looking at a jumper. Can either of you think of a reason why Kerst may have taken such a drastic action? A quarrel, a romantic setback, any recent unhappiness?"
After the door of the Longhouse closes behind the impromptu funeral procession, those left waiting outside start to break into small groups, buzzing with the melancholy news. Most of the crowd, the identity of the dead man revealed, start to head back down the hill to their own homes to spread the sad tidings.
Brinya sags against Banny, no longer trying to maintain a facade. "You know it's not true," she murmurs to the dwarf desperately. "He wouldn't have.... He was murdered!"
"Did Kerst switch shifts with a night-shift watchman?" Ali asks, ignoring the woman's questions as she gestures to the bed from her kneeling position. "Or did you hear Patrol Captain Grath give him an extra shift, maybe? It doesn't look like he slept at all last night."
"I ... never saw him. I don't know." The woman glances at the pristine bed. "Doesn't look out he tumbled out of bed when the bell sounded like the rest of us. You should ask his brother."
The lock clicks in response to Alicia's tender ministrations, and the woman's tone turns sharp once again. "Look, I told you, those are Kerst's things! What business do you have going through them? I'm not going to let you carry anything out of here unless you give me some reasonable answers!"
A cursory examination of the contents of the chest reveals only extra clothing and a second pair of boots, nothing more personal or revelatory than that.
Alicia carefully looks through the footlocker's contents, parsing out information as slowly as she thinks she can get away with until she is satisfied that the locker contains nothing of interest. "He didn't tumble out of bed...when the alarm sounded...because he was the one taking a leap."
Marikel waits patiently. Marikel is good at waiting. It seems he's been waiting most of his life.
"He didn't tumble out of bed...when the alarm sounded...because he was the one taking a leap."
The woman's face drains of color. "I don't believe you," she protests. "Why would he...? You stay there!" she commands, backing toward the door, before turning on her heel and rushing up the corridor in search of confirmation.
Alicia takes advantage of her absence to rifle through the contents of the footlocker, unfortunately finding nothing out of the ordinary. She even knocks experimentally on the lid and bottom in search of hidden compartments and checks that the lining is securely glued in, with no papers slid behind it. The chest is entirely unhelpful.
"We already knew the evidence suggested we were looking at a jumper. Can either of you think of a reason why Kerst may have taken such a drastic action? A quarrel, a romantic setback, any recent unhappiness?"
Jagrin Grath clears his throat. "I had to have some words with him last night. There was a bit of a ruckus with the ladies of the town, and I'm sorry to say Kerst was involved. Not showing proper respect."
"Dad, that wasn't anything...," Rodrick protests weakly. "I mean, he wasn't.... He wouldn't have...."
"Rodrick?" Halgra probes gently. "Is there anything you can think of to explain this?"
Jagrin turns his face toward his oldest son inquisitively. Rodrick hesitates, glancing from his father to the Chief Defender, then lowers his gaze to the floor. "No," he responds flatly, "nothing I can think of."
As Marikel waits outside the office, a Patrolwoman comes hurrying down the corridor from deeper within the Longhouse. She glances into the office at the trio within, then turns to take in the cart with its honor guard. "It's true?" she asks quietly. "It's Kerst?"
Marikel nods once but says nothing.
Banny gazes up at Brinya a moment in silence, still stolidly helping to hold up the teacher's slight frame. She glances around the street, then mutters in a low tone, "No, can't believe it of him. Not ever. If someone did this..."
One of her scarred fists clenches, in silent promise of the fate Kerst's murderer will meet.
"C'mon," Banny says gruffly. "Don't care to talk on it here. You look in need of a drink."
And at this hour, the Killin' Grounds are still deserted (though Banny's sure later today it will fill with those drinking, and wanting to gossip of Kerst's death). A good place to talk privately... figure out what Brinya knows, or suspects.
Brinya mutely submits to being led away down Bloodmarch Hill to the Inner Quarter, oblivious to her state of relative undress. Banny bundles the slight figure into the bar and pulls down a stool from atop the table where it was stacked last night to accommodate her before delving into Rabus's stock.
"Well," Halgra sighs inside the office, getting to her feet. "The pair of you take the day off. No, Jagrin, I insist. There's arrangements to be made. I'd be honored to have Kerst laid out in Ivory Hall, and we'll kindle the Flame of the Fallen, of course. I understand he left his hopeknife behind? I'll let you retrieve it, Rodrick, and keep it for the funeral."
"It's true?" she asks quietly. "It's Kerst?"
Marikel nods once but says nothing.
The woman slumps against the wall. "There's a girl back there," she reports blankly, jerking her chin down the hall toward the barracks, "going through his things."
Well, crap, Ali thinks as her search turns up no clues. She stands and shakes her head, using the motion to surreptitiously see whether anyone is watching her in the barracks (and also looking for other exits besides the way she came--and the patrolwoman went). I can't shake the feeling that there's something not right here...but what?
Banny digs out her worn rucksack, rummaging in the clutter of things she's picked up, until she finds the cloak of her traveling outfit, which she offers to the woman. If Brinya seems too shellshocked yet to take it, Banny drapes it, not ungently, around her shoulders, before finding the booze again.
She'll pay Rabus back later.
Two mugs, and, hrm, yes, hard cider-- Banny pours half a bottle's worth into the battered pot above the little firepit, fanning up the coals. The morning is yet chill: a hot drink will do them both well.
As the cider heats in the iron pot, Banny grips the edge of the bar with her callused fingers and gives Brinya a probing look from dark eyes.
"What'd you see?" she says after a fraught silence. "Or what do you know, anyhow-- true as blood runs, I know you know somethin'. If someone hurt him--" Banny's voice catches, and she has to take a breath, stare up at the canvas ceiling a moment before continuing, "--if you got any clue who did this-- then speak, teacher. I'll see 'em pay, whoever it is."
The woman slumps against the wall. "There's a girl back there," she reports blankly, jerking her chin down the hall toward the barracks, "going through his things."
Marikel frowns.
"Is there?" he mutters quietly with obvious displeasure. Tyari's voice floats in his memory, "Keep an eye on the girls." Marikel avoids rolling his eyes in front of the others and makes his way towards the barracks."I'll see her out."
Vhailor sees Banny and the school-marm go down the hill, and watches as the other faces he knows move into the longhouse without explicitly inviting him. The gnome moves his weight from foot to foot not unlike the manner of a thoroughly excited child told to stand still... though in this case it is melancholy rather than unchecked excitement that drives his nervous energy. Carbonel upon his shoulder purrs sussurant and unnerving, narrowing his eyes before offering a stilted yowl at the longhouse.
Shuffling slowly from his position where the rising sun might offer eventual sunburn, Vhailor finds the nearest shady spot (likely under the longhouse eaves) and flops down on his arse to sit against the wall. Carbonel offers a hiss as he hops down from the gnome's shoulder before finding a spot to settle closed-eyes in Vhailor's lap. There the gnome sits, a bit stunned, a bit weary and of the teary eyed disposition. He isn't quite sure what to do... but figured that feeling sad was a decent enough start.
As he sits, his thoughts meander a while before somehow resting upon a topic that provides him with a center... fae tales and stories. Sighing he murmurs "For want of a Knüppel aus dem Sack eh Carb..." scratching behind his cat's ears as self-laying tables and golden asses dance through his mind.