Korriban groans as Teodor not-so-subtle whispers to Lantressa and Selawyn. He stares at his friend with a deadpanned expression, not thinking of the possibility that the priest was just joking with him.
Zellara sighs when Pietro expresses his doubts. "It's certainly true that I'm not infallible, Doctor. In life, in fact, I was little more accurate than the average fortuneteller. So I cannot guarantee that the particulars of what I've said will come to pass. But," and here her lip curls, "Korriban has outed me. I am not, now, human. I do not know what I am, truth be told...I am not a ghost. I am not a shade. I am certainly not an angel. But I am...deceased. Killed by Gaedren Lamm--these three can tell you, they found what was left of me with this very deck of cards. And now, my spirit is bound to them. You may not believe this, Doctor, but whatever I am now, I am tied to the Harrow. And, more than anything else...to this city. I am connected to the life of Korvosa. I can feel it...cobblestones where my bones used to be, the Jeggare as my blood. My skirts are South Shore and the Gray, and Endrin Isle is my head scarf." She stares at something in the distance. "And can you not feel the breath of the city changing? The cold wind--the ship, herald of death--and now this sickness, which already runs beyond your care, Doctor. You have treated the symptoms, but not yet the disease." She looks at you all, and seems to grow larger, though she remains warm and kind. "In the time that comes, you will all need reliable friends to survive. Trust each other, and stay together. With people like you--your skepticism, your courage, your kindness--Korvosa may yet weather whatever is coming."
There's the sound of a step in the hallway, and Zellara suddenly winks out of existence, the cards she was holding falling flat on the table. Grau steps into the room, Tayce behind him.
"The boys're asleep, and Little Breeze is soundly down for the night," Tayce says softly, smiling warmly. "Thank you all for staying here--I was so grateful for the company on a night like this. And, of course, for your aid to Brienna. That is something I can never repay." This last is directed at Pietro in particular.
Tayce insists that you stay for dessert, but it's not long before the dishes are cleared away and you're making ready to leave...
Selawyn not getting that Teodor was just pulling Korriban's leg decides to offer Korriban some small moral support. "Don't worry about it Korriban many people wait for the right person before having sex. Being a virgin isn't anything to be ashamed of."
After they settle down and get ready to leave Selawyn brings up their next meeting. "I need to make a few stops to prepare for our next outing. Shall we meet at the homestead at around noon?"
Lantressa couldn't help but laugh at Teodor said and looked on Korriban a moment apraisingly, "If you wish to remedy that Korriban I'll give you a special discount on my services. I promise you'll enjoy yourself." The sudden disappearance of the card reader was not as much of a shock as it could have been, Lantressa already figured she was some kind of spirit, her story simply confirmed it. She turned to Tayce and said, "You're most welcome, I've enjoyed myself and the food was delicious. Thank you for inviting me."
As they all prepared to leave Lantressa stood and settled her cloak around herself, "I don't know exactly why I'm involved in this, but from your spirit friend's reading it seems I am. I'll join you at this homestead but I need to know where it's at. As for me, if someone wouldn't mind walking back to Madam Halvara's I'd appreciate it, a few too many people saw what I am on the way here to make me comfortable going on my own."
Teodor keeps waggling his eyebrows while elbowing Korriban conspiratorially.
As they all prepared to leave Lantressa stood and settled her cloak around herself, "I don't know exactly why I'm involved in this, but from your spirit friend's reading it seems I am. I'll join you at this homestead but I need to know where it's at. As for me, if someone wouldn't mind walking back to Madam Halvara's I'd appreciate it, a few too many people saw what I am on the way here to make me comfortable going on my own."
Pietro offered his escort services to the tiefling, "I am well known and liked in this part of town and would be happy to accompany wherever it is you are going."
He then added, "I think it is too late today but I will visit Brienne's employers tomorrow morning."
"Am I invited to his homestead meeting? If so, I'll need to know where it is and what preparations I must make to make the meeting productive. Do you have an agenda?"
Korriban's face heats up and he puts his head on the table, groaning in embarrassment. When Selawyn and Lantressa talk to him about it, he just puts his face into the table. A slightly muffled out voice says, "Thank you for the offer, Lantressa, but I think I'm good right now." After a few seconds, Korriban lifts his head from the table and takes a deep breath. He exhales, his face slightly less red.
When Teodor starts elbowing him, Korriban just rolls his eyes, a faint hint of a smirk showing.
Korriban enjoys the dessert and company surrounding him, telling stories of the original 3's adventures.
When Lantressa asks to be escorted home, Korriban slightly bites his lip in thought. Reluctantly, Korriban says, "As a gentleman, I'll also escort you back there. Although, I might need some help to make sure that Spiderman doesn't see me and wind up killing me."
While the team is making plans for the next day, Korriban throws at this suggestion. "Well, the three of us have a kind of safe house. It used to be Zellara's place and is currently a home for one of our friends. We can meet up their and head to Brienne's employers from there."
Korriban takes out Zellara's deck and places it on the table in between Lantressa and Pietro. "I can't hold onto this deck for much longer. This thing has a will of its own. It weakens anyone who doesn't have a similar viewpoint as Zellara. From first impressions, one of you two should be to hold onto it without feeling ill."
Selawyn considers Korriban's suggestion of the meeting place and nods. "Meeting up at that safe house sounds good for a meeting place. Just tell me where, and I'll be there as soon as I can tomorrow."
As Selawyn readies her things to get going she takes some time to thank Tayce. "Thank you for your hospitality. I may not be a doctor, but I'll go out and see if there's anything I can do to help. Have a goodnight Mrs. Soldado." With that Selawyn stands up, and exits the door heading back towards her home.
Lantressa smiled at both Korriban and the doctor and said, "I'll tell you what, why don't both of you walk with me to Old Korvosa, and then you can head off on your own so as not to risk the Spider's wrath Korriban. That should be safe enough I think."
Korriban looks at the new members of their group. He tells them to meet up at 3 Lancet tomorrow morning.
When Lantressa offers her idea to avoid Barvarsi, Korriban nods. "Sounds like a good idea. However, I will walk you to the edge of Eel's End and then I'll leave."
"That sounds like a good plan to me Korriban. Shall we then?" Lantressa rose and looked at the others as she said, "Tomorrow then."
The night air is brisk as you all leave the Soldado home, headed your separate ways. It's a gloomy night in early Rova, but it feels much later in the year. The streets are quiet, surprisingly deserted at an hour that still isn't terribly late in the evening. But as you pass back over the bridge into North Point, the city starts to come more alive, and the sounds of revelry come from nearby inns and taverns. You all part ways at various junctions, and the night passes quietly...
Sunday, 6th of Rova, 4708
The next day, fortunately, is warmer, and brings no more news of alarums or excursions in the night. As you make your separate ways to Zellara's former home, the city seems to be buzzing with life, albeit the lazy, humdrum life that Sunday brings.
You all meet up at Zellara's former home by 10:00, and those of you who have not been here before are surprised to find the home occupied by a strange young girl...and a monkey. The child, whom Korriban, Adoros, and Teodor introduce as Gadriel, stares at the three strangers for several minutes, then whispers something to her monkey and listens intently for a moment. "Abu says that you are alright. You may stay to talk, or go your way. We will not be leaving the house right now." She sniffs as though smelling something unpleasant. "Bad airs."
She spends the rest of the time you're in the house perched on a rafter in the living room, watching your comings and goings with interest, but at a remove.
The address that Tayce gave you leads you to a rather lovely, tidy-looking three-story home in Five Corners. When you knock on the door, it's answered by a well-dressed servant who nonetheless bears no livery. "Yes?" he inquires, eyeing your group with some distaste. "What may I do for you gentlefolk?"
Korriban walks with the Doc and Lantressa to Eel's End. When they at the entrance to the docks, Korriban nods to the two of them and sneaks off, making sure that he's not spotted by the guards.
The next day, Korriban gets ready for the day and heads off the 3 Lancet. He arrives promptly at 10. When they enter, he sees Gadriel and smiles. "Hey, little sis! Glad to see you're been doing well." He approaches and ruffles her hair. He introduces her to the new recruits. When she sniffs something and says "bad airs", Korriban looks at her in concern. "What's the matter, Gad? Something wrong?" He moves to open a window for the faint musty smell to air out.
Korriban turns to the others. "Welcome to 3 Lancet! This was the home of Zellara! We've since refurnished it and it now operates as a second home, a base, and a safehouse. It's also Gadriel's home."
When the group is done at 3 Lancet and they move to the address given, Korriban takes up the front, hands in the pockets of his trenchcoat and humming a merry tune. When they arrive, Korriban knocks on the door. As the servant answers the door, Korriban answers his question. "Good morning, good sir. My name is Korriban. These are Adoros, Teodor, Doctor Bartori, Lantressa, and Selawyn. We are here at the request of the Korvosan Guard and Sergeant Grau. We're investigating the sudden sickness of his niece, Brienna, and whether it was contagious or not. We understand that she was a maid here. Is that correct?"
The next day, Korriban gets ready for the day and heads off the 3 Lancet. He arrives promptly at 10. When they enter, he sees Gadriel and smiles. "Hey, little sis! Glad to see you're been doing well." He approaches and ruffles her hair. He introduces her to the new recruits. When she sniffs something and says "bad airs", Korriban looks at her in concern. "What's the matter, Gad? Something wrong?" He moves to open a window for the faint musty smell to air out.
Korriban turns to the others. "Welcome to 3 Lancet! This was the home of Zellara! We've since refurnished it and it now operates as a second home, a base, and a safehouse. It's also Gadriel's home."
Pietro inconspicuously tries to smell to see if any of his reagents had gotten in his body again. He then blows into his hand and smells his breath. Not noting anything unusual, he shrugs his shoulders at the comment.
He nods towards Korriban, "Thank you. So the ghost harrow-reader lady lived here?"
When the group is done at 3 Lancet and they move to the address given, Korriban takes up the front, hands in the pockets of his trenchcoat and humming a merry tune. When they arrive, Korriban knocks on the door. As the servant answers the door, Korriban answers his question. "Good morning, good sir. My name is Korriban. These are Adoros, Teodor, Doctor Bartori, Lantressa, and Selawyn. We are here at the request of the Korvosan Guard and Sergeant Grau. We're investigating the sudden sickness of his niece, Brienna, and whether it was contagious or not. We understand that she was a maid here. Is that correct?"
Pietro cringes at the way Korriban just told this servant that there may a contagious disease in the house. Not the best way to break the news if there was any news to break in the first place. He calmly follows up, "What my colleague here meant to say is that we are here to see if anyone who had been in contact with Brienne is feeling OK."
He produces the typical doctor bag and states, "I am a doctor and could potentially be able to help. Who was in contact with Brienne recently?"
Since this is likely to be an ongoing investigation, Pash suggests a regular payment: 50 gold pieces a month, in exchange for which he'll do as much searching as he can around his more time-sensitive work (missing persons, etc.).
With a little bit of help from Lidda (who's bold enough to cautiously sample one, which makes her alarmingly drowsy for about an hour), you're pretty sure that the vials are blue whinnis poison.
Although Pietro's worry about Korriban's casual reveal is certainly justified, the manservant's eyes widen noticeably when he hears that there's even the slightest possibility of disease in the household. "What! I had assumed when I heard that Brienna was ill that it was a mild affliction. Please, please, come in...of course we must all take proper precautions..." He ushers you into a small parlor straightaway, bustling off into the house and calling as he goes.
Within a few minutes, the house's family has appeared, trailing bemusedly behind their head of staff. Mr. and Mrs. Brandaxis, as they turn out to be, are a middle-aged couple who have both the looks and temperament of the staid businessfolk they are. They have two children: a fifteen-year-old son, Benjen, and an eight-year-old daughter, Marya. Today all four of them are dressed in gold-trimmed white silk, but they patiently submit to a quick examination...
None of the family seem to be afflicted with Brienne's disease.
Once you're done with the exam, Mr. Brandaxis clears his throat. "While I appreciate your, ah, care, sirs...we really must be off now. We're headed to the Vault for midday services." The family don't look entirely at ease around a bunch of strangers, and once you permit them to go, they take their leave quite quickly.
The manservant--Patrigg by name--looks relieved that things have gone so well. "Well, I'm glad to see that the family remains healthy," he chortles. "I suppose we should quickly check up on--sweet Lord of Coins!"
It's easy to see what's caused his distress: a young woman--likely the cook--is bent over the kitchen table, hacking into her handkerchief!
"Coins will not help you or this servant. The Lord will. We will."
Pietro inconspicuously tries to smell to see if any of his reagents had gotten in his body again. He then blows into his hand and smells his breath. Not noting anything unusual, he shrugs his shoulders at the comment.
He nods towards Korriban, "Thank you. So the ghost harrow-reader lady lived here?"
Lantressa sighed and said, "It's more likely that she means me Pietros, my kind aren't well liked."
When they arrived at the Brandaxis home Lantressa curtsies but otherwise tries to remain in the background for the most part, her hood up and tail carefully kept within her cloak.
Selawyn got up in the morning feeling dull and cranky. She got up out of bed and slowly moved over to her coffee pot and began to make a pot before even thinking about going anywhere. Sitting down at her table she placed her head in her hands as she waited for sweet relief. Hearing the sound of the pot being ready was loud like a whistle, but it sounded like a chorus of angels to her tired mind. Walking over and quickly making a cup full of coffee she began to take sips right away letting the bitter brew chase away the fatigue of the new morning. Getting her things ready and armoring herself up in preparation for the worst case scenario Zellara's words came back to haunt her for a few moments. Will I really have to choose between being the sole survivor or sacrificing myself for the others? I barley know them at all. Shaking her head to banish such misgivings she headed out to the market square to purchase a few things before heading over to 3 Lancet.
Arriving at 3 Lancet Selawyn hustled into the place before taking notice of the small child. When the child begins speaking about 'bad airs' Selawyn can't help but grimace. As if I needed any more evidence of some sort of plague. Pulling out her flask once again she doesn't actually take a drink from it instead she simply opens the top and sniffs the potent alcohol hoping to dispel any bad humors in the air before closing it again. "Let's not linger here the longer we take to solve this crisis the more people who might fall victim to this spreading sickness."
Arriving at the Brandaxis home Selawyn simply stands guard for most of the time while looking suitably intimidating. As the family is shown to have no signs of sickness Selawyn begins to doubt the existence of the plague for a moment before the cook doubles over and begins coughing. She backs away from the obviously sick cook while waiting for the doctor to examine the young cook she waits nearby the manservant.
Pietro inconspicuously tries to smell to see if any of his reagents had gotten in his body again. He then blows into his hand and smells his breath. Not noting anything unusual, he shrugs his shoulders at the comment.
He nods towards Korriban, "Thank you. So the ghost harrow-reader lady lived here?"
Korriban nods at the Doc. "Yep. Zellara lived here. When her son was killed by Lamm, she left to confront him... and lost her life. However, she managed to contact us to take up vengeance against him."
Lantressa sighed and said, "It's more likely that she means me Pietros, my kind aren't well liked."
Korriban shakes his head. "I highly doubt that. Gadriel isn't like that. She's just... not used to new friends."
Pietro cringes at the way Korriban just told this servant that there may a contagious disease in the house. Not the best way to break the news if there was any news to break in the first place. He calmly follows up, "What my colleague here meant to say is that we are here to see if anyone who had been in contact with Brienne is feeling...
Korriban grins sheepishly and turns to the Doc. "Probably could have worded it better, right Doc?" He enters inside with the others and looks around, using his own minimal knowledge in healing to help.
Although, he's too busy looking at all of the fancy stuff to be aware. When Mr. Brandaxis and his family leave, Korriban smiles and says. "Thank you for your time. Sorry for disturbing you." Turning to Patrigg, he says, "Well that takes care of..." The servant cuts him off with his shout to Abadar. Turning, the young rogue sees the cook double over and begin coughing. Korriban takes a step back and waits for the examination by the Doc.
Pietro cringes at the way Korriban just told this servant that there may a contagious disease in the house. Not the best way to break the news if there was any news to break in the first place. He calmly follows up, "What my colleague here meant to say is that we are here to see if anyone who had been in contact with Brienne is feeling...Korriban grins sheepishly and turns to the Doc. "Probably could have worded it better, right Doc?" He enters...
Pietro smiled, "Yes, a little bit more considerate is the word. People are really scared when it comes to disease, especially afflictions that could terminate their lives. But that's OK, I estimate you meant no harm and we did get what we desired."
The servant cuts him off with his shout to Abadar. Turning, the young rogue sees the cook double over and begin coughing. Korriban takes a step back and waits for the examination by the Doc.
Pietro was once more making good use of his medical bag. He takes the girl's hand and checks her pulse while looking at her complexion. He takes his time assessing the situation.
He then turns to servant, "Is it likely that the cook and Brienne were in contact? Have they been out of the manor recently?"
Selawyn easily finds a couple of vials of anti-plague at an alchemist's shop, though the man seems puzzled by her desire for them.
"Ye-yes, of course they were in contact, Brienne often rests in the kitchen after completing one round of her tasks," Patrigg stammers. Looking over to him, you see that the manservant has stepped back nervously and is covering his face with a pocket handkerchief. "I think Lily sold Brienne some of the leftover tarts from the children's dinner the other night for her family...they're good friends."
The cook, meanwhile, is trying to straighten up, though she's clearly weak. "I'm--I'm fine, really," she mumbles. "Gonna--get back to work now. Got...lunch to make." She sways slightly and almost falls before Pietro catches her.
The cook, meanwhile, is trying to straighten up, though she's clearly weak. "I'm--I'm fine, really," she mumbles. "Gonna--get back to work now. Got...lunch to make." She sways slightly and almost falls before Pietro catches her.
"No, you are not just fine. You need to rest."
Pietro asks the servant to take the cook to her quarters.
He then turns to his companions, "I'm afraid that she has whatever Brienne has. But given that her symptoms took a while longer to manifest, it's probably a safe bet that Brienne was infected first."
He shrugs, "The disease is contagious but I'm not sure that it's really that bad. Neither the other servants nor the family had shown symptoms but we still have to be careful. I think we should try and find out where Brienne first contracted the disease."
"Ah-hm. Interesting. A servant disease? What all are they exposed to that their ... betters need not fear? I need to inspect the house! At once! Do not interrupt me!"
Teodor storms out of the room.
Pietro smiled, "Yes, a little bit more considerate is the word. People are really scared when it comes to disease, especially afflictions that could terminate their lives. But that's OK, I estimate you meant no harm and we did get what we desired."
Korriban nods. "Yep. Just got carried away there."
He then turns to his companions, "I'm afraid that she has whatever Brienne has. But given that her symptoms took a while longer to manifest, it's probably a safe bet that Brienne was infected first."
He shrugs, "The disease is contagious but I'm not sure that it's really that bad. Neither the other servants nor the family had shown symptoms but we still have to be careful. I think we should try and find out where Brienne first contracted the disease."
Korriban grumbles. "Great. So this thing is just going to keep on spreading, huh? Makes you wonder how far it's has already spread. I'm for trying to find the source of it. The sooner we get rid of this, the better."
Once he's recovered from the shock of Teodor's departure, Patrigg's off in hot pursuit. He holds Teodor off from ascending to the family's private quarters, but does allow the priest to examine the kitchen, the downstairs rooms, and the servants' rooms. He and Lily both live in the house, in small apartments tucked behind the kitchen. Teodor finds little out of the ordinary: Patrigg's room is exceptionally neat and tidy, while Lily's is a slightly more lived-in chamber, with a small stack of coins she was evidently partway through sorting and counting sitting out on her nightstand.
"Well if nothing here seems to be the cause then asking Brienne if she has seen anything suspicious or anything that she thinks might have done it might be the best way to get our next lead." Selawyn offers with a shrug, and gets ready to head back to Trail's End to question Brienne.
"I beg your pardon, Patrigg! You seem rather reluctant to allow me to do my job! Tsk! Kroft wanted this to be subtle. Let it be. For if there is evidence the contagion has spilled over to the ...higher classes there will be pandemonium. We must work swiftly! " Teodor looks about while talking, but notices nothing new of note.
Patrigg sighs. "I will allow you to view the family's living quarters. But I see no need for you to touch anything! There didn't seem to be any evidence of contagion among them at all, in any case." He does, indeed, allow Teodor up the stairs, though he follows close behind. About twenty minutes later Patrigg and a disappointed Teodor--who's found nothing new--return.
Lantressa continued to keep quiet and watch, she'd never had much use, or acceptance, from upper crust families. The only thing she liked about people with a bit of wealth was the amount they'd pay, sadly they always wanted her because they felt they could pay less for her services, like she enjoyed their twisted fantasies and shouldn't be paid at all. Fortunately those occasions were few and far between. As a result she found herself itching to leave and return to Trail's End.
Patrigg sighs. "I will allow you to view the family's living quarters. But I see no need for you to touch anything! There didn't seem to be any evidence of contagion among them at all, in any case." He does, indeed, allow Teodor up the stairs, though he follows close behind. About twenty minutes later Patrigg and a disappointed Teodor--who's found nothing new--return.
Cringing at his companions lack of subtlety, the Dr. went along and inspected whatever the servant allowed them to. He was used to good furnishings and luxury and thought of how his parents would react if some strangers 'inspected' their house. I guess that is why people had personal doctors, people they could trust.
Once they were satisfied that they learned all they could learn given the circumstance, he cleared his throat and provided his opinion, "Our next course of action is to determine where Brienne has frequented other than her place of work. I also need to see how she is doing so why don't we go back to her house."
The party departs from the home in Five Corners (much to Patrigg's relief, it appears) and heads across the bridge and north to Trail's End. The distant bells of the Cathedral of Pharasma in the Gray sound out, calling the faithful to midday worship as the city idles through a lazy fall afternoon.
Rello opens the door cautiously when you knock, then smiles shyly and lets you in. You find Tayce upstairs, sitting with Brienne. She smiles at you, and the child is sitting up and looking a bit better, as well. She's still covered in the red pocks, and her breathing is labored, but she doesn't seem to have taken any turn for the worse.
"Hello, friends," Tayce says warmly. "What can I do for you? It's a pleasant surprise to see you again so soon."
Korriban shrugs and says, "The Doc and Selawyn are right. We can't find anything else here. Let's go back and talk to Brienne."
As the team moves on, Korriban notices an odd snake hanging around Teodor. He asks. "Hey, Teo. Uh, do you know you have a snake hanging out with you?"
When the team arrives at Trail's End and the Soldado household, Korriban smiles as Rello answers the door. When they go upstairs, he smiles at the sight of Brienne looking better. Turning to Tayce, he says, "Actually, we're here to speak to Brienne." He moves and sits close to the girl. "Hey, Brienne. My name's Korriban. I'm a friend of your uncle. We're curious as to where you hang out other than the Five Corners. We did check on the family you work for and they seem to be doing fine."
"I'm aware of many things. So is Rat. The Lord tells us much."
Korriban looks at Teodor. "Right. Well, where did... Rat come from?"
"Rat's Mama and Papa loved each other ...or maybe rape. Hard to tell, but I don't judge."
Korriban sighs. "I mean, how did you two meet? Over a spot of tea? A chance drunken encounter?"
Deciding to stay clear of the sick room Lantressa had a seat downstairs and waited semi-patiently for those checking on the girl to finish what they were doing. Her tail lashed idly, the tip of it stirring up a bit of dust as she did so.
Teodor stops dead and grabs Korriban by each arm with an intense glare. "The Lord sent him to me."
Rello opens the door cautiously when you knock, then smiles shyly and lets you in. You find Tayce upstairs, sitting with Brienne. She smiles at you, and the child is sitting up and looking a bit better, as well. She's still covered in the red pocks, and her breathing is labored, but she doesn't seem to have taken any turn for the worse.
"Hello, friends," Tayce says warmly. "What can I do for you? It's a pleasant surprise to see you again so soon."
"Hello, Mrs. Grau. I am just here to make sure that Brienne is continuing her evolution to good health. I am glad to see that she seems to be doing much better than last night."
After some small talk where the Dr. asked Brienne and her mother some routine doctor-patient questions, he focused on the ailing girl, "brienne, it is important for us to know where you contracted this disease so can you tell me where you have been for the past couple of days. Have you done or gone any place not part of your normal routine?"
"Anything new or unusual to eat?"
"Miss? You're uh..." He swallows. "You're not from...Korvosa, right? You've been other places? So you must know a lot? I was wonderin'...d'you think Brienne's gonna die?"
"Rello!" Charlo looks up, panic-stricken. "Y'ain't s'posed to talk like that!"
"I just wanna know!" The younger boy snaps back. He turns and faces the tiefling woman somewhat defiantly. "...Well? Whaddaya think?"
Brienne listens to your questions carefully, then shakes her head slightly. It's clear that she's tired and still very ill, and when she speaks, her voice has a slightly wheezing quality to it. "I didn't eat or drink nothing strange, sir," she says, "An' I just went to work and then to the toy store to get somethin' for Rello and Charlo. Oh," Suddenly her eyes skirt downward, away from her mother, as though she's ashamed or embarrassed. "But uh...there was somethin' weird. A couple days ago, right before I got sick...I found some money."
"What?" Tayce is startled--clearly, this is news to her as well. "When was this? Where? Why didn't you say anything to me?"
"I didn't mean to keep it from you, Ma!" Brienne protests weakly. "I found it on my way to work...bunch of silver in a box...just washed up on the shoreline. It was early morning, or one o' the Bashwater Boys would've already snapped it up, I bet. No one was usin' it, it was just lyin' out in the open, an' all wet like it washed up from the river." A hacking cough interrupts her for a few moments, then she goes on. "I spent some o' the money gettin' Rello and Charlo their new dolls, an' I bought some sweets, but there's still plenty left. I was going to give it to you, Ma, but then when I got home I was feeling so sick I forgot..." She coughs again and lies back, closing her eyes.
Tayce leans forward. "Where is this money, Little Breeze? What did you do with it?"
The child, clearly exhausted, murmurs, "'sin m'bag," then sighs and lapses into another coughing fit.
Tayce points to a small rucksack in one corner of the room: opening it reveals a small wooden box, about 4 inches deep and 4x6 inches in dimensions, resting on top of Brienne's maid uniform. The box is badly battered and clearly water-damaged.
Selawyn stayed downstairs more to stay out of the doctor's way than anything else. She kept silent during Lantressa's tale looking at the tiefling with a little bit more understanding of who she was. Leaning back in her chair Selawyn offered a quick prayer for Brienne to Abadar hoping he'd protect her from whatever this sickness was before turning her attention to the boys waiting for their response to hopefully banish such dark thoughts from her mind.
Pietro smiled at Brienne and Tayce and took care to wrap a cloth around the box.
After saying good bye to the girl, he then went downstairs and paraphrased what Brienne had told him.
He then unwrapped the cloth and simply said, "This is the box."
Teodor stops dead and grabs Korriban by each arm with an intense glare. "The Lord sent him to me."
Korriban stares nervously at Teodor. "Easy there, Teo. It was just a joke. I'm sorry if I've offended."
Korriban smiles at Brienne. "It's okay. We all make mistakes. Your heart is in the right place. Don't worry. We'll get to the bottom of this."
When the Doc pulls out the box, Korriban pulls out his silver dagger and begins poking it. "Doesn't seem all that interesting. Where do you think it came from? Besides the shoreline, I mean."
Selawyn falls back from the box as Korriban pokes it after Pietro talks about the upstairs conversation. "By The Golden Scale don't just poke it Korriban! What if that box carries the sickness?!?" Selawyn stands away from the box unwilling to approach. She pulls out her flask and drains what's left of it in one gulp to help steady her nerves.
Taking a few moments to calm down she composes herself before continuing. "I don't know where the box may have come from, but if there are more of those boxes and they're the source then there will be more sickness. Also, if there are more boxes then those 'Bashwater Boys' might have them or know where they are."
Selawyn falls back from the box as Korriban pokes it after Pietro talks about the upstairs conversation. "By The Golden Scale don't just poke it Korriban! What if that box carries the sickness?!?" Selawyn stands away from the box unwilling to approach. She pulls out her flask and drains what's left of it in one gulp to help steady her nerves.
Korriban sheathes his dagger. "Easy there, Selawyn. I'm not opening the box nor am I stabbing it through. Just light pokes on the outside. Barely scratching it. If the box does contain the sickness, then it would stand to reason that it would be on the inside, right? Besides, I think the Doc would be in more danger, since he's touching it and all. I'm just taking a better look at it."
After gently kissing Brienne on top of the head, Tayce actually precedes the others downstairs, arriving just as Lantressa asks her question of the boys. "Charlo. Rello. Come here, please. I have to ask you something important." She draws the boys into the room that they've been sleeping in.
Korriban's observation of the box reveals nothing remarkable or particularly untoward; it seems like just a plain, ironbound coffer, the sort anyone might use to store their wealth. There certainly don't seem to be any traps--anything like that would've likely been set off when Brienne opened it, and now the box is so battered that you can actually see through to a glint of silver within.