"Vwould someone care to offer me a drink vad then fill me in on the particulars?
"I'll offer you a drink but I'm not as caught up on particulars as the rest of the town's folk."
"Ah, the keg, good thinking Whitey, if Taraz is a werewolf the keg was sure to be his first victim this evening."That Taraz is always making a scene. He gives all of us Social Drinking Extremists a bad name."
Taraz sits up groggily from where he had passed out near the horse watering trough. "Wait...wha...?
As much as I don't want to believe ill of anyone, Taraz has always seemed a bit of a shifty character. Sure we've explained away his behavior as the booze talking but now, with everything happening it's not quite so clear is it?
Bolting to his feet, Taraz's eyes go wide and he points at Bruce. "Hey, hey, what are ya meanin' by that?
Wringing his hands, Taraz hurriedly approaches the bonfire and the group of villagers.
"Shifty? That's the kinda mean you want in a pinochle partner, Bruce. Ain't that whatcha always tol' me? And you Whitey...? My friend? My mentor? Twas you who gave me me first ale and shot! I swear I remember that sip better than me own mother's milk."
Taraz spreads his hands, a stricken and sickly look on his miserable face. "What hurt I ever done you two, that you would say such things 'bout me? You think I am no longer man?"
Taraz points at Thoen's "silver" blade. "Prick me with silver and you'll see I still bleed red!"
"Vwould someone care to offer me a drink vad then fill me in on the particulars? My veet are quiet tired from making the journey here by foot."
"So me, as much a son as a man can be these 10 years past would be a more likely wolf than this hermit who caused the drought three years back? Other than skip a tab or two, what harm have I ever caused Laniel?"
Doctor Ludwauge looks bleakly at Duke Leto an mentions "Vah! Yes Yes do have a paste I was experimenting with that includes Scutellaria Baicalensis it should serve as a muscle relaxant and numb pain."
He carefully warns as he hands over the vial of ointment "Vot be careful not to ingest it and wash ver hans for the paste also includes a spore that is most poisonous if ingested."
He cheerfully adds "I do have a bundle of leaves from a rare genus of the Erythroxylaceae family that relieve pain, but it's mostly for headaches and can v'well stimulate a person into staying awake all night if chewed. Very helpful quality when running delicate experiments that need to be monitored for 36 hours lest they a few chemicals mix improperly and become a noxious gas"
The doctor nods in gratitude of whitey's hospitality and takes a mug from his hands. Looking confounded for a moment he pats down his rank white coat looking for something before he pulls out a few jagged rocks from his pocket and hands them to Whitey with a strange smile "V'Yoor pay vor such bounty my pleasant Büfettier."
With a look of shock the Dr. Lugwaude wrinkles his nose at the drunken accusations of the town drunk "Vie fear ale has damaged your brain beyond the repair ooof modern science." he says with a condescending huff.
As though lecturing a small child he continues, "Vif you recall correctly vie engineered a brilliant airborne agent vhat when applied voo de agricultural process doubled crop output van also temporarily eliminated 86.3% of common pest by making 90% of those effected infertile for a single generation."
He goes on to admit sheepishly "V'well sure it had 'vwell minor side effects like making vany opf edible stuffs produce an aftertaste of spoiled eggs and caused minor cases of dysentery in those with a few recessive genes, boot it quite possibly saved lives. Science can not move the hevans van cause drought, vwell yet anyways."
That Taraz is always making a scene. He gives all of us Social Drinking Extremists a bad name."
And you Whitey...? My friend? My mentor? Twas you who gave me me first ale and shot! I swear I remember that sip better than me own mother's milk."
"And thats the problem Taraz, you take it too far!
You were drunk first thing this morning. I saw you stumbling around Vorians shop, making a scene earlier. The noise was so loud it was coming in through the open door of my Pub. People like myself drink, maybe a bit in excess I will admit. But I don't let it get out of hand. I'm always up at sunrise working my art in the brewery. By noon I'm opening the Pub to the town. I keep my indulgences in control. What do you do? You chase the town's women around and gamble away all your money. I'll admit you are good at your craft but we all need to kick you in the arse to get you to work or else nothing gets done. So dont go telling me that I'm your mentor. I've created a monster and I'm not proud of it in the least.
Whitey is red in the face and tears are starting to flood his eyes.
Dan is shocked at the accusations of Taraz; "Doctor, if you wanted to help your feet, the canny thing to do is get Taraz 'ere to cobble ya together some clogs. A good bottle, that's all mine cost us." he lifts his shoes so that you can see them.
In the firelight you can tel they are well made, but not well maintained as there are spots of oil, crusty dough and powder on them. "See reet fine work. Much better than weird words, that you be spouting." he takes a long pull of his bitter.
The Dr. rises from his rest among the dirty and waddles over using his cane as support "Vah you see, Dan it is Dan isn't it?, it's not my sole that troubles me since the experiment which I lost mine eye my leg has been a bit crippled. I'm also not used to walking long distances...." becoming sidetracked he muses "You see I have dis nifty wooden chair which swivels and has little steel wheels so it rolls about. Vie bearly even walk anymore! It's most vudarful!" as he beams inspecting Dan's footware.
With a shrug "I suppose I could use better footwear" and he rumages through his bulky tanned leather messenger bag and pulls out a fine looking glass bottle with skull and crossbones label and incompressible words upon it in a bright red and hands it over to Dan. "Trade, v'yes?" he asks looking hopefully at Dans feet.
The professor is torn. Tensions were high and it would take a miracle for everyone gathered around the fire to live to see the sun rise. On the one hand, Wowbagger was weird. An alien. He'd said such horrible things before, and the mayor's "precautions" had failed just after he'd arrived in town.
On the other hand, Taraz was an dedicated wasteral- an unredeemable and unapologetic layabout... and his hands had wandered rather familiarly on occasion when he found an excuse to be near her. Which wasn't often, the illiterate lout.
For Wowbagger, she still had her 'surprise' if he tried to pay her another insult. She patted the satchel to reassure herself. Taraz though... it seemed entirely too possible that the mayor had encounted him laying in a ditch while on the prowl and infected the poor soul. After making up her mind, she said a silent prayer for him and watched as the crowd nerved itself up to do what must be done.
Dan looks a bit confused, his gruff demeanour crumbling; "Wait, what's up Doc?"
He leans back slightly, "I meant you should commission Taraz to build some boots for ya. That's if we can persuade everyone not to hang the lad..."
"People, we know Taraz likes a drink. Who hasn't had a drink with him, enjoyed his company and his antic's? I know drinking to excess whilst others work is not acceptable, but just because he does something free, something not one of us has the bravery to do. He trusts his instincts, lives free, beyond the mundane daily grind. Let us not kill him for enriching our lives." Dan pleads for his drinking companions life.
He turns back to the doctor; "So you want me boot and in exchange you want me to bake you some bread with that liquid?"
|
"I admit I have not come to a vote lightly it seems we have little choice that one person must go into the bonfire or some other way."
"Many have voted one way or another, an yet I have little indication for the votes being cast."
Glances away and into the bonfire...
"I was most certain that each and everyone of you were and still are my friends, and what world is this when friends turn readily upon one another and quarrel amongst themselves?"
"I must then in these uncanny days vote for the most queer and least know to me...."
"I am not sorry for our time together, but for our time lost in the future with whomever dies...."
Whitey just stands there and stares at the gound. Its obvious his decision and choice of words have pained him.
The doctor looks equally confused "V'no I no good with common language, I think you want bottle for leather walking shoes." he chuckles. "Still it good bottle liquid inside burn flesh on contact, no matter vwat. Even wuf." he adds.
The doctor is thrown off balance by Whitey's outburst "V'yoo know I have a sedative that might calm nerve Büfettier. I think talk of people monsters is touching and pulls strong emotions, boot I fear we have real monster to v'orry about."
He rambles on ever confused "Speaking of which can someone tell me of dis wulf I hear about. Little pack boy came to deliver and was in a huff about Wulf nearby he say it's where wvolf in Laniel. So I ask him why he says it's where? This became most frustrating, but I abandon experiment to come here as a wulf attack in my selcluded laboratory would leave me far from help. I come here and you people want to kill man. He is a drunk but hardly no crime worth hanging, yes?"
Dan asks confused, "Why would you put that liquid in bread?"
With a shake of his head he continues, "Our good Lord Sir Keinly, protected the area. There are legends of men that turn into wolves to eat human flesh. God damn them. Keinly hung himself after possibly infecting some of us..."
"I have 2 Gallons of sedative right here beneath my arm Doctor."
Whitey fills his Stein from the keg and proceeds to have a drink.
Dan laughs hard, a golly rolling belly laugh that starts to bring tears to his eyes.
"Well, unless the good Professor is advertising a beneficial role, I would like to ask for protection. I guess her accusation has outed me as being more than a normal villager. If an attempt is stymied, it will speak much to my innocence."
Dan looks puzzled; "Why you saying you have mystical skills, cause that's the devils work!!"
"Library lass deserves it more with her talking... not that I am anthing other than a baker." he says quickly.
Eldon returns to the bonfire, staying silent while the accusastions go back and forth.
The doctor chastises Dan waving his cane at him menacingly "Vwell sir you should watch your tounge der are ladies present.. waawaggaahh.." as he's cut off by falling off balance from the lack of support his cane provided and nearly falls backwards into the bonfire before he rights himself with a bit of brief bit of frantic flailing.
"V'well anyways should we have wulfs in sheeps....errr people clothing...our chances are catching them blind von our first guess var quite slim, yes?" scratching his ratty dirty blond hair he contemplates before taking a swig of his drink "V'yes I suppose I shall go with the greater consensus 'ere. V'when discussing a persons execution the only real fair way to go about it is mathematics." he muses.
With a brief sigh "Immoral, yes but so is hanging a man with little proof and if it must be someone ven the math is comforting. How are we to expect a drunk to reason well, Yes? If one of us is to go den one less drunk is on the lesser end to the cost to us as a group."
"Valso I am reminded of a tale once told to me by my Fadjhar of men wulf who take fancy to drink." He eyes Whitey and anyone else holding an alcoholic beverage with his single blue eye before he stares at his own mug still squarely in hand. "Vat that's probably a load vah load of Scarabaeus viette (Dung beetle) chow, voh" with a high pitch giggle as he finishes his drink and returns to his oh so comfortable log for a sit.
Wowbagger: 2 (Theon, Leto)
Prof. Alessandra: 1 (Wowbagger)
Taraz: 6 (Simon, Whitey, Vorian, Bruce, Prof. A, Dr. L)
Vorian: 1 (Dan)
"What has this world come to? When a man dedicated to happiness and enjoyment of life's eases be considered a villain for merit that he falls down once in a while."
Taraz sits down heavily staring into the fire.
"I 'preciate your kindnesses to this poor fool, Dan. But lest you be wasted by these blind folk along with me, you'd best leave off me. How can I prove I'm me by being anything else but myself?" Taraz's face is filled with confusion and fear.
Tristen coughs softly, stepping to the fore of the group, tucking the bottle under his arm carefully. "I must protest... Taraz is a good man. He is just a tad... Lost in the world, shall we say!" The young man coughs softly, clearly embarassed to be speaking out, as he reaches up to settle his small wire frames more firmly on to his nose.
"I speak up for Taraz only because I know him to be good and kind. He is a tad... Over indulgent at times, but aren't we all? No Taraz is no killer... I think. Well I do not know who the killer is, you all know I am not the most... outgoing, so I would not really have any idea of that sort of thing. But I know all about you!" he points at the group.
"I know all of you, who have used my uncle, or my own services. I know you to be good people. Whitey can you really condemn Taraz, the young man that lived just down the street from you? Who is one of your best customers? And you Bruce? Who made those fine strong boots you wear?"
Tristen quivers softly, before looking up defiantly. "I for one speak out against the butchering of this poor bedraggled wretch! You are all ridiculous, nominating someone you know to be good." He moves to put himself between the group and Taraz, armed only with his spectacles and a bottle of whiskey.
'You've had a bit too much it seems old boy... Steady now. Show them how ridiculous they are being!"
"I nominate Tristen Bell!"
He waits for a moment, as a stunned silence falls over the group, as he stares around, daring someone to meet his eyes.
"This is how ridiculous you all are. You nominate a man you have known for years, when there are new people in the village, strange people. Why Taraz? I am an outsider, as is Wowbagger!" He gestures at the Alien.
"You nominate Taraz, you nominate yourself. I for one, now, nominate Wowbagger. May I burn in the fires of hell if I am wrong. Failing hell... Uncles fireplace is rather large and I rather small!"
He nods once, to signal he is finished, before stepping back beside Taraz and placing a steadying hand on his shoulder.
'What in the bloody hell have I just done? Oh lord I am mad...'
He gives Taraz a shaky grin and offers him the bottle of whiskey, after taking a long swallow for himself.
"Whitey can you really condemn Taraz, the young man that lived just down the street from you? Who is one of your best customers?"
Tristen quivers softly, before looking up defiantly. "I for one speak out against the butchering of this poor bedraggled wretch! You are all ridiculous, nominating someone you know to be good."
Whitey still stares at the ground as he speaks. He sobs. Tears run down his cheeks. As he sobs, strings of mucus and drool cling to his chin as they elongate then fall to the ground. He stutters while speaking as it is clear this is very emotional.
"As far as I am concerned boy, we are all good men... I cant single anybody out among us who I would not consider to be a good person. H-H-However, when you look reality in the f-face you'll see that this is the only way to solve this p-p-problem. If we do nothing we let the Werewolves win. We can't give up Boy. Taraz may be a good man by day, but his actions speak that he is a beast. S-S-So yes, I c-can condemn him. It breaks my heart, b-b-b-but I'll do it to save this town."
"Wahhhhhhhhhhh!"
Whitey is full out crying by this point.
"I nominate Tristen Bell!"
Taraz looks up in shock. As Tristan finishes his speech full of shy pauses, Taraz mouth drops open. Before he knows it Tristen is offering him a sip from a bottle of whiskey, the Mother's Milk label starting to peel slightly. Dumbfounded he looks from the bottle to Tristen's shyly comforting smile.
"Wait...barrister? I don't...no...NO!" Taraz jumps up and thrusts the bottle back at Tristen. I don't accept your offer to give yourself up over me." The rest of Tristen's words finally sink in. "Oh...uh, you meant...oh. I get it now...oops."
Taraz looks around at the crazed townfolk. "You're all just sure that someone has to die, huh? Ain't there no test? Shouldn't this wolfman have a bite mark on 'em somewhere where Sir Keinly bit? What if this wolfie person is going to be just like Sir Keinly? He lived with us fer 10 years before his lock failed. Mebbe whoe'er its is don't wanna hurt nobody. We just need to need get a 'em a strong lock!"
"Wahhhhhhhhhhh!"
Whitey is full out crying by this point.
"And as for you, Whitey. I cannae believe you ya heartless goat! Condemned by you jes cuz I drink a little more than my share of that fine brew YOU give me."
"All I sees is croc tears from you! Maybe there are more meaning' to your heartsong than jes 'better the wastrel the any "good" man amongst us'."
"Many have voted one way or another, an yet I have little indication for the votes being cast."
With a profoundly uncomfortable look on her face, Alessandra rises to the Duke's words. "You need me to say it? Fine." The professor takes a deep breath, screws up her face, and says what she's sure everyone's been thinking. "Despite the questionable circumstances of Sir Keinly's lock failing, the fact remains that he bit at least one person during his rampage. I think that the most likely victim was this poor man, who was probably passed out in the street or on someone's porch at the time. God forgive us, I don't think we can risk him infecting others." It looks like the professor doesn't have the stomach for business like this, she's looking pale and almost physically after being put on the spot by Atredies but she doesn't back down from what had to be said.
"Vote? I...I vote for life! No one here has done any no harm that I know. I guarantee this much. No man or woman will die because me this night.
"Most you know me. Mebbe I haven't always followed through on promises or dun me share of the work, but I dun make most of you smile. Yes even you, Professor A. You may think I am handy, but you never tried too hard to stop me as few times as it was I got fresh.
"There's gotta be 'nother way than this. You want me to eat garlic? Stab my hand with silver? Bathe in holy water?"
Taraz tries to think of anything he knows about what keeps werewolves away...but that pretty much is it.
Tristen bristles softly, as he stares around at the rest of the crowd. "Well I shall not stand here and see this happen. No. I can not!" Tristen takes another slug of whiskey, looking more and more red faced by the moment. He stumbles slightly up to the Professor and points a finger in her vague direction.
"You... You with not even the stomach to say it. You want him out of the way so he cant infect someone? Say it then... You want him killed. Be a man, woman, and say it outright!"
Tristen sighs softly, before dismissing the group with a wave of his hand. "Animals the lot of you... I should have just went to Uncles and swallowed the letter opener..."
Tristen giggles nervously, looking at the Duke. "Silver plated maybe, not pure. My Uncle was a notorious pinch penny, you know that Sir!" Tristen frowns for a moment.
"The shaving razor is pure silver though... Maybe I should use that instead. Might be the safest if I am the werewolf and I do not know about it..."
"I jes can't believe I'm gonna die at the hands of 'friends' jes cuz you dunno what else to do. What a waste of a life..."
Taraz begins to laugh loudly as his own turn of phrase is just an echo of what he has heard spoken of himself for years now.
Laughter subsiding, Taraz casts a sidelong look at the Professor.
"Well, if I am set to die this night, can I get a last request? A kiss from the last maiden in this town? I will even give my face a wash, if it makes it easier."
Taraz gives Alessandra an uneasy smile.
The doctor giggles sheepishly and takes a swig of his sedative "Vat's the spirit, an look on der bright side of tings. You won't die of liver failure. So odds well beat, Yes?" and he raises his mug in acknowledgment. "Plus der noose is quick, vhalmost painless. What your really missing out on is a few more days and a more van fair shot vat being mauled to death by a horrible monstrous man-wulf. Where death is not assured to be quick nor mostly painless." the doctors jovial behavior quickly fades as he becomes deathly quite and his single blue stares into the raging flames of the bonfire.
Tristen splutters in indignation. "What kind of doctor are you? Hanging is quick and almost painless? As a man who has noterised a few orders of execution myself, I can tell you it is neither of these things. I would rather be mauled!"
"My vote? Given the option, I'd vote no one. An empty hole is better than a full one. But seeing how this is going, a full hole is what we'll get. I've buried alot of people in my time, and one thing I learned is people don't like burying the dead. Well, I will go and vote myself on this then, if nothing better than to watch you all squirm fillin' in my hole. And that's how my vote'll sit until I get some proof otherwise. I'm gonna go, it'll be with a clear soul. Though I'd ask you to let me dig my hole first. Can't expect any of you to do it right."
"If there was any other way... what if, what if we put him in the noose, but don't open the trap door until he transforms?
"Well, if I am set to die this night, can I get a last request? A kiss from the last maiden in this town? I will even give my face a wash, if it makes it easier."
She's vaguely uneasy, but vaguely flattered that he asked for her attentions over another bottle of whiskey to take to the grave. I can hardly refuse the wretch something so simple. If it's the greatest hardship that falls on me in the coming nights I'll count myself a lucky woman. Alessandra meets his gaze with a look of compassion and softly, the professor says "I... yes. Taraz, for what it's worth I hope I'm wrong. I'll do that for you, when the time comes."
Taraz sighes and closes his eyes. "Thank you for that Professor."
Taraz's eyes open briefly and he sees a random drink close by. He seems to tremble slightly, but then he shakes his head.
"I went most of life sotted and a fool. I'll see death sober and coming at me."
Taraz rises to his feet with his back straight. Then he goes to the wellpump and begins to pump it doing his best to rub his face clean.
The doctor shrugs at Tristens comments "V'ie hold two doctorates vone in biochemistry the other in Botany. Few masters here and there you know vor hobbies."
With an idle stare at the fire "You know the kind that's an optimist. Vah...death is scary enough as is he should have privlage to know there won't be much pain. Vits comforting to know dis, yes."
He continues a nervous rambling...to the others or anyone distracted by drink not paying attention it seems like inaudible rambling.
"I have no idea what kind of executions you took part in, but hanging done properly snaps the vertebrae severing the spinal cord with the force of der torque snap bone clean in half. Likely no pain or vhat worst mere millisecond before nerves damaged too much to conduct signal to mind. Worst case he feels as if he's broken a bone for a mere millisecond. W'eitheder way there's a loss of consciousness and blood pressure within 1 second drops to negligible you're out like a light and feel nothing, 1 second. Den the lack of oxygen causes brain-death over half an hour, but in first second you lose consciousness so you no experience dis. Mostly painless"
"Wvit right calculation....no...trouble. Surely less gruesome than having your organs being torn out of you peice by peice vas you wither vin horrvible agony as a wicious beast eats you while you still live. Yes? Die terror and torment v'hadly compare vits almost unimaginable."
The doctor's ramble fades off as he looks horrified by even his own words as he stares eye fixed on the fit as he grips his cane tightly.
After a long pause he interjects "V'yes! Girl should kiss him it is last request only human thing to do but fulfill."
With a shrug he adds "Vost case he's a horrible monster. My ex-wife was horrible monster no big deal. Yes?"
What have I done! First I preach about not letting paranoia drive us, then I let it grip me and turn these people's emotions against Taraz, and with no proof!
"Friends, have I misled thee? What if we send an innocent to his grave? I've let fear twist my tongue, we've no proof that Taraz has done any wrong or will do so. Tis my shame that such a thing may occur on account on my words, let us take a sensible approach before we lose our souls along with our lives!"
Moving to stand by Taraz, Simon begins undoing the clasp of his cloak
"I'd rather feel the shame of embarrassment than feel the shame of a coward that kills in fear. If one of us has contracted this infliction then surely he has been bitten by the beast. Let us all stand naked and the truth be exposed by the bite marks we find."
With that Simon drops his cloak, followed by his tunic and breeches, and stands naked before the gathered crowd, his skinny, pale body exposed to all. To their horror they see he is covered with bite marks, head to toe the angry red dots blanket his skin, small itty bitty red bite marks of fleas, clearly the bachelor's home is in need of a good cleaning. But the teeth marks of a wolf are nowhere to be seen upon his body.
"See that I've not been bitten..err, by a wolf anyways...let us decide this way, if you have the courage to kill a man then surely you have the courage to stand naked before them first. Let us turn our attentions to those that refuse such a simple act!"
I guess working hard at insulting people was better than being lazy at not insulting people.
Dan looks to the Taraz whilst all this kerfuffle occurs; "Tristen's speech is strange, he offers use of his silver then doubts it purity. He says that he has ordered men to their death before, but this causes him to be scared and upset - calling us beasts and worse."
He gives Taraz some more booze, with a pat on the back. "At least you won't be ripped to tiny pieces like a warm loaf fresh out of the oven."
As the late day shadows lengthened over Laniel Taraz received his final kiss. He had been good to soak himself beforehand, but unfortunately even a thorough soaking does not quite thwart the mighty bonfire built by the townsfolk. His balance had always been precarious, particularly when he was in his cups. A mercy, a final kindness, perhaps from the universe itself... Taraz's fall hit his head upon the largest log in the fire. He never knew the flames that took him, even as the villagers looked on, and his body remained his own even as it blackened.
That night was dark and cold for Laniel, as each villager feared for their own lives and the days ahead, and in the morning all trudged into town once more, afraid to see which of them might be missing. It did not take long to tell, as the body was found just outside of town, as if walking back from his ship. It was torn so badly that only the off-putting yellow eyes and blue skin marked it for it's owner. Wowbagger The Infinitely Prolonged never returned from his ship in the morning, though he held a dagger in his fist, bloodied just a bit on the tip. The dagger proved he had died fighting, and the engraving of crossed hammers upon it said even more. It seems that poor Wowbagger had been a Mason.
"Oh the humanity! We've killed an innocent and I'm to blame!"
Simon waits for the tavern to open and then promptly buys a bottle from Whitey. Not half way through the liquor, he agains sheds his cloths and stands naked in front of the establishment with bottle in hand and loudly calls for..
"Join me in honesty, he slurs, let the truth of our skin speak while our tongues may lie! Who among us has been bitten by the wolf."
Dan laughs loudly; "Really.... you want to see me naked. You're the only one." he shakes his big fat belly.
Vorian waited patiently each passing moment, grinning with the certainty that they had the werewolf in their grasp. However, as each moment of Taraz's burning passed, the smile slipped further and further away, ending with a look of horror on the merchant's face.
By God! He was innocent after all! I accused a poor, innocent man out of nothing but spite! I... I...
Backing away from the group, Vorian retreats to his wagon, where he retrieves a flagon of whiskey. He breaks his personal rule of not drinking from his own stock, passing the night by draining the bottle. By the time the news of Wowbagger's death reaches him, his eyes are already wide with sleeplessness, his breath heavy with alcohol.
"W-wowbagger? Not him too..."
Dan had been up since the pre-dawn, though his cups were full and strong from the bonfire party. Dan felt bad for his friend, it was a small mercy that he cracked his skull and fell into oblivion for the last time. The end of the gathering left a sour taste, Dan had barely slept before he had to be up for the mornings baking.
The heat of his warm kitchen and the sublime smell of bread could not improve his mood. For hours he had slaved away at the ovens, as he came out he saw that wowbagger had been murdered. 'Masons, but he was an alien! Do they let anyone in?' He looks to the people in the square and bends down to look at the knife.
Tristen looks puzzled for a moment. "I offered to use my silver on myself. Not on another man. And yes I have sent people to their death, murderers rapists and felons, not innocent young drunkards... It is my job after all, well, part of it. Arrangeing it. I do not pull the lever or sharpen the axe...." He frowns at the Baker for a moment before shaking his head.
Tristen sits quietly beside the stockade, his head bent in prayer, his fingers moving deftly over a set of rosarie beads, as he prays for the sould of the poor departed men.
"Well... Wowbagger I was wrong. I am but human after all!" He sighs softly, before standing and bowing his head one last time, muttering to himself a short prayer, "Requiem æternam dona ei, Domine.
Et lux perpetua luceat ei. Requiescat in pace. Amen."
Turning, Tristen frowns, before heading towards the Library, searching out the Professor.
Eldon frowns at the sight of Wowbagger's body as people gather. "Looks like I'll be digging two holes today." He then heads to Thoen's to get his new shovel before preparing for a days digging.
Dan bows his head as Tristen recites a prayer. "Well do we talk to Eldon? Good work with the fancy words especially the a-e thing, Tristen. Alcohol levels were high and so were tensions, I'm sure it'll be different tonight."