Fantasy RPG Forum - Standing Trials

The door cracked open and Yeva smiled, not too brightly, but with enough warmth to dissuade immediate dismissal, "Good morning," she greeted softly, taking a step back. Maybe distance would make them feel better after such a jarring ordeal. How uneasy this family must feel, when the place they were supposed to feel safest... wasn't safe at all? "My name is Yeva of Rharne. I'm a member of the Order of Adunih and am assisting the Elements in the investigation of...of your son. M-may I come in?"

"It's not a good morning," the man corrected, his voice raw and gravelly, deadpan in its delivery. Dark circles clung to red rimmed eyes. The weight of his gaze felt heavy, but he remained empty, "And now's not a good time." He leaned back to slam the door, but Yeva jumped forward to clutch the door frame. From inside the house, the sound of sniffling rose from somewhere beyond his burly frame.

"I'm so sorry! That was a horrid choice of words, I didn't mean it! Please!"

A woman spoke, "Who is it?"

"An Element," the father snapped over his shoulder but then paused, eyeing the red head and her new cloak, "Or... a girl helping them. Says she's also with the Order."

"They have news of Asher?" a woman was shoving past the barrier of a man, face tear streaked with a tightly rolled cigarette pinched between two fingers. Her brunette curls were unkempt, grey eyes were wild and desperate, and her hands shook when she took a long draw on the tobacco, "Where is he? Where's my son? Is he hurt?"

Yeva's heart broke, "We... we're still working on it. That's why I'm here, actually. So that law enforcement is fully focused on finding," Asher. That's what his name was, "Asher. I'm just here to ask a few questions, record anything I possibly can to help aid in his safe return."

Her face fell and twisted as new emotion overcame her. She turned, wiping at her wet cheeks while the man embraced her. He held her against his chest, his own voice catching when he spoke from the nest of her hair, "We've already told them everything we know. We were all asleep for Tried's sake!"

"Actually," Yeva took a deep breath and pushed her shoulders back, "I was hoping to speak with your daughter, if possible. She shares a room with your son?" Yeva wasn't very good at keeping her own emotions out of her work and so it was hard not to be affected by the scene before her. Clearly, these two cared for one another and for their family.

"I don't think-"

"Alright," the woman drew away with a somber look, "Come in... I'll put on some tea."

The husband look incredulous and Yeva nervously let herself in while he stormed after his wife, to the kitchen where they argued in a series of heated whispering. Yeva pretended not to notice (for they were clearly arguing about her presence), and so she quietly meandered around the front room, imagining the life that they must have had. The wooden floor was well worn - from family pets or tiny feet or a former family - the furniture mismatched but sturdy. There was a wicker basket of wool yarn and some knitting needles, and a hearth that could use a good scrubbing. The house could have even had a warm, inviting feel had not all the windows been locked shut and the curtains drawn in mourning.

Hearing footsteps emerging from the kitchen, Yeva turned to see the father returning, jaw tight, "You may talk to her. But not alone, do you understand?"

"O-of course... Thank you."

He grunted and disappeared down the hallway to fetch the little girl. Yeva waited, pulling out her journal and slowly crept towards the kitchen when she heard the ongoing whistle of a forgotten kettle. She had intended to thank the mother as well, but found her staring blankly at the stove top, sobbing. Oh, no.

Yeva hurried forward, bunching up the hem of her cloak in one hand and using it to grip the handle of the pot and remove it from the fire. The woman tried to speak but only a mix of whimpers and wails escaped her, "I've got it," Yeva pushed the kettle aside and reached out to touch the woman's shoulder, turning down the flame as she did so, "It's alright-" Professionalism did not occur to the young woman, not when she saw such pain before her. Yeva reached out and took the mother in her arms, holding her tighter as her chest shook with lamentation. After awhile, Yeva met her eye, "It's not your fault. You know that, don't you?"

Yeva surely didn't, but it felt right to say. The woman tried to wipe at her face, apologizing, to which the medic dismissed. Finally, after she had composed herself enough to form words, the mother reached into a cupboard to draw out a number of tea cups, "Ashey, my daughter, she's been saying strange things. And my husband, he means well. It's just, this is all so hard. It doesn't even feel real."

That was something. Yeva studied her face, "Strange how?"

"Mommy?"

The two turned to find a little girl held in the arms of her father. She clung to his neck, shyly observing the duo. Yeva remained quiet, doing her best to appear approachable and waved as her parents explained what they needed her to do. In the meantime, the medic took a seat at the kitchen table and watched the family interact. Ashley nodded and then was brought to sit by the table, where Yeva sat patiently while the parents hovered, "Hi there, my name's Yeva. What's yours?"

Ashley looked up and then answered.

"That's a very nice name."

"It's just like my brother's..."

"He's named Ashley too?" Yeva acted surprised, which almost pulled a smile.

"No, Asher!"

"Oooh, I see."

For awhile, Yeva only talked about easy stuff - asking how old she was, what she wanted to be when she grew up, what her favorite toy was. Ashley's shy demeanor seemed to alleviate and she welcomed the distraction. Eventually, though, when the father cleared his throat, Yeva knew she had to start asking more difficult questions.

"Ashley," Yeva began, "Can you tell me about last night? Did you see anything?"

The girl shrugged, stared at her feet, which she kicked back and forth between the table.

Yeva chewed her lip and leaned forward, "Was it scary?"

Ashley nodded, looking up at the forgotten tome sitting before the medic.

"You must be very brave then... Do want to draw in my notebook?"

She nodded again, and Yeva turned to a fresh page, passing the girl her pencil. For awhile, they remained quiet, Yeva sipping at the tea that had been brought. It was bitter and needed sugar, but she didn't dare ask. Just when she thought the father would put an end to their chat, the girl began to speak, scribbling the story, "I woke up and they were by Asher's bed."

"Who?"

Yeva looked between the girl and her parents.

"Some big men."

"Do you know how many?" it was difficult to keep her eagerness restrained. She wanted the little girl to feel comfortable in this confusing situation, but time was perhaps of the essence. There had been more than one kidnapper! Their size was perhaps... relative, but she listened closely. Ashely held up three fingers and then resumed her artwork, "Did they... say anything to you?"

She shook her head and then seemed to remember something, "They sounded weird."

Weird how? "They talked, but... not like us." Yeva turned that information over. Three men, possibly large. Capable of speech, but they must not have spoken Common or Scalveen. Meaning these men were likely foreigners? Ashley scooted closer to the table and then pushed the book towards her, displaying a figure with stubby arms and legs, their clothes shaded unevenly, "They were wearing black and...." she seemed to withdraw a bit and then her pencil began to move, darkening the circle where two eyes should have been. She looked at her parents and then whispered, "They didn't have any faces. Crump! And then they were gone."

A chill ran up her arms.

"I think that's-"

"Wait," Yeva blurted, shooting a hand out to which the father silenced much to her surprise. She looked at Ashely, at the eyes that matched her mother's and stood, "This is really helpful! Can... can you show me your room?" then to the parents, she prayed to Illaren they'd agree, "Please?"

With their respective plans in place the trio went their separate ways, but not before Darius wished Balthazar and Yeva good fortune and bade them both farewell. He steeled himself as he stepped back out into the cold, perpetual dusk, pulled his brown Elementals cloak tighter around himself, and headed towards the beach.

The sight that greeted him there was in stark contrast to his experience of revelry the night before. Where there had previously been a little too much alcohol, and just the right amount of pleasant company, there was now tedium. Workers had pulled down the marquees of the Everdark Casino where Yeva and Darius had met over a game of Chase The Ace, and were packing it up. Nearby, he found the log where they had sat and giggled their way through a game in the sand, but the markings they had made were long gone.

There were workers present, but Darius did not recognise any of them, and after some questioning, he realised there was nobody who had heard of the disappearances. They had slept in the marquees overnight to protect the equipment, and to ensure an early morning rise and pack down. They had not seen anything out of the ordinary, except for a blond man with a beard who was talking about disappearing children...

Darius' next destination was the Scalvoris Town Docks. He was familiar with the place, having departed from them and returned to them many times over the arcs - sometimes as a sailor, but to witness his father's journeys many times before that. Some of the faces were familiar, too, and it was one such dockhand who told him of the mysterious ship that hadn't sheltered in the harbour - particularly unusual, given the weather at such a time of arc.

The man's voice faltered as he tried to recall what he'd seen, and when pressed by Darius, he admitted that he might have had a swig of rum or three, but he swore he was telling the truth, and that he thought the ship might have been using a different beach. As if to convince the Elemental volunteer, the man pulled out a small pouch, and he poured a small amount of sand into the palm of his hand.

"I spotted this on the cobbles on me way t' work, I did," the man said, holding up his open hand so the younger man could see.

The majority of the granules were green, as he'd expect from the closest beaches, but sprinkled in with them were speckles that were yellow and orange. The sight caused Darius' eyes to widen, even as his brow furrowed.

"These isn't all from this beach," the man proudly beamed with a toothless grin. "I reckons someone walked to town from wherever these comes from."

The man had nothing more to offer, but it was enough to give Darius a hunch, and based on nothing more than that and the mysteriously vanishing ship, he thanked the man and went on his way, keeping the Hollow Sea to his right as he moved in the general direction of Almund.

There was a tense silence that followed Ashley's retelling of the events but to everyone's surprise, it was the father who agreed this time. He inhaled deeply through his nose and then gave a heavy nod after looking at his wife, "For our son," he muttered, each rise of his limbs taking as much effort as moving a mountain. Yeva could feel the seriousness of the situation and thanked the family, allowing anyone else to lead.

The little girl pushed away the notebook and drawing utensil, sliding from the chair with a small hop and followed faithfully after her da. Yeva was third, and the mother left the table last, stuck in a daze staring at her daughter's artwork before moving herself. The creaking of the stairs felt shocking in the solemn silence to the landing and then down the hall to the far end where the door was left ajar.

"Be quick about it," the father pushed the door further open, crossing his arms as he sidestepped to allow entry. Eyes avoiding his son's bed, the red head wished she could offer comfort but it did not come so easily as it did with his wife. She nodded and made her way inside. There were no words.

Two beds with disheveled sheets were pushed along the far wall, an arched window between them with sheer curtains. Toys littered the floor. On the right wall, it looked as if someone had gotten into some finger paint and had been creating a masterpiece and was interrupted midway. The drawing was of a family, but the final figure - a boy child - possessed a torso that veered into a line and then disappeared completely, most likely when the parent's discovered the little artist. There was a stain on the floor where the bottle must have been spilled and now seeing the caricature on the wall, it feel ominous somehow.

She looked away and then moved towards the bed with blue sheets. Standing there, she observed the window sill for any signs of break in, anything out of the ordinary. Then she lifted the pillows, looking back when she heard the mother's voice, "I tore them a bit this morning, looking for him."

It was easy to imagine the woman scrambling when she went to wake her child to find him gone. She must have ripped away the fabric in a frenzy. Yeva said nothing but nodded, listening as Ashley pointed to where the men had been and then ran to her bed, reenacting her story for better detail. It was obvious the sweet girl just wanted to help. She must have been able to tell how distressed her parents were, but Yeva wasn't sure if she fully knew the dire extent of the situation. Did the girl know she might never see her brother again?

Yeva's heart broke but she forced herself to refocus and then got on her knees to look under the bed. Nothing extraordinary but...

Her brows furrowed and she scratched at the wooden floors and then ran her hand along the ground, pulling back when she was greeted with a gritty sensation.

Colored sand. More had collected in the rivets of the planks around Asher's bed. When she looked under Ashley's, she noticed a distinct lack of matter.

Her brow furrowed and she tried to sweep as much of it as she could. Soon, there was a small pool about the size of nel, "Have any of you been to the beaches lately?"

"Of course not."

"It's been too cold."

"Can we go to the beach?" Ashley liked the idea, "Please?"

The father pinched the bridge of his nose, "No, not today."

"Please?"

"No."

The mother cleared her throat, "Ashley..."

"Pleeease? Why not?"

The father broke, "Because your brother is gone!" he shouted, making all the woman recoil or jump. Ashley's lip quivered and then she covered her eyes, the tense silence eventually broken by her wails.

"Waaaaah, I want Aaaaasher!"

The mother scooped up the little girl and tried to soothe her, the man's face twisted, realizing his mistake and tried to apologize, all three of them stepping into the hall. Yeva fretted but continued to gather the grains of sand. It might have been nothing... Or it could have been something. The beaches of Scalv were colored and these were green and yellow. She wasn't native, but surely one of the other men in her group could recognize it; this could have been traced to a direct location... Determined, she reached into her bag and tried to sweep as much as she could into a empty medicine vial. Topping it with a cork, she explored the room for any other signs.

When she finally rose to her feet, a darkened figure was standing in the door, giving the red head a jolt.

The father wrung his hands, "If you're done, it's been a long morning..."

At some point, Ashley must have stopped crying. She hadn't noticed.

"Oh... Of course."

They wanted her to leave, "I'll head back to the Elements Hall," when he didn't say anything, she bee lined for the door, hesitating once in the hall. She could hear a soft lullaby being sung from behind another door. "Thank you and... I'm sorry."

"Me too."

Yeva couldn't muster a smile, "If you find anything else-"

"We know."

Right. Yeva nodded and didn't wait. She headed down the stairs, collected her journal and showed herself out. With all the suffering the family was already going through, she hoped everyone's efforts would be enough to get that little boy home where he belonged. This tragedy had to be stopped.

The case had to be solved.

The walk had been a lonely but determined one. It had taken a solid break or two, but Darius' pace had not relented. The Cylus chill had caused the follicles on his cheeks and chin to stand on end, and his gambeson was pulled tightly around himself as he braced himself against the cold fog, but he pushed on all the same.

His motivation was simple: the children had only been kidnapped the previous night. While he didn't anticipate catching up with the culprits, even if he was moving in the right direction, there was nothing to be gained by dragging his feet, either. And if they had come to Scalvoris Town via one of the beaches to the north of the city, then he would have a greater chance of discovering some kind of evidence before the tide covered the sands.

With his hometown now forming a small and distant skyline that was blurred in the seasonal mist, Darius made his way over yet another grassy headland. As he made his way back down, descending through the fog, he caught sight of something that made him pause. His pace slowed for the first time, as his eyes scanned the new beach. Greeting him were granules of sand, yellow and orange in colour - a contrast to the green that coated the soles of his boots.

As soon as he stepped onto the beach, Darius dropped to one knee and unslung his rucksack from his shoulders. After opening it and rummaging through it, the blond was able to pull out a small leather pouch. He loosened the string about its neck and peered in, then looked at his boot which was now caled in a mixture of green, yellow, and orange sand.

The resemblance was striking.

Darius could feel his heart beat faster at the discovery. There was a temptation to become excited, but it was immediately tempered by the reality that finding the children and finding them alive were two very different things.

Time was still of the essence, and so, after a quick scan of the beach revealed nothing in the way of footprints - something he attributed to having been to late to catch the recent hight tide - he turned on his heel and began his journey back to the Element Hall in Scalvoris Town, where he hoped to learn whatever information the others had discovered.