CH. 16 - To Catch a Killer

[Daos]

"Bah, I'm not complaining about boredom," Amodeo says.  "Your plan involves waiting around for something that might happen."  He snorts in derision.  "I bet you don't even know any Calabrian songs."

[GravityEmblem]

"You are a difficult man to please," Lillian says. "But I am eager to learn any Calabrian songs you know. As a Bard, it is my duty to constantly expand the horizons of my talents."

[HorizonsDream]

"Unfortunately, the murder of your man happened over a year ago," Ladonna points out. "The trail has completely gone cold, and these letters are the only real lead that we have. Plus, apparently, Jherek and Katya escaped Damon's grasp on a flying horse," she says with a sigh. "Our only options at this point is to check out the old Wyld Boys bases for possible clues as to where Jherek would have gone, but from my understanding those were picked clean once the Wyld Boys were taken care of," she says. "We find a way to lure Jherek back here, but I'm not exactly sure how to go about doing that, or we wait for this messenger. If Katya knows that Ser Waelnod is on her death bed, she isn't just going to abandon her. Though, you have been investigating this much longer than us, so if you have any ideas, we are welcome to listen tothem," she adds.

[Daos]

Amodeo grumbles and sighs, then throws up his hands.  "Fine, fine, we'll do the waiting plan.  I just wish there was something to do in this pissant town while we wait."

[HorizonsDream]

"The tavern can be a little lively if you wish to visit there," Ladonna suggests. "If you'll excuse us for a moment, there is something I wish to discuss with Lillian," she says to Amodeo before she grabs Lillian's arm and nearly drags the poor girl away so they can talk in some relative privacy somewhere, maybe even outside. "How exactly do you plan on fulling that contact you signed?" she asks in a harsh whisper. "Katya knows exactly what she is doing. The only way I see this working is if I charm her, and even I'm not sure that will work."

[GravityEmblem]

"I can certainly tell you I didn't have a plan when I signed it, because I didn't even realize I was signing a real contract!" she hisses. "Guilt over her mother's impending death, a chance for her to neatly avoid consequences, perhaps the offer of spreading her mischief to a whole city?! Or a charming spell, as you say. Which I can cast on my own, thank you very much."

She breathes a deep sigh. "I toyed with the idea of invalidating the contract, somehow, but I don't know nearly enough about contract law to find a handy loophole. And simply abandoning society, while it would keep Ser Waelnod from chopping my fingers off, is not really a good option."

[HorizonsDream]

"Do you have the contact with you?" Ladonna asks.

[GravityEmblem]

"No, Mereida's servant took it to be notarized," Lillian sighs. "If I possessed it, I would happily rip it to pieces, but that's not possible now. But I remember the wording acceptably."

[OOC: See the OOC thread for the exact wording]

[HorizonsDream]

Assuming that Lillian told Ladonna what the contract said, Ladonna shakes her head. "You really did cover everything with it. Finding a loophole is going to be difficult," she admits. "The Wyld Boys don't technically exist right now," she says thoughtfully. "But if Jherek did murder this merchant, Katya could be connected to it," she points out.

[GravityEmblem]

"Would that count as a crime connected to them?" Lillian wonders. "It was before she joined up fully, but..."

[HorizonsDream]

"But if she knew about it, then she was helping a murderer," Ladonna says. "It might be grasping at straws, but it might work."

[GravityEmblem]

Lillian smiles and nods. "By the way...where did Jherek live, here in Buho? If he had a house, or lodging of some sort, we may find some clues there."

[HorizonsDream]

"Yeah, he lived with his parents in town," Ladonna says. "They were still living here when we left for Hart, but I'm not sure if it is true now. We can check."

[GravityEmblem]

"In that case, we should do that. Satisfy the Barone's impatience," Lillian jokes.

[HorizonsDream]

"Were you under the impression that this murder happened recently?" Ladonna asks curiously.