The Sandman: Gift for the Gifted (Bards' Guild)

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The sky was still dark, the dew lay upon the ground, and Talen'sul was just starting to come to life. Upon the Bardic Guild's doorstep lay a black box tied with a red ribbon in the fashion of a gift. A card was affixed to the top with a simple message for those who would recieve it:

The dream of the damned
Is made sweet by a song
So we pour out our hearts
As we wait for the dawn

[Darastrix]

Eril found the box upon arriving at the guild that morning and picked it up, surprised. "Why didn't they just bring it in?" he murmured to himself as he read the card. He found the poem a bit odd, but judging from the lack of a signature, he figured the sender must have simply wished to remain anonymous. It wasn't an uncommon thing for a young man or woman to become smitten with one of the more attractive or talented performers and send them a small gift. The lack of a recipient's name was puzzling, though.

Shaking his head, he carried the box inside to "his" office, where he was dealing with the day-to-day tasks of the guild while Maestra Harper was off in New Anarlina to see about starting a sister guild there. He set it down on the desk and drummed his fingers lightly on the wood, wondering what to do about it.

"Well, since there's no name and no mistaking this place even at night, I guess I'll just have to assume it's for the guild in general," Eril decided. "Still a strange verse, though. Uri might like to try to set it to music," he said as he undid the ribbon and opened the box, wondering what could be inside.

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Once the lid was removed a strong scent of copper reached Eril's nose and wafted about his face. Inside the box lay a human heart, slick with still-fresh blood. Wrapped around it was a black ribbon tied neatly in a bow.

Beside it lay another card, this one blood-spattered. Despite the mess, it could be recognized as a menu taken from the Silver Streams, a riverside cafe where the bards were often hired to perform.

[Darastrix]

Eril swayed where he stood and grabbed the edge of the desk for support as he struggled not to retch. This had to be someone's idea of a sick joke. It just HAD to be. He quickly replaced the lid, covering the grisly sight, and sank into a chair.

"It's a joke," he muttered to himself. "Some sick bastard killed a dog or something. Forces, I was at the Silver Streams at the start of the night and didn't see anything out of place." Even so, he found himself rifling through that week's schedule, though he nearly had it memorized. He was on it, of course, along with Marc and Lara.

"That's that, then." He'd left the place with Lara, and Marc was sound asleep on some cushions in the common room. As he rose to collect the box and take it to the guards, a sudden thought stopped him in his tracks. The students....

Swearing, he bolted from the office to check the rooms where the school's resident students stayed.

[Deleted]

All the rooms that housed students were occupied either with the still sleeping or with those that have gotten up and were getting ready for that days events. Many called out to Eril as he went and some were curious enough to follow, having never seen Eril's face like the one they saw now.

One room was missing its occupant, the bed was a bit messy, the covers pushed to one side as if she had risen from bed and hadn't bothered straightening them. The window, too, was open and a fresh breeze wafted in to greet Eril.

((If I've taken too much liberty with Eril, sorry, I can fix it. ))

[Darastrix]

Eril strode to the window after barking a sharp command at the students to go back to their rooms. He looked out the window and down toward the ground below, seeking any sign of the room's occupant.

Whose room is this? Betty? No, Buffy. Earth girl with a lovely voice.

He fervently hoped it was just a coincidence that she was gone. Forces, the girl's parents had sent her there to be SAFE after that Storm in Ilyamen had attacked the guild there.

[Deleted]

Many of the students had left after being snapped at, but one remained behind. "Ah...Eril...Master Eril?" a shy girl learning to play multiple stringed instruments spoke up. "I saw Buffy last night before heading to bed. She looked kind of out of it, like she was really tired, or maybe not feeling well."

She fidgeted and lowered her eyes. "She was there when I went to the bathroom a couple of hours ago, and when I came back, she was gone."

[Darastrix]

Taking a deep breath, the Ice reigned in his emotions before turning to face the girl. "Go back to your room," Eril said quietly. "Classes will be canceled for the day."

With that, he left the room and headed back downstairs to the office, moving with deliberate calmness. The first order of business was to report this to the city guard, then he needed to speak with the rest of the advisers, then the rest of the guild and students, then Cass needed to be alerted in Anarlina, and THEN he could take care of himself. It was going to be a long, LONG day.

[hisdivineshadow]

Shortly after the guards had been notified, Dmitri arrived at the guild, looking for Eril. One of the students directed him to the office, where he rapped lightly on the door with his knuckles. "May I come in?"

[Darastrix]

"Enter," came the terse reply.

Eril was standing in the office, staring at a closed box on the desk. A glass of amber-coloured liquid was in one hand, which trembled slightly. His blue eyes flicked to Dmitri, taking in the man's uniform. "Shut the door behind you," he said briskly, taking a seat behind the large desk.

[hisdivineshadow]

The guard nodded and complied, but didn't sit. He took in Eril's haggard appearance and gave him a sympathetic look. "From what I hear, your morning didn't get off to a very good start. I'm sorry to say I might not be able to make it any better. Would you care to tell me what happened?"

[Darastrix]

"When I arrived, this box was on the porch with a card attached," Eril began, gesturing at the package and sliding the card forward. Swallowing a bit, he went on. "There is a heart inside, along with a menu from one of the venues our performers frequent. I actually performed there last night along with two other bards, both of whom are fine.

At first, I thought it might be a sick joke, but one of our resident students is gone, an Earth girl named Buffy. One of the other girls said she seemed...odd last night before bed, as though she didn't feel well or was very tired. She said Buffy was here just two hours before I ran upstairs to check on the students. She'd gone to the washroom, and when she came back a few minutes later, Buffy was gone."

[hisdivineshadow]

Dmitri nodded, frowning thoughtfully, then reached for the box. "I hope you don't mind." He turned away so as to spare Eril, and opened it, wrinkling his nose just slightly at the sight and the odor. Delicately, he pulled the menu out with his fingertips and examined it. "This cafe doesn't open for another couple of hours," he noted, "we might yet find something there."

Closing the box, he turned and said, "I'm sorry, I know this is going to be difficult, but . . . would you be willing to identify the body, if we find it?"

[Darastrix]

Eril closed his eyes briefly and nodded. "She has--had--no family here. Buffy's parents sent her after a former student in Ilyamen attacked the guild and killed two of the students there." He reached for his drink and knocked back the rest of it quickly, hissing softly as it burned his throat. "She was supposed to have been SAFE here."

He set the glass down and took a deep breath, composing himself. "If there's nothing else, I have much to do. I need to speak with the other advisers and our students as well as send a message to the Maestra in Anarlina."

Meanwhile, Aaron had arrived and was carefully examining the area around the porch where the box had been left.

[hisdivineshadow]

"I'll leave you to your work, then." He gave a small bow of his head, then slipped out the door.

As he stepped outside the guildhall, Dmitri called to Aaron, "Anything there?"