The Third Strike (Storyline, Open)

[Kender Bard]

The guard, Rakesh, was an ordinary man who did his job well. He didn't make enemies, and while not the most loved man in the City of Winds, was a likable enough fellow.

There wasn't much to explain why he was found dead this morning. Hog-tied and left still-stuck with almost a dozen weapons in his body, all over, the body had been dumped just inside the building. The open window nearby gave quick evidence of how the murder (or murderers) entered the watch building.

There was a solitary note pinned to his forehead using a dagger still bloody from the murder. One can only hope that Rakesh had been dead by that point.

It read: "The Talen'sul guards are as laughable as the ones here at home."

At the bottom was a little doodle of a purse with a small knife cutting it. It was crude, but it wouldn't take a genius to figure out who had left this terrible, disgusting, gruesome message to the guards of Talen'sul.

[zadaris]

Walking through the guild district after talking with a client, Aiz ambles along happy over having made a bit of money with his shrewd albeit crooked business sense. It's not long before he spots a number of guards, seemingly flustered.

Always being one to stick his nose in for a profit, Aiz approaches the guards with a grin across his features. "Good day gentlemen."

[Kender Bard]

Since the body was inside, the crowd within had spilled a bit out of the front door. Hearing a civilian call out to them, the guards exchanged angry looks - they felt as though time should stop while they mourn their friend. One guard split away from the overflow and turned his attention to Aiz. "Move along," he ordered. "This is city watch business."

[zadaris]

Aiz stops in his tracks momentarily after the guard orders him to go about his own business. "Oh?"

He stands in front of the guard and adjusts his glasses. "So," Aiz leans to the side to peek past the guard. "Anything you'd like to let the people, meaning me, in on. Because, it doesn't seem like nothing."

[Kender Bard]

The guard flexed and moved to block Aiz's view, eyes narrowing. "A crime has been committed, and as such, we are going to be working furiously to find the culprit. Now unless you move along, I might have to take your inordinate interest in the matter as a sign of suspicion and question you..."

[zadaris]

"You can fire as many questions at me as you wish," Aiz interupts "but if you talk to the right people my wherabouts for the past week can be accounted for." He retorts, ending with a huff.

"Although," He removes his glasses and blows on them, taking a cloth out to wipe them. "Talen'sul has been the victim of numerous attrocities as of late." He puts his glasses back on. "I fear for the people when even little kids are not safe."

[Kender Bard]

The guard clenched his teeth - Aiz was luckily that this guard, Raven, was one of the more patient members of the force.

"Listen," he spoke in a low, almost growling voice. "If I tell you what happened, I can't trust you not to go tell Joe Schmoe, who'll tell his friends, and pretty soon the city is in an uproar again. The last murder was a couple months ago and we have dedicated men working on that case as well. So kindly leave us to our business, citizen."

[hisdivineshadow]

Dmitri took note of Aiz as he approached the scene, but steered clear of him and slipped almost unnoticed into the guard house. He'd been told this was a brutal killing, and the evidence before him didn't disappoint those expectations.

Part of him was relieved to see that it didn't match up with the earlier killer's methods. Part of him was alarmed at that same fact; nobody wanted one murderer stalking the streets, and two was even worse. While the "Sandman" had been idle for quite some time now, Dmitri though it unlikely the killer had simply quit.

Kneeling down, he examined the note, and then each of the weapons left in the corpse -- not that they were likely to reveal much, but it paid to be thorough. Well, someone certainly wants us to think the Thieves are responsible. And most likely the Ilyamen Thieves. Glancing up at one of the guards standing nearby, he asked, "Who was it that first discovered the body here?"

[Kender Bard]

One of the guards stepped forward, clearing his throat. This guard stood out from his others - he wore brightly colored feathers in his hair, was quite obviously a Storm based on the Storm sign on his right wrist, and that he seemed to favor a javelin as his weapon of choice - though the standard short sword swung from his hip as well. "I did sir. My name is Crillon."

[hisdivineshadow]

Dmitri nodded as he stood and began slowly walking around the body, examining it from all angles. "all right, Crillon, tell me how you found it. When. What you were doing. How it was positioned. What you did immediately afterward." Dmitri had gotten rather well-known among the guards for speaking slowly and carefully, except when he was questioning one of them about a murder scene. If it were a civilian witness he was interviewing, he would have been more patient and methodical, but he expected his fellow guards to pay attention to these details and keep them in mind.

[zadaris]

"The last murder?" Aiz re-iterates "So, another murder has taken place... here of all places."

Aiz took on a slight expression of worry before thrusting his hand into his front right pocket. "Surely this information would cause a stir but might that not be for good? A wolf will have a hard time moving among frightened sheep than content ones, whom it can skillfuly pick out one by one."

[Darastrix]

"You were the one who mentioned children, 'friend,'" Aaron spoke up from behind Aiz. The Fire fixed him with a grim stare. "And the last of those incidents was a couple months ago. How else should he have said it?"

Aaron raised his eyes to Raven. "And yet he jumps to the conclusion of murder here with no mention of that being what's happened. Suspicious, aye?"

[zadaris]

"Tch please. This man clearly said the last 'murder' was a couple of months ago. He could have simply said last crime if he wanted to keep me in the dark." Aiz tips down his glasses at Aaron.

"And I haven't been told I'm wrong... yet. Simply deduction, but these days I doubt any of you would understand that."

[Kender Bard]

"Deduce this," Raven snapped. "Get the hell out of here before I arrest you for meddling in guard affairs!"

Crillon snapped a salute to Dmitri. "Sir, the body is untouched from when it was found. I discovered it at around-" he hesitated, and glanced at the clock-candle. "Well, it's been two marks now. I'd say at five-mark. I was coming in to see if I had any orders before starting my morning patrol. As soon as I saw the body, I started to get the others to come see as well. Since then, we've been trying to puzzle out this little mystery without upsetting the evidence too much."

[zadaris]

"Fine! It's not like you guys could ever catch a-"

"-That's enough, you."

Aiz's statement, which was obviously to be riddled with insults, is cut short when Adonis arrives at the scene. He approaches Aiz who gains a bright smile.

"About time, someone who'll listen to reason, now about-" Aiz is cut short again as Adonis grabs him by the collar.

"Sorry Aiz, I'm far too tense to pretend I like you. So please, for your own sake, move along." Adonis throws him behind him, causing him to stumble.

"Whatever you say. Enjoy yet another wild goose chase on your part." Aiz quickly leaves the scene and the guards who were probably close to beating his head in.

"He's an ass but he's not your man. He has a bigger yellow streak than a newborn chick. But now, gentlemen, what's going on here?"