The Grand Tourney: A Turn of Events

Arianwyn: 1. If approached, they will do what they can to help the investigation.

Morgana: 2. They won't talk to the guards, but they will do some sleuthing on their own.

MORGANA [393 words] 

It was nearing the end of the Tourney when the whispers began, and it wasn't long before Morgana started putting the pieces together. Talk of a murder, and then of murders. That Archon Miriam was putting the blame on wild mages, that the victim was the trade attache of the Siregalese delegation, that the other victim was a servant- The information kept coming, and luckily Morgana didn't have to stop and actually speak to anyone to obtain these little nuggets of gold. Despite her ostentatious appearance, she was quite good at simply blending into places where it looked like people ought to be. All she had to do was linger long enough, obscured enough, where there was enough mead flowing... It all came out, eventually. 

Morgana moved between the streets, lingering at mead stalls and outside bar windows for maybe longer than was socially acceptable - but when anyone questioned her, she simply stated she was looking for her partner, Arianwyn Runeguard, and flashed a pointed smile, a bit too toothy; bordering on predatory. Nobody dared to get too close, all whipping wings, tail, feathers, and snapping teeth: and by now many of the guards knew she was with the Order, and just how deep her loyalties ran.

Now that she had as much information as she did, she was on the hunt for her ordered partner - surely Wyn would want to know, if she wasn't already aware of what was going on and charging into it headfirst. A flicker of fondness sparked in her chest, and Mori let herself ponder it for a moment before continuing down the cobblestone path she was on. 

She'd gone back to the inn they'd been staying at to drop off her coat and bracelets, finding them a bit too uncomfortable for the amount of activity they'd done during the day, but now she was having a hard time finding her way back to Wyn. And then the rumors started. She could only hope Wyn had gotten concerned about her being gone for so long, or excited enough to have uncovered the rumors without Morgana's help, and was already also on the look for her. Otherwise, this could take a while unless Morgana took to the skies.

Morgana rounded another corner at a brisk pace: she had a feeling this was going to take a while.

ARIANWYN [wc: 511]

 As Arianwyn waited, nestled in the shadow of the alleys near the murder scene, she felt a flutter of anxiety in her chest. Momentarily distracted, she shook her mane out almost instinctively, hoping the rushing anxiety would pass her by. There was no barrier set up to keep bystanders out of the way of the investigation into the site where the Siregalese trade attaché and their servant had perished, but the Silverweaver was still reasonably certain she was not supposed to be quite this close. Or, perhaps, they had forgotten to secure the nearby alley. She had ducked back here as soon as the word got out, so she was not certain what had happened on the main roads. Moreover, she probably was not supposed to be there alone, but her partner on this assignment, Morgana Ives, had returned to the inn where they had been staying before the news broke. There had been no time to include Mori in her covert mission, so they would have to meet up later.

Arianwyn's ears pricked as she heard the conversation nearby pick up. This close to the site, she could just make out the murmurs of guards as they assessed the scene if she held her breath. She caught only a few words in this recent conversation—something about wild mage and blood and diplomacy. The speech was drifting out earshot, as though the guards were walking further away from her hiding spot. Shit. The conversation had been fading for the last half an hour as more of the investigators moved somewhere else, and what she could hear was getting less and less interesting. It was time for Wyn to change her plans.

Quietly, the spotted mare moved out of her hiding spot, carefully stretching out her legs to get the blood flowing after being so still. It was time to find Morgana and figure out what her traveling companion knew. Each footstep placed carefully to avoid making a noise, Arianwyn retraced her steps out of the twisting alleys and back on to the main road. As she emerged, she spotted the familiar maroon and purple feathers of her partner walking away, as though she had just missed Wyn. "Morgana!" she called out, trotting and pushing aside a few commoners as she rushed to catch up. Though slightly winded even after just a few moments of activity, she was too excited to bother hiding it this time. "What have you heard so far?" she asked, certain Mori had already heard the circulating rumors. "We should try and catch up with the guards, see if there's anything we can do. They think it's a wild mage—they already caught one, but there's got to be others around. We can help them search." The words came tumbling out in her excitement—not that she was excited that foreign travelers had been killed. This was simply her chance to redeem herself for being unable to capture the wild mage previously. Now was their chance to contribute. Her and Morgana together, they could find the killer and apprehend them!

MORGANA [wc: 645]

It was about fifteen minutes into her unintentional wander through the streets of Mead, looking for Wyn, that Morgana began to feel like she was massively off course. She'd definitely passed that specific merchant before, he was selling wind chimes. So, that meant that, somehow, she'd gotten turned around. Only, she'd technically grown up here, surely she still knew her way through the streets? With everything packed full to the brim with ungulates from all over, and every inch of open space decorated with extravagant silks, pop-up stalls, and other such vendors.. Morgana was undoubtedly lost, and her haste to avoid contact with others was only making it worse. Each time she moved to dodge someone traveling too close, she got further and further off course.

Dread pricked at the back of her mind as she skirted around a particularly large group of cervines, sloppily filled with liquor and annoyingly loud. A particularly scathing look was thrown in their direction while she passed, though none seemed to take notice of her foul mood. 

"Morgana!"

Hearing her own name being called brought a relief to the mare she hadn't been expecting and she immediately stopped in her tracks, wings flared out slightly around her as she attempted to track down where the voice had come from. When her eyes finally settled on Wyn, she smoothed her face into something slightly less homicidal. It wasn't a necessarily pleasant expression, but it was an effort and a great deal brighter than it'd been a few moments before.

The Silverweaver seemed fine as she caught up, although a touch winded beneath that signature bright eyed look she seemed to wear when she got overly excited about something. Morgana could see now there was additional strain when she spoke, but any concern was quickly drowned out by Arianwyn's exuberance and rapid fire words. The Oracle found herself smiling, despite herself.

"I know as much as you know, I would assume." She started, letting her eyes lazily track the crowd - as if she intended to pick out more wild mages as she'd done days prior. Unfortunately, that little trick had only worked once. Pity. "Trade attache murdered, a yet unnamed servant was also found dead. Archon Miriam is already placing the blame on wild mages." There was a strange hint of amusement that colored her tone, a slight bitterness barely detectable. Almost as if her own suspicions had moved beyond the wild mages, even though they'd already been part of one wild mage apprehension. Obviously, there were wild mages abound and it was certainly a possibility but.. she couldn't shake the feeling that it was internal, or perhaps external. Not necessarily related to the wild mages.. There were dignitaries from all over, all clustered up together in what used to be a little podunk town and wild mages were here, they'd seen it. But there were also war dogs from all over the continent, seedy politicians and plenty who would gain from such an act. It could have been anyone, honestly, the sky was truly the limit when hundreds of people were gathered in a such a small space. But truly, the last on Morgana's list of suspects was a rogue wild mage. She was highly invested in the theory it was bigger, than it seemed. Perhaps her imagination was running away with her.

"You want to flag down some guards?" Morgana finally said after a moment, gold meeting gold as she studied Wyn from beneath heavy, pale lashes. "I'm not certain they'd just invite us into their investigation with open arms, not without an extra push... I thought, maybe, we could snoop around the scene of the crime first, try to pick up a trail or catch something they missed. It's better to collect our own evidence, make our own deductions.. maybe they missed something our fresh eyes could catch." 

ARIANWYN [wc: 551]

Arianwyn couldn't help but feel some small rush of pride when she saw the way Morgana's expression shifted when the winged mare spotted her. The Silverweaver knew that she was a few years younger than Mori, and, while she had advanced through her classes early, she was less experienced than her companion. Perhaps the shifting of an expression from rage to almost a smile was not the surest sign of respect she had ever seen, but Arianwyn knew she had earned both Morgana's respect and, perhaps, her friendship. It was comfortable falling back into step beside her as they continued their stroll through the squalls of gossiping commoners and loud drunks once again.

While Morgana seemed to dismissively look over the crowds, Arianwyn's focus was sharp as she scanned the gathered folks. If there was someone suspicious around, she'd be damn certain she was ready to apprehend them. Her momentary disappointment at missing the last wild mage had turned to pure motivation. Arianwyn had a one-track mind and, in that moment, she had chosen her foe. No run-of-the-mill killer would stick around after the deed was done, but she had a feeling this was no ordinary murderer—whoever had done this was highly skilled, and would be more likely to stay in the area so they could follow the flow of information and know what story had been told of their acts. So, she watched the crowds, eyeing everyone with a sharp golden gaze, trying to pick out any small signs of guilt or shame.

Yet, Morgana's words broke through her focus and stole her attention. No, not her words—her tone. When she mentioned the wild mages, there was not scorn, but dismissal. Morgana suspected someone else. "If not the wild mages, who?" she questioned, looking at her traveling companion with curiosity. While Wyn was normally the first to condemn an idea she didn't agree with, she trusted Mori's judgment—if the winged equine felt differently, the Silverweaver would hear her out.

She did snort with something of amusement when Morgana mentioned snooping around the crime scene, though she looked around briefly for guards in earshot before speaking up. "I've already gotten as close to the crime scene as they're allowing the public—or, at least as close as they've forgotten to secure. There are some back alleys that twist close to the statehouse where the delegation was staying." It was a confession she stated with some amount of pride that she had been clever enough to locate another entrance. "The guards seem to be waiting on further investigation, which means it might be the perfect time for guards to allow a skilled party to take a look." Clearly, by her words, she considered the pair of them to be a skilled party. The Order had sent them here on official business to keep an eye out—certainly that meant they would be trusted in a time of need, right? Besides, while Arianwyn had more interest in talking to the guards than Morgana did, the two shared a similar drive to investigate on their own. Considering the decision made, she let their walking path turn back towards the crime scene and picked up the pace slightly. They were on a mission now, and she fully intended to contribute to the official investigation.