CH. 5: The Sending is Coming from Inside the House

[HorizonsDream]

"Thank you for the information," Jocelyn says to the woman, and waits for the last question to be answered. "And, once again, sorry about all of this."

[JadedDM]

"I'm sorry," says the servant, "but I did not know any of Miss Jara's friends. She and I did not socialize very much. Good luck on your investigation," she says, and closes the door.

[Breila]

Ouragana looks at Jocelyn. "So what we have in common is that both victims seem to have met a promising man shortly before their deaths. So they probably went along with their murderer willingly. So the place where they were murdered is probably someplace where secret lovers might go. As we had thought before, they probably were not killed at the mill. I doubt a woman would go to a place where anoher was killed for a romantic date.

We should go back to the inn and see what the others have found out. Strangely, I had been of the impression that all victims before the inkeeper's daugther were human."

[JadedDM]

Areilon and Val search around the Paragon Inn, looking for clues, but don't find anything of use. Ouragana and Jocelyn return to the inn and meet up with the two there.

Inside, they find the place largely empty of customers. Evidently, the murder is keeping a lot of people away. However, it's not entirely deserted. Pearl is performing a little ditty for a trio of humans at one of the tables, although they are largely ignoring her. And then there's Noah.

Having finally woken up, he's chowing down on a massive lunch platter. At the sight of the food, Jocelyn's stomach rumbles, reminding her that aside from a few sips of tea, she has had nothing to eat or drink yet today.

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It is now 12:00 PM (Noon).

[Jenara]

Stepping inside the inn with a depressed sigh, Arei slips onto a table, ordering some lunch, (something light).

"What did you find? We mostly found dead ends, the Windmill is a no go zone, the Barman at the Barnacle doesn't know anymore than we do.." She sighs again, "I did get the feeling I was being watched leaving the inn, the same as at the Windmill, like someone was spying on me."

[HorizonsDream]

"Well, the husband of the second victim made it sound that way, but it seems like both humans and dwarves have been killed," Jocelyn says to Ouragana. "It seems our murderer has a way with the ladies," she says to Areilon and Val as she takes a seat at Noah's table. She also goes about ordering something to eat as well.

[JadedDM]

The four women sit down with Noah, who nods to them between bites.

The waiter brings Areilon and Jocelyn a small lunch plate, which consists of a scoop of rice, some macaroni salad, and a handful of fried shrimp. Also, both receive a glass of watermelon juice. "That'll be two silver each, please," he says.

"By the way," he adds, looking to Jocelyn, "I don't know what you said to Brock, but it seemed to do the trick. He went down to the temple this morning to finally talk to the kohen about Maronna's burial."

=========

Areilon and Jocelyn each pay 2 silver piece.

[HorizonsDream]

"That is good to hear," Jocelyn says. Though, even she seems a little surprised that she was able to get Brock out of his room. "While you're here, do you know if Maronna was seeing anyone?" she asks.

[JadedDM]

"Not that I know of," the waiter says. He pauses a moment, as if thinking, then adds, "Well...now that you mention it, a couple of days before she died, she did mention something about a 'hot date.' She had asked me to cover for her and not to tell her father about it; but she never told me who it was with."

[HorizonsDream]

"Did she have any close friends that she might have told?" Jocelyn asks.

[JadedDM]

"I didn't know any of her friends," the waiter admits. "We weren't all that close, to be honest."

[Jenara]

"Hot date?" Arei asks, sipping her drink. "A connection perhaps? My first thought would be one who thinks he has a way with the ladies, but it is not likely." She adds thinking of the Gnome.

"Although that would explain why people have suggested I am waiting to be the next victim. But honestly any of us are targets." She says as she looks at the pretty young Cleric. "Val less so of course, if you were looking for an easy Target, Val would not be it."

"I think the murderer watches his victims, I have had a feeling I was being watched more than once. He gets to know them, seduces them, and then kills them." She says biting a shrimp in half with her teeth. "He kills them somewhere else, dumps them at the Windmill, could be symbolic, or maybe just habit."

[JadedDM]

Ouragana tilts her head. "People have said you would be the next victim? Who has said that? And why? I don't follow," she admits. "In any case, I think we should figure out what our next step should be. Once the sun goes down, we won't be able to freely move about in the town thanks to the curfew."

[Jenara]

"It was the Barman at the Barnacle Inn. He implied with my dress I would be a good target." Arei replies listening to the Mage. "Our next step? Perhaps..." She giggles. "Perhaps a trap? If my premise of being watched is correct... Perhaps I could be bait?"

[HorizonsDream]

Jocelyn looks about ready to take a bit of her food, but instead she just stares at Areilon as if she suddenly grew a couple more heads, while holding her fork in mid-air. "Great Octhanus, you're full of yourself," she says before she eats. "And stupid," she adds with a shake of her head. "That feeling of you being watched could be the wardens. It could be an animal. It could be that elf woman you seem obsessed with," she points out. "We are assuming that they weren't murdered at the wind mill, so we need to learn where they were murdered."

She waves the waiter back over. "What is the most romantic spot in this place? The place every girl wishes some guy would take them?"