Flashback Poisenous Revenge {Ninus}

[Ronan Dugal]

Ronan dried himself off with the towel provided, part of the price, he was sure. He put on his clothes, slowly, as his muscles protested to the movements made to get dressed. Groaning and grunting, Ronan managed to get his clothes back. He made sure everything was rightly set and all the expensive looking details and modifications to his outfit were clearly visible. Although still damp, he tied his hair back in a ponytail and let it fall out over his back. Agreeing with himself on the fact that he looked good, Ronan nodded and walked out of the room. In the common room he found Ninus waiting for him, ready to go. "So? What do we have? He uses fruit poisons to let his victims die quite painful deaths. And when they don't die from the poison they suddenly find themselves with their throats cut. We also know he used some glass to poison one target specifically. So why would he go from poisoning one person to killing an entire household in cold blood?" Straight to the point. Ronan didn't want to talk about anything personal right now. If they could set their minds to finding this guy, he would be dealt with all the sooner. "But how did he get his hands on the glass. It never left the bedroom on the second floor..." There were so many separate, useless bits of information in his head and none of them seemed to connect in the right way, or any way for that matter. Ronan pushed the worry he had for Ninus' aggressive outburst towards the poisoner to the back of his mind. First they would have to find him, then they could worry about how to deal with him. A glass they didn't have and had never seen, four victims in total, all of them with some sort of fruit poison and a poisoner whose face neither of them had laid eyes on. As far as they knew. Ronan sighed as he walked out of the establishment.

[Ninus Aurellius]

The Prince of Rats Ninus shook his head. "The poisons were chosen with care and love. Each designed to match the crime. His hands would have been mine, had I been in his place. Every killer accelerates, dear knight, they begin at a crawl. Awkwardly pawing around in darkness, seeking blindly the thing they lust for most. Then they walk, slowly and confidently...yet their need drives them to run, whipping their legs until they fall and break their skulls. He has lost control with this last, forsaking the poisons for the knife...or perhaps not waiting for the trees to do their work." he said. "The glass was a simple thing, dear ser, whilst I was worried about your health and the servant determined not to let a drop pass the kitchen hearth...the killer went upstairs." He bit his lip. "Ser. The men who died must have some thread that binds them, like a bundle of sticks they must have lit a fire to this poisoner. Tell me more of the dead. There must have been something. Age, height, actions...they were married in some fashion. Former lovers, perhaps, or employers? Was Turan of a bad past? Does some shadow hang over his grave? Thou must tell me." Ninus said, gently laying a hand on Ronan's arm. "The knives thou hast on a string. A mere cautious creature does not hide them about his home. Nor does a humble man. No, it takes fear of the hunt, or caution of a knife through the back."

[Ronan Dugal]

Ronan listened to Ninus and his points on the matter. He was right that the poisoner was not just poisoning for fun. The people had to die, either by the fruit or by the knife. "But how did he go upstairs? I'm sure he didn't come in through the kitchen while we were talking there. Nor do I believe he walked in the front door. So what is left? Did he simply appear in the room? Perhaps..." The window. Turan's suite had the plants growing up the wall, a means of escape. But also a means of getting in, if you know what you're doing. "Climbing? I know I could get in and out of Turan's room via the plants. Did you check if the second victim's room was accessible via the windows?" Ronan grew excited. A possible clue, perhaps. He noticed in Ninus' voice that the man was trying to soften the meaning of what he said as he talked about how the victims could have been connected. Ronan couldn't help but smile at the mention of Turan's "bad past". Thieving, extortion, bullying and intimidation, illegal trade and smuggling. Yeah, Turan had his fair share of a "bad past" as Ninus so described it. Ronan couldn't help laughing before he answered. "Turan was far from an angel. When we were growing up he was a thug, to put it nicely. He took what he needed, even from me. When we grew older he became smarter about it, smuggling, under the table dealings, contracts with pirates and robbers, fencing stolen goods... I am pretty sure he has a whole boatload of people who would like to see him dead." For some reason, the hand on his arm suddenly annoyed him. He let his arm slowly drop down, hoping that Ninus would simply let go. Ronan had assumed that Ninus had been like him in a sense, child of the streets and back alleys. So why did he not understand the reason for carrying all those shuriken around. "It's not the fear of hunt or caution of a knife in the back, Ninus. It's a reflex, born from living in the streets, were only you can take care of yourself. You should know. And you can only take care of yourself when you're armed. Or allied with people who are armed." Ronan brought his hands up as he spoke, flexing his fingers in front of Ninus before moving his hands to his stomach. When he finished speaking he pulled his hands up over his body in a quick motion, as if he was drawing a knife from a sheet, his fingertips brushing against his clothes. When he reached his neck he let his fingers bloom open like flowers and his palms pointed up. In each hand, stuck between his fingers, Ronan carried two of shuriken. "Better safe than sorry, right?" He made no show of putting the shuriken back from where he had drawn them. "But you're right. There has to be a connection between them. We will visit the second poison victim and speak with the family to see what we can learn. And we should also see if we can determine any entrances into the bedroom from the outside." Ronan reached in his pocket for the documents he had obtained about the murders. As he would have been unable to walk and read properly at the same time, Ronan stepped close to Ninus and slipped one arm through Ninus'. The man would keep him from running into things while he went over the details of the victims once again. "Lead the way, my frail knight." He grinned for a moment before he focused his attention on the papers in his hand.

[Ninus Aurellius]

The Prince of Rats Ninus raised an eyebrow at the arm through his. "The bedroom was accessible through the wall. The poor, crumbling stones there would have given easy support to a hand or foot. Though it would take a strong creature to pull his own weight up by such weak and old granite. Riding this poor, swaybacked mule our poisoner was delivered to his quarry, and through the helping boost of an ivy plant to Turan. If only I could have teased his killer from his throat..." he sighed. "Ah my dear ser we have gained a harsh trail of questioning...but this killer most come from some deep hole. Some dark crevice where he cultivates in secret. We must find out his next target and intercept him, I believe he is a mutual enemy of our victims." He looked over Ronan's shoulder as they walked, reading. "The throats slit...impatience, or a failure of the poisons. Perhaps the branches of the trees have turned against him. We must see if there are traces in the house. The knights will have no doubt trampled over the lot of it. There is little they do not interrupt..." he said in disgust.

[Ronan Dugal]

"So, you think we can safely assume that the killer comes in through the window and poisons one person specifically?" Ronan pondered, half listening to Ninus, half reading the pages he was holding. The info in it was, as with most reports, limited to a fault. He read over the description of the crime scene several times but the words never changed. "Why a dark crevice? Maybe he cultivates them in public? Maybe he is a high ranking knight? You can't say for sure that he hides in the shadows..." Ronan looked up from the papers to Ninus, who was quite close to him as he tried to read the pages. "Not everyone is like you and me, dear friend." With his arms still nestled in Ninus', Ronan continued walking, hoping the man would help him not to crash into anything. "Or maybe they had to die around this time? And since the poison failed a quicker route was chosen? Perhaps the poisoner has a deadline?" Ronan pushed one report to the back and let the third murder come to the top. The whole household murdered, their throats slit like Turan. A failed poisoning and then an aggressive response. Death was required and the poisoner had the necessary skill to bring it even with a knife. And he always brought it in through the front door. "What if the poisoner is someone they all knew. The people who were murdered were all done so by someone who walked in through the front door. So? Second poison victim first or you want to check out the murder scene?" Ronan waited for a moment for Ninus' decision before checking the reports to find the right address. They were both equally far away but in opposite directions. Whichever option Ninus chose, Ronan would direct him towards it. He knew from the general location of the houses that they were similar in build to the one they had visited yesterday. Two stories, richer neighbourhood, pretty doorknobs... As they arrived, Ronan let his arm slip from Ninus' and he walked towards the door, knocking politely.

[Ninus Aurellius]

The Prince of Rats Ninus scoffed at the mention of a knight. "No braying ass in tin armor would have such a gentle hand, nor the intelligence. He would deem it cowardice, or would crush it with his clumsy hooves." he said. "Asses do not climb, nor squeeze through windows, nor clatter about in the kitchens of men. This man is a wise creature, and cautious, and I doubt not that he knew all of his victims. How else would he have knowledge of an etched glass so precious to its owner, precious enough that no other man would be poisoned? How else would he know Turan's home so well, to time the poisoning to one man's meal? Yes, thy wisdom is clear. But no knight did this. No knight would know of my dear tree grove...nay, he would burn it down." He frowned a bit. "Oh my dear ser, we must see who this last tree that our poisoner hath slandered. Then we shall see his nervous last kill, why perhaps he did not wait for the trees to do their work." he smiled and patted Ronan's hand. "Come dear ser. We shall go to this last poor soul."

[Ronan Dugal]

The sight that greeted both men when the door opened was surprising to say the least. It was obvious right from the moment the door was opened that there were many people inside the house. There was talking and chattering and giggling coming from the next room. This was obviously not the house of a recent widow. "Excuse me, is this the residence of ser Carlston?" The woman looked blankly at him and Ronan couldn't help but swallow. "Yes." So they weren't in the wrong place. "Could we speak to miss Carlston, please?" Ronan could sense how unwanted their presence was right from the moment he mentioned ser Carlston. "I'm sorry. She's busy at the moment. What is this about?" Ronan kept himself from sighing. "We're here about her husband's untimely demise. We just wanted to ask her a few questions and look-..." Ronan got interrupted by two other ladies bursting from out of the other room and into the hallway, giggling to each other as they moved closer to the door. "Are these the companions, Millie?" They giggled some more and were obviously well on their way to a hangover tomorrow morning. The woman at the door turned around and focused for a moment on the two ladies. Ronan took that moment to pull the paper up and point with his thumb to the name of the victim's wife, bringing it to Ninus' attention. Millie Carlston. "No, these two were just being rude and interrupting our party, ladies." Ronan looked up from the paper and couldn't help but smile as the two ladies were obviously disappointed by something. "Really? The right one looks cute, though." Ronan looked to Ninus, who was the right one according to the women. He wondered how long Ninus would remain cute when they found about Cricet. " Miis Carlston, could we have a moment of your time, please? We just have a few question. I promise we won't take up much of your time." With irritation on her face, the woman at the door turned back to Ronan and Ninus. A big sigh later, she stepped aside to let the two men in.

[Ninus Aurellius]

The Prince of Rats Ninus caught the name. He'd read the paper, and knew the disgruntled woman was the one they sought. But if she had her friends getting drunk in the house...this was not the home of a woman in mourning, and that concerned Ninus. He knew how to deal with the drunken, though. He smiled and bowed low to the tipsy ladies. "We have found not an apartment, but a flower garden." he said as he came inside. He flicked his wrist deftly, a small white flower appearing in his palm. He offered it to one of the tipsy women with a smile. "But not one could match such beauty. Excuse us, my tittering nightingales. Our songs are not for you today, for they are the song of a lone swan. Lonely, and sad. Songbirds are cheerful creatures, they should not concern themselves." He told them. Ninus gave a look toward Ronan, urging him to relax. If they were going to get anything out of the wife, they had to be cheerful and polite. Crashing a party was no way to gain favour with this Millie. But Ninus had his suspicions...wives in mourning didn't throw parties, and not a stitch of black clothing on her. But perhaps her husband had been a cruel man deserving of death, that was not for him to say. Not until they questioned her. "My dear lily of the valley, a frown must not cloud thine beautiful face. Come, our questions are not trying, and it be far from us to interrupt for long." Ninus told her.

[Ronan Dugal]

Ronan was quite sure now that the woman wasn't too heartbroken over her husband's death. Probably because he had been old enough to be her father. And now he was dead and she had inherited all his money and possessions. A trophy wife, perhaps. Ronan walked in after Ninus and let him flick his wrist and charm the two other women. He hadn't expected that. "As my friend said we only need a little bit of your time and a few answers." He followed Millie into the kitchen, where she crossed her arms over her chest and peered at the two men. "Well? Get on with it." They were not making any friends here, that was for sure. "My friend and I are trying to find the man who murdered your husband and several others." Ronan quickly waved the papers around so that the woman would understand it was more than just her husband who had died. "Do you remember anyone being here besides you and your normal staff during the time your husband was sick?" The more he spent time with these victims, or in this case not-so-much-victim, the more Ronan realized that this was not for him, questioning people who had lost someone. The other room, filled with happy, slightly drunk women, was more for him. "Well, there was only me and our housekeeper here. She took are of that bag of fat when he was sick. I was... busy." Ronan smiled. He had noticed the hesitation. A young woman, married to a man she didn't love nor like. It was easy to put two and two together in this case. "Could we possible speak to your housekeeper, please?" Ronan looked at Ninus to see if the man had any questions of his own. The housekeeper would probably be the better choice to question considering this woman's lack of interest in her husband as he lay dying. "She's upstairs somewhere, probably dozing off as usual. Useless woman."

[Ninus Aurellius]

The Prince of Rats Ninus raised an eyebrow. "My dear woman, please speak only well of the dead. Even the evil deserve to rest well in their graves, for life is full of suffering." he said. "No one wishes to be forced into a marriage with no love, but does your heart ring so black with hatred? Did the dead ever raise a hand to you, nor abuse you? He has given you a great blessing in death, my lady. Mock him not." He knew his tone was a bit sharp for the situation, but it rankled that she was being so dismissive of a man's death. At least the other woman had the presence of mind to be concerned. The housekeeper they might get more out of, or the ladies who seemed to be her friends. He leaned in close to Ronan. "The ladies whose tongues have been loosened by drink might take well to thee, dear knight. Go to them, charm them and see if they know more of this house's ills. I shall speak to the housekeeper." he whispered quietly, then rose and bowed to the lady of the house. "My lady, I shall see to the caretaker of your husband passed, then we shall be but a memory." he told her. Ninus ventured upstairs, seeking the housekeeper. If she had taken care of the husband on his deathbed, she might be able to describe his symptoms, though Ninus could probably already predict them. Vomiting, severe digestive problems...the only poison the poisoner hadn't used was apple seeds, a hideous labour even Ninus balked at. It seemed this poisoner might very well be a beast for hire...more stringent methods might have to be used on the lady of the house. If she had indeed hired a poisoner to kill her husband, she might be the only remaining link to his whereabouts. He could feel the end of their investigation was nigh, he was close to finding the poisoner. All he needed was a name. He knocked on the door to the servant's quarters. "My dear woman, dost thou sleep?" he asked through the door.