Re: Svarik and the company II

[VisAnastasis]

" Please... do it sir, if you can... " Erdel stuttered out, ignoring Lorenzo's statement, leaning against table with effort, seeming suddenly relieved and hopeful with king's statement, but still struggling to keep composure and not faint, it seeming idea of being unable to control his instincts and damaging someone forever being horrifying to him, mistake not able to help him relax. " I.. It's hard to focus... Better you do it than me, sir... " he admitted little darkly, coughing out, indeed, appearing rather ill, all the emotions and fear of situation culminating within him in some slowly  developing signs of miasma. " Please, hurry up, though... I don't know... If it'll get worse... I think I could still focus now...  But maybe won't.. if delay long... "

[Mirach]

"I will do it right now. Just sit down... or better lie down, and don't worry. Everything will be alright..." Svarik said, and inconspicuously signed to Xia to go to Erdel and comfort him. He then leaned over Lorenzo, and despite his protests focused on the spell. It was straining, like exercising some muscle he didn't use for a long time, but he found out he was able to reach for the magic again.

[VisAnastasis]

Only when he sow spell started to work, did vampire seem to slowly start to relax a little. As Xia transformed into a fluffy form, he couldn't help but to lean on her, trying to focus, to breathe through the forming miasma and the terror of fear of possibly losing Svarik. As he was calming himself, Melody approached him too gently, and reluctantly, with Svarik taking care of Lorenzo not becoming a vampire, clearing out situation seemed more likely - so he seemed more collected too, and accepted Melody's help shyly, when she gently and carefully started to clean and wrap his wounds, murmuring thanks to her.

[Mirach]

After the spell was finished, Svarik sank tiredly next to Erdel and pressed his hand. "It's going to he alright..." he assured him.

[VisAnastasis]

" Thank you, sir... " Erdel's eyes teared up as he was able to see king more clearly being tired, but alright beside him, touch of his master's hand seeming to bring him back a little, from the horror of uncertainty and edge of nerves, as his head sank a little, ending up tiredly on Svarik's shoulder, as he struggled to stay awake.

As soon as Melody finished binding his wounds, she right away went out, to find Sage and bring him.
In meantime, Tide transformed into his meeker form again, and, without saying anything, he grimly cut tunic of Lorenzo's sleeve open, and without saying anything, as grimly started to clean and bandage a hand quite badly hurt from inhumanly sharp fangs moving all around it as they struggled in fight.

[Mirach]

Svarik embraced him around the shoulders with one hand, letting Erdel rest leaning on him.

Lorenzo didn't say anything since Svarik stopped his turning to a vampire, much faster with Erdel's increased power. 

[VisAnastasis]

Turning that has already slowly started would have been excrutiatingly painful, as all turning are, and pain of badly hurt hand was nothing compared to it. Tide finished wrapping his wound, and then he stood up, and remained standing, not over his nephew, but over Erdel and Svarik, with grimm understanding they are the ones that  may need his protection now.

Soon afterwards, finally, door opened, and Melody and Sage came through them to the room.

[Mirach]

Lorenzo looked up when the Sage entered. "I'm sorry I failed, father," he said. "I thought Tide knew the plan..."

[VisAnastasis]

" What plan?" Sage asked, with same  dumbfoundedly confused attittude as Tide before. " I demand to know what happened here, this instant! Why are you all drenched in blood, would be a good start... "

( ooc: was Sage really coopprating? If he was, maybe you should roleplay him for a while, while he answers the questions of why and everything. )

[Mirach]

Lorenzo stared at him for a moment, but then he nodded grimly, as if accepting that he has to take the blame for this while his father acts like he doesn't know anything. "I tried to get us souverenity from the emperors," he said simply.

(OOC: of course not, he doesn't know anything, so you keep him :))

[VisAnastasis]

Sage stared at him in horror, as puzzle pieces slowly started to fit together.
" What *exactly* did you do for it? " he asked with rising dread.
" He brought us cocoa, and poisoned it. He wanted us to drink from it.. " Erdel voiced himself darkly, not wanting to be silent in fear that if he does, someone might deny what happened. " When I drank it all myself and wouldn't let his highness or Melody taste it, he knew I got too weak from poison, so he instead run toward my king with poisoned knife... "
" You did... what?" he asked, dismayed. " How could you, Lorenzo? Did I really raise you like that? To brake laws of hospitality, to... to poison your guests...? " man asked hoarsely, with a mix of growing pain and also growing anger in his voice, powerless, slowly dawning on him that, yes - this was clearly treason, no matter how you look at it. " How could my own son fall to such a vile act? You stained the name of my house. You are no better than emperors... "

[Mirach]

"Someone had to act like them, so we could get rid of them," Lorenzo said proudly.

[VisAnastasis]

" He said that you sent him, Sage. To poison and blackmail us. " Erdel said accusingly - after Lorenzo before tried to accuse him of being the attacker and made him feel mistreated and belittled, like a dog, he was not going to let this slide lightly. " How could you? After everything Falcon had done for you... "
" I see... So you did not only stain name of my family, but my own name too... You stained my honor. " Sage said with dread.
" Did you do it, or did you not? " Erdel repeated statement accusingly, looking rather defensive, straightening up - he seemed bit better physically, but not as much emotionally, and with feeling of being threatened, light traces of cold miasma was slowly appearing around him. " If you didn't, then either your son is lying like a lowest coward, or there is someone else in the house, posing as you somehow. If you did, though, then the lowest coward isn't him, but you, trying to put all blame on your son for your wrongdoing! "

[Mirach]

"Easy, Erdel..." Svarik pressed his hand soothingly. "We will sort it out..."

"I said that you told me to do it, because I was afraid Tide would kill me on the spot," Lorenzo explained regretfully.

Svarik listened carefully to his words, but neither he nor Melody were able to tell if he is lying or not. 

[VisAnastasis]

Erdel could not calm, though, not with uncertainly of who was real assailant here. He seemed to have plan of his own. Slowly he stood up, leaning heavily on table, and when he looked up at everyone, it was gravely, and his expression was unreadable, just as his intentions.
" I am tired of  excuses. I want no excuses, I want just the truth. " he just said simply and coldly. " This aggression to my king can not pass be brushed of like this. This is not game, it is treason."
"Erdel, please.... " Tide tried to interrupt him with pained voice, but vampire was not dismissed.
" No, Tide. Justice is equal to all, and we won't stay short from it. No pointing fingers. I demand truth to be found out, and I speak in the name of my land and my king. " he said seriously and proudly. " Whoever conjured this up, must be punished for his wrongdoing. Either it is Sage, either Lorenzo, either someone else posing as Sage. As third one is least likely, whoever it is from you two, better start speaking now. " he said sharply, with a politely packed threat. " For if you don't confess now, when we return home and I am to make my honest report to ser Falcon, he shan't be any more merciful to you than emperors were for attacking his highness for no reason, I assure you... "

[Mirach]

"I told you it was me," Lorenzo said angrily. "What else do you want?"

[VisAnastasis]

" I don't believe you. " Erdel replied with voice of chill. " You said your father had the idea to do it. People don't say such things out of the blue. You specifically incriminated and gave your father credit for doing it, and deny it only now. From what I see, your father is the one who put you up to it, while you did the deed. You are just denying it to protect him now. " he shrugged innocently, watching him coldly from a side, as he added cruelly. " From how I see it, he should be the one to receive highest punishment. If I recall right, in such cases in past, when one nobleman would conspire against ruler, it would not only mean his death, but death of his whole family... I would say, either Sage, either you, kid, got your family into quite an undesirable position... "

[Mirach]

"I told you i said it, because I hoped Tide might help me if he though that father came with the idea," Lorenzo replied.

[VisAnastasis]

" And you expect me to believe you now, if you already claim you lied before? " Erdel snorted. " Listen to me carefully. I won't say it twice. Either your whole family goes down, or maybe, maybe if you confess everything, maybe it will only be you, if you king feels particularly merciful. If you claim to have moral high ground from emperors, then you'll certainly love your family enough not to argue any longer and tell truth as it was. " he said coldly. " My king does not judge based on he-said, she-said. He judges based on truth. Confess, and tell us exactly how you did it, how you got the recipe and poison without Garnet noticing, how you even knew it existed when we gave it to her just yesterday, and how you came up with the plan. Tell us exactly what you were doing the whole day, since you were stalking us at the market, to now. Tell us how you came up with plan, and who sow you prepare and make cocoa from the kitchen. Somebody had to see you, so we'll ask them too, to see if your story is correct, and if you were alone. If you want us to believe you did it on your own, not with Sage, there must be some witnesses or some proof to confirm your story, no? Otherwise, it's just empty talk. "

[Mirach]

"Who told you I claim to have some moral high grounds? Father does, yes. That's why I wanted to do this for him, because he wouldn't. I wanted to do it in the market, not in the house where you were guests, but Tide was with you there, so I had no other option. I visited Garnet earlier, and she told me about what she was doing, so I just came here when she was out, getting some ingredients. Anyone who was in the kitchen could see me making the cocoa, I added the poison only later in the hall. Not into the cocoa, I laced half of the cup's rim with it. I saw none of you is left-handed, so I only put it on the half you drink from when you hold it with the right hand. You saw the rest. Tide is dangerous when he gets like that, I had to say something to appease him."

[VisAnastasis]

Erdel nodded slowly.
" Are you so honest... " he said seriously and gravely. " That you could bet your own soul on it? " he asked him firmly. " I need to ask you - and this is question most important... Did you, or did you not, do this all on your own, without anyone telling you? " he asked. " This is not a joking matter - if you did it on your own, you are a traitor, but if somebody put you up to it, well, you still are traitor, but it could had been someone even more dangerous that should share the blame. Some Spirits and Demons can take on human form, and as far as I know, there could be someone who could shape shift so well as to look like your father. Even worse and more alarming  -some Beings have power to weave mighty illusions around them. Someone like Death could weave such illusion without even blinking. " vampire narrowed eyes at him. " If there was really someone - then it is someone malicious we all should strive to catch. It's not exactly we live in a world of creatures only natural, and I am one of those. So, I will ask again - was there someone with you like that, or did you do this from your own malice? "

[Mirach]

"If I did it alone, will you punish my family as well?" Lorenzo asked before saying anything.

[VisAnastasis]

" Your lips had spilled many lies tonight. You most certainly will be punished. But if you want your family not to share your fate... Truth is your only way out of here. " Erdel said, with steel iron in his voice - it seemed to be something he, unknowingly, picked up from Conrad's negotiating demeanor. " If you tell the truth and only truth - then we may be merciful, and leave your family alone... But, if there are others who helped you, and you refuse to tell on them... " vampire narrowed his eyes. " I know ser Falcon well, mind you. He had bad experience, last time, when someone tried to kill Svarik and blackmail him. He even destroyed whole Guild of Assassins in our city, mind you, because they vowed to end king's life - all that, for just to protect one single man he cherishes, his Semai, same man you tried to hurt and blackmail just now. " he chuckled suddenly, with ice, before adding matter of factly. " If I tell him what you did, he most certainly would start a war, to get rid of any threat that he does not know exact source of from your city. Blood of thousands would be on you, because you'd be one to force his hand. So tell me, the truth alone - did you do this all by yourself, or did someone help you, boy? "

[Mirach]

"And this is the problem I have with telling the truth... You say if I don't tell it, my family dies. If I tell it, my wife dies. So what should I do?"

[VisAnastasis]

" You should tell the truth. Make a deal with me. I am honorable, unlike you. I will keep it with my life. " vampire said with simple matter of fact voice, that was chill and cold, miasma around him growing, filling space around him with terror and dread. " If you say the truth, I will have a word with Falcon and guarantee to you - that others won't lose their lives over what you did. Your accomplices will be punished according to their crimes, yes, but they shall live. That is best deal you can hope to get, after what you did. I won't offer it twice. It's offer worth in only next 10 seconds. So, what did your wife do? "