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'Sy
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I arrive in the dungeons to what could almost be utter madness, if all the instigators weren't already locked in their cells. Mostly it's the noise that's making it seem unmanageable--
"YEH STAGGER THREE PACES RIGHT, AND POUR US MORE ALE!!"
--because they're all singing bar songs in chorus.
"AND MAKE YOUR BED UP REAL NICE, IT'S SHAG TIME FOR ALES!"
"Oh goodness. They're not-- Men! Good sirs! Please, this jail is full of polite company!" Elesse sounds truly wretched as he pleads for his fellow brigands to stop singing. I can't blame him. This pirate crew is made up of terrible singers.
I look over to Camden. He rolls his eyes. "We've had some trouble controlling the noise, but otherwise they're quite peaceable, for what they are." He snorts. "It's the Poet that does it. Not one of these men are used to real fighting. Whoever that man is, he must have been with them for some time now, to weaken their fighting instincts that much." Camden looks the most cross about that last part.
I only nod. "Get the noise under control. We can ward that sort of thing. Silence between-cell contact to keep them from consorting to keep their stories straight. I'll talk with the Poet. You interrogate the Captain. He's isolated, correct?"
Camden nods. "In his own cell, like the Poet." His face looks a little pinched. "The boy tried to stay with the Captain. We put him in an adjoining cell. If they looked anything alike I'd say that they were father and son. I think the boy carries the position of first mate." He rolls his eyes. "Being twelve, he's certainly more mature than the rest of this rabble." He lowers his voice. "I'd be in favor of killing them all, too. Surely they're guilty of something, right? But the Poet... my Arms keep telling me that he's Jhe Elete."
"Yes. Diyn does as well. Hence why I want to question him as soon as possible." I keep my voice calm through the next part. I don't want to raise alarm about this. Elete wouldn't want me to. "Elete is in his quarters, asleep. He's been falling ill again. He's not looking well. Keep on the alert."
Camden looks pained, not alarmed. He is, however, quite calm. "Of course. We all know how the King gets sometimes. I'll get what information I can from the Captain after warding for sound."
With that, we split off. I enter Elesse's cell just as the outside goes completely quiet. The man jumps. He has a table in his cell with two rudimentary chairs - it's already set up well for interrogation. Very good. There's a bed, as well, which means whoever put him in here expected that he'd last more than a day before Trial. Hmph. "Take a seat."
He makes another one of those bows before sitting, crossing his legs with his ankle propped on the other leg's knee. He looks like a total fop - or exactly as I'd imagine Elete if the man finally decided to wear some pants for once. I glare down at him for a moment before sitting as well. "You've some explaining to do, Jhe Elessandre."
He nods in deference. "If you please good sir-- Jhe h'Akribastes, I believe it was? Ah, yes. Elesse will suffice. The whole name I find to be quite unmanagable when repeated oft."
I raise an eyebrow. "Elesse, then. That's close enough to your real name, I suppose." I narrow my eyes. "Any of us could tell that the rest of the name you gave on the ship was false."
His eyes widen as he looks up at me with false, pleading innocence. The classic Poet 'oops' expression. "I beg your pardon? My family history is quite--"
"--An extravagant lie, I'm sure. I'm not here for your lies." I draw Diyn, then place him upright next to the table. He balances perfectly without tipping and without leaning against anything. We're rather proud of that trick. "Where did you get your ship from?"
He blinks. "I--" He sighs heavily then. "Goodness, we've never had someone raise so much of a fuss about it, just that we used such tactics... really, all of this can be settled politely. We can pay for your troubles--"
I smile. "Oh, indeed. You will pay."
He pales. "I do mean... we have a cargo, for barter. And we also have our services--"
"Pirating? You're trying to hire yourself off for pirating?" I'm actually cheered at the gall of him.
"Well, it's good business, and quite useful." He smiles broadly, leaning on the table with his hands clasped. "Parties should work together to find a way that they can mutually benefit each other, is our philosophy."
I smile broader. "You're the brains of this operation. The Captain just yells the orders."
He looks confused. "I beg your pardon?"
"That happens often." My grin could hone steel. "You get the deals done for the Captain, he commands the muscle, it works out for you. Did Elete train you? Perhaps you learned how to emulate him at the Hall. I'm surprised I've never seen you, but he does keep his secrets. It's a good business, isn't it? Pirating. A likely career for a rogue Poet. I commend you, in fact, for finding your true calling."
By the honest confusion on his face, and the way the words ring in my mouth, I can tell that only the first part was true - anything after the mention of Elete's name was completely off the mark. Still, I've at least learned what he isn't. He isn't a Poet that's run off from the Hall. "Again, where is your ship from? Surely there's no crime you committed in obtaining it."
The man blanches. "Oh, no, good sir. Nothing of the sort. She was a ghost ship." He shudders. Interesting. That was an honest bit of fear. "We found her in... blacker waters than the blue bay that were were collected from. Captain Jules fell in love with her. I did profess some relief in being able to save her. She was such a beautiful vessel. We claimed her ten years ago - she was abandoned, and what was left of the crew was... quite dead." He can't look me in the face at that last part. Then again, the subject apparently makes him ill. "I don't look back upon that fondly, 'Sy--"
My hand darts forward and grabs his wrist, and my eyes glare right into his. Into Elete's blue eyes, damn it all, they're just the same as Elete's. "What did you call me?"
He cocks his head, looking at me with that far-distant stare of Elete's. "...'Sy? Ah, that is your name, isn't it? That most people call you." He laughs, the sound oddly light and genuine, clashing with the situation at hand. "I have a knack with names. I win some money in bars from it."
He's speaking the truth, but I still don't believe him. You will understand the previous statement if you have children.
I let go of his wrist. I sit there for a moment, looking at him, composing myself. "You found no sign of what killed the crew?"
He shakes his head, looking rather pale while doing so. Ah, a lie.
"Tell me the truth. It always comes out better for the people who face me when they tell the truth." I lace my fingers together, propping my hands in front of my mouth. Diyn glints. The man looks at me, and then the Trident, and then me again. What dawns on his face isn't quite comprehension, but a sort of awe.
"My apologies, sire, but... just what are you?" An honest question. Interesting.
"You don't know what the Judge is?" I prop my chin up on my hands so he can see my smile. "I am the Law. That is the simplest answer." He still looks confused. "You are not from here. I can see that. I shall put this in the simplest terms - if you transgress against the Law, you transgress against me. When the Law dictates punishment, I dictate your punishment. When the Law decrees your execution, I serve you your sentence. So." I make a little motion, beckoning with my fingers. "The truth, if you please."
"I..." He doesn't look me in the eye anymore. "They were... people. Spider-p-p-p-p-people. They... I've seen them before." He's shivering. Interesting. What is he so afraid of? "They ate the crew. I'm sure of it. I saw some bits and pieces directly. I... didn't see much else, because Captain Jules and the rest of the crew didn't allow me to board the vessel until it was mostly clean. It took some time."
"Why didn't they allow you to board it to watch?" I examine the seams of my gloves idly. Taking my eyes off of those I interrogate sometimes allows them to relax and speak more on sensitive subjects. I can see him perfectly well out of the corners of my eyes.
"They know I'm afraid of spiders. I can't stand them, I can't be near them. They know that, so... call it a mercy." His eyes are pleading with me to stop - an expression I don't think I've ever seen come from Elete. So strange to see it in this way. I wonder if Elete will ever open his eyes again, or if this is the last I'll see of them - I cast away the thought and keep him out of my mind. I have to focus on this.
"Tell me the entire truth, or I shall have to resort to less polite methods." I glance over at Diyn. The man's eyes widen.
"I really don't want to-- it doesn't have any bearing on the ship or the pirates, sire, and I'd really rather not speak of--"
"You will talk." My words are very quiet, and very true.
"I..." He re-clasps his hands, flexing his fingers, then shifts them again, flexing again. So nervous. I wonder why. "I was found in the black waters on a ship of the spider-people's command. Captain Jules took on the people and defeated them in battle, then took me from the ship as someone he could possibly sell or barter with or... whatnot. That happened in the same black waters that we would later find the ghost galleon adrift in. It was..." his eyes look far off for a moment. "Ages ago. Time is a strange thing to keep track of on a ship under Captain Jules's command. He sails the Forty-One Seas, after all. In any case, my time with the... the spider people was not... was not kind, so I prefer... they all prefer to not keep me in sight of them."
I look dubious. Well, his story holds up and tests as true, it's just... "Forty-One Seas, you say?"
He laughs. "Strange to hear, isn't it? The Captain finds quite a few waters that do not reside on any ordinary map. The black waters would be just one of those Seas. Perhaps Forty-One is a number that is too precise, but we do like the sound of it. It makes for a good story or two when we're at port."
"Indeed it must." My fingers rap against the table for a few moments, which makes Elesse more nervous. It's as if I'm counting out his last moments in life. And, well, I very well could be. "Have you ever met Thelea Xaillyndesse?"
He looks up at me, honest confusion in his eyes. "Who?"
I keep my expression as kind as possible. "Please answer."
He shakes his head. "If I met a person named Thelea, then said person did not extend the kindness of an introduction. As far as I can tell, no, I have not met such a person."
I narrow my eyes. Diyn is telling me even now that the man speaks the truth as he knows it, but I can tell through the words that somehow... somehow he is lying.
And doesn't know it?
Indeed. There's a flare-up of that affliction as of late.
How to proceed, then? He's innocent according his own knowledge, at least in that area.
Why does that matter? Everyone is guilty of something.
"Are you alright? Something you ate, perhaps?" Elesse cocks his head, showing concern for my well-being. I suppose my expression wasn't the most pleasant, but talking to Arms never gives one a fresh face.
"I am contemplating just how to proceed with you. I am entirely certain that you are not what you seem, nor what you know." I decide to give him that much rope, to see whether he jumps with it or hangs himself from it.
He laughs. "Oh, that's a given. I don't remember anything from before Captain Jules and his crew rescued me."
I hook my eyebrow up, and his face looks like I've just caught him behind the gills with it. "A lie. A very clever, almost harmless lie - at least to you. But if you tell me more lies I will have to prove to you that I cannot suffer to stand a liar. Are we understood?" He swallows, then nods. "Very well then. Proceed at your peril."
Yet again he finds trouble looking directly at me - something I'm beginning to associate with him actually speaking with honesty. "I have a mess of memories from before I met Jules. I like to bury them as they... give me nightmares. There's no part of my past I fancy, when it comes to that. I have some idea that I was an important person, or highly valued. Then... then..." his brow creases. "I beg pardon. It's difficult to describe. There was a... a King. I suppose you could call him a King. I should think that maybe I should start from the beginning - I was in a place, a very dark place. The black waters where Captain Jules found the vessel that you boarded today would break tide on the shores of this land. I never heard a name for it while I was there... I never heard them speak. I was punished for speaking when I was there, for--" he flinches. "For being awake, really. They said I was noisy. The King did, rather. And so I was often..." He drags in a long breath, giving it dramatic pause as he calms his nerves. "There were s-s-s-... eight-legged things. Very large. Bigger than the spi-- the people who had me captive when Captain Jules found me. So huge..." He shudders. "They had a lot of venom, and their webs were very strong. I remember being kept there for a long time, but I couldn't say how long - the venom was driving me mad when it was in my system. From time to time it would thin out and I would come to my senses. I'd try to stay quiet, but..." he sighs. He looks up at me. "Music is always in my mind, you see. There's always a song in my head, whether or not it's really in my ears. I can't stop that music, not even if I try."
"I understand."
"I couldn't keep it quiet, not even for that King, and the sp-p-p-- the things could only keep me asleep for so long. I don't understand why they didn't just kill me. The King sent me away on the boat then, I think. I can only guess. I wasn't quite myself for any of that time. It took me weeks to truly come to my senses after Captain Jules rescued me. After that... well, he took me on as crew after I convinced him I was too valuable to sell." Elesse smiles at me. "Elessandre is a good name. I like it. I can't say whether it is my real name, but why dwell on the past?"
I nod. I see. Some toy or pet or project of the Jherent Nul, probably in collusion with Thelea Xaillyndesse. She'd have some material saved up from her son Elete, of course - such work has always been a specialty of hers. She's never liked that her beloved son joined Radia's side and defected from Audiva Rocale. 'Elesse' would have been her solution to that problem. Certainly it would explain why Elete got more ill as Elesse approached. It's all very simple, then.
Destroy this man, and Elete will live.
You can't kill anyone in the cells without me there first. There's a disapproving pout to Katherine's words. I almost feel bad.
Diyn's answering growl at her is immediate - so palpable that it causes a chill around the area near him. Elesse raises an eyebrow.
You'll want Elete to live more than you'll suffer this fool to do so-- I catch my mistake too late.
There is a baby in the cell, a baby with a disapproving glare on her face. She's a little older now, of course - close to a toddler by this point. They grow up so fast! She's sitting on the table, glaring at me so fiercely that I ought to be a smoking hole where I sit.
"Oh! You again." Elesse looks up at me from Katherine. "Is this a common child-rearing custom in your country?"
"Radia. And yes... of sorts." Katherine is Aiming at me. I have a feeling that she'd draw Gevurah right now if it weren't for how comedic she looks doing so when she's so tiny. "I'm afraid our interview has drawn to a close. I will consider your testimony and your pleas regarding how the crew shall be treated. Pray I do not consider your testimony when sentencing you." I gather Katherine in my arms, then twirl Diyn. On the second twirl, he vanishes. "I bid you adieu for now. It is a busy time, so do pardon me if I delay a return visit. Good evening." I leave his cell before he can raise a protest.
What is going on with Elete, 'Sy? What have you been hiding from me?
I sigh, leaning against the wall. I look my Advocate in the eyes. "It isn't a matter of hiding, dear heart. It has been a matter of there only being so much time."
She looks at me with such deep distrust that I begin wondering how many mistakes I've made with her as of late.
"I will tell you. But there are many other things, Katherine, and there is not time in the day for all of them." I let out a heavy sigh. Then again, Katherine does always seem to make the days feel longer, and she never lets me give up on things that I try to. Maybe I do need to talk to her about this. "Here, I've time in which all I can do is wait for Camden to finish grilling the Captain. Why don't we catch up now?"
...Talk. Permission is granted begrudgingly. I go forward.
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