Butcher's Butchery

Eve doesn't notice anything else in the room.

The watchman shakes his head.

"No...we figured Mrs. Butcher had been through enough already, and didn't ask. You can ask, if you like. Ms. Baker's body has been removed due to public decency and hygiene, but you can check out the site if you like. And Mr. Candlestick-Maker was a baker. He made these delicious pastry things, with cherry inside. They were really good."

He sighs unhappily.

"And now he's gone...there's some pastries left growing stale in the shop and we can't touch them because it's a crime scene. It's so tragic..."

The watchman sniffles, then composes himself.

"But yes. We'll have to dispose of the...bits here, if you're finished."

Eve looked to the guard and nodded.

"Thank you, sir. I appreciate your help." She then made her way outside to the cousins with the Mage, placing her hand on Rosamond's arm, just to get her attention.

"We need discuss our next course of action," She said.

"Well Mr. Mayor, I'll have some questions for you too. I'm Megan Zachurr, a travelling mage. I've taken up the task of finding the killer." Megan approached the mayor and studied him. "I've heard that you and the late Ms. Baker had relations?"

Megan wouldn't say anything, but with Robert being close to one of the victims, he very well could be a suspect in this case.

"Hmm, Alright, I'll change the topic off of that. Did Ms. Baker have any enemies? Someone she may have done wrong in the past?" Megan would ask. "That is all I will ask anymore of the situation."

"Enemies? Hmm."

Robert thinks for a while, tapping his chin thoughtfully.

"No...none that I can think of. Everyone liked her. I guess some of her old ex-boyfriends, maybe? But I don't know who any of them are."

He shrugs.

"She didn't do anything wrong in the past, as far as I know. You'll really have to ask her father about that sort of thing. Um...she was acting a little weird last time I saw her, but I thought she just wasn't feeling well."

He lets out a sigh of relief when she says she won't ask anymore.

"Thanks...I don't like talking about that kind of thing."

She laughed at Raulio's artistic take on the murder. "Of course! Just don't fall behind. You might miss some of the good stuff," she said with a smile. It was really bizarre and probably even insulting that Rosamond was taking this so lightly, but it was her way. She usually didn't take things seriously, which allowed her to cope with Life's Great Obstacles.

"Hm?" She looked up and over at Eve as she and Megan exitted the Butcher's Shop. The three ladies together truly felt like some sort of Private Investigation show down group, which warmed Rosamond up. Maybe they should go into business together! No, no, she was getting way ahead of herself. "Was there nothing else? I was going to check for an office, perhaps. Did anyone notice if the locks on the entrances into the shop were broken?"

But she nodded her head all the same. "Yes, I agree, we need to get to the other victims." She stayed briefly to listen to Robert's explanation of Emma Baker and Mr. Candlestick-Maker with the intentions to just dash back inside real quick to check on the locks when there was a sudden cry from the guards.

As Rosamond was already prepared to go inside, she was the first through the door, although why she was, was just a matter of instinct. She didn't have any weapons on her, just a plucky attitude, which didn't make her the most intelligent choice, but then... the guards should have weapons in case it WASN'T a ghost, right?

Her bright blue eyes took in the depraved scenery, and the dark figure that was standing among the meat hanging from hooks in the ceiling. "Stop right there!" she called, in case the "ghost" thought about fleeing. Rosamond, so hyped on adrenaline, didn't yet notice anything off-putting about the figure, other than it was all dressed in black and had "suddenly" appeared.

Raulio was trying to decide who to follow should they go their separate ways. Megan had the most interesting jawline...

Meanwhile he kept taking notes for his story. He wrote astonishingly quickly.

"The phantasmal apparition struck fear into the hearts of the surly guards, its ominous lack of presence unnerving those who were used to dealing with very present things. Its appearance was nearly as shocking as the glibness with which Megan spoke concerning the mayor's clandestine activities..."

"I was likely going to stay at that inn again. Though it could be an idea to stay outside tonight, do a stakeout, see if I can spot the culprit." Megan responded and looked over as the men fled from a 'ghost', the mage was not concerned with the incorporeal.

After disintegrating the piece of meat Xel'rath gains much insight about the crime scene, the cut up human, and anything else on the piece of meat. Male human remains, two days old. Typical middle aged subject, traces of another linger however. The killer perhaps. Xel'rath is able to draw a perfectly accurate image of what both subjects would look like, the butcher and the killer, and with that he would be able to find the killer easily. Darkness existed everywhere, no one can escape it forever.

Drawing his hand back into his black cloak, the figure would turn to stare at the new comers, seemingly not noticing them previously. He had heard their words before, curious sounds they used to communicate, nonetheless he knew their 'languages' as they called it since he studied his first subject. One's voice seemed on edge, Xel'rath could detect the peculiar substance commonly associated with emotions such as fear, or anger from this voice, another made questioning sounds, Such different responses, perhaps due to the differentiation of species, more testing will be needed Xel'rath mused silently, while outwardly the dark figure just stood in the middle of the room staring at them. Beneath the cloak's dark hood all that could be seen was a black void. One particular question seemed to gain his attention however, and the dark figure could be seen inclining his head, ever so slightly, "Why?" the voice that greeted them could not be male or female, or of this world, the very tone of it betrayed it as not of this world, the very room itself seemed to darken as the creature spoke, or could it have actually darkened?

Elf or Human, their bodies still remain fragile, vulnerable. But what is their limit? A moment later, Eve and Rosamund would be hit with a searing pain that seemed to come from no where, every nerve in their bodies reacting as if they were being teared apart. The magic that incurred this reaction would seem to strike almost instantaneously, surging out from every corner of the darkened room, such an attack would be hard to avoid but non-lethal.