Janius walked back into the room with Najirra's daughters in tow. Both Saraya and Vharei looked puzzled, but not at the frozen lieutenants, it seemed. One of the daughters stepped forward. "Is there something else you need?" She asked, rubbing her hands worriedly. Najirra did not shift from him position of leaning against one of the crates around and heating the teapot in his hands, but he did speak up. "Yes, I apologise for sending you away early, but I need you both to go and wake up some people and bring them here so that the champion may have an audience with them. It is very important. Champion, who would you have summoned?" Najirra looked to Meesei and noticed that she was eyeing some parchment off to one side in the chamber. "You may use my parchment and ink if you would prefer to write their names down." While Meesei scribed each of the recipients of Jerrick's letters down, Najirra retrieved a number of small glazed clay cups and poured the now infused tea into each. He passed the cups to everyone who could still use their fingers. Fendros took his cup in both hands, but glanced at the paralysed lieutenants again. "Excuse me, Najirra, how long are the lieutenants going to be paralysed for?" "Oh, until it is necessary for them to move." Najirra answered without heed to how possible that would be. "Wouldn't that take a lot of power?" Fendros asked, raising an eyebrow sceptically. Najirra simply smiled knowingly and continued passing around the tea. The tea itself was sickly sweet, like most Khajiit foods, but Fendros and Janius still sipped at it to be polite. Najirra was right, it did seem to calm them, if only a little. Once Meesei was done writing down the names of the recipients and handed the sheet to Saraya and Vharei, they dutifully nodded and left again to find them. Now they had some time to wait for them.

Surprisingly, Meesei was the last to start drinking the tea. Ever since Jerrick had first relayed to her Hircine's warning, her mind had been utterly focused on the task at hand, as it well should have been. Still, she found herself wanting to take action at all times, to not let herself waste a moment. Taking a break for tea seemed like it would waste vital time. It was not as if she could release the lieutenants on her own, however, so she eventually took up her own cup as well. In the few moments of relative silence that Meesei had, she elected to calm herself and think on how to proceed. Sabine was likely finished her tests on the poison, so hopefully, she would be able to identify what it was, and what could be used to make it. It would probably take some time for Najirra's daughters to collect all of the people she listed, so Meesei would need to come back in an hour or two in order to meet with them. As for the present, she needed to see if any of the lieutenants had anything to say about when Jerrick's water could have been poisoned. There were also some things she needed to make clear to them, especially when it came to mentioning Jerrick's death. Unlike most of the pack, Ahnasha liked the tea quite a lot, though that was perhaps to be expected. Also like the others, she had been silent through the entire situation. Meesei was in charge, and she was the most knowledgeable on what was happening, so it did not seem as if there was anything she could say to help. Still, she did hazard one comment after Fendros spoke. "I have the feeling this isn't the first time this has happened." Once Najirra's daughters had left and Meesei finished her tea, there were a few moments of silence before she spoke up in a calm, respectful tone. "I believe, since we have all had time to...calm ourselves, that I would like to hear the lieutenants' thoughts on how Jerrick could have been poisoned."

"Of course," Najirra nodded, waving a hand across where the lieutenants currently stood, "Which do you wish this one to release?" Janius, grateful for the opportunity to clear his head that the tea provided, leaned his head toward's Meesei and murmured. "Perhaps it might be useful to talk to them on their own, one at a time. It could avoid more arguments." Janius didn't quite want to also mention that any inconsistencies in each suspects' story might show their guilt, but he was sure Meesei would be able to work that out on her own. "It might be best to start with Vera. She has probably been around Jerrick the most," Fendros suggested. Being the only one not paralysed, Vera looked up miserably at Meesei, resigned to whatever Meesei needed to do to find her husband's killer. She had been handed a cup of tea as well, but she had just been staring at it the entire time. "I have an area that might be suitable," Najirra slowly pushed up off his crate and stepped carefully over to one of the walls of his chamber that was covered by a curtain. He pulled on a rope next to the curtain, causing it to be pulled up to one side and reveal an additional, smaller chamber with a number of cushions for seating, a heat stone in the centre, some sand filled pots with sticks of unlit incense, and a few mysterious implements scattered around. It didn't look big enough for more than four or five people to sit comfortably. "I normally use this for helping people," Najirra rasped, "it is enchanted to reduce sound coming from it for privacy."

Meesei nodded to her pack's suggestions. Having the interrogations in private would allow the innocent lieutenants to speak more freely, and hopefully reveal information that could be useful. At the very least, Meesei could get each of their perspectives that she might later deconstruct for inconsistencies. Once Najirra showed them the room they could use, Meesei was sure to request a quill and another parchment as well so she could take notes on the details of their statements. Vera was to the first Meesei would question. Despite her overall melancholy mood, she stepped inside the room when asked. Just as Meesei was about to follow, she gave one last glance to the still-frozen lieutenants. "Perhaps they could use some tea as well?" She suggested, though mostly it was so they would not have to spend their entire wait frozen in place. As long as they did not break into any more arguments, they could have their freedom of movement. As soon as Meesei and Vera were alone in the room, Meesei's expression immediately became much more sympathetic. She could not dismiss Vera as a suspect, but there was a greater chance than not that she was innocent, and this entire situation was especially horrible for her. To have her husband die and be suspect to his death would not be easy for anyone. Her sympathy was genuine, but that did not make her any less alert to potential treachery. "Vera, I...do not know what I can say. I did everything I could to preserve his life. I told him to avoid eating and drinking, I was in the shadows the entire time, waiting for him to be attacked, but...the poison was already there. As I have said, it would be a disservice to Jerrick to absolve you of suspicion, but...I know I cannot understand your pain." Meesei sat down across from Vera, then leaned forward with her elbows on her knees. "Just...believe me when I say that I am going to do everything I can to find Jerrick's killer. Anything you can tell me might help find the murdered. Let's start at the beginning, this morning. What did you and Jerrick do this morning, and around when did he fill his waterskin?"

Vera didn't look up from her hands on her lap where she sat. She tried to keep back her tears, but she began shaking and the tears flowed again when Meesei tried to console her. It took a few moments for her to begin answering questions, but she was forthcoming through her quiet and distraught voice. "In the morning, I woke up first. I got dressed and woke up Jerrick for breakfast. We went to the dining chamber to get a meal and ate together amongst the other packs as always. Jerrick steps away during breakfast each morning to fill his waterskin in canal in the pillar chamber. He was only away a few minutes." Vera brought her hand up to her face and scrunched her eyes shut. She was silent save for a sharp inhale through her nose. She continued after steadying herself some more, but still didn't look up. "After breakfast, I left for the teaching chambers to begin a morning class on reading and writing. I think Jerrick went to teach control techniques in the main chamber. He sometimes leaves his possessions off to one side during that time so he can transform. I came back in time for him to finish and to proceed to the meeting chamber to meet with the lieutenants. That's when you and your pack arrived with Anders' pack. We had lunch there. That was all of the morning." Vera looked up at Meesei now, showing her tensed face, reddened and shining with streaks of tears. "When will I see him? If he is dead, I want to know. If this is a trick to root out a traitor and he is still alive and hiding, please tell me. I can't bear it."

As Vera was talking, Meesei took notes on everything she was saying. She gave a few leads that Meesei could follow up on, as well as a list of where she had been all day. Once she finished, Meesei lowered and shook her head solemnly. "I wish I could tell you that was the case, I really do. His body is in the meeting room. Once we are done here, I will send one of my pack with you to see him. His body needs to be moved and preserved for his funeral anyway. I just have a few more questions for you, then you will be free to go." Meesei made another few notes on her parchment, then looked back up to Vera. "We know that the poison used was slow acting, so it seems likely he was poisoned sometime before my pack arrived. The poison was found in the waterskin, so I believe it is safe to rule out his breakfast as the vector. And given the size of the canal and the sheer amount of the substance that would be required to poison it effectively, it is also safe to say that the waterskin was poisoned sometime after he filled it. As well, if the canal were poisoned, then more than just Jerrick would have been affected. Although, there might have been some points after I arrived that it could have been poisoned as well. Was there any time after my pack left with Gallus that you can think of where he was separated from his waterskin? I also need you to tell me everything you know about what the other lieutenants have been doing all day. Please, be as specific as you can."

Vera closed her eyes and sat quietly while Meesei spoke. She sniffed and tried to speak when asked the next couple of questions. "Well, it was on the table during our meeting. By the time we finished, Oswall walked out quickly. I think he just went straight to see if you were in the dining chamber." Vera swallowed, "I stayed behind with Harriet to discuss which packs would be going to watch Bruma next, then I left after a time. I walked out to find Darahil and Jerrick talking while watching the dining chamber. Jerrick might have left his waterskin in the meeting room, but I didn't notice, I just walked with him down with...everyone else and..." Vera began to break down again. "I'm sorry, it's just..." It was a couple of minutes before Vera was in a state to answer again. She was making the best effort that she could, but the event was unsurprisingly difficult. "He went back for his waterskin before he approached you to talk, but he always forgets it. I don't remember seeing him separated from his waterskin from then on. I went to continue the writing class after lunch. I think I heard something about Harriet challenging your packmate Lorag to a fight, but her schedule tends to change, I don't keep track. Darahil probably went back to his research, as usual. Oswall...I don't know what Oswall did, he may have been teaching, or he may have taken some time to hunt with one of his packs. It would have depended on the weather I suppose. I saw everyone for dinner, no one seemed out of the ordinary, except Jerrick doing some extra work. And Harriet, she...was fidgeting. She ate quickly and left, but I don't know where. I brought in some food for Jerrick before marking some of my students' work and heading to bed myself." Vera's lip began to quiver, "I...I was expecting him to come along after a while."

Meesei remained silent through Vera's explanation, making notes of where she said the others were in particular. So far, Meesei had identified two points at which Jerrick could have been poisoned: sometime before her pack arrived, perhaps while he was training students, and immediately after Gallus led her pack on the tour. Of course, questioning the others could also reveal opportunities for the poisoning. Fortunately, Meesei doubted they would have to do much guesswork as to when Jerrick was poisoned. Once Sabine identified the poison, she could determine how long it would have taken to kill him. That would help narrow down when the poisoning occurred. "Thank you, Vera. That is all the questions I have for right now. If I need to ask anything else, I will send someone for you, or simply find you myself. And if you think of anything else that might be helpful, feel free to come to me. Now, come on; I will have someone take you to Jerrick." Meesei said softly as she stood up and motioned for Vera to exit the small room. One they were back out with the others, Meesei turned to the first of her pack she saw, in this case, Ahnasha. "Ahnasha, could you take Vera to Jerrick's body? He needs to be moved somewhere he can be preserved for his funeral." Meesei requested, to which Ahnasha was quick to nod in confirmation. Wasting no time, Meesei turned her attention to the nearest lieutenant, Oswall. "Alright, Oswall, I will speak to you next."

Vera, now quietly sobbing once again, glanced up at Meesei and stood up shortly after she did. She turned and walked out of the room as requested and followed along with Ahnasha towards the meeting room. She was not looking forward to what she would see, but at least it would confirm what Meesei had said. During the interview with Vera, the other three suspects had been unfrozen one by one and were currently sitting quietly with cups of steaming tea in their hands. Najirra appeared to be meditating on a cushion nearby, but none of the lieutenants dared disturb the peace in his home again. Oswall didn't say a word when he put down his cup and bowed under the curtain into the private chamber, but once the curtain was closed and he took a seat, he had no issues talking. "What a disgusting turn of events. Just disgusting. To think that a lieutenant is a traitor in our ranks. Only Jerrick would be clever enough to fake his own death for such a thing, pfhuh. It's just unfortunate how tough it is on his poor wife." Oswall seemed to speak as if Jerrick was not dead at all. Having not seen his body and being told was Meesei had said, it was not an unreasonable conclusion at this point.

Meesei shook her head lightly. "I wish that were the case, but I am afraid this is very real. I will make sure all of you are able to see the body after I am done with my initial questioning. You have been here a long time, Oswall, and I am sure you know how important it is that the clan have a strong leader. Jerrick was a man who had earned Hircine's favor enough that our lord spoke to him personally, so I have no doubt that he was a talented leader. I can maintain order here for a time, but my place is not as the Alpha of your clan. But, I cannot name his successor until the traitor is discovered, so I need your cooperation. I have a few questions for you. Please, give as much detail as you can in your answers. Hopefully, once I have questioned everyone, I will be able to eliminate some of you as suspects, maybe even yourself." Meesei divided her notes into a new section for Oswall, then readied herself to take notes on his answers. "Firstly, I want to know, from morning up to when we awoke you a few minutes ago, what have you done, and where have you been all day? Also tell me everything you know about where Jerrick has been through the day."

Oswall's expression lowered into serious thought as Meesei confirmed that Oswall was in fact dead. His eyes went to the corner of the small chamber and he waited for Meesei to finish. "This morning..." He said in a low voice. He shifted on the cushion he was seated on and looked at Meesei with a stern confidence, "This morning, I woke up at the usual time. Always at sunrise. I dressed and had breakfast with my packs in the dining hall, as everyone does, including Jerrick. Though, this time Darahil was away on one of his group sojourns into the unexplored ruins for research and supplies, from which he came back before our meeting started. After breakfast, I taught a lesson on control techniques with Jerrick in the main chamber. Normally, the main chamber is occupied during that time with Harriet's combat instruction classes, but she wanted to train her students in the snow and wind today. The lesson took all morning. Afterwards, the lieutenants met up in the meeting room where we had lunch and discussed the agenda for the day. I seem to remember Vera coming to the main chamber to meet with Jerrick before the meeting." Oswall stopped to clear his throat. His old age was evident in such mannerisms despite being a lycan. "After the meeting, I was the first out of the door. I headed straight for where you were as soon as I saw the commotion from the mezzanine. I knew the packs would urge you to tell the tale of the Orc slayer and I couldn't miss out on that. After you were pulled away, it was only a short time before I went to the front chamber to assist butchering some kill which were brought in from one of my packs coming back to shelter from the blizzard. They had made such a mess of it before I got there that the smell lingered on me even at dinner. I would note that I did not see Jerrick there." Oswall brought his hands up and looked at them, "It took me ages to wash it off. I barely had time to hone my sword at the forge before I retired for the night." Oswall's hands fell and his palms clapped onto his knees. He looked at Meesei without giving away much of his mood, save for being perhaps not completely convinced by her own explanation, and maybe slightly annoyed. "And that was my day. I don't believe I saw Jerrick at any other time than what I said."

Oswall's recollection did bring up some points of interest for Meesei. Based on Vera's explanation Jerrick's waterskin was open to be poisoned during training in the main chamber, and when he left it in the meeting room. According to Vera, she believed that Darahil had stepped away with Jerrick to the overlook of the dining chamber, and according to Oswall, Darahil was away all morning. That would mean he was not present for both poisoning opportunities. However, Meesei was not drawing any conclusions until she had heard everyone's recollection. Once she had everyone's story, and learned more about the poison from Sabine, she could start cross-examining each of their testimonies. She could already think of some more question she needed to ask Vera, but for the moment, Meesei simply finished her notes and moved on to her next question. "Thank you. I believe I have just one more question for the moment. We know the vector through which Jerrick was poisoned, his waterskin. In order for the poisoning to go unnoticed, he would had to have been separated from it at some point. Try to think back, were there any points during the day you can think of where he was not carrying it on his person?" Meesei asked.

"His waterskin?" Oswall repeated, furrowing his brow and itching the side of his nose in thought, "I can't say I'm sure immediately. I've never really paid much attention to...well, he did leave it with his clothing and possessions on the side of the main chamber in the morning. That was while we were teaching. He assumed his beast spirit for a portion of the class as part of the lesson. I'm just trying to think if there was any other point..." A few moments passed where Oswall stroked his beard in thought and looked upwards. He shook his head and resigned the contemplation, "I don't remember noticing any other point in the day where he didn't have it."

Meesei made sure to write down that Oswall did not claim to notice that Jerrick was separated from his waterskin in the meeting room, as Vera had indicated, but that was not inconsistent with the situation as had so far been described to her. If Oswall had been the first to leave the room, then he would not know that Jerrick had left it behind. He also said that Jerrick had separated from his equipment during training, just like Vera, so that detail was becoming more reliable. So far, she knew that both Oswall and Vera had been in the training room at some point during his lesson, so both had the opportunity to be the poisoner. However, she still needed far more information to draw any conclusions. "Thank you, Oswall. That is all I have to ask for now. If I have any more questions, I will be sure to find you. Just the same, if you think of anything that can be helpful in my investigation, feel free to share it with me in private. You are an experienced member of this clan, and I hope to have your cooperation in such a stressful time. I hope you understand why I cannot eliminate anyone from suspicion without evidence. Our enemy is a crafty being; he can turn the most well-intentioned individuals to his cause without them even knowing it. I may have to do some things that you or other lieutenants may not like, and indeed, I do not want to do them either, but I have to do whatever I can for this clan. Now, let's head back out. I will send one of my pack with you to see Jerrick's body." Meesei explained before standing up and leading Oswall back out of the room with the others. As soon as the two left the room, Meesei looked to the nearest lieutenant once more. "Darahil, I shall speak to you next." She stated, but before he could move, she made one more announcement. "But first, I have made the decision to have at least one of my pack accompany all lieutenants at all times. I know that is not likely a comfortable arrangement for anyone. Most of you have been loyally dedicated to the clan for as long as you have been serving in your roles, and now you are being treated like suspects. That is not a situation that anyone would like, but I implore you understand the situation as I am dealing with it. I know that one of the lieutenants is the traitor, so by having one of my own with you all, we can all rest easy knowing that the traitor is being watched at all times. Beyond that, my pack shall help protect you should you be attacked in some form. Additionally, I am going to send one of my pack every day to Bruma, or perhaps other nearby villages, to buy food and water for both my pack, and all of you. This way, none of us will be in danger of being poisoned, of which we know the traitor is certainly capable. Now, Janius, could you go with Oswall to the meeting room to see Jerrick's body? If Ahnasha and Vera have already moved it, see if you can locate it." Once she had given her orders, Meesei moved back into the private room to question Darahil.

"I do not like the air of this night," Oswall remarked as he stood up and left the room with Meesei. When Meesei instructed everyone that the lieutenants would remain watched, the reaction was not exactly celebration, but Najirra's smile seemed to silence any objections they might have had. Janius nodded to Meesei and lead Oswall away on command. Harriet stayed seated, staring at a wall in annoyance. By this time, Vera and Ahnasha had reached the meeting room. Vera's reaction to seeing her husband's corpse, still pale and marked with the dark lines of his poisoned veins as well as leaking vile black liquid from the mouth and nose, was an understandable flood of emotion straight to her entire demeanour. She bent her torso and put a hand over her mouth, her face red and tensed into sadness and shock as she rushed up to Jerrick's body and fell to her knees next to him. The closure of knowing may have been important to her, but the outpouring of grief as she pressed his head to her chest and wept was hard to watch. Eventually Jerrick would have to be moved and prepared for burial, but Vera didn't look like she was going to move any time soon. Back in Najirra's chambers, Darahil sat up straight with a face likened to holding needles in his mouth. He held his hands at the knees of his crossed legs and sat higher than Meesei, but he gave no words to her before she began her questioning.

Going into the meeting room, Ahnasha was expecting Vera to be shaken by what she saw, but there was nothing she could have done to prepare herself for Vera's reaction. There were no words Ahnasha could put forward for comfort, no way to describe the pain she saw in Vera's eyes. Meesei was the one in charge of the investigation,but to Ahnasha, Vera's pain seemed nothing less than genuine. In her mind, if Vera was the traitor, then she would have to be a superb actor. All Ahnasha could do was stand by wordlessly, trying to prevent her own emotions from showing through her expression. Ahnasha had not known Jerrick long enough to be deeply affected by his death, but all she could think of when she saw Vera mourning her husband was she would feel if it was Fendros lying there instead. The mere thought of it caused her heart to race, until she had to force herself to speak up to get her mind off of it. "We...probably need to move his body somewhere to preserve it." Ahnasha said softly and nervously as she walked over beside Vera. She looked away silently for a few moments before bringing herself to look back down at Vera with a hint of tears in her own eyes. "We will find his killer, whoever they are. We will find them, and we will make them pay. We'll send them to the Hunting Grounds, and I'm sure Jerrick will be there just waiting for them. So far, Darahil had been the most cooperative to Meesei, and based on the statements given by the lieutenants so far he had the least opportunity to poison Jerrick. However, Meesei was not going to absolve him of suspicion until she could prove he could not have done it. In the meantime, she would approach him just as she had the others. "I suppose we should get started right away. I just have a few questions for now to get a sense of what happened. Start this morning, right after you awoke. I need to know, in as much detail as you can give me, what have you done all day, and when. As well, tell me everything you know about what Jerrick and the other lieutenants have done today."

Vera didn't seem to notice what Ahnasha said while she held Jerrick up against herself. For a moment it seemed as if she wouldn't move at all. Eventually she composed herself enough to respond, albeit still sobbing and not facing Ahnasha. "I just want him back," she stammered through her tears, "I don't want revenge, I just want him back..." There continued to be a lack of movement until Oswall and Janius arrived. Oswall's reaction was far less distressing, but still sombre. He strode up to Vera and Jerrick and sighed heavily, bowing his head and holding his hands together respectively. Much like Ahnasha, he seemed to be holding back his emotions. Janius stood back, respectively silent, but he was finding Vera's grief similarly difficult to watch. Vera was in no emotional state to carry her husband's body, so it fell to Oswall, Janius, and Ahnasha to carry his body to a disused chamber that was chilled enough with the mountain air to properly preserve him. They cleaned the dark liquid from his mouth and nose while they were there and laid him in such a position as to hide the violence of his end; peacefully lying on his back with his hands on his stomach. Vera did not want to leave his side, but Oswall and Janius went back to the meeting room to wait for Darahil and Harriet. Darahil did not shift his blank, looming expression, but did not speak with disrespect to Meesei as he answered her. "I awoke in an Ayleid living quarters in the unexplored city, amongst my expeditionary companions. It was early in the morning, we needed the extra time to render rubbings of some inscriptions we were studying before we were to head home. It was myself and four other lycans from amongst my packs. Our objective was study, and to recover more welkynd stones to expand the crop. The rubbings took several hours, but we had already found enough stones. We ventured back up through the depths, taking roughly three hours to return. We were behind schedule, so I headed straight to the meeting chamber. As typical, even if I was less prepared, I was the first to arrive. Apart from Oswall and Jerrick finishing their class in the main chamber, the meeting was the first I saw of the lieutenants. I am unsure what all of their movements were that morning, but it is not something I care to keep track of. The meeting went as normal. Everyone reported back on previous actions, raised issues of note, discussed them thoroughly, and so on. Nothing appeared out of the ordinary apart from your arrival. After the meeting, Jerrick stopped me by the mezzanine as we left behind Oswall. He had a short discussion with me as to whether you and your pack could be trusted. I knew by your ring and the power it held that you were the champion, I gave him counsel to that effect. After our short discussion I proceeded back to the scholar's loft to take a closer look at the rubbings and begin translating them. That occupied all of my time, apart from dinner. I would have had someone bring me a meal, but Jerrick insisted that keeping in touch with the rest of the clan is more important than the research that could benefit it. Of course, for all his insistence, he was not present. I returned to the translations after my meal and remained until I retired for the night. As for the movements of others, I heard there was a duel between your packmate, Lorag, and dear Harriet. I heard that from where I was, it was rather annoying."

Darahil's story did not raise any immediate suspicion with Meesei, though she did have a few more questions for clarification. Just as Oswall said, he seemed to have been away for the majority of the morning. As for the meeting, he, just like the others, confirmed that he spoke with Jerrick on the mezzanine; although, the topic did seem slightly strange to Meesei. Jerrick had received word from Hircine himself that the Champion's pack was coming, so it did seem odd that he would have any doubts on whether they could be trusted. It was possible that Jerrick was simply trying to gauge how Darahil felt about them, but Meesei supposed she would find a way to ask him about the specifics of their conversation later. For now, she focused on clarifying a few points. "I see, so you had limited contact with Jerrick today? You said you saw him in the main chamber during his lesson along with Oswall. What did you see when you were in the room? Can you recall what Jerrick or Oswall were doing, or where Jerrick's belongings were? Also, later at night, I seem to remember you knocking on the door to the meeting room before Jerrick sent you away. What was your purpose there?" Meesei asked.

Darahil's lips seemed to tighten as Meesei pointed out the flaw in his story. He looked down and to one side and exhaled audibly through his nose in slight frustration. "I was...unsure whether that was worth mentioning." Darahil took another breath and reassured his posture, "Unbeknownst to all but myself, there is a rune on the locked cabinet that contains the clan's accounts book. It triggers an object in my office to glow when it is disturbed. I was merely checking to see that it wasn't being tampered with. I trusted Jerrick, but normally dealing with the accounts is a joint effort. I was going to ask him about it in the morning." Jerrick closed his eyes in resignation, "Although, given the circumstances, coming up to the closed room where he was alone on the night of his murder might have seemed suspicious. I should have known you might have been there." Once the moment had passed, Darahil looked sternly into Meesei's eyes once more with not an ounce of shame for having withheld part of his story. "As for the class in the main chamber, like I said, they were finishing. Oswall was off on the side of the room where everyone's possessions were piled, dressing himself. Jerrick was talking with a small number of young people, answering questions they had, as I understood. I walked briskly, there was little else to see."

Meesei nodded lightly as she took a few moments to finish taking a few more notes. "I see. As long as you show me this rune, I do not find that unreasonable. You did, after all, leave when requested. Once we are done here, I will send you with one of my pack to the meeting room, just like with the others. I will meet there after learning more about the poison. Just do not attempt to manipulate the rune in any way while you are waiting, and there should not be a problem." As for Darahil's brief walk through the main chamber, Meesei made note that the others had not mentioned seeing him, but was not sure of what conclusions she could draw from it. After all, if any of the others were the traitor, then they would have no motive to not report seeing him pass through. It was likely that the others legitimately did not recall seeing him, which, in itself, was not incriminating, but it did leave the possibility that he was making an effort not to be seen. It was a topic she could question the others on later. For the moment, she continued with her interrogation. "I just have one more question for you. We know that Jerrick was poisoned through his waterskin, so determining when he could have been poisoned could narrow down the list of suspects. Can you recall any point during the day in which he was separated from his waterskin? For instance, do you recall if he had it on him when he spoke to you on the mezzanine, or during the meeting beforehand?"