[center][h1][url=https://www.roleplayerguild.com/posts/5157586][color=MediumAquamarine]Arin von Astastel[/color][/url][/h1][/center]
One thing Arin learned about Rynn was that she would make a terrible investigator. She was obviously biased and would rather blame “outsiders” sooner than what she considered “her own people” ---it was facile for her to assume the culprits were from the Underground and were, in no shape or form, affiliated with the crown. Arin thought she would become the type of leader who would be loved greatly by many of her subjects and easily assassinated by the remaining few due to the blind trust she willingly reserved for “her people”. He did, however, agree about exhausting every possibility: Arin just made sure to include [i]everyone[/i] and not play favoritism. If that made him a bad person, then so be it. He never was a good person to begin with. 

"We set out for Rosebriar in an hour. I suggest you start packing your things, because I am not going to be as lenient with extra time as I was before."

Arin couldn’t contain a laugh, “[color=MediumAquamarine]Oh, how magnanimous of you![/color]” Every word reeked of sarcasm. Rynn may not have realized it, but what she demanded of the volunteers in terms of time was unreasonable: she never gave them a chance to plan the proper course of action as a group, she forced them to investigate the vault within an hour ---something that wouldn’t have happened if Arin and Callista hadn’t voiced their opinions---, gave them no time to digest or scrutinize what they found, and dragged them out onto the road. All in one night. Quite frankly, Arin wouldn’t have been surprised if the only reason why they stopped at The Dancing Badger was because Rynn and the horses were tired. Not for their sake. Maybe she never cared about the investigation; maybe there was something else she wanted from them.

He made a grand gesture of bowing deeply as he said, “[color=MediumAquamarine]As you wish, [i]human[/i] princess.[/color]” That was for calling him [i]elf[/i]. Typical. Did she realize she never once called the volunteers by their names? Does she even care to remember their names? It felt as if they were pawns to her: something to be used and discarded as soon as she got what she, and only she, wanted. 

He held the position for a while longer, standing up when he didn’t hear Rynn’s door close. The side of her face showed an expression of deep concern. She confessed about Callin and his proclivity for trouble. Something about how she talked about him made Arin think that Rynn considered Callin to be an accessory to the thefts. It was her protectiveness of “her people” that prevented her from taking her theory one step further: that Callin was a collaborator and maybe even the perpetrator.

Arin wondered if she told this to her father. Would he have allowed her to leave, let alone travel to a dangerous territory with complete strangers, if she did? By the sounds of it, something happened to Callin which caused him to run away from the kingdom. In fact, he might have even been exiled by the King himself depending on what transpired.

[quote=@pinkkoala321]"I don't want to believe it was him, but my brother was in a bad way when they . . . when [i]he[/i] left.[/quote]
[color=MediumAquamarine][i]“They,” huh? [/i][/color]

"That's why I've come with you all. In the end, if it does end up being Callin . . . I'm not going to lose my brother a second time. Not when I can actually do something about it."

[color=MediumAquamarine][i]“That's why I've come with you all”? Is she using this investigation as a means to reunite with Callin? I suppose Rynn did not tell her father of her true intentions, then. Which probably also means Silas really did cut ties with his son. What could he have done to warrant the King’s ire?[/i][/color] Arin rubbed his chin. [color=MediumAquamarine][i]No, it could much simpler than that. Callin leaving alone may be sufficient.[/i][/color] He knew some families can be like that.

“[color=MediumAquamarine]To make my opinion abundantly clear, I could care less if your people are good or bad. It is irrelevant whether they or Callin are one or the other, or a mixture of both like a vast majority of the world’s population. What matters is we find the people who were involved in the thefts. Get the dagger back and return to Eastormel Castle. We may disagree with each other on a lot of matters and you may not want to listen to what I have to say, but I will promise you this: I will see this through.[/color]” As if he had any other choice. “[color=MediumAquamarine]As long as you do not obstruct the investigation… I have no intention of getting in your way, if your ultimate goal is to find your brother.[/color]” Arin’s thumb rubbed against the silent wooden ring. “[color=MediumAquamarine]Conversely, if you hinder the investigation for any reason, even if it is because of your blind love for your people, brother included, then understand that I will no longer be traveling with you.[/color]” The contract demanded him to follow every word of the deal. Since Rynn did not sign the contract, she could literally do anything and everything to hamper the investigation and would not suffer the consequences of a deal unfulfilled. Arin would, though.

He bowed, less mockingly this time, and walked away to make final preparations. He called out to Rynn from the hallway, “[color=MediumAquamarine]By the way, I advise you not to eat the porridge or the soup. I have seen what they do… or rather do not do in the kitchen.[/color]”

[hr]
Arin made adjustments to the wooden ring as he waited for the potman to return with the items he requested. He avoided eating the cooked breakfast provided by the inn, partially because he wasn’t hungry and largely because the food was less than appetizing once you spent time in the kitchen. He instead opted to take four apples for the journey.

When the potman returned, Arin put the ingredients away and changed into less conspicuous clothing. Once done, he made sure to pay for the potman’s services.

“What did you people do?” The potman asked.
“[color=MediumAquamarine]You will have to elaborate the question for me to answer.[/color]”
“Mrs.---, sorry, the innkeeper was so happy when you and your friends came yesterday. Now she seems like she can’t wait to kick you out. ‘More trouble than they’re worth,’ she said. Even accused you guys of being a bunch of scam artists, threatening to tarnish The Dancing Badger’s good name… so what did you people do?”

She must have been referring to the body. From the innkeeper’s point of view, she was forced to wake up in the middle of the night to be told that a man, a potential thief targeting customers, was killed, lying dead in the hallway. Then when she looked and saw that the body was gone without a trace ---or maybe one of the others told her before she had a chance to look. Why wouldn’t she think that it was some elaborate prank or ruse to demand compensation for the customer’s terrible time at the inn? A thief stealing from customers, bad. Someone dying ---especially if they were killed--- in the inn, also bad. People spreading the word that either of the aforementioned happened in the inn, regardless of their veracity, very bad. No respectable customer would ever want to set foot in such an inn. To the innkeeper, the group became unwelcome company overnight. 

Speaking of the body, Arin wondered what happened to the handkerchief he draped over the man’s face. Did Vuthaternock take it? Maybe it was charred by the wyvern’s fire. He should ask him later.

“[color=MediumAquamarine]I have not the faintest idea.[/color]”