Alette narrowed her eyes at the accusatory words from the serpent.

"If I believed myself to be working for your enemy, would we really be having this conversation?" she asked, crimson eyes almost seeming to shine for a moment, "I'm a mercenary, y'know? I don't give out my clients' names, especially when people are trying to piss me off."

Her spear left her shoulder, glistening almost as if it still had blood on it when the tip bit back into the soil again.

"Captain," came the deep, rumbling voice of Bors, "I understand why you trust that our employer meant us no harm, but surely you think it strange they desired this shard, do you not?"

"... Tch," Alette looked away. It was quite possible at this point that stubbornness was in large part why the blue-haired mercenary refused to give more information.

"Ah? Sir Gillian..." Fanilly trailed off, surprised when the knight suddenly began dispensing orders. They didn't sound bad at all, though. Splitting up and working together to attempt to locate the shard and secure it only made sense. In fact, she had planned to order it... her... self...

She had even caught herself in the middle of nodding.

The petite blonde cleared her throat.

"Sir Gillian, your advice is appreciated," she began, "However, I am captain of this order. While I will take your words into account, it is my position to dispense the orders. I shall take your advice on dividing our numbers, but remember that it is my decision."

She had to maintain her authority as captain. Even if Gillian was simply acting in interest of facilitating their swift recovering of a dangerous artifact, it was her duty to lead the Iron Rose Knights.

She had to make sure she did so.

Meanwhile, Tyaethe would witness a single cloud passing over the sun, briefly casting the fort entirely in darkness.

[hr]

At Gerard's praise, Abigail looked back at him, tilting her head backwards in a rather unusual fashion and giving him what would have been a sweet smile if not for the circumstances, before joining in investigating the captain's quarters. Naturally, the first thing she gravitated towards was the deceased captain himself.

"... So inelegant... a ragged cut like that," she commented, looking over the wound to the man's throat, "He must have spent his last moments gurgling on his own blood. He probably would have anyways, but killing like this is so lacking in grace."

She let out a heavy sigh, as if more disappointed over the wound that had killed the man then the death itself.

The room appeared mostly untouched, but on closer inspection the unmarked desk had a drawer that was ajar.

Within, there was rather conspicuously nothing.

Further inspection would reveal nothing else within the captain's quarters, but just outside was a heavy cloth binding soaked in blood, next to a dead man who appeared to have been stabbed in the neck and chest with a small, very sharp object.

[@HereComesTheSnow][@TheFake][@Crimson Paladin][@PaulHaynek][@FlappyTheSpybot][@Raineh Daze][@ghastlyinc][@Krayzikk]