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[h2][color=darkorchid][i][b]Victoria Belmont[/b][/i][/color][/h2][i][b][color=9932cc]Half-Elf, Bard, Level 5[/color][/b][/i]
[color=9932cc][i][b]HP:[/b][/i][/color] 33 / 33	[color=9932cc][i][b]Armor Class:[/b][/i][/color] 16	[color=9932cc][i][b]Conditions:[/b][/i][/color] N/A
[color=9932cc][i][b]Location:[/b][/i][/color] Rose River Vineyard (Tasting Room)
[color=9932cc][i][b]Action:[/b][/i][/color] N/A
[color=9932cc][i][b]Bonus Action:[/b][/i][/color] [i][color=dimgray]Familiar Stuff[/color][/i]
[color=9932cc][i][b]Reaction:[/b][/i][/color] N/A
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[right][img]https://i.ibb.co/84xS62pB/Victoria-Alt-7-ss.png[/img][/right]
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	[color=9932cc]"Jon, is it?"[/color] Victoria's voice was polite, sweet even, but her posture spoke of a mix of impatience and urgency. While this was not exactly her first break-in, this was definitely the first one in a home that took her in out of gratitude. Usually, Victoria's hypocrisy only went so far. [color=9932cc]"Jon, you seem like a decent, industrious man of the land, so I'm going to be open with you. You deserve that."[/color] The smallest pause to regard the man was had, before she leveled with the guy who was, at this point, technically an accomplice. [color=9932cc]"The safest place that Lizbeth can be right now is near the [i]professionals.[/i] She might even be a help to us. By extension, herself. If she holds insight to details that we might overlook, it makes her valuable. If anything goes awry, we are the ones in the best position to hold things together while she goes elsewhere. Like with the Ankhegs."[/color] Victoria did not throw any details about the Ankheg incident into the conversation, as she wasn't fully sure what happened with a couple of the details. She had her suspicions, though. 

	Entering the Study finally, Victoria took a quick glimpse around to see what might pique her interest first. The large box on the raised platform was the first thing which captured her attention, but it wasn't, in her estimation, the most interesting thing in the room. Her eyes scanned over a few things which might be considered minor treasures in their own right; weapons recovered that looked not dissimilar to the short blades recovered from the "corpse delegation", with some variance. Some of the wine she did not recognize. The books and papers seemed organized in ways that were non-standard at best. But there was one table that appeared to have specific purpose in mind. A circle of dirt was upon it, and it was flanked on either side by what looked like a journal and a very fancy stick on a folded paper. The grape-bunch pendant inside of the circle also drew attention, perhaps more than the rest as it seemed to be a focal point.  

	Curiosity was sometimes a curse and sometimes the catalyst to higher things. Victoria hoped that it was the latter this time as she gingerly picked up the black bound journal and began carefully turning pages. Confusion played on her face for a second, but then she continued reading. [color=9932cc]"Arnaud L'Rose was trying to learn Ritual Magic. This..."[/color] she gestured to the setup on the table, [color=9932cc]"...is an imperfect attempt to do exactly that. It's like he was trying to substitute significant components for actual magical ability. This dirt here? Graveyard soil. Taken from someone's final resting place. It looks desperate. What's funny is that it might have worked. There are lots of uses for graveyard soil, but this is a first for me. He was interrupted before he could finish."[/color] She peered at the necklace in the circle and suddenly came to a realization: [color=9932cc]"He was trying to identify any magical properties in this item!"[/color] Apparently, with graveyard dirt. 

	Out in Winery Storage, Annick took to Kathryn's whispering with affirmation and a measured amount of confusion. Yes, she was fully capable of running errands into the Tasting Room, but it now looked like all of Cecily's group was moving in their slightly plodding way back in the direction of the Tasting Room at once. There was time to intercept, but if Annick was to think up a lie, she needed to do it fast and/or trust that Kathryn had her own plans. Whichever way, she moved in the general direction of the other group in case she could be of help. [color=darkgray][b]"I'd better be compensated for this,"[/b][/color] she growled quietly, waiting for her opportunity to fulfill only the terms of her agreement with the younger warrior.