The Elusive Pawn to E6: Xitus

[Trinity]

It had been decided, the destination, their first stop in the investigation of this hiedous crime. The trails had long since grown cold, quite possibly.. But then, that left those that commited such a crime unaware that there were still people seeking them out, didn't it? Yes, Lydia and Xitus knew what they were doing and where they were going. They would head towards The Needle and Thread to investigate the origins of these cloaks, and see if the proprieters could tell them anything about those that bought them. Seeing it was the most prominent clothing store in town, Xitus had been wonderfully intelligent enough to deduce it would be a good place to start. How observant of the man, remembering the fact that they were wearing cloaks.. A keen eye for detail, that was something Narim needed in places to solve their problems. Perhaps Xitus could claim that title. Then again, perhaps not. Who knew?

Anyway, Xitus and Lydia, followed by the numerous amount of henchmen had made their way towards the Needle and Thread. It was still very early in the morning and not a lot of people were outside. A few elderly citizens strolled around the corner as they turned up the part of the Shvakkim that contained the particular store they sought after, leaving their sight. The sign swung slightly in the breeze, signature symbols of the needle spool with thread coming off of it, only to be contained by a nearby needle painted on it. There was no name, just the sign. It was a good enough indication, anyway.

As they approached the doorway, they could see through the top portion which had a glass cut out that Karliyna was in her usual spot - behind the counter, sitting on her stool with a vibrant smile on her face. When they entered through the doorway, she gave her signature greeting, just like she would to any other group of customers. However, her voice was a bit shaken in this instance -- who's wouldn't be if a number of armored and armed people strolled into the store they worked in whilst they themselves were pretty defenseless?
"W-Welcome to the Needle and Thread, where your clothing and tailoring need can be met. My name.. is... Karliyna. How can I be of assistance..?"

She wrung her hands in her lap for a moment before nervously moving her hands towards the tin box that held the crowns and pushing it back further into the crevices of the counter. There was nothing in there!.. Crooks, this early in the brightening? Oh Athernia, ever since they lost their prefect this had been wretched.. Crime was on the rise, and it sometimes made poor Karliyna fear for her life...

"I'll have you all know that the City Watch is on the prowl even this early, so I wouldn't cause a disturbance.. if.. If I were you." There. She'd summoned up the courage to let them know she knew what they were up to. Or what, at least, Karliyna assumed that they were up to. She had the upper hand now! Hah hah!..

Articles of clothing lined the walls on racks, divided up by their type. Breeches, cloaks, whatever was on the list, they were all grouped together to help her find the items quickly for her customers. In the cloak section, nothing seemed to catch the eye. But then again, none of them had paid good attention to the killers. They just knew they were wearing cloaks, didn't they? Or maybe one of them caught something else?..
Hmm..

Alas, the woman was just an innocent bystander in a ruthless game of chess. All apart of the plan, the thinking process, the openings and the weaknesses. The information she held could help point out a weakness inside the opposing pieces. The pawns just had to become sleuths and hunt those clues down.

[Xitus Lescartes]

Xitus and Lydia's steps brought them to the Needle and Thread, their first area of investigation. The henchmen followed behind, ever aware of Lydia's health as far as Xitus could tell. He, however, wasn't worried about getting ambushed, especially near the clothing shop, where there was nothing more than a group of elders strolling around to and fro. Then again, crime rates were quite steep these brightenings, and even the most insignificant of locations seemed to be a perfect catch for murderers and theifs alike.

As they came in the owner, Karliyna, gave her welcoming before releasing her mustered-up tension on the pair and their colleagues. Of course she would be tense. Everyone in the Narim about now were on the edge due to the tragedy. They required a Prefect, and Xitus was willing to take up that position even if it meant losing a limb or two while doing so. Fortunately, if the gods were in their favor then such gore would occur, but the probability was growing after every dawn and dusk.

Xitus, weary and fatigued by the weight suppressing him on his backside, lost all attention of the manager, and found himself staring at the racks of cloaks and dresses and a variety of different garments. The cloaks were ordinary, nothing worth consideration or thought.

Back in the speech that Candar Baldric, the Rook of this game of chess, had given, he stated that the criminals were unidentifyable "due to the forest green cloaks veiling their faces." Forest green. That's all the pair had to work with. A minor two words. A color. It would have to do, or at least for the time being. Perhaps Karliyna would remember selling such clothing, but the idea was quite simplistic. Forest Green cloaks were sold all the time, probably.

After a quick realization over the situation at hand, the lad dipped his head down and jerked it back up, flipping his hair in the process. It was a habbit of his. A pesky one at that. Despite delay, he spoke, "Serale. Bad brightenin' to be makin' my first visit, but I assure you that we come here to cause no harm or commit foul play. We, a fine group of gentlemen and lady, come here to gain any knowledge you have over the recent assasination of our dear Prefect. The murderers acted on the homicide while in Forest Green cloaks, though I have no idea if this be fact. Do you rememeber any certain visitors or customers that bought such attire from you? If so, do you know of any connotation they might of held? Characteristics? Appearance? Attitude?" With that he stepped closer. His articulation in this matter was quite fluent, though it might of seemed odd to ramble on about murder and homicide and killing, especially in a little old clothing shop.

Xitus grinned, peered over towards Lydia and her henchmen, and came back eye-to-eye with Karliyna. Whatever information she had over this subject he was eager to hear. And by now he was already inspecting a lot more than what the criminals wore. No, he was quite curious over the abbreviation of "C-o-I", yet that would have to wait.

[Trinity]

The owner sized up Xitus, her relief coming when he was seemingly looking for someone bad, and not out to get her and rob the store. She listened to what he had to say, and hmm'ed to herself for a little bit. Forest Green, that wasn't a color many people purchased a lot, to be honest. Perhaps she could remember..

"Actually, not a lot of people purchase that color for a cloak. I don't know why. There have been a few people who do though. In particular, there was this one lad that needed something mended in his. A tear, if I remember right. Looked like a cross bolt misfire if I'm not mistaken. We had to keep it for a few days, actually. We didn't get a shipment of that color thread in.. at least, a bulk shipment, 'till today...

I suppose I can trust you, seeing you must be helping the Watch. I'll see if I have it. Don't normally do this, but if it will stop the crime rates from rising more, I can bend my policies a bit."

Karliyna got up from her stool and walked towards the back room, disappearing from sight for a few minutes. In those few minutes, the door behind Xitus opened and shut, with a lot of scuffling of feet. Lydia and her henchmen seemingly disappeared out the door again in a bored streak. Oh well though, could you really trust a Vysttichi Elf? Nah. Xitus was the more devoted of the two, it seemed.

After her few minutes of shuffling around in the back, Karliyna came back with a cloak in her hands. She laid it upon her counter, spreading it out to let him look at it.
"See, right here." She noted, pointing to a pull that obviously was made by a problem in a crossbow's trigger mechanism. It must have snagged during a time when the owner had fired rather quickly.

There weren't really any noticable things about the cloak except that there was a sewn in pocket, or something, because underneath it there was a little buldge where something had been left. Karliyna shrugged and mused over it for a second, pulling out whatever was left in there. It happened to be a few pieces of crumpled paper, and that was it. She looked over them, noting,
"Never noticed these before... Uhm, but back to your questions. The guy that brought this one back to me, I don't remember his exact name. I think it started with a B, er.. a BR sound at the front of it, other than that I have no idea. He had on black boots and brown breeches, looked like a normal person to me. The only really weird thing was this ring he wore -- I noticed it when he handed me over the crowns I charged to get it mended. It had this odd insignia. Looked like three big I's with a C curling through it. He didn't really like me staring though, the way he pulled away."

With that, the woman trailed off, straining to remember. It had been about a cycle since he'd been in there. If this was one of the people Xitus was looking for, he must of had some sort of head on his shoulders, having waited a good amount of time before coming to get it repaired. How would it have looked if he'd come back the next brightening and asked for it to be repaired? Karliyna was not a naieve person; she might have caught on.

Tucking a stray piece of blonde hair back behind her delicate ear, the human shook her head, taking a seat on her stool again.. She was lost in thought, it seemed.
What did all this mean? Even the little receptionist was finding it a very interesting turn of events.

[Xitus Lescartes]

By the time Xitus had inquired about the criminals, Karliyna had already became less hostile. They were indeed volunteers of the city whose sole purpose here today was to protect Narim from any reproductions of what happened that cruel Winter brightening by means of seeking out the opposing threat and eliminating it, one way or the other. This seamstress, if that was truly her occupation, was merely a witness to the probable assasinator and his or her appearance, personality, and other obvious information. And so far, she had grasped the concept quite well.

According to Karliyna, there had been one single individual who had dropped off his cloak for repairs, and it was of a forest green coloring too. How fortunate. As the cloak was being fetched, Lydia and her gang of brutes had already scurried away from the scene, obviously overwhelmed with boredom. Or at least that was what Xitus's intepretation of the retreat was. There was always the possibility that Lydia Cain was the murderer, and her associates were the committers of the crime, but then again if he pointed the first finger, then who knows what bedlam were occur? It was best to just sit still, and comprehend the evidence and their meanings one by one. As slow as the procedure was, it still came out with better results.

Once the cloak had been presented, the seamstress had discovered an extra clue within a sewn on pocket. Who ever had preformed the act must've been in quite a hurry, for any true villian would know that patience was always the first measure to success and that the only way to sew on a pocket is to have it done by a professional. But, in all actuality, just sending such clothing into the shop in the first place was a mistake to begin with. Were they inexperienced? It was still too early in the game to tell. It would still be a while before the opposing King would reveal himself.

The clue that was found in the pocket were only a few crumpled peices of paper. The owner scanned them over, and seemed to have forgotten to read them outloud or even let Xitus take a looksie. Afterwords, she described the keeper of the garment with much detail. Other than what he had been wearing that fine brightening, Karliyna had no other physical properties to tell. And even though she appeared so assured that he had been a male, Xitus hadn't gone too far to agree with the assumption. So far, there was only one fact that he had figured out today: one of the criminals was inexperienced. And even that was inaccurately based.

Finally, the results were in. The name probably began with a "B" or "Br", and the possessor of the cloak probably also owned a ring with a large "C" carved upon in, filled in with three "I"s. This all didn't make much sense, but there was some logic and reason within it all. The "III" could of meant the third generation of whatever first name the criminal had. It could of also of been an abbreviation for the name of a person, group, etc. There really was no way to tell. Whatever was on the crumpled peices of paper was the deciding factor over whether or not Xitus's course would be continued. If there was nothing major written on it, then he would have to guess at another random location.

He spoke again: "Hmm. So much information, yet still little to work from. Wou'd you mind if I take a gander at whatever is on the papers? It might just lead me to my next area of investigation. Other than that, I'm stuck with nothing but uncertainty. Although I must say that the ideas you've brought forth today are extremely helpful, and I give to ya a many thank you." Nodding slightly, he stood motionless, awaiting a responce. And it better of been darn good.

[Trinity]

Karlinya blinked a few times and then looked a bit suprised. Whoops, had she neglected to let Xitus see those papers, much less read them to him? The owner shook her head and apologized, handing them over.

The writing on these strips of paper was rough, not loopy like many females of the day and age happened to be. One of them looked like a to do list. With little checks beside each item, as well arranged in a bulleted fashion, the following was scrawled:

• (2/1/Ponutis)
• ^ Restock on bolts. Stupid Cathron needs to work on his aim.
• ^ Meet with Hodar at Flounder's Finn for drinks and to discuss plans.
• ^ Check up on supplies for tomorrow...

It looked rather old and wrinkled. Probably with good reason. It seemed this mysteryman needed to clean out his pockets better. There were more papers to read over though, and the next piece of torn parchment read:

Breon:
Make sure you are there EARLY next brightening. This is going to work. What you found out about that stupid man is true -- I'm pretty sure he is being corrupt. O'Mally seemed pretty upset when we mentioned his name in causal conversation. Those rumors about him refusing help when a situation obviously needed the guard is disgustingly true.
He can be the first of many. We'll cleanse this town yet.
Don't forget your crossbow.

Ioannes' blessings.

It wasn't signed, just ended aprubtly with that last well-wishing. This was beginning to get a bit weird. There was one last piece of paper though, and it may have been the most disturbing bit of information to read through yet...

Breon:

Congratulations on yesterday's well-planned onslaught. I do not think anyone saw our faces. The robes and cloaks are serving us well. Be careful about taking your cloak in so fast. I know Cath' shot your arm in a misfire up there, but.. Think about it. Someone may recognize the coincidences. We have to lay low for a bit. By the way, did one of your section's members fire on the Thane? That was not in the orders; Michum hasn't given us reason to eliminate him. Punishment is in order if this was a result of anger or anything else caused by Aeternia's gods.

Ioannes' Blessings...

So now Xitus had some pieces of a perplexing puzzle. What the hell did all of this mean, though? He had a name now, he had a few more confirming thoughts that this might have been one of the assasins...But did he have any more leads? Perhaps. A few key things had been mentioned in those random pieces of paper, obviously notes that this Breon forgot to remove from his pockets prior to sending it in for repairs. How.. careless.
Well no one ever mentioned that this 'CoI' was of the professional sorts, did they? How many fatal mistakes they made though... only time would tell.

( ^ = checkmark. :-P)

[Xitus Lescartes]

The pieces of parchment were far more than enough to get the next portion of the investigation underway. Xitus would simply first have to examine each, thoroughly giving reasonable and logical explanations for each one.

First there was the "To Do List", labeled four months ago, the brightening succeeding today. The CoI had been planning this operation for over four months, aye? Must of been a faithful team, no matter how unlawful they may of seemed. There were two names: Cathron and Hodar; and a location: The Flounder's Finn. The circumstance that the owner of the tavern would reckonize the names was faint though admissable by hope. But then again... four months? It was an awfully long time for a common-day tavern keeper to remember something as minor as a name.

On the next slip, two more names appeared -- one Breon, the other O'Mally. Breon... he must of been the one who dropped of the cloaks. Xitus read further on down, and before long spoke aloud, awe-struck by something that had been said by the writer of the letter. "He can be the first of many. They must not be playin' around then, but what did the Prefect do that was so 'corrupt' as they put it?" He hadn't the patience to wait for answer, nor did he expect it, but rather continued on, ingnoring the odd signature.

The next and last paper was another letter, assigned to the same person, the unwitted Breon. 'Michum hasn't given us reason to eliminate him.' There was the final remaining clue. This was not an ordinary gang. They had set up a specific task, or goal, that they would do anything to achieve. A religious cult. And again there was the same signature as before. 'Ioannes' Blessings' followed by three periods, which might or might not of related to the case. Now aware of his surroundings once more, Xitus spoke his mind over the subject, "Alright. Here's how I see it. These assasinators are a part of a cult which might have something to do with the 'C' on the ring. There name may also have the word 'Ioannes' which also supports the cult theory. I haven't a single clue over why there are three 'I's on the ring of this Breon fella, but whatever the reason may be it wou'd be best if I travel down to The Flounder's Finn, and see if I can get any information there."

By the time he had said his last word, he was already treading towards the exit, pondering, worried. There would be more homicides if this cult were to get their ways. At least now the abbrevation 'CoI' made little sense. "Cult of Ioannes" perhaps or "Courtesy of Ioannes". But the three "I"s on the ring... what did that mean? There was still more information to be unwraveled, but as long as Xitus was willing to search for it, the villians would be founded and sentenced to either death or the cells. "Is there anything else you might want to hear before I depart?" the human asked. "If not, then I'm off."

OOC: Really sloppy post, but I got family stuff for the next few days so I don't know if I'll be on for a while.

[Trinity]

OoC: Sloppy post? Eh, if that was sloppy, you scare me. =P Looked fine to me!

It seemed that Xitus now had his lead for his next place of business in this whole mystery. The Prefect, as these Cultish folk believed, was corrupt for some reason. What had he done? What would make a law enforcer corrupt in the eyes of his people? O'Mally was, apparently though, not a name related to this Breon and whomever kept passing notes to him and such. Karlinya reinforced this idea when she spoke up.

"Didn't he mention O'Mally?" She said, craning her neck over the pieces of paper in Xitus' hands. "Poor ol' Dwarf, he's been through a lot lately. Maybe you should ask him about these guys, though? I mean, he's a bartender and all, they hear things. And well, remember things too. Or is it that they remember things and dont hear things? Oh goodness." She thinned her lips, irritated at her indecisiveness and inability to provide much help. Though, when Ioannes was mentioned along with the three I's.. Or possibly, three pillars? Karlinya gave a start, shaking her head.
"To think a group of people that seemingly worship Ioannes, of all gods!.. That they would be the ones who kill in this town. We really are going to Davey Jones' locker, aren't we. Sorry I can't be of more help.." Ah, the seadog expression, Davey Jones' Locker. Just a simple reminder, like many other things in the Narimite's vocabulary, that they were heavily influenced by sailors..

So, to the Flounder's Finn then, hmmm? Karlinya waved Serale to Xitus as he walked out the door and turned down the Shvakkim's main road, towards the Tavern and Inn in the distance. There were a few lights on in the windows of rooms that overlooked the roadway, but no glow from a fire in the dining area. It was spring, and conditions in the Province were warmer than their mild winters, giving them no need to have a fire.. well, at all.

As Xitus entered, he was suddenly aware that Lydia and her gang had indeed totally disappeared. Perhaps they'd just gotten too bored. Or, the crazy buggers, perhaps they'd run off to mug someone or something. On any account, she was not there to annoy the aspiring Prefect anymore.. And that also meant that he had a better chance of taking the Office now -- no one to oppose him in the running. Anyway, the inside was as warm and welcoming as ever. It was still very early in the brightening and that meant that people were sleepily eating their morning meals at wooden tables that were scattered about the room. A bar to the left had a sleepy looking dwarf reclining at it, with a sign propped up stating that the bar didn't serve alcoholic beverages until after mid-brightening's meal. The equally sleepy receptionist gazed at him and gave a little yawn...

"Ahm, excuse me, still sleepy, I am. Just got into town, did you? We don't usually get any residents this early and all. Where did you come from, might I ask?" She spoke, albeit a bit mumbled from time to time due to her inability to stay completely awake. The dwarf at the bar turned around and rested his right elbow on the counter, eyes half open and looked at them both, tired as all get out. Whether he was a patron or a bartender though, was yet to be seen.

[Xitus Lescartes]

The time of the brightening, by now, had turned tranquil though undesirable, the sun creeping closer towards its horizen line at what appeared to be a delayed pace. The street at which the tavern was located on had no action, no unwelcome disturbance, and no calamity of any sort. It was dull... almost too dull to be true. Xitus, although he sincerely detested crime and acts against authority, longed for some kind of activity to occur. This investigating was just getting to be unbearable as the candlemarks grew older. Why, in the name of the almighty Ioannes and the lovely Diana herself, wouldn't the citizens just elect him for Prefect, so that he wouldn't have to endure this infernal boredom. Oh well... soon it would end. He already had plenty of names and information to barely wrap this case up -- yet he need just a little more.

From the Needle and Thread to the Flounder's Finn, there was nothing even the least bit lively. This gave the human time to ponder about everything much thoroughly than before, without much to cause distraction. Xitus, pacing closer to the tavern, eyes squinting to see through across the distance, though aloud, "Let's see. O'Mally, accordin' to the opinion of dear Karlinya, is an innocent soul. That has yet to be proved, but such an idea would fit. I guess I'll jus' have to wait and see for me self." Of course O'Mally was innocent. He was a well-liked bartender of the Tavern, one of the most famous in Narim. Why would he commit a crime with his valuable reputation at stake?

Entering the establishment, Xitus noted every minor detail: the dwarven architecture, the decorative tapestries on the walls, the furnishings of rustic wood, and even the beams keeping it all together. It was then that the Elven receptionist had yawned and gave a tiresome welcoming, much less aware as Karlinya's. Hers had no warning nor trace of stammer, as if the Tavern had not knowledge of the crime rates or recent assasination. Everything was more or less normal and befitting. It was an entirely different world, so to speak.

After allowing the receptionist to give her salutations, Xitus spoke, "Hmm? Get in town? Why, " he paused, "yes... yes I did. I'm here to have a pint of your freshest ale, and I also give tidings to a dwarf named O'Mally. I hear back in Imperia, me hometown, that he's quite the bartender. I always wanted to speak with a man with such honor and respect. Is he around?" It was a lie, but for good intentions. If he were to say that his arrival was because of official business set forth by Thane Michum, then there might of been some sort of uninviting reaction coming from either the citizens inside the tavern, the receptionist, or O'Mally himself. It was best to keep low for now.

Thus he stood there, a comforting grin on his face and his hands how on his hip, arms and elbow bent, waiting for a reply.

[Trinity]

A few people came down the stairs back behind them and to the left for breakfast. They took a seat and stretched, promptly being audited for their orders by the few waitresses and waiters that were up at this hour. Other people were still eating, but on any account everyone seemed pretty slow. Most of them were sleepy too, that much was obvious. Suppose that's how things start though in the Flounder's Finn. No one, not even the travellers, are morning people.

The receptionist gave Xitus a half-grin and shook her head. People in Imperia, all the way in Imperia, were hearing about Duerias O'Mally? Wow, maybe he was pretty durn good. Well, they did get a lot of sailors in Narim.. However, not a lot of them stopped in The Flounder's Finn. Only the 'high class' ones, so to speak.
She jerked a thumb back in the dwarf's direction. "That there is Duerias O'Mally. The Bartender. Bar doesn't open till a few hours after lunch though." That, of course, made sense seeing that opening it earlier would be just plain tacky.

Turning around, the receptionist cupped her hands to her mouth.
"Duerias!"
The dwarf stirred slightly and grunted, burying his face deeper into his arms.
"Duerias!"
He grunted again and lifted his head up, shook it a bit and laid back into his arms to nestle himself back to sleep.
"DUERIAS!"
Finally, O'Mally jumped a bit and got to his feet, whiping at his mouth through his beard. He waddled over to the receptionist and gave her a short, curt glare. Stupid girl, why did she wake him?!

"Fella's here to see you." She ended softly, indicating towards Xitus. The dwarf smiled at him and clapped a hand on his back. The woman went on to tell Duerias about what Xitus had said -- hearing about him all the way from Imperia. This made the bartender smile a bit more. He led Xitus back over to the barstools and motioned for him to take a seat.

"Eh, sorry laddie but the bar doesn' open 'till after second meal an' all. But, heh, I can get yeh something non-alcoholic, if yeh want. Missy up there tells me yeh wanted ta' talk to me, though?.. Don't think I be catchin' yer name either, Sir..?"

The bartender left it open, hoping Xitus would finish with his name. Now, the question was, could he trust O'Mally? What ties did he have, what roles did he play in this fiasco? Would telling his true identity hurt or help this situation?.. And what if Xitus was wrong, either way? What if he assumed he had nothing to do with it, and he did? Or, what if he assumed O'Mally was apart of this Cult of Ioannes.. And he wasn't? Oh man, this was going to be a tough decision now, wasn't it.

[Xitus Lescartes]

From a first impression, there was little sign of corrupt oppession or unjust events, making Karlinya's past statement rather difficult to believe. But it did seems as though this O'Mally fellow was a fine denizen without a trace of negative intentions within him, yet as long as the unknown criminals of the case were still at loose, able to cause harm or even spill more blood, then even a benevolent kindly barkeeper had to be considered a possible suspect. Xitus thought it over a minute before responding with a chuckle and grin, both of which were a mask for his true purposes here at the Flounder's Finn.

"Sir Xitus be me name." There was no point in giving a false name as well. "Heh... shame. I was really lookin' foward to a sip of Naramite ale too. I'll jus' wait until second meal, I be guessin'. Anyway, I came her' mainly to just chat with the legendary O'Mally... or as we use to call ya back in Imperia: The O'Mallster. Heh, your looked upon greatly over there y'know. Even the children wish to meet ya." Tilting his head a bit, Xitus stretched his arms both ways and emitted a fitting yawn to pair with it.

"So how goes your bar, The O'Mallster? I doubt there's any problems. Though I heard Narim was goin' through some kind of Prefect crisis. Is he sick or somethin'? Bah... I don't even know his name nonetheless his status." He waited once more for a responce, keeping an eye out for ever other customer and employee of the Tavern... just in case.

OOC: It may not be a top notch post, but at least its a post

[Trinity]

The bartender chortled slightly in his seat, slapping a knee. Even the children, he says! Goodness, O'Mally didn't know he was so well liked. A little grin slid upon his features as he shook his head at Xitus. That was grand, really it was. Not that O'Mally didn't believe him.. he just.. thought it was strange and quite possibly a little fabrication of the truth. But hey, it made him feel good, and that was secretly what the human was aiming for, now wasn't it?

The red beard he had was stroked for a second and he shrugged after calming down. He chuckled once, a simple 'Heh!' and shook his head once more.
"Chil'ren be wantin' 'ta meet O'Mally. I don' believe it. Amazin', Sir. What'cha say yer name was, by da way?" He asked, but then was distracted by the question about the Prefect. His expression got sour and his eyes narrowed. O'Mally was suddenly very still.

"Prefect O'Narim be dead, Boy. Killed by some assailants. No idear who, but eh... See, uh.." He leaned in a little closer to Xitus, motioning with a thick finger for him to do the same.
"Was a corrup' man, dat Prefect. Tried'n ta bribe me one nigh', 'ee did. And den dis guy causes a fuss, an' another kidnaps me!" The dwarf pounded a fist on the nearby bar, making an audiable thud. He shook his head again, bringing the fist back up to his mouth which was rather hidden in the abundance of red, curly hair that formed his beard. He pressed his mouth to it for a second, looking off into space, away from Xitus.

Yes.. The Prefect was a crooked man, but he didn't deserve to die. No no, Duerias didn't think he was deservant of death. But then again, some other people in the city probably considered him well past deserving it. He was no Prefect! He didn't play by the fething law, for Ioannes' sake! He was all about help me and I'll help you. Scratch my back and I'll scratch yours. Don't help me, forget the law coming to your aid! Better hope some good smaritans are around. Ioannes curse his soul.
" But ah.." The O'Mallster shifted on hi stool a bit, leaning more into the bar a bit and resting his chin on his hand. He was sitting on a foot now for the extra boost of height needed to pull off such a sitting position well.
" 'Onestly, I don' think da man deserved ta die. Taken outta 'is position, sure. Iff'en ol' Michum knew.. Yeh, I think 'e'd a been takin' 'em out, yanno? But bein' murdered like that..." The bartender tapered off. He remembered the scene just like it was yesterday. Watching the man get struck through the chest with crossbolts.. Watching him stagger, watching him fall and die, to bleed to death. Horrific indeed.

But he needed to reassure the traveller, didnt want to scare him off. That would mean a loss of business for people, and that wasn't good.
"But uh, Narim's a nice town, Kid, she is. Jus' got a bit o' a problem wit da law. I blame da late Prefect. Wha' else is gonna happen when yeh gots someone who's more worried 'bout coins linin' da pockets den 'ee is 'bout wha' de bad guys 'er doin', eh?" O'Mally smiled at Xitus lightly, trying to ensure the sincerity of his words. Narim really was a nice town, and he wanted the outlander to believe it.. not run from it due to the problems. So many people were afraid here, yet none left. You would've thought the numbers would have dwindled, but there was just something about Narim that kept an average of a little over sixty thousand inisde the city walls.
Perhaps Duerias O'Mally was a popular guy for one reason -- his attitude and his liquor made some brightenings bearable for those that needed him the most.

[Xitus Lescartes]

Okay... here was this guy. He was awfully good looking and rather humerous at times, but when it came to impersonating false aliases, this guy was master. Obviously his skill was wearing off on this O'Mally fellow quite well. Perhaps TOO well. By no means was he trying to fake him out or anything like that, but he sure was trying to earn some respect. Major respect. Like... respect to the maximum! But nonetheless, he could not stay under the guise of falicity for long. Guilt would soon override him and his fakeness. Sure enough, as time grew on, it would. So here he was: Stuck with the position that wasn't him, a poser of his age, an official Allerian Fake, but that didn't aggrevate him. Nope... he was no hater... especially for good cause. And this was the best cause that could ever come around - or rather the fact that the run for Prefect was in his graps, but was that relevent? Perhaps not...

"O'Mallster, your almight wisdom comes as a shock to me, but I shall not intrude in matters of Narim. However, if he was truly corrupt, then my respect for him has thus been lost already." How sad... this Prefect was corrupt... a liar... a fake as well. Deciet filled his heart, and thus he payed the toll, yet perhaps that toll was raised a bit too high. Lives weren't a part of justice, and the taking away of such a precious thing only burdened the humans heart even more. How could people act this way... how could they treat a soul as if its purpose were destined by its mistakes? We learn from mistakes... not die from them.

"Well... I'm-a guessin' I should be off soon, but real quick: have you seen any unusual parties lately... or rather gangs. I might of seen a gang a brightenin' ago that was beatin' up this defenseless man... for no reason at all... rather sad really." He spoke in a quieted tone of voice. "I think I heard some of the names: Cathron, Breon, Hodar. I dunno... I might be off a bit though. I just want to see these fiends put to rest before I leave Narim for Medonia 'gain... oh wait... did I say Mendonia? My bad... I mean Imperia. Must be a slip of the tounge!" He laughed a hearty laugh of humor, before waiting for a responce.

OOC: Since I can't post 1337 post for a while, I shall just have to manage with this :P