War Changes Everything [Reboot] Past Thread

Aryll raised a brow. "I just told you I don't know, Reifer. I understand this is jarring news to begin with, but please don't tune me out when I'm telling you things."

"Apologies, sometimes these things happen. Either way I'm ready to meet them when you're ready." It did seem strange to Reifer even Aryll didn't know who was behind it. Granted she wasn't all knowing but still.

Aryll nodded. "Well, like I said, nobody ever found out what happened to Sela, so this is all new to me as well. Anyway, the one actually poisoning her is one of your cooks, I've got him bubbled in his quarters. Name of Drelin, as I recall. Will Hector or Iliara be joining us? It's your call."

Reifer shook his head briefly. "If they want to come, its up to them."

"Considering how long I've been serving, I'm invested in this myself." Hector wondered how someone like this had slipped under his nose. He was far from infallbile but he had thought he had been pretty good at keeping out the rats with Eon's help. There was a bit of irrational guilt there.

Iliara paused, then nodded. "I'd like to come as well. I'd at least like to know what to look for in terms of possible threats..." Aryll nodded at that, then motioned them to follow as she led the way to the servants quarters. When they arrived at Drelin's room, the man seemed to have been in the process of packing his bags when Aryll had apparently frozen him in time. Aryll stood off to the side as she waved a hand, and Drelin was moving again. Only to freeze as he noticed the four people in his room.

"L-Lord Reifer! ...To what do I owe this honor?" He was clearly nervous, but trying to push that aside.

It didn't really hit home until Reifer saw them. It wasn't some random who recently just came into things, he, his father and mother made it a point to get to know the staff as much as possible. Not only because of who they were as people, but because from just a practical point it made sense. Drelin was a person he knew and talked to, the idea he was behind all this was painful on itself.

"I have been told by sources the reason behind my mother's sickness is not natural, but by something that was given to her. This lead to you. What do you have to say for yourself for these claims Drelin?" Part of him really didn't want to even believe Aryll, that she was mistaken somehow but deep down he didn't feel that was the case.

Drelin tensed, swallowing hard. "...I... I can't imagine why it would lead to me. I would never do anything to harm Lady Sela!" At that moment, Suzume suddenly stuck her head out from underneat Drelin's bed, holding up a jar of a strange black liquid.

"Found the poison!" At her words, Drelin's eyes widened.

"I have never seen that before in my life! I'm a cook, not an assassin!"

Reifer kept his emotions in check, but his face was rather stony. "Drelin. This isn't looking good for you right now, the more you lie the worse this will be. If you admit and why and anyone else is in on it, I'll be more lenient on your punishment."

Hopefully he cracked, he couldn't really squirm his way out of this one.

Drelin seemed ready to deny it again, but there was something that nobody here had counted on.

Aryll's patience.

Drelin was suddenly pinned to the ground, eyes wide as the very tall woman stood above him, the base of her staff pressed firmly against his throat. She looked calm, but there was a dangerous look in her eyes. "Drelin, yes? While I would usually leave this to Reifer to handle, as is his right, I have many irons in the fire, as it were. There are many things I have to do, wrongs to right, colossal mistakes to prevent. Keeping Sela from dying if I could do so was one of those 'if I can find a way' things. No offense, Reifer. Your mother is a wonderful woman and I am so happy to have met her, but her death was admittedly one of the least catastrophic things that occurs around this time period. But if I can save lives, I can. What I was no counting on, was a murder plot." She dug the staff in, causing Drelin to panic as it became harder to breath.

"So, Drelin. You will tell us everything, now. Because I know your future, and it is unimportant. So I would have no qualms about removing your from time entirely and leaving you in the void of time and space, left completely alone with your own guilt and shame for eternity until you are driven insane, unable to even kill yourself to be free of it. So... feel like talking now?" She glanced down, and made a face. "Ew..." Drelin had pissed himself, and Aryll quickly stepped away. Which was enough for Drelin to rasp out a response.


"Ha...Hara... the Hara House..." At his words, Iliara's brows furrowed with confusion.

"Hara? But... why would they do such a thing? They have always remained neutral in such matters... the wife of their lord is the sister to Ashikaga, but the poison would have to have been administered long before the death of Ashikaga for that to make sense... those siblings care little for each other, but one would still seek revenge for the death of the other. But again, the timing is all wrong..."

Reifer paid the man no heed for the moment, and he couldn't leave and escape if he wanted to with those like Suzume around. "That is odd..." He turned back Drelin. "What did they tell you when they put you up to this?"

The man was clearly reluctant to say more, but at this point, he was more likely to save himself by talking than remaining silent. "I... I don't know everything. Only my part of the plan mostly, but I know that Hara House is doing it because of outside influence... someone else directed them to act, and they came to me...."

"And what they offered you, was it worth betraying the people who had been so good to you?" Iliara's voice was like steel, and Drelin suddenly found himself more afraid of her than Aryll.

"I... I thought it was at the time..."

Reifer was disgusted but he kept it otherwise cool, to be a good leader even in times like these you had to keep control of your actions and emotions. "So what did they offer you?" His tone was oddly idle, a bit too much so.

Drelin swallowed hard. "My own territory... and that I could take... someone, as my wife once Komai fell..." Drelin was looking anywhere but at Reifer right now.

"Ooo, that sounds specific! Who was it? It couldn't have been Sela, since she'd have been dead, right?" Suzume seemed eager to dig up some juicy information, nevermind the fact it just might get Drelin killed. At least in Drelin's opinion.

"I'd... rather not say..."

Reifer seemed to lose his patience at that, and grabbed the other man, his hand turning slightly into dragon claws. "You don't have a choice right now. Speak." He said cooly, just by going by his behavoir who ever he said would piss him off.

Drelin immediately panicked, blurting out his response in the dull hope that owning up to it would somehow save him. "Felicia, it was Felicia! They said that if Komai fell and I had my own territory, I could make her mine, so I went along with what they wanted! They would have killed me even if I'd said no though, you have to understand that! I... I had no choice, not... not really..."

Reifer felt that bit of rage, everything faded into a haze at those words. He was almost unable to stop himself from outright killing the man but dropped him in disgust. "Take him away. I'll deal with them later." On the small off chance he might need them and something else, he kept them around for now.

While Drelin was literally dragged off by his feet, by a humming Suzume, Iliara sighed heavily, crossing her arms. "Well... I suppose the more pressing issue at this point would be... what do we do with this information about Hara?"

"I'm not sure." Reifer stated honestly. "I only know what you know, which isn't much. I suppose I could toy with the idea of maybe Suzume and Eon maybe getting some more information, though its not without its risk."

Iliara closed her eyes, thinking it over for a moment. Aryll, it seemed, was content to sit back and watch. After a moment, Iliara sighed softly. "Well, that is an option, but another could be more... direct. You could send a messenger requesting audience with the Lord of Hara. Under the pretense of alliance, or intending to pay compensation for the death of his Brother-in-Law, Ashikaga. Then, when the meeting occurs, unless it is refused, you can confront him about the attempt on Sela's life. He has no reason to suspect you are aware of it, especially if we keep Drelin's actions quiet for now. He'll be caught off guard, and his response should tell us all we need to know, and give us a clearer picture of what to do."

Reifer had to go over his options before replying, but in truth he didn't see any besides those two and each of them had risk to it; it was just a matter of weiging in what would have the least risk or disasterous consequences. It was one of the things he hated about being a leader.

"I'll have a messenger do that then, though not sure if they'll agree or not." He'd rather avoid putting Eon and Suzume at risk if he could help it.

Aryll hummed slightly at that. "This is going totally off the rails of what I know... but... hm. From what things I do know of Hara... that's probably the best decision."

"Lord Hara has always been known as being a level headed and just ruler. It was only after he married that things became questionable. Unsurprising, considering his wife is Ashikaga's sister. Tales abound of her selfish nature." Iliara sighed softly. "I am not a fan of political nonsense... I almost miss the near constant war with Takeda. At least then I knew who my enemies and allies were. Clearly defined lines..."

"Neither am I. But this is the life I was born into." Reifer didn't look forward to this meeting but he knew it was something that needed to be done. "I'll send in messengers and we'll go from there."
* *

Luckily for Reifer the request for a meet up was confirmed and he was currently waiting along with the others for them to all show up. He had been told he was good in the political realm, but personally he considered himself average at best; what he was good with was observing and learning from the mistakes. In this kind of life style, he had been fortunate because one could only make so many mistakes in this life style.

Iliara and Suzume were both standing up with Eon, behind the seated Reifer and Hector. Reifer and Hector were the more 'politically minded' people. While Iliara had experience as well, she was still trying to hide her identity from others, so she would pretend to be a bodyguard.

Soon enough, they were joined by Lord Hara and his entourage. This was his guard, as well as his wife. While Hara looked tense and uneasy, his wife looked like she was simply annoyed.

Reifer waited for the two to arrive and get settled before speaking. "First, I wanted to say thank you for taking the time to come here as you didn't have to.  You know part of the reason in the letter, but there is another reason. As you know, my mother is quite ill and while we thought it natural at first, it seemed to be the fault of someone else. That someone works for me, but has a rather troubling accusations I believe we both have the right to know. Bring them in."

 He had told Drelin he would let them live if he did his best to say his side of things, no matter how small and he meant it. He was disgusted, but he kept his word on things. If nothing else, if it was possibly as he suspected the accussation and their presence would throw them off guard.

Hara and his wife, Aki, both seemed a bit startled by Reifer's words at first, but Hara looked even more nervous when Drelin was walked in. Aki, however, looked angry. "What is the meaning of this? We came here for a meeting as defined by your letter, why are you wasting our time with this?"

"Aki, dear, please... let's be civil..."