Difference between revisions of "Longtail Abductions - RPLOG"
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=Log= | =Log= | ||
| − | <div></div> | + | <div></div><br> <br>It is early morning in Longtail Square, and three beings are gathered, in various states of distress. Each of them is wearing a LongTech Industries uniform, and they look invariably shaken, although some seem to be holding up just a little better than the rest. |
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| + | Among them, a female genet of the graceful clan, sobbing uncontrollably. Currently, she's being consoled by a male oyan of the water clan... Finally, there is a male marten, belonging to the clever folk, and clearly trying to hide his distraughtness. And failing, of course. | ||
| + | After the usual daily inspections of the production lines, Sveta is out on a cursory inspection of the Square, trying to review the most promising properties for renovation - or at least, ostensibly so. Still, the chance to stretch her legs vanishes into the aether with her chancing upon the scene, and the goshawk strides up to the small group, still in her uniform. "What's going on here?" she asks, matter-of-factly, doing her best to keep her voice level and even. | ||
| + | Samira wanders forth from the entrance to Longtail manor, clothed in garb far more normal for the residents of Firmament than the Shralestan outfits she's been wearing recently. Her intent was, as it normally is at this time of morning, to head out into the market and watch them set up all the stalls and see if she can find some interesting articles of jewelry to learn from. Alas, it looks like that'll have to wait. Seeing the look of concern and distress on the beings faces she hurries over, eyes widening a little. "Is everything okay here?" she squeaks to the marten, glancing left and right all the while. | ||
| + | Cedric just happened to have been in the area, taking a walk through the district while going about his daily business, apparently not too bothered by the slight rainfall so common to the area. Upon hearing the ruckus, and noticing the gathering crowd, the badger made his way through the crowd to see what all the commotion is about. Hopefully not another murder... he'd had a habit of running into those, recently... | ||
| + | Jera has decided to buy a pen! ... Or not, considering the state of affairs. "Uhm..." He looks around, visibly confused. "This a bad time?" | ||
| + | The genet simply continues sniffling, even as she looks up at Sveta, whimpering lightly. Meanwhile, the marten mutters something. "D-d-dame Longtail... I... They came out of nowhere... Couldn't do anything," he mutters as he loses his grip on his emotions, while the genet seems to have a minor breakdown in the arms of the oyan, whimpering and muttering, until she finally speaks a few words between sobs. | ||
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| + | "They... They took Ayla. S-said blood would f-flow if we came after them..." | ||
| + | Sveta contemplates the scene for the whole of three seconds, green eyes roving over the cobblestones, to the bloodstains, then the trail. The lower half of her beak grinds against the upper in the most disconcerting fashion, and she fiddles with her soul gems. | ||
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| + | "Rudy. Vienna. Eric. Head back to the manor now and sound the alarm. No one is to go off by themselves. Inform the High Lady, and get everyone to follow the discussed emergency protocols. Samira, you're with me." She hesitates a moment at the other newcomers, unsure whether to accept them into what clearly is private business. | ||
| + | Looking worriedly between the beings present, Samira moves a little closer to help the oyan up. A little too distracted with trying to help, she's forced to speak up. "They said what? Emergency protocols?" Her voice raises a little with each word. "Did someone mention b- blood?" A few more nervous glances around the square follow, especially at the newcomers. Then again... she'd seen most of them around before. And wasn't it the Longtails Flora was always warning her about? This was just a badger and a fox! | ||
| + | Cedric scans the area quickly as he brushes past the beings in the crowd, looking for anything out of the ordinary as he approaches the scene of the crime not far behind the other freeswords. Echoing the same question as the other two, he asks, "What happened here, exactly?" He raises an eyebrow as he asks the question, glancing around. He wonders if this could be something to do with the rogue members of the Longtail family he'd heard about, from time to time. "I've been around a crime scene or two, I might be of some assistance." he adds as he folds his arms across his chest, flicking a rounded ear. | ||
| + | Jera folds his hands across his chest, looking at Sveta's hesitation and looking unimpressed. "Well, we've seen it. I understand you want to keep matters in-house and I know you'll hate me for saying it but if you push us out the gates we are obligated categorically. /Categorically/, to report matters to the guard post and higher authorities. And we all don't want that." He adds more flair and drama to his words than necessary, but he is caught in awkward either way, deciding to push rather than to pull out. | ||
| + | "T-two panthers, one cheetah. Jumped out of nowhere, g-grabbed Ayla and h-held a knife to her t-t-throat," the genet female whimpers out, ears folded back before she buries her muzzle into the oyan's chest. "B-bring her back safely, p-please, D-dame Longtail," the marten squeaks out, before nodding and muttering to himself, before nodding and ushering the other two towards the manor-gates as they scramble into the building... | ||
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| + | Soon enough, the four beings are left alone in the square, to figure out what exactly happened. | ||
| + | Samira watches the marten go, swishing her tail around nervously. This just gets worse and worse... now she's going to get dragged off to hunt for the attackers! Plus her bodyguard was nowhere to be found, so she'd have to rely on Sveta for protection. Not exactly comforting, given she's never seen anyone here fight before. As such she stays close to the goshawk, peering around her at Jera. "Why wouldn't we talk to the authorities?" she squeaks quietly, looking up at Sveta questioningly. | ||
| + | Sveta gives the retreating figures of the employees a long, hard stare, as if trying to figure out something that's amiss. The chance for action is lost, though, as they disappear into the manor. Maybe there's something there that ought to be followed up later in private, but for now, the safety of others is paramount. The goshawk looks between Cedric and Jera, trying to make up her mind. "...All right. The High Lady would want to have as many hands helping as possible, although there's no guarantee that she won't make you sign anything strange after the fact. Well, you've heard what my subordinates have had to say - I'm afraid you know as much as I do. We've been expecting this sort of thing for some time now from the ugly side of the house, but one can't plan for every contingency. Of course, I'm personally thinking that whoever took Ayla away will have plans of their own if anyone follows...any suggestions, before we move? | ||
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| + | "I don't think we wouldn't talk to the authorities, Samira. But the High Lady tends to be finicky about such things. Forget it. If she quibbles, it's on me." | ||
| + | Cedric watches the marten closely as he leaves with the others, scratching his cheek thoughtfully, giving a quiet 'Hmm...' to himself before turning towards the other three again, nodding as Sveta speaks. "I don't personally mind signing whatever, so long as we can retrieve the innocent being safely." he says, shrugging his shoulders casually. "Of course, yes, I've heard as much from Flora herself, and others." he says, pausing for a moment after the fact. "Trace has said they struck at some sort of opera? That's about the last I've heard of it, though." the badger adds. | ||
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| + | "No... getting the guard involved wouldn't be a great idea, given the threat of blood. The city guard tends to be... more blunt about these things, to put it kindly. No, whatever we do should be swift and in such a way so to not alert the kidnappers..." | ||
| + | Jera gives Sveta a small smile as the avian agrees, and then just listens in quietly for now, deciding he needs a little more context first. | ||
| + | Still, the blood-trail leads into the alley, where it... Abruptly ends after a few meters in... It just stops there, no sign of anyone or anything. | ||
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| + | Finally, muffled sounds come from various directions as the alley splits in three different paths, each seemingly containing the being the three are looking for... | ||
| + | Samira stands well back, merely looking in rather than being the first to investigate. "I... I guess so. I wouldn't exactly call myself swift though, sh- should I head back and tend to the others?" she squeaks, taking a tentative step towards the manor. "I don't think I'd be much help though... I can't do that much magic and I can't fight." She seems to be having trouble staying still, shifting her weight from foot to foot with her tail swaying lightly in the breeze. | ||
| + | Sveta stops in the junction of the three alleyways, examining some of the dark brown spots on the ground. "Older blood...or maybe not. Hard to tell. First one would be my guess, though. And each of the cries are different, distinct. Three different voices. I guess I should have paid more attention while speaking to the employees. Other than that...there's not much to go on. Do you hear it? " She shakes her head, and stands. "Can't be of much help, I'm afraid. They do good work...but that's only to be expected." At last, she seems to notice Samira's nervous fit. "No one goes alone," is the goshawk's simple and matter-of-fact answer to that. | ||
| + | Cedric nods a little and follows towards the alley junction, taking a look for himself at each of the different paths and searching for any other clues that might not be immediately noticed. "The first path here?" the badger asks, giving it a thorough inspection as he scratches his chin. "Might as well get to it. Not much time to waste standing around." he frowns. | ||
| + | "We go in pairs, then. Split our chances. Meet up later." Jera frowns at leaving one of the paths unattended, but decides for safety that he's going to follow Cedric's route anyway. He draws his sword and then keeps it at the ready, still combat ready and intimidating enough in his half-armored getup. He takes the path the badger pointed out at a run. | ||
| + | Soon enough, Jera finds, well... A tied up, gagged, and clearly mistreated being, wearing a LongTech industries uniform. A young-looking possum to be precise, male, with his clan-marks ripped from his clothing. Violently, by the looks of things. | ||
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| + | Furthermore, the being has been bleeding, although it's stopped by now, and written, on the back of his outfit in what is most likely his own blood are the words 'There is only one true house Longtail' | ||
| + | "OY!" Jera hollers back in the direction he came from, clanging his sword against his vambrace to make noise in case his shout didn't go through. "Got one of your employees here! He needs help!" He kneels after to check if the possum is still breathing. | ||
| + | Samira was still standing just outside the alleyway and fidgeting when she hears the shout, running forward to stand next to Sveta at the intersection. A quick shuffle to the side ensures she's not standing in any blood before she scans the alley, trying to make out what's going on down there. After making sure it's actually the fox calling she takes a few nervous steps in, hoping that the Longtails have already cleared off. | ||
| + | Sensing Samira's edginess, Sveta comfortably steps in front of the skunk, making a beeline straight for Jera and the injured being. Sure, the fellow looks injured enough, but there's one problem, and her steps slow a good distance away from Jera. | ||
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| + | "Vienna mentioned that Ayla was taken. Unless someone's found a fleshcrafter in a jiffy, that's not her, and I don't remember anyone else who was supposed to be a victim. Something's off here." | ||
| + | Without much hesitation, the badger follows behind the others at a brisk pace, the tied up being coming into view as he makes his way through the alley. "Something is definitely off. And that marten was acting a bit strange, though it seemed to be that he was worried..." Cedric says, pondering the situation. | ||
| + | Indeed, this possum does not appear to be Ayla, although he's whimpering and pleading to be untied. He's definitely wearing the LongTech Industries uniform, that of a store-clerk specifically. All in all, he doesn't seem too hurt, although he does look rather parched and quite a bit worse for wear. Seems he's been here for a while, and yesterday's rain can't have helped any, if he was out for as long as it seems... | ||
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| + | Still, the sounds come from different alleys as well, some a little louder than others... At least three more scattered around the area. | ||
| + | Samira follows quickly after Sveta, peeking behind them every so often. The dark alley leaves her feeling very uncomfortable, although the face that Sveta got out of the last encounter unharmed helps a tad. Once they reach the possum she bends down, fiddling with his bonds and glancing up at Sveta. She seems to be having a little trouble with the thick rope, but will probably get there eventually. "Can we go soon? I don't like it here..." she whines, her fur standing a little on end. | ||
| + | "All in good time." Sveta looks the possum up and down, then kneels by his side. "All right, I'm pretty sure you're with us. Don't worry, we'll get you off to safety. Samira, I'm quite sure you have some water on you. Now, if you can still speak - don't strain yourself in doing so - you were supposed to have been sick yesterday. What can you remember?" | ||
| + | Cedric just watches for now, not having very much to do in this situation except look around for any helpful new information. He walks past the bound being to the other end of the alley in doing so, not straying too far from the others. | ||
| + | "So, do you know his name?" Jera asks the futile question, still looking concerned. | ||
| + | Once the offer of drinks is made, the being quickly grasps the proffered water-skin, still whimpering, clearly in pain and discomfort... He wasn't exactly tied up comfortably, and considering the gash on his arm and the streaked, red text on his back, well... It's all quite understandable... "I-I... I w-was walking h-home with K-K-Karin, d-dame L-Longtail... T-then they hit me from behind, and I-I don't remember a lot, other than Karin screaming, hisses and purring," he mutters with a coarse voice and tears in his eyes... "Is... Is Karin okay?" | ||
| + | Cedric soon encounters another split in the alley, which, if he followed it, would lead him out of sight. | ||
| + | Samira willingly offers the poor thing her water-skin, letting him drink while she focuses on the bonds further down. Before long he's completely untied, although the red lettering on his back leaves her paws shaking ever so slightly. Inching back a little she whines up at Sveta, "Please... he'll be safer if we can carry him out of here." Whether her complaint is genuine concern or just the result of fear and anxiety is unclear, but she certainly isn't keen on looking at the possum's wounds for much longer. Instead she just turns to watch the alley back towards the manor, fidgeting nervously. | ||
| + | "Karin didn't turn up today, Stephen," Sveta says to the possum, giving him one last check-over to make sure that it's safe to get him upright, either walking supported or in a fireman's carry, if necessary. "Some questions will need to be asked all around when we get back. Samira, there's still more to be done. We still need to investigate the other alleyways. Although together does it - no one wander off, please." | ||
| + | Glancing between the branching split paths at the other end of the alley, the badger stops to listen and look carefully, noticing a few things. "There seem to be more beings further down here... in both directions." he says, looking over his shoulder towards the others. He's sure it's probably not a great idea to leave the possum where he is or wander off by himself, he agrees. "Right, of course." | ||
| + | "Do you want me to lead the way then? After all, I think I'm the only one dressed in heavy armor. I can take a few hits, even if this getup is more aimed for cosmetics." The kit fox narrows his eyes towards the alleyway, keeping watch on the way they came in case they were to be pincered. | ||
Revision as of 17:21, 5 August 2014
Participants
Date
5/8/477
Log
It is early morning in Longtail Square, and three beings are gathered, in various states of distress. Each of them is wearing a LongTech Industries uniform, and they look invariably shaken, although some seem to be holding up just a little better than the rest.
Among them, a female genet of the graceful clan, sobbing uncontrollably. Currently, she's being consoled by a male oyan of the water clan... Finally, there is a male marten, belonging to the clever folk, and clearly trying to hide his distraughtness. And failing, of course. After the usual daily inspections of the production lines, Sveta is out on a cursory inspection of the Square, trying to review the most promising properties for renovation - or at least, ostensibly so. Still, the chance to stretch her legs vanishes into the aether with her chancing upon the scene, and the goshawk strides up to the small group, still in her uniform. "What's going on here?" she asks, matter-of-factly, doing her best to keep her voice level and even. Samira wanders forth from the entrance to Longtail manor, clothed in garb far more normal for the residents of Firmament than the Shralestan outfits she's been wearing recently. Her intent was, as it normally is at this time of morning, to head out into the market and watch them set up all the stalls and see if she can find some interesting articles of jewelry to learn from. Alas, it looks like that'll have to wait. Seeing the look of concern and distress on the beings faces she hurries over, eyes widening a little. "Is everything okay here?" she squeaks to the marten, glancing left and right all the while. Cedric just happened to have been in the area, taking a walk through the district while going about his daily business, apparently not too bothered by the slight rainfall so common to the area. Upon hearing the ruckus, and noticing the gathering crowd, the badger made his way through the crowd to see what all the commotion is about. Hopefully not another murder... he'd had a habit of running into those, recently... Jera has decided to buy a pen! ... Or not, considering the state of affairs. "Uhm..." He looks around, visibly confused. "This a bad time?" The genet simply continues sniffling, even as she looks up at Sveta, whimpering lightly. Meanwhile, the marten mutters something. "D-d-dame Longtail... I... They came out of nowhere... Couldn't do anything," he mutters as he loses his grip on his emotions, while the genet seems to have a minor breakdown in the arms of the oyan, whimpering and muttering, until she finally speaks a few words between sobs.
"They... They took Ayla. S-said blood would f-flow if we came after them..." Sveta contemplates the scene for the whole of three seconds, green eyes roving over the cobblestones, to the bloodstains, then the trail. The lower half of her beak grinds against the upper in the most disconcerting fashion, and she fiddles with her soul gems.
"Rudy. Vienna. Eric. Head back to the manor now and sound the alarm. No one is to go off by themselves. Inform the High Lady, and get everyone to follow the discussed emergency protocols. Samira, you're with me." She hesitates a moment at the other newcomers, unsure whether to accept them into what clearly is private business. Looking worriedly between the beings present, Samira moves a little closer to help the oyan up. A little too distracted with trying to help, she's forced to speak up. "They said what? Emergency protocols?" Her voice raises a little with each word. "Did someone mention b- blood?" A few more nervous glances around the square follow, especially at the newcomers. Then again... she'd seen most of them around before. And wasn't it the Longtails Flora was always warning her about? This was just a badger and a fox! Cedric scans the area quickly as he brushes past the beings in the crowd, looking for anything out of the ordinary as he approaches the scene of the crime not far behind the other freeswords. Echoing the same question as the other two, he asks, "What happened here, exactly?" He raises an eyebrow as he asks the question, glancing around. He wonders if this could be something to do with the rogue members of the Longtail family he'd heard about, from time to time. "I've been around a crime scene or two, I might be of some assistance." he adds as he folds his arms across his chest, flicking a rounded ear. Jera folds his hands across his chest, looking at Sveta's hesitation and looking unimpressed. "Well, we've seen it. I understand you want to keep matters in-house and I know you'll hate me for saying it but if you push us out the gates we are obligated categorically. /Categorically/, to report matters to the guard post and higher authorities. And we all don't want that." He adds more flair and drama to his words than necessary, but he is caught in awkward either way, deciding to push rather than to pull out. "T-two panthers, one cheetah. Jumped out of nowhere, g-grabbed Ayla and h-held a knife to her t-t-throat," the genet female whimpers out, ears folded back before she buries her muzzle into the oyan's chest. "B-bring her back safely, p-please, D-dame Longtail," the marten squeaks out, before nodding and muttering to himself, before nodding and ushering the other two towards the manor-gates as they scramble into the building...
Soon enough, the four beings are left alone in the square, to figure out what exactly happened. Samira watches the marten go, swishing her tail around nervously. This just gets worse and worse... now she's going to get dragged off to hunt for the attackers! Plus her bodyguard was nowhere to be found, so she'd have to rely on Sveta for protection. Not exactly comforting, given she's never seen anyone here fight before. As such she stays close to the goshawk, peering around her at Jera. "Why wouldn't we talk to the authorities?" she squeaks quietly, looking up at Sveta questioningly. Sveta gives the retreating figures of the employees a long, hard stare, as if trying to figure out something that's amiss. The chance for action is lost, though, as they disappear into the manor. Maybe there's something there that ought to be followed up later in private, but for now, the safety of others is paramount. The goshawk looks between Cedric and Jera, trying to make up her mind. "...All right. The High Lady would want to have as many hands helping as possible, although there's no guarantee that she won't make you sign anything strange after the fact. Well, you've heard what my subordinates have had to say - I'm afraid you know as much as I do. We've been expecting this sort of thing for some time now from the ugly side of the house, but one can't plan for every contingency. Of course, I'm personally thinking that whoever took Ayla away will have plans of their own if anyone follows...any suggestions, before we move?
"I don't think we wouldn't talk to the authorities, Samira. But the High Lady tends to be finicky about such things. Forget it. If she quibbles, it's on me." Cedric watches the marten closely as he leaves with the others, scratching his cheek thoughtfully, giving a quiet 'Hmm...' to himself before turning towards the other three again, nodding as Sveta speaks. "I don't personally mind signing whatever, so long as we can retrieve the innocent being safely." he says, shrugging his shoulders casually. "Of course, yes, I've heard as much from Flora herself, and others." he says, pausing for a moment after the fact. "Trace has said they struck at some sort of opera? That's about the last I've heard of it, though." the badger adds.
"No... getting the guard involved wouldn't be a great idea, given the threat of blood. The city guard tends to be... more blunt about these things, to put it kindly. No, whatever we do should be swift and in such a way so to not alert the kidnappers..." Jera gives Sveta a small smile as the avian agrees, and then just listens in quietly for now, deciding he needs a little more context first. Still, the blood-trail leads into the alley, where it... Abruptly ends after a few meters in... It just stops there, no sign of anyone or anything.
Finally, muffled sounds come from various directions as the alley splits in three different paths, each seemingly containing the being the three are looking for... Samira stands well back, merely looking in rather than being the first to investigate. "I... I guess so. I wouldn't exactly call myself swift though, sh- should I head back and tend to the others?" she squeaks, taking a tentative step towards the manor. "I don't think I'd be much help though... I can't do that much magic and I can't fight." She seems to be having trouble staying still, shifting her weight from foot to foot with her tail swaying lightly in the breeze. Sveta stops in the junction of the three alleyways, examining some of the dark brown spots on the ground. "Older blood...or maybe not. Hard to tell. First one would be my guess, though. And each of the cries are different, distinct. Three different voices. I guess I should have paid more attention while speaking to the employees. Other than that...there's not much to go on. Do you hear it? " She shakes her head, and stands. "Can't be of much help, I'm afraid. They do good work...but that's only to be expected." At last, she seems to notice Samira's nervous fit. "No one goes alone," is the goshawk's simple and matter-of-fact answer to that. Cedric nods a little and follows towards the alley junction, taking a look for himself at each of the different paths and searching for any other clues that might not be immediately noticed. "The first path here?" the badger asks, giving it a thorough inspection as he scratches his chin. "Might as well get to it. Not much time to waste standing around." he frowns. "We go in pairs, then. Split our chances. Meet up later." Jera frowns at leaving one of the paths unattended, but decides for safety that he's going to follow Cedric's route anyway. He draws his sword and then keeps it at the ready, still combat ready and intimidating enough in his half-armored getup. He takes the path the badger pointed out at a run. Soon enough, Jera finds, well... A tied up, gagged, and clearly mistreated being, wearing a LongTech industries uniform. A young-looking possum to be precise, male, with his clan-marks ripped from his clothing. Violently, by the looks of things.
Furthermore, the being has been bleeding, although it's stopped by now, and written, on the back of his outfit in what is most likely his own blood are the words 'There is only one true house Longtail' "OY!" Jera hollers back in the direction he came from, clanging his sword against his vambrace to make noise in case his shout didn't go through. "Got one of your employees here! He needs help!" He kneels after to check if the possum is still breathing. Samira was still standing just outside the alleyway and fidgeting when she hears the shout, running forward to stand next to Sveta at the intersection. A quick shuffle to the side ensures she's not standing in any blood before she scans the alley, trying to make out what's going on down there. After making sure it's actually the fox calling she takes a few nervous steps in, hoping that the Longtails have already cleared off. Sensing Samira's edginess, Sveta comfortably steps in front of the skunk, making a beeline straight for Jera and the injured being. Sure, the fellow looks injured enough, but there's one problem, and her steps slow a good distance away from Jera.
"Vienna mentioned that Ayla was taken. Unless someone's found a fleshcrafter in a jiffy, that's not her, and I don't remember anyone else who was supposed to be a victim. Something's off here." Without much hesitation, the badger follows behind the others at a brisk pace, the tied up being coming into view as he makes his way through the alley. "Something is definitely off. And that marten was acting a bit strange, though it seemed to be that he was worried..." Cedric says, pondering the situation. Indeed, this possum does not appear to be Ayla, although he's whimpering and pleading to be untied. He's definitely wearing the LongTech Industries uniform, that of a store-clerk specifically. All in all, he doesn't seem too hurt, although he does look rather parched and quite a bit worse for wear. Seems he's been here for a while, and yesterday's rain can't have helped any, if he was out for as long as it seems...
Still, the sounds come from different alleys as well, some a little louder than others... At least three more scattered around the area. Samira follows quickly after Sveta, peeking behind them every so often. The dark alley leaves her feeling very uncomfortable, although the face that Sveta got out of the last encounter unharmed helps a tad. Once they reach the possum she bends down, fiddling with his bonds and glancing up at Sveta. She seems to be having a little trouble with the thick rope, but will probably get there eventually. "Can we go soon? I don't like it here..." she whines, her fur standing a little on end. "All in good time." Sveta looks the possum up and down, then kneels by his side. "All right, I'm pretty sure you're with us. Don't worry, we'll get you off to safety. Samira, I'm quite sure you have some water on you. Now, if you can still speak - don't strain yourself in doing so - you were supposed to have been sick yesterday. What can you remember?" Cedric just watches for now, not having very much to do in this situation except look around for any helpful new information. He walks past the bound being to the other end of the alley in doing so, not straying too far from the others. "So, do you know his name?" Jera asks the futile question, still looking concerned. Once the offer of drinks is made, the being quickly grasps the proffered water-skin, still whimpering, clearly in pain and discomfort... He wasn't exactly tied up comfortably, and considering the gash on his arm and the streaked, red text on his back, well... It's all quite understandable... "I-I... I w-was walking h-home with K-K-Karin, d-dame L-Longtail... T-then they hit me from behind, and I-I don't remember a lot, other than Karin screaming, hisses and purring," he mutters with a coarse voice and tears in his eyes... "Is... Is Karin okay?" Cedric soon encounters another split in the alley, which, if he followed it, would lead him out of sight. Samira willingly offers the poor thing her water-skin, letting him drink while she focuses on the bonds further down. Before long he's completely untied, although the red lettering on his back leaves her paws shaking ever so slightly. Inching back a little she whines up at Sveta, "Please... he'll be safer if we can carry him out of here." Whether her complaint is genuine concern or just the result of fear and anxiety is unclear, but she certainly isn't keen on looking at the possum's wounds for much longer. Instead she just turns to watch the alley back towards the manor, fidgeting nervously. "Karin didn't turn up today, Stephen," Sveta says to the possum, giving him one last check-over to make sure that it's safe to get him upright, either walking supported or in a fireman's carry, if necessary. "Some questions will need to be asked all around when we get back. Samira, there's still more to be done. We still need to investigate the other alleyways. Although together does it - no one wander off, please." Glancing between the branching split paths at the other end of the alley, the badger stops to listen and look carefully, noticing a few things. "There seem to be more beings further down here... in both directions." he says, looking over his shoulder towards the others. He's sure it's probably not a great idea to leave the possum where he is or wander off by himself, he agrees. "Right, of course." "Do you want me to lead the way then? After all, I think I'm the only one dressed in heavy armor. I can take a few hits, even if this getup is more aimed for cosmetics." The kit fox narrows his eyes towards the alleyway, keeping watch on the way they came in case they were to be pincered.
