A Question of What's it to Me - RPLOG
Participants
Date
2/7/478
Log
It was a warn afternoon in Firmanent with a rather nasty thunderstorm nearby. The academy district was less busy than usual as a result, making it easier to traverse the area.
Inside the academy, all interested beings are pointed towards the library where one of its sections has been transformed into an impromptu lecture hall. Standing in front of a small desk is an extremely old squirrel being of the growing folk, an oddity in itsel, who looks like he is waiting until the beginning of the lecture to start talking.
The chairs in the room are half-full by now, most of those who came seem to either be nobles, foreign diplomats in Sweetwater, and some of the more enterprising merchants. There is also the odd curious commoner, and once can swear some of those beings sitting in the darker corners are high ranking members criminal syndicates. All in all a varied bunch, but most importantly there is still empty chair and some time before the lecture begins.
Bernard Bernard ambles into the lecture hall, removing his flat, straw hat as he comes out of the sun. The old hound dog is well dressed in his white linen suit, silk scarf and his silver fox headed cane. He wanders down the aisle, looking for a vacant seat.
The heat and humidity seem to be taking their toll on the overstuffed Nobleskunk, who looks positively miserable (and smells cloyingly sweet and flowery) as he shuffles through the aisles, leaning heavily upon his cane. Nevertheless, he does manage to look finely dressed--though the layers of fancy attire probably aren't helping him with this heat--and immaculately groomed, with his long hair tied back in a neat braid.
Behind him clomps Hartford, the skunk-striped Reindeer in Blackback servant livery, looking absolutely unbothered by the heat and proud of himself as he guides Brutus to a few open chairs by the front-center, prompting other beings to move without a hint of self-consciousness.
A small salamander moves from one group of beings to another, listening in to the various conversations going on among the attendees. Zuri perks up as he recognizes Bernard across the room and starts weaving his way towards him, disappearing into a mass of mingling beings and reappearing on the other side after having slowly made his way through the group. He waves at the Saint Bernard in greeting as he approaches. "Mister Bernanrd! Nice to see you here!"
The beings continue to arrive to the library turned lecture hall for quite sometime before finally the old squirrel being lets out a meek cough, "Greetings ladies and gentlemen and welcome to the lecture 'Of Cliffs and Exposed Backs'." The ageing being declares as he lets out another, more sickly cough.
By now the hall is almost full and most beings have turned their attention to the lecturer as he began to speak. "My name is Dengar Onetail. And I am a scholar and lecturer in Sweetwater-Cliffside relationships and has been so for the last twenty years. All of you are gathered here today no doubt because of the recent events in the city of spires. So without further chitchat, any questions before we begin?"
"Little Master Zuri!" Bernard says with a smile, "What a surprise! I thought it would be a bunch of scholars and nobles wanting to hear about the old city! Not young men like you! Come sit with me." The old hound casts about for a place to sit, spotting a pair of seats near Brutus, recently vacated by less worthy backsides. He leads the way, tap tap tapping with his cane. "Beg pardon, Lord Blackback," he says with a stiff little bow, "Mind if me and the young man join ye, yer Lordship?" The portly hound's Cliffside accent is quite evident, and he hardly waits for an answer as he takes his seat and pats the chair beside him for Zuri before resting his thick hand on the cane between his knees, leaning forward a bit in interest.
Brutus hardly has time to look up as old Bernard pushes his way by. "Hmm? Oh--" he manages to get out before the hound has sat down beside him. The accent doesn't escape his attention, and he gives an indignant sort of snort--it figures that someone makes an academic lecture on Cliffsiders and they think they're royalty because someone talks about them.
Hartford, for his part, gives the interloper a wary glare--until the connection clicks. "'zat you, Bernie? I didn't expect to see you here! Most of the time it's just Mister Brutus's friends from the Academy at these kindsa things."
Zuri giggles. "I couldn't pass up a chance to learn more about Cliffside..." He pauses to listen to the lecturer, nibbling on his lip before continuing. "..even if the circumstances for this lecture aren't the happiest." He follows the canine over to the seats he has picked out and plops down on the chair next to him. His tail flits excitedly as peers up over another being's shoulder to watch the lecturer.
"Well then!" The squirrel says with a bit more cheer to his voice, "As most of you have heard, a Cliffside elder has been found dead in his home, and all evidence suggests that it has been an assassination." That comment leads to some hushed whispers in the room before the scholar coughs to regain the beings attention, "But the true question is why would one assassination lead to such amount of trouble, don't they do it all the time?" A comment that earns a few chuckles from some of the Sweetwaters in the crowd, "The honest answer is that assassination between elders while not unheard of is a pretty rare occurrence, and in this case, a completely different situation to what usually happens." The squirrel adds before grabbing a glass of water and gulping the liquid down as he allowed his cohort to mill on what he had said.
"Truth is," Bernard whispers to Zuri and Hartford, with Brutus stuck in the conversation by default, "I don't get much news from the Old City, seein' as they burnt down me old inn and me bein' dead and all." The old hound dog winks and puts a finger to his lips. The lecturer's words bring a frown to the old dog's face. "True enough, Lad," he says, "By the time ye're on the Council of Elders, gettin' yerself assassinated is pretty much the easy way out!" The idea of Elders simply KILLING each other seems rather ridiculous. "What about the old boy's family?" he asks.
Zuri avoids chuckling at the joke, despite himself being a Sweetwater local who's heard those ever since he was a boy. He bites his lip and turns to Bernard as he speaks up at the lecturer. He nods at Bernard's question. "Haven't heard much 'bout the family.." He remarks on a low voice. "Or about.. um.. what else it triggered. Nothing's ever that simple."
Brutus glowers side to side. Here he is trying to learning something worthwhile about those backstabbing Cliffside bastards, and he's stuck in the middle of a pair of gossiping barflies!...But he can't stay mad at Hartford (not that he's ever tried), so it mostly turns into a mildly peeved look at his companion and double the glare at Bernard's codespeak.
The poor Reindeer takes it personally though, and after an "Oh! Sorry Mister Brutus!" that was more indiscreet than his initial question, he gives a cheerful wave to Zuri and Bernard and furrows his brow, ostensibly trying to focus on the proceedings.
