Lie II
Posted: Fri Jul 10, 2020 8:46 am
48th of Searing, 120 Continued from part I: here.
[indent=30]Arkash swallowed. Yes, he'd seen them. But for the sake of his reply, it appeared as though he was referencing the rumors he'd mentioned. A brief nod followed the Knight's explanation, and Arkash continued to listen. The subject quite obviously made him uncomfortable, as his whole form sat tensely on the fur throws that was his bed.
[indent=30]"Have you encountered any of these murders, Rathari?"
[indent=30]Valris must have known that Arkash had been there. Why else would they be visiting? Did they somehow suspect that he'd been involved somehow? Or were they after the pale woman? Her words rang through his head; 'I do hope for the chance to meet you again, but I hope it isn't because you've blabbed about the lady that killed those poor thugs in an alley.' Was this what she meant? Did she somehow know he'd be questioned on the matter? If the argent knew he was there when those two men died, how could he lie?
[indent=30]"Rathari," spoke the knight again, and snapped Arkash from his daze.
[indent=30]"Huh?"
[indent=30]"I asked if you'd seen any of these murders take place."
[indent=30]"This isn't needed, ser Knight, my boy's-" Spoke Cojack, only to pause as Arkash shook his head at him. Cojack's eyes widened a little, but he spoke nothing else in Arkash's defense. The Argent's eyes fell back upon the lizard.
[indent=30]"I saw two," confessed the Rathari.
[indent=30]"And what did you see?" For the most part, it seemed that Valris didn't suspect Arkash of being the killer. Well, that was probably obvious considering he appeared as though he'd struggle to kill an old lady, let alone two fully grown men.
[indent=30]What did he see? "I..." Arkash covered his mouth as he thought of the bodies, the way they laid still in puddles of their own blood, the cold, clammy fluid that soaked his feet. Wait, was that how the Argent knew he was there? Surely, Arkash had trailed bloody footprints from the alley. There weren't any other Rathari in lower Nivenahin, not that he'd seen. And he doubted that there were many feral reptiles beyond the walls. Therefore, the knight must have found the only person in the city with tracks like his and traced him back to here. Perhaps he'd asked around?
[indent=30]"Take your time, you're safe now," spoke the knight, who'd made it abundantly clear that he didn't suspect Arkash at all. the fact that hey may have found some venom-laced vomit at the scene probably helped to enforce that.
[indent=30]"...I heard screaming, on my way to work... I dunno why, but I came runnin' an'..." He paused. That was already a deviation from the truth, but not too far. What happened next? He didn't see her. He didn't see the pale woman. "...By the time I got there, the screaming 'ad stopped. I called out t' see if anyone needed help, an' that's when I stepped in a puddle o' blood." Arkash forced a shudder, and he stared into the ground as though he were reliving the scene. To some degree he was, but his actions were heavily dramatized. "They were just, layin' there... Cut up in pieces. One of 'em 'ad nearly lost 'is 'ead, the other didn' 'ave arms." he drew a ragged breath and tears welled in his yellow eyes.
[indent=30]He turned his head to the Argent, who looked briefly into the Rath's watery eyes before he too looked away in discomfort. Arkash was selling it well. "They'd just been butchered, like animals... I'm ashamed t' admit I was so scared, I lost my lunch." Those were all things that the Knight-Argent knew, he was sure. And if he didn't, then he was sure to discover them at some point in the investigation.
[indent=30]The argent knight cleared his throat, then lifted a metal-wrapped finger to his eye where he wiped away a forming tear. Arkash hesitated. Did the Knight really feel that much empathy toward the Rathari? Or was there shack dust in his eye? "Did you see anyone else at the scene?" He asked as he looked back to the lizard, eyes red around the edges. Arkash shook his head.
[indent=30]"Sorry, ser. I didn' see anyone."
[indent=30]The Argent sighed and nodded. "You were brave to venture into the Alley, Rathari," offered the knight. "But from now on, I think it's best you that report strange noises you hear without investigating for yourself. The night is dangerous."
[indent=30]Arkash sniffled and nodded. "...Is there anythin' else, Ser Argent?" The winged human shook his head, then began to stand.
[indent=30]"Thank you for your cooperation, Er..."
[indent=30]"...Arkash," he introduced himself at last, then offered a hand to his father, "And this is Cojack, my Dad."
[indent=30]"Right, thank you both," spoke the argent again. Arkash stood and walked to the door, where he opened it and made way for Knight. After he'd checked to make sure he had all his belongings, the Avialae was on his way. Only after his long cloak was all the way out the door did Arkash breathe a sigh of relief, and shut the door behind him.
[indent=30]Cojack watched the man through the crack in the wall but was otherwise silent until the shape of his form disappeared from his view. Arkash recollected his pale and brushed himself off before he looked to the older Rathari. Cojack looked to him in turn with a stern gaze. Arkash had told no one about what he'd seen that night until now, not even his father knew. Did Cojack even know about the killings? Arkash wasn't sure.
[indent=30]"I know why ya didn' tell me," croaked the horse with a clear of his throat. His expression was difficult to make out, a mixture of disappointment, upset, and faint anger. Arkash had been keeping things from him, after all. "Butcha know I'm always here if ya need to talk," there was something discerning in his voice as if he were inspecting Arkash.
[indent=30]"I just had t' keep workin', I knew you wouldn' want me out if ya knew there was killin's happenin'. Ya didn' need t' worry." That was the truth and the entirety of Arkash's reasoning for not telling him the false version of the story sooner. Cojack nodded in acceptance, though he maintained a discerning eye on the boy. Was something not sitting right?
[indent=30]"Why did ya lie t' the Argent?" He asked after a brief pause. Arkash hesitated. How did Cojack know he was lying? "Ya drool when you're upset, youer venom glands pour an' overflow youer mouth." Arkash's heart sank. "Now, I saw ya sniffling and tearin' up, but ya didn' drool a fleck, or slurp at all either." Indeed, Arkash was faking it, the majority of it, at least. But that didn't make him a liar, right? He was just saying what he needed to survive.
[indent=30]"It wasn' all a lie, Dad," Arkash explained, then paused. Did he tell his father that someone had threatened to kill him if he spoke of what he saw? No, that would end in his death and Cojack's extended fear. What could he say instead? "I did see two bodies in th' alley, but..." Think, Arkash, think. The last sentence had bought him some time. Cojack was staring in anticipation, ready to hear the lizard's story in full, a story he couldn't give him. "...I did see someone, in th' alley, I mean..."
[indent=30]"Why didn' ya tell the Knight?" Pleaded his father, who sounded quite distressed at this point.
[indent=30]Why didn't he? "...'cause... I thought he was going to kill me," emphasis on the 'he'. Ingeniously, Arkash had put someone else in the story in place of the woman. He hadn't blabbed about her, right? Technically not. "...'E saw me after I hurled, then fled. 'E knows my face, th' way I walk t' work. If 'e knew th' Argents 'ad been tipped off about a tall dark man, 'ed come after me for sure." So, Arkash wasn't directly threatened, he was just scared. That was surely less disruptive to the horse, right? Cojack wouldn't worry as much? Arkash looked to his father for confirmation; he looked as though he'd seen a ghost.
[indent=30]"My boy..." Cojack spoke as tears welled in his eyes. Arkash's heart sank, and he dropped the pale and walked to his father's side. There, he wrapped his arm around the old horse's shoulder again, and Cojack turned to fully hug the younger Rathari. Arkash returned the embrace. "You've been dealin' with so much... You kept it all away for my sake..." Cojack sobbed.
[indent=30]Arkash was... Uncomfortable. The past few weeks had been especially trying, and he found some sort of wall, a block between him and his empathy. Barry was right, he had been cold and distant recently. Was it some sort of defense mechanism? Whatever was missing in him, he couldn't return his father's tearful concerns.
[indent=30]"You've gotta talk to me more, Ark. I can't work, and I get ya can't stop, but all that stuff is gonna mess you up if ya keep it t' youerself." Arkash nodded and rubbed his father's back.
[indent=30]"I know, dad. I'll be more honest," he wouldn't. Cojack had caught him out on one of the skeletons in his closet, but it wouldn't happen again. He was still in control of the situation. "I promise."
[indent=30]Arkash swallowed. Yes, he'd seen them. But for the sake of his reply, it appeared as though he was referencing the rumors he'd mentioned. A brief nod followed the Knight's explanation, and Arkash continued to listen. The subject quite obviously made him uncomfortable, as his whole form sat tensely on the fur throws that was his bed.
[indent=30]"Have you encountered any of these murders, Rathari?"
[indent=30]Valris must have known that Arkash had been there. Why else would they be visiting? Did they somehow suspect that he'd been involved somehow? Or were they after the pale woman? Her words rang through his head; 'I do hope for the chance to meet you again, but I hope it isn't because you've blabbed about the lady that killed those poor thugs in an alley.' Was this what she meant? Did she somehow know he'd be questioned on the matter? If the argent knew he was there when those two men died, how could he lie?
[indent=30]"Rathari," spoke the knight again, and snapped Arkash from his daze.
[indent=30]"Huh?"
[indent=30]"I asked if you'd seen any of these murders take place."
[indent=30]"This isn't needed, ser Knight, my boy's-" Spoke Cojack, only to pause as Arkash shook his head at him. Cojack's eyes widened a little, but he spoke nothing else in Arkash's defense. The Argent's eyes fell back upon the lizard.
[indent=30]"I saw two," confessed the Rathari.
[indent=30]"And what did you see?" For the most part, it seemed that Valris didn't suspect Arkash of being the killer. Well, that was probably obvious considering he appeared as though he'd struggle to kill an old lady, let alone two fully grown men.
[indent=30]What did he see? "I..." Arkash covered his mouth as he thought of the bodies, the way they laid still in puddles of their own blood, the cold, clammy fluid that soaked his feet. Wait, was that how the Argent knew he was there? Surely, Arkash had trailed bloody footprints from the alley. There weren't any other Rathari in lower Nivenahin, not that he'd seen. And he doubted that there were many feral reptiles beyond the walls. Therefore, the knight must have found the only person in the city with tracks like his and traced him back to here. Perhaps he'd asked around?
[indent=30]"Take your time, you're safe now," spoke the knight, who'd made it abundantly clear that he didn't suspect Arkash at all. the fact that hey may have found some venom-laced vomit at the scene probably helped to enforce that.
[indent=30]"...I heard screaming, on my way to work... I dunno why, but I came runnin' an'..." He paused. That was already a deviation from the truth, but not too far. What happened next? He didn't see her. He didn't see the pale woman. "...By the time I got there, the screaming 'ad stopped. I called out t' see if anyone needed help, an' that's when I stepped in a puddle o' blood." Arkash forced a shudder, and he stared into the ground as though he were reliving the scene. To some degree he was, but his actions were heavily dramatized. "They were just, layin' there... Cut up in pieces. One of 'em 'ad nearly lost 'is 'ead, the other didn' 'ave arms." he drew a ragged breath and tears welled in his yellow eyes.
[indent=30]He turned his head to the Argent, who looked briefly into the Rath's watery eyes before he too looked away in discomfort. Arkash was selling it well. "They'd just been butchered, like animals... I'm ashamed t' admit I was so scared, I lost my lunch." Those were all things that the Knight-Argent knew, he was sure. And if he didn't, then he was sure to discover them at some point in the investigation.
[indent=30]The argent knight cleared his throat, then lifted a metal-wrapped finger to his eye where he wiped away a forming tear. Arkash hesitated. Did the Knight really feel that much empathy toward the Rathari? Or was there shack dust in his eye? "Did you see anyone else at the scene?" He asked as he looked back to the lizard, eyes red around the edges. Arkash shook his head.
[indent=30]"Sorry, ser. I didn' see anyone."
[indent=30]The Argent sighed and nodded. "You were brave to venture into the Alley, Rathari," offered the knight. "But from now on, I think it's best you that report strange noises you hear without investigating for yourself. The night is dangerous."
[indent=30]Arkash sniffled and nodded. "...Is there anythin' else, Ser Argent?" The winged human shook his head, then began to stand.
[indent=30]"Thank you for your cooperation, Er..."
[indent=30]"...Arkash," he introduced himself at last, then offered a hand to his father, "And this is Cojack, my Dad."
[indent=30]"Right, thank you both," spoke the argent again. Arkash stood and walked to the door, where he opened it and made way for Knight. After he'd checked to make sure he had all his belongings, the Avialae was on his way. Only after his long cloak was all the way out the door did Arkash breathe a sigh of relief, and shut the door behind him.
[indent=30]Cojack watched the man through the crack in the wall but was otherwise silent until the shape of his form disappeared from his view. Arkash recollected his pale and brushed himself off before he looked to the older Rathari. Cojack looked to him in turn with a stern gaze. Arkash had told no one about what he'd seen that night until now, not even his father knew. Did Cojack even know about the killings? Arkash wasn't sure.
[indent=30]"I know why ya didn' tell me," croaked the horse with a clear of his throat. His expression was difficult to make out, a mixture of disappointment, upset, and faint anger. Arkash had been keeping things from him, after all. "Butcha know I'm always here if ya need to talk," there was something discerning in his voice as if he were inspecting Arkash.
[indent=30]"I just had t' keep workin', I knew you wouldn' want me out if ya knew there was killin's happenin'. Ya didn' need t' worry." That was the truth and the entirety of Arkash's reasoning for not telling him the false version of the story sooner. Cojack nodded in acceptance, though he maintained a discerning eye on the boy. Was something not sitting right?
[indent=30]"Why did ya lie t' the Argent?" He asked after a brief pause. Arkash hesitated. How did Cojack know he was lying? "Ya drool when you're upset, youer venom glands pour an' overflow youer mouth." Arkash's heart sank. "Now, I saw ya sniffling and tearin' up, but ya didn' drool a fleck, or slurp at all either." Indeed, Arkash was faking it, the majority of it, at least. But that didn't make him a liar, right? He was just saying what he needed to survive.
[indent=30]"It wasn' all a lie, Dad," Arkash explained, then paused. Did he tell his father that someone had threatened to kill him if he spoke of what he saw? No, that would end in his death and Cojack's extended fear. What could he say instead? "I did see two bodies in th' alley, but..." Think, Arkash, think. The last sentence had bought him some time. Cojack was staring in anticipation, ready to hear the lizard's story in full, a story he couldn't give him. "...I did see someone, in th' alley, I mean..."
[indent=30]"Why didn' ya tell the Knight?" Pleaded his father, who sounded quite distressed at this point.
[indent=30]Why didn't he? "...'cause... I thought he was going to kill me," emphasis on the 'he'. Ingeniously, Arkash had put someone else in the story in place of the woman. He hadn't blabbed about her, right? Technically not. "...'E saw me after I hurled, then fled. 'E knows my face, th' way I walk t' work. If 'e knew th' Argents 'ad been tipped off about a tall dark man, 'ed come after me for sure." So, Arkash wasn't directly threatened, he was just scared. That was surely less disruptive to the horse, right? Cojack wouldn't worry as much? Arkash looked to his father for confirmation; he looked as though he'd seen a ghost.
[indent=30]"My boy..." Cojack spoke as tears welled in his eyes. Arkash's heart sank, and he dropped the pale and walked to his father's side. There, he wrapped his arm around the old horse's shoulder again, and Cojack turned to fully hug the younger Rathari. Arkash returned the embrace. "You've been dealin' with so much... You kept it all away for my sake..." Cojack sobbed.
[indent=30]Arkash was... Uncomfortable. The past few weeks had been especially trying, and he found some sort of wall, a block between him and his empathy. Barry was right, he had been cold and distant recently. Was it some sort of defense mechanism? Whatever was missing in him, he couldn't return his father's tearful concerns.
[indent=30]"You've gotta talk to me more, Ark. I can't work, and I get ya can't stop, but all that stuff is gonna mess you up if ya keep it t' youerself." Arkash nodded and rubbed his father's back.
[indent=30]"I know, dad. I'll be more honest," he wouldn't. Cojack had caught him out on one of the skeletons in his closet, but it wouldn't happen again. He was still in control of the situation. "I promise."