Reply to thread

Message

<blockquote data-quote="ellinor" data-source="post: 5350713" data-attributes="member: 14561">15x04&quot;It is a forgery,&quot; Nyoko announced, straightening up from a close examination of The Lady's Ways.&nbsp; &quot;A very, very fine forgery.&nbsp; I doubt even I would have noticed the telltale details if I hadn't been primed to look for them—&quot;&quot;What are the details?&quot; Mena asked. Nyoko pulled one of the other books from the collection across the reading table.&nbsp; &quot;This is definitively in the hand of Lady Nishi's father,&quot; she said.&nbsp; &quot;Note the ascenders on the 'H's—do you see the pen flick here?&nbsp; And here?&nbsp; Now compare…&quot; She pointed to a letter in The Lady's Ways.&nbsp; &quot;No flick.&nbsp; Also, Lady Nishi's father closes his 'A' more decisively—you see?&nbsp; Here.&nbsp; And here.&nbsp; By Kettenek, it is remarkably well done...&quot;Mena and Twiggy were both bent over Nyoko, following her pointing finger.&nbsp; Kormick, standing nearby, cracked his back, which felt tight just watching them.&nbsp; He had always thought that one of the worst parts of this whole Justicar business was the occasional need to squint for hours at dusty law books while Brother Scribe exhorted him to memorize comically narrow and specific definitions of self-defense…as if &quot;I had to get him before he got me&quot; wasn't good enough for Kettenek.&quot;Kawazu-san?&quot; called Nyoko.&nbsp; The man was standing by the door once more, chaperoning the books.&nbsp; &quot;Yes, Honored Adept?&quot;&quot;Has any Adept been attached to this household in the last year?&quot;&quot;No, Honored Adept.&quot;&quot;What about other professional artisans?&nbsp; Anyone with the skills to copy this?&quot;&quot;No, Honored Adept.&nbsp; Lady Nishi’s father was a rare talent, and lived all the way across the Ketkath from here.&nbsp; There is no one in this area with his skill.&quot;&quot;An amateur couldn't do this,&quot; said Nyoko.&nbsp; &quot;This is Adept-quality work.&quot;&quot;So whoever planted this forgery was either was an Adept, or had the money to buy one,&quot; Kormick said. &quot;Assuming we're correct that Lord Nishi is too dense to have arranged this himself, we'd better not cross Lady Nishi off the list, since she has money and access.&quot;&quot;No motive, though,&quot; mused Mena.&nbsp; There was a knock on the library door.&nbsp; Kawazu opened the door and a small, matronly woman stepped in. &quot;Inquisitors,&quot; said Kawazu, &quot;Housekeeper Rin awaits your pleasure.&quot;&quot;Very timely,&quot; said Kormick.&nbsp; &quot;Seneschal, would you mind giving us some privacy?&quot;The man frowned.&nbsp; &quot;I cannot.&nbsp; My duties to my Lord's books—&quot; &quot;Yes, yes, at any moment Twiggy over there might ignite a fireball that consumes your Lord's collection.&nbsp; Keep a wary eye.&quot;&nbsp; Kormick ignored Twiggy's gasp of outrage at the very thought.&nbsp; Instead, he took Rin's arm and marched her out of the room.&nbsp; &quot;Where can we talk?&quot; he asked the startled woman.She pointed shakily to a door across the hall.Kormick—and Nyoko, Mena, and Savina—followed the woman into a small sitting room.&nbsp; Rin bustled through the room, muttering while she straightened cushions:&nbsp; &quot;This room, the maids have been negligent, I'm so sorry, I've no wish to annoy the Inquisition—&quot;Kormick noticed Nyoko rubbing her eyebrow as if suffering from a fairly severe itch, and he took the hint.&nbsp; &quot;Rin,&quot; he said.&nbsp; &quot;In a long line of things that have annoyed the Inquisition on this trip, you are but the latest.&nbsp; Be still.&quot;Immediately, Nyoko looked like her world made more sense, and Rin came to a stop.&nbsp; Surprisingly, however, she didn't really look intimidated.&nbsp; She was studying them curiously, and as she came to Savina, she caught sight of Savina's holy symbol and brightened.&nbsp; &quot;So it's true!&quot; she said.&nbsp; &quot;An Alirrian Inquisitor!&nbsp; The girls downstairs were talking, but then again last week they were in a frenzy because they'd heard Kawazu-san got drunk, imagine that!&nbsp; Drunk with the common soldiers, brawling in the yard, not a word of it true.&nbsp; But you're an Alirrian?&quot;&quot;I am,&quot; said Savina.&nbsp; Kormick sensed that she was about to start talking about flowers and praying again.&nbsp; He hadn't really minded when she'd done it earlier—in fact, for some reason, it had reminded him unexpectedly of his sister—but he didn't want to take the time now.&nbsp; He cut in.&quot;We need to know how Lady Nishi's father's library got here from his estate after he died,&quot; he said.&quot;I packed it all up,&quot; said Rin.&nbsp; &quot;Let me see.&nbsp; Suzu and Yuki helped me—or was it Emi?&nbsp; It was Emi, yes, because Suzu's boy was sick that night and—&quot;&quot;But you were in charge,&quot; interrupted Kormick.&nbsp; &quot;Of course,&quot; she said.&quot;And do you remember packing one book in particular?&nbsp; The Lady's Ways?&quot;&quot;That's the one that's causing all the trouble?&nbsp; I've thought about that, and I can't say that I do remember it.&nbsp; But I can't say that I would have remembered it, either.&nbsp; We were all half out of our minds, it was such a sad time.&nbsp; My Lady's father was a good man.&quot;&quot;Did he practice this rite?&quot;Rin laughed, shaking her head.&nbsp; &quot;No, no,&quot; she said.&nbsp; &quot;We'd never heard of it then, you see.&nbsp; Anyway he couldn't have done it—back before the Affirmation, you know, it wasn't safe for anyone to know that the family was Alirrian, and if he'd done that, well, people would have known.&nbsp; Such pretty books he made, too, you know, but he never showed them off.&nbsp; He couldn't.&nbsp; The Inquisition would have—&quot; She caught herself, looking scared and apologetic.&nbsp; &quot;We understand,&quot; said Mena.&nbsp; &quot;You're saying Lady Nishi grew up in an atmosphere of fear and secrecy until the Affirmation arrived.&quot;&quot;It didn't stop there,&quot; Rin said, shaking her head. &quot;Her father never changed.&nbsp; He thought the Affirmation was a trick to flush out the heretics so they could all be killed at once.&nbsp; He nearly disowned Lady Nishi when she told everyone she was Alirrian.&nbsp; She made it a condition of her marriage, you know.&nbsp; Lord Nishi had to convert.&quot;&quot;She was very brave to take that stand,&quot; said Mena.&nbsp; &quot;Did she share her father's artistic abilities?&quot;&quot;Well, I always thought she had a good eye, and I told her so many a time, but no, she wasn't interested.&quot;&quot;And how do you think she feels about this rite?&quot; continued Mena.&nbsp; Rin was proving to be a very useful source for verifying Lady Nishi's honesty, and Kormick found her convincing.&nbsp; He was ready to cross both Lady Nishi and Rin off his list of suspects. Infuriatingly, he wasn't sure that there was anyone else on his list of suspects.&nbsp; Yet.Rin glanced at the door as if to make sure it was shut.&nbsp; &quot;Between you and me,&quot; she said, &quot;it's a terrible strain on the marriage.&nbsp; And the marriage wasn't perfect to begin with.&nbsp; Lord Nishi—&quot; she lowered her voice—&quot;is not the brightest star in the sky, if you know what I mean.&quot;&quot;Indeed, he is not the sharpest crane… crane's bill… in the flock,&quot; agreed Kormick, stumbling with relief into a decent metaphor after an inauspicious start.&nbsp; Rin nodded in satisfaction.&nbsp; &quot;I have one more question,&quot; said Savina.&nbsp; &quot;If Lady Nishi had never heard of the rite, and you hadn't—then who told Lord Nishi about it?&quot;Rin blinked.&nbsp; &quot;Ponoko-san,&quot; she said.&nbsp; &quot;It must have been.&quot;&quot;And that is?&quot;&quot;Our priestess,&quot; said Rin.&nbsp; &quot;She doesn't just lead our services, of course.&nbsp; She advises Lord Nishi about the ways of Alirria.&quot;Aaand…we have a new suspect, thought Kormick.&nbsp; He turned to Savina.&nbsp; &quot;You're still dangerously naïve,&quot; he told her. &quot;Don't forget that.&nbsp; But that was a nicely pertinent question to ask.&quot; &quot;Not that an Alirrian priestess would be behind such a terrible crime, of course,&quot; said Savina with dangerous naïveté.&nbsp; &quot;Still, we should probably talk to her.&quot; &quot;Yes,&quot; agreed Kormick, sharing a dark glance with Mena.&nbsp; &quot;We probably should.&quot;</blockquote>

[QUOTE="ellinor, post: 5350713, member: 14561"] [b]15x04[/b] "It is a forgery," Nyoko announced, straightening up from a close examination of [i]The Lady's Ways[/i]. "A very, very fine forgery. I doubt even I would have noticed the telltale details if I hadn't been primed to look for them—" "What are the details?" Mena asked. Nyoko pulled one of the other books from the collection across the reading table. "This is definitively in the hand of Lady Nishi's father," she said. "Note the ascenders on the 'H's—do you see the pen flick here? And here? Now compare…" She pointed to a letter in [i]The Lady's Ways[/i]. "No flick. Also, Lady Nishi's father closes his 'A' more decisively—you see? Here. And here. By Kettenek, it is remarkably well done..." Mena and Twiggy were both bent over Nyoko, following her pointing finger. Kormick, standing nearby, cracked his back, which felt tight just watching them. He had always thought that one of the worst parts of this whole Justicar business was the occasional need to squint for hours at dusty law books while Brother Scribe exhorted him to memorize comically narrow and specific definitions of self-defense…[i]as if "I had to get him before he got me" wasn't good enough for Kettenek.[/i] "Kawazu-san?" called Nyoko. The man was standing by the door once more, chaperoning the books. "Yes, Honored Adept?" "Has any Adept been attached to this household in the last year?" "No, Honored Adept." "What about other professional artisans? Anyone with the skills to copy this?" "No, Honored Adept. Lady Nishi’s father was a rare talent, and lived all the way across the Ketkath from here. There is no one in this area with his skill." "An amateur couldn't do this," said Nyoko. "This is Adept-quality work." "So whoever planted this forgery was either was an Adept, or had the money to buy one," Kormick said. "Assuming we're correct that Lord Nishi is too dense to have arranged this himself, we'd better not cross Lady Nishi off the list, since she has money and access." "No motive, though," mused Mena. There was a knock on the library door. Kawazu opened the door and a small, matronly woman stepped in. "Inquisitors," said Kawazu, "Housekeeper Rin awaits your pleasure." "Very timely," said Kormick. "Seneschal, would you mind giving us some privacy?" The man frowned. "I cannot. My duties to my Lord's books—" "Yes, yes, at any moment Twiggy over there might ignite a fireball that consumes your Lord's collection. Keep a wary eye." Kormick ignored Twiggy's gasp of outrage at the very thought. Instead, he took Rin's arm and marched her out of the room. "Where can we talk?" he asked the startled woman. She pointed shakily to a door across the hall. Kormick—and Nyoko, Mena, and Savina—followed the woman into a small sitting room. Rin bustled through the room, muttering while she straightened cushions: "This room, the maids have been negligent, I'm so sorry, I've no wish to annoy the Inquisition—" Kormick noticed Nyoko rubbing her eyebrow as if suffering from a fairly severe itch, and he took the hint. "Rin," he said. "In a long line of things that have annoyed the Inquisition on this trip, you are but the latest. Be still." Immediately, Nyoko looked like her world made more sense, and Rin came to a stop. Surprisingly, however, she didn't really look intimidated. She was studying them curiously, and as she came to Savina, she caught sight of Savina's holy symbol and brightened. "So it's true!" she said. "An Alirrian Inquisitor! The girls downstairs were talking, but then again last week they were in a frenzy because they'd heard Kawazu-san got drunk, imagine that! Drunk with the common soldiers, brawling in the yard, not a word of it true. But you're an Alirrian?" "I am," said Savina. Kormick sensed that she was about to start talking about flowers and praying again. He hadn't really minded when she'd done it earlier—in fact, for some reason, it had reminded him unexpectedly of his sister—but he didn't want to take the time now. He cut in. "We need to know how Lady Nishi's father's library got here from his estate after he died," he said. "I packed it all up," said Rin. "Let me see. Suzu and Yuki helped me—or was it Emi? It was Emi, yes, because Suzu's boy was sick that night and—" "But you were in charge," interrupted Kormick. "Of course," she said. "And do you remember packing one book in particular? [i]The Lady's Ways[/i]?" "That's the one that's causing all the trouble? I've thought about that, and I can't say that I [i]do[/i] remember it. But I can't say that I would have remembered it, either. We were all half out of our minds, it was such a sad time. My Lady's father was a good man." "Did he practice this rite?" Rin laughed, shaking her head. "No, no," she said. "We'd never heard of it then, you see. Anyway he couldn't have done it—back before the Affirmation, you know, it wasn't safe for anyone to know that the family was Alirrian, and if he'd done [i]that[/i], well, people would have known. Such pretty books he made, too, you know, but he never showed them off. He couldn't. The Inquisition would have—" She caught herself, looking scared and apologetic. "We understand," said Mena. "You're saying Lady Nishi grew up in an atmosphere of fear and secrecy until the Affirmation arrived." "It didn't stop there," Rin said, shaking her head. "Her father never changed. He thought the Affirmation was a trick to flush out the heretics so they could all be killed at once. He nearly disowned Lady Nishi when she told everyone she was Alirrian. She made it a condition of her marriage, you know. Lord Nishi had to convert." "She was very brave to take that stand," said Mena. "Did she share her father's artistic abilities?" "Well, I always thought she had a good eye, and I told her so many a time, but no, she wasn't interested." "And how do you think she feels about this rite?" continued Mena. Rin was proving to be a very useful source for verifying Lady Nishi's honesty, and Kormick found her convincing. He was ready to cross both Lady Nishi and Rin off his list of suspects. Infuriatingly, he wasn't sure that there was anyone else [i]on[/i] his list of suspects. Yet. Rin glanced at the door as if to make sure it was shut. "Between you and me," she said, "it's a terrible strain on the marriage. And the marriage wasn't perfect to begin with. Lord Nishi—" she lowered her voice—"is not the brightest star in the sky, if you know what I mean." "Indeed, he is not the sharpest crane… crane's bill… in the flock," agreed Kormick, stumbling with relief into a decent metaphor after an inauspicious start. Rin nodded in satisfaction. "I have one more question," said Savina. "If Lady Nishi had never heard of the rite, and you hadn't—then who told Lord Nishi about it?" Rin blinked. "Ponoko-san," she said. "It must have been." "And that is?" "Our priestess," said Rin. "She doesn't just lead our services, of course. She advises Lord Nishi about the ways of Alirria." [i]Aaand…we have a new suspect,[/i] thought Kormick. He turned to Savina. "You're [i]still[/i] dangerously naïve," he told her. "Don't forget that. But that was a nicely pertinent question to ask." "Not that an Alirrian priestess would be behind such a terrible crime, of course," said Savina with dangerous naïveté. "Still, we should probably talk to her." "Yes," agreed Kormick, sharing a dark glance with Mena. "We probably should." [/QUOTE]

Verification