"Thank you," Antimony spoke into the linkpearl. Then she hesitated, pursing her lips and lifting her chin slightly at the nunh and the Sultansworn. "He won't have any trouble getting back in will he?" Her tone suggested that there was a correct answer to that question.
"No," answered D'themia Nunh, keeping his very serious but not ungracious, dark eyes on Antimony. "I must admit that the names Amaury Carceri, Lamandu Tyremandu, and Antimony Jhanhi have been known to me seperately before today. Never had they occurred together, though, and I would not have expected to see all your faces in one place."
"It's unsettling." The Sultansworn Hyur said, his own eyes set on Lamandu, and not in a very friendly way. "You say, Captain, that you are merely assisting the C.R.A.? But how do you explain-"
"Please," D'themia turned, extending a hand out beside him to block Bayard Learner's words. The Sultansworn shifted his glare to the Miqo'te, but D'themia Nunh said very smoothly, very gravely, "Let us not overwhelm the situation with disjointed details. I believe that we have been brought a tale, and evidence." Â The man beckoned to Antimony and Lamandu, "Come and share with us what you have prepared."
Meanwhile, D'edy Nunh continued to balance on the precarious windowsill, humming happily and swinging his arms to maintain balance. Every once in awhile he would spin to test himself. The shadow he threw across the room undercut the dire air which had predominated before his arrival, and the huntresses seemed annoyed by this. Reluctantly, the dandelion-haired woman separated herself from the wall, sneaking towards the window and hissing as quietly as she could manage, "D'edy! Stop it! You're going to fall!"
"This," Antimony hesitated, adjusted her grip on her bag with its sensitive papers, and cast a short glance towards the Sultansworn, "is not quite something meant for public eyes." Though there couldn't be much harm in a servant to the Sultana overhearing it, right? Her tail shifted along with her ears. "The CRA was commissioned for an investigation into suspicious financial matters regarding the Brass Blades here, and our investigation has come to you, or your tribe."
His eyes widening for just a moment, as his head snapped away from the sultansworn to Antimony beside him. "These are matters to be -privately- discussed with the Dodo tribe head, D'themia. Do not say anything more regarding the matter until then Antimony." The daft woman had practically just thrown him under the bus, 'suspicious financial matters regarding the Brass Blades here'. What other Brass Blade was here? And with the white-knight bastard two feet from them.
"Oh, yes," D'themia nodded, sounding thoughtfully mocking. "Commissioned to investigate."
"The time for privacy is over, Lamandu!" Bayard pointed angrily, his voice rising to a shout and his armor clattering with the effort. "I have a pile of corpses and no explanation! Starting now, you're under investigation!"
D'edy stopped cold in his tracks as he walked along the window, head popping up, body going rigid. "What! Corpses?" At that moment, his foot slipped and he had to catch his balance, arms and tail windmilling in the attempt. The dandelion-headed huntresses flew into motion, jumping forward, shouting his name, and extending her arms to catch him. Just as she was about to catch him, though, D'edy Nunh' balance righted as though it had never been lost, he knocked the huntresses' arms aside and leaned forward to kiss the unsuspecting woman on the lips. She squeaked in surprise and went rigid.
All of which fell below the attention of D'themia Nunh and Bayard Learner.
"Corpses?" Antimony echoed, green eyes blinking rapidly as her furrowed brow lifted. "That... I've nothing to speak on regarding corpses! Just... money." She shifted her weight to one foot, was briefly distracted by the so-called nunh cavorting in the background, and then cleared her throat before adding, "I can only discuss this in the presence of assigned parties. This, ah, Mister... Learner...?"
"It seems we are here about entirely different matters all together then. I do not know what investigation you are talking Learner, if you wish to talk about that with me, we can do so at another time." Lamandu's tone held a sharp edge, caught by surprise as he was by the insinuating sultansworn.
The dandelion-headed huntress remained stock-still where D'edy Nunh had caught her lips with his own, the thin man teetering on meager partition that fronted the window. When the huntress cam back to herself, she snapped back, hiss and threw a fist at D'edy Nunh. The man's thin tail flipped about for balance as he evaded the punch, leaning out the window.
"Your reluctance to discuss your business in front of me is noted." Bayard Learner crossed his arms over his chest with a heavy metallic clank, looking no happier. His anger had cooled, and his voice carried a threatening tone. "I will be noting in paperwork as well."
D'edy fell out of the window with a small, panicked yelp. The huntress that had punched screeched when she realized what she'd done, her tail puffing out to an incredible circumference -- even the hair on her head seeming to spread as the ears concealed beneath it shot up -- and threw herself forward to try and catch him. Just as she leaned oout the window in a panicked attempt to catch the Nunh, D'edy pulled himself back into the room and kissed her again.
D'themia Nunh gestured to the Sultansworn. "My friend here is excitable but an honest enforcer of law. If you trust one man in this room, Antimony Jhanhi, let it be him. As for the Brass Blade..."
The puffy-haired huntress fell backwards into the room. "Thal take you, D'edy." Her face flashed bright red in humiliation before she crossed her arms over her head and rolled onto her stomach to press her face against the floor. D'edy Nunh left her like that, jumping over her and running towards the exit, laughing loudly and throwing his arms out to either side.
Bayard finished for him, "He will need to accept that this is outside of his control, and that it is very unlikely that he will leave here with his career intact. If you truly do not want to be involved in my investigation, I suggest you present what you came her to present. Otherwise I'll have to assume it's connected."
As D'edy ran past the center of the room, D'themia Nunh spun suddenly and caught the man by his neck, slamming him on the floor hard. The larger man's voice darkened as he shouted, "D'edy Nunh! Be quiet!"
"Ow," the man pouted, his fluffy ears laying forward and pushing his hair in front of his eyes.
D'themia shouted again, "Quiet!"
D'edy Nunh kicked his skinny legs. "But you're all just talking about money and boring stuff!"
Lamandu ws still in the dark about why the Sultansworn were here, and apparently about matters that they thought he was detrimentally involved in, "I do not take kindly to threats, Learner. If you must continue to do so, tell me at least what you are threatening me over. As I said, I am only here to assist Miss Jhanhi in her investigation, as she has run into hurdles that required local enforcement to see through."
The ruckus going on the rest of the room was just background noise to him, as any relaxation that the wine afforded him was sapped by all the antagonism he had found in this day.
Antimony gradually became aware that her mouth was gaping, her eyes having been impossibly drawn to the spectacle D'edy and the dandelion head had made of themselves. When D'themia and the Sultansworn spoke, the older woman only stood there agog for several seconds, blinking at the man pinned to the floor. Then her ears and tail shook, she coughed, and blurted out, "He is a nunh?!"
She very nearly clapped her hands over her mouth at that unintended exclamation, but managed to keep them rooted to her bag. She coughed again, ears shifting back, and stammered out, "I mean, that is, of--of course he... Aah! Perhaps... perhaps I should just get down to it! Yes, yes, I'll do just that..." She could feel a heat in her face as she dropped her eyes to rummage in her bag for a particular set of papers.
D'themia Nunh sighed, relaxing his grip on D'edy. "Finally. Let's see-"
"I said I was a Nunh!" D'edy popped up to his feet as soon as he had half a chance. "Or, I thought I did." The larger Nunh growled at him, but D'edy appeared clueless as to why, looking behind himself to see if D'themia was perhaps growling at someone else.
"You claim to not know," the Sultansworn said, annoyance still on his tongue. "There were multiple deaths near the Ossuary last night, and one of the Blades under your command has been arrested under suspicion. I come here investigating this, and then you appear with this woman? Too much coincidence for my taste. For your sake I hope your business is as innocuous as you claim."
Thin brows snapped together, "Who was it? None of this has been reported back down to me, unless... Just tell me who, I believe that I have an idea though." It had to be Lou, she had been on suspension ever since she had locked herself in the jail sometime ago now, but he would rather hear it from the Sultansworn first.
"Multiple deaths," Antimony echoed weakly, ears dropping as she retrieved her sought after papers. She shuffled them in her hands and failed at becoming any less flustered, "That... I don't have any idea what you're referring to! This is only--" She flicked her eyes between D'themia and the Sultansworn, "--only a matter of money! Not murder or any... such thing."
The papers were straight enough. She hoped they were in the proper order. Her arm extended towards D'themia Nunh with the papers; the Commerce Regulation Agency's seal glared in a spot of prominence upon the top page. "The formal accusation, sir. Your accounts have been found connected to a series of monetary transactions using ghost companies to Brass Blade officers."
"Oh, that's troubling." D'themia Nunh reached out and took the papers, his clawed hands curling over them as he pulled them to his chest and moved to sit down. "I wonder which officers they are, and which of my companies do not exist which I thought did?" He opened the papers and began to look through them, calmly. He had a few seconds of peace before D'edy Nunh joined him on the seat, landing hard and smacking his body against the other man's.
"Are we in trouble?" D'edy said, looking at the paperwork. His question won him rolled eyes, a grown, and then he was ignored.
Bayard Learner considered Lamandu for a long, quiet moment. "Desfosse. And don't pretend she has been out of contact."
"The numbers I have collected do not lie," as Antimony spoke, she felt the wild hair from a moment earlier begin to fade, though Lamandu and the Sultansworn's interaction continued to disturb her. Miss Desfosse had been involved in murder...?
But she'd already stepped into the waters with D'themia; that required now her full attention, however difficult it may be to give. Pursing her lips, Antimony added, "I require access to your financial records, and I recommend cooperation."
Feeling more of a direct threat by way of Learner, Lamandu stepped towards him, off to the side of the conversation that Antimony had so long sought out. Lowering his voice he said, "Yes, as soon as you spoke of that, she was who came to mind. Loughree Desfosse has been on indefinite suspension, pending a reassessment of her mental fitness for duty. What you are talking about now, has not been brought to attention and she was not due to check back in with us for another few days. I may have information pertinent to her behavior, though."
"You will be given your chance to cooperate." the Sultansworn kept his head high and spoke in a lofty tone.
D'edy, reading over D'themia's shoulder, pointed at the page. "What's this one?"
"That is a rare goods procurement agency," D'themia glanced at the thinner man and indicated something on the page. "It's a legitimate business, but see this number's just a bit too high for Antimony's liking."
"Oh. And what's this one?"
"That's nothing. It's empty page. Nothing is written there."
"Ah hah. And what's-"
D'themia pulled the page away from him. "Stop it." Ignoring D'edy's silent protests, the larger Nunh turned his gaze on Antimony. "Perhaps your numbers do not lie, and perhaps I will cooperate, but I am not sure it is you whom I will cooperate with. Learner!" D'themia lifted the pages. "I would have the Sultansworn's eyes here so that justice and truth can be known."
"You could not have avoided our involvement, Dodo." The Sultansworn stepped away from Lamandu. "What is this regarding?"
"Fraudulent accounts and bribery." D'themia's passive gaze remained on Antimony. "According to Antimony and Lamandu, my tribe is quite the corrupt entity."
The lalafell frowns, not liking to be ignored, almost as much as he disliked being threatened, but not having a choice he joined the now dominating conversation at hand, "I do have a warrant on my person for the records, but it should be noted that actual cooperation would be looked more kindly on, down the road."
Antimony folded her hands over one another on her satchel and nodded at Lamandu's words, though she kept her eyes on D'themia. She hoped she didn't look to anxious or over-eager; she certainly felt the former. The nunh's rough features were rather difficult to read as he perused the summary she'd given him, but she could predict the likely defensiveness. Swallowing, she tapped the fingers of one hand against those of her other.
"Captain Tyremandu is correct. The evidence is there that someone with direct control of the Dodo tribe's finances was funneling gil through a number of businesses that no longer exist, all on Ruby Road, money that was then collected by Brass Blade members as part of their, er, standard local taxation. Now," she pulled her posture up tight, "where might I begin?"
"You might begin by waiting," the Sultansworn answered, taking the papers from D'themia and turning his eyes on them.
D'edy frowned up at him, "What's with all the waiting? This would be exciting if everyone wasn't being so cordial."
"Stop it," D'themia grabbed the other Nunh by his ear, pulling him off center and making him fall sideways.
"Cordiality is not my concern. Even if this fraud is authentic," the Sultansworn gave the two Nunhs a biting look, "And if it is an authentic fraud, we will discern so and prosecute accordingly," before looking back to the pages, "It does not excuse the incredible conflict of interest and sheer convenience of the timing. I'm afraid I have to assume that these two issues are inextricable."
From where he lay on his side, D'edy Nunh whined, "What's inextricable mean? This isn't fair! I don't understand!"
"Conflict of interest?" Antimony managed offense in your tone and expression - not a particularly difficult feat. The nerve! "Sultansworn Learner, the Commerce Regulation Agency is a nonpartisan regulatory body. We have no special interest in this case beyond investigating it as a potential fraud."
"And the incident last night is only related in that Desfosse, a suspect has a connection with my office; I think you are reading too far into things, Learner. Be that as it may, this is a CRA investigation, it is not the Sultansworn to prosecute." Lamandu reasoned, getting only more unhappy with Learner's presence the longer he is in it.
Frowning deeper and exhaling a loud huff, Bayard Learner turned on Antimony and Lamandu. "You must think that I do not pay very close attention. It's possible that this fraud is a ruse to discredit D'themia, based on the fact that your investigation is the brainchild of one D'hein Tia, who would become Nunh if D'themia were incarcerated."
D'themia Nunh leaned forward, clicking his claws together. "Being Nunh of this tribe means being in control of its fiscal resources, so D'hein Tia would gain a great deal of wealth were he to stage a successful coupe, though he is too cowardly to challenge me outright. D'hein Tia is also the man responsible for releasing Amaury Carceri from prison prematurely, and putting him to work on this case."
"Antimony Jhanhi," the Sultansworn lowered his papers. "Loughree Desfosse spent several nights in your inn room recently. You and D'hein both also have a very close relationship with D'aijeen Thalen, whom was the person that brought the incident to our attention shortly before dawn this morning."
D'edy Nunh stood and began to pace the room, smiling. "Ah, that's the interesting stuff! And she looks just like D'ahl, remember!"
"By way of explanation," D'themia said, keeping his gaze on Antimony. "Very early this morning, D'aijeen went to the Sultansworn for help and brought them to D'ahl's body. D'ahl was terribly mutilated, as though from an animal attack. Given everything we know about your relationship with D'aijeen, the fact that you've made yourself look so like D'ahl, and that you had a very audible altercation with D'ahl inside this very Commune, more than a few members of this tribe assume you have something to do with her death."
"Furthermore," Learner said, addressing his words to Lamandu. "Four bodies were found nearby where the Dodo woman was killed, all dead refugees, and your Loughree Desfosse is the primary suspect. Given everything I've explained, it would be ludicrous for me to assume the crimes unrelated. And now you all appear together to level charges of fraud against the chief rival of D'hein Tia."
"Yes!" D'edy shouted, happily, spinning and giving Antimony a broad smile and a fast nod. "I told you it would be interesting! What's going to happen now?" His fluffy ears stood straight up, his thin tail swinging fast behind him.
"No," answered D'themia Nunh, keeping his very serious but not ungracious, dark eyes on Antimony. "I must admit that the names Amaury Carceri, Lamandu Tyremandu, and Antimony Jhanhi have been known to me seperately before today. Never had they occurred together, though, and I would not have expected to see all your faces in one place."
"It's unsettling." The Sultansworn Hyur said, his own eyes set on Lamandu, and not in a very friendly way. "You say, Captain, that you are merely assisting the C.R.A.? But how do you explain-"
"Please," D'themia turned, extending a hand out beside him to block Bayard Learner's words. The Sultansworn shifted his glare to the Miqo'te, but D'themia Nunh said very smoothly, very gravely, "Let us not overwhelm the situation with disjointed details. I believe that we have been brought a tale, and evidence." Â The man beckoned to Antimony and Lamandu, "Come and share with us what you have prepared."
Meanwhile, D'edy Nunh continued to balance on the precarious windowsill, humming happily and swinging his arms to maintain balance. Every once in awhile he would spin to test himself. The shadow he threw across the room undercut the dire air which had predominated before his arrival, and the huntresses seemed annoyed by this. Reluctantly, the dandelion-haired woman separated herself from the wall, sneaking towards the window and hissing as quietly as she could manage, "D'edy! Stop it! You're going to fall!"
"This," Antimony hesitated, adjusted her grip on her bag with its sensitive papers, and cast a short glance towards the Sultansworn, "is not quite something meant for public eyes." Though there couldn't be much harm in a servant to the Sultana overhearing it, right? Her tail shifted along with her ears. "The CRA was commissioned for an investigation into suspicious financial matters regarding the Brass Blades here, and our investigation has come to you, or your tribe."
His eyes widening for just a moment, as his head snapped away from the sultansworn to Antimony beside him. "These are matters to be -privately- discussed with the Dodo tribe head, D'themia. Do not say anything more regarding the matter until then Antimony." The daft woman had practically just thrown him under the bus, 'suspicious financial matters regarding the Brass Blades here'. What other Brass Blade was here? And with the white-knight bastard two feet from them.
"Oh, yes," D'themia nodded, sounding thoughtfully mocking. "Commissioned to investigate."
"The time for privacy is over, Lamandu!" Bayard pointed angrily, his voice rising to a shout and his armor clattering with the effort. "I have a pile of corpses and no explanation! Starting now, you're under investigation!"
D'edy stopped cold in his tracks as he walked along the window, head popping up, body going rigid. "What! Corpses?" At that moment, his foot slipped and he had to catch his balance, arms and tail windmilling in the attempt. The dandelion-headed huntresses flew into motion, jumping forward, shouting his name, and extending her arms to catch him. Just as she was about to catch him, though, D'edy Nunh' balance righted as though it had never been lost, he knocked the huntresses' arms aside and leaned forward to kiss the unsuspecting woman on the lips. She squeaked in surprise and went rigid.
All of which fell below the attention of D'themia Nunh and Bayard Learner.
"Corpses?" Antimony echoed, green eyes blinking rapidly as her furrowed brow lifted. "That... I've nothing to speak on regarding corpses! Just... money." She shifted her weight to one foot, was briefly distracted by the so-called nunh cavorting in the background, and then cleared her throat before adding, "I can only discuss this in the presence of assigned parties. This, ah, Mister... Learner...?"
"It seems we are here about entirely different matters all together then. I do not know what investigation you are talking Learner, if you wish to talk about that with me, we can do so at another time." Lamandu's tone held a sharp edge, caught by surprise as he was by the insinuating sultansworn.
The dandelion-headed huntress remained stock-still where D'edy Nunh had caught her lips with his own, the thin man teetering on meager partition that fronted the window. When the huntress cam back to herself, she snapped back, hiss and threw a fist at D'edy Nunh. The man's thin tail flipped about for balance as he evaded the punch, leaning out the window.
"Your reluctance to discuss your business in front of me is noted." Bayard Learner crossed his arms over his chest with a heavy metallic clank, looking no happier. His anger had cooled, and his voice carried a threatening tone. "I will be noting in paperwork as well."
D'edy fell out of the window with a small, panicked yelp. The huntress that had punched screeched when she realized what she'd done, her tail puffing out to an incredible circumference -- even the hair on her head seeming to spread as the ears concealed beneath it shot up -- and threw herself forward to try and catch him. Just as she leaned oout the window in a panicked attempt to catch the Nunh, D'edy pulled himself back into the room and kissed her again.
D'themia Nunh gestured to the Sultansworn. "My friend here is excitable but an honest enforcer of law. If you trust one man in this room, Antimony Jhanhi, let it be him. As for the Brass Blade..."
The puffy-haired huntress fell backwards into the room. "Thal take you, D'edy." Her face flashed bright red in humiliation before she crossed her arms over her head and rolled onto her stomach to press her face against the floor. D'edy Nunh left her like that, jumping over her and running towards the exit, laughing loudly and throwing his arms out to either side.
Bayard finished for him, "He will need to accept that this is outside of his control, and that it is very unlikely that he will leave here with his career intact. If you truly do not want to be involved in my investigation, I suggest you present what you came her to present. Otherwise I'll have to assume it's connected."
As D'edy ran past the center of the room, D'themia Nunh spun suddenly and caught the man by his neck, slamming him on the floor hard. The larger man's voice darkened as he shouted, "D'edy Nunh! Be quiet!"
"Ow," the man pouted, his fluffy ears laying forward and pushing his hair in front of his eyes.
D'themia shouted again, "Quiet!"
D'edy Nunh kicked his skinny legs. "But you're all just talking about money and boring stuff!"
Lamandu ws still in the dark about why the Sultansworn were here, and apparently about matters that they thought he was detrimentally involved in, "I do not take kindly to threats, Learner. If you must continue to do so, tell me at least what you are threatening me over. As I said, I am only here to assist Miss Jhanhi in her investigation, as she has run into hurdles that required local enforcement to see through."
The ruckus going on the rest of the room was just background noise to him, as any relaxation that the wine afforded him was sapped by all the antagonism he had found in this day.
Antimony gradually became aware that her mouth was gaping, her eyes having been impossibly drawn to the spectacle D'edy and the dandelion head had made of themselves. When D'themia and the Sultansworn spoke, the older woman only stood there agog for several seconds, blinking at the man pinned to the floor. Then her ears and tail shook, she coughed, and blurted out, "He is a nunh?!"
She very nearly clapped her hands over her mouth at that unintended exclamation, but managed to keep them rooted to her bag. She coughed again, ears shifting back, and stammered out, "I mean, that is, of--of course he... Aah! Perhaps... perhaps I should just get down to it! Yes, yes, I'll do just that..." She could feel a heat in her face as she dropped her eyes to rummage in her bag for a particular set of papers.
D'themia Nunh sighed, relaxing his grip on D'edy. "Finally. Let's see-"
"I said I was a Nunh!" D'edy popped up to his feet as soon as he had half a chance. "Or, I thought I did." The larger Nunh growled at him, but D'edy appeared clueless as to why, looking behind himself to see if D'themia was perhaps growling at someone else.
"You claim to not know," the Sultansworn said, annoyance still on his tongue. "There were multiple deaths near the Ossuary last night, and one of the Blades under your command has been arrested under suspicion. I come here investigating this, and then you appear with this woman? Too much coincidence for my taste. For your sake I hope your business is as innocuous as you claim."
Thin brows snapped together, "Who was it? None of this has been reported back down to me, unless... Just tell me who, I believe that I have an idea though." It had to be Lou, she had been on suspension ever since she had locked herself in the jail sometime ago now, but he would rather hear it from the Sultansworn first.
"Multiple deaths," Antimony echoed weakly, ears dropping as she retrieved her sought after papers. She shuffled them in her hands and failed at becoming any less flustered, "That... I don't have any idea what you're referring to! This is only--" She flicked her eyes between D'themia and the Sultansworn, "--only a matter of money! Not murder or any... such thing."
The papers were straight enough. She hoped they were in the proper order. Her arm extended towards D'themia Nunh with the papers; the Commerce Regulation Agency's seal glared in a spot of prominence upon the top page. "The formal accusation, sir. Your accounts have been found connected to a series of monetary transactions using ghost companies to Brass Blade officers."
"Oh, that's troubling." D'themia Nunh reached out and took the papers, his clawed hands curling over them as he pulled them to his chest and moved to sit down. "I wonder which officers they are, and which of my companies do not exist which I thought did?" He opened the papers and began to look through them, calmly. He had a few seconds of peace before D'edy Nunh joined him on the seat, landing hard and smacking his body against the other man's.
"Are we in trouble?" D'edy said, looking at the paperwork. His question won him rolled eyes, a grown, and then he was ignored.
Bayard Learner considered Lamandu for a long, quiet moment. "Desfosse. And don't pretend she has been out of contact."
"The numbers I have collected do not lie," as Antimony spoke, she felt the wild hair from a moment earlier begin to fade, though Lamandu and the Sultansworn's interaction continued to disturb her. Miss Desfosse had been involved in murder...?
But she'd already stepped into the waters with D'themia; that required now her full attention, however difficult it may be to give. Pursing her lips, Antimony added, "I require access to your financial records, and I recommend cooperation."
Feeling more of a direct threat by way of Learner, Lamandu stepped towards him, off to the side of the conversation that Antimony had so long sought out. Lowering his voice he said, "Yes, as soon as you spoke of that, she was who came to mind. Loughree Desfosse has been on indefinite suspension, pending a reassessment of her mental fitness for duty. What you are talking about now, has not been brought to attention and she was not due to check back in with us for another few days. I may have information pertinent to her behavior, though."
"You will be given your chance to cooperate." the Sultansworn kept his head high and spoke in a lofty tone.
D'edy, reading over D'themia's shoulder, pointed at the page. "What's this one?"
"That is a rare goods procurement agency," D'themia glanced at the thinner man and indicated something on the page. "It's a legitimate business, but see this number's just a bit too high for Antimony's liking."
"Oh. And what's this one?"
"That's nothing. It's empty page. Nothing is written there."
"Ah hah. And what's-"
D'themia pulled the page away from him. "Stop it." Ignoring D'edy's silent protests, the larger Nunh turned his gaze on Antimony. "Perhaps your numbers do not lie, and perhaps I will cooperate, but I am not sure it is you whom I will cooperate with. Learner!" D'themia lifted the pages. "I would have the Sultansworn's eyes here so that justice and truth can be known."
"You could not have avoided our involvement, Dodo." The Sultansworn stepped away from Lamandu. "What is this regarding?"
"Fraudulent accounts and bribery." D'themia's passive gaze remained on Antimony. "According to Antimony and Lamandu, my tribe is quite the corrupt entity."
The lalafell frowns, not liking to be ignored, almost as much as he disliked being threatened, but not having a choice he joined the now dominating conversation at hand, "I do have a warrant on my person for the records, but it should be noted that actual cooperation would be looked more kindly on, down the road."
Antimony folded her hands over one another on her satchel and nodded at Lamandu's words, though she kept her eyes on D'themia. She hoped she didn't look to anxious or over-eager; she certainly felt the former. The nunh's rough features were rather difficult to read as he perused the summary she'd given him, but she could predict the likely defensiveness. Swallowing, she tapped the fingers of one hand against those of her other.
"Captain Tyremandu is correct. The evidence is there that someone with direct control of the Dodo tribe's finances was funneling gil through a number of businesses that no longer exist, all on Ruby Road, money that was then collected by Brass Blade members as part of their, er, standard local taxation. Now," she pulled her posture up tight, "where might I begin?"
"You might begin by waiting," the Sultansworn answered, taking the papers from D'themia and turning his eyes on them.
D'edy frowned up at him, "What's with all the waiting? This would be exciting if everyone wasn't being so cordial."
"Stop it," D'themia grabbed the other Nunh by his ear, pulling him off center and making him fall sideways.
"Cordiality is not my concern. Even if this fraud is authentic," the Sultansworn gave the two Nunhs a biting look, "And if it is an authentic fraud, we will discern so and prosecute accordingly," before looking back to the pages, "It does not excuse the incredible conflict of interest and sheer convenience of the timing. I'm afraid I have to assume that these two issues are inextricable."
From where he lay on his side, D'edy Nunh whined, "What's inextricable mean? This isn't fair! I don't understand!"
"Conflict of interest?" Antimony managed offense in your tone and expression - not a particularly difficult feat. The nerve! "Sultansworn Learner, the Commerce Regulation Agency is a nonpartisan regulatory body. We have no special interest in this case beyond investigating it as a potential fraud."
"And the incident last night is only related in that Desfosse, a suspect has a connection with my office; I think you are reading too far into things, Learner. Be that as it may, this is a CRA investigation, it is not the Sultansworn to prosecute." Lamandu reasoned, getting only more unhappy with Learner's presence the longer he is in it.
Frowning deeper and exhaling a loud huff, Bayard Learner turned on Antimony and Lamandu. "You must think that I do not pay very close attention. It's possible that this fraud is a ruse to discredit D'themia, based on the fact that your investigation is the brainchild of one D'hein Tia, who would become Nunh if D'themia were incarcerated."
D'themia Nunh leaned forward, clicking his claws together. "Being Nunh of this tribe means being in control of its fiscal resources, so D'hein Tia would gain a great deal of wealth were he to stage a successful coupe, though he is too cowardly to challenge me outright. D'hein Tia is also the man responsible for releasing Amaury Carceri from prison prematurely, and putting him to work on this case."
"Antimony Jhanhi," the Sultansworn lowered his papers. "Loughree Desfosse spent several nights in your inn room recently. You and D'hein both also have a very close relationship with D'aijeen Thalen, whom was the person that brought the incident to our attention shortly before dawn this morning."
D'edy Nunh stood and began to pace the room, smiling. "Ah, that's the interesting stuff! And she looks just like D'ahl, remember!"
"By way of explanation," D'themia said, keeping his gaze on Antimony. "Very early this morning, D'aijeen went to the Sultansworn for help and brought them to D'ahl's body. D'ahl was terribly mutilated, as though from an animal attack. Given everything we know about your relationship with D'aijeen, the fact that you've made yourself look so like D'ahl, and that you had a very audible altercation with D'ahl inside this very Commune, more than a few members of this tribe assume you have something to do with her death."
"Furthermore," Learner said, addressing his words to Lamandu. "Four bodies were found nearby where the Dodo woman was killed, all dead refugees, and your Loughree Desfosse is the primary suspect. Given everything I've explained, it would be ludicrous for me to assume the crimes unrelated. And now you all appear together to level charges of fraud against the chief rival of D'hein Tia."
"Yes!" D'edy shouted, happily, spinning and giving Antimony a broad smile and a fast nod. "I told you it would be interesting! What's going to happen now?" His fluffy ears stood straight up, his thin tail swinging fast behind him.
"Song dogs barking at the break of dawn, lightning pushes the edges of a thunderstorm; and these streets, quiet as a sleeping army, send their battered dreams to heaven."
Hipparion Tribe (Sagolii)Â - Â Antimony Jhanhi's Wiki