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Faye: Messengers fly across the city, and two Inquisitors and two non-Inquisitors gather in a back office of the House of Questions. Faye ushers them in, trying to move stacks of papers and random boxes of junk out of the way. Someone should really pick up the clutter this office sometime. Except the stuff just seems to collect here when no one's looking. "Please have a seat," she gestures to the others. She grabs a seat at the table, forsaking the desk. Maybe she knows something about the uncomfortable chair. "Count Duarte. Thank you for offering to come. You have some information for us?"


Luca: Sound asleep. That's Prince Luca, who is clearly enthusiastic about this meeting, based on the way he's kicked back in a chair with his feet up on that desk, snoozing, one hand rested on the pommel of Elvesbane. When Faye's voice breaks the silence though, he sits up, snapping out of his half-dream reveries, with a disturbed sound. He rises from that chair, drags it over to the table, "Count D! You're looking handsome today.", he says, with a sleepy wink, before rehoming himself at the table. "Princess Katarina.", he adds, greeting her with a languid smile.

"I do..." says Duarte with a bit of a drawl as he looks around to gain familiarity with his surroundings. "A bit dingy, isn't it?" he asks Luca with a faint smile. He regards Faye as he settles down, "Yes, Inquisitor. Several months ago I was asked by Blessed Wylla to assist her in investigating some aspects of a painting she created to capture a vision given her by Jayus."

Katarina inclines her head toward Luca amicably. "Inquisitor," she murmurs in returned salutations, hands clasped upon the table's edge from her sequestered seat in the places cleared out for the quartet. She leans forward, a flash of recognition in those golden eyes that regard Duarte with silent expectation.

Faye gives Duarte a little shrug. "The pitfalls of government funding," is her excuse. Belated nods of greeting to Luca and to Katarina. "I see. And the painting had something to do with the Huntsmen? I'm afraid I'm unfamiliar with the Archlector's artistic talents."

"We have funding?" Luca asks, but there's a touch of troublesome mischief in that dark gaze of his when he does so. He turns his attention over to Duarte, "Is Wylla one of those prophetic painters like Blossom Corsetina? I know two women who paint visions of the future in this city. It's like you can't throw a rock without hitting one.", he asks, words dying down to a murmur toward the end there.

Katarina curls her fingers beneath her chin, content to listen to Duarte and the Inquisitors as they share their exchange. "Seers of Jayus, I would imagine," she murmurs off-handedly. "I remember Lady Lucita reaching out about the painting not so long ago on Wylla's behalf. She was weirdly secretive about it. Something about a dark-haired woman who loved sailing being the focus of the vision?"
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"I've not met..Blossom?" Duarte shrugs. "Blessed Wylla appeared to me as a sort of begrudging painter - she did it because she had to." He looks back to Faye and flattens his hand, wobbling it side to side, "Mmm...Not entirely. The painting contained many circumstances and not all of them linked: it had the Eater, the Traitor, apparently this building is going to catch fire and burn down...but my focus was singly on the three women depicted as being persued by Huntsmen." He leans back, "I know there was a row in the buroughs not long ago that was being looked into by you people. So I thought I should share what I found. Anything to help in service to the Crown."

Faye gives Luca a wry look as he comments back on the funding. "I didn't realize there were so many people in the city with unusual painting skills," she says. "I guess since I have no artistic skill of my own, I have no friends who talk to me about such things." She leans in a little as Duarte describes the painting. "Is the images in this painting intended to be literal or figurative?" she asks, thinking of the House of Questions burning. "The man who was killed at the Murder of Crows?" she guesses. Otherwise, there are any number rows that have taken place in the Lowers. "Did you find out who the women were?"
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"That's the wonderful thing about having a social life based primarily on barging in on people and drinking with them.", Luca assures Faye with a cut of his dark eyes in her direction, "You meet all kinds.", but he looks back to Duarte after that. "Like all visions, I'm sure the things in the painting are just one of many possible futures. Thanks to Skald and all. But it's good to know them. Maybe if they burned this place down we could get a nicer one, though. It worked for Stormwall.", he offers, but he settles in to continue listening.

Katarina grows largely silent when Duarte expands on his fixation with the painting. A short breath is quietly exhaled through her nostrils, an unknowingly white-knuckled grip on the edge of the table softening to allow her hands to sink beneath the table and out of view. Golden eyes flicker from the Count to Faye and Luca, then back to the Count, her lips pressing into a faint line.
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"I was able to identify them yes." Duarte says in answer to Faye, sliding his gaze to Luca to smirk at his humor. "I identified the three women as...."

Duarte looks suddenly to Katarina, "Everything alright, your highness? You appear on edge."

Faye hums at Luca. "My day job has plenty of 'barging in on people', thank you very much." She doesn't seem too impressed with the idea of burning down the House of Questions, though. "You only say that because you don't live here," she says. She glances over to Katarina, unable not to worry about the woman. "Please, Count Duarte," she says. "I don't think it helps to withhold the truth. We've had too much of that lately."

Katarina casts a rueful smile toward Faye at her words, letting loose a bated breath. She lifts a hand to gently encourage Duarte to continue. "I'm fine, Count Amadeo. Please, continue?"

Duarte clucks his tongue and shakes his head, signifying he doesn't by it - but the gesture is belied by an affable smile and the words, "Very well." He looks back to Faye, "A tailor in the commons, Zaina. Sister Sina. And, at the head of them all, Princess Fatima Thrax."
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"Huh," Faye says, quiet for a moment. "I'm not familiar with any of those women. Any guesses why they would be targeted, over any of the other Eurusi living in Arx right now?"

Luca blinks for a moment as Duarte lists off the women, a touch of confusion showing in his dark gaze. Then it dawns on him, "Oh!", and he grumbles, rubs some of the sleepiness out of his eyes, "By the Gods, wrong three women. Wrong thing. I was thinking of another thing..", and with a shake of his head, he rejoins the current conversation, back on track, "I wonder if they hold any royal lineage from overseas. I think what's-his-name is trying to consolidate power over there, yes?".

Katarina leans back within her seat, tucking a foot behind her ankle. When Duarte unveils the names, she seems not at all surprised. Her fingers drum lightly over the edge of the table, then flattens her palm against the hardwood with a huffed breath. "Is that what you were seeing?" she asks Luca from across the table. "The thing you alluded to, before you took off on that expedition?"

Faye nods to Luca. "Yes, but aren't virtually all the Eurusi living here in Arx of royal lines? Perhaps, if we knew their specific lineage, it might tell us something. Or it might be something they did... or something their families did." She glances between Katarina and Luca, unsure about whatever it is they are referring to.

"I couldn't say." Duarte answers simply with a shrug. "Anything I can offer as to why would be only conjecture."

Duarte says, "But certainly we all have heard how tenacious those sorts of assasins can be."

Luca glances at Faye, briefly, then back to Katarina, and shakes his head. "No. No, that was something different..", and then he slinks down in his chair just a little bit. Ahem. "Anyway..", he adds, carrying the conversation along, "I think knowing what sets them apart would help. Maybe we should have a friendly talk with them. Like, an actual friendly talk.".


"All that said: I've met Princess Fatima before." Duarte smiles, "I'm sure she's not one to not know why she'd be hunted. Might as well just ask her."

Faye nods to Luca. "Since you know them, perhaps you could arrange it? Most people aren't too happy about sitting down to talk with the Inquisition." She glances back at Duarte. "Did you or Archlector Wylla contact these women and let them know they're in danger?"

Katarina looks curiously upon Luca, her gaze lingering for a fraction longer before returning toward Duarte and Faye. "Only a few of the names that I keep track of are from the royal families. Many are usually servants, former slaves," she points out, arms folding against the table. She's quiet again, but seems a touch more relieved.

"I did not." Duarte answers. "I can't speak for Blessed Wylla, maybe she did? I doubt it."

Faye arches a brow at Katarina at this information but she nods. "Well, whatever the connection is between them, hopefully we can figure it out without scaring them too badly. If there are Huntsmen in Arx now, we'd better hope that they're not going to be moving on this immediately. Not saying to panic, but let's not assume that it's too far down the road." She's still thinking of the House of Questions aflame.
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"Do you know who first told me about huntsman?" Duarte asks rhetorically. "Princess Fatima Thrax." He presses his lips into a smile. "I don't think you can scare her. I think she knows it, and why. Zaina used to serve her - most humorless person I've ever met, but also served at Fatima's side for years." He shakes his head, "You should speak with them direct." He stands. "Anything else, Inquisitors?" he included Katarina in that question.
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Faye shakes her head then stands as well, preparing to walk the guests out. "If we think of anything later, I'm sure we'll be in touch," she says. "Thank you very much for your time and the information you've been willing to share. If anything occurs to you later that you might have forgotten that could be important, please let us know."


"Yep!", Luca says, picking himself up out of his seat. He looks around at everyone, briefly, making contact with each of them. Then he walks out, without another word.