Headed by a Snake

If Coraline hadn't felt like she'd just jumped into a warm bath with all her clothes on, she would have sworn that she'd imagined the entire ordeal.

As the presence went away, Lone relaxed his shoulders.

She turned to scowl at him. She was fine!

She hadn't brought the boy along to fret over her wellbeing. The notion was practically insulting.

Turning away from the stupid boy, she looked back to Nikandros... However, judging by his light snoring and the saliva dripping down the corner of his mouth, the Captain would no longer be entertaining more questions.

Coraline sighed... She didn't get much information, but... the probability of the half-elf Captain being the culprit was low.

He had the motive and the means, but Nikandros had more to lose from Lord Arod's death than to gain.

"Let's go, Lone," She gestured towards the exit.

"...Right," He grimaced, reaching for the door handle.

When the Captain awoke, he'd have a terrible ache in his neck from his sleeping position. It would be a subtle payback for being so rude to her...

...

⟬ Fourth interview: Maisie, Chef and Healer. ⟭

It was late.

Thankfully, Coraline's spellcasting abilities were unlocked with whatever Nikandros and... Beatrice had done. Once she and Lone left the Captain's quarters and bid Olesya a good night, she spent a few moments to clean herself and her clothes with an Unranked spell.

She could have showered in her room... but that would have invited the rats to gnaw at her naked ankles.

Traversing the halls, Coraline spotted a light coming from underneath Miss Maisie's door.

She was planning to talk to her in the morning, but since she was still awake, it seemed appropriate to at least check on her.

After two polite knocks, Maisie answered the door, opening it just enough to reveal her face.

"Miss Coraline..." Her high-pitched voice was even higher than Coraline had heard earlier. "You scared the hells outta me... come in, quick. There's a--"

The dark-haired woman widened her eyes in shock, "Wh-what's Mista Lone doin' here? Isn't he a suspect, too?!"

"*I'm* a suspect?" Lone pointed at himself indignantly, then back at Maisie, "YOU'RE a suspect!"

Coraline sighed. Mister Lone wasn't wrong, but his words lacked a certain... tact. His noble companion, Tychon, seemed to have a tiny bit of that. Maybe he forgot to share?

"Mister Lone has a solid alibi, Miss Maisie," She explained, "I figured the whole ship could hear his snoring-- especially through the vents?"

"Oh..." The mature human woman grimaced, opening her door to allow the two of them in... "I... I must'a not been payin' attention. I w's with the Cap'n. We was... double-checkin' the kitchen's inventory."

Coraline was sleepy before, but with the alarm bells ringing in her head, she regained her clarity. Nikandros had said they were checking the maps in his quarters-. The kitchens were nowhere near that.

Maisie was lying.

She hastily scanned the contents of the woman's room. Her Alizeaun maid outfit was hung up beside her desk. Her clothes were arranged sloppily in a corner pile. Upon her desk were small pots of makeup and hair products and a couple of painted portraits on cheap, wooden discs.

Coraline honed in on a rectangular plaque... upon which, detailed a Tyrion military rank and was carved with a few sentiments. It meant the weak-looking woman was, at least, basically trained in martial combat.

"Miss Maisie..." Coraline frowned, "You served in the Tyrion military as an Immunes?"

"Y-yeah?" The woman placed a hand in front of her collar, biting her lower lip. "I was a medic up 'till a few years back. Why? What's it to ya?"

Coraline sharpened her gaze, "Then I'm assuming Master Highblade wasn't the first body you've seen."

"Well, no... I mean--" Her eyebrows rose with realization, then furrowed into an insulted grimace, "What ezactly you tryin' to say, bitch?"

Coraline subconsciously took a step back, making sure Lone was beside her... "I just think it strange... You're perfectly qualified to deal with blood and death, especially as a combat medic."

"I left that life behind me!" Maisie huffed, "An' ya can't jus' expect a MURDER six malms up in the air! AND I was TIRED, okay?!?"

Lone crossed his arms, frowning. It seemed that he too wasn't entirely convinced that Maisie was being truthful.

Coraline took in a deep breath. She had a very specific First-Circle spell to get force a confession... It did have a few... Rules that made it tricky to use, but this was as good a time as any, to cast it.

"Then you won't have a problem if I cast a Truth spell on you."

"Yeah?! Go aheeeaaad!" Maisie crossed her arms, wearing an ugly sneer, "I ain't got NOTHIN' ta hide!"

Coraline nodded. She really shouldn't have, but she was looking forward to making the woman regret those words.

"⌈Swords of Truth!⌋" She made a quick series of gestures with her hands, before forming a diamond shape with her thumbs and forefingers, "Miss Maisie! Where were you before you found the corpse of Arod Highblade?!"

Glowing swords of light materialized around the woman, her pupils shaking in fear, "I-- ⋖ I was with the Cap'n! ⋗ I swear, I didn't kill nobody!"

"And where was that?!"

"In-- in the k-- ARGH!!" She was struggling against the spell's influence... but it was useless. Once she granted permission, she'd have to answer her question honestly.

"⋖ I was in the Cap'n's quarters! ⋗" She screamed.

That sounded more in line with what Nikandros was saying...

"And what were you doing?"

She grit her teeth, hatred in her eyes, "We-- we were F*CKING, okay?!?! I was f*cking the Cap'n, bitch! So what if I have needs, huh?! It ain't a crime!!"

Coraline pursed her lips in a deep, disappointed frown. Those words weren't marked with the truthfulness of her spell... but it didn't seem like she was lying.

Maisie was no longer a murder suspect.

"Don't you f*cking look at me like that!" The woman seethed, "Like I'm just a f*cking whore!?!"

...And Coraline's future meals would probably not be as nice as they were earlier in the sun. She glanced to Lone, who looked back with an apologetic face.

"That will be all, Miss Maisie," She lightly inclined her head, hiding the guilt in her eyes.

"Get the HELLS outta my room!" Maisie shrieked, pointing at the door.