RVA: Shadow of Doubt, Breakup
Apr. 13th, 2016 09:11 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
jeriendhalAli leaned against the wall in the hallway, watching as Lt. Lightfoot and his forensics team marched in and out of Salli’s suite, carrying the paint stained sheets out in a plastic bag, and returning with more sterile baggies to take fur samples from everywhere nearby, and also finger and paw prints whatever flat surfaces they could dust. Meanwhile down the hall she could hear the serving girl, Nari, sniffling her way through an interrogation about what she’d seen or not seen when she’d entered the bedroom. The fact that Ali had just undergone a similar grilling about what she’d seen didn’t improve her mood.
Salli emerged from a side door, completing her own questioning from the annoyed look on her face, a CP officer exiting behind her. She approached Ali, eyebrow raised in an ironic tilt.
“I think there are plenty of civil protection officers keeping watch, Ali,” she noted.
“My job,” Ali replied. “Anyway, no point in me wandering off. They’ll probably want to ask me more questions in a bit.”
“Probably,” Salli agreed. She glanced in the direction of her suite’s open door. “So what’s your opinion on this?”
“We’re either short on suspects or have too many,” Ali said. “Too many servants have access to secure areas. Unless it’s an outsider sneaking in, possible but not as likely, it had to be one of them. Though I doubt it’s that drip of a bodyservant, whatshername, that found the paint on your bed.”
“Nari,” Salli replied. “No, not her. She has her faults, but disloyalty isn’t one of them.”
Ali snorted. “She always cry that much when there’s a scene?”
“I wouldn’t know.” After a moment she sheepishly added. “Honestly, I have no idea how she reacts to stress. Nari had always been part of background when I was lost in my misery after escaping Kev. There, in my line of vision, but not, er, important.”
Salli’s musings were interrupted by her parents arriving on the scene, having returned from a meeting with Lady Aganatha after the ceremony. They both looked on with dismay at the invasion of CP’s on the residence floor. Ali pushed off the wall and mentally braced herself as Salli’s mother approached.
“Salli, what is going on?” the countess demanded. “Why are all these CP’s here?”
“We had another incident, similar to the one with the graffiti that had been painted on my skimmer,” Salli reported. “There was no immediate danger and no one was injured, so I didn’t see the need to pull you away from your meeting with the new Lady Highglider.” She gave her mother a summary of the discovery of the paint on the bed, Nari’s panicked reaction, and her instruction to Zaker to contact the CP’s, concluding with, “The incident with my skimmer might have been done by an opportunistic outsider. This latest one could only have been done by someone with access, or able to forge access, to the manor itself. Given Ali’s supposition about there being a second traitor in the household, possibly still loyal after death to Evelina Highglider, I thought it prudent to bring in the CP’s immediately.”
“The newsnets are going to be salivating over this,” Count Highglider said glumly.
“No doubt,” Salli agreed. “I’ll be sure to prepare responses if they ask during Ali and I’s interview with Oceanic News.”
“Yes, about that.” The Countess glanced at a pair of uniformed CP officers guarding the entrance to Salli’s suite as the forensics team finished their work. “Come with me, both of you.”
Ali stayed at Salli’s side as the Countess led them one level down and back towards her and the Count’s shared office. Countess Darktail sat at her desk, and her husband did the same, looking at his wife with a questioning look on his face. Before he or Salli could ask what was going on, the Countess stated flatly, “I believe it would be best if Miss Blacksailor returned to Greenholme, Salli.”
“She can’t, not as long as I am here,” Salli replied, her tone carefully even.
“Melanie and Rolas can take charge of her once she arrives back at the colony. And please don’t waste my time stating you need a bodyguard. Zaker is already assigned to you and is perfectly competent.”
“Zaker served House Highglider.”
“She was not responsible for the coverup of your abuse, Sallivera. And unless you were asleep during your Ethics & Responsibility classes, you should know better than to assign blanket blame for it.”
Ali watched as Salli’s stiffened, her ears starting to turn back in barely repressed fury. “I prefer Ali.”
“Of that I’m painfully aware.” At his desk, the Count winced, but the Countess ignored him. “However, this latest incident only proves what a disruptive influence Miss Blacksailor is.
“Alinadar did not pour paint on my bed, Mother.” Salli’s voice was very nearly a growl.
“No, but if she was not here, whoever did do it might not have been so emboldened,” the Countess pointed out.
“Then whoever is doubly a fool, because they ought to know that Ali could break them with her finger once she finds out who they are.”
There was a deathly pause in the air, before the Countess replied, “Yes, I’m aware of her combat skills. She seems particularly adept at threatening small children.”
Ali let her gaze drop to the floor. “You heard about that?” she asked, the first words she’d dared spoken since they’d entered the room.
“Someone from the Press Office fielded a query from a Hivebreed District news agency. Apparently a teacher at the school Miss Blacksailor’s nephews attend heard the boys talking about how they were almost stunned, she spoke to the school administration, who spoke to the police, who confirmed Blacksailor was attached to a Suspicious Persons report.”
“Ah, yeah. Fin did say they filed one to track me on the public CCTV system,” Ali admitted.
“She has to go, Sallivera, on the next scheduled freighter from House Lovejoy’s fleet to the colony. I believe it will be leaving in three days,” the Countess went on. “That is an order from the mother of your home and the Countess you are sworn to. I told you before, we can not at this juncture afford any negative publicity on our House. So long as she remains here Alinadar is a liability.”
“Stop talking about her as if she isn’t here in the room!” Salli suddenly burst out. “She’s not a piece of furniture! She’s not a thing to be tossed aside when she’s no longer convenient to our House!”
How much further was Salli willing to push this fight? How much was she willing to risk merely for one slave-bodyguard’s happiness? Ali wondered. I can’t let her destroy herself. Not over this. Not over me.
“It’s alright, Lady Salli,” she spoke softly. And Ali could see how adding that honorific to Salli’s name, placing a proper social distance between them, lanced the tall, elegant, so strong noblevixen through the heart. “I knew I couldn’t keep you, even if you didn’t want to see it. You always wanted to see the best in me, and try and forget the worst. I’ll love you always for that, even if I can’t be with you.”
“Ali, no…” Salli began to say, her voice aching with despair.
“Excuse me, milady.” Ali slipped out, not waiting for the Countess’ leave, before Salli could voice a fatal objection that would tear her from her family’s House.
Some things, she told herself, just weren’t worth fighting for.
Salli emerged from a side door, completing her own questioning from the annoyed look on her face, a CP officer exiting behind her. She approached Ali, eyebrow raised in an ironic tilt.
“I think there are plenty of civil protection officers keeping watch, Ali,” she noted.
“My job,” Ali replied. “Anyway, no point in me wandering off. They’ll probably want to ask me more questions in a bit.”
“Probably,” Salli agreed. She glanced in the direction of her suite’s open door. “So what’s your opinion on this?”
“We’re either short on suspects or have too many,” Ali said. “Too many servants have access to secure areas. Unless it’s an outsider sneaking in, possible but not as likely, it had to be one of them. Though I doubt it’s that drip of a bodyservant, whatshername, that found the paint on your bed.”
“Nari,” Salli replied. “No, not her. She has her faults, but disloyalty isn’t one of them.”
Ali snorted. “She always cry that much when there’s a scene?”
“I wouldn’t know.” After a moment she sheepishly added. “Honestly, I have no idea how she reacts to stress. Nari had always been part of background when I was lost in my misery after escaping Kev. There, in my line of vision, but not, er, important.”
Salli’s musings were interrupted by her parents arriving on the scene, having returned from a meeting with Lady Aganatha after the ceremony. They both looked on with dismay at the invasion of CP’s on the residence floor. Ali pushed off the wall and mentally braced herself as Salli’s mother approached.
“Salli, what is going on?” the countess demanded. “Why are all these CP’s here?”
“We had another incident, similar to the one with the graffiti that had been painted on my skimmer,” Salli reported. “There was no immediate danger and no one was injured, so I didn’t see the need to pull you away from your meeting with the new Lady Highglider.” She gave her mother a summary of the discovery of the paint on the bed, Nari’s panicked reaction, and her instruction to Zaker to contact the CP’s, concluding with, “The incident with my skimmer might have been done by an opportunistic outsider. This latest one could only have been done by someone with access, or able to forge access, to the manor itself. Given Ali’s supposition about there being a second traitor in the household, possibly still loyal after death to Evelina Highglider, I thought it prudent to bring in the CP’s immediately.”
“The newsnets are going to be salivating over this,” Count Highglider said glumly.
“No doubt,” Salli agreed. “I’ll be sure to prepare responses if they ask during Ali and I’s interview with Oceanic News.”
“Yes, about that.” The Countess glanced at a pair of uniformed CP officers guarding the entrance to Salli’s suite as the forensics team finished their work. “Come with me, both of you.”
Ali stayed at Salli’s side as the Countess led them one level down and back towards her and the Count’s shared office. Countess Darktail sat at her desk, and her husband did the same, looking at his wife with a questioning look on his face. Before he or Salli could ask what was going on, the Countess stated flatly, “I believe it would be best if Miss Blacksailor returned to Greenholme, Salli.”
“She can’t, not as long as I am here,” Salli replied, her tone carefully even.
“Melanie and Rolas can take charge of her once she arrives back at the colony. And please don’t waste my time stating you need a bodyguard. Zaker is already assigned to you and is perfectly competent.”
“Zaker served House Highglider.”
“She was not responsible for the coverup of your abuse, Sallivera. And unless you were asleep during your Ethics & Responsibility classes, you should know better than to assign blanket blame for it.”
Ali watched as Salli’s stiffened, her ears starting to turn back in barely repressed fury. “I prefer Ali.”
“Of that I’m painfully aware.” At his desk, the Count winced, but the Countess ignored him. “However, this latest incident only proves what a disruptive influence Miss Blacksailor is.
“Alinadar did not pour paint on my bed, Mother.” Salli’s voice was very nearly a growl.
“No, but if she was not here, whoever did do it might not have been so emboldened,” the Countess pointed out.
“Then whoever is doubly a fool, because they ought to know that Ali could break them with her finger once she finds out who they are.”
There was a deathly pause in the air, before the Countess replied, “Yes, I’m aware of her combat skills. She seems particularly adept at threatening small children.”
Ali let her gaze drop to the floor. “You heard about that?” she asked, the first words she’d dared spoken since they’d entered the room.
“Someone from the Press Office fielded a query from a Hivebreed District news agency. Apparently a teacher at the school Miss Blacksailor’s nephews attend heard the boys talking about how they were almost stunned, she spoke to the school administration, who spoke to the police, who confirmed Blacksailor was attached to a Suspicious Persons report.”
“Ah, yeah. Fin did say they filed one to track me on the public CCTV system,” Ali admitted.
“She has to go, Sallivera, on the next scheduled freighter from House Lovejoy’s fleet to the colony. I believe it will be leaving in three days,” the Countess went on. “That is an order from the mother of your home and the Countess you are sworn to. I told you before, we can not at this juncture afford any negative publicity on our House. So long as she remains here Alinadar is a liability.”
“Stop talking about her as if she isn’t here in the room!” Salli suddenly burst out. “She’s not a piece of furniture! She’s not a thing to be tossed aside when she’s no longer convenient to our House!”
How much further was Salli willing to push this fight? How much was she willing to risk merely for one slave-bodyguard’s happiness? Ali wondered. I can’t let her destroy herself. Not over this. Not over me.
“It’s alright, Lady Salli,” she spoke softly. And Ali could see how adding that honorific to Salli’s name, placing a proper social distance between them, lanced the tall, elegant, so strong noblevixen through the heart. “I knew I couldn’t keep you, even if you didn’t want to see it. You always wanted to see the best in me, and try and forget the worst. I’ll love you always for that, even if I can’t be with you.”
“Ali, no…” Salli began to say, her voice aching with despair.
“Excuse me, milady.” Ali slipped out, not waiting for the Countess’ leave, before Salli could voice a fatal objection that would tear her from her family’s House.
Some things, she told herself, just weren’t worth fighting for.
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Date: 2016-04-14 04:47 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2016-04-14 09:32 am (UTC)