BedsideMannersIndex | Time Under Chaos | Game Logs | Bedside Manners Tasha moved next to the stretcher and put her hand gently on the soldier's shoulder and glanced over at Mr. Barimen. She had noted that he had called the soldier by first name but as of yet was unaware of their association. "You know the Lieutenant well?" "He's my older brother," Claudio replied. He was still holding Pavlo's hand. Tasha nodded, though she couldn't help but wonder if she were the only person in Amber without relatives. Everyone she met seemed to have some Aunt, Uncle, Cousin or Brother about. She felt extremely vulnerable at that moment and wished she had someone here she could turn to. She swallowed down a lump of 'homesickness'. The guards began to move away with the stretcher, maintaining a pace that would not jolt the injured man unduly, giving room for Tasha and Claudio to walk beside him. Keeping pace with the stretcher, Claudio bent down to speak to Pavlo. "You have to get better now, Pavlo. There's a very pretty lady here helping to heal you, and I know you wouldn't want to disappoint a lady." Tasha managed a wan smile but spoke reassuringly, "He will be fine in a while. He just needs to rest and finish the healing on his own. When he wakes up, he'll probably be very hungry...." Normally after exerting such an effort she, too, would have eaten well and then rested, but apparently no one in Amber did. "I doubt he'll be the only one," said Claudio. "I know Doctor Corrino always has a hearty appetite after a healing." He paused, then added, "Of course, he always has a hearty appetite anyway. I'm sure the Castle staff will be able to provide something." He glanced, half questioningly, at the guards. "Whatever you wish," said the guard, with some restraint. "Would that be ... Chaosian food, Miss?" He almost kept the distaste from his voice. Claudio gave the man a repressive look. "I shouldn't think that would be necessary." To Tasha he continued with a half-smile, "Coffee appears to be universal ... or tea, if you prefer it. Are you as fond of pastries as the Doctor, I wonder?" Tasha looked a bit dismayed at the guard, wondering what had prompted such a comment, and with relief at Claudio for running interference. Addressing herself to Claudio she replied, "Tea and some pastries would be lovely." She could use the boost. Even as he was speaking, one of the escort was opening the door to a room furnished in grand style but with Flora's taste and sense of appropriateness for visiting dignitaries clearly apparent. "Shall we set him on the bed?" asked one of the guards, in tones that indicated no surprise would be shown if they requested that Pavlo was instead to be attached, bat-like, to the ceiling. "Please," responded Claudio, in the courteous but firm tones of a person who'd grown up with servants. "Carefully, please," Tasha cautioned. She was too tired to fix any new wounds or bruises, and the poor lieutenant had lost enough blood already. As she moved to stand beside them she noticed her reflection in a mirror and gasped at the disarray of her clothing. No wonder the guard had been treating her so disrespectfully, the way she looked. Her mother would have been mortified. With a quick thought, she did manage to shift away the dirt and gore and give herself a more pleasing appearance. Claudio had meanwhile moved over to the bed to throw back the covers so that the stretcher bearers could lay Pavlo between the sheets. That done, he looked back over at Tasha; appreciation flickered in his grey eyes as he took in her transformed appearance, though he didn't look surprised. "Is there anything else you'll require, my lady," he asked her respectfully, "apart from tea and pastries? Medical supplies, perhaps?" He hoped his respect would rub off on the guards. The main guard waited for her response, seemingly willing to carry out any instructions he was given, while his companions set Pavlo on the bed. He moaned, faintly, but did not seem to be recovering consciousness. "Though we should probably let him rest and heal... he may know something vitally important." Tasha looked at Claudio as if asking permission. "I do not believe rousing him for a short period would be very harmful. Do they have smelling salts or something like that?" "You're right," Claudio acknowledged, even as he moved to take Pavlo's hand again. "If he was harmed while protecting this Prince they mentioned, well... time may be of the essence. Not only that," he added, "if he's conscious, he may be better able to shift himself. But--" He paused and looked back at the guards, his eyes narrowing thoughtfully. "Mm, yes. Smelling salts or the like. Strong tea and pastries for us, and perhaps some broth for the Lieutenant. Yes?" All these were brought with an efficiency and élan that suggested such duties were, at some point, under the direction of Flora and her aides. While the guards were bustling about fetching things, Claudio bent over Pavlo and, it looked like, said a word in his ear. Tasha waited for the staff to bring in whatever it was they were bringing in. One finally brought her a small vial of something with a stopper in it. She uncorked it, and didn't even have to bring it up to her sensitive nose to know it was the 'smelling salts' or their equivalent. She recorked the vial quickly and took it over to the patient in the bed. "He may react better if you are the one to administer it, or at least be the first face he sees...." Tasha handed the tiny bottle to Claudio. Claudio took the bottle with a soft word of thanks, but didn't use it yet. Tasha looked at him oddly. "Strange I don't feel as tired as I did a moment ago... though I certainly am hungry." She turned away to examine the cart of pastries that had just been delivered. Choosing one for herself and one for Claudio she then returned to the bedside. She wolfed hers down after offering the other one to Claudio. Claudio gestured for her to put it on the bedside table for the moment. His attention was fixed on Pavlo. Pavlo moaned and stirred as Claudio spoke to him. He seemed to be coming round ... but groggily. "Pavlo." Claudio spoke more audibly this time, his voice calm but forceful. "It's Claudio. You made it, you're safe ... but you have to tell us what happened." Pavlo turned restlessly. "It was ... in the tea. I ... didn't know! I didn't know!" His hand suddenly shot out to clutch Claudio's wrist as he stared up at him desperately. "In the tea?" Tasha looked back at the cart, thankful that she hadn't taken any of the tea they had brought. "Is there something wrong with Amber tea?" "What was in the tea, Pavlo?" Claudio asked his brother, covering Pavlo's hand with his own. "What happened to Prince Chadwick?" Pavlo shook his head. "Not ... tea here. The barracks ... for Amberites ... for Prince Chadwick! The Duke..." He stared up at them desperately. "He must be warned!" "Who must be warned, Pavlo? The Prince? We'll do that, if we can find him," Claudio assured his brother. Then he asked again, "What was in the tea? And what happened to you?" Tasha wondered if perhaps the Duke was the 'he' to be warned, since he was the last one mentioned. She watched Pavlo curiously. "Why would they do something to the tea at the barracks? How would they have known Amberites would even go there? And the Duke was climbing the stairs when Chadwick was having tea and cakes.... while I think I had... something, too." Claudio looked around at Tasha. "You were with Prince Chadwick, Lady Tasha? Do you know where he is now?" "I saw him last at the barracks," Tasha frowned, "but... I'm sure I could follow his trail. You see, I'm very good at tracking. I know I got his scent in the hallway. I recognized it from when we'd met earlier this evening. It isn't very recent. But it might lead us to him?" Tasha suggested. "Though... We still don't know what was in the tea. Was it a poison?" She came over closer to the bed, looking down at Pavlo, and stroked his forehead gently. "If so, we may need Tear. She said she had medical training." "Yes, it won't do us much good to find Prince Chadwick if we don't know what to warn him of," agreed Claudio, "or what to do about it." He frowned and added, "And I also want to know who injured my brother." "Barracks," said Pavlo. "Mob ... outside ... Stravellen ... Colonel ... inside. Probably ... Probably a price on my head now." He started to cough. "Anyone trying to collect it is going to have to go through me first," said Claudio, and for a man of his unimposing physique managed to look quite fierce. Tasha felt her anger rising, directed at the mob that had come after Pavlo, and shook her head. "Tear will talk to the mob. And if she doesn't calm them, Duke Helgram told Ingrey that he would...." She had meant it to be reassuring, that they needn't worry about the mob, but now she wondered if the method the Duke would use wouldn't cause more trouble. "I hope that Tear is successful." "So do I," muttered Claudio. "I don't think any mob did that." He gestured toward the wound in Pavlo's side, which looked to him like the work of a blade at relatively close quarters. "Lie back and rest for a bit, Pavlo," he soothed. Then, looking worriedly up at Tasha, he asked, "Lady Tasha, is he going to be all right?" Tasha's hand was still on Pavlo's forehead, and she pressed him back gently into the pillow. "Rest," she said firmly. She sent a thought of healthy tissue, healed ribs and knitted flesh out through her fingers, searching to mend and fix anything amiss in Pavlo's battered body. "Are you able to do any shifting to heal yourself?" Tasha asked Pavlo, gently. "Would you like something to eat? Drink?" Pavlo shook his head drowsily. Tasha's healing was clearly having some effect, but it was clear that he also needed rest... Tasha nodded with satisfaction, and moved back from the bed, smiling encouragement toward Claudio. "He needs to rest. Perhaps we should go seek Prince Chadwick while he does? I do not believe he is in any danger here...." A brief scrutiny on Claudio's part was enough to convince him of the accuracy of Tasha's diagnosis. "Just rest, Pavlo," he repeated, gently disengaging his hand from his brother's grasp. He bent to smooth the coverlet over him, then got up and limped over to the tea cart, on the way deftly snagging the pastry that Tasha had set aside for him. While pouring himself a cup of tea he said to Tasha, "Pavlo may just need rest now, to recover, but I don't want to leave him alone, either. Did you hear what he said about a price on his head? I don't think he should be left unguarded until he's able to defend himself. "But tell me more about Prince Chadwick. Did you say you met him? I gather he's an Amberite, of the royal family. What's his lineage? Who should we pass this warning on to?" Tasha joined Claudio. "Yes, I met him during dinner, and then we were in the entourage that went to the barracks in search of the source of the disturbance that affected those from Chaos... those with Logrus skills," she amended. "He is the son of Princess Flora. Perhaps we should seek her out? Do you imagine she would have left the castle?" Claudio brightened. "No, I don't think she would have. She's more or less the chatelaine here, you know. It should be easy to get a message to her, just by sending a note with one of the Castle staff." He started to draw a small notebook from his breast pocket, but changed his mind as his eye fell on a small, ornate writing desk that formed part of the furnishings of the room. Formal notepaper would make a better impression. Carrying his cup of tea, he crossed over to the desk. "It wasn't just those with Logrus skills," he informed Tasha over his shoulder, as he sat down. "I'm not a Logrus initiate, and it affected me too." As Claudio had expected, the desk was well supplied with stationery, pens and ink. He sat sipping his tea and nibbling his pastry as he considered how to word the note. Princess, (he finally began)
My brother, Lt. Pavlo Barimen, arrived in Castle Amber a short time ago, apparently in order to convey an urgent message concerning Prince Chadwick. Unfortunately he had also been severely injured, and though thanks to Lady Tasha Minobee, he is now recovering, we have not yet been able to get a coherent account from him. Since he also appears to believe there may be further attempts on him, I prefer not to leave his side. At the same time I think it best to pass on his warning of a possible danger to Prince Chadwick, though I cannot yet be specific about the nature of the threat.
Please believe that I am at your ladyship's service in this matter.
Sincerely yours,
Claudio Barimen
After signing the note, Claudio sat back and perused it for a few moments, as the ink dried. Tasha watched Claudio write the note and when she saw he was close to finishing, she walked to the door. Opening it, she glanced into the hallway to call to a passing servant, "Excuse me... would you be so kind to convey a letter to Princess Flora? It is most urgent...." "Certainly, [Ma'am]," said the guard. Hearing this, Claudio quickly sealed up the note and took it to the door. [The guard took it] with alacrity. Through the open door, [Tasha and] Claudio could see Ingrey Wererathe walking down the corridor - and Ingrey could see [them]. "Wait," Claudio told the guard. Then he called, "Counselor! Did you find out what happened to Prince Chadwick?" Ingrey gave a nod of the head to Claudio and Tasha and hurried forward, with Houshi in tow toward them. When he reached a more conversational range. Ingrey slightly shook his head. He looked toward Tasha as he responded. "I did not find out as much as I hoped. However, I found a most interesting conundrum in the process." Tasha had no idea what that meant but nodded anyway, to seem like she was at least paying attention. It didn't seem to answer the question of whether he knew what had happened to Chadwick or not. She glanced at the waiting guard with the letter and shrugged, then looked back at Claudio and Ingrey, questioningly, but they didn't seem to take any notice of her. Ingrey then turned and looked at Claudio more directly. "How fares your brother?" "He's resting," Claudio replied, "and thanks to Lady Tasha, recovering. But he hasn't been able to tell us much yet." His gaze shifted from Ingrey to the Lieutenant and back before he asked Ingrey, "Do you recall anything about tea at the barracks?" "I had refreshment while at the barracks." Ingrey said. Tasha again, glanced at the guard holding the letter that [she] had told him was urgent, then interrupted the conversation, "Umm, excuse me... Sirs.... Do you still want him to take the letter to Princess Flora... about Chadwick?" "That depends," said Claudio, "on whether Counsellor Ingrey's 'not as much as he hoped' includes where the Prince is at the moment. Because if it isn't with his mother, someone else may be in more urgent need of the information. And on the other hand, if he's seen the Princess, he may already have told her more or less what I put in my letter." Ingrey smiled slightly. He kept his gaze evenly divided between Claudio and Tasha, addressing both. "Forgive me my habits of position for not answering your question clearly." he said, taking a slight pose of apology toward Tasha and Claudio. He then continued. "Chadwick appears to be alive, well and unspoiled. The greatest deficiency to his wellness, at least as overtly observed by the Princess, was a lack of color coordination in his sleepwear." "Oh, of course," Tasha agreed, "Colors /are/ so important." Claudio grinned. "They can be," he agreed. "The Princess felt that I should not remain while she continued to speak with her son. And thus I left the scene prematurely." Ingrey said. "But he is here in the castle?" Tasha inquired. "What if he's... ill?" Tasha whispered the last word, and her eyes widened, adding, "... Like Tear's friend." "Take the letter," Claudio decided, motioning to the guard to be on his way. The guard bowed and departed, pausing only for a brief word with his companion at the end of the corridor. Once again Claudio eyed Ingrey and Lt. Houshi. It was in his mind to confide to Ingrey some of the rest of what Pavlo had said, but he didn't care to do so in front of a Chaosian lieutenant whose loyalties were unknown to him. Instead he said, in answer to Tasha, "I don't think Prince Chadwick could be the victim of a dark binding without it being... obvious." He looked thoughtful. "Though an Amberite might be more resistant... I don't know." Tasha looked a little relieved by that statement, thought worry still creased her brow. "But your brother spoke as if something may have been done to him, and here he is in the castle." "Then perhaps now is the time to speak of the conundrum and the puzzle that I mentioned a few moments ago." Ingrey said, his eyes briefly glancing at the departing guard before looking back at Tasha and Claudio. "As I mentioned, I did not have the opportunity to put questions to Chadwick Florasson. However, the snatches of conversation that I did hear suggested that Chadwick's rooms were visited quite recently by someone, prior to the arrival of the Princess and myself." "And you have no idea who it was," responded Claudio, more as a statement than a question. Tasha looked at both of them curiously. "My Lord of Wererathe, you said he had visitors just before you arrived... but you saw no one going out in the other direction? Trumped out, do you think?" "For that matter, do we know how he got back to the castle?" asked Claudio. To Tasha he added, "I believe you said you last saw him at the barracks." "Yes, having tea." Tasha nodded enthusiastically at that statement, which she could be sure of. However her memory of how she got from that point in time to the moment when she saw Ingrey surrounded by barrack guards in the courtyard was rather fuzzy. "I may be able to provide some illumination on the matter." Ingrey put in. "One of the reasons, Claudio, why I felt a proprietary interest in Chadwick Florasson's state is precisely because I sent him from the barracks, where he was having tea with your brother, Claudio," he looked at Claudio and gave a nod, "and then trumped him here to the Ambassador's wing of the Castle." "Tea," Claudio repeated thoughtfully, his eyes narrowing. "Then you trumped him here, you say. Using a place Trump? One you have with you? Or a person?" "A place trump of the Ambassadorial wing here in the Castle," Ingrey confirmed. "The selfsame one that I later used to come here myself." Ingrey then looked at Tasha. "As far as the matter of the mysterious visitor or visitors that Chadwick had, there are a number of possibilities. At the very least, milady of Minobee, perhaps you might be able to obtain..." Ingrey smiled at her. "...a scent?" Tasha said, "I could, but unless I've met them before it might not help... but perhaps if I meet them again?" She brightened. "Yes, and if I could get their scent I might be able to tell you if they left Chadwick Florasson's room in the regular manner -- by way of the door." "That sounds like an excellent idea," said Claudio, "especially if it can be done without loss of time. Perhaps the Lieutenant, here, could escort you," he suggested. "I can't leave my brother, I'm afraid." Ingrey looked thoughtfully at Claudio. His gaze briefly brushed over Tasha, and his eyes brightened. "I think that this is a situation where Tasha's skills might be best employed in a semi-solo capacity," Ingrey said. Ingrey turned to Houshi. "Escort the lady of Minobee and see to her safety as far as you can without being seen by the guards in the Family Wing," he instructed. "From there, I suspect Tasha will have a number of methods..." he smiled at Tasha "for gaining entry past the guards. Wait for Tasha to return and bring her back directly here." He then looked at Tasha expectantly, cocking his head. Tasha nodded in understanding. If she couldn't charm the guards, she could always go back as a puppy. Then she turned toward the guard, "Lead on, please." As the lady and the Lieutenant moved off, Claudio invited, "Would you like to step inside, Counsellor, while we wait?" He smiled a little wryly. "There's tea..." "Tea," Ingrey said doubtfully. "The offer of hospitality, however, Claudio, is accepted all the same..." |
