percivalthegale (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
percivalthegale) wrote2008-10-07 09:39 pm
percivalthegale) wrote2008-10-07 09:39 pm
Prose log with Chris
Who: Percival and Lady Chris (zexen_knight)
When: last week
Where: Vinay del Zexay, Guild Hall
What: the attempt to find out what's going on
Note: Councilor Fortis was played by Percival's mun.
Chris' boots clinked along the paved streets of Zexay as she marched towards the Council building. A few of the local children smiled and waved at her but the greetings she returned were half-hearted, if that. Her focus was nothing more than to get answers about Louis' incarceration and the recent happenings at Budehuc. Her lips held a thin line of frustration as she glanced to her side to see Percival. "I doubt they are in session but I'm willing to bet one or two of them are hiding out in there. They tend not to stray too far from their territory; perhaps they appreciate the scent of corruption and filth."
"Do you want me to wait outside?" Percival asked, sincerely curious. It wasn't very often that he was allowed inside the Guild Hall, even with his status. "I don't imagine the rats take too well to there being two cats in the corridors. Harder to scurry away."
She stopped and looked up at the huge building in front of her. A curse pursed itself on her tongue for these men and their tactic of arresting one of her dear friends, but she did not let it slip. Turning to Percival, she said,"But with two of us, they're less likely to wriggle through the cracks."
Percival nodded sharply. "Always willing to follow you anywhere, milady," he said with a flippant lilt. The smirk faded after a moment. "I hope Louis is all right. This is all completely messed up."
"Me too," she said quietly. A pause, and then she stepped forward, pushing the door open. "Let's do this."
Lifting his head proudly, Percival followed his captain inside. The plush interior of the Guild Hall was much darker than outside, necessitating a pause to focus the eyes before hunting around for wayward councilors. There were a couple of marshals on duty, a maid, some nobles...aha, and certainly plenty of officials lurking in their habitat. "What do you say?" he murmured slyly. "The pair up on the landing, or the old dusty one by the chapel door?"
Chris narrowed her eyes at the one near the door like a hunter sizing up his prey. "That one. His name is Fortis." Walking towards him, she was sure to hold her shoulders square and her expression blank.
The gray-headed councilor did not seem to notice the knights coming up to him until the last second, when he turned straight into Chris's path and looked up, startled. "OH! L-Lady Chris Lightfellow," he stammered, glancing briefly at Percival beside her. "My, this is an unexpected surprise! I, er..."
"Yes, it is quite unexpected, Councilor Fortis," Chris answered, the annoyance in her tone held in check. "I am glad to see you are well. I have a problem that requires your immediate attention."
Fortis looked wildly around as if there were someone else from the council who could come and save him. "Is that so?" he asked blandly, coughing into a fist. "It is a bit short notice to convene the Council, you know. You must give us at least five days' notice - such are the regulations."
"I am aware of the regulations and procedures for conducting Council business," Chris said, her eyes narrowed and a brow raised. "This is an informal request, sir. I hope you will hear me out."
The councilor tried not to shrink back from her stern gaze. "Well, I can't make any promises," he said with a lame laugh, "but I will do my best."
"That is all her Ladyship is requesting," Percival added from beside his captain.
Thankful for Percival's reassuring presence, Chris pressed the Councilor. "Louis Keeferson, my former squire and a dear friend of mine was arrested on suspicion of espionage. I am not sure where anyone would get the idea that Louis, a member of the Zexen nobility, whose family has served honorably for this country in various capacities over the years, would be involved such a thing. I request his immediate release."
Fortis appeared to receive this news with surprise, judging by the widening of his eyes. "My my, is that a fact?" he gasped. "Why, I hadn't heard such a thing. Goodness. If this is the truth, please be assured that at the next council meeting, we will form an inquiry to look into whether this is the case, my Lady."
Chris raised a brow. "I don't believe you understand, Councilor. We do not have time to wait for another meeting. The release needs to be immediate."
"Immediate..." Fortis appeared to sour. "My Lady, surely I don't need to remind you that if he is accused of any crime, petty or no, Mr. Keeferson will need to have a hearing if not a trial. If he is innocent, he will be released, but you cannot simply open all the doors for any prisoner for whom someone will vouch. Not even someone as respectable as the Captain of the Knights." He gave both knights a stern look, each in turn.
"It is Lord Keeferson," she corrected, pinching the bridge of her nose in thought. "And if you refuse to release him despite my highest assurances that he will be in my company until your hearing...then at least let us see him."
The councilor took a step back as if to retreat. "I don't think I have the authority to do that, Lady Chris. I don't know who signed the warrant, I didn't even realize this was going on. There are procedures to follow, and..."
"Oh yes. Procedures," Percival snorted, failing to be discreet about it. "It wasn't the Knights who arrested him, so it falls under Council jurisdiction, does it not?"
Chris frowned, seeing she was getting no where with this idiot. "You don't have the authority to at least allow me to look in on him? Then what do you have the authority to do?"
Fortis straightened up. "I can relay your message to the rest of the council and set up a meeting for you to petition them on M...Lord Keeferson's behalf. It may take a few days to get it on the schedule, but there are no wars for the Captain of the Knights to attend to right now so you should be able to wait." It was more a demand than a suggestion.
"Not exactly what I was hoping for but if it is the BEST you can do," Chris said, her voice low and even with checked anger. "I will return in a week's time to meet with the Council. You'll be sure to have it on the calendar by then, won't you?"
"Why, certainly Lady Chris," Fortis said immediately, finally giving a respectful bow. "We can at least expedite the paperwork for the sake of the Knight Captain."
She glared at him. "I appreciate that."
Percival shared her look. "Is there any chance at all that you could find out who did sign the warrant, so we could know who to petition to see Louis?"
Fortis gave him a noncommittal look. "I'm sure it will come up in the process of investigation."
Chris closed her eyes and turned on her heel. "Come, Percival. It is useless to argue with him. We will have to pray for Louis' safety since no one here has the resolve or ability to even allow us to look on him."
"Yes, milady." Percival let his glare linger for a half-second longer before turning to follow Chris out. Only when they were well out of earshot did he sigh. "I don't envy you this part of your station one bit."
Chris leaned her back against a wall and sighed heavily, letting her guard down for a moment. "I can't help Louis. This is awful."
"Do you think...?" Percival looked around, but the only purple-draped marshals around were over at the door to the Guild Hall. "Would it be worth trying to sneak our way in, somehow? At least to figure out whether he's being held at the barracks' lockup or the council's own..."
"He's at the barracks," Chris said with certainty. "They wouldn't sully themselves with a traitor under their own roof, I'm sure." She closed her eyes. "Poor Louis...I guess we could try."
"Marshals or not, we'd have better luck at the barracks anyway," Percival said, standing up straight and brave for his captain. "We have to at least try. I don't want to leave the city without saying we gave it a shot."
"True," Chris said, giving him a small smile. "Thank you, Percival."
Percival nodded, and then smiled back. "Anything, milady. You know I have your back in all matters great and small. Then, shall we?"
She nodded and led the way out of the Council Building, into the streets and then to the barracks.
When: last week
Where: Vinay del Zexay, Guild Hall
What: the attempt to find out what's going on
Note: Councilor Fortis was played by Percival's mun.
Chris' boots clinked along the paved streets of Zexay as she marched towards the Council building. A few of the local children smiled and waved at her but the greetings she returned were half-hearted, if that. Her focus was nothing more than to get answers about Louis' incarceration and the recent happenings at Budehuc. Her lips held a thin line of frustration as she glanced to her side to see Percival. "I doubt they are in session but I'm willing to bet one or two of them are hiding out in there. They tend not to stray too far from their territory; perhaps they appreciate the scent of corruption and filth."
"Do you want me to wait outside?" Percival asked, sincerely curious. It wasn't very often that he was allowed inside the Guild Hall, even with his status. "I don't imagine the rats take too well to there being two cats in the corridors. Harder to scurry away."
She stopped and looked up at the huge building in front of her. A curse pursed itself on her tongue for these men and their tactic of arresting one of her dear friends, but she did not let it slip. Turning to Percival, she said,"But with two of us, they're less likely to wriggle through the cracks."
Percival nodded sharply. "Always willing to follow you anywhere, milady," he said with a flippant lilt. The smirk faded after a moment. "I hope Louis is all right. This is all completely messed up."
"Me too," she said quietly. A pause, and then she stepped forward, pushing the door open. "Let's do this."
Lifting his head proudly, Percival followed his captain inside. The plush interior of the Guild Hall was much darker than outside, necessitating a pause to focus the eyes before hunting around for wayward councilors. There were a couple of marshals on duty, a maid, some nobles...aha, and certainly plenty of officials lurking in their habitat. "What do you say?" he murmured slyly. "The pair up on the landing, or the old dusty one by the chapel door?"
Chris narrowed her eyes at the one near the door like a hunter sizing up his prey. "That one. His name is Fortis." Walking towards him, she was sure to hold her shoulders square and her expression blank.
The gray-headed councilor did not seem to notice the knights coming up to him until the last second, when he turned straight into Chris's path and looked up, startled. "OH! L-Lady Chris Lightfellow," he stammered, glancing briefly at Percival beside her. "My, this is an unexpected surprise! I, er..."
"Yes, it is quite unexpected, Councilor Fortis," Chris answered, the annoyance in her tone held in check. "I am glad to see you are well. I have a problem that requires your immediate attention."
Fortis looked wildly around as if there were someone else from the council who could come and save him. "Is that so?" he asked blandly, coughing into a fist. "It is a bit short notice to convene the Council, you know. You must give us at least five days' notice - such are the regulations."
"I am aware of the regulations and procedures for conducting Council business," Chris said, her eyes narrowed and a brow raised. "This is an informal request, sir. I hope you will hear me out."
The councilor tried not to shrink back from her stern gaze. "Well, I can't make any promises," he said with a lame laugh, "but I will do my best."
"That is all her Ladyship is requesting," Percival added from beside his captain.
Thankful for Percival's reassuring presence, Chris pressed the Councilor. "Louis Keeferson, my former squire and a dear friend of mine was arrested on suspicion of espionage. I am not sure where anyone would get the idea that Louis, a member of the Zexen nobility, whose family has served honorably for this country in various capacities over the years, would be involved such a thing. I request his immediate release."
Fortis appeared to receive this news with surprise, judging by the widening of his eyes. "My my, is that a fact?" he gasped. "Why, I hadn't heard such a thing. Goodness. If this is the truth, please be assured that at the next council meeting, we will form an inquiry to look into whether this is the case, my Lady."
Chris raised a brow. "I don't believe you understand, Councilor. We do not have time to wait for another meeting. The release needs to be immediate."
"Immediate..." Fortis appeared to sour. "My Lady, surely I don't need to remind you that if he is accused of any crime, petty or no, Mr. Keeferson will need to have a hearing if not a trial. If he is innocent, he will be released, but you cannot simply open all the doors for any prisoner for whom someone will vouch. Not even someone as respectable as the Captain of the Knights." He gave both knights a stern look, each in turn.
"It is Lord Keeferson," she corrected, pinching the bridge of her nose in thought. "And if you refuse to release him despite my highest assurances that he will be in my company until your hearing...then at least let us see him."
The councilor took a step back as if to retreat. "I don't think I have the authority to do that, Lady Chris. I don't know who signed the warrant, I didn't even realize this was going on. There are procedures to follow, and..."
"Oh yes. Procedures," Percival snorted, failing to be discreet about it. "It wasn't the Knights who arrested him, so it falls under Council jurisdiction, does it not?"
Chris frowned, seeing she was getting no where with this idiot. "You don't have the authority to at least allow me to look in on him? Then what do you have the authority to do?"
Fortis straightened up. "I can relay your message to the rest of the council and set up a meeting for you to petition them on M...Lord Keeferson's behalf. It may take a few days to get it on the schedule, but there are no wars for the Captain of the Knights to attend to right now so you should be able to wait." It was more a demand than a suggestion.
"Not exactly what I was hoping for but if it is the BEST you can do," Chris said, her voice low and even with checked anger. "I will return in a week's time to meet with the Council. You'll be sure to have it on the calendar by then, won't you?"
"Why, certainly Lady Chris," Fortis said immediately, finally giving a respectful bow. "We can at least expedite the paperwork for the sake of the Knight Captain."
She glared at him. "I appreciate that."
Percival shared her look. "Is there any chance at all that you could find out who did sign the warrant, so we could know who to petition to see Louis?"
Fortis gave him a noncommittal look. "I'm sure it will come up in the process of investigation."
Chris closed her eyes and turned on her heel. "Come, Percival. It is useless to argue with him. We will have to pray for Louis' safety since no one here has the resolve or ability to even allow us to look on him."
"Yes, milady." Percival let his glare linger for a half-second longer before turning to follow Chris out. Only when they were well out of earshot did he sigh. "I don't envy you this part of your station one bit."
Chris leaned her back against a wall and sighed heavily, letting her guard down for a moment. "I can't help Louis. This is awful."
"Do you think...?" Percival looked around, but the only purple-draped marshals around were over at the door to the Guild Hall. "Would it be worth trying to sneak our way in, somehow? At least to figure out whether he's being held at the barracks' lockup or the council's own..."
"He's at the barracks," Chris said with certainty. "They wouldn't sully themselves with a traitor under their own roof, I'm sure." She closed her eyes. "Poor Louis...I guess we could try."
"Marshals or not, we'd have better luck at the barracks anyway," Percival said, standing up straight and brave for his captain. "We have to at least try. I don't want to leave the city without saying we gave it a shot."
"True," Chris said, giving him a small smile. "Thank you, Percival."
Percival nodded, and then smiled back. "Anything, milady. You know I have your back in all matters great and small. Then, shall we?"
She nodded and led the way out of the Council Building, into the streets and then to the barracks.