PREVIOUS: 010: Wee Boys
Mossgrove Town Square
In other circles, the stocks are a punishment of public humiliation, but the citizens of Mossgrove are far too polite to actually ridicule anyone to their face. Instead, they turn their heads away, and worry amongst themselves about how such a nice young man could do such a terrible thing, and what this town is coming to. For the nice young man currently sitting in the stocks, that's almost worse.
He's a short but powerfully built fellow, who looks like he could rip the hinges off the stocks binding his feet if he had a mind to. Instead, he sits there morosely with his hands folded in his lap, looking for anyone who will acknowledge his presence.
LUCYA: "Aye, that's him, alright..."
Jagal is just barely too bewildered at the sight to start laughing at it.
Lucya hesitates for a moment, but people are already starting to notice her. She steels herself, then runs across the plaza, ignoring the passersby staring at her, whispering.
Togan does a double-take.
TOGAN: "...Lucya? Lucya! Is that really you?!"
She kneels down to hug him, and he kisses her on the cheek.
TOGAN: "Oh, my dear Lucya... What in the world are you doing here?"
LUCYA: "What are ye doing here?! What happened??"
JAGAL: (standing a safe distance from them, looking around idly) "Wow, not one single person selling rotten produce. You call these stocks?"
TOGAN: "...Who is that...?"
LUCYA: "Ach, he is a wee scoundrel I've hired, who knows the lay a the land... Pay him no mind!"
TOGAN: "I see... Ah, but I almost wish someone would throw a tomato at me. Better than saying nothing at all..."
JAGAL: "Hmm, don't have any tomatoes myself. How's a, uh—" (checking random pocket) "—dirty rag sound?"
TOGAN: "I said almost...!"
JAGAL: (laughing, putting his empty hands up) "Right, of course."
Togan sighs and rubs his forehead.
TOGAN: "I-I'm still not sure what happened myself... They said I was there, but I didn't even know someone had died until they came to arrest me!"
TOGAN: "I was just in the store for some last minute groceries... There was a loud noise what spooked me, so I ran, but Mr. Pearce's wife saw me, and she's..."
LUCYA: "That's all it was?? And they've got ye all locked up here like a criminal!"
Jagal is on their other side all of a sudden, tossing a dagger up idly.
JAGAL: "Yeah, that's usually what happens if they see you."
TOGAN: "P-please don't do that..."
JAGAL: "Somebody gonna pay me to stop?"
LUCYA: "I'll pay ye with a five-finger sandwich!"
She turns back to fussing over Togan.
LUCYA: "Do ye know who's in charge a investigatin'? Who do I need t'talk tae?"
TOGAN: "Y-you're really gonna help me? But..."
TOGAN: "I-I don't know, sorry. It was Veren who locked me up out here, but... No one will tell me anything! I haven't even seen my parents..."
LUCYA: "Not even yer ma?! Now that's weird..."
JAGAL: "They afraid you're gonna get your stories straight if you talk or something?"
TOGAN: "I-I'm not sure what you mean...?"
TOGAN: "Lucya, I know you and her don't get along, but... would you make sure she's okay? I'm worried sick..."
LUCYA: "Aye, of course..."
Lucya seems to cringe a bit at the thought of seeing her again, but she tries not to show it.
JAGAL: (gesturing) “You know, if they think there’s some kinda conspiracy, they’ll talk to everybody separate so… Eh, never mind.”
Jagal looks between the two of them at the bad blood mentions and grins.
JAGAL: "Sounds like this'll be fun. Where we headed?"
Togan's still not a big fan of this guy, but at least he seems to be interested in doing something.
TOGAN: "It's the smithy over yonder, you can't really miss it..."
LUCYA: "Aye, I know it well."
LUCYA: (quietly to Jagal) "I told ye someone here knew about black iron, aye...?"
Jagal needs a second for mental calculations.
JAGAL: (also quietly, but more intense) "Wait... His family are the blacksmiths?"
Lucya nods.
JAGAL: (in the same whispertone) "Well, you coulda said so sooner!"
Jagal turns back to Togan long enough to give a little bow.
JAGAL: (egregiously sycophantic tone) "We'll get this all sorted out for you, no problem! I am an expert on being suspected, after all."
LUCYA: "Aye, I knew he'd come around eventually.~"
TOGAN: "What's with that guy...?"
LUCYA: "He's a greedy wee thing, but he's good at what he does... It'll be alright, Togan, aye? We'll get ye out a here, and clear yer name."
TOGAN: "Well... I'll trust you, then. Thank you, Lucya... and..."
TOGAN: "I-I don't think I got your name..."
JAGAL: "Jagal! Or The Jackal, or Jack—whatever you prefer."
TOGAN: "Jagal... alright..."
Togan clings to Lucya a bit as she stands up to leave, but catches himself and folds his hands politely in his lap again.
Sights firmly set on the smithy, Jagal has yet to register the piercing gaze that’s been directed at the two of them.
JAGAL: (out of Togan’s earshot) “Hoo… Boy, I sure hope that was an act. That’s just sad.”
LUCYA: "Will ye leave him alone?! Aye, ye might think him a bit simple, but he's a lovely man..."
Before Jagal can snark back, their path is interrupted. No one is rude enough to march right up to them, but a nicely-dressed woman with a ponytail stands just to the side, her stare twice as palpable as you’d expect with one eye covered up.
Keela: “Lovely men do not kill in cold blood.”
LUCYA: "Wh..."
It takes Lucya a few seconds to figure out how to react.
LUCYA: "Ms. Keela...! I-I'm so sorry fer yer loss, but-- but what's going on?!"
KEELA: "............"
KEELA: "Ah, yes, you've been gone, haven't you."
LUCYA: "Aye, I just got here this afternoon..."
KEELA: (nodding in Togan's direction) "That man killed my husband. Pushed a shelf onto him in his own store and ran."
LUCYA: "A shelf...? But he'd never-- did ye see him do it?"
KEELA: (tilting head slightly) "I was outside at that exact moment. But he was the only customer in the store."
Keela seems to have just now registered Jagal is here, too.
KEELA: "..........."
Jagal waves.
LUCYA: "Aye, it dinnae sound good... But I cannae understand why he'd do such a thing! Or why anyone would... Ye sure it was nae accident?"
Jagal scoffs under his breath at that.
KEELA: "Few people here could move that shelf at all. Impossible to do on accident."
JAGAL: "Did Togan have some reason to do it, though, or are you just thinking it's some thrill-of-wanton-violence kinda thing?"
KEELA: "..........And you are."
JAGAL: "Oh—Jagal. Pleasure to meet you, uh...?"
KEELA: "...Keela. And yes. He had reason."
LUCYA: "Well this is the first I've heard of it--"
Lucya catches herself raising her voice and sighs.
LUCYA: "I'm sorry, ma'am, but somethin' just dinnae sit right with me about all this..."
LUCYA: "Would ye let us look around, auh, w-where it happened...? Maybe nae right now, but..."
She looks at Jagal.
LUCYA: (aside) "Where to first...?"
Keela just stares at Lucya a good long while.
KEELA: "Veren is there."
JAGAL: (to Lucya) "You really think I'd pick anywhere besides the place with the iron?"
Lucya does the "i dont know what i expected" face.
LUCYA: "Alright..."
Not wanting to upset(???) her further, she just does a small curtsy and backs away.
Keela's eyes bore into their backs until the two of them are out of sight. No one else approaches them as they make their way down the cobble path. There's usually more people out and about on a nice day like this, but...
Stormfall Ironworks
Even if Lucya didn't know exactly where she was going, it would be hard to miss Stormfall Ironworks. Though the house is unpainted and the fence a work in progress, the forge's chimney looms high over the other buildings along the road. The clanging sound of the anvil, though, is conspicuously absent.
LUCYA: "Auh..."
Jagal takes a deep breath.
JAGAL: "Smell's good, at least."
JAGAL: (grinning at Lucya) "But you don't sound thrilled about getting me my black iron."
LUCYA: "The iron is nae the problem, wee man..."
Lucya sighs, straightens her dress, then does her trademark little knock on the door.
???: "Wh--"
There's a sound of something clattering on a table as heavy footsteps pound up to the door. The woman who answers looks straight up at Lucya with a mix of confusion and anger-- mostly anger.
Miga: (hoarse whisper) "What are YOU doing here???"
Lucya puts her hands up defensively, matching the woman's volume despite not being sure why she's whispering.
LUCYA: "M-Mrs. Miga, I heard about--"
Lucya's unfinished sentence falls on deaf ears as Miga's eyes sink back down to Jagal's height.
MIGA: "Oh for Thor's sake. This might as well happen. And who is this? Your little paramour? I could snap his forearm like a twig..."
Jagal seems disoriented for a second at something in Miga's appearance but blinks it off. He's not sure what "paramour" means, either, but he can assume.
JAGAL: "Oh, she wishes I was. Just a traveling arrangement, alas."
LUCYA: "I dinnae wish anything a the sort!"
JAGAL: (with a casual shrug, but still partially behind Lucya) "And personally I prefer both arms intact."
Lucya scowls at him. Miga snorts, but her sour expression doesn't budge.
MIGA: "Uh huh. So, are you here to pretend you care about my son, or what?"
LUCYA: "But I do, ma'am! I-I've just been t'see him! He says he hasn't seen ye since..."
MIGA: "..."
Bevan: "..."
A man appears at Miga's side. He looks just as surprised to see Lucya, but he just nods at her, and gives Miga a worried look as he touches her shoulder.
Jagal glances at the man long enough to nod in greeting before turning back to Miga.
JAGAL: “Either way, both of us are interested in getting him off the hook.” (gesturing) “Her out of the goodness of her wee heart or something, me because I’m not buying the case against him, aaand I wouldn’t mind a little compensation for getting things cleared up.”
Miga sighs and rubs her forehead, in a familiar motion.
MIGA: (quietly) "...Aye, maybe someone who ain't involved in this whole mess..."
MIGA: "Okay, you can come in. Tell me yer name, kid."
Lucya starts to follow Jagal, but Miga snarls at her.
MIGA: "NOT you. You stay out."
BEVAN: "..."
Her husband makes his own subdued version of The Face™, but Miga isn't relenting this time.
Jagal has to suppress his own snort at Lucya's treatment, but he seems perfectly fine with solo entering the home of someone who just threatened(?) to break his arms.
JAGAL: "Thanks. Name's Jagal, little better known as The Jackal."
LUCYA: "I-I guess I'll see ye later--"
Lucya flinches as the woman slams the door in her face. Naught to be done but report back to Togan...
NEXT: 012: Party Split