[Rasmus/Ravindra] - Murder investigations

[knitperlkill]

Who:
Rasmus
Ravindra
When: Morning after the party
Where: Lord Myron's estate, the courtyard
Rating & Warnings: PG for dead things.

Ravi shows up to take charge of the investigation of Lord Myron's death and discusses the situation with Rasmus.



Well, it wasn't the first time he'd gone without a bit of sleep. At least Cosimo had managed to score him some food, though it had been more of a snack and less of a meal. Better than nothing, he supposed.

The grass was wet with dew. He tromped through it, his pike on a scabbard specially made for it across his back, leaving his hands free. A necessity given the young man kicking his legs about in the air, held up by the collar of his shirt. It was the third such person he had had to remove from the grounds. It was becoming a bit of a hassle, he decided, ignoring the man's protests that he be let down and let go.

Rasmus paused a moment to look up to the highest floor, then down to the ground. It was around the other side of the lawn but he could still see the scene quite clearly just thinking about it. Regardless of the man's... other issues, the height alone would have potentially killed him. A shame it hadn't simply been that.

Moving again, he soon found the Sergeant. Rasmus stopped a short distance from him and, having to peer down a little, saluted, the man still dangling in his grasp. "Sergeant." Rasmus didn't look tired, but he did look annoyed, and he seemed badly in need of a shave. Or moreso than usual.

What a thing to wake up to. While he donned his uniform and made for the crime scene, Ravi found it impossible not to wonder whether this still would have happened if he'd stayed all night. It was a silly thing to fret over; it would have happened whether he was there or not. He was such a shut-in that he wouldn't have noticed anything in time to stop it. That wasn't a comforting thought, not until he told himself that the more social Rasmus had been there all night and still hadn't been able to prevent anything.

After calling on the ledgers for any guardsmen who hadn't already received the message, he made his way to the courtyard in the hopes that it would be easier for Rasmus to find him there. Indeed, the giant found him rather quickly, though you'd think it would be the other way around given their sizes.

Ravindra returned the salute and turned his attention to the unfortunate man dangling in Rasmus's grasp. "Hand him off," Ravi ordered, gesturing over his shoulder to the uniformed men gathering in the open doorway that lead out to the courtyard.

Rasmus seemed confused a moment, then looked down to the man, who looked hopefully back up to him. He'd almost forgotten about him. Carefully, he set the man down on his feet and watched him run off, a thoughtful look on his face. Was this sort of thing really that exciting? It didn't seem that exciting. Mostly it just seemed tedious. Maybe later it would seem more exciting.

"It was discovered after dawn," Rasmus began, probably telling Ravi what he already knew. Still, reports were of that nature. "The body, I mean. There was no commotion until it was found. Lord Myron had, to the best of my knowledge, retired sometime before, but was quite keen on letting things progress." He paused, thinking. "His body was thrown from the roof, it seems. But that is not how he died."

Nope, it was pretty tedious all around. It only seemed exciting if you didn't get to see this kind of thing all the time.

Ravi listened as Rasmus informed, his eyes scanning the courtyard. To an outsider it may have looked inattentive, but Rasmus would know that Ravi was just avoiding the trouble of craning his head to hold eye contact with somebody two feet taller than he was. Most of what Rasmus said he had already heard, though briefly, and he nodded his acknowledgement. "How did he die?" he asked.

Rasmus seemed to take a moment to answer. Saying it out loud seemed to solidify what had happened, and that set him on edge. He set his jaw. "It appears that he was drained of his blood, Sergeant Ravindra."

While he was an Other, it was a little known fact (though hardly hidden), which would give him protection only so long as the fact remained little known. His kind wasn't a blood-drinking type, but if things got out of hand, it wouldn't really matter.

"If you would, Sergeant. I will show you the body."

Yes, that was what Ravi had heard, but he hadn't been sure whether it was exaggeration or truth. Hearing it from Rasmus confirmed it as truth. He folded his arms, looking up at Rasmus with one eyebrow arched--not as a mark of disbelief, but as a mark of consideration. This was a crime committed by an Other, there was no denying that, and he worried what would happen if people found out. Even those like Rasmus, well-known and liked, would be in danger if the public revolted against the idea of Others among them.

"Yes," he said. "Take me to it."

Rasmus didn't bother to nod or salute again, simply turned and walked through the courtyard, his mind partly elsewhere. Last night had been largely anonymous. It had been the perfect situation in which to cause this sort of trouble. His mind went to the Citadel, but he dismissed the thought until he'd had more time to think on it. They were hateful of Others, but he couldn't not see how any but an Other could have done this. Would they have allowed themselves to be in league with one in order to cast suspicion on them?

By the time he had completed that thought, he was already at the scene. Two of the other guards he had been standing guard with last night were doing what they could to keep the area clear of gawkers. That would be less of a problem once the backups got to work.

The body had remained untouched. Rasmus had given it a cursory glance, but didn't need to touch it, or what was left of it, to see what had happened. Not only was the skin white, but shrivelled as well.

"A couple in the gardens saw him fall from the roof. They said they'd heard things, but could not identify anything. They were rather drunk."

Ravi followed, his own thoughts forming a list of people that he was going to need to talk to. Truth be told, he kind of hated that part of investigation work, but at least he had an excuse to be blunt and to the point at the expense of pleasantries when he was questioning someone. Myron's family and staff would need to be questioned, obviously, and maybe the Magus as well, for a list of potential suspects.

The body was an ugly sight. Seeing it, Ravi had no doubt whatsoever that the cause of death he'd been told was the truth. He turned to look up to the roof, judging the fall distance, wondering how somebody would have been able to drag Lord Myron up there without being noticed.

"Get someone up there," he said. "I want to know how they got him on the roof. Did anybody else see anything?"

Rasmus turned to one of the other guards and jerked his hand in a much less humourous way than he had in the evening when talking with Cosimo. Speaking briefly to the man, he sent him up and watched him disappear into the house.

"I was up there earlier," he said, rubbing his chin again, mindless of his whiskers. "One is required to climb a ladder in order to reach the roof proper. The fall could have killed him, but I do not know if that was the intention, or if it was to be alone." There was a moment and he pointed up, watching the guard come out onto what really amounted to no more than a thin railing, shuffling over to a ladder and making his way up. "It would be very awkward to carry a body there, but not impossible."

Not for someone such as himself, he thought, disturbed.

"Hmm..." Ravi watched the guardsman climb, one hand on the hilt of his sword at his hip, fingers tapping a rhythm against the metal as he thought.

It seemed fairly obvious that Myron had to be dead before the fall. What were the options here? One, the murderer had killed him, and then dragged the corpse up to the roof to throw it off. Why? Spectacle? Wanting to make sure people knew, people saw? Perhaps the most distressing possibility. Two, Myron had been up there of his own volition, or the killer had lured a living victim to the roof, where he'd been killed and then thrown off to dispose of the body. That turned it into a crime of opportunity, but Ravi did not think this was a crime of opportunity. Myron had been targeted for a reason.

Ravi turned away from the building and knelt by the body to examine it more closely. He checked for marks, bite wounds, anything that could be useful knowledge. The neck was the most obvious place to look, but he found nothing there. What he did find were a pair of puncture wounds, one on each wrist. Interesting. He didn't know of any myths involving that. He pointed the marks out to Rasmus, asking whether he knew of anything that fit the description.

The giant shook his head to the question after a moment's thought. "I am afraid I am not much in the knowledge of such things. Not to say there are not things that do this where I am from, but I know little more than that, and have not seen any such thing in Tyrol." Though bloodsuckers were often masters of a sort of illusions and disguise, he recalled. At least, that was what others said of them. But from the wrists? That was an unusual place. Blood flow surged most strongly from the neck, in terms of accessibility.

Again he seemed to hesitate. "Sergeant... do you wish for me to be involved in this investigation?" He was surprised to find it hurt to ask such a question. Rasmus did his best to do his best and do well by those around him, but he did not wish to comprimise anything that might come up simply due to his presence.

He hadn't thought Rasmus would know, but it was still disappointing to be told as much. It meant he'd come up against a wall until he could speak with the Magus about it.

The question caught him off-guard. He looked up, confused and then concerned, and pushed himself to his feet. His answer was deliberately casual. "Don't be ridiculous, Rasmus. Why would I not? You are like any other guardsman here--only a concerned citizen of Tyrol."

He was afraid it would come to that. To start inquiring after the Others at the Golden Hour would make very few people happy. "Though it was done by an Other- most likely- I cannot guess why it would be done in such a fashion. It will give us no peace," he said, comfortable enough with Ravi to include himself in his own words. He shook his head, jutting his jaw out briefly.

"A guardsman, yes, but only like them. I do not like to judge others, Sergeant, but groups such as the Citadel would be upset to discover an Other was involved on this side of the law." He crossed his arms in front of him. "I can only think that this was done to draw attention to Others. This does not bode well for me or any of us that have remained neutral."

"Yes," he agreed, "it does not bode well at all." He didn't want to think about how messy this could potentially get, but that was the entire heart of the matter, wasn't it?

The subtle dismissal of Rasmus's concerns hadn't worked out quite as intended; maybe it had been a stupid thing to say, trying too hard, or not being direct enough. He lowered his voice to keep from being overheard (and because sincerity was difficult even with how well he knew his men). "But, Rasmus, if I take you off the case for no apparent reason, do you not think that would raise suspicion? If you do not think you can keep yourself from being too personally invested, I would keep your involvement to a minimum, but I would rather not have to."

He shook his head a little, but though he was clearly troubled, there was some small sense of relief as well. He trusted Ravindra. To think the Sergeant trusted him as well, despite these problems, meant a good deal to him. "I will do as you order, Sergeant," he said with some sense of renewed confidence. If anything were to happen, he would simply have to wait and see, then react accordingly when the time came. It was all he could think to do.

With that set aside, he could focus again on the task at hand. "I will go back on the roof to investigate. You will be all right to speak with the Magus? And the King? He is unharmed?"

Good. That had gotten the point across. Still, though, he'd probably avoid giving Rasmus a crucial role in the investigation, because he didn't want it to seem like preference was being given if Rasmus's nature as an Other did come out, but that was much less suspicious than cutting him out of the investigation entirely.

"Mm," he affirmed. The Magus shouldn't be much trouble. Maybe over the ledgers... Easier that way, had a paper record of the answer. But there was something to be said for his intimidating stare, which couldn't quite be captured through paper... He'd think about that later. "The king is fine, as far as I know, but I should check into that. See if there are any signs of struggle on the roof. Try to figure out if Myron was dead before he got there."

Rasmus nodded, thoughtful. There were simply too many possibilities now, and he hadn't slept yet, and he was hungry. In all truth, the worry of his being an Other was a distant one compared to more immediate necessities. But those, too, would have to wait awhile. He had gone much longer before without sleep and other necessities. Perhaps it was the future that tired him so.

"Then I will do that now, Sergeant Ravindra. If you think I am in need of knowing something, do not hesitate to tell me."

He saluted then, crisply, and turned to enter the house as well, and meet with the guard who was looking uncertainly from above.