(1310-11-17) The Questioning
Summary: The captive is questioned — by a young fair maiden.
RL Date: 06/12/2018
Related: Tonnerre Plot
aurelie 

Dungeon — Palais des Trois Frères — Namarre


In the dungeon, there languishes a man. A man who, despite some torture that has gone more and more grim, has refused to say anything else. The healers have bid Jean stay in bed for the next couple of days, so he delegates the interrogation to Aurelie.

His words to her: "Spare nothing." If the man is not afraid of life, after all, perhaps there's something else that might make him talk.

Aurélie is not a woman versed in torture. Not at all. Jean's request therefore has her eyes widen a little. "I will find out what I can," she tells him, before she leaves him, to deal with the captive. Were it for her, she would order that the man's injuries should be seen to. That he should to be cleaned and given clean shirt and trousers. And she would not descend to the dungeons to see him, on the contrary, Aurélie would have him brought to a room, that is not as grand as the other rooms, but sufficient for her purposes. Light would filter in through the windows, and there would be a certain civilized air lingering. This room is where Aurélie would receive him. Clean he might be then, but his hands would be tied, when being brought in. Perhaps on deliberate purpose, the courtesan would remain seated, her dress elegant in its high-waisted cut, and yet unassuming, in its lack of flashiness.

But as it is, she is led directly to the dungeons.

Blonde hair has been done in a fashionable hairdo, and the green eyes that regard him will be familiar to the man, the features too, that look so young still. "Sit down," Aurélie tells him as well as the guards, who will immediately see to the man getting seated on the chair in the middle of the room, some distance still away from the courtesan.

The man is alone in his cell. It is a dungeon cell, so it is lacking for space. A straw bed, dirty and sworn, rests on the floor as a sort of almost-mercy. It is stained with the man's blood. Rats scurry in the corner of the cell. This, after all, is a man who committed a crime and conspired for more in Jean L'Envers' land. This is what he can expect, rather than an easy death.

When Aurelie appears, the man looks up, staring at her.

<FS3> Aurelie rolls Composure: Success. (5 3 2 7 3 2 4 1)

It had been the second of the two possible scenarios Aurélie had envisioned, even so, she approaches the cell with little trepidation. She enters in the full awareness of that she must be quite the contrast to his sobering surroundings. Her appearance is clean, elegant, her beauty of that almost ethereal sort that many courtesans call their own. The presence of rats is not something she appreciates, it may show in the faint twitch of her brows as the high-pitched sounds of these rodents reaches her ears. The guards make sure, none of those critters approaches her. Turning her eyes towards the culprit, Aurélie pauses to take in his appearance that differs from when she had seen him last. Her lips press together briefly, before she allows a faint smile to blossom on her features. "Good day," she greets him, in her amiable soft voice. "You look much worse that last time we met."

<FS3> Aurelie rolls Charm: Great Success. (7 5 6 8 4 5 7 7 2 2)

"Yes, well, I've been treated to Tonnerre hospitality." The man quips in a sarcastic tone as he looks up to Aurelie. Whatever the reason, he seems receptive enough to the warm greeting. "What do you want, Lady Aurelie? I assume you're not here to invite me to tea."

"What do I want?", the courtesan quips back with a hint of playfulness that feels oddly misplaced in this grim looking cell. "I suppose you have an idea already, Monsieur. I regret that you have had to get acquainted with… the harsher side of said Tonnerre hospitality. I hear you have withstood the rather forward sort of questioning. I want you to know that I didn't approve at all of these methods. So I've decided to venture down here, to ask of you what it is that you want."

"I do what I do for monetary gain. Just as anyone else in this business." The questioned states, looking up to the courtesan. "Is that it, then? Or do you have more questions of the sort?"

<FS3> Aurelie rolls Subterfuge+4: Great Success. (3 2 7 7 8 2 5 2 7 6 1 5 3)

"Would money be… more efficient, I wonder, to make you admit the full extent of the conspiracy?", Aurélie wonders aloud. Her arms cross before her briefly as she considers him. "Perhaps… a higher price could sway you to work with us instead of against my lord, the Vicomte?" She takes a step towards the man, knowing he is safely restrained. Her fingers feel soft as they touch against his chin and she lowers her face to meet his gaze fully. "I abhor violence. I prefer other methods of getting answers."

"How much are we talking about? I don't think you realize what you're asking of me." The questioned comments, his face leaning up to meet Aurelie's, his gaze upon hers. Clearly, the implications of greed are there.

"Two thousand ducats," the young blonde courtesan responds, her eyes attentive as she tries to read his immediate reaction, even as her lips curve in a fetching smile. "Which is a lot, monsieur, for someone such as you." Can it be, that she looks just a tad insecure when stating that amount? Her eyelids move in a slow flutter, and the way her lips press together next hint at a certain nervousness. "It is enough to tempt you? To sway you?", she continues, lifting a finger to her lips, tracing the lower one as if somehow seeking reassurance.

Her hand is slapped away and he shakes his head. "Not half of what's enough." Rising to his feet, he moves to the other corner of the room, glancing across to her. "Do you even know what Vouzon does to rats?"

"Five thousand then?"

Aurélie stands there, her hands folded before her, lifting her gaze when the man moves to stand. Her fingers moves faintly, as if in some vague dance, as they recover from the slap. "No.", she tells him then, answering his question. "No, I don't. What does he do to rats?" Her own question sounds innocent enough.

"First he finds their family. If there are babies, he makes sure to fetch a tub. He drowns them. Then he has the wife gutted in front of the husband, and finally, the husband is dismembered and skinned alive for as long as they are conscious. If the person is alone, he hangs them upside down to flay them slowly until they bleed their last into a bucket." The questioner states, rubbing his elbow. "I want seven thousand ducats. And I want safe-conduct for my brother's family."

The courtesan nods. "I understand." The words leave her in a low murmur. "But… if you give us information that will prove useful evidence against the Baron de Vouzon…" Her brows lift and she pauses. "Your brother's family shall be safe, and those 7,000 ducats shall be yours, monsieur." Her eyelids move in a slow blink and she lowers her gaze, before she lifts it again. "So… please tell me about the involvement of the baron de Vouzon. What are his plans? And what misdeeds of his do you know of?", she asks him, lightly.

<FS3> Aurelie rolls Subterfuge+4: Failure. (2 1 6 6 6 5 1 2 5 6 4 3 1)
Aurelie spends 1 luck points on Reroll Subterfuge.
<FS3> Aurelie rolls Subterfuge+4: Great Success. (6 5 7 3 6 1 7 8 8 7 4 2 4)

"He's raising an army. He intends to take Auxerre by the start of the next year." The questioned states, rising to his feet and apparently mollified by the promises. Pausing, he looks back to her. "The brigands are just the start. He's hiring mercenaries from abroad. They're already filling his halls and taverns. Soon enough, you'll see."

"Hmmm…" Aurélie's eyes widen when the man finally shares some of what he knows with her. "The Baron de Vouzon wishes to take Auxerre… what of the Vicomte, my lord Jean l'Envers?" Her gaze narrows a little. "He is on the baron's agenda as well, is it not so?"

"Why do you think he wants Auxerre?" The questioned smiles; it's nothing but the smile of someone who knows something the other person doesn't. "It's easier to take Namarre by storm if he has a stronghold to serve as a base of operations. Then he gets to kill l'Envers if he wants."

"Is it just the Baron de Vouzon, monsieur?", the courtesan asks, giving the man a long and intense look. "Do you know if there are others of standing that are sympathetic to his cause?" Her fingers are still laced before her, and the blonde hair stays in its elaborate do as she tilts her head a little to the side. "Answer me this last question and you will find those 7,000 ducats to be easily earned."

"There are others, but I don't know who they are." The questioned state. "It's not like Vouzon would present all his friends to people who work for him, now, would he?"

There is a slow nod, Aurélie looking thoughtful as she files away this reply of the man, even if it is somewhat vague. "Of course." Her lips twitch into a smile. "It is doubtful he would." A beat. "I thank you for telling me what you know. I shall pass the information on, and…" Her green eyes glint as her lips shift into a faint lop-sided smile, "I shall see that you are properly recompensated." Moving away from the cell, she assures over her shoulder, "The family of your brother shall be brought to safety."

This latter statement perhaps the most genuine promise she has given throughout all of the interrogation.

In case no further remarks will be made by the man, this will be the point, at which Aurélie nó l'Envers will make her exit.

The questioner may realize he's been played later, when the executioners hang him on the gallows. Nevertheless, Aurelie's gotten enough information to decide what to do next.

Unless otherwise stated, the content of this page is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 License