RP:Portraits Aplenty

From HollowWiki

Part of the Larketian Fault Lines Arc



Summary Alvina seeks out Aaken to inquire about the memory glass he gave her the day of Josleen's birthday, capturing the events in graphic detail. Aaken gives Alvina a total of 52 glass images, showing all the participants of the event and various scenes. Alvina takes the cart to the palace, to either give to Josleen directly or leave for her review. She pays Aaken the bit of gold she has with her, and offers her thanks for his help in solving the crime.

Lemoni's Family Manor

Aaken sat outside on the lawn nearby a mild sized manor just south of Larket's general store. The family that lived here was Lemoni's and she was inside talking with her many sisters and brothers, while Aaken sat outside. Against a tree was 6' pane of glass, which was still glowing blue from the memory he was placing upon it.


Alvina had been searching Larket, looking for the magical glass seller who had given her a critical piece of evidence regarding the Queen's birthday party and the madness that erupted there. She'd heard from one of the guards that Aaken was in this part of town, so she made her way to the manor in question and spotted the glowing bit of glass from a distance. "Good evening," she said, a bit tense. It's the first time she's approached a naga in quite a few years. The last experience hadn't been exactly pleasant. She's dressed in navy blue clothing. A high neck dress, matching a cloak of the same color. White boots, heeled and recently cleaned with no sign or dirt or travel yet. Her crimson curls hung loose around her neck and face, trailing the back of her cloak with matching ribbons woven in. Emerald eyes settle on Aaken apprehensively, waiting for his reply.


Aaken removed his hands and glanced her way and his toothless smile broadened. He was massive for a naga, like a giant anthromorphic black python, with neon green stripes running from the top of his head down to his tail along his back yet his red eyes were strangely soft. "Good evening." He said with a familiar squeaky soprano voice. "I love your dress." He said. "Brings out the green of those emerald eyes."


Alvina cracked a tense smile. Was she wrong to think he didn't have any teeth when he smiled at her? Giant. Naga. He was so much bigger than Jaize had been, that it was an extra level or scary for her to remember. It had been fine, at the opening of the youth center because they hadn't been talking alone. Her old fears and panics rose in the back of her throat but she tried her best to be civil and calm. "T-thank you," She stuttered, looking sideways, at something in the distance before clearing her throat and introducing herself. "I'm Alvina, I saw you at the...Queen's birthday celebration and you gave me this...memory." The pocket sized picture was pulled from her pocket for him to see. "In the madness, I forgot to ask you about it. It looks like the moment when the caravan comes into the field but...I wanted to know if you saw anything else that day. Or maybe, ask why you gave it to me?"


Aaken noted her fear in her words so he stayed at a distance, and if she came near to him he tried to minimize his size best he could. "Yes, I do have more, thats what this 6 by 7 is for. It has the same memories as what I gave you plus the events that occured afterward. As she comes around to it the images showing up as clear as they happened, but with the woman being beaten by eirik the scenes were slowed down, to capture the words she spoke, and the other sounds were muted save for the ones that called out for her death or had assisted in other acts of bloodshed, the images flowed from one person to another, capturing every act of violence, in a very strong detail. Aaken himself winced many times as he watched it go through, for a full round before covering it with a cloth to which the sound stopped immediately. "I gave this to you because I could see by the way you moved and the queen moved that you were close friends, I believed that you would have given the evidence to her."


Alvina flinched at the images now put in glass, turning away as Eirik goes for Hanah. She knew the ending, and didn't want to see it again. "I didn't get a chance...after we were rushed off to the palace, we got separated. I wasn't able to see her." Her being Josleen. Alvina couldn't really blame the guards, Irenic or Macon for hustling Josleen to safety. It had been a grisly thing...the bard did not want to remember. "I will give this to her but I wanted to see you first. To see, if you had anything else. If you, saw anything else. I...guess you saw everything..." In truth, her memories of the day are fuzzy. Faded by the rage aura Macon had unknowingly released onto the crowd.


The last glass he showed a boy not more than seven crying by a pond in larket, the image backed up to Hanah holding the child before her demise and then one where the child watched her death unfold. "I found him, he's staying here, at the House, he's her son."


Alvina didn't know Hanah, and did not know she had a son. Hanah had been one of the witches working with Hudson and Valrae at Hudson's nail salon. Alvina had never been and refused to, on the grounds that Valrae worked there and she didn't want to run into her. "Why is he staying here?" She asked, confused by the glass and the naga's statement.


"We found him, I had lemoni put a notice in the paper, should someone come to claim him." He said speaking of which the midriff revealing low u neck curvacous salamndner female came out with cookies, milk and honey and promptly sat down on Aaken's coils, "Hey your from the fair, aren't you, come and sit, aaken's harmless , hey i am a jersher, and i feel safe around him. "


Alvina watches the woman advance on their position but offers a palmed wave of her hand in both greeting and dismal of the idea she should get closer. "Forgive me if I seem rude but, the last naga I knew wasn't quite the harmless type. I don't think you mean or anything but I just...feel better to have the distance, thank you." It's true, he didn't look or sound anything like Jaize but it still unnerved her. It would take a while to get over her fear. "No one has come to claim him?" She asked, confused and concerned. If only she knew about Hanah's job, she could have asked Hudson. "If you have any other news, I can send it along with me to the Queen so she can find out who really did this. As for the woman...I know the man responsible is in custody, pending a trial."


Aaken nodded, but he nudged Lemoni. Who walked up to Alvina. "Here," She offered with a plate of cookies and milk with honey dipping. She was about five feet tall. A lime green in color closer to anthromorphic salmander than anything. Aaken said. " Yes, I um, I have taken a notice of the tenmants over there, and I can see they are still run down, I would like to inquire with the Queen if they are to be repaired or rebuilt, if rebuilt I would love to be apart of the design team, I have some ideas, that I think could help."


Alvina bowed her head in thanks, taking a cookie and nibbling it politely as Aaken spoke. "I can let her know you're interested?" Alvina offered, "But I'm not sure what the plan is for them..." It wasn't something the bard had discussed with the Queen. And it hadn't been on her list until now. "Thank you, Lemoni." She said, finishing the cookie but not taking the milk. "It's very kind of you to look after the boy, I'll mention it as well to the Queen. I'm sure she'll want to know about all of this..." With a sigh, Alvina angled herself towards the castle. What would these images mean to Josleen? Alvina turned back to Aaken, putting the piece of glass she brought back into her pocket for safe keeping. "Do you want me to take any more with me?" She asked, holding out her hand. "I'm sure there will be payment for your service to the crown."


Aaken looked at the large glass, and then back at the pile of glass. Putting his hand to each, he placed the image of every citzen in memory that was there and separated them from the main image, he also separated what each said to the image, Lemoni sensing the amount, retrieved a horse and wagon from her families, Manor. Soon Aaken piled on the large glass and the other smaller ones. A large load. "The secret to using these is up for the queen to decide, but, to work with them, cover them if you want them not to play images or sound, remove the covering and it will play." He said. "You can take this there yourself or Lemoni will take the cart when you go to the palace, I imagine each could be used to profile those who were guilty and those who were innocent."


Alvina helps to load up the cart, impressed by the sheer volume of paintings he'd created in such a short time. There's no way this won't be helpful. It's too detailed. "I don't mind to take it. I'm grateful for your help..." Would Josleen be able to find what she needed here? Or would she just be sent into her own rage to view the scene again. The grotesque depictions of the king and queen, lit on fire by some green fire... Alvina shivers to recall. "I don't have much, but please accept this until someone else contacts you..." With that, Alvina handed Aaken (or Lemoni) a small sack of gold. Inside, he'd fine 10,000 gold pieces before moving to the head of the cart to start towards the palace.


Aaken watched her go, his eyes barely able to keep open. "*YAWN* Oh man, that took a lot out of me, I think I could sleep a few...." He slumped backward landing on his coils, asleep. "Snekit," Lemoni shook her head, and patted him on his snout.