They spend some more time in the bar, gathering whatever information they can before leaving.
Overalls is particularly helpful here. This isn’t just because she’s a primary source, sharing what she knows; it’s also because she’s a well known, highly influential person in the town: she’s the repairer of Sunder Inn and, by extension, the whole of Bailemore—from the church to the bar they spent the night in.
That’s why she had looked so familiar even to the newcomer, Jarl.
She had been there when he booked room 102.
~
Some additional information they uncover is where Jasey and the kidnapper had stayed: the only local inn.
Overalls confides that the first time she was faced with Jasey’s muteness was right after the booking process. “Sheryl spoke mos’ly ta Red fer that.”
“Sheryl?”
“T’e Inn’s owner.” Jarl glances at Áesta in surprise only to be met with a disbelieving stare, “Ye didn’ know?”
The priest blushes, “I… guess I forgot to ask her name…”
The daemon laughs. “T’is one,” he points at Overalls, “Is Bobby—jus’ so ye know.”
She raises her eyebrow as some of the drunkards around them snigger; Jarl just ducks his head a bit more: he’s never been a master at the fine art of interpersonal skills and he’s aware of how much that now shows (how he ever managed to connect so deeply to a whole parish of human beings he’ll probably never know).
Manus joins in on the sniggering, probably remembering other times Jarl’s poor people skills bit his butt, before yelping at Jarl’s elbow digging into his side. Bobby and Áesta both look amused at the magician’s following sheepish look. The repairer then continues: “I met ‘em when I had ta check their room’s fireplace.”
“There was something wrong with it?” Manus asks, looking oddly suspicious. (Why, Jarl has no idea.)
Bobby shrugs, “Didn’ seem like it; especially as Cory—our cleaner—does a real good job o’, well, cleanin’ it; but, yea: the kid came down with a fright real fast, wavin’ ‘is hands around ‘cause ‘e was sayin’ somet’in’—but we didn’ know what ‘e was tellin’ us ‘til Red came and translated. T’at’s ‘ow we learned about it.”
“hWat were he sayin’?” Áesta inquires, looking a tad pale again; Jarl wonders at the fact that he can see this even though the skin he’s looking at isn’t really Áesta’s skin (because it’s brown, not green); then again: Áesta’s body was originally just a mass of shadows so… what would count as his real skin?
“That the fireplace was roarin’ som’in’ fierce; and, when we went ta look, it really were abnormally big.” Bobby sets two empty mugs on top of each other, letting the rib of the bottom lock into the lip of the one beneath it, before setting another next to the small tower, “This is t’e size o’ a regular flame; this is their’s.”
“So, it was twice the normal size…” Manus murmurs, seeming to be a little paler, too. (What’s Jarl missing?)
“Right,” Bobby nods. She then dismantles the mini tower and sets the mugs on the Keep’s tray as she passes. They share a smile.
Áesta purrs.
“We took a look at it but couldn’t find much wrong,” the repairer continues, unaware of the daemon feeding on her interaction with the barkeeper. “Cory gave it a cleanin’, just to be sure, but she didn’t think it’d help. She said the only thing that would cause that kind o’ flame were the fireplace bein’ dirty enough ta add fuel—but it weren’t that dirty.” She takes a swing from her canteen before adding, “T’ey didn’ complain, though.”
“So, the problem was fixed?” Manus asks; and, for the first time, Jarl questions why this is even important. (What does this actually have to do with figuring out who the kidnapper is???)
“Seemed like it.” Bobby shrugs, “They slept the night, were out an’ about most o’ the next day, slept again, an’ then left.” She thinks for a minute before adding: “Headin’ east—toward Mullingh.”
“They used the regional road?”
“Yea’.”
~
The most important thing they learn—in Jarl’s opinion, it’s right up there with the kidnapper knowing Sign—is the dates they were in town: “And when was this, exactly?”
Bobby sips her canteen again as she things back. Her hazel eyes look a bit more yellow as she remembers, literally lighting up her face, “Decemb’r 22! I r‘member ‘cause that cute German ‘pothecary got the’r room.”
“Hagen?”
“Ye’, that’s ‘im,” the repairer nods affirmingly. “They came on the 20th, though. From the west.”
“Did… you mention them… to Hagen?”
Bobby looks at Jarl strangely—about as strangely as Manus and Áesta are, as well—“… Didn’ think ta.”
~
It’s passed dawn by the time they finally make it back to the Inn.
Jarl’s exhausted, then, having gone just over 24 hours without stopping. The amount of information alone, though, was well worth all the energy he spent. He’d set out on this longer voyage not expecting anything valuable to crop up until they arrive at the very end, when they step into Devil’s Cavern and rescue Jasey; having vital clues about the looks and knowledge of the kidnapper within a day of venturing out is…
Unreal.
And this isn’t even including the information they got on Hagen. Their dear friend who didn’t mention this gross injustice enacted on him. Their hard-working companion who didn’t even give a hint or clue.
How didn’t they notice?
Of course there are people like that in the world. Jarl has spent plenty of time in his tiny little parish dealing with bigots who laugh at Jasey’s muteness and even witch hunters who want to burn Manus in front of him.
Of course there are people who would want to harm someone just for being born somewhere else or speaking funny or looking too white or whatever else they can think of to justify their vile acts.
… Of course there are people like that… because there are people like him who discriminate against daemons and hurt them immensely just because he thinks God, his priesthood, and the crucifix in his pocket make it ok.
(But it doesn’t.)
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