C05: First Suspect (2)

Day 3 - Daytime - Afternoon

24th Second autumn, 1152

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Jeanne opens her eyes. She can feel very well the heaviness, the unconscious of her body and mind. Her eyes are a bit tired, but her ears are still sharp enough to understand she is drinking and inside a tavern. Next to her, it's Selena Breima - the suspect.

The investigator tries to remember what happened. She recollects that she followed Selena as this girl suggested both of them go out. For some reason, both women ended up in a tavern. Jeanne has lost the time how many hours have gone since she started drinking.

Jeanne was supposed to be following and collecting information for the case. But now, she is too drunk to do anything. That's maybe due to over-excitement and new feelings that kept this old lady away from working. Jeanne is drinking again, she hasn't done it for two decades after she gave birth to Hannah.

At first, Jeanne was still considering whether or not she should follow Selena. In the end, the investigator did it anyway, Jeanne was confident enough. Because in her perspective, Selena would find a way to get rid of her and her daughter if that young girl was the Palace Killer. But also in Jeanne's thoughts, Selena wouldn't be an uncalculated murderer.

Murdering this old lady would be useless because people saw Selena and Jeanne leaving the palace by wagon. Her missing would surely provoke her daughter. So, the best way to eliminate this woman and her daughter, would be to get rid of both of them at the same time. Of course, be quiet enough, be careful enough, unlike doing things in this noisy place.

"You're awake...". - All of a sudden, a voice comes to Jeanne's ears

She immediately realizes that was Selena's voice. Right next to her. The girl appears to be drunk as well, but she still looks sober compared to Jeanne. The investigator shoves her cup towards Selena's, cheering in silence and drinks once again.

"You're very outgoing, aren't you?! Not that preserved as I thought!". - Jeanne shouts a little, she can't control herself fully because she is drunk anyway

"Well, I become outgoing when no one sees me". - Selena replies.  "Two more cups of ale!". - The girl orders two more cups for the drink

"But you just became like that when I see you".

"Ehehe... you're funny". - Selena giggles.  "You see, I know the boundaries of things which are allowed and which aren't for us. Being polite and serious in the way you talk and dress up doesn't mean you don't have a hidden side". - Done talking, Selena grabs a new delivered cup on the table, she drinks again

Jeanne is trying to get herself sober again. She wants to make sure she won't get distracted from her mission and makes it become a small party between two women.

"You drink very bad, madame". - Selena comments

"Do you?". - Jeanne stops drinking for a while, she tries to get herself sober and not look away from her cup of ale.  "I'm old anyway and I've stopped drinking for years. That's normal when I start again!".

"I pick things that can't make me get drunk", - Selena replies gently.  "I'm feeling very hot right now... no wonder if those glances think we are mother and daughter. Men just can't resist coming here if I allow them to do so... it's... annoying". - She drinks a bit more

"This is how I make friends", - Selena says.  "you're my friend now, we have no distance...". - The girl taps Jeanne's back a few times

"So... you make friends by drinking with them?". - The investigator, as always, tries to be sober

"Not really. I'd be fine if that's a girl, I usually have dinner with people in case I want to make friends". - Selena sips a bit.  "With men, it's another story, it's more interesting. Drinking with them...? Well, I don't mind sleeping with multiple of them at the same time... it sounds thrilling and fun, but I don't want that". - Selena stretches her cheek a little.  "Never mind. I mean, if I make friends with someone, I'd go to drink and eat with girls, I used to drink with men back then but now I only eat and set up boundaries".

"Why choose this place? It's dirty and very noisy, you like it here?!". - Jeanne shouts again

"I don't really drink much, mostly eat at cleaner places or restaurants. But sometimes... changing location makes it fresh". - Selena sips a bit, her eyes get lost a bit since they're glancing at two muscular men behind her

"You're a very bad girl".

"As long as I have him with me, I'm not going the wrong way". - Selena sips a little more.  "Are you doubting me...? I'm still virgin if you ask, but I'm experienced already".

Jeanne, as always, still tries to keep herself sober. She realizes she just unlocked something. However, she wants to do something to open Selena's mouth.

"I wouldn't teach my daughter to live like you". - Jeanne hugs Selena.  "So friend... let's become more open to each other".

"Hmmmm... alright". - Selena hugs Jeanne tightly.  "You seem to be a caring mother, I wish she was you". - Selena snuggles in Jeanne's breasts, behaving like a baby who wants to be patted

"Thanks, sweetie". - Jeanne pats Selena's head, she grins a little

Not because she is making the suspect come to her. It's a personal thing, Jeanne feels her ego boosted, she feels proud when she is praised for being a good mother. Meanwhile, her daughter is given the duty to search the hell out of the jail basement. But she is here, chilling, drinking with this girl.

"So... let's know more about each other, shall we?". - Selena still snuggles up in Jeanne's breasts, she asks for another topic

"Sure...". - Jeanne replies

"You said you've stopped drinking for a long time".

"More than 20 years. But I'm back". - Jeanne sips some ale, she wants to make her cup empty so that she won't have to drink anymore

"When did you start drinking?". - This time, Jeanne asks Selena.  "Me? Maybe when I was 13 or 14".

"I don't remember well... 4, maybe". - Selena puts her hands on her lap, away from the ale.  "Not much to say, it all started from my mom. Just... I did by watching what she did, it tasted very bad when I first drank it". - The girl doesn't seem to be comfortable telling that story, but her smile has covered it all

"His Highness says a lot about you. Every time he sees something odd from you, he'll tell me when I come to serve him". - Selena comments.  "Where did you come from?".

Jeanne doesn't feel comfortable with this question. She has a deep history about where she was born, full of things she wants to forget. But the investigator knows she must give in. Making friends with the suspect is the way she would do in order to solve the case.

"Leafspear". - Jeanne replies

"Where's that? Is it a town?".

"A kingdom".

"Oh, I guess I'll have a nightmare. No, a wonderful dream". - Selena sips some ale.  "Your hometown is something, madame. There's an urban legend about your place".

"The Princess of Moon and the Prince of Shadow?". - Jeanne asks a question to make a test

"Oh, you know about it". - Selena's eyes sparkled as she heard that

Jeanne swallows her saliva... her ears also perk up.

"I used to be scared of it when I was little", - Selena holds her hands, she seems to be high with bliss.  "but when I grew up, I see that's not just a horror story. It's a love story. Wonderful... just wonderful... but it has a sad ending". - She lowers her face, her breath is full of disappointment

"That's a real story, not something legend. It's not a love story either, just a morbid tale of two people". - Jeanne seems to be anxious about it, she wonders if it has something to do with Selena.  "I don't know who romanticized it, but that person definitely has a problem".

"Hmmmm... I respect your perspective, madame". - Selena puts her cup aside, she wants to stop drinking, she's taken enough.  "Hmmmm... this place is poor...". - After watching what people around her were eating, she sighs a little.  "Can you read them?". - She taps on Jeanne's shoulder while she points to a list of wooden bars with writings hung on the wall

"You can't see far?".

"I'm illiterate". - Selena replies.  "Nevermind. Hey, you there! Bring me the most expensive dish...". - She raises her hand and orders the tavern keeper who just recently passed by

Selena later waits patiently, she waves from the right to the left, following the music played by a group of 4 musicians in the tavern.

"You just wasted your money". - Jeanne comments

"Don't worry. I spend very little, and I just got my salary a few days ago. Only spend hard when I think it's necessary, you know". Selena says.  "I'm a noble anyway, our money is bigger than the peasants' ".

"The story, where did we stop?". - All of a sudden, Selena asks

"Let's change the topic".

"Oh, if you say so". - Selena nods.  "What do you think about this kingdom?".

"Hmmm...". - Jeanne stops a little.  "In general, it's far better than where I was born".

"About what?". - Selena gets curious

"Women in my place did not have much freedom like this. But here, they have some rights, they can go to drink freely, won't get criticized much, everything seems better. About my place... it's bad if I drink, so I had to put on my guard armor all the time when I went to drink. People won't criticize if someone looks like a guard comes for wine". - Jeanne tries to remember the old days of hers.  "Women could get more jobs but they never got paid well though they worked as much as men, we were... backups".

"Leafspear was small and strong, but it always faced wars. Our king put women in the workforce to replace men who died in battles". - Jeanne tries to remember what she experienced.  "Many became prostitutes, which is illegal here. Many murders the victims were women, cases were mostly neglected. The only good thing I found in my homeland is that... education spread to everyone, as long as they have enough money. Well, I was lucky to get educated in the church".

"What's about this place?". - Selena asks

"You've been living here long enough to answer, Miss". - Jeanne replies.  "The bad thing? Only nobles get access to education".

"Every kingdom has its strong and weak, I see".

Not so long later, the most expensive dish is brought before Selena's seat. The girl starts using her dish, although she isn't hungry.

"Would you like to eat with me?". - Selena asks

"I guess I'll refuse".

"So bad...". - Selena sighs a little when she has to eat alone

The two women keep silent and mind their own business. The tavern now only has the noises of other people, Selena is busy eating and the investigator is busy too.

"This is...  a shrimp, isn't it?". - Selena pokes her wooden spoon into a tiny creature in her dish, she raises it to watch

"What's so special about it?". - Jeanne asks

"I mean... my family makes businesses in medicines and food. But I never saw a shrimp until I got to the palace". - Selena says.  "Sometimes His Highness will eat these, he loves them". - Done saying, she chews the shrimp

"Shrimps come from the sea, Warsaw doesn't have sea so it's obvious when you don't see them". - Jeanne comments

"So your homeland had it?".

"The west side. But it's odd to me, only the poor eat these tinies".

"Hmmm... but now, they're a sign of wealthiness". - Selena takes another bite

All of a sudden, Selena notices her hand is holding something. That's a tiny fur paper with writings on it.

It says: I'll order a dish like yours. I'm not bringing money, treat me.

"Did you give it to me?". - Selena gives the paper back to Jeanne

"Do you agree?".

"Agree what? I can't read".

"Do you need more ale?".

"No, I'm too drunk. Do it again when we have another occasion". - Selena smiles, she returns to enjoy her meal

The investigator scrolls the paper until it's inside her hand. She wonders if Selena was pretending to be an illiterate or if she truly can't read as she explained earlier. Everything doesn't go well, the test didn't work as planned. But Jeanne still has one more card to play.

"You love cutting those shrimps very much, don't you?". - Jeanne comments when she saw Selena cutting the tiny shrimps by using a wooden knife

"It's a satisfaction moment. Cutting them makes them ugly, but that's how I can taste them longer". - Selena replies.  "Just like the way you make a dish when you're free, it's nice to hear every perfect chop".

"You cut a long of things?". - Jeanne suddenly asks a question

Selena doesn't respond. She keeps cutting those tiny shrimps into pieces, then starts tasting them.

"Yeah...". - Selena responds.  "That's the requirement for a maid... we serve the best dishes for our rulers, it takes a lot of training". -  She keeps eating

"What was the biggest thing you had ever cut?". - Again, another question made by Jeanne

Selena goes silent once again.

"Hmmmm... a boar's head, maybe".

"I'd like to see what you cook when you're alone. May I see you cook and eat your dishes someday?". - Jeanne asks

"Yeah... sure...". - A big smile appears on Selena's face

The investigator also smiles back at the girl. She picks up her cup of ale and drinks till the last drops.

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