Belvani might have been surprised but I wasn't particularly. Our bright boy wasn't looking so upstanding and righteous now, covered in mud and cow, sorry cebu shit. Someone had gone and slashed his throat quite savagely. Such enthusiasm. I shook my head. The constable checked the body for anything of interest. He quickly finished and shook his head no. All the deceased had to his name was his definitely worse for wear clothes. Belvani ordered the constables to remove the body from the pen. The constables looked to Jorjar for guidance. He looked angry but nodded curtly. The other constable clambered over the fence and helped the first to lift the body over the fence. He was stiff as if he had been lying there for quite some time. Once they had him over on our side of the fence Belvani looked to me for guidance. Feeling honoured I spoke, "They might as well take him to the Temple for his final disposition. It looks pretty obvious what the cause of death was." Jorjar looked even more aggravated but nodded his agreement. The constables started scrounging the means of carrying the stiff and I started back to Pavis.
Belvani and Jorjar hurried to catch up. "What now? asked Belvani. "What's our next move?" asked Jorjar. I turned to look at them and snapped, "I don't care what you two do but personally I am going to find a bath and some clean clothes and then some lunch. Come see me tomorrow after I've had a chance to mull this over a bit." They stopped and watched me stump along. Fortunately for them and my peace of mind neither of them followed me. I wonder what I would have done had they done so?
I was serious about the bath and clean clothes so I headed to Riverside. I could have gone to the Teelo Norri poorhouse but I didn't really think I was dirty or hungry, though I have eaten there in the past. Instead I headed to Juli's. Juli is an old friend of mine who runs a bath house of sorts. Her prized possession is a large bronze bath tub that heats up on command. Some adventurers found it in the Rubble and the crazy bastards actually dragged the bloody thing which weighs as much as a male bison out past hordes of uz. She charges a fair bit for the use of the tub and even more if she or her servants are expected to draw the water from the nearby well. Most users draw their own. You never know who you'll find having a bath there. Once I walked in on the high priestess of the Uleria temple and discovered that all the rumours were true.
I made my way to Riverside, thank the Goddess that I didn't have to tramp all the way across Pavis again. Juli's place is next to the Rivermen's Guild Hall, She makes enough off of her tub to pay for such a prime location. Her place does offer other services but I've never been interested in them, well I sorely was after the incident with the high priestess, but I prefer to get it for free. Take the moral high ground that's my motto. Yeah, right.
I reached Juli's and nodded to Cletus the Bouncer who pretended to make a face when he got a whiff of me. I mock snarled at him and raised my fist at him threateningly. Phew, maybe he wasn't pretending to make a face. I went in and asked if the tub was free. The counter girl said it was, wasn't this my lucky day, and asked the usual questions, "Haul it yourself or not, and, company or none." I looked down at my leg and shook my head, "You haul it." I thought of a certain Lhankor Mhy and sighed, "And I bathe solo today." "I'd also like my raiment laundered." She wrinkled her nose in unfeigned disgust and quoted a price. I paid her in cash from my generous government salary. Her eyebrows rose and she gestured for me to wait in the waiting room with a cool drink while servants hauled water for me.
To be continued.
Oliver
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