Part I.ii. - Crimes Not Forgotten

[logan]

Fin looks at the mess laying in the entrance way. He quickly shifts out of the way, allowing the others to move the body inside the door. Fin still a little tipsy from the wine puts away his rapier, running the sides of the blade across the corpse to wipe off of any remnants.

"Well, we spent one day fighting to get this guy in the groundddd, and todaay we have to fight to get him back therrre."

Fin hears a noise from another room, where Kendra is hiding.

"We can't let her see this. She'd be devastated."

Fin walks through the other room to find her, and warn her to stay away from the main area for the time being.

[`Nessa]

Chouko retrieves her staff and obediently, if hesitantly, obeys the command to shut the door. Her hand rests protectively over her injured shoulder, and she steps as carefully as she can around the still corpse. She trembles as she surveys it, her eyes wide. "Hungry ghost," is all mumbles, over and over again.

[Veritas]

Observing outside the house suggests that the sleepy village did not notice the monster that had wend its way towards the Lorrimor House, and the short battle last less than fifteen seconds seems to have drawn no attention of its own. The door is closed and the body lays there, still and returned to its rest.

One thing is now for certain - the manner of Lorrimor's death is certain. His lower face has been completely crushed by a heavy impact. The recent marks of battle exposed well-kept but still quite dead flesh. Though his entrails have spilled onto the floor, there is no blood or bile - the undertaker has done his job well, and what remains of Lorrimor is well preserved. It would be possible to clean up this unholy mess easily - in terms of effort if not intestinal fortitude.

Kendra speaks up from the kitchen she was told to remain within. "Is it safe?" she calls out, opening the door to the side room, though she cannot yet see the front hallway. Soft footsteps can be heard as she emerges from the kitchen and starts in that direction.

[comicsans12pt]

Solaz looks over at Chuoko and realizes she is hurt. She walks over to her and quietly says, "Let me look at you wound."

She realizes Chuoko has a natural shyness to her and tries to be as unintimidating as possible. Solaz closes her eyes for a second and casts Cure Light Wounds on Chuoko.

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[logan]

Fin moves to intercept Kendra on her path to the main area.

"Stay there. Please just stay there. It's not clear yet."

Fin nervous to offer any other explanation, hopes that Kendra will accept this and stay away.

[comicsans12pt]

Solaz moves her eyes toward the body.

She looks at the Professor. She looks and looks for something that is left of him. But all that is left of him is supposed to be in Pharasma's domain.

"It takes a powerful necromancer to do this. I am afraid that we are up against some formidable foes. That rite would only keep him in the ground about a day."

"We could.wrap him in a blanket. We need Kendra's help to get rid of the body but she cannot see him. We will warn.her not to look."

Solaz looks around at the others. "Speak up if you've
another idea. I'm not sold on the blanket idea, But I don't need to remind you that time is at a premium."

[`Nessa]

Chouko smiles gratefully at Solaz as relief flows down her arm. She rotates the shoulder, wiggles her fingers, and then bows. "Thank you."

She then looks to the body.

"I don't disagree that we need to move him, but I don't think we need Kendra's help. There are enough of us that we should be able to do it. But where will we take him, and what will we do when we get there. I do not wish to see his remains so disrespected again... At my temple, we used to cremate our dead. They couldn't come back like this if there was no body."

[comicsans12pt]

"Where we take him is why I thought Kendra could help is since she knows the town. I don't want to cause her more grief so I thought if we wrapped him, we could explain that we need to be respectful and bury him, but she need not know it is him."

She turns to the others. "Perhaps someone else has an idea? We can't leave poor Kendra in there much longer."

[Veritas]

There is a noise of impatience from the kitchen, as Kendra Lorrimor continues to wait, but then there is again the sound of the kitchen door opening. This time, she steps forward at a rapid pace, and ignores any protests. "I don't know what has happened," she says, for the first time sounding angry and upset at being confined to her own kitchen, "But I insist that you five let me see my own house!"

[`Nessa]

Chouko's head whips round quickly upon hearing the kitchen door open. With a guilty heart, she stamps a foot behind Ping, who had been creeping forward to inspect the remains and uttered a command under her breath. Ping startles, issues an ungodly scream and runs towards the relative safety of the rest of the house and Kendra, his fur puffed up in fear. She hates to do it, but she suspects Kendra will suffer more damage than Ping.

"I must insist, Kendra, that you stay back. It is not safe yet!"

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[Veritas]

Pausing, Kendra watches as Ping flees past her into the kitchen. Her eyes widen as she looks back to the entrance - not quite able to see the horrific remains of her father within. Nodding once, she turns back towards the kitchen and closes the door.

Quietly, you can hear her calling for Ping, offering him a treat to be more calm.

[logan]

Fin is relieved that Kendra has retreated to her kitchen.

"We need to get rid of this... him... maybe we can just take him back to the graveyard. There should be a hole already made. Unless you guys have a better idea?"

Edit: Incomplete sentence.

[comicsans12pt]

Solaz looks down to make sure she's clean and then goes to where Kendra is. She sees her feeding greens to Ping and is grateful to Chuoko for bringing an animal into the house. They can be so helpless which brings out the best in good people.

"Kendra dear, we have a problem. We need to move a dead monster from your home. I'm terribly sorry that it intruded here. We're not sure how to do this in a way which will cause the least amount of attention from the town. Might you have any suggestions? Also, do you have a sheet or a blanket we might use? It really is a disturbing sight."

[joviality]

Navene looks down at her freshly cleaned armor and makes a mental note to thank Solaz. She calls out to Kendra and the small priest, who are now in the kitchen:

"Perhaps a needle and thick thread to sew up the blanket as well?" And the gash I made in the poor man's stomach.

She bends down, and begins rhe grisly task of putting Lorrimor's intestines back where they belong. Fortunately, there is little mess. Once she gets that thread, she'll sew up the wound. Pharasma guide her now, is all she can think. 

Taking a moment, she looks up at Chouko. In a whisper: "Thank you for the distraction. Kendra shouldn't have to see her father like this. None of us should."

"As to your previous suggestion, I agree, cremation would be the safest recourse. But I am hesitant to go against the wishes of the Professor to be buried in his plot. Further - any sort of fire would cause a great deal of light. Perhaps between Solaz and I we can determine if our prayers can aid in deterring the foul will of others. I know I would be honored to perform a second - and perhaps more permanent - funeral."

[`Nessa]

Chouko smiles at Navene and kneels down to calmly help her with the task of putting the professor's remains in order. "I thought it would... unpleasant for her. And Ping will enjoy the attention that she gives him. What I don't understand is who, or what, would do this to him?"

A thought occurs to her as she works, an she pauses. Carefully, so as not to betray any kind of emotion, Chouko moves to examine what remains of the professor's mouth and throat, as though expecting to find something there. "I wonder..." she murmurs. "The book did mention, though..."