Move 442: Talking to TiggerTunnels--Early, Day 42 (Marpenoth 25)
"I am certain I have a bag of some sort," the tiger-headed creature told Arachne, its voice still a little whiny, making no comment on anything else that she said. "You can know I will not stab you in the back for two reasons. One, I am giving you my word that I will leave you alone and two, I know that you would kill me if I did. It seems you came here to kill because you could, so I doubt you are the kind who would give mercy a second time," he glanced at Azrun as he spoke, then at Jana's still threatening sword. "That is, if I get it a first time. I am too frightened to answer any other questions until I have some assurance that you will spare my life and let me leave," the creature sniveled enough that it sounded true that it was afraid.
While the talking was going on, Arachne dug out a potion from the remains of some of her belongings.
"You have my assurance I will kill you if you don't talk," Jana growled. She did not move her sword.
Dalgaer limped over to the beast and stared at it, not saying anything, just leaning on his ax and staring.
Azrun looked to the creature and thought for a moment, "You have my word that no further harm shall come to you unless you provoke it." He turned to the group looking at Jana and Dalgaer, "I mean it. This creature may have vital information and useful items. With Blacky and Kanon out, we will have to rest here until they come to. So how about checking and seeing how easy it will be to set up watches in here. I can speak with the Rakasha and get some of our answers. Ok?"
"Have a care, Azrun," implored Aloysius. "Bind his hands afore you speak with him. If a raksasha he be, there will is no end to his selection of deceits nor to his willingness to employ them."
While the initial discussions with and about the tiger-man were going on, Arachne went to check on Blacky. She touched him with a look of concentration on her face, and suddenly, a couple of the clean cauterized wounds made by the magic missile spell appeared on her person. Blacky looked better, but he was still unconscious.
The tiger-creature reacted neither to the name Saddam nor to the accusation that he was raksasha. Instead, he continued to watch Jana's sword. He did not answer any questions, but he did whimper a little at Jana's threat.
Azrun looked at Tigger and then to Jana's sword, "I am going to bind your hands.....for your protection and our own. Now hold still while I do this....one wrong move and I'm afraid my associates may think you're attacking." With that he attempted to bind the creatures hands so they could not be used...not so tight as they caused pain but enough to secure him.
When he was done, he looked back to Jana, "Jana, you can put the sword down...please?"
"The dust, Dalgaer, please?" Arachne said, not looking up from her efforts over Blacky. "I'm tired and in pain and keep wracking my body trying to prevent any more deaths here and I'm really not in the mood for argument -- or even silent disobedience. We haven't any divine backing now and I ... I don't feel up to the healing job by myself, all
right?" The was a pause before the gnome muttered, "I think I understand now why the typical army doctor is irascible beyond all imagining. It's the frustration over patching people up only to have them go out and get shredded again. That and the pain. Can't forget the pain..."Dalgaer limped over to Arachne and said gently, "Arachne, I don't have any more powder, I gave you all that I had."
Arachne looked up doubtfully at Dalgaer, peering at his eyes. Deciding that the basis for his still being on his feet must be something contrary to reason, she said, as distinctly and carefully as she could manage, "I meant the powder you'd put in my care. I haven't taken particularly _good_ care of it. It was in that purse of mine that fuzzy-face over there burnt holes in. But he didn't actually manage to burn the dust and I haven't used it all up on myself. I want you to go over to what's left of my purse and find the packet of your dust and use it on yourself. If _I_ used it, I'd just turn around and wreck myself again healing you. Same result as your using the dust directly, only it'd hurt -- I mean, pain -- me more. So I want you to use it. OK, Dalgaer? Please?"
"Oh." Dalgaer said, understanding seeming to come to him rather painfully. "Of course." Dalgaer walked to the powder and used it on his wounds as requested.
Once the creature was secured, Jana took a half-step back. She kept her sword aimed directly at it's chest, a few inches back. "I don't think you have shit and I'd prefer to run you through anyway," she warned. "Prove me wrong immediately or I'll do it in ten seconds. Nine. Eight..."
Azrun gritted his teeth and moved to stand in front of Jana, "I just gave him my word that he wouldn't be hurt, Jana. You might not think much of it but to me my word means a lot. So how about giving me a chance to try to find out if he's lying or not through peaceful means. If he knows anything about that rock over there he may be the only chance we have of finding Renn. Are you so sure that he's lying that you're willing to kill what may be our only chance of finding him? Think about that for just a moment, Jana." Azrun stood calm and steady in front of the warrior woman.
Echo stayed by the wall. She leaned against it and put her head in her hands.
"Yeah," Jana growled at Azrun, moving neither eyes nor sword, "and I gave it my word I'd kill its ass if it didn't start talking. But you don't think anything about my fucking word then, do you? You're endangering everyone so back the fuck off or I'll kill it now and be done with it." She snarled at the creature, "I don't trust you and I'll go through him to kill you. If you want any chance of living, talk. Now."
Aloysius saw Echo by the wall and walked over to her. "Are you unwell?" he asked quietly.
Azrun stepped away and headed for the remains of his pack, "Go ahead and kill him then, Jana." He sifted through the remains of his pack. He salvaged a shirt, a pair of pants, and his flute. Picking up his belongings, he moved to a corner of the cave and tried to change out of the charred clothes he had on.
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