Snippet #1356349

Loki's fingers tapped an impatient staccato rhythm on the padded armrest of the luxurious wingback chair she presently occupied. The piece had belonged to her father, and though the princess was not the sentimental sort generally, she had had it placed in her personal meeting room upon learning of its origin. The rich, darker colors matched well the rest of the space, and to was not so ostentatious as to make the rest of the room appear bereft of anything.

She had been told, once, that her father was a more astute politician than her mother, that for a long time, it was his behind-the-scenes stewardship of the Queen that kept her safe when her compassion should have seen her dethroned long ago. He had become ruthless in his defense of her position, and yet had somehow still managed to be the sort of person that the populace favored. Sometimes, Loki found herself wondering how he had struck that balance. It was a delicate one, the nuances of which she was trying to understand and execute simultaneously. She had been too young upon his death to remember much of the man, but in this alone, this desire to keep Minerva from those who would tear her apart, she felt connected to him on a very real level.

She had gathered from the faint traces of scent still on this bit of furniture that he was both a smoker of pipe tobacco and fond of reading. Parchment and hints of smoke were a rather soothing combination, strangely enough, though she herself had seen too many cases of lung damage to risk the former habit. A knock at the door roused her attention, and she bid the person on the other side enter. As it turned out, her guest was neither Marquis Goldwater nor Lord Taylor, as she had been expecting. Instead, Amon entered, crossing the room to sit without waiting for an invitation, his face set in stony impassiveness.

The mask was far too obvious. Normally, the nuances of his facial expression were carefully calculated so that he would not appear to be wearing one at all. Impassiveness was her tactic, since she had not yet mastered the full effect of Amon's disguise. It appeared, however, that it was beyond even him at the moment, and she could not understand why, nor indeed the reason for his presence.

He made it obvious soon enough, however. "Marquis Goldwater is dead. It would seem that he has been assassinated." Each word dropped like a stone into the empty space between them, and Loki barely swallowed back her own surprise. From his words, Amon was unaware of the culprit's identity, else he would have said so right away.

She stared him down, knowing that she did not need to voice the next question in order for him to answer it. Amon sighed, something she had not heard from him in a while. "I'm already looking into it. Duke Gilgamesh is the obvious answer, but as of yet I have found nothing linking this crime to him. It appears that some kind of toxin was used; I know a few people who would understand how to do something like that. Rest assured that there will be a full internal investigation."

Loki considered this for a moment, then nodded. "I am sure Parliament will attempt the same. This will not be something we can sweep under the rug, Amon. They will all fear for their lives now, perhaps especially Goldwater's allies."

"One of them is scheduled to appear here soon." It was not a question, and so she did not bother to confirm it. "Word has not gotten out yet; I was on my way to inform the Queen for the purposes of ensuring a united front on this. The official announcement will doubtless be out in a few hours or so. You may have to make your own move sooner than you were anticipating, Loki; this is something of an opportunity, though not one I think you would have chosen for yourself. You should know that someone was seen sneaking into a mansion in the general area of Marquis Goldwater's estate; it might be that thief you mentioned; the one who works for the troupe in Gamma."

Loki's eyes narrowed; she doubted that girl, Zade, was responsible for this, but it certainly would warrant some looking into. "I'll handle that, thank you. The last thing the girl needs is to be confronted by assassins accusing her of killing a nobleman. she has enough reason to hate both groups already, if my suspicions about who she is are correct. See what you can figure out about that poison; I think that would probably be the place to start."

"Of course." Amon raised an eyebrow slightly, but said nothing else, instead standing and inclining his head before taking his leave. Loki tried resuming her tapping, but her hand clenched into a fist instead. This made everything more urgent. And as much as she hated to admit it, Taylor's help may no longer be a mere convenience, but a necessity if she was to avert the bloody aftermath that could potentially follow.