Hex Code: #ff0789
Tyann Rebal :: #F47206
Tyann had been given his instructions, though he found the situation a bit… Redundant? (After all, he would never hire a traitor. It would be absolutely impossible.)
Alas, he had been given his orders. A courier found him stalking the grounds and after nearly losing her hand to the snapping maws of his displacer beasts, he returned to the courtyard aboard only one of the beasts.
His mask was still that of a snarling demon, blue-black tongue and red skin, four crossed tusks and three eyes of madness were in place of his usual calm fox. The expression of the mask was that of fury and determination; and his voice barked out at Asher’s gathered staff members. He separated them from the other assembled staff, glancing at his own with a faint twinge of frustration.
Interviews were NOT his strong suit, he hated dealing with people after all! They were too willful, and as evidenced, prone to mistakes! Oh well.
He began his line of questions, moving from one medical woman and medical man to the next. The whole time, he and his beast paced in a circle around each individual. Tyann was hoping, even going so far as to place full belief, in the idea that the fear of being torn by both his claw and the displacer’s would be enough to crack someone who would otherwise be a betrayer.
Tempeste was nervous. Not so much for herself but for the rest of the medical staff and the deserted ward full of the sick and dying. This was perhaps the closest encounter she had ever had with Tyann, Ari’s overseer. Had things been different, perhaps she might have been working under him instead. She did like animals although she was not particularly fond of the beast that Tyann had chosen to mount today and stable hands did get injured quite often.
She took a deep breath, finding some comfort that Ari hadn’t voiced any complaints about the prince in charge of him. As intimidating as the mask and beast could be, Ari’s opinion held more weight to her as her shoulders eased of tension.
The feel of the beast’s breath on her leg was enough to make the nurse next to her tremble and about to keel over any second. Tempeste looked about and the rest of the staff weren’t doing much better. They’d treated disease and injuries, seen death a plenty but that didn’t make them any braver in the face of the possibility of being injured or killed themselves. If anything, it made them more terrified with the understanding of how fleeting life could be. She held back a sigh and maintained her composure, trying to lead by example.
Tyann paused before one of the nurses as he was moving down the line, nose wrinkling behind his mask as the beast huffed once. He slid off its back, standing beside the creature as the woman made a singular whimper. His feet moved, his hands moved too, and as the Displacer opened its mouth in anticipation, Tyann slammed a clawed palm onto the top of the creature's skull. “Hssst! N’krah! Shtalfos.”
Tyann’s voice snapped out, violent and rasping, as the Displacer snapped its maw shut and simply stared at the fearful prey item. Tyann himself used a hand to grab the woman by the chin and lock her eyes with his. At first she kept trying to look away, and with the frustration of a handler attempting to get a panicked horse under control again, Tyann shook her head gently and made the first truly gentle sound of his day. “Shh. Shh. Calm down. Your panic makes the beast hungry. Simply give me your name and convince me you are not a traitorous spider,” he spat the word, “And you won’t be harmed.”
She eventually calmed enough to speak, and Tyann moved on.
It wasn’t long until he was in front of Tempeste, her eyes locking onto the ones that peered out behind the mask. “My name is Tempeste Ponce, sir. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance. Please proceed with what you must ask of me.” She said when it was her turn to speak, confidently but respectful of his authority.
“Miss Ponce… By the way you carry yourself, I assume that you are either Asher’s second in command? Or perhaps you are our resident healer’s brains, hm? … I ask you, do you have utmost loyalty to our queen? Do note that a lie will be picked up by the beast.” Tyann stated, intrigued by the woman who showed more spine than the others had so far. She stood tall under his gaze, and showed no hesitation near the Displacer, and that in and of itself was admirable.
Tempeste nodded at his observations, catching his jest but sticking to business so the ordeal could be over with quickly. At the very least, it was a promising start as he somewhat complimented her. “Aye. I am the head of his medical staff and I swear utmost loyalty to-"
"I can't!!! I can't take this anymore!" The nurse interrogated before her started screaming out. "Tempeste was there last night! She was in the kitchens! Please spare me, sir! I had nothing to do with it!!!" The woman started begging on her knees, clutching onto the ends of Tyann's clothes for dear life. Tears streamed down her face and she started choking on her own breath. "She asked me to look after the ward in her absence that night. I thought it strange that she left her shift early but I didn't think to disobey orders. Please forgive me! Had I known, I wouldn't have kept silent!!"
Tempeste could feel her heart pumping with blood as the beat became irregular, watching as the unexpected scene unfolded. What the nurse said was true, but misleading. She was innocent. Her focus snapped back to Tyann, uncertain what the wisest course of action would be. Outright denial might be seen as suspicious and/or condemn her fellow staff member. Odsbodikins.
Tyann came to a perfect stop as the other woman began her cries. His head moved as if he were some automaton, his body otherwise staying still as he turned his gaze down at the nurse who clutched his clothing. A heartbeat or two passed, and in the silence before he made his response, the beastmaster began to growl.
This day… Was not anything he could have ever wanted. First someone poisons his queen; that someone supposedly standing right in front of him. Then someone decided that instead of just having the staff be interviewed by Her Highness, Her Advisor, and Her … Inquisitor? They decide that he and the others who know NOTHING about interviewing or anything of the sort, need to do so! This is then compounded by the absolutely splitting headache that had started his day and by now was mostly in the background but was now yanked to the fore by the BLOODY WOMAN WHO WAS SCREAMING HER FOOL HEAD OFF.
Tyann’s temper flared, and as he turned his entire body to the woman, his rasping voice lashed out into the air. “N’krah! Tilmos!”
The Displacer at his side, with its curling, barbed, squid-like tentacles, lashed out in pure silence. The nurse, clutching as she was to Tyann’s kimono, was unprepared for the sudden violence that met her. What noise she would have made was silenced as Tyann shifted just enough for the panther-monster beast to leap forth and slam the doomed nurse to the ground.
His snarling demonic mask turned its way to Tempeste as he once again spoke. “Miss Ponce… I believe you have not had the chance to be utterly truthful to me… Would you care to explain what former nurse Almater meant by her words?”
He snapped his head at the others in the medical line, his face behind his mask twisted into a truly wrathful snarl. He KNEW he was being rash, being illogical, even being unnecessarily chaotic… But that could be damned! He was a bleeding PRIN—
His thoughts screeched to a halt as that once splitting headache became briefly overwhelming. The world turned white, and the sounds of the displacer beast ending a life faded.
Tempeste didn’t look away at the horror that befell the nurse as flashes of that day in the Saint’s Sanctum mixed with the present like a fast-paced blur. The two events had little in common besides the death of another healer but it haunted her all the same to see another person she knew, gone, just like that. Tempeste wondered if she could have done something, anything to prevent it. “If that chance is open to me, I am willing and able to explain.” She responded in a humble manner, a little shaken although her voice did not betray her as the words flowed out of her mouth smoothly despite the bad feeling. She had to be strong, or fake it until she made it.
The world snapped back into place as he drew a long shuddering breath, his throat rasping out a long growl as the hand that had pressed to his temple came back to his side. His brain was a lump of pure agony in his skull, and His Queen would not stand for any failure on his part.
And so a hand whipped out and angled a clawed finger directly into Tempeste’s face. “You. Will come with me momentarily to the dungeons. We shall see if we cannot get anymore information out of you.” His voice rose as he took a look around the rest of the staff. “The rest of you! Take note of this! GIVE. ME. YOUR. FULL. HONESTY. And this won’t happen to you! Do NOT touch me!”