In The Darkness [M - V]

[Chevi]

Jason translated the color of the cloak, but not Azarion's theory of the killer. The charioteer frowned at his cousin. He knew that as a slave it was not his place to make any plans and decisions... but Marcus cared, at least some. Even if he did not grieve for Safinia, at the very least he would want to prevent more of his valuable people getting killed in the future.

"Was there anything remarkable about his face - a scar or a beard or anything unusual?"

Azarion closed his eyes, trying to remember. Damn the darkness. The face was etched into his memory, with no way to describe it.

Short beard, he signed finally. It was not much. But then he thought again... A key. Around his neck.

@Sharpie

[Sharpie]

"A short beard, Domine. And..." The signs were supplemented by a mime here; people living in yurts didn't have doors that locked, and therefore very little use for keys and locks. "A key?" The action was repeated, firmly. "A key, around his neck. And, he came back - he killed here before. He hurt other people too, and might go back there as well."

He signed an apology back to his cousin as he spoke - he didn't know Eppius Parthenicus, Azarion did. Jason wouldn't interject a theory but he was here to translate for his cousin, not to speak on his own behalf and if his cousin wanted to suggest something, it really wouldn't be fair of Jason not to translate it.

Eppius Parthenicus clasped his hands on the desk. "I'm guessing that he just looks pretty ordinary, then, and there's nothing to distinguish him from any of a hundred other men in Rome." Even if Azarion could speak, the description would cover most quite ordinary harmless people.

"If there's nothing else, you can both go. I am grateful to your master for letting me borrow you, Jason."

Oh, of course he was grateful to Tiberius for the loan of his slave, and not at all grateful to the slave for taking the time to tramp across Rome! Jason carefully kept his face blank. "Yes, Domine."

@Chevi

[Chevi]

Azarion looked disappointed. That was it. Of course it was not much to go on. He wondered if Marcus was going to do anything about the information at all; if he would tell the vigiles, or anyone else who might be able to help. Probably not. The man was probably going to get away with everything, as long as he only killed poor people like Safinia.

They both left the room, and Azarion waited until they turned the corner to the stables before he punched the wall with his uninjured hand. It hurt, but it let some of the frustration out.

@Sharpie

[Sharpie]

"Hey - hey! Don't do that. Idiot." Jason had followed his younger cousin out of the office and down to the stables and wasn't in time to grab him before he punched the wall, and had automatically spoken in Sarmatian. He couldn't see anyone about to interrupt them and continued in the same language. "You'll hurt yourself. Worse than he hurt you."

 

@Chevi

 

[Chevi]

Azarion frowned, swearing internally as he shook his hand, with new red scrapes on his knuckles. He didn't care, at least pain was distracting him from the anger and helplessness he was feeling. Also, hurt more than he was hurt by actions of the killer? Not likely.

They will not do anything, he frowned, folding his arms, even though he winced as he touched the bandages. They wont find him without me.

@Sharpie

[Sharpie]

"Well, if you think attempting to demolish a building with your bare hands is going to help, I won't stop you. But I don't think it will, and acting like a complete idiot isn't going to help anyone. There isn't much anyone can do, is there?" Jason sighed. "Is there anyone else who knows about this man?"

He'd tell Cynane - not that Palace slaves had much opportunity for any sort of detective work or anything, but she might have some ideas, or even already know something about it that might help.

 

@Chevi

[Chevi]

Azarion rolled his eyes at his cousin again. He was only stating the obvious, but the obvious right now was not welcome.

"Is there anyone else who knows about this man?"

Azarion nodded. Probably a lot of people did, but not many had started to put the different attacks together. And who knew how many women had been never found at all.

There is a man. He came here, asking questions. He knows women were attacked. He talked to the chief. He shrugged. Even so, there was no plan for doing anything about it at all.

@Sharpie

[Sharpie]

"You know, the more people who know about this, the better," Jason said, ignoring the way Azarion rolled his eyes at him. "And now I know about it, too."

Even if he didn't know all that much, not really.

"Tell me about your friend," he said instead. Azarion was a prickly sort of person, it would have been hard for anyone to get to know him, properly, especially as he'd been rendered mute. For him to call anyone a friend was a big deal - and Jason knew that fact alone made this truly personal for his cousin.

 

@Chevi

[Chevi]

"You know, the more people who know about this, the better. And now I know about it, too."

Fat lot of good that was gonna do, Azarion thought. Some slaves knowing about some man who went around hurting people, but not knowing who he was or where to find him? No one was going to care. Even if Jason was a slave in the imperial household. He had given up his faith in Roman justice a long time ago.

"Tell me about your friend," 

Azarion sighed. He did not like remembering the last time he had seen Safinia. He still mourned her loss, as she had been his only... friend, for a long time.

She worked here. Cooking. The signs did not do much justice to any of this. She was clever. And beautiful. And a little scary. He added with a small smile.

@Sharpie

[Sharpie]

Jason noticed that smile and that it was wobbly round the edges. He didn't think about it before putting his arms around his cousin in a hug, trying to impart a bit of comfort where he could.

"I'm sorry about your friend," he said. "I know you want this man found for her sake. I don't know how much use I can be, but I can try."

His master was one of the most powerful people in Rome but Jason wasn't at all sure whether he could be of any help at all - or even whether he would want to. He could try to speak with him about it, if he picked his moment carefully. He wasn't going to say anything to Azarion, though, because he didn't want to get his cousin's hopes up needlessly.

 

@Chevi

[Chevi]

Tiranes hugged him, and Azarion froze up. He did not know how to react to someone comforting him; he had not had anyone do that for such a long time. And he was barely holding it together to begin with anyway, thinking of Safinia. In the end, he bit his lips, and sighed, enduring the hug a little longer before he stepped away.

Thank you.

He doubted the investigation would amount to much. But at least he felt a little less alone.

@Sharpie

[Sharpie]

"I know - I know you probably can't get a message to me easily," Jason said, mostly thinking out loud. "But if you can, if you need me,  just... send me a tamga or something and I'll try to come. I'll try to come anyway, now I know you're here. We'll find this bastard somehow and watch the Romans impale him." He meant 'crucify' but Sarmatian didn't have a word for that. "And maybe your friend will rest peacefully with Api then."

He had to go, he really couldn't loiter now he wasn't needed, but it was hard to leave his cousin alone in so much emotional turmoil.

He was shown out of what was obviously the slaves' entrance, into an alley, and given rough directions back to the Palatine. Though before he left, his eye fell on a nail left abandoned, kicked to one side, and he bent to pick it up, scratching a rough sign on the wall opposite the door, trying to make it stand out in the chipped plaster. It wouldn't mean anything to anyone except Azarion, who would know it as a tamga, the sign for Jason's clan - a curved line, upright, with a horizontal line through it, being a very stylised bow.

Azarion would see, and understand.

 

@Chevi - thank you!!