Interrogating Arabelle

Mission Info:

Once properly fed, bathed, and cared for, the previously dehydrated woman called Arabelle had shared her story with Kannagi. Lying in the hospital bed, she disclosed much of her life story. Arabelle had been the only girl in the family, raised by a father and four older brothers. Most of her brothers were cast into the wind, taking care of their own selves and their own livelihoods. When her father died, she was a mere teenager without any idea what she would become in a world all alone. Her brother Luvosh, a traveling merchant, agreed to hire her, returning briefly to the family home to pick her up. Arabelle spent these last few years helping to procure or sell goods with her pretty face while Luvosh and his other accomplices in the business managed to get the items they needed. After a time it became clear to her that they were akin to bandits, but where was she supposed to go on her own?

“Seeing those dogs was just too much, it was. Big ears, spots all over, lying about all depressed. They looked like a family,” Arabelle expressed with a sad expression on her face. “I thought if I talked to Luvosh he would take my side, I mean, I am his sister, I am.” Kannagi leaned back in the chair beside her bed. The story was sad and long and unnecessary. She had simply asked where to find her brother and Arabelle felt prompted to give her a forty minute life’s tale. Still the kunoichi wasn’t rude and after her life, she probably needed someone to listen so she could get all of her feelings off her chest. Her speech pattern was somewhat annoying at first but had become endearing with time. “That makes sense. Where are they? Do you know where they were heading?” Kannagi questioned, still trying to get to the bottom of the issue at hand.

Arabelle shook her head and her dark curls fell about her face. “It’s like they didn’t ever trust me, it is. Who knows how many dogs they took? All this time I thought it was about selling goods, it was. Could have been dogs for a long time.” Kannagi put effort into not rubbing her forehead and sat up addressing the woman more firmly, “Where did they go last time then?” The dark skinned woman looked to the ceiling, thinking and answered after a pause, “The mountains, the last place we traveled, it is.” The mountains. That was as specific as Arabelle could get? Poor girl seemed a dullard but Kannagi had hoped for more. Arabelle needed more help than what this hospital could give. She exhaled softly and got to her feet, “Just get your rest now. There’s plenty of honorable places here hiring hands and offering board. Check the inn, the bakery, maybe even the tea house. I’ll see what I can do about Luvosh.”
Kannagi left the room then puzzling it out in her head. It could take days to search the mountains and there were plenty of bandits and beasties to deal with. It was unwise to do it alone but was it worth doing at all with so little to go on? She wasn’t a huge fan of Sojiro Sakura, yet neither did she dislike him, and he had great skill with his nose. His help could yield the most results and she had seen him in action twice now. Kannagi would have to bite the bullet on doing this independently and reach out to him. It was the only smart thing to do.

WC: 600