It's Purple! [Attn: Liaran din Chelai Morning Star Sedai]

[Bella]

It had been Andra's intention to do all the talking, but she was trying to recover her sight after all the garish colors the pair of them were so rapidly subjected to. Who would want to not only live in a house of this shade, but wear such colors and decorate with them as well? She simply struggled to comprehend the vivid assault.

She recollected herself as quickly as possible and offered a small, polite smile to the older man. "And I am Andraste Sedai," she said. "We are grateful that you are willing to speak with us. We know it was a long time ago."

The magistrate nodded and gestured for them to follow him into a small sitting room with furniture upholstered in loud, bright green hues with a couple sky blue pillows in them. Andra was almost frightened to sit in them, like the colors might suck her inside and then she'd never escape again... Of course, that was ridiculous, and she shook her head slightly and took the offered seat.

"So, what brings all this up again?"

"Well, Magistrate Savely," Andra began, sitting back in her seat with the command-of-the-situation poise that one had to learn to be an Aes Sedai. This was going to be a delicate game, however, because she knew how grateful they were to the Aes Sedai that Andra was "investigating" and she didn't want to upset him. "There were some open questions that we wanted to clear up."

"Could you not ask Miss Nykkolaia Sedai?" Savely asked the pertinent question. He might have claimed a poor memory, but his mind was still on point.

"She is away for an extended period and on a mission that we cannot reach her, so I'm taking care of the matter myself," Andra said. She had chosen to not be bound by the Three Oaths, but told as much of the truth as she could as a practice. "Liaran Sedai," she went on, gesturing to her Sister, "is of the same Ajah as Nykkolaia and so is accompanying me."

His eyes moved from one to the other with a small nod. "She was a great help. She was able to recover almost all of our children."

Andra nodded. That brought the question of the ones who weren't. "Were the other children unable to be found, or were they..." Even she didn't want to say it.

"They weren't found," he said solemnly. "But thanks to her, we had more of them returned than we would have otherwise. And after she left, none more were taken." He settled his form into his own chair, folding his hands in his lap as his face took on a thoughtful expression and he sighed. "It was a terrible time."

"As I can well imagine, sir," Andra said with genuine sympathy.

Spoiler: show

OOC: Go ahead and jump in or run with questions/NPC as you like. I don't want to overtake the whole show! If you just want some observations and I keep going, I can do so in my next post. Whatever works for you!

[Alianora]

Liaran Sedai

Liaran sat up straight in her seat on the couch. She listened to the conversation between Andraste and the magistrate, but her eyes were drawn to an orange and purple rug on the floor. She couldn't help wondering who would sell such a thing. Her distraction did not last long as Andraste mentioned her name, forcing Liaran to pay closer attention. From what she heard, they weren't learning anything new. She wondered how Andraste would bring up the possibility of speaking to the children. It seemed to her that that might provide them both with better information than the magistrate.

Since the investigation was Andraste's, really, Liaran didn't want to ask about that herself. When the Red was silent, Liaran stepped in with a question of her own. "I understand that a man was killed here not very long after these kidnappings," she said. "Nykkolaia seemed to believe that the two were connected. Do you know if the killer was ever found?" Liaran had no idea whether it mattered or not, but she still wanted to know. To her, it seemed as though they could use any information they could get.

[Bella]

The magistrate swung his gaze to her. There was a heaviness settling about him slowly as they dredged up what was clearly a painful topic, but he didn't stop talking to them. "No," he said. "We never found out who killed Jerrel. It was..." He paused, looking at his hands in his lap as he rubbed them together slightly. "It was a terrible sight, his body.

"After we found him, however, we began to suspect he had something to do with it...with the children..." He lifted his eyes to them again, his gaze slightly haunted. "We could never be sure, though. But maybe we didn't look very hard, after that."

"May I ask why you suspected he was involved?" Andra asked, keeping her tone as light as possible. She didn't want to jump on anything and upset him, or scare him off, but this was a rather interesting revelation. She glanced sidelong and caught Liaran's eye for a moment before looking at Savely again.

The magistrate sucked in a slow breath through his teeth. "He was something of a recluse. We knew the property he lived on from before he purchased it, knew the family there. After he moved there, we knew nothing of it." He hesitated. "After he died, we went to his property and found a barn. With...restraints, of sorts. They may have been suited for livestock, but he had none, and no evidence he ever did.

"Inside his house, we found a few children's items. But he had no children, nor even a wife. Or any family at all that we knew of."

That was all rather suspicious. "But there was no evidence of the missing children specifically on that property?" Andra asked.

He shook his head. "Not that we ever found. And since he died without heirs, the town possessed the property and we scoured it, but did not find the children still missing."

"Where did Nykkolaia Sedai find the others?" the Red then asked curiously. If she had found them on his property, it would've been obvious it was him.

"There was an abandoned building on the outskirts of town, which had been partially reclaimed by the forest. Most of us had even forgotten about it, set on a road that almost no one travels. They were found there," he said. "But not all of them. She looked everyone in the area, but couldn't find the others."

Andra nodded slowly, taking mental notes of all of this. Once they left here, she planned to write everything down.

"Is there any chance that we could speak to any of the children?" she finally asked that question, preparing to make a case.

"Not Kora," Savely said instantly. "She's...never recovered properly, in her head." He paused to sigh sadly. "Vella, though, seems to be fairly well adjusted. As best she can. She was the most recently taken, so the one held the least amount of time. She's fourteen now, and still lives in town."

That was two with answers, then. They would start with Vella. "Thank you, Magistrate Savely. If you could tell us where to find her, we would be grateful. We promise to be as discreet and gentle as we can." After all, she was sure he was concerned with the well being of these traumatized children, citizens of his town in need of protection.

He nodded. "Thank you for that. Yes, Vella works as a shop girl at the general store. It's just down the street, sign hanging over the door, can't miss it."

[Alianora]

Liaran Sedai

Something about the rest of the magistrate's words didn't sit right with Liaran. It sounded as if the entire town had been very quick to blame the murder victim. She could understand why, but she could not understand how it was possible that he had managed to kidnap and hold seven children for days, and yet be foolish enough to leave their things to be found inside his own home. She looked at Andraste beside her, wondering what the Red was thinking, but if she was thinking similarly, none of it showed on her face. Liaran sat still and listened politely to the rest of what the magistrate had to tell them, but she felt ready to move on and hopefully learn more from the children. Soon enough, they took their leave of the magistrate, and when she thought they were far enough away, Liaran caught Andraste's eye.

They kept walking, headed towards the store where Vella worked, but Liaran wanted to process what they had learned from the magistrate first before talking to one of the actual victims. The Blue turned her head towards Andraste. "I think I'm beginning to see why you found this an odd case," she commented before continuing with the question that had been bothering her."Whoever kidnapped the children would have had....experience with it, considering the number that were taken. Does it make sense to you that this person would make careless mistakes like leaving children's possessions out in plain view? I know he was reclusive, and wouldn't have had many visitors, but it still doesn't quite seem right to me. " When they had left for the village, Liaran had been sure that the man, Jerrell, had been the kidnapper. It seemed impossible to her now that he could have done so while leaving behind such obvious signs of what he was doing. Liaran found that quite disturbing. So...if Jerrell wasn't the kidnapper, than who was? That was a question she had no answer for.

[Bella]

It seemed that the thoughts of the two Aes Sedai were aligned.

Andraste glanced around casually, just to check for prying ears before she turned her attention to Liaran with a slow shake of her head. "I agree with you," she said simply. "I don't think it makes much sense either, to be both cunning and clumsy. I suppose there could have been two working in tandem...but even that seems unlikely. One so clever would not let the other be so messy."

She kept their pace slow, to give them time to talk and keep from looking like they were in a hurry. "If Jerrell didn't do it, then either everything found on his farm had another meaning and they just jumped to conclusions...or it was put there to make him look guilty and pin it on him. Maybe be the person who killed him?"

[Alianora]

Liaran Sedai

It was a relief to learn that Andraste shared her own opinions on the situation. Liaran nodded at the other woman. "Either of those are possible. I had the impression from what the magistrate said that this Jerrell wasn't very well thought of even before this happened." It was seeming more and more likely to her that the dead man was guilty of nothing more than living a reclusive life, which was hardly a crime. It bothered her to think that this whole time, the real kidnapper could have been free, though she said nothing of this to Andraste. In fact, Liaran was quiet until they reached the general store.

The young woman at the counter was quick to greet them, as the shop was rather empty. Her wide brown eyes flickered back and forth between Liaran and Andraste, and without really thinking about it, Liaran addressed her with the same patience she used with the youngest of her students. " We're looking for Vella," she explained. "Do you think you could help us find her?" The girl flinched back from the counter, still staring at them both. "Oh! That's me! I mean, I'm Vella. What do you need?" The girl was clearly at least startled, if not actually afraid, and for a second Liaran considered forgetting the whole thing. Vella did not seem to be as well adjusted as the magistrate had claimed.

Liaran shot a look at Andraste, but as usual, she couldn't read the other woman's expression. It didn't appear as though she wanted to leave, and when she said nothing Liaran continued talking. "My name is Liaran, and this is Andraste, and we're from the Grey Tower. We were hoping we could talk to you about what happened to you a few years ago, if that is all right." She hesitated for a moment before adding, "It would be very helpful if you'd answer some of our questions, but you do not have to."

Vella nodded. "But I don't remember a whole lot."

"That's all right." Liaran told her. "Anything you do remember might be useful. Can you remember what happened when you were taken?"
The girl blinked at her before beginning to speak. "I was at work a little late. It was winter, and it was already dark outside. All the other stores were closed already. When I left work, somebody grabbed me, and I screamed but nobody heard me, and then he covered my mouth so I couldn't yell anymore." Vella had begun to talk faster, as if it scared her to remember the events, and Liaran couldn't blame her.

"You don't have to answer us if you're scared, Vella," she reminded the girl. Somewhat to her surprise, Vella continued to speak, as if she couldn't stop herself now that she had begun telling her story. "It was dark," she repeated. "I don't know where he took me. There were other children there too. He tied us all up with ropes." That sounded off to Liaran, not at all like the animal harnesses the magistrate had described, though she would have to ask Andraste about that. She knew nothing about livestock.

"He just left us in there," Vella said. "It was really boring. And scary. And we didn't get food except at night." What did he want with them? Liaran wondered to herself. "And then Nykkolaia Sedai found us and let us out!" Vella finished. So far, Liaran could not make sense of any of it, especially when she compared Vella's story to the magistrate's accounts. She hoped Andraste was having better luck than she seemed to be.

[Bella]

Andraste let Liaran ask the questions, and she listened closely to the answers. It didn't get past her that if Vella was considered the most "well adjusted" of the victims, then the state of the others... Well, it might not be worth even trying to talk to them. Yes, she wanted answers, but she did not want to leave any of them more traumatized than she'd found them.

To take so many children suggested there was a reason, and a plan... Could it be that they were freed before it came to fruition? But then, what about the children that were not recovered?

Could Aes Sedai get headaches? She thought she was getting a headache.

"That must have been a very frightening time for you," Andra said gently, her dark eyes searching Vella's face, although she didn't think the answers would be found there. "Did you speak to the other children while you were all kept in the building?"

"A little," Vella said, pressing her lips together. "The younger ones, well, they mostly cried."

Something occurred to Andra. "Do you remember how many children there were during the time you were there?" she asked, trying to keep her voice gentle and airy. "Were any more brought in after you, or taken from the building while you were there?"

Vella blinked her large eyes at them. "I... I was the last? So, no, no more were brought. And no, none were taken. There were..." She hesitated, gaze drifting upward as if she could visually search her memory. Her brows knit with concentration. "Five of us. There were five of us. Two younger ones that just cried all the time, and then the three of us a little older. We talked a little, but I don't remember much."

"That's understandable," Andra said kindly. "One last thing and then we'll let you get back to work. Were you all girls?"

"Yes," Vella said with a shaky nod.

"Thank you, Vella," Andra said with a smile, reaching into her waist pouch and pulling out a coin, which she gently pressed to the girl's palm. "For your time. I know you're working. We wish you the best."

With that, she nodded to Liaran and they left.

Back out in the open, Andra blew out a breath. "Does this feel like an arithmetic equation that doesn't add up properly or is it just me?"

[Alianora]

Liaran Sedai

Andraste was asking Vella her own questions, and though Liaran had hoped the Red's questions would receive more useful answers, that did not seem to be the case. She did her best to listen and follow the conversation, but nothing that she learned seemed to fit the magistrate's account of events. It was all rather confusing, and by the time she thanked Vella and left the store with Andraste, Liaran couldn't make sense of anything.

They stopped to discuss what they had learned, and Andraste's first remark to her told Liaran that the other woman was having the same problem as she. "I'm afraid it's not just you." she said. "I wanted to ask you about the ropes Vella mentioned. The magistrate said they found animal harnesses in Jerrell's home, but would those have been made of rope?"

She let Andraste answer and kept thinking, feeling as if she were close to identifying something they could use. Liaran frowned in concentration, doing her best to block out the noises of the street they stood on. Finally, she had an idea, although it wasn't one she was eager to consider. She lowered her voice to a whisper, stepping a bit closer to Andraste so that the Red sister would be able to hear her. "Do you think it's possible that the magistrate wasn't being honest with us? It's just an idea, but that would explain why some of his account doesn't seem to match Vella's."

[Bella]

"It's possible," Andra answered her question, "although not necessarily likely. Harnesses are usually made out of leather straps, but sometimes they can be created out of rope by a poor farmer who does not have the ability to purchase a better one."

The two of them moved in and out of their thoughts, like water ebbing and flowing over the shore. There were puzzle pieces all over the floors of their minds but they knew they didn't have all the pieces, so what they had didn't all fit. Andra had never exactly been keen about puzzles, but she knew she'd have more than her share now.

Hearing the next whispered question, Andra lifted her dark eyes to Liaran's and considered it. "It's certainly possible," she agreed. "I don't know that I sensed...deception from him, but it's also just as likely that he's mistaken. Memories are strange things. People can remember the same event differently, and will often shade how they remember something according to their opinions and feelings.

"Maybe his account has mixed more than Vella's. She'll remember something one way, her way, but others will remember things and if they told him, his tale will tell them all. Or his own assumptions might shift. Or he is lying. Maybe he doesn't really know anything and wants to cover, or maybe...he's involved."

She frowned a little, brows knitting. "I didn't sense that from him, but I could be wrong. What does your instinct say? Do you think he's involved, or just...wrong?"

[Alianora]

Liaran Sedai

Liaran blinked, and then she thought. The problem was, the more she thought about what they had learned here, the less sense she was able to make of it all. She shrugged. "I think perhaps he doesn't remember what happened very clearly, especially since whatever he knows about what happened to the children is information he would have to have heard from them. She flicked a curl out of her eye.

"I'm more inclined to trust what Vella had to say, since she was there, but if she is the best adjusted of them, do you think it's wise to seek out the rest of them?" After talking to Vella, Liaran couldn't say she was eager to do so. She wasn't at all sure that the two of them would learn anything further, and did not want to make any of the children relive painful memories for nothing. Andraste had seemed to agree with her on many things, and Liaran hoped that would also be true when she answered that question.

Liaran sighed. "I'm not sure where else to go from here, to be honest."