Two Crows Watch from the Gallows Tree (cont'd)

(Good timing haha I was about to say the same on this response. Night!)

“Fair enough,” Aleth answered, following next to him just a smidge behind. “But a very nice wing all the same.”

Aleth carefully tucked the information away.

"May I ask what you did for a living before being enslaved?" Gaius asked him.

(gosh, my memory is utter trash >.> Did we discuss this? If so I'll edit... )

Aleth took a deep breath. This was it. The test of his acting skills. At least, the test of his alibi. Aleth knew his acting skills were impeccable, but he wasn't so sure he was going to be able to sell this tale to Ash. "I assisted a merchant -- watching his shop when he was away and helping organize wares."

(Also sorry for the delay! My brain had 0 creative juices yesterday)

(No worries, I had the same problem last month.)

"Yes, I recall. What was the merchant's name again?" Gaius expected Al would remember, but it was always safe to check what sort of memory a potential intruder might have and take the necessary precautions.

(We did discuss this briefly, but Gaius is testing Aleth's memory now.)

(Oh gosh that was only a week ago, sheesh >.> I looked it up. Remember now lol thankfully Aleth's memory is better than mine)

"My owner was named Jesten," Aleth answered, glancing at Ash before looking away. A test, then. It was just as well. "I don't believe I ever mentioned my employer when I was a free man. His name is Rynyr."

"Right you are." Gaius dipped his head slightly; this was a quick one, then. "Did he pay you well? How did you come to be enslaved by Jesten?" He had dispatched agents to check names shortly after his first conversation with Al, and most of the names were dead ends.

"Eh. It was adequate, I wouldn't say well," Aleth answered. This was most assuredly a test. And Aleth hoped he hadn't said anything in his pain-filled haze that was going to come back to bite him in the ass now. The details felt fuzzy. "A slaver by the name of Gareth grabbed me one night when I was traveling with a message from Rynyr to one of his vendors."

Just enough details to be believable without digging himself into too deep of a hole... hopefully.

"And were you escaping from Jesten or from a slaver to whom he sold you?" Gaius made a turn at one of the dustier hallways.

"A slaver," Aleth said, not willing to offer any further information that might get him in a tight spot. "I'm not sure his name."

Gaius gave another nod, fixing his gaze solidly on Al for a few moments as they walked. "You seem an intelligent fellow," he said finally. "Educated. If you watched the shop for your employer, are you literate?"

"Thank you, my lord." Aleth dipped his head and offered a smile, though he didn't let his guard down even a little. "I know some written words, but I'm better with numbers. I proxied sales on his behalf but wasn't able to keep the books after. Sir."

Aleth hesitated, considering throwing on a 'but I'm sure I could learn if you'd like me to' or some such thing, but deciding against it. Ash seemed too shrewd to fall for any flattery such as that.

"Interesting," was all Gaius said, brushing a stray cobweb from the air. This wing was another of the guest areas, but it hadn't been used since Michael's time as Lord. The hall had been transformed into a sort of harem back then, and some of the billowy curtains still hung from the doors.

Fuck.

He didn't want to be interesting. Interesting people got interrogated. And then killed. He didn't want to be memorable at all. Just a vague hint of a man that Ash allowed to float about in the palace like another speck of dust.

"You've been a lord for a long time, you said?" Aleth asked, venturing turning the conversation off himself for a moment.

"Over a decade," Gaius replied. "Not long by most standards, but long enough to have learned a thing or two about politics." He really didn't want to discuss this subject, especially not here. "Did you know this Keep was the first one built after the unification?" he asked.

“Was it?” Aleth asked, interested. “How old is it?”