You enjoy the peace and quiet, taking time to let your body and mind settle. After the last few days, a rest is welcome. The questions and concerns float vaguely in the back of your mind, but you push them aside. There’s nothing that can be done for now.

By evening, you’re eager to get back out, so leave a little earlier than you originally intended. However, it’s too early to show up at Stardust for work, so you end up wandering the streets for a while, aimlessly. You do not get lost in the maze of alleys and arrive at the venue in time to get prepared with the other staff members. You opt to borrow one of Stardust’s fine dresses for the evening, and accessorise by arming yourself with a 9-inch hat pin, which you set inside the elegant hat you chose to match your dress. Omon is overseeing things, and during the setup, you briefly encounter Tansen. “No word yet,” is all he says on the matter.

You spend the evening in the VIP area again, this time shadowing Sara Whistlow, though you see Tansen doing his rounds and casually interacting with other patrons now and then.

The evening is… quiet. Not the music or the patrons, who are as loud and active as ever, but there is a slight muted tone to the room. Or is that just you? The VIPS, as they were during the early part of the night yesterday, remain prim and proper in their conversations and etiquette, in contrast to the rowdier lot downstairs. However, unlike yesterday, as the night goes on, they don’t get quite as rowdy as they did before. You strain your ears to listen in on any conversations you can, struggling to hear their hushed voices over the louder ambience. Amidst the inane chatter, you do hear a few mentions of a gentleman who suddenly took ill last night and of “an unpleasant affair” that previously occurred. However, you don’t hear any names mentioned, though you can’t confirm whether they were deliberately omitted or if you just missed them. Either way, it seems that at least a few people have Karven on their mind, and judging by the improved behaviour tonight, no one wants to be the first to do something outrageous and have the spotlight turned on them.

This is in contrast to Sara, who seems quite happy to be the centre of attention. After introducing herself to you, she quite easily settled into pleasant conversation and seemed to have no shortage of breath or topics to talk about, in between her tips and tricks as a Sentinel. She was perfectly happy to speak while you smiled, nodded, and partially listened. She is not unpleasant company by any means; quite the opposite, in fact, but her energy is quite intense, as it stands. Still, from her, you at least learn that Karven was alive and well as of this afternoon. Apparently, some rumours that he had died from poison had begun circulating. But until he shows his face again, no one can be certain of anything.

Visiting the Powder Room later to keep an eye on things, you glance at the corner of the hallway where you had seen Karven hunched over yesterday. Everything is normal.

Shortly before the prime act begins, as you sit listening to Sara and a new companion who has joined you both, you notice that Ameronis has arrived, though you hardly recognise her at first. Sitting across the room at a table with a bunch of VIPs you don’t know, she is dressed in a rich, formal evening gown, and her hair is elaborately styled beneath her highly decorative hat. She sits neatly and straight, and converses with her companions in a dignified manner, laughing politely behind an elaborate hand fan, held in a delicately-embroidered gloved hand. You leave off staring at her for a moment, your attention drawn back by the voices at your table, but when you sneak a few glances her way, you get the distinct impression of her being some kind of Lady or Duchess. Either way, she blends in quite well with the Upper-class folk she’s currently mingling with. You don’t notice if she notices you at any point, but you do see when she and her companions eventually leave once the main performance is over; she allows an older gentleman from her table to carefully escort her ladyship down the stairs, gently holding on to his arm and letting him lead the way.

Your attention is drawn back to your table again, and when you glance over at the stairs, Ameronis is gone.
The evening passes by without further incident, with the most notable event being a spilt glass of wine. Tansen is probably relishing the peace.

You clock out and, at the suggestion of the floor manager, Elliot Baker, agree not to come in looking for work tomorrow night. You’ll spread out your remaining days, though; you might still show up for a bit as a regular tonight and leave early. Maybe.

You make your way home after 12, but can’t shake the feeling that you’ve left in the middle of something.

---

You wake early the next morning, though there is no pressing need to rise right away. You hope to see Professor Zenkolia at some point, but that won’t be until the late morning or early afternoon. Until then, you have some time to kill. Yesterday, you had considered resuming your general exploration, as well as looking for other places to learn new skills, but decided against it. Maybe today?

Speaking of which, if you remember correctly, the Warrior’s Edge, except for the tea house, was closed yesterday but is open as usual today. You check your notes; fencing, boxing, wrestling, archery and martial arts lessons are all scheduled in that order. Archery is in the late afternoon, so you can attend the class after your trip to the university. As for the other classes, you have little interest in fencing, boxing or wrestling, but martial arts? That is definitely something you wanted to try. You suppose your afternoon is all set. As for your morning..?

You seek out the paper boy who is in his usual spot, yelling the day’s news to the many passersby, standing at the junction with his cart laden with papers. “Steelhaven Murderers On The Run: Law Enforcers Widen Net!” he cries. A few other pedestrians loiter nearby as they read their papers, and you see at least one paper with that exact headline in the hands of one of the readers. Another holds a paper with “KILLERS ON THE LOOSE!” plastered across the front.

The boy sells four brands of paper, and all of them reference the Steelhaven Slaughter on their front page, some more prominently than others. You see no sign of The Daily Observer that Brinnet mentioned, but you pick up The Royal Herald as usual, and also grab a copy of the tabloid “The Green”, and “The Derna Post”, one of the two broadsheets he sells.
You return to Slaryn House and settle down in the canteen, flicking through your papers as you sip tea and eat porridge and toast. In all the papers, the main story focuses on the continuing investigation of the Steelhaven Slaughter. From what they’ve gathered, the murders suggest “a web of organised criminal activity”, and there are reports of several business owners having been affected prior to this point. Four men are officially wanted for questioning, with detectives believing they are part of a gang acting as a front for an extortion scheme. They have several strong leads, according to the Chief Inspector, and have already begun raiding properties and questioning witnesses. There are written descriptions of the four men, with the primary suspect being tall, dark-skinned, and with close-shaved hair. Considered to be very dangerous, any citizens who see him or the other suspects are advised not to approach, but instead report to the nearest Law Enforcer station; a reward will be offered to anyone who provides verifiable information.

Discussions about the connections to and effects of gang violence in Steelhaven and the surrounding districts also make up a large part of the reports, with local groups and community leaders chiming in, calling for calm and vigilance.

Only the broadsheet mentions anything to do with the Bradwyn & Holden’s heist directly. Senior Investigator Leighton is still trying to get to the bottom of things, and apparently, things are becoming a little more confusing for them, due to inconsistent testimonies provided by the Law Enforcers involved in the case. Additionally, it seems that Soza is displeased with the Enforcer’s initial handling of the situation and the wrongful detention of his watchman, Steven; an act which he claims resulted in the burglary being able to go ahead in the first place. All in all, it seems like the investigation is being hampered by some internal tangled threads.

“Good morning, sunshine.”

You look up to see Ameronis standing beside the table, tray of food in hand. She’s back to wearing her plain day clothes, and her hair is loose and unstyled, as before. You quietly return the greeting, and she smirks.

“I see you’re still in one piece, so that’s good.”

You grunt a dismissal as she glances over your pile of papers.

“Anything interesting?”

No, nothing of concern, at least.

She plops herself down in the seat opposite you as you give her the gist of your thoughts on the most pressing news. But with nothing to be said or done about the hot topics, she begins idly flicking through The Green.

“I suppose it’s back to business, then. Do you have any other planned escapades?”

None of your previous escapades were planned, actually. But, no! You have some perfectly normal business to attend to at Greenbrook Museum shortly.

“Oh? What’s the occasion?”

You fill her in on your identity quest so far, and she listens with mild interest.

“How mysterious. How many more links in the chain before the truth is uncovered? Eight, I’d say, based on the rate so far.”

You certainly hope not. Either way, you intend for Zenkolia to be the last input. Ameronis smiles.

“Perhaps today will be the day things go your way.”

Great. Now things will be ruined!

“Anyway, seeing as I’ve got free time and nothing planned for the moment, I think I’ll join you at the university, unless you object. I do like a good, old building to wander about in.”

You snort, knowing that she’ll do what she pleases whether you object or not. Fine; she can come, but the museum entry fee is 50 cogs, so she’d better prepare for that.

You pause as you take another sip of tea. You’re… going to have to pay the entry fee again in order to meet with Dr Zenkolia. You groan. This had better be worth it.