More questioning...and tea.

[boromir_of_gondor]

I went to question Nuala at her home. She still has not recovered, though she looks better than expected.

Boromir: *folds up his city map, checks the address again and knocks on Nuala's door.*

Nuala: *takes a moment to answer, probably because she's checking the peephole to make sure whoever is visiting is friendly. Seeing dark hair, she opens the door. Her hands still have bandages on them after they were burned. Her tone is friendly, at least.* Hello, can I help you?



Boromir: *realizes she doesn't recognize him* Hello. We've met before. I'm Boromir, one of the captains of the guard. I wanted to check on you and see how you were...and perhaps ask you a few more questions, if you are feeling up to it.

Nuala: *nods* I remember you. The white tree. *stepping aside, she gestures for him to enter*

Boromir: *steps inside* Yes, that was me. The White Tree of Gondor on my blanket. It's lovely, by the way. *notices her bandages and frowns*

Nuala: *smiles* I'm glad you've enjoyed it. And that I got it to you before… *she clears her throat and closes the door behind him* Tea?

Boromir: That would be nice, thank you. *wanders inside and looks around* I like your sense of style. It reminds me of home.

Nuala: *goes into the kitchen and fills a kettle with water, setting it on the stove to boil* Does it? I've never seen Gondor. Never seen much in my life beyond Dunland before I came here.

Boromir: Yes, quite a bit. *picks up a small figurine and inspects it* Much of the craftwork I see here looks like it could have been done by a Gondorian. Excellent workmanship, by the way...

Nuala: *gets a box of black lavender tea from one of her cabinets, gingerly because her hands still ache* Thank you for the kind words, but I'm afraid I won't be making anything new for a while. I can't manage it right now.

Boromir: *comes into the kitchen* Would you like some help? I make excellent tea. *smiles*

Nuala: *blushes a little and nods, stepping back so he can fiddle with the various teas she has in her cupboards* If you don't mind. I'll get the cups.

Boromir: *steps forward and selects a nice jasmine tea as well* You have quite a selection of tea. Which one is your favorite?

Nuala: This one here. *shows him the lavender Earl Grey* It smells sweet. I like it. Even the ravens say it smells nice.

Boromir: *takes the cups from her and places a bag of Earl Grey on one, jasmine in the other* Ah yes. The ravens. I spoke to one, Kak, the other day. Is he a friend of yours?

Nuala: He is. He lives here most of the time, but he comes and goes as he pleases. They both do.
Boromir: And you trust him? Do you feel he is truthful?

Nuala: He's always honest with me, so far as I can tell. They have their own code of conduct, but they're not bad.

Nuala: They used to con people out of money, but I told them they had to stop and they haven't since.

Boromir: Oh, I see. I heard they tended to swindle unsuspecting townspeople, but I am glad to hear they have stopped. *reaches for the kettle*

Nuala: They like shiny things and red string. They didn't know it was wrong, they thought they were being clever.

Boromir: Fair enough. Now that they know better, I will expect them to obey the law. *pours the water over the teabags*

Nuala: *nods* They have been, or I'm sure I would have heard of it by now.

Boromir: *hands her a cup* When I talked to Kak, he told me he saw a couple of "horsemen" outside your shop before and during the fire. Would you tell me what you saw?

Nuala: I was busy working on my loom in the back of the store when the bottle broke through the window, so I didn't see anyone. He flew to the front, so he might have seen something… We both panicked. I tried to get as many things out as possible, but that didn't turn out too well. In the end, an elf rescued us both.

Boromir: I see. *sips his tea* Did you hear anything? Smell anything unusual?

Nuala: *adds sugar to her tea and stirs it in before taking a sip* Not before, and after, there was too much smoke.

Boromir: Before the fire, did you receive any threats? I know there was some harassment by some of the guards and a misunderstanding with Theoden. Anything else?

Nuala: Nothing direct. I try to avoid them, but they sneer at me on the streets when I see them. I know the guards talk about me, though.

Boromir: *frowns* Not in front of me anymore. I've had to warn them twice. Can you think of anyone else who might want to hurt you?

Nuala: No one. All my customers are happy with their purchases, and none but the Rohirrim have cause to hate me.

Boromir: *sighs* I was afraid of that. I know there is...unrest between Dunlendings and Rohirrim, but I had hoped it would not come to this.

Nuala: *looks crestfallen* I haven't done anything to them. Not me. But they hate me all the same because of who my people are. I only ever wanted to live in peace.

Boromir: I believe you. I do. And I’ll do everything I can to help catch whoever set fire to your store.


Unfortunately, duty called and I had to return to the guardhouse, but I will make sure I stay on top of the investigation. After talking with her, I believe that one or more Rohirrim are guilty…regardless of what Theo says.