Hector felt around in the dark for the lock. "Dammit," she said as she dropped the key.

"You got it yet?" Marrrrr whispered impatiently from around the corner.

"You're the one who should be doing this," she hissed back. "Your stealth is higher, and I don't even have Disable Device as a skill."

"You don't need to use Disable Device when you have the key!"

"You do when the key was smashed underneath a giant!"

"Would you two stop bickering and just get on with it before someone sees us?" Lavernica whisper-shouted at the two as she grew more and more worried.

Hector took a deep breath to calm her nerves before picking the key up, placing it in the lock, and turning it. It took several seconds of twisting and jiggling until, finally... click.

"I got it!" she whispered excitedly as she pushed the door open softly. The gang all let out silent cheers as they rushed forward, pushing into the room as Hector opened the door.

"That was excruciating," Marrrrr groaned as he sank into a chair.

"None of this would have happened if it weren't for you!" Lavernica griped. "You're the one who threatened to kill that Bard in front of people."

"He was planning on betraying us!"

"You don't know that!" Hector jumped in, already angry. "You had no proof!"

"Please, no Bard is that charming."

Hector and Lavernica both rolled their eyes. Zippity Doo decided it was probably time to step in. "Right now it doesn't matter who did what. What matters is getting out of this mess."

"She's right," Bing Bong finally jumped in. "Pierce is in jail right now, and the rest of us are probably going to end up there if we don't find a way to clear our names."

"Look, I can probably make a potion that I can use on the body to get... I don't know. Fingerprints? Magical DNA evidence?"

"Because that sounds like it would be admissible in court," Marrrrr muttered under his breath.

"Do you have a better idea?"

"Okay, look, let's all head to the jail. Hector and Marrrrr, you guys find the body and do those magical tests. Bing Bong and Zippity-Doo, you guys come with me to get Pierce."

"Why do we have to go together?!" Marrrrr and Hector both shouted at Lavernica.

"Because none of us want to be around either of you right now."

The pair glanced at each other for a silent moment.

"That's fair."

"Yeah, I get that."

Hector silently set her alchemy set up on the table next to slab where the body of Brandon the Bard was layed out. Marrrrr peered out the window to make sure nobody had seen them enter.

"How's it going over there?"

"Fine," she replied shortly.

"Are you seriously still mad at me? I didn't even do anything!"

"You mean except for threaten to kill a person? A person who was traveling with us and helping us!"

"He was planning on betraying us!"

"You have no proof of that!"

"I didn't need proof. I could tell by the way he was acting!"

Hector scoffed. "Do you realize how ridiculous that sounds?"

"Oh, I'm sorry, I forgot I was talking to the person with a +0 Sense Motive Modifier!"

She turned, seething, to mix another ingredient into her potion.

"And what exactly in the way he was behaving made you so suspicious?"

"He was flirting with you!"

Silence filled the room and Hector stiffened, but didn't turn around. "So, the only reason someone would flirt with me would be to manipulate me?"

"No. That's not how I meant it."

"Sure it is. It's the only reason you do it."

Marrrrr felt like the wind has been knocked out of him. "That's not true."

Hector shook her head before turning around, the potion ready to go in her hand. "Forget it. It doesn't matter."

"Hector-"

The door flew open and in stomped several guards, pushing along Lavernica, Zippity-Doo, and Bing-Bong.

"Hey guys!" Bing Bong exclaimed with false cheer. "We got caught because Lavernica couldn't resist insulting a guard!"

"I hate cops! Down with the man!" Lavernica exclaimed, struggling more than was necessary.

"Well, that was a waste of a potion."

TBC