Twitchy wasn't surprised to hear about the Lady's poisoning, but he admitted that made things a little trickier. Most people weren't aware of any relation between Arie and the noble family. There were plenty of people who thought Anna had been from a higher status, but she had not confirmed that to anyone. As far as he knew only Arie and himself were fully aware of the relation.

"There ain't many who know 'bout yer Lady an' the kid. Myself an er. She kept it close, Anna did. It was safer that way. But," he rubbed his beard thoughtfully. "Er way of speakin gave er way as being noble born. Too well spoken fer the slums she worked. Plus, servants talk. Hard to say how many knew or at least guessed. Maybe when the Missus is better you can ask about that day." The day she had thrown away a child for her heritage.

"What about Arie's father?"

The thief rolled back onto his heels. He really didn't like thinking of 'him'. "Met em only once. That was more than I wants. He'd have not done this, nor do I think Anna would've lain with a man who could. She's naive, but she'd have known his self. Em at his soul."

"We should still speak with him."

"Good luck." Twitchy crossed his arms and stared stubbornly at both men. He'd certainly rather face their wrath, than 'his'. He could tell the older man's frustration was rising swiftly. But it was the younger noble who intervened before the tension could boil over.

"Twitchy, you must realize how this looks to us? Surely, you could at least point us in the right direction. No one need know where we got the information from. I can actually be discreet when needed. And if your worried about the code-."

Twitchy waved him off impatiently, "It has nothing to do with that." Though now he looked at Sir Raoul in a completely different light. It was a very rare occurrence that nobles knew about the thieves' code. He wondered who had initiated the knight into it.

"Then what?"

He blew out a breath, "That man; if ya could even call em that, the only way to speak to em is to speak with a priestess of the Dark God. And I've had my fill em." The memories rose again in the back of his mind. It had been unsettling, time hadn't made it any less so.

"If he was dead, why not say so?"

The thief couldn't bring himself to look at either man. He simply shrugged. "Not my place," he added, "my Lords," more as an afterthought. His mind was still trying to shove those uncomfortable memories somewhere, anywhere he didn't have to remember them.

It was Raoul that realized that twitchy wasn't being intentionally rude, just dealing with something that scared him more than nobility. It gave the knight food for thought that someone like Twitchy was afraid of Arie's father even in death. "Perhaps we could speak to the boy. Avery, I believe you said his name was?"

Twitchy nodded woodenly, but was grateful for the change in subject.

"Could you find him and bring him tonight? I think it is best we speak to him as soon as possible. While everything is fresh in our minds."

"He shouldn't be far. Likes to keep close to Arie like a shadow. But he's slippery. Hides pretty."

"We will wait an hour then. If you can't find him, bring him here tomorrow."

Twitchy knew a dismissal when he heard it. So, he rose and bowed stiffly to the two men. Then he turned and left, leaving the door open once he had slipped out. He weas certain they would wait to speculate until they couldn't hear his footsteps anymore. But Twitchy allowed his mind to turn from the two knights and to the information he had been given. Turning everything over and considering how it all fit together.

The Lady had been poisoned first. Poisoned first, but there was no way she had been the first victim. Best case, people could hold out a couple months against the poison. That put the Lady at about two and a half to three months by Twitchy's guess. The fact that she had been first made Twitchy think this had been as personal as burning Joel's forge. But the person was getting smart. Nobles had wards against attack, not to mention guards. If an attack had failed to reach both the Lord and Lady then both would be harder to get to. The poison was slow, almost impossible to notice early unless you knew what you were looking for. And it would spread fast once it had strength. Twitchy could see an almost poetic nature to it. The slow spiral of the castle's inhabitants into depravity would match the neglect Anna and Arie would have faced trying to scrounge a life in the slums. But something about assessment bothered him. Joel's attack had been only months after Arie had been chased out. It was that wait that gave him pause. Why would someone so full of rage and impulsive wait? That kind of emotion would usually subside after a time. Unless the person was mad like a wild dog. But then they wouldn't be so thoughtful. They would kill who they wanted and whoever got in the way would just be collateral damage. Then a thought struck him.

They couldn't.

This person was in a position in which they couldn't attack. He had to wrack his brain for things that could stop a person. The first thing that came to mind was an injury. If someone else had been burned in the burning of Arie's home then they could be angry enough to frame her if they got word that she was still alive, or hurt those who tried to hurt that started the fire in the first place. Hell, Arie's own injuries had left her bedridden for almost half a year. What else, what else, he demanded. Prison. Anyone who had to face prison time for or because Arie might be willing. It's possible they could have even heard about the relation of Arie to the Lord and Lady from the guards. It was starting to fit together. Now they just had to figure out if this person was trying to get revenge for Arie or against her.

"I wonder what they'll-," Twitchy's pondering was cut off when he walked right into another person who had just turned the corner.

"Watch it," snapped a snub-nosed young man. It took Twitchy all of three seconds to recognize the Standard Bearer of the King's Own, Lerant. He had been the one to visit with SandStorm and the pony the knights had given Arie. Not something anyone had every done for Arie. Despite this Twitchy didn't appreciate the boy's attitude.

"Maybe you should watch your tongue boy." He pitched his voice low and menacingly. He was almost surprised that instead of being startled the younger man bristled at him. It wasn't until those green eyes really looked at him. There wasn't an instant flicker of recognition and his freckled face paled.

"You're Arie's father."

Twitchy grunted, neither confirming nor denying the accusation. He just stared down at the young man in way that had, at one time, made even other cut throats pale. The kid held his ground stubbornly.

"I ain't done, nothing to her."

"I know. You'd be dead if you had." The thief was gratified to see the boy's face go even paler than it already was. Though Twitchy knew he shouldn't tease the poor boy too much or Arie would be angry with him. "Speakin of er, have you seen Arie?"

"No sir." The sir was instantaneous. It almost made Twitchy wince. Almost. "At least I haven't seen her since she bolted away from breakfast."

Twitchy scratched his chin. That had been a while ago, she might have gone to bed. Healing someone who was so far gone did take it out of the girl. But then again, Arie often tended to hide away when she was exhausted or hurt. Another painful left over from that cursed night. The thief clicked his tongue thinking of the places she would hide here in the castle. He realized the young man was still waiting.

"I'd better not catch ya outside er room." He let the threat out in a quiet growl and didn't wait for a response before continuing out to the courtyard. But he was willing to admit he got no small amount of satisfaction from seeing the fear in those green eyes. If only he could have scared off those who had meant actual harm to Arie.

He stepped out into the cool night air and considered his earlier thought of where Arie; and by extension Avery, was. Not a lot of places Arie would feel safe, he thought to himself. Twitchy's gaze swept the courtyard and his eyes fell on the stable. Where SandStorm was stabled.

That was it.

Twitchy ambled over to the stables being careful to skirt the guards near the front gate, but he whistled cheerfully as he looped around the building. Sure enough, a soft voice came from the stable close to SandStorm's stall.

"You're in a good mood, Twitchy."

The thief looked up to see the boy lounging on the roof. He had his usual easy cheerful smile in place.

"I've certainly had worse. Have ya seen er?"

He patted the roof below him. "Came in a while ago to see her friend. Hasn't left since."

"How's she?"

Avery didn't answer right away. Instead, he stared at the castle with a distant expression he had never seen this boy wear. Twitchy wasn't sure if he was recalling all the little details he had noticed or was just considering his words carefully. Neither boded well in his mind.

"She's tired, spread too thin trying to help everyone. I don't think she should go back to the hospital."

Twitchy snorted, "You plannin' on standin in er way?"

He chuckled. "Point taken." Then those keen eyes looked Twitchy up and down. "But you're not here for her, are you?"

"No, I'm here fer you."

"Why me?" There was no hostility, nor suspicion in his tone, just curiosity.

"You were there when 'it' happened." Neither of them wanted to vocalize what 'it' was. "You know was there. And I think you can help us find who might be setting up Arie."

This made the boy sit up straight. Anger boiled in those eyes. "What happened?" It was a command. Very at odds with easy going boy Twitchy had always known, and that command oddly compelled him to answer more than he would have normally in such an open place.

"A lot of the sick have been turnin up with either a connection to er or where there when it happened."

He snorted. "Sounds like the God's are finally delivering justice."

"Personally, I agree, but-."

"You think the provost should handle this?" Anger and disgust contorted the boy's pretty face. "The Guard-!"

"Watch it, boy." Twitchy glared into the boy's usually cold eyes. "You forget I have no love of the law myself. But these attacks make Arie look guilty." This seemed to snap the kid out of his mood. Worry crept into those unnaturally cold eyes.

"Arie ain't capable of killin."

Twitchy didn't bother to refute the boy's claim, few people understood the difference between willing and able to kill. He doubted Avery would see the difference either.

"Besides she was bedridden for months. Not to mention she can't work fire magic."

Twitchy raised his eyebrows at Avery. He hadn't said nothing about fire.

Avery snorted. "I checked the area when I arrived to make sure she'd be safe. I checked on the ones most likely to hurt her. Hard to miss the charred mess that is Joel's smithy. Doesn't take any schoolin to figure out that was magical. Nothin around it burned, and it should have."

Twitchy grunted. He knew Avery couldn't have done it anyway. He had been watching Arie in those months. He sighed, "So you comin?"

The cheerful smile was back in place, but this time it didn't quite reach the boy's eyes. "Why not? Let's speak to these nobles so they don't have any misunderstandings." He threw his legs over the edge of the roof and slid off. Twitchy was impressed that this kid landed so quietly. Avery gestured to the castle. "Lead the way."

Twitchy turned back to the castle and walked. Avery hovered in his shadow moving with the same amount of sound as a ghost. The thief had to glance back every now and then just to make sure he was still following. It was uncomfortable. But that cheerful smile was completely back, even his eyes. So why did Twitchy want there to be more space between himself and this boy.

They turned down the hall that displayed the many family portraits of the Imrah's family going back through the generations. When they passed the final painting Twitchy took a few steps past then turned back again. This time Avery wasn't in his shadow or smiling. He was stopped looking up at the last painting.

There were three people in this one. Imrah, his current wife, and a much younger Anna. The first was relaxed and looking down on his daughter in a way that very much suggested he suspected her some mischief. Imrah's wife had eyes only for her husband. There was love in her expression. The kind that consumed everything else. But when Twitchy looked at Anna, really looked at her his heart twisted painfully in his chest. Anna here could be Arie's twin. But there was mischief in those eyes. A kind that he had never seen in Arie who been too serious at such a young age, or even Anna. Both women had taken too much of the world onto themselves. He wished he could have met the Anna of this picture.

"What do you think, Twitchy?"

Twitchy looked from Avery to the painting. He wondered if this boy wondered the same what ifs that Twitchy did when he looked at it. "They look happy." He finally said. He couldn't bring himself to say 'they looked like a family'.

"Hmm," was the boy's thoughtful response. Then he turned and continued following Twitchy.