Funeral Wedding

With Meredith gone, Tix felt like she could relax now and thank goodness, a few more minutes with that woman and she would have ended up sinking his face in with a punch. "I better go check the room..." In her way to her room, Tix gave a good look to the pole. "A shame there is no show, I could use a distraction..." She mumbled to herself as she resumed walking to the room, as she arrived at the door, Tix knocked. "I'm coming in." She said before opening the door and going in.

The butler answered, opening the door to reveal what would be their room for the next three days. It looked... worse than expected. Surely enough, it was rather spacious, with a large set of shelves one would most see in a library and a king-sized bed for two, complete with a white curtain hung around it from the top side. There was not much more than that, aside from the door in the back that was most likely a bathroom - and a table for two, with stiff ladderback chairs on each side.

With each step she took, with each loud creak from the wooden boards, she got reminded that this was not home. It did not come close to the luxury of Sanctuary, for not even comfort deserving of a noble could match the divine realm of magic. A small part of her was, out of pure habit, surprised for a moment when the room did not change to accommodate to her thoughts. She reckoned the same happened to her little sister, who was neatly arranging all of their stuff on the shelves right next to some books and a mirror.

"Allow me, my Lady," said the butler, as he approached to remove Tix's coat.

"So much for accommodations..." Tix mumbled to herself as she looked around the room. Tix had already unpacked everything and was now sitting in one of the chairs of the room, Pix on the other hand was running around the room checking every corner with her never-ending curiosity. "Thank you." The ashen haired woman allowed the butler to take her coat. Once she took it off, she sat next to Ix on the other chair. "Not the best of rooms but it should work..." Looking at her sister, Tix wondered what was she thinking about, the blonde girl seemed... Distracted. "Tomorrow morning I'll head to the royal palace to investigate, I want you to remain on the room, understood?"

The blonde girl nodded but she was still lost in her thoughts. "This place is really different from home... Don't you think?" This whole town seemed cold and distant, Ix noticed this during their trip to the inn, how something so cheerful and warm as a wedding could end in murder... The reasons behind it were what was storming Ix's brain, as the girl was trying to find an explanation for it, even when she knew that there might not be one... "O-Oh? Okay... I'll remain in the room..." Even when she agreed, Ix had no intention to sit around and do nothing, she wanted to help, she sneaked a look to the list Tix was eyeing, the list with the places that the victim visited before his murder and decided to investigate on her own. If Tix was going to the royal palace, she would sneak out and investigate the private chambers herself.

After spending some time thinking about her plans for tomorrow, Tix decided to go out of the room to question the other guests of the inn who, according to Meredith, were still allowed to remain in the inn. "I'll go to check on our... Neighbors, you wait here, okay?"

Ix got up as well but this time she didn't agree with her sister. "If you are just going to introduce yourself I'm going too!" Ix knew that Tix wasn't just going to introduce herself, she was going to investigate and Ix was decided to join her. "And I'm not taking a no for answer!" Ix stood her ground with her request, even the tiny Pix did as she imitated her mom while standing on top of the table.

"Ugh..." Tix sighed and started to walk to the door of the room. "Fine but as soon as you are done you are coming back here, understood?" The blonde girl looked at the tiny girl and smiled before both of them nodded to Tix. "Let's go." The three of them, now on the hallway, approached the closest door to theirs, knocking on the door.

She knocked, and nothing happened. Part of her was tempted to use the small peephole on the door, seeing as it was not covered, unlike the one in their room. This person must have the same kind of room as they did. From there, it wouldn't be a stretch to assume everyone on this corridor were either nobles, or paid a lot of money for luxury.

After what only felt like a lot more than a minute, they heard squishy sounds from inside - footsteps, and wet ones at that. Slow and gentle, the handle turned, the door was swung open. Before them stood a woman of stunning beauty, loosely covered by a moist towel that starkly contrasted her chocolate skin. Yet the towel was too small, unable to completely mask her shapely features. Her wet hair, a pale blonde, draped over her supple breasts, further accentuating their size.

"What can I do for you?" The woman's voice matched her appearance completely, it was sultry and tempting. As she spoke, the sisters' attention was focused on her long and pointy ears, that just now had twitched lightly. That immediately struck them as familiar; those ears, they were just like Ferro's, if not more prominent.

"Excuse my appearance," she added. "It was unfortunate timing."

Tix raised an eyebrow, this was indeed a pretty good sight and one that she really wasn't expecting. "Sorry to interrupt miss. We are the occupants of the next room, my name is Tix Seafield and this here is my sister Ix Seafield, we are in charge of the investigation for the murder of Harold Rowan."

Unlike Tix, Ix looked away with a slight blush on her face. "N-Nice to meet you miss..." It was a pretty hilarious scene considering that Pix was on Ix's head, poking her mom's head.

"I know the timing is pretty bad but, would you mind answering some questions?"

The woman smiled, placing a finger under her chin. "Oh, is that so?" Her tone had a playful ring to it. She smiled at the two women, before taking a few steps back. "Come in, then, my ladies."

Even her walking was provocative, slow and deliberate. She gave off a strong aura of charm, much like an experienced midara would. They sat down facing each other in the neighbor's room - a near identical replica of their own, but not before introductions. "Call me Tia," she bowed. "At your service~"

Ix kept avoiding gazing at the woman, still pretty embarrassed from seeing the woman covered only with a towel, Tix on the other hand kept her confident look, not flustered in the slightest by the sight of the woman in front of them "Nice to meet you, Miss Tia, now if you allow me to ask. Did you saw anything suspicious the last time the victim was in the inn? Discussions, fights, threats, anything that could help bring some light to the case."

The mood of the conversation was slightly interrupted due to the growling stomach of the little Pix, who jumped to the floor and ran out of the room, back to the one that belonged to the Seafields to get some food. "A-Ah, Pix!" In a hurry, Ix bowed. "My a-apologies, M-Ms Tia!" she apologized and ran after the tiny girl, leaving her sister alone with the woman, her sister, who let out a sigh and looked somewhat annoyed. "That's why I told you to stay on the room..." She mumbled to herself before returning her attention to the elf woman. "My apologies, now, as I was saying, did you witness anything suspicious?"

Tia smiled at the little exchange, pulling one leg over the other and slicking her hair back, leaving her barely hidden breasts exposed. This girl didn't mind, she thought, so might as well get dry while she was at it.

"When alcohol spills, so too do secrets~" She gave Tix a knowing smile. "Harold didn't strike me as a drinker, but he drunk plenty last night, and it was his first time here as well. He talked a lot over drinks, mainly with a strange friend of his. But there was no violence, trust me~"

Tix's lips curled into a grin, this woman did not have any shame to show her body that much was granted. "I see, what could you tell me about this strange friend of his?" She was enjoying the sigh but she had to keep being professional, after all, that's what she came to do here.

"Goes by the name of Fink," she smiled back at her, almost not paying attention to her own words, but rather the girl in front of her. "He's from around, and he quite enjoys my show~"

Tia squeezed her hair to dry faster as she spoke with Tix, not minding being intimate in the girl's presence at all. "He did not wish to see me that night though."

"Fink... I see..." Tix wrote down the name on the paper with the places to visit, with a comment saying 'Might know something'. Once she was done writing, Tix looked back at Tia. "Your show?" The ashen haired woman raised a brow, she had a slight idea of what this show of hers was. "And why did he not wish to see you that night?"

Tia's ears twitched again. "Mhm, that pole down there, it's for me. Fink was too busy arguing with the late Howard. It must have been important, to have their eyes taken off me." she smiled seductively at Tix. "Keep an eye out tonight, and you'll see exactly what I mean~"

"Hmm... Tempting, I'll make sure to keep an eye out for it then." She returned the same seductive smile to the elf woman. "Anything else you can tell me, miss?"

"Well, you're the one asking the questions, are you not?"

The woman chuckled as she continued to lock eyes with Tix. Tia's alluring confidence was not unlike hers, in every sense of application. "You'll have to be more... specific."

"Well, if I had to ask... Are you sure you don't know anything about what the victim was talking with this... Fink?" Tix had already put away the paper and the pen but she asked anyway in case the woman could shed some more light in the two men's business.

She struck a clumsy-looking thinking pose, tilting her head slightly to the left. "I think they talked a little about Her Majesty, the wedding and... hmm..." Tia sighed, with a look of resignation. "I forgot. Truth be told, I wasn't paying too much attention, was too focused on my dance."

Tix made a mental note about their conversation of the queen and as the girl finished, she stood up, ready to question another tenant. "If that's all, Ms Tia, I'll let you go back to your things. Thank you so much for your cooperation."

"The pleasure was mine, Lady Tix," said Tia, getting up to show Tix to the door, but not before shooting her a charming smile. "Best of luck in your investigation."

Tix then headed for the other doors, but saw only Meredith standing in her way. With a bow, she spoke. "I have gathered the people downstairs, as per your order." The knight glanced over Tix's shoulder, seeing the door to Tia's room just closing. "I take it you have questioned the pole dancer already?"

"I have, she had some useful information, now, let's go talk to the people downstairs..." Not wasting any time, Tix followed Meredith back downstairs to interrogate everyone.

Seeing the spring in her step, Meredith picked up the pace as well. She didn't get to lead Tix, as they both walked shoulder to shoulder towards the bottom floor. Once there, Tix saw a couple of individuals. An aged barkeep, two rough-looking guards, and a man wearing a dark blue vest and black trousers tied with a belt. His clothing was of much better looking than the rugged shirt of the barkeep, or the plain-looking tunics of the unarmored guards, who were clearly off duty at this hour.

Looking through the window, Tix noticed the sun's orange hue as it slowly faded into darkness. With the suspects gathered, Tix was free to continue her investigation.

Tix looked over everyone gathered in the inn before looking at Meredith. "Is someone named Fink between them?"

On the meantime, Ix was back at the room with Pix, the tiny girl had already ate some cookies filling her stomach and was now taking a bath in a cup filled with water while Ix brushed her with a little brush. "Enjoying the bath, Pix?" The tiny girl nodded and let out a mute laugh as the brush tickled her back. Once Ix was done bathing her, the tiny girl relaxed in the warm water from the cup she was using as bathtub.

"Yeah, that'd be me." The dark haired - and considerably fancier than the rest, man grabbed her attention. His narrow eyes squinted at Tix. "Who in Harmonia's name are you?"

Meredith, needing not give the introduction herself, pulled up a seat for Tix at the counter, where the patron as well as Fink were seated, in their exact positions as last night.

---

Three soft knocks on the door made it to their ears. It was Tia, who now, for Ix's embarrassment's sake, was not naked. She wore a milky-white dress that tightly hugged her form, while also not covering her shoulders, nor the top half of her breasts. It was also short enough to allow for leg movement, as she would need it to perform the dance later that night. She awaited at the door holding a plate full of freshly baked - and cooled off cookies, as well as a decorated bottle of liquor.

"My name..." Tix started by sitting down. "Is Tix Seafield, I'm here in name of Lady Kathrynne Rowan in order to investigate the murder of Harold Rowan." Tix locked her gaze on Fink's. "Now, a witness says you were talking to the victim the night previous to the murder, arguing apparently, now, do you mind telling me what was all of that about?"

---

"One moment!" Ix finished helping Pix get dry and left the tiny girl's clothes next to her to get dressed before heading to the door. As she opened, she was welcome by Tia's presence. "Ah, Ms Tia, sorry for leaving so soon before, what brings you here?" She noticed the cookies and the bottle of liquor. "Ah, please come in." The blonde girl stepped to the side to allow Tia to enter the room.

Fink broke their starring contest immediately, setting his eyes on Meredith. She was as impassive as ever, so that meant everything was going the way it was supposed to be. This young girl was really in a position to question him right now. He only knew of one Seafield, and this wasn't her.

"What, me and Harold argue all the time. Last night we talked about the wedding, what to bring over, who to invite, things like that."

---

The busty elf's lips formed a welcoming smile. "To make up for earlier, Lady Ix," she said with a wink. "While they argue down there, I thought 'Why not be a good neighbor?' and make a proper introduction - Oh, and I got cookies."

She placed the plate on the table, right in front of the tiny Pix, who had finished getting dressed next to her cup. She waved to the little familiar as well, before placing the bottle on the table.

Tix raised an eyebrow not impressed with his attitude. "Then you won't mind being more specific about the topics you two spoke off yesterday."

---

The tiny girl looked at the elf woman and tilted her head before waving back at her. "Ah, there was no need Ms Tia, again sorry for leaving so suddenly, let me introduce myself properly." Ix smiled pulling a chair for their visitor. "My name's Ix Seafield..." She then looked at the tiny girl drools over the cookies. "And the tiny girl is Pix." Hearing her name, Pix looked at Ix and then at Tia, doing a little bow before pulling out her tiny notebook and starting to write, a few seconds later, the tiny girl showed the guest what she had written. "Nice to meet you Pretty towel lady!" Ix noticed the way Pix referred to Tia and took her tiny notebook. "Her name is Tia, Pix, here I fixed it for you." She said returning the tiny book to the girl who just smiled and nodded before showing it back to Tia. "Nice to meet you Tia!"