Bad news .. [Tag Marina]

Ariel cleaned the tables after the customers as usual, but this time she looked at the door almost all the time. Jim had promised to come home yesterday, and she was worried about him. Maybe he slept somewhere else and went directly over to the castle, but still..
Her head still hurted from the last evening too when she had got too many drinks, but since Jim didn't worked here in the tavern any longer- Ariel would've to take some extra shifts now. And it wasn't so easy now when she only could use one hand- since her shoulder still was hurt...

Marina walked inside the tavern discretely, he hood still on... It wasn't place to her for being from the council, and pregnant, but she had an important thing to do. She looked for a red head around, and sighed when she spotted the girl, she had some not pleasant news and she didn't know how the girl would face them.

''You must be Ariel, aren't you?'', she asked gently once she got closer to the girl, and put her hood off.

Ariel looked up when a woman came closer to her, and nodded slightly when she asked about her name.
"Yes, that's me.." She answered and hugged the tray carefully. She haven't really seen her before, but she could guess who she was.
"Do-- you need help with something?"

''I needed to talk to you... Do you have a place more private for it?'', she asked quietly as she looked around, there was few people around, but Marina wanted to have this conversation with Ariel only, and far from others.

"Uhm.. Yes, I guess.." She said hesitantly before she placed the tray on a table and then walked towards the kitchen where they should be alone.
"What's going on, who are you?" Ariel asked as the door was closed behind them.

Marina followed her inside the kitchen and pulled a chair for her to seat. The walk to the tavern was short, but she felt tired anyway.
''I'm Marina Dalmar, and I work at the council... I'm here to talk about mr Hawkins'', she said simply, with a soft smile. She knew she was the best person to have this talk to the girl. Fa and Dimitri didn't hold their tongues, and were careless in this matter, and John, well... Let's not think about him.

"Jim?!" She asked when she heard his name, but tried to have her face blank. She didn't want her to know that she have been meeting him after the massacre, because otherwise she would probably think that she had helped him..
"Have you -- catched him?!" Ariel asked softly and glanced at her.

Marina nodded softly, ''Yes, we have... And unfornatelly, he didn't cause a good impression on us, Ariel'', she said with a tired voice, and studied the girl for a moment. Would she do anything to help him getting out from it?

"Well... He's not really the person who is nice to people.." She said after a short moment and glanced down quickly before she looked up again. At least now she knew where he was, and she hated it.
"Why-- uhm.. Do you tell me this?" Ariel asked and tried to sound like she didn't care

''I told you this because I know he cares about you, and you care about him'', she said with a soft smile and looked up to her with gentle eyes... ''I know you must think I'm a bad person, but I want to help him... Despite of his record, I know he's a good person.''

"He is a good person.." She nodded slowly and rubbed her arm carefully.
"So.. How are you going to help him?" Ariel asked carefully.

''I can't help him anymore... I'm taking some rest until my son is born, and James is gonna to meet the king, and if he behaves like he did with the member councils, I think no one can save him... Except if someone stands for him at his audience'', she said softly, hoping the girl could cooperate with her.

"So, you want me to help you? - And him?" She asked suprised before she bit her lip nervously.
"What can I do? And why would someone listen to me?"

''Trust me, I know exactly the feeling of caring of someone like James, with so different sides...'', she sighed and folded her hands on her stomach... ''I'm not sure, but I was thinking that if someone stands for him in his audience with the king, maybe the king can see he's not a bad person at all... Maybe he gives him a second chance...'', she shook her head slightly, ''Those are only assumptions, but I guess it's worth the shot''

Ariel wrapped her arms around herself as she thought about what the woman had said, and of course she wanted to save Jim. But if it didn't worked- everyone will knew that she tried to save a murderer..
"But nothing of this is Jim's fault. He was forced to do those things.." She said quietly.
"I can give you the real murderers.. I even know where they live." She said and looked up at her seriously

''Y-you know where the Korsos live??'', Marina asked in both surprise and shock as she stood up from the chair... Knowing his exactly location was all the Council and the Royals needed to know... This girl, she was an angel. ''The Korsos are behind the massacre, aren't they?'', she asked, holding both of the girl's hands in hers gently.

"Of course they were.. Jim would never do something like that by himself.." Ariel said quickly and flinched slightly when she took her hands, but didn't took them away.
"And-- yes.. I have been there a few times.."

''I knew it...'', Marina smiled sadly, ''Though James said he did it all alone, that he's just snapped on that night'', she sighed and sat on the chair again... ''Do you know what exactly happened that night?''

"Why would he say that?" She said quietly and frowned sadly. He knew how much she wanted him to be alive, but still it didn't seem like if he cared..
"Uhm.. I know a little.." She nodded and jumped up on a counter so that she also sat down.
"But how do I know that I can trust you?"

''I don't know how I can make you trust me... I've came here alone, just to have a talk to you, like I wanted with James, but unfortunatelly my husband and some other guards had to intervene'', she said quietly. And frowned, she wasn't married to John, so why she kept calling him her husband, ''Could you please tell me what happened that night?'', she asked with gentle eyes.

Ariel took a deep breath as she thought about it and glanced at the woman. If it could help Jim, then she should tell her.
"Well, we had a great night until Jim suddenly told me to leave the castle before he ran of. A moment he came back and started to-- you know.." Ariel started and sighed by the thought of it.
"Uhm, and then I think it was the next evening- one of the twins brought me to their hideout where I met Jim again. He told me that he had to do it, otherwise they would hurt me or everyone he loves.. He was forced to do it.." She said quietly and didn't know how that could help him. They probably knew all this already.
"But if I show you where the Korso's live, and give you another rapist- would you let Jim go then?"

''I'm so sorry, Ariel... But Jim isn't our concern anymore. It all rests on the king's hands now...'', she said sincerely and walked towards the girl again, ''But you should tell this on the audience... I've talked to Aladdin too, and he told me that James is a good person too, I saw it on the Court too, when James cared about him...'', she sighed and looked down. It would be for the best if that Korso twins had never come back, ''If you show us where the Korsos live will meant a lot, not only for the council, or the royals, but for all the kingdom... And about this rapist, his name is Eric, right? He attacked a friend of mine...'', she said quietly, remembering of Odette.

[I have to go.... I need to take some sleep.. ^^]

Ariel looked down when she said that she couldn't help, and she just felt that this was just a waste of time. She would see what the King said, and then she would maybe say where the twins lived..
"You know about him?" She looked up in suprise when Marina said Eric's name.
"So, have you catched him too?"

''No, we haven't... I've heard about him through Odette'', she said quietly, remmebering briefly the young man at the ball, ''We're looking for him, but he's very hidden, or he left town... We've not heard about him for a while'', she addmited and looked at her with soft eyes, ''Has he attacked you too?, Marina asked the girl with a soft voice.

Ariel nodded slowly, and kept her gaze down. She never thought she would let anyone she didn't know about this, but maybe it was important.
"And I don't think he would leave town. His father means everything to him.." She said quietly and glanced at her.
"He workes at the castle.. Have you looked there?"