Ronald
The girl before him gave a subtle twitch as he sighed the name of a long departed soul, though Audrey reacted accordingly. Her body slowly broke her stance, her legs coming together, her hands by her sides, and her eyes set on the ground. Her head was not hung, but tilted slightly downwards. She glanced up at the sound of the cork, only to watch the alcohol pour generously into the glasses. Her body moved forwards slowly on its own, and took a seat across from the desk. Her throat moved slightly as she swallowed what felt like a bundle of nerves. Two delicate hands were folded in her lap, though as the glass passed over the wood, she raised them to rest against the surface just in time to clasp the container of liquor. Audrey wasn't exactly intimidated - she'd had quite the taste for wine before her second home went to shit, and now, even though the smell of alcohol stung her nostrils, she was certain that she would be fine. She was even proud that she'd held her act together in the presence of the man who held all the cards and knew almost everything about her. Her usually cocky attitude came from having a backup plan - here, she had none. Perhaps that explained why her body tensed at the mention of Cheston. Still, he'd asked her a question and had spared her life thus far. She had no choice but to answer, and, judging from his tone, he wanted details.

"It's difficult to remember, as everything was very quick and chaotic," She said, her words soft, her thumbs gently rubbing over the rim of her glass. "From the moment word of Lucrezia's awakening spread, I knew something was wrong. Shortly after she awoke, word of the Carbonnel Exile spread, and then, without much notice, guards were storming in asking for our heads. I was lucky." A bitter smile forms on her features, and while it was Evelynn's face, the gesture was entirely Audrey's. "You may already know this, but Audrey's birth surname is Carbonnel. I made sure to spout that out to the guards - after all, I believed she was the one behind having our family killed." She pulls the glass to her lips, and the scent of the alcohol causes her to wrinkle her nose. Her eyes close as she downs the poison, and it stings her tongue, raking down her insides as it snakes its way down. Gods, she preferred wine, but she wasn't to be picky at this rate. "My intuition was correct, as usual, and I traded places with the first person I saw when the guards rushed in, who happened to be a maid of the castle." Her words stung like the alcohol as the memories drifted back into her mind, but she brushed them away like dust off a bookshelf. Perhaps the alcohol had helped.

"She cried out for her innocence, but human eyes are deceived oh so easily. No one noticed a thing, and I posed as a maid until their death to gather as much knowledge as I could. I even visited Cheston and Audrey in the dungeon, though it was only to feed them their daily meals. Audrey was beaten unconscious during her stay to prevent magic use, and Cheston... Seemed broken, in my eyes. He was alone in his cell, his cousin and protector beaten in the cell next to him, and every friend he'd ever met as king had disappeared with a new queen. I nearly rescued him, but I could hardly afford the risk. Everyone was suspicious. Even as a maid, I was questioned multiple times." She placed her glass on the Pirate King's desk, pushing it forward. It was an ambiguous message, saying that she was either finished or that he could refill it. He could take it as he pleased. "When their day came, they were marched out to the pavillion. A knight made a speech about the rule of Lucrezia, and how their deaths were to be an example to any who thought to oppose her reign." Her hands trembled slightly in her lap as the next memory flashed in her mind - Evelynn's voice crying out just before her neck snapped and she dangled limply from the noose.

"I... Watched Audrey's death from the crowd, and as the guards moved to remove her corpse, Cheston was pushed up to the stage. The People of Ibethiel murmured in distaste, and Cheston merely stood quietly. It was as if he knew this was how it was going to be," She said, running a hand through her hair. She wasn't going to cry - she hardly believed she could, anymore - but if she still had tears, they would have been flowing freely. Instead her expression was as somber as it could be, and it seemed she had difficulty talking about the topic. But this was Bradai Maith, her last lifeline, and he'd asked about Cheston's final moments. "The only expression I saw on his face was when he saw his cousin's corpse being displayed. His mouth opened as if he had words to say, but his stool was kicked out from under him before he could say them," She said quietly. In her lap, her hands gripped each other, as if to still the light trembling that her fingers were doing. As if her words, too, had been cut, she was unable to continue. She'd been careful to play the part of Evelynn, while having Evelynn play the part of Audrey. She didn't have a doubt that Bradai Maith would catch on quickly.
Rhonda
The Pirate King hardly moved from his position behind the desk, having set the glass of gin to his right. He listened to the entire story and when it reached its conclusion a silence hung over the room. "Yeah." He pursed his mouth and ran his tongue over his bottom lip. For what seemed like minutes, the Pirate King just sat there, nodding softly. 

"Now, can you tell me about the deaff uff Ezekiel?" 

He hardly waited for the woman to respond before continuing, "Because I fink my men were in vhat audience too. And vhey fuckin' told me vhat you—" He pointed a finger at Evelyn, "—were 'anged. Right next to your bruvher and your fuckin' uncle and Audrey fuckin' Carbonell-Tillotson. Except it _wasn't_ Audrey, was it?" His tone was nonchalant, hardly focused on the woman before him. "Because if vhese reports I 'ave 'ere say vhat tha moment 'er fucking neck snapped she became a..." His voice trailed off and he reached into one of his desk drawers, removed a leather folder, and opened it in front of him. He coughed to clear his throat and lifted the tiny reading glasses from his chest, placing them on the bridge of his nose with one hand and read the paper with the other, "Huh, yeah, a fourty-somefing male with dark skin and black 'air. Around 'is neck was a silver amulet wiff a—" He pulled away and looked back towards Evelyn, "Big fuckin' sapphire." He could nearly see the reflection in the diamond she wore on her chest.

He dropped the glasses, which were caught by their gold chain suspension and settled back against his chest. He stood from his desk, mumbled something about refilling her drink for her, and poured another glass of gin, this time with a marginally higher amount. "Now save for tha garish necklace, tha man vhat died fits tha very description uff one uff my employees. A man by tha name uff Claudius Bates, 'oose real name is Ezekiel 'argrove. Tha reason 'is name was obscured is because 'e was a fuckin' Black Poppy. Tha very same man 'oo _I_ —" His tone was rising as he gripped the glass of gin and rounded the table, flanking the seat that Evelyn was in. "Tha same fuckin' man vhat I 'ad posted to protect you. So yeah." He set the glass of gin in her lap and brought a hand to her throat, tearing the necklace from her neck. 

"I take your little fuckin' circus show as an insult to my intelligence." He dropped the necklace in the glass and stood up, returning back behind his desk. 

"I will do what Lucrezia didn't 'ave tha sense to do and put you alongside your fuckin family. Don't lie to me."
Ronald
Audrey had difficulty following Bradai's words. They seemed to come at her from all directions, leaving her in a haze of confusion and disarray. She wasn't exactly sure what he meant, until the man suddenly declared that the Black Poppy had been buried. It didn't make sense - her charm had more than enough of a charge to last until his burial. That was, unless he'd been stripped of his jewelry when the body was prepared. She could hear the anger in her host's voice as he circled her, like a wild animal approaching injured prey. She hardly had time to grasp the gin when his fingers yanked on the necklace around her collar. The metal dug into her skin before ripping, causing her hands to drop the glass against the floor. It crashed with a clatter, and Audrey could feel the liquid beneath her feet. Her image flickered slightly in a fading fashion before disappearing completely and leaving a disheveled Audrey in the chair. Slowly, her hand reached up to hold her neck, holding herself in the same place the scar had ripped through her skin. She could almost feel the flames now, when she thought about it. At Bradai's last words, a scream ripped through her throat.

"And do you think I had a choice?!"

She'd avoided his gaze all this time, and now she stared at him with giant orbs of emerald. They were panicked eyes, eyes that were backed into a corner. With her left hand on her throat and her right in a fist on her lap, she took a deep breath. "Cheston and Evelynn were taken first. Claudius was the only one in the room, Bradai, what choice did I have?! Anyone else would take it off easily, and Claudius could hardly fight off the entire royal guard! Do you think... There was... Another...," Her voice had been near screams after she'd said her first sentence, and now it faded, as if her hysterics had calmed. There was a long pause before she continued. "He... Was supposed to make an escape," She finally said quietly. "He was... More suited for it than I am. I can handle myself, but I can't disarm an entire royal guard, I can't just break out of a dungeon," She said, bringing her right hand up to run through her hair, holding a handful as if it would calm her somehow. She stays like that for a moment before dropping both of her hands, as if she'd been defeated. "I could have run, you know? I could have fled to the Witherlands. Or Araedia. Or the South. But instead, I came here. I owed you that much. I owed Claudius that much. So now... If you finish Lucrezia's order, I suppose at least I'll die without a debt to pay," She said with a bitter laugh, although it sounded more like a quiet hysterical line for a moment.