"That's terrible!" Said the purple man as he stacked Mairey's empty plate on top of his own.
"I know right!" Said Mairey as she got up from her seat and collected the dirty utensils, "I mean, what kind of person steals necessary supplies from refugees?"
Lars picked up the pile of porcelain plates and walked away from the table. Mairey carried the utensils with her as she followed him into the kitchen.
"So any theories about who might be behind this?" Asked the purple man as he carefully placed the items into the sink.
"Well," the elvish woman began as she dropped the metal forks and knives into the sink, causing a fairly loud cluster of clanks to be heard, "I think that it could've been bandits."
"Bandits?" Lars gave her a look of confusion as he grabbed a sponge and opened the tap before holding the sponge under the running water, "Like, outlaws? I understand why you and Mre. Evoy might assume that but, from what you have told me, those events don't sound like they were done by bandits."
"Huh?" She looked at him in confusion, "What do you mean?"
The purple man turned the tap off and dipped the wet sponge in a small container of liquid soap, "You see, dear," he picked up a plate and began scrubbing it with the sponge, causing lots of white foam to form on the dirty dish, "In my experience, bandits just go in to get the things they need and then leave. From what you have told me about this situation, there were also numerous dead bodies in the camp and the remaining refugees don't want to cooperate when they are asked about it." Once the entire plate was scrubbed down, Lars turned the tap on again and rinsed the plate under the water before placing the freshly cleaned dish in the drying rack on the counter, right next to the sink.
"Yes, that is all true," said Mairey as she grabbed the second sponge and got it wet under the running tap water before dipping it in the soap dish, "There are dead bodies in the camp and the dark elves won't tell us what happened. That is true but," she grabbed a dirty plate and began to scrub it down, "What are you saying exactly? What is your point?"
"My point," began the purple man as he started scrubbing one of the forks, "Is that none of this is adding up. I mean, why are the refugees refusing to tell you anything? I mean, you are the ones helping them after all. They need to tell you these kinds of things. Also," once the fork was covered in foam, Lars rinsed it and placed it in the drying rack, "If bandits are really the ones behind both the missing supplies and the murders, then why are the refugees not telling you about it? The bandits probably don't know that you're working with the government. For all they might know, you could just be a group of volunteers, possibly from the local church, and not any figure of authority. Why would they care if the refugees told you about what's going on?" He grabbed the last plate and began scrubbing it as well.
Mairey rinsed the fork under the running water before placing it into the drying rack, "I guess you make a good point." She grabbed a knife and began scrubbing it.
"But this is just me speaking from experience," said the purple man as he rinsed the last plate and put it in the rack before grabbing a fork to scrub down, "Back in my day, the boys and I tried our best not to hurt civilians, especially those less fortunate from us." He rinsed the knife under the water and put it in the rack before grabbing another knife to scrub down, "Even when we had to steal in order to survive, we never wanted to hurt innocent people. I mean, what's the point in that? We just needed food and supplies because we were all in terrible health. We never wanted blood shed, even when we were bored or angry. Except for Horace of course. He was a bit mad after all." He rinsed the second knife and placed it into the drying rack.
"That worries me," said the elvish woman as she placed the freshly cleaned fork into the drying rack before grabbing the last fork, "I worry that there is a group of blood thirsty bandits out there who all behave like Horace and enjoy tormenting people who can't defend themselves." She scrubbed the fork down before rinsing it and then placed it into the rack.
"I understand your concern, dear," said the purple man as he rinsed the sponge under the tap and then rang all the soapy water out if it before setting it on a separate, smaller rack right next to the sink, "Have any of you discussed having someone monitor the camp? Maybe for a few days to see what happens or even caught the culprit in the act?"
Mairey rinsed her sponge and rang it as well before placing on the rack, "I've brought this idea up with Mre. Evoy earlier today but he says that it's an invasion of the refugees' privacy. They are thankful towards us and everything we do for them but they still have certain boundaries that we must respect."
"Oh I see," Lars grabbed a small towel and wiped his wet hands, "Any other ideas?" He handed the towel to the elvish woman.
Mairey accepted it and wiped her hands as well, "Aside from that, our best option is to convince at least one of them to step forward and tell us what's going on." She placed the towel on the counter and sighed, "I don't want to do anything to those refugees against their will but we can't find a solution to a problem that they want to keep hidden from us." Her voice was full of frustration.
Lars placed his hand on her shoulder and gave her a look of sympathy, "I can tell that you really care about these people, dear. But you must understand that there are some things that they must do themselves. You can't interrogate them into confessing anything, you will just break their trust and make them less compliant towards your help in the future."
"You have a point." Said Mairey, in a melancholy tone.
A few minutes later, the two of them approached Aphiya's bedroom and Lars carefully opened the door. He saw that his daughter was sitting up on her bed with the blanket covering her lap. Her lamp was on while she was reading a book. They approached her and Lars leaned in before giving her a hug.
"Good night, sweetheart." Said the purple man as he gave her a kiss on the forehead.
"Good night, dad." Said Aphiya as she hugged him back, smiling. The two of them let go of one another before Mairey gave the young girl another hug.
"Good night, Mairey." Said the girl.
"Good night, sweetie." Mairey smiled. Once the two of them let go of one another, Aphiya seemed a bit sad.
"What's wrong?" Asked the elvish woman, sounding concerned.
"I miss you already." The girl frowned.
"Don't worry, sweetheart," said Lars as he placed a hand on her shoulder, "Mairey will be back again tomorrow, alright?"
The girl nodded. Mairey gave her one last hug before she and Lars left the room since it was time for the elvish woman to return to her apartment. The two of them walked over to the door and Lars unlocked it before taking a step back.
"Thanks for having me over, Lars." Said the elvish woman as she hugged the purple man.
"No problem, dear," said Lars, smiling, as he hugged her back, "Although, I wish you could stay for a bit longer. But I understand that you have work in the morning."
"About that," said Mairey, sounding a bit sad, "I might not be able to come over for dinner tomorrow night. I have to work overtime due to all the issues going on at the moment."
"Oh." His smile quickly shifted into a frown.
The two of them pulled away from each other.
"I'm sorry, Lars." The woman frowned.
The purple man shook his head, "It's alright, dear. I understand."
Mairey turned away from him and opened the door before taking a few steps towards the exit. Once she stepped out of his apartment and was standing in the hall, she turned back to face him.
"Good night, Lars." She smiled.
"Good night, Mairey." Said the purple man as he reciprocated her smile. When the elvish woman began to walk over to the apartment across the hall from Lars, the man stared at her long braid as it swayed while she walked away from him. He placed his hand on the door knob and gripped it tightly as he imagined himself pulling her hair while slamming her from behind. Once he realized that his pants were tightening due to his excitement, the purple man quickly closed the door and locked it. He then headed to his bedroom and closed the door behind him.