Skeletons out of the closet

[mancalledspade]

Though he hadn't had much luck with random manhunts through the mansion before, Spade was determined that, this time, he would find the man he was looking for. Prince Paul Maraloffski couldn't have gotten far, and if what Vera had said to him was true, he should be able to clear a few things up. And if not...well, that would be part of an answer

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[oilwithvinegar]

Prince Paul is sitting on a picnic table outside, taking apart the new gun he got from War and meticulously cleaning it, going over every part in detail. You can talk with him, but keep in mind that he's very dangerous--as if Sam didn't know that already.

[mancalledspade]

Spade approaches, not confrontationally, but not flippant either. He knows better than to piss off a man cleaning a gun, no matter who he is.

"Hey. Can I have a word?"

[oilwithvinegar]

"Depends on who you are."

[mancalledspade]

"The name's Spade." He indicated Paul's gun with a motion of his head, making no other move to sit down or invade Paul's space. "Nice heat."

[oilwithvinegar]

Paul smirked a bit, pleased. "Thank you. A recent acquisition. So, Spade is it?" If Paul's Russian accent wasn't evident a moment ago, it is clearly audible in his pronunciation of Sam's name. "Why is this worth my time?"

[mancalledspade]

"Because you strike me as a man who doesn't like to waste time. Answer my questions, and I can field the questions of everyone else. Don't, and I guarantee you're going to get a lot guys nosing around you for weeks. Gotta get annoying, for you."

[oilwithvinegar]

Paul snorted at that. "Everything in this place is annoying. Why should I bother with you? Are you a man of any significance, or merely a nosy peasant?"

[mancalledspade]

"If you hadn't noticed, Maraloffski, we ain't in a world of princes and peasants just now. And I may not have any police, but neither do you. Now, I got no reason to think what happened was anything but self-defense, but there were some parts of Miss Sabouroff's story that didn't quite add up."

[oilwithvinegar]

"Maraloffski?" Paul looks surprised, he hadn't given Spade his name, and has no intention of admitting his identity just yet. This is far more fun. "You mean me? And, pray tell, who is Miss Sabouroff?"

[mancalledspade]

"Let's skip the games and pretend I'm not an idiot, huh? You fit the description, you've got the right accent, you're cleaning a gun and you clearly have no interest in talking to me. The fewer games we're playing, the faster I can leave you the hell alone."

[oilwithvinegar]

"Are you a Republican, Mr. Spade? I can think of nothing else that would account for your dreadful inanity. I have no desire to answer your questions, nor any reason to do as much. Now move along before I decide to use your hat as target practice."

[mancalledspade]

Spade had been bluffing, but now he was sure of who he was dealing with, even if the man hadn't given his name. "Twitchy kind of man, breaking out threats over simple conversation." He tilted back his fedora with his thumb. "Twitchy enough to make me doubt you acted out of anything so noble as self-defense." He slipped his hands into his pockets, his right fingers almost imperceptibly brushing the blunt-nosed .38, though his expression was utterly nonplussed.

[oilwithvinegar]

Paul gave a shocked and offended look as if Spade has insulted his hair or his taste in clothes. "I am not twitchy. You really are irritating." Paul then smiled sweetly, neatly pulling back the safety on the gun. "Be a dear and take your hands out of your pockets, twitchy."

[mancalledspade]

Slowly, Spade withdrew his hands. "Easy. Thought the nobility were supposed to be more civilized than us average joes."

[oilwithvinegar]

"Oh, absolutely. But more alert to assassination attempts." Paul smirks, replacing the safety and putting his gun down next to him on the picnic table. "Sit down, I'll talk."

[mancalledspade]

Spade inclines his head. "Be honest, I have no desire to do anything other than talk." He sits. "Especially since I've got no reason to think you've done anything wrong. But I'd still like to hear, from you, what happened."