You begin interviewing the slaves.

You {if Albina Companion=True}and Albina {endif}{if Adolphus Companion=True}and Adolphus {endif}{if Polyxena Companion=True}and Polyxena {endif}head out into the fields where the work of the estate is underway. Your estate holds a few dozen slaves, so it doesn't take long to work your way through them. Most claim to know nothing about the bandits - and profess themselves (particularly the women) to be terrified that the bandits will attempt to kidnap them.

You can't help but wonder, though, whether some of them aren't holding back information. Most seem to regard you with wary distrust; not wholly unreasonably, since you hold their lives in your hand and are a complete stranger, you realize. {if Adolphus Companion = True}Adolphus speaks sternly to them but not too harshly, and it's obvious that they all respect him greatly. At least he's apparently a good taskmaster - strict but not cruel, it's clear. But at the same time, perhaps he wasn't the wisest choice to bring along...it's clear the slaves aren't likely to open up with their usual "boss" listening in. Several ask him to give their regards to Albina, though - clearly his daughter is popular.{endif}{if Albina Companion=True}On the other hand, several of them greet Albina warmly, and she does the same to them. It's clear she knows everyone on the estate very well; she greets the slaves by name and is warmly received in all quarters.{endif}

{if Polyxena Companion=True}Having Polyxena with you also seems to be as much a hindrance as a help. She stays mostly quiet, regarding the field slaves with a cold, aloof expression. They glare right back at her - there's clearly some tension there, and as you depart from some of them you can faintly hear grumbling about the "house bitch" lording it over the rest of the slaves. Polyxena completely ignores this muttering, but it's clear that there's bad blood there. Maybe you could even exploit that to get some information from the slaves, but you doubt there's any way to do so that wouldn't leave Polyxena...resentful of you, to say the least.{endif}

{if Albina Companion=True}After a brief break for lunch, you sit at the table, picking your teeth idly and wondering how to proceed. Albina sits down next to you. "May I suggest something?" she asks.

You smile. "Of course! That's why I brought you along - for your insight."

She nods. "For that, and for my knowledge of these people. I think a few of them know more than they're letting on - as it seems like you've picked up, given your expression. It's probable that they're keeping quiet because they don't know you and they don't want to put one of their own at risk. Given what I saw, I think I know who it is: a young woman named Martina. Is it all right with you if I speak with her privately? You've spoken to her already, but I think I might be able to make more headway with her woman-to-woman, as it were."{endif}

You frown, contemplating how to proceed...