The Second.... Thingy

"Explain yourselves." He commands. It is the tone of someone who is used to being obeyed immediately.
Behind him, about him, a few guards are coming around from their poisonous nap. Groggy blinking; clumsy, sleep-swollen hands fumbling to check upturned helmets, or grasp weapons, or smooth ruffled feathers. A muffled "wut happnd" slurs from someone's numb lips. Two piles of black ash smoulder silently upon the dais.
(Free-for-all response)
no subject
The more careful politeness took a seat. "Because I'm a doctor, son, not some layman playing with bones and spices. What they used was designed to knock a person out, otherwise we'd be seeing more unfortunate signs from the victims. Hives, vomiting, bad color, fever, shakes - it'd be damn obvious, in my opinion."
no subject