Travlack heard the heartbeat of his colleagues rise dramatically. He turned to Marlowe, who had not moved from the door. She towered over everyone in the room, the shadow of her hat contrasting the glow of her eyes.
Crunch.
Travlack took another bite of the apple while looking around the room. That bite seemed to break the spell of silence that fell on the room. He chewed loudly, glancing around at the others with a blank expression.
As always.
"What?", he said, still chewing.
Marlowe sighed and took off her hat. She placed it on the dresser with one hand and with the other she revealed a key. On one of the dresser compartments she inserted the key and retrieved a beige dossier. Travlack watched her put the key back into her pocket before sitting down beside him.
"Are you sure?"
Marlowe said these words with a grumble, her gaze intensifying at Travlack. He returned nothing but the neutral stare of an Igosi eating food.
After a moment he nodded.
Marlowe sighed and closed her eyes. With her top set of arms she rubbed her temples, and with the bottom set she held the dossier on the table.
Finally, she spoke.
"What I'm going to tell you remains in this room. Originally, I was only going to ask Inspector Travlack to assist me with this issue, but he assured me…"
Marlowe looked at Travlack again.
His expression hardened into resolve.
Marlowe continued.
"He assured me that you will be just as much–if not more–help in assisting me with an ongoing issue."
"He said that much?" Chrissy asked cautiously.
She and Nathaniel looked at Travlack with raised brows, and he continued chewing his apple.
Travlack nodded to both. He took another bite of the apple while Chrissy and Nathaniel looked at each other, visibly confused. Travlack gestured to Nathaniel and spoke to Marlowe.
"Aware. Timid. Importantly, competent. Trust his brain."
Travlack slowly turned to Chrissy.
"Able. Quick. Resourceful."
Chrissy closed her eyes and smiled. She crossed her arms and nodded with each word Travlack uttered.
"Stupid. Unyielding. Stubborn–"
"Hey! If you're referring to the cave thing, I was doing my job as a ranger, and–"
"And I told you not to go," sighed Nathaniel.
"And I told YOU that I have to do my job, and no one will stop Ranger Taniel from doing her…"
Travlack felt Marlowe's resonance spike, suffocating the room with her power. Placing her hands in her lap, Chrissy sat down and looked away.
"Passionate."
Chrissy looked up at Travlack.
"Very passionate," he uttered. "Stupid, and passionate."
"Let's hope she's more passionate than stupid," sighed Marlowe.
Marlowe opened the dossier and pulled out several prints. With her four arms she dispersed them across the table to everyone. She kept one back and placed it faced down.
"What you're seeing are the developed prints Xander ran in a day ago. These photos were taken last string upon the investigation of poachers who used natural resonant geysers to forcefully place an animal into the RIG state and slay it for resonant parts."
Travlack had already seen these photos. He observed Nathaniel's and Chrissy's reactions while Marlowe continued. Chrissy's jaw clenched whereas Nathaniel's mouth slightly opened in a bitter awe.
"That is, if they're able to. I don't know how much a poacher needs to be paid in order to force a beast into the RIG state, but they keep doing it. The last couple of strings my team and I have been fighting back both poachers and animals to keep the forest checkpoint safe."
Nathaniel raised his head and spoke.
"Why hasn't the DLF gotten out here sooner? Forcing animals into Resonant Ignition is something The Department can't just ignore–"
"Lich," Travlack interjected. "Bandit camps. Traffickers. Kidnappers. Murderers. Husks. Muted Chorus. Anomalies. Civilians."
Marlowe nodded her head.
"The DLF has had their hands tied with problems they deem greater than animals being poached."
"Greater dangers…," Chrissy mumbled, "The RRET is older than the DLF. Any decent ranger could have handled this by now."
With two hands she massaged her eyebags, and with a third she ran her fingers through her hair. The fourth hand remained on the table, palming the last print.
"The Department wanted it done their way," sighed Marlowe.
As always.
"And it wasn't until this last print came through that I received confirmation they read my report. And it wasn't until I sent in a body that I finally received confirmation of assistance. I was told they would be sending three inspectors.."
"Three?" Chrissy gasped. "What the hell is happening where they need to send three?"
Marlowe put a hand on each corner of the print. She tapped the table in silence and shook her head.
"What I'm about to show you was meant for the DLF squad. You must not talk about it with your Therian escort or your prize winner. Understood?"
Chrissy and Nathaniel nodded their heads.
Marlowe slid the photo across the table and crossed both sets of her arms.
Travlack took another bite of his apple.
Chrissy exhaled and slowly turned the corner of the photo–
"Wait."
Chrissy and Nathaniel almost jumped out of their seats from the call of his voice.
It was Travlack.
"What?!" snapped Chrissy. "I'm on the edge of my seat here!"
"My apple."
Travlack threw the rest of the apple into his mouth.
Nathaniel and Chrissy exhaled audibly. Marlowe remained silent under the brim of her hat.
After another breath, Chrissy peeled the corner of the photo and turned it over.
The moment stretched into infinity. Chrissy and Nathaniel slowly looked at each other and then back at the photo without a sound.
In an instant, Chrissy jumped from her chair and paced around, frantically chanting.
"Fecabre! Kutax, aida tir, kero tir-sa essaq sacxa placo tir-sa culwa!"
Nathaniel sat back in his chair and took off his glasses, tossing them on the table. He covered his eyes and sank his head into his hands.
Chrissy opened a window and started to retch violently. Nathaniel went to the window after and joined her, both fighting for the space.
"What the hell is that?! What happened to him?!" Chrissy yelled, clutched to the frame of the window.
Neville came flying through the window. He landed on the table before jumping to Chrissy's back, chittering energetically at the ruckus. Travlack looked to Marlowe, who rubbed her temples and shook her head. She stood up and briskly used a set of arms to place Chrissy and Nathaniel back into their seats. With the other, she grabbed Neville from Chrissy's back and tossed him out the window. After latching it shut, she walked back to her seat, sat down, and pulled the photo back.
"Same reaction," same Travlack. "Threw up my first apple."
He gestured to the photo. Marlowe released it to Travlack, who flipped it over and stared at it. He palmed the corner of the photo and shook his head.
"Drained of blood. Resonant organs taken."
Nathaniel reached for his glasses but did not put them on. Chrissy shook her head and ran her fingers through her hair. Marlowe reached for the photo with one of her hands and placed it on the center of the table.
"We found this body completely devoid of the resonant organs located at the brain, heart, lungs, and in the arms and legs. The regular organs themselves were shriveled due to the body being completely devoid of blood."
Travlack shook his head.
Marlowe continued.
"This was the only body still fully intact at the recovery site. Everyone else was…cleanly separated into parts in addition to missing resonant organs. I deduced that this one was done last. Slowly, and deliberately to send a message."
"Message received," muttered Chrissy, "Loud and clear–"
She retched over the side of the table, gripping the side to avoid falling completely out of her chair. Nathaniel slid on his glasses and peered at the photo for a couple of seconds before turning away again.
Marlowe put the photos back in the folder and sealed it. She walked to the dresser, placed the folder back into the drawer, and sealed it. She grabbed a map from on top of the dresser and returned to the table.
"Now, the issue at hand. There was one more thing recovered at the recovery sight."
Marlowe took something from her pocket and displayed it to the table.
Verdant green with streaks of yellow.
With the tip dried in blood.
Travlack met Chrissy's enlarged eyes.
"Absolutely not," she stated. "There's no way that's him."
"Same feathers," said Travlack. "Suspect."
Marlowe put the feather back in her pocket and spoke.
"Travlack has already filled me in on the suspect known as Lanon. He–"
"The guy from the cave?" Nathaniel interrupted. "Chrissy, did he do this?"
"From Travlack's testimony," sighed Marlowe, "It seems likely that he–"
"Then why aren't we dead?"
No one in the room offered a response. Chrissy took the silence as an invitation to speak again.
"Is it possible that there's another Therian?
"Unlikely," said Travlack. "Not impossible."
"Regardless, we have a name and no motive. He is a suspect nonetheless, regardless of past kindness," Marlowe added.
More silence.
Marlowe cleared her throat and sprawled the map on the table. It was marked with several trails, points of interest, forest checkpoints, and bright red X's concentrated north of where they were.
"There were more bodies recovered here and here."
Marlowe's finger traced where the group had come from.
"You would have intersected with the bodies had you continued to the northern foothills. This is why it's important to enter through the checkpoints. Miss Taniel, this is the last time I will ask you. Did you know you were leading them onto conserved land?"
Chrissy sighed. Her look panned to Nathaniel, then to Travlack, and finally to Marlowe.
"Yes– but I just wanted to track the noko we lost at the start of the–"
One of Marlowe's hands on the table raised to silence her.
"Enough. And you, Mister Bosh. Travlack tells me you're a Rover. Rovers are also required to know when they're on conservation grounds, yes?"
"Well–yes–but that wasn't my part of the–"
A second hand raised to silent him.
"The RRET would be disappointed to know that the Ranger and Rover they sent to escort a prize winner–a zenith, no less–who directly funds their building was taken into a conservation zone without proper protocols. Worse, she could have ended up in a body bag due to their incompetence."
Travlack could hear Chrissy and Nathaniel's hearts rapidly beating.
Chrissy's grip on the table slowly tightened.
A drop of sweat rolled down from Nathaniel's brow.
Marlowe leaned forward.
"How lucky for the both of you that Travlack is a skilled negotiator."
Nathaniel and Chrissy snapped their heads to Travlack.
They looked at each other.
Then back to Marlowe.
"I can't have mutilated bodies in my part of the forest and wait three more days to start an investigation. Travlack has offered your services until Xander brings your papers back."
Travlack placed a finger on the table.
"Favor for favor," he tapped. "No paperwork. No mess."
Travlack watched Chrissy lean back and let her gaze find the ceiling. Nathaniel leaned forward and let his gaze find the tabletop.
Chrissy spoke first, her eyes still on the ceiling.
"Fight poachers, keep my job, and possibly have all the blood from my body drained…"
"And our resonant organs harvested," Nathaniel added. "You're a negotiator?"
Travlack nodded. Chrissy shook her head in disbelief.
"You hardly speak. How are you a negotiator?"
Travlack and Marlowe chuckled in unison. He folded his fingers, smiling through his tusks. Another teammate who had taken his silence for incompetence.
As always.
"You ought to thank him," sighed Marlowe, "Without this deal, you would both be on transport back to Strohl by now."
"Marlowe needs chains on wrists. Poachers. Yours. Doesn't matter." added Travlack.
"And what happens if we die?" Chrissy groaned. "Fighting poachers, and all?"
Marlowe stood and planted her four hands on the table, leaning over them.
"You would have died finally doing your job. Do we have a deal?"
"Fine," Chrissy said. "I'm in."
"We don't have much of a choice then," remarked Nathaniel. "I'm in too."
Marlowe leaned over the table and extended her right hands to the pair. Chrissy took the top whereas Nathaniel took the bottom, and shook her hands in tandem. Travlack witnessed Nathaniel and Chrissy's shoulders tense when their hands met Marlowe's grip.
After the agreement, Marlowe walked toward the door and stopped a step shy of the knob.
"It's good that you're willing, but I have to see if you're able. I won't send you to your death, but if you prove to be of no use, I will send you to your cells."
Travlack heard Chrissy and Nathaniel gulp.
"Be out back in ten minutes."
Marlowe closed the door behind her.
Travlack, Chrissy, and Nathaniel sat in silence. All of them exhaled in unison as Marlowe's last steps faded down the stairs. Travlack heard Nathaniel's mouth slightly open, but no words came out. Nathaniel's jaw clenched. He rubbed his forehead and opened his mouth again. This time, only a moment passed before he spoke.
"You knew?"
Travlack looked at Chrissy, who looked straight down.
"Yeah."
Her pupils scanned the floor to find nothing. She closed her eyes and sank into her chair. Nathaniel stood up and paced around the room. He ran his fingers through his hair, shook his head and looked around with wide eyes.
"You knew. We could have ended up in a photo with our arms separated from our body, and you knew we were on conserved land."
"I–"
"And–and, let's not forget–", he snapped. "It was you who scared off the noko in the first place. After I specifically warned you."
"Nathan–"
"Oh–and–the cave delving incident! After I told you not to! Costing us days!"
"I had to–"
"And when JJ led us here, you knew we shouldn't have been on this side. And you said nothing!"
"That's not–"
"And now, the icing on the cake, we were almost led to a crime scene! This is exactly why I didn't want you on this with me! You can't always just fix things later when you keep messing up now!"
"I was trying to make it right!" pleaded Chrissy. "You said you were overlooking this!"
"That was before we almost ended up at a crime scene! That was before we could have ended up in body bags! Before we could have ended up like your brother–"
Chrissy rose to meet his eyes in a flash.
"Like who?" Chrissy growled.
Chrissy and Nathaniel locked eyes in silence. Travlack heard her knuckles crack. He slid underneath the table and stepped between the two, pushing them back with his hands at their hips.
"Break it up!"
Nathaniel and Chrissy did not acknowledge Travlack at all. They stood motionless, staring into each other's eyes.
For Nathaniel, a clear contempt.
For Chrissy, a focused rage.
Though Travlack did not feel them pushing against his hands, he kept them where they were. His ear twitched when he heard the faint sound of Nathaniel opening his mouth to speak.
"Like who those hooks originally belonged to."
Chrissy's face hardened.
Travlack moved first.
Chrissy moved right after.
Travlack tackled Chrissy and pinned her to the wall. The wild hook she threw whiffed inches from Nathaniel's face. Travlack widened his stance and anchored himself, this snuffed further attempts of Chrissy trying to break free.
"Yae dulio! " Chrissy hissed, trying to break Travlack's hold on her. "How do you know!?"
Travlack turned his head.
Nathaniel turned and walked to the door in silence. Chrissy's grunts of effort broke the silence when Nathaniel reached for the knob.
"HOW!?"
Nathaniel turned to Chrissy.
He spoke with controlled ire.
"I did my research."
Nathaniel walked out the room and closed the door softly.
Travlack slowly loosened his grip around Chrissy's hips. He backed away and maintained his stare, ready for another movement. Chrissy had not taken her gaze from the door, and her fists shook with every breath.
"...febabre…," she sighed.
Travlack met Chrissy's lowered eyes. He crossed his arms and raised his eyebrows. Chrissy ran a hand through her hair and sighed. She opened her mouth to speak but found no words.
She instead chose to open the window behind her and lean on the frame. After a moment, Neville flew through the window and landed on the table. He crawled around and jumped onto Chrissy's back, chittering softly.
Travlack made his way to the door. When he opened it, Chrissy spoke in a low tone.
"I'm…I just…"
Travlack paused by the door.
Silence.
"Passionate…," Travlack uttered.
He shut the door and walked downstairs.
"Not stupid."
Travlack met everyone at the back of the house. He stood behind Chrissy and Nathaniel, who sat far away from each other on a bench. Ava and Jay were by the range table. They marvelled at the assortment of firearms laid before them. Chrissy slouched as she picked dirt off of one of her hooks. Nathaniel fiddled with his glasses while staring at the ground.
Marlowe walked by, sat between them, and sighed. She looked at Chrissy first, then at Nathaniel.
"Tell me," she sighed, "How well can you fight?"
"Well enough," mumbled Chrissy.
"Resonance defense mostly," stated Nathaniel.
Marlowe leaned her head back and exhaled.
"What about PRACs?"
"I don't use them," said Chrissy and Nathaniel in unison.
"While you're here, you'll use one," Marlowe commanded. "I won't have you encounter what's out there with hooks and basic resonance magic."
Chrissy raised an eyebrow.
"I'm not a soldier," stated Nathaniel. "And I'm not a ranger."
"And I don't like firearms," added Chrissy. "They're not for me."
A wry chuckle escaped her lips.
"What's so funny?" Chrissy muttered.
"If you don't use them," Marlowe turned to Nathaniel, "You won't have to worry about whether you're a soldier or ranger. You'll be dead."
Travlack heard a gulp from Nathaniel.
"And if my firearms aren't for you," Marlowe then turned to Chrissy, "Maybe you'll prefer the cold floor of a cell."
Chrissy leaned away to the edge of the bench.
"Travlack has placed you under my command. That means I don't plan on you dying. And neither does he."
Travlack nodded as Marlowe adjusted her hat. She took a couple of steps toward the range table before turning around.
"I'm not asking. Come on."
__
Language Translation:
"Fecabre! Kutax, aida tir, kero tir-sa essaq sacxa placo tir-sa culwa!"
Shit! Kutax help me, how my soul runs from my heart!
"Yae dulio!"
You bastard!