Crimson hair, almost the color of blood, cascaded down her shoulders, her mesmerizing green eyes and wearing a bewitching smile.
The woman standing before us was undeniably beautiful. However, not only was she one of the captains of the city guard, but I had also discovered earlier that she was somehow connected to the recent incidents in the city.
I wondered why she was here.
Did she come to this tavern on a whim, or did she deliberately seek me out?
Did she know or suspect something?
I couldn't answer either question then or now, but one thing was certain: it was no coincidence, even if I couldn't explain why I felt that way.
_______
Without all the steel and having exchanged her chainmail for a loose white tunic-like blouse, Esme looked even more attractive than before. Her more casual manners, even somewhat playful, also added to her charm and evoked no negative reaction from either me or Sanna, not even as Esme settled on the same table or casually took and nibbled down one of the cheese pieces before asking if I wasn't against offering a thirsty lady something to drink.
From one side, I found myself wondering just what the hell was going on, while from the other one, I was feeling pretty livid for someone, even if it was a beautiful someone, to come and interrupt what appeared to be a normal date for the first time.
Still, I maintained my manners, and not in a small part because of the wonder. Motioning for the waitress to approach, and after confirming that Esme was okay with the [Merchant's Dew], asked the former to bring us another cup.
But if the situation was uncomfortable already, especially for Sanna, who was basically sidelined by the sudden intrusion, with Esme barely acknowledging the woman's presence, it got only worse right away. After all, Esme didn't even wait for the waitress to bring her a cup but reached for my own, immediately sipping at the contents before excusing herself with a small laugh, "Where are my manners? I am sorry, but the thirst..!"
Here one could assume that Esme was basically mannerless or something or maybe didn't get what she just interrupted. But it wasn't so, at least as shown by her next words, these directed to Sanna, as if at last noticing her, "I'm sorry dear, but I will have to steal Lindar for a bit, or even for a long time."
"Huh?" Sanna's reaction was identical to mine, with both of us looking at Esme in surprise.
"You see, there is a couple of things I would like to discuss with him, and neither of them is for the ears of anyone else, especially not for a badgeless worker of the Trade Guild." Direct and even offensive, such was Esme's explanation, or at least what I assumed it to be.
"...but..?" It was hard to notice, but Esme's playful and laughing eyes were only for me, and as she looked at Sanna, they were absolutely cold. And Esme was impressive enough to translate even danger from what appeared as simple words or glances, making Sanna stutter as she attempted to talk back.
"Captain Esme..?" While I was interested, very much so, in what brought Esme here and just what she wanted to discuss with me, it was neither the moment nor the manner, and seeing how she shut up my date, I had to step in.
"Just Esme is fine, Lindar." I had only started to talk as she-devil interrupted me, her hand landing on mine. And that's not to mention her intonation as she voiced my name. Damn!
"...Esme. Sanna and I have plans for tonight. Can it not wait for tomorrow?" To my shame, I couldn't find myself directly telling her to fuck off, so I attempted to go with a polite way of doing so.
Regretfully, it seemed that Esme was hell-bent on the matter, and as I tried to find a way to somehow escape her clutches, even actually thinking of running off, she turned towards Sanna and literally sent her off, "Dear, he's not only taken, but the business I have can not wait, so..."
Maybe I should have done something at that moment, but just as Sanna stood up, flustered and blushing, Esme played the card that made me stay there without even attempting to recover the situation.
"It also involves the girls under your protection, you know?" Esme inclined towards me and whispered in my ear. Just as I attempted to stand up, intending to leave along with Sanna.
_______
Having run off Sanna, who left with the words, "Thank you for the night." And spared me nothing but a single bitter glare, not that I could blame her for that - Esme proceeded to basically do nothing but flirt.
All of her talks about important matters. A damn lie. Her involving the girls? Just a way to keep me there, as she would say during our talk. At least, if one considered my nearly absolute silence and unresponsiveness as the damned woman moved closer and whispered to my ear as an equivalent exchange.
Without touching the topic of the girls for anything but praising my so-called protegees, Esme candidly revealed that she liked me from the moment she saw me. And the damn demon even excused herself for her conduct, citing that she acted so because she didn't want me to be with someone - here she directly offended Sanna, which put me off even more - who didn't deserve someone as me.
In another setting, I may have thought I was damn lucky to have such a woman after me and even maybe ignored everything else. Yet, between her conduct towards a good woman like Sanna, and my own worries about the matter, I couldn't think of anything unrelated to some conspiracy.
And indeed, no matter how I would like to think of myself as dashing and whatever, both the timing and forceful manner appeared nothing except suspicious.
_______
It would be already past midnight as I started my way back home. In a sour mood, I didn't even activate the [Perfect Health] effect to sober, instead choosing to remain drunk. Like if that could help my mood in any way!
While I didn't respond to her advances and open flirting, as I neither did to her compliments and her fishing for ones from me, I did attempt to remain polite, even to leave a decent impression. Why exactly? Not even I could say, though I do have an idea of the reasons. After all, with all this being so suspicious, the less I needed was to antagonize her. No matter what I could think about her at that moment, her position and perfect awareness of personal stuff as the girls or even Dart's addition to my household, which I learned from a slip of tongue, or what she made appear as one, was enough to put me on guard.
Thus, having spent with her over two hours, and considering that enough, I cited the same thing that had made me stay, the girls, and after paying the quickly-increased (by her) tab (which amounted to an entire gold after tipping the waitress), wishing her a good night (and ignoring her words about it being lonely), and made my way out, having escorted her to the doors.
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{Damn, just what did she want with me?!}
***
From being drunk or still not coming to terms with the surreal to a lack of a better word, stuff that just happened, I didn't even notice how I walked the main street.
{Just what was that?} Thoughts and feelings about Esme and her actions jumping around, I failed to notice the approaching person from the front - and ended up bumping into a cloaked figure.
"Look at where you're going!" While it could be my fault, my bad mood and the wine made me growl at the figure, not even attempting to look at the face below the hood. Immediately after it, I pushed forward, dismissing the incident and showing no care about it.
"Well, what a nice way to treat a lady..." But I had only taken one step when a familiar voice entered my ears, making me turn around.
"Ar..." I had identified the figure as Arxibiela, but I couldn't even call her name out as she drew closer and hissed me down, "Don't."
"Next time, don't run over people, oaf." Without explaining anything, Xiela loudly declared and started to walk away, not before whispering something else - meant only for me, "The house in front of yours."
{What is going on?!} And what else could I ask myself, even knowing I had no answer to this question?
***
"...wait, so you mean it was no coincidence at all? And all of that... flirting... was nothing but a ruse?" While Arxibiela's words confirmed my own thoughts, I still found myself asking for confirmation.
After all, no matter my suspicions... all of this was just too damn strange!
***
The house in front of the one I called mine was identical, a two-storied polished stone construction with a brownish-tiled roof. But inside? It was empty, not a single item of furniture present. Still, it was clear that the house wasn't abandoned, as after I used a [Light] spell, I found that while empty as it was, there was not a speck of dust on the floor, which could only mean one thing. Someone definitively used it!
"Is this one of the [Hounds] hideouts?" I muttered aloud as if I was asking myself. But in truth, I heard someone behind me, and it would turn out to be no one else but Arxibiela.
"Yes, it is. But not a safehouse, just an observation post." She responded to my question while moving her hood back, or at least so I think, because when I turned around to face her, it was already down.
"One that, by pure chance obviously, is in front of my house?" It was indeed impossible to believe it to be so, right?
"Pure coincidence, right." Arx lightly smiled before nodding towards the direction of the stairs, "Let's go up, and take a look at your house, as by pure chance, there is nothing else to see around."
"And you will explain to me what is going on as we do, right?"
"Oh, yes, especially about your new girlfriend's reasons." She responded in the same half-joking manner as I asked the previous question, though she turned dead serious by the reasons part.
_______
In short, I could resume Arxibiela's explanation with a simple phrase, "Captain Esme is definitively not dumb." That or "Captain Esme is involved, and very much so." Both applied. At least when considering her hidden loyalties and the sudden, almost coincidental, meeting I had just left.
For a more detailed explanation, I only need to point out some facts I learned from the [Hounds] [Fang]. And they should be enough to understand everything. Yet, no matter what kind of explanation I looked up for or tried to present to anyone, the reality about it being damn scary and the entire situation a starting point for just another play as the ones I wanted to avoid was there.
Anyway, for my [Record], I decided to settle for the abridged, factual version, merely coupling it with some of my own thoughts, which Arx agreed to when I voiced them.
*
For reasons - yet - unknown, Captain Esme took an interest in me, which developed after our coincidental meeting at Captain Kaid's office. Though it is doubtful that even that meeting had been coincidental, as, by that moment, she was perfectly aware of who I was or my (and the girls) participation in the arson incident.
This interest turned out to be something different from what one could assume from her words, as at some point, Xiela herself was not aware of the exact moment - I had gained a tail made up of a few guards who responded directly to Esme. It was surprising! After all, while I could have failed to notice, for a [Fang] to miss it should have been near the impossible.
That tail matter brings us to the following troubling fact; Esme learned of my connection with Arxibiela, and as a city guard captain, she was perfectly aware of who was behind the facade of a cloth merchant. Something that surprised me, as I had supposed that [Hounds] usually stayed in hiding, but as discovered previously, in reality, the [Fang]-level 'commanders' were not only known but also interacted with at least some local higher-ups.
And again, this latter gives birth to the confirmation of my own suspicions; Esme's appearance at my intent of a date with Sanna was no coincidence. Reasons unknown, but it was clear that the red-haired captain wanted something with me. Or from me, if discarding all of my self-proclaimed charm and attractiveness.
Now, returning to what Arxibiela actually knew and confirmed after my words of looking at the captain:
Esme hailed from a family with roots in the Holy State of Lithandia. And while she rarely showed piety, she was still a follower of [The One]. Which, when added to the ones behind the incidents, made any movement of hers even more suspicious.
Captain Esme was also somewhat related to at least one of the culprits, a man that had killed one of the [Ten] preachers. It wasn't a direct connection, but they had lived on the same street for several years. And they shared at least a few common relatives, all among the immigrants from the Holy State of Lithandia now residing in the Kingdom. Though, I did consider that going for an easy (and somewhat far-fetched) explanation like faith or origin appeared wrong.
Furthermore, Captain Esme was also the one to investigate several incidents that occurred in the town lately, ones where for some reason, she identified or caught no culprits, ending them with nothing to show off. Now this was stranger, indeed. Yet, maybe the culprits were intelligent enough to hide their direct tracks..?
In any case, there was no proof, but when adding another fact, the one that it was Captain Esme the one to pull off guards from the noble district during the arson incident, which in turn allowed the robbing of Maester Zols to happen. Returning to the previously obtained information - about Esme investigating incidents, I could only guess that she was the one to find no one to blame for robberies and similar. Which, somewhat unsurprisingly, was the truth.
*
Anyway, the gist of the matter was clear - Esme had some connection to at least one of the parts, be it the radical followers of the [One God] or the thefts that happened while the guards attempted to deal with the principal incidents. And in the worst case, to both!
_______
While our talk confirmed my thoughts, it raised more questions than it did answer, and I found myself asking Xiela, "So what do I do now?" After all, I had promised her to help, and no matter how unwilling I was to participate, I was already in.
"Hmm? You ask me, a poor woman also interested in you?" Yet, in place of a serious answer, I got a faked shyness along with some attempt of... flirt?
"The fuck?! I am being serious!" With the constant ploys going around and still pissed at her and her organization for everything I had to live through back in Chubu, I snapped back at her.
"As am I." But Arx was far from being someone who would quiver from my anger. Even if her tone got slightly harsher, her response and shrug proved she didn't cower. Wait, she's serious?!
"..."
"We need to learn more, so either fuck her or at least keep her company to see with she wants with you. Maybe it's not the best option and not something I want to see you do, but we need more information. Do it, and I will keep an eye on everything, no matter how I feel about it." Returning to her usual mannerisms, nearly ordering around and her eyes and expression cold as ice, Arx spoke up after a small silence.
"You know what? Screw it." If I have to be grateful to Chubu's events for something, it was that now I was more self-assured when dealing with such situations. And while before I may have just gone along, I actually stood up from the chair, a pair of which was the only furniture in the room, and started walking towards the door.
"I will not invoke your words about helping me. And I will increase security around the girls so they will not be affected in any way, but I still recommend you find out more. Even if for your own good." Surprisingly, Arx didn't try to stop, threaten, or manipulate me in any way, her parting words being more soft than mad.
Yet, I didn't respond to them, not even turn around or say anything in farewell, merely leaving the house and crossing the street to reach what was my current home...