“Heresy, you say?” The Captain seemed genuinely surprised to hear it and leaned back on his chair before raising his still-mobile right eyebrow.
“Yes. Do you know what I am referring to?” He considered the question for a moment, before shaking his head.
“Not a clue. But if I am to be expected to help you in any way, I’ll have to know more. If you will.” Logan imagined Smile would be drooling beneath the mask - an elderly man, scarred from battle, straight-to-the-point attitude and somehow still courteous. From all he knew of her, this man was her wet dream.
She jerked her head in a nod before continuing: “The Eyes have found certain discrepancies in the town’s exports. That, in combination with your Administration’s withholding of taxes… it required investigation. The Governor has invested much in building Cadia and this region is valuable to His Vision.”
The Captain reared his head before his jaw gritted. Beneath the table, Logan could see the unmistakable clenching of a fist. He was either fantastically gifted when it came to subterfuge or he was terrible at hiding his temper. The Captain calmed himself before clearing his throat to say: “I was not aware that there was a withholding - I assure you, I’ve had no part of it. I may as well confess to not being on the best of terms with some of the Administration in this town…” Smile nodded in a motion for him to continue.
“We’ve differences on policy. As much as I agree with the Governor’s vision, I am a veteran. I’ve seen the Monstrum unlike those paper-pushers and I know how quickly peace can turn to slaughter. I’ve wanted the Administration to request funds to expand the Guard in this region, but they are in disagreement.”
“Smart man.” Logan finally spoke calmly from behind the book. Smile glanced between the Captain and her colleague - as if sensing something between the two. As inquisitive as she always had been, she decided first to finish the line of questioning.
“Am I to assume that you are not part of the governing council of Cadia?” She asked. His mouth pulled to the right in a stiff smirk that seemed to pain him before he slowly nodded.
“You could safely say that, yes. It’s a shame - they could really use a conservative with some life-experience. Instead, they’ve construed the council entirely from young, hot-headed radicals who spent their youth with their smooth bottoms hidden behind the Governor’s iron walls.” Logan thought his heart might’ve stopped as he heard a huff from behind Smile’s mask - one of a handful of times he had heard the beginnings of a scoff of bemusement in the later years. Which usually meant that she was applying most of her mind to her powers - digging through the man’s emotions as he spoke.
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“Radical, you say?” Logan added. This time, the man’s eyes grew wide. A visible wince from Smile meant she had sensed a powerful emotion she had not been prepared for. The Captain promptly swallowed upon seeing her reaction and, while staring at Logan, answered hesitantly: “The… the church. You saw the church, yes? Notice anything special about it? They’ve not respected a single one of my wishes in the decorations - they even removed the depiction of the Ideal Man. It disgusts me how we’ve a church without the Crossed Blades in a town this size.” The obvious fear drained away as fury returned to his voice. “And that’s just the start of it. I can’t even bring myself to go to the services - all this talk of the Mother Providing for Her Children; come to think of it, I am beginning to understand what you mean by Heresy.” He seemed genuinely taken aback by his sudden realization. As was often the thing with gradual changes, Logan thought. Before you know it, you’re on your knees worshiping the nutrifungus for its life-sustaining properties.
“Thank you, Captain. Your insight is valuable - I quite enjoy your choice of literature. I think we may be quite similar in our tastes… I see you even have the Codex of Polymorphisms, I-” Logan looked over the book to see that the Captain seemed horrified at that point. Even the scar on his left cheek had turned from pink to linen white as he saw the unmistakable mask of none other than:
“C-Commander… Behemoth-Bane…” He whispered beneath his breath. Logan sighed and closed the Codex. He had begun to detest that name - it always made people act so differently. It was a valuable property when it was needed, but more often than not, it caused this reaction.
Or at least he thought he recognized the emotional distress, but somehow it seemed far more despairing - as if the Captain was in great pain or nauseous.
“I go by the name of Logan, Captain. Have we met before? I-” The Captain rose from his seat, his breathing hurried and ragged as he turned to face the wall. He had never in his career been interrupted by one of his own, but he was well used to emotional outbursts. Still, he seemed intent not to look at Logan.
“I… I apologize. I… I need a break. I flare with tempers unknown - injuries of the Purge… I…”To Logan’s surprise, Smile rose from her seat and in a tone of voice than conveyed far more understanding than Logan was used to, she spoke: “I understand. Next time, I will come alone, Captain - we can finish this conversation then.”
Logan grinned behind his mask and in an attempt to salvage the conversation suggested: “Yes, perhaps with a bottle of wine split between the two of you-”
“P-please. Respectfully, I need to be alone right now.” The Captain muttered - obviously distressed. Logan knew that voice - he knew how it felt. He was suffering from a post-traumatic pain far worse than the scarring of his face, far worse than phantom pains of dismemberment.
“I understand. I apologize for the inconvenience, Captain. If you have unfinished business with me, I will be at whatever inn you have in this town.” Logan knew his visitation hours - this hadn’t been the first time his mask had reduced a veteran to tears.
He only wished it’d be the last time.