Logan still processed the report as he and Smile made their way back towards the tavern. He was thankful for the girl’s impeccable memory and hearing his word-for-word sermon had raised some interesting questions he felt he needed answered. Still, he hadn’t spoken of his hypotheses, his theories - they were all too farfetched for reality; impossibilities, at least as far as he was aware.
When they finally entered the room again and Logan shut the door behind them, he fell into deep musings - considering the questions raging in his mind.
“Your analysis?” She asked as she stepped up to the mirror to zip down her coat and reveal that she was still wearing the dress crumpled up under the black leather - an impressive feat, as she hadn’t been bulky enough to show it.
“I-... It sounds like they’re worshiping some form of Monstrum. I’ve been considering where they could have gotten all this meat. You mentioned that the Eyes found discrepancies in the production of meat. I take it you mean that it’s meat from the Monstrum?” Her head bobbed up and down.
“Yes. Amongst the other evidence. I needed you to make the final confirmation.”
“I read the paperwork. It seems obvious - didn’t they think anyone would notice?” He asked.
“They’ve been wise. They lay low up until recently. We were only made aware once some of the migrants returned to the Citadel to spread this heresy.” She spoke as she hung the coat over the chair’s back and undid her mask - revealing her beautiful, mute face once more.
She could tell - even without being able to read him empathically, that he was not pleased.
“In the bird, I requested-” His voice had darkened considerably as he cut her off with:
“I know what you requested, Smile. If you brought me here just to confirm everything the Eyes knew, I’d be on my way already. We both know that you brought me here for a reason - it’s time for you to start talking.”
She paused to stare at him through the mirror. Her slow blinks, her muteness - any and all lack of emotion remained stapled on her face, but the increased frequency of her swallowing notified him that she was working considerably harder in suppressing herself than usual.
He bobbed his head. “You want me to tell you there’s another way. That this situation can be solved without that. You came here with the conclusion already handed to you - your job was just to confirm what the Eyes have already decided.” She didn’t nod. She didn’t swallow. She didn’t shake her head - she did nothing… because everything about Smile was cold and calculated. But such was their friendship - she needed not speak it for him to know it was true.
He sighed. “You’re not making my life easy - as usual… but if there’s another way, I’ll find it. But if you lie to me again, I’ll send Jarek’s daughter on you. That girl’s got a thing for masks.” He shook his head, disappointed with Cradle’s youth.
His glance was stolen by a twitch in his peripheral view - in the mirror. It had been the faintest of expressions, a flash of movement to the right corner of her mouth. And then he remembered why he had called her that name - smile. Because he had wished she’d do it more often.
----------------------------------------
“Sir Ghast - welcome! Come right in, please, would you like some tea? Some biscuits, perhaps?” The voice spoke from inside the wide, round office as Logan walked into the Administrator’s private chamber. The Administrator - Guillion Trebeche was but a boy in his ranks, appearing no older than twenty, but already as advanced in his balding as in his career. He was, by far, the youngest administrative regent he’d ever seen - elected or otherwise. In his tight, blue suit, he looked as if he was about to head to the Church to be confirmed in one of the Orders.
The tall-stacked bookshelves of mostly-untouched books would likely have impressed some, but a single glance of the Ghast’s eyes revealed that some of the works were repeated several times and most if not all, were untouched lexica or dictionaries - disappointments when compared to Jarek’s comparatively smaller, but far more interesting selection.
Logan raised his flat palm dismissing the offer. “No, that’s fine. Did your secretary tell you why I’m here?” The man plastered on his widest, most cheesy grin and motioned for the sofa by the ornate, marbled coffee table.
“Yes, of course. She hadn’t caught all the details, of course - good help is hard to come by, these days.” Ain’t that the truth. Logan eventually accepted the gesture and sat down on the sofa - taking care to seem as uncomfortably seated as possible; a straight back, arms on his knees while staring directly ahead. He found that it exuded a form of alien aura that made others far more uncomfortable than he was. The Administrator cleared his throat as he wandered over to the matching chair and sat down to continue to grin sheepishly at his frightening, uncomfortably guest.
He turned his head slowly, boring the black slits of the mask into the Administrator’s eyes. Success came in the form of the young man swallowing and shifting on his chair - small signs of nervosity. Signs any Eye of the Governor would’ve easily considered sufficient evidence of a crime. Thankfully, he was another breed of horror.
Beads of sweat had already begun to form on his forehead as Logan maintained his silence - pushing him further and further towards the cracking point.
“O-Oh yes. F-From what I understand, y-you… you’re looking into some discrepancies? A-as the Governor’s in no doubt noticed, w-we haven’t paid our taxes in full yet. W-we’ve had to make some important investments… you see…” He trailed off and took turns smiling and nearly sobbing.
If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
Without moving his body, Logan replied: “It has been noticed. The Governor values Cadia and wants to see it succeed above all else. You’ll send a detailed budget of these investments to the Citadel and that will be that. But I am not here to discuss taxation - I’m here to get answers. You haven’t been upholding your quotas of vegetables.” It was written all over him as he heard the question - he had expected it, prepared for it and right that moment, it was all draining away - running down his forehead like condensation on latrine windows.
“Y-yes, that’s got to do with the i-investments. O-our fertile lands are better used to feed livestock, you see. So, we’ve… we’ve built up our industry around husbandry.” Logan continued to stare his blank, porcelain glare at the Administrator, simply biding his time.
“You have never filled out the paperwork to have this approved. A simple request-form would’ve let us tell you that the people need vitamins, not protein. We-”
“Unhand me, you bitch! I told you - we need to update this roster! Captain, tell her!” Mara’s shrill voice shouted through the door a moment before it flew open. In her hand, she held a stack of papers pressed tightly against her decorative, green uniform - followed closely by a man transformed from the previous evening.
Captain Jarek appeared ten years younger - younger even than when Logan had met him the first time. His scalp was freshly shaved all around and his white stubble had been neatly trimmed to a fine, white mustache-and-beard combination, only bared in the scarred section of his face. By far, the most impressive feature was the decorative green, painted chestplate.
He stared strictly at the administrator before gasping at the Ghast. Not bad, but not an impressive act.
His daughter, however, far outdid herself. Upon looking up from the papers, she quickly dropped them to the floor and gasped- covering her mouth with her hands, as if to display her black-painted nails for the occasion.
“S- I apologize whole-heartedly.” She bowed down low, shortly followed by her father, who said:
“C-Commander. It’s an honor- really. I hadn’t heard you were here; if I had known, I’d have tidied the town up. F-Forgive me.”
The Administrator’s head jerked back and forth - his face half-molten in a shifting of expressions. From profound relief, to irritation, to terror before finally, he rose up and joined the two in their bow.
Mara wasted no time in rising up to meet Logan halfway across the floor and extended her hand towards him - unprovoked and strictly out of any form of order. He improvised and grabbed her hand, bowing down low to touch it to his mask while whispering: “Stick with the plan.” Barely loud enough for her to hear it, which he was fairly sure she did.
Still, her act was not done. “O-Oh, I can’t believe it - Commander Behemoth-Bane j-just kissed my h-hand… oh God, I can’t believe it!” He briefly considered shooting her, as their plan was quickly derailing. Yes, perhaps that had been a more solid idea - blow her head off before continuing to dismember the administrator to get the information out of him. Alas, no… he quite liked this girl and her father.
“I am but a servant of My Lord the Governor, Madame.” He turned to address Jarek next and bowed in turn. “General Jarek. It has been far too long - not since Eastern Pass, yes? I take it this must be your daugh-”
“C-Commander. I know this may come out of the blue for you, but I’m a huge fan. Please - I’ve my own copy of ‘The Ghast and the Gal’ at home - would you be willing to sign it for me? Tonight, perhaps? I would do anything for a signature!” With that, he imagined she had successfully destroyed their plans. But to his pleasure, he heard a frightened pair of dry lips whisper to his right - between Jarek and the Guillotte. “P-Please make sure to show him a good time. Only for tonight. I’ll do anything.” Logan could not speak and eavesdrop on the pair, but the damnable girl’s derailment of their plan was working - at least by the sound of what they were talking about.
“I’m not sure that would be proper, young miss. I am neither the author nor the subject of that fiction - I was just going to ask the Administrator to show me his new investments - from what I understand, there’s a butchery and a meat packaging facility-” She dramatically reached across the distance between the two and grabbed him by the lips of his coat to shine her wide, blue eyes at the slits.
“So you’ve read it, then? You know of the book? That’s more than enough for me - please, I know you’re a busy man. It’d be presumptuous of me to assume anything but, but I yearn to make your acquaintance. Your face may be one of cold porcelain, but perhaps the heat of a young woman’s-”
Logan’s fingers darted up to stop the insane harlot from spewing out more prose and to his side, he could see that both the Captain and the Administrator were equally wide-eyed - their brief conversation of mutters now ended. “Please, girl. I am a busy man - I am a Ghast of the Governor’s-”
Finally, the Administrator took back the word and stepped forwards to suggest:
“If you would allow me to interrupt, S-Sir Ghast - just for a moment. As much as I would love to show you the facility tonight, I’d like to suggest that - if I may presume to advise…” The Administrator wiped the sweat from his forehead before looking to the Captain and motioning for him to fill in. Jarek performed his act admirably and stepped forwards to shake Logan’s hand and push his daughter aside.
“It is good to see you again, old friend and thank you again for your service. It just so happens that your arrival has been most fortunate - the facility in question will be closed for maintenance tonight and the Administrator has assured me you will wish to see it in operation. I know you are busy, but how about I and my daughter take you out to see the Garrison instead? We could… spar - like we used to during those nights on the Front.” Logan once again found himself wishing he could openly display his face so that he may convey to his associate that enough was enough. The prose- the terrible prose made his innards churn and ponder whether it would be too high of an ask to requisition some fiction of higher quality before the looming doom arrived.
“N-now, now, General. Let’s not forget that I’m a Ghast and that-”
With all the dramatics he could muster, Jarek raised his hand up to his chin and spoke: “Perhaps one day you will finally defeat me in a duel, Commander Behemoth-Bane. You almost had me when-”
“Perhaps I will come with you to your Garrison. If the evening goes well, I may find myself resigning my room from the tavern - if your hospitality wills it. If love prevails, I may bed your daughter and father you some grandchildren before your senile cataracts claim your eyes!” The Ghast blurted out - further frightening the poorly administrator.
It was odd to think that Jarek had ever been afraid of him, as he had no trouble raising his massive fist to threaten: “I see well enough to defeat you once more, honorable Hero of the Purge! But this is no contest of age - surely, you are quite aged yourself, I would hate for my daughter to befoul your great name with implications of indecency!”
The Administrator yelped as Logan took a decided step forwards to shout: “There’s nothing indecent about me and her - our ages are not too dissimilar, I’ll have you know that I am just as virile as the last time we met, old friend!”
“P-please - C-Captain… Ghast… Mara… I d-don’t want there to be any bloodshed in Cadia - it’s a progressive town and we’re honored to host you, Commander Behemoth-Bane.” Logan reared his head back and blinked. He had all but resigned to the idea that he would have to torture the man for information, but surprisingly, neither the Captain nor his daughter seemed to be the biggest idiot in the room.
For all intents and purposes, the fool had bought it - line and sinker.