Logan had been caught unaware by the lingering sensation that they were still inside a Hive. But it felt different nonetheless - he had been in Hives. The symbiote did not skitter and squirm the way it usually did when there were Monstrum around - instead, it sent warning pulses into his mind. He was reminded of the ancient memory of when he had first encountered the monstrosity in the Abyss - on the station of Sitalii with Luna. The engine room where he had first seen it had been filled with creep and constructs, but with no Monstrum, which only served to confuse him further.
They walked next to one another, through the tall arches of the garrison, past the rifle-wielding men of the Orders with their straight backs and reverent gazes, and into the front hall, where a receptionist sat in front of a tall stack of paperwork, hidden behind a desk. Logan hadn’t missed the way they’d startle upon seeing his form, but he had gotten used to it over the years. As expected, the woman nearly slammed her head into the granite-slab wall as she looked up to see the two porcelain faces stare down at her, before gripping her chest to exhale.
“God damnit, Caiaphas. It’s not the harvest festival yet - what, you’re just testing out costumes?” Logan wished she could’ve seen what he imagined to be smooth moves of his eyebrows as he leaned on her desk to say: “I’m wearing my real costume underneath the coat. I’m going as a jester this year.” Upon hearing his voice, she realized that she had gravely mistaken the identity of this man.
It only took her a second to make sense of it and as she stood up, her brown robe betrayed that she had already soiled herself.
“G-G-Ghast… S-Sir G-Ghast, I-I’m s-s-so s-s-sorry… m-my friend, h-he…” Logan raised his flat palm and chuckled lightly.
“Thankfully, practical jokes are not a punishable offense. Please - we’d like to see the Captain. We just arrived in-” The bun keeping the blonde woman’s hair from flopping to her shoulders broke apart as she raised her head backward to scream: “Dad! Dad - G-Ghasts are here! Dad!”
He hadn’t known what to expect. Anything other than ‘dad’, perhaps. But he was no stranger to family businesses - he could hardly complain, he was in one of his own, after all. He only wished he could’ve said something to relieve the frightened girl with her teary eyes and tremoring lips.
“H-He’s… j-just go to his o-office… t-the g-guards’ll show y-you the way…” Logan raised a hand to his chest and bowed ever-so-slightly before turning to head into the central hall, followed closely by his mute companion.
It only took them a moment to be flanked by straight-backed, sweating riflemen who led them through the freshly constructed garrison, up long winding stairs, and through several decorated halls. The guards were eerily silent, but Smile was oddly talkative, at least compared to her usual self.
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“Something about you is different, Commander.” Upon using his title, he could see the riflemen jerk, but he paid them no heed. Logan cocked his head before looking at the straight-faced, wide-eyed mask of his colleague.
“The joke. You… have changed.” Her mute tone of voice made it difficult to tell whether she meant that as a bad thing or a good thing.
“For the better or for the worse?” He had always been a fan of flat-out questions, to which she answered: “For the better, I think. I thought it was amusing.” She confessed, though again, her tone betrayed little.
The guard knocked hurriedly on the door and shouted into the fresh wood: “S-Sir! Sir - you’ve got guests! G-Ghasts! Two of them!” Logan made a point of smelling the air and found it curiously free of fecal smells. These men hadn’t soiled themselves, which promised good things of the Guard of Cadia.
“Well, send them in then, you fucking idiot!” A booming voice roared from inside. In all haste, the guard stepped aside- tapped his rifle to his green uniform in a strict salute before swinging the door open to reveal what Logan would’ve expected from a Captain’s office.
A dead fireplace, a desk full of neatly stacked papers, walls covered in armaments, and, most unusually, a bookcase filled with various literature.
He immediately wandered towards the bookcase and let Smile take the lead on the information gathering - such was her job, after all.
As soon as Logan entered, his hood obscured his mask as the strange man turned to look at the wooden bookcase by the far wall. Therefore, he did not receive the Captain’s salute, nor did he signal one of his own. Smile, however, adhered to protocol with her usual precision and was quick to tap her chest in response before striding toward the desk.
The Captain was a sight to behold. The left part of his face was thoroughly scarred and the skin seemed tight and smoothened, all the way up to the back of his bald scalp. Had she not known who this man was, she would still have known that such an injury had come from fire, but being her, she even knew which fire in particular. He did not wear armor, as one might’ve expected from a Captain, instead, he wore the same, green overalls as his men did. He was impressively wide, not adipose, but definitively muscled and strong. To her, he looked exactly as she imagined he would - a veteran of the Purge scorched by his duties.
To her surprise, he seemed neither surprised nor frightened to see her. His powerful brows were low and unmoving, even as he brought a handkerchief to dab the left corner of his scarred mouth. “Madame Ghast. I was not expecting you, but one seldom does. Captain Jarek - Cadia Guard.” She cocked her head before nodding. “Ghast Smile of the Order of the Governor’s Eyes.” They both waited for Logan to introduce himself, but he had already grabbed hold of a book and was eagerly devouring something in the literature.
“He is Logan.” She spoke as flatly as ever. The Captain motioned for the chair and, to Logan’s surprise, she sat down - meaning, this was a visit of courtesy. Or perhaps she was simply tired and needed a seat more than she needed to employ her tactics of discomforting her prey.
“So, what can this loyal Servant of the Governor do for you, Ghast Smile?” He asked courteously. The smile seemed to approve - straight to the point, just as she preferred.
“We’ve been sent to investigate Heresy.”