In Duke Alexandre’s estate in the city of Clais, within the manor’s kitchen, Veera arched her long neck to get a better look inside the oven. She observed the pastries within with predatory focus, barely noticing the hurried hoofsteps that approached. Duke Alexandre, an averaged sized ibex with polished, proud horns, had just arrived home after being absent all day. He held a stack of and anxiously searched for Veera.
Upon spotting his friend, the Duke hurried over, narrowly missing denting the doorframe with his horns. As he stepped closer, the noise from his hooves finally broke Veera’s focus on her sugar-coated prey. Her face was stern, but a few feathers standing on end betrayed her joy in seeing the ibex return.
The Duke waved the papers before Veera. “My friend at the Anti-Social Activities Committee found something. You were right about being followed. This report was submitted recently,” He stopped to catch his breath while Veera stared unblinkingly at him. “It’s written by Detective Claude, but Arch Enchantress Celara commissioned it.”
Veera kept her serious expression, allowing her eyes to fall on the documents. “What will come of this?”
The Duke was surprised Veera had no comment about Celara being behind it considering their fiery rivalry. “I haven’t read it yet. It can be either nothing or very, very bad news. The Committee does not use… how should I put it?”
“They are poisoned by dogma,” she interjected. “The arrow always hits the bullseye if you draw the target after it lands.”
The Duke was silent for a moment, the Committee would consider saying that an infringement in itself. “Would you like me to read it?”
“Please. I have already dismissed the Maid Irma and I must supervise the sweets.” Her golden eyes returned to the much more interesting show of the browning sugar inside the oven.
Alexandre took a deep breath and looked over the papers. “The first page has your information. Nothing out of the ordinary. They still write you down as ‘unknown species’. Don’t people ever ask you what you are?”
“They do.”
“And what do you answer?”
“I don’t.”
Alexandre gave up on extracting additional information on the subject, he wanted to read the report to either lift or confirm his anxieties. Depending on the severity of the report, Veera could be in real danger.
“The report reads…"
The investigation started on the 2nd Full Moon of Spring, 3rd Day at midday. I began monitoring Master Enchantress Veera’s public behaviour from a distance. Her first day under observation was spent in the Central Markets. She was wearing dark-purple cloaks, fur lined, golden details, no cape or branding. She made a series of small purchases, mostly fine fabric, and precious gems. It is worthy of note that she is not accompanied by any servants or escorts. I estimate the final ensemble of purchased goods to be quite heavy, but M. E. Veera carried it on her person. These visits seem to happen every other week, but there is no specific day she attends the market, which leads me to believe her visits to the market come from necessity rather than pleasure.
Her future visits were likewise unaccompanied. She often purchases from small or independent merchants, avoiding haggling or discussing prices. She averts interactions with others, no verbal contact has lasted for more than seconds. I do not warrant any behaviour in this setting to be deemed anti-social or morally perverse. I would compare her attitude to that of a farmer who is not used to seeing the crowded streets of the capital in a good day’s market. Considering her foreign origin, I believe that to be likely.
“You don’t haggle?” Asked the Duke.
“I despise the act. A price is fixed on the item for a reason, no?”
The Duke was surprised. He didn’t need to haggle, money wasn’t an issue in street markets, but he found the practice fun. “Then what is the point of going to the market? I could hire someone to do it for you.”
“Unnecessary. What is mine I trade for myself,” Veera affirmed, and Alexandre nodded in acceptance. He promptly continued reading.
Despite not having shown preference for any single merchant or company, she often takes a detour to a pastry shop in Fontaine St. before leaving her goods at home. She is always greeted warmly by the staff but has never spoken more than a few words in return. It was not uncommon to see her stop by this bakery in other occasions, sometimes even deviating significantly from her route home to do so. She has a taste for sweets and likely overindulges on them regularly, usually in private. I have not pinpointed any kind of pastry that is specially to her liking, she rarely asks for the same sweets on consecutive days and has shown no significant pattern in her purchasing habits. Strangely enough, she often stares at the pastries for several minutes before purchasing anything. I investigated the pastry shop further but found no reason to suspect any subversive activities. M. E. Veera’s visits are solely for the (admittedly delicious) pastries. However, since sugar-addiction is a very common symptom of hysteria and other such infirmities, it is of importance.
The Duke thought that, perhaps, that was the hidden reason Veera liked going to the market herself: an excuse to purchase sweets. But she had never hidden her love for sugar — in fact, she was staring at some pastries right now— so he doubted she was intentionally hiding her motives. The Duke tried his best not to linger on it. “They managed to make something out of nothing, as expected,” he said.
Veera did not show any concern about the insulting accusation from the detective. “He is wrong, there is a pattern. I order pastries based on the number of decorations at the top. Even decorations for even days, odd decorations for odd days,” she explained. “The total number of decorations must be equal to the number of pastries multiplied by the day.”
Alexandre blinked a few times. This was quite the puzzle to solve while looking for a quick snack. “And what happens if you don’t find the exact combination that matches your rules?” He finally asked.
“Then I order whatever I want.”
The Duke chose not to inquire further. Veera’s mind was vast and unknowable when it came to sweets. He decided to accept this and moved on with his reading.
She spent most of this day within her residence in the Eastern District, Caillou Blvd. 14. Her house is small for her status, located alongside the homes of high city-merchants. The Eastern portion of the city is no place for someone working under Duke Alexandre. I defer further judgement about anti-social behaviour for it is possible the house has sentimental value.
The home is well kept. She has hired a weekly maid to clean the sparse furniture. I have not noticed any other servants or escorts. Similar behaviour is common with those born out of Lower Classes, which leads me to infer that her upbringing was not proper. Not only does this explain the modest house, but also her peculiar conduct. We can speculate further about the origins of anti-social behaviour considering members of Lower Classes have a higher incidence of criminal and anti-social behaviour.
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The activities within her home are expected of a scholar; reading and writing occupy most of her day. I have noticed she does not have a different outfit to use within her home and prefers to keep her purple cloak on at most times. In fact, I failed to observe a single time she has chosen to remove the cloaks. Considering her pleasant scent and the clean state of the robes, I believe she is using different robes with equal design. Even so, I did not detect any build-up of laundry.
I attempted to gain access to her home during one of her usual market leaves. Picking the front or back-door lock proved impossible. I entered through the chimney. I noticed she had laid multiple non-lethal traps along the way. Most of them are based off enchantments which I am ill equipped to study. I have asked Arch Enchantress Celara to review the ones I retrieved.
The Duke’s voice was drifting off. He was upset that someone had broken into Veera’s home. Veera, on the other hand, looked mildly surprised.
“Detective Claude won’t get away with this,” Alexandre said fiercely. “I’m going to make a complaint and—”
“A complaint would let them know we have received word of the report and might aggravate the matter,” Veera interrupted. “Let them remain ignorant but gentle. I will review my traps.” Despite saying so, something visibly bothered her.
“They know we would receive word of this eventually. If he enters your home while you are inside or without your cloak…” He knew this would bring great discomfort and shame to Veera, he did not want the possibility.
Yes, that is what bothered her. She did not wish for a nosy investigator to witness her without her cloak. She took multiple precautions to make sure no one could spy on her from outside her house, but not from within. “If I am home, then he best tread lightly, for if I awaken, he will know what it is to invoke my wrath. No tale does my anger justice. He shall experience it first-hand! May he rejoice and despair!” Veera was being theatrical on purpose, bristling her feathers with amusement and lifting her hands dramatically.
Alexandre was cautiously entertained; He knew Veera’s anger would be very real if the detective stumbled on Veera during a break in. Still, the theatrics were unexpected and signalled she was in a good mood despite the report. He imagined it was probably the sweets. They were minutes away from being done and the smell was delicious.
The rest of the house has no valuables that a Master Enchantress could not easily replace. The house is kept dimly lit with various curtains. She has a safe, but I did not attempt to open for fear that it could trigger a lethal trap if I attempted.
“It’s not trapped. I would not risk the contents inside getting bloodied,” Veera interjected.
She keeps little furniture but there are many books, all neatly organised along the walls. Most notable is her bedroom. She does not have a bed, but some structure of pillows and fine silk that I can only compare to a nest. Reptiles are often predisposed to bouts of instinctual behaviour such as nest building. It is common for such non-subversive reptile-like behaviour to degenerate quickly into worse beastly conditions.
She works three to four days per week in Duke Alexandre’s laboratory, located within his estate. I have not attempted to gain access to the Duke’s property. Nothing seems unusual about her workdays. She keeps two subordinates; their names and profiles are found in the appendix. They are not noteworthy, neither for crime nor accomplishment. I believe the Duke, as a Natural Philosopher himself, prefers to keep his group of assistants small. She keeps a close relationship only with the Duke and I have observed the two sharing meals together. I do not wish to speculate further into the Duke’s private life.
“Too afraid to even speculate about me, but he would break into your home. He misplaces the danger,” Alexandre observes before continuing.
When not at home, M. E. Veera chooses secluded locations to spend her time. She makes frequent visits to the libraries around the city. When the library is especially full, even if quiet, M. E. Veera leaves in search of privacy. She especially enjoys reading by herself in the open air in the company of a few sweets. The books she has borrowed concern Natural Philosophy (mathematics most of all) but she has also borrowed many fiction and non-fiction books.
“Now for his conclusions,” The Duke said grimly as he flipped the page.
“Let us see how well the detective draws a target.”
Conclusion:
Despite the extensive investigation into Master Enchantress Veera of Duke Alexandre, there are many behaviours that puzzle me. Most are inane, but the following list are the ones that I consider the most dangerous:
* Obsession with sweets: symptom of hysteria
* Disconnect with Highest Class: innate anti-social behaviour
* Connection and/or origin from Lower Classes: innate anti-social behaviour
* Paranoia: symptom of hysteria
* Nest building: instinctual reptile behaviour, symptom of beastly degeneracy
Considering her status as Master Enchantress, I do not believe there is enough evidence for a conviction by the Anti-Social Activities Committee. She has not broken any laws or shown any signs of dangerous deterioration yet. However, I strongly recommend that she is kept in observation so that her symptoms don’t progress into tragedy as we often observe with reptiles. I am weighing the protection of Duke Alexandre from a possibly dangerous subordinate into this conclusion.
Alexandre looked relieved. Veera did too, but mostly because her pastries were done. “All is well. They would not dare touch me with circumstantial evidence when I am under your protection.”
“Not unless one of the Grand Barons picks up on this. However, since it was commissioned by Arch Enchantress Celara, I doubt it will. The grudge between you two is well known.”
“I hold no grudge against her. She is beneath consideration,” Veera scoffed.
“You should be more careful when dealing with those that hold High Titles, Veera.”
“Celara is not her title.”
Alexandre did not wish to continue, they had already discussed this subject several times, and he trusted Veera enough to not do anything overly harsh. She did not enjoy the customs and behaviours of high society but understood the consequences of failing to follow them.
Veera removed the tray of pastries from the oven and left them near a window to cool down. This was the most delicate and important thing she had ever done, until the next batch was ready.
The Duke flipped through the pages, and something caught his attention. “There is some more, an addendum.”
Addendum:
I have not been able to determine M. E. Veera’s species. There are no records of any beast or person similar to her. I speculate she is a rare hybrid between a mammal and a lizard. This leads further credibility to any theories of anti-social behaviour and maladjustment. The most probable species of hybridisation are alligator or snake and goat.
Silence. Neither of them dared speak a word for over a minute. Veera walked toward the papers to confirm what the Duke had read. She was stunned at first, but her expression soon turned into anger as her crest of feathers bristled. The Duke knew what was coming. She would not take the comparison to a snake lightly.
“I will make an example out of him to thwart further speculation,” this time, her anger was not mere theatrics. She did not raise her voice, but the irate guttural vibration made Alexandre recoil. “We will see who is an ‘unknown species’ once I am done with him.”
Alexandre placed a hand on Veera’s back and her voice drifted off, although her furious snarl and flared crest remained static. “Veera, he is guessing from a place of ignorance. An insult such as this does not warrant your attention, he does not know who you were.”
Veera’s expression softened slowly; her feathers slanted into their relaxed positions. Finally, she returned to her usual stoic composure, now in her usual tone. “You are correct,” she said, readjusting her posture. “My apologies, Alexandre. Please, finish reading the document.”
The Duke did not linger. He nodded, cleared his throat, and continued. Only the list of appendixes remained.
Appendixes:
* Estimated list of items purchased in the Central Market.
* Pastries bought in the bakery in Fontaine St.
* Profiles of Duke Alexandre’s Enchantress Tay and Enchanter Maslin.
* Compilation of books borrowed over the last three years.
“His day-to-day notes are also here, but they are quite long. I imagine you’ll want to study them.” Alexandre placed the papers on the counter and Veera picked them up, quickly disappearing them within her cloak.
“I am only interested in discovering how he gained access to my home. Next time, I will have him. An uninvited guest may never enter my nest the same way twice.” She grabbed the metal tray under the pastries, which by now had comfortably cooled down. “This matter is settled. Share some pastries with me. And remember, we must spare one for Maid Irma for helping me prepare them.”