Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Catherina Grann’s office is humble, a small place on the third floor of a larger building with various empty rooms for rent. There’s only two rooms to it, both with peeling yellow-ish wallpaper that she doesn’t think is molding (but when she gets the money, she’ll definitely need to look into changing that). The wooden desk and chairs -- all hand-me-downs from various people she’d helped in the past -- a mismatch of various styles that made things feel a little more home-y.

Which just makes the woman standing in front of her stand out all the more. When she first switched to the private investigator stuff (bounty hunting, as it turned out, did not avoid the stuff she wanted most to avoid when it came to turning people over to the cops) it’d been clear it would mostly be small-time things. Potential affairs or lost family members. Things that paripus like herself on a budget could afford to pay to look into.

So an ishkia dressed to the nines, hair nicely brushed and makeup done with the reverence one might show a god? That sure was out of nowhere. She tries to keep her cool when the woman folds her hands politely in front of her and waits for Catherina to speak.

“What can I do for you?” Catherina finally forces out, convincing herself not to check to see if she’s dreaming.

“You heard of the recent assassination of Aestivum Forden,” she says more than asks.

Catherina nods. “Who hasn’t? All the news has been talkin’ about the last couple of weeks.”

“I want you to find who did it,” she says and Catherina nearly chokes.

“The cops couldn’t do that, you think I can?” Her eyebrows shoot up. “Besides, I mean… No offense, but that Forden was a real piece of work.”

“I know,” the woman leans down as if to tell her a secret and Catherina forces herself not to reel back. “I want you to find them so I can thank them.”

“Thank them?” Catherina blinks, dumbfounded.

“For saving my life, however unintentionally,” the woman pulls back, brushing a hand through her hair nervously. “I must admit, I was snared in Forden’s web. If not for his death… Well, it would likely be me that would be being buried.”

Catherina leans back, hand against her head. “Lot to put on a girl, don’t you think?”

“I apologize,” the woman frets about. “I had heard you were the best in the business, so I assumed--”

“I am!” She sits up straight. “I can see what I can do if you aren’t lookin’ to turn anyone in, but…”

“But?” The woman steels herself. “If money is your worry, I can supply plenty.”

“Sit down,” she gestures to one of the rickety chairs given to her when she found a lost kid for that Loveless fella some months ago. “I’ll need a name, your side of the story, list of suspects if you have it… You know, the basics.”

“Oh… Of course!” The woman sits gingerly as if afraid to break the chair. “My name is Rella Cygnus.”

“Rella Cygnus,” Catherina whistles. “I’ve heard of you before! Big supporter of Forden’s… Fancy new wave religion.”

“You can call it what it is,” Rella says. “A cult.”

“Forden’s cult, then,” Catherina hums, pulling out a notepad that’d been gifted to her by some kids and scribbling down some notes as she speaks. “Sounds like you wanted out.”

“I did, I had thought it was something good, something meant to help people like me. But then I realized it was rotten, and I needed out,” Rella nods. “Even if it meant my death.”

“Seems like someone decided it should mean his death instead, eh?” Catherina tries to joke and lighten the mood, but it’s like there’s a heavy blanket on top of them. “...So, tell me what you know.”

“Forden had invited me to lunch at the Hushed Honeybee Inn; you might know it thanks to the popularity it’s earned from Junah’s frequent visits.”

“Of course I have!” Catherina chirps. “Anyone who’s anyone knows about the knockout pop idol and her always makin’ time to sing for the little people. You a fan?”

“Er, not exactly?” Rella replies. “Not in the way you seem to be.”

Catherina’s ears twitch and she goes a little red. “You don’t have an issue with a girl likin’ girls, right?”

“Of course not,” Rella says. “So long as it won’t cause an issue in the investigation? She was there that day, after all.”

She laughs. “Oh, that’s rich. Chances I’ll talk to her directly is low, ma’am.”

“Good, because she is the one person I do not want to know about this,” Rella clears her throat and readjusts in her seat. “Then, back to what I was saying… Oh yes, Forden was… well, he was throwing thinly veiled threats my way, trying to get me to stay in line. It was around dessert time when I just could not take it anymore and went outside to get some fresh air. When I came back, he was dead.”

“News said it was poisoning,” Catherina says. “You agree with that?”

She nods. “Signs pointed to it when I tried to resuscitate him. They found traces of various substances from rat poison to arsenic in both his bloodstream and the cake he had been eating.”

“Various?” Catherina raises an eyebrow. “They certainly left that out of the reports to the public.”

“They hoped to catch the culprit, or culprits, by withholding that,” Rella says. “Of course, it did not work.”

Catherina chews the back of her pen and hums. “Was the inn that dead? Everyone focused on Junah?”

“It was packed because of Junah, not to mention some of the other guests,” Rella frowns, pulling out her purse and ruffling through the contents. “They all claimed to see nothing.”

“I get it,” Catherina says. “No one saw anything even though they were all right there, multiple poisons… No one’s too quick to see someone thrown in the slammer for a guy everyone hates.”

“Everyone but his followers, who would no doubt seek retribution should they know who did it,” Rella looks disgusted as she finally places a paper in front of Catherina. “Here, a list of the guests at the time, as well as the staff in. Miss Vulpes makes sure to keep track of anyone in and out when Junah is there for her safety.”

Perfect, she could slide this over to Alonzo and have profiles on every potential suspect in no time. She takes it and skims it over -- recognizes a few names here and there from her bounty hunting days. Even a few people who’d used her current services.

Good, might give her an in with them. Get them comfortable enough to speak with her when she hunts them down. She couldn’t exactly get her hands on the evidence the cops had… But all she needed was a confession so Rella could shower the person (and her) in thanks (and maybe some cold hard cash.)

“I’ll see what I can do,” Catherina grins at her. “I’ll have your savior’s name in no time.”

Rella smiles at her. “I do hope so. Thank you, Miss Grann.”

“Oh, c’mon! You can call me Catherina.”

“Alright…” Rella nods as if uncertain, not used to using first names maybe? “Catherina.”

--

Alonzo stands out a bit less than Rella against the peeling walls but still stands out in his nice jacket and hat. Both of which he slides off and puts on the coat rack she got from helping Kayden Workshop figure out where their missing parts had gone (crows grabbing random shinies, as it had turned out) before walking over.

In his left hand is a suitcase, which as usual he puts at his side as he sits in the sturdiest chair he can find. He crosses his legs, clasps his hands together on top of his right knee, and smiles at her. She frowns in return.

“So, finally gonna tell me how much you’re gonna want?” Catherina asks. “The usual third of the cash or what?”

“I think,” Alonzo begins. “I’ll be taking about half this time.”

“Half?!” Her tail stands on end and her ears flick in annoyance. “You’re insane. You do not do enough for that much!”

“You say that like you didn’t have me look into a list of, oh, thirty to forty? And I even went to the trouble of cutting out anyone who was in the bathroom, on a smoke break, or--”

Catherina holds up a hand. “How far did you cut it down?”

“Sixteen people who have very obvious bones to pick with Forden,” he says. “Maybe five or so we can turn to if those turn out to be duds.”

“So-- wait, we?”

He nods. “We. I plan on helping you question all the subjects this time around. That’s part of the reason for the apparently outrageous cut of the money, by the way.”

“You’ve never wanted to do more than drop some information on my lap before,” Catherina makes a face. “What gives?”

“You aren’t usually looking into the assassination of highly contentious figures, where everyone has a reason to lie,” Alonzo says. “An honest girl like you? You’ll need a liar to keep up.”

“And you’re the liar?”

Alonzo smiles. “Mhm, if you’ll have me.”

Catherina taps the desk, thinking. He was being really open about being a liar, which should probably be a bad sign. But he’d never given her bad info or anything before. So maybe he was a liar who knew when to lie.

Besides, he had a point. People had every reason to lie to her, even if she told them Rella just wanted to thank whoever was behind it. How did they know that was the case, how did they know she knew that was the case? Rella was a nice woman, but she was just taking her at her word.

“Alright,” she finally caves and tries to not roll her eyes too hard when Alonzo grins at her. “Fine, you’re on the case.”

“Good, then we can begin,” he reaches into his suitcase and pulls out a large file.

She watches him place it in front of her and she opens it. The first few pages are a copy of the layout of the Hushed Honeybee. Useful, they could probably mark where people said they were when the death happened -- see if anything doesn’t check out.

After that were the profiles he promised. She flips through them casually and whistles, impressed by how Alonzo even ordered them. They could probably just go through this in chunks based on how he did this, even!

“You even put little notes on how they’re related to the case and why they might have beef with Forden,” she places the file down. “You went above and beyond, eh?”

“I did,” Alonzo takes the file and flips to one of the last pages. “I also found a fun little fact that might explain why your client doesn’t want Junah knowing anything.”

“Oh?” She raises an eyebrow. “Didn’t look too close at that one, what d’you got?”

“Junah’s her little sister -- adopted at a young age,” Alonzo says. “Usually kept quiet to keep things from getting… messy in either of their lives.”

“So she doesn’t want to worry her baby sister,” Catherina leans back, frowning. “Or…”

“Or her baby sister doesn’t want her big sister sticking her nose into something that might go deeper than all of this,” Alonzo says. “Especially if said baby sister was the one to kill him.”

Catherina scratches the side of her head. “...This just got more complicated, huh?”

Alonzo nods. “Good thing you have me here, hm?”

“We’ll see about that.”

Chapter Text

The Hushed Honeybee Inn (not actually an inn despite its name) is a nice place. Catherina’s been coming here for years -- back when it was still a small little hole-in-the-wall sort of place. Before they’d moved to this new area and expanded so much.

Even with the extra tables and new staff, though, it has that home-y feel she likes. Browns and golds, befitting the honeybee theme, decorate the walls. The floor was a nice tiled grey that would look drab anywhere else and the lights were always kept just low enough to make you feel you could sink into your seat and take a nap.

Fabienne Vulpes, the proprietress of the place, approaches the minute she and Alonzo walk in with a smile on her face. A glance around tells her that she’s probably just happy to see some more business.

The whole guy getting murdered here thing was bad for that, after all.

“Hello,” she smiles. “Catherina, Alonzo. It’s been a while since either of you stopped by. Table for two?”

“Miss Vulpes, that would be wonderful,” Alonzo speaks up. “Though if you have the time, we’d also like to speak to you.”

One of her ears twitch. “Oh? What about?”

Catherina leans in, her voice a whisper. “The… Forden stuff.”

Fabienne stiffens, standing a bit straighter, but nods nonetheless. “I can sit with the two of you and chat for a bit, I suppose. This way.”

She leads them to a booth in the corner of the store, a bit out of the way, and gestures for them to sit first. Catherina does, Alonzo sliding in right after her. This feels wrong -- such a comforting place becoming the sight of an interview like this. She tries to get comfortable on the soft plush seat but fails.

Fabienne slides into the booth across from them and glances around. Catherina realizes she’s placed them away from the few customers in the building. She supposes she can’t blame her, given the topic of conversation.

“So,” she says after a moment. “What would you like to know?”

“You’re really good at your job,” Catherina begins. “Know where everyone is when Junah is here like she was that day.”

She nods. “Junah performs here for free, the sweetheart that she is. The least I could do is keep her safe.”

“Of course,” Alonzo nods. “Though it seems she wasn’t the target of ire this time around.”

“It seems so,” Fabienne replies cooly, not even flinching.

“Did Forden come here often?” Catherina asks.

“...Not exactly,” Fabienne grimaces. “Often only when Junah is performing, and only with Rella Cygnus.”

“Often, so sometimes Junah wasn’t around?” Catherina asks.

“Yes, and those are the worst times,” she sighs. “What does this have to do with his death?”

“Just getting a feel for the atmosphere that might be around when he’s here,” Catherina says. “...Nasty enough to send your step-daughter away. Shame, I bet she loves Junah’s singing.”

“But better all the same, given he died that day. That might have been too much for little Maria.”

A pregnant pause settles over them, and Catherina shifts in her seat. Fabienne narrows her eyes and looks between the two of them slowly, studying them. Trying to figure out if they were accusing her of the assassination of the man.

That wasn’t what Catherina meant, exactly, but she supposes she gets why she’s reacting like this. Not exactly fun to be accused of killing a man in your own restaurant… But she’d just wanted to connect with her! Find a way to show her she understands how a man like that is a danger to not only you but everyone you love.

Then Alonzo had to open his big mouth…

“Forden was a racist pig,” Fabienne finally says. “When Junah wasn’t here he’d often make that fact known to me, to my husband. The way he looked at Maria, the way he would bring up his cult to her, trying to make her feel unclean… ”

Alonzo hums and nods. “You wanted to keep him from doing that to her, so you sent her away. Better she miss out on Junah than have that old man put ideas in her head.”

She nods. “I swear to you, that’s the only reason. I hadn’t a clue he was going to die that day. I was over there, at the register.”

She points towards the opening of the restaurant. “Trying to get that Roger fellow to check out without trying to argue why he shouldn’t have to pay the tax on it.”

Catherina nods, definitely a struggle of its own. “Did you see anything?”

“I was focused on Roger, but I heard the choking,” Fabienne says. “And then the yelling that someone was dying. I called an ambulance right around when Miss Cygnus rushed back in and started to attempt CPR. Fidelio was trying to keep people from crowding, so he might know more… But after that, all I saw was the paramedics rushing in and out with Forden, along with the police showing up and forcing me to close up early.”

She sounds more annoyed at the death than anything, but Catherina can't blame her given what she’s shared. If she was in her shoes she’s not sure she’d even call the ambulance, as dark as that may be. “Speaking of Fidelio, are he and his brother in today? We need to talk to them, too.”

Fabienne nods. “They are, but if you’re trying to get those boys in trouble…”

“No such thing,” Alonzo says, gracing Fabienne with one of those shiny smiles he seems so keen on using. “We’re looking into it for someone who wants to thank whoever killed Forden, not cause them any trouble.”

“Alright,” Fabienne sighs and stands up. “Fidelio had to run an errand, but I’ll go grab Basilio for you. Do you two want any drinks while you wait for him?”

“A coffee for me, please,” Catherina says.

“And my usual, if you would,” Alonzo smiles at Fabienne as she nods and walks away.

“So…” She looks at Alonzo, arms crossed over her chest. “Why isn’t Roger on the list of suspects?”

“Are you kidding me?” Alonzo raises an eyebrow at her. “He’s a libertarian, he wouldn’t have the balls to kill someone like that. And did you really want to listen to him insisting on how his vision of a future where you and your future wife can protect your marijuana farms with an AK-47 is the way to go?”

“Point.”

“Glad you can see things my way.”

Basilio is a big lug of a man, though one Catherina knows is smarter than most give him credit for. Smarter than he gives himself credit for, really. That’ll make getting information out of him all the more interesting… But if anyone could pick up on bad vibes coming from a patron or another staff member it would be him.

In his left hand he holds a mug and the coffee Catherina ordered, in his right a fancy-looking ice cream with white blue and pink colors. He places both down in front of them and slides into the booth in front of them.

“You always make it perfectly, Basilio,” Alonzo grins at the paripus.

“Guys like us gotta stick together,” Basilio winks, a grin of his own gracing his face. “Now, what can I do for you lot?”

“You were working the day Forden died,” Catherina says, pouring herself a cup of joe. “See anything?”

Basilio thinks for a minute before shaking his head. “I was mostly in the kitchen or chattin’ with Louis. Don’t get to see him much these days despite everything he’s done for me and we’re thick as thieves, like. Del was his and Miss Rella’s server I think but that’s about it.”

“He died eating his dessert, right?” Alonzo swallows a spoonful of ice cream down. “Did the police think you did it?”

His ears press against his head and he lets out something akin to a growl. “Sure did, but I would never do that! My desserts are my pride and joy. Besides, we make ‘em in batches when we can. He had the same dessert as Louis and Miss Rella! They’d have died too if I had done it. And I would never hurt those two.”

Louis and Rella, huh? They do keep coming up as he speaks, even if not too important to the topic at hand. He cares about them -- deeply. Whether it’ll matter or not Catherina doesn’t know, but she notes it all the same.

“The cops around here are a real piece of work,” Catherina clicks her tongue, focusing on the more important bits of what was said. “Of course they’d try to blame the easiest target… How’d you get outta it?”

“Miss Rella and Louis both spoke up about it, and Miss Fabienne backed up the way we do baking here as making it impossible to be me,” Basilio nods. “I owe ‘em all a lot for that. Del too, of course.”

“Your brother does always look out for you,” Alonzo hums. “What kind of dessert did they have, by the way?”

A way to cheer him up, and make him more open to talking. Good, Catherina thinks. Helpful for them and just nice to see Basilio light up when asked like that. She leans in and listens closely.

“A white cake, with some real fluffy icing I make myself!” Basilio grins. “Top it with a few slices of fruit and it’s perfect. One of my favorites to make, like.”

“Sounds yummy,” Catherina says. “I’ll have to try it sometime, so make sure to be ready for me, okay?”

“I can make you some today if you want!”

She sips at her coffee. “We’ll see… But there’s one more thing I wanted to ask.”

“Sure,” he says. “Go for it.”

“You’re an orphan, aren’t you?” Catherina says. “Used to live in an orphanage Forden funded before dropping off the radar for some years…”

Basilio pauses before nodding. “...It got closed down recently, y’know. ‘Cause they got proof of the human experimentation going on there. Nasty work, but Forden found a way to clean his hands of it.”

“Were you a victim of it?” Alonzo asks, keeping his voice soft.

Basilio nods. “Still ache ‘cause of it from time to time, but I’ve been doing alright recently, like. Haven’t thought too hard about it in years.”

“So you didn’t have a reason to want Forden dead, at least not actively…” Catherina frowns. “What about Fidelio?”

“Del wouldn’t do it where we work,” Basilio’s voice is sharp. “Even if he had a reason to. He wouldn’t do it here.”

“Of course,” Catherina says. “Just wondering if you thought it was possible, after all. No one could blame him for wanting to get back at the man who hurt his baby brother.”

“But he didn’t,” Basilio says.

“But he didn’t,” Catherina nods. “Thanks for your time, Basilio. Sorry to drag you away from work.”

Basilio smiles at her, though it doesn’t quite reach his eyes this time. “No problem. Just try not to bother Del too much, he’s a lot less patient than me!”

“We’ll keep that in mind.”

Fidelio Magnus is smaller than his brother, but probably just as sharp. Of course, his sharpness also applies to his edges, unlike his brother… But Catherina can work with that, she thinks.

She’s nursing her coffee when he comes and sits down with his arms crossed. Eyes flick between the two of them and she smiles. Alonzo gives one of his too, but all that does is make Fidelio sit a bit straighter.

“Bas said you’re looking into that Forden’s death,” Fidelio says, cutting right to the matter at hand. “Asked him if I’d do it, even. You think this is some sorta joke?”

“We asked because we have to be sure,” Catherina says. “Besides, that human experimentation stuff on your brother sure would be enough to get you going, wouldn’t it?”

“Not if it would make him a suspect!” Fidelio hisses. “You think I’m some sort of idiot?”

“She doesn’t,” Alonzo speaks up, and for once she’s happy he does. “But we need to cover all bases. Besides, you’re a fan of Junah too, aren’t you?”

A pause. Catherina watches the way Fidelio shifts in his seat. His tail slaps against the vinyl back of the seat once or twice and he keeps his eyes from landing on either she or Alonzo for more than a second.

“So? A lot of people are.”

“Well, yes, but you especially,” Alonzo says and winks at Catherina. A cue.

“You’re totally gaga over her, more than me,” Catherina provides. “No shame in that, she’s one of the prettiest pop stars I’ve ever seen! But with her around too you might not be thinking all that clearly… You know how it is with crushes, mess up your head and make you fumble through things you’d usually do perfectly.”

Fidelio gives her a look, the type that just screams he thinks she’s the biggest idiot in the room at the moment. Maybe she is, in fact, the biggest idiot in the room, but that’s more because everyone here seemed to be goddamned geniuses compared to her pretty-darn-smart level of intelligence. Meaning it wasn’t fair to act like she was all that stupid!

“Are you trying to imply my crush on Miss Junah made me mess up to the point I killed a guy?” He says each word incredibly slowly, making Catherina flinch with each one. “How stupid do you think I am?!”

“That isn’t what she meant to imply,” Alonzo holds out a hand as if to shield her from Fidelio. Or maybe the other way around. “She just means if two people you care greatly for were here and a man who no doubt could or even has hurt them both was here… It might make you act a little irrationally.”

“In front of Louis?” He barks out a laugh. “Yeah right, that man would let ‘em know it was me when they asked if he thought it was Bas in a heartbeat.”

“Don’t get along with Louis?” Catherina asks. “Your little brother seemed to love him.”

“Louis is great,” Fidelio waves a hand in the air. “But he’s not one to lie, says he hates ‘em, y’know? If he saw me poisoning Forden he’d have told the cops just that when they tried to pin it on Bas.”

“And if Basilio had done it, he would have said as much?” Alonzo asks.

Fidelio nods. “Wouldn’t even flinch.”

That’s good to know, Catherina thinks. Louis will be one of the hardest to get in contact with, given he was pretty damn high in the government without being an old buddy of hers… But at least she could rely on him telling the truth when she asks him questions. Might be able to use things said before and see if anyone else was lying, too.

“Where were you when it happened, by the way?” Alonzo pulls Catherina out of her thoughts and out of a line of questioning that would just keep Fidelio mad, probably, all at once. “We know where Fabienne was and we assume Basilio was in the kitchen…”

“I was giving Will’s group their check,” Fidelio says. “About… Three booths away from Forden.”

“Sitting close…” Catherina mumbles. “Might’ve seen something, then.”

“And more likely to tell us than the police,” Alonzo chirps. “Thank you, Fidelio. I think you’ve been a great help.”

“Uh-huh,” Fidelio slides out of the booth. “I’ll get your check. First missing silverware on top of what the cops took and now you lot…”

Catherina frowns and watches him walk away, still mumbling to himself. “Does that mean…?”

“He wants us out of here as soon as possible?” Alonzo asks. “Yes, it does.”

“Man…”

She’d wanted to enjoy her coffee a little longer… She downs the rest of it and promises herself she’ll come back one of these days. When Fidelio wasn’t working, hopefully.

Chapter Text

One good thing about knowing the Ruler of Euchronia, as much as over the years it’s become more of a name only, is that getting a meeting with them isn’t all that hard. The hardest part is getting to them, if anything. Walking through all the political types who, despite it all, still want the ruler’s favor is a pain in the neck.

Catherina purposefully avoids eye contact with both Milo and Rudolf, who recently ran and failed to get any seats in actual government, as best she can. Rather staring at the golden walls and the various reds and blues that decorate them.

Alonzo follows after her, similarly keeping his head down. She supposes if there’s one thing they have in common it’s a want to avoid any trouble with these types. All they did was cause headaches and waste time… So maybe they’d have been perfect for politics, but oh well.

Better they still didn’t get in if you ask her. They had enough racists and self-absorbed idiots running around as is.

Will’s office is at least nicer than the gaudy rest of the palace and people running around it. Off-white walls and plush burgundy carpet underfoot. A beautiful wooden desk with two chairs ready for the two of them to sit in waiting.

Will smiles at them, their white hair glowing in the light coming from the windows behind them. “Glad you two could make it.”

“Wouldn’t miss it for the world,” Catherina says, grinning at them. “Not just because what we need to talk about is serious, either.”

Will nods. “Forden’s assassination, right?”

She nods. “Right.”

“Well, like I told the officers at the scene,” Will begins. “I saw nothing.”

“And we want to believe you,” Alonzo says. “But my dear Will, you are a horrible liar and Fidelio told us just how close you and your group were to the murder.”

Will flinches and Catherina almost wants to tell Alonzo to let up. But she knows she can’t -- they need information from them one way or another. She couldn’t let a silly crush she got over within a year get in the way and make her too soft now.

“I guess you’ve done your research,” Will says. “So you also know I’d have reason to want him dead.”

Catherina nods. “The accident that killed your mum, and then the accident that nearly killed you… No one could blame you for wanting to get back at him.”

“But I wouldn’t,” Will says quietly. “Despite it all, I would never wish what I’ve been through on anyone, Catherina. You know that.”

She flinches. “But--”

“But it might still be reason you would protect one who couldn’t sit by anymore,” Alonzo speaks up again. “You may not kill, but you also have no reason to squeal.”

Will frowns. “I didn’t see anything, I was talking to Fidelio when it was happening and focused on that.”

“So no one sneaking over to slide something in it before then?” Catherina asks. “Maybe someone… small?”

“You mean Gallica, don’t you?” Will’s shoulders slump. “I would have seen her sneak poison into my pack I’d think, but… I guess anything is possible.”

“Do you think we could talk to her, then?” Alonzo asks, placing his hand over theirs. “Just to see what she knows. Our client doesn’t want anyone in trouble, I promise.”

“I figured they didn’t,” Will gives a weak smile of their own. “Or Catherina wouldn’t take the job. She’s a good girl.”

Catherina flushes and tries her best to play it cool, though the looks she’s being given tell her she’s not doing the best job at that. Which… dammit, she tries to seem like a suave cool detective when she’s on a job like this!

Doesn’t help Will used to be someone she definitely had a huge crush on and Alonzo had proven himself to be good at pushing everyone’s buttons. She looks towards the wall, where art of Will sits next to a smaller portrait of their parents. She focuses on it, focuses on the fact they recently lost the second of the two in the image.

She frowns. Were they pushing them too hard? Maybe. But she supposes they got what they needed from this.

“Well, where can we find your little fairy friend?” Catherina asks, pushing right back into work. “And after that, one of your bodyguards.”

“Which one?” Will asks.

“The one with the red hair, real pretty even if she ruins it when she opens her mouth,” Catherina says.

“No flirting on the job,” Alonzo chirps.

“I wasn’t gonna flirt, you…!”

Will just laughs.

The little fairy Gallica is always flitting here and there and something about it always leaves Catherina feeling like she needs to sneeze. She watches as she flies around, trying to think of how to get her to calm down long enough to sit still. She would panic too if she was being accused of maybe poisoning a cult leader (or being one of many to do it, Catherina guesses), but she wasn’t so small that it could cause a headache.

She’s mumbling something about Will doing her no favors by not denying it outright and not trusting her more, though that could just be from annoyance at Will rather than a sign of guilt. Alonzo strums his fingers against the table of the little meeting room Will had sectioned off for the next two interviews.

Finally, finally, Gallica stops flying around and sits in front of them, legs crossed along with her arms. She’s pouting and it takes all Catherina has to not laugh at the expression. This was serious, after all.

“So, you think I might have poisoned Forden?” She says. “What reason would I even have to do that? Fairies aren’t even one of his focuses!”

“But elda are,” Catherina points out. “Which your best friend is.”

“Well…” Her wings flutter in frustration. “You aren’t wrong about that. But poison bottles are probably pretty heavy, don’t you think?”

“They could be unless you had a co-conspirator to help you ration off some into a smaller bottle,” Alonzo suggests. “Perhaps the lady bodyguard we’re going to talk to next?”

“Uh, no offense but I think Hulkenberg would think it was something to eat first,” Gallica says. “And she wouldn’t even get sick, probably! Her stomach is made of steel or something…”

“Alright,” Catherina leans back. “Then someone else?”

“Nuh-uh, no way!” Gallica shakes her head. “None of them could keep quiet the minute you showed up and you know it. Besides, I didn’t do it! You guys would risk getting poison on your hands to do that, right?”

“Right,” Catherina nods, unsure where this is going.

“Imagine how much I would be risking with my whole body!” Gallica throws her hands out to the side for emphasis. “Besides, I was with Will and Hulkenberg when he keeled over.”

“Fair enough,” Alonzo shrugs. “Small enough to do it without being seen, but so small it’d be more trouble than it’s worth…”

“Really?” Gallica asks. “ That’s what you’re focusing on? Not where I was?”

“Thanks for your time, Gallica,” Catherina sticks her finger out and allows the fairy to shake it. “Can you send Hulkenberg our way, then?”

Gallica huffs, but given she shook Catherina’s finger (in place of her hand, of course), she doesn’t seem like she wants to start a fight over it. “I’ll see if she’s free, you guys might have to wait a minute.”

And off she flutters. Catherina looks at Alonzo and glares, crossing her arms over her chest.

“Let me guess…”

“If we’re stuck sitting here for hours because you pissed Gallica off, it’s your fault,” Catherina hisses.

“And there it is.”

Hulkenberg is a serious lady when you get her talking business, Catherina realizes. The roussainte woman sits straight, hands folded in front of her as she waits for Catherina and Alonzo to speak. How much Gallica told her is impossible to tell just by looking at her expression.

So this was going to be a hard one to crack. Catherina looks through her notes and clicks her tongue. What can she use to get this going? The fact they don’t think Will is behind it? That Forden doesn’t have their sympathies? Show her they’re on the same side here?

Hell, should she try to flirt despite what Alonzo said earlier? She’d heard Hulkenberg was a lesbian, so it might give her a foot in the door. But then she would have to worry about if she was her type or not…

“So, Junah,” Alonzo speaks and pulls her out of her thoughts. “You’re a fan, no?”

Her face nearly goes as red as her hair. “Of course! Her music is some of the best I have ever heard! I own each of her albums, digitally and physically!”

“Then you probably weren’t a fan of the fact Forden apparently started showing up every time she was at the Hushed Honeybee,” Alonzo clicks his tongue. “Feels almost…”

“Stalkerish,” Catherina supplies. “A right creep that old man was.”

She frowns. “Indeed. And the way he speaks to Their Majesty only makes it worse… Were he not already dead I would pray he choke on his own tongue.”

“Yeesh,” Catherina grimaces. “Can’t even imagine that. But fitting for a cult leader always yelling about his ideals for the world and doomsday and all that, huh?”

“Indeed,” Hulkenberg nods. “I am told you come looking for the culprit or culprits, though with no ill will towards them.”

“Right on the money,” Catherina nods. “The lady Cygnus wants us to find them so she can thank them.”

“You mean…?”

“Not Junah,” Alonzo says. “Other Cygnus.”

“Of course,” she clears her throat and Catherina withholds the urge to tease Hulkenberg for how pink her cheeks are. “I am afraid I do not have much information for you. I do believe Strohl was on his way back from the bathroom when it happened. That does mean he was a bit closer to the event than the rest of us.”

“Strohl,” Catherina says. “He was on the list, too… He in today?”

Hulkenberg shakes her head. “He and Heismay are both on medical leave. Do you know how dangerous it is to try and stop a stampede of people who wish to shake Their Majesty’s hand?”

“Apparently very,” Alonzo says. “We will keep that in mind.”

“How about…” Catherina looks at her notes again. “Neuras.”

“The old fool works from home,” she clicks her tongue. “I will call ahead and tell him to actually answer the door when Catherina and Alonzo come calling for him, worry not.”

“Thanks,” Catherina grins at her. “Say, if you happen to be free later…”

“As I said before,” Alonzo grabs her by one of the ears and starts tugging her towards the door. “No flirting on the job.”

“Ouch, hey…!”

Chapter Text

Strohl is an interesting fella, given Catherina sees him and Heismay walking down the street when they’re apparently supposed to be on medical leave. She’d been heading for Neuras’s with Alonzo in tow when she noticed and, well… What kind of detective would she be if she didn’t make use of this?

So she walks right up to them, leaning against the street lamp that happens to be right next to them with her arms crossed. Alonzo lets out a sigh, but follows right after her so she takes that as a sign to keep it going.

“Look who it is,” she says. “Not much of a medical leave if you two are out here doing lord knows what, now is it?”

Strohl and Heismay share a look and she watches them carefully. If either of them make a run for it she’ll have to try and be faster. Jump on them and potentially make their injuries worse, maybe… She’d not look forward to the hospital bill but at least if they were hurt they couldn’t run from her.

“We won’t tattle,” Alonzo adds to her comment. “We just have some questions to ask you both, individually of course, about your recent visit to the Hushed Honeybee.”

They share another look and then Strohl is crouching down and they’re talking. Catherina frowns but waits for a moment. Pushing them to talk out loud would probably just scare them off and if she can avoid hospital bills she will.

“I’ll be over there,” Heismay says after a moment, pointing to a nearby bench. “When you’re done with the lad you can join me, hm?”

Strohl sighs as Catherina nods and the eugief walks away. “Great, I really didn’t want to go first.”

“Then why are you?” Alonzo asks.

“He pulled age and rank on me,” Strohl replies. “Didn’t have much of a choice at that point.”

“Well we won’t keep you long,” Catherina offers, hoping it at least makes this a little less annoying for him. “Just have some questions about what you saw on your way back from the bathroom when Forden bit it.”

“You heard about that, then?” Strohl grimaces. “I’ll tell you what I’ve said before, I’ve no interest in indulging any facts to anyone.”

“What if we told you our client wants to thank whoever did it?” Catherina asks. “Would that warm you up to talking?”

Strohl groans, rubbing the back of his head. “How did you make it worse?!”

“Worse?” Alonzo raises an eyebrow and glances as Catherina, who just shrugs.

“I already hate the bastard enough that it pains me to keep quiet about what happened, and now you tell me someone wants to shower h-- them in thanks for what they did?” Strohl shakes his head. “I’m sorry, but it seems I’ll be taking who I saw sitting with Forden to my grave.”

“So someone was sitting with him when he died!” Catherina supposes she sounds too excited about that, but ah well. “And it couldn’t have been Rella…”

“Because we know she was outside trying not to kill herself over being stuck around Forden in the first place,” Alonzo nods. “Thank you, Strohl. Your information has been invaluable.”

“Wait you… didn’t already know that?” Strohl asks. “So I’m helping you get closer to the bastard who did it…?”

“Sure are,” Catherina grins. “Don’t worry, I’m sure someone else saw who was sitting with him if you don’t wanna share.”

Strohl runs his hands down his face in complete defeat and crouches next to Catherina. She pats him on the head, feeling it’s the least she can do after just revealing how much he actually helped an investigation he wanted to go nowhere, before looking towards the bench.

“Ready to see if the old man is any help?” She asks.

“Probably less than Strohl was,” a pause for yet another groan from Strohl. “But yes! Let’s.”

When Catherina and Alonzo get to the bench, she notices that Heismay seems to be snickering about this or that. Probably everything with Strohl, given how good eugief hearing was if she had to guess, but guessing was the enemy of a private eye like her so she holds off on that.

Probably doesn’t matter to the conversation at hand, anyway.

“So,” she begins. “You gonna try the same thing, say you hate whoever did it so no way you’ll help us get thanks to them?”

“Nothing of the sort,” he says. “I may just slip up like Strohl and spill the beans anyway if I try that, eh?”

“Guess so,” Alonzo chuckles. “Though I can’t help but think you could dance around the topic a bit more gracefully than he did.”

“And now you attempt flattery!” Heismay laughs. “Truly you two know how to use any tool at your disposal.”

“All part of the job,” Catherina grins at him. “So there's no point in dancing around it. Anything you can tell us?”

“I'm afraid I can't add much,” Heismay sighs. “While Their Majesty was paying and Hulkenberg was listening intently to the music, I was, ah…”

Catherina raises an eyebrow. “Go on.”

“I was daydreaming, up until the choking began, of course,” Heismay admits. “The conservation going on at that table was… intense. It was all I could do to block it out.”

“Between this mystery person and Forden?” Alonzo asks. 

He nods. “Though the way he spoke to Miss Cygnus was… less than ideal itself. Twas a miracle it took this long for him to be killed, if you ask me.”

“Yeah, everyone's got a reason, it feels like,” Catherina says. 

“Oh I meant specifically Junah, how she didn't end up turning her shows into a bloodbath…” Heismay chuckles. “She is more in control of her own emotions than I.”

“Right, it is her sister that jerk was bothering,” Catherina cringes. “But she's pretty small, would she do much? Forden might've been an old coot, but he was a sturdy old coot.”

“If she began no doubt those Magnus brothers would follow,” he pauses. “And most of the people present would be right behind them. You said it yourself, everyone's got a reason.”

“Good to know, thank you,” Alonzo stands. “I think we've heard what we need. Shall we go, Catherina?”

She just nods and follows after him. When a good enough distance, she takes the chance to speak.

“So, you think he brought up Junah for no reason?” She glances backward towards where they left them. “Or was it to throw us off?”

“Maybe make it so obvious we tell ourselves it can’t be her,” Alonzo begins. “Or could be because she really isn't involved and he's just an older man rambling. Hard to say until we learn more.”

Catherina nods. “Got it, I'll jot down a note just in case.”

And with that they set their sights on the next destination. Hopefully being in a suspect-slash-witness's house goes alright. 

When Catherina knocks, she's not sure what to expect. Definitely not the sound of crashing equipment and screeching metal, though. She cringes, glancing at Alonzo who barely reacts. How did he keep such a poker face?!

“Real sorry for the noise,” the door opens and Neuras peeks out. “You're that PI Hulkenberg called a flirt and her assistance, then? Just so you know, unlike her I've not the slightest interest in that sort of thing!”

“Don't worry,” Alonzo says. “You're not her type.”

“Thank goodness, come on in then,” he steps to the side and Catherina doesn't know if she's relieved or offended by how this has been going. “Don't mind the mess, close to a breakthrough and thought I'd have more time to clean up, is all.”

Catherina steps around a weird contraption and gives her best smile. “Not a problem, we're just here for information, not to judge.”

“Yes, about that old goat's murder, right?” Neuras stops in an actually excellently cleaned living room, gesturing for the two guests to sit. “Don't know how much I can help you there.”

Catherina looks around the room. Only a few pictures and a lot of books. All sorts of mechanical doodads lined up and closed curtains. Not to mention the fact Neuras works from home…

“Try and keep to yourself even when out, eh?” She asks. 

He nods as they all finally sit, Catherina and Alonzo on the tacky old couch and Neuras in a recliner chair. He looks uncomfortable even just with the two of them and she supposes that means they should be quick. Alonzo shoots her a glance, saying he agrees. 

“That's right, if I had it my way I'd stay home, save important meetings or taking my old girl out!”

“A car?” Alonzo asks. 

“And a ship all in one!” Neuras puffs his chest out in pride. “Why, give me some time and I'll have it flying, too!”

Catherina whistles, though an eyebrow is raised. “Really now? With something that big planned, why'd you even go out?”

“Hulkenberg insists everyone needs to be around others sometimes, which is bally good for everyone else, ” he emphasizes the word. “But for me? Well, I just bury myself in my work when I get dragged along for the ride!”

“Even then if you were at the diner you might have heard or seen something offhand,” Alonzo suggests. “Any bit helps, you know.”

“See, when I bury myself in my work I mean it, nothing passes through my mind but what I’m working on,” Neuras scratches the side of his head and sniffs. “Afraid I really don’t remember a lick of the afternoon.”

Something tells Catherina he’s serious about that, too. Which means this is, in fact, sort of a huge dead end. She wants to scream, yell that if it wasn’t for the guys they ran onto on the way here today would be totally pointless! She just about does when Alonzo holds up a hand and speaks.

“Well, that’s a shame, but can’t be helped,” he stands and gestures for Catherina to follow suit. “We’ll be going, then. Sorry to be a bother.”

“Not a bother, not at all,” Neuras waves a hand in the air. “Been a while since someone showed any hint of anything but mockery at my ideas. I appreciate the visit, really.”

“If you say so,” Alonzo drags Catherina towards the front door and they nearly trip over some… Thing. “Have a good rest of your day, Mister Neuras.”

“Yes, same to you two!” He waves. “Oh, and good luck finding the murderer and all that.”

“Thanks,” Catherina gives a forced grin. “We’ll do our best!”

No thanks to you!

Chapter Text

When Alonzo takes Catherina to the mall she thinks it’s some sorry excuse for a break or something at first. They still have seven people to find and talk to, so she’s not exactly thrilled by that… But then she sees one of those people and supposes this was all part of the plan.

“Batlin,” Alonzo approaches the man, shaking his hand as he pulls away from the wall next to a jewelry store. “You arranged everything as I asked, I presume?”

“Arranged?” Catherina asks, narrowing her eyes. “What did you do?”

“Used my connections, all to help us, I assure you,” Alonzo pats her on the shoulder. “Batlin here is just one of my many contacts and agreed to meet with us today, as well as make sure a few others are around.”

“Miss Brigitta Lycaon is right in there,” he gestures to the store with a thumb. “And Mister Elphas Maxim Bardon will be at the food court in, oh, an hour or so to grab lunch with you both.”

“That…” She whistles. “You’re trying to earn your half of the pay, aren’t you Alonzo?”

“What can I say?” Alonzo grins at her. “I like to go above and beyond.”

“Guess so,” Catherina looks at Baltin. “So, you got more than just other meetings set up for us?”

“Of course,” Baltin winks. “I keep an ear to the ground, learn what I can just like Alonzo. I don’t charge quite as much for my services, however.”

“Ever the saint,” Alonzo teases. “But what did you find out, my friend? We’re waiting with bated breath here.”

“Of course, well the old man was definitely comfortable,” Batlin says. “Went to the bathroom shortly before dessert. Makes you wonder if the poison wasn’t in the cake, doesn’t it?”

“What, like on the bathroom handle?” Catherina asks. “We know the tox report returned with it in the cake, anyway.”

“Good, you’ve done your research,” Batlin snaps and grins at them. “But then the cake came out while he was gone. Miss Cygnus excused herself while he was still gone. Meaning…”

“There was a moment where neither was there and the cake could be poisoned,” Alonzo hums. “Did you see anyone moving over there at the moment?”

“I wish, but I got caught up talking with that Julian character, you know the one, right?” Batlin makes a face. “The one who puts animal rights so above everything else you’d think he’d kill a man to save a puppy?”

“Yeah, I’ve heard of him,” Catherina sticks her tongue out. “Think he had anything to do with it?”

“Not at all,” Batlin shakes his head. “He was trying to get me to promote his book is all, refusing to leave me to my snooping until I agreed. By the way? Not a very good book, very stuffy and stilted.”

“Did you see who was sitting with him after he came back?” Catherina asks. “We know from Strohl someone else was at the table while Rella was outside, but we’ve hit a dead-end on their identity.”

“Julian took a long time to wear me down, I’m afraid…” Batlin scratches the side of his cheek awkwardly. “He was, uh, already choking by the time I agreed. Just so I could see what was going on.”

“He would have kept bothering you through Forden’s death, wouldn’t he?” Alonzo makes a face. “Well, some information is better than none. And you’ve done even more than that, haven’t you?”

“Sure have,” he gestures to the jewelry store with his head. “Hope she can help you more than I can.”

“Thanks, Batlin,” Catherina nods. “If this jerk wasn’t taking so much of the pay already I’d be sure to slip you some, but gotta keep the lights on.”

“Like I said before, I don’t charge as much,” Batlin waves a hand in the air. “So don’t even worry about it. Alonzo’ll give me my share, he’s a fair man.”

“I try,” Alonzo winks. “I’ll contact you later, once we have this all figured out, about payment.”

“No rush for me,” Batlin waves and begins walking away. “Good luck you two.”

The Lycaon Jewelry Store was way above Catherina’s pay grade, that’s the first thing that comes to mind when she walks in. The walls are black with white and gold decorations on each, the lights just right to make every piece of jewelry in the clear cases gleam. Each worker makes sure each and every rich shopper is attended to.

She does see a less well-off looking pair or two, looking at the slightly cheaper stuff. Young couples looking for a ring to really ring in their engagement, maybe? She wishes them luck, but she’s not sure even the cheap stuff would be in their price range.

Sure wasn’t in hers.

The lady Lycaon herself approaches them as Alonzo begins browsing oh-so-casually to try and blend in. Something Catherina is definitely not doing nearly as well. 

She’s beautiful, if not a bit cold-looking. She looks them over with a raised brow and arms crossed. Catherina swallows hard and gives her a nod in greeting, which she returns. A good start, she hopes.

“You’re the two Mister Batlin said would be coming to talk about Mister Forden’s death, yes?” She asks. “Follow me.”

They follow without much argument to a small office in the back of the store. Alonzo takes a seat first and Catherina follows suit as Brigitta shuts and locks the door before making it to her own seat behind the desk.

“Thanks for meeting up with us today,” Catherina says after a moment. “Not exactly a fun thing to talk about.”

“You think so? I find it quite nice,” Brigitta says. “That man has been strangling me and my business for years now. Talking about him being gone is a nice change of pace.”

“He was blackmailing you, right?” Alonzo asks. “Making you fund his little cult unless you wanted your past leaking to the public.”

She grimaces. “You know quite a bit.”

“It’s my job to,” Alonzo says. “Don’t worry, I’ve no reason to say anything about your past to anyone. A nidia adopted by a paripus wouldn’t be taken too seriously, anyway.”

Brigitta hums, eyes closed for a moment. “Good, I was afraid I might have to threaten you.”

Catherina shifts in her seat, unsure if she’s serious or not. “W-well, that gives you plenty of reason to want him gone.”

“You’re right, but it also gives me all the reason I need to avoid him,” Brigitta replies. “The less I had to hear about what he wanted from me, the better.”

“Did you know he was at the Hushed Honeybee that day?” Catherina asks.

She shakes her head. “He came in after me. I usually go there to relax, the proprietress is the type to welcome anyone without question and I find that… comforting. When Forden came I actually asked to be moved as far from him as possible.”

“And you got moved?” Alonzo asks.

She nods. “You can ask Ms. Vulpes yourself if you don’t believe me.”

“I think I believe you as is,” Catherina says. “The way you talk about him and the shit he did to you… I’d want to avoid him like the plague, too.”

Brigitta gives her a little smile. “Cute and understanding, I like that.”

“Bwuh?”

“Sorry, Miss Lycaon,” Alonzo speaks up. “But I already told Catherina no flirting on the job. Maybe she can stop by when we’re done today?”

She shrugs, looking Catherina over. “I wouldn’t mind.”

“I-- uh-- you--” Catherina shakes her head. “Maybe after the case! The whole case!”

“Focused on your work,” Brigitta hums. “I like that. Good luck with it all, too.”

Knowing she’s blushing quite a bit, she nods and refuses to look at Alonzo who is no doubt grinning at her. “Well, I’m a self-made woman! Gotta make sure I can pay the bills… A-anyway! Thanks for the help, uh…”

“If you need anything else, feel free to stop by,” Brigitta leans back. “That goes for both of you. I’ve no clue why you want to find who did it… But I’d like to thank them if I can.”

“That makes you and our client both,” Alonzo chirps. “I’ll stop by and let you know what we learn later, okay?”

“Sounds great,” she smiles at Alonzo. “I’ll see you both out, then.”

She stands and makes for the door, Alonzo following right after. Catherina, however, needs a minute to just sit there. She’s starting to think this whole job was a lot more dangerous for her than she first thought… And not because they were hunting down a murderer!

Catherina knows Bardon from her bounty hunting days, given he’d been one of the few not-totally-horrible cops she’d worked with. Given he’s quit that line of work not long before she’d done the same? Well, she supposes she can say he’s one of the good ones, if that even exists.

He’s sitting there with some sort of greasy burger when she and Alonzo approach, her own meal that of big soft pretzels (so she had some vices, who cares) and some fancy mustari grub for Alonzo. He sees them, waves them over, and Catherina does her best to smile.

“Well if it isn’t Bardon!” She chirps. “What’ve you been up to, big guy?”

“Oh, ye know,” Bardon shrugs. “Trying to give back to the community. Actually give back, unlike with my old job…”

“I’m sure you’re doing great,” Catherina nods at him. “You’re not the type to give up when you put your mind to something!”

“Ye are too kind,” Bardon laughs and nods at Alonzo. “And hello to ye as well. Helping Catherina with her work, then?”

Alonzo hums as he sits. “That’s right. We’re trying to track down a murderer, though given your old job… I’m not sure I should tell you why.”

“We can trust Bardon,” Catherina says. “He quit for a reason.”

“Joanna Tarar Calendula,” Alonzo says, eyeing Bardon as he flinches. “She was a member of Forden’s cult and helped run an orphanage, one that was shut down for human experimentation, I believe.”

“That’s… right,” Bardon nods. “But that’s not what she was arrested for.”

“Missing children, all later found dead,” Alonzo continues. “Fifteen of them in the span of half a year. One of the worst killers of our time.”

“And it was Miss Joanna that did it,” Bardon says. “I’ve got no excuses to make for her, if that’s what ye want. All I know is Forden had a role to play, too.”

“Did he now?” Alonzo asks, raising an eyebrow.

“Alonzo,” Catherina hisses out. “Let up a little!”

“No, it’s fine, I deserve the scrutiny,” Bardon holds up a hand. “If I cannot explain myself, he has no reason to trust me.”

“...Alright, but if it gets to be too much I can take over,” Catherina places a hand over his. “Alright?”

“Thank ye,” he smiles at her before steeling himself and looking back to Alonzo. “The media didn’t touch on it much, but Miss Joanna had a son.”

“Did she?” Alonzo asks.

“Yes, he was of… mixed-tribe,” Bardon closes his eyes for a moment. “...Forden’s cult isn’t big on such things, as I’m sure ye know. But still he gave her a nanny to watch over the boy so she could do her work.”

“A nanny that…” Catherina swallows hard. “Killed the boy in his crib. He wasn’t even a month old.”

“So less of a nanny and more of an assassin, and for an infant,” Alonzo cringes. “And after that…?”

“He told Miss Joanna it was a sign from God, that the child was not meant to live,” Bardon clicks his tongue. “He offered no sympathy and no understanding, that’s when she started going down that path of no return.”

“And you couldn’t take it?” Alonzo asks.

“I couldn’t stand to see her blamed and Forden getting away with the murder that started it all,” Bardon said. “It showed me how corrupt the force was. Enough money and social standing and ye can get away with anything. I decided I’d make real change in the community, something I couldn’t do on the force.”

“I… see,” Alonzo nods. “Shame it took that much for you to see the truth, but better late than never, I suppose.”

Bardon nods. “That’s more than I could ask for as a reaction. Thank ye.”

Catherina pats his hand with her own. “Thanks for sharing, Bardon. I know it can be real tough to let it all out.”

“It’s good to make sure it’s known, after all… I don’t have much to tell ye about Forden’s death directly,” he looks between them. “I just wanted to make my stance on it all clear.”

“Well,” Alonzo quirks a brow. “Go on, then.”

“That man might have been murdered, but there was no crime committed,” Bardon says. “If the justice system would sit idly by when his hands were soaked in blood… Well, one less man like him in the world might be for the best.”

“You really think so?” Catherina asks.

“No,” he looks her in the eye. “I know so.”

All she can do is nod, because really? With every little thing she’s been learning about Forden… It’s hard not to agree.

Chapter Text

The mustari temple has been standing for a while in town, and Catherina’s kinda shocked she’s never been here before now. Definitely a failing on her part to not learn a bit more about the cultures around her, she supposes… But she’s kinda fixing it now, for what that’s worth?

The first person they see in the old halls of stone is Edeni, the local community leader for his people. He’s a looker, Catherina admits, not that it’d go anywhere. She’s heard rumors around town that he’s exclusively into guys unlike her and her sort of… Issue where anyone pretty enough gets her heart all fluttery.

That wasn’t why they were here, anyway. If she even tried to flirt Alonzo would kick her arse as is!

“Welcome,” Edeni says when he sees them. “Have you two come to learn about our customs, then?”

“Not exactly, though we’d love to learn if we have time!” Catherina chirps. “We’re actually here about… well…”

“The assassination of Aestivum Forden,” Alonzo finishes. “We have reason to believe you and your sister, the priestess Eupha I believe, were there the day it happened.”

“Ah,” he grimaces and a long moment of silence passes over them all.

Catherina shifts, looking at the lights on the walls. They mimicked torches, the way they flittered across the walls. Real pretty, she thinks. And a whole lot less awkward than standing here while Edeni frowned at them.

“We were, though we tried to avoid him,” Edeni finally speaks again and she looks back to him. “Eupha had wanted to go see her friends and I thought it would be nice to… chat with one of the servers.”

“Fidelio or a less spicy one?” Alonzo asks.

“Does that even matter?” Catherina quirks a brow.

“No, just curious,” Alonzo replies with a shrug of the shoulders.

“As it does not matter,” Edeni clears his throat. “I will just move past it for now. We tried to avoid him when we could.”

“Because of the way he loved to call you heretic pagans?” Catherina asks.

Edeni nods. “Even those who believe in his religion seem to struggle to hold a conversation, so I can’t even imagine what he would have to say to me or Eupha. The fact that man could sit with him and hold a conversation…”

“A man?” Catherina perks up at that. “Did this man happen to sit and talk with him after Miss Rella Cygnus went outside for some fresh air?”

He nods. “Forden returned to his table and the man joined him.”

“So the guy with him when he died was in fact a guy,” Catherina nods.

“I sort of figured that from when Strohl nearly said he instead of they,” Alonzo chirps. “But glad we’re on the same page now.”

She glares. “Shut it, you!”

“I’m just saying!”

Edeni clears his throat again. “Is there anything else I can help you with?”

“Do you happen to know the name of the guy with Forden when he bit the dust?” Catherina asks.

“Not off the top of my head,” he shakes his head. “I believe he’s a politician type, if that means anything.”

“Forden was sinking his teeth into the senate whenever he could,” Alonzo muses. “Isn’t too surprising someone else with their hands in politics would approach.”

“And potentially kill him,” Catherina adds. “We might just be cracking this wide open!”

“We don’t know if this politician was for or against Forden’s policies, though,” Alonzo points out. “Besides, we still have some people to talk to. Like your sister, Edeni, if that would be alright?”

Edeni frowns, probably a little annoyed they started theorizing so loudly and excitedly about an assassination in a holy place. “I will see if she has some time to spare. But please? Don’t scare her.”

“We won’t--”

“No promises.”

“Alonzo!”

Euphausia Etoreika reminds Catherina a bit of an easily startled animal, though she wouldn’t ever say that out loud. The girl comes out, hands grasped together in front of her as she looks between both her and Alonzo. She looks nervous enough Catherina might think she did the murder…

If not for the fact she had the vibe of couldn’t hurt a fly to her. Maybe she’d just seen something at the diner that made her nervous. Or she was nervous about being asked to see a PI and her assistant all alone like this.

Honestly, there are a lot of reasons she could be nervous. Catherina only hopes she’s able to help her feel more at ease so they can really get into this.

“You’re one of Will’s friends, aren’t you?” She decides to begin with. “Always good to see more of their little group out and about!”

“You know Will, then,” she lights up a bit at that. “Yes, we are… ah, friends. I think that would be the correct term for where our relationship currently is…?”

“Oh, are you two maybe seeing each other?” Alonzo asks, a teasing quality to his voice. “How sweet.”

“Ah, well, maybe?” Eupha goes a bit pink. “We need to speak more before I can be fully certain they feel the same about me, b-but that’s not why you’re here, is it?”

“It’s not,” Catherina pats her shoulder gently. “Don’t worry, whatever love story you two have going on is for you to tell, not us.”

“Instead, let’s talk about a murder mystery,” Alonzo chirps. “You know the murder we mean, yes?”

“Edeni mentioned it, yes,” she nods. “I am afraid I don’t know too much about what happened. Edeni tried to… shield me from the worst of it.”

“Protective big brother, eh?” Catherina hums. “I suppose I get that, that Fidelio was the same about Basilio…”

“Oh, that’s good,” Eupha says. “I should tell Edeni they have something in common.”

Alonzo hums. “So it was Fidelio he wanted to talk to…”

“Not the point right now,” she pokes him hard in the side before looking at Eupha. “Anyway, did you see anything despite that? Any little bit helps, Eupha.”

“Any bit helps…” She hums. “I saw one man leaving with a fork, was he supposed to do that?”

Catherina thinks for a moment. Hadn’t Fidelio said something about missing silverware on top of the stuff the police had taken for the investigation? The look Alonzo sends her way tells her she’s not the only one thinking about it.

“Any idea what he’d been using that fork for?” Catherina asks.

“I think I saw him taking a bite of cake,” Eupha frowns. “Saying something about the fact Forden should feel free to do the same…”

“No way it was the cake that killed Forden,” Catherina mumbles. “Or we’d have two dead bodies, right?”

“I wonder if we should look more into the fork bit,” Alonzo mumbles back. “Do you think they put it on Forden’s fork directly…?”

“Maybe…” Catherina rubs the side of her head and smiles at Eupha. “Well, you certainly gave us more to chew on, thanks for that!”

She nods. “I apologize that I wasn’t able to help more, but I do wish you luck…”

“We’ll have this solved in no time,” she winks and giggles a bit at the way Eupha blushes. “Don’t you worry your pretty little head.”

Eupha furrows her brow and reaches up to touch the side of her face. “Why would I worry about my head, it has nothing to do with this…?”

“Oh, no, it’s a figure of speech, see! Like…”