>>6243826“You knew them?” Elle asks lightly, studying the woman closely.
“No, I mean, not really. I didn’t know Master Barbeau at all, but I spoke with his wife a few times. She seemed like a nice person,” the engineer explains, hesitating a moment before adding, “She went to the church here a few times. That’s, um, how I got talking with her.”
“I didn’t know you went to church,” Anton remarks, raising an eyebrow.
“I don’t, okay? I just wanted to see what it was all about,” Spaeny complains, waving her hands at him, “The priest there, Ossian, is kind of a weird guy. He’s a local, but not like most of the locals around here. He’s educated, for one thing.”
Elle glances aside at you, and you nod. He might be a good source for insight into the local perspective.
“Either way. You’ll probably hear this a lot, but Barbeau didn’t mix with other people much,” Anton adds, “I suppose he visited the doctor fairly often. I don’t know if he was sick exactly, but I heard that him and his wife-”
“Hey,” Spaeny interrupts, “That’s private, okay?”
Anton grimaces. “Sorry. You’re right. It’s not something we should talk about,” he mutters before changing the subject, “I expect the locals had something to do with it. Those thugs down at the old well are always up to something.”
“I don’t think so. I didn’t see any signs of violence at Barbeau’s home,” you point out, “Who are you talking about?”
“There’s this gang of troublemakers, they have this drinking den out by an old well at the edge of town. They occasionally try to stir up trouble against the company, but it never comes to much. Most of the locals know that if they step too far out of line, Miss Fox will put a bullet in them,” Carlo explains, “But these guys really hate the company. It’s not even the smell-”
“It kind of is the smell,” Spaeny butts in.
“It’s not JUST the smell,” the Rhylian continues stubbornly, “They say that the crops haven’t grown right ever since the company set up shop here. They say we’re poisoning the soil.”
“Bullshit,” Anton complains, “Crops can fail for any number of reasons. They’re just looking for someone to blame.”
“Yeah, but-” Carlo begins, but you cut him off with a sharp cough. This seems like an argument they’ve had many times before, and you’ve got no interest in listening to them rehash it all over again. “Right, yeah. Sorry,” he apologises, “We’re getting way off track. I’d say to give Doc Malone a visit, see what he can tell you. Don’t worry about making an appointment, he’s never that busy.”
>They’ve got a point. You’ll start by talking with Doctor Malone>You need a broader perspective. This priest might be able to help>This gang of thugs might be involved. You should look into them>You’ve still got some questions… (Write in)>Other 