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"I know those Centrian Knights are achin' to get their armored gloves all 'round this place." She continued. "So maybe make a deal where they can build one of them fancy Knightly Order 'forts' 'ere. Could help calm 'em down an' keep 'em from turnin' the place into a battlefield, long as they answer to you while keepin' the law an' dealing with smaller crimes that need some personal seein' to, that is."
While it wasn't a bad recommendation, you already had clankers that could easily purge criminals. Also, you didn't even really need to hire anyone here to rebuild things, considering you now had construction clankers as well.
"Sir!" Gerty got your attention. "I am certain they would be more than happy to accept such a deal, but I'd recommend you allow the Order of the Jagged Sword to have a say in purging this place of crime."
"Uh, Master?" Mel said. "I know it might be tempting to just let them do stuff, since they might even stop the harpy murderer going around here, but if these knights are anything like the Knights of Westia— I've ben around a few when I was a girl— then they can be a little intense and trigger happy against enemies. So some restraint might be needed..."
You assured them all that you'd consider these things.
"Mel mentioned the harpies." You began introducing the topic. "Would you know anything about it, Pomegranate?"
"They fact that they're dyin'? Or that their eggs are gettin' lost?" Ponnamie asked.
"Both topics." You said.
"Mostly happen durin' the night when the tavern's open. Sometimes the eggs are smashed with the mother's body, sometimes you just find some blood an' feathers an' eggshells, an' sometimes you just don't hear nothin' from 'em again."
"It's bloody weird, mate." Cattleya said. "Harpies can usually sense bad shit coming."
"I know, right?" Ponnamie agreed. "They can tell when attacks were happenin' <span class="mu-i">minutes</span> beforehand. Heck, I've seen 'em dodge bullets a few times!"
"They got bloody good reflexes. Had a bit of trouble catchin' a mail harpy some time ago." Cattleya meowed.
"It sounds like they're pretty sensitive to mana." Mel said. Both Cattleya and Ponnamie looked at her with unreadable expressions. "What?"
"Bloody hell, that explains a lot of the shit they do." Cattleya half-chuckled.
"This might be an interesting revelation, but about those murders-" You brought the topic back.
"Don't know much else other than that. I've heard about the corpses, even saw one once, but I can't do nothin' about it." The rabbit woman sighed. "Wish Ah could; it's heartbreakin' to see somethin' like that happen in Centria, but I ain't a spry little bunny no more. I'd suggest either havin' that beguiler wife of yours along with some muscle to figure it out, or just hire a detective. They have a few close to the police stations in Centria."
As the topic became somber, you shifted it once more.
You asked about her again, finding out that she was 39 year old Ranger and mother to 7 children.
