>>5754294[3/4]
A sudden rustle of the foliage quickly tears you away from your mental conversation. As the bramble clears, you see a face you faintly recognize. Alistair Orb.. Something-or-other, one of the potential chief investigators Dr. Nevada anticipated. A large coat in a drab color is draped over his wide body and a loose vest. His clothes do a good job covering his bark-like skin, only slightly peeking out near his collarbone. An oversized collar with a stark white on its inner side highlighting his scruffy sideburns is the only element his outfit has in common with the other guards. Moving towards the table in the center of the room, he doesn’t bother looking up his notes as he speaks up.
{...Ivan… Kovlove Daedal, is that right?}
{Yes, sir.} Not entirely correct, but no need to make it more complicated.
{Aide of Lady Nevada Zappa Daedal?} Zappa? You manage to suppress a snicker. That’s new to you.
{Y-yes, sir.}
{Do you know why you’ve been brought here?}
{Yes, sir.}
For the first time, the detective lets go of the papers he’s holding to look at the ceiling and let out a sigh reminiscent of Dr. Nevada’s moments of frustration.
{Listen, don’t be so stiff. This is a hearing, not a trial. Plus, I’m not a noble either, just a bureaucrat. I just want to ask you a few questions about what happened, and I don’t feel like I can do my job if you’re all tensed up like you’re in an audience with Her Supremacy herself. Understood?}
{Yes, s- Understood.}
{Ah, my name is Alistair Obréan, by the way. I’m a detective in service to the House of Inner Relations.}
He reaches out a hand. It seems Dr. Nevada did her homework predicting the choice and behavior of your interviewer. From what you remember, Obréan is supposedly favored in human-only investigations due to his down-to-earth nature and relaxed stance on etiquette. Traits that Nevada dismissed as a farce to lower the suspects’ guard, but seeing him in person, you wonder if she was being cynical again. You reciprocate his gesture with a handshake.
{Sorry, I am nervous. I am not good with Sidhe, also.}
{Oh, right, Lady Nevada mentioned you’re not from around here. What do you understand?}
“Ah, English. Everyone just spoke English back home, even the Baroness herself.”
“Huh, English it is, then. I grew up speaking English pre-Harvest myself.”
You let out a slight sigh of relief. Not just because you don’t have to continue struggling to remember complicated phrases in Sidhe, but also because the doctor’s suggestion to take advantage of Obréan’s accommodating style of interrogation paid off.
“The stenographer isn’t going to be happy, but let that be my problem. Anyway, now that we’ve made ourselves more comfortable, can you tell me about what happened 4 days ago?”
“Where should I begin? The dive?”
“That would be a good start.”
You take a moment to get Dr. Nevada’s narrative straight - any inconsistencies could be catastrophic.
