Inspector Vanille was not having a good day. With the Nightsnatcher case almost closed and only further research into the number of victims left to do, the higher-ups had the bright idea to give her a new major case. Under normal circumstances, perhaps she would have been flattered, even honored, to be given such a chance. The issue at hand here was the victim and the circumstances of the crime. They had more evidence than they did for the Nightsnatcher, but it didn't help much considering what it was. And, while she understood the Hero Union's need to identify who did the deed, if it was up to her the Patcher's case would have already been dropped.

What little evidence she got from the people on the scene near the heart of the slums brought her to the Black Border, accompanied by a heavier guard than usual to accommodate the distrust and aversion of the locals for law enforcement. She couldn't fault them, and frankly, she had a feeling the majority would have been smart enough not to antagonize the giant bipedal lizard taller than most with a gun anyway. At least Cooper was here as well and had brought enough coffee to keep her wide awake and active despite the cold.

Not that it helped in the current situation.

"Have you scheduled an appointment? Otherwise, meeting with Master Blake will be impossible. If you wish to open an account, you can go through the necessary procedures here."

She felt her eyelid twitch and her claws digging into her metallic thermos.

"Again, I am here on official Zalcian Police Department business. Not to open an account. We believe Blake Black may have information relevant to a case, and we would like to talk to him."

"This would go against company policy. The privacy of our clients and customers is one of our priorities. We are fully operating within the purview of the law in this matter."

Inspector Vanille knew she didn't have the best tamper. With that being said, she pictured herself more as a grumpy woman than one of those who snapped over nothing and let their anger drive their every action. And yet, every second that passed in this stupidly ornate room with her standing on the hide of a dragon she was certain had been poached, talking to this wall of an entity, her desire to just grab the celestial by the shoulders and shake it grew stronger and stronger. Decorum, morals, and sheer common sense realizing it would end very poorly held her back, but she had a feeling she would need either a visit to the spa or the gym's punching bag. Perhaps both.

"To our knowledge, this case doesn't involve a Black Bank client or customer."

For the first time since they had arrived, she caught the toga-wearing lanky humanoid before her moving. Merely a slight tilt of the head, but that was far more than it had previously displayed. Even the halo of flowing mercury floating above its blank head slightly sped up for a second, a detail that may have escaped her were it not for her annoyance boosting her predatory instincts.

"Elaborate."

"I am investigating the death of the Patcher, and witnesses place your employer's pets at the scene. We want to know if he saw anything."

"You have no right to force a meeting. You have no scheduled appointment. If you are not here for business, then I ask you to leave."

"Look, can you at least tell your boss we're here? Has it crossed your mind that perhaps he wanted to talk?"

"If Master Blake wished to discuss with the police, he would be the one approaching you."

"Ah, apologies, wait just a moment Nanyet."

Vanille had a feeling she knew whose choice had just echoed, and sure enough, emerging from behind the Celestial that was far too thin to have been hiding him along came Blake Black. The charming smile sent her way left her feeling nothing, well accustomed to the empty cordiality that folks like him liked to use. It was a better mask than a cashier's, but far from as effective as the man likely wished it to be.

"Mister Black. I've been trying to see you."

"Yes, I gathered. Please forgive Nanyet, as a Celestial they put far more emphasis on rules than needed. Why, not even I could walk in for a meeting with myself without an appointment!"

He kept his happy little welcoming facade up even when faced with her deadpanned expression.

"Such a witty remark. Regardless, I'm here to ask you a few questions. I believe you've been listening in and are already aware about what."

"Me? Listening in? What could have given you such an idea?"

"Alright, I guess we're doing this. Blake Black, we have reason to believe you have information regarding the death of the Patcher. A large flock of crows-"

"A murder. It is called a murder of crows."

"-fine, a large murder of crows was sighted amassing around the abandoned hospital before it began to burn. We would like you to share what you know."

"Well, I must ask, how can you be certain those were my pets and not wild specimens?"

"Because no other bird would dare approach this cursed place otherwise. Only your pets feel safe doing those sorts of antics because they know people don't dare touch them."

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

"Ah. No one dares harm those majestic birds out of fear of the repercussions for harming one of mine, that is true, but since they cannot differentiate between domestic and wild specimens, that applies to all crows in Zalcien. Even if they were my pets, they could have simply been attracted by the carrion, not investigating on my orders."

Inspector Vanille breathed in.

"Black. Please. Cut the nonsense. We know those birds spy for you. Even if they truly were there per pure chance, they still saw something and told you about it."

"Ah, while crows can speak, it is merely mimicry, like a parrot. Mine are mundane, not Cored, they lack the ability for proper dialogue."

"Black. Again. We're not here for you, or one of your clients. We're here to know what happened, not discuss the logistics of how your birds report. Tell us what you've learned and we'll be out of your hair. Don't you want this case to be closed? Once the truth comes out, it should help quell some of the chaos, something that would benefit your business."

"You underestimate the money chaos and violence make. With that said, you're not wrong to say that closing this case sooner rather than later would benefit me."

"So? Will you help us?"

"Well, you see, if I did have information on what happened to our resident flesh-crafting maniac, I wouldn't be able to share it. It would set a precedent. While I am contractually obligated not to betray my clients' trust, telling you that this clause is what's stopping me would already be information. And if I tell you something now and don't later or on another case, then you'll know once again that a client is involved."

"So, you won't tell us anything because telling us something even once would make future incidents incriminate your clients if you stay quiet?"

"Precisely. I do apologize for the trouble it causes you, but I have to do what's best for the Bank. And, between the two of us..."

Inspector Vanille spared a glance at the Celestial in the room as well as the other cops accompanying her as the branch manager continued.

"Does this case really need to be solved? It needs to be closed, for certain, but I think you would agree whoever our mysterious killer is they did the city a great service."

"Taking sides, Black? I thought the bank was all about neutrality. Not to mention we know he made use of your services."

"I can respect my vows while still having opinions. Contrary to popular belief, I too want to see this city flourish. There isn't much to gain from harvesting the same old decomposing corpse."

She clicked her tongue.

"Some of my colleagues would have punched you for that one."

"And your superiors would have gone into doubt to reimburse me. They made the right choice sending you, Inspector Vanille."

"I didn't tell you my name, Black."

"No, you didn't."

The two stared at each other in silence for a dozen seconds before the tall lizard woman scoffed."

"We're leaving. Good day to you, Black."

"Oh? Not trying to threaten me with a warrant?"

"We both know I wouldn't get it. Not for you."

"Tragic. In a gesture of good faith, there is one thing I can tell you."

"Um?"

"The one who took the Patcher's life was one of his creations."

"Thank you for the tip. Goodbye, Black."

"Good luck, Inspector. You'll need it."

With the size of the room, it took some time for the woman and her group to leave under the gaze of the human man and his Celestial assistant. When the two were left alone, after a brief flash of light to burn away all the bugging devices that had been left behind, the taller of the two addressed the shorter one.

"Was this truly wise, Master Black?"

"I give them something, they stop bugging us. How many, by the way?"

"Four."

"Oh, less than last time. Maybe they already have budget problems."

"Or they did not feel the need to use more on an investigation that does not concern you."

"Ah, that too. But yes, I gave them something they probably already figured out themselves, nothing truly important. Though I will admit I was tempted to share that the responsible party had no nefarious intent."

"This would have eliminated a large number of Villains from the list of suspects. It would have revealed too much. It is a miracle you held your tongue rather than indulge in your love of monologuing for once."

"Ouch, I'm hurt, Nanyet."

"You are not."

"I'm not, but still. You should be mindful of your words, not everyone is as used to you as I am."

"Indeed, I believe you and I are each other's most recurrent interlocutor, even without including periods spent in silence together in the same room. However, I believe I still have more different interlocutors as I single-handedly handle your clientele."

"You really have the knack to use my words against me, uh?"

"Apologies. This was not an attempt at a repartee. Merely a statement of facts."

"Digging a deeper hole there, buddy."

"I am not digging a hole. Should a metaphor be used, I am merely observing and describing a preexisting pit, namely, your social life."

"I think I'm going to end this conversation here now."

"Would you like me to call Silhouette to initiate another discussion, since he is your most recurrent interlocutor outside of myself? Discussing with a foreigner lacking knowledge and needing help on multiple fronts may be easier to navigate and more comfortable."

"Nanyet, you are my most trusted companion. But I would like you to know that sometimes, you make me miss my internship with the fair folks."

"I could call them instead if you wish."

"DO NOT!"

While Blake and Nanyet were going through their vaudeville routine, the group of police officers who were on their way back to the city proper discussed among themselves.

"So, Inspector, what's the deal now? Black told us-"

"He told us a Patchee dealt the killing blow, which we already guessed. But creatures who have been beaten into submission like that don't just rebel out of nowhere, they were either incentivized by something or took advantage of an opening. Either way, a third party was involved. Hopefully, the autopsy will tell us how involved they were."

"If they did the heavy lifting and then fed him to the beasts or if they just manipulated them, right?"

"Exactly. My money's on the former. We never got a full report on what the Patcher could do, but we know he wasn't defenseless. His creations fell in line for a reason. He had to be at least wounded for them to feel comfortable attacking him."

"Inspector, we just got a text. Sunburn was sighted at the crime scene. Do you think..."

"Sighted, no fight, no need to worry. And no, he isn't involved. It's just the Angels trying to do their own investigation, they're the ones who needed the Patcher's services the most. Still, keep that in mind. If Sunburn starts going after people soon, then there's a good chance he has a reason to suspect them. And we all know the Angels ain't the sharpest, if they noticed something, then so can we."

"Yes Inspector!"

Yup. That was going to be a troublesome case.

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