บท 41: Council With The Lord
"One suspect apprehended and two civilians involved. The suspect was wearing a strange, embroidered suit and a vintage mask, contrary to his subordinates who only wore black cloaks... What do you make of this, Ms. Muira?"
In an large room with a multitude of men and women, diligently analyzing the events of the night, Dola approached one, female analyst, watching as they navigated through different data sources. The screen constantly morphed, changing with every click of the keyboard, but every member of the Bureau shared this rhythm, working as one, shared body without any cues to coordinate each other.
"The building they were housed in... It was completely deserted, with exception of the room they were stationed in throughout the encounter. It was almost as if the encounter was staged-- like they were waiting for-- maybe not both of our arrivals but someone to arrive."
The woman continued typing for a moment until a layout of the building appeared on the screen. She responded as she continued to sift through the data being shown.
"It would be impossible to account for the arrival of both the second-ranked mercenary from Krewe's university and the chief of the police force... right?"
"Under regular circumstances, I'd believe so, but we still haven't uncovered anything about Dotsugaya's character. His heritage, his motives, and his power remain a mystery... As I detained him, he seemed delighted-- not beyond the realm of possibility when dealing with a mentally ill suspect, but... It felt too... controlled."
"So, you believe it was an act, Ms. Miura?"
"There's nothing to base the theory on, but I'm confident what I'm feeling isn't nothing, Deputy Sakari."
Sakari paused her data analyzing to turn around, looking up toward Dola. Her hair was a natural red, freckles lining her face from ear to ear, and she had a cute smile as she looked upon her superior, her green eyes shining through the dark room.
"I trust your intuition, Chief Dola."
...
"You're here on charges of assault, sexual harassment, trespassing, sexual assault of a minor, and... attempted murder."
Dot laughed lightly at hearing his charges, Dola sitting across from him. His mask had been removed, revealing his short, black hair that covered the top of his brow and his green eyes with a pupil and iris. He had a handsome face, and the way he carried himself was more professional, now that his mask had been removed. He hesitantly responded, clearly making fun of his bleak situation.
"I'm honored to have the beautiful Chief Dola interrogate me personally. I'll have to say, this is the one thing I never tho--"
"I'm flattered, but you know very well why you're here. You can drop the act, now. If you so wish, we'll add on the charges we've 'regretted' to account for for the sake of this investigation."
Astonished, Dot's eyes widened. He grinned, his voice becoming much more serious than previously.
"I never knew the police gave such liberties..."
Dola smirked.
"As of now, you hold the charges of both yourself and your subordinates. If you were to elaborate on a motive or any other connections you might have, I have no doubt in my mind that we could arrange a lightening of your, now, 70 years in solitary confinement. Being the mastermind of such heinous crimes, you've been blessed with such a sentence."
As Dotsugaya held his crazed smile, it slowly regressed into a blank expression, and his eyes suddenly began wandering about the interrogation room. Dola investigated this behavior closely, waiting for him to speak of his own accord.
"I didn't do anything..."
He spoke with a frighteningly serious expression, and Dola's eyes widened by his sureness. Dola hesitated to speak, her confidence being rattled by the strange and sudden change in his demeanor.
...
Beo's body shook as Alcmene rustled, waking from his drunken slumber. As of now, he was in visible distance from Eastward's dormitory, the lights of the building showing through the contrasting outskirts of Hinansho City. Beo quickly adjusted his demeanor, careful not to show any emotion as he shared Bo's appearance.
"You're awake. Can you stand?"
Alcmene groaned, rubbing his eyes as he still rested upon Beo's shoulder. As he opened his eyes, they shined brightly, resembling Headmaster Krewe's red gems; red eyes without an iris, but his pupil remained intact, the darkness holding a strange, ominous feel to them.
"Bo? We haven't spoken in ages... Why are you carrying me around?"
"You passed out from drinking..."
Alcmene pushed himself from Beo's shoulder, his feet swiftly catching his fast descent, but as he made impact, he held his head tightly, shooting pain nauseating him.
"S-shit..."
He fell forward, but Beo swiftly caught him, supporting him with his shoulder as they walked together, steadily approaching the dorms. Alc laughed at himself, seeing the situation he'd put himself in before regret ensued.
"I'm... sorry for burdening you like this... Whenever I get to parties, I kinda go ape-shit."
He giggled a bit before stopping, looking upon Beo's blank expression, and Beo never responded, surprising Alcmene with his indifference. The walked silently together, Beo thinking to himself as he supported Alc's body.
'That's right... He was in the mercenary course. He was an enigmatic character, from my recollection. I wonder what's he's been involved in now.'
Beo spoke, breaking the silence as they walked through the dormitory complex, approaching their appropriate building. The complex was deathly quiet, everyone being asleep as the clock passed two, but something lingered in the still air--something disastrous.
"Why'd you quit the mercenary course?"
Alcmene's eyes dimmed, the question making him feel a sense of unease, but he still struggled to respond, having respect for who he believed was an old friend. His mouth opened slowly, carrying the weight of his next words.
"...That's a long story... Maybe another time..."
Beo nodded as the climbed the stairs of the dormitory building, and as they came to their floor, Alc's eyes widened, something not sitting right with him. He looked down the hall, without a trace of anyone's presence before speaking, a worried tone seeping through his voice.
"She's not here..."
"Who?"
"Aigo-san. She's the hall monitor, even at late ours like this one..."
Alc pulled himself from Beo's shoulder before pulling a phone from his pocket. As he dialed, he approached the door of a dorm room, rustling through his pockets for what Beo believed to be his keys. Beo passed him, thinking no more of the happening as he approached his dorm, swiftly pulling out his own keys.
Suddenly, Alcmene exclaimed, whispering to himself as he pulled his pockets inside-out.
"Shit... I must've lost 'em during the party! Bo, do you mind if I bunk with you?"
"The hall monitor would disapprove... We've already broken curfew..."
"The bitch ain't here, is she? We'll be fine!"
Beo reluctantly motioned Alc to follow as he pulled out his keys. As they waited, Alcmene's phone rang, calling the person he'd said was supposed to be monitoring their floor. As Alc's phone rang, Beo flinched, hearing something from within his dorm room. The phone stopped ringing, someone picking up on the other end.
"Aigo! Where you at?"
Beo could hear her sly response, sounding as if half-asleep, and using his honed hearing, he eavesdropped on the conversation.
"In my room, idiot... I can't be bothered to sit in that hall all night, anymore. I didn't give you my number to pester me throughout the night."
"But--"
"Let me guess; you broke curfew? You've gotten predictable at this point, to the point I've gotten tired of enforcing it. Now, go to sleep. Club meeting's tomorrow--"
Aigo hung up, and defeated, Alc placed his phone back in his pocket as Beo opened the door, the door squeaking as they walked through. Alcmene surveyed the area as Beo stopped in his tracks, his instincts flaring.
'What's this feeling...'
Beo spoke, directing his voice toward Alcmene as he stared at the door to the bedroom. He struggled to maintain composure as Arc sensed nothing, digging through Beo's things uninvited.
"The bedroom's here... We should get to bed, even if there's no school tomorrow."
"Roger!"
Alcmene followed Beo as they approached the closed door of his bedroom. Beo slowly pulled the door open, and his eye's nearly reverted on instinct, someone sitting in their bed. Alc's eyes narrowed as the man in question sat at the edge of Beo's bed, holding their hand on another's eyes.
"Aigo-san..."
A woman sat, her eyes dead as an expansive mark covered the right side of her face completely. She wore a sports bra, a letterman jacket lying on her shoulders rather than being worn, and her long, black pants outlined her slim physique, large black boots complementing her look altogether. She sat motionless, holding a phone to her left ear as the man behind her smiled toward the two of them.
Alcmene spoke under his breath.
"L-Let her go..."
He shivered, a dread filling him to the core as he watched his friend being held captive. He wanted desperately to help her, but something pulled him away... himself. Beo stepped toward the man, but as he approached, the mark grew, consuming more of her face. Beo backed away, the mark consequentially retreating once more.
"What do you want with her... Sultan Rigkt of the Curse..."
Rigkt had hair that parted at the middle, both sides holding a distinct glow of light and dark. His suit mirrored this, and his hair flew through the air, seemingly unaffected by gravity.
He smiled as he caressed Aigo's face, Aigo being unable to interact with this world. She sat as if dead while Rigkt spoke, moving only when he'd move his hand. As he spoke, both Alcmene's fear and anger grew, his fist balling as he slowly retreated.
Rigkt continued to speak, ignoring him completely.
"I wanted to speak with you..."
Alcmene backed into a wall, making a thud that shook the dorm room. The impact caught Rigkt's attention, and he finally acknowledged his presence. In the same instant, he disappeared, looming behind Alc as his dark hand flared, gripping his face tightly before Alcmene's vision ceased and his mind numbed.
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