Marrie Knight
When Marrie arrived at The Great Escape, she would be treated to a lively atmosphere. There were some things that she had just grown accustomed to because of how commonplace they were. Mary and Regina bickering had pretty much become background noise at this point. One liked to offend, and the other liked to be offended. Or at least that was how it felt. Elroy was speaking with some important looking espers, and everyone else was talking amongst themselves. There were definitely fewer freelancers here compared to pre-diver times, but their numbers were starting to creep up again. Unlike the true factions, lone espers would always be drawn to places like Pax due to the opportunity for a big payday. If anything, the chaos was only going to make things more appealing to thrill seekers.
Something Marrie was less accustomed to was being approached as soon as she walked in the door. Brittany, her supplier, walked up to her as soon as she stepped. She was even wearing a proper robe today instead of the bikini she wore when tending her cauldron.
”Just the person I wanted to see!” Brittany tended to be a little gruff in her shop, but that was not the case now.
”Business has been great, and we of the merchant’s guild would like to treat you to breakfast! So order whatever you want, because the guild will cover it!” ”Just in time!” A
girl in a detective costume came flying through the front door. She nearly ran into Marrie, but put the breaks on just in time. But was unable to catch her hat before it flew off her head and bumped into Marrie’s back.
”Terribly sorry, chap! I got excited when I saw your bike outside. Naturally, I used my brilliant intellect to deduce that you made your way in here. We have much to discuss.”Brittany laughed.
”Well, I’ve already offered to pay for her meal, so you’ll have to wait until later to speak with her.””Is that so?” The detective placed her hat back on her head.
”Well Marrie, you can sit at my table and I’ll pay your tab. Deduce the funds right out of my wallet. Not only that, but you can provide me with vital clues to my investigation!””Are you trying to impede my business meeting?””Are you trying to impede an investigation?”The two glared at each other with contempt.
Marrie, for her part, was beginning to regret not having come up with a proper Codename before coming to Pax. Or even yet, for that matter. She was also decidedly not used to people acting like she was anything uncommon, and was starting to fidget slightly at both the unusual treatment and the electricity that seemed to be in the air between the two other girls.
”Uh… thank you, both of you. There’s really no need to pay for me, though.” She looked around somewhat sheepishly as she spoke.
”If there’s nothing that has to be kept secret, we could all just talk together and go over what you both want, right?” Though if they did both want to speak privately, she wasn’t quite sure how she’d handle the social calculus of keeping them both happy.
”Business meetings are all about strategy and tactics, and I wouldn’t want our detective here to walk away with insider information.” Brittany folded her arms and turned away.
The detective did the same.
”I also feel that the details of this case should be kept confidential for the time being. I will not discuss the details with just anyone!”Elroy glanced past the giant man sitting at his table to see what this
new commotion was about. Naturally, said giant looked over his shoulder at Marrie. When he spotted her, he stood up and strolled over. The detective and Brittany moved off to the side as he approached.
”Are you Marrie Knight?”Yes indeed! I am the massive idiot who gave out her real name as an esper! “Uh… yeah, yes. You have discovered my true hidden identity, I guess…” Was humor a good coping mechanism? She supposed that her psyche and subconscious weren’t the type to have camaraderie with her left brain, so it probably didn’t matter. At least she was too busy in her current state of self-deprecation to actually be intimidated by the man’s size.
The large man raised an eyebrow.
”Was I not supposed to say your name out loud? I did not realize it was a secret. You will have to forgive me.” He got down on one knee, which made him about Marrie’s height.
”I am Raphiel the Righteous Hearted. You contacted the Inquisition and told us about Trisha’s abduction. You mentioned a ‘Hand’ in your-” He looked to the ladies on either side of Marrie.
”Ahh, I did not realize you were in a discussion with Brittan’s Super Sleuth or the merchant’s guild. I do not want to keep you, but I have a few questions if you can spare the time.”Oh.
Oh. ”Oh, no, that’s fine. I’m just being melodramatic about not having a codename. Sorry.” She took a few seconds to try to remember if she’d ever contacted “The Inquisition.” If she had contacted them about Trisha… That was Pac-a-Fist. Was this about- She was overwhelmed once again by guilt from what had happened with Justin. But she’d worked as hard as she could to try to make up for that, and she knew it. She pushed down the feeling.
”If you’re talking about the abduction, that was quite a while ago and I’m really hoping things are settled with Justin being… deader. Please don’t tell me you’re here because he’s come back somehow.”She glanced at the two girls who had first gotten her attention.
”If things have to be private, that’s fine too. I’ll be happy to help both of you in a minute if that’s something I can do. Do you mind if I finish this talk first though? Stuff relating to that vampire sort of takes itself to the top of my list, sorry.” There was genuine remorse in her voice as she apologized; she really did want to help them if she could, and she felt bad brushing them off like this.
”Of course!” Brittany said with the sweetest smile Marrie had ever seen. Marrie also noticed that Brittany was sweating like she was in front of her cauldron again.
”We’ll just wait our turn!” The two had become awfully cooperative and backed away.
”I appreciate your attention.” He folded his hands on top of his knee.
”Elroy filled me in on Justin’s fate. While I had intended to arrive in time to help, I am happy to see that Trisha has recovered and the vampire is slain. In some ways I envy younger espers like yourself. You’d like to think that as you become more powerful you can change more, but your responsibilities grow with you. My trip was delayed a full week because the pope refused to sign off on it. Alas, I returned too late to help Trisha.” He looked out the window.
”But it looks like there is still much to be done. Tell me, Marrie, what is your feeling about the state of Pax Septimus? I was quite surprised to hear that the one who contacted us was also there when Justin appeared again.”Grateful that the two girls had acquiesced, Marrie turned her full attention to Raphiel. The state of Pax…
”I haven’t really seen the city in any state other than one where people like Justin are around. I pretty much got here, ran into cults, screwed up with not being able to stop Justin… Spent a long time trying to make up for that, and now I’m back to fighting cults and watching people get massacred. So I’d say that it’s a pretty terrible state, but it sure seems like that’s just the ‘normal’ for the city. Honestly, I’m surprised anyone lives here who isn’t an esper or a monster.” That pretty much summed up her experience, didn’t it?
”That is troubling news. I had heard that there was a lot of unrest in Pax Septimus, but to think it was this bad…” Raphael rubbed his chin in thought.
”Marrie, something is wrong with this city, and I do not think it is all the work of some organized monsters. GEMINI’s chief concern is keeping the businesses open so that they continue to generate tax dollars, and thus need to do so efficiently. Maverick Alternative sympathizes with monsters, and I hear they are funded by individuals from the middle east. Most Freelancers are here to line their wallets with cash. I do not believe there is a strong motivation to fix the problems that plague Pax Septimus.” Raphael stood up. There wasn’t a single esper in the room that he didn’t tower over.
”Well, I have taken enough of your time for now. You’ve contacted me before, but you may do so again if there are any more developments.” He looked over his shoulder at Elroy.
”I have a feeling you’re one of the good ones.”And with that, Raphael departed. The two girls from earlier approached Marrie afterwards, but did so carefully.
During this round of propositions, Marrie’s phone beeped. It seemed that she had received an E-mail from the Inquisition. Why did she have a feeling this might be another job offer?
Marrie, for her part, wasn't quite sure what Raphael's deal was. He was right, definitely right, that GEMINI wasn't worried about the people. If Maverick was funded by outside groups, sure everything needed funding, but that was a way to get control over someone. She didn't quite care where the money came from, so much as that it was an outside force from Maverick itself. And if it were another government... She had at least one friend in Maverick and felt like she had another in GEMINI, but a few good apples don't unspoil the bunch.
Then the Freelancers. Sure, she was one of them and was one because of the money, but she at least hoped that Raphael was also correct about her being one of the "good ones," in spite of her mind saying otherwise. All of this running through her mind as Sammy and Brittany asked their questions made her head spin.
”Are you okay?” Brittany’s ears twitched.
The detective nodded.
”That fellow had an intimidating aura. Or maybe it was his size that was intimidating? It’s difficult to deduce.” Her eyes shifted side to side.
”But introductions! It is as Raphael said, I am Brittan’s Super Sleuth! But most simply call me Sammy. I had a bit of a proposition for you.” She placed her hands together.
”I’m looking for something of a Watson to my Holmes. You seem like someone with an ear to the ground, and having you in my employ would make me very pop- um, happy! Yes, very happy!”Brittany stepped forth.
”And what I would like is for you to not be anyone’s sidekick and head my advertising campaign! Did you know that only 25% percent of Freelance espers use supplemental equipment on their jobs? We need to arm the other 75%! And we can do that if if you tell everyone how instrumental your supplemental equipment was in bringing down the Diver and besting Justin!” For Sammy, the idea wasn't bad. Helping a detective would be a chance to hopefully help a lot of people. On the other hand, it would likely limit her ability to do missions from Shimr if they weren't mysteries. As for Brittany, helping her would likely mean a lot of income, but less time to actually do things that mattered beyond that.
But she had caught Sammy's slip-up, and Brittany's "arm all espers" idea wasn't really on Marrie's list of great ideas.
"I'm sure that-" An idea struck.
"Actually, wouldn't you both get more out of helping each other with that than from me? If Sammy uses your items to solve cases, that would make them more well-known and drive traffic your way, right? And if Brittany makes useful items for investigations, wouldn't that make your job easier? Plus, who better to figure out market trends than a someone who likes solving mysteries, and who better to keep an ear on things than a store owner? I guess a barkeeper, maybe, but still.""Besides, I don't know what kind of rumors are going around about me, but I'm not really... That great. I barely did anything in the fight against the Diver, and any popularity I might have is going to be fleeting. But the merchant's guild and Brittan's Super Sleuth are only going to grow in fame, right?"The proposition holders glanced at each other.
”You’re not wrong.” Brittany was the first to speak.
”But you’re a hot commodity right now, kid. Your ability isn’t as interesting to me as your reputation. You attempted to assassinate Justin, put in work on the whole Betty/Pac disappearance, and stared down Oros the Mad during the water truck fiasco. Either way, it’s one hell of a step up for someone new to the area. There’s a reason why companies rotate their respective celebrities. It’s all part of good business!””It is as the merchant worded it. We may be popular elsewhere, but not on this side of the pond. Something that became too evident when I had to explain what a crumpet was to a bloke.” The detective spun her magnifying glass.
”But if you do not wish to be my Watson, then I suppose I can make due with some devices. It’s not really what either of us wants though.””Gack-” an undignified sound came from Marrie’s mouth. She didn’t know people even knew that she was involved with things like that.
”I… I’m really sorry, but the best I can do is try to help when I can, and I don’t think I’d be able to help as full-term as you two probably want. If I mess up again as bad as I did a few months ago, I need to be able to focus on trying to fix it. I’m… pretty confident, given my track record, that I’m going to screw everything up again somehow. I don’t want to take either of you down with me when I do. I’d be willing to help when I can though, but I don’t think it’s great to try to leverage popularity that I don’t deserve to make better business, if that makes sense?” Marrie bowed her head.
”I really am sorry, I just…” She waved her arms in the air somewhat, trying to signify the things she’d mentioned.
”All that.””That’s a no, then?” Brittany pouted.
”Well, whatever. If you change your mind, the offer stands.” She turned around to walk out the door, with the detective following close behind.
”Interested in some supplemental equipment?” ”I’ll have a look..” Sammy cast a glance over her shoulder, but said nothing as she disappeared through the threshold of the door.
Elroy had more or less been keeping to himself this whole time. He hadn’t even made eye contact with Marrie until just now. His plate was nearly empty, save for half a sausage link.
”You’ll get used to it, mist girl.” Was all he said before digging in again.
The mist girl simply sighed, and pulled out her phone to check her email.
I believe it is in our best interests to limit the amount of time we are seen together. While you have a reputation already, I would hate for you to be targeted by some unscrupulous sorts on account of you meeting with me. I have always been a careful man, but I hope my vigilance does not come across as paranoia. There is far more good than bad in Pax, but the bad can be exceptionally cunning.
Please continue to keep me informed. While my E-mail is open to you, you may also contact me through the missionaries deploying aid throughout the city. While they aren’t espers, they are all assistants of mine and know what espers are.No signature, but it wasn’t necessary.
Despite having upset two seemingly nice people, and having met perhaps the most intimidating esper she’d yet seen, Marrie had at least succeeded in her initial goal... Her nightmares were out of her mind for a while.
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