Justus paced the length of his room.
The Decurion read the reports from the Sekiseigumi thrice, his eyes combing over the words as if there were some hidden meaning to be found in between the letters. Aventine had been shot. Multiple times. He should have died. But instead, he sat in the brig without a scar to be seen on his body.
A white dome of light? Healing that came from some gnarled tree branch? Preposterous. And yet...
Aventine’s own report had also mentioned a Hearer. He was saved by one of those Eorzean tree-worshiping savages. Of all people.
Justus flung the report to the far side of the room, the individual papers flying into the air. His chest rose and fell with pent-up screams of anger he couldn’t release. His breath hissed through clenched teeth. This was Grave’s fault. He and his kind. Aventine had been left alone to patrol the docks. Just picking him off should have been an easy task.
Where did this cursed Hearer even come from? Why was she there that particular night? And what had possessed Aventine to protect the damnable woman?
Kanekazu, the lead samurai on the case, had mentioned something about honor and returning favors. Justus skimmed over all that nonsense. Sentimentality would be the death of anyone. Only, in Aventine’s case, it had saved him. Was he cavorting with the savages? If that was the case, it was going against protocol. But bringing attention to such a minor infraction would only raise more questions, would only beckon extra eyes onto everything else that had occurred. That, Justus could not afford. Close scrutiny by those above him may uncover the flaws in the records and the missing inventory.
Once Aventine was dead, he would make the perfect scapegoat. That, and the excuse for more arms and soldiers. Why did he refuse to just sodding die?
At least this incident bought him some time. Aventine would be put through multitude of medical exams. It still amazed him that after multiple gunshot wounds, the man only had minor bruises to show for it. Had the healing magic of Eorzea been grossly underestimated all this time? Certainly Garlemald had their own medical advancements, but nothing that was able to treat a fatal gunshot wound in matter of seconds that left the wounded almost as if he was never injured at all.
Justus narrowed his eyes, his pacing coming to a stop. Perhaps that was how he would twist this investigation. A request for soldiers to fortify against savages and their attempts to kill one of their own, as well as commissioning a side investigation into Hearers and their abilities. Certainly the medical engineers and historians may take interest in the details. Granted, they had no facilities for the study of such things, not here in Kugane. But should they bring one to the mainland of Ilsabard, certainly more complete experiments could be done. It would be a tricky thing, since Garlemald was under the guise of diplomacy within Hingashi that no such hostile actions would be authorized.
Justus let out a triumphant snort. He would task this to Aventine. It would get him off the trail of the missing weapons, and keep him busy until Justus could figure out a new way to cover his tracks. And if Aventine disobeyed, then Justus had every right to exercise his authority for disobedience against a superior. He just had to come up with plausible orders. And they should at least sound legal.
Grave would just have to wait. The scrutiny would be increased for awhile, and he could not risk getting caught. He knew the Highlander would be unhappy with this news, and that only drew another disdainful sound from his nose.
He needs me, not the other way around.
Justus was certain of that, at least. His course settled in his mind, the Decurion sat to begin the first of many requisition letters.
The Decurion read the reports from the Sekiseigumi thrice, his eyes combing over the words as if there were some hidden meaning to be found in between the letters. Aventine had been shot. Multiple times. He should have died. But instead, he sat in the brig without a scar to be seen on his body.
A white dome of light? Healing that came from some gnarled tree branch? Preposterous. And yet...
Aventine’s own report had also mentioned a Hearer. He was saved by one of those Eorzean tree-worshiping savages. Of all people.
Justus flung the report to the far side of the room, the individual papers flying into the air. His chest rose and fell with pent-up screams of anger he couldn’t release. His breath hissed through clenched teeth. This was Grave’s fault. He and his kind. Aventine had been left alone to patrol the docks. Just picking him off should have been an easy task.
Where did this cursed Hearer even come from? Why was she there that particular night? And what had possessed Aventine to protect the damnable woman?
Kanekazu, the lead samurai on the case, had mentioned something about honor and returning favors. Justus skimmed over all that nonsense. Sentimentality would be the death of anyone. Only, in Aventine’s case, it had saved him. Was he cavorting with the savages? If that was the case, it was going against protocol. But bringing attention to such a minor infraction would only raise more questions, would only beckon extra eyes onto everything else that had occurred. That, Justus could not afford. Close scrutiny by those above him may uncover the flaws in the records and the missing inventory.
Once Aventine was dead, he would make the perfect scapegoat. That, and the excuse for more arms and soldiers. Why did he refuse to just sodding die?
At least this incident bought him some time. Aventine would be put through multitude of medical exams. It still amazed him that after multiple gunshot wounds, the man only had minor bruises to show for it. Had the healing magic of Eorzea been grossly underestimated all this time? Certainly Garlemald had their own medical advancements, but nothing that was able to treat a fatal gunshot wound in matter of seconds that left the wounded almost as if he was never injured at all.
Justus narrowed his eyes, his pacing coming to a stop. Perhaps that was how he would twist this investigation. A request for soldiers to fortify against savages and their attempts to kill one of their own, as well as commissioning a side investigation into Hearers and their abilities. Certainly the medical engineers and historians may take interest in the details. Granted, they had no facilities for the study of such things, not here in Kugane. But should they bring one to the mainland of Ilsabard, certainly more complete experiments could be done. It would be a tricky thing, since Garlemald was under the guise of diplomacy within Hingashi that no such hostile actions would be authorized.
Justus let out a triumphant snort. He would task this to Aventine. It would get him off the trail of the missing weapons, and keep him busy until Justus could figure out a new way to cover his tracks. And if Aventine disobeyed, then Justus had every right to exercise his authority for disobedience against a superior. He just had to come up with plausible orders. And they should at least sound legal.
Grave would just have to wait. The scrutiny would be increased for awhile, and he could not risk getting caught. He knew the Highlander would be unhappy with this news, and that only drew another disdainful sound from his nose.
He needs me, not the other way around.
Justus was certain of that, at least. His course settled in his mind, the Decurion sat to begin the first of many requisition letters.
-=Sentry's Wiki=-
(please note that this is still a major work in progress!)
