When You're Solving a Problem that Needs a Gun, Why Not Bring a Cannon Instead?

It was a nice and sunny day, like most days are in Hipparcos. Nivelir was just about done with managing his work in the city, and it was only early afternoon by the time he returned to the manor. Rosamund would prefer it if he took proper breaks, so to avoid his nagging he decided to take a walk through the gardens before returning to his office. Well, after the forced break, he realized he quite enjoyed some time to relax. It seemed that Officer Teodolit decided to make it his mission to entertain him during that time. His efforts were appreciated and he had a good time. The man played cittern for him, shared his vast knowledge of herbs and plants, showed him how he made those amazing teas of his, and did his best to make him laugh. His efforts weren't in vain. Nivelir decided to grace him with a smile several times, and he even managed to make him genuinely laugh. Once.

Nonetheless, his absence from work gave him a bit of an anxiety. There was so much to do, he even needed to step in to assist Rosamund once when he was dealing with Alberic. Other than that, though, he was nearly locked out of his own office as he wanted to help more. He appreciated Rosamund's concern, of course, but what was a secretary for if not helping him?

Such thoughts troubled him as he walked through the lovely garden. The dust from the gravel road that was winding among the rows of flowers in bloom was dirtying his coat. He will need to dust it off later, perhaps suggest Rosamund he should place cobblestones instead. Although, he supposed that this added a certain rustic charm to the garden. He greeted the gardeners on his way. They were taking a break in the shade of the mulberry tree and politely greeted him in turn. He made his way to the teleportation circle to find Lilac hard at work on something new. He decided against disturbing him, and went around towards the back entrance of the manor.

A young lady was kneeling by a bush. He realized that was Ekliptik when he came closer. Now that they've begun dressing as a young noble, they really looked more proper despite their awfully short hair. Well, he supposed that it was longer than Lilac's, and both of them needed practical cuts for their work. He really had nothing to comment about their appearance, unlike the first time they met. Aside from the fact that they were dirtying their dress on the ground, that is. He was now close enough to greet them, when he realized they were quietly talking to the bush.

"What are you doing?" he asked.
The young spymaster flinched and wiped their eyes with the back of their hand before turning to him. Were they crying? "Th-there's a c-cat..."
They were crying. And doing their best to hide it from him. Ah, damn it. Did he do something? They more than earned his respect, he didn't mean to frighten them now. Again.

"Why are you crying?" he asked.
"It- I think it's hurt. I- I wanna h-help."
"It's in the bush?"
"Y-yeah. I can't g-get it out. I heard it meowin' an' saw some blood. Over there."
Well, it certainly looked like blood. On one hand, it was just a cat. On the other hand, Ekliptik seemed to be deeply distressed by this situation. He checked the time and let out a sigh. Fine, he can entertain this for a while. "Stay here, try to coax it out. I will return soon." What do cats like, he wondered. Rats, mice, all manner of rodents... a bit of meat from the kitchen should be enough to befriend it, right? Not salted meat, probably. Even he found it disgusting and chewy. He returned from the kitchen with a few small pieces of beef from a stew the servants were making, served on an entirely too fancy porcelain plate. Ekliptik was still crying, but it seemed the situation didn't escalate yet. He gave them the plate and stepped away as they continued their attempts.

Some very sad meowing let him know that there indeed was a cat. It took a quarter of a damned hour, but the animal finally made itself known by peeking out from under the bush and gulping down a meal he brought. It was an ugly creature, dirty, skinny, sickly, and undoubtedly full of fleas. It was also missing a part of its ear.

Of all the creatures to get attached to. Nivelir could've gotten them a better animal, but the spymaster seemed determined to help it. He let out a tired sigh. Fine. This was manageable. If this is what they wanted, fine.

He sent a servant to tell his assistants to continue the work without him and stood nearby, waiting. Ekliptik finally managed to get the cat to come out. Nearly two hours later, he tiredly noticed. Well, he couldn't just leave them here, right? If the animal was ill, or dangerous, he needed to be there to react. The cat seemed to have some difficulty walking, its hips were strangely placed, but there was no blood on it. It flopped on the dress by the spymaster's side, purring in a truly pathetic manner while they patted its head.
"It's hurt..."
"A broken leg, perhaps?" Nivelir suggested.
"Think someone kicked it. This's what kicked cats look like... An', it's scared..."
"Not of you, it seems."
"I gave it food," they said. "...thanks."
"What are you going to do with it?"
"Dunno..." They sniffled. "I- I wanna help, but I ain't got- I don't know how to. I'm not a doctor. Maybe- maybe Teo can?" They stared up at him with those large cyan eyes, on the verge of tears and whatnot. What an exhausting situation.

Fine.

What else could he do? Kill the cat to put it out of its misery? With the way they looked at him, it wasn't an option he could even say out loud. Fine. "Wait here," he ordered before marching off for the second time. He sent a servant to fetch Doctor Soxhlet, Teodolit, and Lilac for good measure, and found Bluebell to let him know about the situation.
"It's likely someone from the household kicked the animal. I want a full investigation. Depending on who it was and why it was done, Lord Governor may wish to let them go."
"Ah... but would that truly be an appropriate punishment?"
"They injured an old, rather pathetic animal. Do you think he'd stand for this?"
Bluebell bowed to him. "I apologize, Lord Secretary. You are correct. I will look into this. You mentioned there was blood?"
"Yes. The cat probably attempted to defend itself. If anyone is has scratches, they are the likely culprit."
"Very good, sir. I will look into it at once."
"Ah- Lord Secretary! You called for me?" Doctor Soxhlet asked, approaching them.
"Yes. There is an injured cat in the garden, Spymaster Ekliptik is looking after it right now. Your expertise will be necessary."
"You- Lord Secretary, you called me over for a cat?"
"Why, yes. Is there a problem, Doctor?" he asked. His voice implied that there will certainly be a problem if she answered affirmatively, and considering the difference in height and status between the two of them, she decided it was a fight that she wasn't going to pick. She threw her hands into the air, visibly annoyed, and went to Ekliptik.

Problem solved, then.

"Find the one responsible, Bluebell. Report the issue to Lord Governor when he's free. He can decide what to do."
"Yes, Lord Secretary. I will also prepare a place for the cat to live in."
Nivelir gave him a nod, dismissing the man.

Lilac was, thankfully, great with children and animals. He was restraining his usual sarcastic self while he and Teodolit discussed the most appropriate medicines for the cat. Primarily for the fleas, thankfully. The animal was not going to be permitted into the house until that situation was resolved. Doctor Soxhlet, meanwhile, announced that the cat had a broken hip. It wouldn't let her touch it, so she was forced to explain to Ekliptik what to do from a safe distance. He noticed that she had a cut on the back of her hand. Clearly the cat was well equipped for self-defense. Ekliptik managed to feed it medicine to fall asleep and she got to work, grumbling only on occasion. Leaning on his cane, Teodolit flashed him a smile before returning to his discussion with Lilac. Bluebell arrived for a few moments to let him know what happened, and that Rosamund decided to send the servant away.

What a fuss Ekliptik made, honestly.

At least they weren't crying anymore. After all their help, well, he supposed they could keep the cat.

After they were sure the trio he arranged was properly taking care of the ugly creature, they finally got up from the ground and dusted off their dress a little. They awkwardly offered him a curtsy. "Thanks."
"Don't mention it," he said. He didn't do anything. "The cat was hungry and tried to sneak into the kitchen. They chased it out, and later a maid noticed it was still nearby, so she decided to kick it to get rid of it. She won't work here anymore, Lord Governor fired her."
"Uh. Good. It's, uh, it's bad luck if y' hurt a cat. Y'know. They're magic an' they protect ships..."
Ah, so they believed the usual sailor superstitions. Not that he was too surprised about it.

"Umm... Since yer here. I've sent some people to the Capital. One's looking what's Duchess up to, one's followin' Alberic so he doesn't double-cross us," they said. "They're my best. One's also lookin' out for other stuff. Sea Lord Khamil, other Rosamund's enemies, they're listenin' in to rumors and keepin' an eye."
"Very good," he said, giving them a nod.
"An- an I'm havin' guys look into the whole Coterie business. Nita told me to. They seem like a pretty average gang, not much to them. No connection to Mercanti, thas what Alberic was lookin' for turns out."
"Average? They broke into the manor and poisoned four people."
"Aye, an' then Rosamund knocked out the other one with a few punches. It ain't hard to sneak around," they said with a shrug. "He seems to have some plans wi' 'em, so I'm lookin' for ways to get their bosses over here."
"Do you mean something like arresting them, perhaps?" Something legal, perhaps?
"Rosamund said something about playing their game an' beating them. I'll have an operation soon. I could use some extra guys, out of uniform. Or I can get my own guys."

Rosamund was up to something again. Nivelir could feel his hairs raising on their ends. Whatever it was, the end result was guaranteed to be interesting. So the little criminal was operating with Governor's blessing. In that case, who was he to argue? "Let me know what you need. I will see to it."

Their face went strangely blank for a moment, before they looked up at him with a strange expression.


"Show me how t' do makeup?"