A4 Argument (Patreon)

Another scene from Executioner's Gambit.

Biiz helped Tori and Druka find an apartment, but now that they're alone, they can vent what's on their minds.

A3 New Lodging

———

Tori arranged the apartment lease online and paid the first and last months’ rent sight unseen. Druka picked up some beer and miscellaneous items for the refrigerator, and then they walked in silence to their new home.

“Well, this is nice,” she said as she hobbled around the new apartment. “Two bedrooms … off a quiet corridor… It reminds me a lot of the place we had back on seventeen.”

She looked to her mate, but Druka remained uncharacteristically quiet. He pulled a beer bottle from the pack and sat at the table, staring blankly ahead.

“You … don’t like the apartment?” she asked, growing a little worried.

“I don’t like this job you’ve stumbled into,” he said quietly.

She stared at him a long moment, picking carefully through her thoughts for a reply. “You knew I’d be tracking a serial killer—”

“Yeah, but I thought…”

His words trailed off and she bit her lip. “You thought what?”

“I thought… I dunno!” he shouted before lowering his voice back down. “I thought it would be some maniac roaming the lower decks—kicking in doors and stabbing people.”

Her ears fell. “That would be better?”

“Yes!” Druka said, finally meeting her eyes. “Yes, that would be far better than hunting the ship’s folk hero.”

Her eyes opened wider. Oh! That’s what he’s upset about. “You don’t … know that.”

“They named him.”

Tori rolled her eyes and leaned on the table’s edge. “That’s actually a pretty common phenomenon, according to what I’ve read,” she said. “While a killer is on the loose, it’s perfectly normal for people to assign a name. It helps them get a handle on the unknown. This is especially true in particularly non-violent societies.”

“Yeah, sure, like The Slasher or The Terror of Krakuntec III,” he said, referring to some popular horror videos they’d watched together. “But The Executioner? They might as well have named him The Punisher or The Savior of the Sailor’s Gambit I.”

“Now, you’re just being facetious,” she sighed.

“Am I?” he asked. Gesturing excitedly at the wall, he hissed, clearly trying to keep his voice low, “Didn’t you hear how Biiz spoke of him? I think they idolize this killer.”

Tori’s stomach tied up in knots. Druka had been her mate once before, but she’d given back his bead when the arguing had grown too much. And now they were newlyweds again, having traded beads only a few hours ago! Had the arguing begun anew? “Yeah, well, too bad for them, I guess. Eventually, we’re going to catch this guy, and then it’s a short trip to the recycler, whether the crew admires him or not.”

“I’m not worried about the killer,” Druka groaned. He rested his chin on his arm and stared at the bubbles rising inside his bottle. “I’m worried about you! If the crew doesn’t want The Executioner caught, then that means they don’t want you to succeed.”

She sighed, feeling relieved. She reached across the table and ran her fingers through the fur on his head, taking a moment for her touch to linger on his ears. Quieter now, “Then, I’ll solve the case without their help. I’m going to find him. I have to.”

“And you don’t think that puts you in danger?”

She gave a small snort. “Being some sort of local hero doesn’t make him any more likely to target me. Besides, if he really does only strike those who abuse their power, then I should be pretty safe.”

“And what about the crew?” asked her mate. “What if they’d rather kill you then let you catch him?”

She put her paws on her hips and waited for him to look up at her. “What do you want me to do?” she asked. “Solving this case is the only chance we’ve got of living any sort of normal life together. It’s the only chance I’ve got…” Her words trailed off, but it hardly mattered. She knew that he understood all too well. She had to succeed. The life she had now wasn’t one worth living.

His expression looked pained, and he held out his paws for her to take. “I know. I do. Can you just … be careful? Play it low key. Keep quiet about why you’re here. Don’t tell anyone who doesn’t need to know.”

“I’ll try,” she promised. “Some of the crew will talk to me just for asking, but I may have to use my position to interview others. I’ll be as cautious as I can, okay?”

“Thanks.”

She took her paws from his, then after a moment’s curiosity, she pointed at the bottle beside him. “What’s that?”

“This ship’s version of beer, apparently,” he said. “Fizzy as a soda. Could be maltier but not bad really.”

She laughed and pointed again. “No, silly! On the bottle.”

He peered at the label a moment, then dug a claw at a corner and peeled most of it free. Leaving only some glue and torn paper residue behind, he handed the label to her.

She gave him a glare. “You could have just let me see the bottle,” she said but took it from him anyhow. He didn’t say anything. He didn’t need to. She knew that he was afraid she’d try drinking alcohol while still on pain meds.

Tori focused her attention on the label instead. “Lodas Lager,” it said, “4% alcohol by volume.” Around the edges of the paper, simple line drawings of various plants—presumably those that went into brewing the beer—bordered the text.

“That’s weird,” she said, turning the label about so he could see. “Why would they bother gluing labels on their beer bottles?” Back home, all beer came in identical bottles.

“Dunno,” said Druka as he took another swig. “Local custom, I guess. All the beers were labeled—wine too.”

She shrugged and dropped the paper on the table. “Strange. Seems like a waste of effort.”

When the apartment fell silent, she added, “Sure was strange finding that memory chip.”

That encouraged Druka to sit back up. “Boot,” he said. “Yeah, I looked it up. Seems this ship has not only a rebel murderer, but a rebel animator too.”

“Animation?” she asked, her ruined ears perking up. “Like lio manga?”

“No, not lio,” said Druka, “geroo. Someone aboard the ship has been making a video called Boots and been releasing it anonymously scene by scene as he completes it. I looked it up while you were arranging the apartment.”

“Lio manga is a style. Lot of different races use it for storytelling, not just the lio,” she explained, but he wasn’t paying much attention. Lio manga was her favorite animation style, but he never really got into it. “Why anonymously?”

“To stay out of trouble, probably,” said her mate. “Apparently, it portrays krakun characters as reasonable and friendly. It shows other races standing up to them when they’re not.”

“Sounds like quite the fantasy,” said Tori. “I don’t think the company would like that at all. They don’t seem keen on anyone questioning their authority.”

Tori sighed and let the day’s events roll around inside her head for a moment. “Do you suppose they could be the same geroo?” she asked.

“Who, the animator and killer?”

“Yeah,” said Tori. “They’re both anti-authority.”

“Dunno,” said Druka.

She circled around the table and rested her palms on his shoulders. Then, she bent forward and nuzzled his ears with her lips. “Do you suppose we could download the episodes of Boots he’s released so far?” she whispered. “I finally have my mate back, and I haven’t had a moment to just lie about and enjoy his company since we traded beads.”

His ears fell into a lopsided grin that never failed to make her smile. So, she kissed one of his ears and then the other. Then, she shuffled off to the bedroom to see if the apartment came with a video screen they could watch from bed.

———

Reviewer's link: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1dNpAf_UK3lfLEPJaLaX6tNG-i9LyoOC-tAJ-w8PaFq4/edit?usp=sharing

Thoughts?