Thu Dec 15, 2011 3:09 am
For a bunch of spectacle-wearing, pseudo-intellectuals, the staff of Glenn Burnie's nebulous government agency tended to be fairly friendly. Part of it was the gossipy nature of their work. They had reason to know everything about everyone, or at least as much as possible, and that meant that few people who walked in through the front door walked in as total strangers. More than that, though, they simply had little reason to complain. Oh, Burnie worked them hard, yes, but hard work for them was far preferable to toiling in the fields for the Myrken-born members or being a much smaller fish in a much bigger pond for the scribes and researchers who came from abroad.
It was therefore striking that when the ragged constable walked in, not a soul smiled up in greeting. Quite the opposite. There were some scowls and numerous averted gazes. Kurt Lentham was perfectly fine with that, though. He had received stares and glares ever since his second lease of life began five years before. He was an awkward man and an unusual Constable. This was something more, however.
Inquisitor Burnie (or Judiciary Investigator Burnie depending on the day and who he spoke with) had an open-door policy. So many strange and dangerous things happened in Myrken. If someone wanted to come forward, Glenn would listen. This was especially true if it was a Constable bringing forth the information. So once again, it was unnatural, when Maxwell, the young Heathian researcher, leapt forward to block the main office door, even as Lentham had almost reached it.
He put a hand up to his glasses, adjusting them. "Mister Burnie is busy. He cannot be disturbed right now! If you'll just leave a message, we'll.."
Lentham stared at the young man, taking a nice long swig from his flask. There was a tiny look of surprise over the fact that Maxwell was still there when he put the flask back down at his side. "Busy. Alright. I'll wait." He took one uncomfortable step closer towards the door and the smaller man between him and it.
"H..here?" Maxwell stammered. This was not what he was trained for. Actually, he wasn't trained for anything that involved interpersonal relations at all. "I'm sorry but that's..."
Finally, mercifully, Burnie's voice called out from within the room. "Maxwell, let Detective Constable Lentham through. Let's just get this over with."
The smaller man looked perturbed, perhaps in the grips of sudden and terrible indigestion, but he still walked off to the side, shooting the grizzled constable a nasty look as he did. For his trouble, Lentham gave Maxwell a salute with the flask, before drinking of it again as he ambled into the room.
"Alright,then" Burnie didn't even look up his guest. "So, Aeryn Karolinger's back again, right? You have testaments and reports that some pantsless vagabond is traipsing through Myrken under the full moon? Time to send out the dogs?" The first time, a year and a half ago, they did just that. The second time, a few months later, they did as well. The third time, there was less of a response. And such reports have been basically ignored since then, even though Lentham returned like clockwork every few months to report them. Of course he would receive such a cold shoulder from the researchers after nearly two years of wild goose chases.
"Got in a scuffle with Agnieszka Kaczmarek last night." Lentham drawled, unaffected by Burnie's tone. He was about to continue when the seated once-mapmaker, now finally looking at the Constable, cut him off.
The tone of his voice had gotten even sharper still. "Really? Agnie and Aeryn, just tussling in the middle of.. what? The Dagger? Do you realize what's going on right now? Dragons, Drow, Demons, Werewolves, twisted Fae, magical beings of immense power trying to kill Councilor Treadwell and ME for that matter. There was some sort of Water Elemental sloshing about the other day. Oh and the little matter of the lake being poisoned by Suede Roschen. If you spent half your time going after him instead of hunting after ghosts and shadows then.."
"Two Constables, missing. Good men. Last seen in the woods. Might have found his camp." Lentham continued, unaffected and unperturbed.
Burnie stared at him, cold fury subsiding. "And you don't think that wasn't the creature that has been snatching people for the last few months? Unless you think that's Karolinger too?" He put a hand to his head, shutting his eyes. "You know what? Fine. Take Maxwell. He's still in hot water after the incident a few days ago. Take him. Go talk to Agony. But if she says she hasn't seen him, then I'll have your tongue cut out the next time you say Aeryn's name to me. Got it?" One more pause as Burnie glared at the unshaven creature of Myrken before him. "and give me that damn flask for a minute. I need it more than you do."