Grimace sat outside of Rebecca’s office, his hands clutching his head as he waited to be called. He had a lot of things to think about, way too many things. However, there were two that constantly lingered in his mind right now.

  The first one was Rumia’s request for a government job. He capitulated on Rumia’s demand for that, and he wasn’t quite sure why, himself. Perhaps he was just sick of her whining, perhaps there was something more to it. Regardless, he had dug himself into a hole that he had to deal with.

  Just like the other hole he was in, the murder of Evaine Onsen. That case had been on the back of Grimace’s mind for a long time. He had been working on it in private, after he sent Rumia to curfew. He couldn’t afford to let PASCAL or anyone know about it, because he didn’t know why Rebecca took him off the case. His progress so far has been annoyingly little, as he hasn’t found any murder weapon yet.

  One could very easily chalk this up to a random act of violence, but Grimace knew that there was something more. It just nagged at his mind constantly. His progress was also slowed by being assigned to Rumia most of the time. It was all so frustrating.

  But according to Jaelin, he was due for an outside city mission. So he doesn’t even know if he’ll have time to think about it still. The boy groaned, all of this nonsense could not come to an end soon enough.

  “Good afternoon, Grimace,” a familiar voice spoke to him. It was Yuzu, dragging her giant axe on her back.

  “Oh, hello Yuzu. How was Verdant?” Grimace asked.

  “We extracted the target, they are currently in the capital,” Yuzu answered. “The last thing we need to do is hook up PASCAL for security.”

  “I see. Isn’t he pretty dangerous?”

  “I have complete faith in PASCAL’s abilities. You should as well, the threat is obviously more contained here than it was in Verdant.”

  Despite the reassurance, Grimace didn’t feel all too certain. However, he did know about PASCAL’s power, and Rebecca’s own feat of engineering. So, it was difficult to ascertain any particular outcome.

  “We’re most likely switching jobs, yes?” Grimace asked.

  “That is what I’ve heard. You get to go to Lune, one of the better cities in this country. Quite lucky, if you ask me,” Yuzu responded.

  “And you get to babysit a petulant child,” Grimace said. “Isn’t that fun for you.”

  “I have no qualms with that,” Yuzu said. “It is a moment to breathe in the capital city before another mission. I think I will do just as good of a job as you.”

  “Sure. That girl is a brat though, you might have your hands full.”

  “As I said, do not worry.”

  They finished their conversation, as a lady walked up to them and bowed.

  “The Governor will see you both, now,” she said. The two nodded, before getting up and walking into the office.

  Rebecca was sitting inside of the office, doing some paperwork. She saw the two of them come in and adjusted her glasses, leaning back into her chair.

  “Hello, Grimace, Yuzu,” Rebecca said. “How are you two doing?”

  “I’m fine,” Grimace responded.

  “Things are going well, Governor,” Yuzu said. “I already explained to Grimace how the relocation efforts are going. Custos was hesitant, but I convinced him.”

  “And you, Grimace?” Rebecca asked.

  “Rumia is alive and well. I don’t know what else you want me to say about her,” Grimace crossed his arms. “Things have been as straightforward as ever.”

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  “That’s good to hear,” Rebecca said. “With both of you doing your tasks, things have been proceeding well on my end. However, I figured the both of you could use a change of scenery, which is why I called you here.”

  “I’ve heard,” Yuzu said. “You wish for us to switch roles?”

  “Yes, Yuzu. You’ll be put in temporary charge of our most important asset, Rumia. Grimace, you will head to Lune to perform a city wellness report.” Rebecca nodded.

  “I see. What caused this change of heart?” Grimace asked.

  “I figured you’d need it. I’m not stopping you from enjoying yourself at Lune, it is quite the fun city. Just, I believe you need more time outside of the castle walls,” Rebecca explained. “Lune is also another one of the capital’s current economic supports, considering the lockdown.”

  “Mhm, I see,” Grimace said. He wasn’t all too happy about this vacation, but it has been a while since he did something different other than guard Rumia. Perhaps he could temporarily appreciate the moment to himself.

  “I will do my best at my task as well,” Yuzu said. “You can trust us.”

  “Though, question,” Grimace raised his hand. “Well, I have a few, really. I may as well ask them all at once.”

  “Go ahead,” Rebecca said.

  “Why bring Kaos here instead of funding more security for Custos? It seems like quite the risk to centralize his threat at the capital city, the most important city in Lunasa,” Grimace asked.

  “It’s a simple economics issue. While I would like to roll PASCAL out further in the country, I do not have the capacity to. I believe she is what makes this city safe, and thus she should be in charge of handling one of the most dangerous threats in the country.”

  Grimace thought that answer made enough sense. It just made him a little bit uneasy to have such a malevolent force within the capital itself. Perhaps there would be a reconsideration once the princess was found and the lockdown was over.

  “How about the murder of Evaine Onsen, have you made any progress on that?” Grimace asked. This one was for his own personal satisfaction, because he had not heard of any new developments in that case. He was certain that if he was allowed to work on the case without any restrictions, then he would at least have an answer by now.

  “It is progressing,” Rebecca said. “You seem rather insistent on such a case that is quite small in the grand scheme of your duties.”

  “It’s one of my duties, Governor. Of course I will be curious,” Grimace said. He was frustrated at the answer, but he figured it wasn’t worth probing Rebecca for more. There was one final question that he needed to ask.

  “Rumia has requested me to assist her in getting a job at the government,” Grimace spoke. “She wishes to have a high paying government job in the princess’ castle. This may seem ridiculous on its face because she is a child but-”

  “I don’t see the issue with that,” Rebecca interrupted Grimace. That response surprised both people in the room.

  “Do you mean I’ll have to watch her while she comes to work here too?” Yuzu asked.

  “Yes, that would be preferable. But I do not see the issue with allowing her to work in the castle, perhaps under me. I could use a secretary,” Rebecca thought aloud. “A part-time one, of course. We want her condition to remain healthy, of course.”

  “That was… easier than I expected. She sprung that demand on me all of the sudden, so…” Grimace said.

  “If she wishes, tell her that she can come to the castle itself to meet me. I will be there,” Rebecca said. “I can get her the job she desires, and I will pay well.”

  “I see… thank you for making this simple for me,” Grimace said. He was still shocked, but he was also grateful that this didn’t have to be complicated further. “I will tell her before I leave.”

  “It is not a problem,” Rebecca smiled. “Thank you for bringing these concerns up. Do you have any other questions?”

  “No, I do not,” Grimace said.

  “And you, Yuzu?” Rebecca turned to her.

  “Only one, Governor,” Yuzu responded. “Will I get more information on Rumia’s patterns throughout the day?”

  “Ah, yes. Before you take the task, Grimace, you must brief Yuzu on your personal experience with Rumia. It will make her job easier, and all of our lives easier,” Rebecca said. Yuzu looked at Grimace, who gave a quick nod.

  “There are a lot of things you need to know about that girl,” Grimace said. “I spend so much time around her, I basically know every one of her habits.”

  “Does she get into any trouble?” Yuzu asked.

  “She tries to, or Anise tries to get her into trouble. When you’re watching her, you also get to know that engineer’s schedule perfectly as well.”

  “If you are ready to brief her, then I will leave you to it. Grimace, remember, you leave tomorrow. Be prepared for the trip.”

  ““Yes, governor,”” the two of them said simultaneously. They then got up and left the office, free of Rebecca’s gaze.

  The door’s closed behind them. As they headed out of the waiting area, Yuzu turned to Grimace when they reached the street.

  “Your briefing should start now,” Yuzu said. “Tell me everything you know about Rumia. Don’t leave a single detail out.”