131 House Arres (1/2)

After Meld extended her offer, Li noticed that Jeanne, Sylvie, and, in the back, Azhar were looking to him for a response. He did not often like taking the lead on things, but it felt more natural now. After all, he had been the one to kick this whole ordeal into motion in the first place.

But what did Li want to do? He could not help but feel suspicious of Meld and Thunderstrike. From what he heard, they, as two of the ten strongest heroes of the duchy, were essentially superweapons. It was odd that they would even be here in the first place.

The thought did occur to Li that they were observing his actions but having two of them here was overkill. On top of this, there was no reason for either of them to show themselves if they were here solely to observe him. Rather, they were more incentivized to stay quiet and see what he wanted to do.

This all went without saying that, up to this point, the duchess did not antagonize Li at all, recognizing on some level that doing so was highly imprudent. Perhaps the heroes could use their abilities to hide from Li, but the slightest of risks that he could find out would make surveillance far too dangerous for the duchess, and he hoped she was smart enough to know this.

But that did not mean Li fully believed they were here for upholding law and order as well. At the same time, there was insufficient evidence to believe that they were not either. After all, Meld did have intel against Chevrette that Li did not, indicating that she and her fellow hero had indeed spent genuine time and effort investigating.

For now, Li wanted to ascertain how genuine they were. Whether they truly were here for this investigation and whether they would impede Li or assist him entirely. They could still be useful pieces to play.

”If you want to get this investigation wrapped up, then like you said, we shouldn't be wasting time. How about we all go right now to Chevrette's estate together and make sure he's there so he doesn't run away?”

”A wonderful idea,” replied Meld without a shred of hesitation. ”It will not do for him to slip through the cracks of justice now. I will use the full brunt of the authority vested within me as a Ray to make sure that Chevrette cannot leave the boundaries of his home.”

”Agreed,” said Thunderstrike. ”I will alert Lys. The rest of you keep Chevrette under custody.”

Thunderstrike nodded before leaping up, disappearing in a gust of wind as he soared away, likely to the City Hall where Lys's office was.

Meld looked at the beastwomen.

”They ain't goin' nowhere with you,” said Azhar as he noticed Meld. The beastwomen shrunk back behind him, finding solace in his confident tone of voice.

”We are not equipped to host nonhumans, in any case,” nodded Meld. ”But they cannot come with us. It may be that they attack Chevrette, and I wish to minimize any variables that may prevent him from answering to justice. The people, too, may be cowed by them.”

”They can come with us. I foresee no real issues with it,” said Li. He understood Meld's logic, but he was being intentionally obtuse here, trying to see if he could push her to be against him.

Instead, Meld simply nodded. ”Very well. Then shall we be off? The light of day wanes.”

====================

They moved quickly through the city. Meld had hailed a large carriage for them ride in, and with her authority as a ray, allowed the driver to move through private lanes reserved for nobility and esteemed guests. As a result, there was no traffic nor were there Rivierans to gawk at the beastwomen.

”A carriage? I'm assuming you can't fly then,” said Li. He sat in the back of the carriage, his back leaned against the grate that separated passengers from drivers. Beside him were the beastwomen and Triple Threat.

At the very end of the carriage, her black booted feet dangling from the edge, Meld answered, ”No. I do wish I could, but you will find that my powers are quite middling compared to my nine peers. It is a miracle indeed that I am even within the ten rays.”

”What exactly is your power?” said Li, wanting to know to what extent Meld was willing to lay bare her information.

”It is nothing special.” Meld put her black gloved hand down into the carriage, where her broad brimmed hat cast a dark shadow. Her hand sunk directly into it, as if swallowed by a void. ”I can hide in shadows and become undetectable within them. Nothing quite as flashy as Sunstar or Thunderstrike or Sunderspeed, I am afraid.”