NOVEL NEXT 1.61 – Bonk
"Phew, that was exactly what I needed. You're just lucky this is a succubus office. I'll give you some credit and guess they left you waiting a while. Sorry about that. I've been on this fiasco without rest since yesterday. Anyway, I'm [Agent] Iria. Maple and Emma, correct?"
Iria straightened her shirt needlessly, and outstretched a hand. Honestly, it might have been good that they filled the room with sex. She still had bags under her eyes, but her entire demeanor was uplifted compared to when she'd first walked in. Maple took her hand.
"Um, yeah. I'm Maple—"
"Heh. You said the line. Sorry, but I couldn't tell you how many times I've heard that quoted over the last 24 hours. Half the city heard your name, and the rest have heard tales, eh?"
"Right. Oof. I should probably get a new name now..."
She could be May from now on. Mabel came to mind, but that had baggage. Mary was too close to Marielle. She would think about it, but—she already hated the idea. She was Maple. Maybe it would blow over, and everyone would forget with time.
"Aw, don't look so bummed. Some say infamy is as good as fame. And you must be—ah."
Hi, I'm Emma. I'm a soap slime.
Emma shook hands, patented grin on her face, and held up her notebook. As so often was the case when Emma met people for the first time, Iria's own smile grew. It was an instinctual reaction to seeing the cute little goo ball, and on Maple, it worked every time.
"Nice to meet you, Emma. I can see why your human likes you."
The wording stood out to Maple and she blushed. Maybe something else on the page referred to her as her human, but Iria was sharp if she noticed such a thing that quick. Especially because Emma often highlighted the relevant text by obscuring the rest of the page with a coating of herself.
Iria moved on before Maple could dwell too deeply on it, and set a wooden disk on the table. In the center of it was a white gem.
"Alright, down to business. I have a long series of questions, mainly for Maple. Your answers will be verified by the truth stone on the table and recorded verbatim. Anything you say may be used as a testimony in any current or future cases, and as deemed necessary or relevant, may be forwarded to other localities for use at their own discretion. You are here willingly and not under succubi jurisdiction, so you may refuse to answer any or all questions, though your cooperation would be appreciated. Do you understand and consent to these conditions?"
That was a lot, and Maple suddenly remembered why she'd been dreading this. Did she need a lawyer? Wasn't it better not to say anything, if she had the choice? She was confused, and didn't fully understand. The silence dragged on though, so she stuck to the simpler parts.
"Um, wait. I'm here willingly?"
"Mhm. They...they didn't mention that? I suppose you might not have a choice when Syber questions you, but yeah no. This one is optional, for you. I only deal with internal investigations of other succubi. Your answers could be forwarded to Syber's government if they requested it, but that's not why I'm here. Ugh, I wish they'd just explain all this ahead of time."
Iria sighed and rubbed her temple like someone who just learned they may have wasted a significant chunk of time on nothing. Maple felt a bit guilty, but hadn't yet decided one way or the other.
"What are you investigating, exactly? And how am I involved?"
"Well, SuQ Dairy of course. I don't know how much you know, but I'm sure you're able to piece together some of it. Thanks to the I'm Maple event, we managed to trace an illegal alteration made using your milk, which lead to yesterday's calamity. What I need to find out is how much you were involved, and any information you might have on those responsible."
"Oh. Was it...not my fault? I think I forgot to mention getting [Aphrodisiac Body Fluids], but it doesn't do that, and I didn't know or expect—"
"Ah, so that's the Skill you have. Interesting. Let me put you at ease, Maple. There was more to it than that. You're not in trouble if you didn't know anything about what they were doing, and your answers would be used to bring justice to those actually responsible. I'll have to say the whole thing over again, but are you willing to answer some questions?"
Maple felt she might be incriminating herself, but being reassured felt too good. Maybe it was a trick, and Iria would hit her with the 'aha, gotcha! There is no evil plot, but forgetting to mention that Skill sure is a crime'.
She didn't know how much to trust the authorities here, but if Iria was being truthful, then someone else was responsible. Maple didn't have anything that would be helpful, but she could at least give her honest, truth-stone guaranteed, plea of non-accountability. She nodded, and Iria droned through the consent script again, which she agreed to this time.
"Great. Simple stuff first: When did you come to Syber?"
"Uh, like a few weeks ago. I needed money so I ended up—"
Iria held up a hand to stop her. She wrote down everything Maple said near-instantly. Must be a Skill. The truth stone on the table lit up green, of course.
"We'll get to that. Just the simplest answers to the questions, please. Where were you before that, and for how long?"
"Um, uh...pass!"
Maple was already sweating. She didn't have a way to answer that, that didn't reveal far too much about herself. Iria made no comment and just moved on to the next question. After a series of basic questions establishing identity, she finally got to the relevant ones.
"Are you aware of your milk being used for any purpose besides normal consumption?"
"No—or I mean, you just told me it was, but I didn't know that until then..."
The truth stone had flashed orange until Maple realized her mistake, and then turned green.
"Have you ever met, spoken to, or interacted with the owner of SuQ Dairy, or anyone named Tinil?"
"No. I don't know who that is."
"Who was your main point of contact within SuQ Dairy?"
"Um, the employee I talked to most was Maztarav."
Orange again, and Maple felt her heart skip a beat. Her nerves were making it difficult to think clearly.
"No wait, his name was Maztaran, I think. Probably. Maz something. No it was Maztaran, for sure."
"Relax, babe. It's not a test. No one's memory is perfect. But alright, did this Maztaran ever say or do anything that seemed suspicious to you?"
Iria turned to another page on her clipboard and scanned through a list.
"Sorry. Um, I don't think so? He was nice, but that was mainly because they get a commission. He did say my, um, milk, was worth more because I'm human."
Mentioning her milk was still embarrassing, even when it was to a succubus, not that species had much to do with it. Iria dipped her quill.
"Oh? Well, that's probably true enough. What rate they were giving you?"
"A silver per liter, I think."
"A little high, but not that abnormal. Hm. And you're sure he said his name was Maztaran?"
"Yeah, positive."
Iria stared at her list some more, and the questions shifted toward any other suspicious persons Maple may have seen. Which was: none. She was happily clueless.
"Alright, that's about it. Emma, you've heard everything I asked Maple. Do you have any new information you'd like to share that would be relevant to any of those questions? The truth stone has mute functionality built-in. You can place your hand on it and shake your head yes or no."
There really wasn't a need for that, Maple noted. Iria was asking if she wanted to volunteer to share any info, so any answer ought to come up green. Emma was delighted by the accessibility, however, and gladly placed her hand on the truth stone. She shook her head no, and it lit up green. Iria smile and began sorting her things away.
"Right. Well, that's it then. Here's my card in case you learn anything new. Any mage's guild or competent mage will be able to send a message to that address."
Iria handed Maple a black business card. She took it. This world's sturdy card stock flexed between her fingers, but showed no intention of creasing. Her agency and department were written in an easy on the eyes off-white, and in the center was her name in raised gold lettering that somehow didn't appear at all tacky on the charcoal background.
Below her name was a magic sigil with a subtle pink glow. Maple wasn't positive, but she thought it'd been artistically stylized in a way that was readable to mages, but also looked good.
It didn't feel like something disposable. Each one must cost a fortune, but it was the kind of card Maple would want for herself—if only she had any reason to own business cards.
"Ooh, fancy. And then the messages just go straight to you?"
"To the bureau, addressed to me. Why? Did you want my personal line?"
Iria winked at Maple with a suggestive smirk. Maple stammered and backtracked, but Emma nodded with enthusiasm.
"Haha, I can't actually go around getting intimate with witnesses. But alright, thanks for your cooperation. I don't know what the city watch wants from you, but you can see yourselves out."
"Oh, wait. What's going to happen to SuQ Dairy?"
