Chapter 105 - Persuasion

A smile subconsciously appeared on both Dr. Ilec and Rosalie’s lips as they saw the bright eyed kumin girl and heard her cheerful voice. Finn stepped aside as Char Char walked into the room.

“Char Char, I didn’t expect you back today.” Dr. Ilec said with surprise, “I thought you had other plans.”

“Yes, I just finished.” Char Char nodded, “I wanted to drop by and see how the clinic was doing on the way home. Do you need my help at all?”

“You’ve already helped so much.” Dr. Ilec said graciously, “Really, you wouldn’t believe the good things the patients have been saying about you. They-”

The curly haired doctor paused mid-thought as he realized he was about to repeat the rumours he’d heard - About the vision that the people in the theatre had seen of Char Char, who led over two hundred people to safety on the night of creeping vines. About her connection to a mysterious ‘white maiden’.

Given the nature of the conversation between Finn and himself just now, he was reluctant to speak of it.

“I know.” Char Char smiled gently with a knowing expression, “Some of the doctors also told me.”

“I… I see.” Dr. Ilec said.

Finn raised an eyebrow in confusion as he looked over to Char Char. The girl glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, and he caught the slightest smirk touch the corner of her lip. The expression only lasted for a microsecond as she stepped forward and reached out to hold Dr. Ilec’s hand with both her own in a compassionate gesture.

“Actually, you could say that I’ve come here tonight because of those rumours.” Char Char said, “I had a vision from Lord Noga. He told me to take the sickest patients that could still walk out to the forest to pray.”

“A vision? Lord Noga came to you in a vision?” A look of utmost confusion appeared on Dr. Ilec’s face. For a Lord to appear in a vision to a citizen, this was something that appeared in myths and legends. It was considered a spectacular event that was rare, difficult to prove… but within the realm of possibility.

Furthermore, enough patients had spoken of unexplained visions of Char Char even the most skeptical of doctors could not explain it. Mass hallucination? Confirmation bias under heavy stress? This mysterious, yet utterly charming girl was perhaps the one person that could convince the doctor that she had indeed received a vision from their Lord. As Dr. Ilec digested her words he subconsciously glanced towards Finn.

Char Char caught Dr. Ilec’s glance and tilted her head and turned towards Finn, asking with an innocent tone, “What’s the matter?”

She spoke in such a way as if she was ignorant of Finn’s involvement in the situation; a strange thing to be confused about since she had been the one to agree with Finn’s offer of assistance. Finn caught on immediately that she was intentionally spinning a white lie.

“I just finished speaking to Dr. Ilec about arranging two or three carriages to bring patients to a forest shrine tomorrow morning.” Finn said, “A direct order from my Chief.”

“Praise Lord Noga!” Char Char gasped under her breath in surprise, placing her palm against her heart in reverence. The rest of the people in the room instinctively echoed the gesture. “He must have instructed the police to provide assistance… In fact, as I came here I was wondering how to find the carriages and assistance to bring patients into the forest…”

Rosalie gasped in epiphany as she realized the significance of Finn’s appearance. Even Dr. Ilec was at a loss for words as he took a second to process the mysterious ‘coincidence’ that had just occurred.

“Indeed.” Dr. Ilec said, licking his lips that had suddenly turned dry, “This must be Lord Noga’s doing. However unconventional it appears to be.”

“These are strange times. Unusual circumstances call for unconventional solutions.” Finn nodded, “But we all need to do our part.”

Dr. Ilec nodded hesitantly, to which Char Char once again beamed brightly and stepped forward in a sudden embrace. “Thank you, Doctor!”

Being hugged suddenly by such an enthusiastic, attractive girl, Dr. Ilec could only pat her on the back in shock. The final reservations holding him back from approving the plan melted away as his heart was won over by Char Char’s heartfelt display of gratitude.

“Very well. I will come up with a list of patients for the morning.” Dr. Ilec said after Char Char stepped back.

“Thank you, doctor. I give you my personal assurance that the patients’ health and safety will be of the utmost importance.” Finn bowed respectfully, “If there are any doctors or nurses that would like to come along, they are welcome to join us.”

-

Outside of the clinic Finn found Char Char on the roadside, sitting in a luxurious black carriage with the door open and her feet dangling off the side. She appeared to be waiting for him as a grin appeared on her face when she saw him approaching.

The rain was coming down heavily as he stood under the shelter of his black umbrella.

“Thank you.” She said, then smugly added, “And you’re welcome.”

“Was it really a vision from Lord Noga?” Finn asked, cutting straight to the question on his mind.

“Well, it certainly could be-” Char Char looked away cheekily, “Some people believed the visions from the white maiden were also by Lord Noga, so there’s a possibility.”

“Invoking the Lord’s name in vain.” Finn’s lips tightened in amusement, “He may smite you for that.”

“Since he didn’t, he must approve, no?” Char Char smiled, then shrugged, “I overheard the end of your conversation with Dr. Ilec. Bringing Lord Noga into the discussion was the simplest way to coax him into agreeing.”

“So you just lied to get your way?”

“If it helps people, it’s worth it, no?” Char Char pouted her lips in a small frown, “Are you going to scold me, officer?”

“No.” Finn said, “In this case I will agree with you, if only because I saw you get cured with my own eyes.”

The girl smiled again, nodding with satisfaction. “You’re leaving in the morning? I have more training tomorrow, but I’m pretty sure I’ll be able to join you.”

“It isn’t a problem,” Finn nodded.

“Okay.” Char Char nodded, “Good luck, then. Remember to bring candles and peaches.”

They exchanged a brief good-bye, and then Finn closed the door of the carriage for Char Char, walking around to the front of the carriage to tell the driver to head off.

Finn frowned, feeling like he had been played somehow. Something nagged him at the back of his mind. After Char Char had arrived, the conversations had somehow gone exactly the way that she wanted them to. It felt silly to think that this somewhat ditsy teenage girl was manipulating the people around her to serve some secret plot, yet he couldn’t shake this uneasy feeling. Once again he reaffirmed inwardly that this line of action was directly beneficial to his investigation.

As the luxurious carriage turned the corner Finn pulled a pocket watch out of his breast pocket and checked the time. It was nearly time for him to meet Minnie, to hear her report on the investigation at the cabin.

The location he had arranged to meet her was at a small police station a few blocks away. It was only a small post, lodged in a small two story house. A single large sign posted above the door served as the only feature that set it apart from the other houses on the block. This sort of minor police station was common throughout Noga for the ancillary branches.

Finn passed under the oil lantern that brightly illuminated the sign and walked into the station. The officer at the desk looked up from the book in her hand and, seeing that Finn was a fellow officer, nodded politely, “Good evening.”

“Evening.” Finn replied, propping his umbrella against the wall by the door, “I’m meeting a colleague here. Has Officer Kim been here tonight?”

“No, afraid not.” The officer shook his head.

“I’ll just wait by the fireplace, then. Don’t mind me.” Finn said, walking over to a set of chairs that had been set up in the waiting area. A small fire was burning in the stone fireplace, warming up the room.

He found himself subconsciously feeling relieved at the brightness of the station. He allowed himself to relax, staring into the fire without particularly thinking about anything. Only after a while did he realize that he was purposefully avoiding looking into the darker corners of the room, and at the darkened hall that led further into the building.

His lips tensed as he once again became aware of the strange twisting shapes that lurked in the shadows. They curled and uncurled in the darkness like illusory pill bugs with elongated bodies and spiky legs. As he found his eyes drawn towards the shadows once more they became more lively, aggravated by his attention.

He quickly forced himself to look back at the fire, focusing his eyes into the flickering light from the flames. The light helped. The shadowy forms didn’t exist within the light.

The thoughts came so naturally, it took him a moment to catch himself. He had been trying to ignore the twisting shapes in the shadows for the evening, thinking that he could defeat the hallucinations by ignoring their existence. Yet the effect had only been exacerbated by his efforts. How had he suddenly become so adverse to darkness?

His mind turned to Zwei’s investigation, and the stories of the victims who had succumbed to the disease. One story in particular rang out - an official who had become terrified of the darkness to the point of filling his mansion with lanterns and candles, eventually burning to death in his own house.

He stood up suddenly and backed away from the fireplace that had provided him feelings of safety and comfort only moments ago.

“What’s the matter?” The officer at the desk asked.

“Nothing.” Finn said, a tremble in his voice as he walked towards the door, “I think I’ll wait for my colleague outside.”