Chapter 234 - News and a Proposition

“You said you were helping Yuzu’s family.” Char Char turned to her grandfather, “What did they need help with?”

Sansen frowned, “That’s-“

A knock at the door interrupted them.

“Come in.” Sansen said.

Corbin stepped in, bowed briefly, and introduced their guest, “Special Inspector Finn Mackenzie.”

The young officer with ash-coloured hair walked in smartly in a light grey uniform. He nodded to Sansen Zhao and Char Char in turn with a calm seriousness.

Char Char had not seen the officer since the day that she was released into the custody of her grandfather. Prior to that though, he was the primary officer who interrogated her and gathered her story of the events leading up to the failed resurrection ritual.

She had been forthright with him despite the nagging feeling that he was constantly keeping information from her. He had never disclosed directly to her that the White Maiden was suspected of wrongdoing. Nor did he expand on why she had been detained or kept under house arrest, except that it was a matter of operational and national security.

After all we did for you, this is how you treat us? Char Char withheld the urge to frown at Finn’s entry.

Sansen placed his hand on Char Char’s shoulder and squeezed gently in a show of affection and support. He nodded to Finn, leaving Char Char at the window to move toward the door.

“When you’re finished, come find us in the first sitting room.” Sansen said.

“Yes, sir.” Finn nodded respectfully.

The door closed behind Finn, leaving Char Char alone with him.

Another interview? Char Char frowned, but immediately changed her mind as she observed his demeanor. No, the mood is different this time. He’s not looking for answers, he’s here to tell me something.

News about the White Maiden?

“Good morning, miss Zhao.” Finn bowed gently.

“Oh, stuff it with the formalities.” Char Char rolled her eyes. She sat down on the small day bed set into the window alcove. “We’re beyond that point, aren’t we?”

“I suppose so.” Finn nodded, his expression neutral. He had expected the response from Char Char, but starting the conversation this way allowed him to gauge the mood of this mercurial girl. She’s friendlier than usual… So she’s already gathered that this isn’t a normal visit, and she wants to cut to the chase.

I mustn’t let her control this conversation. Finn noted a small refreshment set next to the door that had been previously prepared and made his way to it, flipping open the lid of the carafe in a casual manner to check the contents before pouring himself a cup. “You don’t mind if I have a coffee?”

“Help yourself.” Char Char said, “If you need other refreshments we can call a maid.”

“This is just fine.” Finn said, carefully perusing the various porcelain dishes containing cream and sugar cubes as he finished preparing the coffee. “I have asked to have a private audience with you today in order to share some sensitive information with you.”

“Sensitive information?” Char Char’s ears pricked up as she showed a look of curiousity.

“Regarding your house arrest.” Finn nodded, carrying his coffee over to the sofa next to the window and sitting down at a modest distance from the girl. Not too familiar, not too distant. He took a whiff of the coffee, closing his eyes as he enjoyed the warm, nutty scent.

“You like coffee that much?” Char Char asked with thinly veiled impatience.

“For a commoner like me, this is one of the main perks of visiting your mansion.” Finn said honestly, “I’ve looked for coffee in the city and nothing compares to what your grandfather serves.”

“I’ve noticed that you don’t drink coffee yourself. Do you not enjoy it?” Finn continued.

“It’s not bad, but it’s too heavy.” Char Char said, bluntly adding, “I prefer tea.” 

Finn took a leisure sip of his coffee, analyzing Char Char out of the corner of his eyes. She was off-balance, impatient yet due to tone and flow of the conversation, was unable to push the issue. 

Rebel Pathway. Chaos Domain. Finn reminded himself silently. A pathway noted for its sensitivity to the thoughts and emotions of the people around them. Skilled orators, notable for their persuasiveness and ability to misdirect. At higher ranks, able to influence not just individuals but entire organizations or even countries. 

It had taken a lot of effort to uncover Char Char’s pathway. He had conducted numerous interviews of the shrine goers and people close to Char Char, carefully noting anything unusual or supernatural about her interactions with people. 

It was a game of inference and the process of elimination. An investigation into Char Char’s friends at the Red Lion Security Company revealed that they were a company of unregistered Exalted. With Finn’s top secret clearance he found a small file on them which indicated their likely domains - Chaos, Body and Order. Since organizations tended to specialize in specific domains, these were what Char Char was most likely attuned to.

A side comment from Edwin the monk revealed that she had power over flames, eliminating Order from the list of possible domains. Her uncanny ability to gain support from crowds was a strike against Body, and narrowed down the possibilities to a few Chaos pathways. 

And so on, and so forth.

Char Char had used her powers against Finn as well, before he had put up his guard. She’d influenced him with micro gestures and word choice, guiding him to a result in her favour without him being the wiser. He was relieved when he learned that her powers weren’t as invasive as mind reading or as insidious like mind control. 

Her primary weakness is that she’s too naive, and leans too much on her ability. If she were more mature I’d have to change my strategy... But for now, if she doesn’t realize my methods I should have her under control.

“I’ll apologize in advance. I haven’t been forthcoming with the reasons for your house arrest.” Finn said finally, “It was a matter of national security, but now we’ve managed to advance the investigations and I’m able to be a more transparent with you.”

“So you’re dropping the house arrest?” Char Char asked.

Finn’s brief hesitation told her that the answer was no.

“Let’s start with some basics.” Finn said, “Your actions to assist the people of Noga in the past month are fully recognized and commended by Lord Noga. Specifically, your disruption of Deka’s first resurrection ritual was critical to the safety and stability of the nation. In my briefs with the higher ups, I’ve always maintained that you are a person of integrity and loyalty to Lord Noga.”

Of course I am. Char Char thought to herself, though she noted that this was the first time Finn had acknowledged her efforts directly.

“Your initial arrest and subsequent house arrest was not a matter of your own personal qualities, but rather your affiliations.” Finn said. His tone turned serious as he looked Char Char in the eyes, “Specifically, with the White Maiden.”

Char Char’s lip twitched in annoyance as her expression darkened, “What about Her?”

“This next piece of information is top secret.” Finn said, “Only the police chiefs and a few select ministers know about this.”

“You’re not a police chief or a minister.” Char Char rebutted.

“No, but I have been appointed to take charge of this case.” Finn said, “And as such I have the discretion of divulging this information if it will benefit the investigation.”

He paused, looking into his coffee cup. Careful, now. He thought to himself. I need to keep her on my side. No, I need her want to join forces with me.

“Let me preface this by saying that I believe the White Maiden is benevolent. That without Her help, Noga would have fallen to the cataclysmic events of the past month.”

“Of course.” Char Char frowned, “Why does this even need to be stated?”

“Because I want you to know where I am coming from with this investigation. I’m not here to attack the White Maiden, I’m here to find out the truth.” Finn said.

“The truth?”

“At the time that the God of Life was being resurrected in Tye-Ann Square, there was a security breach within the Cathedral.” Finn said. “Within the Cathedral was an artifact which served as one of the foundations of Lord Noga’s power. It was secured deep in the core of the Cathedral, behind numerous security measures.”

“At the moment of the God of Life’s resurrection, nearly all of our forces were mobilized to counter the ritual. The security around the core was the lightest it had ever been since the founding of Noga City.”

He paused and looked at Char Char pointedly to emphasize the sensitivity of this information. Seeing that he had her full attention he continued.

“Let me lay out the sequence of events. First, the God of Life began his resurrection, and only a core set of personnel remained within the Cathedral depths. At this time, an unknown individual managed to slip into the restricted catacombs and descend down to the bottom level.

“This individual passed by a dozen Exalted guards who for various reasons coincidentally happened to be in the exact wrong spot to catch the invader, or were distracted for a small window of time allowing the invader to pass without detection.

“After this incredibly unlikely infiltration, this individual reached the artifact. In the plaza above, the God of Life suddenly perished without direct intervention from our forces. Almost immediately after, the individual destroyed the artifact.

“The destruction caused a ripple effect that set off every alarm in the cathedral, however the chaos of the God of Life’s ritual delayed the response. The invader was able to head to the prison cells and release a high-profile prisoner that was able to allow both of them to escape without a trace.”

“The destruction of the artifact is a huge blow to the stability of the region and Lord Noga’s power. In our investigation we discovered traces of Fate’s influence throughout all of these events.”

“Traces of fate’s influence…” Char Char took a moment to process the information. Her annoyance changed to caution as she asked, “You’re saying the White Maiden both saved the city from the God of Life, while at the same time attacked one of Lord Noga’s critical artifacts?”

“The evidence strongly supports both of these courses of events.” Finn nodded.

“That makes no sense.” Char Char shook her head, “Why would the White Maiden both protect and attack Noga?”

“This is exactly the question that I want to answer.” Finn replied.

I see. Char Char suddenly had an epiphany. If the White Maiden is suspected of treason, I would be a prime suspect as Her representative. This explains the house arrest… But why would he tell me all of this? If he really believed I could be guilty, he wouldn’t be telling me sensitive information.

Char Char maintained a neutral expression as she sized Finn up. After all this time she felt she had a strong grasp of his personality. He was calculating and meticulous. He never lied, but often told half truths. Furthermore, he seemed to always want to be in control of situations and manipulate things to his advantage.

Based on her understanding of the officer, revealing this information to her could mean only one thing. He needed her help.

Finn set his cup on the table, “The official position of the police is that the White Maiden ultimately can’t be trusted. The police also recognize you as one of Her Blessed, and as such you fall under the same treatment.”

“But you don’t agree with this decision.” Char Char said, piercing between Finn’s words to his main point.

“That’s right. The higher ups view the White Maiden as an uncontrollable and unpredictable power. They want to limit the White Maiden’s influence while Lord Noga recovers, in case She really is acting against him. However, I think we can do better than just closing ourselves off.” 

“I’ve come today with a proposition for you.” Finn looked Char Char in the eyes, “Work with me, so we can clear the names of both you and the White Maiden.”